Classic Cinema: The Man Who Changed His Mind

This time around in Classic Cinema, Boris Karloff plays an obsessed scientist who has found the secret of the human soul and how to preserver it and transfer it between bodies. He summons his prize student, played by Anna Lee, to help him in the final stages of his research... but that's when things start to go horribly wrong.

"The Man Who Changed His Mind" is a spectacular early sci-fi/horror flick from England. The script is expertly paced and hits all the right notes, humorous, dramatic, and horrific. The cast all give fine performances, the script hits but Anna Lee is the true stand-out among the cast. Watch for the scene where she teeters on the brink between brilliance and madness herself -- it's a powerful bit of acting that's done purely with her eyes and facial expressions.

Click below to watch "The Man Who Changed His Mind" in its entirety, or click here to read my review first.

Lights, Camera, and plenty of Black Cat Action!

"Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. Him" is now available for purchase and download at DriveThruComics,com, DriveThruFiction.com, DriveThruRPG.com, and RPGNow.com,  It's a 48 page  book that presents four stories illustrated by the, great Joe Kubert--some of his earliest professional work--and three stories illustrated by the artist most closely associated with the Golden Age Black Cat, Lee Elias.

As a little preview, here's the splash-page from one of the Kubert stories (click on the image for a larger version):

Also, as a special treat, here's a short Linda Turner story NOT included in the book. My partner in NUELOW Games efforts L.L. Hundal felt that three non-superhero Lee Elias two-page stories were plenty, so this one got held for one of our planned follow-up "Film Fun Comics" editions--or just for posting here... time will tell!. Click on the images for larger versions.

If you've enjoyed this blog over the years, I encourage you to get a copy of "The Black Cat vs. HIM!". I edited the book and wrote "Excerpts from the Diary of Linda Turner," which is a fiction piece that adds a little more flesh to the "revised background" for Black Cat that's been implied in previous NUELOW Games products featuring the character. Supporting that book is supporting me and my love for places where "everything is in black and white" and my ability to have the time to put this blog together. (And other books like the "Film Fun Comics" series.)

Your support will be greatly appreciated. If you DO get a copy, please let me know what you think of "Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM!", either here, or in the comments section on the download page!

Classic Cinema: Curtain at Eight

Get the weekend stared right by watching a classic murder mystery where everyone's a suspect, including the chimp.

Is Dorothy MacKaill happy he's dead, or just smiling for the camera?

Click below to watch "Curtain at Eight" in its entirety, or click here to read my review first.

Black Cat Error Bonus!

I posted a post to the wrong blog, so to overwrite it, here are a couple more Black Cat illos do change it.

Picture Perfect Wednesday:The Return of the Black Cat!

This Friday, NUELOW Games is releasing "Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM". To celebrate (and to offer a preview), here are some classic Black Cat drawings from Lee Elias.

There are also Black Cat stories by Elias in "Film Fun Comics Vol. 1: Stuntman by Simon & Kirby" and in "His Honor and.... The Demon"! Click on the links to see previews or get your own copies of these very cool classic comics!

Classic Cinema: Impact

Time for another one of my favorite old time movies. "Impact" is a "film'noir" crime drama with a basic set-up (an unfaithful wife and her lover plan to kill her rich husband, but things go wrong) that's followed by all manner of twists and turns. It's lots of fun to watch, and it sports a great cast of actors. Click here to read my review, or go straight to the movie.

Have a happy Friday!

The Louise Brooks Quarterly:Flapper Flower Power

Summer's in full bloom!

It's 'Film Fun Comics' from NUELOW Games!

My latest compilation project for NUELOW Games--"Film Fun Comics Vol. 1: Stuntman" -- is now on sale. It features four Golden Age comic book stories by the great team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, in glorious black and white. Here's a splash page from one of the stories (click on the image to enlarge):

In addition to more than 50 pages of Simon & Kirby greatness, this pdf-format e-book contains a "Stuntman" scenario and characters for "ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters" and a special preview of what you can expect to see in "Film Fun Comics, Vol. 2: The Black Cat at War."

A question that may cross the minds of fellow fans of Golden Age comics might be why did we choose to present the Simon & Kirby art as grayscale instead of in its original four-color format? We certainly had that option, given that we were working with scans of printed comic books.

There are several reasons for that. The main reason is that the "Film Fun Comics" features Golden Age comics that use Hollywood's Golden Age as a springboard for action and adventure, so I decided to give the comics a look that matches the black-and-white movies the characters were making. Another important reason is that comic book conventions have changed since the 1940s when these stories were originally published; they really read much better to the modern eye if the color is stripped away.

I hope you'll give the book a shot. Click here to read a preview, or to get your own copy. And please let me know what you think of it--your comments may have an impact on future volumes of "Film Fun Comics" and other comic book projects that NUELOW Games has in the works.

A Picture Perfect Wednesday with Elizabeth Montgomery

My thanks to Elizabeth Momtgomery (and friend) for ably demonstrating the blog's unifying theme,

Classic Cinema: The Death Kiss

"The Death Kiss" is one of my all-time favorite old movies. It's a fast-paced mystery with some clever twists and turns, well-written dialogue delivered by a top-notch cast, and a comic relief character that's actually more funny than annoying; if you're a lover of old B-movies, you know how rare that is.

For film buffs, "The Death Kiss" provides not only an hour's worth of quality entertainment, but a look into the working life on a studio lot, as the characters are mostly actors, technicians, or studio executives in the process of making a movie that ahares its title with this one. Additionally, it features a re-teaming of the stars of Universal's "Dracula"--David Manners, Edward Van Sloan, and Bela Lugosi. They are playing very different characters here than in their previous collaboration. Further, Manners and Van Sloan both give far better performances here than they did in "Dracula.

 I hope you have the time to check out "The Death Kiss".. I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Click here to read my review of it, or go straight to the film below.