The DVD Wrapup: Twins of Evil, Black Limousine, Kassim, Quill, Making Plans for Lena, Cherry Bomb, Chariots of Fire … More

The gimmick attraction was the casting of identical Maltese twins, Mary and Madeleine Collinson, as the vampire-bait siblings, Maria and Frieda. Having recently posed for the centerfold pictorial of Playboy magazine and being cast in a short stag film, they were pretty marketable. After 40 years, however, “Twins of Evil” can stand on its own merits… not that Collinsons don’t retain their allure.

Wilmington on Movies: Savages

These three lead a sort of idyllic hippie-outlaw-rich-druggie existence (like young, successful moviemakers maybe), with lots of money to spend, lots of ganja to smoke, and lots of sheets to get tangled in — in paradisiacal surroundings on Laguna Beach, drenched in the blazing colors and the lush foliage of beachside life on the Pacific, as shot by cinematographer Dan Mindel. Then their dream world begins to crumble.

DVD Geek: The Artist

The black-and-white image is crisp and captivating. The quality of the BD presentation enhances, among other things, the film’s fabulous production design, so that the locations—such as the Bradbury Building stairwell, evocative of a Jerry Lewis production design, which shows Dujardin’s character on the way down meeting Bejo’s character on the way up, as extras breeze past them and around them in a mysteriously perfect rhythm—and costumes pelt the viewer continually with refreshing stimulation.

Friday Estimates: July 6, 2012

After opening big on Tuesday, Spider Man stays topside with another $20.3m on Friday. Ted will pass $100 today and Brave holds strong. Oliver Stone’s Savages debuted in fifth on the list with $5.6.

Box Office Hell — July 6

Our Players|||| The Amazing Spider-Man |||| Ted |||| Magic Mike |||| Brave |||| Katy Perry: Part of Me ||||

Critics Roundup — July 5

The Amazing Spider-Man |||Yellow|Yellow|Green Savages |||Yellow||Green Starry Starry Night (NY) ||||Green| The Do-Deca Pentathlon (limited) |||Red|| The Magic of Belle Isle (limited) |||Red|| Last Ride (NY) |||Green||

Wilmington on Movies: The Amazing Spider-man

So Tobey Maguire, who apparently became obsolescent at 32 (or at least too old for playing angst-ridden teenagers), gets sent off to the Old Superheroes‘ home, to be replaced by 28-year-old brooding British cutie-pie and critic’s pet Andrew Garfield, who played Mark Zuckerberg‘s (Jesse Eisenberg’s) college chum/partner Eduardo in The Social Network — not my idea of an American teenager, but we‘ll let that pass.

Pride’s Friday 5 (July 6, 2012)

Where’s “Margaret”? “The Battle Of Algiers” is re-fought in Los Angeles and New York this week; Yang Chung’s “China Heavyweight” opens in New York City; The Overlook Hotel is constantly under construction; and Godard’s “Contempt” shows via Film Independent at LACMA.

Wilmington on DVDs: Carol Channing — Larger Than Life

I never saw Carol Channing perform live, but the new documentary Carol Channing: Larger Than Life convinced me I missed something very, very special — a great talent and a great lady and a great good time.

The DVD Wrapup: American Dream, Joe + Belle, Barbarella, Chesty Morgan, Kirk Douglas … More

If there’s anything that brings out the high-school sophomore in adult men, it’s a bust that measures 73 FF. That vital statistic, alone, made Chesty Morgan (a.k.a., Lillian Wilczkowsky) a name recognized in frat, fire and grind houses throughout North America from 1972 to 1991. And, yes, her breasts were – and continue to be, at 75 – 100 percent real.

Wilmington on DVDs: American Reunion

  AMERICAN REUNION (Two and a Half Stars) U. S.: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, 2012 (Universal)  American Reunion is indubitably the best of all the American Pie series sequels. Don’t think I don‘t know how much that last judgment is a case of damning with faint praise, or praising with faint damns, or whatever. But what…

The Weekend Report, July 1, 2012

The pundits anticipated that audience hearts would once again be in the Highlands and Brave would be atop weekend box office.

They were wrong.

Wilmington on Movies: Magic Mike

The Kid’s star rises. Things get darker. There’s a lot of sex and nudity, including an orgy with a pig wandering around. (You suspect something like this once happened somewhere.)

Wilmington on Movies: Grand Illusion

Few films about war and the men who fight them have the resonance, beauty and power of Jean Renoir’s 1937 Grand Illusion — which Renoir based on his own experiences as a fighter pilot and a Prisoner of War in World War I.