Marlene Clark, an actor who appeared on “Sanford and Son,” the horror movie “Ganja & Hess” and several other films of the ’60s and ’70s, died on May 18. She was 85.
Clark starred in several films ahead of landing her breakout role as Lamont Lawson’s (played by Demond Wilson) wife Janet in “Sanford and Son.” She later starred in the 1973 horror movie “Ganja & Hess” alongside Duane Jones.
Clark was born and raised in Harlem, N.Y., and spent time in West Virginia during her summers. She returned to New York after attending Morristown Jr. College in Tennessee and enrolled in City College. While at school, Clark participated in school plays, igniting her interest in the acting world.
Clark later moved to Los Angeles with her then-husband Billy Dee Williams. She began her career in entertainment as a fashion model before landing her first role in the 1968 film “For Love of Ivy.
Clark starred in several films ahead of landing her breakout role as Lamont Lawson’s (played by Demond Wilson) wife Janet in “Sanford and Son.” She later starred in the 1973 horror movie “Ganja & Hess” alongside Duane Jones.
Clark was born and raised in Harlem, N.Y., and spent time in West Virginia during her summers. She returned to New York after attending Morristown Jr. College in Tennessee and enrolled in City College. While at school, Clark participated in school plays, igniting her interest in the acting world.
Clark later moved to Los Angeles with her then-husband Billy Dee Williams. She began her career in entertainment as a fashion model before landing her first role in the 1968 film “For Love of Ivy.
- 5/30/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Marlene Clark, best known for her portrayals of Lamont’s girlfriend Janet in the 1970s NBC sitcom Sanford & Son and as Ganja Meda in the 1973 horror film Ganja & Hess, has died.
Demond Wilson, who played Lamont on Sanford & Son, paid tribute to Clark on Twitter, writing “Rip beautiful actress Marlene Clark. . . It was a delight to work with you…,” noting she died on May 18. Wilson listed her age as 73, but that has not been confirmed.
Clark joined Sanford & Son in the comedy’s fifth season in 1976 as a recurring opposite Wilson, remaining through the series’ final season the following year.
Raised in the Harlem section of New York City, Clark was a fashion model before her transition to acting.
Her earliest work began in films in the 1960s including For Love of Ivy opposite Sidney Poitier and Putney Swope in 1969, directed by Robert Downey Sr. She went...
Demond Wilson, who played Lamont on Sanford & Son, paid tribute to Clark on Twitter, writing “Rip beautiful actress Marlene Clark. . . It was a delight to work with you…,” noting she died on May 18. Wilson listed her age as 73, but that has not been confirmed.
Clark joined Sanford & Son in the comedy’s fifth season in 1976 as a recurring opposite Wilson, remaining through the series’ final season the following year.
Raised in the Harlem section of New York City, Clark was a fashion model before her transition to acting.
Her earliest work began in films in the 1960s including For Love of Ivy opposite Sidney Poitier and Putney Swope in 1969, directed by Robert Downey Sr. She went...
- 5/26/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Marlene Clark, the statuesque actress who portrayed Lamont’s fiancée on Sanford and Son and stood out in such 1970s’ films as Ganja & Hess, Switchblade Sisters and Slaughter, has died. She was 85.
Clark died May 18 in her home in Los Angeles, her family announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Clark also starred as a reptilian seductress in Roger Corman’s Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) and as one of the suspected werewolves in the British horror film The Beast Must Die (1974), and she was an early victim in the Larry Hagman-directed Beware! The Blob (1972).
Clark played John Saxon‘s secretary in Enter the Dragon (1973), starring Bruce Lee, and her big-screen body of work also included Black Mamba (1974), Newman’s Law (1974), Lord Shango (1975) and The Baron (1977), where she appeared opposite her Beast Must Die onscreen husband, Calvin Lockhart.
In the surreal Ganja & Hess (1973), directed by Bill Gunn,...
Clark died May 18 in her home in Los Angeles, her family announced. No cause of death was revealed.
Clark also starred as a reptilian seductress in Roger Corman’s Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) and as one of the suspected werewolves in the British horror film The Beast Must Die (1974), and she was an early victim in the Larry Hagman-directed Beware! The Blob (1972).
