The deceptively unassuming figure of Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), with his rumpled raincoat, cheap cigars, and seeming absentmindedness, might not call to mind the sprawling existentialist novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky. But Columbo’s ancestry can be traced all the way back to Porfiry Petrovich, the pesky, psychologically attuned investigator in Crime and Punishment.
Like that literary classic, the show that shares Columbo’s name functions as an inverted detective story, not so much a whodunit as a howcatchem. In each episode, we spend time with the murderer, soak up their milieu, and witness the commission of the crime. Only then does Columbo make his entrance onto the scene. From there, it’s an escalating battle of nerves between the dogged detective and the initially arrogant murderer.
While Rodion Raskolnikov, the tortured protagonist of Crime and Punishment, is an impoverished student who kills out of economic necessity...
Like that literary classic, the show that shares Columbo’s name functions as an inverted detective story, not so much a whodunit as a howcatchem. In each episode, we spend time with the murderer, soak up their milieu, and witness the commission of the crime. Only then does Columbo make his entrance onto the scene. From there, it’s an escalating battle of nerves between the dogged detective and the initially arrogant murderer.
While Rodion Raskolnikov, the tortured protagonist of Crime and Punishment, is an impoverished student who kills out of economic necessity...
- 12/7/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
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By Fred Blosser
In “Stiletto,” a 1969 release from Joseph E. Levine’s Avco Embassy Pictures, Cesare Cardinali (Alex Cord) enjoys a jet-setting lifestyle rivaling and maybe even surpassing those of his real-life contemporaries in the “Playboy” era. He resides in a lavish Midtown Manhattan penthouse, hobnobs with movie stars and minor European royalty at red-carpet parties, races cars on the international circuit, and romances two beautiful girlfriends. But he’s increasingly uneasy about what he has to do to keep the money coming. On the books, he earns his millions through a lucrative importing business. In reality, he’s on the Mafia’s payroll through his patron, crime boss Ettore Matteo (Joseph Wiseman). Whenever a particularly important murder contract is ordered, Cesare is called in to do the job. His specialized tool is a medieval stiletto, and although he’s good at what he does,...
By Fred Blosser
In “Stiletto,” a 1969 release from Joseph E. Levine’s Avco Embassy Pictures, Cesare Cardinali (Alex Cord) enjoys a jet-setting lifestyle rivaling and maybe even surpassing those of his real-life contemporaries in the “Playboy” era. He resides in a lavish Midtown Manhattan penthouse, hobnobs with movie stars and minor European royalty at red-carpet parties, races cars on the international circuit, and romances two beautiful girlfriends. But he’s increasingly uneasy about what he has to do to keep the money coming. On the books, he earns his millions through a lucrative importing business. In reality, he’s on the Mafia’s payroll through his patron, crime boss Ettore Matteo (Joseph Wiseman). Whenever a particularly important murder contract is ordered, Cesare is called in to do the job. His specialized tool is a medieval stiletto, and although he’s good at what he does,...
- 3/17/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
If I was a producer, I too would have changed the title of my movie from The Creature from Galaxy 27 to Night of the Blood Beast (1958); of course, Roger Corman being that producer means there’s a good chance that the dollar is stretched a little thinner even as the talent is recognized. And this one doesn’t disappoint; Night of the Blood Beast is similar to many of the other Cold War paranoia thrillers of the day in all ways but one: as far as I can tell, this is the first sci-fi film to deal with male impregnation. Take that, O’Bannon and Cronenberg.
Released by American International Pictures (home of Corman and his co-producer brother Gene) in December, Night went out on a double bill with She Gods of Shark Reef, stretching that buck even further. And of course it worked, making back its bones through drive-ins...
Released by American International Pictures (home of Corman and his co-producer brother Gene) in December, Night went out on a double bill with She Gods of Shark Reef, stretching that buck even further. And of course it worked, making back its bones through drive-ins...
- 1/23/2021
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Among the Hollywood locations you can expect to see in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is the Cinerama Dome. Photos posted to social media featured period-specific posters, cars, and outfits from the 1960s, with the theater advertising Bernard L. Kowalski’s disaster movie “Krakatoa, East of Java,” which was released May 14, 1969.
According to a Cinerama employee who witnessed the shoot but requested anonymity, it was not a full-fledged production but more of a second-unit effort: “They just wanted to get the sun going down and the lights coming on.”
