CelluloidKid
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*Scorsese earns DeMille lifetime honor at Globes*
Nov. 12, 2009
*LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Director Martin Scorsese is receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes.*
The award will be presented to Scorsese at the 67th annual Globes on Jan. 17.
Scorsese turns 67 next week and is an Academy Award winner for directing on "The Departed" and a two-time Golden Globe winner for that film and "Gangs of New York." He also was nominated for Oscars and Globes for such films as "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas" and "The Aviator."
Past winners of the DeMille award include last year's recipient, Steven Spielberg, along with Warren Beatty, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Douglas.
Nominations come out Dec. 15 for the Globes, Hollywood's
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*Must see: 'Letty Lynton' Yes, Letty Lynton (1932)!!! Woo Hoo!!*
New York Post
November 11, 2009
By Lou Lumenick
Fans of Joan Crawford and pre-Code melodramas should make a bee-line right quick to You Tube, where Clarence Brown's "Letty Lynton'' has surfaced for the second time this year. It disappeared quickly after turning up this summer, so move quickly. I'm not generally in the habit of watching movies on You Tube, much less recommending them unless they are otherwise unavailable. And boy, this one has been unavailable since 1932 for legal reasons detailed at Wikipedia (that's also why I'm not embedding the video or providing a link. Sorry, but it's not hard to find if it's still there).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIjoEhK7Fo&feature=PlayList&p=BEFF7555C674FDEC&index=1
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*The Wizard of Oz in Theaters Again*
Monday November 9, 2009.
By Laurie Boeder, About.com Guide to Classic Movies
*I'll always connect The Wizard of Oz with Thanksgiving. When I was growing up, one of the networks always ran the classic movie at Thanksgiving time. (That was back when there were just three networks, children.)*
I always wanted to see it on the big screen, and for those who haven't had the pleasure, another opportunity is coming up from the folks at Fathom. On November 17th, a live, high-def simulcast of the movie will be shown in theaters around the nation - along with a taped intro from Turner Classic Movies's Robert Osborne, as well as a documentary about the making of the movie.
It's in honor of the 70th anniversary of the film, one of the magical Hollywood films of 1939, and, in my humble opinion, one every movie buff will want in an essential classic movie library.
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Brenda Vaccaro WAS IN: _Summertree_ (1971) directed by: Anthony Newley!
*NEW DIRECTOR: Anthony Newley!*
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*'Seven' creators to remake seventies classic: _The Reincarnation of Peter Proud_ (1975)*
Examiner.com
November 9, 2009
Capital District Movies
Jim Dixon
Director David Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, who last collaborated on ?Seven? in 1995, are teaming up again for a remake of the 1975 movie ?The Reincarnation of Peter Proud.? The Hollywood Reporter?s Heat Vision blog is reporting that Columbia Pictures has greenlighted the project, which will be co-produced by Fincher and Michael DeLuca, who was president of production at New Line in 1995, when Fincher directed ?Seven? for the studio.
"The Reincarnation of Peter Proud" is a minor classic of the seventies, when supernatural-themed thrillers such as Ira Levin's "Rosemary's Baby," Tom Tryon's"The Other" and "The Dark Secret of Harvest Home" and WIlliam Peter Blatty's "The Exorcist," were extremely popular both on the New York Times bestseller list and at the box office. Stephen King was just beginning to make a dent in the mid-seventies. Anne Rice published "Interview With the Vampire in 1976.
?The Reincarnation of Peter Proud? was based on a novel by the same name by author Max Ehrlich. Both the novel and film were released in 1975. Ehrlich adapted his novel himself. The movie was directed by J. Lee Thompson and starred Michael Sarrazin, Jennifer O?Neill and Margot Kidder. J. Lee Thompson, best-known for the 1961 blockbuster movie adaptation of Alistair Maclean?s ?The Guns of Navarone? and the 1962 adaptation of John D. MacDonald?s ?Cape Fear,? both of which starred Gregory Peck, died in 2002.
