Bamboo Gods and Iron Men (1974)
Looking every inch the boxer he’s portraying on camera, James Iglehart, finds himself in a race to find a centuries […]
Just Cause (1995)
This thriller adapted from a novel by John Katzenbach is a clear case of Silence of the Lambs meeting Cape […]
X, The Unknown (1956)
Following up on the success of 1955’s The Quatermass Xperiment, Hammer Films, cast Oscar winner Dean Jagger in a very […]
Looking Back at The Year That Was … 2020
There’s little doubt that most everyone on Planet Earth was somehow affected by what we went through during the first […]
A Nod to the Corner Men on Boxing Day
As is my custom I turn to the world of the Sweet Science aka Boxing on December 26th. Usually I […]
Whispering Smith (1948)
Clearly at the top of his game, Paramount star Alan Ladd, takes on the title role in this technicolor western […]
A Small Town In Texas (1976)
Cut from the same cloth as 70’s fare, White Line Fever, Race With the Devil and Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, […]
Gun Fury (1953)
Noted for action films, Raoul Walsh, directed this technicolor western from Columbia meant to spotlight the up and coming Rock […]
The Ambassador (1985)
Under the employ of Cannon Films, more specifically Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, Robert Mitchum reteams with director J. Lee […]
Gallery ›
Recommendations For TCM’s Summer Under the Stars …. August 2020 …. Part 2
On to the balance of the TCM’s Summer Under the Stars with my suggestions for each “star” being celebrated with […]
Appreciating the Randolph Scott / Budd Boetticher Westerns
Like a fine wine, Randolph Scott westerns, particularly those directed by Budd Boetticher have only gotten better as the years […]
Recommendations For TCM’s Summer Under the Stars …. August 2020 …. Part 1
Each year the month of August brings the TCM Summer Under the Stars spotlight where 24 continuous hours are devoted […]
Directed by Mario Bava : The Film Posters
Italian born director Mario Bava represents one of those film makers that it took years to finally see the majority […]
Blogathon ›
The Devil’s Brigade (1968)
With Andrew V. McLaglen in the director’s chair of this male dominated WW2 action adventure we should expect it to […]
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
Following the revival of Universal Studios’ Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and the Wolfman, Hammer Studios, turned to Gaston Leroux’s Phantom […]
Counterpoint (1968)
Far from the blood and guts battles we are accustomed to seeing in big screen depictions built around WW2 with […]
Farewell Friend (1968)
aka … Adieu l’ami On the subject of movies if you ask me to name something or more specifically someone […]
Brando's Pick of the Month ›
Day of the Animals (1977)
Brando’s Halloween Pick … aka …. Something Is Out There … aka … Future Animals A fine choice from my […]
Kangaroo (1952)
Brando’s Pick of the Month Carrying on with the theme of movies starring or featuring animals in the title leads […]
Francis The Talking Mule (1949)
Brando’s Pick of the Month This Universal International production from house director Arthur Lubin launched the unlikely comedy of duo […]
Devil Dogs of the Air (1935)
Brando’s Pick of the Month Cheating just a bit this month as we look to this James Cagney-Pat O’Brien standard […]
Featured Actor ›
John Saxon (1935-2020)
Just got the news while watching a Boetticher/Scott western. John Saxon is gone. Another actor I’ve been following since childhood […]
Lloyd Bridges Goes Noir in Triplicate
Well before Lloyd Bridges became known as the star of television’s Sea Hunt or someone picking a real bad day […]
Kirk Douglas 1916-2020 : He Cast a Giant Shadow
More often than not when pressed by friends and associates who know I’m a student of movie history I name […]
Sharing the Screen With Kirk Douglas
Count the candles. 103. Yes Kirk Douglas is 103 years young today. Each year since starting up Mike’s Take On […]
From A to Z ›
Lon Chaney Jr. In the Movies : From A to Z
Looking back, Lon Chaney Jr, is one of those actors I discovered more through books than I did actual movies […]
Richard Widmark In The Movies : From A to Z
From the moment he stepped on to movie screens in 1947, Richard Widmark, was branded a villain thanks to his […]
John Carradine In the Movies : From A to Z
Selecting John Carradine for this month’s A to Z feature should pose plenty of problems narrowing each letter of the […]
John Huston In The Movies : From A to Z
Directors like John Huston come into one’s universe by extension. By that I mean when you get hooked on the […]
Slumming With .... ›
Slumming With Teen Sex Comedies of the 1980’s in Triplicate
OK gentlemen. Raise your hands if you’re old enough to recall the days when you’d hit the video stores looking […]
Slumming With George Zucco …. Can Be So Much Fun!
