Tricks & Treats Night #11: A Dark and Stormy Night

Posted by Dave on October 11, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 11th:

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932; starring Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart; directed by James Whale)

This group should have checked with Travelocity’s “roaming gnome” before setting out on a nighttime drive through the English countryside. Just in case they were to find themselves on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere during a raging thunderstorm. Murphy’s Law being what it is, that’s exactly what happens to these folks, and as they run into trouble there is nary a Holiday Inn in sight. Luckily (or unluckily, as luck would have it), there’s shelter nearby, in the form of an old, dark… well, you know the rest. And so, what we have here in this terrific, classic film, is a variety of individuals much like those in later movies such as GRAND HOTEL. Except this group’s overnight stay turns out to be much less than grand. The guests include stuffy Raymond Massey, war vet Melvyn Douglas, delicate Gloria Stuart (the elderly Rose in James Cameron’s TITANIC),  and the rich, repulsive Charles Laughton. Director James Whale (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) assembles them in the title location, where they come to realize that the permanent residents of the house (who include an alcoholic Boris Karloff and a pyromaniac) have some unfortunate and disturbing “issues” that will require much more than chocolate therapy–Hershey’s Special Dark or otherwise–to work out. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Happy National Coming Out Day

Posted by Johnny C on October 11, 2012
Posted in: Movies. 1 Comment

If you were a teen in the 70’s and 80’s, there weren’t many places to see yourself in the movies. Gays were serial killers like in THE FAN, or they were comics like Paul Lynde, who would still never ever say the word gay. I looked for who I was deep inside and it took a long time to figure out why I felt different. But these films seemed to slowly nudge me a bit out of that space and push this gay boy out into the light.

THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT
Although a British TV movie, it had to have been the first time that I ever saw a portrait of a gay man. Although Quentin Crisp was effeminate, he never compromises who he was. I watched this every time it aired on PBS. 

DEATH TRAP
It’s hard to talk about this without giving away a SPOILER. But Deathtrap was the first time that I ever saw two men kiss on screen. It was followed by the audience disgusted screams. But at 19, I thought, huh… what’s this?

CRUISING
With the advent of the VCR, I was able to watch movies that I wouldn’t be caught dead watching in a theater… CRUISING was one of them. I haven’t seen it in thirty years, but I think as Al Pacino’s character delved into dark world of leather, I was nudged a little more into wanting to explore this dangerous new territory.

PARTNERS
This movie was a comic take on the same story, gay serial killer. In it, Ryan O’Neal has to pretend to be gay and work with a gay partner. Again John Hurt plays another effeminate gay man, but he was a lead and Ryan O’Neal goes from being disgusted to accepting him for who he is, his partner.

VICTOR/VICTORIA
Again, I hope I’m not giving away a SPOILER, but who hasn’t seen this film? Alex Karras, who recently passed away, plays James Garner’s tough bodyguard. When it is revealed that he is gay, it’s a shock and played for laughs. But it was so important because it was the first time I could remember a gay character being the tough guy and the audience is glad that Robert Preston is going to have him as a boyfriend.

YENTL
There is a scene in YENTL where Barbra pretending to be a man comes face to face with her sexuality. Although she was a woman pretending to be a man, watching this scene hit me like a brick, because this was what it was like to be a young man trying to hide feelings that I had for other men. I was terrified that someone would find out about me, but I wanted to get naked and swim with the other boys.

THE WIZARD OF OZ
I know this is trite to include this film, but I will always remember after I had come out, I had a boyfriend and was well on my journey when I went to see a screening. It was theater packed with gay men. The electricity in the audience was palpable. It was like I had finally come home.

Tricks & Treats Night #10: Crunch!

