Mad Props (2024)

Posted on May 14, 2024 by Felix Vasquez

Now Available to Rent on TVOD.

Prop collecting has always been a facet of move fandom that I don’t particularly read a lot about. That’s mainly because a lot of collectors deal in replicas and that, well, collecting actual props for movies can be really expensive. You pretty much have to be very wealthy in order to buy even the cheapest prop for a classic film. “Mad Props” is a very good documentary that deals in exploring the market for collecting props as well as the passion that comes with it.

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Chyna’s Hollywood Detour to Ruin

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Phil Hall

In 2001, Joanie Laurer had departed her precedent-breaking reign in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF – later to be renamed WWE) under the name of Chyna and was hoping to start a new career in movies. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, she acknowledged she was not going to give Meryl Streep a run for her money.
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Carol Lynley: A Second Look

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Phil Hall

On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” the spotlight is on the life and career of the lovely actress Carol Lynley, star of classic films including “Blue Denim,” “Bunny Lake is Missing,” “The Poseidon Adventure” and “The Night Stalker.” The guest commentator is Tom Lisanti, author of “Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense.”

The episode can be heard here.

Clapboard Jungle (2019) [Fantasia Festival 2020]

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Felix Vasquez

Justin McConnell’s “Clapboard Jungle” is essentially about artistic pursuit and the search to grab even the slightest success in a world filled with artists. How does an artist make it in a world where millions of others are working night and day to make theirs heard? How do you thrive without competing or stepping over others? How do you stave off imposter syndrome? And in a climate of consistently rotating and interchangeable titles, is it even possible to deliver anything fresh or appealing in cinema anymore?

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The Bootleg Files: Hollywood

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 733: “Hollywood” (1980 British television documentary series).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS and LaserDisc.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Difficulties in clearing the rights to the films in the series resulted in its absence from DVD and Blu-ray.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe someday it will occur.

One of the most impressive documentaries on film history was Kevin Brownlow and David Gill’s “Hollywood,” which was produced by Britain’s Thames Television for broadcast on ITV. Spanning 13 50-minute episodes, the series included interviews with many of the on-screen and behind-the-camera talent who were active in film production before the coming of the talkies.
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Blood & Flesh – The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson (2019) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Felix Vasquez

Severin Films has done an amazing job showing movie fans and collectors the generally colorful and interesting body of cinematic work that Al Adamson left behind. While he’s more generally known for his unfortunately terrible murder, Adamson was also, by all accounts, a very nice man who was creative, innovative and had a genuine love for filmmaking and the people he worked with. “Blood & Flesh” successfully takes us inside the life of the man who had a sincere love for entertaining people, and then digs in to how sometimes our good hearts can put us in the company of the wrong people.

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The Bootleg Files: Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 716: “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood” (1960 all-star TV special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: No perceived commercial reissue value.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.

By the time 1960 rolled about, the film industry was in a very strange place. The studio system had mostly crumbled and many of the major Hollywood productions were being shot overseas. The movie studios learned to grudgingly live with television and a few figured out how to profit from the small screen medium.
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