Welcome to the Hammer Factory. This month we dissect Demons of the Mind (1972).
While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.
In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great...
While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.
In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great...
- 5/18/2023
- by Paul Farrell
- bloody-disgusting.com
Any WW2 action adventure involving the Norwegian resistance is Ok in my book, and this big-star saga about sabotage efforts to stop the Nazis’ atom research is a natural — much of what happens in the story is true. The show can boast marvelous locations and excellent action scenes but the script and characters aren’t very strong. Did Columbia curb epic director Anthony Mann’s greater ambitions, or did star Kirk Douglas interfere to enhance his leading character into a combo scientist, playboy and sure-shot action man? Also starring Ulla Jacobsson, Richard Harris, Michael Redgrave, and every over-fifty English name actor not nailed down.
The Heroes of Telemark
Blu-ray
Sony Home Entertainment
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 130 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave, David Weston, Roy Dotrice, Anton Diffring, Ralph Michael, Eric Porter, Karel Stepanek, George Murcell, Mervyn Johns, Barry Jones, Geoffrey Keen, Robert Ayres,...
The Heroes of Telemark
Blu-ray
Sony Home Entertainment
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 130 min. / Street Date January 8, 2019
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Redgrave, David Weston, Roy Dotrice, Anton Diffring, Ralph Michael, Eric Porter, Karel Stepanek, George Murcell, Mervyn Johns, Barry Jones, Geoffrey Keen, Robert Ayres,...
- 9/11/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hammer Horror: Four Gothic Horror Films
Blu ray – All Region
Imprint
1971-72
Starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, Eric Porter
Cinematography by Kenneth Talbot, Dick Bush
Directed by Peter Sasdy, John Hough, Robert Young
In December of 1959, Hammer Studios released a bit of Yuletide cheer called The Stranglers from Bombay, a censor-baiting melodrama highlighted by severed limbs and Marie Devereux’s cleavage. The studio would spend the next decade expanding upon those themes and wore the inevitable X Certificates like badges of honor. But as an ancient reprobate said, “Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” and by the seventies the bad boys of Bray seemed positively sedate. Though the power to shock had waned, Hammer was still a thriving business—there were two Dracula films produced in 1970 alone. Still, no one could blame them for shaking things up—Anthony Hinds, the studio’s guiding light,...
Blu ray – All Region
Imprint
1971-72
Starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, Eric Porter
Cinematography by Kenneth Talbot, Dick Bush
Directed by Peter Sasdy, John Hough, Robert Young
In December of 1959, Hammer Studios released a bit of Yuletide cheer called The Stranglers from Bombay, a censor-baiting melodrama highlighted by severed limbs and Marie Devereux’s cleavage. The studio would spend the next decade expanding upon those themes and wore the inevitable X Certificates like badges of honor. But as an ancient reprobate said, “Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” and by the seventies the bad boys of Bray seemed positively sedate. Though the power to shock had waned, Hammer was still a thriving business—there were two Dracula films produced in 1970 alone. Still, no one could blame them for shaking things up—Anthony Hinds, the studio’s guiding light,...
- 8/28/2021
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Often for children of a similar vintage, the Saturday matinee was where our movie memories began and then flourished; we were shown sword-fighting skeletons, one-eyed ogres and metallic barn fowl, pretty girls in peril and giants with a grudge. Fantasy adventure was a familiar label to us afternoon filmgoers, and the more absurd the flick, the better. The Lost Continent (1968) didn’t cross my path as a kid, but it certainly would have fit right in with our weird fiction viewing habits at the time. Watching it as a significantly aged and occasionally cynical movie lover, one can see that love of pulp on display, with one important difference: this was made by Hammer Films.
Pulp? Without question. But filtered through Hammer’s latter day approach of looser morals and giddy blood spraying, The Lost Continent seems to be made for adults who missed the experience the first time around,...
Pulp? Without question. But filtered through Hammer’s latter day approach of looser morals and giddy blood spraying, The Lost Continent seems to be made for adults who missed the experience the first time around,...
- 10/31/2020
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Well, we made it through another month everyone, but before we bid farewell to April, we’ve got one last batch of horror and sci-fi home media releases to look forward to this week. Arrow Video is keeping busy with their Special Edition Blus for both The Wind and Elvira: Mistress of the Dark and Scream Factory is showing The Last Continent some love, too. Agfa and Bleeding Skull have put together a must-own release of The McPherson Tape and if you’ve never had a chance to check out Gutterballs, the cult classic is headed to both Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday courtesy of Unearthed Films.
Other releases for April 28th include Deadline (1980), The Backlot Murders, Olivia Aka Double Jeopardy/Prozzie, The Dark Red, Dreamkatcher, and Malabimba: Uncensored.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark: Special Edition
She’s back! Elvira, Horrorland’s hostess with the mostest, finally busts out on...
Other releases for April 28th include Deadline (1980), The Backlot Murders, Olivia Aka Double Jeopardy/Prozzie, The Dark Red, Dreamkatcher, and Malabimba: Uncensored.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark: Special Edition
She’s back! Elvira, Horrorland’s hostess with the mostest, finally busts out on...
- 4/27/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
In addition to revealing a Collector's Edition Blu-ray release for John Carpenter's Escape From L.A., Scream Factory is also kicking off a new year of horror home media releases with Blu-ray announcements for The Spider (aka Earth vs. the Spider) and the Hammer films The Curse of the Werewolf, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, and The Lost Continent.
All four new Blu-rays are due out in April, and while full special features will be revealed at a later time, we have Scream Factory's official announcements and cover art below:
The Curse of the Werewolf Collector's Edition Blu-ray: "Our love for Hammer Films continues into the new year with an upgraded version of The Curse Of The Werewolf! Details we have at this time are as follows:
• National street date for North America (Region A) is 4/21/2020.
• This is being presented as a Collector’s Edition release and will come guaranteed with...
All four new Blu-rays are due out in April, and while full special features will be revealed at a later time, we have Scream Factory's official announcements and cover art below:
The Curse of the Werewolf Collector's Edition Blu-ray: "Our love for Hammer Films continues into the new year with an upgraded version of The Curse Of The Werewolf! Details we have at this time are as follows:
• National street date for North America (Region A) is 4/21/2020.
• This is being presented as a Collector’s Edition release and will come guaranteed with...
- 1/8/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Fred Zinnemann’s counter-assassination thriller remains topflight filmmaking, torn from reality and shot through with an unsentimental dose of political realism. Edward Fox’s implacable killer outwits the combined resources of an entire nation as he stalks his prey, and when bad luck forces him to improvise, he racks up more victims on his kill list. Step aside Bond, Bourne and Marvel — the original Jackal is the man to beat.
The Day of the Jackal
Blu-ray
Arrow Video USA
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Edward Fox, Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Cyril Cusack, Eric Porter, Tony Britton, Alan Badel, Michel Auclair, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Vernon Dobtcheff, Olga Georges-Picot, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, Jean Martin, Ronald Pickup, Jean Sorel, Philippe Léotard, Jean Champion, Michel Subor, Howard Vernon.
Cinematography: Jean Tournier
Film Editor: Ralph Kemplen
Second Unit Director: Andrew Marton
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written...
The Day of the Jackal
Blu-ray
Arrow Video USA
1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date September 25, 2018 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95
Starring: Edward Fox, Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Cyril Cusack, Eric Porter, Tony Britton, Alan Badel, Michel Auclair, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Vernon Dobtcheff, Olga Georges-Picot, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, Jean Martin, Ronald Pickup, Jean Sorel, Philippe Léotard, Jean Champion, Michel Subor, Howard Vernon.
Cinematography: Jean Tournier
Film Editor: Ralph Kemplen
Second Unit Director: Andrew Marton
Original Music: Georges Delerue
Written...
