TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

Today would have been Golden Globe winner John Saxon's 85 th   birthday.   Saxon died last year but is immortalized in movies like Black Christmas  and A Nightmare on Elm Street . Interesting trivia,  he was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, Washington, the same location as his  Enter the Dragon  costar, Bruce Lee. He even made a fun cameo in From Dusk til Dawn . TheArchive commemorates Jon and his incredible work that also found him in a number of our films as well: Joseph’s Gift Joseph is the youngest and his father's favorite. When his brothers grow so envious of the affection that Joseph receives from their father they scheme to abandon Joseph in New York. Lancelot: Guardian of Time Merlin sends Lancelot through a window in time to act as a young Arthur's bodyguard. A wicked sorcerer interferes with these plans, sending Arthur and Lancelot to present day Los Angeles.   Tunnels Beneath the streets and beyond the sewers of New York, this horror-thriller follows two

Harvard Man stars Adrian Grenier, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Joey Lauren Adams in a film about a Harvard student and star point guard for Harvard's basketball team.  When his parents' house is destroyed by a tornado, Grenier inadvertently hooks up with the mob who agrees to give him the repair money if he throws his college basketball game.  The plot takes an even more bizarre turn when our star drops too much acid and goes on a hallucinogenic journey longer than the movie.  It's interesting to note that disgraced, allegedly serial abuser James Toback is the director who back in the early 2000s was still in demand and could command one helluva cast. In addition to Gellar and Grenier, Eric Stoltz, Rebecca Gayheart, and Al Franken, oddly playing himself, round out the star quotient.  And what brings around the relevance is Milwaukee Bucks legend himself, Mr. Ray Allen, who is featured in this early 2000s basketball drama while he was still on the Bucks.... If you need to pas

Our team has put together the "Dreamboat Stars of Summer" starring: Don Johnson, Mel Gibson, Bruce Greenwood, and Mark Harmon available for free on TheArchive.com . Here’s the skinny on each summer title: First up is Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys starring Bruce Greenwood as Dennis Wilson.  This is a definitive tale of the legendary band told from the brotherly relationship of the late Dennis Wilson and his genius but troubled brother, Brian, almost 25 years before Love & Mercy. It features an incredible Beach Boys soundtrack. Long Hot Summer is based on a series of stories by William Faulkner and stars Don Johnson (in the Paul Newman role) and Cybill Shepherd. Two years before his breakout role in Mad Ma x, Mel Gibson stars alongside Phil Avalon in surfer flick  Summer City , his very first film.  Four years before the the series of nearly the same title starring Will Smith, and a year before they starred in the cult hit "Summer School," Mark Harm

"Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment.” ― Bruce Lee Johnny Yune and his classic They Call Me Bruce ? are an inextricably linked one two punch. One being Yune and his comedic brilliance discovered early on by none other than the late great Johnny Carson. And two, They Call Me Bruce ?, the byproduct of Yune’s genius that was far ahead of its time. So far ahead that one may even say he helped pave the way for amazing, topical shows like Fresh off the Boat.  But it is also entirely likely that Yune also felt the underrepresentation of the times, foreshadowing even today where, according to NBC News, a recent  study on Asian American representation in Hollywood  found that only 3.4 percent of Hollywood’s top-grossing movies featured Asian American or Pacific Islander leads. For its time, grossing over $16 Million at the box office deems this a rarified hit starring an Asian American. Even in today's standards. While IMDB describes They Call Me

When streaking becomes professional, does that mean it's serious business or just for laughs? Can't it be both? TheArchive decided to undress this conceit. Sports are back - let the streaking commence! Streaking rose to popularity in the early 1970s, as disruption to sporting events to demonstrate rebellion.  As the phenomenon grew in prominence across live sporting events, security and event handlers would do their best to diffuse the situation and discourage the daring and baring.  But alas, the streaking continued. Providing a sense of comedic flare to the otherwise tension-filled dynamic of the game, spectators seem to enjoy  both and have come to expect if not demand some nude diversion during the big game. In STREAKER , our favorite streaker movie we've acquired yet, t his Swiss film spotlights the high stakes competitive world of streaking; money and pride are on the line, and bets are placed to see who can stay on the field the

Norma Jean Baker may need an introduction but Marilyn need not. The life of Marilyn Monroe has left so many stones yet to be overturned. And in just the few decades she was on the planet, more content, drama, and speculation has been conjured than could fill the annals of history.  Since we still have so much to learn, and the collective world has told us they have not grown weary of that learning, we wanted to celebrate this undeniable iconoclast’s birthday with some of our favorites from TheArchive . We start with Blonde , because it’s sexy, timeless, and has an amazing cast including Poppy Montgomery as Marilyn, Patricia Richardson, Patrick Dempsey, Wallace Shawn, Griffin Dunne, Emily Browning, Jensen Ackles, Ann-Margret, and Kirstie Alley. While Netflix has the Brad Pitt produced version starring the impossibly gorgeous Ana de Armas coming soon, TheArchive has our’s ready to stream free now on Roku . This mini-series mixes a fictional interpretation of Marilyn Monroe with actual e

We recently visited with Harry Eskin, one of our 4K restoration team members, to find out what it takes to restore a film to 4K. Harry is a member of a four-person restoration team headed by Sarah Smith, our Media Archive Manager, and supported by assistant Nicole Bajorek, and 4K film editor Meni Phillip. With over 100 hours and counting, and available to be streamed in 4K anytime, anywhere, on any device, TheArchive offers the most extensive independent library of rare films that have been restored to their original magnificence. Q: Thank you for taking some time to speak with us today about restoring films in 4K. I will jump right in. How did you get started on a career as a film archivist and restorationist?  Harry: I have always been a film buff with a particular interest in rare films; the rarer the film, the better. I was introduced to film archiving in college and decided it was something I wanted to pursue. After receiving a Master's Degre

The Whole Wide World is a true story of Novalyne Price Ellis (Renée Zellweger) one of the greatest pulp fiction writers of all time.  Based on her acclaimed autobiography, Ellis is a feisty West Texas schoolteacher who has a torrid and turbulent affair with Robert. E. Howard (Vincent D'Onofrio), the great pulp writer of the 1930s.  However, their conflicting personalities along with Howard’s emotional baggage,  including his sickly mother and absent father, puts a strain on their relationship.  The two struggle to carry on the romance  but it devolves to tumult, resulting in an unrequited love story. Howard becomes more immersed in his own struggles and deeply dis connected from the real world pushing his love further and further away.    No one said love is easy, but at least you can suffer through it in beautiful, free, 4K. You can stream it free on Roku now. Love hurts here at TheArchive .  TheArchive  channel is dedicated to