Twitter user J.S. Lewis posted a thread in which he explained he stumbled onto the set of Tarantino’s movie after his screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey” in the ome was moved to a different theater. Other Twitter users expressed frustration over the fact “2001” was bumped from the Dome so that an untitled Sony movie could use the space for production.
According to a Cinerama employee who witnessed the shoot but requested anonymity, it was not a full-fledged production but more of a second-unit effort: “They just wanted to get the sun going down and the lights coming on.”
Twitter user J.S. Lewis posted a thread in which he explained he stumbled onto the set of Tarantino’s movie after his screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey” in the ome was moved to a different theater. Other Twitter users expressed frustration over the fact “2001” was bumped from the Dome so that an untitled Sony movie could use the space for production.
- 6/13/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
‘Things Blowing Up Good’ has been surefire entertainment since the beginning of cinema, but this ill-fated Cinerama extravaganza about the biggest explosion in recorded human history limps along despite some pretty darned impressive volcanic effects. It’s quite an entertaining spectacle, with various good performers in three soap opera plots, either overacting or loitering about with nothing to do. And don’t forget the from-left-field musical striptease.
Krakatoa East of Java
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Barbara Werle, Sal Mineo, Rossano Brazzi, John Leyton, J.D. Cannon, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Chan, Victoria Young, Marc Lawrence, Geoffrey Holder, Niall MacGinnis, Sumi Haru.
Cinematography: Manuel Berenguer
Film Editors: Walter Hannemann, Warren Low, Maurice Rootes
Production Design: Eugèné Lourié
Costumes: Laure Lourié
Special Effects: Eugèné Lourié, Alex Weldon, Francisco Prósper
Original Music: Frank De Vol
Written by Clifford Newton Gould,...
Krakatoa East of Java
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Barbara Werle, Sal Mineo, Rossano Brazzi, John Leyton, J.D. Cannon, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Chan, Victoria Young, Marc Lawrence, Geoffrey Holder, Niall MacGinnis, Sumi Haru.
Cinematography: Manuel Berenguer
Film Editors: Walter Hannemann, Warren Low, Maurice Rootes
Production Design: Eugèné Lourié
Costumes: Laure Lourié
Special Effects: Eugèné Lourié, Alex Weldon, Francisco Prósper
Original Music: Frank De Vol
Written by Clifford Newton Gould,...
- 9/2/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Truth be told, I’ve never been too big on Westerns. I don’t know why; I just don’t connect with most of them, or maybe I feel that there’s something missing. Perhaps…Satan?!? Yes, of course we’re heading back to the ‘70s where the Behooved One thrived, even on the small screen. Saddle up for Black Noon (1971), a long forgotten horror/western TV movie that laid the groundwork for some well-regarded horror films.
First airing on The New CBS Friday Night Movies on November 5th, Black Noon had no real competition from the NBC World Premiere Movie or ABC’s Love, American Style, with audiences taking to this insidiously laid back demon oater.
Let’s crack open our telegrammed copy of TV Guide and have a look see:
Black Noon (Friday, 9:30pm, CBS)
A preacher and his wife deal with mysterious forces in a small western town.
First airing on The New CBS Friday Night Movies on November 5th, Black Noon had no real competition from the NBC World Premiere Movie or ABC’s Love, American Style, with audiences taking to this insidiously laid back demon oater.
Let’s crack open our telegrammed copy of TV Guide and have a look see:
Black Noon (Friday, 9:30pm, CBS)
A preacher and his wife deal with mysterious forces in a small western town.
- 1/15/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
If you wish more horror films came with onomatopoetic titles, I’ve got the movie for you.
When Kevin Smith released his now -notorious horror comedy Tusk, many reviewers took issue with the ludicrous premise in which a mad scientist takes it upon himself to transform a man into a walrus. Apparently none of these critics had ever seen Bernard L. Kowalski’s 1973 horror film Sssssss—new to Blu-ray from Scream Factory—because if they had, they might have recognized that the premise of Smith’s movie had been covered nearly 30 years earlier, only with a snake instead of a walrus. It is, to put it bluntly, not a very good movie. But it is a weird one, and sometimes “weird” counts.
Dirk Benedict (“Face” from TV’s The A-Team) plays college student David, hired as an assistant to Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin), who specializes in snakes and doubles...
