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: They’re Coming to Get You!

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“The Giant Behemoth” (1959, Warner Archives Collection) Atomic tests once again rouse an enormous monster, this time a dinosaur with the ability to project both electricity and radiation, which it uses to lay waste to London. Enjoyable American-British monster rampage … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Revenge of (Mostly) New Movies

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Tyrel” (2018, Magnolia Home Entertainment) Tyler (Jason Mitchell, “Straight Outta Compton”) is the only African-American guest invited to a birthday celebration that grows more chaotic as the weekend wears on. Comparisons to “Get Out” are obvious, but don’t quite fit … Continue reading →

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Movies Til Dawn: Silents, Please

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Der Hund von Baskerville” (1914/1929, Flicker Alley) Two silent takes on the Sherlock Holmes adventure “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Austrian writer-producer-director Richard Oswald, a largely unsung figure in German Expressionist film. Both versions bear only passing resemblances to … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Thrills and Chills

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Double Dragon (Special Collector’s Edition)” (1994, MVD Rewind Collection) In a post-apocalyptic, partially submerged Los Angeles, brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee (future Iron Chef America Chairman Mark Dascascos and Scott Wolf) must keep one half of a magical medallion out … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: TV Archaeology/Kids’ Stuff

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“American Vandal: Season One” (2017, CBS Home Video/Paramount Home Video) Twenty-seven penises spray-painted on teachers’ cars earns school knucklehead Jimmy Tatro an expulsion, which prompts pals Tyler Alvarez and Griffin Gluck to launch a true-crime-styled documentary investigation. Your mileage may … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: More (Mostly) New Movies

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018, 20th Century Fox) Blessed with boundless confidence, stratospheric vocal ability and (reportedly) additional incisors (“extra teeth means extra range”), Indian-British Farrokh Bulsara scales the heights and plumbs the depths of ’70s rock as Freddie Mercury, singer for … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“Suburbia” (1984, Shout! Factory) How to Make a Punk: Bill Coyne (RIP) flees his abusive mom and finds something like a new family – as well as more trouble – among the forgotten kids living in an abandoned Los Angeles … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: New Year (Mostly) New Movies Part 3

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” (2018, Sony Home Entertainment) Hard-boiled hacker Lisbeth Salander – here played by “The Crown’s” Claire Foy – is tasked with destroying software that can access to the world’s nuclear arsenal; when the sinister Spider … Continue reading →

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Movies Till Dawn: Old Fears for a New Year Part 2

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Paul Gaita

“What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?” (1969, Kino Lorber) Having found an expedient solution to her financial woes by bilking and then murdering a succession of housekeepers, widow Geraldine Page appears to meet her match in new hire Ruth Gordon. … Continue reading →

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Return to Kovacsland: UCLA Film and Television Archive Pays Tribute to TV Pioneer’s Centennial

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Paul Gaita

The UCLA Film and Television Archive will pay tribute to comedian and television pioneer Ernie Kovacs with a two-night retrospective of his groundbreaking small screen work and film career. “Kovacsland Forever: Ernie Kovacs Centennial” – which is one of several … Continue reading →

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