Change Your Image
moviegoer_2
Reviews
The Hunger (1983)
Kinky pleasure
Arguably one of the best looking film of the 80's, The Hunger have passed the test of time quite well, despite director Tony Scott's infatuation with smoke and veils and all those over-aesthetic antics him and bro Ridley are so well-known for. Ironically, these period items are the very reason why the picture holds up so beautifully till this day. The sketchy story, the mannered (or let's say "in tune with") acting, the commercial inspired montage all to the service of a formal extravaganza, yet a controlled one. And all they converge to create this mesmerizing piece of cinematic fluff, a strange fruit to be sure, but these things becoming increasingly hard to get out of the Hollywood tree... treat yourself, have a bite.
Dance of the Vampires (1967)
I'm infected
What can I say? I just love it. I saw it as a kid, on a late night program and realized for the first time horror and sophisticated comedy could really match. I was too young then, though, to fully appreciate the "maestra" of director Polanski; his incredibly unique aptitude to create terror, or in that instance laughter, out of sheer absurdity. It took me another five years and Rosemary's Baby to comprehend, at least in part(s), the genius of the man. You have all those other user's comments to inform you on the nature of the film and the story involved, so I'll just cut it here by saying that if you find something to cherish here, there's a big chance you'll also find it, at various degrees, in Polanski's other films. Humour is always there, horror is always there; the sense of absurdity contaminating each and every part of the (anti-)hero's world. A deadly absurdity. A grotesque that kills. But don't worry: it's all fun.
Burnt Offerings (1976)
Beware the house... and the movie altogether
Dan Curtis directed some wonderfully atmospheric and low-key horror classics for the small screen trough the 70's, and then, since they were successful, someone thought "Hey, this guy should direct a horror movie for the cinema"; logical, since there's more money to make there. So Mr. Curtis co-wrote, co-produced and directed an adaptation of a little known (well as far as I know) horror novel. The result was "Burnt Offerings" starring the then popular Karen Black, who scored three years earlier along with Curtis with the terrific "Trilogy of Terror", the well-known Oliver Reed, character actors Eileen Eckart and Burgess Meredith, and of course, the legendary Bette Davis. Good cast, one must admit. Competent director. But the story... (it's about a family renting a summer house -in fact a mansion- with a past, if you care)
Although released prior Amytiville, this movie suffers greatly from an intriguing idea badly handled and the result is Oh so predictable. A real shame considering the talents involved. Moreover, Curtis' direction remains TV-like and photography is annoyingly uneven, ranging from the very 70's "let's-put-some-Vaseline-in-the-lens-for-a-shampoo-commercial-finish" to a appropriately gritty (let's not forget it's supposed to be a horror flick...) look. Maddening. And Karen Black, if one looks back at her credits (Day of the Locust, The Great Gatsby, Nashville), is a talented actress, but a talented actress who needs direction, something missing here. Therefore, her performance goes all the way from low-key and affecting to laughably overblown. And Davis' part is thankless. A shame. What it DOES have is a surprisingly restrained performance from the often broad Reed. But even his welcomed nuances can't carry the whole picture and so, one finds it hard after a while to care much about anyone or anything in that hotchpotch of a film. And about that ghostly chauffeur, what was that all about?
I rented this movie 'cause the DVD cover looked nice and because of the people involved but siting trough it, until the very end, proved to be an unmemorable, almost painful experience. Do yourself a favor, pass on this one. Good haunted house movies are not that hard to find: The Changeling, The Haunting (1963), The Others, The Innocents, Stir of Echoes, even Rebecca would do, if you look at it that way.
Ghost Story (1981)
Dead again
A group of elderly gentlemen get together for a drink and some frightening stories. Meanwhile, the two sons of one of them get acquainted to some kind of sexy skeleton in daddy's (and the whole tired bunch's) closet. One of which dies in the process. And then, past and present melting, begins the scariest tale of them all. Except it's not very scary.
Don't get me wrong, I kind of love that flawed film. For numerous reasons. Fred Astaire is genuinely affecting, Alice Kridge gives a weird and frightening performance in a part best described as "disconcerting" and Philippe Sarde score is simply superb.
BUT. Although there's atmosphere to spare in it, John Irvin's direction is standard at best and Lawrence D. Cohen just can't adapt good books (Carrie worked, in my opinion, because of De Palma's dynamite direction and great acting by a cast of then newcomers). 'Cause the book, that great novel by the still underrated Peter Straub, is marvelous... and layered, and demanding, and, well, dense, and none of these can apply to the picture. But for what it is - a simplification -, it does deliver some good on the basis of the above-mentioned reasons. Still, let's hope it'll make it as an expensive miniseries sometime soon: it IS time to tell the tale, indeed.
