Welcome to the Hammer Factory. This month we dissect The Mummy’s Shroud (1967).
While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.
In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great visuals...
While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.
In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great visuals...
- 12/20/2023
- by Paul Farrell
- bloody-disgusting.com
Welcome to the Hammer Factory. This month we dissect Demons of the Mind (1972).
While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.
In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great...
While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.
In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great...
- 5/18/2023
- by Paul Farrell
- bloody-disgusting.com
Click here to read the full article.
Higher music streaming platform prices, kicking off with Apple Music’s recently-unveiled subscription price increase, have been welcomed by publicly traded label giant Universal Music Group, which reported its third quarter earnings on Thursday.
“They [Apple] strongly believe in the value of music and by making these pricing changes, artists and songwriters are going to earn more for the streaming of their music,” Michael Nash, executive vp of digital strategy at Umg, told analysts following the release of the company’s financial results.
During its latest quarter, Umg reported that overall revenue jumped 13.3 percent to 2.65 billion, as streaming and subscription revenue rose 7.7 percent.
Umg artists share in the royalties when their music is played on Apple Music, Spotify and other music streaming sites. Apple Music announced it will raise the price of its single plan by 1 per month to 10.99, its family plan by 2 per month to 16.99 per month,...
Higher music streaming platform prices, kicking off with Apple Music’s recently-unveiled subscription price increase, have been welcomed by publicly traded label giant Universal Music Group, which reported its third quarter earnings on Thursday.
“They [Apple] strongly believe in the value of music and by making these pricing changes, artists and songwriters are going to earn more for the streaming of their music,” Michael Nash, executive vp of digital strategy at Umg, told analysts following the release of the company’s financial results.
During its latest quarter, Umg reported that overall revenue jumped 13.3 percent to 2.65 billion, as streaming and subscription revenue rose 7.7 percent.
Umg artists share in the royalties when their music is played on Apple Music, Spotify and other music streaming sites. Apple Music announced it will raise the price of its single plan by 1 per month to 10.99, its family plan by 2 per month to 16.99 per month,...
- 10/27/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hammer Horror: the name rings so ubiquitously in the realms of cinema, and especially around Halloween. Hearing the name, you’re likely to picture one of a number of the British studio’s releases between the 1950s and early 1970s which boasted decadent set design and an intensity of fear and playfulness. A studio of progressive storytelling compared to other offerings of the time, in Hammer’s horror subdivision could be found Technicolor horror (and its subgenres), often sexually and socially provocative, taking classical source material and turning it on its head. Seen as vulgar to the critics, audiences loved the low-budget thrills of Hammer Horror as a refreshing alternative to Hollywood, with two actors in particular becoming distinct heroes of the cycle, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.But what are the sounds behind the horror? The wonder of movie soundtracks can be put on best display in the horror genre,...
- 10/24/2022
- MUBI
Yes, it’s Hammer’s grimy rags ‘n’ rock prehistoric saga, the notorious third caveman vs. dinosaurs spectacle that has no dinosaurs, leaving the ‘creatures’ of the title as a no-show. Director Don Chaffey does his best with a screenplay that Michael Carreras must have sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin. If you like rugged terrain and dusty dirty cavemen exposed to the elements — or you’re a Hammer completist — you’ve come to the right place.
Creatures the World Forgot
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date July 25, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Julie Ege, Tony Bonner, Robin John, Brian O’Shaughnessy, Sue Wilson, Rosalie Crutchley, Marcia Fox, Gerard Bonthuys, Hans Kiesouw, Josje Kiesouw, Beverly Blake, Doon Baide.
Cinematography: Vincent Cox
Production Designer: John Stoll
Special Effects: Sid Pearson (Sydney Pearson)
Film Editor: Chris Barnes
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Written and Produced by...
Creatures the World Forgot
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date July 25, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99
Starring: Julie Ege, Tony Bonner, Robin John, Brian O’Shaughnessy, Sue Wilson, Rosalie Crutchley, Marcia Fox, Gerard Bonthuys, Hans Kiesouw, Josje Kiesouw, Beverly Blake, Doon Baide.
Cinematography: Vincent Cox
Production Designer: John Stoll
Special Effects: Sid Pearson (Sydney Pearson)
Film Editor: Chris Barnes
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Written and Produced by...
- 10/8/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Known as “Call Him Mr. Shatter” in the U.S., this was the second of a three-movie deal co-production between Shaw Brothers and the British Hammer Film Productions. “The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires” starring Peter Cushing, David Chiang and Shih Szu was the first. Since both movies were box office failures, their third collaboration never materialized.
on Amazon
At the start of the movie, an assassin named Shatter (Stuart Whitman) is hired to kill an African dictator. His weapon of choice is a gun hidden inside a camera in which he kills his targets by taking their pictures. Maybe they should call him “Shutter” instead. Anyway, after the successful photo shoot, he heads to Hong Kong to meet Hans Leber (Anton Diffring) to collect his payment. But instead of getting his money, he soon discovers that he has become a target as the local hit-men...
on Amazon
At the start of the movie, an assassin named Shatter (Stuart Whitman) is hired to kill an African dictator. His weapon of choice is a gun hidden inside a camera in which he kills his targets by taking their pictures. Maybe they should call him “Shutter” instead. Anyway, after the successful photo shoot, he heads to Hong Kong to meet Hans Leber (Anton Diffring) to collect his payment. But instead of getting his money, he soon discovers that he has become a target as the local hit-men...
- 10/27/2021
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
Often for children of a similar vintage, the Saturday matinee was where our movie memories began and then flourished; we were shown sword-fighting skeletons, one-eyed ogres and metallic barn fowl, pretty girls in peril and giants with a grudge. Fantasy adventure was a familiar label to us afternoon filmgoers, and the more absurd the flick, the better. The Lost Continent (1968) didn’t cross my path as a kid, but it certainly would have fit right in with our weird fiction viewing habits at the time. Watching it as a significantly aged and occasionally cynical movie lover, one can see that love of pulp on display, with one important difference: this was made by Hammer Films.
Pulp? Without question. But filtered through Hammer’s latter day approach of looser morals and giddy blood spraying, The Lost Continent seems to be made for adults who missed the experience the first time around,...
Pulp? Without question. But filtered through Hammer’s latter day approach of looser morals and giddy blood spraying, The Lost Continent seems to be made for adults who missed the experience the first time around,...
- 10/31/2020
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Rip-roaring Oliver Reed’s silver-coated were-beast is one of Hammer Films’ very best screen monsters, which is more than enough reason to sample this colorful 1961 shocker. It was apparently ripped to shreds by the U.K. censors, a horror-crime spared us lucky Americans. The movie has been released more than once on Blu-ray but Shout’s new 4K scan restores it to prime condition. Numerous extras trace its stormy path through the slights and deletions of The Curse of the BBFC.
The Curse of the Werewolf
Blu-ray
Shout! Scream Factory
1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date April 21, 2020 / Collector’s Edition / Available from Scream Factory
Starring: Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain, Catherine Feller, Anthony Dawson.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Film Editor: Alfred Cox
Original Music: Benjamin Frankel
Written by John Elder (Anthony Hinds) from The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Hinds
Directed by Terence Fisher
When stab comes to gouge,...
The Curse of the Werewolf
Blu-ray
Shout! Scream Factory
1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date April 21, 2020 / Collector’s Edition / Available from Scream Factory
Starring: Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain, Catherine Feller, Anthony Dawson.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Film Editor: Alfred Cox
Original Music: Benjamin Frankel
Written by John Elder (Anthony Hinds) from The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Hinds
Directed by Terence Fisher
When stab comes to gouge,...
- 5/19/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Indicator delivers another in their long line of fan-friendly box sets with Hammer Volume Five – Death and Deceit (a subhead that could be applied to the majority of the studio’s output). This latest release would be for Hammer completists only were it not for the extras that shine a bright light on a few overlooked artists and their work.
Hammer Volume Five – Death and Deceit
Blu ray – Region B Only
Powerhouse Films/Indicator
1961, 1962, 1963, 1965 / 1.85:1, 2.35:1 / 75, 87, 83 and 81 min.
Starring Richard Basehart, Christopher Lee, Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed
Cinematography by Arthur Grant, Jack Asher, Reg Wyer
Directed by Michael Carreras, John Gilling
Michael Carreras’s Visa to Canton was a Cold War thriller photographed in Technicolor but released to U.S. theaters in black and white. To add insult to injury it was given a new and even more prosaic title: Passport to China – a fate this unassuming little Cold War thriller didn’t deserve.
Hammer Volume Five – Death and Deceit
Blu ray – Region B Only
Powerhouse Films/Indicator
1961, 1962, 1963, 1965 / 1.85:1, 2.35:1 / 75, 87, 83 and 81 min.
Starring Richard Basehart, Christopher Lee, Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed
Cinematography by Arthur Grant, Jack Asher, Reg Wyer
Directed by Michael Carreras, John Gilling
Michael Carreras’s Visa to Canton was a Cold War thriller photographed in Technicolor but released to U.S. theaters in black and white. To add insult to injury it was given a new and even more prosaic title: Passport to China – a fate this unassuming little Cold War thriller didn’t deserve.
