Happy Halloween!

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 31, 2011

Categories | Soundtracks, Composers, Horror, Steve McQueen, Serge Gainsbourg

My final October music collection is simply called “Halloween Party Mix” and it contains all kinds of horror and Halloween themed songs that didn’t fit on any of my other mixes, including a couple of songs from some of my favorite horror films like The Blob (1958) and An American Werewolf in London (1981). It’s a fun mix and hopefully it will keep you dancing or least tapping your toes this Halloween. You can still find all my previous October music mixes at 8tracks. Enjoy & Happy Halloween!

Track Listing:
Larry’s Rebels - “Halloween” (1968)
Dickie Goodman - “My Baby Loves Monster Movies” (1964)
The Five Blobs (written by Burt Bacharach & Mack David) - “Beware of the Blob” (1958)
Bruno Martino - “Dracula Cha Cha Cha” (1960)
Christine Pilzer - “Dracula” (1966)
Screaming Lord Sutch - “Jack the Ripper” (1963)
Serge Gainsbourg - “Docteur Jekyll et Monsieur Hyde” (1968)
Bobby “Boris” Pickett - “The Monster Mash” (1962)
The Cramps - “Zombie Dance” (1980)
Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders - “The Shadow Knows” (1966)
Exuma - “Mama Loi, Papa Loi” (1970)
Marsha Hunt - “(Oh No! Not) The Beast Day” (1973)
Gary Warren - “Werewolf” (1958)
Warren Zevon - “Werewolves of London” (1978)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Bad Moon Rising” (1969)
The Shaggs - “It’s Halloween” (1969)

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Our Primal Fear of the Primordial Ooze

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 30, 2011

Categories | Horror, Science Fiction, Steve McQueen, Ishiro Honda, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Yumi Shirakawa in The H-Man (1958)

This week at the Movie Morlocks I discuss our primal fear of the primordial ooze and highlight some of the slimy scares to be found during TCM’s Drive-In Double Features tonight. Some of the movies being played during this evening’s line-up are personal favorites and include THE BLOB (1956), THE H-MAN (1958) and X THE UNKNOWN (1955). A brief excerpt from my post:

“Whatever the reasons may be, I definitely have a fear of slime. It’s not a full-blown phobia but when I watch THE BLOB or THE H-MAN my heart starts to race and I get a little jumpy. I find these classic science fiction films genuinely scary. There’s just something incredibly creepy about a giant mass of ravenous slime that deeply unnerves me and I think being engulfed by a thick gooey substance would be absolutely horrifying.. There’s one scene in THE BLOB that I’ve always found particularly disturbing. It takes places in a car garage at night. Ralph Carmichael’s creepy score builds quietly in the background using a two-note progression to create suspense that predates John Williams’ similar score for JAWS (1975) by some 20 years, while we watch helplessly as one of the mechanics talks about his weekend plans to go hunting unaware that he’s been left alone. THE BLOB was a smartly scripted science fiction film and the irony of that scene isn’t lost on me. When the mechanic is hunted down and suddenly consumed by the creeping blob I have to fight the urge to close my eyes and cover my ears so I won’t have to listen to the grown man’s earth rattling screams.”

You can read the entire piece by following this link:
- It Creeps and Leaps and Glides and Slides @ TCM’s Movie Morlocks

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Celebrating Father’s Day

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 16, 2011

Categories | Rants & Raves, Westerns, War, Musicals, Steve McQueen, Elliot Gould, Clint Eastwood, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
Me and my dad (1972)

From my latest at the Movie Morlocks:

“I recently became an aunt again so I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately and with Father’s Day right around the corner I thought I’d share some thoughts about my own dad and how the movies we watched together helped make me the person I am today.”

- Life With Father @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Mini Monday #1

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 21, 2011

Categories | Actors, Steve McQueen, Mini Mondays

Steve McQueen and his 1967 Austin Mini Cooper S 1275

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Summer Under the Stars: Steve McQueen

by Kimberly Lindbergs | August 2, 2010

Categories | Movie Reviews, Actors, American Cinema, Steve McQueen, TCM

Steve McQueen in Le Mans (1971)

On Tuesday, August 3rd, Turner Classic Movies is continuing its annual Summer Under the Stars event and devoting the entire day to the work of another one of my favorite actors, Steve McQueen. They’ll be running many of my favorite McQueen films including his 1971 film Le Mans and I wrote a piece about this amazing movie for the TCM website, which you can find online. Some of the other McQueen films scheduled to play tomorrow are The Blob (1958), The Great Escape (1963), The Magnificent Seven (1960), Bullitt (1968), Junior Bonner (1972) and The Cincinnati Kid (1965).

