Now that's what I call a Movie Collection!

2010

2010-04-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

2009

2009-05-04T15:50:00.001-07:00

2008

2009-05-04T15:49:00.001-07:00

2007

2009-05-04T15:48:00.001-07:00

3:10 to Yuma 2007 DVD
3:10 to Yuma is the 2007 remake of the 1957 film of the same name, making it the second adaptation of Elmore Leonard's short story. It is directed by James Mangold and produced by Cathy Konrad, director and producer of Walk the Line, and stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Filming took place in various locations in New Mexico. Dan Evans (Christian Bale), an impoverished rancher and Civil War veteran, awakens to find his barn in flames, set ablaze by two men working for Glen Hollander, to whom Evans owes money. The next morning, as Evans and his two sons herd, they stumble upon outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his gang using Evans' cattle as a road blockade to ambush an armored stagecoach. As he loots the stage, Wade discovers Evans and his two sons watching from the hills. Acknowledging that they pose no threat, Wade takes their horses telling Evans that he will leave them tied up on the road to Bisbee.

2006

2009-05-04T15:46:00.004-07:00

16 Blocks 2006 DVD
16 Blocks is a 2006 film directed by Richard Donner and released by Warner Bros. It was released in the United States on March 3, 2006. The main characters are played by Bruce Willis, Mos Def, and David Morse. The film is shot in the "real time" narration method.
The plot holds a strong resemblance to the story of the Clint Eastwood film The Gauntlet (also from Warner Bros.) with both films being about an alcoholic detective escorting a loud-mouthed witness, only to find that the city's police force want the witness dead. Both films end with the protagonists driving a city bus through a gauntlet of police officers.
Willis originally wanted rapper Ludacris to play the part of Eddie Bunker.[2] This is the second film where David Morse plays the villain to Bruce Willis as the protagonist. The first was Twelve Monkeys in which Morse plays Dr. Peters.

2005

2009-05-04T15:46:00.003-07:00

A History of Violence 2005 DVD
A History of Violence is a 2005 American crime/thriller film directed by David Cronenberg, and written by Josh Olson, based on the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film features Viggo Mortensen as the owner of a diner who is thrust into the spotlight after killing two robbers in self-defense.
The film was put into limited release in the United States on September 23, 2005, and wide-release on September 30, 2005. It has the distinction of being the final major Hollywood motion picture released on VHS.
William Hurt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Josh Olson was nominated for Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a local restaurant owner in the fictional small town of Millbrook, Indiana, who lives peacefully with his lawyer wife Edie (Maria Bello), his teenage son Jack (Ashton Holmes) and younger daughter Sarah (Heidi Hayes).

One night two robbers come into Millbrook and stop at Tom's restaurant as he is closing it. The robbers attempt to rob the restaurant, but Tom defends himself and his restaurant patrons by killing both robbers. Overnight, Tom Stall becomes a nationwide celebrity.

Tom is soon visited by a scarred gangster named Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), who alleges that Tom's real name is not Tom Stall, and that he is not even from Indiana. Fogarty claims Tom is actually a gangster named Joey Cusack, who used to run with him in the local Irish Mob in Philadelphia. Tom denies these accusations and claims he has never been to Philadelphia, but Fogarty continues to stalk the Stall family. Under pressure from Fogarty and his newfound fame, Tom's marriage and relationship with his son, Jack, become strained.

Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy 2005 DVD
Documentary about the great 1940s horror movie producer Val Lewton who made some of the scariest horror films of all time finally gets a documentary about his life and the movies. It quickly (but fully) covers his early life and explains how he got to work for RKO Pictures and produce "The Cat People", "I Walked With a Zombie", "Bedlam", "The Body Snatcher", "The Leopard Man", "Isle of the Dead", the long unseen "Ghost Ship" and "The Seventh Victim". "Curse of the Cat People" is pretty much ignored but that's understandable--it's not really a horror film despite the title. They talk to coworkers, relatives, friends, other horror directors and film historians who get into how he made the films and why they're so important. What I find most interesting is that the studios GAVE him the titles and told him to make a story out of the title! It's incredible what classics he made with no money and just a title to work on. If you're a fan of his horror films (like me) you'll find this absolutely riveting. At 53 minutes it also doesn't wear out its welcome.

2004

2009-05-04T15:46:00.001-07:00

After the Sunset 2004 DVD
After the Sunset is a 2004 action comedy Film, starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a cat-and-mouse game with FBI agent Stan Lloyd played by Woody Harrelson. The film was directed by Brett Ratner and shot in The Bahamas.

After the Sunset begins with master thieves Max Burdett (Pierce Brosnan) and his beautiful accomplice, Lola Cirillo (Salma Hayek), retiring to Paradise Island in the Bahamas after one last big score, having lifted the second of the three famous Napoleon diamonds. Their financial future is set, their career in crime a thing of the past. However, Stanley Lloyd (Woody Harrelson), the FBI agent who has spent seven years doggedly pursuing Burdett, only to be foiled time after time, refuses to believe their retreat into domesticity. After a few months, Lloyd shows up, accusing Burdett of hiding out in the same place where a cruise ship is displaying another large rare diamond, the third of a set of diamonds that he stole. He thinks the two are planning to lift the third Napoleon diamond, one of the three largest non-flawed diamonds in the world.

2003

2009-05-04T15:45:00.001-07:00

21 Grams 2003 DVD
21 Grams is a 2003 drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio del Toro.
Like Arriaga's and González Iñárritu's previous film, Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams interweaves several plot lines, around the consequences of a tragic automobile accident. Penn plays a critically ill academic mathematician, Watts plays a grief-stricken mother, and del Toro plays a born-again Christian ex-convict whose faith is sorely tested in the aftermath of the accident.
21 Grams is presented in a non-linear arrangement where the lives of the characters are depicted before and after the accident. The three main characters each have 'past', 'present', and 'future' story threads, which are shown as non-linear fragments that punctuate elements of the overall story, all imminently coming toward each other and coalescing as the story progresses.

2002

2009-05-04T15:44:00.001-07:00

24 Hour Party People 2002 DVD
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
It begins with the punk rock era, and moves through the 1980s into the "Madchester" scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The main character is Tony Wilson, a news reporter for Granada Television and the head of Factory Records (played by comedian Steve Coogan), and the narrative largely follows his career, while also covering the major Factory artists, especially Joy Division and New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and the Happy Mondays.
The film is a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, urban legends, and the imaginations of the scriptwriter - as the film makes clear. In one scene featuring Howard Devoto (played by Martin Hancock) having sex with Wilson's first wife, the real Devoto, an extra in the scene, turns to the camera and says "I definitely don't remember this happening". The fourth wall is frequently broken, with Wilson (who also acts as the narrator) frequently commenting on events as they occur directly to camera, at one point declaring that he's "being postmodern, before it's fashionable". The actors are often intercut with real contemporary concert footage, including the Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall.

9/11 2002 DVD
9/11 is a 2002 documentary film about the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, in which two planes crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center. The film was directed by Jules and Gedeon Naudet, and NY firefighter James Hanlon.
The Naudet brothers were originally filming Tony Benetatos, a probationary firefighter, on the New York City Fire Department assigned to Ladder 1 on Duane Street with the intention of making a film about the "probie's" experience. On the morning of September 11, Battalion 1 was called out on a gas leak, Jules rides with the Battalion Chief, Chief Joseph Pfeifer, to check it out. When a low flying plane flies by overhead Jules turns the camera to follow the plane and tapes one of only three known recordings of the first plane hitting the North Tower (Tower 1) of the World Trade Center (the others being a video shot by Pavel Hlava and a sequence of still frames taken by Wolfgang Staehle). The members of Battalion 1 that were investigating the gas leak were the first responders on the scene and Jules was allowed to follow the chief during the attempted rescue operation. Jules, Chief Pfeifer and several other FDNY Chiefs are inside the lobby of Tower 1 when Tower 2 is hit by the second aircraft and when Tower 2 eventually collapsed (Gédéon, meanwhile, is back at the firehouse, filming the reactions of probie Tony Benetatos and the rest of the firefighters as they try to deal with the disaster). The film gives various firemen's accounts of the events of the remainder of the day, from the initial crash to the building's collapse to the attempts to rescue survivors from the rubble.

About a Boy 2002 DVD
About a Boy is a film directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, and based on the book of the same name by Nick Hornby. The film stars Golden Globe winner Hugh Grant as Will, Nicholas Hoult as Marcus, Academy Award nominee Toni Collette as Fiona, and Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz as Rachel. The film at times uses double voice-over narration, where the audience hear both Will's and Marcus's thoughts.
It was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Adapted Screenplay.
Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) is a 38-year-old bachelor who prides himself on being "cool". Thanks to royalties from a successful Christmas song that his father composed, Will does not need to work to maintain his leisurely lifestyle. He spends most of his free time smoking, watching television and reading about pop culture.

About Schmidt 2002 DVD
About Schmidt is a 2002 American drama film directed by Alexander Payne and starring Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt and Hope Davis as his daughter Jeannie. It is loosely based on the 1996 novel of the same title by Louis Begley. Many of the scenes were filmed on location, especially in Omaha, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado. According to the special features on the DVD, a number of non-professional local residents appeared in the film, portraying their real-life professions. The actual Woodmen of the World headquarters building in Omaha was utilized in the film.

The main narrative of the film follows Schmidt as he goes on a road trip in order to attend the wedding of his only daughter to a man and into a family he does not particularly like.

Warren Schmidt is retiring from his position as an actuary with an insurance company in Omaha, Nebraska. Schmidt finds it hard to adjust to his new life and feels useless. One evening, he sees a television advertisement about a foster program for African children. He soon receives an information package with a photo of his foster child, a small Tanzanian boy named Ndugu Umbo, to whom he relates his life in a series of rambling letters.

Schmidt is given an impersonal retirement dinner. He visits his young successor's office to offer his help, but he is not needed. As he leaves the building, Schmidt sees the contents and files of his office in the basement, set out for garbage collectors.

Adaptation 2002 DVD
Adaptation is an American comedy-drama film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman. The film is based on Susan Orlean's non-fiction book The Orchid Thief through self-referential events. The film stars Nicolas Cage as Charlie and Donald Kaufman, Meryl Streep as Susan, with Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour, Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film tells the story of Charlie Kaufman's difficult struggle to adapt The Orchid Thief into a film. In addition, Orlean romances with John Laroche while Charlie enlists the help of his twin brother Donald.
John Laroche and his wife run a successful Florida nursery, but tragedy strikes and Laroche's wife, mother and uncle are involved in a car accident. Laroche's mother and uncle are killed immediately, but his wife goes into a coma, divorcing Laroche and suing him once she regains consciousness. One month later, Laroche's home and everything he owns is destroyed by Hurricane Andrew. Meanwhile, local Seminoles hire Laroche due to his vast knowledge of flowers and orchid poaching. However, the Seminoles only use the extract of the Ghost Orchid for illicit drug use, and not for tribal ceremonials as Laroche thought.

2001

2009-05-04T15:43:00.002-07:00

15 Minutes 2001 DVD
15 Minutes is a 2001 film starring Robert De Niro and Edward Burns. It is about a homicide detective and a fire marshal who must stop a couple of Eastern European murderers from videotaping their killing and becoming sensationalized by the media. Melina Kanakaredes and Kelsey Grammer, both well-known for their TV performances, co-star. Its title is a reference to the famous Andy Warhol quotation, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes."
The film begins with Emil Slovak (Karel Roden) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov) arriving in America. They were former criminals and after getting out of prison have come to the US to claim their part of a bank heist in Russia (or somewhere in the Czech Republic). Within minutes of arriving, Oleg steals a video camera. They go to the run down apartment of their old partner Milos (Vladimir Mashkov) and demand their share. He does not have it so Emil stabs him and his wife to death as Oleg tapes it with his new camera. The neighbor girl witnesses it but she escapes before they can get her too. To hide the crime, Emil burns down the apartment.

A Beautiful Mind 2001 DVD
A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American film based on the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr., a Nobel Laureate in Economics.[2] The film was directed by Ron Howard and written by Akiva Goldsman. It was inspired by a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1998 book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar. The film stars Russell Crowe, along with Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer and Paul Bettany.
The story begins in the early years of Nash's life at Princeton University as he develops his "original idea" that will revolutionize the world of mathematics. Early in the movie, Nash begins developing paranoid schizophrenia and endures delusional episodes while painfully watching the loss and burden his condition brings on his wife and friends.
The film opened in US cinemas on December 21, 2001. It was well-received by critics, grossed over $300 million worldwide, and went on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence 2001 DVD
A.I. Artificial Intelligence, also known as Artificial Intelligence: A.I. or simply A.I., is a 2001 science fiction film directed, co-produced and co-written by Steven Spielberg. Based on Brian Aldiss' short story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long", the film stars Haley Joel Osment, Frances O'Connor, Jude Law, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas and William Hurt. Set sometime in the future, A.I. tells the story of David, a child-like android programmed with the unique ability to love.

Development of A.I. originally began with Stanley Kubrick in the early 1970s. Kubrick hired a series of writers up until the mid-1990s, including Brian Aldiss, Bob Shaw, Ian Watson and Sara Maitland. The film languished in development hell for years because Kubrick felt computer-generated imagery was not advanced enough to create the David character, whom he believed no child actor would believably portray. In 1995 Kubrick handed A.I. to Steven Spielberg, but the film did not gain momentum until Kubrick's death in 1999. Spielberg remained close to Watson's film treatment for the screenplay, and replicated Kubrick's secretive style of filmmaking. A.I. was greeted with mostly positive reviews from critics and became a moderate financial success. This film was dedicated to Kubrick's memory with a small credit after the credits, saying "For Our Friend Stanley Kubrick"

2000

2009-05-04T15:43:00.001-07:00

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters! 2000 DVD
Nice half hour doc featuring the comedy duo's encounters with the Universal horror stars and their joint series of successful film outings.

13 Days 2000 DVD
Thirteen Days is a 2000 historical film directed by Roger Donaldson about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, seen from the perspective of the US political leadership.
While the movie carries the same name as the book Thirteen Days by Robert F. Kennedy, it is actually based on The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis by Ernest May and Philip Zelikow. Most of the movie takes place in the White House, focusing on the decision-making process as President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert confront the military, who are pushing for an invasion of Cuba as a reaction to the installation of missiles there by the Soviet Union. Most of the film deals not so much with the Cold War between the Superpowers as with the conflict between the civilian and military authorities over the correct strategy to pursue. The film is structured so that much of it is seen from the perspective of White House special assistant Kenny O'Donnell, played by Kevin Costner.

The 6th Day 2000 DVD
The 6th Day is a 2000 action film directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The action hero plays family man Adam Gibson, who is cloned against his will in the future of 2015. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $25 million for his role in the film.
In 2015, cloning technology has been sufficiently developed as to allow the cloning of human organs and animals but reproducing complete humans is explicitly forbidden by so-called "6th Day" laws, named from the day when God created man. Adam Gibson (Schwarzenegger) is a pilot who runs a charter helicopter business along with his friend Hank Morgan. Michael Drucker, the owner of Replacement Technologies, a conglomerate that specialize in cloning, charters them for a skiing trip. Due to Drucker's financial and political influence, both Gibson and Morgan undergo blood and eye tests prior to his arrival to verify their identities and aptitude. On the day of Drucker's arrival, the same as Gibson's birthday, Gibson finds that his family dog has died, and Morgan offers to take his place as Drucker's pilot to allow Gibson to get his pet cloned.

1999

2009-05-04T15:42:00.002-07:00

8mm 1999 DVD
8mm is a 1999 mystery/thriller film, directed by Joel Schumacher, about a private investigator who delves into a world of pornographic snuff films. It stars Nicolas Cage.
Private investigator and surveillance expert Tom Welles is contacted by Daniel Longdale, the attorney of wealthy widow Mrs. Christian, whose husband has recently died. While going through the contents of her husband's safe, she and Longdale find an 8 mm film depicting what appears to be the brutal murder of a teenage girl by a hulking man in a mask. Through the emotion shown it seems the film is real, but Mrs. Christian wants to know for certain.

1998

2009-05-04T15:42:00.001-07:00

1997

2009-05-04T15:41:00.002-07:00

Absolute Power 1997 DVD and Laserdisc
Absolute Power is a 1997 American political thriller produced and directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood as a thief who witnesses a murder. The screenplay by William Goldman is based on the 1996 novel of the same name written by David Baldacci. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.
The story describes a conflict that arises after a burglar witnesses Secret Service agents killing the beautiful young wife of an elderly billionaire during her drunken rendezvous with the fictional President of the United States. The burglar is Luther Whitney (Eastwood), a master jewel thief. The President is Alan Richmond (Hackman), a known philanderer. The billionaire is Richmond's friend and financial supporter Walter Sullivan (Marshall), and his wife is Christy (Hardin). Luther has a daughter, Kate (Linney), who works as a prosecutor and has been estranged from him for years.

Luther breaks into Sullivan's mansion while the Sullivan family is on vacation, but Christy and Richmond interrupt him as he robs the house, Christy having asked her family to go without her. Luther hides behind a one-way mirror and watches as they begin a sexual encounter. When Richmond slaps Christy and tries to strangle her, she attacks him with a letter opener, he yells for help, and Secret Service agents Bill Burton (Glenn) and Tim Collin (Haysbert) shoot her to death. They and Chief of Staff Gloria Russell (Davis) then make the scene appear as if a burglar killed her. Luther escapes with some valuables and the bloody letter opener.

Air Force One 1997 DVD
Air Force One is a 1997 American action film written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, director of In the Line of Fire. It stars Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close, and also features Wendy Crewson, Xander Berkeley, William H. Macy and Paul Guilfoyle.

With cooperation of American forces through the United States President James Marshall (Harrison Ford), American special forces are able to capture the tyrannical dictator of Kazakhstan, General Alexander Radek (Jürgen Prochnow). Before returning to the United States on Air Force One, Marshall makes a speech in Moscow and deems the operation a new offensive against terrorism. Having visited the Red Cross camps and seen the brutality and atrocities committed under Radek's regime, Marshall vows to continue the offensive against the terrorists, stating that the U.S will never negotiate with terrorists and boldly declares "your day is over."

The flight back to Washington starts off smoothly, but soon neo-nationalist terrorists who are supportive of Radek, led by Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman) and posing as a Russian news crew (who are later found murdered), take control of the plane with help from a mole in the Secret Service, Agent Gibbs (Xander Berkeley). Marshall is rushed to an escape pod in the plane's cargo hold, but he refuses to leave, hiding behind the machinery when the pod is launched, leading Korshunov to believe that the President is no longer aboard.

1996

2009-05-04T15:41:00.001-07:00

100 Years of Horror 1996 DVD (5 DVD set)
"What frightens me is not so much the obvious monster. What frightens me is the unknown, the fear that my mind is not in control, that there is something out there that nobody knows about." So says Roger Corman, king of the B picture, helping to set the tone for this richly detailed survey of the horror film. 26 episodes Introduced and hosted by veteran horror actor Christopher Lee.

101 Dalmatians 1996 Laserdisc (Pal)
101 Dalmatians is a 1996 family film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a remake of the 1961 animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians (which was based on Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians). It stars Glenn Close as the villainous Cruella de Vil, and Jeff Daniels as Roger, the owner of the 101 dalmatians. Pongo, Perdita, and the 99 Puppies are all played by real-life dalmatian actors in this version, unlike in the 1961 animated version. Also, none of the animals talk.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves 1996 Laserdisc (Pal)
Aladdin and the King of Thieves is a 1996 American animated film that is a second direct-to-video sequel to the 1992 animated Aladdin and the 1994 animated film The Return of Jafar.
Robin Williams returned to voice the Genie after Disney apologized for the use of his likeness in the promotion of the original Aladdin film (Williams believed Disney had broken the terms of his contract). Dan Castellaneta had actually recorded all the dialogue of the Genie for this film, as he did with the previous sequel due to Disney's differences with Williams, but his recording session was not used when Robin Williams agreed to reprise his role.