- 3/17/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Directed by Terence Fisher (The Curse Of Frankenstein) starring Oliver Reed (Burnt Offerings), and based on Guy Endore's novel The Werewolf of Paris, the 1961 Hammer horror film The Curse of the Werewolf is coming to Blu-ray like never before in a new Collector's Edition from Scream Factory, and ahead of its April 21st release, we've been provided with the full list of bonus features and technical specs, including two new audio commentaries and a "4K scan from the interpositive."
We have the official press release with full details on The Curse of the Werewolf Collector's Edition Blu-ray, and to learn more, visit Scream Factory's official website.
Press Release: His beast-blood demanded him Kill ... Kill ... Kill! On April 21, 2020, Scream Factory™ is excited to present the highly sought-after Hammer Film cult classic The Curse Of The Werewolf Collector’s Edition Blu-ray. Directed by legendary horror filmmaker Terence Fisher, this horror classic stars...
We have the official press release with full details on The Curse of the Werewolf Collector's Edition Blu-ray, and to learn more, visit Scream Factory's official website.
Press Release: His beast-blood demanded him Kill ... Kill ... Kill! On April 21, 2020, Scream Factory™ is excited to present the highly sought-after Hammer Film cult classic The Curse Of The Werewolf Collector’s Edition Blu-ray. Directed by legendary horror filmmaker Terence Fisher, this horror classic stars...
- 3/12/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Hammer’s copycat Quatermass picture stands apart from similar ‘mystery sci-fi monster’ thrillers by virtue of its serious tone and realistic presentation. Talk about a sober semi-docu style: there are no major female roles and the leading character is a mass of radioactive mud. (Is there an election year joke in that?) Hammer found a new writer in Jimmy Sangster, imported the Yankee name actor Dean Jagger, tried to hire the expatriate director Joseph Losey. Former child actor Anthony Newley has a small part, but he doesn’t get to sing X’s theme song: “Who can I turn to, when nobody needs me, because the flesh is melting from my skull?”
X The Unknown
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1956 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 80 81? min. / X…the Unknown / Street Date February 18, 2020
Starring: Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern, Anthony Newley, William Lucas, Michael Ripper.
Cinematography: Gerald Gibbs
Film Editor: Philip Leakey
Makeup:...
X The Unknown
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1956 / B&w / 1:75 widescreen / 80 81? min. / X…the Unknown / Street Date February 18, 2020
Starring: Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern, Anthony Newley, William Lucas, Michael Ripper.
Cinematography: Gerald Gibbs
Film Editor: Philip Leakey
Makeup:...
- 2/15/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Just under the top echelon of British sci-fi lurks this well-produced, absorbing ‘expedition to terror!’ that surprises us by paying off on an intellectual plane. After building his monster but before defeating Dracula, Peter Cushing found himself in a real fix on a snowy mountain peak. Sure, the race of enormous Yeti are shiver-inducing, but Cushing must also withstand the mind games of a suspiciously solicitous Tibetan Lhama, and a piratical double-cross by an American huckster who goes by the deceptive name, ‘Friend.’
The Abominable Snowman
Blu-ray
Shout! Scream Factory
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 85, 90 min. / The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas / Street Date December 10, 2020
Starring: Peter Cushing, Forrest Tucker, Maureen Connell, Arnold Marlé, Richard Wattis, Robert Brown, Michael Brill, Wolfe Morris, Anthony Chinn.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Film Editor: Bill Lenny
Original Music: Humphrey Searle
Written by Nigel Kneale from his teleplay The Creature
Produced by Aubrey Baring, Michael Carreras, Anthony Nelson-Keys...
The Abominable Snowman
Blu-ray
Shout! Scream Factory
1957 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 85, 90 min. / The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas / Street Date December 10, 2020
Starring: Peter Cushing, Forrest Tucker, Maureen Connell, Arnold Marlé, Richard Wattis, Robert Brown, Michael Brill, Wolfe Morris, Anthony Chinn.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Film Editor: Bill Lenny
Original Music: Humphrey Searle
Written by Nigel Kneale from his teleplay The Creature
Produced by Aubrey Baring, Michael Carreras, Anthony Nelson-Keys...
- 2/1/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Powerhouse Indicator continues its series of exotic attractions from the house of Hammer with four more titles, three of which are front-rank winners. Once again, the company’s extras make all the difference. We’re’ given alternate versions, censor comparisons, and for one reel, an entire roll of outtakes and stage waits featuring Peter Cushing.
Hammer Volume Four Faces of Fear
Region Free Blu-ray
The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Taste of Fear, The Damned (These Are the Damned)
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1962 / Color & B&w / 1:66, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date November 25, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £42.99
Directed by Terence Fisher (2), Seth Holt, Joseph Losey
Powerhouse Indicator’s fourth collection of Hammer attractions shows no sign of compromise — three out of four titles here are superb tales of fright and science fiction. Thanks to the company policy of leaving no gravestone unturned, the exclusive special extras never stop.
Hammer Volume Four Faces of Fear
Region Free Blu-ray
The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Taste of Fear, The Damned (These Are the Damned)
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1962 / Color & B&w / 1:66, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date November 25, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £42.99
Directed by Terence Fisher (2), Seth Holt, Joseph Losey
Powerhouse Indicator’s fourth collection of Hammer attractions shows no sign of compromise — three out of four titles here are superb tales of fright and science fiction. Thanks to the company policy of leaving no gravestone unturned, the exclusive special extras never stop.
- 11/2/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“Kinder der Eisigen Dunkelheit!” If those words don’t give you a chill, you may be one of ‘The Damned.’ Joseph Losey’s fascinatingly morbid reflection on atomic terror was too much for England in 1961, wasn’t released in the U.S. for four full years, and then only after being shorn of nine minutes of footage. An ‘impossible’ Cold War scenario puts military authority on the same moral plane as delinquent street thugs. Losey transplants his subversive sensibility to England, and the result is one of the top political sci-fi tales of all time.
These are the Damned
Blu-ray
Explosive Media GmbH
1961 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date June 13, 2019 /Sie Sind Verdammt / Available from Amazon.de
Starring: Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Knox, Oliver Reed, Walter Gotell, James Villiers, Tom Kempinski, Kenneth Cope, Brian Oulton, Rachel Clay, Caroline Sheldon, Rebecca Dignam, Siobhan Taylor, Nicholas Clay.
Cinematography:...
These are the Damned
Blu-ray
Explosive Media GmbH
1961 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date June 13, 2019 /Sie Sind Verdammt / Available from Amazon.de
Starring: Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors, Alexander Knox, Oliver Reed, Walter Gotell, James Villiers, Tom Kempinski, Kenneth Cope, Brian Oulton, Rachel Clay, Caroline Sheldon, Rebecca Dignam, Siobhan Taylor, Nicholas Clay.
Cinematography:...
- 7/6/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The best of all Hammer horror pictures finally comes to Region A Blu-ray, with a bright transfer made to look like original Technicolor prints. This is where Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing came into their own as international stars, as the undead Count Dracula and the no-nonsense vampire killer Van Helsing. It’s the bridge between old-school gothic horrors and the modern age of sex and gore, and it’s as exciting as a breakneck action serial.
Horror of Dracula (Dracula)
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1958 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, Olga Dickie, John Van Eyssen, Valerie Gaunt, Janina Faye.
Cinematography: Jack Asher
Film Editor: Bill Lenny
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
:Makeup Artist: Philip Leakey
Original Music: James Bernard
Written by Jimmy Sangster
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Hinds, Anthony Nelson Keys
Directed by...
Horror of Dracula (Dracula)
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1958 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 82 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, Olga Dickie, John Van Eyssen, Valerie Gaunt, Janina Faye.
Cinematography: Jack Asher
Film Editor: Bill Lenny
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
:Makeup Artist: Philip Leakey
Original Music: James Bernard
Written by Jimmy Sangster
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Hinds, Anthony Nelson Keys
Directed by...
- 12/8/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Dracula and Van Helsing seem more than a little confused, fighting the good fight of virtue against evil in a modern setting dominated by painful Mod fashions and flaky pop rock ‘n’ roll. Hammer’s desperation bid to make itself ‘relevant’ at least gives us Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, who keep the show on the rails despite the disastrous concept. The two leading ladies are favorites as well.
Dracula A.D. 1972
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
11972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date October 16, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame, Michael Coles, Marsha A. Hunt, Caroline Munro
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Production Designer: Don Mingaye
Film Editor: James Needs
Original Music: Tim Barnes
Written by: Don Houghton
Produced by: Michael Carreras, Josephine Douglas
Directed by Alan Gibson
“But the movie is terrible.”
“Don’t worry about that. Caroline Munro looks great, that’s all you need to know.
Dracula A.D. 1972
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
11972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date October 16, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame, Michael Coles, Marsha A. Hunt, Caroline Munro
Cinematography: Dick Bush
Production Designer: Don Mingaye
Film Editor: James Needs
Original Music: Tim Barnes
Written by: Don Houghton
Produced by: Michael Carreras, Josephine Douglas
Directed by Alan Gibson
“But the movie is terrible.”
“Don’t worry about that. Caroline Munro looks great, that’s all you need to know.