I also recently wrote a piece about another one of my favorite Steve McQueen films; Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965). Baby the Rain Must Fall will be showing on August 26th during TCM’s Summer Under the Stars day long tribute to the actress Lee Remick who stars in the movie with Steve McQueen.

I’ve been eager to write about both films for some time now so I was happy to get the opportunity to revisit them again. Le Mans and Baby the Rain Must Fall are two of the most important films that Steve McQueen made during his impressive career and I’m glad that TCM viewers will get the chance to see them both this month.

- Summer Under the Stars: Steve McQueen in Le Mans (1971)
- Summer Under the Stars: Lee Remick & Steve McQueen in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)

Steve McQueen and Lee Remick in Baby the Rain Must Fall (1965)

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More McQueen

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 24, 2010

Categories | News, Actors, Steve McQueen

If you’ve been reading Cinebeats for any length of time you’re well aware of my love for Steve McQueen. I’ve mentioned the actor and films he’s appeared numerous times. Today would have been the actor’s 80th birthday and instead of writing up another birthday related tribute post to McQueen I thought I’d share some news about the 20 never before see photos of the actor that were recently published by LIFE Magazine. They’re terrific photos and showcase McQueen’s natural charisma and ease in front of a camera.

The photos were taken by LIFE photographer John Dominis in California and in the pictures McQueen can bee seen practicing his shooting techniques before a film, working out, driving one of his sports cars, lounging around on film sets and at home with his first wife Neile Adams. A couple of my favorite shots are posted here but you can see them all at the LIFE Magazine site.

Steve spins some Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie & Sinatra on his record player.

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The Magnificent Soundtrack

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 18, 2010

Categories | Soundtracks, Composers, American Cinema, Westerns, Steve McQueen, Movie Morlocks, TCM

The sexiest group of cowboys ever? Hell yes!

Over at the Movie Morlocks Blog I posted a brief piece about one of my favorite westerns, John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven (1960). It’s one of the earliest movies I can remember watching as a kid and falling in love with. I’m not sure why I was so drawn to The Magnificent Seven but I suspect it has something to do with my ranch hand roots, the amazing cast and Elmer Bernstein’s terrific score. Check out Variations on a Theme if you’re curious about the evolution of Elmer Bernstein’s unforgettable theme for The Magnificent Seven.

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My Top 20 Favorite Films of 1968

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 6, 2008

Categories | Horror, Giallo, Comedies, Crime, Westerns, Hammer Horror, Elizabeth Taylor, Alain Delon, Mario Bava, Steve McQueen, Terence Stamp, Jess Franco, David Hemmings, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Burton, 1968, Klaus Kinski, Brigitte Bardot, Joseph Losey, Girl On a Motorcycle, Julie Christie, Peter Sellers, Marisa Mell, Stanley Kubrick, Terence Fisher, Roman Polanski

At the Britannica blog Raymond Benson has finished listing off his Top 10 Favorite Films of 1968 so if you’re interested in the final results stop by and give them a look. I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions how much I dislike making lists of favorite films myself since they’re limited by what I’ve seen and are subject to change at anytime. Roger Ebert recently asked his blog readers to “. . . agree that all lists of movies are nonsense.” I agreed with him wholeheartedly at the time, but in the process of watching Raymond Benson share his list favorite films from 1968 I naturally began thinking of my own favorite films released the same year.

Compiling a list of favorite films restricted by their release date without implying that they’re “the best” (whatever that means) started to seem like a fun exercise. And while reading the complaints and reservations about Raymond Benson’s own selections I even suggested that it would be interesting if all the participants of the Britannica blog “round-table” supplied their own list of Top 10 Favorite Films for 1968 so we could compare them. I figured that if we were going to scrutinize Raymond Benson’s selections we might as well scrutinize each other. I also thought that it would probably enrich the discussion. No one else seemed willing or able to share a list of there own picks, but for the past two weeks I’ve been quietly compiling a list of my own favorite films from 1968.

I wasn’t planing on sharing my own list with anyone, but over the weekend I listened to an interesting discussion between Greencine’s David Hudson, Film Comment’s Gavin Smith and film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum about the current state of film criticism that got me contemplating my list again. During the discussion Jonathan Rosenbaum smartly pointed out that, “People love lists now because they need to. There’s too much to navigate through.” In my own experience I’ve found this to be very true. Since I started blogging my “Favorite DVDs of the year” lists for 2006 and 2007 have become some of my most popular posts and they’ve generated some lively discussions and lots of email. I think other people appreciate them because they offer a brief look at some films I’ve enjoyed and recommend. And in the words of Jonathan Rosenbaum, the lists are easy to navigate through.

