The character of The Mandarin first appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics back in 1964, created by Don Heck and Marvel bigwig Stan Lee. In John Coates' 2014 book "Don Heck: A Work of Art," Heck admitted that the Mandarin was more Lee's idea, as he wanted an old-fashioned Fu Manchu-like villain to face off against Iron Man, one of the company's B-list characters. A lot of the cliches and stereotypes embodied by Dr. Fu-Manchu (a villain character from a 1913 pulp novel by Sax Rohmer) transferred directly into the Mandarin. The Mandarin is a supervillain from China and was initially drawn as a racist caricature.
In the original comics, the Mandarin possessed 10 magical rings, salvaged from a crashed alien spaceship. He was one of Iron Man's earliest nemeses. The character has stubbornly remained in the background of Marvel comics for decades.
By 2013, Iron Man had become a hot commodity in...
In the original comics, the Mandarin possessed 10 magical rings, salvaged from a crashed alien spaceship. He was one of Iron Man's earliest nemeses. The character has stubbornly remained in the background of Marvel comics for decades.
By 2013, Iron Man had become a hot commodity in...
- 11/19/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The second of nine films made by director Jess Franco and writer-producer Harry Alan Towers over the course of only two years, The Girl from Rio is their jazzy, featherweight riff on the spy-fi genre, a heady blend of international intrigue and semi-science-fictional elements, popular (especially in Europe) in the wake of the James Bond films. It’s also a sequel of sorts to Towers’s earlier film The Million Eyes of Sumuru, directed by Lindsay Shonteff, based on the exploits of the Sax Rohmer super-villainess. Though in this film, for some inexplicable reason, the character is regularly referred to as Sunanda (obviously and not very convincingly dubbed in post) and listed in the credits as Sumitra. Blame it on Rio!
Like many a Franco film, The Girl from Rio opens with a protracted erotic dance routine: Clad only in a webbed body stocking, Yana (Beni Cardoso) does her number for a recumbent man,...
Like many a Franco film, The Girl from Rio opens with a protracted erotic dance routine: Clad only in a webbed body stocking, Yana (Beni Cardoso) does her number for a recumbent man,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
In the pantheon of the best superheroes of all time, Shang-Chi probably doesn’t rank high on anybody’s list. A superhero best described as “basically Bruce Lee,” Shang-Chi’s street cred is recognized only to readers of his original Marvel Comics series, Master of Kung Fu, when it was published during a widespread kung fu fad that dominated the American zeitgeist.
Despite a modest hit movie in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings with sitcom star Simu Liu, Shang-Chi doesn’t have nearly the same recognition as the MVPs of the Avengers, either. It’s why rumors that Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi may co-lead the onscreen Avengers in the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty have encouraged mockery online, with fans loudly wanting to return to the pre-Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But the best superheroes exist as answers to powerful questions. Batman asks what happens when grief is fueled by vengeance,...
Despite a modest hit movie in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings with sitcom star Simu Liu, Shang-Chi doesn’t have nearly the same recognition as the MVPs of the Avengers, either. It’s why rumors that Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi may co-lead the onscreen Avengers in the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty have encouraged mockery online, with fans loudly wanting to return to the pre-Endgame Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But the best superheroes exist as answers to powerful questions. Batman asks what happens when grief is fueled by vengeance,...
- 8/15/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
The inspiration for Marvel Comics super-villain 'The Mandarin', 'Dr. Fu Manchu' was introduced in a series of 14 detective novels by Brit author Sax Rohmer, also appearing in television, radio, comic strips, comic books and movies, as portrayed by Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee:
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
- 4/20/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
It’s interesting to note that the two Marvel Cinematic Movies of the fall are the ones that hew furthest away from the source material. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, out now in both streaming and disc, it makes the most sense because the original Master of Kung-Fu comic was very much a product of its time. Capitalizing on the kung fu craze of the early 1970s, it also melded the comic with Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu, the epitome of the Yellow Menace, a pulp magazine staple.
But, boiled down, the story is about fathers and sons and legacy, a solid framework that writers Dave Callaham, Andrew Lanham developed with co-writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton. While jettisoning the stereotypes, we have instead Xu Wenwu (Tony Keung), a near-immortal being who has amassed power and wealth across the centuries but doesn’t find happiness until he...
But, boiled down, the story is about fathers and sons and legacy, a solid framework that writers Dave Callaham, Andrew Lanham developed with co-writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton. While jettisoning the stereotypes, we have instead Xu Wenwu (Tony Keung), a near-immortal being who has amassed power and wealth across the centuries but doesn’t find happiness until he...
