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Stars: Hazel O’Connor, Phil Daniels, Jon Finch, Jonathan Pryce, Peter-Hugo Daly, Mark Wingett | Written and Directed by Brian Gibson

Punk music burst on the scene in the mid-70s. It took the world by storm, and it made superstars and legends of groups like The Ramones, Blondie, The Patti Smith Group, The Talking Heads, The B-52’s, Suicide, Mink DeVille, The Fleshtones.

In 1980, the gritty underworld of post-punk Britain was captured on film with Breaking Glass; and this year the film is celebrating its 45th anniversary! And Fun City Editions was not going to let this epic anniversary go by without a wonderful Blu-ray release.

A rebellious young singer-songwriter Kate Crowley (Hazel O’Connor) is determined to rise to the top of the music profession. Kate’s socialist ideals are juxtaposed to her pragmatic rock manager, Danny, the streetwise hustler who discovers her and develops her into a star. The...

Director Quentin Tarantino is of the firm opinion that filmmakers lose their touch as they grow older. "Most directors have terrible last movies," he said on the Pure Cinema Podcast. But, in addition to disliking the later films of Alfred Hitchcock, Tarantino isn't a fan of the great director's masterpieces either. Several of them, including Vertigo, Rear Window, and Psycho, were made available to stream on Netflix this month. Among them is the 1972 film Frenzy, which Tarantino hates with passion. In his book, Cinema Speculation, Tarantino went so far as to call the film "crap."

In a chapter dedicated to the movies of Brian De Palma, Tarantino found himself getting distracted by his dislike of Hitchcock's films. "While De Palma liked making thrillers, I doubt he loved watching them,” Tarantino wrote, adding, “Hitchcockian thrillers were, for him, a means to an end. That’s why when he was forced...

You love thrillers and suspense films, right? Maybe sometimes they even tease into horror, but do not go all-in. If those are the movies you love, you'll adore the Alfred Hitchcock collection arriving on Netflix June 1.

There will be six films total. You won't see Psycho, but you will see Rear Window. Hitchcock made a lot of movies, and he made a lot of great films. Almost all are worth watching.

To help with the ranking below, we used Rotten Tomatoes score system of critical reviews. All were well-liked. All are worth watching.

Ranking all of the Alfred Hitchcock films arriving on Netflix on June 16. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Stars: James Stewart, Doris Day, Bernard Miles and Ralph Truman

Plot: Dr. Ben McKenna (Stewart) and his wife (Day) and son are vacationing in Morocco when a stranger is killed in front of them. Before he dies, he reveals...

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This June, Netflix is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated final chapter of the worldwide hit series Squid Game to the next season of the beloved Shane Gillis‘ comedy series Tires. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Netflix this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the five best films that are coming to Netflix in June 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Vertigo (June 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% Credit – Paramount Pictures

Vertigo is a psychological thriller drama film directed by Alfred Hitchcock from a screenplay co-written by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor. Based on the 1954 French novel D’entre les morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, the 1958 film follows John, a former police detective who retired...

Barbara Leigh-Hunt, who appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, dozens of other films and TV and on West End and Broadway stages, has died. She was 88.

Her family said today that she died September 16 at her home in Warwickshire, England, but did not give the cause.

Barry Foster and Barbara Leigh-Hunt in ‘Frenzy’

Leigh-Hunt was best known in the U.S. for her key role in Hitchcock’s penultimate thriller Frenzy (1972). She played Brenda Blaney, who is brutally raped and killed by the notorious “Necktie Murderer” in London. She was the ex-wife of Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), who is suspected of the crime that actually was committed by his friend Bob Rusk (Barry Foster), to whom he turns unwittingly for help.

“I was invited out to Pinewood Studios to speak with Hitch for about half an hour,” she told the BBC in a 2017. “To me he was a cinematic god,...

Barbara Leigh-Hunt, the Olivier Award-winning actress who portrayed one of the victims of Barry Foster’s Necktie Murderer in Alfred Hitchcock’s penultimate film, Frenzy, has died. She was 88.

Leigh-Hunt died peacefully Sept. 16 at her home in Warwickshire, England, her family announced.

The British star also was known for her performance as Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the acclaimed 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

During her seven-decade career, Leigh-Hunt appeared for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway. She received her Olivier in 1993 for her turn as Sybil Birling in an Nt revival of J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, directed by Stephen Daldry.

In Frenzy (1972), filmed in London, Leigh-Hunt portrayed Brenda Blaney, the ex-wife of a struggling former Raf squadron leader (Jon Finch), who police at first think is the serial killer on the loose.

