News

Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection will collect six of the Master of Suspense’s classics on 4K Ultra HD + Digital: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds.

Releasing on November 26 via Universal, the six-disc set is limited to 5,150. It’s housed in premium book-style packaging featuring artwork by Tristan Eaton along with photos, bios, and trivia.

In 1954’s Rear Window, “A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.”

It’s written by John Michael Hayes (To Catch a Thief), based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to Be Murder.” James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr star.

Rear Window special features:

Audio commentary by Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Well-Made Film author John Fawell Rear Window Ethics – 2000 documentary Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael...

Denzel Washington was recently spotted filming a highly anticipated Spike Lee film. The beloved actor‘s appearance alongside his co-star in Brooklyn reminded us that he is looking mighty fine at nearly 70 years old! Washington will turn the big 7-0 later in 2024. In the meantime, he’s barely slowed his acting career. See pics of the Oscar winner and get more details about High and Low here:

Denzel Washington and Ilfenesh Hadera on the set of ‘High and Low’ on April 19, 2024 | Metropolis/Bauer-Griffin/Gc Images

On April 19, cameras spotted Denzel Washington and Ilfenesh Hadera filming a scene for High and Low in the Dumbo area of Brooklyn. Wearing a black pinstriped suit, white pocket square, and corresponding white tie, Washington strolled an NYC street alongside Hadera. A regular collaborator with Spike Lee, Hadera has appeared in The Punisher, Da Brick, The Blacklist, and Chicago Fire, among others.

Denzel Washington films...

The star’s of Spike Lee‘s upcoming film High and Low are working hard!

Denzel Washington and Ilfenesh Hadera were spotted shooting the movie on Friday (April 19) in Brooklyn, New York. Spike was also photographed on set.

High and Low is a remake of Akira Kurosawa‘s 1963 crime thriller of the same name. The story follows a wealthy executive who is extorted when his family is pursued by a kidnapper. The original film was based on Ed McBain‘s novel The King’s Ransom.

Spike‘s movie will also star Jeffrey Wright and Ice Spice.

Learn more about another one of Denzel Washington‘s upcoming projects!

Browse through the gallery to see more photos of Denzel Washington, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Spike Lee on the set of High and Low…...

Ice Spice will make her acting debut in 'High and Low'.The 'Barbie World' rapper is set to make a cameo appearance in Spike Lee's English-language adaptation of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller of the same name that will star Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera.A24 posted a photo to the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday (10.04.24) of Lee and Washington with the caption: "No. 5 now in production."'High and Low' marks the fifth collaboration between actor and filmmaker as they previously worked on the projects 'Inside Man', 'He Got Game', 'Malcolm X' and 'Mo' Better Blues'.The original 'High and Low' was loosely based on the 1959 novel 'King's Ransom', written by Evan Hunter under the pen name Ed McBain, and tells the story of a shoe company executive...

Ice Spice has joined the cast of Spike Lee’s upcoming film High and Low, as Variety reports. The project will serve as the rapper’s acting debut.

Announced in February, Lee’s High and Low is an English-language remake of Akria Kurosawa’s 1963 original, which itself was a loose adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom, and is set to star Denzel Washington and feature Jeffery Wright. The project marks the fifth collaboration between Washington and Lee, with 2006’s Inside Man being their most recent meeting. A24, Escape Artists, and Mandalay Pictures are developing and producing the project, while Lee and Alan Fox penned the script.

Though there is not yet a release date for the project, it has officially begun production. Once complete, A24 is set to distribute the film theatrically, followed by a global launch on AppleTV+, as Apple Original Films has partnered as a co-financier.

Ice Spice has joined the cast of Spike Lee’s upcoming film High and Low, as Variety reports. The project will serve as the rapper’s acting debut.

Announced in February, Lee’s High and Low is an English-language remake of Akria Kurosawa’s 1963 original, which itself was a loose adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom, and is set to star Denzel Washington and feature Jeffery Wright. The project marks the fifth collaboration between Washington and Lee, with 2006’s Inside Man being their most recent meeting. A24, Escape Artists, and Mandalay Pictures are developing and producing the project, while Lee and Alan Fox penned the script.

Though there is not yet a release date for the project, it has officially begun production. Once complete, A24 is set to distribute the film theatrically, followed by a global launch on AppleTV+, as Apple Original Films has partnered as a co-financier.

