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One last competition to draw for now - for a pair of Armchair Thriller DVDs.
Three winners, each receiving the first two volumes of this cult 70s TV series. They are:
Alex Baxter - London
Jane Bullough - Derby
Keri Vagges - Glasgow
A number of new competitions will be starting soon.
Those fellahs at The Flipside have done it again; they’ve tracked down a forgotten gem of British Cinema and who knows where The Small World of Sammy Lee has been hiding since it was made in 1962?
If you’re anything like me, the name Anthony Newley tends to conjure up a picture of a light entertainer who seemed to belong to the Victorian Music Hall tradition, more than the Swingin’ Age he became famous in. This film pays testament to his talent as an actor, and a damn good one at that.
Continue reading "Reviewed: The Flipside presents The Small World of Sammy Lee at the NFT" »
Another competition comes to an end - The London Nobody Knows (1967) / Les Bicyclettes de Belsize (1969) DVD. And we have five winners for the five DVDs. They are:
Darren Whitehead - Manchester
Mikki Francis - London
Kevin Barclay-Jay - Shanklin (Isle of Wight)
Cathy Littlejohn - London
Alison Brown - Newbury
All have been contacted and prizes will be sent out this week.
Writer/director Peter Weir's debut movie - The Cars That Ate Paris - gets a UK DVD release on 30th June, courtesy of Second Sight.
Set in the secluded outback town of Paris, Australia, the sinister community preys on unsuspecting tourists who have the misfortune to pass their way. Cars are forced off the road in accidents orchestrated by the evil townsfolk, who scavenge parts and possessions for themselves. The lucky victims are the ones who die, the survivors are subjected to the local doctor’s bizarre experiments.
No news of any extras (so we can presume there are very little), you can pick it up for £15.99 (and likely discounted on the various large retail sites).
When meddling townies move to remote country communities and the old ways meet the new, things take a turn for the sinister. Hail the Queen of the May as Flipside unearths two obscure, genuinely creepy ‘70s folk tales on Friday 2nd May - Sinister Folk.
Robin Redbreast (Play For Today 1970)
Smart urban divorcee Norah gets more than she bargained for when she retreats to a remote house in the country. Toyed with by some very curious locals who know more than they let on, Norah soon finds herself the unwilling participant in shocking traditions both ancient and frightening.
Murrain (Against The Crowd) (ATV 1975)
When a mysterious virus plagues local pigs and a family goes sick, panicking farmers blame a frail old woman - the ‘witch’ that lives up the lane. An idealistic young doctor from the city tries to dispel the rumours. Taut, intelligent, convincing, written by legendary Quatermass creator, Nigel Kneale.
Afterwards, Resonance FM DJs Jonny Trunk (Trunk Records) and Nervous Stephen (Murri) will be spinning 'dark folk ditties' on black vinyl in Benugo. Tickets for the whole event cost £8.60.
Returning for a second year is the Fashion In Film Festival, mixing talks, exhibitions, newly-commissioned film works, but best of all, some rarely-seen cinema classics that show how fashion of the day was just as important as a good plot and scenery.
Some superb films on show this year too, with highlights (for me) including the visually stunning (see image above) 10th Victim (La Decima Vittima) from 1965 and Get Carter (1970) at the ICA, Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1964) at the Horse Hospital, as well as a double bill of delinquency curated by fashion designer and former mod Roger K. Burton (The Violent Years from 1956 and The Boys from '62), Dario Argento's The Bird With Crystal Plumage (1970) at the BFI plus Plein Soleil (1960) and Fata Morgana (1965) Ciné lumiére.
Much more besides, including some rare silent flicks and classic US film noir. Check out the full programme at the website - the event runs from 10th - 31st May 2008.
A 60s movie with a cast including Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Nanette Newman, John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Peter Sellers and Tony Hancock? Sounds too good to be true? Well it is true - and strangely, The Wrong Box remains something of an unknown quantity.
Despite the era, this isn't a swinging sixties movie - it's actually a Victorian farce. But as the style of the 60s owed much to a Victorian revival, that doesn't take too much effort. The plot however is something that might require a few spare brain cells.
Another great night planned by The Flipside at London's BFI on Thursday 24th April 2008, celebrating the seedy world of 60s Soho.
That means a screening of The Small World Of Sammy Lee (1962), with Strip club compere and small time wideboy Sammy (played by cockney crooner Anthony Newley) losing his shirt at an all-night card game, with the heavies are looking to collect. That means a race against the clock around the streets of Soho as Sammy tries to raise the readies, and escape with the girl who loves him, before his luck runs out.
