A difficult film to watch, not because it is pornographic, or even all that graphic, but because we watch the characters become increasingly desperate as they realize they are no longer suited to the world around them.
The Night Porter (1974) – Italy
Directed by Lilliana Cavani
118 min. Colour
Criterion Spine # 59
“History is present,” writes E.L. Doctorow [...]
March 4, 2010 | Posted in
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With both the social message and plenty of splatter, The Crazies is at times dated but still appealing for horror aficionados.
The Crazies (1973)
Directed by George A. Romero
In the same vein as Fahrenheit 451 and Soylent Green, and pre-dating Stephen King’s The Stand (by quite a few years), The Crazies has a similar story, but on [...]
Wasting no time establishing its premise, The Crazies begins as a taut horror film and remains en effective journey through paranoia and conspiracy theories
The Crazies
Directed by Breck Eisner
Fear Thy Neighbour
The Crazies is about the inhabitants of a small Kansas town systematically plagued by insanity after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply, when a plane [...]
Revanche is a tough slow, depressing film, but incredibly well-acted, consistently believable, and an always entertaining, modest, satisfying arty crime story.
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Revanche
Directed by Gotz Spielmann
Austria
2008
122 minutes
Color
1.85:1
German
“If you plan revenge, dig two graves,” the saying goes…
A prostitute trying to escape her desperate existence, her ex-criminal boyfriend looking for some quick cash to pay back his debt, a [...]
February 22, 2010 | Posted in
Criterion,
Film Reviews |
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Shutter Island definitely begs a second viewing, and while it might not rank up there with earlier Scorsese classics, it remains a masterpiece in my eyes, and a production that has set the new standard for all future psychological thrillers.
Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Before seeing Shutter Island, all I knew about the plot was [...]
Law breaking, music playing, and the corruption of an entire generation — it sounds like a solid foundation upon which to build a film. The 2009 film The Boat That Rocked or, in its edited and much leaner form, Pirate Radio, tries to weave together a coming of age story and [...]
February 16, 2010 | Posted in
The Playlist |
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When comparing these critical scenes to their counterparts in such classics as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, they are simply not in the same league.
The Wolfman
Directed by Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston walks into a bar and says: “Bartender, I’ve directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo. I think that [...]
Repulsion (1965) – United Kingdom
Dir. Roman Polanski
105 minutes, B&W
Criterion Spine # 483
Warning: Here be spoilers.
Like flies to the gooping carcass of a skinned rabbit, Repulsion invites a lot of intellectual psychobabbling that usually amounts to the same things being said by different people. We can all pretty much agree what this film, a creepy, precise [...]
February 5, 2010 | Posted in
Criterion |
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A film that’s fun but ultimately looks like more fun to make than to watch
Meat Weed America
Directed by Aiden Dillard
I’m all for tits & ass in fact it was my nickname throughout kindergarten until I found out what it was and took further protection to not get the cooties. Blood and guts, and poops [...]
February 5, 2010 | Posted in
Shot by both Sides |
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You might be asking yourself what’s the purpose of a list like this? Is there really that large of a body of work dealing with the brave men in blue who trench through neighborhood lawns, dodging the near death encounters with Chihuahuas and lonely old people? Well there probably isn’t. In fact, most of [...]
February 2, 2010 | Posted in
Shot by both Sides |
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It is arguable that women live in a “man’s world”. Women, it might also be argued, possess certain physical attributes of appeal to men that allow them considerable advantage under some circumstances. Such attributes coupled with certain behavioral subtleties often lay bare men’s weaknesses to a point where they seem compelled to act [...]
January 30, 2010 | Posted in
Hardboiled |
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bills itself as a low-budget film bent on entertaining audiences…
Daybreakers
Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig
Over the years several pairs of brothers have directed high-grossing, successful Hollywood films. Notable duos include the Cohen’s, the Wachowski’s, the Hughes’ and the Farrelly’s. However, the Spierig brothers from Australia will never, ever be on that list.
They are responsible [...]
Haunting, despite often being drenched in southern Australian sunlight, and that is in no small part to the understated performances within…
Ddirected by Peter Weir. Australia, 1975, 107 min.
Criterion Collection #29.
Hanging Rock is an actual place, an actual rock as it were, situated in the southwestern part of Australia, in the state of Victoria. Often described [...]
January 3, 2010 | Posted in
Criterion |
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Undertones: Volume 8
As we approach the end of the decade, it seems fitting that this installment of Undertones concern itself with some of the most memorable film scores of the ‘00s. Though the films range in financial or critical success, and opinions may be divided as to the strength of some of the films as [...]
December 28, 2009 | Posted in
Undertones |
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A delirious cocktail of satire, sex, music, murder and cod-Shakespearean dialogue, Russ Meyer’s cult classic is a blast from its pistol-in-the-mouth start to its tongue-in-cheek finish. Even if you’ve never seen a Meyer film and don’t share his predilection for buxom ladies with limited acting skills, the story of an all-girl rock group in Hollywood [...]
