Last year Kino Lorber released a wonderful two-film Blu-ray set of silent Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.) swashbucklers in their Cohen Film Collection line. The one-disc set consists of ROBIN HOOD (1922) paired with THE BLACK PIRATE (1926). The set arrived in October right around the time I was attending the Lone Pine Film Festival, and as occasionally happens, it kept moving further down the review stack as I reviewed in "last in, first out" fashion. I wanted to be certain to finally start catching up with this disc before leaving town to cover my next film festival this week! I decided to start w ..read more

3 GODFATHERS (1948), directed by John Ford, was released this spring on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection. I first saw this film at the 2016 Lone Pine Film Festival, and while I liked it well enough, I wrote at the time that despite my love for Ford and the cast, I didn't anticipate rewatching it anytime soon, as the heart-tugging story was "rather exhausting." I initially thought I might pass on reviewing the new Blu-ray disc and wait a while longer to see the film again...and then I read reviews, such as one by Toby Roan saying "...you need this Blu-ray. Buy a Blu-ray player and a ne ..read more

The quirky, inventive, and very charming fantasy YOU NEVER CAN TELL (1951) has just been released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. This film was a delightful surprise when I first discovered it in 2011. At that time it wasn't available for home viewing in any format; a couple years later it had a DVD release, and now, over a decade since the DVD came out, it's happily out on a lovely Blu-ray. I hope this new release will lead to this relatively unsung little gem finding a wider audience. King, a German shepherd, is left millions by his late owner, to be managed by the owner's former secretary Ellen ..read more

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet... ...Last week I shared the news that Kino Lorber Studio Classics announced a Dark Side of Cinema XX collection. Shortly after I posted that, Kino Lorber also announced Dark Side of Cinema XXI is coming soon! It will contain CLOAK AND DAGGER (1946) with Gary Cooper, SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955) with Frank Lovejoy, and SHORT CUT TO HELL (1957) with William Bishop, directed by James Cagney. ...Also coming soon from Kino Lorber: BODY AND SOUL (1947) starring John Garfield. ...Chris Yogerst has a new article at The Hollywood Reporter ..read more

April has flown past and May has arrived, whichmeans it's now time for a detailed look at the May schedule on Turner Classic Movies! The May Star of the Month is Sessue Hayakawa, with his films shown on Monday evenings, beginning May 6th. In conjunction with the celebration of Hayakawa's career, his films will be followed by late Monday night screenings of movies featuring other Asian actors and themes, with stars including Anna May Wong, Toshiro Mifune, and James Shigeta. This month's Noir Alley films are DARK PASSAGE (1947) on May 4th and 5th, FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949) on the 11th and 12t ..read more

The Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 3 set was recently released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection. The set, featuring 25 cartoons on one Blu-ray disc, is a sequel to Volumes 1 and 2; I reviewed Volume 2 in January. I also previously purchased Volume 1. I've noticed in reviews of the previous sets that some Looney Tunes experts have picked out minor errors with things like title cards, but as a non-expert who simply enjoys the cartoons, all the sets seem perfect to me! Volume 3 contains cartoons featuring a wide variety of characters spanning three decades. Picture quality is ..read more

THE LOOTERS (1955) is one of a number of interesting spring Blu-ray releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. To my knowledge, this brand-new release is the first time is the first time this Universal Pictures film has been released for home viewing. As THE LOOTERS begins, no-good Pete (Ray Danton) shows up at the remote Colorado cabin where his old army buddy Jesse (Rory Calhoun) lives. Pete has lost everything gambling and Jesse, who owes Pete his life, agrees to let Pete stay while he figures out his next steps. Shortly after Pete's arrival the men hear a plane crash and set out to fin ..read more

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet... ...There's lots of interesting information on new releases this week, starting with the Warner Archive Collection's upcoming Blu-ray of THE MAN I LOVE (1947), starring Ida Lupino. I last saw it in 2007 and am excited to see it again in a beautiful print-- especially as the film has had six minutes restored which have been unseen by the public since 1956! It will be out on June 14th. ...Also coming in June from the Warner Archive Collection: THE SHINING HOUR (1938), ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948), and the TV series THE ALASKANS (195 ..read more

My new Western RoundUp column has just been posted at Classic Movie Hub. This month I return to the topic of books on the Western film genre, sharing information on titles old and new. Please click over to Classic Movie Hub for the column, and thanks, as always, for reading! Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; Janu ..read more

The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival has now come to an end, and it's possible that this was the best festival yet! This was the 15th edition of the festival, which was held from Thursday evening, April 18th, through Sunday night, April 21st. Turner Classic Movies is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, and it was wonderful to gather in Hollywood and celebrate! Reuniting with friends from across the country, Canada, and beyond is always the very best part of the festival. Screenings were spread across five main theater venues this year, plus the Hollywood Roosevelt pool and ..read more