- 9/18/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
I'm working my way through all the films about Hitler's last days. Downfall seemed set to be the definitive version, but now it's been reduced to a meme. Still, it's a largely accurate, powerful account, with a very strong performance from Bruno Ganz.In Bologna's Cinematheque I watch Pabst's The Last Act which, aided by the scorching summer weather, packed auditorium and inadequate air conditioning, really felt like spending ten days in a bunker under heavy shelling. The film introduces a fictional anti-war general played by Oscar Werner in a bit of "We're not all bad" special pleading but it gets a lot right.Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) is notorious for getting a lot wrong: not facts, which are scrupulously attested to and signed off on right at the start by a historian and an actual witness, but the filmmaking and the casting. I don't know who you ought...
- 4/25/2018
- MUBI
By Tim Greaves
The year is 1962. Aggrieved when Algeria is granted independence by President Charles de Gaulle, the militant underground alliance known as the Organisation Armée Secrète botches an attempt to assassinate him. Within months many of the conspirators, including their top man, have been captured and executed. The remaining Oas leaders, bereft of funds, take refuge in Austria and warily decide to contract an outside professional to do the job for them. They settle on a British assassin (Edward Fox), who chooses to be identified as Jackal. The Oas orchestrate several bank robberies to cover his exorbitant fee of half a million dollars whilst the mechanics of the plotting are left entirely to Jackal's discretion. After capturing and interrogating another alliance member, the French authorities learn of Jackal's existence and, suspecting another attempt on de Gaulle's life may be imminent, they set their best man – Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel (Michel Lonsdale) – on his tail.
The year is 1962. Aggrieved when Algeria is granted independence by President Charles de Gaulle, the militant underground alliance known as the Organisation Armée Secrète botches an attempt to assassinate him. Within months many of the conspirators, including their top man, have been captured and executed. The remaining Oas leaders, bereft of funds, take refuge in Austria and warily decide to contract an outside professional to do the job for them. They settle on a British assassin (Edward Fox), who chooses to be identified as Jackal. The Oas orchestrate several bank robberies to cover his exorbitant fee of half a million dollars whilst the mechanics of the plotting are left entirely to Jackal's discretion. After capturing and interrogating another alliance member, the French authorities learn of Jackal's existence and, suspecting another attempt on de Gaulle's life may be imminent, they set their best man – Deputy Commissioner Claude Lebel (Michel Lonsdale) – on his tail.
- 8/27/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
One of the best international thrillers ever has almost become an obscurity, for reasons unknown – this Blu-ray comes from Australia. Edward Fox’s wily assassin for hire goes up against the combined police and security establishments of three nations as he sets up the killing of a head of state – France’s president Charles de Gaulle. The terrific cast features Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig and Cyril Cusack; director Fred Zinnemann’s excellent direction reaches a high pitch of tension – even though the outcome is known from the start.
The Day of the Jackal
Region B+A Blu-ray
Shock Entertainment / Universal
1973 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date ? / Available from Amazon UK / Pounds 19.99
Starring: Edward Fox, Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Cyril Cusack, Eric Porter, Tony Britton, Alan Badel, Michel Auclair, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Vernon Dobtcheff, Olga Georges-Picot, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, Jean Martin, Ronald Pickup, Jean Sorel, Philippe Léotard, Jean Champion,...
The Day of the Jackal
Region B+A Blu-ray
Shock Entertainment / Universal
1973 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 143 min. / Street Date ? / Available from Amazon UK / Pounds 19.99
Starring: Edward Fox, Michel Lonsdale, Delphine Seyrig, Cyril Cusack, Eric Porter, Tony Britton, Alan Badel, Michel Auclair, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Vernon Dobtcheff, Olga Georges-Picot, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, Jean Martin, Ronald Pickup, Jean Sorel, Philippe Léotard, Jean Champion,...
- 4/29/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
'Nicholas and Alexandra': Movie starred Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman 'Nicholas and Alexandra' movie review: Opulent 1971 spectacle lacks emotional core Nicholas and Alexandra is surely one of the most sumptuous film productions ever made. The elaborate sets and costumes, Richard Rodney Bennett's lush musical score, and frequent David Lean collaborator Freddie Young's richly textured cinematography provide the perfect period atmosphere for this historical epic. Missing, however, is a screenplay that offers dialogue instead of speeches, and a directorial hand that brings out emotional truth instead of soapy melodrama. Nicholas and Alexandra begins when, after several unsuccessful attempts, Tsar Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) finally becomes the father of a boy. Shortly thereafter, he and his wife, the German-born Empress Alexandra (Janet Suzman), have their happiness crushed when they discover that their infant son is a hemophiliac. In addition to his familial turmoil, the Tsar must also deal with popular...