Posted by Dave on October 10, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 10th:

GODZILLA (1972; with Raymond Burr; directed by Ishiro Honda)

“A bull in a china shop” might be an apt but understated description of this classic and genuinely frightening monster movie. Released in Japan in 1954 as Gojira, the great-grandfather of all Asian giant lizard films came out two years later in the U.S. with the Americanized addition of Raymond Burr. Burr is reporter Steve Martin, broadcasting the story not of King Tut but of the newly-crowned “King of the Monsters”–the 40-story, fire-breathing, upright-walking and ungraceful Godzilla himself. The big-footed, oversized reptile–a victim of post-war a-bomb testing–emits a horrifying growl as he runs amok on his periodic strolls through Tokyo, seeking revenge on whatever person, place or thing strikes his fancy at the moment. The huge success of the film sent Toho Studios on a relentless Godzilla rampage over the years, as countless sequels stomped their way through movie theaters. In each of them, you can count on at least a few of Godzilla’s patented, crispy rice crunches, as he tours, and tears, his way through his beloved Japan. Get in the spirit of things, and imagine yourself to be King of the Monsters as your powerful jaws bite that helpless Crunch bar. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Fanhattan Simplifies the Hunt for Streaming Movies — From Netflix to HBO

Posted by Gloria on October 10, 2012
Posted in: Movies, Netflix Streaming, Online Streaming. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Image courtesy of Fanhattan.com

First it was big screen projection technology that dramatically changed the way we watch movies in our own abodes. And now we’re cozying up with small-screen tablets for in-home watching like never before. It’s predicted that by next year, “there will be more mobile devices than people” on our lovely planet Earth (source: IBM ad).

My tablet has become a good little friend, like a pet, actually. I can hunker down to watch whatever, wherever, and whenever I want, and the magic is that I don’t even need to find the remote to use it.

Best yet is that if I want to transform my tablet image into something big and cinematic, there are new projectors, like the less-than-three-pound Optoma ML500, which can connect to my tablet and transform the small-screen image into a big one — and for less than $600 too.

All of this innovation is thriving with a little help from the streaming content boom.  It seems that every day there is an announcement about expanded content availability on one platform or another. But now, instead of separately searching Netflix, Hulu,  HBO, Amazon Prime, or other video content provider to find what we want to watch, Fanhattan lets us search across all of these platforms in one simple app.

And the opportunities to nab huge quantities of streaming content continue to come at us at an extraordinary pace. In addition to its aggregating capability, Fanhattan recently announced a new WatchList feature, which allows users to add a show to a personal watch list and eagerly await a Fanhattan email when the show is  available for streaming.

I’ve been stumped sometimes, standing in a drug store or grocery aisle, just staring at the array of toothpaste, olive oil, soup, and organic cereal. Regardless of all the algorithm recommendations that appear on our screens, I can’t help but wonder how all of these content choices will impact our ability to make the final decision on what to watch. But I’m not complaining. Choice is good. A little overwhelming, to be sure, but good.

With big screens, small screens, streaming, and who knows what’s next, in a very short time indeed, everyone in the world will be a Home Projectionist.  And in that, you’ll actually have no choice in the matter.

Design Ideas to Camouflage Your Big Screen Television

Posted by Gloria on October 10, 2012
Posted in: interiors, Projections Systems. Tagged: , , , , . 1 Comment
Best Buy

Best Buy (Photo credit: Kevin McShane)

You may love your big screen television, but it can end up being a looming, intrusive, and not-so-attractive presence in your living room, den, bedroom, or even your garage. You may prefer to leave it front and center as a room-ruling monolith, but it doesn’t necessarily have to get all of the attention.

Houzz’s recent article, “Decorate With Intention: Helping Your TV Blend In,” provides some camouflage tips, from thoughtful placement options to how to balance the big black screen with other objects.

Reel History: October 10, 1985

Posted by Dave on October 10, 2012
Posted in: Film, History, Movies. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

ON THIS DAY in 1985, U.S. Navy jets intercepted the Egyptian plane carrying the Achille Lauro cruise ship hijackers, forcing it to land in Sicily. The 1990 made-for-TV film, VOYAGE OF TERROR: THE ACHILLE LAURO AFFAIR, with Burt Lancaster and Eva Marie Saint, documented the incident.

