Displaying items by tag: Screen Archives Entertainment

I’m trying to remember when I put it all together, when it dawned on me that there were these wonderful movies, shown, at the time, when there were only three local stations and local guys programmed the movies, after the last late show. They were cheap, even I could see that, but there was just something about these black and whites that kept me fascinated and many a long night I would suffer through local commercials just to see either justice done or perverted.

And the titles – Private Hell 36, Shack Out on 101, Kiss the Blood Off My Hands and Five Against the House. And the actors, has-beens and wanna-bes, but they were just terrific. Tom Neal and Ann Savage and Dennis O’Keefe and Preston Foster and Lawrence Tierney. And this was the “B” list.  [Read on here...]

I had to sit on maybe the biggest movie story in America. For a long time. And now that it’s been completed and is over, I’m shocked that the whole thing hasn’t been on the front page of The New York Times.

I’ve perhaps casually mentioned that I helped create (didn’t get in the way of) a film school here in Oklahoma City, actually at Oklahoma City Community College. The idea was, unlike film degrees that are based on watching and studying themes and points of view and reading scripts, the creative side, so to speak, to offer a technical, hands on degree program, why a community college was selected in the first place. And to enhance the experience, we got the finest equipment in the world – Avid editors and cameras and lenses and lights and then, through a lot of hard work from a lot of good people, here came the ultimate – a full end studio, built to the specs of an actual Hollywood soundstage. If another state funded school has a facility like this, I’d like to see it.  [Read on here...]

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Okay, we’re closing out the week with an early look at bunch of new Blu-ray cover artwork.

Because why not right? It’s not like there’s much in the way of announcement news today, and we’re all busy working on new reviews for next week.  [Read on here…]

(Photo by Robin Holland Photography)

Robert Altman said his last “that’s a wrap,” can you believe it, some eight or nine years ago and it seems as though any hope of mainstream studio films with emotional weight, sharp characters, social satire and natural, cliché free dialogue was buried right next to him.

Every Hollywood director since the beginning of the medium owes a debt to Robert Altman. His style was so distinctive, so fresh and so natural that people would say to themselves, “Oh that’s what directors do.”  [Read on here...]

Now where was I?

Sorry, I’ve not been here. I missed a bit – I’ll admit it and it for sure wasn’t to do with health or disinterest or a lack in passion. I just had to do stuff. But now I’m back.

But I come with good stories. Specifically regarding how movie awards season works.  [Read on here...]

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We’ve got a couple things for you here at The Bits today...

First, our own Tim Salmons has turned in a pair of new Shout! Factory Blu-ray reviews, including The Slumber Party Massacre and the new Darkman: Collector’s Edition. Both are well worth a look. Enjoy the reviews!  [Read on here...]

All right, we promised you some reviews and we’ve got a couple for you this morning.  Plus there’s some very exciting release news.  More on that in a minute.

First, I’ve turned in my thoughts on Twilight Time’s Oliver!, a nice Blu-ray upgrade of the classic musical.  It sports a fine transfer, nearly all of the previous DVD extras and new content as well.  Just 3,000 copies are available – see the review for details.

Also, I’ve finished a review of CBS’ forthcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Five on Blu-ray, which features 26 more episodes, all of the previous DVD extras (including the Best Buy bonus featurettes) and abundant new material too, including 4 audio commentaries, deleted scenes and a gag reel in HD and over 90 minutes of great new documentary content from our friends Roger Lay, Jr. and Robert Meyer Burnett.  Don’t miss it.  [Read on here…]