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In Stuart Galbraith IV's invaluable film biography "The Emperor and the Wolf" -- a detailed rundown of the collaborations between director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune -- Kurosawa was asked about Sergio Leone's Western "A Fistful of Dollars." Kurosawa reportedly said that Leone's film was "a fine movie, but it's my movie." Leone, as cineastes all know, will be able to tell you, ripped off Kurosawa's 1961 film "Yojimbo," pretty much beat-for-beat, to make "A Fistful of Dollars." Toho, the production company that distributed "Yojimbo," sued Leone and the case was settled out of court.

"Yojimbo," for those unlucky enough not to have seen it, is about a nameless ronin (Mifune) who wanders into a remote 1860s village to discover a vicious gang battle raging. It seems two groups of yakuza are fighting over the gambling rights in this town,...

All 172 episodes of the classic ’80s legal drama L.A. Law, created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, will be available to stream on Hulu on November 3.

All original commercial licensed music was kept intact and upgraded. The episdodes have also been newly remastered by Disney in HD with 16:9 aspect ratio from the original film source,

L.A. Law is a one-hour drama detailing the intertwined personal and private lives of the employees of Los Angeles law firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney & Kuzak. The long-running and popular series was the recipient of numerous awards, including five Emmy Awards and seven more nominations, as well as four Golden Globe Awards and five more nominations.

The cast included Harry Hamlin, Jill Eikenberry, Michele Greene, Alan Rachins, Jimmy Smits, Michael Tucker, Richard Dysart, Corbin Bernsen, Susan Dey, Susan Ruttan, Blair Underwood, Larry Drake, Amanda Donohoe, John Spencer, Cecil Hoffman, Sheila Kelley, Conchata Ferrell, A. Martinez,...

Classic ’80s legal drama “L.A. Law” is coming to Hulu — with an upgrade.

All eight seasons of the show, comprising 172 episodes total, have been newly remastered by Disney in HD with 16:9 aspect ratio from the original film source for streaming on Hulu. “L.A. Law” will be available on Hulu starting Nov. 3. According to Hulu, all original commercial licensed music was kept intact and also upgraded.

Hulu, which is majority owned by Disney, does not have exclusive streaming rights to “L.A. Law”; the eight seasons of the show also are currently available on Amazon’s Prime Video.

“L.A. Law” originally aired from 1986-1994 on NBC. The show stars Harry Hamlin, Jimmy Smits, Blair Underwood and Susan Dey among the ensemble cast that also includes Jill Eikenberry, Michele Greene, Alan Rachins, Michael Tucker, Richard Dysart, Corbin Bernsen, Susan Ruttan, Larry Drake, Amanda Donohoe, John Spencer, Cecil Hoffman, Sheila Kelley, Conchata Ferrell,...

Melding together genres seldom works. It’s a delicate balancing act; tone is key, and when either (or both) are off the whole thing can come crashing down. By 1991, HBO was already offering up original programming and decided to create a whole new sub genre – horror noir. The result was Cast a Deadly Spell, a very entertaining and perfectly concocted mixture of 1940s detective story and supernatural terror. And when the balance is right, like it is here, the results are sublime.

Originally airing on HBO on Saturday, September 7th, CaDS was met with critical acclaim as a riotous mashup of Bogart and the Dark Arts, treating audiences to a unique blend of murder and magic.

Let’s open up our sacred book of incantations, TV Guide, and see what we’re in for:

Cast A Deadly Spell (HBO, Sept. 7th)

L.A., 1948. Private eye Harry Philip Lovecraft is hired...

Robert Altman's murder tale reeks of insider access and Hollywood hipster Bs; its main claim to greatness is its fifty-plus star cameos. It may no longer seem as smart as it looked in 1992, but they don't make 'em any slicker than this. The Player Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 812 1992 / Color /1:85 widescreen / 124 min. / Available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date May 24, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Brion James, Cynthia Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lyle Lovett. Cinematography Jean Lépine Original Music Thomas Newman Written by Michael Tolkin from his novel Produced by David Brown, Michael Tolkin, Nick Wechsler Directed by Robert Altman

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Robert Altman's filmography is undergoing what looks like a full retrospective through Criterion; even the 1975 title Nashville came out not long ago. This very successful later picture marks a revitalization of the director's career. It's sort of a Kafkaesque spin on Hail,...

Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen Brad Pitt 'Glory Days' costar Nicholas Kallsen dead at 48 Nicholas Kallsen, who was featured opposite Brad Pitt in the short-lived television series Glory Days, has died at age 48 in Thailand according to online reports. Their source is one of Rupert Murdoch's rags, citing a Facebook posting by one of the actor's friends. The cause of death was purportedly – no specific source was provided – a drug overdose.* Aired on Fox in July 1990, Glory Days told the story of four high-school friends whose paths take different directions after graduation. Besides Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt, the show also featured Spike Alexander and Evan Mirand. Glory Days lasted a mere six episodes – two of which directed by former Happy Days actor Anson Williams – before its cancellation. Roommates Nicholas Kallsen and Brad Pitt vying for same 'Thelma & Louise' role? The Murdoch tabloid also...

In the summer of 1989, Dead Poets Society was in theaters making moviegoers laugh, cry, and learn Latin. The Best Picture nominee earned an Oscar for screenwriter Tom Schulman, as well as nods for director Peter Weir and Robin Williams, who stars as English teacher John Keating—the man who taught more than just his prep-school students the meaning of the phrase carpe diem (“seize the day”). It was also the breakout film for Robert Sean Leonard (tortured Neil Perry), Ethan Hawke (shy Todd Anderson), and Josh Charles (romantic Knox Overstreet). Charles discussed some of his fond memories in an interview with EW.

DVD Playhouse—February 2012

By Allen Gardner

To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.

Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...