So without further explanation, here’s a list of some of my own favorite films from 1968. I couldn’t manage to narrow all my choices down to a mere Top 10 so I just decided to share my Top 20 list instead. I purposefully left off documentaries so you won’t find any listed and four of the films on my list were also on Raymond Benson’s list. The numerical order doesn’t mean much and naturally my list is subject to change at anytime since I’m continually being exposed to new movies. It also should be noted that after looking at various print and online sources I’ve come across different release dates for some films. As far as I know, the following 20 films were originally released in 1968.

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Fashion & Passion in The Thomas Crown Affair

by Kimberly Lindbergs | September 30, 2008

Categories | American Cinema, Actresses, Crime, Costume Design, Steve McQueen, 1968, Norman Jewison, Fashion & Film

Fay Dunaway & Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

A lot has been written about Norman Jewison’s 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair. If the reviews available at IMDb.com are any indication critics and audiences are split over it. I love this stylish ’60s crime film. It’s one of my favorite movies from 1968 and one of the best things about it is Fay Dunaway & Steve McQueen’s incredible wardrobes.

The basic plot of the film is rather simple. Steve McQueen plays Thomas Crown, a wealthy conman who masterminds a complicated bank heist. Hot on his trail is an ambitious insurance agent named Vicki Anderson (Fay Dunaway) and when the two meet sparks begin to fly. Will the lovely and flirtatious Vicki Anderson bring the world-weary Thomas Crown to his knees? Or will their steamy affair lead Vicki into lawlessness?

The Thomas Crown Affair is a film full of sensual pleasures. The actual bank heist that takes place makes for some thrilling entertainment but the romantic affair that blossoms between Vicki Anderson and Thomas Crown is really the heart and soul of the movie. The film simply drips sex and decadence. Morals be damned! Neither Vicki or Thomas is particularly likable, but watching these two self-serving individuals succumb to their passions and exploit one another’s desires is what makes The Thomas Crown Affair so damn compelling. It’s also a great looking movie with a terrific score by composer Michel Legrand. Dunaway and McQueen have rarely looked as beautiful and desirable as they do in this film. That’s partially due to Haskell Wexler’s stellar cinematography as well as costume designer Theadora Van Runkle.

Fay Dunaway & Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Trend-setting fashionista Theadora Van Runkle created many of the awe-inspiring fashions seen in The Thomas Crown Affair. Van Runkle first began working in Hollywood as a sketch artist for renowned costume designer Dorothy Jeakins. She got her big break in 1967 after Dorothy Jeakins was forced to turn down an opportunity to work on Bonnie and Clyde. Jeakins suggested the 38-year-old Theadora Van Runkle as a replacement and history was made. Bonnie and Clyde was a huge success and garnered Van Runkle an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design. Young people around the world began dressing like Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Hemlines dropped and women started sporting berets, while men began wearing double-breasted suits with wide lapels. Theadora Van Runkle’s impact might be hard to measure now, but the costume designer can be credited for bringing a vintage ’30s era look to modern fashion in the late sixties. Suddenly everything old was new again.

Theadora Van Runkle and Fay Dunaway developed a great working relationship on the set of Bonnie and Clyde. After filming ended Dunaway asked Theadora Van Runkle to design a personal wardrobe for her that included the Oscar gown that Dunaway wore in 1968 when she was nominated for her role as Bonnie Parker. When it came time for the actress to star in The Thomas Crown Affair alongside Steve McQueen, Dunaway suggested that Van Runkle should be hired to work on the film.

Theadora Van Runkle ended up creating all of Dunaway’s fabulous fashions for The Thomas Crown Affair and she also worked alongside Ron Postal and Alan Levine to help design Steve McQueen’s wardrobe for the film as well. Although The Thomas Crown Affair didn’t exactly have the same impact on the fashion world that Bonnie and Clyde did, it was a popular hit in 1968 and audiences were mesmerized with the film’s dazzling look.

Fay Dunaway modeling some of Theadora Van Runkle’s costume designs
for The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Like Dunaway before him, Steve McQueen was also extremely impressed with Theadora Van Runkle and decided he wanted to work with her more after completion of The Thomas Crown Affair. Van Runkle would continue working as a costume designer for both actors for the rest of the decade. Her impressive fashion designs can also be seen on Dunaway in Amanti (1968) and The Arrangement (1969) and on Steve McQueen in Bullitt (1968) and The Reivers (1969).

Even though The Thomas Crown Affair didn’t win Theadora Van Runkle any awards, the movie’s impact on the world of fashion is undeniable. Van Runkle can be credited for giving the film’s two stars a distinct look that would help make both of them Hollywood style icons in the sixties. Many women wanted to look like Fay Dunaway and many men wanted to be Steve McQueen, but everyone wanted to be dressed by Theadora Van Runkle.

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