- 5/7/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Another Lost vet is set to pop up on Hawaii Five-0: William Mapother, who played creepy island resident Ethan Rom, will guest-star in an episode of the CBS police drama, EW has learned.
Mapother—who has recently popped up on shows including The Mentalist, Mad Men and Castle—will play Eric Porter, a likable, wealthy business owner who gets entangled in a painful and tense situation but offers his help to the authorities. His episode is slated to air sometime this fall.
Mapother represents the ninth (!) Lost alum to appear on Hawaii Five-0. The others (not The Others) are Daniel Dae Kim,...
Mapother—who has recently popped up on shows including The Mentalist, Mad Men and Castle—will play Eric Porter, a likable, wealthy business owner who gets entangled in a painful and tense situation but offers his help to the authorities. His episode is slated to air sometime this fall.
Mapother represents the ninth (!) Lost alum to appear on Hawaii Five-0. The others (not The Others) are Daniel Dae Kim,...
- 7/22/2014
- by Dan Snierson
- EW - Inside TV
Our mother, Jean Harvey, who has died aged 83, declared at the age of six that she wanted to be an actress. She went on to a successful stage and screen career, receiving widest recognition for her work in television over more than 30 years.
Her most famous role was in Compact (1962), one of the BBC's first soaps, as the editor of the magazine from which the show took its title. She appeared in several classic serials, including North and South (1975) and two versions of Jane Eyre, playing Mrs Reed in the 1973 adaptation and Mrs Fairfax in 1983. Her favourite TV role was as Sally, the wife of Max (George Cole) in A Man of Our Times (1968), for which she received a Bafta nomination.
Jean was born near Birmingham, daughter of Dorothy and Frederick Hillen-Harvey, and studied at the city's Central School of Speech and Drama before joining Birmingham Rep as a junior member,...
Her most famous role was in Compact (1962), one of the BBC's first soaps, as the editor of the magazine from which the show took its title. She appeared in several classic serials, including North and South (1975) and two versions of Jane Eyre, playing Mrs Reed in the 1973 adaptation and Mrs Fairfax in 1983. Her favourite TV role was as Sally, the wife of Max (George Cole) in A Man of Our Times (1968), for which she received a Bafta nomination.
Jean was born near Birmingham, daughter of Dorothy and Frederick Hillen-Harvey, and studied at the city's Central School of Speech and Drama before joining Birmingham Rep as a junior member,...
- 1/28/2014
- The Guardian - Film News
One of Hammer’s last films and I think one of their best, Hands of the Ripper is a fun play on the Jack the Ripper mythology, with a great central performance from Angharad Rees. Although she’s the daughter of a killer and she is no angel, you still feel for her. Synapse has released this gem on Blu-ray and DVD with a fine looking image and a slate of bonus content that should make most fans happy.
Little Anna (played as an adult by Angharad Rees), witnesses her father murdering her mother as a child. Needless to say, she is traumatized. To make things worse, she is adopted by a terribly manipulative Mrs.Golding (Dora Bryan), a fraudulent psychic who ropes Anna into working for her. One night, something goes horribly wrong at a séance Anna is assisting with. Her life takes a turn seemingly for the better...
Little Anna (played as an adult by Angharad Rees), witnesses her father murdering her mother as a child. Needless to say, she is traumatized. To make things worse, she is adopted by a terribly manipulative Mrs.Golding (Dora Bryan), a fraudulent psychic who ropes Anna into working for her. One night, something goes horribly wrong at a séance Anna is assisting with. Her life takes a turn seemingly for the better...