Clark played John Saxon‘s secretary in Enter the Dragon (1973), starring Bruce Lee, and her big-screen body of work also included Black Mamba (1974), Newman’s Law (1974), Lord Shango (1975) and The Baron (1977), where she appeared opposite her Beast Must Die onscreen husband, Calvin Lockhart.
In the surreal Ganja & Hess (1973), directed by Bill Gunn,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There’s no joint like a Spike Lee Joint, but what other movies does the director love?
Over four decades and 30 films, Brooklyn-raised Lee has established himself as the type of director whose work can’t be replicated. The traits that make a Spike Lee Joint a Spike Lee Joint are easy to spot: the fiery and often political subject matter, the mix of humor with drama, those iconic floaty dolly shots, and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to stylistic experimentation.
Lee’s fearlessness as a director makes for a fascinating mixed-bag of a filmography. The auteur has at least three undeniable masterpieces under his belt: 1989’s “Do the Right Thing,” a searing drama about police violence and racism; 1992’s “Malcolm X,” an epic starring Denzel Washington as the titular Civil Rights leader; and 2002’s “25th Hour,” the greatest portrait of life in New York after 9/11 put to film. Depending on who you ask,...
Over four decades and 30 films, Brooklyn-raised Lee has established himself as the type of director whose work can’t be replicated. The traits that make a Spike Lee Joint a Spike Lee Joint are easy to spot: the fiery and often political subject matter, the mix of humor with drama, those iconic floaty dolly shots, and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to stylistic experimentation.
Lee’s fearlessness as a director makes for a fascinating mixed-bag of a filmography. The auteur has at least three undeniable masterpieces under his belt: 1989’s “Do the Right Thing,” a searing drama about police violence and racism; 1992’s “Malcolm X,” an epic starring Denzel Washington as the titular Civil Rights leader; and 2002’s “25th Hour,” the greatest portrait of life in New York after 9/11 put to film. Depending on who you ask,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
This one bitch…
After finishing April with back-to-back looks at stylish vampire films like The Hunger and Ganja & Hess, we’re kicking off May a film we’ve actually discussed before (in written form): Fred Dekker‘s 1986 classic Night of the Creeps!
Night of the Creeps sees fraternity pledges Chris (Jason Lively) and Jc (Steve Marshall) take part in a hazing prank, only to find a frozen body filled with alien slugs that escape and begin to take over everyone on campus. They must team up with a cop with a haunted past (Tom Atkins) and Chris’ new crush Cindy (Jill Whitlow) to stop the invasion before it’s too late.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 228: Night of the Creeps (1986)
Cindy!
After finishing April with back-to-back looks at stylish vampire films like The Hunger and Ganja & Hess, we’re kicking off May a film we’ve actually discussed before (in written form): Fred Dekker‘s 1986 classic Night of the Creeps!
Night of the Creeps sees fraternity pledges Chris (Jason Lively) and Jc (Steve Marshall) take part in a hazing prank, only to find a frozen body filled with alien slugs that escape and begin to take over everyone on campus. They must team up with a cop with a haunted past (Tom Atkins) and Chris’ new crush Cindy (Jill Whitlow) to stop the invasion before it’s too late.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 228: Night of the Creeps (1986)
Cindy!
- 5/8/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Honest Trailer
Trace and I are recovering from our live show at Salem Horror Festival this past weekend, but in April we kept busy with episodes on Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Tony Scott’s The Hunger, and, most recently, queer Black writer/director Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess (which just celebrated its 50th anniversary!)
Last week we celebrated Alien Day 2023 with a look back at Ridley Scott‘s 2012 Alien prequel, Prometheus. In the film, scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) partner with the Weyland Corporation, run by its elderly benefactor (Guy Pearce) and supervised by his android “son” David (Michael Fassbender), to investigate the origins of mankind on a distant alien world.
There they discover a strange pyramid with remnants of a group of Engineers. But when Holloway and a few others get sick, the crew realizes that they may have...
Trace and I are recovering from our live show at Salem Horror Festival this past weekend, but in April we kept busy with episodes on Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Tony Scott’s The Hunger, and, most recently, queer Black writer/director Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess (which just celebrated its 50th anniversary!)
Last week we celebrated Alien Day 2023 with a look back at Ridley Scott‘s 2012 Alien prequel, Prometheus. In the film, scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) partner with the Weyland Corporation, run by its elderly benefactor (Guy Pearce) and supervised by his android “son” David (Michael Fassbender), to investigate the origins of mankind on a distant alien world.
