Notizie

Since the early days of film, the Western genre has been a staple of the cinema world. Audiences around the world love tuning in for these stories of the West, often featuring cowboys, outlaws, and the sprawling settings of the American frontier. Of course, because of these factors, violence is often a very prominent element of these films. Many Western fans love when the dramatic showdowns between good and evil culminate in violent gunfights, explosions, and all-around calamity. However, it is essential to note that these aspects of the genre are not everyone's cup of tea.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of enjoyable Westerns that don't rely on these explosive elements. From beloved classics to modern stories, many films highlight the essential characters and settings of the genre without diving too deep into the violent side of life on the frontier. After all, even the most dedicated Western fans need...

Glurg garrgle gurgle raaaaw!  It's the razor-clawed reptile-man that scared the bejesus out of little kids, way back when. Jack Kevan's basic monster mash drags its feet a bit, but technically it's as slick as they come. Plus, the encoding is perfect. And did I mention the scary parts? This one inspired plenty of gory nightmares. The Monster of Piedras Blancas Blu-ray Olive Films 1959 / B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 71 min. / Street Date September 13, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98 Starring Les Tremayne, Forrest Lewis, John Harmon, Frank Arvidson, Jeanne Carmen, Don Sullivan, Pete Dunn, Joseph La Cava, Wayne Berwick. Cinematography Philip Lathrop Film Editor George Gittens Assistant Director Joseph C. Cavalier Written by H. Haile Chace Produced by Jack Kevan Directed by Irvin Berwick

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

We 'fifties kids love our monster movie memories. I was glued to the set every weekend to see what Science Fiction Theater had to offer,...

As Laura Mulvey’s essay, “An Articulate Screen” contends, 1955’s All That Heaven Allows was “just another critically unnoticed Hollywood genre product,” the attempt for a studio to repeat the pairing of stars Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman after the box office success of their work on the earlier Sirk title, Magnificent Obsession. But, the film has come to be one of Sirk’s signature pieces in an oeuvre astoundingly reconceived passionately by later generations of critics and international filmmakers, and rightly so. While his films can be classified as soapy melodramas, or that even more insidiously demeaning label, ‘women’s pictures,’ Sirk was hardly churning out tearjerker fodder—rather, his were insightful, complex portraits and elegant critiques of 1950’s social mores.

An upper class widow, Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) lives alone in her large home, her children Ned (William Reynolds) and Kay (Gloria Talbott) away at school and visiting on select holidays and weekends.