Ice Spice is set to appear in Spike Lee’s upcoming English-language reinterpretation of the Akira Kurosawa crime thriller “High and Low.”

“High and Low” will mark Ice Spice’s acting debut, and she’s already begun shooting for the project starring Denzel Washington.

The rapper skyrocketed to fame following the release of her breakthrough single, “Munch (Feelin’ U),” and subsequent collaborations with Pink Pantheress, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. She was nominated for four Grammys this year, including best rap song and best new artist. Ice Spice’s first studio album, “Y2K,” is due out this year.

The project is the fifth collaboration between Washington and Lee, and their first since 2006’s “Inside Man.” Apple Original Films and A24 are partnering on the project, which will be released theatrically by A24 before a global launch on AppleTV+.

Apple Original Films tweeted a photo of Washington and Lee on Wednesday...

Ron Harper, who starred on Planet of the Apes and four other short-lived primetime series and on the final season of the beloved kids TV show Land of the Lost during a very busy 15 years on television, has died. He was 91.

Harper died Thursday of natural causes at his home in West Hills, his daughter, Nicole Longeuay, told The Hollywood Reporter.

After understudying for Paul Newman on Broadway, Harper portrayed Det. Bert Kling alongside Norman Fell, Robert Lansing, Gregory Walcott and Gena Rowlands on the 1961-62 NBC cop show 87th Precinct, based on the novels of Ed McBain.

He played Jeff Conway, the husband of Connie Stevens’ character, on the 1964-65 ABC sitcom Wendy and Me, also starring George Burns, who produced the show and appeared as the owner of the apartment building in which the young couple lives.

Next up for Harper were turns as the son of Jean Arthur...

Jeffrey Wright is to star in 'High and Low'.The 58-year-old actor is set to join Spike Lee's English-language adaptation of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller of the same name alongside Denzel Washington and Ilfenesh Hadera.The original 'High and Low' was loosely based on the 1959 novel 'King's Ransom', written by Evan Hunter under the pen name Ed McBain, and tells the story of a shoe company executive who falls victim to extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped and held for ransom. It is not yet clear if Lee's movie will follow the original storyline, while details about Jeffrey's role have not been revealed.Production on the flick is set to begin this month with Lee writing the screenplay with Alan Fox.Wright was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role as frustrated writer and professor Dr. Thelonious 'Monk'...

Hot on the heels of his first Academy Award nomination for his lead role in American Fiction, Jeffrey Wright has been set to join Denzel Washington and Ilfenesh Hadera in Spike Lee’s High and Low, an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller, for Apple and A24.

Details as to his role are under wraps.

Loosely based on the 1959 novel King’s Ransom, written by Evan Hunter under the pen name Ed McBain, the original High and Low follows a shoe company executive who becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom. It’s unclear how closely Lee’s film will hew to the original storyline.

Developed and produced by A24, Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures, High and Low is written by Alan Fox and Lee. Todd Black and Jason Michael Berman are producing for Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures,...

Exclusive: Ilfenesh Hadera (Godfather of Harlem) has been tapped to star opposite Denzel Washington in Apple and A24’s High and Low, an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller, from filmmaker Spike Lee.

She comes to the project following collaborations with Lee on his acclaimed Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, based on his classic 1986 film, as well as his movies Chi-Raq and Oldboy.

Loosely based on the 1959 novel King’s Ransom, written by Evan Hunter under the pen name Ed McBain, the original High and Low watches as a shoe company executive becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom. It’s unclear how closely Lee’s film will hew to the original storyline, and there’s no word yet as to the role Hadera will play.

Developed and produced by A24, Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures, Lee...

Actor Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee announced they are joining forces once more, the first time in 18 years, for a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low.” The duo have collaborated four times previously, on “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game,” and, most recently, “Inside Man.”

“High and Low” was originally based on the novel “King’s Ransom” by the prolific American author Ed McBain. McBain was a nom de plume for Evan Hunter, who also wrote “The Blackboard Jungle” (adapted to a popular film with a significant early turn by Sidney Poitier) and was a co-screenwriter of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”

The original “High and Low” starred Toshiro Mifune as an executive who faces a moral crisis during a pivotal moment of his career—just as he had intended to move a vast amount of his personal wealth for business reasons, his son...

