FEATURED POSTS

10 Questions with Shane Briant

The talented British' born actor Shane Briant made his screen debut in the Hammer horror film Demons of the Mind. Since then he's gone on to appear in over 60 films and television productions including Straight On Till Morning (1972), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), The Mackintosh Man (1973), Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974), Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), The Naked Civil Servant (1975) and Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981). Currently Briant is focusing his attention on writing fiction and he has recently completed a psychological thriller called Worst Nightmares that will be released May 12th. I've admired his film work for many years so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask Shane Briant a few questions about his early movies and current writing projects. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

The Girl On a Motorcycle (1968)

The talented director and cinematographer Jack Cardiff has passed away at the age of 94. As the tributes start to roll out from various news sites and film blogs its become clear to me that most people regard Jack Cardiff as a great cinematographer and have little regard or knowledge of his directing contributions, which is a shame. Cardiff was a brilliant photographer and his groundbreaking contributions to cinematography are well worth celebrating. But his impressive work as a director on films like the wonderful D.H. Lawrence adaptation Sons and Lovers (1960), the entertaining spy thriller The Liquidator (1965), the excellent erotic drama The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) and the effective horror film The Mutations (1974) is also worthy of applause. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

Favorite DVD Releases of 2008

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but overall 2008 was somewhat of a lackluster year for new Region 1 DVD releases of '60s and '70s era films when compared to the previous two years (See: 2006 and 2007). Some of my favorite DVD companies such as BCI Eclipse and most recently New Yorker Films have folded. Boutique DVD companies are releasing fewer products and what is being released is often of questionable quality. With the failing economy and the rise in popularity of Blu-ray discs, it seems like the number of new worthwhile DVD releases might continue to drop dramatically in 2009. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

Resurrecting Yusaku Matsuda

Toru Murakawa's Resurrection of the Golden Wolf (aka Yomigaeru kinrô; 1979) is a wildly uneven Japanese crime film that left me wishing it had been helmed by another director. The film's script was adapted from a popular novel by Haruhiko Ooyabu and directors like Seijun Suzuki have had great success turning Ooyabu's hard-boiled fiction into films, but Toru Murakawa doesn't have Suzuki's eye for detail or his pop art sensibility. Resurrection of the Golden Wolf runs much too long and the dramatic filler weighs down the action, but even with its flaws the movie still keeps your attention thanks to the star performance of Yusaku Matsuda. READ MORE

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED POSTS

We Are Controlling Transmission

This year analog broadcasting is coming to an end. On June 12th 2009 television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch permanently to digital. Digital broadcasting promises to provide viewers with a sharper picture and more diverse programming options, but this unavoidable change is forcing millions of people to buy new television sets or opt for getting a converter box that will often cost them $40 or more. I feel for these people because I didn't have complete cable TV Access or a digital television myself until 2007. READ MORE

5 Comments »

  1. Maya says; March 16, 2007 @ 6:56 am

    Kimberly: Thanks for taking the time to replicate McClaine’s comments on filming “The Apartment.” Her perspective is fantastic. She’s one of my favorite performers and I’ve seen her live several times. Your replication of her comments makes me want to see “The Apartment” again to refresh my appreciation.

  2. cinebeats says; March 18, 2007 @ 5:12 pm

    I’m glad you enjoyed reading Shirley’s thoughts in making the apartment Maya! I really like her too and The Apartment is a great comedy.

  3. Turbo Ferbo says; March 20, 2008 @ 11:11 am

    “The Apartment” has long been on my personal Top 10 List of all-time favorites, and so it comes as a bit of a shock to learn how the principals involved were “winging it” for much of the shoot. The film features what I consider a textbook lesson in what a great screenplay is, with jokes that continually feed on one another. The scene in which Jack looks into that cracked mirror is one of my favorite scenes in screen history, and he pulls it off so brilliantly! But isn’t Shirley a little mixed up when she says that Jack hits the brother-in-law in the face; it’s the other way around, right? Anyway, thanks, Kimberly, for bringing this interview to my attention.

  4. Martin says; June 12, 2008 @ 3:50 am

    Hello,
    can you tell me, where you have found this statement about “The Apartment”? A book of Shirley? A biography? I need a source citation, so that I can look it up. Thank you very much!
    Best regards
    Martin

  5. kim says; August 26, 2008 @ 4:41 pm

    I just found your blog and see you havent written in a year. Please do. I would like to hear more of what you have say…


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CREDITS

  • Cinebeats chronicles one woman's love affair with '60s & '70s era cinema. Or as she likes to call it, cinema's Platinum Age! Blog design, updates and all original content is provided by Kimberly Lindbergs. She can be reached by email at:
    kimberly@cinebeats.com