Remember My Name (1976) & TCM News

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 2, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, News, Horror, Japanese Cinema, American Cinema, Science Fiction, Anthony Perkins, Thrillers, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Anthony Perkins & Geraldine Chaplin in Remember My Name (1976)

I’ve been really busy lately so please excuse the lack of updates around here. Lately it seems like I only have enough free time to share my Movie Morlock updates and today is no exception. I recently got the opportunity to watch Alan Rudolph’s unusual thriller Remember My Name (1976). I was originally interested in seeing the film because one of its stars was the one and only Anthony Perkins but I was surprised by how terrific the movie was. Follow the link to read my thoughts about this intriguing neo-noir:
- Remember My Name …or else. @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

I also wanted to let my readers know that during the month of June TCM is hosting a bunch of Drive-In Double Features every Thursday night! If I had my way TCM would make these Drive-In Double Features a regular part of their programming schedule but at least me and my fellow monster lovers will be able to enjoy some great movies this month. TCM put together a terrific promo video for this event that I just couldn’t resist sharing. June is going to be a fun month!

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Celebrate Cannes

by Kimberly Lindbergs | May 27, 2011

Categories | News, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Film Festivals

I’ve been a member of MUBI.com since its early inception and it has become one of my favorite film news & information sites. MUBI is currently hosting a Cannes retrospective, which showcases films shown out of competition during Critics Week. These films are available to watch for free to the first thousand viewers and run until December. This week at the Movie Morlocks I took some time to explore the various films MUBI is showcasing during their Cannes retrospective and highlighted some of my favorites. Please follow the link to read about some of my recommendations:
- Celebrate Cannes with MUBI @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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The Walker Brothers - Deadlier Than the Male

by Kimberly Lindbergs | May 9, 2011

Categories | News, Soundtracks, Spies & Secret Agents, Elke Sommer, Scott Walker

Top: The Walker Brothers - John, Gary & Scott
Bottom: Sylva Koscina, Elke Sommer & Nigel Green in Deadlier Than the Male (1967)

I was disappointed to learn that John Walker (aka John Maus) of The Walker Brothers died on May 7, 2011 after a long battle with cancer. He was 67 years old. The brilliant Scott Walker tends to overshadow the rest of the Walker Brothers but the talented trio recorded some great songs together. One of my favorite Walker Brothers’ tunes is the title song they recorded for the terrific ’60s spy flick Deadlier Than the Male (Ralph Thomas; 1967), which features the fabulous Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina in two of their best roles and Richard Johnson as the handsome spy, Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond. You can hear the track playing over the opening titles in the video clip below.

Recommended Links:
- John Walker of the Walker Brothers has died @ Dangerous Minds

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My Fantasy Film Festival Schedule

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 28, 2011

Categories | News, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Film Festivals

Film Festival Guests: Peter O’Toole, Richard Roundtree and Hayley Mills

I can’t make it to TCM’s Classic Film Festival this year, which is taking place April 28-May 1st, but I decided to imagine what films and events I would try to see if I could attend at the Movie Morlocks this week. You’ll find lots of recommendations as well as links to other articles with Festival suggestions if you happen to be one of the lucky folks attending.
- My TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Michael Sarrazin 1940-2011

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 22, 2011

Categories | News, Actors, Movie Morlocks, TCM

There’s been a lot of surprising celebrity deaths in the last six months and frankly it’s become a bit overwhelming trying to keep track of them all. We’re only 4 months into 2011 and we’ve already lost John Barry, Tura Satana, Anne Francis, Susannah York, Peter Yates, Jane Russell, Farley Granger, Michael Gough, Sidney Lumet and Dame Elizabeth Taylor just to name a few. On April 17th actor Michael Sarrazin passed away and I decided to write a little bit about some of my favorite Sarrazin films for the Movie Morlocks this week. Sarrazin appeared in a batch of films made during the late ’60s and early ’70s that I’ve always enjoyed but they’ve often been overlooked and largely forgotten. Sarrazin never received the acclaim that many of his contemporaries did but he was a popular and promising young actor who seemed to fade from the public eye in the ’80s.
- Michael Sarrazin 1940-2011 @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Goodbye Goddess: Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 23, 2011

Categories | News, Actresses, Elizabeth Taylor, Movie Morlocks, TCM

I was crushed when I learned that Elizabeth Taylor had passed away today due to heart failure. Like many people who write about movies I’m often asked who my favorite actress is and I almost always answer with Elizabeth Taylor because I adore her and her name is easily recognizable. When I added the image of her and David Bowie to my blog’s sidebar a few years ago it wasn’t a careless gesture. A lot of thought went to it because I thought the image was a wonderful tribute to the two things that make Cinebeats’ tick - movies and music. Taylor was a goddess among women. A Hollywood legend and a genuine superstar. They don’t make them like her anymore but I’m not sure that they ever did. Taylor was one of a kind. My tribute to the much missed and much loved actress can be found at the Movie Morlocks.

- Goodbye Goddess: Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011 @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

Recommended Links:
- From the Cinebeats’ Archives: Lots more on Elizabeth Taylor
- Elizabeth Taylor Obit at IMDB
- Elizabeth Taylor Obit & Tributes at The Guardian
- Unpublished photos of Elizabeth Taylor from LIFE Magazine
- From Velvet to Helena: A Life of Launching Herself Into the Imaginary at The Sheila Variations
- Links to many tributes at MUBI

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Paracinema #11

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 15, 2011

Categories | News, Tura Satana

Just a quick note to let readers know that I have a short piece on Tura Satana in the new issue of Paracinema #11. It’s the “Women’s Issue” coinciding with Women’s History Month and all of the content was provided by female writers. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the articles featured in issue #11:

- Frankenhooker: Titular Commodification of Women
by Lisa Cunningham
- Rape-Revenge Films: A Guide for the Faint-Hearted
by Chelsea Suarez
- The Degrading Last Days of Laura Palmer: A Backwards Glance at Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
by Christine Hadden
- Spiritual Viagra (How a Mummy in Cowboy Boots Gave Elvis a Hard-On)
by Molly Marie Griffin
- Mental Illness in Horror Films: Lifting the Stigma with Let’s Scare Jessica to Death
by Andre Dumas
Plus much more…

You can purchase issues directly online from the Paracinema website.

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The Japan Society Relief Fund

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 12, 2011

Categories | News

Photo of Tokyo snapped in © 2001

My heart goes out to the people of Japan. Seeing the devastation that has taken place there recently and continues to make news is absolutely horrifying. I’ve had a long love affair with the country that began in 1976 after my cousin, a member of the Peace Corps who was living there and teaching English, invited my mother and myself to visit him in Japan. We had an amazing time and the trip changed my life in more ways than I could grasp at such a young age. Since then I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the Japanese people as well as the country’s cinema, literature, music, art and history. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel to Japan two more times. The second trip was for business when I was working with a manga and anime convention and the third trip was purely for pleasure. Each time I’ve fallen in love with the country more and I can honestly say that it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth and the Japanese people are some of the most friendly, kind and generous souls I’ve ever encountered.

In conjunction with many other blogs and websites that have tried to support Japanese cinema as often as possible over the years, I’m encouraging my readers to consider making any donations to help with disaster relief in Japan to the Japan Society in New York. The Japan Society is one of the oldest and most respected centers of its kind in North America and they have done an incredible job of promoting Japanese cinema. The organization has pledged that 100% of all donations that they receive will be given directly to the relief efforts in Japan. From the Japan Society website:

Japan Society has created a disaster relief fund to aid victims of the Tohoku earthquake in Japan. Over the years, Japan Society has partnered with several Japanese and American non-profits working on the frontlines of disaster relief and recovery. Your generous tax-deductible contributions will go to organizations that directly help victims recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunamis that struck Japan on March 11, 2011.

Thank you for reading and if you are a fellow blogger, please consider sharing this link with your own readers.

Further Reading: The Cinebeats archive on Japanese Cinema

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It’s That Time Again

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 27, 2011

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Actors, Oscars

It’s that time again - Oscar night is here! And for the third year in a row I’ll be “live tweeting” the show. If you want to follow along or join in the fun you can find me on Twitter here.

Update 2/28: I wanted to update this with some more thoughts about last nights Oscar show but I managed to erase my previous post. Que Sera, Sera! I will mention again that I’m especially happy that Colin Firth won Best Actor last night. He should have won last year for A Single Man but his performance as the stammering king was mighty impressive. He’s a terrific actor who has been delivering consistently great work in films for decades such as Another Country (1984), A Month in the Country (1987), Apartment Zero (1988), Trauma (2004), etc.

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