Thursday, December 30, 2010

1955 Ealing comedy The Ladykillers remade 2004 by the Coen brothers

Cover of "The Ladykillers [Blu-ray]"Cover of The Ladykillers [Blu-ray]
The Ladykillers is a 1955 British black comedy film made by Ealing Studios. Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, it stars Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, Jack Warner and Katie Johnson. American William Rose wrote the screenplay, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay and won the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay. He claimed to have dreamt the entire film and merely had to remember the details when he awoke.
Cover of "The Ladykillers (Widescreen Edi...Cover of The Ladykillers (Widescreen Edition)
In 2004, the Coen Brothers directed a Hollywood remake of the film, starring Tom Hanks, with J. K. Simmons, Marlon Wayans, Tzi Ma, Ryan Hurst, and Irma P. Hall. For the remake, the setting of the film is moved from London to Saucier, Mississippi, home of a riverboat casino.  The gang pretends to play,"Minuet" (3rd movement) from "String Quintet in E, Op. 13 No. 5", composed by Luigi Boccherini; echoing the original 1955 film.

Friday, December 10, 2010

TCManiacs 2010 Holiday Picks!

TCManiac's has picked favorite films that celebrate faith, family and festivity of the December holiday season.







TCManiacs December Holiday Picks!

3 Friday
8:00 PM Fitzwilly (1967)
When an aging philanthropist goes broke, her butler robs from the rich so she can give to the poor. Cast: Dick Van Dyke, Edith Evans, Barbara Feldon. Dir: Delbert Mann. C-103 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format
10:00 PM It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South. Cast: Don DeFore, Victor Moore, Gale Storm. Dir: Roy Del Ruth. BW-115 mins, TV-G, CC
12:00 AM Susan Slept Here (1954)
A Hollywood screenwriter takes in a runaway girl who's more woman than he can handle. Cast: Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Anne Francis. Dir: Frank Tashlin. C-98 mins, TV-PG, CC

4 Saturday
9:00 AM Christmas Carol, A (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart. Dir: Edwin L. Marin. BW-69 mins, TV-G, CC
 5 Sunday
12:30 PM Holiday Affair (1950)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne'er-do-well. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey. Dir: Don Hartman. BW-87 mins, TV-G, CC
10 Friday
8:00 PM Christmas Carol, A (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart. Dir: Edwin L. Marin. BW-69 mins, TV-G, CC
9:30 PM Scrooge (1970)
A miser faces the ghosts of his past on Christmas Eve. Cast: Albert Finney, Edith Evans, Kenneth More. Dir: Ronald Neame. C-113 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format
11:30 PM Man Who Came to Dinner, The (1942)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family. Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley. Dir: William Keighley. BW-113 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
3:30 AM Santa Claus (1959)
Santa Claus enlists Merlin to help him save Christmas from the devil. Cast: Jose Elias Moreno, Cesareo Quezadas 'Pulgarcito', Jose Luis Aguirre 'Trotsky'. Dir: pRene Cardona. C-95 mins,
5:15 AM Short Film: Visit to Santa (1963)
Two children dreaming of Christmas visit Santa at the North Pole. Dir: Clem Williams. BW-12 mins,
11 Saturday

8:00 PM Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family. Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. C-113 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS

12 Sunday
 
10:15 AM Shop Around The Corner, The (1940)
Feuding co-workers don't realize they're secret romantic pen pals. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan. Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. BW-99 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
12:00 PM Bishop's Wife, The (1947)
An angel helps set an ambitious bishop on the right track. Cast: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven. Dir: Henry Koster. BW-109 mins, TV-G, CC

