Cereal At Midnight

In our latest new release spotlight, we're talking about over a dozen new disc releases to crank your tractor and sizzle your bacon! Plus, find out about our latest contest where you (yes YOU) can win a brand new Blu! La La Land Review Stay up to date on everything happening with Cereal At Midnight with these links: CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

 Has there ever been a city more perfectly suited for film noir than San Francisco?  Impenetrable fog rolls in from the bay, secluding the towering steel bridge that looms ominously in shadow. Steep hills represent either insurmountable obstacles or uncontrollable descents, and Alcatraz is a literal unreachable island surrounded by murky water. San Francisco is a living manifestation of noir's themes and atmosphere, so it's no coincidence that so many famous films are set in The Golden City ( Out of the Past, The Maltese Falcon, The Lady from Shanghai, Dark Passage ).  And then there's The Midnight Story , a 1957 film noir starring Tony Curtis as Joe Martini, a traffic cop who learns that a local priest, Father Tomasino, has been attacked and brutally killed. Tomasino was like a father to Martini, and our hero asks his superiors for permission to help in the investigation because he's so personally invested in solving the crime. When his request is not granted, he turns...

Steven Lambert has stories--LOTS of them! With decades of experience as a Hollywood stunt man and stunt coordinator, he's worked with just about everyone. Now he joins Cereal At Midnight to discuss his book, STEVEN LAMBERT: FROM THE STREETS OF BROOKLYN TO THE HALLS OF HOLLYWOOD! Order Here Stay up to date on everything happening with Cereal At Midnight with these links: CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

"T-Men Blast Counterfeit Racket!" 1956's Outside the Law  is a stellar crime/noir film where all the elements--cast, screenplay, director, cinematographer--come together perfectly. Ray Danton ( The Longest Day ) plays an ex-convict who is given the opportunity to have his slate wiped clean if he'll go undercover in Germany to investigate the murder of an old Army buddy who was killed while investigating a counterfeiting operation. His commander in the operation is a stern chief Treasury agent (Onslow Stevens, THEM! ) who also happens to be his father. He'll also have to get close to his dead friend's fiancee (Leigh Snowden, Kiss Me Deadly ) and her tough-guy friend who will do anything to stand in his way (Grant Williams, The Incredible Shrinking Man himself).  Outside the Law  just works. It's got tons of that mid-fifties attitude that I love so much, with Danton bringing a rebellious portrayal of a man who has done a crime but also done his time and now ...

In our latest Patreon exclusive, Heath talks about nearly two dozen retro TV shows that he's watching! Is your favorite show on his list? We are viewer supported! To unlock this video and over a hundred other exclusive videos, plus live streams, behind the scenes content, and more, visit Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight !

It's a tale as old as time: boy meets girl, boy marries girl, girl doesn't tell boy that she's on prison parole and used to be engaged to a mobster. Boy is in for serious trouble when that mobster comes for revenge after he finds out his ex has settled down with someone else. We've all been there or known someone who has, right?  1952's Because of You  stars silver screen starlet Loretta Young as the bottle-blonde moll of a tough gangster (Alex Nicol, The Screaming Skull ). Mere moments after we meet them, they're busted by the fuzz, split up, and sent to prison. Young is a model prisoner and is eager to serve her time and rebuild her life; she's eventually paroled and takes a job at a hospital where she meets a combat veteran, played by Jeff Chandler, who is suffering from injuries sustained in battle. The two fall in love quickly, but Young--now dark-haired--doesn't tell her new beau anything about her prison sentence and the fact that she was an acces...

In our latest retro TV binge, Heath and Bree discuss THE BRADY BUNCH! What are our favorite moments and episodes, and why has the series remains one of the most beloved classics in television history? We've got a lot of thoughts! Stay up to date on everything happening with Cereal At Midnight with these links: CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

  1949's Black Magic  is equal parts drama, mystery, forbidden romance, and swashbuckler. Most importantly, it's a rousing tour-de-force for its star Orson Welles, who plays the infamous 18th century mentalist and occultist Joseph Balsamo, better known as Count Cagliostro--a real historical figure who has been the subject of films, operas, and novels, including the Alexander Dumas book upon which this story is based. Our tale begins when Balsamo is a child, the offspring of gypsies who have been captured by the French Viscount de Montaigne. After being forced to watch his parents hanged, our young protagonist is beaten and very nearly blinded before being rescued by his kinsmen. Vowing revenge upon de Montaigne, Balsamo grows up to become an illusionist in a traveling show where he wows audiences with his sleight-of-hand skills and transfixing eyes. He soon meets Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer (from whom we derive the term "mesmerize") who teaches him how to use his captivati...

