Cinebeats.com Is Moving!

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 6, 2011

Categories | News

12/9 Update: My blog is still here. Have no idea why? Blogsome reps haven’t explained what’s going on. Users were told that Blogsome would close its doors on 12/7 so I moved all my content to Wordpress hosting. For now you can find my latest updates at: http://cinebeats.com or http://cinebeats.wordpress.com/.

I got the unfortunate and sudden news that Blogsome is closing its doors on Dec. 7th 2011 so Cinebeats has been forced to move to Wordpress.com

Located @ http://cinebeats.wordpress.com/

Please make sure any and all bookmarks and links you use to visit Cinebeats lead to http://cinebeats.com or http://cinebeats.wordpress.com

Cinebeats.com is this blogs permanent URL and it will never change no matter where the blog is hosted.

I’m currently trying to transfer 5 years of blog content to my new Wordpress server so if you visit http://cinebeats.wordpress.com/ please be aware that it’s being updated ASAP and some links, content, etc. may not be available immediately. I apologize in advance for any dead links & content errors you may come across but I’m currently glued to my computer desk around the clock trying to make all the appropriate changes so I can get Cinebeats up & running again at full capacity and make the move as painless as possible for myself and my readers.

I really appreciate all my loyal readers who have followed this blog for the last five years and I hope you will continue to visit Cinebeats at its new location.

I plan to make Cinebeats a more zine-like & reader friendly experience in the coming months. I also have some exciting plans for Cinebeats in 2012 so please share this news with everyone you know - Cinebeats is Moving!!!

Permanent URL: cinebeats.com
Wordpress URL: http://cinebeats.wordpress.com

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Ken Russell 1927-2011

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 28, 2011

Categories | News, Directors, British Cinema, Ken Russell

The news about Ken Russell’s death hit me hard. Just last week the great man actually took the time to befriend me on Twitter (I’d been following him there for a year or more). I exchanged a brief note with him. Got the opportunity to tell him I was honored that he had taken the time to follow me and I hoped that he knew he was one of my favorite directors. He was jovial online, seemed extremely friendly and still very young at heart. I had imagined sending the 84-year-old director some interview questions soon that I hoped he would answer about the upcoming DVD release for my favorite Russell film, THE DEVILS (1971), which featured production design by Derek Jarman. He seemed very excited about that upcoming DVD release but also disappointed that his work was still being censored in 2011. Obviously that email interview wasn’t meant to be. Que sera, sera! You will be greatly missed Unkle Ken. You and your amazing movies made the world a much more interesting place to live in.

Recommended Links:
- Ken Russell: A True British original @ BBC
- Ken Russell Dead: Film loving stars lead tributes on Twitter @ The Daily Mirror
- Ken Russell Obituary @ The Guardian
- Ken Russell: A Life in Photographs @ The Guardian
- Ken Russell: His Film Career @ The Guardian
- The Musical Legacy of Ken Russell @ The Guardian
- “Pity we aren’t madder”: Ken Russell links in his magnificent memory @ Film Studies For Free

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Occupy Cinema

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 17, 2011

Categories | News, Causes

I’m sure my readers are well aware of the Occupy movement, which started in New York and has since spread across the globe. In case you’re unaware of what the Occupy movement is about here is a brief description taken from the Occupy Wall Street website.

“Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #ows @OccupyWallSt is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations.”

In response to the worldwide Occupy movement I wanted to share some Occupy Cinema (Twitter hashtag #occupycinema) links with my readers that may offer a way for cinema lovers to take part in and support the movement. The ideas shared by the following sites might also inspire you to explore ways that you can use cinema as a positive activism tool in your own life.

Cine Foundation International
From the Cine Foundation International website: “Cine Foundation International produces films, coordinates video and broadcast projects, and takes direct actions in the protection and promotion of humanitarian causes, especially surrounding the censorship or imprisonment of film artists.”