1995

2009-05-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

1994

2009-05-04T15:37:00.001-07:00

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 1994 DVD
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey. It co-stars Courteney Cox, Tone Loc, and Sean Young among others. Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino also portrays himself in a major role. Though this was Carrey's 14th film role, it is considered to be the one that launched his successful film career. This film is the first of currently three collaborations between Carrey and Shadyac.
Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey) is a hip, self-styled "Pet Detective" from Miami, Florida, who is employed by people to reunite lost or stolen pets with their owners. While his methods seem to work effectively, he does not often get work and is behind on his rent, in addition to being a laughingstock at the Metro-Dade Police Department.

At Joe Robbie Stadium, the mascot of the Miami Dolphins, Snowflake the bottlenose dolphin, is kidnapped in the middle of the night, two weeks before the team is due to play in the Super Bowl. Mr. Riddle, the team's owner, knows that football players can be superstitious, and therefore believes they will lose the Super Bowl for certain unless Snowflake is returned. He gives his Head of Operations Roger Podacter (Troy Evans) and Chief Publicist Melissa Robinson (Courteney Cox) the deadline of Super Bowl Sunday to find Snowflake, or they will be fired. Ace is hired onto the case, and he meets Melissa and Podacter before entering the dolphin tank in search of clues. Ace then searches the filter and finds his first clue: a rare triangular-cut orange amber stone. He eventually theorizes that the stone, a rare triangular-shaped amber piece, had fallen from a 1984 AFC Championship Ring. Ace then tries to find out whose ring is missing a stone by tricking players into showing their rings until his list of suspects is used up.

Abbott and Costello meet Jerry Seinfeld 1994 DVD
In this one hour special, Jerry Seinfeld announces that the biggest inspiration for his own "Seinfeld" show was the old Abbott & Costello Show from the 50s. He looks at both hilarious shows in segments, and makes comparisons to some of the characters on each show, the most obvious being a comparison between Lou and George. If this thing ever airs again, or if it ever comes out on video, i would highly recommend viewing it if you like either Seinfeld of Abbott & Costello, or both.

1993

2009-05-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

A Perfect World 1993 DVD
A Perfect World is a 1993 drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Kevin Costner as an escaped convict who befriends a young boy (T.J. Lowther), and ends up embarking on a road trip with the child. Eastwood co-stars as a Texas Ranger in pursuit of the convict.
The film is set in Texas in the fall of 1963. Robert "Butch" Haynes (Kevin Costner) and Terry Pugh (Keith Szarabajka) are convicts who have just escaped from a Huntsville prison. Fleeing from the clutches of the law, the pair stumble into the kitchen of a house where eight-year old Phillip Perry (T. J. Lowther) lives with his devout Jehovah's Witness mother and two sisters. Needing a hostage to aid their escape, Butch grabs the boy, who meekly accompanies them. The trio's journey starts off on an unpleasant note as Butch is forced to shoot his fellow escapee with a stolen revolver, following the latter's attempts at molesting the child. With his partner out of the way, the convict and his young victim take to the Texas highway in a bid to flee from the pursuing police.

1992

2009-05-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

A Few Good Men 1992 DVD
A Few Good Men is a 1992 drama film, directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. It was based on a play of the same name by Aaron Sorkin. A courtroom drama, the film revolves around the trial of two US Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine and the tribulations of their lawyer, Daniel Kaffee (Cruise), as he prepares a case to defend his clients.
Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), son of a former Attorney General and Navy Judge Advocate General, is an inexperienced U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps lawyer who leads the defense in the court-martial of two Marines, Private Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Corporal Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of murdering a fellow Marine of their unit, Private William Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo), at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

A River runs through it 1992 DVD
A River Runs Through It is an Academy Award winning 1992 American film directed by Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd. It is a period drama based on the semi-autobiographical novella A River Runs Through It (1976) written by Norman Maclean (1902-90).

The film tells the autobiographical story about two young men, Norman (Craig Sheffer) and Paul (Brad Pitt), growing up in 1920s Missoula, Montana under the watchful eye of their father, a Presbyterian minister. Their mornings are spent in school and religious study, while their afternoons are devoted to fly fishing in the nearby Blackfoot River. At home, however, the family's stoic emotions hint that trouble is to come. Norman goes to the east coast for college and lives there for six years, without returning home until then. In the meantime, Paul gets a job as a prolific journalist and makes a name for himself back home. The movie is about Norman's return home and his and Paul's summer together.

As adults, Paul is a rebellious journalist and his brother, Norman, a level-headed, grounded teacher. Norman matures and channels his rebellion through his writing while dating Jessie Burns, while his reckless brother Paul turns to gambling and liquor. The film chronicles their intertwining and often conflicting lives, focusing on Norman's point of view, as they grow up in the shadow of their minister father. A great deal of the film surrounds the men's love of fly fishing for trout in Montana's rivers, and their shared experiences through it while growing up.

1991

2009-05-04T15:32:00.001-07:00

1990

2009-05-04T15:31:00.001-07:00

A Shock to the System 1990 DVD
A Shock to the System is a U.S. comedy crime thriller film directed by Jan Egleson, starring Michael Caine, Swoosie Kurtz, Elizabeth McGovern, and Peter Riegert. It is based on the 1984 novel A Shock to the System by British author Simon Brett.

A family man named Graham Marshall, a long-time executive in a large advertising company, is unexpectedly passed over for promotion. Marshall himself can live with it, but his nagging wife Leslie is devastated and continually reproaches her husband for his apparent lack of ambition and willpower.

An unfortunate accident occurs in the subway caused by Marshall in which a panhandler is killed. It goes unnoticed, then gives him a whole new set of ideas as far as his future life is concerned.

Deciding to take revenge on all the people who have caused him problems in his life, Marshall starts meticulously planning their violent deaths. This includes his wife, whom he eventually electrocutes, and his young rival Bob Benham at the office.

Marshall becomes much better acquainted with an office colleague, Stella Anderson. And when none of the murders is linked to him, Graham feels vindicated in his belief that killing off everyone who has harmed him is the right thing to do. He soon passes the point of no return.

1989

2009-05-04T15:30:00.003-07:00

The Abyss (Director cut) 1989 DVD
The Abyss is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. The original musical score was composed by Alan Silvestri. It was released on August 9, 1989 in North America.

Underwater scenes were filmed in the containment building of Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant, an unfinished nuclear power plant near Gaffney, South Carolina, in the United States. It took seven million gallons (26.5 million liters) of water to fill the tank to a depth of 40 feet (12 m), making it the largest underwater filming set ever constructed. The depth and length of time spent underwater meant that the cast and crew sometimes had to go through decompression. Filming was also done at the largest underground lake in the world — a mine in Bonne Terre, Missouri, which was the background for several underwater shots.

An American ballistic missile submarine, the USS Montana, sinks near the edge of the Cayman Trough after an accidental encounter with an unidentified submerged object. As Soviet ships and submarines head towards the area in an attempt to salvage the sub, and with a hurricane moving in, the Americans decide that the quickest way to mount a rescue is for a SEAL team to be inserted onto a privately owned experimental underwater oil platform, which they will then use as their base of operations. The designer of the platform, Dr. Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), insists on accompanying the SEAL team, even though her estranged husband, Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris), is currently serving as the platform's foreman.

The director's cut includes more of the conflict between the United States and Soviet forces over the crash of the Montana, each side initially blaming the other for it. When Bud arrives on the NTI ship and is shown the images of humanity's destructive behavior, the NTIs create enormous megatsunami-level waves that threaten every coastline, but then stall them moments before they would come crashing down. After showing Bud his messages of self-sacrifice and caring and believing humanity to be capable of the same, the NTIs cause the standing waves to dissipate harmlessly, after which they start to bring their ship to the surface.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 1989 DVD
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is an American slasher film. It is the fifth film in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film's general tone is much more gothic and dark than the films before, and used a blue filter lighting technique in most of the scenes. The film's main titles do not display the "5" which was used in all of the promotional material, TV spots, trailers, and merchandise. The main titles simply say "A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child".
Taking place almost a year after The Dream Master, Alice (Lisa Wilcox) and Dan (Danny Hassel) have now started dating and there is no sign of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Alice begins to have dreams of a young nun, with a name tag for "Amanda Krueger", being locked away in an asylum full of maniacs. Upon graduating from high school, Alice and Dan plan their getaway to Europe. Alice has made some new friends: Greta (Erika Anderson), a supermodel in training, Yvonne (Kelly Jo Minter), a future Olympic diver, and Mark (Joe Seely), a comic geek.

1988

2009-05-04T15:30:00.001-07:00

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master 1988 DVD
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is the fourth film in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.
Kristen (Tuesday Knight, who replaced Patricia Arquette), Joey (Rodney Eastman), and Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), have been released from the Westin Hills Asylum and are now living normal lives and attending high school. Kristen has managed to make some new friends: Alice (Lisa Wilcox), a young, bright girl who is a frequent daydreamer; Sheila (Toy Newkirk), a brainy, quiet girl with asthma; and Debbie (Brooke Theiss), a tough girl who hates bugs. She has also found herself a boyfriend, Rick (Andras Jones), who happens to be Alice's brother.

A Fish called Wanda 1988 DVD
A Fish called Wanda is a comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton and directed by Charles Crichton and John Cleese (uncredited), and starring Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. The film is a comedy about a jewel heist and its aftermath.
The name of Cleese's character, Archie Leach, is an homage to the British-American actor Cary Grant, whose real name was Archibald Leach.
London-based gangster George Thomason (Tom Georgeson) and his right-hand man, Ken Pile (Michael Palin), a beleaguered animal lover with a bad stutter, plan a jewel heist and bring in two Americans to help: an alluring con artist, Wanda Gershwitz (Jamie Lee Curtis) and a "weapons man", Otto West (Kevin Kline), who fancies himself as an intellectual but is actually a stupid idiot — who resents being called such.

The Accused 1988 DVD
The Accused is a 1988 Canadian drama film starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis, directed by Jonathan Kaplan and written by Tom Topor. Foster was awarded the 1988 Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for her performance.

Based on the real-life gang rape of Cheryl Araujo that occurred at Big Dan's Bar in New Bedford, Massachusetts on March 6, 1983, this film was one of the first Hollywood films to deal with rape in a direct manner.

The story is about a working-class woman, Sarah Tobias (Foster), labeled as promiscuous. One night in a bar, she is gang raped by several drunk bar patrons, while drunken onlookers cheer them on. A district attorney, Kathryn Murphy (McGillis), is assigned to the rape case, but she is convinced by her superiors to let the rapists plead guilty to reckless endangerment and get a sentence that allows parole in less than a year. Sarah is angered by the deal because she considers it a light punishment and because she did not get to tell her story in court.

1987

2009-05-04T15:29:00.001-07:00

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors 1987 DVD
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was the third film in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Chuck Russell and starred Robert Englund, Patricia Arquette, Heather Langenkamp, and Craig Wasson.
Kristen Parker falls asleep and dreams of a young girl running into an old, condemned house, which bears resemblance to Nancy's house. As Kristen follows the little girl she begins to realize that she's in trouble. She finds the girl in a boiler room. As she hears someone walking above them, the little girl exclaims, "Freddy's home!" Kristen then grabs the girl and flees from Freddy. After gaining some ground on the madman, she then realizes that the little girl she is carrying is nothing more than a decomposing skeleton. She wakes and is seemingly attacked in her bathroom. Her mother mistakes it as a suicide attempt.

1986

2009-05-04T15:28:00.005-07:00

1985

2009-05-04T15:28:00.003-07:00

A View to a Kill 1985 DVD
A View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the third Bond film after The Spy Who Loved Me and Octopussy to have an entirely original screenplay. In A View to a Kill, Bond is pitted against Max Zorin, who plans to destroy California's Silicon Valley.

The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who also wrote the screenplay with Richard Maibaum. It was the third James Bond film to be directed by John Glen, and the last to feature Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny.

Despite being a commercial success and earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Song, A View to a Kill was poorly received by critics and was also disliked by Roger Moore himself due to his age. Christopher Walken, however, was praised for portraying a "classic Bond villain".

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge 1985 DVD
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge is the second film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series of slasher films. It was released in 1985 by New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Jack Sholder.
It has been five years since the events of the first film (making it 1989). A new family, the Walshes, have moved into the former home of Nancy Thompson. The son, Jesse (Mark Patton), happens to move into Nancy's old room. He eventually begins to have nightmares of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) demanding that Jesse kill for him using Jesse as a host body to come back to life in the real world.

1984

2009-05-04T15:28:00.001-07:00

A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984 DVD
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first film of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film features John Saxon, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund and Johnny Depp in his feature film debut. Set in the fictional Midwestern town of Springwood, Ohio, the plot revolves around several teenagers being terrorized in their nightmares by the ghost of a serial child murderer named Fred Krueger.
Tina Gray (Amanda Wyss) has a disturbing nightmare in which she is stalked through a dark boiler room by a figure with distinctive razor-sharp knives attached to the fingers on his right hand. Just as he catches her, however, she wakes up screaming, only to discover four razor cuts in her nightdress identical to the cuts in her dream.

A Private Function 1984 DVD
A Private Function is a British comedy film starring Michael Palin and Maggie Smith. The film was predominantly filmed in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding, West Yorkshire. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival.
In a small Northern English town in 1947 the citizens endure continuing food rationing in the United Kingdom. Some local businessmen want to hold a party to celebrate the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip and illegally decide to raise a pig for that occasion. However the pig gets stolen by Gilbert Chilvers (Michael Palin) who was encouraged to do so by his wife Joyce (Maggie Smith). Meanwhile a food inspector is determined to stop activities circumventing the food rationing.

1983

2009-05-04T15:27:00.003-07:00

1982

2009-05-04T15:27:00.001-07:00

48 Hours 1982 DVD
48 Hrs. is a 1982 American action comedy film directed by Walter Hill, starring Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy as a cop and convict, respectively, who team up to catch a cop-killer. The title refers to the amount of time they have to solve the crime. This was Eddie Murphy's film debut (in his Golden Globe-nominated role), and Joel Silver's first film as a film producer. The screenplay was written by Hill, Roger Spottiswoode, Larry Gross, Steven E. de Souza, and Jeb Stuart (uncredited).

48 Hrs. is often credited as being the first "buddy cop" film. The genre evolved throughout the 1980s and 1990s with features such as Beverly Hills Cop, Running Scared, Lethal Weapon, Tango & Cash, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour. The film spawned a 1990 sequel, Another 48 Hrs.

1981

2009-05-04T15:26:00.005-07:00

Absence of Malice 1981 DVD
Absence of Malice is a 1981 film drama starrying Paul Newman and Sally Field, directed by Sydney Pollack.
Miami liquor wholesaler Michael Gallagher is the son of a deceased criminal who awakens one day to find himself a front-page story in the local newspaper, indicating that he is being investigated in the murder of a local longshoreman union official named Joey Diaz he knew.

The story was written by Miami Standard newspaper reporter Megan Carter, who based it on a file she read that was left on a desktop -- obviously intentionally -- of a federal prosecutor named Rosen.

Gallagher comes to the newspaper's office trying to discover the basis for the story, but Carter protects her anonymous source. He warns his best friend Teresa that federal agents may approach her to inquire about his whereabouts on the day of the crime. A meek school teacher and a devout Catholic, Teresa is nervous because it was on that very day that she secretly had an abortion, with her friend Gallagher by her side for support.

1980

2009-05-04T15:26:00.003-07:00

Airplane! 1980 DVD
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures. It stars Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty and features Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Lorna Patterson. The film is a spoof of the disaster film genre, and is, in a sense, a remake of the 1957 Paramount film Zero Hour!.
Airplane! was a huge financial success, grossing over US$83 million in North America alone, against a budget of just $3.5 million.[1] The film's creators received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Comedy, and nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay.

1979

2009-05-04T15:26:00.001-07:00

"10" 1979 DVD
10 is a 1979 romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bo Derek, Dudley Moore, and Julie Andrews. Considered a trend-setting film at the time, and one of the year's biggest box office hits, the film made superstars of Derek and Moore. During a surprise 42nd birthday party for songwriter George Webber, he finds himself coping badly with incipient middle age. When he catches a glimpse of a mysterious woman en route to her wedding, he is instantly obsessed by her beauty, and - despite the presence of his lover Samantha Taylor - follows the woman to the church where he is stung by a bee. George visits the priest, and learns that the woman is Jenny Miles, daughter of a prominent Beverly Hills dentist. Later that night, Sam is unhappy about George's unwillingness to pay attention to her, his use of the term broad, and the fact that he and his neighbor (a wealthy porn producer) watch each other perform carnal acts. George doesn't wish to lose an argument to her, resulting in Sam storming off.

Airport '79 - The Concorde 1979 DVD
The Concorde ... Airport '79 is a 1979 American disaster film (in the UK, it was released a year later as Airport '80: The Concorde). The film was the fourth and final installment of the Airport series. Panned by critics, the film made only US$13 million at the box office. The film starred Alain Delon as Capt. Paul Metrand, Susan Blakely as Maggie Whelan, Robert Wagner as Kevin Harrison and George Kennedy as Capt. Joe Patroni...A guy who knows a lot about plane disasters!

1978

2009-05-04T15:25:00.008-07:00

1977

2009-05-04T15:25:00.007-07:00

A Bridge too far 1977 DVD
A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 American epic war film based on the 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, adapted by William Goldman. It was produced by Joseph E. Levine and Richard P. Levine and directed by Richard Attenborough.
The film tells the story of the failure of Operation Market Garden during World War II, the Allied attempt to break through German lines and seize several bridges, including the bridge over the Lower Rhine (Neder Rijn) River, in the occupied Netherlands, with the main objective of Allied armoured troops outflanking the Siegfried Line at its northern extremity.
The name for the film comes from an unconfirmed comment made by British Lieutenant-General Frederick A.M. Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the operation's architect, before the operation, "I think we may be going a bridge too far."
The ensemble cast includes Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Elliott Gould, Edward Fox, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Kemp, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Liv Ullmann, Maximilian Schell, Hardy Krüger and Ryan O'Neal. The music for the film was scored by John Addison, who was a soldier with the British XXX Corps during Operation Market Garden.

Abigail's Party 1977 DVD
Abigail's Party is a play for stage and television written in 1977 by Mike Leigh. It is a suburban situation comedy of manners, and a satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s. The play developed in lengthy improvisations during which Mike Leigh explored the characters with the actors, but did not always reveal the incidents that would occur during the play.
Beverly Moss (Alison Steadman) invites her new neighbours, Angela and Tony, over for drinks. She has also asked her divorced neighbour Susan, whose fifteen-year-old daughter Abigail is holding a party back in their house. Beverly's husband Laurence comes home late from work, just before the guests arrive. The gathering starts off in a stiff, insensitive, British-middle-class way as the virtual strangers tentatively gather, until Beverly and Laurence start sniping at each other. As Beverly serves more drinks and the alcohol takes effect, Beverly flirts more and more overtly with Tony, as Laurence sits impotently by. After a tirade about art, Laurence suffers a fatal heart attack. Within this simple framework, all of the obsessions, prejudices, fears and petty competitiveness of the protagonists are ruthlessly exposed.

Airport '77 1977 DVD
Airport '77 is a 1977 disaster film and second sequel in the Airport franchise.
The film starred a number of veteran actors, including Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Christopher Lee and Olivia de Havilland. Like its predecessors, Airport '77 was a box office hit earning US$30 million and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Jack Lemmon disliked the film (along with Under the Yum Yum Tree), and said it was a big mistake in his career.

The film marked the series' progression into unrealistic storylines, but remained great fun nevertheless.

