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(See previous post: “Gay Pride Movie Series Comes to a Close: From Heterosexual Angst to Indonesian Coup.”) Ken Russell's Valentino (1977) is notable for starring ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev as silent era icon Rudolph Valentino, whose sexual orientation, despite countless gay rumors, seems to have been, according to the available evidence, heterosexual. (Valentino's supposed affair with fellow “Latin Lover” Ramon Novarro has no basis in reality.) The female cast is also impressive: Veteran Leslie Caron (Lili, Gigi) as stage and screen star Alla Nazimova, ex-The Mamas & the Papas singer Michelle Phillips as Valentino wife and Nazimova protégée Natacha Rambova, Felicity Kendal as screenwriter/producer June Mathis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), and Carol Kane – lately of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame. Bob Fosse's Cabaret (1972) is notable as one of the greatest musicals ever made. As a 1930s Cabaret presenter – and the Spirit of Germany – Joel Grey was the year's Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner. Liza Minnelli...

Susan Hayward. Susan Hayward movies: TCM Star of the Month Fiery redhead Susan Hayward it Turner Classic Movies' Star of the Month in Sept. 2015. The five-time Best Actress Oscar nominee – like Ida Lupino, a would-be Bette Davis that only sporadically landed roles to match the verve of her thespian prowess – was initially a minor Warner Bros. contract player who went on to become a Paramount second lead in the early '40s, a Universal leading lady in the late '40s, and a 20th Century Fox star in the early '50s. TCM will be presenting only three Susan Hayward premieres, all from her Fox era. Unfortunately, her Paramount and Universal work – e.g., Among the Living, Sis Hopkins, And Now Tomorrow, The Saxon Charm – which remains mostly unavailable (in quality prints), will remain unavailable this month. Highlights of the evening include: Adam Had Four Sons (1941), a sentimental but surprisingly...

Tim Burton is a lightning rod director. He’s one of the rare film-makers who has a brand name to people who don’t necessarily love movies. He’s a selling point, and it’s not just his relationship with Johnny Depp. Tim Burton now also has a questionable artistic reputation, and it’s become nigh impossible to take him seriously after years of doing terrible for-hire projects. Mars Attacks can either be seen Burton in hack mode delivering his best of that sort, or it’s an actual personal effort that just doesn’t connect – watching it, it’s hard to call as either.

But though there are other films with a more direct reference point (Ray Harryhausen’s Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers for one), Forbidden Planet and its ideas of proper space travel are definitely within that sphere. Both films have hit Blu-ray. My reviews of Mars...

Last week, Warner Home Video released six of their science fiction films on Blu-ray for the first time. While all were greatly appreciated by genre fans to one degree or another, it can be safely said that the most eagerly awaited one is also the best one of the set. MGM’s Forbidden Planet is clearly a class act and the loving restoration is evident in just how fabulous the movie looks in high definition.

The 1956 was one of the studio’s last major releases before its decline in quality, and it was also their first real attempt at science fiction. All the resources that made their musicals shine brightly were brought to the feature production and as a result, this is the single best science fiction movie made that decade. Its influences go far beyond imagination considering the enduring popularity of Robby the Robot and how much the film...

Have you ever wanted to see a young Leslie Nielsen playing a space-age hero? What if the movie also had the debut of one of science fictions most iconic robots? If neither of these are appealing, perhaps Forbidden Planet can tempt you with a virginal beauty, a mad scientist, and a story that borrows heavily from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. For the casual film watcher, Forbidden Planet is a fun little science fiction film, and for film and science fiction enthusiast, Forbidden Planet influenced Star Wars, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and the Star Trek franchise. With extensive special features and beautiful picture and sound transfer, the blu-ray release of Forbidden Planet should not be missed.

In Forbidden Planet, Commander J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) has been sent to Planet Altair-4 to relieve the space crew of their duties and send them home. When they arrive, they discover that the...