ON THIS DAY in 54 A.D., the Roman Emperor, Claudius, was fatally poisoned. Claudius’ death was depicted in the 1976 BBC series, I, CLAUDIUS, starring Derek Jacobi.
movies
All posts tagged movies
Trick & Treat for October 12th:
THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951; starring James Arness, Kenneth Tobey; directed by Howard Hawks)
Near a cold and very remote Arctic research station, a large, unidentifiable flying object has apparently crashed. Scientists rush to the location and discover that the spacecraft is buried in ice. In the course of setting off thermal devices to free the craft, they’ve destroyed it. However, there’s a body–what appears to be the ship’s pilot. Cutting the body away within its slab of ice, they transport it back to the lab for safekeeping. Scientists being human, after all, they make mistakes. These scientists are, as we can see, no exception to the rule, as they allow a space heater to thaw the ice, uncovering a very large, very unhappy alien being (Gunsmoke’s James Arness), who, it’s soon apparent, dogs don’t like. Is it a letter carrier from another world? As it turns out, it’s more like a vegetable–a sort of carrot, to be precise. This carrot, like most carrots, keeps well in the fridge, and–like most monsters–it runs amok. And this being a 50s sci-fi film (and a very good one), there’s the requisite humanitarian, who begs we refrain from our animal urges and reason with the monster–er, carrot. Thus, he’s an expendable character. But meanwhile an ingenious plan to dispose of this veggie has been devised and implemented, and soon, it’s The End. Or is it? “Keep watching the skies!”, we are warned. Here’s another warning: beware of unwrapping “things”. Like your Zero bar, for instance. You just don’t really know what’s in it. 
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.
Good evening. If a director is going to tell a story that will interest the audience, it’s good to have structure. Oh, structure to the plot is good, too, of course. But we’re talking about actual structures. To be more precise, buildings, statues, and monuments. Important ones, impressive ones. Did these monuments, each of which appeared in a Hitchcock film, make an impression on you? Find out by taking this little quiz.
Good luck, Mr. Thornhill, wherever you are…
Take the Quiz!(*The quiz title was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest: “Something wrong with your eyes?” “Yes”, says the sunglass-clad Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant), “They’re sensitive to questions”. As Roger and Eve attempt to escape from Vandamm’s clutches, Roger suddenly realizes where the two of them are: “This is no good, we’re on top of the monument!”)
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.
ON THIS DAY in 1954, the Communist national independence coalition, the Viet Minh, took control of North Vietnam during the First Indochina War. The 1958 film, THE QUIET AMERICAN, with Michael Redgrave, based on the Graham Greene novel, was set during the period immediately preceding this event.
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.
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.
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.
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.
ON THIS DAY in 1940, John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England. The 2009 film, NOWHERE BOY, with Aaron Johnson and Kristin Scott Thomas, documented the early days of Lennon’s life.
ON THIS DAY in 1871, the Great Chicago Fire began, killing hundreds and destroying over 34 blocks of the city. The 1937 drama, IN OLD CHICAGO, starring Tyrone Power and Don Ameche, depicted the conflagration.
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… 
If you spent most of your time watching movies this past week, you might have missed these articles here at Home Projectionist:
- So Many Stories in “The Story of Film”
- Tricks & Treats: 31 Nights, 31 Frights, 31 Bites
- Streaming Surprises #7: Anna Lucasta
- “But first, a libation”: an Alfred Hitchcock film quiz
- From Print to Screen: The Quiet American – 1958 and 2002
- Art imitates life: The week’s Reel History
- Beatles Stories: a must-have DVD for fans
- All The King’s Men: The Perils of Political Power
- Dark Shadows 2012: Back to the coffin
Visit Home Projectionist on Facebook
ON THIS DAY in 1955, American poet Allen Ginsberg debuted his landmark poem Howl at the Six Gallery in San Francisco. This event was depicted in the 2010 film, HOWL, starring James Franco, David Strathairn, and Jon Hamm.
Today I learned that the first real movie star, Florence Lawrence, committed suicide with ant poison, that the first close up in cinema featured a sick kitty, and there was some hot erotic dancing going on in the silent movies.
Of course, the history of cinema is comprised of much more than the stuff of cocktail conversations. It’s a vast collection of stories that have impacted each and every one of our lives.
THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY (2011) is a 15-part, 15-hour documentary exploring the convergence of technology, business, intelligence, and vision that has created the remarkable and powerful art of cinema.
THE STORY OF FILM is quietly narrated by its creator, film critic and historian Mark Cousins. Part I of STORY includes “The Birth of the Cinema (1900 – 1920)” and “The Hollywood Dream (1920s),” which provides a sequence of mini tales featuring the inventors, the stars, the breakthroughs, and the innovations that started it all, from the Lumieres to Lloyd. The segments on the evolution of film editing are particularly strong.
Like a professor, Cousins will periodically veer into non-essential territory (like fretting over the glamour and the glossy veneer of Hollywood), which doesn’t particularly add to the narrative, but no matter. He has compiled an anthology of information and resources that will be turned to again and again.
Of course, because of the sheer breadth of material, Cousins must alight on some topics for only moments of time, leaving us wanting more. After seeing the shocking clip of Asta Nielsen’s erotic dance from the 1910 silent film THE ABYSS, for example, I am hoping that someone has created a documentary on THE HISTORY OF EROTIC DANCE IN SILENT FILMS.
(You can view the entire film at http://archive.org/details/Afgrunden_1910. The dance begins at 20:11 and there’s much more to it than in the clip above.)
Music Box Films is distributing the documentary, and Chicago’s Music Box Theater has just begun its multi-week screening of this ambitious effort. The DVD will be released in November 2012.
Next up is Part 2, “Expressionism, Impressionism and Surrealism: Golden Age of World Cinema (1920’s).” 
Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow
Home Projectionist 