- 10/20/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Classic horror film lovers get excited, as Turner Classic Movies just unveiled its movie lineup for the Halloween season. I’d run through and list all the classics that will be popping up throughout the month, but there’s just too many to list. This is Turner Classic Movies after all. Check out the full lineup below, and let us know if you’re excited for any of these! (via Bloody Disgusting)
Wednesday October 3, 2018
8:00 Pm The Unknown (1927) Dir: Tod Browning
9:00 Pm The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Dir: Rupert Julian
10:45 Pm The Monster (1925) Dir: Roland West
Thursday October 4, 2018
12:30 Am The Penalty (1920) Dir: Wallace Worsley
2:15 Am The Unholy Three (1925) Dir: Tod Browning.
4:00 Am He Who Gets Slapped (1924) Dir: Victor Seastrom
Saturday October 6, 2018
2:00 Am Deadly Friend (1986) Dir: Wes Craven
3:45 Am Demon Seed (1977) Dir. Donald Cammell
Sunday October 7, 2018
8:00 Pm The Mummy’s Hand (1940) Dir: Christy...
Wednesday October 3, 2018
8:00 Pm The Unknown (1927) Dir: Tod Browning
9:00 Pm The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Dir: Rupert Julian
10:45 Pm The Monster (1925) Dir: Roland West
Thursday October 4, 2018
12:30 Am The Penalty (1920) Dir: Wallace Worsley
2:15 Am The Unholy Three (1925) Dir: Tod Browning.
4:00 Am He Who Gets Slapped (1924) Dir: Victor Seastrom
Saturday October 6, 2018
2:00 Am Deadly Friend (1986) Dir: Wes Craven
3:45 Am Demon Seed (1977) Dir. Donald Cammell
Sunday October 7, 2018
8:00 Pm The Mummy’s Hand (1940) Dir: Christy...
- 9/16/2018
- by Mick Joest
- GeekTyrant
Powerhouse Indicator continues its series of exotic attractions from the house of Hammer — productions that found new ways to shock audiences than tradition-breaking gore and violence. Two are war pictures with sharply contrasting themes, and the second pair constitute a popular-cinema referendum on racist colonial attitudes.
Hammer Volume 3 Blood and Terror
Blu-ray
The Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday’s Enemy, The Stranglers of Bombay, The Terror of the Tongs
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1960 / Color / B&W / 1:85, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £44.99
Directed by Val Guest, Terence Fisher, Anthony Bushell
It’s true — unless one is a full-on Hammer true believer that considers The Brigand of Kandahar and Creatures the World Forgot to be timeless classics, delving into the lesser-known Hammer films can be a case of diminishing returns. But when the company got truly creative, either with a radical screenplay or a committed director — Terence Fisher,...
Hammer Volume 3 Blood and Terror
Blu-ray
The Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday’s Enemy, The Stranglers of Bombay, The Terror of the Tongs
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1960 / Color / B&W / 1:85, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £44.99
Directed by Val Guest, Terence Fisher, Anthony Bushell
It’s true — unless one is a full-on Hammer true believer that considers The Brigand of Kandahar and Creatures the World Forgot to be timeless classics, delving into the lesser-known Hammer films can be a case of diminishing returns. But when the company got truly creative, either with a radical screenplay or a committed director — Terence Fisher,...
- 8/14/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
New York's Quad Cinema got this summer off to a bloody good start with part 1 of their "Hammer's House of Horror" movie retrospective series featuring 32 films from the Hammer vault. On July 20th, the Quad Cinema team will continue the frights and fun with part 2 of their special Hammer horror screenings, and we've been provided with exclusive details on the second half of their retrospective series that's aptly titled "The Decadent Years."
From July 20th–August 2nd, Quad Cinema will screen a wide range of Hammer horror films from "The Decadent Years," including Dracula A.D. 1972, Countess Dracula, Twins of Evil, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and many more! There will be 25 total titles shown (all of them from 1967–1976), with 20 of the films screened in glorious 35mm.
Below, we have the full list of titles screening as part of Hammer's House of Horror Part II, and to learn more about screening dates and times,...
From July 20th–August 2nd, Quad Cinema will screen a wide range of Hammer horror films from "The Decadent Years," including Dracula A.D. 1972, Countess Dracula, Twins of Evil, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and many more! There will be 25 total titles shown (all of them from 1967–1976), with 20 of the films screened in glorious 35mm.
Below, we have the full list of titles screening as part of Hammer's House of Horror Part II, and to learn more about screening dates and times,...
- 6/28/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Last year, New York's Quad Cinema paid tribute to Mario Bava with a 21-film, multi-day marathon, and this summer they're heating up the big screen once again with a two-part Hammer horror movies celebration, and we've been provided with the exclusive details on part 1 of their massive celebration of Hammer movies from 1956–1967.
Read the official press release below for all 32 titles (21 of which will be displayed in 35mm) in part 1 of the Quad's Hammer movie marathon, and keep an eye on their website for more information!
Press Release: May 30 - June 19 It's a chilling season at the Quad! Brace yourself for mummies, vampires, werewolves, and more with our extensive two-part retrospective celebrating Britain's genre studio powerhouse, Hammer Films
Throughout film history, many countries have had their own point-of-pride movie studios; Britain can claim several, whether as backlots or sites of creative capital. In Hammer Films, a genre-oriented counterpart to Ealing Films,...
Read the official press release below for all 32 titles (21 of which will be displayed in 35mm) in part 1 of the Quad's Hammer movie marathon, and keep an eye on their website for more information!
Press Release: May 30 - June 19 It's a chilling season at the Quad! Brace yourself for mummies, vampires, werewolves, and more with our extensive two-part retrospective celebrating Britain's genre studio powerhouse, Hammer Films
Throughout film history, many countries have had their own point-of-pride movie studios; Britain can claim several, whether as backlots or sites of creative capital. In Hammer Films, a genre-oriented counterpart to Ealing Films,...
- 5/11/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
With nearly two years of worthy Blu ray releases under their belt, ranging from traditional favorites like To Sir With Love to rare essentials like Jack Clayton’s The Pumpkin Eater, it can be said that UK’s Indicator has finally shed their rookie status. Their newest effort is Hammer Volume Two: Criminal Intent, a well-programmed package of that studio’s little seen crime films featuring two minor classics and a couple of honorable misfires, all in glorious black and white.
The Snorkel
1958 – 74 Minutes
Written by Peter Myers and Jimmy Sangster
Produced by Michael Carreras
Directed by Guy Green
Featuring the sloppiest killer this side of the Coen Brothers and the least curious investigator since Chief Wiggum, 1961’s The Snorkel, with its urbane villain and Riviera scenery, is positively Hitchcockian in its intent but definitely not in its execution.
Shadow of a Doubt dogs this story of a young teen...
The Snorkel
1958 – 74 Minutes
Written by Peter Myers and Jimmy Sangster
Produced by Michael Carreras
Directed by Guy Green
Featuring the sloppiest killer this side of the Coen Brothers and the least curious investigator since Chief Wiggum, 1961’s The Snorkel, with its urbane villain and Riviera scenery, is positively Hitchcockian in its intent but definitely not in its execution.
Shadow of a Doubt dogs this story of a young teen...
- 3/6/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Can a pirate be a substitute monster? Hammer Films gives yet another genre a spin with this box-office winner that launched a sideline in costume adventures. The Hammer crew makes it work: Christopher Lee, Marla Landi, Marie Devereaux, Michael Ripper, Oliver Reed and Andrew Keir, plus yank assistance from Kerwin Mathews and Glenn Corbett.
The Pirates of Blood River
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date October 17, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Kerwin Mathews, Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, Glenn Corbett, Marla Landi, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne, Oliver Reed, Marie Devereux.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Production Design: Bernard Robinson
Art Direction: Don Mingaye
Film Editor: Eric Boyd-Perkins
Original Music: Gary Hughes
Written by John Hunter, John Gilling, Jimmy Sangster
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Nelson-Keys
Directed by John Gilling
Hammer Films didn’t start out as a horror studio, but after their big Technicolor successes in 1957-...
The Pirates of Blood River
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1962 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date October 17, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: Kerwin Mathews, Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, Glenn Corbett, Marla Landi, Michael Ripper, Peter Arne, Oliver Reed, Marie Devereux.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Production Design: Bernard Robinson
Art Direction: Don Mingaye
Film Editor: Eric Boyd-Perkins
Original Music: Gary Hughes
Written by John Hunter, John Gilling, Jimmy Sangster
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Nelson-Keys
Directed by John Gilling
Hammer Films didn’t start out as a horror studio, but after their big Technicolor successes in 1957-...
- 11/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Starting out in 1939 as the little studio that could, Hammer would finally make their reputation in the late fifties reimagining Universal’s black and white horrors as eye-popping Technicolor gothics – their pictorial beauty, thanks to cameramen like Jack Asher and Arthur Ibbetson, was fundamental to the studio’s legacy. So it’s been more than a little frustrating to see such disrespect visited upon these films by home video companies happy to smother the market with grainy prints, incoherent cropping and under-saturated colors. The House of Hammer and the film community in general deserve far better than that.
Thanks to Indicator, the home video arm of Powerhouse films based in the UK, those wrongs are beginning to be righted, starting with their impressive new release of Hammer shockers, Fear Warning! Even better news for stateside fans; the set is region-free, ready to be relished the world over.
Hammer Vol. 1 – Fear Warning!