There they discover a strange pyramid with remnants of a group of Engineers. But when Holloway and a few others get sick, the crew realizes that they may have...
- 5/1/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Bathtub Teeth Brushing.
Trace and I are cruising through April en route to our live show at Salem Horror Festival this weekend, but we’ve been keeping busy with episodes on Stephen Dunn’s Closet Monster, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and, most recently, Tony Scott’s The Hunger.
This week we celebrated the 50th anniversary of trailblazing Black queer writer/director Bill Gunn‘s Ganja & Hess (1973). This gorgeous, surreal, and unconventional vampire film stars Duane Jones and Marlene Clark as the titular pair of lovers.
Hess (Jones) is a multi-hyphenate Doctor who is also secretly a vampire. He often preys on members of his community, though his wealth and education keeps him isolated. When suicidal assistant George Meda (Gunn) takes his own life at Hess’ home, the man’s wife (Clark) quickly comes calling.
What begins as an investigation quickly turns into a sexualized affair,...
Trace and I are cruising through April en route to our live show at Salem Horror Festival this weekend, but we’ve been keeping busy with episodes on Stephen Dunn’s Closet Monster, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and, most recently, Tony Scott’s The Hunger.
This week we celebrated the 50th anniversary of trailblazing Black queer writer/director Bill Gunn‘s Ganja & Hess (1973). This gorgeous, surreal, and unconventional vampire film stars Duane Jones and Marlene Clark as the titular pair of lovers.
Hess (Jones) is a multi-hyphenate Doctor who is also secretly a vampire. He often preys on members of his community, though his wealth and education keeps him isolated. When suicidal assistant George Meda (Gunn) takes his own life at Hess’ home, the man’s wife (Clark) quickly comes calling.
What begins as an investigation quickly turns into a sexualized affair,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
You’re French, lady!
After finishing off March with a look at the body horror aspects incorporated into Stephen Dunn’s Closet Monster, we kicked off April with a journey into the weird and wild world of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This week, we’re revisiting Tony Scott‘s iconic 1983 vampire film The Hunger.
The Hunger sees John (David Bowie), the lover of the gorgeous immortal vampire Miriam (Catherine Deneuve), begin to quickly deteriorate into a horrible living death, so Miriam seeks a new companion. She soon sets her sights on Sarah (Susan Sarandon), a young gerontologist, who quickly falls under Miriam’s spell. However, Sarah doesn’t warm up to the concept of vampirism very easily, leading to conflict with Miriam.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio,...
After finishing off March with a look at the body horror aspects incorporated into Stephen Dunn’s Closet Monster, we kicked off April with a journey into the weird and wild world of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This week, we’re revisiting Tony Scott‘s iconic 1983 vampire film The Hunger.
The Hunger sees John (David Bowie), the lover of the gorgeous immortal vampire Miriam (Catherine Deneuve), begin to quickly deteriorate into a horrible living death, so Miriam seeks a new companion. She soon sets her sights on Sarah (Susan Sarandon), a young gerontologist, who quickly falls under Miriam’s spell. However, Sarah doesn’t warm up to the concept of vampirism very easily, leading to conflict with Miriam.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Rami Malek is one of the most interesting actors working today. The projects he takes on run the gamut from an Egyptian mummy in a kid's movie to one of our most beloved musical superstars. Malek has a unique presence, and his deep, piercing eyes are quite an arresting sight to behold. James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, even said that Malek would beat him in a staring contest due to the intensity of his gaze.
Malek's proven that he can play sweet or evil with equal skill, and it's always a surprise to see what role he'll take on next. With an Oscar for best actor already under his belt, there's a good chance his career will continue to flourish in the future. However, right now is as good a time as any to look back at some of the roles that turned him into the in-demand actor he is today.
Malek's proven that he can play sweet or evil with equal skill, and it's always a surprise to see what role he'll take on next. With an Oscar for best actor already under his belt, there's a good chance his career will continue to flourish in the future. However, right now is as good a time as any to look back at some of the roles that turned him into the in-demand actor he is today.
- 3/7/2023
- by Kira Deshler
- Slash Film
(Welcome to Year of the Vampire, a series examining the greatest, strangest, and sometimes overlooked vampire movies of all time in honor of "Nosferatu," which turns 100 this year.)
