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George Folsey Jr., the longtime producer and film editor for director John Landis, has died at the age of 85, according to his family.

The son of 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer George J. Folsey, whose credits included “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Forbidden Planet,” Folsey Jr. got his start in editing at Kabc in Los Angeles, where he edited documentaries and news reports for broadcast in the 1960s.

He then moved into cinema by learning the trade at MGM, where his father had worked, alongside “Grand Prix” Oscar-winning editor Henry Berman. His first feature film project was Alexander Singer’s “Glass Houses,” a 1972 film in which Folsey was editor, cinematographer and producer.

A year later, Folsey was hired to edit John Landis’ debut feature film “Schlock,” a sendup of “King Kong” in which an ape man chased out of his cave wanders into a Southern California neighborhood and develops an unrequited crush on a teen girl.

Here lies Thomas Eugene Paris, beloved mutant. That’s what Trekkies think about every Jan. 29, known among some as “Threshold Day,” commemorating the 1996 airing of the Star Trek: Voyager season two episode “Threshold.” Threshold Day consists mostly of memes and jokes, poking fun at what most consider one of the series’ worst episodes, if not one of the most embarrassing Star Trek episodes of all time.

While it is certainly corny, “Threshold” doesn’t quite deserve its ignoble reputation. Not only is it far from the worst episode of Voyager (Chakotay’s ancestors’ bones play no part in the story), but it contains a lot of qualities found in the best Star Trek episodes. Is that enough to elevate “Threshold” to the upper Trek tiers? No, but it is enough to give the episode a better reputation than the one it has now.

Crossing the Threshold

Directed by TV veteran Alexander Singer,...

Ultra HD puts Stanley Kubrick’s second feature film in a new light — his B&w images of New York lend a ‘Weegee’ flavor to the tale of a prizefighter who comes to the rescue of a dance hall girl. Kubrick does better sticking to the urban streets he knows so well; the cast scores via his strong direction and art museum-quality images. The post-dubbed soundtrack is the weak link, and perhaps Kubrick’s somewhat awkward flashback gear changes. But for 1955 he’s definitely a talent on the way. Kino’s disc carries an analytical commentary by Imogen Sara Smith.

Killer’s Kiss

4K Ultra HD

Kl Studio Classics

1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 67 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022 / Kiss Me, Kill Me / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Frank Silvera, Jamie Smith, Irene Kane, Jerry Jarrett, Mike Dana, Felice Orlandi, Shaun O’Brien, Barbara Brand, Ruth Sobotka.

Cinematography: Stanley Kubrick

Film Editor: Stanley Kubrick...

Psyche 59

Blu ray – All Region

Powerhouse

1964 / 1:85:1 / 94 Min. / Street Date – February 25, 2019

Starring Patricia Neal, Samantha Eggar, Curd Jürgens

Cinematography by Walter Lassally

Directed by Alexander Singer

The story of a troubled marriage and a tenacious home wrecker, Psyche 59 is a Brigitte Bardot movie without Bardot – despite its overheated narrative Alexander Singer’s psychosexual potboiler is stuck at room temperature.

Patricia Neal plays Alison Crawford, the unlucky sibling to Samantha Eggar’s hot to trot sister Robin and Curd Jürgens is Eric, the reluctant Romeo in the little flirt’s crosshairs. Jürgens knew the pitfalls of a wandering eye having tangled with Bardot herself in 1956’s And God Created Woman – judging by his reaction to Eggar he hasn’t learned his lesson.

Alison suffers from hysterical blindness and has suppressed the traumatic event that triggered it – her sister’s return unlocks a Pandora’s Box of bad memories but...

Actor who won rave reviews as the star of A Cold Wind in August

When Lola Albright appeared in Alexander Singer’s independent movie A Cold Wind in August (1961), critics and audiences wondered where she had been all their lives. But Albright, who has died aged 92, had been in pictures for 14 years, having made little impact, before getting rave reviews for her rare starring role in this cultish low-budget black-and-white sleeper. Filmgoers might have found it hard to believe that Albright, playing a love-starved 30-something stripper who seduces a teenage boy, was the same rather bland actor who had appeared as the obligatory blonde in several minor westerns in the 50s.

Some might have remembered her as one of three women distracting a ruthless, over-ambitious prizefighter (Kirk Douglas) in Mark Robson’s Champion (1949). Albright played a married sculptor who falls for the boxer. “I don’t fall in love easily,...

Something Wild

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 850

1961 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 17, 2017 / 39.95

Starring: Carroll Baker, Ralph Meeker, Mildred Dunnock, Jean Stapleton, Martin Kosleck, Charles Watts, Clifton James, Doris Roberts, Anita Cooper, Tanya Lopert.

Cinematography: Eugen Schüfftan

Film Editor: Carl Lerner

Original Music: Aaron Copland

Written by Jack Garfein and Alex Karmel from his novel Mary Ann

Produced by George Justin

Directed by Jack Garfein

After writing up an earlier Mod disc release of the 1961 movie Something Wild, I received a brief but welcome email note from its director:

“Dear Glenn Erickson,

Thank you for your profound appreciation of Something Wild.

