Dan's Movie Blog

The Cinemalit Chayefsky series also includes '...

2013-04-29T23:31:29.427-07:00

The Cinemalit Chayefsky series also includes 'The Hospital' (George C. Scott and Diana Rigg), screening on May 31st. Chayefsky won his second Oscar for the screenplay, and Scott was nominated for best actor....

It's the 50th anniversary of the 1st-ever Hitc...

2013-04-21T09:57:19.760-07:00

It's the 50th anniversary of the 1st-ever Hitchcock retrospective in the United States.

The semi-hidden status of the amenity fee is the w...

2013-04-14T14:02:43.200-07:00

The semi-hidden status of the amenity fee is the way the theatre can get away with raising its admission prices without having to raise the amount shared with the Hollywood studios, as the contracts they sign with them to release their films always are based on a percentage of the box office. This is their way of getting revenue without calling it "box office".

Dan A LABOR OF LOVE will be available in the home...

2013-04-07T07:44:37.173-07:00

Dan

A LABOR OF LOVE will be available in the home market for the first time in 37 years.

The DVD arrives June 11, 2013

http://vinegarsyndrome.com/launch/?product=a-labor-of-love-dvd

Robert Flaxman

awesome review, now I wanna read the book.

2013-01-21T02:08:40.831-08:00

awesome review, now I wanna read the book.

if you like movie posters and Hong Kong movies vis...

2012-12-15T02:22:10.768-08:00

if you like movie posters and Hong Kong movies visit my blog: http:\\hkmovieposter.blogspot.com

Thank you for a thoughtful post. And yes, it's...

2012-12-12T11:58:42.783-08:00

Thank you for a thoughtful post. And yes, it's terribly sad. But there will be one more film!

I understand that they were killed (voluntarily in...

2012-07-12T23:48:02.454-07:00

I understand that they were killed (voluntarily in most cases) at age 30. My question is about the Carousel. Specifically what is it all about? Why make such a spectacle of death? There was much talk of renewal as if one could be "renewed." In hindsight, it was a lie to keep the people from questioning the system. To the uninitiated viewer, it was confusing that they talked about renewal prior to everyone getting incinerated. Frankly, to watch people die in that manner would seem to be counterproductive from the government's point of view.

The automated world of the future in Logan's R...

2012-07-11T10:18:06.620-07:00

The automated world of the future in Logan's Run could take care of everyone's needs to a point. That is why at 30 people are eliminated at Carousel. That was the point there was no "renew".

does anyone have a list of films from the ktla FFF...

2011-12-16T01:20:29.066-08:00

does anyone have a list of films from the ktla FFF there are so many movies id like to see again i cannot find anything even remotely related to the FFF's film roster.

did you even watch the movie??? you got everything...

2011-10-12T12:35:49.174-07:00

did you even watch the movie??? you got everything wrong.

Hey, thanks for the movies lists. It’s a great hel...

2011-07-31T23:33:12.069-07:00

Hey, thanks for the movies lists. It’s a great help for me through your article I managed to save some time. I will refer this article to my friends for independent films as I am.

independent films

Ah... the memories! Tom Hatten's programing an...

2011-07-16T20:43:27.056-07:00

Ah... the memories! Tom Hatten's programing and cartoon drawing had an enormous effect on me. I pursued becoming an artist because of him. It was probably the middle to late fifties that I watched religiously and even through high school years on KTLA. What I remember most, though, were short clips of strange Czechoslovakian or Hungarian animation films that were shown as well as some sort of animated cartoon about two southern crows which would not sit well in today's PC climate. Incredible stuff for the time, though. The Our Gang clips brought a whole other generation into the mix along with the classic Popeye cartoons. What a time!... what a time!

Nice post, Dan! Actually, this July 25th will be ...

2011-06-18T14:22:47.201-07:00

Nice post, Dan!

Actually, this July 25th will be the Red Vic's 31st Anniversary, and the close of their 30th anniversary year.

Though the VIZ is not bringing back daily operations yet, it appears they're testing the waters with another classic Japanese film series featuring two films apiece by four directors: Hiroshi Teshigahara, Yasujrio Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Shohei Imamura. 6 of 8 films will be shown in 35mm prints. I've never seen the Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice or Vebgeance Is Mine so I'm very glad they're bringing those in that format.

According to the Landmark publicist, the Clay will be screening The Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight the last Saturday of June and July. Then it will screen Red Vic staple The Room the 2nd Saturday of August, September, and October. Seems to bode well for the Clay's immediate future, but not for the Red Vic's.

True grit is really very much enjoyable.nice post....

2011-01-20T05:46:52.720-08:00

True grit is really very much enjoyable.nice post.Glen Darby is really very much great.

Omg this movie looks so good! I love Ryan Phillipp...

2011-01-09T21:07:20.718-08:00

Omg this movie looks so good! I love Ryan Phillippe and Matthew McConaughey. Actually there are a lot of great actors in it, I'm stoked to see it! The facebook page has some more pics and info and stuff - http://www.facebook.com/thelincolnlawyermovie

ah, those were the days! whats terrible is back th...