Sarrazin, nearly completely unknown to younger audiences, was on the rise at the time, with recent roles in ?They Shoot Horses, Don?t They?,? ?The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean,? with Paul Newman, and the television movie ?Frankenstein: The True Story.? Jennifer O?Neill had recently made a huge impression in the ?Summer of 42.? Margot Kidder was beginning to break into features after years of knocking around in TV guest appearances, having appeared in Brian DePalma?s ?Sisters,? the early stab?em/slash?em flick ?Black Christmas? and ?The Great Waldo Pepper? opposite Robert Redford. Shortly after ?The Reincarnation of Peter Proud? she would be cast as a startlingly sexy Lois Lane in Richard Donner?s ?Superman.?
In the 1975 movie Sarrazin starred as Peter Proud, a college professor who begins having recurring dreams and nightmares and, realizing they are images of a past life, decides to search out the source of the visions. With his girlfriend in tow, he discovers a woman and her grown-up daughter who are keys to his past life. The material seems timely and commercial again, with recent hits like "Paranormal Activity" and "The Fourth Kind" renewing audience interest in things that go bump in the night.
?The Reincarnation of Peter Proud? drew some heat at the time for a subplot involving incest.
Fincher is about to begin production on ?The Social Network? for Columbia, also produced by DeLuca. Walker, who wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton?s ?Sleepy Hollow? in 1999 has been seemingly quiet since then, but wrote the screenplay for Universal?s upcoming remake, ?The Wolfman,? directed by Joe Johnston and starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins.
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Buddy Ebsen WAS IN: _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ (1961) directed by Blake Edwards!
*NEW DIRECTOR: Blake Edwards!*
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split-screen - _Vantage Point_ (2008)
*NEW WORD:* Raison d'?tre!
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*Ireland, John*
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Joyce Reynolds played the energetic teenager who spoils the solitude of aging George M. Cohan (James Cagney) in _Yankee Doodle Dandy_ (1942) directed by Michael Curtiz!
*NEW DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz!*
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*MacLaine, Shirley* - An American film and theater actress, dancer, activist, and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation.
She also made her feature-film directorial debut in the quirky film _Bruno_ (2000), written by then new-comer David Ciminello in his Disney-Meets-David Lynch style.
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Ann Blyth was in: _The Helen Morgan Story_ (1957) directed by Michael Curtiz!
*NEW DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz!*
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*A Christmas Carol [blu-ray] (1951)*
*Street Date: November 03, 2009*
*_Scrooge_ (1951), released as _A Christmas Carol_ in the U.S., is one of the best-known film adaptations of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley.*
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*This is in: Hot Topics too under:*
*TCM to air Johnny Mercer special November 2009!!*
http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?messageID=8314673
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*Comic-Con founder Dorf dies at 76*
November 5, 2009
*Sheldon Dorf, who founded San Diego's world-famous Comic-Con international comics festival, has died at the age of 76.*
Dorf died of kidney failure in a San Diego hospital on Tuesday after battling diabetes and spending about a year in hospital, according to longtime friend Greg Koudoulian.
A funeral was held on Wednesday.
Dorf, a freelance commercial artist and comic strip letterer born in Detroit, helped found a comics convention in Michigan. When he moved to the West Coast in 1970, he established a new one ? Comic-Con ? with the help of industry friends including notable artists such as Jack Kirby.
That year, the inaugural Golden State Comic Book Convention drew about 300 fans.
In mid-1980s Dorf decided to step down from running his ever-growing event, telling the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper that the festival had become "an ordeal ? It's become too much of a success."
Indeed, the convention ? which moved to its current home, the San Diego Convention Centre in the 1990s ? has become a four-day extravaganza and expanded to encompass not only comic artists and the comic book industry but also related books, television shows and movies.
The latest edition, which took place in July, attracted more than 125,000 people from around the globe.
A statement from the event's current board of directors praised Dorf, saying that it was his "appreciation of this art form and his keen foresight that helped to create what is Comic-Con. It is with a heavy heart that we ? mourn the passing of our dear friend."
Dorf is survived by his brother, Michael Dorf.
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Peter Lorre was in the film _Strange Cargo_ (1940) with Joan Crawford!
*Joan Crawford!*
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_No More Ladies_ MGM, 1935.
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Horst Buchholz was in: _Tiger Bay_ (1959) with Hayley Mills!
