DVD Rentals: The Desperate Hours (1955)
Old Bogie goes head-to-head with an even older Frederic March in William Wyler's violent-for-its-day, terror-in-a-tiny-town nail biter. A trio of escaped cons invade Beaver Cleaver's house. Luckily, the Cleavers didn't move in until two years later. It's current occupants, the …
4th row center: Exercising with Mussolini in Sensurround™
What do you do when an earthquake strikes in mid-movie? Remain seated!
Sunday, April 4, 2010. What better way to spend an Easter Sunday than by once again watching the Nazis fall from power? Easter dinner with the Elliotts was a yearly tradition. (It's phrased it in the past-tense because David and …
Dig a hole: the San Diego Film Commission
Their website is no more. The final post on their Facebook page says it all: "After nearly 40 years of serving the film industry in the region, the San Diego Film Commission will close its doors today. We thank you …
HERE IS...
It's been a long time since I've tingled. I like tingling. Tingling is good. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/31/50406/
4th row center: Begging for a movie
He was a big, baby-faced dude; the needle would make several round trips whenever he set foot on a scale. Homeless? Not sure. His clothes were clean and even in the sweltering summer months, one never detected a trace of …
Q: How many times did Helen Keller meet Charlie Chaplin?
A: Never. They told her it was Buster Keaton. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/30/50360/
When you wish upon a fish
Yesterday, I spent two hours of my life mocking up this ingenious poster for a fake remake of The Incredible Mr. Limpet starring Bob Filner. (The folks over at the Pulitzers have my forwarding address.) In the eyes of many, …
Trailer Park: Paul Schrader's The Canyons
Ask Paul Schrader a question. Details inside.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/30/50318/ Paul Schrader has a new film opening and guess who snared an interview? That's right: Lickona! No offense, but that'll be the day! During the production, the tabloids made much ado about The Canyons. Schrader did not write the …
Gaslamp's 40 Foot Film series pays tribute to Cinerama...sort of
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/29/50236/ This month's 40 Foot Film series at Reading Cinema's Gaslamp 15 continues its tribute to Cinerama. (Don't go in expecting 3 projectors and a giant curved lenticular screen and you won't leave disappointed.) The good news is every film …
Bob Filner offered role in upcoming Sea World film project
Give me a place to stand on a local sex scandal and with Photoshop I will move the whole world. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/29/50214/
Top Ten Movie Mayors
And I don't mean Louis B.
With San Diego Mayor Bob Fulfillner of every woman's dreams making national news, what's a local movie critic to do but capitalize on the craze by compiling a list of his favorite celluloid Mayors? http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/29/50197/ 10.) Reformed racketeer Patsy Gargan …
4th row center: The naked projectionist
It was an unbroken string of 90 degree days. The auditorium of Chicago's Parkway Theatre was properly chilled, but outside in the lobby, the consessioneers had all they could do to keep the M&Ms from melting inside the display case …
In search of the Filner headlock
Genius that I am, the comic possibilities of performing Photoshop surgery on a screencap of Moe placing Curly in a headlock were impossible to resist. Was there a headlock in either Grips, Grunts, and Groans or Punch Drunks? Was it …
Meet Dean Cropp, Storm Surfers 3D's underwater stereographer
The most exciting 3D thrill ride of the summer contains no special effects and the only costumes these heros don are wet suits. Directors Justin McMillan and Christopher Nelius follow tow-surfing legend Ross Clarke-Jones and two-time World Champion Tom Carroll …
The Wolverine shows its roots
Can you imagine what Chicken George would have done with those lunchhooks? He'd have been a walking rotisserie! http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/25/50040/ Credit: Matt Kannenberg.
Judd Apatow to receive Visionary Filmmaker Award
No, not from the Braille Institute, but our very own San Diego Film Festival! The "esteemed" director, writer, producer will be honored at a tribute gala on Thursday, October 3 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla.
The limited stylings of Clutch Cargo
If you don't know a Clutch Cargo from a manual transmission, please watch a minute or two of the following to bring you up to speed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAo8-YmVlN8 Atrocious, isn't it? This isn't limited animation, it's dead! Compared to Gumby, Clutch …
Anatomy of an ad campaign: North by Northwest
This is the image that started it all: http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/22/49854/ I turned 6 the day mom took me to Chicago's Loop Theatre to meet Pinocchio. After a birthday luncheon at Wimpy's, we spent the following hour standing in line. The image …
The Filner handshake
Mayor Bob Filner and I have crossed paths on three occasions: once in the Gaslamp and twice in movie theatre lobbies. Our last encounter took place at Reading Cinemas Town Square. After picking out a ticket, I spotted Filner just …
Sony's Midnight lawsuit has bright ending
Woody not guilty of plagiarizing Faulkner's "Nun"
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/19/49538/ You're not going to believe this. The estate of William Faulkner took Sony Pictures Classic to court all over Woody Allen's winnowing a line of dialog from the novel Requiem for a Nun. Owen Wilson's character in Midnight in …