"Mo Better Blues." "Malcolm X." "He Got Game." "Inside Man." It is always an event when Spike Lee and Denzel Washington team up for a movie, and they always, always deliver. "Mo Better Blues" suffered from being Lee's follow-up to his masterpiece "Do the Right Thing," but its critical reputation has improved significantly over time. "Malcolm X" is probably the second most important (and brilliant) film about race next to "Do the Right Thing." "He Got Game" is an electric-yet-harrowing father-son drama set against the wanton corruption of college basketball. And "Inside Man" is just a plain old pip of a heist movie, one that makes you wish Lee would place his stylistic spin on more straight-up genre stories.

According to Variety, Lee is set to tackle one of the most masterfully crafted cop tales ever made, and you best believe he's re-teaming with Washington to bring it off.

The project is "High and Low,...

The pair, who last worked together on 2006’s Inside Man, will reimagine the 1963 crime drama High and Low for Apple and A24

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington are teaming up for the fifth time, reimagining Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime drama High and Low.

The pair, whose previous projects include Malcolm X and He Got Game, will start filming a reinterpretation in March. Based on the novel King’s Ransom by Ed McBain, the original film stars Toshiro Mifune as a wealthy man in ruin after paying the ransom for a kidnapping.

Following Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington are planning a reunion. With the director being on the longest break between narrative features since his debut in 1986, having last helmed 2020’s Da 5 Bloods, it’s now been unveiled he will direct a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low.

Variety reports that Washington will lead the project, scripted by Alan Fox and Spike Lee, and backed by Apple Original Films and A24. Based on Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom, the original film starred Toshiro Mifune as a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a ruthless kidnapper.

High and Low will also mark Lee’s second high-profile remake after his 2013 feature Oldboy. With production beginning this spring, a theatrical release has also been confirmed––which we imagine will take place in 2025––followed by an Apple TV+ global bow.

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting for their fifth film together – the first since 2006’s “Inside Man.” Apple Original Films and A24 are partnering on “High and Low,” which will be released theatrically by A24 before a global launch on AppleTV+.

The thriller, which starts production in March, is the English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller of the same name. The 1963 film starring Toshiro Mifune was based on the Ed McBain novel “King’s Ransom,” which chronicles the ruin of a businessman following a ransom payment to kidnappers.

Developed and produced by A24, Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures, “High and Low” features a script written by Alan Fox and Spike Lee.

As Apple is a co-financier on “High and Low,” this project will not be included in a recent multi-year deal that A24 brokered with competing streaming service Max last year, sources familiar with the movie said. The...

“High and Low” received nominations for the Golden Lion at the 24th Venice Film Festival, and the Best Foreign Film at the 21st Golden Globe Awards. It was also awarded at the Mainichi Film Awards for the Best Film, and for the Best Screenplay. Upon its release in Japan, it earned approximately $1.3 million and became the top-grossing film of 1963.

on Amazon by clicking on the image below

The script, written by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Eijiro Hisaita, and Ryuzo Kikushima, is loosely based on Evan Hunter's novel from 1959, “King's Ransom”. Toho, the film company that Kurosawa was working with at the time, acquired the film rights for $5,000. The first half of the story revolves around Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a board member of a Japanese shoe company, facing a critical dilemma. He must decide whether to use his considerable wealth to secure executive control in the company or help his chauffeur,...

It’s that time of year again. While some directors annually share their favorite films of the year, Steven Soderbergh lists everything he consumed, media-wise. For 2023––another year in which he not only Magic Mike’s Last Dance Review: Steven Soderbergh and Channing Tatum Take a Familiar, Gentle Bow”>released a new film, but dropped two TV series (Full Circle and Command Z“>Command Z) and shot another film (the Sundance-bound Presence)––he still got plenty of watching in.

Along with catching up on 2023’s new releases, Ferrari, Anatomy of a Fall, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Air, Reality, Dead Reckoning, among others), he took in plenty of classics, including Eyes Wide Shut, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Casablanca, Out of the Past, The Shining, the epic War and Peace, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and, following Tom Wilkinson’s passing, Michael Clayton. He also got an early look at Pussy Island,...

The Birds officially turns 60 years old in 2023 from its release date on March 28, 1963. It’s an excellent film that blends dramatic stakes with Alfred Hitchcock’s masterful use of suspense, but does it belong in his top five most significant movies? It all depends on how we define that, which is why his longtime fans are only partially right that The Birds is a top-five Hitchcock film.