17 Friday

8:00 PM Holiday Affair (1950)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne'er-do-well. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey. Dir: Don Hartman. BW-87 mins, TV-G, CC
9:30 PM In The Good Old Summertime (1949)
In this musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner, feuding co-workers in a small music shop do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals. Cast: Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. Dir: Robert Z. Leonard. C-103 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
11:30 PM Little Women (1949)
The four daughters of a New England family fight for happiness during and after the Civil War. Cast: June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Lawford. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy. C-122 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
2:00 AM Black Christmas (1974)
A deranged killer terrorizes the women staying in a sorority house over Christmas. Cast: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder. Dir: Bob Clark. C-98 mins,
3:45 AM Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Martians kidnap Santa Claus to cheer up their children. Cast: John Call, Bill McCutcheon, Pia Zadora. Dir: Nicholas Webster. C-81 mins, TV-PG
5:15 AM Short Film: Visit to Santa (1963)
Two children dreaming of Christmas visit Santa at the North Pole. Dir: Clem Williams. BW-12 mins,
19 Sunday
10:00 AM It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South. Cast: Don DeFore, Victor Moore, Gale Storm. Dir: Roy Del Ruth. BW-115 mins, TV-G, CC
12:00 PM Scrooge (1970)
A miser faces the ghosts of his past on Christmas Eve. Cast: Albert Finney, Edith Evans, Kenneth More. Dir: Ronald Neame. C-113 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format
12:15 AM King of Kings, The (1927)
In this silent film, Cecil B. DeMille directs an epic retelling of the life of Christ. Cast: H.B. Warner, Dorothy Cumming, Ernest Torrence. Dir: Cecil B. DeMille. BW-157 mins, TV-G
 20 Monday
10:00 PM Shop Around The Corner, The (1940)
Feuding co-workers don't realize they're secret romantic pen pals. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan. Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. BW-99 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
24 Friday

9:15 AM Tenth Avenue Angel (1948)
A child of the tenements helps an ex-con find a new life. Cast: Margaret O'Brien, Angela Lansbury, George Murphy. Dir: Roy Rowland. BW-74 mins, TV-G, CC
10:30 AM Holiday Affair (1950)
A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne'er-do-well. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey. Dir: Don Hartman. BW-87 mins, TV-G, CC
12:00 PM It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)
Two homeless men move into a mansion while its owners are wintering in the South. Cast: Don DeFore, Victor Moore, Gale Storm. Dir: Roy Del Ruth. BW-115 mins, TV-G, CC
2:00 PM Man Who Came to Dinner, The (1942)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family. Cast: Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley. Dir: William Keighley. BW-113 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
4:00 PM In The Good Old Summertime (1949)
In this musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner, feuding co-workers in a small music shop do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals. Cast: Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall. Dir: Robert Z. Leonard. C-103 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
6:00 PM Scrooge (1970)
A miser faces the ghosts of his past on Christmas Eve. Cast: Albert Finney, Edith Evans, Kenneth More. Dir: Ronald Neame. C-113 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format
8:00 PM Bishop's Wife, The (1947)
An angel helps set an ambitious bishop on the right track. Cast: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven. Dir: Henry Koster. BW-109 mins, TV-G, CC
10:00 PM Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
A devoted couple faces the harsh economic realities of growing older. Cast: Victor Moore, Beulah Bondi, Fay Bainter. Dir: Leo McCarey. BW-92 mins, TV-G
12:00 AM Remember the Night (1940)
An assistant D.A. takes a shoplifter home with him for Christmas. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi. Dir: Mitchell Leisen. BW-94 mins, TV-G
2:00 AM Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family. Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. C-113 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
25 Saturday
6:00 AM Little Women (1933)
The four March sisters fight to keep their family together and find love while their father is off fighting the Civil War. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas. Dir: George Cukor. BW-116 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
8:00 AM Shop Around The Corner, The (1940)
Feuding co-workers don't realize they're secret romantic pen pals. Cast: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan. Dir: Ernst Lubitsch. BW-99 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
10:00 AM Susan Slept Here (1954)
A Hollywood screenwriter takes in a runaway girl who's more woman than he can handle. Cast: Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Anne Francis. Dir: Frank Tashlin. C-98 mins, TV-PG, CC
11:45 AM Christmas Carol, A (1938)
In this adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale, an elderly miser learns the error of his ways on Christmas Eve. Cast: Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart. Dir: Edwin L. Marin. BW-69 mins, TV-G, CC
1:00 PM Ben-Hur (1959)
While seeking revenge, a rebellious Israelite prince crosses paths with Jesus Christ. Cast: Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins. Dir: William Wyler. C-222 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format, DVS
5:00 PM King of Kings, The (1961)
Epic retelling of Christ's life and the effects of his teachings on those around him. Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhan McKenna, Robert Ryan. Dir: Nicholas Ray. C-171 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Chained for Life featuring famous "Siamese" Hilton Twins | Watch free