In a career that lasted over 50 years, Alfred Hitchcock was never stymied by expectations, hampered by codes, or inhibited by good taste. He always found a way to navigate the morass of cultural mores, finding ecstatic freedom within societal strictures. The last of these aspects, edging past good taste, provide the tastiest, trashiest facets of the director's penultimate masterpiece, Frenzy, a 1972 film that brought Hitchcock astride the directors who were now finding their own form, who took great inspiration from the Master of Suspense, and added their own Freudian hang-ups into stark, bloody relief. Perhaps no other director embodies the power of suggestion quite like Hitchcock, but in 1972, audiences were already beginning to crave something more fleshy.

Hitchcock's taste for the macabrely allusive began in earnest with 1927's The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, an early example of a mistaken identity story that would become a prominent element...

The master of suspense is finally getting a 4K restoration for his final film.

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Frenzy,” which was also his sole R-rated feature, is being released at the Film Forum to celebrate its restoration. “Frenzy” stars Jon Finch, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, and Barry Foster; the feature is an adaptation of novel “Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square,” released by Arthur La Bern in 1966. “Sleuth” playwright Anthony Shaffer adapted the book for Hitchcock’s 1972 film, which was Hitchcock’s second to last feature.

“Frenzy” follows a down-on-his-luck ex-Royal Air Force officer (Finch) who is on the run amid accusations of being The Necktie Strangler after his ex-wife is found dead. “Frenzy” is billed as Hitchcock’s penultimate film, and his first feature made in London after thirty years.

The official logline teases that “Frenzy” is Hitchcock’s “return to fiendish form and his most salacious, sordid picture.”

Hitchcock worked with Stanley Kubrick...

THR found nine of the best holiday gifts that will impress any guy, including a portable wood-fire oven and a seriously stunning Santos de Cartier watch with green dial. (Click here to see THR’s holiday gift guide for women.)

Donald Robertson’s Sofa King Great is the upcoming book by the artist known as “Drawbertson” and the “Andy Warhol of Instagram,” whose subjects include Harry Styles and Ina Garten and whose iconic wallpaper graces the bathrooms at Sunset Tower; $300 preorder (ships in February), donalddrawbertson.com

Donald Robertson

Made-to-order 500-gram tin of Roe’s sustainably farmed white sturgeon caviar is a perfect indulgence for the person who has everything; $1,640, roecaviar.com

Portable wood-fire DeliVita oven with a clay and stone interior to BBQ, roast, smoke, bake or grill (comes with a pizza peel and dough scraper, plus Jon Finch and Ben Merrington’s Fired cookbook); $3,000, nickeykehoe.com

Unisex reversible varsity...

It's easy to take for granted the weirdness and shocking nature of the extraterrestrial's lifecycle in Ridley Scott's seminal 1979 horror film "Alien."

In "Alien," John Hurt plays Kane, a crew member of the futuristic space tug Nostromo who finds an outsize, leathery egg while exploring a mysterious alien vessel. The egg opens, and a strange monster -- part lobster, part bladder -- leaps out and grabs his face. He immediately goes comatose. Later, it is discovered that the monster, while still attached to his face, has inserted an unsettling biological tube down his throat. Kane's crewmates are unable to remove the monster from his face; when they pull on it, it begins to strangle Kane with its tail, and when they cut it, it bleeds acid that can eat through metal.

After a spell, the monster drops off Kane's face of its own volition and dies. What happened? It's...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection: Volume 3 4K Uhd Box Set from Universal

Five more Alfred Hitchcock movies are coming to 4K Ultra HD: Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Torn Curtain, Topaz, and Frenzy. They’ll be available both individually ($19.99) and together in the third volume of The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection box set ($69.98) on October 31 via Universal.

1948’s Rope stars James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger. 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much stars James Stewart and Doris Day. 1966’s Torn Curtain stars Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. 1969’s Topaz stars Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, and John Forsythe. 1972’s Frenzy stars Jon Finch, Alec McCowen, and Barry Foster.

All five thrillers have...

In the working draft, the green script, it appears on page 51. "Kane's face screws into a mask of agony," read the terse, throb-like description. "A red stain, a smear of blood, blossoms on his chest. The fabric on his shirt rips open and a small head, the size of a fist, punches out…"

Jump-cut to Dallas in the spring of 1979, the second test screening of Alien. The first, in St. Louis, had been unconvincing: the sound had been out, the audience restless and the effect muted. In Dallas, the tentative Fox execs were to find out what they had on their hands.