Also showing is Strip (1966), a short movie looking at vintage burlesque dancers at the notorious Phoenix Club, Old Compton Street, with the girls backstage talking about life whilst having a cup of tea and warming-up the baked beans. And to top things off, Big Shots features rare footage of wartime Soho shot by Sammy Lee director, Ken Hughes.
Introduced by Flipside's Vic Pratt and Will Fowler, with 'Sammy Lee' actress Julia Foster doing a Q&A after the screening. Tickets cost £8.60 (£6.25 concessions).
Find out more at the BFI website
If you are a fan of the band, you might want to get yourself down to the Curzon Soho in London for a screening of Joy Division.
Joy Division looks at the band through never-before-seen live performance footage, personal photos, period films and newly discovered audiotapes, with contributions from Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, as well as the late Tony Wilson, Factory Records graphic artist Peter Saville, photographer/filmmaker Anton Corbijn and Belgian journalist Annik Honoré (speaking for the first time about her relationship with Ian Curtis) the film is described as a 'fresh visual account of a unique time and place'.
If that's not enough, Joy Division drummer Stephen Morris and writer Jon Savage will be on hand to take questions. It's on Thursday 24th April, starting at 6:30pm.
Find out more and order tickets at the Cuezon website
Via Retro To Go
Also reviewed recently on Cinedelica is The Frightened Woman - and that too has a trailer on YouTube. So if our review doesn't quite convince you to buy it...maybe this will...
Note that it's not 100 per cent safe for work (but not strong enough for an 18 rating on YouTube).
Good old YouTube comes up trumps again for the recently-reviewed Vault Of Horror. The trailer is in black and white - but the movie is actually in colour.
A year after filming Al Feinstein's Tales From The Crypt, Amicus did the same thing with another Feinstein publication - Vault Of Horror. And while the director might have changed (this time to Roy Ward Baker), the film is more or less a carbon copy.
Well, actually, it's a lesser copy - same big name British cast, same scenario, same spooky tale - just not quite as memorable. This time the cast includes the wonderful Terry Thomas (above), Tom 'Dr Who' Baker, Denholm Elliott and numerous other actors you probably remember briefly from your childhood.
While we're on a brightly-coloured 60s movies tip, how about checking out the trailer for Mario Bava's comic book crime caper - Danger Diabolik.
Nothing more to say except...you really should see it.
Visually stunning, achingly stylish, slightly disturbing and at times even confusing. One thing is for sure though - you'll not forget The Frightened Woman (aka Femina Ridens) in a hurry.
Classed unfairly as sexploitation upon its release, this pop art gem got a rough ride from the censors - and hasn't been seen in its entirety since its 1969 release. But Shameless, working with director Pierro Zchivazappa, have managed to piece together and restore the surviving versions, producing what the director has called 'THE version of my film to watch'.
Continue reading "DVD Review: The Frightened Woman (1969)" »
London's Imperial War Museum is the location for a major Ian Fleming and James Bond exhibition - For Your Eyes Only.
A look at the man and the character, it features a large amount of material on show for the first time, including a selection of annotated Bond manuscripts and Fleming’s Colt Python .375 Magnum revolver, along with material from the films including the ‘blood–splattered’ shirt worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, Rosa Klebb’s flick–knife shoes in From Russia With Love and Halle Berry’s bikini from Die Another Day.
There's also a number of events and family activities relating to Bond, plus free screening of some early Bond classics - Dr No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. The exhibition opens on 17th April 2008, running until 1st March 2009. See the website for full listings.
Find out more at the Imperial War Museum website
Via Retro To Go
This month, the BFI Southbank will be hosting a season of films relating to the spirit of revolution in the era called “Pop Goes the Revolution: French Cinema and May '68”.
Curated by Bob Stanley, the season shows how the enfranchisement of youth in the mid-60s was turning the world on its head. As you might expect, there are films here by Jean Luc Godard (“Masculin Féminin”, “Alphaville” and “Weekend”), Francois Truffaut (The Bride Wore Black”) and a double-bill starring Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin.
Perhaps the highlight of the season is the chance to see William Klein’s op-art satire on the fashion world “Who are You, Polly Magoo?” which is showing on 26th and 29th April.
For full listings, visit the BFI website.
Via Retro To Go
