News

George Maharis, a big TV star in the sixties but probably best known to JoBlo readers from his role in Albert Pyun’s The Sword and the Sorcerer, is dead at 94. According to social media posts via the actor’s caretaker, he actually passed away on Wednesday, with the cause of death not revealed. Maharis was a pretty trendy leading man in his day, with him having starred in the hip TV series Route 66, in which he co-starred with Martin Milner as two young men driving across the United States, getting involved in adventures. Taking a page from Jack Kerouac, the show made Maharis a star, but he left it prematurely due to being diagnosed with hepatitis. In 1965 he starred in a pretty good spy thriller called The Satan Bug, which came from the director of The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, John Sturges, in which he played...

Route 66 actor George Maharis has died. He was 94 years old.

The news of his passing was confirmed in a Facebook post by his friend, Marc Bahan. “My dear friend, you’ll be terribly missed,” he wrote. Bahan called Maharis a “great guy” who would “do anything for anyone.”

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A cause of death was not disclosed.

Maharis is best known for playing Buz Murdock...

George Maharis, the star of “Route 66” who went on to appear on “Fantasy Island” and other shows, died Wednesday in Beverly Hills.

His friend and caretaker Marc Bahan announced his death on Facebook, writing that he was “above all a great guy who would do anything for anyone. My dear friend, you will be terribly missed.”

Maharis co-starred with Martin Milner in the early 1960s series “Route 66,” and received an Emmy nomination for his role as Buz, a handsome beatnik-adjacent working class man. Shot on location across the U.S., the adventure series portrayed two young men who travel around in a Corvette, looking for work and adventure as they struggle to find themselves. Part way through the third season, Maharis left the show after being hospitalized for hepatitis. He asserted later in an interview that his departure wasn’t because he wanted a higher salary or wanted to get into movies,...

George Maharis, who starred as the brooding Buz Murdock on Route 66 before he quit the acclaimed 1960s CBS drama after contracting hepatitis, has died. He was 94.

Maharis died Wednesday at his home in Beverly Hills, his longtime friend and caregiver Marc Bahan told The Hollywood Reporter.

Route 66, created by Stirling Silliphant and Herbert B. Leonard, featured the Hell’s Kitchen native Murdock and Martin Milner‘s Yale dropout Tod Stiles touring the highways of America in Tod’s Chevrolet Corvette, encountering adventure along the way.

The show “was really kind of a searching or what you may have seen hundreds of years ago where the people came over the mountains to go from one place to the other to find a better life, a place where they belonged, and they didn’t rely on anybody else to do it for them,” Maharis told The Seattle Times in 2008.

All 116 installments of...

A review for a movie not on video disc. CineSavant bears down hard on a now-obscure UK thriller that proves a crossroads for several key themes of modern terror: Nazis, bacteriological warfare and paranoid conspiracies. ‘007’– associated writer Jack Whittingham scripted a tale that connects old-school espionage to visionary super-crimes against humanity, the thriller genre of ‘The Unthinkable.’ Who’s the threat? An innocuous little doctor with a horrendous secret background and a somewhat preposterous ability to go undetected as he kills to assume and protect a new identity. The techno-chiller was released in 1948 yet seems screamingly relevant now.

Counterblast

Blu-ray

Savant Revival Screening Review

1948 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 98, 90 min. / The Devil’s Plot / Not On Home Video

Starring: Robert Beatty, Mervyn Johns, Nova Pilbeam, Margaretta Scott, Sybille Binder, Marie Lohr, Karel Stepanek, Alan Wheatley, Gladys Henson, John Salew, Anthony Eustrel, Peter Madden, Archie Duncan, Olive Sloane.

Cinematography: Moray Grant, James Wilson...

The Covid-19 pandemic and its associated self-isolation and quarantine measures have given many of us a lot of extra time. I’ve been spending my extra time by drinking wine and watching movies. So, no, my life hasn’t changed much. Grocery shopping has changed. Who would have believed that when panic hit the streets, the toilet paper would run out before the wine and beer?

In 1950’s The Killer That Stalked New York the heavy is not coronavirus, but smallpox. In true film noir style, the disease is unleashed not through bioterrorism, but through an inept criminal returning from Cuba. Had Trump been commenting on it at the time, he probably would have called it the Havaner Flu while insisting there was no cause for alarm. Until polling showed that people were alarmed anyway.

Three Star Brewing in D.C. had a Pandemic Porter on its list, but it’s not there now.

Here are many more movies to watch when you’re staying in for a while, featuring recommendations from Jim Gavin, Karyn Kusama, Matt Christman, and Jonah Ray.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Three Tough Guys (1974)

Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969)

Tower of Evil a.k.a. Horror on Snape Island (1972)

Blow-Up (1966)

Blow Out (1981)

Body Double (1984)

Rififi (1955)

The Big Clock (1948)

No Way Out (1987)

Funeral In Berlin (1966)

The Ipcress File (1965)

Billion Dollar Brain (1967)

The Innocents (1961)

Miracle Mile (1988)

Femme Fatale (2002)

Main Street Women (1980)

Sleepwalkers (1992)

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Dracula’s Dog (1977)

Moneyball (2011)

Together (2000)

Contagion (2011)

Panic In The Streets (1950)

The Killer That Stalked New York (1950)

The Satan Bug (1965)

A Prophet (2009)

Point Break (1991)

The Thing (1982)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Hit! (1973)

Outbreak (1995)

The Island (2005)

6 Underground (2019)

Pain And Gain (2013)

The Invitation (2015)

High-Rise (2015)

The ’Burbs (1989)

To My Great Chagrin: The Unbelievable...

John Clarke, best known for portraying Mickey Horton on the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” died due to complications of pneumonia in Laguna Beach, Calif. on Oct. 16. He was 88.

Clarke suffered a stroke in 2007 and had been in a state of deteriorating health over the past few years.

His daughter, Melinda, who has also appeared on “Days of Our Lives,” confirmed the news in an Instagram post.

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With much sadness I’m sharing that John Clarke my father my mentor passed as I sang to him. He is at peace. Death is as much a part life as birth. He is in peace.

A post shared by Mp Clarke (@therealmsclarke) on Oct 19, 2019 at 3:10am Pdt

Clarke originated his role as Mickey Horton on “Days of our Lives” at the show’s beginning in 1965. He acted on the soap for 39 years before leaving in...

Actor John Clarke has died.

The beloved Days of Our Loves actor was 88.

He passed away on October 16 due to complications with pneumonia, Deadline reports.

The actor suffered from a stroke in 2007, and his health had been deteriorating over the past few years.

Clarke first debuted on Days of Our Loves back in 1965 and stayed with the soap all the way to 2004 -- a 39-year role.

He played Mickey Horton on the hit daytime soap and was part of some of the biggest storylines in the history of the series.

Before his popular role on the soap, he appeared on ABC crime solver The New Breed from 1961-62.

He was also well-known for his appearances on Death Valley Days, Hart to Hart, Dr. Quinn, The Twilight Zone, and many other TV series.

Clarke also starred in several movies throughout his turn in the spotlight, appearing in the likes of It's a Mad,...

John Clarke, a longtime star of the NBC soap “Days of Our Lives” who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement daytime Emmy in 2005, died Oct. 16 from complications stemming from pneumonia, his family announced in a statement Monday night. He was 88, and had been in declining health for the last several years.

Born in South Bend, Indiana in 1931 and raised across the country due to his father’s career as an Army officer, Clarke attended UCLA, receiving a BA in theater, where among his accolades he received the Sigma Rho award. He studied with Dorothy Foulger at UCLA, Michael Ferrall of the University of Washington, and Stephen Book in Hollywood.

Clarke also served as an Air Force sergeant during the Korean war, performing as part of a troupe that entertained soldiers throughout the United States.

Also Read: Bill Macy, Actor Who Played Bea Arthur's Husband Walter on 'Maude,' Dies...

John “Jack” Shelton Clarke, who won over fans with his portrayal of “Mickey Horton” on Days of Our Lives, has died. He was 88.

