marlon brando

Alan Ladd Jr Dies Aged 84

Famed studio chief and film producer Alan Ladd Jr. Ladd has died at the age of 84. Born on 22 October 1937, Ladd was the son of Shane actor Alan Ladd and he started his Hollywood career as a Hollywood agent in the 1960s. Moving to London in the [...]

March 3, 2022

Uncovering Curiosities: Don Taylor’s THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU

Director Don Taylor’s 1977 screen adaptation of HG Wells’ 1896 novel The Island Of Doctor Moreau is a wonderful sci-fi/horror from the iconic masters of schlock at American International Pictures. Taylor’s film has the perfect pace to tell [...]

November 27, 2021

Notebook Reviews: DON JUAN DEMARCO

Jeremy Leven – 1995. Don Juan DeMarco is an enjoyable romantic comedy/drama from writer-director Jeremy Levin. The film has an intriguing premise and it features the captivating pairing of Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando. The former shows-off [...]

November 3, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Francesco Rossi’s HANDS OVER THE CITY (Le Mani Sulla Città)

Hands Over The City (Le mani sulla città) is a superb drama which sheds light on the political machinations on a post-war Italy. Rod Steiger plays Edoardo Nottola, an Italian business man with a lust for power, money and land. However, his [...]

August 22, 2021

Obituary: Legendary Hollywood Director Richard Donner Dies Aged 91

The great Richard Donner sadly passed away at the age of 91 on 5 July 2021. Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg on 24 April 24 1930 in New York, Donner started out as an actor before moving into directing in the 1960s. He went on to become one of [...]

July 5, 2021

Notebook Reviews: SUPERMAN II

Richard Lester – 1980 Continuing the Man Of Steel‘s story from Richard Donner‘s brilliant original, Superman II isn’t quite as good as its predecessor – but it’s close. Very close. Gene Hackman and Christopher [...]

May 17, 2021

The Mighty Richard Donner

The mighty Richard Donner turned 91 years old on 24 April 2021. Donner is one of the all-time great Hollywood directors who cut his teeth in advertising and television, working on some of the most iconic shows of the 1960s and 1970s (The Twilight [...]

April 24, 2021

Notebook Reviews: THE SCORE

Frank Oz – 2001 The Score sees a great cast heading-up an old-fashioned caper film from director Frank Oz. Young upstart Edward Norton steals the honours from acting greats Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando. A slick and well made film, The [...]

February 27, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Michael Winner’s THE NIGHTCOMERS

A prequel of sorts to Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, The Nightcomers is a sexually charged gothic thriller with Marlon Brando and Stephanie Beacham.This is the type of film which could only have come from director Michael Winner as it oozes [...]

December 22, 2020

Notebook Reviews: THE GODFATHER

Francis Ford Coppola – 1972 The Godfather is Francis Ford Coppola‘s epic masterpiece. Coppola’s 1972 adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel is richly textured with top-notch acting from a brilliant cast (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, [...]

November 6, 2020

Uncovering Curiosities: Richard Stanley’s HARDWARE

It’s hard to believe that Richard Stanley’s Hardware is celebrating its 25th anniversary. This science fiction horror marked Stanley’s directorial debut and it showed him to be a unique voice in the world of genre filmmaking. Stanley was on [...]

October 16, 2020

Notebook Reviews: THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU

John Frankenheimer – 1996 Not as bad as the reviews suggest, The Doctor Of Island Moreau is a bizarre but entertaining adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel. Marlon Brando camps things up to great effect as the title character and Val Kilmer is [...]

September 12, 2020

Behind The Scenes: Marlon Brando Directing The Western ONE-EYED JACKS

The mighty Marlon Brando starred-in and directed the 1961 western One-Eyed Jacks. The film is an uneven piece for sure, but you can’t deny Brando’s screen presence in this tale of revenge. The plot sees Brando’s rugged Rio seeking payback on [...]

September 3, 2020

Light ‘Em Up! Richard Donner & Marlon Brando On The Set Of SUPERMAN

The mighty Richard Donner’s Superman broke new cinematic ground when it was released in 1978. Visually it’s stunning, and that’s before you take into the account the special effects – most of which still hold up today (impressive when you [...]

May 24, 2020

When Movies Go Wrong: THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU

HG Wells’ 1896 novel The Island Of Doctor Moreau was adapted for the screen for the troubled 1996 film starring Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer and David Thewlis. The now infamous film was originally set to be directed by Richard Stanley (Hardware) but [...]

May 23, 2020