Occupy Cinema
From the Occupy Cinema website: “An open collective harnessing the moving image to aid the worldwide occupation movement.” Occupy Cinema was recently featured in IndieWire where they discussed their goals and objectives.

Cinemas In Solidarity
From the Cinemas In Solidarity Statement: “Across the globe, as people are taking to the streets to redefine and reclaim the world they live in, Cinemas In Solidarity join with them in proposing a new, different, and better world.”

Please approach all of these sites with some caution and common sense. It’s up to each individual to figure out if and how they might participate in the Occupy movement and what level of commitment and support they’re able to offer.

Recommended Reading & Viewing (Updated Nov. 17 - 20):
- Interview with Occupy Wall Street “Bat-Signal” Projectionist @ BoingBoing
- Director Alejandro Jodorowsky wants us all to ‘occupy our minds’ @ Dangerous Minds
- Actor, singer & activist Harry Belafonte on the Occupy movement @ Dangerous Minds
- How Art Propels Occupy Wall Street by Michele Elam @ CNN
- How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the OWS Protests by Matt Taibbi @ Rolling Stone
- Occupy America by Henry Rollins @ LA Weekly
- OWS-inspired activism by Glenn Greenwald @ Salon

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Derek Jarman: An Appreciation

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 1, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, News, British Cinema, Marianne Faithfull, Gay Interest

As a teenager growing up in the ’80s it was impossible to overlook Derek Jarman’s work. He was all over MTV. He was part of a group of British filmmakers that included Julien Temple and Alex Cox who made music videos or music inspired films that seemed particularly in-sync with their times. Jarman’s work was interesting, experimental and demanding of its audience but I appreciated the challenges he presented. I had grown up watching classic films but as a troubled and rebellious teenager I was eager to break away from convention. Discovering the work of an artistically inclined filmmaker like Jarman, who was creating with a limited budget while trying to express his ideas about the world and his place in it, was incredibly inspiring to me. I was drawn to Jarman’s work as well as the work of directors like Andy Warhol before I even knew what the word “avant-garde” meant. Foreign films were still foreign to me but like most kids my age, I had my MTV. And I watched the music channel with wide-eyed wonder in the early half of the ’80s (1981-84). I didn’t know it at the time but my exposure to the work of directors like Jarman at such an early age helped make me into the film lover I am today. While my passion for ’60s and ’70s cinema is never ending, it should also be apparent that I appreciate the unexpected, thirst for the undiscovered and thrive on the unconventional. I’m also able and willing to see the good in films that are often overlooked due to their limited budgets. I owe some of that to Derek Jarman.

I recently had the opportunity to write about Derek Jarman for Fandor.com during their week-long appreciation of the director’s life and work. The two pieces I wrote are titled, Radical Shakespeare: The Alchemy of Derek Jarman’s “The Tempest” and A Light that Never Went Out: the MTV Legacy of Derek Jarman. The first piece discusses Jarman’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest while the other piece focuses on his music video work for artists such as Marianne Faithfull and bands like The Smiths. If you’re familiar with Derek Jarman’s work or just curious about this unusual and controversial filmmaker please make your way over to Fandor.

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Sweet Treats & Costumed Freaks

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 16, 2011

Categories | News, Blogathons

Some of you know that I also blog over at Mid-Century Living. During October I like to share things like vintage Halloween costume ideas & pumpkin carving tips there and I recently posted some old recipes for candy apples from a 1966 Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. If you’re looking for some Halloween cooking ideas or just want to know how to carve a pumpkin ’60s style please drop by Mid-Century Living:
- Halloween @ Mid-Century Living

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Classic Horror on TCM

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 3, 2011

Categories | News, TCM

Just a quick news announcement for my fellow horror film fanatics…

TCM will be showcasing classic horror films every Monday night throughout the month of October along with an all-new multi-part special featuring author Stephen King. And you can expect to see non-stop horror films airing on on TCM between October 28-31st! On tonight’s schedule: Frankenstein (1931), Freaks (1932), Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1932), Mark Of The Vampire (1935), The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1919), Nosferatu (1922) and Phantom of the Opera (1925). For more information about TCM’s October programming just follow the link:

- Classic Horror on TCM in October

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Mod Macabre October 1-31

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 1, 2011

Categories | News, Blogathons

The last few months have been pretty rough. I’m currently recuperating from a car accident and spending a lot of time at home so I thought it would be fun to participate in the Countdown to Halloween blogathon this year as an official “Cryptkeeper” with a special focus on Mod Macabre. So what is Mod Macabre? It’s a celebration of everything that makes Cinebeats tick!

- Horror movies from the ‘60s and ’70s! ☑
- Sexy scream queens! ☑
- Mod mad men! ☑
- Groovy spooky soundtracks! ☑
- Vintage horror comix! ☑
- Creepy collectibles! ☑
… and anything else that falls under the Mod Macabre banner.

I’ll be updating Cinebeats frequnetly throughout the month of October so check back often!

In the meantime, please feel free to explore the “Horror” and “Thriller” sections at Cinebeats. You can find lots of reviews and various articles about films perfect for October viewing as we countdown the days to Halloween.

Update: I’ve decided to turn my blog comments back on for the month of October. They were turned off at the beginning of the year due to lots of spam and I didn’t have the time to respond to all the comments I was receiving. Comments will still be moderated and may take awhile to show up on the blog but I thought I’d open them up again in celebration of the season.

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Cinema Retro #21

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 29, 2011

Categories | News, Cinema Retro, Malcolm McDowell, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Ken Russell, Stanley Kubrick

The new issue of Cinema Retro arrived in my mail box this week, which prompted me to write a little something about the magazine for The Movie Morlocks. From my post:

“The latest issue of Cinema Retro (Vol. 7: Issue #21) features an in-depth look at A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1970) from author Raymond Benson, which includes interviews with the film’s star, Malcolm McDowell and Stanley Kubrick’s producer & brother-in-law, Jan Harlan. McDowell is always engaging in his interviews and Harlan offers up some surprising insights and speculations on the possibility of unreleased Kubrick material finally seeing the light of day. John Exshaw provides the magazine with a lengthy look at another one of my favorite films, Ken Russell’s highly controversial THE DEVILS (1971), which begins from the perspective of British film censors and Stephanie Callas casts a distinctively female eye on Bernardo Bertolucci’s X-rated erotic classic LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972). Other movies covered in this issue include Don Siegel’s excellent crime thriller THE KILLERS (1964) and Guy Hamilton’s notorious British beatnik drama THE PARTY’S OVER (1965). And special attention is given to John Carpenter’s autumn holiday classic, HALLOWEEN (1978).”

You can read my entire piece if you follow the link below.
- Exploring the past with Cinema Retro @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Shammi Kapoor 1931-2011

by Kimberly Lindbergs | August 14, 2011

Categories | News, Actors, Musicals, Bollywood

From India comes the sad news that the beloved Bollywood star Shammi Kapoor has died at age 79 due to kidney failure. Kapoor has been called the “Bollywood Elvis” and his films helped define the swinging sixties in India. I’ve only seen a few of the movies that Shammi Kapoor appeared in but An Evening in Paris (1967) is a personal favorite. It features some fantastic musical numbers and it’s just a terrific looking production full of stylish ’60s era costumes, great period details and eye-popping stage designs. After poking around Youtube I came across some of my favorite musical numbers from An Evening in Paris featuring Shammi Kapoor and his female costar SharmilaTagore that I thought I’d share here and links to news articles about the actors death are posted below. Enjoy!

Recommended Links:
- Star Whose Moves Defined India’s Swinging Sixties @ The Hindu
- Shammi Kapoor: The original Rockstar of Indian cinema @ Indian Express
- India’s beloved Junglee No More @ Times of India

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