1976

2009-05-04T15:25:00.005-07:00

1975

2009-05-04T15:25:00.003-07:00

1974

2009-05-04T15:25:00.001-07:00

Airport 1975 DVD & Laserdisc
Airport 1975 is a 1974 disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 hit Airport. The movie is one among many of a class of Disaster films that became a movie-going craze during the 1970s. Its plot devices and characterizations, including a singing nun (Helen Reddy), a former glamorous star (Gloria Swanson as herself), an alcoholic (Myrna Loy), a child in need of an organ transplant (Linda Blair) and a chatterbox (Sid Caesar) were parodied in 1980's Airplane!. The characteristics of Airport 1975 were also used in numerous similar films to come, including the film's sequels Airport '77 and The Concorde...Airport '79.

Though derided by the critics upon its release, Airport 1975 was ultimately a success. With a budget of US$4 million, the film made over US$47 million at the box office. Helen Reddy was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female. The film was included, however, in the popular book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time three years later in 1978.

1973

2009-05-04T15:24:00.005-07:00

1972

2009-05-04T15:24:00.003-07:00

1971

2009-05-04T15:24:00.001-07:00

A Clockwork Orange 1971 Laserdisc
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 darkly satirical science fiction film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. The film concerns Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell), a charismatic, psychopathic delinquent whose pleasures are classical music (especially Beethoven), rape, and ultra-violence. He leads a small gang of thugs (Pete, Georgie, and Dim), whom he calls his droogs (from the Russian друг, “friend”, “buddy”). The film tells the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture, and attempted rehabilitation via a controversial psychological conditioning technique. Alex narrates most of the film in Nadsat, a fractured, contemporary adolescent argot comprising Slavic (especially Russian), English, and Cockney rhyming slang.
This cinematic adaptation was produced, directed, and written by Stanley Kubrick. It features disturbing, violent images, to facilitate social commentary about psychiatry, youth gangs, and other contemporary social, political, and economic subjects in a dystopian, future Britain. A Clockwork Orange features a soundtrack comprising mostly classical music selections and Moog synthesizer compositions by Wendy Carlos. A notable exception is “Singin’ in the Rain”, chosen because it was a song whose lyrics actor Malcolm McDowell knew. The now-iconic poster of A Clockwork Orange, and its images, were created by designer Bill Gold. The film also holds the record in the Guinness World Records for being the first movie in media history using the Dolby Sound system.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes 1971 DVD
The Abominable Dr. Phibes is a 1971 horror film starring Vincent Price. Its art deco sets, dark humor and "over the top" performance by Price has made the film and its sequel Dr. Phibes Rises Again "camp" classics.
Anton Phibes, a famous organist with doctorates in Music and Theology was thought to have been killed in a car crash in 1921 while rushing to the side of his sick wife, Victoria. He in fact survived the crash but was horribly disfigured. He fashions himself a wig and lifelike mask to hide his injuries, and using his musical expertise creates a system whereby he can speak through a hose connecting his windpipe to a gramophone. When Phibes discovers that his wife had died on the operating table he is convinced that she was a victim of incompetent doctors, and spends several years planning a vendetta against those who operated on her, and begins killing them in 1925.

Inspector Trout suspects Phibes, but finds little support from Scotland Yard. Trout is also hindered by the incompetence of his police force. Eventually Dr. Vesalius, head of the team of doctors that operated on Phibes's wife, begins to believe inspector Trout is right and aids him in the hunt for Phibes.

Using various highly imaginative methods, Dr. Phibes kills seven doctors and a nurse with the help of his beautiful and silent female assistant Vulnavia (played by actress Virginia North). He has reserved the final punishment for Dr. Vesalius. He kidnaps the doctor's son and places him on a table on which a container full of acid is waiting to destroy the boy's face. A small key implanted near the boy's heart will free him, but Vesalius must perform the surgery within six minutes to get the key before the acid falls. The operation succeeds and the acid instead strikes Vulnavia.

Convinced he has accomplished his vendetta, Phibes retreats to a stone sarcophagus beside the embalmed body of his wife. As he drains out his own blood and replaces it with embalming fluid the coffin's inlaid stone lid slides into place, concealing them both in darkness. Trout and the police arrive and discover that Phibes has mysteriously disappeared. Trout and Vesalius recall that the "final curse" was darkness and they speculate that they will encounter Phibes again.

1970

2009-05-04T15:23:00.001-07:00

A Fistful of Dynamite 1970 DVD

Duck, You Sucker! (Italian: Giù la testa), also known as A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time… the Revolution (Italian: C'era una Volta la Rivoluzione), is a 1970spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn.

It is the second part of a trilogy of epic Leone films including the previous Once Upon a Time in the West and the subsequent Once Upon a Time in America, released thirteen years later. The last western film directed by Leone, it is also his most overlooked.

The setting is 1913 Mexico at the time of the Revolution. Juan Miranda (Rod Steiger), a Mexican outlaw leading a bandit family, meets John Mallory (James Coburn), an early Irish nationalist explosives expert on the run from the British. Noting his skill with explosives, Juan relentlessly tries to make him join a raid on the Mesa Verde national bank. John in the meantime has made contact with the revolutionaries and intends to use his dynamite in their service. The bank is hit as part of an orchestrated revolutionary attack on the army organized by Doctor Villega (Romolo Valli). Juan, interested only in the money, is shocked to find that the bank has no funds and instead is used by the army as a political prison. John, Juan and his family end up freeing hundreds of prisoners, causing Juan to become a "great, grand, glorious hero of the revolution".

Airport 1970 DVD
Airport is a 1970 American film based on the 1968 Arthur Hailey novel of the same name. This film, which earned over $100,000,000 at the box office at a time when achieving that milestone was rare, focuses on an airport manager trying to keep his airport open during a snowstorm, while a suicidal bomber plots to blow up a Boeing 707 in flight. The story takes place at the fictional Chicago-area Lincoln International Airport. The film was written for the screen and directed by George Seaton. Seaton was assisted by Henry Hathaway, and Ernest Laszlo photographed it in 70 mm Todd-AO. The film cost $10 million to produce. This was the last film scored by Academy Award winning composer Alfred Newman.

Airport paved the way for the 1970s disaster film genre, establishing the widely-followed convention of "microcosmic melodrama combined with catastrophe-oriented adventure".
The film stars Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin and George Kennedy.

Patton 1970 DVD
In early 1971, the Academy Awards saluted Patton. Capturing eight Oscars- including best picture, best director, best actor, best screenplay, best editing, and best production design - the movie won every major battle of the evening. Such acclaim was richly deserved, for Patton remains to this day one of Hollywood's most compelling biographical war pictures.

With its larger-than-life, yet at the same time singularly human, portrayal of Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., Franklin Schaffner's picture is an example of filmmaking at its finest. From production design and battle choreography to simple one-on-one dramatic acting, Patton has it all. There is no scene in all one-hundred seventy minutes that doesn't work on some level.

Love Story 1970 DVD
Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail. Oliver and Jenny continue to build their life together. Relying only on each other, they believe love can fix anything. But fate has other plans. Soon, what began as a brutally honest friendship becomes the love story of their lives.

M*A*S*H 1970 DVD
Ostensibly set during the Korean War (1950-53), M*A*S*H is a black comedy about life in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit located only three miles from the front lines. The primary mission of the MASH unit is to provide immediate medical treatment to Americans wounded in combat, and the young surgeons are often up to their elbows in blood and guts for long periods of time. But when they're off duty, the MASH unit personnel keep their sanity by pursuing a wacky, irreverent lifestyle that leads to some hilarious adventures.

The Aristocats 1970 NTSC Laserdisc
The beloved, pampered housecat of a retired opera star in 1910 Paris finds herself stranded in the countryside with her three children, the victims of a plot by their owner's butler to cheat them out of a huge inheritance. They must find their way back to their home and owner, with the help of an independent-minded tomcat and other animal accomplices, while evading the butler and foiling his plan. Duchess and her 3 kittens are experiencing the high lifetime with their devoted human mistress right up until the wicked butler Edgar, with his eyesight on the big inheritance, decides to dope them and get them out using the picture. How can these fragile creatures cope in the unfamiliar countryside as well as meaner streets of Paris?

Kelly's Heroes 1970 DVD Laserdisc
During World War II a German Colonel is captured by the Americans but before he can be interrogated an artillery barrage hits the camp. However, Ex-Lieutenant Kelly (Clint Eastwood) manages to reach the Colonel, get him drunk and learn that he is on a secret mission to ship $16,000,000 of gold to a base in France. Kelly is determined to get the gold and plans for himself and a few of his fellow soldiers to slip into enemy territory and steal the bullion.

Little Big Man 1970 Pal Laserdisc
Little Big Man, the film adaptation of Thomas Berger's epic comic novel, is Arthur Penn's most extravagant and ambitious movie, an attempt to capture the essence of the American heritage in the funny, bitter, uproarious adventures of Jack Crabb, an irritable, 120-odd-year-old gentleman who may or may not have been the sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand.
Little Big Man is Mr. Penn's tough testament to the contrariness of the American experience as witnessed by the durable Mr. Crabb, played mostly by Dustin Hoffman in various amounts of makeup, and by two younger actors who impersonate Crabb while growing up.
It was Crabb's quite extraordinary fate to be captured by the Cheyennes at the age of ten, raised by them as a brave, rescued by the whites at the age of fifteen, and then to spend the next twenty years surviving two marriages, bankruptcy, sometime careers as an Indian scout and con artist, alcoholism, a brief period as a suicidal hermit, and, finally, General Custer's ill-timed decision to push on into the territory of the Little Big Horn.

Five Easy Pieces 1970 DVD
Five Easy Pieces (1970) is a moody, thoughtful character study of an alienated, misfit drifter and drop-out. It tells the story of a rough-neck California oil rigger Robert Dupea (Nicholson) who has turned his back on his well-to-do upbringing and his musical talent. After a period of self-imposed exile, discontent and restlessness for twenty years as a blue-collar worker, he returns to his home for a final reconciling visit when his father is on the verge of dying. There, he finds love with the sophisticated, musical wife of his brother (Anspach), turns his back on his vulgar but well-meaning girlfriend (Black), and then abandons everything by taking flight northward.
The film is most famous for the classic scene of Nicholson's outburst while ordering a chicken salad sandwich in a diner - symbolic of the 60s generation's rebellion and alienation during the Vietnam War Era. A second key scene is the one during traffic gridlock on a California highway, when the oil-rigger leaves his vehicle, jumps up on a truck stalled ahead, and plays a concerto on an upright piano located there.
This was director Bob Rafelson's second film (and his best work) after he had directed the television pop band the Monkees in the mind-blowing Head (1968), a surrealistic and psychedelic film that was co-written with unemployed actor Jack Nicholson, the major star in this film, and emulated the European New Wave pictures of the era. The film was nominated in four categories without Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Supporting Actress (Karen Black), and Best Story and Screenplay (Bob Rafelson and Adrien Joyce).

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Beneath the planet of the apes 1970 DVD
The film opens with the conclusion of the previous film, with a voice-over quotation read by ape/chimpanzee Cornelius (voice of Roddy McDowall), from the 29th scroll, the 6th verse, where it was prophetically written by the Lawgiver and man's nature:

Beware the beast man, for he is the devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him (drive him back into his jungle lair) for he is the harbinger of death.

Primitive mute human Nova (Linda Harrison) and US astronaut Taylor (Charlton Heston) left on horseback to follow the shoreline in the quarantined "Forbidden Zone" - "once a paradise" according to orangutan Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) which the human breed made a desert ages ago. Taylor was still determined to find out why there was "a planet where apes evolved from men - there's gotta be an answer." Zaius cautioned: "Don't look for it, Taylor. You may not like what you find." Zaius told chimpanzee Zira (Kim Hunter) that Taylor would soon find "his destiny." The opening credits played above Taylor and Nova riding along the beach, and the shocking conclusion (of the previous film), now abbreviated, in which Taylor dismounted to stare upwards, drop to his knees, and pound his fist into the sand: "Damn you all to hell!" (Note: the original was "Goddamn you all to hell"), at the sight of the spiked crown of a battered Statue of Liberty buried waist-deep in beach sand. They continued to ride through the arid desert area.

Two Mules for Sister Sara 1970 DVD
Set in Mexico, a nun called Sara is rescued from three cowboys by Hogan, who is on his way to do some reconnaissance, for a future mission to capture a French fort. The French are chasing Sara, but not for the reasons she tells Hogan, so he decides to help her in return for information about the fort defences. Inevitably the two become good friends but Sara has a secret..

Soldier Blue 1970 DVD
A cavalry unit in Colorado is conducting two important cargoes to Fort Reunion, home of the 11th Colorado Volunteers: Cresta Marybelle Lee (Candice Bergen), the fiancée of an officer in the unit until two years ago, when she was taken by the Cheyenne, and who just escaped; and Captain Battles (Dana Elcar), the paymaster, with a strongbox containing gold. The men are tired -- almost asleep in their saddles -- and frustrated, and doubly so by the presence of Cresta, whose beauty and reputation (by virtue of living two years with savages) is driving them to distraction; all except for Honus Gant (Peter Strauss), a neophyte trooper and wide-eyed innocent. The detachment is ambushed by a Cheyenne war party and the only survivors are Cresta and Honus, who learn to tolerate each other as they struggle across the wilderness and the desert in search of help. An encounter with white trader Isaac Q. Cumber (Donald Pleasence), a profiteer who is running guns to the Indians, nearly results in their deaths, and Honus is seriously wounded. Cresta goes off in search of help and is picked up by a cavalry scout and brought to the 11th Colorado, whose commanding officer, Col. Iverson (John Anderson), is planning a punitive strike against a peaceful Cheyenne encampment over the massacre of the paymaster's party. Cresta tries to secure help for Honus but Iverson is too busy planning bloodshed, and her fiancé, Lt. McNair (Bob Carraway), is just too eager to pick up where he left off with her to listen to her warnings. She rides out on her own and returns to the village where she'd spent the previous two years, while Honus manages to survive to reach Iverson. He ends up along for the assault on the village, which takes place despite the chieftain Spotted Wolf (Jorge Rivera) flying a flag of truce and an American flag given him at a previous negotiation with the whites. The Native Americans defend themselves when fired upon with artillery and rifles, and all hell breaks lose -- virtually all of the men in the village are killed in the first assault, and then the soldiers spot the women, children, and old men, and there begins an orgy of rape, mutilation, beheadings, dismemberment, and torture before Honus' horrified eyes by joyously shrieking soldiers. Cresta kills a soldier who tries to rape her and intends to die with her Native American family but is pulled out, only to watch the slaughter continue. In the end, Honus is left to be marched back to Fort Reunion as a prisoner for trying to stop the killing, and Iverson expresses pride and satisfaction at what he's done, while Cresta and a tiny handful of survivors -- almost all old men and women -- watch in mute horror and anger.~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970 NTSC Laserdisc Special Edition
Director Billy Wilder here gives an affectionate comic spin to the great detective partnership, casting a wonderfully theatrical Robert Stephens as Holmes and a bemusedly stolid Colin Blakely as Dr Watson. Wilder was enraged when studio executives insisted on whittling the proposed four stories in the screenplay down to two as the idea for the film had always been a favourite of his. Holmes in Love (with Genevieve Page), though, is a sight to behold and The Adventure of the Mini-Submarine, featuring Queen Victoria, is bizarre and even wistful fun. The Baker Street set by the great Alexander Trauner is a superb piece of craftsmanship — an architectural metaphor for the film itself.

The Railway children 1970 DVD
The film opens in a happy, comfortable upper middle-class home in Victorian London. One night the three children see their father usher two strangers into his study. After an argument he leaves with them and does not return. They and their mother fall on hard times and eventually move to a cottage in the country. Yet they keep their spirits up and find ways to help others. Fascinated by the nearby railroad, they wave to the passengers faithfully every day, and their vigilance and courage prevent an accident. Their kindness makes friends of some important people who can help solve the mystery of their missing father.

The Vampire Lovers 1970 DVD
The Countess is called away to tend a sick friend and imposes on the General to accept her daughter Marcilla as a houseguest. Some of the villagers begin dying, however, and the General's daughter Laura soon gets weak and pale, but Marcilla is there to comfort her. The villagers begin whispering about vampires as Marcilla finds another family on which to impose herself. The pattern repeats as Emma gets ill, but the General cannot rest, and seeks the advice of Baron Hartog, who once dealt a decisive blow against a family of vampires.

The Molly Maguires 1970 DVD
Life is rough in the coal mines of 1876 Pennsylvania. A secret group of Irish emigrant miners, known as the Molly Maguires, fights against the cruelty of the mining company with sabotage and murder. A detective, also an Irish emigrant, is hired to infiltrate the group and report on its members. But on which side do his sympathies lie?

Taste the Blood of Dracula 1970 DVD
Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring borgoueis lives and gets in contact with one of count Dracula's servants. In a nightly ceremony they restore the count back to life. The three men killed Dracula's servant and as a revenge, the count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons.

Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält aka Mark of the Devil 1970 NTSC Laserdisc
Udo Kier is a witch hunter apprentice to Herbert Lom. He believes strongly in his mentor and the ways of the church but loses faith when he catches Lom strangling Reggie Nalder to death for calling him impotent. Kier begins to see for himself that the witch trials are nothing but a scam of the church to rob people of their land, money, and other personal belongings of value and seduce beautiful big breasted women. In the end, the towns people revolt, Herbert Lom escapes and poor Udo is tortured to death by the towns people with the his own torture devices. This film contains very strong graphic torture including a women's tongue being ripped out of her head, nuns being raped(in the opening credits), and lots of beatings.

They call me MISTER Tibbs! 1970 DVD
With the emphasis on the Mister, it's Sidney Poitier, back again as the black detective after his love-hate relationship with sheriff Rod Steiger worked so well in In the Heat of the Night. Here he's investigating the killing of a hooker who was close to his friend Martin Landau, and the usual clichés about a cop's fraught domestic life form a counterpoint to the main action. Poitier is impressive in his ruthless integrity, but the the character contrast of the original is slightly missed.

Scream and scream again 1970 DVD
This highly regarded but occasionally confusing sci-fi horror tale is tinged with political allegory. Vincent Price (in one of the few present-day pictures he made) is a scientist creating an artificial super-race via gruesome transplant surgery for a foreign fascist power. Peter Cushing is an ex-Nazi and Christopher Lee a British agent in veteran genre director Gordon Hessler's imaginative blood-curdler, but the three leads' highly publicised (at the time) have virtually no scenes together. Giving a more straightforward performance than normal, Price lends dignity and class to some credible chills.

Scars of Dracula 1970 DVD (R2 and R1)
Christopher Lee thinks this is his weakest Dracula sequel, but Hammer horror fans like it because the Count has more screen time here than in any other episode. There's also a palpable dark fairy-tale atmosphere achieved by director Roy Ward Baker as Dracula tries sinking his fangs into naive Transylvanian travellers Dennis Waterman and Jenny Hanley. Propping up the formula vampire tale are a memorable death by lightning climax, and more blood, sadism and rubber bats than ever before.

Too Late the Hero 1970 DVD
Cliff Robertson stars as U.S. Navy interpreter Lt. Sam Lawson, assigned by Captain John G. Nolan (Henry Fonda) to join a British Commando unit tasked with destroying a Japanese communications center in preparation for a coming major Allied push in the South Pacific. Led by the incompetent Captain Hornsby (Denholm Elliott), the unit is made up of burnt-out soldiers -- personified by caustic medic Pvt. Tosh Hearne (Michael Caine) -- who want no part of the false glory inherent in this suicide mission for which they have been "volunteered."
Just as the in-fighting within the team begins to build to a head, the unit comes in contact with the enemy and all prior disagreements give way to primal survival instincts as the commando unit is brutally reduced to just two men -- Lawson and Tosh. The reluctant heroes must now not only fight for their own survival against the very capable Japanese Major Yamaguchi’s (Ken Takakura) forces, they must also decide whether to complete their mission or run for safety.
This type of war movie was quite popular in the 60s and 70s and there is really nothing unique in this portrayal of disgruntled warriors at the brink of physical and mental exhaustion. While Cliff Robertson shares top billing and does a fine job, it’s Michael Caine who delivers the grittiest performance as the wise-cracking Everyman soldier Tosh. This is the type of role that Caine once owned on the silver screen and it’s a delight to watch him in his full-on Cockney glory.