Thanks to Indicator, the home video arm of Powerhouse films based in the UK, those wrongs are beginning to be righted, starting with their impressive new release of Hammer shockers, Fear Warning! Even better news for stateside fans; the set is region-free, ready to be relished the world over.
Hammer Vol. 1 – Fear Warning!
- 10/31/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Here’s a spicy hot take—I’m as far as one could get from excited for Universal’s new film The Mummy. This isn’t exactly the movie’s fault, per se, as much as it is the world the movie inhabits, a sort of bizarro realm where a Brian Tyler-scored Tom Cruise action spectacle that’s meant to lay the groundwork for a Marvel-style cinematic universe, complete with Dr. Jekyll in the role of Nick Fury, is the most commercially viable way to make a movie about an ancient mummy’s curse. Now, I can see why the film’s being made, and you can’t exactly fault a studio for wanting to chase the money train that is the McU, but personally, I couldn’t care less about the picture being released. Because when I think of mummies, I don’t think of Tom Cruise, or Brendan Fraser,...
- 6/9/2017
- by Perry Ruhland
- DailyDead
A thyroid operation every ten years, plus regular libations of an eerie green liquid, has allowed Anton Diffring to live over a hundred years without looking a year over forty. Hammer’s medical horror show features Christopher Lee, Hazel Court and sumptuous cinematography, but not a whole lot of surprises.
The Man Who Could Cheat Death
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / Color/ 1:66 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marle, Delphi Lawrence.
Cinematography: Jack Asher
Production Design: Bernard Robinson
Art Direction: Roy Ashton
Film Editor: John Dunsford
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Jimmy Sangster from a play by Barré Lyndon
Produced by Michael Carreras
Directed by Terence Fisher
For its first two years of Technicolor horror Hammer Films could seemingly do no wrong. In just a few months their revivals of classic horror motifs were being bankrolled and...
The Man Who Could Cheat Death
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / Color/ 1:66 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date March 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marle, Delphi Lawrence.
Cinematography: Jack Asher
Production Design: Bernard Robinson
Art Direction: Roy Ashton
Film Editor: John Dunsford
Original Music: Richard Rodney Bennett
Written by Jimmy Sangster from a play by Barré Lyndon
Produced by Michael Carreras
Directed by Terence Fisher
For its first two years of Technicolor horror Hammer Films could seemingly do no wrong. In just a few months their revivals of classic horror motifs were being bankrolled and...
- 3/7/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One Million Years B.C.
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1966 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 91, 100 min. / Street Date February 14, 2017 / Available from Kino Lorber 29.95
Starring: Raquel Welch, John Richardson, Percy Herbert, Robert Brown, Martine Beswick
Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper
Special visual effects: Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Robert Jones
Film Editor: Tom Simpson
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Written by: Michael Carreras from a 1940 screenplay by George Baker
Produced by: Michael Carreras, Hal Roach, Aida Young
Directed by Don Chaffey
Here’s a title we haven’t seen in a while, and that we’ve never seen at this level of quality. Hammer Films’ most successful release ever, One Million Years B.C. launched a new film star. I count myself among the zillions of kids that pinned her poster on my bedroom wall. At age fifteen, the release of a new Harryhausen film was so important to me that I begged my slightly older neighbor to take me to the drive-in,...
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1966 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 91, 100 min. / Street Date February 14, 2017 / Available from Kino Lorber 29.95
Starring: Raquel Welch, John Richardson, Percy Herbert, Robert Brown, Martine Beswick
Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper
Special visual effects: Ray Harryhausen
Art Direction: Robert Jones
Film Editor: Tom Simpson
Original Music: Mario Nascimbene
Written by: Michael Carreras from a 1940 screenplay by George Baker
Produced by: Michael Carreras, Hal Roach, Aida Young
Directed by Don Chaffey
Here’s a title we haven’t seen in a while, and that we’ve never seen at this level of quality. Hammer Films’ most successful release ever, One Million Years B.C. launched a new film star. I count myself among the zillions of kids that pinned her poster on my bedroom wall. At age fifteen, the release of a new Harryhausen film was so important to me that I begged my slightly older neighbor to take me to the drive-in,...
- 2/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Hammer hits one out of the park with this 'ripping good' Sherlock Holmes tale, tilted heavily toward gothic mystery and horror. Peter Cushing and André Morell excel in heroic roles, while Christopher Lee doesn't have to play a monster, just a coward. Terence Fisher's directing skill is at its height. The Hound of the Baskervilles Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1959 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 86 min. / Ship Date June 14, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Peter Cushing, André Morell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi, David Oxley, Francis De Wolff, Miles Malleson, Ewen Solon. Cinematography Jack Asher Production Designer Bernard Robinson Film Editor Alfred Cox Original Music James Bernard Written by Peter Bryan from the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle Produced by Michael Carreras & Anthony Hinds Directed by Terence Fisher
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In addition to their straight-up gothic horrors, Hammer films produced films in other genres, such as costume adventures and war pictures.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
In addition to their straight-up gothic horrors, Hammer films produced films in other genres, such as costume adventures and war pictures.
- 6/18/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Warners answers the call for Hammer horror with four nifty thrillers starring the great Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The transfers are immaculate -- Technicolor was never richer than this. The only drawback is that Chris Lee's Dracula has so few lines of dialogue. On hi-def, Cushing's Frankenstein movie is a major re-discovery as well. Horror Classics: Four Chilling Movies from Hammer Films Blu-ray The Mummy, Dracula has Risen from the Grave, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Taste the Blood of Dracula Warner Home Video 1959-1970 / Color / 1:66 - 1:78 widescreen / 376 min. / Street Date October 6, 2015 / 54.96 Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, George Pastell, Michael Ripper; Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Barbara Ewing, Barry Andrews, Ewan Hooper, Michael Ripper; Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, Freddie Jones, Simon Ward, Thorley Walters, Maxine Audley; Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, Linda Hayden, Isla Blair, John Carson, Ralph Bates, Roy Kinnear. <Cinematography Jack Asher; Arthur Grant; Arthur Grant; Arthur Grant.
- 10/6/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Of the five live action shorts nominated for an Academy Award this year, Chinese filmmaker Hu Wei’s “Butter Lamp” (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak) is the most unconventional cinematic statement. Shot in a single location and with an entire cast of non-professional actors, the film captures a fictional moment in time in the fast-changing lives of a real community. The events are scripted; the individuals recreating them are truly part of this world.
Nameless people from all walks of life within a Tibetan community take advantage of the rare opportunity to get their picture taken against an array of backgrounds that range from holy sites to the busy city streets. Through the interactions between the traveling photographer and the Tibetan nomads, we learn about the subtle but irreversible clash between their traditional lifestyle and the ravaging hunger of the modern world. The latter is eager to eradicate all that is considered obsolete.
Cell phones, a motorbike, and Western-style clothing are all signs of this voracious transformation that has no boundaries. Homogenizing all aspects of human life, even in remote areas of the planet, is eradicating ancient practices that contribute to our rich diversity.
Subtly and with a unique format, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker expresses his concern regarding this in his enthralling 15-minute short. Hu Wei is in Los Angeles partaking in all the Oscar-related events and met with us for a conversation about his unexpectedly successful work.
Aguilar: “Butter Lamp” feels like it exists in a place between documentary and fiction. Why did you opt for the latter? Was making it a non-fiction film a possibility you considered?
Hu Wei: Firs of all, there cannot be a documentary about these events or these stories because such practice of people taking photos against backgrounds like these doesn’t exist in Tibet. However, it’s very popular in Mainland China. Also, from the very beginning this film was always conceived as fiction. It cannot be a documentary. It has to be a narrative.
Aguilar: Was the entire cast made of non-professional actors?
Hu Wei: They were non-actors, but the scenes were rehearsed. This is my third short film and I’ve never worked with professional actors. I prefer to work with non-professionals because what I want to get across can only be express by these people.
Aguilar: Globalization seems to be changing the way these people live even if it’s subtle. Is this clash between tradition and modernity something that concerns you?
Hu Wei: What I wanted to express in the film is that there are already changes happening among the Tibetan people. You can see things like the motorbike or the cell phones that everyone uses. This is an ever-changing process in which people are changing by globalization and modernization happening around the world everyday. The Tibetan people are included in this process. Everyday is different than the one before, so what I wanted to do was to capture the current state, which might vanish very soon. I wanted to encompass all the changes that are happening right now in this 15-minute short film. That’s why I used the photographs as main element in the film.
Aguilar: How did you get involved with the Tibetan people and why did you feel photography had to be the central element in the film?
Hu Wei: For me a taking photograph is similar to how one preserves a mummy. Everything that happens in the film is vanishing, so maybe the things we see there, which existed when I was making the film, have already disappeared. What inspired me to create this film in the first place was my experience in university from 2004 to 2006. During these three years I visited Tibet three times, once each year.
When I was there the first time I visited this little village and there were about 20 Tibetan nomad families living there in this vast land. I lived there with one of these families, and I took photographs for them as well as for their neighbors and other families in the village. The following year when I returned to the same village there were only about 10 households left. I had brought back the photographs I took of them because I had promised to give them to them because they had never had their phonograph taken. Sadly, the family I had stayed with the first time was now gone as well as some of the other families. I was very upset.