The Legacy (1978)
Don't go there, Katharine
A beautiful, young, American couple goes to England because of a mysterious business proposition and because the movie takes place there 'cause it's always gloomy and foggy and coldish and this is a supernatural thriller in a big house and finally because most couple in these derivative though sometimes enjoyable outings are a bit on the slow side. Anyway, they get there through a generic boosting an atrocious "this-is-the-incongruous-love-song-theme-get-use-to-it-it'll-come-back-throughout" and then the legacy unveil itself, literally.
Well, let's just say lovely Ross and tough Elliott fared better with their subsequent collaborations adapting Louis L'Amour stuff. I must say that after seeing that "Legacy" film, I'm a bit confused; I find myself wandering what the hell did they saw in that shallow script devoid of suspense, unexpectedness and more importantly of defined characters. One have to pay the rent (or the ranch) I suppose.
It's a real shame 'cause I'm one of these freaks who loved Mrs Ross' Stepford Wives so the possibility of seeing her in another fantastic/horror flick did thrilled me. And there is the result, a messy, badly acted, confused and sometimes laughable supernatural outing directed with laziness by the late and usually reliable Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle, The Return of the Jedi). The pit.
The Sentinel (1977)
Derivative yet certainly interesting
So I bought the new DVD (nice transfer by the way) on an impulse. Although I did saw that movie years ago, I couldn't say much about it since I remembered "atmospheres" rather than particular scenes. And considering the general high quotient of "what's-that-crap" reviews, I find myself wandering Why, why did I buy a potentially uninteresting 70's horror flick smelling like Rosemary's Baby's moods've been recycled for yet another go...
Well, like I said, it was an impulse, and a good one I must now say. Maybe all the bad reviews have something to do with it but I shall confess that I did enjoyed The Sentinel. It was certainly derivative of better pictures, especially the above-mentioned one but hey, the acting was more than fair, with Mrs Raines a most appealing and endearing anti-heroine punching some good dialogue. And about that, well, interesting cast: Burgess Meredith, Ava Gardner, John Carradine, Christopher Walken, Sylvia Miles and Beverley D'Angelo (who said shocks need make-up effects?), among others, compete for the hall of fame of the most eclectic ensemble ever.
The climax is a bit too much, though so genuinely weird in its self-importance it certainly does make an impact. Loved that final shot of Raines, which reminds me of the good job Albert Whitlock pulled in the picture. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. Fair share of shocks, make-up effects and good photography creating creepy little picture, a guilty pleasure for sure... and a definite curio.
The Stepford Wives (2004)
To camp, or not to camp
So they did it. One finds it hard to describe just how much of a disappointment this "thing" was. Yes, it's easy to compare the remake (and I'm still not sure that term is appropriate here) with the uneven though intriguing and layered original. At the very least, Bryan Forbes did assume his public had a brain at its disposal.
The main problem, I think, is a genuine lack of cohesion and consistence of tone(s). It just doesn't work, either as a comedy, a satire or a plain entertainment. Everything is hammered without an once of subtlety. To bad, considering that wow of a cast. Let's hope screenwriter Paul Rudnick (whose name should be forever next to the word "camp" in dictionaries) will take a break. I can't help but wandered what Don Roos (that is, the one of "The Opposite of Sex") or Stephen Daldry could have done with the same material. A real drag, no pun intended.
Proteus (2003)
A handsome, challenging and classy gem of a movie.
A handsome, classy gem of a movie, imaginatively shot on a very low budget by Greyson the way he did the uneven, yet interesting, "Lilies". I don't want to say much about the plot, which is based on facts, but be prepare for gorgeous scenery, some pointed nodes (to Todd Haynes' Poison, Tom of Fineland and Jean Genet) and completely believable performances by a first-rate, though unknown, cast.
A mixed bag of a love story (two men on a penitentiary island; one is white, the other is black; one is gay, the other is not; add a "curious", repressed warden and a definite taste for botanic and you'll have an idea) that actually works, thanks to a refreshing lack of camp. And, for those of you wandering, the title has nothing to do whatsoever with science-fiction, "Proteus" being the name of a beautiful flower used here literally and, most of all, metaphorically.
Definitely not your average "gay movie", and certainly not to everyone's taste, "Proteus" is challenging yet generous toward those who are willing for something a little different. Stick with this one.