Chained for LifeImage via WikipediaFreaksImages via Wikipedia
Chained for Life is a 1951 exploitation film featuring the famous conjoined ("Siamese") Hilton Twins, Daisy and Violet. It features several vaudeville acts, including juggler Whitey Roberts, a man doing bicycle stunts, and a man who plays The William Tell Overture at breakneck speed on an accordion. The movie incorporates aspects of the twins' real life, including their singing act, a futile attempt by one sister to obtain a marriage license, and a publicity-stunt marriage.
The twins' voices are featured in three duets, including "Every Hour of Every Day" and "Love Thief". The movie was directed by Harry L. Fraser.

In 1932, the twins appeared as themselves in the movie Freaks.

Watch William Castle's House on Haunted Hill Free Online

House on Haunted HillImage via Wikipedia
House on Haunted Hill is a 1959 American B movie horror film from Allied Artists. It was directed by William Castle, written by Robb White, and starring Vincent Price. It  is the tale of five people invited to stay the night in a haunted house by an eccentric millionaire, Fredrick Loren (Vincent Price), who is throwing the "party" for his fourth wife, Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), with the stipulation that the power will be out and all doors will be locked at midnight, allowing no accessible escape. Anyone who stays in the house for the entire night, given that they are still alive, will each receive $10,000. 

The film has since become public domain, available on House On Haunted Hill available for free download at the Internet Archive or watch online compliments of TCManiacs right here:

Monday, October 25, 2010

Black Orpheus

Black OrpheusImage via Wikipedia
Black Orpheus (Portuguese: Orfeu Negro) is a 1959 film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus. It is based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes, which is an adaptation of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, setting it in the modern context of a favela in Rio de Janeiro during the Carnaval. The film was an international co-production between production companies in Brazil, France and Italy.
The film is particularly renowned for its soundtrack by Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, featuring songs such as "Manhã de Carnaval" (written by Luiz Bonfá) and "A felicidade" that were to become bossa nova classics.
Black Orpheus won the Palme d'Or at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival as well as the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the 1960 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film (in those awards the film was credited as a French production; only in the 1961 BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film was Brazil credited together with France and Italy).

Nosferatu (1922) | First Authentic Vampire Flick | Watch Free Online

A promotional poster for the 1922 film Nosferatu.Image via WikipediaShadow of Count Orlock, in the film NosferatuImage via WikipediaAn authentic supernatural vampire features in the landmark Nosferatu (1922 Germany, directed by F. W. Murnau) starring Max Schreck as the hideous Count Orlok. This was an unlicensed version of Bram Stoker's Dracula, based so closely on the novel that the estate sued and won, with all copies ordered to be destroyed. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, has names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel (for instance, "vampire" became "Nosferatu" and "Count Dracula" became "Count Orlok"). Nosferatu was ranked twenty-first in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.
It would be painstakingly restored in 1994 by a team of European scholars from the five surviving prints that had escaped destruction. The destruction of the vampire, in the closing sequence of the film, by sunlight rather than the traditional stake through the heart proved very influential on later films and became an accepted part of vampire lore.
Murnau's Nosferatu is in the public domain in the United States but not in Germany, and copies of the movie are widely available on video (usually as poorly transferred, faded, scratched video copies that are often scorned by enthusiasts). However, pristine restored editions of the film have also been made available, and are also readily accessible to the public.
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