- 9/13/2013
- by Derek Botelho
- DailyDead
Hands of the Ripper (1971) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review) Directed By: Peter Sasdy Starring: Eric Porter, Angharad Rees, Jane Merrow Rated: R/Region A/1:66/1080p/Number of Discs 2 Available from Synapse Films An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous Jack the Ripper , brutally murders her mother. Years later, young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into prostitution. At the end of a…...
- 7/16/2013
- Horrorbid
Trying to humanise pigheaded royals running full-tilt towards death is a tough call. Luckily the other side weren't much better
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Director: Franklin J Schaffner
Entertainment grade: C+
History grade: B+
Nicholas II Romanov became tsar of Russia in 1894. His reign was beset by social and political unrest, culminating in the Russian revolution of 1917.
People
The film begins in 1904, with the tsarina, Alexandra (Janet Suzman), finally giving birth to an heir, Alexei. "I thought we'd go on having girls forever," she admits to the tsar (Michael Jayston, a dead ringer for the real thing). They have already produced four little grand duchesses. Meanwhile, at a political meeting, stony-faced Lenin (Michael Bryant) and exasperated Trotsky (Brian Cox) meet a bubbly young Borat lookalike calling himself Stalin (James Hazeldine). The film has elided a couple of events here: the Bolshevik-Menshevik split of 1903, in Belgium, and the All-Russian Bolshevik Conference of 1905, in Finland,...
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
Director: Franklin J Schaffner
Entertainment grade: C+
History grade: B+
Nicholas II Romanov became tsar of Russia in 1894. His reign was beset by social and political unrest, culminating in the Russian revolution of 1917.
People
The film begins in 1904, with the tsarina, Alexandra (Janet Suzman), finally giving birth to an heir, Alexei. "I thought we'd go on having girls forever," she admits to the tsar (Michael Jayston, a dead ringer for the real thing). They have already produced four little grand duchesses. Meanwhile, at a political meeting, stony-faced Lenin (Michael Bryant) and exasperated Trotsky (Brian Cox) meet a bubbly young Borat lookalike calling himself Stalin (James Hazeldine). The film has elided a couple of events here: the Bolshevik-Menshevik split of 1903, in Belgium, and the All-Russian Bolshevik Conference of 1905, in Finland,...
- 6/14/2013
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
This July our friends over at Synapse films are releasing yet another Hammer classic, Hands of the Ripper, on Blu-ray, and we've got your first look at the artwork and more. Check it out!
From the Press Release
Another landmark title in Synapse Films' Hammer Films Collection! Peter Sasdy's Hands Of The Ripper! Look for it in stores on July 9th!
An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous “Jack the Ripper,” brutally murders her mother. Years later, the damaged young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into a career of prostitution. At the end of a séance one evening, a woman is mysteriously killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) suspects Anna is the murderer but cannot understand how she could perform this unspeakable act. Using new Freudian psychoanalysis techniques, Pritchard experiments on Anna and...
From the Press Release
Another landmark title in Synapse Films' Hammer Films Collection! Peter Sasdy's Hands Of The Ripper! Look for it in stores on July 9th!
An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous “Jack the Ripper,” brutally murders her mother. Years later, the damaged young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into a career of prostitution. At the end of a séance one evening, a woman is mysteriously killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) suspects Anna is the murderer but cannot understand how she could perform this unspeakable act. Using new Freudian psychoanalysis techniques, Pritchard experiments on Anna and...
- 5/3/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Synapse brings Hammer's Hands of the Ripper to DVD and Blu-ray on July 9th in a combo pack.
An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous “Jack the Ripper,” brutally murders her mother. Years later, the damaged young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into a career of prostitution. At the end of a séance one evening, a woman is mysteriously killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) suspects Anna is the murderer but cannot understand how she could perform this unspeakable act. Using new Freudian psychoanalysis techniques, Pritchard experiments on Anna and discovers a shocking secret: the spirit of the “Ripper” is alive and well, and might well be possessing his own daughter! Can this evil be stopped before it’s too late?
Read more...