One of the best vampire films I have ever seen actually never uses the term "vampire" at all. Very early in Bill Gunn's unsung masterpiece "Ganja & Hess," we learn that Dr. Hess Green is addicted to blood. It's hard to tell whether this statement, delivered casually by Hess's chauffeur, is a literal fact or one that's yet to come to pass.
The bloodsuckers in "Ganja & Hess" are unlike any audiences in 1973...
The post Year Of The Vampire: Ganja & Hess Is About So Much More Than Bloodlust appeared first on /Film.
One of the best vampire films I have ever seen actually never uses the term "vampire" at all. Very early in Bill Gunn's unsung masterpiece "Ganja & Hess," we learn that Dr. Hess Green is addicted to blood. It's hard to tell whether this statement, delivered casually by Hess's chauffeur, is a literal fact or one that's yet to come to pass.
The bloodsuckers in "Ganja & Hess" are unlike any audiences in 1973...
The post Year Of The Vampire: Ganja & Hess Is About So Much More Than Bloodlust appeared first on /Film.
- 2/26/2022
- by Lyvie Scott
- Slash Film
Stuntman and actor Tommy Lane, who appeared in films including “Live and Let Die” and “Shaft,” died Monday in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He was 83.
His daughter Kamala reported that he died after a long bout of Copd.
In Richard Roundtree’s “Shaft,” his character Leroy could be seen crashing through Richard Roundtree’s Times Square office window. “That’s some cold shit, throwing my man Leroy out the window. Just picked my man up and threw him out the goddamn window,” says Willy in the 1971 blaxploitation classic.
In the 1973 James Bond film “Live and Let Die,” he played Adam, one of Kananga’s henchmen who chases Roger Moore in a speedboat off the coast of the fictional island of San Monique. His character threatens, “You made one mistake back on that island, Bond. You took something that didn’t belong to you. And you took it from a friend of Mr.
His daughter Kamala reported that he died after a long bout of Copd.
In Richard Roundtree’s “Shaft,” his character Leroy could be seen crashing through Richard Roundtree’s Times Square office window. “That’s some cold shit, throwing my man Leroy out the window. Just picked my man up and threw him out the goddamn window,” says Willy in the 1971 blaxploitation classic.
In the 1973 James Bond film “Live and Let Die,” he played Adam, one of Kananga’s henchmen who chases Roger Moore in a speedboat off the coast of the fictional island of San Monique. His character threatens, “You made one mistake back on that island, Bond. You took something that didn’t belong to you. And you took it from a friend of Mr.
- 11/30/2021
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
In one of the first scenes of Arrebato (1979), José (Eusebio Poncela), a B-movie director, argues with an editor over the final scene of what’s unmistakably a low-budget vampire flick—specifically, whether or not to include a shot of an actress making eye contact with the camera. “It’s the only interesting thing in the whole picture,” he says, yawning. “She stares at the audience, and they’ll get it that she’s delighted to be a vampire.” What seems so obvious that it’s boring to José is likely an homage to Bill Gunn’s ignored–in–America but adored–in–Europe Ganja & Hess (1973), which ends exactly as he describes: with a freshly–christened Ganja, dreamily locking eyes with viewers. Ganja and Hess / ArrebatoDespite his pretensions, José refuses to continue working—“Fuck the movies,” he says not a minute later. On his way out, he smears a few...
- 10/1/2021
- MUBI
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Pedro Almodóvar's Parallel Mothers (2021). The lineup for the 2021 Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, featuring the latest from Pedro Almodóvar, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Pablo Larraín, Paul Schrader, Ridley Scott, and more. Find the full lineup here. The New York Film Festival has announced that this year's Centerpiece Selection will be Jane Campion's Power of the Dog, an adaptation of Thomas Savage's novel starring Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, and Benedict Cumberbatch. New additions to the TIFF roster include Joachim Trier's The Worst Person In The World, Masaaki Yuasa's Inu-Oh, and Ho Wi Ding's Terrorizers. A24 has won the rights to Octavia E. Butler's science-fiction novel Parable of the Sower, and Time director Garrett Bradley is set to direct. The novel follows a girl with a unique gift who rises to...