As is now so familiar, it built slowly: 45 minutes, as Ridley Scott_); the dead ship (dubbed the "Derelict" by modelmakers); the haunting Space Jockey, a black rupture in its fossilised chest; and the Egg, gently pulsating before it peels open with a squelch – like sucking milkshake… "We were at the back,...

To mark the release of The Final Programme on 20th February, we’ve been given Blu-ray copies to give away to 2 winners.

In a far-off future, mankind is in a state of decay. But a group of scientists believe they have found the means to move humanity on to its next level in the creation of an ideal, self-replicating – and thus immortal – human being. Jerry Cornelius (Jon Finch), Nobel Prize-winning physicist and playboy adventurer, is vital to the project’s success: his recently deceased father devised the formula of this ‘final programme’. However, the formula is captured on a microfilm hidden in the vaults of the family’s mansion, and jealously guarded by Jerry’s drug-addicted, psychopathic brother, Frank…

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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The Small Print

Open to UK residents only The competition will close 2nd March 2023 at 23.59 GMT The winner...

Something wicked this way comes to theaters on Christmas Day: Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”. The latest interpretation of Shakespeare’s 1606 Scottish play stars Oscar-winners Denzel Washington as Macbeth, a brave general who hears a prophecy from a trio of witches that he will become king, and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, the general’s ambitious wife, who goads him into killing the King.

It’s the first film the Oscar-winning Coen has done without his brother Ethan. Coen directed his wife McDormand (they married in 1984) to the first of her three Oscars with 1996’s “Fargo.’ Could this film bag her a 4th?

Even though the play is considered “cursed” that hasn’t stopped directors and actors from tackling the powerful tragedy. The last screen version starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and directed by Justin Kurzel was released in 2015. Reviews were generally good; the box office wasn’t.

The extraordinary Jonathan Ross discusses his favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Kick-Ass (2010)

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) – Dennis Cozzalio’s 2015 year-end list

The Woman in Black (2012)

Stardust (2007)

The Green Knight (2021) – Our podcast interview with director David Lowery, Dennis Cozzalio’s best-of-2021-so-far list

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

The Astro-Zombies (1968) – Dennis Cozzalio’s drive-in director list

The Corpse Grinders (1971) – Dennis Cozzalio’s drive-in director list

Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Zombies (1964) – Dennis Cozzalio’s drive-in director list

Blood Feast (1963) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

The Wizard of Gore (1970)

Police Story (1985) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989)

Re-Animator (1985) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

Society (1989)

Eraserhead (1977) – Karyn Kusama’s Blu-ray review

Faster Pussycat Kill Kill (1965) – Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Randy...

Orson Welles was 33 when he cast himself as Macbeth in his 1948 screen adaptation, Jeannette Nolan 37 as Lady Macbeth. Jon Finch is 28 in Roman Polanski’s version, Francesca Annis 26. The point being that Joel Coen’s casting of Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in the titular roles, 66 and 64 respectively, is a decision that lands with timely force and intention. In Coen’s hands, Shakespeare’s plot of murderous usurpation seems almost a pretext, a backdrop against which this adaptation’s most poignant aspects emerge: its pervasive sense of dread, the feeling that we are living in the middle of something in its final throes. From his first scene with the Weird Sisters, Washington’s Macbeth looks worn, hunched, heavyset—his face seems to have the look of a very modern anxiety. He takes in the Weird Sister’s prophecy as a burden. Joel Coen, for whom the Tragedy of Macbeth is...

Alfred Hitchcock celebrates his 119th birthday on August 13. Born in 1899, the director has long been revered as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. He also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of Oscar’s biggest losers, with five Best Director nominations and no wins. Still, who needs an Oscar when you’ve impacted world cinema as significantly as “Hitch” has? In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 25 of his greatest films, ranked from worst to best.

Known as “the Master of Suspense,” Hitchcock cut his teeth directing silent movies in his native England. With films like “The Lodger” (1927), he gained a reputation for helming tense and stylish psychological thrillers. With the invention of sound came an added element to Hitchcock’s work: a sly sense of humor.

He moved to America in 1940 to direct two films that earned Best Picture nominations: “Foreign Correspondent” and “Rebecca,...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo screens at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, March 11th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. The film will be introduced by Harry Hamm, movie reviewer for Kmox. Admission is only $5

This gives us a perfect excuse to re-run this top ten list so here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are Alfred Hitchcock’s ten best films:

Frenzy

Frenzy, Hitchcock’s next to last feature film from 1972, represented a homecoming of sorts since it was the first film completely shot in his native England since his silents and early ” talkies ” in the 1930’s. By dipping into the then somewhat new territory of serial killers, he took full advantage of the new cinema freedoms and truly earned his ‘ R ‘ MPAA rating.

