The new year has unexpectedly graced us with a plethora of interesting and entertaining horror films this month in theaters or on streaming sites. In the interest of not just focusing on one and ignoring the others, here are some capsule reviews. Primate – I guess the title Primate sounded more marketable than Killer Chimp,…
Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies, and many more, at Trailers From Hell. This week, we hoist a glass to a trio of films directed by Frank Tashlin. The Alphabet Murders is a British film from 1965. The story was taken from an Agatha Christie novel,…
‘Kill the Bible!’ — according to Cecil B. DeMille, that’s the agenda of Godless atheists destroying America’s youth. His beautifully directed yet jaw-droppingly exploitative ‘meller-drammer’ condemns teenagers to a hellhole reformatory, for more defiance, escapes, and a typically spectacular DeMille crisis. That’s not counting the scene where cross-shaped ‘electrocution stigmata’ are burned into the young…
As long as we’re feeling restless … we return to 1971, and a Peter Watkins political fantasy that arrived looking for trouble. The invocation of a forgotten Cold War security act motivates police to target anti-war dissidents with a murderous initiative. The premise of this grim desert ordeal always seemed farfetched, paranoid … but maybe…
Edward Yang’s sentimental family masterpiece is back, now in 4K Ultra HD. It’s New Taiwan Cinema at its best, and an ideal introduction to Asian cinema for those averse to action and fantasy. One year in the life of a home in Taipei begins with a wedding and ends with a funeral; the emotional journey…
It’s a lowly Z-grade independent monster show of the 1950s, made by Billy Wilder’s talent-challenged older brother. We can’t get enough of pictures like this: Bronson Caves subs for the wilds of the Himalayas, but desperation editing can’t compensate for the lack of real action scenes. Mister Snow Creature is not particularly memorable either. But…
Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies, and many more, at Trailers From Hell. This week, we salute the late, great Peter Sellers with a toast to each of these three films. Our title this week comes, naturally, from the 1970 British comedy, There’s a Girl in…
He was the biggest unknown-to-major-star sensation of the Golden age of Hollywood. Errol Flynn’s screen breakthrough is unique, as his ‘dashing rogue’ persona wasn’t fully formedl his Doctor Blood is no superman, and surprisingly vulnerable. The show also introduced one of the movies’ most appealing romantic couples, with the casting of the still-teenaged Olivia de…
Barbara Steele is back and Dr. Hichcock’s got her, but it’s not that Dr. Hichcock. The producers of The Horrible Dr. Hichcock return with the same director and much the same crew, with their fake anglicized names. Ms. Steele’s unfaithful and duplicitous spouse gets a full acting workout, even with a story devoid of Taboo…