Cry of the Banshee 1970 DVD
s a kind of follow up to the successful Witchfinder General, Price plays another witch-hunter in this film set in old England. This time, he's also the town's Lord and is even more sadistic and corrupt than the character he played in "Worm."
His character is kind of an amalgamation of the one he played in that film and the evil prince he played in "Masque of the Red Death." But, unlike Witchfinder General he's back to hamming it up, going overboard on the sadism and, later, despair, as a witch's curse starts killing off members of his family.
Hessler also directed the superior "Scream and Scream Again." For this critically panned movie, Hessler really ups the nudity quotient, so much so that it's a surprise to see Price in such a sex-laden picture. It seems like just about every female character in the film has a nude scene. Like "Scream and Scream Again," "Banshee" doesn't have a very strong plot. Unfortunately, it doesn't have that films swingin' '70s sensibilities and rock/jazz score to propel it to a high level. Price also isn't in the movie much, leaving most of the action to his sons in the movie.

Carry on Loving 1970 DVD
During the late 60s/early 70s, the Carry On team put out two movies a year, and a Christmas special. Given that all the stars also had other work on as well, it's remarkable that the standards remained as high as they did. 'Loving' is no exception.
Sid James and Hattie Jacques run the Wedded Bliss Marital Agency, where they use the most high-tech equipment to ensure their clients meet the partner of their dreams. Only it's not so simple. For starters, Sid and Hattie aren't actually married – whilst Sidney Bliss refers to her as his loving and devoted wife, Hattie is actually Miss Sophie Plummer. All they have is an 'understanding' - and one that lets Sid keep back all the best girls on the books for himself, including Joan Sims's Esme Crowfoot. Even the computer is a fake - the card input slot feeds straight through to the next room, where Sophie selects the best 'match' from a card index and shoves it through another slot back to Sid.
Their clients are no better – especially Terry Scott, who is obviously only looking to get his leg over, and Richard O'Callaghan, who is looking to impress his girl with his collection of model aircraft made from milk bottle tops.

Cold Sweat 1970 DVD
A guilt-ridden hitman Joe (Bronson), who bailed out of a job seven years before, has become an expatriate living in France. Now married, with wife (Liv Ullman) and stepdaughter, he runs a charter boat and at the same time one of his former cohorts shows up. A fight ensues and Bronson kills him. Unfortunately, the victim is only a vanguard for three new adversaries who make Bronson a deadly proposal. It is now Bronson's turn to take the initiative. He kidnaps his adversary's (James Mason) wife (Jill Ireland), steals his money, and stashes both for a trade. The ball is now in Mason's court and treachery is well within his grasp . Yet, a third player appears unbeknownst to either man...

Carry on Up the Jungle 1970 DVD
Of the two Carry On misadventures featuring the fantastic Frankie Howerd, "Carry On Up the Jungle" is often forgotten in favour of the excellent Carry On Doctor three years earlier, and there's a reason for this.
The boundaries of bawdy humour were pushed to the extreme for the manic Carry On Camping, losing the innocence of the series that was still present in Carry On Doctor, so we hit the 1970's and everything seems to be out in the open.
And to continue the long-running series, director Gerald Thomas and producer Peter Rogers chose to set the nineteenth film in the heart of the African jungle, but of course the cast and crew never left Pinewood Studios!

Horror of Frankenstein 1970 DVD
Viewers expecting a classic version of the Frankenstein story such as was seen in the Boris Karloff trilogy back in the 1930's are liable to be disappointed with "Horror of Frankenstein", however there is much to admire in this updated story. Hammer Studios always had a way of creating good looking productions out of small budgets and while this film does at times reveal some short cuts they are not ones that detract from the story. Ralph Bates, stepping into the shoes of the legendary Peter Cushing certainly had his work cut out for him here however he does a more than capable job in his one outing in this famous role. His Victor Frankenstein is all charm and good looks on the surface which hides a very corrupt and sinister character underneath that cares for neither family or friends. Ralph Bates was an extremely talented actor who was being groomed at this time for greater things with Hammer Productions just as their prolific output of horror efforts was slowing down. His combination of good looks, and talent for playing characters that were both good and bad made him a natural for these type of horror stories. The supporting actors surrounding Bates in this effort couldn't be faulted and represent a fine school of performers that were typical of these late Hammer era productions. Actress Veronica Carlson had already appeared in one of the earlier Peter Cushing Frankenstein efforts for Hammer, "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!", when she came on board here playing the role of Elizabeth Heiss, Baron Frankenstein's childhood friend who still carries a flame for him. Kate O'Mara really shines in the role of the seductive servant Alys who gets more than she bargains for when she tries to play Victor Frankenstein at his own game for which she pays dearly. Being a story about creating a human being out of used body parts obviously means that grave robbers would naturally feature prominently in the story. Here Dennis Price as the hard drinking grave robber of this story who supplies Victor with the corpses he needs for his "work", delivers an at times amusing perfomance and his scenes with his wife (Joan Rice), have a certain amount of macabre humour to them. Their best scene togethe ris when they are disturbing the fresh graves in the cemetary and the gentleman gets his poor wife to do the actual digging while he discusses the fortune they will make from a reported tragedy at sea that finds bodies being washed ashore along the coast! Jon Finch as Victor's childhood friend Lt. Becker who leads the investigation into the deaths and Bernard Archard as Elizabeth's father who becomes Victor's prey when a fresh brain is needed also score well in their respective parts. Much debate has always arisen over David Prowse as the Monster. Certainly his creature could never compete in appearance or personality with Boris Karloff's classic interpretation of the character however with each screening of "Horror of Frankenstein", I feel he makes an acceptable creature in his own right if you dont try and compare him to Karloff. Certainly his scenes where he is trying to break loose from his chains or is wandering around the countryside striking terror into the locals or tearing apart a bird to eat raw have their own horrific qualities. Visually "Horror of Frankenstein", could afford to be more explicit than many of the earlier versions given the year it was made. This is best illustrated in the gruesome scenes when Victor is assembling the creature from sawn off body parts and when he wipes his face with blood covered hands during the "operation", which gives this film a far more raw quality than in previous Hammer efforts. Period detail in all respects is certainly a strong point of "Horror of Frankenstein", with the attractive Victorian atmosphere well represented in costume and sets. Frankenstein's lab where he conducts his experiments is one that we have come to expect from Hammer Productions filled as it is with bubbling containers, test tubes and assorted wires, in short the classic mad scientist's lab in vivid colour.

The Man who haunted himself 1970 DVD
Sir Roger Moore is known primarily as everyone's favourite British secret agent 007 but has been involved in many other films, such as this little-known 1970 release which gives him a rare chance to flex his acting muscles. Directed by Basil Dearden - who was responsible for the classic romp The Assassination Bureau and an episode in one of the first anthology horror movies, the legendary Dead Of Night - The Man Who Haunted Himself is a psychological thriller with a supernatural edge.

Inspired by a short story from the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series the narrative centres on uptight businessman Harold Pelham. After a strange car crash & subsequent overseas convalescence he returns to work. But things start to take a bizarre turn when colleagues claim to see him in places he has not been and acting out of character. All this occurs amid the rather hostile takeover negations of his company and as the plot progresses and the activities of this other self increase Pelham feels his sense of reality slowly ebbing away. What begins, he thinks, as the childish prank of friends becomes a more dangerous game as he endeavours to discover the truth. But at what cost?

1969

2009-05-04T15:22:00.006-07:00

1968

2009-05-04T15:22:00.005-07:00

2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 HD DVD
2001: A Space Odyssey (occasionally referred to as simply 2001) is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, ambiguous and often surreal imagery, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and minimal use of dialogue.
The film has a memorable soundtrack — the result of the association which Kubrick made between the rotary motion of the satellites and the dancers of waltzes, which led him to use the The Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss II, and the famous symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra, by Richard Strauss, to portray the philosophical evolution of Man theorized in Nietzsche's homonymous work.
Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today recognized by many critics and audiences as one of the greatest films ever made; the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of critics ranked it among the top ten films of all time. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in The National Film Registry.

1967

2009-05-04T15:22:00.003-07:00

1966

2009-05-04T15:22:00.001-07:00

1965

2009-05-04T15:21:00.002-07:00

The World of Abbott and Costello 1965 DVD
A compilation of clips from 19 Abbott & Costello features: The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap, In the Navy, Hit the Ice, Who Done It?, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Mexican Hayride, Hold That Ghost, Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, Little Giant, In Society, Ride 'Em Cowboy, The Naughty Nineties, Buck Privates Come Home, Buck Privates, Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops, Lost in Alaska, Comin' Round the Mountain, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy.

1964

2009-05-04T15:21:00.001-07:00

633 Squadron 1964 DVD
633 Squadron is a 1964 British film which depicts the exploits of a fictional Second World War British fighter-bomber squadron. It was directed by Walter Grauman and produced by Cecil F. Ford for United Artists. The film stars Cliff Robertson and George Chakiris. The script was adapted by author James Clavell and Howard Koch from the novel of the same name by Frederick E. Smith, which itself was based on several real Royal Air Force missions. 633 Squadron was the first aviation film to be shot in color and Panavision wide screen.
When Norwegian resistance leader Lieutenant Erik Bergman reports the location of a German V-2 rocket fuel plant, the Royal Air Force's 633 Squadron is assigned the mission to destroy it. 633 Squadron is under the command of Wing Commander Roy Grant, an ex-Eagle Squadron pilot (Americans serving in the RAF before America entered the war).

The plant is in a seemingly-impregnable location beneath an overhanging cliff at the end of a long, narrow fjord lined with anti-aircraft guns. The only way to destroy the plant is by collapsing the cliff on top of it, a job for 633 Squadron's fast and manoeuvrable de Havilland Mosquitos. The squadron trains in Scotland, where there are narrow valleys similar to the fjord. There, Grant is introduced to Bergman's sister, Hilde. They are attracted to each other, despite Grant's aversion to wartime relationships.

A Fistful of Dollars 1964 DVD / Laserdisc
A Fistful of Dollars (Italian: Per un pugno di dollari) is a 1964 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood alongside Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto and Joseph Egger. Released in Italy in 1964 then in the United States in 1967, it initiated the popularity of the Spaghetti Western film genre. It was followed by For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), also starring Eastwood. Collectively, the films are commonly known as the "Dollars Trilogy" or "The Man With No Name Trilogy". This film is an unofficial remake of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo (1961), which itself drew inspiration from earlier Westerns. In the United States, the United Artists publicity campaign referred to Eastwood's character in all three films as the "Man with No Name".

As one of the first Spaghetti Westerns to be released in the United States, many of the European cast and crew took on American sounding stage names. These included Leone himself ("Bob Robertson"), Gian Maria Volontè ("Johnny Wels"), and composer Ennio Morricone ("Dan Savio").

A Hard Days Night 1964 DVD
Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British comedy film written by Alun Owen starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was directed by Richard Lester and originally released by United Artists. The film was made in the style of a mock documentary, describing a couple of days in the lives of the group.
On arrival in London, The Beatles are driven to a hotel where they feel trapped. After a night out during which Paul's grandfather causes minor trouble at a casino, the group are taken to the theatre where their performance is to be filmed. The preparations are lengthy so Ringo decides to spend some time alone reading a book. Paul's grandfather, a "villain, a real mixer," convinces him that he should be outside experiencing life instead of reading books, so Ringo goes off by himself. He tries to have a quiet drink in a pub, walks alongside a canal and at one point rides a bicycle along a railway station platform. Meanwhile, the rest of the band frantically (and unsuccessfully) attempts to find Ringo. Finally, however, he returns, after being arrested by the police along with Paul's grandfather, and the concert goes ahead as planned...

A Shot in the Dark 1964 DVD
A Shot in the Dark is a comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and is the second installment in the Pink Panther series. Peter Sellers is featured again as Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté. Clouseau's bumbling personality is unchanged, but it was only in this film that Sellers began to give him the idiosyncratically exaggerated French accent that was to become a hallmark of the character. The film also introduces Herbert Lom as his boss, Commissioner Dreyfus, and Burt Kwouk as his long-suffering servant, Cato, who would both become series regulars. Elke Sommer plays the attractive Maria Gambrelli.

The film was not originally written to include Clouseau, but was an adaptation of a stage play by Harry Kurnitz adapted from the French play L'Idiote by Marcel Achard. As Blake Edwards and future The Exorcist creator William Peter Blatty began work on the script, they decided the story would be a good vehicle for the Clouseau character, and rewrote the script around the new premise. The film was released only a few months after the first Clouseau film, The Pink Panther.

1963

2009-05-04T15:20:00.005-07:00

55 Days at Peking 1963 Japanese DVD
55 Days at Peking is a 1963 historical epic film made by Samuel Bronston Productions and released by Allied Artists. It was produced by Samuel Bronston and directed by Nicholas Ray, Andrew Marton (credited as the second unit director), and Guy Green (uncredited). The screenplay was written by Philip Yordan, Bernard Gordon, Ben Barzman, and Robert Hamer, the music score by Dimitri Tiomkin, and the cinematography by Jack Hildyard.

The large cast was headlined by Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven. In addition to directing, Nicholas Ray plays the minor role of the head of the American diplomatic mission in China. This film is also the first known appearance of future martial arts film star Yuen Siu Tien. The acclaimed Japanese film director Juzo Itami, credited in the film as "Ichizo Itami", appears as Colonel Goro Shiba.

1962

2009-05-04T15:20:00.003-07:00

1961

2009-05-04T15:20:00.001-07:00

A Taste of Honey 1961 DVD
A Taste of Honey is a British film adaptation of the play of the same name by Shelagh Delaney. Delaney adapted the screenplay herself, aided by director Tony Richardson, who had previously directed the first production of the play.

The film won four BAFTA awards: Richardson won Best British Screenplay (with Delaney) and Best British Film, Bryan won Best Actress and Tushingham was named Most Promising Newcomer. Tushingham and Melvin were Best Actress and Actor at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. In America the film won Tushingham a 1963 Golden Globe for Most Promising Female Newcomer and got Richardson a 1963 Directors Guild of America award nomination. Delaney and Richardson also won a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award.

1960

2009-05-04T15:19:00.005-07:00

13 Ghosts 1960 Laserdisc (NTSC)
13 Ghosts is a 1960 horror film directed by William Castle and written by Robb White. To the dismay of some of the cast members, Castle gave top billing to 12-year-old Charles Herbert. When occultist uncle Dr. Plato Zorba wills a huge ramshackle house to his nephew Cyrus and his impoverished family, they are shocked to find the house is haunted. Their new furnished residence comes complete with a spooky housekeeper, Elaine, plus a fortune in buried treasure and 13 horrifying ghosts. His family soon discovers that these spirits include a decapitated man, a fully grown lion, a wailing lady and a flaming skeleton, who are held captive in the eerie house and must find an unlucky thirteenth ghost to free them. Dr. Zorba leaves a set of special goggles, the only way of seeing the ghosts. However, there is someone in the house who is also looking for the money and is willing to kill for it.

The Alamo 1960 DVD
The Alamo is an American War film released by United Artists, starring John Wayne as Davy Crockett, Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William B. Travis, and featuring Frankie Avalon, Chill Wills, Patrick Wayne, Linda Cristal, Joseph Calleia, Ruben Padilla, Richard Boone, Ken Curtis, Hank Worden, and Denver Pyle. It was photographed in 70 mm Todd-AO by William H. Clothier. The subject is the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.
Wayne and producer Robert Fellows formed their own production company, Batjac. As Wayne developed his vision of what a movie about the Alamo should be, he concluded he did not want to risk seeing that vision changed; he would produce and direct the movie himself. Wayne had hoped that he would do only this but he was unable to enlist financial support for the project without the presumptive box-office guarantee his on-screen appearance would provide. In 1956, he signed with United Artists; UA would contribute $2.5 million to the movie's development and serve as distributor. In exchange, Batjac was to contribute an additional $1.5–2.5 million, and Wayne would star in the movie. Wayne secured the remainder of the financing from wealthy Texans who insisted the movie be shot in Texas.

1959

2009-05-04T15:19:00.003-07:00

13 Demon Street 1959 DVD (2 Episodes)
13 Demon Street is a Swedish horror television series that aired between 1959 and 1960. Thirteen 25-minute episodes were produced.
Lon Chaney Jr. was the host, introducing each episode from his 'home' at 13 Demon Street. Condemned for some shockingly atrocious crime, Chaney's purpose in relating the series' stories was to convince viewers that the crimes presented in them were worse than his, thus freeing him from his purgatory. This was hard for audiences to judge, however, because Chaney's original crime was never specified.
The series was originated by Curt Siodmak, who also wrote some of the scripts and directed several episodes. 'The Vine of Death' and 'The Black Hand' - were included as bonus features on the Image DVD release of the Boris Karloff series The Veil (See 1958).

1958

2009-05-04T15:19:00.001-07:00

A Night to Remember 1958 DVD
A Night to Remember is a 1958 docudrama film adaptation of Walter Lord's book of the same name, recounting the final night of the RMS Titanic. It was adapted by Eric Ambler, directed by Roy Ward Baker, and filmed in the United Kingdom. The production team, supervised by producer William MacQuitty, used blueprints from the ship to recreate sets, and Titanic's fourth officer, Joseph Boxhall and ex-Cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge both worked as a technical advisors on the film. The film premiered in the United Kingdom on Tuesday July 1, 1958, and in the United States on Tuesday December 16, 1958.

The Titanic was the largest vessel afloat, and was believed to be unsinkable. Her passengers included the cream of American and British society. The story of her sinking is told from the point of view of her passengers and crew, principally second officer, Charles Lightoller (Kenneth More).

A Night to Remember ended up winning the 1959 "Samuel Goldwyn International Award" for the United Kingdom at the Golden Globe Awards.

1957

2009-05-04T15:18:00.005-07:00

12 Angry Men 1957 DVD
12 Angry Men is a 1957 American drama film adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Directed by Sidney Lumet, the film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or innocence of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt. The film is notable for its almost exclusive use of one set: with the exception of two short scenes at the beginning and the end of the film set on the steps of the court building and two short scenes in an adjoining washroom, the entire movie takes place in the jury room. The total time spent outside of the jury room is eight minutes, out of the full 96 minutes of the movie.
Apart from two of the jurors swapping names while leaving the courthouse, no names are used in the film: the defendant is referred to as "the boy" and the witnesses as the "old man" and "the lady across the street".
In 2007, 12 Angry Men was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The Abominable Snowman 1957 DVD
The Abominable Snowman (aka The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas) is a 1957 British horror film, directed by Val Guest and starring Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing. The film is based on The Creature, a BBC Television play by writer Nigel Kneale, and follows the exploits of an English anthropologist with an American expedition as they search the Himalayas for the legendary Yeti. Kneale adapted his own television script into the film screenplay. Cushing, along with several other members of the cast, had also starred in the original version (the role of Tom Friend in the television play was taken by Stanley Baker).

The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions and released on August 26, 1957 in the UK. It was subsequently released in the United States and throughout the world.

1956

2009-05-04T15:18:00.003-07:00

The Creature Walks Among Us 1956 DVD
In this third Gill-Man feature, the Creature is captured and turned into an air-breather by a rich mad scientist. This makes the Creature very unhappy, and he escapes, killing people and setting fires in the process.

The Harder they Fall 1956 DVD
The Harder They Fall (1956) is a film noir directed by Mark Robson, featuring Humphrey Bogart in his last film before his death in 1957. The film was written by Philip Yordan and based on the 1947 novel by Budd Schulberg.
The drama tells a "thinly disguised à clef account of the Primo Carnera boxing scandal", with the challenger based on Carnera and the champ based on Max Baer; previously both Baer and Carnera had starred in 1937 movie The Prizefighter and the Lady, in which Carnera is the world champ and Baer is his challenger. Bogart's character, Eddie Willis, is based on the career of boxing writer and event promoter Harold Conrad.