Alec McCowan (right) with Vivien Merchant and Jon Finch in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy".

Alec McCowen, acclaimed British actor of stage and screen, has passed away at age 91. Theater was McCowan's first love and his one-man adaptation of the New Testament formed the basis for his critically-praised show, "St. Mark's Gospel". He would receive three Tony nominations throughout his career. He was classically trained as an actor and appeared in many high profile stage productions around the world. McCowen made occasional appearances in high profile films. His best-remembered role was as the London detective in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 classic "Frenzy". In the part, McCowen had to track down a serial rapist and murderer who is terrorizing the city. He played the role with wry humor especially in scenes in which his doting wife, played by Vivien Merchant, insists on cooking him elaborately prepared dinners of barely edible food. McCowen also...

Mark Harrison Oct 14, 2016

With the question of who's playing James Bond in James Bond 25 unresolved, we look back at the casting conundrums 007 has faced before.

Since 1962, fewer men have played James Bond than have walked on the moon. Despite the relatively long turnaround of the role, the subject of who might follow in the footsteps of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in the future has fuelled many column inches and tabloid splashes.

It feels as if speculation about the seventh 007 in Eon Productions' long-lived spy franchise has been at fever pitch since this time last year, when Craig was doing the promotional rounds for Spectre and commented that he would rather “slash [his] wrists” than play Bond again. It's only after a year of constant reports on the subject that his far more optimistic comments at last weekend's New Yorker Festival...

Shudder will take viewers to the place that's "not as brightly lit" this Halloween season, as the 1980s anthology series Tales From the Darkside will be available to watch in its entirety on the horror streaming service beginning October 1st:

Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.

As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.

Premiering October 20th...

Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Macbeth, co-scripted by Kenneth Tynan and starring Jon Finch and Francesca Annis, is arguably the most bloodsoaked one ever – made in the aftermath of his wife Sharon Tate’s murder by the Manson ‘family’. In this clip, we see Finch’s Macbeth fight Macduff (Terence Bayler) in the celebrated ‘untimely ripp’d’ climactic scene. The Tragedy of Macbeth (Criterion Collection) is available now on Blu-Ray

Read Judge John Deeds star Martin Shaw’s account of working on the film

Continue reading...

Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Macbeth, co-scripted by Kenneth Tynan and starring Jon Finch and Francesca Annis, is arguably the most bloodsoaked one ever – made in the aftermath of his wife Sharon Tate’s murder by the Manson ‘family’. In this clip, we see Finch’s Macbeth fight Macduff (Terence Bayler) in the celebrated ‘untimely ripp’d’ climactic scene. The Tragedy of Macbeth (Criterion Collection) is available now on Blu-Ray

Read Judge John Deeds star Martin Shaw’s account of working on the film

Continue reading...

Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard as the Macbeths: It seemed to be perfect casting. Which is what makes this adaptation of William Shakespeare’s bloody tale of ambition spun out of control all the more disappointing. The latest film adaptation of the Scottish play, which premiered at Cannes this year and opened in U.S. theaters last weekend, boasts plenty of smart choices. It’s gorgeously shot, with the mud-soaked battles and the moody fog of the Highlands setting just the right foreboding tone. Director Justin Kurzel delivers a striking new take on Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane that thankfully avoids the inevitably silly image of soldiers approaching a castle whilst hiding behind tree branches. But (you knew there was a ‘but’ coming, didn’t you?) the approach to the lead performances, especially Fassbender’s, is misguided. This is a very quiet “Macbeth,” one without the sound and fury the text demands.

#Redcarpet MacBeth by Justin Kurzel #Cannes2015 pic.twitter.com/Lwz4dMT3Wc

— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) May 23, 2015

Of all of William Shakespeare’s classic works, Macbeth must surely be amongst his most famous.

Certainly, in the more than 400 years since its first publication, it has been one of the most frequently adapted; revived regularly on stage and re-envisioned time and again in the age of cinema and television.

Now comes a bold and daring version starring Academy-Award nominee Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave) and Academy-Award winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose).

Directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown), MacBeth had its World Premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and was the final movie to screen in Competition.

In his review, Guy Lodge (Variety) praises the director’s “thrillingly elemental new adaptation. Fearsomely visceral and impeccably performed, it’s a brisk, bracing update, even as it remains exquisitely in period.”