Clarke passed away from complications of pneumonia on October 16, in Laguna Beach, a representative for the actor told Deadline Monday. Clarke previously suffered a stroke in 2007 and had been in declining health in the last few years.

The veteran actor worked in film, television and theater, but was most recognized by soap opera fans after 39 years on NBC’s long-running daytime series Days of Our Lives.

In addition to his stint in daytime TV, and two years co-starring with Leslie Nielsen on The New Breed for ABC, Clarke co-starred or had guest roles on such early TV series as Gun Smoke; Have Gun Will Travel; The FBI; Sugarfoot; Death Valley Days; Twilight Zone; Maverick; Wanted Dead or Alive; The Law and Mrs. Jones; and many others.

His...

Blown up to Road Show spectacular dimensions, a fairly modest idea for a comedy western became something of a career Waterloo for director John Sturges. But it’s still a favorite of fans thrilled by fancy 70mm-style presentations. A huge cast led by Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton and Pamela Tiffin leads the charge on a whisky-soaked madcap chase. It’s all in a fine spirit of fun. . . so where are the big laughs?

The Hallelujah Trail

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 155 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 24.95

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton, Pamela Tiffin, Donald Pleasence, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, John Anderson, Tom Stern, Robert J. Wilke, Dub Taylor, Whit Bissell, Helen Kleeb, Val Avery, Hope Summers, John Dehner.

Cinematography: Robert Surtees

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Original Music: Elmer Bernstein

Written by John Gay from the novel by William Gulick

Executive...

It’s the one saga of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that puts Western legend into proper perspective as to the nature of money, power and the law: Edward Anhalt’s vision is of a gangland turf war with sagebrush and whiskey bottles. James Garner is a humorless Wyatt Earp, matched by Jason Robards’ excellent Doc Holliday. It’s one of John Sturges’ best movies.

Hour of the Gun

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 101 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring: James Garner, Jason Robards, Robert Ryan, Albert Salmi, Charles Aidman, Steve Ihnat, Michael Tolan, William Windom, Lonny Chapman, Larry Gates, William Schallert, Jon Voight.

Cinematography: Lucien Ballard

Art Direction: Alfred C. Ybarra

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith

Written by Edward Anhalt

Produced and Directed by John Sturges

Producer-director John Sturges’ Hour of the Gun was a dismal non-performer in...

Many of MGM’s productions were scraping bottom in 1958, yet the studio found one more acceptable western vehicle for their last big star still on contract. Only-slightly corrupt marshal Robert Taylor edges toward a showdown with the thoroughly corrupt Richard Widmark in an economy item given impressive locations and the sound direction of John Sturges.

The Law and Jake Wade

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 86 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, Patricia Owens, Robert Middleton, Henry Silva, DeForest Kelley, Henry Silva, Burt Douglas, Eddie Firestone.

Cinematography: Robert Surtees

Film Editor: Ferris Webster

Written by William Bowers from a novel by Marvin H. Albert

Produced by William B. Hawks

Directed by John Sturges

As the 1950s wore down, MGM was finding it more difficult to properly use its last remaining big-ticket stars on the steady payroll, Cyd Charisse and Robert Taylor. Cyd...

My favorite thing about taking these weekly trips to the Drive-In is my own selfish thirst for discovery. I need to patch up the holes of missing films on my personal movie screen; there is still so much to see, and sometimes the holes are so big that they obscure the view. Every once in a while though, a film comes along that not only mends the tears in the fabric but strengthens the whole. Such is the case with Night of the Demon (1957), Jacques Tourneur’s masterpiece of shadowy menace and dread, and a new personal favorite.

Released in its native U.K. in December and then stateside in July of ’58 under the new title Curse of the Demon (where 13 minutes were trimmed from an already lean 95 minute running time), this Columbia Pictures production was fraught with anguish before it even appeared to audiences, most famously producer Hal E. Chester...

