BearManor Media News

Chicago Film Festival Founder Michael Kutza to Receive Prestigious Polish Cultural Honor April 14 CHICAGO — Michael Kutza, the legendary Founder and longtime Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, will be awarded the Honorary Badge “Meritorious for Polish Culture” on Tuesday, April 14, 2026,  at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago  The honor will be presented by Consul General Regina Jurkowska in recognition of Kutza’s decades-long dedication to promoting Polish cinema and culture in the United States. Through his leadership of the Chicago International Film Festival, Kutza introduced American audiences to major Polish filmmakers and their work—particularly during the 1970s through the 1990s,...

Thought you should know that I will be giving a talk in Greenwich, Connecticut on April 15th in connection with the BearManor release of my new book, UNFETTERED: Words on Music by a Hi-Def Critic in an MP3 World, Volume II.” The talk is called “New Standards for a New Century: Pop Music Today” and is sponsored by the Retired Men’s Association of Greenwich (RMA) and will take place at Parish Hall, Christ Church, 254 E Putnam Ave, Greenwich, Connecticut at 11 A.M. It will be televised and available for streaming at the RMA website (https://greenwichrma.org/) shortly thereafter. This is my...

Aubrey Malone's Poisoned Chalice: How Fame Ruined Richard Burton, is brand new from Bear Manor for 2026, and a riveting read.  As the author acknowledges, there are several Burton biographies, a few of them recent, and while this one is not intended as a fully definitive recap of the actor's life, it sticks to its subject and delivers a fairly complete picture of Burton's 59 years, with its emphasis on how he was destroyed by what he wanted most in life as a young man: Fame and money.  He liked to think of himself as a writer, but his overpowering greed...

HOW TO VOTE: Voting is by email to taraco@aol.com only. Simply copy this ballot onto an email (cut-and-paste works fine), and mark your choices with an X, or use bold or a highlight color. We know that can be awkward so you can also just type your picks into an email. Send the email to me, David Colton, at taraco@aol.com not later than Friday night at midnight, May 1, 2026. The ballot is posted below, and also at the Classic Horror Film Board. 11) BOOK OF THE YEAR (non-fiction)Note: List prices are often discounted. — BLUTO, BUSTER AND THE BLOB: Conversations with Actors and Writers from Hollywood and Radio’s Golden Age, by Leonard J....