When Kevin Smith released his now -notorious horror comedy Tusk, many reviewers took issue with the ludicrous premise in which a mad scientist takes it upon himself to transform a man into a walrus. Apparently none of these critics had ever seen Bernard L. Kowalski’s 1973 horror film Sssssss—new to Blu-ray from Scream Factory—because if they had, they might have recognized that the premise of Smith’s movie had been covered nearly 30 years earlier, only with a snake instead of a walrus. It is, to put it bluntly, not a very good movie. But it is a weird one, and sometimes “weird” counts.
Dirk Benedict (“Face” from TV’s The A-Team) plays college student David, hired as an assistant to Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin), who specializes in snakes and doubles...
- 5/13/2016
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
Scream Factory will release slithering scares on home media tomorrow with their Blu-ray release of the 1973 snake-centric horror film Sssssss, and we’ve been provided with three copies to give away to Daily Dead readers.
————
Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Sssssss.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Sssssss Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on May 1st. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
————
From the Press Release: “Before Venom, Anaconda, Python, or Snakes on a Plane, there was the seminal snake-centric horror film, Sssssss. The story of a mad scientist hell bent on turning humans into snakes and using these hybrids...
————
Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Sssssss.
How to Enter: For a chance to win, email contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Sssssss Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on May 1st. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States. Only one entry per household will be accepted.
————
From the Press Release: “Before Venom, Anaconda, Python, or Snakes on a Plane, there was the seminal snake-centric horror film, Sssssss. The story of a mad scientist hell bent on turning humans into snakes and using these hybrids...
- 4/25/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Bernard Kowalski’s Ssssssss joins 1954’s Phffft and Roger Corman’s Gas-s-s-s in the Onomatopoeic Movie Title Club. An unofficial remake of 1959’s The Alligator People, this 1973 shocker features mad doctor Strother Martin experimenting with a serum capable of turning men into snakes. Two years later producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown worked on another thriller with a bit more bite, Jaws.
- 4/25/2016
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Back in February, it was announced that Bernard L. Kowalski’s Sssssss would be coming to Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory on April 26th. With just four days to go, two Blu-ray clips—one featuring an interview with Dirk Benedict—and the film’s official trailer have been released, and we have them for Daily Dead readers to enjoy. “Don’t say it, hiss it.”
From the Press Release: “Before Venom, Anaconda, Python, or Snakes on a Plane, there was the seminal snake-centric horror film, Sssssss. The story of a mad scientist hell bent on turning humans into snakes and using these hybrids to get revenge on those who have wronged him, Sssssss is every Ophidiophobe’s nightmare. Making its Blu-ray debut April 26th, 2016 from Scream Factory, Sssssss comes loaded with bonus features, including a new interview with actor Dirk Benedict, a new interview with actor Heather Menzies-Urich, a photo gallery,...
From the Press Release: “Before Venom, Anaconda, Python, or Snakes on a Plane, there was the seminal snake-centric horror film, Sssssss. The story of a mad scientist hell bent on turning humans into snakes and using these hybrids to get revenge on those who have wronged him, Sssssss is every Ophidiophobe’s nightmare. Making its Blu-ray debut April 26th, 2016 from Scream Factory, Sssssss comes loaded with bonus features, including a new interview with actor Dirk Benedict, a new interview with actor Heather Menzies-Urich, a photo gallery,...
- 4/22/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s snakes! This time, Scream Factory has passed the Blu-ray torch to Bernard L. Kowalski’s Sssssss. Packed with bonus features that include but are not limited to new interviews with the cast, Sssssss is available for pre-order now.
Press Release: Before Venom, Anaconda, Python, or Snakes on a Plane, there was the seminal snake-centric horror film Sssssss. The story of a mad scientist hell bent on turning humans into snakes and using these hybrids to get revenge on those who have wronged him, Sssssss is every ophidiophobe’s nightmare. Making its Blu-ray debut April 26th, 2016 from Scream Factory, Sssssss comes loaded with bonus features, including a new interview with actor Dirk Benedict, a new interview with actor Heather Menzies-Urich, a photo gallery, theatrical trailers and more! Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com
In Sssssss, Strother Martin...