An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous “Jack the Ripper,” brutally murders her mother. Years later, the damaged young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into a career of prostitution. At the end of a séance one evening, a woman is mysteriously killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) suspects Anna is the murderer but cannot understand how she could perform this unspeakable act. Using new Freudian psychoanalysis techniques, Pritchard experiments on Anna and discovers a shocking secret: the spirit of the “Ripper” is alive and well, and might well be possessing his own daughter! Can this evil be stopped before it’s too late?
Read more...
- 5/3/2013
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Vinnie Jones is to appear in a new episode of Sherlock Holmes drama Elementary. The Snatch actor will play 'M.' in the CBS procedural's 12th episode, a British criminal billed as "Sherlock's greatest enemy". In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories, Holmes was plagued by his nemesis Professor Moriarty - the villainous character debuted in 1893 short story 'The Adventure of the Final Problem'. Moriarty has previously been portrayed by actors such as Eric Porter in ITV's Sherlock Holmes series, by Andrew Scott in the BBC's Sherlock and by Jared Harris in 2011 film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. (more)...
- 1/7/2013
- by By Morgan Jeffery
- Digital Spy
Jared Harris chats to us about Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, John Carpenter's The Ward, and Mad Men...
A gifted actor with a long and diverse career in such films as I Shot Andy Warhol, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Other Boleyn Girl, Jared Harris puts in a small yet captivating performance in John Carpenter’s horror, The Ward, out now on DVD and Blu-ray.
One of Harris’ finest performances in recent years, though, is as Lane Price in the acclaimed TV series, Mad Men. Initially a supporting player, Harris’ character, a buttoned-up English financial officer, has gradually grown in prominence, and is now one of the most engaging faces in the entire series.
It was a real pleasure, then, to speak to Mr Harris about his role in Mad Men, what it was like to work with John Carpenter, and also about his appearance as...
A gifted actor with a long and diverse career in such films as I Shot Andy Warhol, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Other Boleyn Girl, Jared Harris puts in a small yet captivating performance in John Carpenter’s horror, The Ward, out now on DVD and Blu-ray.
One of Harris’ finest performances in recent years, though, is as Lane Price in the acclaimed TV series, Mad Men. Initially a supporting player, Harris’ character, a buttoned-up English financial officer, has gradually grown in prominence, and is now one of the most engaging faces in the entire series.
It was a real pleasure, then, to speak to Mr Harris about his role in Mad Men, what it was like to work with John Carpenter, and also about his appearance as...
- 10/18/2011
- Den of Geek
Ferociously intelligent actor who reigned supreme in Stoppard and Shakespeare
John Wood, who has died aged 81, was one of the greatest stage actors of the past century, especially associated with his roles in the plays of Tom Stoppard. But a combination of his enigmatic privacy and low profile on film – he cropped up a lot without dominating a movie – meant that he remained largely unknown to the wider public.
As with all great actors, you always knew what he was thinking, all the time. Wood was especially striking in the brain-box department. Tall, forbidding and aquiline-featured, he was as much the perfect Sherlock Holmes on stage as he was the ideal Brutus. He exuded ferocious intelligence, and the twinkle in his eye could be as merciless as it was invariably amused.
As the Royal Shakespeare Company's Brutus in Julius Caesar in 1972, he was undoubtedly the noblest Roman of them all,...
John Wood, who has died aged 81, was one of the greatest stage actors of the past century, especially associated with his roles in the plays of Tom Stoppard. But a combination of his enigmatic privacy and low profile on film – he cropped up a lot without dominating a movie – meant that he remained largely unknown to the wider public.
As with all great actors, you always knew what he was thinking, all the time. Wood was especially striking in the brain-box department. Tall, forbidding and aquiline-featured, he was as much the perfect Sherlock Holmes on stage as he was the ideal Brutus. He exuded ferocious intelligence, and the twinkle in his eye could be as merciless as it was invariably amused.
As the Royal Shakespeare Company's Brutus in Julius Caesar in 1972, he was undoubtedly the noblest Roman of them all,...