‘The Birds’ joins Alfred Hitchcock’s top 5 movies Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels | Universal Studios/Getty Images

Hitchcock directed The Birds from Evan Hunter’s screenplay based on Daphne Du Maurier’s story. It follows a wealthy San Franciscan named Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) after she happens to meet the handsome Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a pet store. She decides to follow him home to a small Northern California town with two love birds in hopes of striking up a romance. Suddenly,...

After the release of his 1960 masterpiece “Psycho,” Alfred Hitchcock received an irate letter from someone saying his daughter refused to take a bath after seeing Henri Clouzot’s 1955 thriller “Les Diaboliques,” which features a horrifying murder in a bathtub. And now she wouldn’t take a shower because of “Psycho.” What was he to do? Hitchcock wrote back the fuming father in his typical succinct and macabre style telling him to “send her to the dry cleaners.”

Undoubtedly, he received a lot of angry missives who saw his next film, “The Birds,” which celebrates the 60th anniversary of its release on March 28. In what is considered the Master of Suspense’s only horror film, “The Birds” finds feathered friends on the attack for no apparent reason. Let’s face it, six decades later if you see a large flock of birds gathering on a school’s jungle gym or malevolently peering down from trees,...

Brian De Palma was set to direct this cop caper but ankled (as they say in Variety) over casting issues. Evan Hunter wrote it, based on one of the 87th Precinct novels he published under the name Ed McBain. Relocated from Manhattan to Boston, it’s an ensemble dramedy which was accused of engendering copycat behavior when several actual crimes mimicked a scene in which a homeless person is set on fire. Stars Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch have zero chemistry as they feuded throughout.

The post Fuzz appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave’ was one of the most acclaimed films of the 2022 festival season, winning Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival before competing in Venice and Toronto. Many have praised the “Oldboy” director’s ability to blend aspects of the film noir with more conventional romance tropes, but that doesn’t mean he considers himself a fan of the genre.

In a new interview with The Film Stage, Park explained that “Decision to Leave” should not be read as an homage to film noir. In fact, he was far more influenced by mystery novels than he was by any cinema genre.

“This might sound surprising, but I’m not the biggest fan of the noir genre,” he said. “I’m not really a film buff either. I don’t rewatch the same movie multiple times. There is a charming element about the noir genre, but for...

Universal’s top-of-the-line Alfred Hitchcock classics make the jump to Ultra HD in a worthy update. We’ve seen these before but they’re always different in a theatrical setting… and the quality is so amazing here, a big home theater setup can duplicate a theatrical experience. It might as well be a Robert Burks / John L. Russell cinematographer’s film festival too, or an ‘Editor George Tomasini Festival’ — that unheralded ace cut all four of these masterpieces. And fans of Psycho have an extra treat: a slightly longer original cut.

The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Ultra HD

Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds

Blu-ray

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

1954-1963 / 1:85 widescreen / Street Date September 8, 2020 /

Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, James Stewart, Kim Novack, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren.

Cinematography: Robert Burks (3), John L. Russell (1)

Film Editor: George Tomasini (4)

Original Music: Franz Waxman, Bernard Herrmann

Screenwriters: John Michael Hayes,...

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963) is showing October 31 – November 29, 2019 on Mubi in France, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.To begin with a plainly intended pun, Alfred Hitchcock was soaring high when he set out to make The Birds in 1962. Coming off the phenomenal success of Psycho, a groundbreaking film executed two years earlier, the legendary British filmmaker, by this point a mainstay in American popular culture, had somehow managed to one-up himself at seemingly every turn: “What will you do for an encore?”, Lew Wasserman supposedly asked Hitch after the triumph of his iconic 1960 horror classic, which garnered him his fifth and final Academy Award nomination for best director. To answer that question, for his first Universal Pictures release since 1943’s Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock moved away from the low-key, black and white ambiance and shocking terror of Psycho and opted for a Technicolor rendering of sweeping, enigmatic,...

Brian De Palma was set to direct this cop caper but ankled (as they say in Variety) over casting issues. Evan Hunter wrote it, based on one of the 87th Precinct novels he published under the name Ed McBain. Relocated from Manhattan to Boston, it’s an ensemble dramedy which was accused of engendering copycat behavior when several actual crimes mimicked a scene in which a homeless person is set on fire. Stars Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch have zero chemistry as they feuded throughout.

