On this day in movie history - The Longest Yard (1974)

The Longest Yard

a.k.a. The Mean Machine

directed by Robert Aldrich,

written by Tracy Keenan Wynn,

based on a story by Albert S. Ruddy,

was released in the United States on August 21, 1974.

Music by Frank De Vol.

Cast:

Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad, James Hampton, Harry Caesar, John Steadman, Charles Tyner, Mike Henry, Jim Nicholson, Bernadette Peters, Pervis Atkins, Tony Cacciotti, Anitra Ford, Michael Fox, Joe Kapp, Richard Kiel, Pepper Martin, Mort Marshall, Ray Nitschke, Tony Reese, Sonny Sixkiller, Robert Tessier, Dino Washington, Ernie Wheelwright, Joe Dorsey, Gus Carlucci, Jack Rockwell, Sonny Shroyer, Ray Ogden, Don Ferguson, Chuck Hayward, Alfie Wise, Steve Wilder, George A. Jones, Wilbur Gillian, Wilson Warren, Joe Jackson, Howard Silverstein, Donald Hixon.

On this day in movie history - An American Werewolf in London (1981)

An American Werewolf in London

directed and written by John Landis,

was released in the United States on August 21, 1981.

Music by Elmer Bernstein.

Cast:

David Naughton, Griffin Dunne, David Schofield, Joe Belcher, Brian Glover, Lila Kaye, Rik Mayall, Sean Baker, Paddy Ryan, Jenny Agutter, Anne-Marie Davies, John Woodvine, Frank Oz, Don McKillop, Paul Kember, Colin Fernandes, Albert Moses, Jim Henson, Michele Brisigotti, Mark Fisher, Gordon Sterne, Paula Jacobs, Claudine Bowyer, Johanna Crayden, Nina Carter, Geoffrey Burridge, Brenda Cavendish, Christopher Scoular, Mary Tempest, Cynthia Powell, Sydney Bromley, Frank Singuineau, Will Leighton, Michael Carter, Elizabeth Bradley, Rufus Deakin, Lesley Ward, George Hilsdon, Gerry Lewis, Dennis Fraser, Alan Ford, Peter Ellis, Denise Stephens, Christine Hargreaves, Linzi Drew, Lucien Morgan, Dave Cooper, Susan Spencer, Bob Babenia, Ken Sicklen, John Salthouse, John Altman, Keith Hodiak, John Owens, Roger Rowland, Lewis Alexander, Jack Armstrong, Vic Armstrong, Alan Austen, Roy Beck, Kevin Brennan, John Cannon, Ina Clare, Simon van Collem, Harry Fielder, Noel Flanagan, Alan Flyng, Ryan Folsey, Laurie Goode, Dave Griffiths, Brendan Hughes, John Ketteringham, John Landis, Dave Lanning, Aileen Lewis, Tommy Little, Derek Lyons, Lou Morgan, Ralph G. Morse, James Muir, Terence Mustoo, George Oliver, James Payne, Quentin Pierre, Jack Ross, Terry Sach, Alecia St Leger, David Stone, John Timberlake, Terry Walsh.

On this day in movie history - The Big Easy (1987)

The Big Easy

directed by Jim McBride, and written by Daniel Petrie, Jr.,

was released in the United States on August 21, 1987.

Music by Brad Fiedel.

Cast:

Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, John Goodman, Lisa Jane Persky, Ebbe Roe Smith, Tom O'Brien, Charles Ludlam, Grace Zabriskie, Marc Lawrence, Solomon Burke, Gailard Sartain, Jim Chimento, Edward Saint Pe, Robert Lesser, Cheryl Starbuck, Margie O'Dair, Arden Lo, Rickey Pierre, Nick Krieger, Gary Anthony Sturgis, Byron Nora, Archie Sampier, Jeff Hollis, Joy N. Houck Jr., Steve Broussard, Eliott Keener, August Krinke, John Schluter, Zephirin Hymel IV, Jack Harris, George Dureau, Patrick Frederic, Lane Trippe, Nik Hagler, Don Lutenbacher, Carol Sutton, Peter Gabb, Jim Garrison, Dave Petitjean, Buddy Quaid, Dennis Curren, Rico Wheat, Robert Kearney, Joe Catalanotto, Terrance Simien, Gene Chambers, Popp Esprite, Earl Sally, Rudy Chambers, Phillip V. Caruso, Duane Delco.