Then, the third year when I went back to this village, there were only 3 households left. I was wondering were all those people went and I learned that they left because of a new Socialist countryside program, which offered free housing in new buildings for these nomad people to give up their traditional lifestyle. It was just like what happens in the film, when the chief of the village announces that there will be visitors in charge this new program. This is why these people are moving away from their villages and why these changes are taking place.
Aguilar: By getting their photographs taken are these people preserving their identity? Was this something you thought about while developing the film?
Hu Wei: After I finished university in China I went to France in 2008, and I was a foreign student there. During the years I lived in France I thought a lot about the issue of identity. Being there made me rethink this. I’m originally from China, but how much of my Chinese cultural tradition did I carry with me while I was there? I feel that when I was in France I was in an isolated island. I was neither French nor Chinese at that moment. This developed a certain anxiety regarding identity.
At the same time I thought about my experiences in Tibet. What these people feel is similar to what I was experiencing in France. While there, I went to an art exhibit in Paris and I saw a photograph from Michael Nash called Warsaw, 1946. I was really touched by it. What I studied in Paris was painting, installation art, and photography. Paintings and photographs are 2D mediums, and what I had studied in China was filmmaking, which is tridimensional. They are quite different mediums but I still found this photograph intriguing.
What really attracted me to this photograph was the attitude of this old lady, she is smiling, which reminded me of the optimistic people living in Tibet. Even if this woman just lost her home because of the war, she is taking a photograph against this artificial background. She is very optimistic.
Aguilar: In your film another interesting element is the clothing that the photographer puts on these people. Jackets, sunglasses, and other Western-style garments. But there is one young guy that refuses to take the photograph because he doesn’t want to change his clothes. Tell me about the significant of these elements.
Hu Wei: What this particular character was wearing is the traditional Tibetan clothing, but in fact many of the Tibetan youth don’t’ want to wear the traditional outfit anymore. They want to look like everyone else in the world. In the case of my character, his mother made the leather jacket he wears, and after she died he decided not to take it off, even if it’s pretty hot during that time.
Because other young people are no longer wearing traditional clothes, he is now the one who is different. At the end of the film he brings this butter lamp for the photographer to take to Potala Palace. It’s for the monks to burn in order to mourn his mother. But to me it’s not just about his mother, it’s also about mourning the culture and traditions that are dying and disappearing.
Aguilar: When the photographer is ready to leave, we see this unfinished bridge in the background. It’s a powerful image that shows us how rapidly the urban sprawl is advancing.
Hu Wei: This image is a metaphor. The bridge you see in the background wasn’t really there. It was done through VFX. The bridge we see is still in construction and it represents the road towards modernity. This town is on a plateau, which is about 5000 meters above sea level. The geographical location preserved their tradition for a long time, but today even a place as isolated as this is subjected to changes.
Aguilar: How did you get involved with the project Julien?
Julien Féret : We met in Paris when he was studying there. He told me he had this idea and I read the script. I thought it was a very particular project. It took us a long time to make it, although it didn't take us long to get the financing because we had the chance to be funded by the French National Center for Cinematography and a French TV Channel. It was very complicated to make it happen and to shoot out there in Tibet with the local people.
Aguilar: How was the process of finding the specific people you needed to tell such particular story?
Hu Wei: Before we started shooting we went to a lot of different locations and we met with many Tibetan nomads. We went around the households in the area asking people if they wanted to be part of the film. Of course, some did accept and others would say no. With the ones who were willing to participate we rehearsed for five days before shooting. Then we took one day off, and then we shot the film for five days.
Aguilar: Given that the film takes place in a single location why did you decide to shoot on location in Tibet? Could you have done it anywhere else?
Hu Wei: At the beginning Julien and other people suggested we should make the film in France. There are a lot of Tibetan people there who could make it happen, but the most important thing for me was the authenticity. I felt that I could only find people in this particular state of mind or situation in the actual place: Tibet. These are people who had never had their photograph taken, much less being filmed, and they have a unique attitude towards things. They were all really excited.
Aguilar: The Academy Award nomination might be the culminating point for “Butter Lamp,” but the film has had a long journey to get to this point.
Hu Wei: "Butter Lamp" was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013, and from that point on it has been selected by over 300 film festivals. I'm very glad that I've been able to share this 15-minute short with people from different countries, backgrounds, and religions.
Aguilar: Tell me about your Oscar experience
Hu Wei: I was quite surprised because I feel like "Butter Lamp" is not your typical Oscar-nominated short film. I’m very happy we are nominated.
Aguilar: Your film has connected with an incredible amount of people during its festival run. Why do you think people have found it so appealing even if they don’t know anything about this part of the world?
Hu Wei: I created this film based on my own experience. For me it’s like looking into a mirror. When I look at these Tibetan people I also look at myself and how I've changed because of globalization and modernization. I also think about where these changes are leading us. Maybe other people felt the same way when watching it. The film also uses a quite unique format and that might also be part of why people where drawn to it.
Aguilar: What are you working on now, a feature film perhaps?
Hu Wei: Right now I'm writing a script for a feature and I'm working on another short film about one person living alone in a tropical forest. Throughout the whole film there is no dialogue. We are still deciding where we are going to shoot it.
Nameless people from all walks of life within a Tibetan community take advantage of the rare opportunity to get their picture taken against an array of backgrounds that range from holy sites to the busy city streets. Through the interactions between the traveling photographer and the Tibetan nomads, we learn about the subtle but irreversible clash between their traditional lifestyle and the ravaging hunger of the modern world. The latter is eager to eradicate all that is considered obsolete.
Cell phones, a motorbike, and Western-style clothing are all signs of this voracious transformation that has no boundaries. Homogenizing all aspects of human life, even in remote areas of the planet, is eradicating ancient practices that contribute to our rich diversity.
Subtly and with a unique format, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker expresses his concern regarding this in his enthralling 15-minute short. Hu Wei is in Los Angeles partaking in all the Oscar-related events and met with us for a conversation about his unexpectedly successful work.
Aguilar: “Butter Lamp” feels like it exists in a place between documentary and fiction. Why did you opt for the latter? Was making it a non-fiction film a possibility you considered?
Hu Wei: Firs of all, there cannot be a documentary about these events or these stories because such practice of people taking photos against backgrounds like these doesn’t exist in Tibet. However, it’s very popular in Mainland China. Also, from the very beginning this film was always conceived as fiction. It cannot be a documentary. It has to be a narrative.
Aguilar: Was the entire cast made of non-professional actors?
Hu Wei: They were non-actors, but the scenes were rehearsed. This is my third short film and I’ve never worked with professional actors. I prefer to work with non-professionals because what I want to get across can only be express by these people.
Aguilar: Globalization seems to be changing the way these people live even if it’s subtle. Is this clash between tradition and modernity something that concerns you?
Hu Wei: What I wanted to express in the film is that there are already changes happening among the Tibetan people. You can see things like the motorbike or the cell phones that everyone uses. This is an ever-changing process in which people are changing by globalization and modernization happening around the world everyday. The Tibetan people are included in this process. Everyday is different than the one before, so what I wanted to do was to capture the current state, which might vanish very soon. I wanted to encompass all the changes that are happening right now in this 15-minute short film. That’s why I used the photographs as main element in the film.
Aguilar: How did you get involved with the Tibetan people and why did you feel photography had to be the central element in the film?
Hu Wei: For me a taking photograph is similar to how one preserves a mummy. Everything that happens in the film is vanishing, so maybe the things we see there, which existed when I was making the film, have already disappeared. What inspired me to create this film in the first place was my experience in university from 2004 to 2006. During these three years I visited Tibet three times, once each year.
When I was there the first time I visited this little village and there were about 20 Tibetan nomad families living there in this vast land. I lived there with one of these families, and I took photographs for them as well as for their neighbors and other families in the village. The following year when I returned to the same village there were only about 10 households left. I had brought back the photographs I took of them because I had promised to give them to them because they had never had their phonograph taken. Sadly, the family I had stayed with the first time was now gone as well as some of the other families. I was very upset.
Then, the third year when I went back to this village, there were only 3 households left. I was wondering were all those people went and I learned that they left because of a new Socialist countryside program, which offered free housing in new buildings for these nomad people to give up their traditional lifestyle. It was just like what happens in the film, when the chief of the village announces that there will be visitors in charge this new program. This is why these people are moving away from their villages and why these changes are taking place.
Aguilar: By getting their photographs taken are these people preserving their identity? Was this something you thought about while developing the film?
Hu Wei: After I finished university in China I went to France in 2008, and I was a foreign student there. During the years I lived in France I thought a lot about the issue of identity. Being there made me rethink this. I’m originally from China, but how much of my Chinese cultural tradition did I carry with me while I was there? I feel that when I was in France I was in an isolated island. I was neither French nor Chinese at that moment. This developed a certain anxiety regarding identity.
At the same time I thought about my experiences in Tibet. What these people feel is similar to what I was experiencing in France. While there, I went to an art exhibit in Paris and I saw a photograph from Michael Nash called Warsaw, 1946. I was really touched by it. What I studied in Paris was painting, installation art, and photography. Paintings and photographs are 2D mediums, and what I had studied in China was filmmaking, which is tridimensional. They are quite different mediums but I still found this photograph intriguing.
What really attracted me to this photograph was the attitude of this old lady, she is smiling, which reminded me of the optimistic people living in Tibet. Even if this woman just lost her home because of the war, she is taking a photograph against this artificial background. She is very optimistic.