The...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

The Birds screens at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) Thursday, April 2nd at 7pm. It is a benefit for Helping Kids Together (more details about this event can be found Here)

This gives us a perfect excuse to re-run this top ten list from March of 2012. Alfred Hitchcock directed 54 feature films between 1925 and 1976, and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best:

Frenzy

Frenzy, Hitchcock’s next to last feature film from 1972, represented a homecoming of sorts since it was the first film completely shot in his native England since his silents and early ” talkies ” in the 1930’s. By dipping into the then somewhat new territory of serial killers, he took full advantage of the new cinema freedoms and truly earned his ‘ R ‘ MPAA rating. Perhaps ole’ ” Hitch ” wanted to give those young up-and-coming...

Callan McAuliffe, Andy McPhee, Arthur Angel and John Orcsik have joined the cast of writer-director Matthew Holmes. The Legend of Ben Hall, which started shooting on Sunday in regional Victoria. The plot follow the last six turbulent months of the life of the notorious bushranger (newcomer Jack Martin), whose gang pulled off the largest gold heist in the British Empire, and the circumstances surrounding his controversial execution by police in 1865.

Martin played the character in Holmes. Kickstarter-funded short film, footage from which is being incorporated in the feature. The cast includes Joanne Dobbin as his ex-wife Biddy, Adam Willson as Mick Coneley, who harboured Hall, Jamie Coffa and William Lee as fellow gang members, Angus Pilakui as an Aboriginal tracker, Jordan Fraser-Trumble as Inspector Davidson and Gregory Quinn as Sergeant Condell.

The La-based McAuliffe (The Great Gatsby, Robot Overlords) and McPhee (Animal Kingdom, Sons of Anarchy) are playing members of the gang.

Macbeth was the first film Roman Polanski made following the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, and friends at the hands of the Manson family. At the time he'd been working on the sci-fi thriller The Day of the Dolphin, which would later be made by Mike Nichols. It was during a skiing trip arranged by Victor Lownes, a subsequent producer of the film, Polanski made the decision Macbeth would be his next film. It was a decision he made feeling his next film "should be something serious, not a comedy... something with some depth." Polanski would team with Kenneth Tynan to write the screenplay and, thanks to urging from Lownes, Hugh Hefner and Playboy would eventually serve as the film's producer after no one else would touch it. As Polanski notes in an included 60-minute documentary on this new Criterion Blu-ray release, to that point there had only been...

Polanski wrought "Macbeth" out of deep despair and psychological depression two years after Sharon Tate was murdered. And this very dark and downbeat version of the Shakespeare tragedy shows us what he was going through. A new Blu-ray of the 1971 film is out now from Criterion, which has excerpted a piece of the making-of doc "Toil and Trouble" in the video below. Watch as Polanski talks the freedom he found in mounting Shakespeare -- and how he casted against type to heighten the film's menacing mood. Actors also talk the late Jon Finch, who plays the title king. Next year we'll see Justin Kurzel's take on the film, with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the leading roles.

Macbeth

Written by Roman Polanski and Kenneth Tynan

Directed by Roman Polanski

UK, 1971

Following the success of Rosemary’s Baby in 1968, and prior to what is arguably still his greatest film, Chinatown (1974), Roman Polanski made three curious filmmaking choices. One was the international coproduction and rarely discussed What? (1972), one was the racing documentary Weekend of a Champion (1972), and the third, which actually came before these two, was Macbeth (1971). It is obviously not that a Shakespearean adaptation in itself is unusual, but rather that it so seemingly diverted from the films that were garnering the young Polanski his worldwide acclaim: taut thrillers like The Knife in the Water (1962), Repulsion (1965), Cul-De-Sac (1966), and Rosemary’s Baby. Yet in Macbeth, there are a number of characteristic Polanski touches — in story and style — harkening back to these previous works and in many ways pointing toward those to come.

Don’t be fooled by the Playboy...

Tomorrow, more than a year after its Cannes Competition premiere, Roman Polanski's "Venus in Fur" finally opens in Us theaters. It's the 20th narrative feature of a career that now spans six decades, so a list themed around the Oscar-winning director's work seemed in order. Given that "Venus in Fur" -- Polanski's third film, after "Death and the Maiden" and "Carnage," to replicate the scale and pace of an intimate stage production -- is based so explicitly around notions of performance, and the push-pull relationship between actor and director, a selection of his most successful actorly collaborations seemed the obvious way to go. Like so many auteurs celebrated for their own idiosyncratic style, Polanski's facility with actors isn't discussed as frequently as his formal abilities and preoccupations, yet he's always had the knack for drawing surprising work out of established stars and newcomers alike -- often casting actors intriguingly out of their element,...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 23, 2014

Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95

Studio: Criterion

Jon Finch is Macbeth

In Macbeth, Roman Polanski (Rosemary’s Baby) imbues his unflinchingly violent adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy of ruthless ambition and murder in medieval Scotland with grit and dramatic intensity.

