Horror Half-Week, Day 4: Favorite things about… Halloween (1978)
The day of spooks and scares has finally arrived! Today, we’re celebrating with what is certainly one of my top five all-time favorite horror films. In case you missed ’em, the rest of 2018’s Horror Half-Week reviews: Invasion of the Saucer-Men (1957), The Brain Eaters (1958), and The Living Skeleton (1968) The favorite film: Halloween, an iconic 1978 horror film directed by John Carpenter The … Continue reading Horror Half-Week, Day 4: Favorite things about… Halloween (1978)
Horror Half-Week, Day 3: The Living Skeleton (1968)
On this third day of our spooky celebration, we’ll be taking a look at a classic, ghostly Japanese chiller. Previous Horror Half-Week 2018 posts: Invasion of the Saucer-Men (1957) and The Brain Eaters (1958) “Her wounded heart beats within my chest, torn and bleeding. It’s driving me to wreak vengeance on those beasts.” When pirates overtake the Dragon King, they kill all of its passengers … Continue reading Horror Half-Week, Day 3: The Living Skeleton (1968)
Horror Half-Week, Day 2: The Brain Eaters (1958)
Happy Horror Half-Week! TMP is celebrating the spooky season with three film reviews and a special edition of “Favorite Things About…” to be published on Halloween. Yesterday, we took a look at 1957’s Invasion of the Saucer-Men. See below for today’s frightening feature! The gossip mill is set alight in the sleepy town of Riverdale, Illinois after several residents see what they think is a … Continue reading Horror Half-Week, Day 2: The Brain Eaters (1958)
Horror Half-Week, Day 1: Invasion of the Saucer-Men (1957)
It’s aliiiive! TMP’s Halloween series Horror Half-Week returns for a seventh year. I didn’t choose any themes this year — just did some mood-watching of spooky and strange things. There will be reviews today through Tuesday, with a special “Favorite Things About…” post on Halloween itself. Happy Horror Half-Week! Joan Hayden (Gloria Castillo) and Johnny Carter (Steve Terrell) are a small-town couple getting ready to … Continue reading Horror Half-Week, Day 1: Invasion of the Saucer-Men (1957)
Frisco Jenny (1932)
When her father and her boyfriend are killed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, pregnant and unwed Jenny Sandoval (Ruth Chatterton) must find a way to survive. She takes up residence in the Chinese district and is able to make ends meet, but not necessarily through legal methods. Mixed up with gamblers and running a brothel, Jenny finds herself in a world of trouble when … Continue reading Frisco Jenny (1932)
ABBA: The Movie (1971)
Long before Mamma Mia and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again hit the big screen (and entered my constant-rewatch rotation), there was another ABBA film, appropriately titled… ABBA: The Movie. Where the modern musical tales have plots full of complicated personal relationships, family secrets, and romance, ABBA: The Movie doesn’t have much of a plot at all. The musical performances are thinly connected by an … Continue reading ABBA: The Movie (1971)
Collector’s Corner: Collection Update, Vol. 7!
The last Collection Update on TMP covered acquisitions from March through June. Since then, I’ve had a birthday, run across some wonderful thrift store finds, and taken advantage of a few Criterion discounts. Here’s everything that I’ve added to the collections since June! Books Chaplin by Robert Manvell Debbie: My Life by Debbie Reynolds and David Patrick Columbia The Devil to Pay (Ellery Queen pocket … Continue reading Collector’s Corner: Collection Update, Vol. 7!
Small Town Girl (1953)
Duck Creek, Connecticut is a sleepy town full of friendly people. Cindy Kimball (Jane Powell) is one of the town’s most beloved residents — the daughter of the town judge and a soloist in the church choir. One Sunday evening, the Kimball family is enjoying a meal after church when they’re interrupted by a policeman looking for the judge. Big city fella Rick Belrow Livingston … Continue reading Small Town Girl (1953)
The Thrill of It All (1963)
Beverly Boyer (Doris Day) is a happy housewife. Her husband Gerald is a successful doctor. They have two young children and a very nice, large house. All is well. One evening, while having dinner with one of Gerald’s patients, Beverly tells a cute story about her kids and their new love for “Happy Soap” — a product that just so happens to be made by … Continue reading The Thrill of It All (1963)
Tarantula (1955)
Matt Hastings (John Agar) is a doctor on a mission. After being refused an autopsy on a highly unusual corpse by the sheriff, Dr. Hastings is determined to figure out what caused the corpse’s apparent sudden acromegaly. Hastings calls on Dr. Gerald Deemer (Leo G. Carroll), who had a hand in refusing the autopsy. As it turns out, Deemer knows there’s something odd going on. … Continue reading Tarantula (1955)