I guess Howard Hughes wanted to go easy on Minnesota Nazis. William Cameron Menzies directs a Cold War thriller about an insidious germ warfare conspiracy -- it's an early paranoid suspense tale with apocalyptic consequences. But the story behind the movie's making -- and then remaking -- is even more fantastic. The Whip Hand DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1951 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 82 min. / Street Date February 16, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 18.59 Starring Elliott Reid, Raymond Burr, Carla Balenda, Edgar Barrier, Otto Waldis, Michael Steele, Lurene Tuttle, Peter Brocco, Lewis Martin, Frank Darien, Olive Carey, George Chandler, Gregory Gaye. Cinematography Nicholas Musuraca Film Editor Robert Golden Original Music Music by Paul Sawtell Written by George Bricker, Frank L. Moss, Ray Hamilton Produced by Louis J. Rachmil Directed by William Cameron Menzies

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Film writers Bill Warren and Tom Weaver have reported extensively on the unusual production story...

"This land is mine, God made this land for me." Those are just song lyrics, while Otto Preminger's politically daring 70mm mega-production is a lot more subtle in its presentation of the 'Palestinian problem' that led to the formation of the State of Israel. It's a bit ponderous, but Dalton Trumbo's screenplay avoids the pitfalls -- 56 years later, the story is still relevant. Exodus Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1960 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 208 min. / Ship Date March 15, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford, Lee J. Cobb, Sal Mineo, John Derek, David Opatoshu, Jill Haworth, Hugh Griffith, Gregory Ratoff, Felix Aylmer, Marius Goring, Alexandra Stewart, Martin Benson, Paul Stevens, George Maharis, John Crawford, Victor Maddern, Paul Stassino, John Van Eyssen Cinematography Sam Leavitt Art Direction Richard Day Film Editor Louis R. Loeffler Original Music Ernest Gold Written by Dalton Trumbo from...

This forgotten Alistair MacLean action thriller packs a rare starring role for the young Anthony Hopkins -- he's really good as secret agent Philip Calvert, battling gold thieves in the Scottish Isles. He's got a James Bond attitude in a more down-to-Earth adventure. When Eight Bells Toll Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1971 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date March 8, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Anthony Hopkins, Robert Morley, Nathalie Delon, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Ferdy Mayne, Wendy Allnutt, Maurice Roëves, Derek Bond, Leon Collins, Peter Arne, Oliver MacGreevy, Tom Chatto, Del Henney. Cinematography Arthur Ibbetson Film Editor John Shirley Original Music Angela Morley Written by Alistair MacLean from his novel Produced by Elliott Kastner Directed by Etienne Périer

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Producer Elliott Kastner stretched Alistair MacLean's brand of military action adventure to James Bond extremes in the expensive, very popular Where Eagles Dare of 1968. Several MacLean adaptations got underway,...

Savant goes back five years to praise Steven Soderbergh's superb pandemic thriller, the one that warns us to never, ever shake hands with a gourmet chef. Don't worry, only between 25 and 40 million people die... in the first year. Now go wash your hands. Contagion Blu-ray Warner Home Video 2011 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date January 3, 2013 Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Marion Cotilliard, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, Elliott Gould, Bryan Cranston, Anna Jacoby-Herron, Demetri Martin . Cinematography Peter Andrews (Steven Soderbergh) Film Editor Stephen Mirrone Original Music Cliff Martinez Written by Scott Z. Burns Produced by Gregory Jacobs, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher Directed by Stephen Soderbergh

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

This is something of a grudge review for Savant. Whenever I'm completely exhausted and want to relax I'll pluck a favorite off the shelf and do what everybody else does, settle in with a total comfort movie.

or, Savant picks The Most Impressive Discs of 2015

This is the actual view from Savant Central, looking due North.

What a year! I was able to take one very nice trip back East too see Washington D.C. for the first time, or at least as much as two days' walking in the hot sun and then cool rain would allow. Back home in Los Angeles, we've had a year of extreme drought -- my lawn is looking patriotically ratty -- and we're expecting something called El Niño, that's supposed to be just shy of Old-Testament build-me-an-ark intensity. We withstood heat waves like those in Day the Earth Caught Fire, and now we'll get the storms part. This has been a wild year for DVD Savant, which is still a little unsettled. DVDtalk has been very patient and generous, and so have Stuart Galbraith & Joe Dante; so far everything...