- 11/23/2021
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
In 1973 Marvel latched onto the Bruce Lee, Kung Fu craze and launched the character of Shang Chi into high octane kung fu action in the pages of their comics. Now it is my turn to latch onto the latest craze and talk all things Master of Kung Fu. Firstly I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I am delighted to see it performing so strongly. Everything I have heard has been all positive. With it being only the third Marvel movie since Endgame (the first with a new character) the vultures we undoubtedly circling. Movie goers are always waiting for the MCU movie that breaks the camals back, particuarly when they cross over into new genres. A lot of the positive talk focuses on how fresh it feels. When you consider it is the first ‘origin’ story since Captain Marvel which feels a life time ago now. To pull...
- 9/17/2021
- by Ian Wells
- Nerdly
This review of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” was first published on August 23.
Marvel Comics creators Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin originally conceived martial-arts hero Shang-Chi as a loose composite of the imagery and mythologies of Bruce Lee, Caine from “Kung Fu” (whom Lee created), and Sax Rohmer’s pulp villain Dr. Fu Manchu. If Marvel Studios has thus far made slow progress in developing solo adventures for its many superheroes of color, it takes another successful stride, if not quite as sizable as “Black Panther,” with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” a film that builds simultaneously on the lexicon of 50 years of Hong Kong action films and the thematic boilerplate of MCU origin stories.
Simu Liu (“Kim’s Convenience”) injects an earnest, charming humility to the character’s introduction into Marvel’s world of larger than life conflicts, while Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh...
Marvel Comics creators Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin originally conceived martial-arts hero Shang-Chi as a loose composite of the imagery and mythologies of Bruce Lee, Caine from “Kung Fu” (whom Lee created), and Sax Rohmer’s pulp villain Dr. Fu Manchu. If Marvel Studios has thus far made slow progress in developing solo adventures for its many superheroes of color, it takes another successful stride, if not quite as sizable as “Black Panther,” with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” a film that builds simultaneously on the lexicon of 50 years of Hong Kong action films and the thematic boilerplate of MCU origin stories.
Simu Liu (“Kim’s Convenience”) injects an earnest, charming humility to the character’s introduction into Marvel’s world of larger than life conflicts, while Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh...
- 9/2/2021
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
'Dr. Fu Manchu', the inspiration for Marvel Comics super-villain 'The Mandarin', appearing in Marvel Studios'"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" was introduced in a series of 14 detective novels by Brit author Sax Rohmer, also appearing in television dramas, radio plays, comic strips, comic books and in the movies, portrayed by Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee:
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
- 8/31/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
We waited a long time to finally have another look at Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and we’re going to have to wait even longer for it to come out.
“It’s been almost a year to the day since we last got a glimpse of the latest Lego Star Wars game, which was meant to come out earlier this year, only to slip into a silent delay. Turns out we’re going to have to face waiting for it a little longer, which is a shame because it continues to look hilarious.”
Read more at Gizmodo
Writing fictional stories can actually further your understanding of human beings in real life.
“There are all kinds of reasons to write fiction—from catharsis to comfort to escapism. But lately, I keep thinking that one of the biggest reasons to write fiction is because of the fundamental unknowability of other human beings.
“It’s been almost a year to the day since we last got a glimpse of the latest Lego Star Wars game, which was meant to come out earlier this year, only to slip into a silent delay. Turns out we’re going to have to face waiting for it a little longer, which is a shame because it continues to look hilarious.”
Read more at Gizmodo
Writing fictional stories can actually further your understanding of human beings in real life.
“There are all kinds of reasons to write fiction—from catharsis to comfort to escapism. But lately, I keep thinking that one of the biggest reasons to write fiction is because of the fundamental unknowability of other human beings.
- 8/27/2021
- by Lee Parham
- Den of Geek
The inspiration for Marvel Comics super-villain 'The Mandarin', 'Dr. Fu Manchu' was introduced in a series of 14 detective novels by Brit author Sax Rohmer, before spinning off into live-action television, radio, comic strips, comic books and in the movies, as portrayed by Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee:
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
- 5/22/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
In a spectacular Marvel twist, the first Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings trailer confirms a rumor that the film’s director, Destin Daniel Cretton dropped last year: the Mandarin is Shang-Chi’s father.
Typical for the MCU’s shared universe, this plays out well on multiple levels. In the original comics, Shang-Chi’s father was none other than Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu was created by Englishman Sax Rohmer with his pulp fiction book The Mystery of Doctor Fu-Manchu in 1913. It was a stark, racist portrayal of Asians, and Rohmer capitalized upon the ‘Yellow Peril’ xenophobia of the time by milking his Fu Manchu character for a long running serial of over a dozen books. Fu Manchu became the West’s preeminent orientalist villain, a ruthless mad scientist evil genius with a signature mustache. The character was depicted in dozens of films, always portrayed by Caucasian actors with...
Typical for the MCU’s shared universe, this plays out well on multiple levels. In the original comics, Shang-Chi’s father was none other than Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu was created by Englishman Sax Rohmer with his pulp fiction book The Mystery of Doctor Fu-Manchu in 1913. It was a stark, racist portrayal of Asians, and Rohmer capitalized upon the ‘Yellow Peril’ xenophobia of the time by milking his Fu Manchu character for a long running serial of over a dozen books. Fu Manchu became the West’s preeminent orientalist villain, a ruthless mad scientist evil genius with a signature mustache. The character was depicted in dozens of films, always portrayed by Caucasian actors with...
- 4/19/2021
- by Mike Cecchini
- Den of Geek
While The Walt Disney Company continues to acquiesce to demands concerning the tourist outreach of Shanghai Disneyland, or the marketing of "Mulan", the upcoming Marvel Studios superhero feature "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", opening July 9, 2021, will likewise 'tone down' their depiction of 'The Mandarin' (Tony Leung) leader of the 'Ten Rings' terror organization, whose father was fictitious Chinese warlord 'Fu Manchu', created by writer Sax Rohmer in 1912, selling tens of millions of books on the premise Western civilization was being infiltrated by a ruthless 'yellow peril':
Marvel Comics' 'The Mandarin' debuted in "Tales of Suspense" #50 (February 1964), written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Don Heck.
"...the Mandarin's father was one of the wealthiest men in pre-revolutionary mainland China, as a descendant of 'Genghis Khan', while his mother was an English noblewoman. Their son was born in an unnamed village in mainland China before the Communist revolution.
Marvel Comics' 'The Mandarin' debuted in "Tales of Suspense" #50 (February 1964), written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Don Heck.
"...the Mandarin's father was one of the wealthiest men in pre-revolutionary mainland China, as a descendant of 'Genghis Khan', while his mother was an English noblewoman. Their son was born in an unnamed village in mainland China before the Communist revolution.
- 1/2/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Normal 0 false false false En-gb X-none X-none
By Darren Allison
In 1965, maverick British producer and writer Harry Alan Towers (The Bloody Judge) scored a hit with The Face of Fu Manchu, a thrilling revival of Sax Rohmer’s super-villain imperiously portrayed by Christopher Lee. Powerhouse/Indicator have lovingly brought together all five films in the series and in the process produced a rather spectacular collection.
Christopher Lee was of course no stranger to playing maniacal, Asian characters. He had already played Chung King, leader of the Red Dragon Tong's in Hammer’s movie The Terror of the Tongs (1961) directed by Anthony Bushell. Tall, dark and menacing in his stature, Lee was perfect casting for novelist Sax Rohmer’s notorious Chinese criminal mastermind. Produced by Harry Alan Towers and Oliver A. Unger, The Face of Fu Manchu was a British / West German co-production. Behind the camera was Australian-born British film director Don Sharp,...
By Darren Allison
In 1965, maverick British producer and writer Harry Alan Towers (The Bloody Judge) scored a hit with The Face of Fu Manchu, a thrilling revival of Sax Rohmer’s super-villain imperiously portrayed by Christopher Lee. Powerhouse/Indicator have lovingly brought together all five films in the series and in the process produced a rather spectacular collection.
Christopher Lee was of course no stranger to playing maniacal, Asian characters. He had already played Chung King, leader of the Red Dragon Tong's in Hammer’s movie The Terror of the Tongs (1961) directed by Anthony Bushell. Tall, dark and menacing in his stature, Lee was perfect casting for novelist Sax Rohmer’s notorious Chinese criminal mastermind. Produced by Harry Alan Towers and Oliver A. Unger, The Face of Fu Manchu was a British / West German co-production. Behind the camera was Australian-born British film director Don Sharp,...
- 11/3/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Fu Manchu Cycle—1965-1969
Blu ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1965 – 1969 / 96, 93, 91, 94, 92 min. / 2:33:1, 1:85, 1:66
Starring Christoper Lee, Tsai Chin
Cinematography by Ernest Steward, John Von Kotze, Manuel Merino
Directed by Don Sharp, Jeremy Summers, Jesús Franco
Arthur Henry Ward was born in Birmingham in 1883—at the age of 20 he adopted the pen name of Sax Rohmer, specializing in standard issue crime fiction and otherworldly tales of terror. In 1912 he folded both genres into one sinister figure from the East, a so-called “devil doctor” named Fu Manchu. The book covers alone were xenophobic horror shows and if there was any doubt the stories themselves were wildly racist, the author confirmed it in the description of his star villain: “the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man.”
An authority on philosophy, medicine, and idiosyncratic torture devices, Manchu made his debut in The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu which was quickly followed by The Return of Dr.
Blu ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1965 – 1969 / 96, 93, 91, 94, 92 min. / 2:33:1, 1:85, 1:66
Starring Christoper Lee, Tsai Chin
Cinematography by Ernest Steward, John Von Kotze, Manuel Merino
Directed by Don Sharp, Jeremy Summers, Jesús Franco
Arthur Henry Ward was born in Birmingham in 1883—at the age of 20 he adopted the pen name of Sax Rohmer, specializing in standard issue crime fiction and otherworldly tales of terror. In 1912 he folded both genres into one sinister figure from the East, a so-called “devil doctor” named Fu Manchu. The book covers alone were xenophobic horror shows and if there was any doubt the stories themselves were wildly racist, the author confirmed it in the description of his star villain: “the Yellow Peril incarnate in one man.”
An authority on philosophy, medicine, and idiosyncratic torture devices, Manchu made his debut in The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu which was quickly followed by The Return of Dr.
- 10/31/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
The inspiration for Marvel Comics super-villain 'The Mandarin', due to return in Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", 'Dr. Fu Manchu' was introduced in a series of 14 detective novels by Brit author Sax Rohmer, also appearing on television, radio, comic strips, comic books and in movies, as portrayed by Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee:
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
"...the supervillain's evil plots of world-domination...
"...are marked by his extensive use...
"...of thugs, street gangs and compromised members of elite secret societies to do his dirty work...
"...or by using fungi, bacilli and other chemical weapons to slowly destroy humanity..."
Christopher Lee played the character in "The Face of Fu Manchu" (1965), "The Brides of Fu Manchu" (1966), "The Vengeance of Fu Manchu" (1967), "The Blood of Fu Manchu" (1968) and "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969).
Click the images to enlarge...
- 7/23/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
James Hunt Mar 25, 2019
We look at the comic-book origins of Shang-Chi, the character who'll be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4...
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
With a writer and director now formally attached to the project, it's only a matter of time until Marvel announces an actual release date for its Shang-Chi movie. But who is the Master of Kung Fu, and what can you expect of the film version? We've got the essentials right here...
Who is Shang-Chi?
Created by Steve Englehart (creator of Star-Lord) and Jim Starlin (creator of Thanos), Shang-Chi is the Master of Kung Fu. That means he’s Really good at martial arts. Indeed, the character actually began life as a thinly-disguised attempt to capitalise on the martial arts exploitation boom of the 1970s. Put it this way: it's no surprise his name rhymes with Bruce Lee.
But who is he?...
We look at the comic-book origins of Shang-Chi, the character who'll be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Phase 4...
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
With a writer and director now formally attached to the project, it's only a matter of time until Marvel announces an actual release date for its Shang-Chi movie. But who is the Master of Kung Fu, and what can you expect of the film version? We've got the essentials right here...
Who is Shang-Chi?
Created by Steve Englehart (creator of Star-Lord) and Jim Starlin (creator of Thanos), Shang-Chi is the Master of Kung Fu. That means he’s Really good at martial arts. Indeed, the character actually began life as a thinly-disguised attempt to capitalise on the martial arts exploitation boom of the 1970s. Put it this way: it's no surprise his name rhymes with Bruce Lee.
But who is he?...
- 3/25/2019
- Den of Geek
Tim George Jan 15, 2018
With James Bond returning to our screens in 2019, what's the challenge ahead for Daniel Craig's final 007 movie?
After a year and change of silence, we now have a release date for Bond 25 (8th November, 2019, probably a week or two earlier in the UK) and a James Bond (Saint Blue Eyes himself, Daniel Craig). It will be a while before we start to get more details like a director or a cast. But as with all movies, before all those pieces can be in place, there must be a story - which is where the challenge begins.
After the less-than-stellar response to Spectre, the James Bond franchise is back in familiar territory: having its relevance questioned. A cursory look through critical notices and fan consensus picks out the return to formula, the lack of character development and the bungled attempt to jump on the ‘shared universe’ trend.
With James Bond returning to our screens in 2019, what's the challenge ahead for Daniel Craig's final 007 movie?
After a year and change of silence, we now have a release date for Bond 25 (8th November, 2019, probably a week or two earlier in the UK) and a James Bond (Saint Blue Eyes himself, Daniel Craig). It will be a while before we start to get more details like a director or a cast. But as with all movies, before all those pieces can be in place, there must be a story - which is where the challenge begins.
After the less-than-stellar response to Spectre, the James Bond franchise is back in familiar territory: having its relevance questioned. A cursory look through critical notices and fan consensus picks out the return to formula, the lack of character development and the bungled attempt to jump on the ‘shared universe’ trend.
- 1/8/2018
- Den of Geek
With Run The Series, The A.V. Club examines film franchises, studying how they change and evolve with each new installment.
In these theoretically more enlightened times, Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu is the dictionary definition of “problematic.” Created in 1913, the character is “yellow peril” personified, a renegade Chinese warlord and evil genius bent on world domination and the extermination of the white race. His nemesis: resourceful Scotland Yard commissioner Nayland Smith, who stands for everything good, proper, and most importantly, British. An unmistakable product of an imperial power on the verge of losing its supremacy, Rohmer’s adventure yarns (which he continued writing until his death in 1959) were extremely popular with the reading public, and eventually the viewing public, when they were brought to the screen in two dozen silent shorts made in the U.K. in 1923 and 1924, with Irish actor H. Agar Lyons playing ...
In these theoretically more enlightened times, Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu is the dictionary definition of “problematic.” Created in 1913, the character is “yellow peril” personified, a renegade Chinese warlord and evil genius bent on world domination and the extermination of the white race. His nemesis: resourceful Scotland Yard commissioner Nayland Smith, who stands for everything good, proper, and most importantly, British. An unmistakable product of an imperial power on the verge of losing its supremacy, Rohmer’s adventure yarns (which he continued writing until his death in 1959) were extremely popular with the reading public, and eventually the viewing public, when they were brought to the screen in two dozen silent shorts made in the U.K. in 1923 and 1924, with Irish actor H. Agar Lyons playing ...
- 5/2/2017
- by Craig J. Clark
- avclub.com
Hissable villain Bela Lugosi is in denial --- no, it's actually star Edmund Lowe who is in the Nile, deep-sixed in a sunken sarcophagus. Lugosi's up top trying to get his art deco death ray in running order -- opposed only by some nubile babes and a Great White Hypnotist from the Swami school of mind control. Chandu the Magician Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1932 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 71 min. / Street Date August 23, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Edmund Lowe, Irene Ware, Bela Lugosi, Herbert Mundin, Henry B. Walthall, Weldon Heyburn, June Lang, Michael Stuart, Virginia Hammond. Cinematography James Wong Howe Art Direction Max Parker Written by Barry Conners, Philip Klein, Guy Bolton, Bradley King, Harry Segall from a radio drama by Harry A. Earnshaw, Vera M. Oldham, R.R. Morgan Directed by William Cameron Menzies, Marcel Varnel
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Around 2008 Fox Home Video made a last big push with genre releases on DVD,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Around 2008 Fox Home Video made a last big push with genre releases on DVD,...
- 8/9/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sharks, female convicts, Christopher Lee… what more could a fright fan ask for?
Death Becomes Her
• Release Date: Available April 26th on Blu-ray
• Written By: Martin Donovan, David Koepp
• Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
• Starring: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn
Here we go, creeps — a real milestone moment here in the ol’ Crypt o’ Xiii… we are going to get someone else to talk a bit about the feature at hand (I know, I can scarcely believe I’m going to shut up for a second or two either); in this case, the 1992 laughs and lacerations pic Death Becomes Her! So let’s put our claws, flippers… whatever the hell you may have together for my wife Hatelyn Xiii!
Daniel Xiii. So why don’t ya give my loyal coffin club the rundown on ol’ Dbh?
Hatelyn Xiii. Ok, this flick features a long standing rivalry between two women (one...
Death Becomes Her
• Release Date: Available April 26th on Blu-ray
• Written By: Martin Donovan, David Koepp
• Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
• Starring: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn
Here we go, creeps — a real milestone moment here in the ol’ Crypt o’ Xiii… we are going to get someone else to talk a bit about the feature at hand (I know, I can scarcely believe I’m going to shut up for a second or two either); in this case, the 1992 laughs and lacerations pic Death Becomes Her! So let’s put our claws, flippers… whatever the hell you may have together for my wife Hatelyn Xiii!
Daniel Xiii. So why don’t ya give my loyal coffin club the rundown on ol’ Dbh?
Hatelyn Xiii. Ok, this flick features a long standing rivalry between two women (one...
- 4/11/2016
- by DanielXIII
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
By Hank Reineke
Perhaps it is only fitting that area meteorologists would forewarn ominously that the Mahoning Drive-in Theater’s “Christopher Lee Tribute” might take place on a cold and dark and stormy night. After all, it was the villainous film legacy of the actor – who passed away at age 93 on June 7th of this year – to have frightened generations of moviegoers in such a bleakly nightmarish rain-soaked setting. As it happened, while the shivery autumnal chill on Saturday night was undeniable, there was – happily - nary a sprinkle of precipitation to obscure one’s windshield view of the drive-in’s massive CinemaScope screen.
The Mahoning Drive-in, located amidst the Pocono Mountains surrounding Lehighton, Pennsylvania, is – quite frankly – an anomaly amongst the anomalies of surviving drive-in theaters. Whilst most remaining drive-ins have been forced to move cautiously and expensively to digital projection systems or else suffer their screens going dark,...
Perhaps it is only fitting that area meteorologists would forewarn ominously that the Mahoning Drive-in Theater’s “Christopher Lee Tribute” might take place on a cold and dark and stormy night. After all, it was the villainous film legacy of the actor – who passed away at age 93 on June 7th of this year – to have frightened generations of moviegoers in such a bleakly nightmarish rain-soaked setting. As it happened, while the shivery autumnal chill on Saturday night was undeniable, there was – happily - nary a sprinkle of precipitation to obscure one’s windshield view of the drive-in’s massive CinemaScope screen.
The Mahoning Drive-in, located amidst the Pocono Mountains surrounding Lehighton, Pennsylvania, is – quite frankly – an anomaly amongst the anomalies of surviving drive-in theaters. Whilst most remaining drive-ins have been forced to move cautiously and expensively to digital projection systems or else suffer their screens going dark,...
- 10/4/2015
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The day monster kids have dreaded for some time has arrived. Mournful, nostalgic, and melancholy – it’s the end of an era for more than one generation of horror fans. It seemed like Christopher Lee would live through all eternity, but unlike some of the characters he played, there’s no bringing him back to life this time. He made it to 93 and went out on a high note, appearing in the final Hobbit film just this past winter. He had an amazing career of fantastic performances and remains the greatest villain actor in film history. Rip to the last classic horror star and thank you for all the monster memories.
Christopher Lee was married to his wife Birgit (Gitte) for 54 years.
Here, according to Movie Geeks Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and myself, are Christopher Lee’s ten best roles.
10. Frankenstein
It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein,...
Christopher Lee was married to his wife Birgit (Gitte) for 54 years.
Here, according to Movie Geeks Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and myself, are Christopher Lee’s ten best roles.
10. Frankenstein
It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein,...
- 6/11/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Next week at Tfh features a trio of trippy films gathered together under the banner "Just Say No". They include Requiem for a Dream, The Trip, and the subject of today's Saturday Matinee, Confessions of an Opium Eater.
Producer Albert Zugsmith was a consummate exploitationist, launching his career in 1952 with the berserk red-scare screed, Invasion USA starring Gerald Mohr and Dan O’Herlihy. He would spend the next twenty years rattling off a memorably lurid series of titles stoked by the hottest of hot-button topics, including teenage sex (High School Confidential), collegiate sex (Sex Kittens go to College) and interracial sex (Night of the Quarter Moon). There’s a pattern here if you look real close.
An amiable self-made millionaire who seemed to thrive on the low-down pleasures found on the other side of the tracks, Zugsmith’s first directorial efforts (College Confidential, The Private Lives of Adam and Eve...
Producer Albert Zugsmith was a consummate exploitationist, launching his career in 1952 with the berserk red-scare screed, Invasion USA starring Gerald Mohr and Dan O’Herlihy. He would spend the next twenty years rattling off a memorably lurid series of titles stoked by the hottest of hot-button topics, including teenage sex (High School Confidential), collegiate sex (Sex Kittens go to College) and interracial sex (Night of the Quarter Moon). There’s a pattern here if you look real close.
An amiable self-made millionaire who seemed to thrive on the low-down pleasures found on the other side of the tracks, Zugsmith’s first directorial efforts (College Confidential, The Private Lives of Adam and Eve...
- 8/15/2014
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Yippee-ki-yay! It's action-movie time! From Die Hard to Deliverance, here's what the Guardian and Observer's critics think are the 10 best ever made. Let us know what you think in the comments below
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
• Top 10 romantic movies
Peter Bradshaw on action movies
In some ways, it should be the quintessential cinema genre. After all, what does the director shout at the beginning of a take? Action – at times a euphemism for violence and machismo – evolved into a recognisable genre in the 80s. Gunplay and athleticism resurfaced in a sweatier and more explicitly violent form, with movies such as Sylvester Stallone's First Blood. The hardware was all-important, and the metallic sheen of the guns was something to be savoured alongside the musculature of the heroes. The genre spawned the action hero. These were not pretty-boys there to melt female hearts: they were there to get a roar of approval from the guys.
- 10/10/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Sam Moffitt, and Tom Stockman
The film career of legendary English actor Sir Christopher Lee began in 1948 and continues to the present day. Lee is best known for his roles in horror films, especially the string of seven Dracula movies he starred in for Hammer Studios between 1958 and 1974, but be may be best known to younger audiences for his roles in the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Almost all of the roles that Lee has played have been villains and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best.
10. Frankenstein
It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein, the film that truly began England’s Hammer Studios’ theatrical run of full color gothic horror epics, should team (well, they’re both in the 1948 Hamlet, but have no scenes together) their greatest stars, Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein...
The film career of legendary English actor Sir Christopher Lee began in 1948 and continues to the present day. Lee is best known for his roles in horror films, especially the string of seven Dracula movies he starred in for Hammer Studios between 1958 and 1974, but be may be best known to younger audiences for his roles in the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Almost all of the roles that Lee has played have been villains and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best.
10. Frankenstein
It’s only fitting that The Curse Of Frankenstein, the film that truly began England’s Hammer Studios’ theatrical run of full color gothic horror epics, should team (well, they’re both in the 1948 Hamlet, but have no scenes together) their greatest stars, Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein...
- 8/6/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When it was first announced that this week's "The Lone Ranger" was going to star Johnny Depp as the Native American warrior Tonto, fans around the country scratched their heads ... and not just because they were wondering what he would look like with a giant dead bird for a hat. Depp as Tonto? Really?
Depp, as it turns out, does have some Native American ancestry and was recently adopted by the Comanche nation. But his role as Tonto and the subsequent casting of William Fichtner as the Japanese villain Shredder in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" did get us thinking about one of the most insidious aspects of Hollywood's moviemaking machine: namely, their ongoing insensitivity and downright obliviousness when it comes to casting ethnic characters.
So with that in mind, here's a look at some of the most egregious examples. Because the only color that seems to matter in Hollywood is green.
Depp, as it turns out, does have some Native American ancestry and was recently adopted by the Comanche nation. But his role as Tonto and the subsequent casting of William Fichtner as the Japanese villain Shredder in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" did get us thinking about one of the most insidious aspects of Hollywood's moviemaking machine: namely, their ongoing insensitivity and downright obliviousness when it comes to casting ethnic characters.
So with that in mind, here's a look at some of the most egregious examples. Because the only color that seems to matter in Hollywood is green.
- 7/1/2013
- by Scott Harris
- NextMovie
Author Sax Rohmer began writing a series of Fu-Manchu novels starting in 1912 with The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu. Since then we’ve seen numerous book releases, and film adaptations starring Warner Oland, Christopher Lee and others in the role Dr. Fu-Manchu.
Tomorrow sees two classic Fu-Manchu re-releases from Titan Books: The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu and The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu. Titan books has provided us with an exclusive excerpt from The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu for Daily Dead readers.
Fu-Manchu – The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu: Denis Nayland Smith pursues his quarry across continents and through the back alleys of London. As victim after victim disappears at the hands of the Devil Doctor, Smith must unravel his murderous plot before it is too late.
Fu-Manchu – The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu: London, 1913—the era of Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and the Invisible Man. A time of shadows, secret societies, and dens filled with opium addicts.
Tomorrow sees two classic Fu-Manchu re-releases from Titan Books: The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu and The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu. Titan books has provided us with an exclusive excerpt from The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu for Daily Dead readers.
Fu-Manchu – The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu: Denis Nayland Smith pursues his quarry across continents and through the back alleys of London. As victim after victim disappears at the hands of the Devil Doctor, Smith must unravel his murderous plot before it is too late.
Fu-Manchu – The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu: London, 1913—the era of Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and the Invisible Man. A time of shadows, secret societies, and dens filled with opium addicts.
- 2/13/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Director of eerily atmospheric Hammer horror films including The Kiss of the Vampire
In 1962, Don Sharp was a minor ex-actor, hack writer and jobbing director of British B-films, when he was offered the chance to make a gothic horror movie for Hammer, "the studio that dripped blood". In the event, The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) rescued both Sharp, who has died aged 90, and Hammer from the doldrums.
The studio, which had suffered several expensive flops, turned to Sharp due to his experience in low-budget film-making. Sharp, who claimed to have never watched a horror movie, let alone directed one, quickly steeped himself in the Hammer style by spending a week or so watching past successes, principally those directed by Terence Fisher and Freddie Francis. The Kiss of the Vampire, made with a smaller budget and an unstarry cast, recruited mostly from television, scored at the box office, and Sharp became associated with horror movies thereafter.
In 1962, Don Sharp was a minor ex-actor, hack writer and jobbing director of British B-films, when he was offered the chance to make a gothic horror movie for Hammer, "the studio that dripped blood". In the event, The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) rescued both Sharp, who has died aged 90, and Hammer from the doldrums.
The studio, which had suffered several expensive flops, turned to Sharp due to his experience in low-budget film-making. Sharp, who claimed to have never watched a horror movie, let alone directed one, quickly steeped himself in the Hammer style by spending a week or so watching past successes, principally those directed by Terence Fisher and Freddie Francis. The Kiss of the Vampire, made with a smaller budget and an unstarry cast, recruited mostly from television, scored at the box office, and Sharp became associated with horror movies thereafter.
- 12/22/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Fu Manchu for Mayor! Joe Dante explains.
Just look at this:
Click to make huuuuuuge.
Classic FemJep stuff, huh? (That’s females-in-jeopardy for you non-industry types.)
Karin Dor grapples with one of Fu Manchu’s dacoit assassins in the first and best of the sixties Fu Manchu series starring Christopher Lee, The Face of Fu Manchu, based on the Oriental arch-villain character created by Sax Rohmer in 1913 and continued in a series of novels through 1959.
“Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, … one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present … Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man.” – Rohmer in The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu
For obvious reasons, this yellow peril stuff has gone out of fashion, to say the least, although Rohmer...
Just look at this:
Click to make huuuuuuge.
Classic FemJep stuff, huh? (That’s females-in-jeopardy for you non-industry types.)
Karin Dor grapples with one of Fu Manchu’s dacoit assassins in the first and best of the sixties Fu Manchu series starring Christopher Lee, The Face of Fu Manchu, based on the Oriental arch-villain character created by Sax Rohmer in 1913 and continued in a series of novels through 1959.
“Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, … one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present … Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man.” – Rohmer in The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu
For obvious reasons, this yellow peril stuff has gone out of fashion, to say the least, although Rohmer...
- 9/13/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Because, you know, why even bring up something such as "the pulp imagination of Eric Rohmer" when such a quality is never manifested in any of his films?
