Hello!

Dependable CineSavant correspondent ‘woggly’ has sent a link to a pretty impressive (and very lengthy) Historic L.A. Theaters in Movies website that documents the extensive, extravagant re-dressing of real Hollywood locations to recreate 1969 for the next Quentin Tarantino movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. I reported briefly last summer on the bits of leftover art direction I personally saw on Hollywood Blvd. and at Paramount, but I didn’t know that they re-did the Cinerama Dome to ‘bring back’ Krakatoa East of Java, including a giant mural-like reproduction of its poster. I’m rather relieved that Tarantino’s story reportedly includes the historical Manson-Tate killings but is not solely about them… that’s always been the stuff of nightmares.

Charlie Largent found this encoding of the behind-the-scenes Home Movies from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. I think they’re the same ones on the fine 2011 Blu-ray, and the color, etc. is excellent. See Chaplin direct dozens of extras, including stars like Henry Daniell, and above, Reginald Gardiner.

Charlie contributes a Popeye review today, and if the schedule holds, he’ll follow with a review of Scream Factory’s Plague of the Zombies this coming Saturday. I’m doubling back to some prime discs from Twilight Time, Powerhouse Indicator and an impressive batch of discs from Kino Lorber. At least one is from the end of February … I wonder if reviewing it now is too early?

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson