Movie Magazine International Blog

By Moira Sullivan Yellow Mary (Barbarao)  and Trula (Trula Hoosier) on the beach of St Helena Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust made in 1991 has long been considered an extraordinary film make within a story space perfect for the range of what cinema can do beyond merely recording moving figures. It is the first feature film made by an African American woman and it is now being re-released, proving again its status as a cinema classic. The making of Daughters of the Dust written by Dash, which includes the film script, is the filmmaker’s account of the many setbacks that occurred before the film was finished. But the film has earned its merits and its long standing following, and although it has received some new notoriety because of some of the images in Beyoncé’s Lemonade with characters dressed similar to the characters of Dash's film from the early 20th century, that music video is not and never can be Daughters of the Dust. The film is re-released in a 4K re...

By Monica Sullivan If you are a late night movie buff, here’s the deal: There is no cure.  But you really aren’t looking for one, are you?  What you need is hard core information about late night stars.  Has McFarland Book Publishers got the book for you: “Killer Tomatoes” by Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner. “Killer Tomatoes” is an essential buff’s book.  The cast includes: Lucille Ball, Lynn Bari, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Gloria Grahame, Jean Hagen, Adele Jergens, Ida Lupino, Marilyn Maxwell, Jane Russell, Ann Sheridan, Barbara Stanwyck, Claire Trevor, Marie Windsor and more.  Ann Sheridan, for example, was SUCH a hard-boiled presence throughout her career that her early death deprived us of her voice and insights.  Extensive interviews cover that gap here. Filmographies for each are included, and there are over 80 stills of these tough women with their male and female costars.  Laura Wagner is one of the more perceptive contributors to Classic Image...