News

Stars: Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, Carole Gray, Eddie Byrne, Sam Kydd, Niall MacGinnis, James Caffrey, Liam Gaffney, Roger Heathcott, Keith Bell | Written by Edward Mann, Al Ramsen | Directed by Terence Fisher

Island of Terror, directed by Terence Fisher, is a 1966 British horror film that stands out for its intriguing premise and unique creature design, though it often pales in comparison to the director’s more iconic work within the Hammer Horror series. While Fisher is best known for his stylish and atmospheric contributions to the genre, including classics like The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), Island of Terror offers a more subdued and, at times, uneven experience.

Set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, Island of Terror revolves around a group of scientists investigating a series of mysterious deaths linked to an experiment gone awry. The plot is straightforward, but it manages to build a sense of isolation and dread effectively.

Sir Carol Reed takes on a movie about insurance fraud in sunny Spain — with a great trio of actors for 1963. Laurence Harvey scams an insurance company and looks forward to continuing to beat the system in a happy life of chicanery; Lee Remick finds her affections turning to Alan Bates, an insurance man who might also be on vacation, or might have come to uncover Harvey’s crime. How does Harvey hide out while waiting for the big payoff in Málaga? He buys a huge white convertible too big to fit through the streets!

The Running Man

Blu-ray

Arrow Academy

1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date June 18, 2019 / 39.95

Starring: Laurence Harvey, Lee Remick, Alan Bates, Felix Aylmer, Allan Cuthbertson, Noel Purcell, Ramsay Ames, Fernando Rey, Eddie Byrne, John Meillon, Roger Delgado.

Cinematography: Robert Krasker

Film Editor: Bert Bates

Original Music: William Alwyn

Continuity: Angela Allen

Written by John Mortimer from the...

Quentin Tarantino snapped at a female reporter from The New York Times who asked why Margot Robbie wasn’t given more to say or do in his latest film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

“I reject your hypothesis,” he said at a press conference for his new film on Wednesday morning at the Cannes Film Festival.

Robbie plays Sharon Tate in the movie. The film takes place in the 1960s Hollywood and focuses on a struggling TV actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they make their way through a changing movie industry.

At the press conference, Tarantino scowled — looking visibly upset — at the question as Robbie tried to tactfully answer it.

“I think the moments I was on screen gave a moment to honor Sharon,” Robbie said. “I think the tragedy was the loss of innocence. To show the wonderful...

Saucy Jack has long been meat for the horror mill; my first experience with him was Time after Time (1979), where he time traveled to the future and found he was just another serial killer. But in 1888 he was the first, logging around five prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London; big numbers for the day and the fact that the case was never solved has turned the Ripper’s exploits into its own cottage industry. As for Jack’s indelible horror image, that starts proper with Jack the Ripper (1959), an effective and grisly independent British shocker brought back to life in a cracking new Blu-ray release from Severin Films.

Released in the U.K. in May of ’58 by Regal Films International, Jack the Ripper was picked up by producer Joseph E. Levine (Magic) and distributed by Paramount stateside in early ’59; some alterations were made for the U.S. release, including...

Jack the Ripper

Blu ray

Severin Films

1959 / 1.33:1 – 1:66:1 / 84 Min. / Street Date – January 29, 2019

Starring Lee Patterson, Eddie Byrne

Cinematography by Robert Baker, Monty Berman

Directed by Robert Baker, Monty Berman

Jack the Ripper arrived in America with the kind of fanfare usually reserved for visiting royalty. Thanks to Joseph E. Levine’s million dollar promotional blitz the British shocker rode a wave of irresistible ballyhoo including a soundtrack LP and a typically salacious Monarch paperback that promised a walk on the wild side for adventurous ticket buyers.

Jack was the talk of the schoolyard but once the movie hit theaters it disappeared as quickly as its namesake. Since 1960 the elusive thriller has dipped in and out of sight like the Loch Ness monster until recently surfacing on a new Blu ray from Severin Films – viewers can be forgiven for thinking it should have stayed at the bottom of the lake.