Here’s The Trailer For The Death of Stalin!

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Death of Stalin is not a film that’s been getting a lot of attention but, since it was directed and co-written by Armando Iannucci, I’m looking forward to seeing it. Iannucci, of course, created both Veep and The Thick Of It and it should be fun to see him turn his satirical sights to death of one of history’s greatest monsters.

Incidentally, in high school, I wrote a short story about a history student who was haunted by the ghost of Josef Stalin and a host of other dictators. Unfortunately, no one in the class knew who Stalin was so they didn’t really understand the story. Oh well. Story of my life…

Here’s the trailer for The Death of Stalin:

A Movie A Day #222: Secret Service of the Air (1939, directed by Noel M. Smith)

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

When a secret service agent’s investigation into a supposed counterfeiting ring instead leads to him discovering a plot to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States via airplanes, the agent ends up plummeting several hundred miles to his death. Realizing that they need someone who can go undercover and infiltrate the smuggling ring, the Secret Service recruits Lt. Brass Bancroft (Ronald Reagan). Bancroft is a war hero who is now a commercial airline pilot. He is also good with his fists, has an innate sense of right and wrong, and a sidekick named Gabby (Eddie Foy Jr., giving a very broad performance as the movie’s comic relief). But before Brass can win the trust of the smugglers, he will have to establish a firm cover story and that means allowing himself to be arrested on fake charges. In order to save the day, Brass will have to first survive prison.

If Secret Service of the Air is remembered today, it is because it featured future President Ronald Reagan in an early starring role. In the role of Brass Bancroft, Reagan gives a performance that can be best described as being amiable. He may not be anyone’s idea of a good actor but he is likable, a trait that served him well when, 26 years later, he ran for governor of California. As for the rest of the movie, it was obviously cheaply made but it is also only an hour long, which means that there is rarely time for a dull moment. It plays out like as serial, with a new cliffhanger ever few minutes. Though Reagan was dismissive in the film in his autobiography, Secret Service of the Air was enough of an unexpected success that he would play Brass Bancroft is two sequels.

One Hit Wonders #7: “Why Can’t We Live Together” by Timmy Thomas (Glades Records 1972)

Posted on August 18, 2017 by gary loggins

cracked rear viewer

I had a completely different music post scheduled for today, but with all the strife and hatred going on right here in our country, I thought I’d share Timmy Thomas’ #1 global smash “Why Can’t We Live Together”, an impassioned plea for peace and unity that’s (sadly) as relevant today as it was 45 years ago. No further words from me are necessary, just watch the video:

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Artwork of the Day: Sevile in My Heart

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Dazzling Erin

by Pino Daeni

A little joy before the weekend.

Music Video of the Day: My Love, My Life by ABBA (1976, dir. Per Falkman)

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Valerie Troutman

It’s been so long since I did an ABBA music video that a lot of their videos are now listed on IMDb. I don’t remember them being there before. It doesn’t look complete, but somebody went through trying to hit everything they could. I bring this up because I didn’t know about this one till I looked at the list of their videos on IMDb. I would have missed it otherwise.

It’s a simple video that would have you believe that it was a solo effort by Agnetha. It’s not. This was on the album, Arrival.

It uses some video effects, but that’s about it. It keeps a tight focus on Agnetha. It’s a nice song, and the video tries to get out of the way, which I think is appropriate.

According to IMDb, the video was directed by Per Falkman. He apparently also directed the videos for Tiger and When I Kissed The Teacher. I didn’t know that before. I’ve updated the titles on those ones, but I can’t fix the links at this point. There are too many of them.

Enjoy!

ABBA retrospective:

A Movie A Day #221: Scorned (1994, directed by Andrew Stevens)

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

“In an hour, I promise, you’ll be able to beg in two languages.” — Patricia (Shannon Tweed) in Scorned

If anyone could pull that line off, it would be Shannon Tweed at the height of her Skinemax stardom!

In Scorned, Shannon plays Patricia, the beautiful wife of executive Truman Langley (Daniel McVicar). Truman is desperate to land the Wainwright account, thinking it could be the key to getting a huge promotion. To help him out, Patricia sleeps with Mason Wainwright (Stephen Young). Truman gets the account but Alex Weston (Andrew Stevens, who also directed) gets the promotion. After Truman kills himself, Patricia shows up at the Weston house, disguised as a tutor for their son, Robey (Michael D. Arenz). Like clockwork, Patricia seduces not just Alex and Robey but Marina Weston (Kim Morgan Greene) as well.