In the latest Fresh Flavors, we discuss the newest arrivals from Arrow Video, MVD, ClassicFlix, Troma, 88 Films, Mill Creek Entertainment, Shout Factory, ViaVision, Film Movement, AND MORE!  Reviews mentioned in this episode: The Toolbox Murders The Chinese Boxer Disciples of Shaolin Final Justice Day the World Ended Stay up to date on everything happening with Cereal At Midnight with these links: CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

1933's The Crime of the Century  requires suspension of belief. No, it's not a science fiction film with aliens from another planet, or an undersea adventure set in the hidden kingdom of a secret race of mer-people. It's not even a horror film, though it does share a few loving similarities with some of the chillers from the era. No, this film is a murder mystery that takes place primarily in a single location and features a list of suspects with their own motives and quirky character traits. Comparisons to Clue  (both the movie and the board game) would not be unfounded. Yet, this movie takes place in the alternate dimension of film-land, requiring us to accept some pretty far-fetched elements that owe more to genre entertainment than Agatha Christie. Hey, it's like Knives Out ! Our main character, Dr. Emil Brandt (Jean Hersholt) is a "mentalist" and hypnotist who walks into a police station and confesses to a crime that he has not yet committed and that he d...

Buckle up and prepare for Turbo Boost as we talk to Nick Nugent, the author of THE KNIGHT RIDER COMPANION !  Learn the origins of K.I.T.T. and hear behind-the-scenes stories about creator Glen A. Larson and David Hasselhoff as we take a shadowy flight into the world of a man who does not exist! knightridercompanion.com NRNDesign.com Facebook.com/KnightRiderCompanion @KRCompanion on Twitter and Instagram Order the book at: Amazon Barnes and Noble Black Pawn Press Stay up to date on everything happening with Cereal At Midnight with these links: CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

1972's King Boxer , better known to U.S. kung fu fans as Five Fingers of Death,  is one of the more iconic entries in the seventies martial arts cycle. The moment the film begins, pop culture vultures will recognize the splashy red title screen accompanied by the distinct siren-like musical cue that millions of viewers know from Kill Bill , but that originated here (or more accurately, in the title sequence of the TV drama Ironside ). Furthermore, many of these Asian fighting flicks tend to repeat many of the same plots and action beats from movie to movie--one of many similarities to spaghetti westerns--but King Boxer  looms large in the pantheon as the grandfather of so much that was to follow. Part of this is because it was smartly exported to multiple markets by the Shaw Brothers and became a smash hit all over world, but especially in America where audiences were just starting their love affair with these hyper-violent tales of revenge and honor. In fact, it was the Warn...

Hitting screens just months after a star-making splash in the Elvis vehicle Viva Las Vegas,  1964's Kitten with a Whip  is a showcase for Ann-Margret. The Swedish-American actress had already been in State Fair  and Bye Bye Birdie,  establishing herself as an up-and-coming sensation for the teen set, but if her celebrity status was confirmed by her big-screen romp with Elvis, then Kitten with a Whip  cemented her budding reputation as a sixties sex symbol.  In Kitten with a Whip , the actress plays Jody, an escaped reform school student who is literally on the run when we first meet her. Chased by guards, she manages to dodge her pursuers and escape to a suburban neighborhood where she ducks into a house, wanders into a child's room, and collapses into the empty bed. It's precisely then that the owner arrives: a political candidate named David (John Forsythe, TV's Bachelor Father, best remembered as the disembodied voice of Charles Townsend on Charlie's Ang...

The latest releases from Imprint Films have arrived at Cereal At Midnight headquarters and they are HOT! Could this be the best batch of releases from Imprint so far? Check out the video to find out why Heath thinks so! Order yours at viavision.com.au , JBHiFi.com.au , or in the U.S. from DeepDiscount.com and DiabolikDVD.com CerealAtMidnight.com Shop: CerealAtMidnight.Threadless.com Ebay.com/usr/cerealatmidnight Patreon.com/CerealAtMidnight Facebook.com/CerealMidnight Twitter: CerealMidnight Instagram: CerealMidnight Letterboxd: CerealAtMidnite

Created at the pinnacle of the political paranoia thriller trend, 1974's The Parallax View is one of many tales to confide that we are being watched, controlled, and manipulated by shadowy forces. Such paranoia has been around for ages, but it seems to have reached a fever pitch during the seventies against the backdrop of Watergate and a total erosion of faith with our leaders, coupled with a sense of dread as faceless corporations achieved more power than anyone had previously imagined.  The Parallax View  stars Warren Beatty ( Dick Tracy ) as a reporter and a former-alcoholic who is one of the witnesses of a political assassination. Three years after the murder, six of those witnesses have turned up dead: from Beatty's cynical and disinterested perspective, the deaths are easily explained: heart attacks, accidents, nothing suspicious. But when his friend (Paula Prentiss) believes she's uncovered a conspiracy and then herself ends up dead, Beatty can't deny that his o...

1955 was a big year for Roger Corman. He made his directorial debut (the western Five Guns West ) and proceeded to direct or co-direct no less than four films that year, culminating with Day the World Ended  at the end of '55. There are no shortage of post-nuke movies to come out of the Cold War paranoia of the 1950s, but this is Corman's mid-fifties take on the same subject matter that would soon be revisited in movies like The Last Man on Earth  and The World, The Flesh and the Devil .  In the film, humanity has largely eradicated itself with the atomic bomb. A few survivors remain in the post-nuclear fallout; some huddle together, trying to isolate themselves away from the dangers of the outside world and the mutants that wander the ruins. Others travel in search of shelter, provisions, and maybe finding others who can help.  It's here that our story begins and we meet our small cast of characters. Paul Birch ( Queen of Outer Space, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanc...