Category: EDITOR’S BLOG

Melo-Noir: Black Widow (1954) + Slightly Scarlet (1956)

A pair of noir-melodramas boasting striking mid-century style: Nunnally Johnson’s BLACK WIDOW (1954) on Twilight Time Blu + Allan Dwan’s delicious SLIGHTLY SCARLET (1956) on VCI DVD.

Women in Prison, Part IV: Le evase (1978)

Review of Giovanni Brusadori’s infamous WIP drama ESCAPE FROM WOMEN’S PRISON / LA EVASE (1978), new on Blu via Severin Films / Unobstructed View.

Neo-Noir Trois: The Big Fix (1978)

Review of the private eye thriller THE BIG FIX (1978), the oddball adaptation of Roger L. Simon’s novel, new on Blu from Twilight Time.

A Vibrant Return for Becky Sharp (1935)

Review of BECKY SHARP (1935), the first feature shot in 3-strip Technicolor, new on Blu from KINO’s KL Studio Classics / Unobstructed View.

TJFF 2019: It Really Schwings!

Review of Eric Friedler’s documentary IT MUST SCHWING! THE BLUE NOTE STORY (2018) at TJFF 2019.

ArtScopeTO 09: Interview with Photographer Pengkuei Ben Huang

ArtScopeTO Podcast interview with photographer Pengkuei Ben Huang, whose series SOLEMN PINES FADING THINGS is running at Toronto’s Urban Gallery as part of the 2019 Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.

Podcast interview with LES MISERABLES’ John Murphy

Podcast interview with composer John Murphy and his recently-scored BBC mini-series LES MISERABLES (2018).

ArtScopeTO 08: Interview with Photographer Lori Ryerson

The latest ArtScopeTO podcast features a chat with photographer Lori Ryerson, whose series OFF THE BEATEN PATH can be seen at Toronto’s Urban Gallery until Sat. April 27, 2019.

BR: Black Widow (1954)

Nunnally Johnson’s adaptation of Patrick Quentin’s novel Fatal Woman is almost as slick as this stellar big screen production…

DVD: Slightly Scarlet (1956)

Slightly Scarlet is a strange amalgam that shouldn’t work so well, being part noir, melodrama, and crime film, and yet everything hums…

BR: Escape from Women’s Prison / Le evase – Storie di sesso e di violenze / Violez les otages (1978)

Reportedly one of the most infamous women in prison (WIP) films, Giovanni Brusadori’s lone feature film is far removed from the U.S. poster art…

BR: Big Fix, The (1978)

Roger L. Simon adapted his novel and probably retained the same tonal shifts which suggest both the author and director Jeremy Paul Kagan wanted to play with the private detective formula…

BR: Becky Sharp (1935)

Set just prior to the Battle of Waterloo, Thackeray’s story follows Becky Sharp (Miriam Hopkins) from her graduation from a starchy girl’s school to the men with whom she eyes, ensnares, and the hard times…

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…