*NEW STAR: Hayley Mills!*
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*The William Castle Film Collection*
DVD Talk - Nov 1, 2009
Review by Kurt Dahlke
*The William Castle Film Collection*
*Containing eight William Castle films on four discs, plus a bonus-disc documentary, this collection highlights Castle's work for Columbia Pictures. Five of these films are previously released, though some of them have a new extra or two, but only three, 13 Frightened Girls, The Old Dark House and ZOTZ! are making their DVD debuts. Let's dive in and see what's on offer!*
*13 Frightened Girls:*
Castle's career wasn't limited to gimmicky horror movies, as 13 Frightened Girls demonstrates, even though the title might lead you to believe otherwise (and indeed early intentions for this film were in line with Castle's 'showman' persona). No, this 90-minute color diversion nominally involves the 13 daughters of international diplomats, home on vacation from their boarding school. There are really only one - maybe two - frightened girls of which to speak, since our tale quickly focuses on young Candace, (Kathy Dunn) a girl with a severe crush on one of her father's attach?s. But this hunky older spy isn't quite earning his pay lately, so Candace - AKA Kitten - decides to help out by becoming an international spy herself. Who would suspect her, right?
This campy cold war effort is certainly loopy, at times resembling the later World of Henry Orient crossed with a James Bond movie. Mixing kittenish humor with intrigue and extreme peril - like threatening to impale teenaged girls on meat-hooks style peril - makes this a sincerely weird effort. But despite incongruously strong violence and subject matter, our ride is mostly breezy and fun, with brutes dropping off balconies sharing space with impromptu twisting teen dance parties. With only one prior (now out of print) DVD release, this is a nice find.
*13 Ghosts:*
Probably Castle's most famous, most well loved movie, 13 Ghosts proves more than worthy of its reputation. Unlike the glitzy modern remake filled with gore and elaborate special effects, the original is filled with 'Illusion-O' and emphasis on low-level intrigue. The Zorba family ekes out a living on patriarch Cyrus's paleontologist's salary. Since that's not a lot of scratch, they're excited when they inherit a furnished mansion from Cyrus's crazy uncle - it beats living on the street without any furniture. Trouble is, Uncle Zorba's pet ghosts haunt the house. Luckily, the domicile hides a secret fortune, but sleazy lawyer Ben Rush (Adam 12's Martin Milner) wants to bilk the Zorbas out of their rightful inheritance with an additional spook show.
The youth of the day may have been frightened, but even in 1960 it would have been clear that Castle intended to populate this haunted house with fun-toms rather than phantoms, and that audiences would likely be most interested in seeing slimy Rush get his comeuppance. Light performances suitable to Perry Mason or I Love Lucy attest to this while making 13 Ghosts absolutely entertaining. In addition to the ominous presence of Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz) as witchy housekeeper Elaine, Castle lards proceedings with plenty of goofy spectral sequences. If you believe in ghosts, look through the red lens of your Illusion-O viewer (sadly not provided with this set - but standard 3-D glasses will do the trick) and see attacking lions, heads chopped off, and creepy possessions - none of which are remotely scary, but reliably fun. (If you don't have 3-D glasses handy, don't worry either, you'll still see the red ghosts superimposed onto blue backgrounds.) 13 Ghosts is nothing short of loveable and stands up to repeat viewings with ease.
*Homicidal:*
Top-loading a fairly bloody stabbing to pique our interest, Castle settles in to a tale of twisted intrigue and unhealthy relationships. Ice princess Emily (Joan Marshall) takes poor care of an old invalid woman who speaks by banging a doorknob on her wheelchair. She checks into a hotel under an assumed name, offering the bellboy $2000 to marry her immediately. There's a little stabby-stabby. Invalid Helga's niece Miriam Webster (Patricia Breslin) wonders why Emily's other purported husband Warren is so freaky, and why the cops come looking for her during the murder investigation.
This thinly veiled Psycho knock-off features plenty of low-key, casual exposition between its shocking opener and pretty mind-bending conclusion. While much more adult than some of Castle's other creep-fests, this thriller is still fairly mild. Yet it's never boring, thanks to gorgeous camera work and black-and-white photography, not to mention a group of excellent performances. Marshall (billed as Jean Arless) is so fragile and unhinged she seems constantly on the edge of insanity - it's a wonder why she's kept around. Breslin and Glenn Corbett as her paramour Karl anchor things nicely, while Eugenie Leontovich wrings as much as she possibly can from her doorknob and frightened face. However mystery hubby Warren is a true revelation, eerie, creepy and totally unsettling. Tame by today's standards, Homicidal still racks up a good amount of killer karma.