The post Fuzz appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

'The Beast with a Million Eyes': Hardly truth in advertising as there's no million-eyed beast in Roger Corman's micro-budget sci-fi thriller. 'The Beast with a Million Eyes': Alien invasion movie predates Alfred Hitchcock classic Despite the confusing voice-over introduction, David Kramarsky's[1] The Beast with a Million Eyes a.k.a. The Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes is one of my favorite 1950s alien invasion films. Set in an ugly, desolate landscape – shot “for wide screen in terror-scope” in Indio and California's Coachella Valley – the screenplay by future novelist Tom Filer (who also played Jack Nicholson's sidekick in the 1966 Western Ride in the Whirlwind) focuses on a dysfunctional family whose members become the first victims of a strange force from another galaxy after a spaceship lands nearby emitting sound vibrations that turn domestic animals into aggressive killers. Killer cow First, the lady-of-the-house is pecked by a flock of chickens and,...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Travis Keune, and Tom Stockman

Burt Reynolds, one of We Are Movie Geeks favorite actors, turns 80 today. Happy Birthday Burt!

On February 11th, 1936, Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia, before his family moved to Jupiter Florida, where his father served as Chief of Police. Young Burt excelled at sports and played football at Florida State University. He became an All Star Southern Conference halfback (and was earmarked by the Baltimore Colts) before injuries sidelined his football career. He dropped out of college and headed to New York with dreams of becoming an actor. There he worked in restaurants and clubs while pulling the odd TV job or theater role. Burt was spotted in a New York City stage production of Mister Roberts and signed to a TV contract and eventually had recurring roles in such shows as Gunsmoke (1955), Riverboat (1959) and his own series, Hawk...

10. Alien

Directed by Ridley Scott

Written by Dan O’Bannon

UK / USA, 1979

Genre: Sci-Fi Horror

Boasting one of the greatest taglines of all time – “In space, no one can hear you scream” – Alien blends science fiction, horror, and bleak poetry into what could have easily turned into a simple B-monster movie. In fact, the movie was originally pitched to producers as “Jaws in space,” but thankfully Ridley Scott, who was stepping behind the camera for only the second time, took the film far more seriously. Like Steven Spielberg’s great thriller, most of the running time relies on the viewer’s imagination since Scott carefully restricts how little we see of the creature. Alien can certainly test a viewer’s patience. This is an extremely slow burn (something unusual for the genre) and despite the budget, stellar effects, and ambitious set design, Alien in a sense is a minimalist film...

It seems there's something in the air in Hollywood about Lizzie Borden. It was only a couple of years ago that we got the event series "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles" starring Christina Ricci, and now the notorious killer is headed to the big screen, with some big names attached. THR reports that Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny will team up for an untitled movie set to be directed by Pieter Van Hees ("Waste Land"). The story will chronicle the events that led up to Borden's brutal murder of her father and step-mother (with an axe no less), though she was never convicted of the crime. Sevigny will play Borden, with Stewart as the live-in maid Bridget Sullivan who testified at the trial, and who some people allege gave a deathbed confession stating she protected Lizzie by changing her testimony. Crime author Ed McBain also once floating the theory that Sullivan and Borden had an affair,...

A turning point for rock and roll. Bill Haley and the Comets provide the groundbreaking context as former teacher turned crime writer Evan Hunter's novel becomes, in the hands of director Richard Brooks, primarily an expose of the corruption of urban school systems. Uncharacteristically realistic for the period, this set the tone for another half decade of juvenile delinquency exploitation films.

Former movie only networks are joining the TV show bandwagon, as TNT is announcing a couple new TV shows in development. One included is a TV series that will be based upon Stephen King’s Firestarter, called The Shop. It will follow Charlie McGee 20 years after the book takes place. It will follow her life as a trouble maker in her adult years. The TV show will be written by Robbie Thompson and produced by by James Middleton (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jaime Paglia (Eureka) and Thompson. No word yet on who will play the role of Charlie, though.

TNT also announced the following series that will be taking place in the 2014-2015 season.

Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct will be now turned into a TV show by Donnie Wahlberg.

President-x will follow a president who was attempted to be murdered and found in a coma for 13-months. He...