Or is it?
First, to the question of why even bring it up. Well, it's the pseudonym. Maurice Scherer, "Momo" to his pals, supposedly chose the name Eric Rohmer our of respect for two authors: Eric Ambler, the British and relatively respectable creator of spy thrillers such as The Mask of Dmitrios; and Sax Rohmer, the altogether more disreputable creator of that racist embodiment of the, ahem, "Yellow Peril," the arch-villain Fu Manchu. So he must have liked that kind of thing. You'd not likely get this from his films, which are peopled with largely refined and cultivated characters who almost unfailingly maintain a sense of good taste even as Rohmer is peeling back their façades and dissecting their rather silly and sometimes profoundly sad emotional cores.
Or is it?
First, to the question of why even bring it up. Well, it's the pseudonym. Maurice Scherer, "Momo" to his pals, supposedly chose the name Eric Rohmer our of respect for two authors: Eric Ambler, the British and relatively respectable creator of spy thrillers such as The Mask of Dmitrios; and Sax Rohmer, the altogether more disreputable creator of that racist embodiment of the, ahem, "Yellow Peril," the arch-villain Fu Manchu. So he must have liked that kind of thing. You'd not likely get this from his films, which are peopled with largely refined and cultivated characters who almost unfailingly maintain a sense of good taste even as Rohmer is peeling back their façades and dissecting their rather silly and sometimes profoundly sad emotional cores.
- 8/25/2010
- MUBI
Eric Rohmer, the French New Wave icon who specialized in films about young love, died yesterday in Paris. He was 89. His work included "My Night at Maud's" (1969), "Claire's Knee" (1970), "Pauline at the Beach" (1983) and "Chloe in the Afternoon" (1972). His final film, "Romance of Astree and Celadon," appeared in 2007. In 2001, he was given a lifetime-achievement award at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. His 50 or so films, which usually featured nubile French actresses, eschewed action in favor of cerebral conversation and romantic entanglement.
- 1/12/2010
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
Paris - Eric Rohmer, a pioneer of the French "New Wave" which transformed cinema in the 1960s, has died, his production house said on Monday. He was 89.Les Films du Losange, a company that produced his movies, said Rohmer died in Paris on Monday. The cause of death was not known.Rohmer directed such films as "My Night at Maud's" (Ma Nuit Chez Maud), "Claire's Knee" ("Le Genou de Claire") and "Chloe in the Afternoon" (L'Amour l'apres-midi")."My Night at Maud's" garnered an Oscar nomination for best foreign-language film and best screenplay.His "Die Marquie von O" won the Special Jury Prize at the 1976 Festival de Cannes.Rohmer also directed "Pauline at the Beach" and "Full Moon in Paris," whose lead actress Pascale Ogier won the best actress prize at the Venice Film Festival. It won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.With a background in journalism,...
- 1/11/2010
- backstage.com
Eric Rohmer, one of the founders of the French New Wave cinema died on Monday at the age of 89.Along with Jean-Pierre Melville, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Agnes Varda, Alan Resnais, Jacques Rivette and Louis Malle, he helped usher in the age of modern cinema. Rohmer wrapped various themes around his 27 films, including Moral Tales, Comedies And Proverbs and Tales Of The Four Seasons, with characters often caught on the horns of moral and romantic dilemmas.He won respect and recognition for films such as 1970's Claire's Knee and 1969's My Night At Maude's, filling each of his works with genuine emotion and originality. While his output never reached box office heights, they didn't need to - he worked to move people, and succeeded brilliantly. Originally born Maurice Henri Joseph Scherer, he forged a professional name for himself by joining those of Austrian director Erich von Stroheim and English writer Sax Rohmer.
- 1/11/2010
- EmpireOnline
Savvy entertainers often save some of their most popular hits to conclude a concert. What you can do for an encore may just determine if your audience exits whistling happily or not. And so it can be with comics—specifically Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill’s The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Teaming up some formidable fictional characters (Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Mina Murray Harker, the Invisible Man) to protect Victorian England was an inspired idea—and indeed their first adventure together was grand entertainment as this latest of several historical Leagues took on Fu Manchu and Professor Moriarty. On the other hand, it did spawn a movie version (which re-upholstered the plot and inexplicably added Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray to the group). Sadly, that flick—not quite as lousy as its reputation suggests—was such a torturous experience that it caused star Sean Connery to...
Teaming up some formidable fictional characters (Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Mina Murray Harker, the Invisible Man) to protect Victorian England was an inspired idea—and indeed their first adventure together was grand entertainment as this latest of several historical Leagues took on Fu Manchu and Professor Moriarty. On the other hand, it did spawn a movie version (which re-upholstered the plot and inexplicably added Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray to the group). Sadly, that flick—not quite as lousy as its reputation suggests—was such a torturous experience that it caused star Sean Connery to...
- 6/29/2009
- by no-reply@starlog.com (DAVID McDONNELL)
- Starlog
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