Showing posts with label disney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disney. Show all posts

Sunday 17 May 2020

#VINCENTPRICE TALKS THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE AND HINT OF THE 107TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TO COME!


A LITTLE TREAT for SUNDAY over at FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! It's a little seen interview with #VINCENTPRICE speaking about his latest role as 'the voice' of prime villain Professor Ratigan in the Disney cartoon 'Basil The Great Mouse Detective'. This interview was broadcast in 1986 by the UK ITV children's programme 'Splash'. You can see it . .


HERE ARE THREE interesting and rare publicity photographs, that could give you a CLUE as to what I have in line for a #PCASUK #Competition to mark the 107th celebration of Peter Cushing's Birthday this month! I think we are going to have us some fun


TODAY I'VE ALSO PLANTED this very rare and interesting publicity photograph of Peter Cushing at the Fan Page. IF you can recognise the character Cushing is playing here and name the film in which it appeared, you have a CLUE to an element that will be part of a COMPETITION I'll be launching during the PCASUK celebration of 107th  anniversary of Peter Cushing's birthday this month! I think we are going to be having some fun that day! Please stay SAFE and look after yourselves 😊😉 - Marcus




Monday 17 December 2018

REVIEW : TWILIGHT TIMES THE SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST BLU RAY




THE CHARACTER of ROBIN HOOD as far as film production is concerned, seems to have revived and arrived as frequently as the BLOKE in the Cloak, Count Dracula. Since 1938, when actor Errol Flynn donned the tights and bow in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', which hit loads of lolly for the rich and entertainment for the thrill hungry public, Robin and his Merry Men have nearly always been a winner. There have been many remakes and story direction retakes  that not only revived the tale, but such was the power of the story of Mr Hood, you can spot it like a well aimed arrow, providing themes, influences in everything from extended ideas for spin offs, Mel Brooks epics and even down to a Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny cartoon! The world of Robin Hood is one of Olde Worlde very rich, but usless kings, lords and ladies, fat monks and pious priest, where every town has men with swords and maidens who are lit and presented in soft focus, having been crafted by a Westmore brother, who  struggle with the caddish-fiend advances of tash tweaking, baddie barons. But I LOVE it!  



HAMMER FILMS 'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST'  couldn't be and isn't the DISNEY or Errol version. This Hammer film budget, but BUT it is enormously entertaining. Hammer set design guru, Bernard Robinson was and had been tied up with The Mummy, The Brides of Dracula and the Two Faces of Doctor Jekyll, so John Stoll, did the duties. The reason WHY SWORD does so well is because of its excellent cas. which headlines with Peter Cushing as the Sheriff of Nottingham.. in THREE splendid costume changes. Knowing PC he probably pooted along to Berman's and chose them, as he would say 'Mu-self!'...  and Richard Greene as the lead, and for many THE Robin! Others include Hammer's Richard Pascoe, almost 'out stepping' Cushing as a beauty of a bounder and baddie! Oliver Reed gets the better of Cushing's Sheriff, Niall McGinnis makes a very good Friar Tuck and Richard Greene IS Little John! For a tale, almost exclusively set in woodlands and forest, that also has the FOREST word in its title, one wonders if actress Sarah BRANCH was cast and chosen, only for the potentially endless publicity and press office premier inches that could be pushed and published using her surname as an endless pun? BRANCH is very good in the feature, but held a held a carear that only lasted just over four years!? Did Hammer and Chairman Sir James only spot the BRANCH potential as the main and valid reason to another money spinner and quickly slapped together another fim poster to collect the backers cash? Nope. Truth is, the business  and Hollywood has been churning out  Robin Hood films for actually MORE than a century. And Sword of Sherwood Forest, is certainly one of my personal favorites!



SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST is a film from an era, where movies where 'crafted' for the family. No gallons of gore or huge and cavernous miles deep cleavage, to fall into here! You would think, the attraction of such a film of such qualities, would be well passed. BUT just two weeks ago, PCAS offered up SEVEN copies of the Twilight Time remastered blu ray as sponsored prizes in a VERY well supported competition. This gives a fair indication, that Robin and his Merry Men are still very popular. And in THIS EXCELLENT transfer of the feature film, which is typical of the standard of quality we have come to expect from Twilight Time and Sony, the release looks very good indeed! 


SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST was directed by Hammer film icon Terence Fisher, who was well prepared and knew exactly how best to present all the 'key Hood' moments, having also directed many of the television series episode, that also starred Richrad Greene as Robin. It looks delicious, having been shot in Technicolor and makes the most of the luscious green forests, fern, flora and fauna of the Irish location, having been shot in beautiful Enniskery, County Wicklow. 


VISION
FOR ALL THOSE who mull of the technical pickings of screen size and frames, this 2.35:1 Megascope production is bang on, properly framed. The visuals in that frame, well meet the standards we have come to expect from Twilight Time, who in the past have brought us other Peter Cushing classics like Hammer films 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles' (1959)  and Amicus films 'THE SKULL' (1965) this transfer is immaculate! The colours are VIBRANT and do justice to the magnificent scenery, that both Fisher and cinematographer Ken Hodges were working to capture on the big screen. Hodges also worked with Fisher on the TV series. 


ABOVE: SEVEN LUCKY WINNERS of our TWILIGHT TIME PCAS competition last month!


SOUND
THE SOUNDTRACK on the disc comes as a  DTS HD-MA mono track, which presents dialogue clearly, with no drop out, hiss or bassey muffle. Even though in mono, the music composed by Alun Hoddinott, as in ALL Hood films and particulary the UK tv series, sounds terific. is as good as it could be, with clear dialogue throughout, supporting the clanking and thrashing of duels and sword fights very well. All of this drama, sometimes takes a break and presents Alan-a-Dale played by Denis Lotis singing and yodeling, medieval melodies with harp, flute and his mandolin! Charming! English SDH subtitles are available. 


EXTRAS
IN THE PAST, Twilight Time extras have included, documentaries, galleries, trailers and posters. This release offers a very nice isolated music and effects track. Which personally, would always get my vote, over endless talking heads of types who weren't even breathing when the film was released, let alone a twinkle in some daddy's eye! Also included is the theatrical for the film and the very nice thought of a short but appreciative glossy brochure / booklet on the film.

FOLLOWERS who are interested in purchasing it can skip along to the Twilight Time website or the Screen Archives website to order their copy. A GREAT watch for the family at Christmas.
 

Wednesday 18 October 2017

GOODBYE TO ROY DOTRICE OBE 1923 -2017


VERY SAD TO READ that actor ROY DOTRICE passed a few days ago. Dotrice has one of those acting CV's that crosses all genre's, generations, trends and all arts disciplines, all of which he excelled in . . . he has a tenuous connection to Peter Cushing in that he was in the cast of Amicus films, 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972) in the 'Wish You Were Here' story, with Richard Greene and Barbara Murray. But I want to mention his passing here as more of a note to myself, and maybe you too, that Roy like Christopher Lee before him, is one of the last of our actors who stood for something special. In most cases their work, as they got older, should have come with a 'Quality Reassurance' stamp!


DOTRICE PLAYED so many good roles, very well during his long career, that's it's almost impossible to make a choice of the best... but stand outs would be Leopold Mozart in 'Amadeus' (1984), John Aubrey in Patrick Garland's 'Brief Lives', a one-man show that saw Dotrice on stage for more than two-and-a-half hours. 


A WEALTH BRIT TALENT: Rehearsing for a show at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm is Foreground Barbara Windsor, and Max wall, a bearded Roy Dotrice, George Baker, Liza Goddard, Fenella Fielding, Amanda Barry, Anna Quayle, Melvyn Hayes, Bob Todd and Miriam Karlin! 



INTERVIEW: Roy Dotrice discuses recording the audio book of George R.R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

DOTRICE ALSO DID a terrific job of playing the title role in the television mini-series 'Dickens of London' in 1976. Followers of the 1980s American TV series 'Beauty and the Beast' will know him as the adopt-father of Ron Pearlman's character.



AMAZINGLY HE EARNED a place in the Guinness World Records in 2004 for the highest number of character voices by a single actor for the first book in the series of, 'A Game of Thrones' (in which he voiced a total of 224 characters). He also narrated many storybook adaptations for Disney Records, including 'The Little Mermaid', for which he was nominated for a Grammy award. In 2000 Dotrice won much acclaim for his Tony Award-winning Broadway performance in the revival of 'A Moon for the Misbegotten' and in 2008 was appointed to the Order of the British Empire for services to the world of theatre and drama.


