Author Archives: Paul Gaita

About Paul Gaita

Paul Gaita lives in Sherman Oaks, California with his lovely wife and daughter. He has written for The Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Variety and The Fix, among many other publications, and was a home video reviewer for Amazon.com from 1998 to 2014. He has interviewed countless entertainment figures from both the A and Z lists, but his favorites remain Elmore Leonard, Ray Bradbury and George Newall, who created both Schoolhouse Rock and the Hai Karate aftershave commercials. He once shared a Thanksgiving dinner with celebrity astrologer Joyce Jillson, and regrettably, still owes the late character actor Charles Napier a dollar.

Movies Till Dawn: The Tough Ones, Part II

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“The Harder They Come” (1973, Shout! Select) Jimmy Cliff turns outlaw and self-styled folk hero when his dreams of becoming a reggae singer are met with corruption from the Kingston music industry and brutality at the hands of the police. … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Under the Radar 3 (Even More Rarely Seen, Forgotten or Hard to Find)

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“High Life” (2018, Lionsgate Home Entertainment) A spaceship heads for a black hole, while on board, its crew of convicted criminals – including Robert Pattinson – are subjected to reproduction experiments by glam mad scientist Juliette Binoche. That’s a linear … Continue reading →

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August 31: Ernie Kovacs Retrospective at Cinecon 55

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Paul Gaita

The groundbreaking work of television comedy pioneer Ernie Kovacs will be featured at the 55th annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival. Clips from Kovacs’ singular career, which helped to inspire generations of comedians that followed, from David Letterman to the Kids … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: More Thrills and Chills in Black and White

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Paul Gaita

Note: films marked with an asterisk are included in Shout! Factory’s “Universal Horror Collection: Volume 1.” * The Black Cat” (1934) An accident on a desolate stretch of road in Hungary brings three travelers to the cavernous home of architect … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Under the Radar 2 (More Rarely Seen, Forgotten or Hard to Find)

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Putney Swope” (1969, Vinegar Syndrome) A black advertising executive (Arnold Johnson) remakes his company into a counterculture engine (“Truth and Soul, Inc.”) that skewers social and political hypocrisy with its no-holds-barred commercials. Satire from Robert Downey, Jr’s father, Robert Sr., … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: #MonsterSquadGoals3

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Mothra” (1961, Mill Creek Entertainment) First screen appearance of Toho Studios’ god-monster Mothra, which descends on Japan to rescue the tiny twins (Emi and Yumi Ito, a.k.a. pop duo The Peanuts) that serve as its ladies-in-waiting from greedy businessman Jerry … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: More Silents, Please

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“The Buster Keaton Collection, Volume 1: The General/Steamboat Bill, Jr.” (1926/1928, Cohen Media Group) Two of Keaton’s final features made under his own independent production shingle, and though both were box office failures at the time of their release, they’re … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Super ’70s Showcase (Shaft in Space Edition)

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Space: 1999 – The Complete Series” (1975-1977, Shout! Factory) The crew of a scientific research station is marooned in deep space when a nuclear explosion sends the Moon out of Earth’s orbit and into the path of alien civilizations both … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: The Tough Ones

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Furie” (2019, Well Go USA) Though she’s at odds with her village because of her job (debt collector) and her status – she’s a former criminal with an illegitimate child – Veronica Ngo (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”) finds that … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: More Kids’ Stuff

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales” (2017, Shout! Factory/GKids) Three cracked fables, in which several animals – including a hapless fox and a very anxious pig – discover that their capabilities extend far beyond their respective breeds. Amusing and … Continue reading →

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