- 7/28/2021
- MUBI
Halloween might be decidedly less social this year, but you can always take solace (or a scare) from a good podcast. From fictional tales of small-town horror to a real-life scaredy-cat screaming his way through Midsommar, here are five creepy podcasts to binge while you’re stuck inside this Halloween.
Radio Rental
Real horror stories told by real people — all hosted by Rainn Wilson playing a video store clerk/spooky crypt keeper. Radio Rental dropped late last year and is set to return… at some point… but there’s plenty...
Radio Rental
Real horror stories told by real people — all hosted by Rainn Wilson playing a video store clerk/spooky crypt keeper. Radio Rental dropped late last year and is set to return… at some point… but there’s plenty...
- 10/16/2020
- by Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Marks
- Rollingstone.com
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
’70s Horror
A horror lineup perfectly timed for Halloween, The Criterion Channel is spotlighting ’70s classics and underseen gems, including Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early films by David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, and Brian De Palma, Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess, and more. It’s an epic collection of essentials and the ideal way to kick off an unprecedented Halloween that should be spent in isolation. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Downhill (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash)
Even though Faxon and Rash pay their respects to the original—sometimes mimicking specific scenes and capturing the claustrophobic...
’70s Horror
A horror lineup perfectly timed for Halloween, The Criterion Channel is spotlighting ’70s classics and underseen gems, including Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early films by David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, and Brian De Palma, Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess, and more. It’s an epic collection of essentials and the ideal way to kick off an unprecedented Halloween that should be spent in isolation. – Jordan R.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Downhill (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash)
Even though Faxon and Rash pay their respects to the original—sometimes mimicking specific scenes and capturing the claustrophobic...
- 10/9/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
It’s a great time to be a horror fan. Not only are Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Shudder awash with all kinds of horror movies old and new, but the Criterion Channel is getting in on the gruesome action with a month’s worth of horror titles from the 1970s.
The subscription service is the digital offshoot of the Criterion Collection, which for more than 35 years has been providing definitive archival home video versions of classic and contemporary films from around the world. Criterion launched its streaming service last year as a way to offer a curated cross-section of its library of films online.
Horror has always had a respectful home at Criterion, with the company publishing definitive editions of a number of the genre’s landmark films. The October rollout of horror movies for the Halloween season is similar to what other companies are doing, but the focus is the difference here.
The subscription service is the digital offshoot of the Criterion Collection, which for more than 35 years has been providing definitive archival home video versions of classic and contemporary films from around the world. Criterion launched its streaming service last year as a way to offer a curated cross-section of its library of films online.
Horror has always had a respectful home at Criterion, with the company publishing definitive editions of a number of the genre’s landmark films. The October rollout of horror movies for the Halloween season is similar to what other companies are doing, but the focus is the difference here.
- 10/1/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
The Criterion Channel’s stellar offerings are continuing next month with a selection of new releases, retrospective, series, and more. Leading the pack is, of course, a horror lineup perfectly timed for Halloween, featuring ’70s classics and underseen gems, including Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer (pictured above), Tobe Hopper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early films by David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, and Brian De Palma, Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess, and more.
Also of note is a New Korean Cinema retrospective, featuring a new introduction by critic Grady Hendrix and a conversation between directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, whose Barking Dogs Never Bite, The Host, Mother, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are part of the lineup, as well as Lee Myung-se’s Nowhere to Hide, and more titles to be announced. Bong’s short Influenza will also arrive, paired with Michael Haneke’s Caché.
Also of note is a New Korean Cinema retrospective, featuring a new introduction by critic Grady Hendrix and a conversation between directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, whose Barking Dogs Never Bite, The Host, Mother, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are part of the lineup, as well as Lee Myung-se’s Nowhere to Hide, and more titles to be announced. Bong’s short Influenza will also arrive, paired with Michael Haneke’s Caché.
- 9/29/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The New York Times put prestigious specialty home-video distributor The Criterion Collection under a microscope late last week, and the headline said it all: “How the Criterion Collection Crops Out African-American Directors.” The report looked at all 22 years and more than 1,000 titles in the Criterion’s revered selection of Blu-rays and DVDs of films, finding that only four African Americans are represented: Oscar Micheaux (“Body and Soul”); William Greaves; Charles Burnett (“To Sleep With Anger”); and Spike Lee (“Do the Right Thing” and “Bamboozled”).
It’s a glaring omission for a company that prides itself on licensing and releasing what it describes as “important classic and contemporary films,” but also reflective of an industry-wide practice of shutting out Black filmmakers.
