Volume 1, Issue 6 August 2026 Filmphernalia Your New Entertainment Bud Welcome to 6th issue of the newsletter. Summer is past its peak now and that’s a relief for me and the animals I know. Lines Immortal “If it's worth dying for, it's worth living for.” Meet John Doe (1941) First about my book of movies. World Today Journal had done a review of ScreenScope with Ernie—Volume 1, one I wasn’t aware of but saw recently. Take a moment to read it at the link. Watching movies slowed down like never before over the past two months as I lost my regular paid writing work in June. But it did free up more room for film and reading as well as updating my personal blogs. Inside this issue: Screenopticals: Silkwood & The Best James Bond FilmBuzz — Usual, Unusual, and Unheard Scripter’s Haven — Kinolime Short Script Competition 2 2 2 The Fabulous Q&A: Phil Hersh — Acting in Indies 3 Retro Fandom — Cage Without a Key Film Quiz Mark Your Calendar — 35 mm Film Clinic, August 17 3 3 4 What’s great about this set of gems is that each one is worth watching more than once and there is no comparison. Note that these movies are listed and NOT ranked by numbers. But you sure can rank them, if you choose. :) 1. Meet John Doe (1941) 2. The Front Page (1974) 3. Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 4. The Omega Man (1971) 5. The Cross and the Switchblade (1970) Drama Comedy Mystery Sci-Fi Faith/Spiritual But numbers don’t define joy and I can say that the movies I watched over the past two months were simply too good. The Fabulous 5 below is the From the Editor’s Desk finest set I’ve seen to date. The interview segment is back in this issue and shows part of my chat with indie actor Phil Hersh. Two screenopticals were posted to the site since the last issue of Filmphernalia. The one about James Bond may sound like an invite to share your take. I’ll say, don’t hold back. Instead of a filming location segment, the back page in this issue features the film clinic event with Mark Christensen. If you are in LA or close by on August 17, consider going to the event as it is free and you can learn about a number of future opportunities in indie projects with Mark. Also, August 26 is National Dog Day so adoring your paw peeps and sharing stories/memories of dogs are all on the table. Thank you for your time and feel free to reach out via the Contact Form on https:// www.filmospheric.com. Ernest Dempsey August 05, 2026
Page 2 Filmphernalia Screenopticals: Silkwood & The Best James Bond Silkwood (1983), directed by Mike Nichols, presents the story of Karen Silkwood, a woman who worked at a nuclear fuel processing plant in Oklahoma in the early 1970s. When she decided to expose the safety standard violations at her workplace, she died in a car crash. Was it an accident or a murder covered up by the authorities? The movie has been filmed and edited with such care that it doesn’t clearly show Silkwood’s death as a murder but hints at it. Does it still qualify for a true crime tag? Or only biographical drama as we see it listed on IMDb? Another topic I wanted to bring up and conclude is the familiar who played James Bond the best question. As the debate continues, likely as clickbait on social media pages, people love to cast their votes in favor of one of the actors who have played Bond to date on the big screen. I do not offer a ranking of the five screen heroes who played Bond in two or more movies. Instead I accept the diversity in public opinion. Read both screenopticals online at Filmospheric.com (carousel). FilmBuzz — Usual, Unusual, and Unheard Blyth’s last film was 1957’s The Helen Morgan Story with Paul Newman. Armie Hammer’s Citizen Vigilante Faces Ban in Germany. (RealityTea, June 17) Ann Blyth, “Mildred Pierce” Oscar nominee, dies at 98. (People, June 26) Beloved actor Sam Neill dies suddenly in Sydney aged 78. (news.com.au, July13) Rule changes for SAG’s Actor Awards make Harry Potter ineligible this year. (Gold Derby, July 21) Universal Pictures turning 10 iconic Atari games into movies in a new studio partnership. (Hypebeast, July 24) Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ re-releasing ahead of biblical sequel. (NewsNation, July 27) Scripter’s Haven — Kinolime Short Script Competition Deadline: August 23, 2026 Kinolime Studio is running its new round of short film script contest. Screenplay, 5 to 20 pages, PDF format A director's statement: why this story, why you The story begins here and now... Your planned shooting location Free entry, no submission fees The winning script gets $7,500 in production funding, $500 in festival support, and mentorship from Kinolime producers. To enter, visit the link https://www.kinolime.com/.