Jon Finch (Frenzy) and Francesca Annis (Dune) are charged with fury and sex appeal as a decorated warrior rising in the ranks and his driven wife, scheming together to take the throne by any means.

Co-adapted by Polanski and the great theater critic and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan, and shot against a series of stunning, stark British Isle landscapes, this version of Macbeth is among the most atmospheric and authentic of all Shakespeare films.

Criterion’s DVD and Blu-ray editions of Macbeth contain the following features:

• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray

• New documentary about the making of the film, featuring interviews with director Roman Polanski,...

The Judge John Deed star remembers the 60s at the Royal Court, and being discovered by the great auteur

By 1969 I'd done a few roles for Sidney Bernstein's Granada Television, which was the place for new, dangerous drama, and a couple of plays at the Royal Court. I was in their first revival of Look Back in Anger. John Osborne came along to rehearsals a lot – he was shocked at how gritty and visceral we'd made the production. It was an incredibly exciting time – I felt part of a movement of dissent. I did the premiere of David Storey's The Contractor, with the great Lindsay Anderson, and then I did a play called Cancer, which was later renamed Moonchildren.

Cancer was based on the experiences of its writer, Michael Weller. It's about a group of students who rent a flat. It's a very funny and very realistic play,...

Frenzy

Written by Anthony Shaffer

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

UK, 1972

Family Plot

Written by Ernest Lehman

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

USA, 1976

There are some who opt for Alfred Hitchcock’s British years as his finest, taking into account his earliest silent features through Jamaica Inn in 1939. On the other hand, many regard the peak years in America as the Master of Suspense’s finest era, with films from Rebecca in 1940 to Marnie in 1964. Both have valid points to make and there are unquestionably several great works during each phase of the filmmaker’s career. Few, however, would rank Hitchcock’s final four films among his best. In a way, this is unfair, their lowly stature no doubt due to the masterworks that preceded them; with the films Hitchcock made before, the bar was set unassailably high. Taken apart from the imposing excellence of these earlier classics, these concluding films are solid movies.

Following its release in North America last year, director Julian Richards' debut horror feature, Darklands, is finally now available on DVD in the UK as well courtesy of Metrodome Distribution. Check out its impressive new cover art.

From the Press Release:

Starring Craig Fairbrass (Cliffhanger), Jon Finch (Frenzy), and Rowena King (Wild Saragossa Sea), Darklands is frequently compared to Robin Hardy’s 1970’s cult classic The Wicker Man, but the writer/director also acknowledges a debt to Roman Polanski’s Rosemary's Baby.

Darklands, which won the Melies D’Argent for Best European Fantasy Film in 1997, launched the directing career of Julian Richards, who went on to helm Silent Cry, The Last Horror Movie, Summer Scars, and Shiver, whilst producer Paul Brooks produced Shadow of the Vampire, White Noise, and Haunting in Connecticut.

"Darklands was the first British film to combine horror with social realism, a genre watershed which paved...

The Final Programme | Scandal - Season 1 | Sharknado | Battlestar Galactica | Much Ado About Nothing

The Final Programme

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Adapted from the novel by fantasy writer (and Hawkwind collaborator) Michael Moorcock, this 1973 British comedy thriller may not have much respect for its source material but it does gloriously capture the satirical humour and pop-art stylings of the time. It's also a great example of the peculiar strand of highly artistic British cinema of that era. Jon Finch cuts a dashing figure as playboy physicist and secret agent Jerry Cornelius, who becomes involved in a quest for a messiah for the technological age. The human race is dying out, our genes are falling apart and the world is in disarray; Trafalgar Square is piled high with derelict cars and the Vatican has gone. The secret to humanity's survival is coded on a microfilm hidden somewhere in...

Chicago – As much as our love for Netflix continues to grow on a daily basis as the company expands its grip on the streaming empire by offering brilliant programming like “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards,” the interface, both on computer and iOS can be a little overwhelming. How do you find something worth watching?

Some of the personalized recommendations are good. Some are horrendous. Let us be your guide. On the first Tuesday of every month (and likely more often as the library of this service continues to grow), we’ll give you ten interesting movies to add to your queue. We’ll shoot for a mix of new and old, a variety of genres, major films and minor ones — the “something for everyone” aspect that Netflix uses so well. We’ll be brief — ten movies, ten Netflix descriptions, our brief reasons as to why these flicks made the cut,...