Despite America’s changing demographics, the industry’s most powerful leaders have been slow to respond to a demand for films that reflect cultural and racial shifts that have long been underway.
It’s a glaring omission for a company that prides itself on licensing and releasing what it describes as “important classic and contemporary films,” but also reflective of an industry-wide practice of shutting out Black filmmakers.
Despite America’s changing demographics, the industry’s most powerful leaders have been slow to respond to a demand for films that reflect cultural and racial shifts that have long been underway.
- 8/25/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSNext year's Sundance Film Festival has received permission from the Park City Council to be seven days rather than 11. The festival will also have limited capacity in theatres to address public health concerns. Recommended VIEWINGEvery Thursday in August, MoMa is streaming selections of historic films from its collection in a series titled Film Vault Summer Camp. In episode 1, collection specialist Ashley Swinnerton introduces The Flying Train and Great Actresses of the Past.In a new video essay for Little White Lies, Luís Azevedo explores the role of kitchens in the films of Pedro Almodóvar.From Netflix, the official trailer for Charlie Kaufman's psychological thriller I'm Thinking of Ending Things, adapted from the bestselling novel by Iain Reid. Recommended READINGAbove: Ja'Tovia Gary by JerSean Golatt for the New York Times. For the New York Times,...
- 8/17/2020
- MUBI
If you’re looking to dive into the best of independent and foreign filmmaking, The Criterion Channel has announced their August 2020 lineup. The impressive slate includes retrospectives dedicated to Mia Hansen-Løve, Bill Gunn, Stephen Cone, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders, Alain Delon, Bill Plympton, Les Blank, and more.
In terms of new releases, they also have Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, the fascinating documentary John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, the Kenyan LGBTQ drama Rafiki, and more. There’s also a series on Australian New Wave with films by Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, David Gulpilil, and Peter Weir, as well as one on bad vacations with Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, and more.
See the lineup below and explore more on their platform. One can also see our weekly streaming picks here.
25 Ways to Quit Smoking, Bill Plympton, 1989
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, Roy Rowland,...
In terms of new releases, they also have Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles’ Bacurau, the fascinating documentary John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, the Kenyan LGBTQ drama Rafiki, and more. There’s also a series on Australian New Wave with films by Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, David Gulpilil, and Peter Weir, as well as one on bad vacations with Joanna Hogg’s Unrelated, Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, and more.
See the lineup below and explore more on their platform. One can also see our weekly streaming picks here.
25 Ways to Quit Smoking, Bill Plympton, 1989
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, Roy Rowland,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” is one of those forgotten “Joints” that confounded critics and audiences at the time of its initial release. Twenty years later, it’s enjoying a renaissance — thanks to a recently-released Criterion Collection DVD/Blu-ray edition of this long out-of-print title — and a much-deserved reassessment of this scathing and insightful satire. But it’s not the only one that deserves a second look. Four years before “Bamboozled,” Lee made another idiosyncratic movie filled with big ideas. Like “Bamboozled,” Lee’s 1996 dramedy “Girl 6” also baffled viewers at the time, but its insights into race and gender in Hollywood still resonate today.
More from IndieWireStream of the Day: 'The Spectacular Now' and the Brilliant Long Take That Deserves More PraiseStream...
Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” is one of those forgotten “Joints” that confounded critics and audiences at the time of its initial release. Twenty years later, it’s enjoying a renaissance — thanks to a recently-released Criterion Collection DVD/Blu-ray edition of this long out-of-print title — and a much-deserved reassessment of this scathing and insightful satire. But it’s not the only one that deserves a second look. Four years before “Bamboozled,” Lee made another idiosyncratic movie filled with big ideas. Like “Bamboozled,” Lee’s 1996 dramedy “Girl 6” also baffled viewers at the time, but its insights into race and gender in Hollywood still resonate today.
More from IndieWireStream of the Day: 'The Spectacular Now' and the Brilliant Long Take That Deserves More PraiseStream...
- 4/2/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
Pioneering filmmaker Bill Gunn’s 1973 iconoclastic “Ganja & Hess” revolutionized the vampire genre and was effectively suppressed in the United States because it wasn’t the Hollywood horror movie that its producers had commissioned the artist to make. Gunn made a film unlike anything that came before it (and arguably even after), at a time when black films weren’t allowed to be much more than empty sensation. It comes with a mythical backstory that should inspire all filmmakers, but especially young black directors who would use the impulse to get creative.