On any given day during the 1940’s if you walked about the movie sets in Hollywood you might see George […]
Slumming With Samantha Eggar … A Triple Feature
The more I looked for someone to feature in my third go around of ‘Slumming With”, it became painfully obvious […]
Slumming With Cameron Mitchell …. A Triple Feature
Picking up where I left off poking a bit of fun while Slumming With David Carradine, I selected Mr. Cameron Mitchell […]
Video Store Action Heroes ›
Firefox (1982)
We’re back. Yes the Four Horseman of the Video Store Apocalypse, better known to our followers as the Video Store […]
… All The Marbles (1981)
For this edition of the Video Store Action Heroes that sees yours truly costarring right alongside The Cinema Monolith, The […]
Hangar 18 (1980)
We’re Back! The Video Store Action Heroes have once again turned the clock back to simpler times when we’d all […]
The Evil That Men Do (1984)
Was there any doubt that for this edition of the Video Store Action Heroes where I got to choose the […]
Articles ›
The Breaking Point (1950)
Here’s an article I was fortunate enough to have published in the 2016 year end edition of the Noir Magazine, […]
The Badlanders (1958)
This article on The Badlanders was published in The Dark Pages celebration on the film The Asphalt Jungle. Read on […]
Lizabeth Scott Stands Up To Robert Ryan and Robert Mitchum in The Racket (1951)
Previously this piece was kindly published by Karen of Shadows and Satin in her Noir newsletter The Dark Pages. Lizabeth […]
Anthony Caruso : More Than The Henchman
This article on Mr. Caruso was kindly featured in the September 2014 issue of The Dark Pages put forth by […]
Now Playing ›
Now Playing August 9th, 1974
All aboard the time machine to 1974! Find a seat please! Strap on that seat belt and remember when we […]
Now Playing December 14th, 1980.
Combing through a new to me road side antique shop netted me a couple of DVD’s for the movie room […]
Now Playing December 28th, 1968 At a Theater Near You
Thankfully Malcolm McDowell has given his consent to allow me to borrow his personal time machine that he used to […]
Now Playing Friday August 9th, 1974
Yes it’s off to London, Ontario, Canada and to the summer of 1974 for a flashback to some classic films […]
Book Takes ›
10 Questions with Victoria Riskin Plus Her New Book – Fay Wray and Robert Riskin : A Hollywood Memoir
Thanks to a new book from Victoria Riskin on her parents, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, a whole new chapter […]
A Reading Break with Olivia, The Immortal Count and Lou’s on First
I often lament that I can’t read fast enough despite enjoying a good book be it non-fiction or a good […]
Recalling “The 50 Worst Films of all Time”
By Harry Medved and Randy Dreyfuss. Somewhere in the piles or boxes of books around here I have a dog […]
Dan Duryea : Heel With a Heart
By Mike Peros Dan Duryea is one those actors who is unforgettably identifiable. I can still recall the first time […]
Monthly Reviews ›
October 2020 In Review
No hockey and a limited number of baseball games as the World Series came to a close gave me a […]
September 2020 In Review
As a sports fan it’s awfully hard to keep up with movies when the world of professional sports leagues are […]
August 2020 In Review
Thanks to number 2 son, Kirk, I’ve been spending plenty of time watching westerns and some Robert Mitchum features as […]
July 2020 in Review
Movies, Movies, Movies and ….. “Let’s play ball.” Yes there’s finally a sport attempting to make a go of it […]
Posts I Like
Canadian Pacific (1949)
Prior to his now legendary association with Budd Boetticher, western favorite Randolph Scott, was starring in a number of solid […]
Looking Back at The Year That Was … 2020
There’s little doubt that most everyone on Planet Earth was somehow affected by what we went through during the first […]
Hand of Death (1962)
Kickstarting his acting career in a trio of top tier John Wayne movies of the late 1940’s, John Agar, seemed […]
Billy the Kid VS. Dracula (1966)
For those who may be unaware you did indeed read that title correctly but let me repeat it once more […]
November 2020 in Review
While I can’t speak for everyone in this year of the plague that we’re all living through, I’ve been pretty […]
October 2020 In Review
No hockey and a limited number of baseball games as the World Series came to a close gave me a […]
The River’s Edge (1957)
Under the direction of Allan Dwan and a location shoot in Mexico, it’s Anthony Quinn versus Ray Milland with the […]
Something to Live For (1952)
A trio of Oscar winners from the previous decade take center stage behind the direction of George Stevens, an Oscar […]
Amicus Productions : Five Recommendations
Let me start by thanking Lance Lumley of Lance Writes for inviting me and several other writers to be guests […]