A Stephen King-inspired series is headed to TNT. The cable network is developing The Shop, a sequel to King’s 1980 bestseller Firestarter.

The drama centers on the insidious agency responsible for kidnapping and attempting to exploit the psychokinetic powers of a young girl named Charlie McGee in the original story. Now it’s 20 years later and Charlie has been tracked down by one of The Shop’s former members, Henry Talbot, who introduces her to a group of people with their own unique abilities. From the announcement: “It turns out The Shop is very much alive, bigger and badder than ever,...

When you grow up, your heart dies – or so they say. Here's the proof: from Heathers to Juno, the Guardian and Observer's critics pick the 10 best teen movies

• Top 10 action movies

• Top 10 crime movies

• Top 10 arthouse movies

• Top 10 family movies

• Top 10 war movies

• More Guardian and Observer critics' top 10s

10. Blackboard Jungle

Billed as "a brass-knuckle punch in its startling revelation of teenage savages" and based on the book of the same name by Evan Hunter – aka crime writer Ed McBain – who drew on his own experiences as a teacher in the Bronx – Blackboard Jungle ushered in the age of the teenage delinquent. In London, Brooks's film attracted crowds of Teddy Boys, who slashed cinema seats, danced in the aisles and actually started a riot.

The reason for such shocking behaviour wasn't so much the film's content, which today garners a more sober 12 rating, but because of the use of...

Writer Lee Gambin calls them Natural Horror films, other writers call them Revenge of Nature or Nature Run Amok films and writer Charles Derry considers them a type of Apocalyptic Cinema.

Of course we’re speaking of one of the great horror subgenres for which we’ll employ writer Kim Newman’s tag: The Revolt of Nature.

Since the end of the 1990s, lovers of animal attack films have been subjected to copious amounts of uninspired Nu Image, Syfy Channel and Syfy Channel-like dreck like Silent Predators (1999), Maneater (2007) Croc (2007), Grizzly Rage (2007) and a stunning amount of terrible shark attack films to name a few that barely scratch the surface of a massive list.

These movies fail miserably to capture the intensity of the unforgettable films they are imitating and the recent wave seems to carry with it the intent of giving the Revolt of Nature horror film a bad name.

Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time around for one simple reason: that is, the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. Enjoy!

Special Mention:

Un chien andalou

Directed by Luis Buñuel

Written by Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel

France, 1929

The dream – or nightmare – has been a staple of horror cinema for decades. In 1929, Luis Bunuel joined forces with Salvador Dali to create Un chien andalou, an experimental and unforgettable 17-minute surrealist masterpiece.

Breaking: New York-based Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents has under its banner authors including Jeffrey Deaver, Tracy Chevalier, David Nicholls, David Rabe, Chris Bohjalian, Carolyn Hart, Meg Gardiner, Alan Lightman, Madison Smartt Bell, John Burdett, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Glen Duncan and Evan Hunter/Ed McBain. The alliance with ICM Partners just announced today will see the formation of a new entity, Gelfman/Schneider/ICM Partners, with the agency co-signing authors and journalists and also repping film, television and media rights from the rich library of titles now at its disposal. ICM’s Media Rights Department has had plenty of success in this realm, brokering deals for such projects as Steve Jobs, Lincoln, No Country For Old Men and Sex And The City. Gelfman Schneider will keep its offices on Seventh Avenue, with ICM Partners’ agents down the road in their Fifth Avenue HQ doing the deals. The pact comes after ICM Partners...

New York, Apr 28(Ani): The house where Alfred Hitchcock and Evan Hunter wrote the 1963 classic horror 'The Birds' has hit the market in Pound Ridge, Westchester County, for 1.4 million dollars.

John Hart who is the owner of this historic house and a thriller writer himself, only recently learned that 'The Birds' which turns 50 this year, was written in the barn he has worked in since buying the property in 1994, the New York Daily News reported.

Hart reveled that they call the house 'Dracula bought'.

According to a broker, Sally Slater, one can feel the creative energy inside the house.

He said that the.

Fifty years after its release (on March 28, 1963), we can't stop talking about Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." We're still terrified by it, perhaps because Hitchcock wisely avoided providing any explanation for the avian attacks on Bodega Bay. We're still fascinated by how it was made, especially because, at 83, star Tippi Hedren continues to hold forth on the pleasures and horrors of working with Hitchcock. Much of the story has been retold, in books (notably, Patrick McGilligan's "Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light") and in last year's HBO movie "The Girl." Still, as familiar as we think we are with the scary masterpiece, there's still plenty that remains a mystery -- how did Hitchcock wrangle all those birds? How did he mix live ones with pretend birds so seamlessly? And what really went on between him and Hedren? Read on to learn some of the secrets of "The Birds.

