Gourt > Arts > Movies > Genres > B Movies (1)
The term B-movie originally referred to a Hollywood motion picture designed to be distributed as the "lower half" of a double feature, often a genre film such as a Western "cowboy" film, a gangster movie, or a horror film. In the 1930s and 1940s, during the age of the "studio system," this also gave rise to the practice of referring to "A-list" or "B-list" stars.
The major studios had "B-units" that made their B-movies. These B-units provided a function analogous to a "farm team" in professional sports, in that they provided a testing ground and training opportunities for new talent. In addition, there were small studios such as Republic Pictures and Monogram Pictures which specialized in making B-movies. Some actors made a career out of acting in B-movies, such as Ronald Reagan. When the "Golden Age of Hollywood" came to an end, it took the studio system with it, and double features — the raison d'être of the B-movie — became a rarity.
The B-movie industry has had an important role in the film industry, because it created an additional point of entry into the film industry. Directors such as Jonathan Demme and John Sayles learned their craft in B-movies, and the B-movie industry provided work for émigré directors from Europe such as Fritz Lang and Edgar Ulmer during the period when they were still unknown to North American audiences. As well, actors such as Jack Nicholson and John Wayne got their start in B-movies. B-movies also provided work for former A-movie actors whose careers were on the downturn, such as Vincent Price.
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@NeedANewName I'm driving it 'cus my film's running a little long, but I cannot wait. B-movies have a time and place, and that place is now.
kidmanproject (Rob Kidman) Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:16:38 -0000
@NeedANewName I'm driving it 'cus my film's running a little long, but I cannot wait. B-movies have a time and place, and that place is now.
The cheesy B movies from the 70's had the best score music around. Along with those educational vids for school. Funk lives forever.
kloquewerk (Robert L) Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:39:19 -0000
The cheesy B movies from the 70's had the best score music around. Along with those educational vids for school. Funk lives forever.
A. Laura and
Atomic Monsters - Reviews of the cheesiest B-movie science fiction films of the atomic age, including photos.
B-Movie Central - Film reviews and ratings, articles, discussion forums, and links.
Meta Description: [ B-Movie Central is a review and discussion site for classic B-Movies. You'll find on this site reviews, articles, links to other B-Movie related sites, and more. ]
B-Moviez - List of B-grade films from the 1950s, analytical essay about B-movies, message boards and information about remakes.
B-Notes - User's Guides to dubious movies.
Meta Description: [ User's Guides to Dubious Movies ]
Bad Cinema Diary - Short reviews and stills of B-movies from all genres.
Meta Description: [ Short reviews and stills of B-movies from all genres -- a film guide to low-budget cinema ]
Bad Movie Planet - Bad movies reviewed and ridiculed.
Meta Description: [ Good reviews of bad movies for fans of substandard film. ]
Bad Movies - Reviews of films of dubious value, including pictures, sounds, and videos.
Meta Description: [ Badmovies.org is the website for reviews of films of dubious value. ]
Brian's Drive-In Theater - Extensive number of photos of B-movie stars from the 1930s through the 1980s.
Meta Description: [ The Brian's Drive-in Theater site offers tons of photos, information, links, and more on your favorite drive-in movies and B movie actors from the 1930s through the 1980s. Among the actors featured here are Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, Reg Park, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren, Deborah Walley, Cl... ]
Classic B-Movies on Video - Capsule reviews, references and video availability of films in the genre, made in the 1930-1960 period.
Dave and Jim's B-Movie Review - Dave and Jim review B-movies and cult films, and assign numerical scores in over 10 categories.
Meta Description: [ Dave and Jim's B-Movie Reviews - The home of the Death By Movie Marathon! Reviews of movies both good and B! ]
Goshzilla - B-movie reviews.
Meta Description: [ All the worst movies, you shouldn't see, but will want to. ]
Joe Bob Briggs Report - Official site of Joe Bob Briggs, drive-in movie critic extraordinaire.
Movieart - Links to B-movie and cult film sites. [Requires Flash]
Meta Description: [ The site for b-movies, cult-films, animation look here. ]
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Snotty's Realm of Cinematic Oddities and Atrocities - B-movie reviews with screenshots.
Meta Description: [ B-movies reviews, complete with screenshots and the nonsensical ramblings of a B-movie fanatic. ]
So Bad It's Good - Bad movie reviews with clips, screenshots, and sounds.
Sv Bells Cult Movies - B-movie store, reviews and multimedia.
Meta Description: [ Fine Cult movies at DISCOUNT!
RARE, LOST HORROR MOVIES, SCIENCE-FICTION, EXPLOITATION MOVIES! DVDs and VHS tapes
]
Terribly Entertaining Movies - Reviews, stills, and clips of bad but fun films.
Meta Description: [ Terribly Entertaining Movies...reviews, stills, and clips. ]
The Astounding B Monster - Sci-fi, horror and cult film B-movies.
Meta Description: [ The World's Coolest Cult-Movie Chronicle! ]
The B-Movie Film Vault - Bad movie reviews and news.
The Crowbar - Explanation of what constitutes a B-movie, plus reviews, Monstervision scripts and discussion board.
Meta Description: [ the_crowbar has an extensive collection of original b-movie and horror movie reviews. the_crowbar also contains the original scripts of joe-bob briggs's commentary from tnt's monstervision. ]
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