The early ’70s...
Pioneering filmmaker Bill Gunn’s 1973 iconoclastic “Ganja & Hess” revolutionized the vampire genre and was effectively suppressed in the United States because it wasn’t the Hollywood horror movie that its producers had commissioned the artist to make. Gunn made a film unlike anything that came before it (and arguably even after), at a time when black films weren’t allowed to be much more than empty sensation. It comes with a mythical backstory that should inspire all filmmakers, but especially young black directors who would use the impulse to get creative.
The early ’70s...
- 3/26/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
With a raft of new streaming services coming our way this year, it’s impressive that Shudder continues to develop compelling content and a solid horror library to keep fans returning. Having already snapped up the rights to Rob Zombie’s 3 From Hell, they’ve now announced their full lineup of titles for February 2020, which includes new original series, shorts, and a lot of classic movies.
In terms of original series, Shudder have The Dead Lands on Thursdays through March 5th, with the show adapting a 2014 New Zealand film focusing on Māori mythology. The plot covers a warrior returning from the afterlife who has to contend with the spirits of the recently dead. Given Shudder’s confirmation of a second season for Creepshow, it’ll be fascinating to see what they do with this material as they increase their original series commitments.
On the original movies front, Shudder have Bliss,...
In terms of original series, Shudder have The Dead Lands on Thursdays through March 5th, with the show adapting a 2014 New Zealand film focusing on Māori mythology. The plot covers a warrior returning from the afterlife who has to contend with the spirits of the recently dead. Given Shudder’s confirmation of a second season for Creepshow, it’ll be fascinating to see what they do with this material as they increase their original series commitments.
On the original movies front, Shudder have Bliss,...
- 1/23/2020
- by Jessica James
- We Got This Covered
Shudder is looking to warm the hearts of horror fans in the Us this February with a wide range of titles, including the new documentary Horror Noire, Eli Roth's History of Horror TV series (for those that missed it on its initial AMC run), 1981's Bloody Birthday, Frank Henenlotter's Brain Damage, and Sean Byrne's The Loved Ones.
Below, check out the full list of titles coming to Shudder in the Us this February, and visit Shudder online to learn more about the streaming service.
"Horror’s past comes to life this month on Shudder, first in the new Shudder Original documentary Horror Noire: A History Of Black Horror, and then in the seven-part series Eli Roth’S History Of Horror. After that, step into horror’s future with the Shudder Exclusive films The Crucifixion, offering a new take on the demonic possession genre from the director of Frontier(s),...
Below, check out the full list of titles coming to Shudder in the Us this February, and visit Shudder online to learn more about the streaming service.
"Horror’s past comes to life this month on Shudder, first in the new Shudder Original documentary Horror Noire: A History Of Black Horror, and then in the seven-part series Eli Roth’S History Of Horror. After that, step into horror’s future with the Shudder Exclusive films The Crucifixion, offering a new take on the demonic possession genre from the director of Frontier(s),...
- 1/23/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
While George Romero rightfully gets the majority of the credit for the success of Night of the Living Dead, Duane Jones doesn’t get nearly enough praise for his performance as Ben. Whether or not, as Romero claimed, Jones’ casting was simply a matter of him giving the best audition, I find it hard to believe that Romero didn’t recognize the potency of a black male lead forced to navigate rural white America in addition to the impending zombie apocalypse.
It’s also important to note that the film would not have worked with just any black actor. Jones balances Ben’s flaws with a sympathetic portrayal that makes his brutal end all the more tragic. It’s a phenomenal performance that left me wondering why Jones didn’t have more opportunities in the genre, so I was delightfully surprised when I recognized him in Bill Gunn’s 1973 quasi-vampire flick Ganja & Hess.
It’s also important to note that the film would not have worked with just any black actor. Jones balances Ben’s flaws with a sympathetic portrayal that makes his brutal end all the more tragic. It’s a phenomenal performance that left me wondering why Jones didn’t have more opportunities in the genre, so I was delightfully surprised when I recognized him in Bill Gunn’s 1973 quasi-vampire flick Ganja & Hess.