2010-12-07T09:03:58.562-08:00

ah, those were the days! whats terrible is back then LA only had 12 or 13 channels(including the spanish stations) yet the things on TV were more enjoyable. reality TV was the news, and it wasnt the sensationalistic crap that now passes for the news. talk shows were great. merv griffin,dick cavett and mike something or other. stars were glamouruos,larger then life, and had something that really doesnt exist in hollywood these days. class and talent. as for hatten yes saturdays and sundays were great for a kid. especially sundays. rascal and stooges from 5:00 am to 7:00 am. popeye,tom slick,george of the jungle,super chicken. and thats just what i remember. 7:00am to 10:00am then the family film festival which showed films of all kinds but the ones i loved the most were the animated of all kind that havent been seen since that show went off the air. also afternoon tv was great as well. good cartoons and beloved old sitcoms. gilligan,genie,f-troop and all the others that dont come to mind. tv wasnt the vacuous wasteland for the retarded masses it is now. oh yeah and great classic cartoons in the afternoon. not the cheap crap being imported from the countries that are known for making products as cheap and shitty as possible, japan and korea. the children born in the last 20 years dont realize how much they missed out on. great tv was a great treat because everything wasnt at your fingertips and you had to wait for the best. i could go on and on down the nostalgia highway but melancholey threatens to overwhelm. for all you who were lucky enough to be born 35 or more years ago, thank God for the memories.

Shoulda gone to Docfest, man. Everyday Sunshine, M...

2010-11-01T09:38:57.348-07:00

Shoulda gone to Docfest, man. Everyday Sunshine, May I Be Frank, Trampoline, Sex Magic among others.

Loved Family Film Festival and would love to see a...

2010-08-08T11:02:40.153-07:00

Loved Family Film Festival and would love to see a list on the internet of the movies that were shown on that TV show.

Duvivier is truly an incredible director -- especi...

2010-02-05T19:52:17.944-08:00

Duvivier is truly an incredible director -- especially, I like his collaborations with Jean Gabin (which I discuss, in detail, in my two-volume Jean Gabin book, WORLD'S COOLEST MOVIE STAR.

Besides "La Belle equipe," "Pepe Le Moko," and "Voici le temps des assassins," Duvivier and Gabin also teamed up for the American film "Impostor" (Universal, 1944) which is one of only two films Gabin made in English and 1935's "Golgotha," cinema history's first sound epic about Jesus, in which Gabin has a great supporting role as Pontius Pilate.

I am hoping that this Duvivier series will appear here in Los Angeles one of these days (for those, like me, who weren't able to attend in NY and Berkeley).

KTLA had the best programming in the Golden West e...

2009-10-17T21:48:48.470-07:00

KTLA had the best programming in the Golden West era and Tom Hatten's Popeye Show and the Family Film Festival was not exception. It was Tom Hatten that introduced me to the original Sweedish (but dubbed) Pippi Longstocking films, Disney's Treasure Island, Rascal Dazzle and many many others. I was lucky enough to rummage through thrift shops to find old used blank VHS tapes to find some footage of Tom and even some of the movies. In addition, Tom Hatten also did a rare KTLA Movie Theatre appearance and interviews during a showing of the Gold Diggers of 1933.

And Elvira (Cassandra Patterson) was very memorable on KHJ's Movie Macabre. I wish I was old enough to see the films she aired back then.

Thank goodness I found those VHS tapes when I did and that they were NOT erased.

I din't say it in my post because I didn't...

2009-07-24T11:26:20.924-07:00

I din't say it in my post because I didn't see it in June but Gunman's Walk is one of my favorite Karlson films. I probably enjoyed it more than the five films I saw at this retrospective.

I thought Van Heflin's performance in that film was great. I wrote a few paragraphs in this September post.

Yes! I too am a recent Karlson convert. I have onl...

2009-07-24T10:05:54.668-07:00

Yes! I too am a recent Karlson convert. I have only seen a handful, but the diversity in style, but consistency in themes are impressive. Have you seen this interesting write-up on Gunman's Walk? Where can I get this?

http://www.destructibleman.com/2009/06/gunmans-walk-phil-karlson-1958.html

The Cerrito and Parkway are both two-screen theate...

2009-06-23T10:45:09.604-07:00

The Cerrito and Parkway are both two-screen theaters, not single-screen.

The name on the jersey was Bradshaw, right? You m...

2009-06-22T22:11:15.564-07:00

The name on the jersey was Bradshaw, right? You must have gone to fancy high school where they 1) silk screened or embroidered the names on the back of the jerseys and 2) gave the jerseys to the players after the season. In Texas (where I went to school) they didn't put the names on the back of the jerseys because on Friday nights, it's the name on the front of the jersey that matters. Plus when you have all 101 jersey numbers being used every year, the school can't afford to buy a whole new set of uniforms every year.

I liked the explanation it was a Terry Bradshaw jersey better. When Bradshaw joined the Steelers he was criticized as being a stupid redneck from the bayou so I thought the jersey was a reference to that stereotype. Actually, having seen Bradshaw on Fox Sports, I'm not sure if it is a stereotype.