*Strait-Jacket:*
A young girl witnesses her mom hacking up husband and tramp with an axe. She really goes at it, too, hacking and hacking at the just off-screen bodies until you can't help but imagine the horrific results. Mom's sent to the nut-hatch, rehabilitating for 20 years before she's sent home to live with her now adult daughter. Of course bad, mysterious things start happening, and as heads begin to roll it seems mom might have been released a bit too soon. Castle asks the musical question: what do you do when you suspect your mom's an axe-murderer?
Another black-and-white feature of the killing kind, Strait-Jacket mixes some good with some bad. A whole lot of psychotronic melodrama shares space with an intrusive van Alexander score that telegraphs and contours every bit of onscreen action. Lots of dire, breathless activity surrounds crazy mom Joan Crawford, her fragile daughter, various men-folk and Crawford's psychiatrist - not all of it terribly compelling - while van Alexander's score swells and shudders at all the right places, actually just before the right places, to ensure you don't miss the point.
Yet there's Crawford herself, wrenching powerfully from mania to mania, with real-close-to-the-top brio. Just as she's throwing herself full-bore into histrionics, she'll suddenly break down in tragic vulnerability. She delivers blunt lessons in physicality too, heaving like a bellows in one scene; repeatedly puffing up to deliver an enraged screed, then deflating as her thought is spent - it's a B-Movie tour-de-force.
Occasionally van Alexander quiets down, until only rhythmic sounds of distant machinery remain, in the dark, as someone with an ax creeps up and chops someone's head off. These scenes, simple and brutal, don't sport the most advanced makeup effects, but their pulsing tension prefigures many much more famous sweat-baths (I'm looking at you Alien). Effective tension bolsters Castle's otherwise simple, economical direction. Beyond van Alexander's hyper-descriptive score, Strait-Jacket embellishes nothing, Castle coolly shows - never outlines - incidents from A to B. This relaxed, non-precious direction carries us easily from shock-scene to blow-up. On balance, Strait-Jacket is a definite B+ picture.
*The Old Dark House:*
Tom Poston stars in this, the only color feature in this collection. Playing a cool, dopey-****-rakish bachelor, Poston's invited to the family home of his mysterious roommate. A Chas Addams-designed credits sequence sets the tone nicely for this horror-comedy populated by eccentric, cartoonish weirdos. Poston learns family members are bound to stay in the family home every night or risk losing their part of an inherited fortune - last one standing gets it all. Of course someone is intent on speeding up the process, and Poston's caught in the middle. Lucky for him there's a beautiful daughter to distract him between murders.
Hardly scary, this odd collaboration between Castle and Hammer Studios enjoys a nice mix of Hammer atmosphere and Castle's agreeable goofiness. Poston's the perfect foil for this cast of loonies, meeting their seemingly inbred British Isles obtuseness with a bit of clueless-American casualness. Though some murderous activity on display is nearly as amusing as intentional humor, it's not the point of the movie. Castle's top-notch cast presents the true raison d'etre, as they gallop merrily through each more-ridiculous-than-the-last set-up.
*Mr. Sardonicus:*
Sardonicus feels a bit like a very liberal interpretation of Beauty and the Beast, as the stately titular Baron, with his unwilling wife, lives in virtual exile due to extreme ugliness. The difference is the Baron, in his disturbing, nearly featureless mask, is a pretty nasty guy. Not only has his face been frozen in a hideous rictus because of greedy crimes against his family, but he's also not above using potentially deadly blackmail to set things right for himself.
Castle's gimmick this time around is the 'Punishment Poll', during which he stops the action, asking the audience to choose whether Sardonicus should get his comeuppance. It seems like a no-brainer, who wouldn't vote to punish the villain, right? Obviously the deck is stacked, as there's only one ending to the film, but Castle and Sardonicus essayer Guy Rolfe make it appear less simple. Sardonicus is imbued with enough class, sympathy and regard for his guests that it's not hard to feel sympathy for the frightening fool.
An overall serious tone and plenty of nice, gothic atmosphere overcome a bit of questionable pacing - the Baron's spooky visage is revealed too soon and shown too often, for instance - and some unintentional silliness. Or maybe it's just me, but sincerely delivered lines like "now that you're here, maybe the experimenting will stop?" can't help but make me chuckle. Still, such minimal missteps don't overshadow the overall eerie quality of Mr. Sardonicus.
*The Tingler:*
Castle sets up The Tingler in one of his usual movie introductions, going as far as alerting the audience to the fact that some of them may get a tingly goose from their seats during scary parts of the movie. Possibly Castle's most outrageous gimmick, his in-theater 'tickler' was a little motor installed under select seats in various movie theaters; when action in the movie gets intense, the motor vibrates, giving viewers a wiggly thrill. As per his intro - and the premise of the movie - people; can best release their fear and tension by screaming, screaming, screaming! (We're then lead further in with a shrill montage of people letting it rip, as hopefully the audience will too.)
Actually pretty short on thrills and chills, The Tingler is best represented by that vibra-gimmick, some mild psychotic situations, and lead Vincent Price's performance. Absent any booty-goosing, we're left mostly with Price, who carries the show as a researcher into the physical causes of fear. He's discovered a spine-dwelling creature that grows when a person feels fear (hence the 'chills' up your spine). If not appeased by screams, the creature grows and grows, ultimately killing its host. Price meets a man with a deaf-mute wife, (can't scream when she's scared, don't you know) endures the ignominies of his ultra-hot, ultra-shrew-ish, trampy wife, and drops acid so he himself can feel real fear.
It all adds up to the big reveal - the Tingler itself revealed to wiggle around on the floor and chase after people. With at least one bona-fide jump-scare, The Tingler still glides by on both some other nifty ideas (blood-red hallucinations in an otherwise black-and-white movie, for instance) and also Price's excellent performance. With soothing tones he adds totally unmerited weight to goofy ideas he spouts, with suave dignity he strikes sparks while arguing with his wife, and even manages to make his tussles with the rubber tingler seem real. Castle's gung-ho showmanship is on full display (at least conceptually, since you're unlikely to wire your own couch for tingling) with The Tingler. It's too bad there aren't more serious scares, or a slightly more probable plot on which to hang the stunts, but by the grace of Vincent Price and plenty of crackpot situations, there's still a lot to like in The Tingler.
*ZOTZ!:*
Not only is there no more fun a word to type and admire than 'zotz,' but also the inclusion of ZOTZ! in this collection (something many Castle fans were clamoring for) proves wrong those who think the showman is only good for horror gimmicks. A vaguely edgy, broad comedy starring deadpan everyman Tom Poston, this black-and-white feature follows a 'professor wore tennis shoes' vibe, as absent-minded professor Poston finds an ancient medallion that grants him magic powers.
The black-and-white feature chugs along under Castle's metronomic direction, and by metronomic, I mean smooth and solid, not boring. Poston breezes through any situation - scuffles with his boss, or a rival professor played by Jim Backus - with distracted aplomb, until he discovers special abilities which include injuring or killing with a point or a word. This slightly dark, cruel premise first founders through lengthy scenes of Poston testing his powers, (unfortunately his power-word utterances sound wrapped in marshmallows) and traipses around contrived set-ups before lining up quite a few laugh-out-loud gags, including a toupee attack at a posh party.
Meanwhile Poston romances a ravishing new professor (Julia Meade) and fights for a promotion. Subplots aside, ZOTZ! highlights Castle's other talent: backing up gimmicky hucksterism with assured, meat-and-potatoes direction. Style isn't on display, but smart pacing and the ability to keep performances just this side of excessive means ZOTZ! and the other pictures in this collection are all easy and pleasing, even when the subject matter is ridiculous.
*The DVD*
*_Video_:*
All films come in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, and - though those movies with previous releases don't appear to be remastered - all of them look pretty good. Both the two color and six black-and-white features display minimal film damage and fully acceptable levels of film grain, especially for their age. Much of the black-and-white cinematography is creamy and gorgeous, with deep velvety blacks and striking shadow play. The color features display relatively vibrant hues - not too saturated, but naturalistic enough - and none of the movies suffer from much in the way of compression artifacts.
