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

4 Comments »

  1. Jesse says; April 22, 2007 @ 5:50 pm

    Mahogany was supposed to come out on DVD (along with Lady Sings The Blues) last year but it was yanked from the schedule all of the sudden - I guess Paramount decided to sit on it to put out the same date Dreamgirls was to hit the stores to maximize interest. I was disappointed at the time because I couldn’t wait to score a copy.

    This blog is my kind of blog.

  2. cinebeats says; April 22, 2007 @ 11:09 pm

    Thanks for the comment Jesse! I’m sure you’re right about the reasons that Paramount delayed their Mahogany DVD release.

    I really enjoy your own blog as well as the joint one (Popcorn & Sticky Floors) you contribute to.

  3. Jeremy says; April 23, 2007 @ 2:38 am

    Kimberly,
    Seeing something like this reminds me (as if I needed reminding) of why you have one of the best blogs around. I can’t wait to see this film again in all of its over the top glory. I absolutely love Diana Ross in this film (and in the seventies, her recordings were just incredible). It’s funny I just watched re-watched “Live and Let Die” and it is mentioned several times in the documentaries and commentaries that they originally wanted Ross for the part of Solitaire (eventually played by Jane Seymore). I kept thinking how incredible that would have been.
    Great review, this blows “Dreamgirls” off this planet.

  4. cinebeats says; April 23, 2007 @ 8:15 pm

    Thanks so much for the nice comment Jeremy! It’s really appreciated. Diana is fabulous in Mahogany and I’m really looking forward to seeing the film presented in widescreen. I’ve only seen it on TV so I’m sure the DVD will be a huge improvement.

    I had no idea that Diana was considered for the role of Solitaire in Live and Let Die, but she would have been fantastic in that! I do like Jane Seymore a lot though, but I’m not sure if Bond was a good fit for her.

    Thanks again!


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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