The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on November 15, 2017

The Lottery has a lot of mood. Isidore Mankofsky’s lucid but muted cinematography captures a routine day, not even special with an entire small town gathering in a large field. Director Yust has a few favorite touchstones among the townspeople, though only until the lottery itself starts. Then he c   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on October 25, 2017

The Illustrated Man (1960) is trilogy of terror-tinged sci-fi tales drawn from Ray Bradbury’s eighteen story anthology of the same name. Rod Steiger stars as the titular tattooed drifter in a framing story with Robert Drivas and then-wife Claire Bloom, and in various roles in the stories which   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on October 3, 2017

Despite my general reluctance to say that the Western in its classical form was on the way out, it’s hard not to make such an assertion looking at the landscape of the late 1960s. The Wild Bunch is a common marker of the seismic shift leading to the complete obliteration...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on October 3, 2017

Despite my general reluctance to say that the Western in its classical form was on the way out, it’s hard not to make such an assertion looking at the landscape of the late 1960s. The Wild Bunch is a common marker of the seismic shift leading to the complete obliteration...   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on September 22, 2017

Hans Brinker is clumsy and charmless. It plods through its runtime. Once it becomes clear Moose Charlap’s songs aren’t going to be getting any better and there’s not going to be much expert iceskating on display, it plods even more. A lot of things would help–better writing, better acting, better...   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on August 2, 2017

Kes has a forecasted structure (so long as you can understand the Yorkshire accents). Teenager David Bradley is about to leave school and head into the workforce. His older brother, played by Freddie Fletcher, works in the coal mines and Bradley knows he doesn’t want that career. They share a...   read more

Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers Posted by The Metzinger Sisters on July 26, 2017

In the late 1960s, adventure and sci-fi films weren't all too popular in the theaters. The younger generation preferred films that portrayed gritty realism; films that dealt with problems they could relate to. The older generation were wondering what became of the musicals and noirs they loved and p   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on July 21, 2017

Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow are John and Mary, respectively, and they’ve just woken up after spending the night together. They met at a singles bar. Is it going to be a one night stand or is it going to be something more? Both come with some baggage, though of...   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on April 21, 2017

Cowboys and dinosaurs in a movie together? In The Valley of Gwangi (1969) the combination is as entertaining as it sounds. It is the last dinosaur film of effects designer Ray Harryhausen, and showcases some of his best work, in addition to being a rousing action flick. The film is...   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on April 15, 2017

The Wild Bunch opens with a methodically executed heist slash shootout sequence. Director Peckinpah quickly introduces cast members, partially due to the dramatic plotting, mostly due to Lou Lombardo’s fantastic editing. All juxtaposed with some kids watching ants kill scorpions. The Wild Bunch ope   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on February 27, 2017

At face value, Model Shop is an ordinary film of little consequence but look a little deeper and it’s actually a fascinating portrait of the LA milieu in 1969. Part of that is due to the man behind it all. Jacques Demy is among the foremost of French directors, most obviously...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on February 27, 2017

At face value, Model Shop is an ordinary film of little consequence but look a little deeper and it’s actually a fascinating portrait of the L.A. milieu in 1969. Part of that is due to the man behind it all. Jacques Demy is among the foremost of French directors, most obviously...   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on November 20, 2016

Midnight Cowboy gets to be a character study, but doesn’t start as one, which is an interesting situation. About forty-five minutes into the film, which runs just shy of two hours, Midnight Cowboy chucks the narrative urgency. Maybe not chucks, maybe just shuts down, because it does take the film...   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on September 29, 2016

While Hitchcock’s Topaz also finds its roots in the Cold War like its predecessor Torn Curtain (1966), it revolves around more intricate professional espionage which in this case pertains specifically to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The establishing shot of the film makes it clear that we are somewhere   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on September 29, 2016

While Hitchcock’s Topaz also finds its roots in the Cold War like its predecessor Torn Curtain (1966), it revolves around more intricate professional espionage which in this case pertains specifically to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The establishing shot of the film makes it clear that we are somewhere   read more

Classic Movies Posted by KC on September 14, 2016

Making its Warner Archive DVD debut, Alfred the Great isn't an unheralded classic, though it has some fascinating elements. Starring David Hemmings in the title role and Michael York as Guthram, a brutal Viking with a Prince Valiant bob, it's a visually striking epic with inventive battle scenes, an   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on August 20, 2016

My father has always maintained that two of his favorite films are The Magnificent Seven and True Grit. The first one makes sense with its stellar cast, resplendent score, and some top rate gunslinging. The second film, well, it makes sense too, but for completely different reasons. Director Henry H   read more

4 Star Films Posted by 4 Star Film Fan on August 20, 2016

My father has always maintained that two of his favorite films are The Magnificent Seven and True Grit. The first one makes sense with its stellar cast, resplendent score, and some top rate gun slinging. The second film, well, it makes sense too, but for completely different reasons. Director Henry   read more

Comet Over Hollywood Posted by on July 15, 2016

The world was changing in the late-1960s. The anti-authority, anti-capitalism, anti-war and free-love movements brought a shift in popular culture. The surf culture that erupted after Fredrick Kohner’s book “Gidget” hit the shelves was starting to fade with dissatisfaction of establishment. This ca   read more

The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on June 27, 2016

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opens with a sepia-toned silent film newsreel. It’s exposition, but also contrast. The silent images of a daring train robbery distract from reading the film’s accompanying opening titles. When the film itself starts, it’s just as sepia-toned. On   read more