BACK A FEW YEARS ago, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Roy at the BBC rehearsal rooms in Acton, London. He was relaxed, unpretentious, extremely friendly..and blessed with that same grace, manner and composure that Mr Lee and Mr Cushing also lived by... a gentleman, an outstanding talent and presence in his profession. Roy Dotrice OBE 1923 - 2017.



IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA . .

Monday 6 February 2017

CLEGG HERO OR MONSTER : MONSTERMONDAY


#MONSTERMONDAY: Peter Cushing's Captain Clegg aka Rev. Dr. Blyss comes from the much loved Dr Syn pirate adventure books written by Russell Thorndyke.... Much has been shared here about the alternative titles used during the release of this Hammer film, 'Night Creatures (US) Captain Clegg (US) and the copyright problems with the name of Syn and the bad timing of being produced the SAME TIME as Disney's Dr Syn The Scarecrow feature film! ...Want to know more about that... you'll find extensively illustrated features starting  HERE at this website!



WAS BLYSS a good man, robbing from the Tax Collectors and Exercise Menand giving to the poor of his parish..OR was his treatment of Milton Reid's character... cutting out his tongue and banishing him to an island, a bit on the rough side of justice??? He WAS a pirate. He did fight and kill....the stories of his fights were legendary in the books.. he was a man to be feared! This still stands as one of the Cushing films that is least seen by most people here. If you haven't caught this one, now is the time... in the tradition of Robin Hood and Errol Flynn Peter LOVED playing this role and even spent time writing a sequel to this Hammer classic! So, Clegg...Villain, Monster and a Slayer on the High Seas....or a Hero? YOU decide!



TRIVIA: Above is the face well known of a quite well known British character actor who appeared in Captain Clegg / Night Creatures and at least TWO films with Peter Cushing... but can you name him and the title of the ONE television show he also appeared in with Cushing? ANSWER later....

Saturday 17 December 2016

ROGUE ONE IN RUNNING FOR OSCAR NOMINATION


YESTERDAY... Friday, December 16, the motion picture academy announced the 10 films that are still in the running for an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. These 10 films will compete for the final five slots that will be announced along with the complete list of Oscar nominees on January 24th 2017. The ten films that will compete for the FIVE nominations are: and breaking news “Arrival” “The BFG” “Captain America: Civil War” “Deepwater Horizon” “Doctor Strange” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” “The Jungle Book” “Kubo and the Two Strings” “Passengers” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

WE WISH #ROGUEONE the best of luck 😋  What do you think of this TEN BEST list? Does it meet the titles you think would be in the running... and does #ROGUEONE out strip the competition??


PLEASE JOIN US AT OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE : CLICK HERE!

Thursday 15 December 2016

ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR PETER CUSHING ON FACEBOOK!


IN THE SIX YEARS since we have made our extension website home here on facebook, it's NEVER been better than this! What a week! The release of #ROGUEONE with an amazing technical and cinematic feat of bringing #PeterCushing's likeness back to the big screen! AND NOW we have just passed a NEW LIKES and FOLLOWERS total! 27,000 LIKES and 25,000 active followers, and all made possible without a penny spent on boosting or sponsoring any of our posts. Cushing Power! It was archived purely by your support, interest and LOVE of #PeterCushing .... thank you, for every single like, every comment, share and click!


TO MARK THIS MILESTONE on the day of the International release of #ROGUEONE , a film I am sure Peter Cushing would have been very proud of indeed, it just doesn't get any better. Keep FIRING OFF those likes, shares and comments! As always, anything you have to share..You May Fire When Ready!
-MARCUS BROOKS PCAS 



JOIN US AT OUR  FACEBOOK FAN PAGE CLICK HERE!

ROGUE ONE OPENS AND CGI TARKIN IS TOTALLY TOPS!