- 8/10/2011
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
A striking stage presence for more than 60 years and a familiar face on TV
Sheila Burrell, who has died aged 89 after a long illness, was a cousin of Laurence Olivier, and a similarly distinctive and fiery actor with a broad, open face, high cheekbones and expressive eyes. She stood at only 5ft 5ins but could fill the widest stage and hold the largest audience. Her voice was a mezzo marvel, kittenish or growling and, in later life, acquired the viscosity and vintage of an old ruby port, matured after years of experience.
In a career spanning more than 60 years, she made her name as a wild, red-headed Barbara Allen (subject of the famous ballad) in Peter Brook's 1949 production of Dark of the Moon (Ambassadors theatre), an American pot-boiler about the seduction of a lusty girl by a witch boy and the hysterical reaction of her local community.
The role remained one of her favourites,...
Sheila Burrell, who has died aged 89 after a long illness, was a cousin of Laurence Olivier, and a similarly distinctive and fiery actor with a broad, open face, high cheekbones and expressive eyes. She stood at only 5ft 5ins but could fill the widest stage and hold the largest audience. Her voice was a mezzo marvel, kittenish or growling and, in later life, acquired the viscosity and vintage of an old ruby port, matured after years of experience.
In a career spanning more than 60 years, she made her name as a wild, red-headed Barbara Allen (subject of the famous ballad) in Peter Brook's 1949 production of Dark of the Moon (Ambassadors theatre), an American pot-boiler about the seduction of a lusty girl by a witch boy and the hysterical reaction of her local community.
The role remained one of her favourites,...
- 7/27/2011
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Actor Jared Harris (AMC's Mad Men, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) wasn't the first actor rumored for the role of Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Brad Pitt was originally rumored for the role, back before the first Sherlock Holmes opened in 2009.
Months later, Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, and Gary Oldman were said to be possible contenders with Daniel Day-Lewis as the frontrunner. Instead, Harris landed the role. In an interview with Collider, Harris described how he was able to get the part.
Next Showing: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opens December 16
Link | Posted 6/21/2011 by Ryan
Jared Harris | Joel Silver | Guy Ritchie | Robert Downey Jr. | Eric Porter | Susan Downey | Sherlock Holmes : A Game Of Shadows...
Months later, Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, and Gary Oldman were said to be possible contenders with Daniel Day-Lewis as the frontrunner. Instead, Harris landed the role. In an interview with Collider, Harris described how he was able to get the part.
Next Showing: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opens December 16
Link | Posted 6/21/2011 by Ryan
Jared Harris | Joel Silver | Guy Ritchie | Robert Downey Jr. | Eric Porter | Susan Downey | Sherlock Holmes : A Game Of Shadows...
- 6/21/2011
- by Ryan Gowland
- Reelzchannel.com
Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Hop – Russell Brand, James Marsden, Elizabeth Perkins
Insidious – Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
Source Code – Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
Movie of the Week
Source Code
The Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
The Plot: A soldier (Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown commuter and is forced to live and relive a harrowing train bombing until he can determine who is responsible for it.
The Buzz: Source Code looks to be a Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day sci-fi action romp. 35 seconds into the film’s trailer, I half expected Jake Gyllenhaal to utter, “oh boy.” He instead exclaims, “no, no, no, no,” as if to echo my thoughts exactly — I don’t want to see Gyllenhaal act the same “stop the terrorist on the train” scene, over and over and over again.
I have a strong feeling that this...
Hop – Russell Brand, James Marsden, Elizabeth Perkins
Insidious – Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins
Source Code – Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
Movie of the Week
Source Code
The Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
The Plot: A soldier (Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown commuter and is forced to live and relive a harrowing train bombing until he can determine who is responsible for it.
The Buzz: Source Code looks to be a Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day sci-fi action romp. 35 seconds into the film’s trailer, I half expected Jake Gyllenhaal to utter, “oh boy.” He instead exclaims, “no, no, no, no,” as if to echo my thoughts exactly — I don’t want to see Gyllenhaal act the same “stop the terrorist on the train” scene, over and over and over again.
I have a strong feeling that this...
- 3/30/2011
- by Aaron Ruffcorn
- The Scorecard Review
Another sad entry in the criminal history of British barbering! For it is a remarkable fact that any time the protagonist of a Brit flick reaches for the straight razor or scoops out a handful of Brylcream, his fate is sealed and the gallows awaits. One need only think of Uno Henning in Anthony Asquith's luminous-black slice of English expressionism, A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929), or Eric Porter in Compton Bennett's Daybreak(1948), a British answer to French poetic realism and one of the saddest films ever made (reviewed for The Forgotten here).
Both those films represent clear (and successful) attempts to transplant essentially foreign modes of film-making onto British soil. On the Night of the Fire (1939) is something different: it gathers together all the key elements of the classic American noir, and plays them out in an unusual working class and regional setting, but it does so before Hollywood had encoded those genre principles.
Both those films represent clear (and successful) attempts to transplant essentially foreign modes of film-making onto British soil. On the Night of the Fire (1939) is something different: it gathers together all the key elements of the classic American noir, and plays them out in an unusual working class and regional setting, but it does so before Hollywood had encoded those genre principles.
- 2/17/2011
- MUBI
'Which living person do I most despise? If I answered honestly, every Manchester United supporter would come looking for me, so I prefer to remain silent'
Patrick Stewart, 70, was born in Yorkshire. He left school at 15 and worked as a newspaper reporter before joining the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In the 1960s he began a long association with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1987, he was cast as Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and went on to star in several Star Trek films and the X-Men movies. His latest film is Gnomeo & Juliet.
When were you happiest?
A year ago, after only four lessons, skiing alone in the Sierras.
What is your greatest fear?
Lying on a road, dying, having been hit by a car and feeling really cross.
What is your earliest memory?
In my brother Geoffrey's arms as he pointed to a V2 going overhead.
Patrick Stewart, 70, was born in Yorkshire. He left school at 15 and worked as a newspaper reporter before joining the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In the 1960s he began a long association with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1987, he was cast as Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and went on to star in several Star Trek films and the X-Men movies. His latest film is Gnomeo & Juliet.
When were you happiest?
A year ago, after only four lessons, skiing alone in the Sierras.
What is your greatest fear?
Lying on a road, dying, having been hit by a car and feeling really cross.
What is your earliest memory?
In my brother Geoffrey's arms as he pointed to a V2 going overhead.
- 2/5/2011
- by Rosanna Greenstreet
- The Guardian - Film News
Let’s go back to when Britain had its own cinema and see who some of our homegrown stars were then. If we dissolve back to 1960, we find a plethora of movie stars - enough to guarantee full houses in all the West End, and regional theatres, in the country. Here are just some of them: Margaret Rutherford, Joyce Grenfell, John Mills, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Virginia McKenna, Denholm Elliott, Fenella Fielding, Alec Guinness, Leo McKern, Diana Dors, Terry Thomas, Richard Burton, Dirk Bogarde, Peter Sellers, Laurence Olivier, Joan Greenwood, Hermione Baddeley, Moira Lister, Oliver Reed, Dennis Price, Michael Hordern, Robert Shaw, Michael Redgrave, Robert Morley, Laurence Harvey, Paul Scofield, Richard Harris, Tom Courtenay, Leslie-Anne Down, George Formby, Peter Ustinov, Peter Finch, Harry Andrews, Maxine Audley, Nigel Stock, Eric Porter, Noel Coward, Dinsdale Landen, Bernard Cribbins, Patrick Wymark, Shirley-Anne Field, and Moira Redmond…...
- 12/23/2010
- by Jonathan Gems
- Pure Movies
If you have Netflix and are a horror fan in need of something to watch this Labor Day weekend, one look at this gargantuan list I compiled of the new terror titles Netflix has added for instant streaming in just the first three days of this month should keep you busy until Labor Day next year. You'll find something for everyone, from older titles to recent releases, famous to obscure, classic to not-so-classic, monsters to maniacs - you name it.
For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.
For the record, I considered compiling this list in alphabetical order or by year of the film's release, but then I realized I had already spent well over an hour just sorting through the massive catalogue of titles Netflix has now made available for instant streaming and realized Labor Day would be over by the time I finished arranging this list in any kind of order. Ready? Here you go.
- 9/3/2010
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
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