Page 3 Q&A: Phil Hersh — Acting in Indies With 200 IMDb acting credits, Phil Hersh is a household name in indie films and TV/web series. I had a quick chat with Phil for the Indie Clips site last month and part of it is included below. What’s best about acting in an indie film? It has its challenges but it feels more cohesive & everyone knows their role. Sometimes, you end up wearing multiple hats depending on the production. What’s a role you have played the most? I usually get cast as a cop the most often. Was acting your childhood passion? Yes it was. I was inspired by Carol Burnett when I was a kid. Comedy is my preference but I equally get cast in dramas. Tell us a little about Laced: When the Music Stops. (is it a short film? Released? Your role in it etc.? Laced: When the Music Stops is a short film & currently being distributed within the Broward County School System targeting high school students. I played a teacher in the opening scene which really set the tempo of the film. The premiere of the film was well done! I'm hoping to hear more updates very soon. Read the complete chat with Phil on Indie Clips at https:// indie-clips.com/a-quick-chatwith-indie-star-phil-hersh. Retro Fandom — Cage Without a Key My new article on The Retro Network, published last month, was about the less-known TV movie Cage Without a Key from 1975. Written by Joanna Lee, directed by Buzz Kulik, the movie presented the storyline of jailed young women with the lead character (played by Susan Dey) accused of a crime she didn’t commit. The notable similarity of the movie’s plot to famous Sidney Sheldon’s novel If Tomorrow Comes (1985) is hard to miss. Was Sheldon inspired by Cage Without a Key in authoring the novel? Read the full article at: https://theretronetwork.com/ cage-without-a-key-was-sidneysheldon-inspired-by-it/. While authoring If Tomorrow Comes, was Sidney Sheldon inspired by the TV movie Cage Without a Key? Film Quiz — A John Carpenter Movie Question for last the quiz: who became the first Oscar-winning actor to star in a James Bond movie? Answer: Christopher Walken, who played the antagonist Max Zorin in A View to a Kill (1985). He had earned an Academy Award for his supporting role in The Deer Hunter (1978). Now for this quiz, can you tell which John Carpenter movie is related to his two other movies: The Thing (1982) and Prince of Darkness (1987). Hint: the protagonist of this movie passed away recently? Send your answers to: editor@ernestdempsey.com.
The book is here! Order at LuLu.com Movie reviewer and critic Ernest Dempsey takes fans of sci-fi, horror, mystery, and thriller movies on a reading tour through his critique of 50 movies from Hollywood and international cinema. These essays offer analysis and/or assessment of movies in these genres in relation to essential elements of filmmaking and their literary, cultural, moral, and philosophical implications. ISBN: 9798896561040 Pages: 216 Paperback Perfect Bound/Black & White/US Trade (6 x 9 in) https://www.filmospheric.com Mark Your Calendar — 35 mm Film Clinic, August 17 The Find Art Foundation is offering a free film event, the First 35 mm Film Clinic, on August 17 in Los Angeles, CA. Hosted by filmmaker Mark L. Christensen, the 35 mm Film Clinic will explore why film remains the medium of choice. The event includes: Demonstrations: film & video Discussion: how Hollywood got big with celluloid and why it got smaller after it went digital Upcoming productions: SON Of An Auschwitz Guard & Fuck You Heroes Cast & crew opportunities and inviting collaborators for future productions The event begins at 7:00 PM (local time). Refreshments provided to attendees. Venue Digital Debris Video Gallery 2646 N Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90065 Contact boxheadrev@yahoo.com Visit Mark’s website at www.findartfoundation.org to see his work in art and film. Write to Us Send us your two cents on cinema/movies/TV and Filmphernalia will publish along with your name and location (city/state/country). Write to: edtor@ernestdempsey.com
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