Posts Tagged ‘Universal Pictures’

Movies to See Before You Die: “Frankenstein” & “Bride of Frankenstein”

22, Oct 2012

by

“IT’S ALIVE!”

When discussing classic films, attention is often paid to how iconic and influential the film has proved. Frankenstein looms large on both counts. Mary Shelley’s novel (itself a literary classic) had already been adapted for stage and even a 1910 silent film by the time Carl Laemmle, Jr. took over the reins at Universal Studios from his father in 1928. Frankenstein followed Dracula by nine months in 1931, scoring a tremendous one-two punch for Laemmle and Universal. Frankenstein one-upped Dracula in every way, in large part because its director, James Whale, had a much stronger feel for the power of cinema and how to shoot film than did Dracula’s Tod Browning.

Read the rest of this entry »

Reel Rumbles #42: The Last Temptation of Christ vs. The Passion of the Christ

30, Apr 2012

by


In This Corner…

To finish out the month of April, I thought it would be fitting to focus on the two most well-known yet controversial films about Jesus Christ. On one side, we have Martin Scorsese‘s The Last Temptation of Christ. Released by Universal Pictures in 1988, it quickly became one of the most debated films of all time. A film that has only just begun to be judged fairly in recent years, and made as only Scorsese could make it. On the other side, we have Mel Gibson‘s The Passion of the Christ. Like The Last Temptation of Christ, it was met with controversy when Newmarket Films acquired it for release in 2004, but the result was different. The Passion of the Christ became a box office blockbuster. Both films are beautifully made and were made for next to nothing, but a greater question remains: Which one is better? Reel Rumbles presents: The Last Temptation of Christ vs. The Passion of the Christ.  Read the rest of this entry »