Hooked to the Silver Screen

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 19, 2011

Categories | News, Blogathons, Interviews, Movie Morlocks, TCM, David Bowie

David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

I got knocked flat by a nasty flu bug that has kept me in bed all week. I’m still on the mend and not fully recovered but I wanted to post a quick update and compile some links to a few things of possible interest.

First up, here’s a couple of links to my latest posts at The Movie Morlocks. The first is for an interview I did with local artist Nicolas Caesar who will be appearing on Creepy KOFY Movie Time tonight at 11PM, February 19th. Creepy KOFY Movie Time is a local Northern California TV program that airs every Saturday night on KOFY TV20 or CABLE13 and they play classic horror films as well as cult favorites. Nicolas will be chatting about the Herschell Gordon Lewis’ movie Color Me Blood Red (1965) on this week’s show along with the program’s regular hosts Balrok and No Name.
- My KOFY Break with Nicolas Caesar @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

This week I almost didn’t post anything at The Movie Morlocks but at the last minute I managed to (roughly) finish a little something that I had been working on for weeks called “Life On Mars” that borrows it’s title from one of my favorite David Bowie songs. It’s a personal post that takes a look back at my earliest attempts to write film reviews for my school newspaper. If you want to know what films I was watching and writing about at age 14 you can find a couple examples I scanned from old school newspapers. I had planned on writing more in-depth on the topic but I couldn’t find any other issues of my school newspaper to scan and I was getting a little too self-reflective for my own good. I didn’t want to bore Movie Morlock readers with my self-indulgent trip down memory lane so I tried to make my post as brief as possible. Unfortunately my fever didn’t help matters much and I’m sure I rambled a bit more than I had intended. But movies have always been an important part of my life and it’s fun to look back at my early reviews and remember how I started seeing films differently at age 14.
- Life On Mars @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

Martin Kosleck and Rondo Hatton in House of Horrors (1946)

The Rondo Awards were announced this week and although Cinebeats wasn’t nominated for anything this year, a few of my favorite bloggers were including Stacie Ponder of Final Girl, Pierre Fournier of Frankensteinia, August Ragone of The Good, the Bad and the Godzilla, Curt Purcell of Groovy Age of Horror and the esteemed Tim Lucas of Video Watchblog who also has lots of other nominations for various projects he’s worked on including his magazine Video Watchdog. If you do vote this year please consider their fine contributions to the blogosphere.
- The Rondo Hatton Awards

In other news, the For the Love of Film Noir Blogathon started on Valentine’s Day, February 14th and runs until February 21st. Some of my fellow Morlocks expressed interest in participating so they took up the gauntlet for TCM. I’ve linked to a couple of their contributions below and posted a great video clip for the blogathon compiled by another one of my favorite bloggers, Greg of Cinema Styles. If I wasn’t feeling like death was at my door I might pull something together myself but please give these other posts a look.
- For the Love of Film Noir Blogathon: THE STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog
- For the Love of Film (Noir) Blog-A-Thon: The Sound of Fury (1950) & TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Goodbye, Tura!

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 5, 2011

Categories | News, Actresses, Tura Satana

Tura Satana in Irma La Douce (1963)

“The one thing you’ve got to remember is that you just never accept defeat. Remember to never let life get you down, because there is always something new to learn tomorrow. Life is to be lived, and lived well.”
- Tura Satana 1938-2011

From the Cinebeats’ Archives: Tura Satana - An American Icon

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A New Decade for Cinema Retro

by Kimberly Lindbergs | January 28, 2011

Categories | News, Cinema Retro

I was really happy to discover a new issue of Cinema Retro in my mailbox today. The magazine is celebrating its seventh year in print and issue #19 is the first issue of 2011. It’s not easy publishing a magazine in this day and age. Printing costs are extremely high and a lot of people are doing their reading online. It seems like major newspapers and publications are folding every month so it’s great to see that film magazines like Cinema Retro, Video Watchdog, Shock Cinema, Paracinema, Cineaste and Film Comment (just to name a few) are still going strong. For decades magazines and fanzines were my main source of information about film. Publications like these were often the only place where you could find reviews of foreign films, little-seen horror movies and career overviews of unsung actors and directors. Things have changed thanks to the internet and I’m glad that information can now be shared so freely around the world but I still love flipping through my film magazines and Cinema Retro is one of my favorites.