Aguilar: In your film another interesting element is the clothing that the photographer puts on these people. Jackets, sunglasses, and other Western-style garments. But there is one young guy that refuses to take the photograph because he doesn’t want to change his clothes. Tell me about the significant of these elements.
Hu Wei: What this particular character was wearing is the traditional Tibetan clothing, but in fact many of the Tibetan youth don’t’ want to wear the traditional outfit anymore. They want to look like everyone else in the world. In the case of my character, his mother made the leather jacket he wears, and after she died he decided not to take it off, even if it’s pretty hot during that time.
Because other young people are no longer wearing traditional clothes, he is now the one who is different. At the end of the film he brings this butter lamp for the photographer to take to Potala Palace. It’s for the monks to burn in order to mourn his mother. But to me it’s not just about his mother, it’s also about mourning the culture and traditions that are dying and disappearing.
Aguilar: When the photographer is ready to leave, we see this unfinished bridge in the background. It’s a powerful image that shows us how rapidly the urban sprawl is advancing.
Hu Wei: This image is a metaphor. The bridge you see in the background wasn’t really there. It was done through VFX. The bridge we see is still in construction and it represents the road towards modernity. This town is on a plateau, which is about 5000 meters above sea level. The geographical location preserved their tradition for a long time, but today even a place as isolated as this is subjected to changes.
Aguilar: How did you get involved with the project Julien?
Julien Féret : We met in Paris when he was studying there. He told me he had this idea and I read the script. I thought it was a very particular project. It took us a long time to make it, although it didn't take us long to get the financing because we had the chance to be funded by the French National Center for Cinematography and a French TV Channel. It was very complicated to make it happen and to shoot out there in Tibet with the local people.
Aguilar: How was the process of finding the specific people you needed to tell such particular story?
Hu Wei: Before we started shooting we went to a lot of different locations and we met with many Tibetan nomads. We went around the households in the area asking people if they wanted to be part of the film. Of course, some did accept and others would say no. With the ones who were willing to participate we rehearsed for five days before shooting. Then we took one day off, and then we shot the film for five days.
Aguilar: Given that the film takes place in a single location why did you decide to shoot on location in Tibet? Could you have done it anywhere else?
Hu Wei: At the beginning Julien and other people suggested we should make the film in France. There are a lot of Tibetan people there who could make it happen, but the most important thing for me was the authenticity. I felt that I could only find people in this particular state of mind or situation in the actual place: Tibet. These are people who had never had their photograph taken, much less being filmed, and they have a unique attitude towards things. They were all really excited.
Aguilar: The Academy Award nomination might be the culminating point for “Butter Lamp,” but the film has had a long journey to get to this point.
Hu Wei: "Butter Lamp" was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013, and from that point on it has been selected by over 300 film festivals. I'm very glad that I've been able to share this 15-minute short with people from different countries, backgrounds, and religions.
Aguilar: Tell me about your Oscar experience
Hu Wei: I was quite surprised because I feel like "Butter Lamp" is not your typical Oscar-nominated short film. I’m very happy we are nominated.
Aguilar: Your film has connected with an incredible amount of people during its festival run. Why do you think people have found it so appealing even if they don’t know anything about this part of the world?
Hu Wei: I created this film based on my own experience. For me it’s like looking into a mirror. When I look at these Tibetan people I also look at myself and how I've changed because of globalization and modernization. I also think about where these changes are leading us. Maybe other people felt the same way when watching it. The film also uses a quite unique format and that might also be part of why people where drawn to it.
Aguilar: What are you working on now, a feature film perhaps?
Hu Wei: Right now I'm writing a script for a feature and I'm working on another short film about one person living alone in a tropical forest. Throughout the whole film there is no dialogue. We are still deciding where we are going to shoot it.
- 2/9/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Marc Buxton Oct 11, 2019
You can probably guess which Mummy movie Isn't on this list!
Throughout horror movie history, mummies have seemed like the forgotten classic monster. Lumbering around, covered in bandages, they don’t have the literary cache of Frankenstein’s Monster or the sexual appeal of Dracula. But mummies have a historical edge, a faded part of lost empires, angry at the modern world, desperately longing for the days of their past glories and lost loves.
Despite years of monstrous marginalization, mummies can be and in many cases have been really freakin’ scary and are worthy of recognition in horrordom. In fact, when Universal Studios tried (and failed...miserably) to relaunch its pantheon of monsters into a Marvel-inspired shared universe, they looked to The Mummy to kick it all off.
Allow us to celebrate the Mummy with the 13 greatest Mummy films ever produced. These are the films that...
You can probably guess which Mummy movie Isn't on this list!
Throughout horror movie history, mummies have seemed like the forgotten classic monster. Lumbering around, covered in bandages, they don’t have the literary cache of Frankenstein’s Monster or the sexual appeal of Dracula. But mummies have a historical edge, a faded part of lost empires, angry at the modern world, desperately longing for the days of their past glories and lost loves.
Despite years of monstrous marginalization, mummies can be and in many cases have been really freakin’ scary and are worthy of recognition in horrordom. In fact, when Universal Studios tried (and failed...miserably) to relaunch its pantheon of monsters into a Marvel-inspired shared universe, they looked to The Mummy to kick it all off.
Allow us to celebrate the Mummy with the 13 greatest Mummy films ever produced. These are the films that...
- 10/1/2014
- Den of Geek
1976 saw the publication of John Brosnan’s excellent book The Horror People. Written during the summer of 1975, it makes interesting reading 40 years down the line. Those who feature prominently in the book – Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Jack Arnold, Michael Carreras, Sam Arkoff, Roy Ward Baker, Freddie Francis, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Milton Subotsky – were still alive, as were Ralph Bates, Mario Bava, Jimmy Carreras, John Carradine, Dan Curtis, John Gilling, Robert Fuest, Michael Gough, Val Guest, Ray Milland, Robert Quarry and Michael Ripper, all of whom were given a mention. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Junior, Michael Reeves and James H Nicholson were not long dead. Hammer, Amicus and American International Pictures were still in existence. George A Romero had yet to achieve his prominence and Stephen King wasn’t even heard of!
Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...
Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...
- 7/4/2014
- Shadowlocked
Columns Industry Beat Scott Macaulay visits October Films Festival Roundup The Toronto Festival of Festivals, L.A. Freewaves, and Short Films at Venice, Rimini, and Locarno covered by Peter Broderick, Holly Willis, and Howard Feinstein Production Update by Mary Glucksman Legal Affairs John Sloss and David Schmerler on rights and clearance issues Technology Anne Bergman talks to the Voyager Company’s Michael Nash Words Auteur Alley – Books on directors reviewed by John Peavoy, Phillip Sherrod, Anne Bergman, and Jesse Lerner Guest Essay Theodore Thomas reconsiders the documentary format Short Ends Winter 1993 Table Of Contents Features Starr Time Robert Siegel interviews …...
- 3/2/2013
- by t.k.
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Washington -- Today, music lovers have more ways than ever before to access their favorite songs and discover artists they've never heard of. Can't live another minute without "Call Me Maybe"? Download it on iTunes for just $1.29, or stream it over your smartphone with Spotify. Want to hear something different? Let Pandora Internet radio pick something for you, or turn to Grooveshark, a sonic Facebook, to see what other music nerds are listening to.
The digital revolution that Napster heralded at the turn of the millenium finally seems to be bearing fruit. At the time, record labels decried the file-sharing program as an existential threat to the industry. To protect record sales, they sued everyone from tech startups to children, and lobbied Congress for new laws to curb piracy.
Now, though, digital music services have gone mainstream, promising listeners a world of perfectly legal possibilities and an end to the major labels' vice grip.
The digital revolution that Napster heralded at the turn of the millenium finally seems to be bearing fruit. At the time, record labels decried the file-sharing program as an existential threat to the industry. To protect record sales, they sued everyone from tech startups to children, and lobbied Congress for new laws to curb piracy.
Now, though, digital music services have gone mainstream, promising listeners a world of perfectly legal possibilities and an end to the major labels' vice grip.
- 9/20/2012
- by Zach Carter
- Huffington Post
By Lee Pfeiffer
Man Bait is an engrossing, low-budget British film noir that represents an early Hammer Films production in the years before the studio turned to producing their legendary line of horror movies. Several soon-to-be-big Hammer icons worked on the production: it was directed by Terence Fisher, Michael Carreras was the casting director and Jimmy Sangster was assistant director. The claustrophobic drama takes place mostly inside offices and homes with only a few sequences shot outdoors. Perhaps because the producers thought the movie needed some Hollywood gloss, the leading roles went to George Brent and Marguerite Chapman, though both Yanks are overshadowed by a far more intriguing cast of British thespians. Brent plays John Harman, the prim and proper manager of an upscale London antiquarian book shop. He's happily married to an invalid wife with whom he is anxiously looking forward to traveling with on an exotic cruise. His staid,...