Bad news for storytellers: the kind of movie amnesia we're used to, in which somebody wakes up and can't remember who they are, doesn't exist in reality. If you've lost you're memory so far back that you're name is gone, you'd also be unable to talk and probably unable to move about. The only time we forget who we are, possibly, is in dreamless sleep, but who knows what's happening then?

Still, filmmakers have made entertaining use of this fictitious complaint (lost time is real; lost identity is not), and Mister Buddwing (1966) is a good example. Waking up in Central Park, James Garner can't recall who he is, even though it's obvious to us that he's James Garner. Taking a temporary name from a passing Budweiser truck and the wing of a plane, he follows the only clue in his possession, a phone number, which leads him to Angela Lansbury,...

Two new biopics of the master of suspense depict him as a bully who abused his leading ladies. But where does the truth lie?

The appearance of two new films about Alfred Hitchcock, widely considered to be the greatest of Britain's filmmakers, is a reminder that there was a time when he was also considered lovable. His unmistakable profile, his deadpan, Droopy Dog style, and his sense of humour helped make Hitch a star as well as a director.

Then, in 1983, came Donald Spoto's biography, The Dark Side of Genius. Spoto revealed that Hitchcock had harassed actor Tippi Hedren on the set of 1963's The Birds to the point of physical and psychological collapse. During the filming of the followup, Marnie, Hedren claimed that he also "made an overt sexual proposition", and when she resisted "became threatening", saying he would ruin her career. He never forgave her for turning him down,...

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Travis Keune, and Tom Stockman

We like to celebrate the movie tough guys of the ’70s here at We Are Movie Geeks and at Super-8 Movie Madness. We’ve posted Top Ten lists to tie into Super-8 shows featuring Charles Bronson (Here), Clint Eastwood (Here), and Lee Marvin (Here). This month we’re going to honor the #1 top money-making star for five consecutive years – 1978 – 1982 – Burt Reynolds. On February 11th, 1936, Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia, before his family moved to Jupiter Florida, where his father served as Chief of Police. Young Burt excelled at sports and played football at Florida State University. He became an All Star Southern Conference halfback (and was earmarked by the Baltimore Colts) before injuries sidelined his football career. He dropped out of college and headed to New York with dreams of becoming an actor. There he worked in restaurants...

Throughout the month of October, Editor-in-Chief and resident Horror expert Ricky D, will be posting a list of his favorite Horror films of all time. The list will be posted in six parts. Click here to see every entry.

As with all lists, this is personal and nobody will agree with every choice – and if you do, that would be incredibly disturbing. It was almost impossible for me to rank them in order, but I tried and eventually gave up.

****

Special Mention:

Shock Corridor

Directed by Samuel Fuller

Written by Samuel Fuller

1963, USA

Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose the killer at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff.

Here is a film that provides no answers and no escape. Chaos reigns from top to tail. Might this be the essential Hitchcock?

The crows alight, one by one, in the schoolyard above Bodega Bay. They are summoned by the nursery rhyme sung by the children, or drawn by the green glow of Tippi Hedren's matching skirt and jacket, or maybe lured by the pungent scent of her lit cigarette. By the time she turns her head, the climbing frame is thick with them. "She combs her hair but once a year," sing the oblivious children inside their classroom. "Nickety-nackety now, now, now!"

Actually I have no idea what draws the birds and turns them bad and it seems that nobody else does either. "I don't know why," says harried Melanie Daniels (Hedren). "Wish I could say," blurts bemused Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Everyone is confused, ruffled, on the brink of flight.

Last month, we were one of the first to bring you news about Joyland, a new novel Stephen King was writing that revolves around an amusement park serial killer. The book has now been officially announced, along with plot details and a release date:

“Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of pulp-styled crime novels published by Titan Books, today announced it will publish Joyland, a new novel by Stephen King, in June 2013. Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. Joyland is a brand-new book and has never previously been published. One of the most beloved storytellers of all time, Stephen King is the world’s best-selling novelist,...