Press Release: Before Venom, Anaconda, Python, or Snakes on a Plane, there was the seminal snake-centric horror film Sssssss. The story of a mad scientist hell bent on turning humans into snakes and using these hybrids to get revenge on those who have wronged him, Sssssss is every ophidiophobe’s nightmare. Making its Blu-ray debut April 26th, 2016 from Scream Factory, Sssssss comes loaded with bonus features, including a new interview with actor Dirk Benedict, a new interview with actor Heather Menzies-Urich, a photo gallery, theatrical trailers and more! Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com
In Sssssss, Strother Martin...
- 2/26/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
By Darren Allison
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Our good friends at Vocalion Records have released three excellent CDs. First is the super score to Bernard Kowalski’s 1969 B-movie thriller Stiletto (Vocalion Cdsml 8501). Starring Alex Cord in the lead role and with support from Britt Ekland, Patrick O’Neal, Joseph Wiseman and Roy Scheider, the film was based on the Harold Robbins novel of the same name. Whilst Stiletto was never going to be an Oscar contender, as so many of these great little thrillers proved, it did gather something of a cult following. More often than not, restricted budgets and tight schedules surprisingly lead to great production values, with artists and crews having to think instinctively on their feet and with little time to elaborate. Stiletto music by American composer Sid Ramin is a truly evocative score. Ramin’s work was often uncredited and as a result,...
Normal 0 false false false En-gb X-none X-none
Our good friends at Vocalion Records have released three excellent CDs. First is the super score to Bernard Kowalski’s 1969 B-movie thriller Stiletto (Vocalion Cdsml 8501). Starring Alex Cord in the lead role and with support from Britt Ekland, Patrick O’Neal, Joseph Wiseman and Roy Scheider, the film was based on the Harold Robbins novel of the same name. Whilst Stiletto was never going to be an Oscar contender, as so many of these great little thrillers proved, it did gather something of a cult following. More often than not, restricted budgets and tight schedules surprisingly lead to great production values, with artists and crews having to think instinctively on their feet and with little time to elaborate. Stiletto music by American composer Sid Ramin is a truly evocative score. Ramin’s work was often uncredited and as a result,...
- 1/18/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
As a means of generating consumer interest in a few older television series whose DVD sales are probably past their prime, CBS has released a sampler DVD of its more notable action-based entrees. The resulting DVD certainly entertains, but whether it actually succeeds in stirring up the appropriate “must have the entire season” sentiment that CBS hoped for is doubtful. Sure, blending episodes of Mission: Impossible, MacGyver, Walker, Texas Ranger and NCIS will make for an interesting mix – but as a mass consumer of television myself, the episodes chosen may not have been the best choices.
Each of the episodes chosen is the pilot of its respective series but, while interesting to see from a television history perspective, the pilots of a series aren’t always the best choice when you’re trying to snag an audience for DVD purchases.
Walker, Texas Ranger – “One Riot, One Ranger”
Directed by Virgil W. Vogel,...
Each of the episodes chosen is the pilot of its respective series but, while interesting to see from a television history perspective, the pilots of a series aren’t always the best choice when you’re trying to snag an audience for DVD purchases.
Walker, Texas Ranger – “One Riot, One Ranger”
Directed by Virgil W. Vogel,...
- 5/26/2009
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
The first wife of Robert Blake has claimed the actor tried to have her and her new boyfriend killed following their separation in the 1970s. In a court deposition given in a Los Angeles attorney's office in May, Sondra Kerr Blake says several people told her Blake had taken out a "contract" to murder her and her then lover, actor Steve Railsback. Part of her testimony reads: "He had put a contract out on me and the other man that I was seeing at the time." Blake allegedly planned to blame the killings on followers of Charles Manson, as Kerr Blake and Railsback were then filming the 1976 TV movie Helter Skelter, about the Manson 'family'. Kerr Blake says the Baretta star wanted them murdered in the same Los Angeles mansion where Manson's followers slaughtered five people, including the actress Sharon Tate, in August 1969. His intention was to make the deaths look like retribution for filming a Manson movie, says the witness. Kerr Blake claims she was told of Blake's plans by a friend of the actor's manager, director Bernard Kowalski - who filmed several Baretta episodes - and his wife Helen. She made her statement as part of an ongoing civil case brought against Blake by the family of his murdered second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake was acquitted of the murder of Bakley in March, but his slain wife's family still maintain he is guilty. Kerr Blake was married to Blake, whom she had two children with, from 1961 until their divorce in 1983.
- 8/5/2005
- WENN
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