Of the many direct-to-video films that Andrew Stevens and Shannon Tweed made together in the 90s, Scorned is one of the best. Of course, Shannon Tweed looks good. Of all the regular 90s direct-to-video vixens, Shannon was the sexiest. What is often forgotten is that Shannon could also actually act and she shows that here with her ferocious performance. Andrew Stevens does a good job too, giving an above average performance and, as a director, staying out of Shannon’s way. He knows that everyone watching the movie is watching to see Shannon and this film does not disappoint.

It does stretch credibility that no one in the household realizes that Shannon is trying to destroy them but, then again, what parents would actually hire their hormonal, teenage son a live-in tutor who looks like this?

It is all about maintaining a healthy suspension of disbelief.

Artwork of the Day: The Brat

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Dazzling Erin

by Barye Phillips

Music Video of the Day: Sloop John B by The Beach Boys (1966, dir. Derek Taylor)

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Valerie Troutman

One year before we had Golden Earring playing on a boat and mud wrestling, we had The Beach Boys doing a little silent comedy–mostly fighting over a raft in a pool.

What else can I say without trying to talk about it in a larger context?

It’s the video they recreated for Love & Mercy (2014).

It’s in 480p. You can watch the video for Good Vibrations in 1080p because it was posted in 2016, but this one was put up in 2009. It didn’t receive that kind of treatment.

It’s that same kind of turn-the-band-into-silent-comedians type video, and was filmed at Brian’s house.

I didn’t mention it when I did Sound Of The Screaming Day by Golden Earring, so I will here. Since both are treated like short comedic films with the song playing, there isn’t any lip-syncing. We did get Barry Hay mimicking the flute during that part of the song. In this, there’s none of that. Just something interesting to keep in mind whenever you read about musicians getting harassed for not lip-syncing from the 1980s onward.

This video almost meets all the elements I listed when talking about Elected by Alice Cooper:

It has the band, it is live-action, it uses real sets rather than just a backdrop, it has a storyline, it has no lip-syncing, and it has no re-creation of a performance.

The only thing it is kind of missing is a storyline. But even that’s something you could argue is present in this video.

Surprisingly, IMDb has an entry for this that not only lists the director, but also who worked the camera.

The video was directed by their publicist, Derek Taylor. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did other videos as well. He apparently is also in the video.

Dennis Wilson is credited as having worked the camera.

I wish I had more information other than that there appears to be another promo film for this song. I probably won’t do it though since I have no idea of the provenance other than that it looks like it was made for Swedish television.

Enjoy!

Kirby Is Here! : “OMAC” #s 7&8

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Ryan C. (fourcolorapocalypse)

Trash Film Guru

The “alpha” of OMAC in our rear view mirror, then, let’s look at the two-part “omega” —

Jack Kirby created many – some would even argue most – of the iconic villains in comic book history. The list of Kirby rogues is a long and distinguished one, a veritable “Bad Guy Hall Of Fame” that includes such names as Dr. Doom, Galactus, Darkseid, Desaad, The Red Skull, and Arnim Zola, among far too many others to list, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Somewhere far underneath that iceberg, though, is where you’ll find the guy who causes OMAC no end of trouble in the final two issues of his original 1974 comic series – one Dr. Skuba.

I don’t want to be too rough on the character, though – nor on his creator – because as far as dastardly schemes go, the one he’s attempting to pull off…

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A Movie A Day #220: Entangled (1993, directed by Max Fischer)

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Jedadiah Leland

There has been a car crash in Paris and now, David (Judd Nelson) is in the hospital, slowly recovering. In flashbacks, it is revealed that David is an American writer who came to France after his first novel flopped. He came to see his best friend, a womanizing photographer (Roy Dupuis), and ended up meeting and falling in love with the beautiful model, Annabelle (Laurence Treil). Even as he worked on his second novel, he was consumed with jealousy over Annabelle. Why was she sneaking off to a château owned by a mysterious and decadent businessman named Garavan (Piece Brosnan)? Any why, while he is in the hospital, is his second novel published and credited to someone else?

Entangled is yet another 90s neo-noir starring Judd Nelson. Laurence Treil was beautiful and often naked, which made it perfect for showings on Skinemax but the movie fails because, like so many others, it requires the audience to believe that Judd Nelson could not only write a book but get a model girlfriend as well. That takes much more work than is portrayed in Entangled. Early on in Entangled, Judd Nelson gropes a cardboard cut-out of George H.W. Bush and it is pretty much all downhill from there. Not even Brosnan doing a good job as a sinister character can do much to save Entangled.

What could have saved Entangled? Like so many of Judd Nelson’s direct-to-video movies, Entangled needed the calming hand of Judd’s co-star from Shattered If Your Kid’s On Drugs, Burt Reynolds!