Man Bait is an engrossing, low-budget British film noir that represents an early Hammer Films production in the years before the studio turned to producing their legendary line of horror movies. Several soon-to-be-big Hammer icons worked on the production: it was directed by Terence Fisher, Michael Carreras was the casting director and Jimmy Sangster was assistant director. The claustrophobic drama takes place mostly inside offices and homes with only a few sequences shot outdoors. Perhaps because the producers thought the movie needed some Hollywood gloss, the leading roles went to George Brent and Marguerite Chapman, though both Yanks are overshadowed by a far more intriguing cast of British thespians. Brent plays John Harman, the prim and proper manager of an upscale London antiquarian book shop. He's happily married to an invalid wife with whom he is anxiously looking forward to traveling with on an exotic cruise. His staid,...
- 4/14/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Hammer Films has announced that they have selected the Cinema And Television History (Cath) Research Centre to house its archive of over 240 scripts:
The Cinema And Television History (Cath) Research Centre at Leicester De Montfort University is delighted and honored to be the custodian of Hammer’s archive of scripts.
Internationally, Hammer is the most famous of Britain’s film studios, and in the UK it has an impressive heritage. Most recently with The Woman In Black which has since its release taken over £10m in the UK and over $60m worldwide- Hammer is bringing its brand of horror films to a whole new generation.
The Cath Research Centre is proud to be associated with the revival of this classic British brand, and to be entrusted with elements of its historic archive at a time when the company is restoring its classic films for Blu-ray and DVD release. Our agreement...
The Cinema And Television History (Cath) Research Centre at Leicester De Montfort University is delighted and honored to be the custodian of Hammer’s archive of scripts.
Internationally, Hammer is the most famous of Britain’s film studios, and in the UK it has an impressive heritage. Most recently with The Woman In Black which has since its release taken over £10m in the UK and over $60m worldwide- Hammer is bringing its brand of horror films to a whole new generation.
The Cath Research Centre is proud to be associated with the revival of this classic British brand, and to be entrusted with elements of its historic archive at a time when the company is restoring its classic films for Blu-ray and DVD release. Our agreement...
- 2/21/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
The Cinema And Television History (Cath) Research Centre at Leicester De Montfort University is delighted and honored to be the custodian of Hammer’s archive of scripts.
Internationally, Hammer is the most famous of Britain’s film studios, and in the UK it has an impressive heritage. Most recently with The Woman In Black which has since its release taken over £10m in the UK and over $60m worldwide- Hammer is bringing its brand of horror films to a whole new generation.
The Cath Research Centre is proud to be associated with the revival of this classic British brand, and to be entrusted with elements of its historic archive at a time when the company is restoring its classic films for Blu-ray and DVD release. Our agreement with Hammer will involve the cataloguing and curation of the materials, but the intention is also to make them available to scholars in digital form.
Internationally, Hammer is the most famous of Britain’s film studios, and in the UK it has an impressive heritage. Most recently with The Woman In Black which has since its release taken over £10m in the UK and over $60m worldwide- Hammer is bringing its brand of horror films to a whole new generation.
The Cath Research Centre is proud to be associated with the revival of this classic British brand, and to be entrusted with elements of its historic archive at a time when the company is restoring its classic films for Blu-ray and DVD release. Our agreement with Hammer will involve the cataloguing and curation of the materials, but the intention is also to make them available to scholars in digital form.
- 2/21/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A group of Hollywood writers and producers of top TV shows and films participated in the fifth International Entertainment Education Conference here to prove that strong and poignant story telling is a catalyst for bringing a positive social change and progress.The visit, whose goal was to teach participants of the four-day conference . which concluded Sunday . on ways to use story telling for social progress, was organised by Us-based University of Southern California..We are thrilled to bring some of Hollywood.s master story tellers to India to share their insights with entertainment education experts from around the world,. said Hollywood Health and Society Programme.s director Sandra de Castro Buffington.It is a programme of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California.s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in Los Angeles..Story telling is a powerful tool for social change which can educate people and...
- 11/20/2011
- Filmicafe
As our second annual 31 Days of Horror spectacle is now well and truly underway, check out WhatCulture!’s ten best Hammer Horror picks!
They were one of Britain’s most successful film studios throughout their heyday from the late 1950s to mid 1970s and within that time they produced some of the most memorable horror films ever to be made here. After disbanding in the late 1970s, after a slew of commercial flops, today Hammer Picture Productions is a fully-fledged, working company once again. With their production of The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, eagerly awaited in cinemas next year and in celebration of our 31 Days of Horror spectacular, it’s time to get nostalgic and remember the 10 Best Hammer Horrors! So dim the lights, grab a cushion…you’re in for some sheer terror!!
10. Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
This has to be one of Hammer’s greatest films from the advertising campaign alone!
They were one of Britain’s most successful film studios throughout their heyday from the late 1950s to mid 1970s and within that time they produced some of the most memorable horror films ever to be made here. After disbanding in the late 1970s, after a slew of commercial flops, today Hammer Picture Productions is a fully-fledged, working company once again. With their production of The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, eagerly awaited in cinemas next year and in celebration of our 31 Days of Horror spectacular, it’s time to get nostalgic and remember the 10 Best Hammer Horrors! So dim the lights, grab a cushion…you’re in for some sheer terror!!
10. Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
This has to be one of Hammer’s greatest films from the advertising campaign alone!
- 10/5/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
1. Halloween III: Season of the Witch: Jamie Lee Curtis is the voice of the operator that talks to Dr. Dan Challis when he tries to make a call out of Santa Mira.
2. Aliens: In the extended director’s cut, the image of Ripley’s daughter is Elizabeth Inglis, Sigourney Weaver’s mother.
3. The Thing: Both John Carpenter’s version and The Thing From Another World (1951) are based off of the short story “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr.
4. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare Peter Jackson had originally written a screenplay for this film, but it was rejected by the studio.
5. Event Horizon: The first cut of the film contained longer “Visions of Hell” scenes and much more gore than what made it into the theatrical cut. Additional footage was removed after test screenings and to receive an R-rating.
6. Two Thousand Maniacs: The story...
2. Aliens: In the extended director’s cut, the image of Ripley’s daughter is Elizabeth Inglis, Sigourney Weaver’s mother.
3. The Thing: Both John Carpenter’s version and The Thing From Another World (1951) are based off of the short story “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr.
4. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare Peter Jackson had originally written a screenplay for this film, but it was rejected by the studio.
5. Event Horizon: The first cut of the film contained longer “Visions of Hell” scenes and much more gore than what made it into the theatrical cut. Additional footage was removed after test screenings and to receive an R-rating.
6. Two Thousand Maniacs: The story...
- 10/2/2011
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Voluptuous vampire vixens, high society diabolists, meandering mouldy mummies, rapacious reptiles, and zillions of zombies… Sound like fun? Well the new Hammer Horror Halloween season on Horror channel will be most definitely for you then! Showing on the channel from October 1st to October 31st, the Hammer season is introduced by author, broadcaster and critic Kim Newman.
The line-up includes:
Sat Oct 1st | 23:10 | Scars of Dracula (1970)
Christopher Lee’s fifth Dracula picture and was directed by Roy Ward Baker who was determined to do it in as gory a style as possible. The film’s greatest innovation, however, was to present a surprisingly verbose Count as Lee had been given very little dialogue in the previous Dracula movies, Bereft of an American pre-sale, Scars of Dracula and its support feature, The Horror of Frankenstein, were both produced on relatively low budgets
Sat Oct 8 | 23:10 |
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) One of...
The line-up includes:
Sat Oct 1st | 23:10 | Scars of Dracula (1970)
Christopher Lee’s fifth Dracula picture and was directed by Roy Ward Baker who was determined to do it in as gory a style as possible. The film’s greatest innovation, however, was to present a surprisingly verbose Count as Lee had been given very little dialogue in the previous Dracula movies, Bereft of an American pre-sale, Scars of Dracula and its support feature, The Horror of Frankenstein, were both produced on relatively low budgets
Sat Oct 8 | 23:10 |
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) One of...
- 9/22/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Prominent Hollywood directors and producers gathered in India for a six day visit in order to gather information for medical related show topics. The panel discussion for the very same was held on 12th May at J.W. Marriot where BollySpice was also present.
The panel consisted of well known personalities from the entertainment industry, including President of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India Ramesh Sippy (Director, Producer), Zoanne Clack (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Amol Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba), Jennifer Cecil (“Private Practice”), Vinita Nanda (Joint COO, Creativeland Pictures), Michael Nash (“Climate Refugees”), Film director Onir, Walt Disney Feature Animation executive Karen Tenkhoff and John Max Burnett III (“The Troop”). The event was held by Hollywood Health and Society in collaboration with the Guild and was hosted by Sandra de Castro Buffington, Director of Hollywood, Health & Society. Sandra basically talked about their work so far as to what is...
The panel consisted of well known personalities from the entertainment industry, including President of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India Ramesh Sippy (Director, Producer), Zoanne Clack (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Amol Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba), Jennifer Cecil (“Private Practice”), Vinita Nanda (Joint COO, Creativeland Pictures), Michael Nash (“Climate Refugees”), Film director Onir, Walt Disney Feature Animation executive Karen Tenkhoff and John Max Burnett III (“The Troop”). The event was held by Hollywood Health and Society in collaboration with the Guild and was hosted by Sandra de Castro Buffington, Director of Hollywood, Health & Society. Sandra basically talked about their work so far as to what is...
