Cinema is Dope

[ View Image (1024x768) ]

Japanese Poster Appreciation Month - January 2009

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Saturday, January 3, 2009

Now here is some fantastic high flying artwork and illustration from what I hear is one of the best action films of the 70’s. I missed getting to see this one at Fantastic Fest this past year and definitely plan to still track it down. I’m told in addition to Wang Yu and Sammo Hung there are brief cameos by one of my favorites Lam Ching-Ying, as well as Corey Yuen and Yuen Biao in it. I believe at some point this year the brand spanking new documentary Not Quite Hollywood (official site) highlighting Australian ”Ozploitation” should be getting a proper US release and it features and profiles this movie.

The director Brian Trenchard-Smith really was a class act with a quick wit that could make anyone laugh at Fantastic Fest last year. I remember having a blast watching the Danish sci-fi romp The Substitute with him, Jasper and Harvey, where I was glad that so many seemed to have been converted to instant fans of the always great Paprika Steen.

Japanese Poster Appreciation Month - January 2009 (Archive):
::: January 6 - Sisters (1973)
::: January 5 - Crime Boss (1972)
::: January 4 - White Lightning (1973)
::: January 3 - The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
::: January 2 - Rolling Thunder (1977)
::: January 1 - Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)
::: January 1 - Army of Darkness (1992)
::: Preview - Cannonball! (1976)
::: Previous Japanese Posters Featured @ Cinema is Dope

Related The Man from Hong Kong Coverage:
::: Official Brian Trenchard-Smith Blog
::: Fantastic Fest 2008 Listing
::: Headquarters 10 Loves This Movie
::: Outcast Cinema/Marc Thoughts On
::: Devin from CHUD talks about this movie from Fantastic Fest 2008
::: Swarez thoughts on the movie from Fantastic Fest 2008
::: Q&A from Not Quite Hollywood (TexasGeek.tv)
::: Kung Fu Cinema Review

Japanese Cinema Sites I Highly Recommend:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

* If you don’t see your site listed here and it covers Japanese cinema please comment below so that I can review it and possibly include it in future lists.

About Japanese Poster Artwork Celebration Month:
To kick off 2009, I can think of no better way of doing so than celebrating Japanese poster artwork. The emphasis will be more of western films through the lens of Japanese poster artwork and of course some of my own personal all-time favorites. At a future date I’ll probably have a month devoted to solely Japanese films and their poster artwork. So be sure to tune in each day during the month of January as I have an incredible amount of incredible Japanese posters that will be on display. Hopefully at the end of this I can convert many of you into life long fans of Japanese posters!

Please help and spread the word on the January 2009 themed Japanese Poster Celebration Month here at Cinema is Dope. Tweet your friends. Mention it in your Facebook status or Friendfeed. Link to it on your blog. Any support is greatly appreciated!!!!!

You can follow along at these specific urls/web addresses:
::: www.cinemaisdope.com/category/movie-wallpaper-japanese-poster-celebration-month/
::: http://tinyurl.com/japanese-poster-2009

Starring in these posters will be: Antonio Sabato, Bruce Campbell, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, David Carradine, Dustin Hoffman, Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, George Lazenby, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Jack Nicholson, James Coburn, Jennifer Billings, Jim Brown, Jimmy Wang Yu, John Boorman, Kate Jackson, Lee Marvin, Lee Van Cleef, Michael Caine, Peter Fonda, Richard Pryor, Roddy McDowall, Sergio Leone, Sidney Poitier, Susan Strasberg, Warren Oates, William Devane and many more…

If you’re interested in Japanese cinema, I highly recommend the following Cinema is Dope picks for January 2009. For this months book selection we have Behind the Pink Curtain by Jasper Sharp. For video recommendation this month we have Linda Linda Linda.

Additionally fans of Japanese cinema will want to pick up this amazing Yasujiro Ozu tribute shirt from Mondo Tees!

As always when in Austin, Texas, be sure to check out Weird Wednesday (January/February 2009 lineup) or Terror Tuesday (January/February 2009 lineup) and of course Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

My current favorite restaurants in Austin that are an absolute must visit are Clay Pit (be sure to place an order of naan bread) and Uchi. Be sure to tell them CinemaisDope.com sent you if you visit.

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024x768) ]

First we had Mighty Mouse leading the charge here into 2009 and now we have… THE BUGLE BOY from Viva Villa! leading the charge with his electrifying bugle!!!

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)
::: Quick Thoughts on Viva Villa! from BNAT X (Cinema is Dope)
::: Diary of a Butt-Numb-a-Thon Survivor, Part One (Slackerwood)

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024x784) ]
[ View Image (1280x980) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Friday, December 26, 2008

Wallace Beery comes face to face with the crossroads of fate in Viva Villa!

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)
::: Quick Thoughts on Viva Villa! from BNAT X (Cinema is Dope)

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024x768) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Thursday, December 25, 2008

VIVA XMAS 2008 EVERYONE!!!

I guess we will never know who directed what in this historical epic that doesn’t play it PC. What we do know is that Wallace Beery turns in one larger than life Kong size performance as Pancho Villa in it!

I feel incredibly lucky getting to see this projected on the big screen recently at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar during BNAT X in 35mm. Not everyday this film on that kind of amazing print gets screened anywhere in the world!

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)
::: Quick Thoughts on Viva Villa! from BNAT X (Cinema is Dope)

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024x694) ]
[ View Image (1280x868) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Sunday, December 21, 2008

Seems slightly surreal that in his dip to 80’s music nostaligia on his new album that Kanye West would also team up with Herbie Hancock to pay reference to RoboCop (complete with appropriate sound effects from the film). A major pop/hip hop song referencing RoboCop??? Now that is supremely cool! Definitely check it out.

Cause I don’t want no RoboCop
You moving like a RoboCop
When did you become a RoboCop
No I don’t need no RoboCop

Related Coverage:
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)

(Read more…)

[ View Image (1024x773) ]
[ View Image (1280x966) ]

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Friday, December 5, 2008

Two of the all-time greats Lee Marvin and Spencer Tracy in one of the still sadly under seen gems and classics of cinema in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). The Criterion laserdisc for this film remains one of my most prized possessions to this day. Be on the lookout for more images posted from this film in the coming days and weeks ahead.

(Read more…)