1955

2009-05-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

A Kid For Two Farthings 1955 DVD
A Kid For Two Farthings is a 1955 film, directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from his own novel of the same name.
In the busy wholesale-retail world of London's East End everyone, it seems, has unattainable dreams. Then a small boy - Joe - buys a unicorn, in fact a sickly little goat, with just one twisted horn in the middle of its forehead. This, he has been led to believe by a local tailor, Kandinsky, will bring everyone good fortune.

Critically, this was one of Carol Reed's least successful films, however the rich ensemble cast, and the interweaving of harsh reality and fantasy remain a potent mix. The character of Kandinsky in particular is seen to embody the plight of surviving European Jews ten years after the Second World War. His mythologizing about a race of unicorns with magic powers that were destroyed everywhere but may still exist in some far-off country, can be seen as analogous to the holocaust.
The film has a haunting last image, of Kandinsky carrying the tiny body of the "unicorn" to the graveyard, whilst passing in the opposite direction is a Torah-reading Rabbi pushing a horn gramophone. This character appeared in the background several times during the film
A Kid for Two Farthings was nominated for a Golden Palm at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival.

Revenge of the Creature 1955 DVD
The Creature from the Black Lagoon is back! This time he's captured by scientists and transported to an aquarium in south Florida. Naturally, he's attracted to the lovely female scientist and manages to escape and kidnap her, heading to Jacksonville, presumably to catch a Jaguars game.

Abbott and Costello meet the Keystone Cops 1955 DVD
Harry and Willie buy the Edison Movie Studio in the year 1912 from Joseph Gorman, a confidence man. They follow Gorman to Hollywood where, as stunt men, they find him directing movies as Sergei Trumanoff and stealing the studio payroll.

Abbott and Costello meet The Mummy 1955 DVD
In Egypt Peter and Freddie find the archaeologist Dr. Zoomer murdered before they can return to America. A medallion leads them to a crypt where a revived mummy provides the terror.

1954

2009-05-04T15:17:00.007-07:00

A Star Is Born 1954 DVD
A Star Is Born is an American musical film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay written by Moss Hart was an adaptation of the original 1937 film, which was based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell. In 2000, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The film ranked #43 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Passions list in 2002 and #7 on its list of best musicals in 2006. The song "The Man That Got Away" was ranked #11 on AFI's list of the 100 top tunes in films.

Star Judy Garland had not made a movie since she had been dropped from her MGM contract soon after filming began on Royal Wedding in 1950, and the film was promoted heavily as her comeback. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and NBC, which was televising the ceremony, sent a film crew to the hospital room where she was recuperating after giving birth to her son Joey in order to carry her acceptance speech live if she won, but she lost to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954 DVD
A scientific expedition searching for fossils along the Amazon River discover a prehistoric Gill-Man in the legendary Black Lagoon. The explorers capture the mysterious creature, but it breaks free. The Gill-Man returns to kidnap the lovely Kay, fiancée of one of the expedition, with whom it has fallen in love.

1953

2009-05-04T15:17:00.005-07:00

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars 1953 DVD
Lester and Orville accidentally launch a rocket which is supposed to fly to Mars. Instead it goes to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They are then forced by bank robber Mugsy and his pal Harry to fly to Venus where they find a civilization made up entirely of women, men having been banished.

Abbott and Costello meet Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde 1953 DVD
Slim and Tubby are American cops in London to study police tactics. They wind up in jail and are bailed out by Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll has been murdering fellow doctors who laugh at his experiments. He has more murders in mind. At one point the serum that turns Jekyll into the murderous Hyde gets injected into Tubby.

1952

2009-05-04T15:17:00.003-07:00

The Black Castle 1952 DVD
The British noble Sir Ronald Burton (Richard Greene) decides to search his two best friends that have disappeared after visiting Count Karl von Bruno (Stephen MaNally), an evil and powerful man who lives in the Black Castle. Sir Burton travels undercover with another identity, since he fought against Count von Bruno in Afrika with his two missing friends and the count lost one eye in a battle. When he arrives in the castle, he is invited to hunt in the Black Forest around the castle with the count,.while he looks for evidences that the count has killed his friends. Later, he and the count's wife, Countess Elga von Bruno (Rita Corday), fall in love for each other and with the support of Dr. Meissen (Boris Karloff), Sir Burton and the countess try to escape from the claws of Count von Bruno. "The Black Castle" is an excellent movie from a romantic time, with action, romance, mystery and even horror. The story is gripping, and is a great entertainment for any audience.

Lost in Alaska 1952 DVD
Two volunteer firemen rescue a gold prospector from suicide. However, once they discover that the police mistakenly want them for murder, they travel with the prospector to Alaska to help chase his girl. Once they arrive, the men discover that most of the town wants the prospector dead. It's up to Abbot and Costello to keep him alive, or else San Francisco is ready to hang them for the murder.

1951

2009-05-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

The Strange Door 1951 DVD
Noble-born cad Dennis (Stapley) has been tricked into a forced stay at the eerie manor of the Sire de Maletroit (Laughton), an evil madman who can't get over the death of his beloved, twenty years after she married his brother (Cavanagh) instead and subsequently passed away during childbirth. Maletroit is determined to have his revenge: the brother has been stowed away in the dungeon for two decades, while he's convinced his disreputable house guest will make a suitably hellish husband for his niece. As luck would have it, the young couple manage to fall in love, and with the help of manservant Voltan (Karloff), they try to make their escape, but not before a final confrontation with Maletroit in the dungeon's crushing deathtrap.

Abbott and Costello meet the Invisible Man 1951 DVD
Boxer Tommy Nelson is accused of killing his manager. While detectives Bud and Lou investigate they come across an invisibility formula with which Tommy injects himself rather than face the police. This sparks an idea for trapping gangster Morgan by having Lou fight champ Rocky Hanlon, with Tommy's invisible help.

Comin' round the Mountain 1951 DVD
"Comin' Round the Mountain" came towards the end of the team's successful years; they were slowly being replaced by the younger Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, but were still giving it their all. There are few of the plot-diverting routines of their earlier films, making this faster moving and more entertaining than some of their other films. As usual (with the exception of Hamilton and Ida Moore), the supporting cast is upstaged by the boys. Dorothy Shay isn't all bad, but lacks the screen presence of some of the female comics they worked with in their earlier films.

Sirocco 1951 DVD
Sirocco (1951) is an American film noir directed by Curtis Bernhardt and written by A.I. Bezzerides and Hans Jacoby. It is based on the novel Coup de Grace written by Joseph Kessel. The drama features Humphrey Bogart, Märta Torén, Lee J. Cobb, among others. In 1925 Damascus, the natives engage in a guerrilla war against the French rule of Syria. Harry Smith (Humphrey Bogart) is an amoral American black marketeer secretly selling them weapons. As the situation deteriorates, French General LaSalle (Everett Sloane) orders that civilians be executed each time his soldiers are killed, but allows his head of military intelligence, Colonel Feroud (Lee J. Cobb), to persuade him to rescind the plan. Feroud presses for negotiations with rebel leader Emir Hassan (Onslow Stevens) instead. LaSalle reluctantly lets him try to arrange a meeting, but refuses to let Feroud make contact directly. The young officer sent in his place is later found with his throat cut.

1950

2009-05-04T15:16:00.007-07:00

In a Lonely Place 1950 DVD
In a Lonely Place (1950) is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame, produced for Bogart's Santana Productions. The script was adapted by Edmund North from the 1947 novel In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes. Bogart stars in the film as Dixon Steele, a cynical screenwriter suspected of murder. Grahame co-stars as Laurel Gray, a neighbor who falls under his spell. Beyond its surface plot of confused identity and tormented lust, the film is a mordant comment on Hollywood mores and the pitfalls of celebrity and near-celebrity, in much the same vein as two other more widely publicized American films released that same year, Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard and Joseph Mankiewicz's All About Eve.
Although not as well known as his other work, Bogart's performance in this film is considered by many critics to be among his finest and the film's reputation itself has grown over time along with Ray's. The film is now considered a classic film noir, as evidenced by its inclusion on the Time magazine "All-Time 100 List" as well as Slant Magazine's 100 Essential Films.

The West Point Story 1950 DVD
The West Point Story (also known as Fine and Dandy) is a 1950 musical comedy film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Doris Day. Elwin 'Bix' Bixby (Cagney) is an unemployed Broadway musical director who agrees to stage the annual show at West Point called 100th Night for producer Harry Eberhart (Roland Winters). The film received two award nominations in 1951. Ray Heindorf was nominated for a Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and John Monks Jr., Charles Hoffman and Irving Wallace were nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for Best Written American Musical.

Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion 1950 DVD
Bud and Lou had previously visited the North African desert in Lost in a Harem, one of the loan out films they did for MGM in the middle 40s. I guess their home studio Universal wanted to get in the action also, so they got a second engagement in the Sahara.
The boys are wrestling managers in search of their wrestler Abdullah who's taken a powder and left them holding the bag to the tune of $5000.00 to the syndicate back in Brooklyn. Of course, true to form they get themselves involved in some of the local power struggles and find themselves enlisting in the Foreign Legion.

1949

2009-05-04T15:16:00.005-07:00

Abbott and Costello meet the Killer Boris Karloff 1949 DVD
We have here the excellent slapstick performances of straight man Bud Abbott and comic genius Lou Costello,combined with the always menacing Boris Karloff,though here he is much more lighthearted of course.Freddy Phillips (Costello) is suspected of murder.Of course we all know he didn't do it,and the hilarious journey to the real killer begins from there. While this is not Abbott and Costello's greatest effort,it is certainly good enough,and it is a great combination of murder mystery and comedy. Today's comedy writers and performers could learn a lot from A and C, as well as many others from their era.If you want to know what real comedy is all about,the films of Abbott and Costello are the way to go.

White Heat 1949 DVD
White Heat is a 1949 crime film starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien and featuring Margaret Wycherly, and Steve Cochran. Directed by Raoul Walsh from the Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts screenplay based on a story by Virginia Kellogg, it is considered one of the classic gangster films. Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) is the ruthless, deranged leader of a criminal gang. Although married to Verna (Virginia Mayo), Jarrett is overly attached to his equally crooked and determined mother, "Ma" Jarrett (Margaret Wycherly), his only real confidante. When he has one of his splitting headaches, she consoles him, sits him on her lap and gives him a whiskey with the toast, "Top of the world." It is revealed that Jarrett's father died in an insane asylum.

1948

2009-05-04T15:16:00.003-07:00

Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein 1948 DVD
The world of freight handlers Wilbur Grey and Chick Young is turned upside down when the remains of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula arrive from Europe to be used in a house of horrors. Dracula awakens and escapes with the weakened monster, who he plans to re-energize with a new brain. Larry Talbot (the Wolfman) arrives from London in an attempt to thwart Dracula. Dracula's reluctant aide is the beautiful Dr. Sandra Mornay. Her reluctance is dispatched by Dracula's bite. Dracula and Sandra abduct Wilbur for his brain and recharge the monster in preparation for the operation. Chick and Talbot attempt to find and free Wilbur, but when the full moon rises all hell breaks loose with the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein all running rampant.

Mexican Hayride 1948 DVD
The boys have some good routines here, Costello has some funny moments in an interview with reporter Sid Fields and also with elocution teacher Fritz Feld. The highlight of the film of course is Costello in a bull ring trying to get money Abbott swindled in some watered stock case. Problem is the money is in a hat that was tossed in the ring and landed on the bull's horns.

1947

2009-05-04T15:16:00.001-07:00

Dead Reckoning 1947 DVD
Dead Reckoning is a 1947 Columbia Pictures film noir starring Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott and featuring Morris Carnovsky. It was directed by John Cromwell and written by Steve Fisher and Oliver H.P. Garrett based on a story by Gerald Drayson Adams and Sidney Biddell.
Just after World War II, paratroopers Captain Murdock (Humphrey Bogart) and Sergeant Johnny Drake (William Prince) are mysteriously ordered to travel to Washington, DC. When Drake learns that he is to be awarded the Medal of Honor (and Murdock the Distinguished Service Cross), he disappears before newspaper photographers can take his picture. Murdock follows the clues and tracks his friend to Gulf City, where he learns Drake is dead – burned to death in a car accident.

Buck Privates Come Home 1947 Laserdisc
Buck Privates Come Home is a film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is a sequel to their 1941 hit, Buck Privates.
This film features the final film role for veteran actor Nat Pendleton and the film debut of Russ Conway (in the role of an unnamed medic).
After serving in Europe during World War II, Herbie Brown (Lou Costello) and Slicker Smith (Bud Abbott) return to the United States aboard a troop ship. Also onboard is their old sergeant, Collins (Nat Pendleton). As the ship nears New York, Collins and his superiors search the men's belongings for contraband. A six-year old French orphan, Evey (Beverly Simmons), whom Herbie and Slicker befriended, is found in Herbie's duffle bag. She is handed over to Lieutenant Sylvia Hunter (Joan Fulton) who delivers her to immigration officials in New York. However, during a shift change at the office, Evey is mistaken for a neighborhood kid and set free. Meanwhile, Herbie and Slicker are back to their pre-war occupation of peddling ties in Times Square. Collins is back at his old job as well, as a police officer assigned to the same district. He is about to arrest the boys when Evey shows up and helps them escape.

1946

2009-05-04T15:15:00.005-07:00

A Matter of Life and Death 1946 DVD
A Matter of Life and Death is a romantic fantasy film set in the Second World War by the British writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It was originally released in U.S. under the title Stairway to Heaven, which was derived from the film's most prominent special effect: a broad escalator linking the Other World and Earth. Reversing the convention of The Wizard of Oz, the supernatural scenes are in black-and-white, while the ones on Earth are in Technicolor.
Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven) is a British World War II Royal Air Force pilot trying to nurse a badly damaged and burning Lancaster bomber home after a mission in May 1945. His crew has already bailed out, but Carter's parachute has been shot up. He manages to get in touch with June (Kim Hunter), an American radio operator based in England, and talks with her in the few minutes before he is forced to jump without a parachute.
In 2004, A Matter of Life and Death was named the second greatest British film ever made by the magazine Total Film in a poll of 25 film critics, behind only Get Carter.

Scared to Death 1946 DVD
Starring Bela Lugosi. From a slab in the morgue, a dead young woman tells the bizarre tale of how she got there, through a maze of murder involving a hypnotist, a midget and a mysterious figure in a blue mask.

She Wolf of London 1946 DVD
London is shaken by a series of grisly murders. Suspicion falls on an attractive young woman who is rumored to have werewolves in her family tree.

The Time of their lives 1946 Laserdisc
As in the previous Abbott and Costello film, Little Giant, the duo plays separate characters instead of partners, due to tensions between them that led to their splitting up for a while in 1945. The film also avoids their famous routines. In this film, the two only speak directly to each other during one scene at the beginning of the film.
The time is 1780, and Horatio Prim (Lou Costello) is a master tinker. He travels to Tom Danbury's (Jess Barker) estate with a letter of commendation from General George Washington. He plans to present this letter to Danbury, whom he hopes to persuade into allowing Horatio to marry Nora O'Leary (Anne Gillis), Danbury's housemaid. Unfortunately, Horatio has a romantic rival in Cuthbert Greenway (Bud Abbott), Danbury's butler, who is very fond of Nora and intends to prevent Horatio from presenting his letter, which Nora has taken for safekeeping.

1945

2009-05-04T15:15:00.003-07:00

House of Dracula 1945 DVD
There are monsters galore in this tale when Count Dracula approaches the renowned Dr. Edelman to see if there might be a medical cure for his vampirism. Soon after, Lamont Cranston, the Wolfman approaches the good doctor who discovers that a brain tumor may be the cause of his problems. Finally, Edelman and Cranston discover the body of Dr. Frankenstein's monster in caves below the house. While Dr. Edelman deals with the ethical dilemma of whether or not to revive the monster, he realizes that his experimentation with Count Dracula has resulted in he also becoming a vampire. All of this leads to final confrontation where only one of the three monsters will survive.

Isle of the Dead 1945 DVD
On a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn't enough worry, one of the people, a superstitious old peasant woman, suspects one young girl of being a vampiric kind of demon called a vorvolaka.

1944

2009-05-04T15:15:00.001-07:00

House of Frankenstein 1944 DVD
Dr. Niemann regales his hunchbacked cellmate, Daniel, with tales of how he had nearly put the brain of a human into a dog. This gives Daniel hope. If brain switches are possible, that would mean his own brain could be removed to a better home than the misshapen body he's now trapped in. A thunderstorm destroys their prison, and they escape to find refuge in the company of a traveling carnival. The carnival owner has possession of the skeleton of Count Dracula, who can be revived by removing the wooden stake from the area of his heart. Niemann has the hunchback kill the owner, and then resurrects Dracula to kill those who had sent him to prison. But Dracula has other plans. Later, Niemann and the hunchback encounter a gypsy caravan where Daniel falls in love with a beautiful gypsy girl. She travels with them to Frankenstein's ruined castle, where they find Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man frozen in ice. Niemann thaws them out, finding the Monster fairly inert and the Wolf Man changed back to the tormented Larry Talbot. To Daniel's misery, the gypsy girl falls in love with Talbot, unaware of his lupine alter ego. Meanwhile, Niemann promises both the hunchback and Talbot new bodies. But as usual, the bad doctor cannot be trusted.

The Mummy's Ghost 1944 DVD
An Egyptian high priest (John Carradine) travels to America to reclaim the bodies of ancient Egyptian princess Ananka and her living guardian mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.). Learning that Ananka^Òs spirit has been reincarnated into another body, he kidnaps a young woman of Egyptian descent with a mysterious resemblance to the princess. However, the high priest^Òs greedy desires cause him to loose control of the mummy...

The Mummy's Curse 1944 DVD
An irrigation project in the rural bayous of Louisiana unearths Kharis the living mummy (Lon Chaney Jr.), who was buried in quicksand 25 years earlier.

The Invisible man's Revenge 1944 DVD
Robert Griffin is an escapee from the psychopathic ward and a fugitive from the law. He also has a score to settle with his old friends, Sir Jasper and Lady Irene. He wants their daughter, Julie, and he wants half their wealth. They owe him that much. Griffin's flight through the English countryside puts him in the path of a Cockney drunk of dubious ethics and, more fatefully, with an eccentric scientist, who has discovered a great secret: how to turn a living being invisible. The scientist is eager to test his invisibility serum on a man. And Griffin is eager to become invisible and thus elude the authorities and exact his revenge. The only one who can stop him is Julie's fiancé, Mark Foster, a handsome young reporter who slowly begins to believe wild tales about a "headless corpse."

The Climax 1944 DVD
Dr. Hohner (Karloff), theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer (Foster) reminds Hohner of the late diva, and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever. The singer's fiancée (Bey) rushes to save her in the film's climax.

Lost in a Harem 1944 Laserdisc
When a traveling vaudeville show becomes stranded in the Middle East, their singer, Hazel Moon (Marilyn Maxwell), takes a job at a local cafe. Two of the show's prop men, Peter Johnson (Bud Abbott) and Harvey Garvey (Lou Costello), are hired as comedy relief, but their act unfortunately initiates a brawl. The two men, along with Hazel, wind up in jail, where they encounter Prince Ramo (John Conte), a sheik, who offers to help them escape if they agree to help him regain the throne which his Uncle Nimativ (Douglass Dumbrille) had usurped with the aid of two hypnotic rings.

After escaping jail, Peter and Harvey join Ramo and his desert riders, and hatch a plan to have Hazel seduce Nimativ, as he is quite vulnerable to blondes. Once Nimativ is distracted, Peter and Harvey plan to retrieve the hypnotic rings to facilitate Ramo's reclamation of the throne.

