Classic motion pictures and Lifestyle with a dip into the underside, the seedy and off beat through the eyes of Canadian Writer TERRY SHERWOOD.
Rising out of this was the birth of the exploitation film of the fifties and sixties. Exploitation became linked with the evils of drugs and alcohol, the pregnant out of wedlock pre code films and the cheap programmer designed to fill a bill. Everyone has watched or seen bits of REEFER MADNESS (1936) or NARCOTIC... Continue Reading →
People tend to forget story comes from a printed page, be it a screenplay treatment, a novel or short story. Hollywood of yesterday was a fountain head of searching for the story in the headlines or the best seller lists. Today, film still comes from various sources. Concepts can be re imagined or remade;... Continue Reading →
Bram Stoker’s character has become Shakespearean in scope. Each characterization fits a mood or time in society when the work or the production is done. I approached this picture with some doubt as I had initially poor memories of it in the cinema. Viewing it again on DVD was a very pleasant surprise. The Dracula... Continue Reading →
Truck driving has been a noble occupation in film as it makes for fascinating story ideas. You can have material being smuggled, be it people or arm chairs. Some of the best are ARMOURED CAR ROBBERY (1955), THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940) and the tension filled classic THE WAGES OF FEAR (1953). Fruit, weapons, booze,... Continue Reading →
Hard boiled detective stories are lovely fodder for film. The dark streets full of grime, corruption and broken bottles and dreams coupled with spent cartridges. This is the world of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer at its cliché best with all the trimmings of a blue plate special with poison gravy. Bit over the top? Yes.... Continue Reading →
Sixties film making has a particular niche and creators pressed new subject matter and techniques. The rise of the 'biker film,' thought to be low budget drive in fare for the teenagers more interested in making sure the 'wild oats' were well stowed away. Many of these films were training grounds for people like writer/... Continue Reading →
I quite enjoy a spirited discussion on film and Martin Scorsese ruffled a few tunics by saying "Marvel movies are not cinema." I have enclosed the link for reference: Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html Now, being a 'white guy' myself, I cannot help but see through the filter... Continue Reading →
I remember the usual films, THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS with Boris Karloff; CHARLIE BROWN’S CHRISTMAS with the sad tree that tips over when an ornament is put on it. The skating sequences from THE BISHOPS’S WIFE with David Niven, Cary Grant and Loretta Young are also part of holiday memories. I still feel the... Continue Reading →
The original UNIVERSAL STUDIOS Monster cycle of films needs no introduction. They have become part of film folklore from images to quotes such as 'He meddled with things Man was meant to leave alone.' or "I never drink wine." Tributes have been done to death or undeath from THE MUNSTERS TV series that only ran... Continue Reading →
The little things you find when you walk into a shop - like Alain Delon's character did in ONCE A THIEF (1965). This Ralph Nelson directed picture is a stylish thriller from the opening frame to the end titles. The opening sequence, shot in a San Francisco jazz club, features a drum solo inter-cut with... Continue Reading →
STARDUST AND SHADOWS 