I just finished a three-session film class on Alfred Hitchcock. Over six hours, we tried to digest his remarkable career. Of course, it helps to have seen most of his films and much of his television anthology series. Hitchcock is a lot of things, personality, auteur, mystery and macabre storyteller, and great observer of life. … More Hitchcock by the Decade
Direct to video films became synonymous with cheap, low quality films. In the world today, content designed to be available on-demand over streaming services is replacing films going through the traditional movie theater. Consumers are choosing subscription streaming services over cable subscriptions and 82% of internet traffic relates to video now. What a mixed-up world … More Direct to Video
My previous Mannix blog took a look across the eight seasons. Here, I want to revisit the series, focusing on seasons one and two. Why? Watching these episodes again on FETV, from the first episode forward, I was able to see a linear progression in the series. You also see a series of cool looking … More Mannix Revisited
This blog is a companion to my “Almost Noir” posting. I listed Eddie Muller as a noir expert, he is a film historian, host on TCM and keeper of the noir genre. Muller published a fascinating book on film noir, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, in 1998, and has updated and expanded … More Dark City: Film Noir
Film noir is an exciting genre of the cinema and includes some of the best films ever made. Dark, mysterious, foreboding, psychological, often violent. It was a genre popular after World War II, into the 1950s, usually shot in black and white to help convey the darker emotional tone of the subject matter. If you … More Almost Noir
The best of the John Sayles films, which is saying a lot. Sayles is an auteur of independent films. He wrote, directed and edited LoneStar. It all start with two off-duty soldiers finding human bones on an abandoned Army rifle range looking for old bullets. Then a sheriff’s star is discovered among the bones. It … More LoneStar (1996)
Tough guy Jean-Claude Van Damme was quite a successful actor during the 1980s and 1990s, his films were international hits. Since then, the quality and success of his films have taken a nosedive. I noticed his series (Jean-Claude Van Johnson) on Prime, a fictionalization of his real life. I tuned in to watch an episode, … More Van Damme
Tommy Lee Jones has starred in numerous murder mysteries, including some high profile film productions. Some good, some not. He has also been in some smaller films, some not even on the radar, but there are some gems. More money does not ensure quality. The bigger the subject, the greater the expectation and chance for … More Tommy Lee Jones: Murder Mysteries
Way back in the dark ages of television. Harry Orwell was a former police detective who was shot and retired on medical disability. David Janssen was of course, The Fugitive, and although a respected actor, struggled to find another successful project after that series. Harry O, although a quality show, lasted just two seasons. Television … More Harry O (Television Series)
Outside of Osama Bin Laden, this was maybe the greatest manhunt in history. The hunt for, and abduction of, Nazi Adolf Eichmann. There have been a number of books written about the hunt and capture of Eichmann, including one by Peter Malkin, one of the Mossad agents involved in the operation. Neal Bascomb’s book The … More Operation Finale (2018)
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