Peter and Harvey enter the capital city, posing as Hollywood talent scouts, and meet up with Nimativ. He is quickly enamored with Hazel and manages to hypnotize Peter and Harvey, who then reveal their plans. They are imprisoned, while Hazel is hypnotized into being one of Nimativ's wives. After Ramo helps the boys escape, they enlist the aid of Teema (Lottie Harrison), Nimativ's first wife, by promising her a movie career. Harvey then disguises himself as Teema, while Peter dresses up as Nimativ. They manage to steal the rings during a large celebration and turn the rings against Nimativ, who abdicates the throne. Ramo again becomes ruler, with Hazel as his wife, and the boys return to the United States.

1943

2009-05-04T15:14:00.001-07:00

Son of Dracula 1943 DVD
Starring Lon Chaney Jnr. Count Alucard finds his way from Budapest to the swamps of the Deep South after meeting Katherine Caldwell, of the moneyed Caldwell clan that runs a plantation called Dark Oaks. She's obsessed with occult matters. Who better to guide her through this supernatural world than Count Alucard, whose name no one bothers to spell backwards? No one, that is, except the wily Dr. Brewster, an old family friend. He'll join Professor Lazlo, a specialist in the occult, in fighting this "Alucard" and the woman he's influenced. Or has Katherine influenced him? Meanwhile, Katherine's fiancé, Frank Stanley, will find his courage and his sanity sorely tested when he accidentally shoots Katherine to death, yet finds that she goes on living.

We Dive at Dawn 1943 DVD
The crew of HMS submarine Sea Tiger have their leave (and assorted family problems) cut short when they are recalled for a special mission: sink the new German battleship Brandenburg. En route, they learn that their target has entered the heavily defended Baltic; rather than fail, they follow it. Tension builds as they approach their target. After the attempt, escape seems impossible...unless they can refuel in enemy waters.

Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man 1943 DVD
Larry Talbot finds himself in an asylum, recovering from an operation performed by the kindly Dr. Mannering. Inspector Owen finds him there, too, wanting to question him about a recent spate of murders. Talbot escapes and finds Maleva, the old gypsy woman who knows his secret: when the moon is full, he changes to a werewolf. She travels with him to locate the one man who can help him to die - Dr. Frankenstein. The brilliant doctor proves to be dead himself, but they do find Frankenstein's daughter. Talbot begs her for her father's papers containing the secrets of life and death. She doesn't have them, so he goes to the ruins of the Frankenstein castle to find them himself. There he finds the Monster, whom he chips out of a block of ice. Dr. Mannering catches up with him only to become tempted to monomania while using Frankenstein's old equipment.

The Seventh Victim 1943 DVD
When her older sister Jacqueline disappears, Mary Gibson is forced to leave her private school and decides to travel to New York City to look for her. A bit naive and out of her depth, she is not quite sure how to go about finding her. Eventually she meets Gregory Ward, her sister's husband and a mysterious psychiatrist, Dr. Louis Judd who claims to know of Jacqueline's whereabouts. What she doesn't realize is that her sister became involved with devil worshipers who now want to eliminate her for having revealed their existence.

Hit the Ice 1943 Laserdisc
Hit the Ice is a film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Lamont, who took over after the original director, Erle C. Kenton, was fired.
Two sidewalk photographers, Tubby McCoy (Lou Costello) and Flash Fulton (Bud Abbott), aspire to work for the local newspaper. Their childhood friend, Dr. Bill Burns (Patric Knowles), invites them to come along on a call to a building fire. While attempting to photograph the inferno, Tubby is injured and brought to Burns' hospital. While they are there, Silky Fellowsby, a gangster who is admitted as a patient to establish an alibi for a robbery he is planning, mistake Tubby and Flash for two Detroit hitmen. He expects them to guard the bank's entrance while they rob it, while they mistakenly believe that they are hired to take photographs of the gang as they leave the bank. When the bank is robbed, Tubby and Flash are considered the prime suspects.

Fellowsby heads to a ski resort to "recuperate", hiring Burns and his nurse (Elyse Knox) to care for him. Wanting to clear their names, Tubby and Flash go to the resort, where they are hired as waiters. They attempt to retrieve the stolen cash by blackmailing the gangsters with the bank photographs, which turn out to be worthless as the robbers' faces are not shown. A fight ensues and after a climactic chase down the mountain, the gangsters are caught.

1942

2009-04-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET YOU 1942 DVD
Winnie Slade, a young divorcee, buys an old historic house from nutty Professor Billings, who lives there with his daffy housekeeper and bizarre neighbors, in order to convert it into a hotel. She allows them to continue to live on the property - unaware that the Professor continues to experiment unsuccessfully on traveling salesmen, the bodies of whom have filled the cellar. They are joined by a variety of eccentric characters including a quack doctor who doubles as the town's sheriff, Winnie's frenetic ex-husband, an oddball choreographer, a punchdrunk traveling salesman, and a lunatic escapee from the Italian army.

The Corpse Vanishes 1942 DVD
After the death of many brides in their weddings and disappearance of their corpses, the snoopy journalist Patricia Hunter (Luana Walters) notes that all of them were wearing an orchid in their breasts. She finds that the hybridization of the orchid was made by Dr. Lorenz (Bela Lugosi), and she decides to interview him about the flowers. She hitchhikes on the road with Dr. Foster (Tristam Coffin) and they are hosted by Dr. Lorenz in his isolated house. Dr. Lorenz is indeed a mad scientist that sleeps with his wife in coffins, and with the assistance of a dwarf and his strong retarded brother, extract gland fluids from the neck of the abducted virgins to keep his elder wife young.

The Bowery at Midnight 1942 DVD
Kindly soup kitchen operator and professor of criminology Bela Lugosi uses his soup kitchen as a front for a criminal gang who commit a series of daring robberies and murders. When things get out of hand, Lugosi kills his henchmen, who wind up as zombies in the cellar of the soup kitchen.

In which we serve 1942 DVD
The story of British Navy Destroyer HMS Torrin, told in flashback by the surviving crew members as they await rescue in the Mediterranean, the ship having been sunk during a battle. This film was something of a tour-de-force for Noel Coward, as he produced, wrote and co-directed it (with a young David Lean). Considering its age, the film stands up quite well today. It obviously seems dated in some respects - the dialogue is quite clipped and stilted at times - but is saved by professional work all round and a clutch of strong performances, namely by Noel Coward himself, John Mills and Bernard Miles. Its also notable for the screen debut of Richard Attenborough.

Ghost of Frankenstein 1942 DVD
The undead Monster and the wily Ygor have survived another mob of angry villagers. Needing help to restore the Monster's strength, Ygor brings his hulking friend to Ludwig Frankenstein, the original doctor's son. Ludwig has built a life and a reputation for himself in another town, far from the stigma and shame that his father and brother brought on the family. Ygor blackmails him. The good Ludwig realizes that the Monster is evil and must be destroyed, but he struggles with the idea of taking a life, even an undead one. He finds a solution: replace the Monster's criminal brain with the brain of his recent victim, the noble Doctor Kettering. But sly Ygor is a step ahead: he manipulates Ludwig's colleague, the jealous Doctor Bohmer, into substituting Ygor's brain for Kettering's. After the operation, the Monster--with his physical strength now guided by Ygor's wicked brain--is more terrible than ever. When will those stuffy scientists finally learn? Luckily, there is a mob of angry villagers outside Frankenstein's house...

The Mummy's Tomb 1942 DVD
A high priest travels to America with the living mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) to kill all those who had desecrated the tomb of the Egyptian princess Ananka thirty years earlier.

The Invisible Agent 1942 DVD
Frank Raymond changed his name and took up a life as the owner of a printing shop in order to distance himself from his former identity: as the grandson of the man who invented the formula for invisibility but ended up shot down by the police. Unfortunately, it's wartime and the formula is coveted by both the Allies and the Axis. Axis spies discover Frank's true identity and force him to leave the shop. Frank believes the formula is too dangerous for any government to possess. But after Pearl Harbor, he agrees to give it to Washington D.C. on one condition: that he be allowed to become an invisible spy. Soon, Frank is behind enemy lines, romancing a beautiful double agent and playing pranks on Nazi officials. But his work is deadly serious. He soon learns of Hitler's secret plan against the United States.

Ride em Cowboy 1942 Laserdisc
The author of best-selling western novels, Bronco Bob Mitchell (Dick Foran), has never set foot in the west. A newspaper article has exposed this fact to his fans, and his image is suffering because of it. He decides to make an appearance at a Long Island charity rodeo to bolster his image. When a steer escapes while he is riding a horse nearby, he is thrown. Not knowing what to do, a cowgirl, Anne Shaw (Anne Gwynne), comes to his rescue and saves his life by bulldogging the steer.

During the rescue, she is injured and cannot compete and loses her chance to obtain the $10,000 prize. Although Bob is grateful, she quickly becomes angry due to his city slicker hotshot personality and returns to her father's dude ranch in Arizona. Bob follows her with the hopes of making amends, and actually learning how to be a real cowboy.

Rio Rita 1942 Laserdisc
This is the first of three films that the duo made on loan to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while under contract to Universal, the other two pictures being Lost in a Harem and Abbott and Costello in Hollywood.
Nazi spies have infiltrated the Hotel Vista del Rio, a resort on the Mexican border. They plan to use a radio broadcast by a famous guest, Ricardo Montera (John Carroll), to transmit coded messages to their cohorts. Doc (Bud Abbott) and Wishy (Lou Costello) are stowaways in Montera's car, who steal a basket of "apples" that turn out being miniature radios used by the spies. Rita Winslow (Kathryn Grayson), the hotel's owner and childhood sweetheart of Montera, hire Doc and Wishy as house detectives, who discover the Nazi codebook and give it to Montera. They are then kidnapped by the spies, and left in a room with a bomb set to explode, but manage to escape while Wishy plants the bomb in the pocket of one of the culprits. Meanwhile, the broadcast has already begun and Montera, refusing to participate in treason, fights the spies until the Texas Rangers arrive. The spies' escape by car is thwarted when the planted bomb finally explodes.

Who done it? 1942 Laserdisc
Chick Larkin (Bud Abbott) and Mervyn Milgrim (Lou Costello) both work at the soda counter of a local radio station. Their true passion, however, is to become writers on the radio mystery show. They attend a broadcast of the radio program Murder at Midnight along with one of the writers, Jimmy Turner (Patric Knowles) and the producer, Jane Little (Louise Allbritton).

As the show begins, the network president, Colonel J.R. Andrews (Thomas Gomez), is mysteriously electrocuted. Seeing this as an opportunity to become radio writers, Chick and Mervyn impersonate detectives and attempt to solve the crime.

Meanwhile, Moran (William Gargan) and Branningan (William Bendix), two real detectives, consider the 'fake' detectives to be prime suspects. A chase ensues throughout the studio and other murders are discovered, including that of Dr. Marek (Ludwig Stossel), Andrews' personal physician. Larkin and Milgrim flee the studio before hearing that Milgrim has apparently won $10,000 on the Wheel of Fortune radio program, for which he must return to the studio in order to claim the prize. Larkin and Milgrim return, only to be arrested by the real detectives, whom Turner and Little manage to convince that there should be a full reenactment of the program that led to the murders, under the ruse that the true culprit will be revealed.

An eavesdropping Nazi spy (Don Porter), who uses the radio station to transmit information to his cohorts, attends the broadcast. It turns out that the spy murdered the Colonel and his physician because they found out about his illegal radio transmissions. During the broadcast, he is revealed to be the killer and escapes to the roof, where he is nabbed by Larkin and Milgrim.

1941

2009-03-31T13:05:00.005-07:00

Man-Made Monster 1941 DVD

While Man-Made Monster is not one of the all-time great horror films like many of its thirties and forties Universal Pictures celluloid brethren, it is not without certain merits; in particular, it can be viewed historically as the proving ground for one of Universal's undisputed classics, The Wolf Man. Both filmed in 1941, Man-Made Monster first teamed many of the people who would later collaborate on The Wolf Man. Star Lon Chaney Jr., and director George Waggner are well known to have gone on to make the furry opus, but many of the other talents that reunited for the Wolf Man included some of Universal's stable of technicians and artists like special effects wizard John P. Fulton (Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Ten Commandments), makeup magician Jack Pierce (Frankenstein, The Mummy), musical director Hans Salter (The Mummy's Hand, Ghost of Frankenstein) and costumer Vera West (The Man Who Laughs, Son of Frankenstein).

The Black cat 1941 DVD

Elderly Henrietta Winslow lives in an isolated mansion with her housekeeper and beloved cats. As her health fails, her greedy relatives gather in anticipation of her death.

The Bride came C.O.D. 1941 DVD
The Bride Came C.O.D. is a 1941 Warner Bros. screwball romantic comedy starring James Cagney as a pilot and Bette Davis as a runaway heiress. Although the film was publicized as the first movie pairing of Warner Bros.' two biggest stars, they had actually made Jimmy the Gent together in 1934.
The movie was written by Kenneth Earl, M. M. Musselman, and twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, and directed by William Keighley.Pilot Steve Collins (James Cagney) agrees to help bandleader Alan Brice (Jack Carson) and heiress Joan Winfield (Bette Davis) elope. Steve then contacts her father Lucius (Eugene Pallette), offering to prevent the marriage and deliver her to him in return for enough money to get out of debt.

King of the Zombies 1941 DVD
During World War 2, a small plane off the south coast of America is low on fuel and blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crashland on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor. The easily-spooked manservant soon becomes convinced the mansion is haunted by zombies and ghosts. Exploring, the 3 find a voodoo ritual in the cellar, where the doctor is trying to acquire war intelligence by transferring personalities into his zombies. But the interruption causes the zombies to turn on their creator.

Invisible Ghost 1941 DVD
Starring Bela Lugosi. THE PHANTOM KILLER STRIKES! Only a terrified woman knows the secret of this ghostly murderer...who strikes in the night and leaves no clues---but his victims! The town's leading citizen becomes a homocidal maniac after his wife deserts him.

The Wolf Man 1941 DVD
Upon the death of his brother, Larry Talbot returns from America to his ancestral home in Wales. He visits a gypsy camp with village girl Jenny Williams, who is attacked by Bela, a gypsy who has turned into a werewolf. Larry kills the werewolf but is bitten during the fight. Bela's mother tells him that this will cause him to become a werewolf at each full moon. Larry confesses his plight to his unbelieving father, Sir John, who then joins the villagers in a hunt for the wolf. Larry, transformed by the full moon, heads for the forest and a fateful meeting with both Sir John and Gwen.

Hold that Ghost 1941 Laserdisc
Hold That Ghost is a film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. On August 1, 1941, Abbott and Costello performed a live version of the film for radio audiences on Louella Parsons' Hollywood Premiere.
Chuck Murray (Bud Abbott) and Ferdie Jones (Lou Costello) work at a gas station, but long to move up to waiting tables at Chez Glamour, a high-class nightclub.

Opportunity comes their way and they find themselves working there. But on their very first night, they cause a disturbance and are fired, only to wind up working again at the gas station, when a gangster named "Moose" Matson (William Davidson) brings in his car for servicing. Chuck and Ferdie happen to be inside the vehicle when the gangster speeds off to escape police, who are searching for him. During the chase, the gangster is killed by gunfire, and through a strange clause in his will, Chuck and Ferdie inherit his tavern, 'Forrester's Club'.

The lawyer in charge of the will arranges a private bus (actually just a large car) to take them to the rural tavern, where they arrive during a heavy thunderstorm, but the driver abandons them and the other passengers there and takes off with everyone's luggage, a scheme that is known as the "wildcat bus racket". Unbeknownst to everyone, one of the passengers, Charlie Smith (Marc Lawrence) is a member of Moose's gang, and wants to search the tavern for a hidden money stash. (Moose did give one rather cryptic clue as to the money's location, by stating that he always kept his money "in his head").

As the night progresses, strange things begin to happen, they discover a hidden room full of old gambling equipment, and the tavern appears to be haunted. More gangsters arrive to search for the money and unsuccessfully attempt to scare off the guests. In an especially funny scene, Ferdie stammers and shakes as he nervously describes to his disbelieving friends how a lit candle moves back and forth by itself on a table. Ferdie eventually finds the treasure hidden inside the head of a stuffed moose; he and Chuck use the money to transform the tavern into a health resort. They hire Ted Lewis and His Orchestra, along with The Andrews Sisters, to headline.

Keep em Flying 1941 Laserdisc
Jinx Roberts (Dick Foran) is a stunt pilot and his assistants are Blackie (Bud Abbott) and Heathcliffe (Lou Costello). All three are fired from the carnival and air show that they work for after a disagreement. Jinx decides that he should join the Army Air Force, so they go to a nightclub to party one last time. While there Jinx falls for the club's singer, Linda Joyce (Carol Bruce). Coincidentally, she becomes a USO hostess at the same Academy that Jinx and her brother, Jimmy (Charles Lang) are enrolled at. It turns out that Jinx's instructor, Craig Morrison (William Gargan), was his co-pilot on a commercial airplane years earlier, and the two still hold animosity for each other. Meanwhile, Blackie and Heathcliffe join the air corps as ground crewman and fall in love with twin USO hostesses (Martha Raye in a dual role).

Jinx attempts to help Jimmy solo, nearly getting him killed. For his efforts, Jinx is hated by Linda for nearly killing her brother and is dishonorably discharged from the corps, along with his assistants Blackie and Heathcliffe (who were discharged for their own mishaps). As they are leaving, Craig gets his parachute caught on the tail end of the plane that he just jumped out of. Jinx confiscates a plane and comes to his rescue. For his heroic actions, he is allowed back into the corps and got back Linda.

1940

2009-03-31T13:05:00.003-07:00

The Fighting 69th 1940 DVD
The Fighting 69th (1940) is an American war film starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and George Brent. The plot is based upon the actual exploits of New York's 69th Infantry Regiment during the First World War. The regiment was first given that nickname by opposing General Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War.
The plot centers on misfit Jerry Plunkett, played by Cagney, and his inability to fit into the unit due to a mixture of bravado and cowardice. O'Brien plays Father Francis P. Duffy, a military chaplain who attempts to reform Plunkett. "Wild Bill" Donovan, played by Brent, is the regimental commander, who ultimately orders Plunkett to be court-martialed. One of the characters portrayed in this film is Sgt Joyce Kilmer, the poet. Alan Hale, Sr. plays Sgt Wynn, who loses both his brothers due to Cagney's blunders. While Jerry Plunkett was a fictional character, Father Duffy, Colonel Donovan and Joyce Kilmer were all part of the actual regiment.

City for Conquest 1940 DVD
City for Conquest is a 1940 drama-film noir starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, and Arthur Kennedy, based on the novel of the same name by Aben Kandel. Cagney plays a truck driver named Danny Kenny, who starts as a New York boxing contender. Ann Sheridan plays his girlfriend, Peggy. Being successful as a boxer, Danny decides to financially help his brother Eddie (Arthur Kennedy) to become a professional musician. Peggy on the other hand, loses her heart to Murray Burns (Anthony Quinn), a professional dancer, and she turns down Danny's proposal in order to go for a dancing career. Embittered by Peggy's refusal, Danny continues to work as a boxer and eventually gets blinded by his opponent during a fight, who has placed some rosin dust onto his gloves. Now partly blind, Danny works as a newspaper stand operator, while Peggy is seized with remorse after her career as a dancer had not come true. The movie ends with Eddie being a successful composer who dedicates his first major symphony at Carnegie Hall to his brother, who is listening to the concert on the radio from his newsstand.

BEFORE I HANG 1940 DVD
A physician (Boris Karloff) on death row for a mercy killing is allowed to experiment on a serum using a criminals' blood, but secretly tests it on himself. He gets a pardon, but finds out he's become a Jekyll-&-Hyde.

BLACK FRIDAY 1940 DVD
When his friend Professor Kingsely (Ridges) is at deaths door, brain surgeon Dr. Sovac (Karloff) saves his life by means of an illegal operation that transplants part of injured gangster Red Cannon's brain. Unfortunately, the operation has a disasterous Jeckll and Hyde side effect and under certain conditions the persona of Cannon emerges. Sovac soon learns of the duel personality and of half a million dollars the gangster has hidden away. He attempts to find the money through the manipulation of his friend, an attempt that brings Kingsley closer to madness as he alternates between a meek professor of english and a brutal gangster out for murderous revenge on those who tried to kill him.

The Fatal Hour 1940 DVD
Starring Boris Karloff. When Captain Street's best friend Dan O'Grady is murdered, Street enlists the help of Chinese detective James Lee Wong. Mr. Wong uncovers a smuggling ring on the waterfront of San Francisco and unmasks the killer, though not until several more murders occur.

Doomed to Die 1940 DVD
Starring Boris Karloff. Only the possibility of avoiding a Tong War, plus persuasion by reporter Bobbie Logan leads the famous detective James Lee Wong to enter the Wentworth case. A million and a half dollars in bonds was taken from one of Cyrus P. Wentworth's ship before it was mysteriously sunk and, shortly afterward, Wentworth was found murdered. The police, led by Detective Captain Bill Street, suspect Dick Fleming, fiancée of Wentworth's daughter Cynthia. Wong clears Dick but has difficulty in finding the trail of the mysterious killer.

Phantom of Chinatown 1940 DVD
In the middle of a pictorial lecture on his recent expedition to the Mongolian Desert, Dr. John Benton (Charles Miller) the famous explorer, drinks from the water bottle on his lecture table, collapses and dies. His last words "Eternal Fire" are the only clue Chinese detective Jimmy Wong (Keye Luke) and Captain Street (Grant Withers) of the police department have to work on. Win Len (Lotus Long), Benton's secretary, reveals the doctor's dying words refer to a scroll which tells the location of rich oil deposits. Wong and Street then begin the search for the killer among Benton's associates.

The Door with Seven Locks (AKA Chamber of Horrors) 1940 DVD
Screwball horror yarn loosely based on Edgar Wallace's novel 'The Door With Seven Locks', it was the second Wallace adaptation by producer John Argyle following The Dark Eyes of London (1939). This low-budget B-Picture is dripping in atmosphere, adding all our favourite trappings - fog, torture chambers, rats, coffins and more into a good old-fashioned murder mystery.

The Devil Bat 1940 DVD
Starring Bela Lugosi. Dr. Carruthers feels bitter at being betrayed by his employers, Heath and Morton, when they became rich as a result of a product he devised. He gains revenge by electrically enlarging bats and sending them out to kill his employers' family members by instilling in the bats a hatred for a particular perfume he has discovered, which he gets his victims to apply before going outdoors. Johnny Layton, a reporter, finally figures out Carruthers is the killer and, after putting the perfume on himself, douses it on Carruthers in the hopes it will get him to give himself away. One of the two is attacked as the giant bat makes one of its screaming, swooping power dives.

The Ape 1940 DVD
Horror film made for Monogram Pictures, co-written by Curt Siodmak and starring Boris Karloff. Dr. Bernard Adrian is a kindly mad scientist who seeks to cure a young woman's polio. He needs spinal fluid from a human to complete the formula for his experimental serum. Meanwhile, a vicious circus ape has broken out of its cage, and is terrorizing towns people.

British Intelligence 1940 DVD
Starring Boris Karloff. During WWI pretty German master spy Helene von Lorbeer is sent undercover to London to live with the family of a high-placed British official where she is to rendezvous with the butler Valdar, also a spy, and help him transmit secret war plans back to Germany.

The Mummy's Hand 1940 DVD
A couple of comical, out-of-work archaeologists (Dick Foran and Wallace Ford) in Egypt discover evidence of the burial place of the ancient Egyptian princess Ananka. After receiving funding from an eccentric magician (Cecil Kellaway) and his beautiful daughter (Peggy Moran), they set out into the desert only to be terrorized by a sinister high priest (George Zucco) and the living mummy Kharis (Tom Tyler) who are the guardians of Ananka's tomb.

The Invisible Man returns 1940 DVD
Geoffrey Radcliffe, the wealthy owner of a coal mining operation, is running out of time. In two hours, he is set to be executed for the murder of his brother, a murder he did not commit. His fiancée, Helen Manson, is frantic. Geoffrey's cousin, Richard Cobb, tells her that he has done everything he can. Geoffrey's only hope is his friend, Dr. Frank Griffin. Griffin's late brother once discovered a secret drug that makes a human being invisible. The only trouble is, it also turns its subject mad. But now Geoffrey, Helen and Dr. Griffin have no other choice. Griffin visits Geoffrey at the prison and administers the drug. Soon Geoffrey, made invisible, is able to escape. As the wily Inspector Sampson of Scotland Yard searches for the escaped convict, Griffin frantically searches for an antidote and Geoffrey frantically searches for the real killer. Time is short. Geoffrey is slowly but surely going insane.

The Invisible Woman 1940 DVD
The eccentric Professor Gibbs puts an ad in the newspaper: "WANTED: A human being willing to become invisible. No remuneration. Box P19." But Gibbs is no crackpot. He really did invent an invisibility machine, and he really does need his first human guinea pig. He's rather surprised when the K. Carroll who answers his ad turns out to be a woman: Kitty Carroll, a dress model with an oppressive boss. And that boss is the real reason she wants to be invisible. The beleaguered model wants to revenge herself on him and thus win one for the working girl. Meanwhile, the loony scientist's patron, the wealthy playboy Richard Russell, learns he has just squandered every penny of the family fortune on girls who sue. His long suffering manservant keeps threatening to resign. But if that invisibility machine works, Richard will have it made - again. Unfortunately, the machine has attracted the interest of some thugs whose boss is stuck in Mexico unable to cross the border. Invisibility is just what he needs to get past the checkpoint.

Torrid Zone 1940 DVD
Torrid Zone is a 1940 adventure film starring James Cagney, Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien. Steve Case (Pat O'Brien) has to deal with trouble at his tropical fruit company's Central American banana plantation. A revolutionary, Rosario La Mata (George Tobias), is stirring up unrest among the workers, and the only man who can handle the situation, foreman Nick Butler (James Cagney), has just quit. Steve manages to persuade Nick to stick around (for a big bonus). Adding to the complications is Lee Donley (Ann Sheridan), a woman who Steve has ordered out of the region for causing a different kind of trouble among the men.

1939

2009-03-31T13:05:00.001-07:00

The Roaring Twenties 1939 DVD
The Roaring Twenties is a 1939 crime thriller starring James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart and Gladys George. The movie was directed by Raoul Walsh, and written by Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay and Robert Rossen based on the story "The World Moves On" by Mark Hellinger. The Roaring Twenties was the last film that Cagney and Bogart made together.
The Roaring Twenties is based on "The World Moves On," a short story by Mark Hellinger, a columnist who had been hired by Jack Warner to write screenplays. The movie is hailed as a classic in the gangster movie genre and considered a "homage" to the classic gangster movie of the early 1930s.

THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG 1939 DVD
Mad Scientist, Dr. Henryk Savaard, is obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. The police are alerted of Savaard's activities by his assistant's girlfriend. Savaard is arrested, convicted and sentenced to hang. He vows revenge on the judge, jury and district attorney. After the hanging, his assistant claims Savaard's body and uses Savaard's technique on it. Savaard is brought back to life. Now he can seek sweet revenge on his prosecutors.

The Mystery of Mr.Wong 1939 DVD
The second in the series of Mr. Wong features starring Boris Karloff finds wealthy gem-collector Brandon Edwards gaining possession of the largest star sapphire in the world, the 'Eye of the Daughter of the Moon', after it has been stolen in China. Edwards, at a party in his home, confides to Mr. Wong that his life is in danger. During a game of Charades, Edwards is mysteriously shot dead and the gem disappears. Unknown to Wong, the jewel is in the possession of Edwards' maid, Drina, who intends to return it to China, but she is murdered also, and the gem is taken again. After one more murder -- the suspect list is dwindling..

Mr.Wong in Chinatown 1939 DVD
Starring Boris Karloff. A pretty Chinese woman, seeking help from San Francisco detective James Lee Wong, is killed by a poisoned dart in his front hall, having time only to scrawl "Captain J" on a sheet of paper. She proves to be Princess Lin Hwa, on a secret military mission for Chinese forces fighting the Japanese invasion. Mr. Wong finds two captains with the intial J in the case, neither being quite what he seems; there's fog on the waterfront and someone still has that poison-dart gun...

The Gorilla 1939 DVD
Starring Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi. When a wealthy man (Atwill) is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he hires the Ritz Brothers to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the mansion just as the investigators arrive.

The Dark Eyes of London (AKA The Human Monster) 1939 DVD
Starring Bela Lugosi. In London, the Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Larry Holt is assigned to investigate a serious of deaths apparently in accidents. However, a further inquiry shows that all the victims are men without family and insurance policy released by the insurance agent Dr. Feodor Orloff and the beneficiary is a home for blind administrated by Prof. John Dearborn. When Henry Stuart is found drowned, his daughter Diana comes to London and helps Holt and his American partner Lieutenant O'Reilly in their investigation.

Below: This Print also contains the very rare British Board of Film card featuring the short lived 'H' Certificate Indicating it was classed as Horrific.

Son of Frankenstein 1939 DVD
Wolf Frankenstein, son of Henry Frankenstein, returns with his wife, to his fathers estate to claim his inheritance. When he arrives with his family he recieves a hostile reception from locals. While exploring his fathers laboratory he comes across crooked blacksmith - Ygor, who asks him to revive his father's creation - the MONSTER who is lying in a coma. Wolf tries to revive the monster and believes he fails but then some of the locals are found murdered soon after who just happened to be part of the jury that sent Ygor to the gallows.

Tower of London 1939 DVD
In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. As each murder is accomplished he takes particular delight in removing small figurines, each resembling one of the successors, from a throne-room dollhouse, until he alone remains. After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and need only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power.

Each Dawn I Die 1939 DVD
Each Dawn I Die is a 1939 gangster film featuring James Cagney and George Raft in their only movie together as leads, although Raft had made an unbilled appearance in a 1932 Cagney vehicle called Taxi! in which he won a dance contest against Cagney, after which he and Cagney brawl. The plotline of Each Dawn I Die involves a crusading reporter (Cagney) who is unjustly thrown in jail and befriends a famous gangster (Raft). George Bancroft portrays the warden. The movie was a box-office smash and remains a favorite among aficionados of Warner Bros. gangster movies. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Jerome Odlum.

1938

2009-03-31T13:04:00.004-07:00

Angels with Dirty Faces 1938 DVD
Angels with Dirty Faces is a 1938 American gangster film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, the Dead End Kids and Humphrey Bogart, along with Ann Sheridan and George Bancroft. The film was written by Rowland Brown, John Wexley and Warren Duff with uncredited assistance from Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) are childhood friends who robbed a railroad car as kids. Rocky saved Jerry's life during the chase by pulling him out of the way of a steam train. Rocky was then caught by the police, but Jerry - who could run faster - escaped. Rocky, after being sent to reform school, grows up to become a notorious gangster, while Jerry has become a priest.

Mr. Wong Detective 1938 DVD
Starring Boris Karloff. When a chemical manufacturer is killed after asking detective James Wong to help him, Wong investigates this and two subsequent murders. He uncovers a international spy ring hoping to steal the formula for a poison gas being developed by the first victim's company. HIS HOBBY IS MURDER! Mr. Wong's main interest is solving murders - and he's an expert at it! Watch Collier's Magazine's famous Chinese sleuth trick a triple-killer into giving himself away...for the mystery thrill of you life!

The Lady Vanishes 1938 DVD
On a train through Europe, Iris Henderson meets the kindly old woman Miss Froy, and they meet several other passengers over the course of their conversation. Iris later wakes up from a nap to discover that Miss Froy is nowhere to be found, and none of the people they met seem to have any recollection of her. A psychiatrist on the train suggests that Miss Froy never existed: Iris was bumped on the head before boarding, and the conversation may have only taken place in her head. However, Iris is certain that something more sinister is going on, and teams up with another acquaintance, the musician Gilbert, to find her before the train reaches its destination. Directed By Alfred Hitchcock.

A Slight Case of Murder 1938 DVD
A Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Harold Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G. Robinson spoofing his own gangster image as Remy Marco. The film tells the story of bootlegger Marco who announces he's going legit with the end of Prohibition. His fortune declines because the beer he makes tastes terrible and everyone is afraid to tell him so. Nearly bankrupt four years later, he has problems in his marriage because his wife has grown used to a high standard of living. Also, his daughter comes home with a boyfriend that turns out to be a state cop. More and more problems begin to pop up in the life of the former bootlegger.

1937

2009-03-31T13:04:00.003-07:00

SOS Coastguard 1937 DVD
Starring Bela Lugosi. A 12-episode serial. The government of Marovania hires the wicked Boroff to manufacture a powerful gas that causes mass disintegration. Boroff is en route to Marovania with a boatload of arnatite to make the gas when his steamer runs aground off the California coast. Boroff soon commits a murder. The Coast Guard, led by Lt. Terry Kent, must hunt Boroff, figure out his plan and where the arnatite is, capture and dispose of any gas Boroff manages to make, and protect the safety of civilians, including Terry's special friend, ubiquitous reporter Jean Norman, and her chatty photographer, Snapper McGee. Aiding Boroff is his slave Thorg, a formidable giant. Kent must often use his fists.

Night Key 1937 DVD
Boris Karloff plays mild mannered inventor David Mallory who lives with his daughter Jean (Jean Rogers), has invented a new "electric eye" security system. He had been cheated out of the profits of his previous wire based system by unscrupulous businessman and former friend Steven Ranger (Samuel S. Hinds). This time however, Mallory has also invented a "night key" system which disables his security systems.
Mallory's lawyer, Kruger (Edwin Maxwell) conspires with Ranger to cheat Mallory out of his rightful royalties for his new invention. With the help of petty crook Petty Louie (Hobart Cavanaugh) who he helps escape from Ranger's holding cell, the two set out to discredit Ranger's company. Meanwhile Ranger Officer Jim Travis (Warren Hull) tries to locate Mallory and in doing so falls in love with Jean.

San Quentin 1937 DVD
San Quentin is a 1937 Warner Bros. drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan. It was shot on location at San Quentin State Prison. O'Brien plays ex-Army officer Captain Stephen 'Steve' Jameson, who becomes a guard at San Quentin State Prison. Sheridan plays his girlfriend, May Kennedy, and Bogart plays her brother, Red Kennedy, an inmate at the prison.

1936

2009-03-31T13:04:00.001-07:00

THE INVISIBLE RAY 1936 DVD
Visionary scientist Janos Rukh convinces a group of scientists and supporters to mount an expedition to the African continent to locate and study an ancient meteorite of great significance. He exposes himself to the highly toxic radiation of the meteorite, and while an antidote devised by Dr. Benet saves him from death by radiation poisoning, his naked touch causes instant death to others. Back in London, the benefits of the meteorite's controlled radiation offer Dr. Benet an opportunity to restore eyesight to the blind. The antidote's toxicity excites Prof. Rukh into paranoid rages as he seeks revenge against the members of his expedition, who he accuses of stealing his discovery for their own glory.

Revolt of the Zombies 1936 DVD
On the Franco-Austrian Frontier during World War I, an oriental priest, chaplain of a French colonial regiment, is condemned to life imprisonment because he possesses the power to turn men into zombies. In his prison cell, the priest prepares to burn a parchment containing the location of the secret formula. Colonel Mazovia (Roy D'Arcy) kills the priest and takes the partially-burned parchment. After the war, an expedition of representatives from the Allied countries with colonial interests are sent to Cambodia to find and destroy forever the so-called "Secret of the Zombies".

Dracula's Daughter 1936 DVD
Professor Von Helsing has done the world a favor by driving a stake through the heart of Count Dracula and thus destroying him. For his trouble, Scotland Yard charges him with murder. Dr. Jeffrey Garth, a psychiatrist, may be able to act as an attorney and defend him in court. But Garth finds he has his own troubles when the Countess Marya Zaleska seeks his help. She wants to be released from her desire to drink the blood of the living. She steals the corpse of her father, Count Dracula, and burns it ritually; but she still wants blood. She'll do anything to free herself of this curse, including kidnapping the baron's daughter who is Dr. Garth's assistant, and thwarting the hopes of her sinister manservant, Sandor.

Bullets or Ballots 1936 DVD
Bullets or Ballots is a 1936 gangster film starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police detective who infiltrates a crime gang. Includes original trailer and the original trailer for The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936).
Bullets or Ballots was adapted as a one-hour radio play on the April 17, 1939 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater with Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart. This radio broadcast is also included on this disc.

1935

2009-03-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

MARK OF THE VAMPIRE 1935 DVD
Sir Karell has been murdered, and the tiny pinpoint wounds on his neck suggest that a vampire did it. Baron Otto and Dr. Doskil are convinced of it, while the police inspector from Prague refuses to believe. Prof. Zelin, who specializes in the occult, must convince him that a dead count and his wife walk among the living and threaten both Karell's daughter and her fiancé, along with everyone else in the frightened village. At least that's how it all seems ...

THE RAVEN 1935 DVD
A wealthy judge coaxes the brilliant but eccentric neurological surgeon Dr. Vollin (Lugosi), who also has an obsessive penchant for Edgar Allen Poe, out of retirement to save the life of his daughter, a dancer crippled and brain damaged in an auto wreck. Vollin restores her completely, but also envisions her as his "Lenore," and cooks up a scheme to kidnap the woman and torture and kill her fiance' and father in his Poe-inspired dungeon. To do his dirty work, Vollin recruits a wanted criminal (Karloff), and turns him into a hideous monster to guarantee his subservience.

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1935 DVD
Mary Shelley, author of "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus," reveals to Percy Shelley and Lord Byron that Henry Frankenstein and his Monster did not die. Both lived, and went on to even stranger misadventures than before. As the new story begins, Henry wants nothing more than to settle into a peaceful life with his new bride. But his old professor, the sinister Dr. Pretorius, now disgraced, appears unexpectedly. Eventually, he and the Monster blackmail him into continuing his work. The Monster wants his creator to build him a friend; and Pretorius wants to see dead tissue become a living woman. Henry is forced to give his creature a bride.

THE BLACK ROOM 1935 DVD
Prophecy has it that younger twin Anton will kill brother Gregor in the castle's Black Room. Anton returns to the castle after a 10 year hiatus. Gregor, a Baron, has many attempts on his life as his subjects detest his tyranny. However, good natured Anton earns the subjects' respect, and the admiration of Col.Hassel, uncle of the beautiful Thea. When Gregor kills young servant Mashka, his subjects storm the castle to remove him. Devious Gregor renounces his title in favour of brother Anton to appease them. He then kills Anton to assume his identity and the Baronship again. He is free to pursue Thea with Col.Hassel's blessing. When Col.Hassel discovers Gregor's impersonation, he also meets death. With Thea's true love, Lt. Lussan, wrongfully convicted of Hassel's murder, it appears nothing can stop evil Gregor from ambushing her into marriage. But what of that prophecy?

Werewolf of London 1935 DVD
Dr. Wilfred Glendon returns to London with a rare flower he sought and discovered in Tibet. He also returns with the bite of a werewolf, which causes him to change into one himself during a full moon. Only the juice from his new flower can provide a temporary antidote. But the disease puts a strain on his relationship with his wife; worse, she's still in love with her old beau. Meanwhile, the flower has attracted the attention of the mysterious Dr. Yogami from Tibet.

The G-Men 1935 DVD
The G Men is a 1935 Warner Bros. film starring James Cagney and Ann Dvorak that is based on the mythologized origins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. The film's significance is less in its cinematic merits than as a propaganda effort in the FBI's "war on crime" in the middle years of the depression. According to Variety Magazine, it was one of the top-grossing films of 1935.
G Men was made as part of a deliberate attempt to counteract what many conservative political and business leaders claimed was a disturbing trend of glorifying criminals in the early 1930s gangster film genre. Although the gangster films were typically presented as moral indictments of organized crime where the criminal protagonist inevitably died, they nevertheless depicted a life of freedom, power and luxury enjoyed by gangsters in the midst of a real-life economic crisis. Foremost of these films were Little Caesar, the original Scarface, and perhaps the most memorable, The Public Enemy, which catapulted Cagney to stardom. Also notable about these films was that law enforcement was typically portrayed as either impotent in the face of crime, or, as with Public Enemy, akin to a derelict and largely absentee father shirking his duty. Based on this interpretation, G Men supplanted the criminal protagonist with the heroic federal police officer.