On this day in movie history - 1000 Women in Horror (2025 documentary & book):

1000 Women in Horror

documentary directed by Donna Davies,

written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas,

based on the book by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas,

released at the Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia on August 21, 2025.

Cast: Tonjia Atomic, Roxanne Benjamin, Akela Cooper, Mattie Do, Brea Grant, Mary Harron, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Cerise Howard, Kier-La Janisse, Nikyatu Jusu, Nikyatu Jusu, Natasha Kermani, Roseanne Liang, Annalise Lockhart, Toby Poser, Sara Risher, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Lin Shaye, Kate Siegel, Chelsea Stardust, Jenn Wexler, April Wolfe.

Recommended reading:

1000 Women In Horror, 1895-2018

by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Published by BearManor Media.
Published 2020.
ISBN-10: 1629333867
ISBN-13: 978-1629333861

Description:

Blowing a kiss back through time and space from Aaliyah to Jill Rae Zurborg, 1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018 is a love letter to both the stars and the often-invisible women who have made the genre what it is today. From Classical Hollywood to alt-Nollywood, mumblegore to J-horror, this book offers a tiny global snapshot of the vast number of women who have worked in the creation of dark and spooky movies for well over a century, both behind and in front of the camera, and in films both widely known and comparatively obscure.

Featuring a selected filmography of over 700 feature films directed or co-directed by women, this book also features interviews with Rutanya Alda, Tara Anaïse, Tonjia Atomic, Anna Biller, Axelle Carolyn, Aislinn Clarke, BJ Colangelo, Mattie Do, Julia Ducournau, Jordan Hall, Catherine Hardwicke, Katherine Kean, Karen Lam, Izzy Lee, Barbara Magnolfi, Marsha Mason, Donna McRae, Patrushkha Mierzwa, Hannah Neurotica, Alexandra Paul, Isabel Peppard, Cassandra ‘Elvira’ Peterson, Debbie Rochon, Mia’Kate Russell, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Elizabeth Shepherd, Jen and Sylvia Soska, Brinke Stevens, Barbie Wilde and Silvana Zancolò.

About the Author: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas is a film critic from Melbourne, Australia. She has written eight books on cult, horror and exploitation cinema with an emphasis on gender politics, including Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study (2011), books on Dario Argento’s Suspiria (2015), Abel Ferrara’s Ms. 45 (2017) and Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher (2018), and the Bram Stoker Award nominated book Masks in Horror Cinema: Eyes Without Faces (2019). She is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and the Australian Film Crit-ics Association. Alexandra holds a PhD in Screen Studies from the University of Melbourne and is an Adjunct Professor at Deakin University and a Research Fellow at RMIT University.

On this day in music history - Sacred Heart, by Shakespear’s Sister (1989)

 

Sacred Heart

by Shakespear’s Sister

was released on August 21, 1989.

Track list:

Heroine; Run Silent Run Deep; Dirty Mind; Sacred Heart; Heaven Is in Your Arms; Twist the Knife; You’re History; Break My Heart; Red Rocket; Electric Moon; Primitive Love; Could You Be Loved; You Made Me Come to This.

C. S. Lewis, on writing:

 

You can make anything by writing.
- C. S. Lewis.

Born on this day and recommended reading – Greg Bear:

Greg Bear

Writer

Illustrator

August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022

Credits:

Books:

A Flag Full of Stars (1991); A Forest Apart (2003); Across the Universe (1999); Allegiance (2007); Allegiance in Exile (2013); Anvil of Stars (1992); Assignment: Eternity (1998); Bear's Fantasies (1988); Beyond Heaven's River (1980); Beyond the Farthest Suns (2016); Black Fire (1983); Blood Music (1985); Bloodthirst (1987); Cast No Shadow (2011); Chain of Attack (1987); Children of the Jedi (1995); Choices of One (2011); City at the End of Time (2008); Classic Jurassic Park (1993); Classic Jurassic Park, Volume 2 (2011); Classic Jurassic Park, Volume 4 (2012); Cloak of Deception (2000); Corona (1984); Country Of The Mind (1998); Crisis on Coruscant (2010); Crosscurrent (2010); Crossroad (1994); Crucible (2013); Cryptum (2011); Dangerous Games (2012); Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2006); Darksaber (1995); Darth Maul Shadow Hunter (2001); Darth Maul's Revenge (2000); Darth Plagueis (2012); Darwin's Children (2002); Darwin's Radio (1999); Dead Lines (2001); Death Count (1992); Death Star (2007); Death Troopers (2009); Dinosaur Summer (1998); Double, Double (1989); Dragons of Light (1980); Dwellers in the Crucible (1985); Early Harvest (1988); Eon (1984); Eternity (1988); Ex Machina (2004); Excelsior: Forged in Fire (2007); Faces of Fire (1992); Far Thoughts and Pale Gods (2016); Firestorm (1994); First Frontier (1995); Fool's Bargain (2004); Foundation and Chaos (1998); Foundation's Fear (1997); Foundation's Triumph (2000); From the Depths (1993); Future Visions (2015); Ghost-Walker (1991); Grave Predictions (2016); Hackers (1996); Hardfought (1988); Heads (1990); Hegira (1953); Home Is the Hunter (1990); Hull Zero Three (2010); I, Jedi (1998); Ice Trap (1992); In the Name of Honor (2002); Infinity Concerto (1984); Into the Void: Dawn of the Jedi (2013); Ishmael (1985); Jango Fett: Bounty Hunter (2002); Jedi Trial (2004); Jurassic Park Vol. 5 (2013); Just Over the Horizon (2016); Kenobi (2013); Killing Time (1985); Killing Titan (2015); Knight Errant (2011); Labyrinth of Evil (2005); Legacy (1994); Like Water for Quarks (2011); Lost Souls (1982); Lost Tribe of the Sith (2012); Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (2008); Mariposa (2009); Maul: Lockdown (2012); Millennium Falcon (2008); Mind Meld (1997); Mirrorshades (1986); Mississippi Review 47 / 48 (1988); Moving Mars (1993); Mudd in Your Eye (1997); Multiverse (2014); Murasaki (1992); Nebula Awards 49 (2015); New Legends (1995); New Skies: An Anthology of Today's Science Fiction (2003); Omni Visions Two (1994); Outbound Flight (2006); Paragons (1996); Pawns and Symbols (1985); Petra (1982); Planet of Twilight (1997); Prime Directive (1991); Primordium (2011); Psychlone (1979); Quantico (2007); Queen of Angels (1990); Ready, Set, Podrace! (2007); Recovery (1995); Red Harvest (2010); Renegade (1991); Riptide (2011); Rogue Planet (2000); Sanctuary (1992); Scoundrels (2013); Scourge (2012); Shadow Games (2011); Shadow Lord (1985); Shadows of the Empire (2011); Shatterpoint (2003); Shell Game (1993); Silentium (2013); Sisters (1992); Slant (1997); Sleepside (1988); Songs of Earth and Power (1984); Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978); Strength of Stones (1981); Survivor's Quest (2004); Take Back the Sky (2016); Tales from the New Republic (1999); Tangents (1989); Tatooine Ghost (2003); Telling Tales: The Clarion West 30th Anniversary Anthology (2013); The Abode of Life (1982); The Adventures of Lando Calrissian (1983); The Approaching Storm (2002); The Ascent of Wonder (1994); The Better Man (1994); The Captain's Daughter (1995); The Cestus Deception (2004); The Children of Kings (2010); The Collected Stories of Greg Bear (2002); The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994); The Crystal Star (1994); The Devils in the Desert (2011); The Disinherited (2007); The Fearful Summons (1995); The Final Nexus (1988); The First Omni Book of Science Fiction (1983); The Forge of God (1987); The Great Starship Race (1993); The Han Solo Adventures (1979); The IDIC Epidemic (1988); The Joy Machine (1996); The Lost Years (1989); The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction (2006); The New Rebellion (1996); The Patrian Transgression (1994); The Prometheus Design (1982); The Rift (1991); The Rings of Tautee (1996); The Ruins of Dantooine (2003); The Serpent Mage (1984); The Starship Trap (1993); The Tears of the Singers (1984); The Three-Minute Universe (1988); The Truce at Bakura (1994); The Unfinished Land (2019); The Venging (1983); The Vulcan Academy Murders (1984); The Wind from a Burning Woman (1983); The Wounded Sky (1983); Third Annual Collection (1989); Tomorrow: New Worlds of Science Fiction (1975); Traitor Winds (1994); Triangle (1983 / 1991); Twilight's End (1996); Uhura's Song (1985); Visions of the Future (2015); Vitals (2002); Vulcan's Glory (1989); Vulcan's Heart (1999); War Dogs (2014); We Don't Do Weddings (1995); Web of the Romulans (1983); Winner Lose All (2012); Women in Deep Time (2003); Year's Best SF 11 (2006); Yoda: Dark Rendezvous (2004).