Techno-thriller fans have been waiting a long time for a good disc of action ace John Sturges' sci-fi espionage suspenser. George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews must stop a madman who has snatched a full battery of deadly bio-warfare viruses from a super-secret government lab. Each flask can wipe out an entire city, and one of them will kill every living thing on the planet. The Satan Bug Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 114 min. / Street Date September 22, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, John Larkin, Richard Bull, Frank Sutton, Edward Asner, Simon Oakland, John Anderson, James Hong, Hari Rhodes, Henry Beckman, Harry Lauter, Tol Avery, Russ Bender, James Doohan, Harold Gould, Carey Loftin. Cinematography Robert Surtees Film Editor Ferris Webster Original Music Jerry Goldsmith Written by Edward Anhalt, James Clavell from the novel by Ian Stuart (Alistair MacLean...

Who needs epics about Ancient Rome, Egypt, or Greek mythology when we have a thousand years of exotic Central and South American civilizations to exploit? Well, it's only been done a handful of times. This cinematic concatenation of nifty architecture, fruity multicolored headgear and athletic oiled warriors is, well, nifty, fruity and athletic!   Kings of the Sun Kl Studio Classics Savant Blu-ray Review 1963 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date May 26, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95  Starring Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field, Richard Basehart, Brad Dexter, Barry Morse, Armando Silvestre, Leo Gordon, Victoria Vettri, Rudy Solari, Ford Rainey, Chuck Hayward, James Coburn (narrator). Cinematography Joseph MacDonald Film Editor William Reynolds Original Music Elmer Bernstein Written by James R. Webb, Elliot Arnold  Produced by Lewis J. Rachmil Directed by J. Lee Thompson

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Epics don't get wilder than this. According to producer Walter Mirisch, 1963's Kings of the Sun...

Jeremiah Johnson

Directed by Sydney Pollack

Written by Edward Anhalt and John Milius

1972,

The Western, at its creative and commercial peak – the late 1960s-early 1970s – proved itself an astoundingly pliable genre. It could be molded to deal with topical subject matter like racism (Skin Game, 1971), feminism (The Ballad of Josie, 1967), the excesses of capitalism (Oklahoma Crude, 1973). It could be bent into religious allegories (High Plains Drifter, 1973), or an equally allegorical address of the country’s most controversial war (Ulzana’s Raid, 1972). Westerns could be used to deconstruct America’s most self-congratulatory myths (Doc, 1971), and address historical slights and omissions (Little Big Man, 1970). They could provide heady social commentary (Hombre, 1967), or simple adventure and excitement (The Professionals, 1966). They could be funny (The Hallelujah Trail, 1965), unremittingly grim (Hour of the Gun, 1967), surreal (Greaser’s Palace, 1972), even be stretched into the shape of rock musical (Zachariah, 1971) or monster movie (Valley of Gwangi, 1969).

But...

"Frankenstein" (1931): Since it involves a scientist's (Colin Clive) creation of a synthetic man (Boris Karloff), this most legendary movie version of Mary Shelley's story has to be considered one of the classic examples of this genre.

"The Satan Bug" (1965): An ex-government agent's (George Maharis) pursuit of two missing vials of a deadly virus fuels this gripping adaptation of an Alistair MacLean novel.

"The Andromeda Strain" (1971): In giving life (or, in the cases of some characters, death) to Michael Crichton's novel, director Robert Wise wisely uses a cast of frequent supporting players -- including Arthur Hill, David Wayne and Kate Reid -- as scientists fighting a lethal germ from a high-tech underground lab.

"Coma" (1978): Remade this week as an A&E Network miniseries, Robin Cook's best-seller -- first brought to the screen by the aforementioned Crichton -- casts Genevieve Bujold as a headstrong Boston...