1934

2009-03-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

OF HUMAN BONDAGE 1934 DVD
Abandoning artistic ambitions, sensitive and club-footed Philip Carey enrolls in medical school and falls in love with illiterate waitress Mildred Rogers. She rejects him, runs off with a salesman and returns unmarried and pregnant. Philip gets her an apartment and they become engaged. Mildred runs off with another medical student. Philip takes her back again when she returns with her baby. She wrecks his apartment and burns the securities he needs to pay tuition. He gets a job as a salesman, has surgery on his foot, receives an inheritance, and returns to school where he learns Mildred is dying.

THE BLACK CAT 1934 DVD
Honeymooning in Hungary, Joan and Peter Allison share their train compartment with Dr. Vitus Verdegast, a courtly but tragic man who is returning to the remains of the town he defended before becoming a prisoner of war for fifteen years. When their hotel-bound bus crashes in a mountain storm and Joan is injured, the travellers seek refuge in the home, built fortress-like upon the site of a bloody battlefield, of famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig. There, cat-phobic Verdegast learns his wife's fate, grieves for his lost daughter, and must play a game of chess for Allison's life.

THE MYSTERIOUS MR.WONG 1934 DVD
Investigating a series of murders in Chinatown, wise-guy reporter Jason Barton is captured by the megalomaniacal Mr. Wong, desperately trying to complete his collection of the twelve gold coins of Confucius, with which he will be able to acquire the power to become ruler of a large province in China.

Mystery Liner 1934 DVD
Starring Noah Beery. Captain Holling is relieved of command of his ship after he suffers a nervous breakdown. His replacement, Captain Downey, takes over the liner just as it is about to be used for an experiment in remote control. Professor Grimson has devised a system for controlling the ship from a laboratory on land. But as Grimson demonstrates the system and the special component that makes it work, a rival group is listening in, hoping to use the device for its own purposes. Shortly after the demonstration, the professor is attacked and fatally injured. Major Pope comes on board to investigate the attack, and he decides to come along on the planned trip. Soon the ship is full of passengers and crew--and at least two of the ship's occupants are really enemy agents.

1933

2009-03-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

KING KONG 1933 DVD
In 1933, the bold and successful filmmaker Carl Denham travels by ship with a large crew, his friend Jack Driscoll and the starlet Ann Darrow to an unknown island to shoot a movie. The local natives worship a huge gorilla called Kong and they abduct Ann to offer her in a sacrifice to Kong. Jack Driscoll, who is in love with her, Carl Denham, who aims to capture the animal for an exhibition in New York and part of the crew hike into the jungle, where dinosaurs live, trying to rescue Ann. King Kong falls in love for Ann and protects her against the dangers. But the gorilla is captured and brought to New York. In the middle of a show in Broadway, King Kong escapes, bringing panic to New York city.

THE VAMPIRE BAT 1933 DVD
In the small village of Kleinshloss, the locals are scared with a serial killer that is draining the blood of his victims, and the Burgomaster Gustave Schoen is convinced that a vampire is responsible for the deaths. The skeptical police inspector Karl Brettschneider is reluctant to accept the existence of vampires, but the local doctor Otto Von Newman shows literature about cases of vampirism inclusive in Amazon. When the apple street vendor Martha Mueller is murdered, the prime suspect becomes the slow Herman Gleib, a man with a mind of child that loves bats. The group of vigilantes chases Herman, while Dr. Von Newman's housemaid Georgiana is attacked by the killer.

THE INVISIBLE MAN 1933 DVD
A mysterious man, whose head is completely covered in bandages, wants a room. The proprietors of the pub aren't used to making their house an inn during the winter months, but the man insists. They soon come to regret their decision. The man quickly runs out of money, and he has a violent temper besides. Worse still, he seems to be some kind of chemist and has filled his room with messy chemicals, test tubes, beakers and the like. When they try to throw him out, they make a ghastly discovery. Meanwhile, Flora Cranley appeals to her father to do something about the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Griffin, his assistant and her sweetheart. Her father's other assistant, the cowardly Dr. Kemp, is no help. He wants her for himself. Little does Flora guess that the wild tales, from newspapers and radio broadcasts, of an invisible homicidal maniac are stories of Dr. Griffin himself, who has discovered the secret of invisibility and gone mad in the process.

THE GHOUL 1933 DVD
A knife-wielding, enigmatic Egyptian Arab Aga Ben Dragore is seeking an sacred jewel which has been stolen from an ancient tomb. The thief tells him that he sold it to Professor Morlant, a fanatical Egyptologist who fervently believes in the pagan power of the ancient Egyptian gods. Dying from a mysteriously disfiguring ailment, Morlant entrusts his faithful manservant to bandage the jewel in his hand and warns him of dire consequences if his dying wishes aren't carried out. After his burial in an Egyptian-type tomb on his estate, an anonymous robber steals the precious stone from the corpse. Although the ghastly-looking dead man rises at the next full moon to seek revenge, neither he nor the audience know which member of the household possesses the powerful jewel.

1932

2009-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

THE MUMMY 1932 DVD
In 1921 a field expedition in Egypt discovers the mummy of ancient Egyptian prince Im-Ho-Tep, who was condemned and buried alive for sacrilege. Also found in the tomb is the Scroll of Thoth, which can bring the dead back to life. One night a young member of the expedition reads the Scroll out loud, and then goes insane, realizing that he has brought Im-Ho-Tep back to life. Ten years later, disguised as a modern Egyptian, the mummy attempts to reunite with his lost love, an ancient princess who has been reincarnated into a beautiful young woman.

WHITE ZOMBIE 1932 DVD
While traveling to New York, the young couple Madeleine Short Parker (Madge Bellamy) and her fiancé Neil Parker (John Harron) are convinced by their new acquaintance Charles Beaumont (Robert Frazer) to stay in Port Prince and get married in his mansion. However, Beaumont felt in love for Madeleine and his real intention is to convince her to call off the wedding. When he realizes that the time is too short to seduce her, he visits the local witch Legendre (Bela Lugosi) , who gives him a drug to transform Madeleine into a zombie. She dies immediately after the wedding, and her corpse is disputed by Beaumont and his sick love for her; Legendre, that wants her for his team of zombies; and Neil, who is convinced by the local missionary Dr. Bruner (Joseph Cawthorn) that she might be alive.

FREAKS 1932 DVD
In a side-show circus, where the greatest attractions are deformed people, the gorgeous trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) is the lover of the strong Hercules (Henry Victor). She plays as if she liked the German midget Hans (Harry Earles), who is in love with her, to borrow his money and get expensive gifts he gives to her. When the jealous German midget Frieda (Daisy Earles), who loves Hans, asks Cleopatra to spare Hans from a great deception, she accidentally discloses that he is an heir of a great fortune. Cleo decides to get married with Hans to poison him and get his inheritance. In the wedding feast, Cleopatra openly flirts with Hercules and mocks the side-show performers. When a very ill Hans is saved by a doctor that tells that he has been cruelly poisoned, the other freaks snoops in Hans trailer and they find what Cleopatra is doing with him. In a stormy night, all the freaks join forces for their revenge...

DR.X 1932 DVD
In 1932, horror became the hot thing in Hollywood. Universal had launched the genre into the sound era with the one-two punch of Dracula and Frankenstein (both 1931). Monsters were suddenly in demand, and Warner Bros., whose genre dealings up to that pont had been in the now outdated "old dark house" mysteries and bizarre human melodramas, was now under pressure to bring on the creature features. Company president Jack Warner had little use for horror -- the studio made roughly nine horror films between 1930 and 1950 -- but the public's appetite had to be whetted.

On top of that, Warner was contractually obligated to make two more films in Technicolor's slightly gaudy two-strip process, which was limited to displaying only greens and reds. In a savvy move, Warner combined its two "problems" by setting workhorse director Michael Curtiz to make two chillers with essentially the same cast and releasing them within six months of each other, the second film being The Mystery of the Wax Museum (See 1933).

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU 1932 DVD
Englishmen race to find the tomb of Ghengis Khan. They have to get there fast, as the evil genius Dr. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) is also searching, and if he gets the mysteriously powerful relics, he and his diabolical daughter will enslave the world!

THE OLD DARK HOUSE 1932 LASERDISC
Seeking shelter from a pounding rainstorm in a remote region of Wales, several travellers are admitted to a gloomy, foreboding mansion belonging to the extremely strange Femm family. Trying to make the best of it, the guests must deal with their sepulchral host, Horace Femm and his obsessive, malevolent sister Rebecca. Things get worse as the brutish manservant Morgan (Boris Karloff) gets drunk, runs amuck and releases the long pent-up brother Saul, a psychotic pyromaniac who gleefully tries to destroy the residence by setting it on fire.

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS 1932 LASERDISC
After his ship goes down, Edward Parker is rescued at sea. Parker gets into a fight with Captain Davies of the Apia and the Captain tosses him overboard while making a delivery to the tiny tropical island of Dr. Moreau. Parker discovers that Moreau has good reason to be so secretive on his lonely island. The doctor is a whip-cracking task master to a growing population of his own gruesome human/animal experiments. He does have one prize result, Lota the beautiful panther woman. Parker's fortunes for escape look up after his fiancée Ruth finds him with the help of fearless Captain Donohue. However, when Moreau's tribe of near-humans rises up to rebel, no one is safe...

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME 1932 LASERDISC
After surviving a shipwreck in reefs not signalized in the maritime charts, the famous hunter Rober "Bob" Rainsford (Joel McCrea) is lodged by the Russian hunter Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks) in his castle in an isolated island. Bob meets Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray) and her brother Martin Trowbridge (Robert Armstrong), also survivors of another wrecked vessel and hosted by Zaroff. Soon, Bob and Eve find that they are part of a hunting game plotted by the insane Zarof where they are the prey, and they have to escape and survive until the next morning to Zaroff and his hounds.

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE 1932 DVD
In 19th Century Paris, the maniacal Dr. Mirakle abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in an attempt to prove ape-human kinship. He constantly meets failure as the abducted women die. Medical student Pierre Dupin discovers what Mirakle is doing too late to prevent the abduction of his girlfriend Camille. Now he desperately tries to enlist the help of the police to get her back.

THE DEATH KISS 1932 DVD
While filming the closing scene of "The Death Kiss", leading man Myles Brent is actually killed. Having played around with, or been married to, most of the women connected with the movie studio, there are lots of suspects. When leading lady Marcia Lane is arrested for the killing, her suiter, a studio writer, starts to investigate the killing in order to prove her innocence.

Boo! 1932 DVD (Universal Short) 10 mins
Boo! starts off with a bearded man with a strange expression on his face emerging from a jack-in-the-box and holding up the film's title, which is a weirdly disconcerting effect. The narration is rather outdated, not so much because it was recorded in 1932, but because of what is said (the reference to woman automobile drivers is ever so slightly sexist), but what I don't get is, while Universal included footage from its movies 'Frankenstein' and 'The Cat Creeps', the Dracula segments actually come from F.W Murnau's 'Nosferatu'.

1931

2009-03-29T14:56:00.004-07:00

DRACULA 1931 DVD
On Walpurgisnacht, Renfield (Dwight Frye) goes to the Borgo Pass where he is met by Count Dracula's coach. The next day, Renfield and Dracula (Bela Lugosi) take 'the Vesta' to England. Ship arrives in Whitby harbor in a storm, captain lashed to boat, everyone dead, Renfield mad. Renfield is taken to Dr Jack Seward (Herbert Bunston)'s sanitarium near London. Newspaper clipping notes Renfield's strange desire to eat small living things.

Dracula arrives in London. He goes to a play where he is introduced to Dr Seward, daughter Mina (Helen Chandler), Lucy Weston (Frances Dade) and John Harker (David Manners). Dracula announces he has taken Carfax Abbey which adjoins the Sanitarium. Shortly thereafter, Lucy dies of blood loss. Professor Van Helsing arrives to examine her. At the same time, Dracula visits, and Van Helsing notes no reflection in mirror. While Van Helsing, Seward and Harker discuss vampires, Dracula summons Mina outside. She is found fainted on the lawn.

DRACULA 1931 (SPANISH VERSION) DVD
Many argue that Melford’s Drácula is superior to Browning’s yet, outside of narrative cohesion and exposition, there is little significant difference between the two films. The most notable distinction between the movies is that the Spanish version wasn’t confined to observing the Hays Code and, as a consequence, Melford permitted his actresses to dress more provocatively. This is most apparent in Lupita Tovar’s role as Eva (in her counterpart role to Mina) during her conversation on the veranda with Juan Harker (Barry Norton in his counterpart role to John) as her breasts are easily discernable through her low cut nightgown. What results is that the sexual undertones in Browning’s work is thereby brought to the forefront and, by making the theme of subverted sexuality more explicit, much of the insinuative potency of Dracula’s socially usurping malevolence is lost. Furthermore, though Melford denies his camera to record the vicious acts of the Count (Carlos Villarías) as does Browning, we are still witness to the much spoken of but never previously depicted bite marks which the vampire leaves upon the necks of his victims, thus depriving the audience of creating their own macabre, personally terrifying, vision of the wound.

THE PUBLIC ENEMY 1931 DVD and LASERDISC
Tom Powers and Matt Doyle are best friends and fellow gangsters, their lives frowned upon by Tom's straight laced brother, Mike, and Matt's straight laced sister, Molly. From their teen-aged years into young adulthood, Tom and Matt have an increasingly lucrative life, bootlegging during the Prohibition era. But Tom in particular becomes more and more brazen in what he is willing to do, and becomes more obstinate and violent against those who either disagree with him or cross him. When one of their colleagues dies in a freak accident, a rival bootlegging faction senses weakness among Tom and Matt's gang, which is led by Paddy Ryan. A gang war ensues, resulting in Paddy suggesting that Tom and Matt lay low. But because of Tom's basic nature, he decides instead to take matters into his own hands.

LITTLE CAESAR 1931 DVD
Little Caesar is one of the most important films ever made. That’s a large claim for a low-budget Hollywood movie from the beginning of the Depression but it’s hard to think of many other films that so emphatically defined – and in some respects proscribed - a whole genre. In setting, character and acting, it set the ground rules for ten years of gangster movies and, inadvertently, influenced a whole sub-genre of films which reacted against the clichés which Little Caesar helped to create. It wasn’t the first gangster movie by any means – but it’s fair to say that it kicked off the 1930s vogue for the genre and that Edward G. Robinson’s performance was the model for many actors who trod similar turf.

FRANKENSTEIN 1931 DVD
Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) wants to build a man in his own image, using the body of a dead man. He and his assistent Fritz (Dwight Frye) dig up a freshly burried coffin and steal the body. When they realize the head and the brains of the body are severely damaged, they decide to steal a brain from Dr. Frankensteins former teacher Dr. Waldman (Edward van Sloan). When Fritz accidentely drops the glass jar with the label "good brain" on it on the floor, he decides to take the glass jar with the label "bad brain". Using some kind of mysterious ray that Dr. Frankenstein discovered, the body is brought to life during a thunderstorm, and the monster of Frankenstein (Boris Karloff) is born.
Later, when Dr. Frankenstein realizes that he has created an agressive monster, he and Fritz lock the monster up in a cell. When the monster is repeatedly bullied and provoked by Fritz, the monster eventually manages to kill him. When the monster escapes, he meets a little girl playing near the water. The monster and the girl throw flowers in the water. Enjoying the playing, the clumsy monster proceeds to pick up the girl and throw her in the water, too. Later we learn that the little girl drowned in the incident, when her father carries her through the streets.

DR.JEKYLL AND MR.HYDE 1931 DVD
Based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men - a good and an evil side. He believes that by separating the two man can become liberated. He succeeds in his experiments with chemicals to accomplish this and transforms into Hyde to commit horrendous crimes. When he discontinues use of the drug it is already too late...

Monkey Business DVD 1931
While stowing away on a ship to America, the boys get involuntarily pressed into service as toughs for a pair of feuding gangsters while trying desparately to evade the ship's crew. After arriving stateside, one of the gangsters kidnaps the other's daughter - and it's up to our unlikely heroes to save the day.

1930

2009-03-29T14:56:00.003-07:00

Animal Crackers 1930 DVD
Captain Spaulding, the noted explorer, returns from Africa and attends a gala party held by Mrs. Rittenhouse. A painting displayed at that party is stolen, and the Marxes help recover it. Well, maybe 'help' isn't quite the word I was looking for--this is the Marx Brothers, after all...

1929

2009-03-29T14:56:00.001-07:00

1928

2009-03-29T14:55:00.005-07:00

1927

2009-03-29T14:55:00.003-07:00

SAILORS, BEWARE! 1927 DVD
A con artist (Garvin) and a midget dressed as her infant son, are unmasked aboard a ship by a steward (Stan Laurel)

1926

2009-03-29T14:55:00.001-07:00

1925

2009-03-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1925 DVD
At the Opera of Paris, a mysterious phantom threatens a famous lyric singer, Carlotta and thus forces her to give up her role (Marguerite in Faust) for unknown Christine Daae. Christine meets this phantom (a masked man) in the catacombs, where he lives.

1924

2009-03-29T14:42:00.001-07:00

1923

2009-03-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME 1923 DVD
Lon Chaney, the man of a thousand faces, was best known for playing Quasimodo and the Phantom of the Opera (SEE ABOVE). But the former role was clearly the most ambitious of his illustrious career, full of such longing and anguish. It's as though his entire being was consumed by this ugly outcast with a heart as big and beautiful as Notre Dame itself. And the makeup is still astonishing. The rest of this unrequited love story is pretty effective as well, with the re-creation of medieval Paris a standout for its lavishness. Like all great silent films, it delivers a poetry of life that is abstract and tangible at the same time.

1922

2009-03-29T13:39:00.001-07:00

NOSFERATU 1922 DVD
The story is narrated from the diary of Johann Cavallius, historian of the city of Bremen, who is wondering if it was the Nosferatu who brought the plague to Bremen in 1838.

Newlyweds Hutter [Gustav von Wangenheim] and Ellen [Greta Schroeder] are saddened when Hutter is sent to Transylvania by Hutter's employer Knock [Alexander Grannach] to arrange for Count Orlok's [Max Schreck] purchase of a house across the street from the Hutters' house in Bremen. Hutter travels to Transylvania where he stays with the Count, is sucked by the Count, and eventually escapes from the castle but not before seeing the Count depart on a cart loaded with coffins. While Hutter recuperates in a hospital after succeeding in his escape, the Count moves into the house across from the Hutters'. The rise in deaths is accredited to a plague thought to have arrived with the Demeter. The "Book of the Vampires" tells Ellen what she must do to end the vampire.

The Count meets his doom when Ellen manages to keep him until after cock crow. Best scene is the vampire rising from Ellen's neck after realizing the cock has crowed. As the sun slowly advances on the houses across the street (visible from the window), the Nosferatu attempts to escape. In doing so, he passes the window and is trapped by the sunlight.

1921

2009-03-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

1920

2009-03-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

DR.JEKYLL AND MR.HYDE 1920 DVD
Based on the Robert Louis Stevenson story: Doctor Henry Jekyll's enthusiasm for science and his selfless acts of service have made him a much-admired man. But as he visits Sir George Carew one evening, his host criticizes him for his reluctance to experience the more sensual side of life. Sir George goads Jekyll into visiting a music hall, where he watches the alluring dancer Gina. Jekyll becomes fascinated with the two contrasting sides of human nature, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of separating them. After extensive work in his laboratory, he devises a formula that does indeed allow him to alternate between two completely different personalities, his own and that of a brutish, lascivious person whom he names Hyde. It is not long before the personality of Hyde begins to dominate Jekyll's affairs.