*_Sound_:*
Dolby Digital Audio is uniformly good. These movies sound fresh, without hiss or decay. Screams and shock-cues are quite loud - especially during The Tingler and Strait-Jacket, but those ear-shattering blasts certainly display the healthy upper-register audio available. Otherwise, soundtrack music is consistently audible but not too loud - it never conflicts with dialog - even though some of it is a bit overbearing. Dynamics aren't terribly sophisticated, but authentic for movies of this vintage.
*_Extras_:*
In addition to extras included with every movie, from simple theatrical trailers to original featurettes, a fifth disc presents Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story. Produced and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz and Terry Castle, this excellent, highly entertaining doc follows Castle's improbable life and times in Hollywood, utilizing plenty of stills, clips, and interview subjects like Leonard Maltin and John Landis. It's a bit sad to note that Castle felt somewhat hemmed in by his status as a B-movie helmer, but nice to admire his status as one of the best of that bunch. The Documentary also includes its own Commentary Track with Schwarz and Castle, which is just as entertaining and interesting as the doc itself.
*_Each of the other four discs includes two movies, with extras_:*
13 Frightened Girls comes with: Original Theatrical Trailer, Original "British" Trailer Introduction, Original Candy Web Trailer, (Candy Web being the original title for the film) the Original Candy Web Opening and Closing Message from William Castle and Four International Alternate Openings. Each short extra is a bit like a tasty piece of candy in and of itself.
13 Ghosts includes the Original Theatrical Trailer and a fun 8-minute The Magic of Illusion-O featurette from the 2001 release DVD.
Homicidal comes with Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal, a 7-minute featurette from the 2002 DVD release, and Homicidal Youngstown, Ohio Premier 5-minute featurette, much like a newsreel story, with Castle himself interviewing folks who've just seen the movie.
Strait-Jacket includes some extras from the 2002 DVD release, including Battle-Axe: The Making of Strait-Jacket, a 15-minute featurette, and three-minutes of Joan Crawford Wardrobe Tests, plus a quick Axe Test. TV Spots and a four-minute How To Plan A Movie Murder - Vintage Featurette, with the Original Theatrical Trailer round out these extras.
The Old Dark House comes with its Original Theatrical Trailer.
Mr. Sardonicus drags along from its 2002 DVD release the seven-minute Taking The Punishment Poll featurette, as well as "Ghost Story": Pilot (The New House) a creepy, color, 48-minute TV pilot scripted by Richard Matheson, that should please fans of TV horror. Lastly included is the Original Theatrical Trailer.
The Tingler comes with "Scream For Your Lives: William Castle And The Tingler", a 15-minute featurette, plus a curious, brief Alternate Drive-In Sequence and Original "Scream" Sequence - both of which are audio-only with a silly graphic.
"Circle Of Fear": Graveyard Shift is 50-more minutes of televised terror incorrectly identified on the menu screen as being from 'Ghost Story'. Plus you get the Original Theatrical Trailer.
ZOTZ!, finally, comes with its own Original Theatrical Trailer.
*_Final Thoughts_:*
With just three new-to-DVD features in this 5-disc, 8 feature collection, hardcore Castle fans won't find too much new to justify the $80 MSRP. Yet this collection, highlighting the relatively wide range of films Castle made for Columbia Pictures, includes nary a dud, plus a great documentary, and a fairly healthy selection of other extras. For those new to Castle, or those who don't have any of his films already on DVD, this could be a great Christmas gift, (tell your deep-pocketed friends and family) or an easy way to bolster your horror collection. All things being equal, this is a Highly Recommended (albeit somewhat expensive) addition for any true horror fan's collection.
Kurt Dahlke
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*Classic Hollywood Film Stars Seek Permanent Home*
*The world's largest movie poster archive launches a worldwide campaign to find the perfect lasting legacy. The Movie Poster Archive is searching for the right person or entity to own and attach their name to the over 12,000 posters represented in the collection so they will be accessible to moviegoers for years to come.*
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 3, 2009 --
Assembled over the last 32 years, The Dwight M. Cleveland Movie Poster Archive is the largest, most comprehensive collection of movie posters in the world. This movie poster archive includes over 12,000 posters from more than 40 countries--from Hollywood classics to present day blockbusters. Every movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the American Film Institute's (AFI) Top 100 and The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) Top 100 are represented in this collection that covers 114 years of the film industry.
