There have been plenty of Frankenstein ‘reimaginings’ (as we call them these days) over the years, but one excellent recent example didn’t even feature a Frankenstein at all. Continue reading
My adopted home city of Cardiff has an interesting and sometimes surprising history on film (remember the Wolf Man?), but a new project, Saucy Horsey, is perhaps the most surprising. Continue reading
Remember Torchwood? A Doctor Who TV spin-off for grown-ups – dark, but often fun, and containing those post-9pm ‘adult themes’. Torchwood was a specialist government unit of attractive people, led by a Scot with an American accent (or is John Barrowman an American with a Scottish accent?), dealing with various alien creatures on the streets … Continue reading
Frankenstein, the modern Prometheus, creator of the ‘monster’, and inspiration for all those mad scientists, has been portrayed in countless movies since the original 1910 adaptation of the Mary Shelley story. Usually he’s Dr Victor Frankenstein (as in the book), but sometimes Henry, or Baron von Frankenstein, or one of his many descendants (check this … Continue reading
J.M.Barrie is best known for creating Peter Pan and for working with other giants of British culture, such as H.G.Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle. He is less well known for writing The Little Minister and working with my ancestor, H.H. Weltch (left). Continue reading
The latest chapter of the rebooted Planet of the Apes series has been hailed as the ultimate summer blockbuster of 2014 – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes boasts lots of action, expensive CGI and even a 3D version. Continue reading
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho has, no doubt, fuelled many nightmares since its release 50-plus years ago, but the only Psycho-related nightmare I have is that one day someone might turn it into a musical. I find musicals disturbing at the best of times (except Singin’ in the Rain, of course), but imagine a musical about Norman’s … Continue reading
One of the funniest gags in the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles (and there are plenty to choose from) must be the running joke about the character Hedley Lamarr – that’s Hedley, not Hedy! Supposedly, the Austrian-born actress took exception to the unauthorised use of (almost) her name for the Harvey Korman character and threatened … Continue reading
The Monster carries his victim into a spooky cave, and a fake bat on a string flaps in front of him, just as real bats flit more convincingly in front the screen. Special effects? Nature can provide something much more special, when films are shown in unusual locations. In this case, it was the 1935 … Continue reading
It doesn’t have much of a plot, its songs were mostly recycled from earlier productions, and the star was suffering a fever when he had to film the title song-and-dance routine, getting soaked to the skin in a shrinking wool suit. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? But this was Singin’ in the … Continue reading
PieceOf Pink Pie 