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Reviews
Hatchet (2006)
Great new horror
Hatchet really is something special. Just saw it at Toronto's Bloor Cinema (courtesy of Anchor Bay Ent.). Extreme gore is a must here. Cutting this film down would be a sacrilege as it is as viscerally gory and brutal as it is funny. There aren't tons of set-pieces as we might expect from a horror film but director Adam Green knows what he's doing and clearly loves the genre. It is well acted and quite scary in it's way.
Belongs on a list with The Evil Dead, Fulci's The Beyond, Jackson's Dead Alive and Christopher Smith's Severance.
A must see for fans of the genre.
Masters of Horror (2005)
MOH is, of course, a mixed bag
The Masters of Horror series which began in 2005 is certainly a mixed bag. Not only are there many different film-makers working on these episodes, but the budgets seem to be limited on some level.
Like the first 5 seasons of The X-Files, the episodes are shot in Vancouver and the British Columbia environment in Canada, so directors need to be creative in order to make it all work as effectively as possible.
The best of the bunch that I've seen so far are: William Malone's The Fair Haired Child (which is an emotional and horrific fairy-tale), Joe Dante's surprisingly effective and detailed Homecoming (bear with the opening 5 minutes or so), Don Coscarelli's Incident On and Off a Mountain Road, Lucky McKee's Sick Girl and Dario Argento's second offering Pelts which may have the highest level of gore and sleaze in all the Masters of Horror so far! Way to go, Dario! You're still the man!
Next tier down would be Takashi Miike's Imprint, John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns and possible Larry Cohen's Pick Me Up. There are about three more I've seen which I won't mention (out of respect for the film-makers!).
Professione: reporter (1975)
Unique Antonioni film - which is not an unusual thing
Most of Michelangelo Antonioni's films can be described as unique, and The Passenger (or Professione: Reporter) is a fine example of his oblique and purposefully meandering style.
Most great films should be viewed and not described too much; Jack Nicholson gives, arguably, his best performance; there are almost no Jack Nicholsonisms in this film (courtesy of the director). Maria Schneider is more than serviceable. Luciano Tovoli's photography is perfectly on display in Sony Pictures Classics DVD release from 2006.
Many indelible images in an amazing example of visual storytelling. The final sequence is particularly mesmerizing.
Dirty Harry (1971)
One of 1971's best films
Iconic, dark and memorable, Dirty Harry is truly a great film. After countless sequels and a thousand bad imitations, Don Siegel's brilliant cop drama really holds up, and then some.
Not only is Clint Eastwood iconic as "Dirty" Harry Callahan but there is also a great supporting cast. Reni Santoni stands out as Harry's current partner and Andrew Robinson gives a chilling performance as Scorpio, the sniper-killer on the loose in San Francisco. Almost every scene with Robinson is equally funny and frightening (particularly the ransom money drop-off sequence culminating at Golden Gate Park).
Effectively shot, directed and scored (by Lalo Schifrin).
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Unrated Director's Cut is the only way to go
I thought the remake of Dawn of the Dead would be a stupid waste of time and then I heard Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames would be in it. Sounded good so far. Watched it at the movie theatre and thought it was a solid remake...
Picked up the Unrated director's cut on DVD (109 mins) and fell in love with the film, especially Jake Weber's turn as Michael, the unlikely hero ("I sell televisions at Best Buy"). He is so engaging and magnetic in this film that I actually watched all of season 2 of Medium, a program he co-stars on; Patricia Arquette is the lead.
This film is so watchable that I struggle not to watch it on consecutive days (already seen it 4 times). Some films you can watch once and be done with it; others will stay with you for a very long time and not just because of their accessibility or universality, there is something called cinema magic and you can't always put your finger on it.
Get down with the sickness.
P.S. Watch only until just before the final credits begin.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Not really a horror film, just a masterwork
George A. Romero's second Dead film is truly a masterwork. It's a film that gets better and better the more you see it. The extended 139 minute cut is spectacular and is so original in it's intent and presentation that it almost seems like a different film each time it's viewed. It's almost like a symphony, thanks to Romero's direction, the photography and especially the editing. Romero constantly jerks the audience around by shifting tone and focus in his plot and character development.
The main action occurs in a Pennsylvania shopping mall that the four protagonists have holed up in. Even though two of the main characters (played by Ken Foree and Scott Reiniger) are SWAT team members, we can empathize with their survivalist plight and the suspense of the film comes from an innate human instinct to survive at all costs.
