Two films by Thom Andersen

I watched Thom Andersen’s Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) several years ago. It’s an excellent film about movies set in LA.

I just watched Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer (1975) and realized later that both were done by the same director. Muybridge was a 19th-century pioneer in photography of people and animals in motion. The documentary is excellent and has many examples of his work.

Both films are available on discs which is how I watched them.

I haven’t watched it yet but this is Andersen’s 2010 short Get Out of the Car, also about Los Angeles.

The Atomic City

I just watched The Atomic City (1952) which is set in Los Alamos. Kidnappers want a nuclear formula in return for a kidnapped child. It’s an entertaining but minor crime film.

Of course, Oppenheimer (2023) is the most famous film with scenes in Los Alamos.

Above and Beyond (1952) is a film about the first atomic bomb which also shows how the military secrecy affects families which is also part of The Atomic City.

Posts and videos on Sunset Boulevard at 75

The great film Sunset Boulevard is 75. The anniversary has been marked by a new book and new Blu-rays discs.

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Behind the scene photos

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75 years after its screen debut, what ‘Sunset Blvd.’ says about stardom

A close-up look at the genius of ‘Sunset Boulevard’

Alfred Hitchock cameos

Here’s a list

Alfred Hitchcock cameos in his films

Bluesky post on the third version of The Blob

I recommend Blobfest held every July in Phoenixville, PA which celebrates the first version.

‘Sinners’ is an outstanding film

Tired of franchise and superhero movies? Want to see a completely original film? Then ‘Sinners’ is for you. It’s not like any other film I can name. It’s a unique Black Horror film. It’s got the blues, 1930s history, look and sound, vampires and great actors. Michael B. Jordan plays twins but this never seems like a stunt.

I watched the Blu-ray disc and recommend watching the bonus features, too. They are much better than normal and give insights into how the film was made. Usually, the bonus features are the director talking about how great the actors and and the producer and actors complimenting the director.

I wasn’t a horror fan but it seems that is where most of the really original films are. I’m thinking of Jordan Peele’s movies, ‘Talk to Me’, and ‘Late Night with the Devil’ to name a few. They all have a fresh contemporary look at horror.

Jorge Luis Borges on King Kong and Citizen Kane

Did you know Borges wrote film reviews? I didn’t.

Jorge Luis Borges, Film Critic, Reviews King Kong (1933)

Jorge Luis Borges Reviews Citizen Kane — and Gets a Response from Orson Welles

Mabuse Lives! (Six film box set)

This is a fine box set from Eureka of six German films from the 1960s featuring Dr. Mabuse, an evil character from Fritz Lang films in the 1920s and 1930s. Well worth seeing – the first ones are the best. The first one was directed by Lang.

Review at Mondo Digital

Terror in the Fog : The Wallace Krimi at CCC

This is an oustanding box set from Eureka. It has six films, commentaries, lots of supplements and a booklet. I had heard of German Krimi movies being a predecessor to Italian Giallo films but had never seen one before. These are very entertaining mysteries. I hope Eureka issues more of them

Terror in the Fog : The Wallace Krimi at CCC review at Mondo Digital