Turner Classic Movies is doing a Val Lewton night on January 14th, 2008, starting with a special of Martin Scorcese talking about Lewton for an hour and a half (!!), followed by a bulk of the films Lewton produced. Off their schedule on the TCM website:

Jan 14, Monday:

8:00 PM Martin Scorsese Presents, Val Lewton: The Man In The Shadows (2007)
9:30 PM Cat People (1942)
10:45 PM I Walked With A Zombie (1943)
12:00 AM Martin Scorsese Presents, Val Lewton: The Man In The Shadows (2007)
1:30 AM Leopard Man, The (1943)
2:45 AM Seventh Victim, The (1943)
4:00 AM Curse of the Cat People, The (1944)
5:15 AM Body Snatcher, The (1945)

15 Tuesday:

6:30 AM Isle Of The Dead (1945)
7:45 AM Bedlam (1946)

Of these, I've only watched I Walked With A Zombie, The Seventh Victim and Cat People. Colour me excited!

They are basically showing everything in the Lewton Box set (including the doc). Cool (but I already own it).

Oh, I remember eying that box set when it came out. It was too pricey for my blood.

Oooh, I saw that mentioned somewhere weeks ago and meant to make a note, but didn't. So thank you for the reminder!

I rented most of the boxed set collection a while back, but I wouldn't mind recording copies of some of those. Plus I'm sure I missed bits and pieces since I was usually watching them late at night. I distinctly recall that I started drifting off during Isle of the Dead. Luckily I was awakened by one character's blood-curdling scream. Helpful! And not at all traumatic!

GF and I are impatiently awaiting the new Joan Crawford boxed set [link]

I think Joan might be my fave of all time. It alternates among her, Kate Hepburn, and Bette Davis. I just love Joan so so much!

I've seen both Cat People movies and bits of the others -- this will give me something to record for the long long writers strike rerun season.

More background about Chocolate: [link] (and the trailer again).

whether they actually had Straitharn smoking them for the sake of the movie

It was in an interview somewhere that they used cigar tobacco because it makes such thick swirly smoke. It photographs beautifully in B&W.

If Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was made 5 years ago, why does Gerard Butler look 15 years younger in it?

On another note: Dave White defends Uwe Boll

[T]he complaints usually follow along predictable lines: Boll’s movies are poorly written; based on video games; cheaply produced; full of well-known, sometimes Oscar-winning actors slumming to get a check paid out in Euros; make little narrative sense; and feature plots that include zombie massacres at raves on remote islands, scientific experiments performed on orphans, breast-implanted archeologists, floating eyeballs, Sapphic vampires and blood orgies.

I don’t know what kind of movies you like, but they had me at “zombie massacre.”