OVER AT THE PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE reports and comments are already flying in from #PETERCUSHING and #STARWARS fans who have seen #ROGUEONE at their local cinema! The feeling is #PETERCUSHING'S CGI appearance in the film, is a resounding SUCCESS! So,YOUR FEEDBACK PLEASE! Via our email address ( petercushingpcas@gmail.com) or our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE. Now that #ROGUEONE is opening internationally, we would LOVE to hear from YOU if you have seen the film. PLEASE NO plot details, but we would really like to know what you think of #PeterCushing's CGI appearance in the film. NO illegal screen photographs please... we'd love to see you outside the cinema in a SELFIE though 🙂 #TARKIN IS BACK!

photo: Rodger Phillips.


JOIN US NOW AT OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: JUST CLICK HERE 
THEN CLICK LIKE THERE! 😁

Saturday 16 July 2016

#ROGUEONE : SO IS THAT A YOUNGER TARKIN??


NEW #ROGUEONE TRAILER released yesterday! Here's the question asked by many Peter Cushing fans today, watch the new featurette and ask yourself...'IS THAT TARKIN??' Now the time-line seems clearer and it appears #ROGUEONE will be set somewhere in the time during the  construction of the Death Star, I guess the actor required to play Tarkin won't be as young as I first imagined! We'll have to wait and see!



THIS YEAR, 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of PCAS, help us celebrate Peter Cushing life and career, by sharing our post on any of our sites.

Facebook Fan Page:HERE  Youtube: HERE  Tumblr:HERE  Website:HERE
#TARKIN #GRANDMOFFTARKIN #ROGUEONE

Thursday 14 July 2016

#TBT WHEN MARK HAMILL MET PETER CUSHING : INTERVIEW


#ThrowbackThursday: Here are two clips where Mark Hamill talks about meeting Peter Cushing on the set of Star Wars! He REALLY is a Peter Cushing fan and as you will see from the second clip, he is quite knowledgeable about Peter Cushing's  life and career!





THIS YEAR, 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of PCAS, help us celebrate Peter Cushing life and career, by sharing our post on any of our sites.

Facebook Fan Page:HERE  Youtube: HERE  Tumblr:HERE  Website:HERE

#STARWARS #MARKHAMILL #PETERCUSHING #ROGUEONE


Friday 12 February 2016

TARKIN RETURNS AND HE IS NOT ALONE : STAR WARS ROGUE ONE ANTHOLOGY




We are a couple of months removed from the triumphant return of the Star Wars franchise with The Force Awakens. It has become the biggest domestic hit in U.S. history and we have firmly stepped into the era of The Force. Lucasfilm and Disney currently has at least three Star Wars films in various stages of production including Episode 8, Rogue One, and the Han Solo spin-off. While the average moviegoer is unaware of this grand plan, even the rabid fanbase is largely in the dark about where the new films are headed. (Spoilers ahead)


 In July 2015, That Hashtag Show's broke the scoop that there would be the presence of what were formerly called Shadow Troopers in Rogue One. Last week their trustworthy JoBlo, gave a report which aligned with the info our sources obtained last summer. The latest bit of information that we have obtained is really interesting and gives a more focused look at some fan favorite characters. Last August, The Daily Mail ran a interesting scoop that sounded too strange to be true at the time. They reported that Grand Moff Tarkin would return in Rogue One and that LucasFilm would be digitally recreating Peter Cushing in the film. After some digging we have gotten confirmation, from our same source that tipped us that Admiral Ackbar would appear in The Force Awakens, that the scoop was correct. Grand Moff Tarkin will indeed return to the big-screen and will be recreated using the miracle of CGI.


We all know this technology has been used before; like in Fast and Furious 7 for Paul Walker and to convincingly make Michael Douglas younger in Ant-Man. There is concept art of Tarkin for Rogue One, along with Darth Vader, on the bridge of the Death Star and the execution of his CGI character has been explained as being one of the most expensive renderings ever. We don't know who will be playing Tarkin, but, something interesting our source told us is that the Rogue One CG IS for the original actor behind Grand Moff Tarkin, Peter Cushing. It's unclear why they have chosen to go this complicated route, over simply recasting an actor who could breathe new life into the character. However, it is the direction the production has decided to take. Now we wait until December, to see just how all this works, and hopefully the amazing RETURN of Peter Cushing as Tarkin.


This feature and text report has been compiled from source material at
https://www.facebook.com/ThatHashtagShow and movieplot. com  
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...