Movies and television:

Comic-Con Begins (2021); Future Fantastic (1996); Grunge, Punk, Politics and the Fight Against Ballot Measure 9 (2017); Halo Legends / The Making of 'Halo Legends' (2010); Heroes Manufactured: Creators Unleashed (2020); New Nightmares (1993); Prisoners of Gravity (1993); Prophets of Science Fiction (2006); Sci-Fi Buzz (1992); Sightings / Segment: The Sci-Fi Prophet (1994–1996); Tales from the Bridge (2021–2022); The AckerMonster Chronicles! (2012); The Daily Show (2007); The Twilight Zone / Segment: Dead Run (1986); Time Machine: Fantastic Voyage - The Evolution of Science Fiction (2002).

Recommended reading:

Blood Music

by Greg Bear

 
ISBN-10: 1497637023
ISBN-13: 978-1497637023
 
Book cover description:
 
“A Childhood’s End for the 1980s, replacing aliens and mysterious mental evolution with the effects of genetic engineering run wild … Like Arthur Clarke, Bear goes to the limits.” – Locus.

Vergil Ulam is a brilliant but unorthodox researcher working to develop biochips – the next quantum leap in computer technology, using the complexities of cellular structure (notably DNA) as a means of information processing. But Vergil goes several steps further, and soon has produced intelligent clumps of cellular material, able to outperform rats in laboratory tests. In doing so, he has exceeded, without authorization, guidelines laid down for genetic research, and when he is found out he loses his job and is told to destroy his experimental material.

 

Determined to salvage something, he injects himself with part of the culture – intending to retrieve it later – and walks out of the laboratory carrying within him a seed that will develop far beyond the limits of his brilliant but blinkered imagination.

 

Based on his Hugo and Nebula Award winning story, Blood Music is an extraordinary novel which establishes Greg Bear among the new masters of science fiction. From its firm grounding in current research, the novel unfolds vistas of imaginative possibility, logical yet surprising, which demand comparison with the best of Arthur C. Clarke, and with Olaf Stapledon.

“Only seldom does a brilliant short story give rise to an even better novel, but in blood Music, Greg Bear has made it happen. A dazzling flight of disciplined imagination.” – Poul Anderson.