 

Tricks & Treats Night #9: Gory and Gooey

Posted by Dave on October 9, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 9th:

THE GORE GORE GIRLS (1972; with Henny Youngman; directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis)

Suzie Cream Puff. It’s not the original name for the Goo Goo Cluster. No, Suzie was a stripper. “Was”, ‘cuz now Suzie’s career has been cut short, seeing as how she’s been brutally murdered. The savage killer is on the loose, but a determined and spunky Chicago newspaper reporter has hired a private investigator, albeit a very obnoxious one. Meanwhile, stripper Candy Cane becomes victim number two. This prompts the P.I. to suspect the strip club’s somewhat unstable bartender. His instability is evidenced by the fact that he draws faces on vegetables that he then proceeds to smash with his bare hands. But before you know it, there’s another ghastly murder of yet another stripper. Expanding the investigation, the P.I. questions the Donald Trump of strip clubs, a Mr. Mobilie (played incongruously by Borscht Belt-type comedian Henny Youngman). Nothing more about the story need be revealed (although plenty of other things do get revealed during the course of the film, if you know what we mean). Eventually, the actors face the camera and ask you to leave them alone. You may have already done so by that time. The gooey combo of marshmallow and caramel within a Goo Goo Cluster isn’t to everyone’s taste. The same goes for the gore and guts of this downright trashy, early 70s slasher film. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #8: Devil Girls

Posted by Dave on October 8, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 8th:

ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968; Mia Farrow, John Cassavettes, Ruth Gordon; directed by Roman Polanski)

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Am I paranoid… or are they all in it together?!?”, this unnerving film will most likely not help your condition. It begins when Mrs. Rosemary Woodhouse (Farrow) and her aspiring, talented stage actor husband, Guy (Cassavetes) sign a lease at Manhattan’s vintage Bramford Apartments (in reality the Dakota). In short order, the bright, young couple are greeted by their elderly neighbors, the eccentric Castevets, Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman. Minnie’s a busy body, but seems harmless enough. Roman’s jolly but a bit stuffy. At first, Rosemary and Guy are amused. Soon though, Guy is spending more time with the ritualistic Roman and less with his now pregnant wife. The expectant Rosemary accepts the gift of a peculiar necklace from the intrusive Minnie, who sends Rosemary to an unusual sort of baby doctor (Ralph Bellamy). Strange (and deadly) things happen. Now very isolated and increasingly worried, Rosemary loses weight and begins to wonder whether she’s lost her mind. Chocolate mousse, as you will see, would be the devilish choice here. But since that’d be difficult to handle, we instead recommend R. Crumb’s Devil Girl Choco-Bar. “It’s BAD for you!”, says the label. If only Rosemary had gotten the same advice about socializing with Minnie and Roman.    

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #7: A Grand Evening

Posted by Dave on October 7, 2012
Posted in: Film, Movies. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 7th:

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959; Vincent Price; directed by William Castle) Debonair millionaire Fredrick Loren (Price) is having a birthday party for his fourth wife, Annabelle. Since it is well known that Fredrick and Annabelle’s house on the hill has been the site of seven (give or take) horrible deaths, Fredrick is compelled to offer invitees an incentive to RSVP besides the birthday cake. The enticement: $10,000 in cash for each of the five, if they’ll spend the entire night. Feeling it’s better to receive than to give, they accept Fredrick’s generosity, and the five guests gather at the house. When midnight arrives, the doors of the Loren home are locked tight, and the dour party games begin. In light of the fact that Fredrick parts with only $50,000 and not 100, we suggest eating only one-half of your 100 Grand candy bar, and save the other 50 grand to consume tomorrow. If, that is, you make it through the night… 

Previously on Home Projectionist

Posted by Dave on October 7, 2012
Posted in: Books, Film, History, Movies, Netflix Streaming, Quiz, Reviews. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

If you spent most of your time watching movies this past week, you might have missed these articles here at Home Projectionist:

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