I’ve passed a fair bit of time this year re-acquainting myself with various screen adaptations of Macbeth, from Welles to Polanski to Thames Television’s famed 1976 RSC production, as well as Kurosawa’s Throne Of Blood and the 2010 TV movie with Patrick Stewart. There are more besides. It seemed a fairly random resurgence of interest at the beginning, a rekindled love affair with a favourite work.

The initial announcement contained the dreaded word ‘updated’. Fans of screen adaptations of the Scottish Play know that this means at least one of two things: inadequate budget and/or minimal faith in the target audience to appreciate the subtleties and quality of the original text. Follow-up announcements clarified that the movie will be ‘a visceral approach to the story including significant battle scenes’ (i.e. it will be sounding out the MPAA’s ratings board with potential graphic violence) - and, more importantly,...

• Michael Fassbender (Shame) is attached to play the title role in a film update of Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy about a scheming nobleman intent on ruling Scotland. The play has been adapted for the big screen a number of times, including Orson Welles’ 1948 version in which he also played the character of Macbeth, and Roman Polanski’s 1971 version which starred Jon Finch. Justin Kurzel (The Snowtown Murders) will direct the Fassbender update which will reportedly use the original language. The part of Lady Macbeth has not been cast yet. [Screen Daily]

• Jamie Foxx is in talks to star in Will Gluck...

Roman Polanski is as famous for the events of his tumultuous life as he is for his often brilliant, highly influential body of work.

Born in Paris in 1933 to Polish parents who unfortunately returned to Poland in 1937, Polanski survived the Nazi extermination of the inhabitants of Krakow’s Jewish ghetto (although his mother died in Auschwitz). He roamed the countryside struggling to survive for the remainder of the war, at times being sheltered by sympathetic families but also witnessing atrocities that seem likely to have influenced his choice of material and portrayal of violence on screen.

Polanski met actress Sharon Tate while making The Fearless Vampire Killers, and they were married in January 1968. In August 1969, while Polanski was in Europe, the pregnant Tate and four of their friends were murdered at their La residence at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon by the followers of Charles Manson, a crime that has...

Charismatic star of Polanski's Macbeth and Hitchcock's Frenzy

In the 1970s, it seemed a sure bet that the actor Jon Finch, who has died aged 71, would become a durable film star of some magnitude. He had the dark good looks, the voice, the charisma and the opportunities. At the beginning of his film career, he played the title role in Roman Polanski's The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971) and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972). Around the same time he was offered the chance to replace Sean Connery as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973). The fact that Finch turned the part down stupefied many commentators.

That Finch never achieved the level of stardom that was anticipated may be attributed to his dislike of the kind of media publicity that goes with it and his self-proclaimed lack of ambition. "I never wanted to be a big star," Finch once said.

His two most famous film roles were as the man wrongly accused of being the ‘necktie strangler’ in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy (1972), the director’s last great film, and the title role in Roman Polanski’s MacBeth in 1971. He may be best known for the role he turned down: that of James Bond when Cubby Broccoli was looking for a handsome British actor to replace Sean Connery for 1973′s Live And Let Die. Earlier in his career, actor Jon Finch had appeared in the Hammer horror films The Vampire Lovers and The Horror Of Frankenstein. He also starred in the end-of-the-world sci-fi saga The Last Days Of Man On Earth (1973) from cult director Robert Fuest (The Abominable Dr. Phibes). He was married for several years to Catrinoa MacColl, who worked regularly with director Lucio Fulci in films including The Beyond and House By The Cemetery. Finch’s final role was...

From Universal Pictures (UK) comes14 iconic thrillers from The Master of Suspense together for the first time ever as Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection – Super Premium Edition comes to Blu-ray on November 12th, 2012 for a limited time only.

We have one copy of the Blu-ray box set to give away to our readers.

Digitally restored from high-quality film elements and presented in perfect high-definition picture and sound, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection brings the Master of Suspense’s best work to home audiences as it’s never been seen before. This Super Premium Edition features 13 films previously unavailable on Blu-ray,Tm a collectible 16 page exclusive hardback book and additional collectibles including storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs, beautiful art cards and much more. Plus a treasure trove of over 15 hours of documentaries, filmmaker commentaries, interviews, screen tests, trailers and more, including a new documentary “The Birds, Hitchcock’s Monster Movie,...

Universal released Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection this week, which includes fifteen of his films in one Blu-ray set. If you’d like to learn more about the release, we have a breakdown of all that is included in the collection, plus a set of clips:

Fifteen of the most acclaimed films by legendary director Alfred Hitchcock come together on Blu-rayTM for the first time ever when Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection is released on October 30, 2012 for a limited time only. Digitally restored from high-quality film elements and presented in perfect high-definition picture and sound, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection brings the Master of Suspense’s best work to home audiences as it’s never been seen before. This ultimate collector’s set features 13 films previously unavailable on Blu-ray,Tm a collectible 50-page book featuring storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs, and much more. Plus a treasure trove of over 15 hours of documentaries,...