Top: Angie Dickinson and Rod Taylor
Bottom: Max Von Sydow and Judy Geeson

In some ways Cinema Retro is a sort of sister (or cousin) publication to Cinebeats since we both try and focus on ’60s and ’70s era films. If you enjoy what you read here you’ll probably really enjoy the magazine as well. The current issue has some great articles including an in-depth interview with writer and producer William Peter Blatty discussing his experiences while making the horror classic, The Exorcist (1973). Other highlights include Steve Saragossis informative look at the career of actor Rod Taylor, interviews with lovely actress Angie Dickinson, character actor Shane Rimmer and film director Lewis Gilbert plus a lengthy overview of Clive Donner’s film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967), which I reviewed for TCM last year. The magazine also contains a nice batch of soundtrack, book and DVD reviews as well as a tribute to recently deceased actors and performers such as the lovely Ingrid Pitt.

If you’re interested in getting a copy of the new issue of Cinema Retro head over to their website where you can purchase a subscription online.
- Cinema Retro

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Cinebeats Featured At Yahoo! Movies

by Kimberly Lindbergs | January 26, 2011

Categories | News

I was really surprised and flattered to learn that Cinebeats had been favorably reviewed by Robin Raven at Yahoo! Movies. In Robin’s piece she wrote:

“Cinebeats is the go-to blog for movies from the ’60s and ’70s. With its fun, funky design and consistently well-written blog entries, it stands apart from other popular film sites. It celebrates the joy of watching and loving movies.”

Her review is so kind that I was blushing while reading it. Thanks, Robin! If you want to read her entire review just follow this link:
- Cinebeats: An Independent Movie Blog Worth Reading @ Yahoo! Movies

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The 2011 Total Film Movie Blog Awards

by Kimberly Lindbergs | January 7, 2011

Categories | News

I got some surprising news from Total Film last night. It seems that Cinebeats had been nominated for “Best Fan Blog” in their annual Movie Blog Awards. Total Film is a great British based film magazine and they also manage their own impressive website. I’m honored to be nominated along with some other terrific blogs and a couple of them are run by very nice people that I’ve occasionally enjoyed chatting with online including the guys at Kindertrauma and Italian Film Review.

If you’re inclined to vote for Cinebeats please follow the link below that Total Film provided me with. It should take you to a poll where you can easily submit your vote online. Thanks!

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Favorite 2010 DVDs

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 16, 2010

Categories | Movie Reviews, News, Joseph Losey, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Oliver Reed

Oliver Reed and friends in Joseph Losey’s These Are the Damned (1963)
Part of Hammer’s Icons of Suspense DVD collection

Last year I didn’t have time to compile a lengthy list of my favorite DVDs but this year I decided to post a small selection of favorites over at the Movie Morlocks. Most of the films on my list were originally made in the ’60s or ’70s because they’re my favorite film decades but this year I branched out a bit and included some older films as well. The list is much smaller than my usual list but I hope my regular readers will find it interesting. Many of the films I mentioned haven’t been available on DVD before and some were never even released in the US. Creating a list like this gives me the opportunity to shine a light on these movies and hopefully encourage a few people to seek them out.
- Some Favorite DVD Releases of 2010 @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

Recommended Links:
- Favorite 2008 DVDs
- Favorite 2007 DVDs
- Favorite 2006 DVDs

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‘Tis the Season

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 1, 2010

Categories | News, Directors, Blogathons, Thrillers, Julie Christie, Paul Naschy, Irvin Kershner, Gene Tierney, Deborah Kerr, Eli Wallach

Happy Holidays from Cinebeats & Julie Christie!

‘Tis the season. I’ve been preoccupied with home renovations, work and holiday plans lately so I haven’t had a lot of free time to watch movies or blog and I don’t think I’ll be updating much in December. In an effort to keep things interesting here at Cinebeats I thought I’d compile a bunch of brief updates into one post and wish you all Happy Holidays!

Giving Thanks
I celebrated Thanksgiving at the Movie Morlocks last week by writing about a bunch of movie related people and characters that I’m thankful for. We don’t say thank you enough anymore and I’m not sure when good manners became so passé but I suppose I’m a little old fashioned. I decided to share my thanks for a few things I’ve had on my mind lately including Joseph Cotten, Gene Tierney, Deborah Kerr, Richard Harris, director Fritz Land and Eli Wallach who recently received his first Academy Award at age 95.
- Giving Thanks @ The Movie Morlocks

Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

The Paul Naschy Blogathon
Over at Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies The Vicar of VHS is hosting a Paul Naschy Blogathon November 29 - December 3. I love Paul Naschy and I don’t know if I’ll have the time to participate in the blogathon, but you can bet that I’ll be doing a lot of reading in December! The Vicar is gathering links to all the blogathon submissions and the response has been tremendous so far. Naschy would have celebrated his 76th birthday this week and he’s still fondly remembered by his fans. It’s wonderful to see this Spanish horror icon getting so much attention and The Paul Naschy Blogathon is a great way to keep Naschy’s memory alive.
- The Paul Naschy Blogathon @ Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies

Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I watched a bunch of terrible new or “newer” movies including James Cameron’s ridiculously expensive cartoon Avatar (2009), Peter Jackson’s mind-numbingly bad The Lovely Bones (2009) and Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables (2010), which (once again) wasted the talents of Jason Statham and Jet Li and only served to remind me why I disliked so many ’80s action movies. In the midst of all this crap I re-watched one of my favorite Irvin Kershner films, the deliciously decadent murder mystery, The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978). During the film I kept being reminded of Kershner’s talent and wondering why he never made another film as interesting and stylish as The Eyes of Laura Mars? I’ve written a little about Kershner’s A Fine Madness (1966) as well as his odd comedy S*P*Y*S (1974) but I haven’t written about The Eyes of Laura Mars or another Kershner favorite, The Flim-Flam Man (1967). Today Irvin Kershner is mostly remembered for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), which many consider to be better than the first Star Wars film. When news spread that the director had died on November 27th after suffering from lung cancer for 3 years, The Empire Strikes Back garnered the most headlines and attention but I think of it as the movie that ended Kershner career. After making that Star Wars sequel he seemed to slowly fade away and didn’t take on any more challenging projects. I wish Kershner would have worked with director & writer John Carpenter (the writer of The Eyes of Laura Mars) again. They made a really interesting team and delivered one of the most fascinating American thrillers of the ’70s. If you want to see Irvin Kershner at his best watch The Eyes of Laura Mars.
- Irvin Kershner’s Obituary @ The Los Angeles Times

Fay Dunaway stars in The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

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Remembering Ingrid Pitt 1937-2010

by Kimberly Lindbergs | November 23, 2010

Categories | News, Actresses, Hammer Horror, Hammer Glamour, Ingrid Pitt

Hammer Glamour girl, Ingrid Pitt has suddenly passed away at age 73 due to heart failure. Her unexpected death took me by surprise and my condolences go out to her friends and family.

One of my fondest blogging memories occurred in 2007. After writing up a brief birthday tribute for Ingrid Pitt and receiving a few comments from other fans, the actress herself stopped by my blog and left me a note (still posted there) in which she said:

“Mind-blowing! It really is wonderful to have so many people wishing me good fortune as I enter the ranks of the septuagenarians. I’m only sorry I didn’t find this site earlier so that I could thank you all.”

I was stunned and absolutely thrilled that the actress took the time to read and respond to my blog post. Her generous nature was made more apparent when we exchanged a few brief emails after she left her comment. I was rather star struck because as I mentioned in my birthday tribute to the actress, Ingrid Pitt has always been one of my favorite Hammer Glamour girls. Her bold, sassy and uninhibited nature came across in every Hammer film she was in and she never shied away from her past or made excuses for appearing in horror films. Ingrid embraced her history and celebrated it. She was proud of her roles in movies like The Vampire Lovers (1970), Countess Dracula (1971), The House That Dripped Blood (1971) and The Wicker Man (1973). And of course she should be. Her beauty, brains and sense of humor shouldn’t be underestimated. Ingrid Pitt was the real “bad girl” of Hammer studio and and her edgy performances often dominated the movies she was in. She could be extremely seductive but unlike countless other onscreen beauties that have bared their fangs for the camera, Ingrid also knew how to generate fear.

I’m incredibly thankful that Ingrid took the time to contact me because it gave me the opportunity to tell her how much I admired her and appreciated her work. She was a very special lady and she’ll be sincerely missed.

Recommended Links:
- BBC News Obituary: Hammer horror actress Ingrid Pitt dies aged 73
- Pitt of Horror (Ingrid Pitt’s Official Site)
- Ingrid Pitt’s Film Column @ Den of Geek
- Hammer Films (Official Site)

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Elvira’s Not A Witch

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 19, 2010

Categories | News, Rants & Raves, Actresses, Bewitching Movies

’80s horror icon Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (aka Cassandra Peterson) is back on TV again. She’s hosting a new version of her syndicated show Elvira’s Movie Macabre that airs on Saturday nights. I’ve only caught one episode so far but some of the movies she’s shown in the last few weeks include The Giant Gila Monster (1959) and The Terror (1963). In the early ’80s I was introduced to some great horror movies thanks to Elvira’s original Movie Macabre show.

Today Elvira released a very funny ad for her new show that I just couldn’t resist sharing. In this timely TV spot Elvira pokes a little fun at the conservative politician Christine “I’m Not A Witch” O’Donnell. I don’t know about you, but I’d personally like to see Elvira run for office. The current political climate in America is just plain nasty. We could use some politicians with a sense of humor who could take on the nut jobs running for public office with a wink and a smile. Not to mention her other assets…

If you’d like to find out when Elvira’s Movie Macbare will be playing in your area just visit The Official Elvira Website.

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