The March 2021 Round-Up
Could we finally be getting close to seeing things return to normal? I sure hope so as I’d love to […]
The Howling (1981)
I never fail to have a “howling” good time whenever I revisit this Joe Dante favorite featuring a secret society […]
Machine Gun Kelly (1958)
Between 1951 and 1957, screen icon Charles Bronson, appeared in everything from uncredited bit parts in Cukor’s The Marrying Kind […]
Raw Deal (1948)
Before director Anthony Mann joined James Stewart on a string of very Noir like westerns, he helmed a number of […]
The Skull (1965)
Any film that lists the contributions of actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, writer Robert Bloch and director Freddie Francis […]
Espionage Agent (1939)
I’ve always suspected that if someone began attending movie theaters in the late 1940’s on into the fifties, there’s a […]
The Animals (1970) aka Five Savage Men
Prior to Hannie Caulder and Chato’s Land, both released in 1972, there was this tale of a woman seeking vengeance […]
The February 2021 Round-Up
For the first time in well over a year I felt like I slowed down in my movie watching routine […]
The Sleeping City (1950)
Alternating between good guys and hoods in the world of Noir, Richard Conte, plays it tough as a cop this […]
Gallery ›
Will I Ever See That Movie? Cause I Ain’t Getting Any Younger!
There comes a point in every film buff’s life when you’ve got to ask yourself one question…… “Do I feel […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 ›
The February 2021 Round-Up
For the first time in well over a year I felt like I slowed down in my movie watching routine […]
The January 2021 Round-Up
Like many of you I’m still in a semi-lockdown situation which means plenty of time hanging out with Brando the […]
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 […]
October 2020 In Review
No hockey and a limited number of baseball games as the World Series came to a close gave me a […]
Posts I Like
Will I Ever See That Movie? Cause I Ain’t Getting Any Younger!
There comes a point in every film buff’s life when you’ve got to ask yourself one question…… “Do I feel […]
Queen Bee (1955)
A southern mansion and a 1950’s version of Joan Crawford. Just what I need on occasion to get my melodramatic […]
Kiss The Blood Off My Hands (1948)
Early on his stellar career, Burt Lancaster, found himself in this Noir thriller opposite Joan Fontaine with foggy postwar London […]
The Sleeping City (1950)
Alternating between good guys and hoods in the world of Noir, Richard Conte, plays it tough as a cop this […]
The January 2021 Round-Up
Like many of you I’m still in a semi-lockdown situation which means plenty of time hanging out with Brando the […]
Johnny Cool (1963)
Not quite a Rat Pack film this black and white gangland feature starring Henry Silva in the title role proves […]
The Night Walker (1964)
While I’d agree that this William Castle thriller is but a footnote in film history to the average movie goer […]
Raw Deal (1948)
Before director Anthony Mann joined James Stewart on a string of very Noir like westerns, he helmed a number of […]
King of Hockey (1936)
Take any number of cocky Cagney features from Warner Brothers in the 1930’s and change the locale from the military […]