Nikki Reed Joins Dwayne Johnson Heist Flick

The heist film Empire State has been racking up the star-studded names for itself lately. You’ve got Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in what I presume is the lead, and apparently that guy ain’t going anywhere. You’ve got Liam Hemsworth from The Hunger Games that the kids seem to like, and you’ve got Jerry “Turtle” Ferrara from Entourage. You’ve got Eric Roberts’ kid, Emma, who was in that not-very-good Scream 4 last year, and who also caused quite the kerfuffle because she publicly stated she did not prefer Robert Pattinson’s character in the Twilight films (horrors!). And speaking of Twilight, you’ve also got Kristen Stewart’s ex, Michael Angarano, and now just added, Nikki Reed who played one of those vampire chicks.

Of course, I didn’t give a crap about any of this until it was...

Mickey Spillane grabbed his position in the pop culture pantheon much like his iconic creation, private eye Mike Hammer, made his way through a case: through a sort of literary brute force, blasting away with heavy doses of graphic violence, steamy sex, and a style which reviewers often considered the prose version of a blunt object.

As a mystery writer, Spillane wasn’t as clever as Evan Hunter, nor as introspective as late career Ross MacDonald, nor did he have the insider’s street savvy of George V. Higgins, or the prose command of Raymond Chandler. Read today, some of his stuff seems so familiar and stale and excessive it borders on camp. But, whatever one’s qualitative judgment on Spillane and his canon, there’s no doubt his impact on the mystery genre – and the private eye tale in particular – was both massive and indelible, reaching beyond the printed...

This week on the new releases shelf at your neighborhood comics shop: Supervillainy goes abroad; Proof that genre-bending still exists; Marc Spector’s last stand; The final days of the Gcpd.

Supercrooks #2–Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (for what I’m certain is not the final time): Mark Millar is a good comic-book writer, no matter what anybody might think about him otherwise. Millar has made no bones about the fact that he uses his comics as springboards into Hollywood and also the fact that he is a very talented writer indeed. This continues to ruffle the feathers of a lot of us purists in the comics community, but again as I’ve said before, a) I don’t have to watch any of his crappy movies, and b) as long as the guy backs up his claims to quality writing, he...

I’ve long believed Warren Ellis is a crime-fiction writer at heart. The first series of Wolfskin was a clear example of sword-and-sorcery comics, but had that distinct Yojimbo/Fistful of Dollars feel, a dyed-in-the-wool crook playing both sides. Comics like Aetheric Mechanics and Captain Swing are solid steampunk works, yet revolve around cops-and-robbers shenanigans. One of the driving tenets of our work here at Criminal Complex is that any good story is going to have a vital aspect of crime fiction in there, even if it’s a small one, and the oeuvre of Warren Ellis is about as nearly perfect an example of that as I can find.

But what of the standard detective story? Good, old-fashioned, book-‘em-Dano procedurals? Those may not have the flash-and-bang, the gee-whiz of Ellis’s Doktor Sleepless or Gravel, but they are still a very important aspect of the man’s body of work.

Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the classic Turner Classic Movies screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”! Oscar winner and star Tippi Hedren will be in attendance at this special screening!

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is bringing the Road to Hollywood tour to Chicago in celebration of the Classic Film Festival this April in Hollywood. Tippi Hedren and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz will conduct a Q&A prior to the start of the film. “The Birds” (1963) stars Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy, Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw and Ruth McDevitt from director Alfred Hitchcock and writers Daphne Du Maurier and Evan Hunter.

To win your free passes to the Chicago screening of “The Birds” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, get interactive with our new Hookup technology directly below. That’s it!

Every month the Sound On Sight staff bands together to tackle a specific filmmaker, event and/or some sort of movie related theme. This month our focus shifts towards the “Master of Suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock.

The Birds

1963, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay by Evan Hunter, adapted by a novel by Daphne du Maurier.

Upon seeing The Birds for the first time is like the unveiling of a masterpiece. You know people who have talked about it yet you cannot really describe what you feel about it…until you have seen it with your own eyes.

The Birds is a B-movie with a Hitchcock spin when the residents of a small coastal town are mysteriously attacked by flocks of vicious birds.

The screeching credit sequence serves as a prelude as to the avian horror that gradually unfolds in this twisted tale of nature-gone-batshit-crazy.

From its intriguing beginnings where we see Tippi Hedren...