Back in September we learned that Darklands, the debut feature of director Julian Richards (The Last Horror Movie), will finally be released on November 20th; and a new clip from the occult shocker has arrived!

Richland says the clip was inspired by a pagan ritual he attended in Scotland whilst researching the screenplay. The event, known as The Beltane Fire, takes place in Edinburgh on April 30th, which is an important date in the pagan calender celebrating the coming of spring.

"Rituals such as Beltane (Walpurgis Night) and Samhain (Halloween) are based around the seasons and celebrate the success or failure of the harvest," explains Richards. "Records suggest that in the event of a bad harvest human sacrifices were made, but some historians believe this to be a myth propagated by Roman imperialists to portray themselves as a civilizing force."

Darklands presents a contemporary spin on these themes by setting the story in South Wales,...

Legendary UK film studio Hammer didn't only dabble in films; Hammer also created thirteen one-hour shorts to be shown on television as Hammer House of Horror. These episodes aired on ITV during the fall of 1980.

I watched Witching Time to get a feel for the release as well as the series. It's a funny thing to pop in a DVD of a made-for-tv series and find the episode shows full nudity before the credits even roll, as is what happens in Witching Time. The UK has always been more open about such things than the supposed 'Land of the Free', and this was certainly true in 1980. That's not to say the nudity shown in Witching Time is overtly lascivious - it's fairly restrained, actually - but it is a reminder how lamely conservative our own "oh please, think of the children" television is.

Witching Time tells the story...

Thought to be lost, or at least tied up in legal limbo, Darklands, the debut feature of director Julian Richards (The Last Horror Movie), will finally be released in the Us and Canada by Mvd Distribution with a street date set for November 20th, 2012.

From the Press Release:

Darklands, which has been cited by UK critics as laying the foundation of the British horror revival, follows a newspaper reporter investigating the death of a steelworker killed in an industrial accident who uncovers a conspiracy involving paganism, witchcraft and human sacrifice. Starring Craig Fairbrass (Cliffhanger), Jon Finch (Frenzy) and Rowena King (Wild Saragossa Sea), Darklands is frequently compared to Robin Hardy’s 1970’s cult classic The Wicker Man, but the writer/director also acknowledges a debt to Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’S Baby.

Darklands, which won the Melies d’Argent for Best European Fantasy Film in 1997, launched the directing career of Julian Richards,...

The Last Horror Movie director, Julian Richards, debut feature will finally be released in the Us and Canada by Mvd Distribution with a street date set for November 20th 2012.

Here at TheMoviePool we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we now have Indie Beat where we'll highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene.  So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@themoviepool.com.  Now onto the news!

Darklands, which has been sited by UK critics as laying the foundation of the British horror revival follows a newspaper reporter investigating the death of a steelworker killed in an industrial accident who uncovers a conspiracy involving paganism, witchcraft and human sacrifice.

Starring Craig Fairbrass (Cliffhanger), Jon Finch (Frenzy) and Rowena King (Wild...

The Last Horror Movie director Julian Richards' debut film, Darklands, will finally be released in the U.S. and Canada by Mvd Distribution on November 20th.

The film, which has been sited by UK critics as laying the foundation of the British horror revival follows a newspaper reporter investigating the death of a steelworker killed in an industrial accident who uncovers a conspiracy involving paganism, witchcraft and human sacrifice.

Starring Craig Fairbrass, Jon Finch and Rowena King, "has been compared to Robin Hardy’s 1970’s cult classic The Wicker Man but the writer/director also acknowledges a debt to Roman Polanski’s Rosemary's Baby."

Read more...

We asked members of the guardian.co.uk/film community to tell us about their preferred films from the master of suspense. Today's contribution is from Nia Jones, a freelance writer

Ron Goodwin's musical score beats proudly during Frenzy's opening credits, as an aerial shot takes us over London and towards Tower Bridge. Hitch gets his trademark cameo in early, sporting a black suit and a bowler hat, poised in the crowd as Sir George (John Boxer) delivers a speech to a riverside crowd.

The naked body of a woman is soon seen floating in the Thames, a tie knotted around her throat. "The Necktie Murderer" is at large, and Scotland Yard has the crimes pinned on innocent man Richard Blaney (Jon Finch). Finding the actual murderer and exacting revenge is Blaney's only path to salvation.

Based on Arthur La Bern's novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square,...