If possible, I would appreciate if you could send

me a copy of your review by email.

Sincerely yours, Jack Garfein”

Somewhere back East (or in London), the Actors Studio legend Jack Garfein had found favor with the review. Although...

Is this once-lost film the apex of obscure independent Hollywood filmmaking? Made way outside the limits of the Production Code, it's even better than I hoped it would be. Leslie Stevens' 'backyard movie' is the work of a directorial wunderkind with an inspired crew. Totally original, with three unforgettable performances. Private Property Blu-ray + DVD Cinelicious 1960 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 79 min. / Street Date November 8, 2016 / 34.99 Starring Kate Manx, Corey Allen, Warren Oates Robert Ward, Jerome Cowan, Jules Maitland. Cinematography Ted McCord, Conrad Hall Film Editor Jerry Young Original Music Pete Rugolo Film Technology Alexander Singer Produced by Stanley Colbert Written and Directed by Leslie Stevens

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

I saw Private Property for the first time last night, and came away thinking, 'these are the most believably complex, twisted, adult screen characters I've seen in a long time.' I also felt that I had witnessed some really extraordinary acting,...

Is this Rod Serling's best teleplay ever? Van Heflin, Everett Sloane and Ed Begley are at the center of a business power squeeze. Is it all about staying competitive, or is it corporate murder? With terrific early performances from Elizabeth Wilson and Beatrice Straight. Patterns Blu-ray The Film Detective 1956 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 83 min. / Street Date September 27, 2016 / 14.99 Starring Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Joanna Roos, Valerie Cossart, Eleni Kiamos, Ronnie Welsh, Shirley Standlee, Andrew Duggan, Jack Livesy, John Seymour, James Kelly, John Shelly, Victor Harrison, Sally Gracie, Sally Chamberlin, Edward Binns, Lauren Bacall, Ethel Britton, Michael Dreyfuss, Elaine Kaye, Adrienne Moore. Cinematography Boris Kaufman Film Editors Dave Kummis, Carl Lerner Art Direction Richard Sylbert Assistant Director Charles Maguire Written by Rod Serling Produced by Michael Myerberg Directed by Fielder Cook

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Let me roll off the titles of some 'fifties 'organization...

She's beautiful, desired and enjoys a social mobility in the improving Italian economy... but she's also a pawn of cruel materialist values. Stefania Sandrelli personifies a liberated spirit who lives for the moment, but who can't form the relationships we call 'living.' Antonio Pietrangeli and Ettore Scola slip an insightful drama into the young Sandrelli's lineup of comedy roles. I Knew Her Well Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 801 1965 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 115 min. / Io la conoscevo bene / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date February 23, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Stefania Sandrelli, Mario Adorf, Jean-Claude Brialy, Joachim Fuchsberger, Nino Manfredi, Enrico Maria Salerno, Ugo Tognazzi, Karin Dor, Franco Nero. Cinematography Armando Nannuzzi Production design Maurizio Chiari Film Editor Franco Fraticelli Original Music Piero Picconi Written by Antonio Pietrangeli, Ruggero Maccari, Etore Scola Produced by Turi Vasile Directed by Antonio Pietrangeli

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Did a new kind of woman emerge in the 1960s?...

23 years ago today, James Doohan reprised his iconic “Star Trek” role as Montgomery Scott when he appeared in an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” In that October 12, 1992 episode, written by Ronald D. Moore, the crew of the Enterprise discover Scotty’s life form on a Federation transport ship that’s been missing for 75 years. Rematerialized aboard the Enterprise, Scotty raises a glass to his absent crew members. We raise a glass to sci-fi logic that gives us the return of characters who should be long-dead. It was the first “Star Trek” episode directed by Alexander Singer, who went on to direct several more “Tng,” “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager” episodes. “Having Jimmy Doohan there, I felt I was in the middle of some kind of mythic experience,” he later said. Other notable October 12 happenings in pop culture history: •1969: The “Paul is dead” conspiracy took off when a...

Time Magazine posted the following video and an essay from Jon Dieringer, which takes a look at the short film spawned from Stanley Kubrick's 1949 photo-essay "Prizefighter" for Look magazine. Here's a snippet from Dieringer's piece: Alexander Singer and Kubrick had forged a bond over shared scholastic apathy and mutual respect of each other's extracurricular achievements -- Singer as editor of the school literary arts magazine, and Kubrick as the kid with a camera around his neck: "almost a caricature of what you'd imagine a teenage cameraman would look like," as Singer describes. When plans to photograph a feature-length cinematic adaptation of Homer's Iliad written and directed by Singer proved too ambitious, Kubrick struck upon the idea to instead translate one of his own photographic essays to the big screen. That essay was Prizefighter, published by Look in January 1949, and described by Kubrick biographer Vincent LoBrutto as the moment he...