Cop Land (1997)
Let me start by stating I’m a big fan of this James Mangold crime drama. I’m a firm believer that […]
Spin a Dark Web (1956)
Carrying the Columbia logo for it’s North American release, this low budget Noir effort from across the pond stars a […]
Spaceways (1953)
As was the custom of Hammer Films prior to becoming the premiere company in the world of horror movies, the […]
Universal Horror Collection Volume 2
The second collection of Universal Horrors from Scream Factory proves to be a delicious trio of Lionel Atwill titles accompanied […]
O.S.S. (1946)
Sandwiched in between costarring with Veronica Lake in The Blue Dahlia and Gail Russell in Calcutta, Paramount favorite, Alan Ladd, […]
The Hunley (1999)
If it wasn’t for reading the books of Clive Cussler while growing up I’d not likely have been aware of […]
Curling Up With a Good Movie
Book! I meant book! As is my custom when out scouring the shops and antique malls for movie memorabilia I […]
Thunder Road (1958)
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that screen icon Robert Mitchum was at the height of his box […]
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 […]
The Psychopath (1966)
Here’s an Amicus thriller by way of writer Robert Bloch that I wish I had seen as a youngster. It […]
Paul Newman In the Movies : From A to Z
I’ve settled on Paul Newman as the first actor to be featured in my new A to Z series and […]
January 2020 In Review
And so it begins, this years march to accomplishing a few things here in the movie room at Mike’s Take. […]
Black Friday (1940)
This 1940 thriller represents the final pairing under the roof of Universal Studios where it all began for the legendary […]
Fearless Fagan (1952)
Brando’s Pick of the Month For this MGM release detailing the plight of Fagan, a 400 pound tamed lion, Janet […]
Remembering Yul Brynner via the Movie Poster
For years I have officially gone on the record stating that if the legendary Johnny Cash is universally known as […]
If I Were King (1938)
Having made a successful transition from the silent era to the talkies, who better than Ronald Colman to headline If […]
Gallery ›
Remembering Yul Brynner via the Movie Poster
For years I have officially gone on the record stating that if the legendary Johnny Cash is universally known as […]
Visiting the Kirk Hammett Collection At The Royal Ontario Museum
I’ve been long overdue to finally travel about seventy minutes up the road from where I live to downtown Toronto […]
Casting Suggestions For The Apparent Remake of The Dirty Dozen
Every so often news of a remake splashes the headlines of some Hollywood trade paper and most recently Variety had […]
Boxing Movies for Boxing Day
Keeping up with my annual theme of Boxing Day Brawlers and Bruisers (which can be revisited here) it’s time to […]
Blogathon ›
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 […]
Edmond O’Brien Does It All … Directing and Terrorizing in Shield For Murder (1954)
Some villains chew the scenery, quite often stealing a film from the top billed actor. Then there are other heavies […]
The Secret Invasion (1964)
Actor Stewart Granger is once again the focus here at Mike’s Take thanks to the time taken by Maddy Who […]
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 ›
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 […]
Catching Up On Pacino
I do have to admit that while growing up and discovering both movies and the actors that populate them I […]
(Paul Henreid + Patricia Medina) X 2 = Popcorn Adventures
From Columbia Pictures by way of frugal producer Sam Katzman, who fans of Monogram cheapies with Bela and the Bowery […]
My Favorites of Lee and Cushing For Halloween
As Halloween approaches it seems everyone has a list of horrors to see and there’s usually very little that interests […]
From A to Z ›
Dracula In The Movies : From A to Z
Looking to share some simple trivia on the Count and the many movies he’s appeared in I wanted to have […]
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 ›
… 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 […]
Uncommon Valor (1983)
Well before Chuck Norris’ Braddock and Sly Stallone’s Rambo decided to go back to Vietnam and rescue the men left […]
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 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 […]
Now Playing August 17th, 1977
Under the circumstances of Burt Reynold’s passing, the time seems appropriate for joining me in a look back to the […]
Now Playing Monday July 21st, 1969.
Western fans rejoice! I’d be in my glory taking in five westerns we all know and love playing at the […]
Book Takes ›
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 […]
Niv , The Authorized Biography of David Niven
By Graham Lord (published in 2003) Like any self respecting, self appointed film buff I knew the basic facts of […]
Monthly Reviews ›
Looking Back at the Highlights of 2019 and Ahead to 2020
If only I could secure a flux capacitor for my Prius I’d travel back in time and relive some great […]
November 2019 In Review
Honestly, I can’t recall the last time I went to a movie theater three times in the same month. Gotta […]
October 2019 In Review
Bottom line. October is a good excuse to start combing the shelves here in the movie room at Mike’s Take […]
September 2019 In Review
Canada’s beloved Blue Jays wrapped up their season as September wound down and with that I guess I’ll watch the […]
Posts I Like
Looking Back at the Highlights of 2019 and Ahead to 2020
If only I could secure a flux capacitor for my Prius I’d travel back in time and relive some great […]
Dracula In The Movies : From A to Z
Looking to share some simple trivia on the Count and the many movies he’s appeared in I wanted to have […]
Death Wish (1974)
For his fourth film under the direction of Michael Winner, Charles Bronson, scored his most famous role, one that would […]
Kid Galahad (1962)
Far better than the bulk of Elvis Presley’s later films between 1965 and 1969, Kid Galahad, proves an entertaining outing […]
Visiting the Kirk Hammett Collection At The Royal Ontario Museum
I’ve been long overdue to finally travel about seventy minutes up the road from where I live to downtown Toronto […]
High Society (1956)
Just a short 16 years following the Grant-Hepburn-Stewart classic, The Philadelphia Story, from director George Cukor came this musical rendition […]
Beware My Lovely Ida When Robert is On Dangerous Ground
Thanks to the fine folks at The Dark Pages, a newsletter that specializes in the world of Noir, my piece […]
How The West Was Won (1962)
While I’ve see this western blockbuster filmed in Cinerama a number of times I don’t believe I’ve actually seen it […]
At the Earth’s Core (1976)
This fantasy film clearly aimed at youngsters hit a bullseye when I was indeed a youngster seeing this on TV […]