The other protagonists, Steven and Fran (David Emge and Gaylen Ross) make an interesting, modern 1970s couple with the usual relationship problems turned on their head and put on the back burner due to the obvious apocalyptic circumstances to deal with! This film is a staple of cinema and not just horror cinema and is a must see.
In closing, David Emge's "Flyboy" has the best zombie walk of all time!
Tess (1979)
One of the best films of all time
Rarely have I seen a film that haunts me to my core. This film is so moody and evocative that I feel it's almost a part of me. Hard to explain, really. This is my favourite Roman Polanski film and that is saying a lot. He is certainly a master director and every film he makes is interesting on some level and is worthy of praise.
Tess was photographed in France (substituting for South-West England) by the late Geoffrey Unsworth and the late Ghislain Cloquet, who shared an Academy Award in 1981 for this gorgeous film. Tess is not just pretty to look at, the photography constantly sets a mood and creates an atmosphere of tragedy surrounding the protagonist's life.
This leads me to Nastassja Kinski who really made a name for herself in the title roll. She is not brilliant but is maliable enough for a master director to mold her performance into something memorable and special.
This is a truly special film.
Giornata nera per l'ariete (1971)
An example of why many Giallo films should be released on DVD
Any fan of 1970s Italian Giallo films has seen enough of them to know what to look for, but, of course, everyone sees something different in art. We all know about The Cat o Nine Tails (cool as hell) and Deep Red (bloody amazing), but some lesser-known Gialli have been available for re-discovery courtesy of Blue Underground and Shreikshow labels.
One of the better ones has to be The Fifth Cord starring Franco Nero. For me, the number one thing in these films is not plot points but ATMOSPHERE. This film not only has the great Franco Nero as its protagonist, but is brilliantly shot by Vittorio Storaro. Also, the director knows what to show most of the time, and when and how to show it. The finale is set in one of those funky 1960s European open concept homes with the stairwell to the second floor in the middle of the living room and a huge fireplace fit for Cortina! The kind of films we don't see any more, unfortunately. Without these DVD releases, we'd be stuck with a lot of modern would-be thrillers involving cell-phones and teeny-boppers.
Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso (1972)
Atmosphere to spare
Not my favourite Giallo of all time but, considering it's directed by Umberto Lenzi, it's a hell of a surprise! This one stars Antonio Sabato (Sr.) and follows the usual bizarre, serpentine Giallo plot with some memorable murder set-pieces. The opening murder, featuring a sleazy-looking prostitute, sets the tone for what is to come.
The atmosphere in this film (as in most Giallo films) is exceptional and there is a terrific, evocative climax at a remote villa. The final shot in any film is important to me and this one lingers for a long time, for some reason.
Definitely worth a look.
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (2000)
Could be a companion piece to Wings of Desire
Der Kreiger und Die Kaiserin is a beautiful, existential and Romantic (in the pure sense of the word) film. Judging from this film and the recent Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Tom Tykwer is becoming one of my favourite film-makers.
I won't do the typical plot outline because anyone who has seen and loved this film already knows how good it is and doesn't need a summary. Franka Potente and Benno Furmann are endlessly watchable and I could watch this film if it was 8 hours long. Life goes by slowly sometimes and this film's pace is appropriate to the essence of the story. There is longing. Longing for love, understanding, purpose and forgiveness: A masterpiece.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Arguably the best Bond film
The Bond film that got away, in effect. Unless you were around in the 1960s when the Connery Bonds were released, you grew up watching them on TV or video. I was never too excited to screen the Lazenby one-off when I was growing up. First watched it at age 12 and found it long and boring. In my late twenties, I fell in love with it.
OHMSS screams out 1969 to me every time I watch it; it's very "adult" in a way. Although the film-makers still kept in the patented Bond humour, there were plenty of interesting characters, settings and plot-lines.
Lazenby is perfectly fine as 007 and I would have liked to have seen him in more entries in the series. Telly Savalas is one of the best Bond villains because he's very smooth but his character's malicious intent is very palpable. On top of it all, there is the great Gabriele Ferzetti (from Antonioni's L'Avventura and Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West). He has the best line in the film regarding Diana Rigg's ex-husband: "He killed himself, and his mistress, in a Maserati last summer!" That line indicates to me the height of rich, bourgeois 1960s European decadence begun a decade before with Fellini and Antonioni.
Kudos to director Peter Hunt for seemingly following his vision and making a Bond film to be proud of after all these years.