Author Archive: Mark R. Hasan

Ruth McKenney’s My Sister Eileen from 1942 thru 1960 (whew!)

In this two-parter, I examine My Sister Eileen in its film form (1942 screwball comedy + 1955 musical), 1946 radio show, 1958 musical teleplay (Wonderful Town), and the 1960 series.

Two Shades of Satire: Let’s Make Love (1961) + On the Avenue (1937)

Reviews of On the Avenue (1937) from Fox + the CinemaScope remake Let’s Make Love (1961) on Blu via Twilight Time.

Technicolored Mature, Hayworth, & Landis in My Gal Sal (1942)

My Gal Sal (1942) starring Rita Hayworth, Victor Mature, and Carole Landis debuts on Twilight Time Blu.

Fulci, Mattei, Fragasso, Drudi, and the Grisly Coctail that is Zombie 3 and Zombie 4: After Death

Gory franchise entries Zombie 3 (1988) and Zombie 4: After Dark (1989) make their debut in swell Blu-ray special editions from Severin.

Two Troubled Teens: Blue Denim (1959)

Blue Denim (1959), the earnest, cautionary tale of unwanted pregnancy among teens finally gets a proper release on Blu via Twilight Time.

Viva Amiga’s Zach Weddington (and a bit of gear talk)

Podcast interview with Zach Weddington on Viva Amiga, his affectionate documentary on the pioneering multimedia computer (plus a bit of gear talk).

Patricia Rozema’s Singing Mermaids & White Room + Bonus Audio from NCFD 2018

Review of the CanCon classic I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) and much-maligned White Room (1990) + Q&A audio of director Patricia Rozema & journalist Kiva Reardon during National Canadian Film Day.

ArtScopeTO 07: Interview with Photographer Andre Vittorio

Aprils ArtScopeTO podcast features photographer Andre Vittorio, whose series Abstractions on Metal can be seen at Toronto’s Urban Gallery until Sat. April 28, 2018.

BR: My Sister Eileen (1955)

With colour and CinemaScope, the 1955 version of Ruth McKenney’s tales retains most of the same characters from the original film, with some unique modifications. Gone is the setting of WWII and the need to economize, as are opening scenes in which sisters Ruth (Betty Garrett) and Eileen (Janet Leigh) make it clear…

DVD: My Sister Eileen (1942)

Although based on the stage play by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov (and derived from Ruth McKenney’s short stories), the first film version of the play is a classic screwball comedy that benefits immensely from the casting of Rosalind Russell…

BR: Let’s Make Love (1960)

Marilyn Monroe’s final film for 20th Century-Fox is a sort-of remake of the studio’s 1937 Irving Berlin-penned musical On the Avenue, augmented with different classic songs by Jimmy Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn…

LP: John and Mary (1969)

Written during his busiest period (1968-1970), Quincy Jones’ score for John and Mary was quite sparse, leaving obligatory space for the film’s myriad dialogue exchanges and source music, but the score is memorable for being atypical of the material Jones was writing at the time: action comedies (The Italian Job, The Hell with Heroes), comedies (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,Cactus Flower), and the funky style of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!

CD: Runaway Train (1985)

For some soundtrack fans, it was a bit of surprise to learn the composer of pioneering synth scores had begun his career with large orchestral scores for John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal (1982)…

LP: Bourne Identity, The (2002)

The first film in the enduring franchise gave John Powell the perfect opportunity to write what remains both his definitive action sound, and the definitive action score of that decade, blending large orchestral sounds with layers upon layers of electronics…