_Now, the Movie Poster Archive is seeking a permanent home_. While these movie posters could be sold individually to other collectors, keeping the collection intact is the Archive's priority. A worldwide campaign has been launched to find the right person, institution or corporate entity to attach their name to the movie poster collection, permanently house it and create a lasting legacy. The hope is that these movie posters would be accessible to moviegoers for years to come in a film archive, movie image bank, graphic arts library or movie museum.
For more information go to http: http://www.dwightclevelandposterarchive.com/
All Press Releases for November 3, 2009
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*Got Millions? You Can Buy Rights To 'The Terminator'!*.
by Elisabeth Rappe
Nov 2nd 2009
Cinematical
*Back in August, we reported that the Terminator franchise was in some serious legal and financial trouble. The rights are currently owned by the Halcyon Company, who have managed to make more court appearances than they have films. They were in danger of losing the rights to their hedge fund, Pacificor, who was poised to claim them if Halcyon defaulted on their loan.*
But according to The Financial Times, Halcyon has now filed for bankruptcy after their lawsuit with Pacificor, and is selling off the rights to Terminator. It would appear that filing for Chapter 11 afforded their precious franchise some protection from the hedge fund, and they can now sell it to bail themselves out. The sale will be conducted by FTI Capital Advisors, and does not cover rights to the earlier Terminator films.
The Times notes that this auction is coming at a particularly tough time for Hollywood, who is feeling the economic crunch just like everyone else. But it notes that Terminator is one of the rare "blockbuster brands" not controlled by a big studio, and that alone has may drooling at the chance to control future properties. Summit is said to be particularly interested (they can probably pay for it just out of Twilight proceeds), as is Sony and Media Rights Capital. But remember, this is America! Everyone has a chance at destroying mankind, and if you have millions (estimates put the sale beyond $60 million, the benchmark set by the sale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), you can buy them for yourself. I would have faith in something other than John Connor if a Cinematical reader took the reins of this franchise.
*------------------++++++++---*
Emily Chasan, Chelsea Emery
Tue Nov 3, 2009
*Terminator movie franchise may go on auction block*
*NEW YORK (Reuters) - The bankrupt company that owns the rights to the "Terminator" movie franchise is preparing to auction the rights next year and is already seeing strong interest, an advisor to the company said on Tuesday.*
Halcyon Holding Group acquired the rights to the Terminator franchise in 2007 for about $25 million. The rights include revenue from future films, games, DVDs and television for the series, but the company has no or limited rights to revenue from the first three films.
Halcyon, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August, is a production company that produced the latest movie about the iconic robot from the future, "Terminator Salvation".
It is looking to conduct a sale of its assets in January, according to Kevin Schultz, senior managing director at FTI Capital Advisors, who is helping the company explore its strategic alternatives.
The company is looking for a potential "stalking horse" buyer to serve as the lead bidder in the bankruptcy auction in January, Schultz said.
"We've had pretty good interest from a lot of investment funds, and all the big studios," he said.
"It's a real brand in an area where Hollywood is very keen to buy brands that have longevity."
The company could also select a bidder who would help it reorganize or recapitalize so it can emerge from bankruptcy as a standalone company if that offers a better return to creditors, Schultz said.
The company had been in the process of developing a fifth "Terminator" film after Terminator Salvation took in about $371 million in worldwide box office returns earlier this year.
Nickelodeon paid $60 million for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise last month. The Terminator franchise is seen as appealing to wider demographics with more purchasing power and higher grossing films, Schultz said.
The assets would be expected to be sold free and clear of liens, which is typical in bankruptcy sales and could also raise the price, Schultz said.
The case is In re: Halcyon Holding Group LLC, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, No. 09-31854.
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*Gable, Clark*
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Stewart Granger was in: _The Little Hut_ (1957) directed by Mark Robson!
*NEW DIRECTOR: Mark Robson!!*
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_Keeping the Faith_ (2000)
The First Film That Comes to Mind...
in Games and Trivia
Posted
Pocket Watch: _Time After Time_ (1979)
*NEW WORD: J'veux ton Amour!!!*