100 Years Ago: Dinosaurs and Ape Men, Courtesy of Willis H. O’Brien
When we think of stop motion pioneer Willis H. O’Brien (born on this day in 1886), we think of KING KONG, for which he designed and produced all the effects shots. He, more than anyone, created the special-effects spectacle, in which the effects work was the real star of the show. But before KING KONG, […]
Goodbye Leonard Nimoy, We’ll Miss You – Listen to this Rare Austin Radio Interview from the ’70s
In the general mourning over the loss of Leonard Nimoy, a friend of ours let us know that a rare tape of an Austin radio interview had recently been digitized. Here is that tape in its entirety. It was recorded when Nimoy was teaching acting at St. Edward’s University. It’s always awfully nice to hear […]
Movie People We Love: Paul Bartel & Mary Woronov
Here are a couple of guests for a dream dinner party in the afterlife. Mary Woronov is still with us and we value her more than ever, but Paul Bartel left us in 2000. Woronov and Bartel worked together four times prior to Richard Blackburn’s EATING RAOUL (1982) and many times subsequently, but RAOUL is […]
The Incredible But True Story of Maila ‘Vampira’ Nurmi
In 1954, a 31-year old former model, nightclub coat-check attendant and necktie painter named Maila Nurmi attended a Hollywood party with her husband, actor-writer Dean Riesner. She made her own vampire costume, inspired by the cartoons of Charles Addams, out of fabric scraps. She must have cut quite a profile because months later another attendee […]
100 Years Ago: Abel Gance’s Proto-Countercultural Mad Scientist Movie THE MADNESS OF DOCTOR TUBE
Abel Gance is today maybe best known for a film that has been properly seen by only a relative few – his monumental and ambitious NAPOLEON (1927, and revised endlessly). It was to have been part of a six film series, though only the first chapter was made. Its climactic last reel was to be […]
Alfred Hitchcock Talks Suspense and Story in 1966
Alfred Hitchcock was in the Alfred Hitchcock business, which meant that he was eager to push his media image as the dry-humorous master of the macabre. He sold books, magazines, a television show and of course his films with this persona. It worked for him, but in later years he was disinclined to be serious […]
Watch This: René Jodoin’s Deeply Psychedelic Animated Short RECTANGLE AND RECTANGLES
René Jodoin, who died last month, was a great pioneer of French language Canadian animation. He was hired by Norman McLaren in 1943 and worked for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) on and off for decades. He helped to establish the NFB’s international reputation as a model organization for aiding creative creation and […]
Enjoy These Wild ’60s Mexican Exploitation Movie Posters
It’s been a busy day and there hasn’t been time for a full-on, brilliant post about the changing landscape of Hong Kong film since 1997 or the obscure brilliance of silent-movie comedian Mabel Normand, so enjoy these fantastic, lurid Mexican exploitation posters from the ’60s and ’70s.
What Does a Film Producer Do? Texas Film Hall Of Fame Honoree Bonnie Curtis Breaks It Down
“Be in a place where you can bring all the parts of you into the room.” Producer Bonnie Curtis is one of the best around. She has worked on films as diverse, excellent and challenging to make as JURASSIC PARK, SCHINDLER’S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, ALBERT NOBBS and the new 5 TO 7. She is […]
Behind the Scenes with BOYHOOD’S Ellar Coltrane, AFS’ Chale Nafus & Set Photographer Matt Lankes
A couple of weeks ago AFS Director of Programming Chale Nafus visited with BOYHOOD star Ellar Coltrane and Photographer Matt Lankes as part of the Talks At Google lecture series. It’s a great opportunity to hear more from Coltrane than the usual sound bites about the process of making a film over the course of […]
Vintage Featurette: Behind The Scenes Of PERFORMANCE (1970)
From left: Anita Pallenberg and Mick Jagger, living la vida coca. Studios used to prepare short, behind-the-scenes promotional featurettes advertising their upcoming films. These featurettes could then be played between double features or distributed to TV stations for free play. Here’s one advertising Mick Jagger’s participation in Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg’s bizarre gangster fantasy […]
Kevin Brownlow’s Outstanding 1980 Documentary Miniseries HOLLYWOOD is Online
For those of us who love and cherish cinema history, Kevin Brownlow is a hero. He has preserved so much of the history of the silent era in his books, through his interviews with the people who were there, and in his restoration work. In 1980, along with his valuable collaborator David Gill, Brownlow expanded […]
