Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on October 7, 2012

What attracted me first to CONFESSIONS OF AN OPIUM EATER (1962) was the poster. Our story, courteous reader, begins in late November of 2008. I was in Framingham, Massachusetts, working on the production of a meeting for pharmaceutical sales reps. Sure, it sounds glamorous, but this event was really   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on October 4, 2012

Staked through the heart by critics and shunned by moviegoers like a garlic bialy at a vampire brunch, Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS was one of the most anemic blockbusters of the summer season. After a disappointing $80 million domestic theatrical gross, the maddeningly misguided, comedic reimagining o   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 27, 2012

Turner Classic Movies’ month-long tribute to comedy pioneer Mack Sennett concludes tonight with 21 short subjects produced between 1926 and 1933, all restored by CineMuseum. Brew up a pot of strong coffee, because the final night of the festival ends with a bang in the wee hours as W.C. Fields   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 27, 2012

The 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival is seven months away. But that’s not stopping me from getting excited. And this new promo from TCM, just released today, is only making it worse. Or better, depending upon your perspective. For some background on the event, and tips for film bloggers seeking   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 26, 2012

The countdown has begun. Turner Classic Movies has announced the dates for the next installment of the hugely popular TCM Classic Film Festival: April 25 – 28, 2013 in Hollywood. The Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd. will once again serve as TCMFF command central, home to the “Club TCM&   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 24, 2012

Ask the average person about Lupe Vélez and you’ll probably be met with a blank stare. But query those same folks as to whether or not they’ve heard of the classic film star who “drowned in the toilet,” and they’ll likely perk up with smirking recognition. We have Kenneth Anger’s...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 20, 2012

Every Thursday in September, Turner Classic Movies pays tribute to silent comedy pioneer Mack Sennett, screening 84 short subjects and 4 feature films, most of which have undergone (or are still undergoing, as of this writing) extensive restoration and musical scoring by Paul Gierucki and his team a   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 18, 2012

But really, who doesn’t? My girlfriend, falling all over Ben Mank at the 2012 TCM Classic Film Fest. How adorbs. So, of course, we’ll be watching Ben host the movie-themed reality competition Hot Set, tonight at 10 PM (EDT) on SyFy. Here’s some video of Ben at work on Hot...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 13, 2012

The silent film fun continues on Turner Classic Movies tonight, with the second of four Thursday nights this month highlighting the work of comedy pioneer Mack Sennett. After 30 (!) short subjects last Thursday, this week we quiet down a bit with 18 one- and two-reelers produced by Sennett’s K   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 12, 2012

Happy birthday to former child star Dickie Moore, who turns 87 today. Moore appeared in more than 100 films in a career that spanned three decades, including enduring classics like Alfred E. Green’s UNION DEPOT (1932), William J. Cowen’s OLIVER TWIST (1933), and Howard Hawks’ SARGE   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 11, 2012

“For me, the real ‘Classic Era’ in Hollywood was the mid-1930s until about 1959,” host Robert Osborne said at the third annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April. Coincidentally, those years also bookend the period during which the Motion Picture Production Code – and by extension, the Catholic Chur   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on September 6, 2012

If you enjoy silent comedy and film history, tonight is a big night on Turner Classic Movies. Beginning at 8 p.m. (EDT), TCM will present more than seven hours of the earliest available examples of filmed comedy, from the visionary brain of Mack Sennett. (A complete schedule for tonight is below.)...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on August 29, 2012

TCM host Robert Osborne (photo courtesy TCM) Turner Classic Movies announced today on Twitter and Facebook that primetime host Robert Osborne “will be taking some time off” beginning tomorrow, Thursday August 30. Weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz will be “hosting in his place&#82   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on August 27, 2012

No explanation offered, or required.   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on August 26, 2012

Trivia question: what was the first comedy series to feature a hot-tempered, Latin-born musical performer who mangled the English language and launched into paroxysms of invective en Espanol when angered by a Caucasian spouse? If you said I Love Lucy, you’d be wrong. The correct answer is Mexi   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on August 20, 2012

Phyllis Diller was a pioneer in the art of stand-up comedy. Beginning on radio in the early 1950s and moving to clubs mid-decade, Diller played rooms that had literally never featured a female unless she was taking off her clothes. Diller’s act was riddled with self-deprecation, but the sheer   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on August 8, 2012

For more than 80 years, WINGS was considered the only silent film to have won an Academy Award for Best Picture. It now shares that distinction with THE ARTIST, a fact which irks many fans of silent cinema who don’t consider Michel Hazanavicius’ 2011 release to be truly silent. But...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on July 30, 2012

“The Zeppo Role” was a relatively thankless part in all Marx Bros. films. After the “fourth brother” left the act following DUCK SOUP (1933), a stream of handsome young leading men took his standard part as the fresh-faced, often-crooning love interest: Allan Jones in A NIGHT   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on July 28, 2012

My girlfriend Maggie and me after a screening of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953) in 3-D at Film Forum on July 27, 2012. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change ) You...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on July 27, 2012

I didn’t hate Tim Burton’s feature film reboot of Dark Shadows. Before you fans of the original 1966-1971 ABC-TV series start firing up your torches and heading toward my castle, hear me out. I didn’t say I liked it. I said I didn’t hate it. And there’s one big reason...   read more