0:00 - Intro / Post-Genies Rant 24:15 - Headlines: First Official Photo from The Lone Ranger, Nicolas Cage Comic Book Heist Comedy, Chronicle Director in Talks for Venom Movie, Man Sues Movie Theatre for Overpriced Snacks 47:00 - Review: John Carter 1:22:35 - Review: The Skin I Live In 1:51:40 - Trailer Trash: Men in Black 3 1:57:00 - Other Stuff We Watched: Celebrity Apprentice, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, The Swell Season, Survivor: One World, World on a Wire, Cane Toads: The Conquest, The Satan Bug, Immortals, Merantau, Hugo, Dances with Wolves 2:50:50 - Junk Mail: Oscar Relevance, Fantasy Film League, Actors Paired in Multiple Movies of Different Genres, Why Some Special Effects Don't Hold Up, Torrents and Film Sharing 3:09:15 - This Week's DVD Releases 3:14:00 - Outro

Film Junk Podcast Episode #361: John Carter and The Skin I Live In by Filmjunk on...

Welcome to the first Notebook Soundtrack Mix—Hyper Sleep! A word about the mix: There's no thematic thread through this collection, it's a variety of intriguing music. In making soundtrack mixes, I'm drawn to the subjective qualities of association and meaning that arise from experiencing the musical narratives that result from transitions and combinations of tracks in succession. Though there are several favorite films, Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill, for one, individual pieces are chosen simply for the music. I haven't seen some of the films. Robert Drasnin, Vladimir Cosma and Antoine Duhamel are represented with curious French T.V. work, rather than with some of their more well known output (The Kremlin Letter, Diva and Pierrot le fou, respectively.) Maybe this is the first of a series…I have several ideas for themed mixes, but wanted to start this way, including work that reflects jazz, classical, experimental and pop influences.

Quarantine 2: Terminal, recently released on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, is the latest zombie film to inspire author and critic Kim Newman and is his motivation for compiling this hilarious Top 10. So take it away Mr Newman…

After my mammoth session with [Rec], [Rec]2, Quarantine and Quarantine 2: Terminal, I continued my survey of killer germ movies with both versions of The Crazies, … 28 days later and … 28 weeks later, the 1970s and 2000s series of Survivors, The Stand, The Cassandra Crossing, Outbreak, And the Band Played On, The Andromeda Strain, The Satan Bug, Carriers, Plague, Warning Sign, I Am Legend, and every single Sars, bird flu and pandemic TV movie ever made. This is what I have gleaned…

- Kim Newman

It’s always someone’s fault: some unethical businessman smuggling in an exotic pet … some researcher who thinks that genesplicing ebola and the common cold into one new super-infectious organism...

With Battle: La and Source Code already in cinemas, 2011’s shaping up to be a big year for sci-fi. Here are 10 other genre films set to appear over the next few months…

We've already seen plenty of sci-fi movies arrive in cinemas this year, including the shouty Saving Private Ryan meets Independence day epic, Battle: Los Angeles, and Duncan Jones' fast-paced thriller, Source Code.

The rest of 2011 will see numerous other genre movies heading to our screens, ranging from big-budget tentpole blockbusters to low-budget indie dramas.

Here, then, is a selection of ten potentially great science fiction movies we're looking forward to in 2011, with their UK release dates...

Apollo 18

Release date: 22 April

Based on a real-world 70s Nasa mission that was abandoned due to budget cuts, Apollo 18 reads like a mixture of Duncan Jones' Moon and Paranormal Activity. In the film's version of history, the lunar mission actually went ahead,...

Another actress from Hollywood's golden age has passed on, leaving behind some truly classic films and a ton of television appearances, making her a staple for many growing up over the last five decades.

Anne Francis, known by many television fans as cheesecake private investigator Honey West, died Sunday of pancreatic cancer in a Santa Barbara retirement home. She was 80 years old.

Francis made numerous television appearances, including genre favorites such as "The Twilight Zone", "The Invaders", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", and "Suspense", and starred in the Sixties horror thriller The Satan Bug; but she was especially well known for her role in 1956's classic sci-fi adventure Forbidden Planet.

We here at Dread Central would like to take this time to offer our sincerest condolences to Anne's friends, family, and constituents. We'll miss that sexy smile and signature beauty mark for sure! Here's to ya, kid!

- Uncle Creepy

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