Latest Columns & Features

CAMP DAVID JULY 2010: THE BAROQUE MIRRIORS OF ERIC PORTMAN

David Del Valle

My introduction to the films of Eric Portman was not an easy one by any means. He was brought to my attention by an alcoholic Hindu princess by the name of Rukhmani Singh Devi. She was odd even by my standards of eccentricity, Rukhmani was a bit like the willful princess that tormented James Mason with their past lives in James Ivory’s sinister AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A PRINCESS…

CAMP DAVID JUNE 2010: “WILBER WHATELEY HAS A GIRLFRIEND”

David Del Valle

It is early February of 1970; former teen princess Sandra Dee is in between takes reclining as best she can on a faux Druidic altar, surrounded by lighting experts–focus pullers, hair and make-up stylists. Completing the picture is a continuity girl running lines as Ms. Dee puffs on an endless string of cigarettes to quiet her nerves. Her own mother, Mary, comes to her speaking words of wisdom: “Keep your clothes on, Sandy, wait for the body double.”

RAY HARRYHAUSEN CELEBRATES HIS 90TH BIRTHDAY

David Rosler

On June 29th, 2010, depending on when you read this, Ray Harryhausen will or did celebrate his 90th birthday. To the geek squad of science fiction and stop motion animation enthusiasts (yours truly included), Ray Harryhausen is a name which is more than respected; it’s revered.

INTERVIEW: KATT SHEA

David Guglielmo

Roger Corman has produced over 350 films and has helped launch the careers of many of Hollywood’s biggest name directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, James Cameron, Ron Howard, and Martin Scorsese. This became known as the “Roger Corman Film School”, and in a way was the test of a director’s talent. Many of these “B movies” turned out to be just as good, or in some cases much better than their A-list counterparts. The name Katt Shea might not be as household as the aforementioned directors, but she sure as hell passed the test.

CAMP DAVID MAY 2010: GETTIN’ “LIZZIE” WITH IT

David Del Valle

During a lazy summer morning in August in the year of our Lord 1892, while the township of Fall River, Massachusetts, went about their simple daily pleasures, a crime was taking place that would rock not only that sleepy little New England hamlet to its very core, but would create a legend in both criminology and pop culture a Century later…

THUNDER ON CANVAS: A TRIBUTE TO FRANK FRAZETTA

David Rosler

Most film aficionados won’t recognize the name. Only occasionally was he directly involved in film production. Frank Frazetta was an artist and illustrator, but his influence on the mediums of film and television cannot be overestimated, perhaps because his powerful vision crossed over so many genres and avenues of expression, while he, himself, remained essentially unseen by most of the public…

INDIE CORNER SPRING 2010

Glenn Andreiev

How are Indie film-makers going to try to rival AVATAR’s imagery? A street vendor selling dollar kabobs is going to succeed by being unique, different, not by trying to mimic that five star restaurant around the corner. Indie film-makers should be thinking the same way as the kabob guy after they see AVATAR or whatever big expensive Hollywood film comes out.