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Showing posts from July, 2017

Straw Dogs (1971) ****1/2

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Bride Of Re-Animator - Unrated Version (1989) ***

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Re-Animator (1985) *****

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Herbert West:  I gave him  life .  Dr. Carl Hill:  It's rather like peeling a large orange.  Dr. Carl Hill:   Mr .  West! I suggest  you get yourself a pen!  "Cat dead. Details later?" Scream queen  Herbert West : Who's going to believe a talking head?  Get a job  in a sideshow.   Herbert West:  OVERDOSE! 

Hardcore (1979) ****

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The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) **1/2

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Very entertaining trash. I never realized how much Re-Animator  liberally borrows from this.

Silence (2016) ****

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Upon a second viewing, I enjoyed Silence  (2016) even more, bumping up my previous rating by a 1/2 star. Even though I'm not religious in the slightest, I can't help but be captivated by this powerful work. My original review here .

They Live By Night (1948) ***1/2

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To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) ****1/2

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Dunkirk (2017) ****

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A thrilling, tense, and rousing cinematic experience, and a film worth seeing in IMAX.

Focus On Film: Episode 55 - October 2017 Criterion Titles

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Focus On Film   Episode 55  is up! Download the MP3  HERE ​This month we're introducing a slightly changed up format. Rygar and Danman talk (a lot about) ’cock , the loss of Romero , THING s that were frustrating to pre-order + more! In this episode: October 2017  Criterion Collection  Titles Announcement *NEW!*  Arrow Video & Other Announcements Criterion Most Wanted Best & Worst Of The Month  –  ROUGH NIGHT (2017), DOWNHILL (1927), ​ THE BIG SICK (2017), A SHOT IN THE DARK (1964) *NEW!* Revolving Topic "Focus On Film Theme"  & commercial music:  Daniel Sardella

Tetro (2009) ****

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I love this film. This was my third time watching TETRO  and after finally getting around to watching its earlier spiritual brother film  RUMBLE FISH , it held special meaning. I hope that FFC can make another great film after the mess that is TWIXT .

Day Of The Dead (1985) *****

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The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) ****

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Despite some flaws, I find THE STENDHAL SYNDROME  to be one of Argento 's best films, and one which only seems to get better on subsequent viewings. As far as star ratings go, I'd even rate STENDHAL  higher than FOUR FLIES , CAT O' NINE TAILS ,  TENEBRE ,  PHENOMENA , and OPERA , though I've watched most of those films more than this one. In some regards, STENDHAL feels more extreme than other Argento  films. While just about all of his films feature graphic violence, unless my memory fails me, few of Argento 's other films have this level of sexual violence (including multiple rape scenes). These scenes are made particularly disturbing due to Argento having cast his daughter Asia  as the lead on the receiving end of said violence. Speaking of, her performance is quite diverse, but unfortunately undermined a bit (as is the film in general) by being overdubbed. More highlights: the cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno is stunning (this one doesn't really loo

Downhill (aka When Boys Leave Home) (1927) **1/2

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The Beguiled (2017) ***

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The Beguiled (2017) is a good film overall but I honestly didn't feel it was much different than the 1971 original . None of the performances were particularly strong either and I found Farrell 's turn in the third act a bit drastic (I need to rewatch the original to see if Eastwood 's was of similar note).

War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017) ***1/2

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War For The Planet Of The Apes  (2017) is a strong closer (and the best of the three) for this modern trilogy of Apes   films. Serkis is to be commended for his work,  Harrelson   does a good modern  Kurtz , and the visual f/x are quite astounding.

The Lodger: A Story Of The London Fog (1927) ***1/2

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Harper Lee "To Kill A Mockingbird" (1960) *****

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The Vagrant (1992) ***1/2

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Multiple Maniacs (1970) ***1/2

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Arrival (2016) ****1/2

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Trail Of The Pink Panther (1982) *1/2 [Beumb-a-thon Pt. 6]

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Revenge Of The Pink Panther (1978) **1/2 [Beumb-a-thon Pt. 5]

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Harold And Maude (1971) *****

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