- 5/17/2011
- Bollyspice
On paper, the idea of combining the spectacular abilities of Hammer Films and Shaw Brothers must have seemed like super swell idea. A twisty British spy flick working side by side with the elaborate kung fu madness of a Hong Kong action picture, in theory, is like pure, uncut cinematic cocaine, the type of stuff that can instantly collapse your nostrils and flash fry your otherwise sparkling brain pan. However, Michael Carreras’ wonky 1975 framed assassin epic “Call Him Mr. Shatter” (aka “Shatter”) is one chest pain away from cardiac arrest, a virtually lifeless little picture laced with drowsy fight sequences and a plot straight out of a weekend creative writing course available at your local community college. Stuart Whitman, God bless him, tries his best to look tough and manly, but he’s entirely out of his element during the film’s slim selection of martial arts tomfoolery. Additionally, if...
- 4/11/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
The 2011 Dallas International Film Festival Announces
Award Winners
Jess + Moss receives the $25,000 Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature
Elevate receives the $25,000 Target Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary Feature
Five Time Champion receives the $20,000 in Cash, Goods and Services for the Mps Studios Texas Filmmaker Award
If A Tree Falls: A Story Of The Earth Liberation Front receives the Environmental Visions Award
Zero Percent receives the $10,000 Embrey Family Foundation Silver Heart Award
The Legend Of Beaver Dam, The Robbery and Paths Of Hate are named winners for Best Short Film, Student Short and Animated Short
Audience Awards go to Snowmen for Narrative Feature, Wild Horse Wild Ride for Documentary and The Legend Of Beaver Dam for Short
Dallas, TX, April 9, 2011 . For the second year running, the .Dallas Film Society Honors. presented by the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation provided an elegant forum for the awards presentation at the Dallas International Film Festival presented by Cadillac.
Award Winners
Jess + Moss receives the $25,000 Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature
Elevate receives the $25,000 Target Filmmaker Award for Best Documentary Feature
Five Time Champion receives the $20,000 in Cash, Goods and Services for the Mps Studios Texas Filmmaker Award
If A Tree Falls: A Story Of The Earth Liberation Front receives the Environmental Visions Award
Zero Percent receives the $10,000 Embrey Family Foundation Silver Heart Award
The Legend Of Beaver Dam, The Robbery and Paths Of Hate are named winners for Best Short Film, Student Short and Animated Short
Audience Awards go to Snowmen for Narrative Feature, Wild Horse Wild Ride for Documentary and The Legend Of Beaver Dam for Short
Dallas, TX, April 9, 2011 . For the second year running, the .Dallas Film Society Honors. presented by the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation provided an elegant forum for the awards presentation at the Dallas International Film Festival presented by Cadillac.
- 4/11/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
What if you went on a holiday and you found an undead apocalypse waiting? Would this be the best vacation ever, or something more mundane? If you like to imagine the unthinkable, then you might like the latest release from Wild Wolf Publishing titled Holiday of the Dead.
This latest, and possibly biggest, zombie anthology contains thirty-eight "holiday themed zombie stories" (Wolf). Several notable authors are taking part in this collection, including: John Russo, Tony Burgess, Shaun Jeffrey, Rod Glenn, Iain McKinnon, Matt Hilton, David Dunwoody, Wayne Simmons, Bowie V Ibarra, Joe McKinney, Remy Porter, A P Fuchs, Thomas Emson and Eric S Brown. At over 500 pages, this novel could keep you engrossed in rotting Santas for some time to come. All the thrilling short stories included in this paperback are listed below.
The tagline:
"The zombie apocalypse can really put a downer on your holiday…"
An overview of themes and settings:
"Theme parks,...
This latest, and possibly biggest, zombie anthology contains thirty-eight "holiday themed zombie stories" (Wolf). Several notable authors are taking part in this collection, including: John Russo, Tony Burgess, Shaun Jeffrey, Rod Glenn, Iain McKinnon, Matt Hilton, David Dunwoody, Wayne Simmons, Bowie V Ibarra, Joe McKinney, Remy Porter, A P Fuchs, Thomas Emson and Eric S Brown. At over 500 pages, this novel could keep you engrossed in rotting Santas for some time to come. All the thrilling short stories included in this paperback are listed below.
The tagline:
"The zombie apocalypse can really put a downer on your holiday…"
An overview of themes and settings:
"Theme parks,...
- 4/8/2011
- by Remove28DaysLaterAnalysisThis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Some big names from Hollywood will be in Mumbai in the first week of May for a four-day tour of the city. The list includes writer-producer Dr. Neal Baer (Law And Order), producer Dr. Zoanne Clack (Grey's Anatomy, ER), Karen Tenkhoff of Walt Disney Feature Animation, producer Jennifer Cecil (Beverly Hills 90210, Brothers And Sisters, One Tree Hill, Private Practice), the Writers Guild of America’s award-winning writer-producer-director Max Burnett (The Troop) and award-winning film director Michael Nash (Fuel) among others. Accompanied by representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank and The Hollywood, Health and Society of ...
- 3/24/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Some big names from Hollywood will be in Mumbai in the first week of May for a four-day tour of the city. The list includes writer-producer Dr. Neal Baer (Law And Order), producer Dr. Zoanne Clack (Grey's Anatomy, ER), Karen Tenkhoff of Walt Disney Feature Animation, producer Jennifer Cecil (Beverly Hills 90210, Brothers And Sisters, One Tree Hill, Private Practice), the Writers Guild of America’s award-winning writer-producer-director Max Burnett (The Troop) and award-winning film director Michael Nash (Fuel) among others. Accompanied by representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank and The Hollywood, Health and Society of ...
- 3/24/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Some big names from Hollywood will be in Mumbai in the first week of May for a four-day tour of the city. The list includes writer-producer Dr. Neal Baer (Law And Order), producer Dr. Zoanne Clack (Grey's Anatomy, ER), Karen Tenkhoff of Walt Disney Feature Animation, producer Jennifer Cecil (Beverly Hills 90210, Brothers And Sisters, One Tree Hill, Private Practice), the Writers Guild of America’s award-winning writer-producer-director Max Burnett (The Troop) and award-winning film director Michael Nash (Fuel) among others. Accompanied by representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank and The Hollywood, Health and Society of ...
- 3/24/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
Some big names from Hollywood will be in Mumbai in the first week of May for a four-day tour of the city. The list includes writer-producer Dr. Neal Baer (Law And Order), producer Dr. Zoanne Clack (Grey's Anatomy, ER), Karen Tenkhoff of Walt Disney Feature Animation, producer Jennifer Cecil (Beverly Hills 90210, Brothers And Sisters, One Tree Hill, Private Practice), the Writers Guild of America’s award-winning writer-producer-director Max Burnett (The Troop) and award-winning film director Michael Nash (Fuel) among others. Accompanied by representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The World Bank and The Hollywood, Health and Society of ...
- 3/24/2011
- Hindustan Times - Cinema
One of the highlights of my trip to Whitby in October 2010 for the Hammer Horror Exhibition was meeting someone who once a teenage crush of mine - Caroline Munro. Still breathtakingly beautiful, the stylish former Hammer glamour girl and one-time face of those famous Navy Rum posters, is also a polite, well spoken and utterly charming lady who clearly has a lot of time for her fans. Not surprisingly I went weak at the knees when I met her; I guess schoolboy crushes never truly fade away!
Thanks to her stunning looks, Caroline could easily alternate from sexy heroine to even sexier villainess even if her soft English rose voice was often dubbed over with something more suited to her bad girl image. Sadly her screen potential was never fully realised, but despite not achieving the major film stardom she really deserved, her popularity among genre fans remains very high.
Thanks to her stunning looks, Caroline could easily alternate from sexy heroine to even sexier villainess even if her soft English rose voice was often dubbed over with something more suited to her bad girl image. Sadly her screen potential was never fully realised, but despite not achieving the major film stardom she really deserved, her popularity among genre fans remains very high.
- 3/2/2011
- Shadowlocked
Forget Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee! There was one actor who truly epitomised classic Hammer horror, and that was the irreplaceable Michael Ripper. With a whopping 23 films to his name, he was to Hammer what Desmond Llewellyn was to James Bond.
Michael Ripper was born in Portsmouth on 27 January 1913. His father Harold was a civil servant who ran a local amateur dramatic company and taught elocution and speech therapy, his mother Edith worked as a teacher. Ripper had a very unhappy Victorian childhood; his dominant father was very much a stern disciplinarian.
A pupil of Portsmouth Grammar School, which he hated, Ripper was more or less pushed into acting by his father, who entered him in various poetry competitions. A close family friend and regular visitor to their Southsea home was the brilliant comic actor Alastair Sim.
Though he initially Ripper never wanted to be an actor, Ripper was eventually...
Michael Ripper was born in Portsmouth on 27 January 1913. His father Harold was a civil servant who ran a local amateur dramatic company and taught elocution and speech therapy, his mother Edith worked as a teacher. Ripper had a very unhappy Victorian childhood; his dominant father was very much a stern disciplinarian.
A pupil of Portsmouth Grammar School, which he hated, Ripper was more or less pushed into acting by his father, who entered him in various poetry competitions. A close family friend and regular visitor to their Southsea home was the brilliant comic actor Alastair Sim.
Though he initially Ripper never wanted to be an actor, Ripper was eventually...
- 2/2/2011
- Shadowlocked
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.