Monthly Archives: April 2016

True Crime–Italian Style

Posted on April 17, 2016 by amangr

CAUTION: CONTAINS “SPOILERS” I had long wanted to see Carlo Lizzani’s 1965 film “Svegliati e uccide” (known here as both “Wake Up and Kill” and “Wake Up and Die”), a torn-from-the-headlines re-telling of the career of celebrity criminal Luciano Lutring … Continue reading →

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Deco Fantasia: the 1935 “She”

Posted on April 17, 2016 by amangr

CAUTION: CONTAINS “SPOILERS” The 1935 version of the H. Rider Haggard perennial “She” is an eye-popping display of Art Deco misc-en-scene by Van Nest Polglase with a bit of Mummers’ Parade razzle-dazzle thrown in for good measure. The first twenty … Continue reading →

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Lederer Does the Count–the last classic Dracula film

Posted on April 9, 2016 by amangr

CAUTION: Contains “spoilers.” I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Paul Landres’ 1958 film “The Return of Dracula.” United Artists released the film at about the same time that Universal-International  brought Hammer Film’s “Dracula” (now re-titled “Horror … Continue reading →

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A Pitiless World

Posted on April 2, 2016 by amangr

CAUTION: CONTAINS “SPOILERS” Roland West’s 1929 underworld drama “Alibi” posits a world in which there are few if any heroes. The protagonist, Chick Williams, played by Chester Morris, is initially seen being discharged from prison. He doesn’t seem like such … Continue reading →

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Plague of the Zombies / Billion Dollar Brain–two movies that ought to be shown in every school

Posted on April 1, 2016 by amangr

No, I haven’t taken leave of my senses. Movies are a river of dreams and a great textbook for the under-educated. Both of these films–one regarded as a classic, the other, as a dreadful misfire have valuable life-lessons to teach. … Continue reading →

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