Not counting movie serials or made for TV versions, T3M has been filmed at least a dozen times. And this doesn’t count versions of The Man in the Iron Mask which also features the candy bar trio. I have seen them all except for the version with Charlie Sheen, Three (and a Half) Musketeers. The … Read more
Every now and then filmmakers find themselves in a dilemma about marketing their films, especially those with an arcane subject. What they try to do is sell what they think the general public wants to see, even though it’s not the film they made. The previews for The Big Year seem to be selling a … Read more
Ben Hur and The Magnificent 7 have turned 50. Both films are considered classics. BH was a groundbreaker, winning 11 of the 12 Oscars it was nominated for losing only for screenplay. Karl Tunberg, the author credited with the fantastic BH screenplay, turns out to have not written any of what turned up in the … Read more
Writer, producer, director Larry Blamire’s latest film (2009) is a low budget, black and white comedy thriller. LB makes movies for little money but gets every penny back in DVD sales. If you want to know how low his budgets are, check your pockets to see how much you have on you. His prior films … Read more
Moneyball is a baseball movie. Unlike other baseball movies this one has very little baseball on screen. It is about the business end of the game. Where the money comes into play as opposed to the game itself. Brad Pitt portrays Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s General Manager. His team has very little money. When … Read more
If you decide to make a movie it is best to have a story deserving of the honor. If you have a story that is going to take up 100 minutes of audience time, but only have about 30 minutes of plot to work with, what do you do? You produce Drive, a mismatch of … Read more
Director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13, Erin Brockovich and Traffic) returns with a story about disease and death. Aside from the delightful end-of-summer fun topics this is a well made, almost documentary-like film, which chronicles what happens when a disease starts killing people and spreads worldwide in a matter of seconds. A big-time … Read more
Everybody has favorite films. I list mine by decade. Working backwards here they are: 2001-2010 Star Trek 1991-2000 Much Ado About Nothing 1981-1990 It’s a tie between Raiders of the lost Ark and Glory 1961-1980 I combine these decades because I really like the two Westerns made by Richard Brooks. In the … Read more
In order to add a authentic atmosphere, CandA was filmed in New Mexico and at Randsburg, CA. The population of Randsburg, all 69 of them as of 2010 (down 8 from the 2000 census), must have been thrilled. Other locations include Abiquiu and Santa Fe, New Mexico where the folks are used to movie companies … Read more
This is a real bargain and fabulous deal. Details later. It is a two disk set containing all 12 parts of a 2006 TV series. Filmed in HD it is truly spectacular. When you visit any retail outlet selling Blu-ray players and big screen HD TV’s this is the sort of program they have on … Read more