- 11/28/2018
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Films by Bonello, Rivette, Akerman, Carax, and more screen in “The Female Gaze,” a retrospective of female cinematographers. Read our piece on it here.
Metrograph
The rarely screened work of Yoshishige Yoshida gets a three-title outing, while a look at the films of actor and director Gérard Blain is underway.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Films by Bonello, Rivette, Akerman, Carax, and more screen in “The Female Gaze,” a retrospective of female cinematographers. Read our piece on it here.
Metrograph
The rarely screened work of Yoshishige Yoshida gets a three-title outing, while a look at the films of actor and director Gérard Blain is underway.
- 8/3/2018
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The lush, inventive, enveloping cinema of Luchino Visconti is highlighted in an extensive series.
Museum of the Moving Image
Hoping to understand Putin’s Russia? This massive, month-long series will bring you as close as a flight to Moscow.
Anthology Film Archives
Films by Orson Welles, Satyajit Ray, Claire Denis,...
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The lush, inventive, enveloping cinema of Luchino Visconti is highlighted in an extensive series.
Museum of the Moving Image
Hoping to understand Putin’s Russia? This massive, month-long series will bring you as close as a flight to Moscow.
Anthology Film Archives
Films by Orson Welles, Satyajit Ray, Claire Denis,...
- 6/15/2018
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe great French actor Stéphane Audran has died at the age of 85. David Hudson provides a thoughtful remembrance and career overview for The Daily.Following their producer-director collaboration on Amazon's underrated Red Oaks series, 90s contemporaries Gregg Araki and Steven Soderbergh are re-teaming for a most promising new Starz series entitled Now Apocalypse. Recommended VIEWINGFilm critic and Museum of Modern Art curator Dave Kehr investigates the many aspects that compose a western, and more largely, the genre's influence, origins, legacy, and future, in this wonderful video essay:The first trailer for Under the Silver Lake, David Robert Mitchell's long anticipated (and Thomas Pynchon inspired?) follow up to It Follows:Kino Lorber is re-releasing Personal Problems, a forgotten masterwork by Bill Gunn (Ganja & Hess) and an early and essential experiment in video filmmaking. Here's...
- 3/28/2018
- MUBI
A Kickstarter-financed Spike Lee Joint, Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus is a new kind of love story, one that centers on an addiction to blood that once doomed a long forgotten ancient African tribe. When Dr. Hess Green (Stephen Tyrone Williams) is introduced to, and then murdered with, a mysteriously cursed artifact by art curator Lafayette Hightower (Elvis Nolasco), he is uncontrollably drawn into a newfound thirst for blood that overwhelms his soul. Lafayette quickly succumbs to the ravenous nature of the infliction, killing himself, but leaves Hess a transformed man. Soon Lafayette’s wife, Ganja (Zaraah Abrahams), comes looking for her husband and becomes involved in a dangerous romance with Hess that questions the very nature of love, addiction, sex, and status in our seemingly sophisticated society. The couple marry, and Hess seems genuinely in love, while Ganja is genuinely in love with her new position, and not in...
- 5/26/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ganja & Hess (1973) was no doubt intended by its producers to capitalize on the success of the previous year's Blacula, but they must have realized after viewing just the first few minutes what is obvious to anybody: Bill Gunn had produced an offbeat, arthouse indie film expressing a unique personal sensibility.
The film played Cannes, the only American production to do so that year, but was roundly ignored or condescended to by the American press. Gunn was dismissive of the press coverage: "Another critic wondered where was the race problem. If he looks closely, he will find it in his own review." Subsequently the film was re-cut and escaped under a variety of demeaning titles (Black Evil, Black Vampire, etc.). The small sub-set of about ten blaxploitation films with horror themes are quite interesting but remarkably homogenous: only Blackenstein and Ganja & Hess move differently, the former because it's beyond incompetent, the...
The film played Cannes, the only American production to do so that year, but was roundly ignored or condescended to by the American press. Gunn was dismissive of the press coverage: "Another critic wondered where was the race problem. If he looks closely, he will find it in his own review." Subsequently the film was re-cut and escaped under a variety of demeaning titles (Black Evil, Black Vampire, etc.). The small sub-set of about ten blaxploitation films with horror themes are quite interesting but remarkably homogenous: only Blackenstein and Ganja & Hess move differently, the former because it's beyond incompetent, the...
- 8/15/2012
- MUBI
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