The poster for the long-forgotten 1988 erotic thriller Call Me is one of the simplest, yet most effective of its era. A telephone cord wrapped around a woman’s long, nylon-sheathed legs, with the tagline, “Her fantasies could be fatal.” That’s a poster that knows what type of film it’s advertising and does it perfectly. That … Continue reading Lost and Found: Call Me
Category: movies
Lost and Found: Fear City
Since I first discovered his work with King of New York (1990), Abel Ferrara has been one of my favorite independent filmmakers. His films’ provocative style and content defined the pre-Disney New York City for me. Ferrara documented on film the city I knew from my childhood and young adulthood, the one that scared me … Continue reading Lost and Found: Fear City
Stella
Born in Mississippi, raised in Memphis, Tennessee, actress, model, producer, director, and all-around star Stella Stevens died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease in February of this year in Los Angeles, California. I’m a little late with this tribute but I wanted to do it nevertheless because Stevens was always a welcome presence in movies and … Continue reading Stella
Lost and Found: Fright Night Part 2
For a stretch in the 1980s you couldn’t visit the multiplex without tripping over vampires in the lobby. The Lost Boys, Near Dark, and The Hunger are among the classics of the era. Tom Holland’s Fright Night (1985) ranks near the top of that crowded field. A near-perfect horror comedy—a genre-blend that was perfected in … Continue reading Lost and Found: Fright Night Part 2
Happy Birthday Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer was born on April 29, 1958. Today she turns 65 and continues to mess with our preconceptions of aging. She remains impossibly beautiful and absurdly talented. The woman might just be immortal. Michelle fits the traits we often associate with the astrological sign Taurus. Stubborn, down-to-earth, cynical, compassionate, intelligent, tenacious, loyal, and … Continue reading Happy Birthday Michelle Pfeiffer
How Grease 2 Became a Cult Classic
Earlier this month, Entertainment Weekly published a double-ketchup sized oral history of one of the greatest movies ever made, Grease 2. You can read the full, lengthy piece here, comprised of interviews with nearly every important player in the film. This includes star Michelle Pfeiffer, who probably says more about the film here than she … Continue reading How Grease 2 Became a Cult Classic
Bad Girls We Love: Mona Demarkov from Romeo is Bleeding
Some cinematic performances are so highly charged, so astonishingly assured, that we can still feel the reverberations years, even decades later. Lena Olin scorching the earth as Mona Demarkov in the excellent neo-noir classic Romeo is Bleeding (1993) is one such performance. Is Mona the most sexually uninhibited and ruthless femme fatale in movie history? … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Mona Demarkov from Romeo is Bleeding