U.K.-based American International film. Multiple storylines include: serial killings of young women, cop on the trail Superintendent Bellaver (Alfred Marks), officers Griffin (Julian Holloway) and Helen (Judy Bloom), forensic technician Dr. Sorel (Christopher Matthews), evil guys Konratz (Marshall Jones) and Dr. Browning (Vincent Price), and a jogger in hospital who’s slowly losing his limbs. EventuallyContinue reading “‘Scream and Scream Again’: Confusing but Fun”
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‘Rumpelstiltskin’: So Bad, it’s…Just Bad
Rumpelstiltskin (Max Grodénchik) is a goblin-type guy in the 1400s wanting to trick people into letting him grant them wishes so he can claim their first-born babies. The local villagers are less than pleased with his conduct and hunt him down, and a witch turns him into a statue. Flash-forward to present-day LA, when housewifeContinue reading “‘Rumpelstiltskin’: So Bad, it’s…Just Bad”
Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’: Murder! Wit! More Gay Coloring Than You Can Shake a Stick at!
Brandon (John Dall) and Phillip (Farley Granger) kill their acquaintance David (Dick Hogan) because they want to test their theory that “Moral concepts of right and wrong don’t hold for the intellectually superior.” Phillip immediately regrets it, while Brandon is “tremendously exhilarated” (that’s ‘40s talk for orgasmic). They then proceed to throw the body inContinue reading “Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’: Murder! Wit! More Gay Coloring Than You Can Shake a Stick at!”
‘The Rite’: Heavy-handed, but Delivered in a Creepy and Thoughtful Wrapping
Michael (Colin O’Donoghue) is a seminary student who is starting to wonder if he really wants to be a priest. Since the Church recently decided it wants an exorcist for every diocese, Michael is sent to exorcism school in Rome. He meets reporter Angelina (Alice Braga) and Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a funny old guyContinue reading “‘The Rite’: Heavy-handed, but Delivered in a Creepy and Thoughtful Wrapping”
Hideo Nakata’s ‘Ringu’: Ya See, Kids, the ’90s were a Simpler Time…
The Japanese movie that was remade in America as The Ring. Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima) is a reporter investigating mysterious deaths (including that of her niece Tomoko), all occurring one week after the victims watched a strange videotape. Asakawa locates the actual tape and watches it. With seven days to live, in desperation she shows itContinue reading “Hideo Nakata’s ‘Ringu’: Ya See, Kids, the ’90s were a Simpler Time…”
‘Return to Oz’: Wholesome Family Watching! (That’s Sarcasm)
It’s six months after Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) returned from Oz (actually forty-six years in real life). Dorothy can’t shut up about her wonderful adventures in Oz, which earns her a trip to the local sanitarium for shock treatment. After escaping, Dorothy wakes up back in Oz, this time with her chicken Billina (voiced by DeniseContinue reading “‘Return to Oz’: Wholesome Family Watching! (That’s Sarcasm)”
‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’: Dark, Witty, Campy–with Awesome Songs!
It’s the not-too-distant future, and an epidemic of organ failures gives rise to Geneco, an organ financing conglomerate that helps people “cheat death for now.” Surgery becomes a fashion statement, and organ repossession is legal. Since everyone is now in debt, the Repo Man (Anthony Head) makes a brisk business. But he also has aContinue reading “‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’: Dark, Witty, Campy–with Awesome Songs!”
‘The Rage: Carrie 2’–Call Me Nostalgic, but it’s an Ambitious and Well-Made Sequel
Twenty-three years after the original comes a sequel, continuing in the same town. Seems Carrie’s father had a child with another woman, who, go figure, is also a religious zealot. Being raised in one uncaring foster home after another does little to improve young Rachel’s (Emily Bergl) morale, and she becomes a surly sixteen-year-old goth.Continue reading “‘The Rage: Carrie 2’–Call Me Nostalgic, but it’s an Ambitious and Well-Made Sequel”
‘Quarantine’: Somebody Call a Wah-mbulance
Remake of Jaume Balagueró’s Rec, directed by John Erick Dowdle. Reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are doing a piece on firefighters. They ride along with firemen Fletcher (Johnathon Schaech) and Jake (Jay Hernandez) on a call to an apartment building where one of the residents has been heard screaming. TurnsContinue reading “‘Quarantine’: Somebody Call a Wah-mbulance”
‘Psycho’ 1998: Why???
Marion (Anne Heche) is longing to get married to her boyfriend Sam (Viggo Mortensen), but neither of them have the money. She sees her opportunity when her boss gives her a boatload of money to deposit in the bank, and instead she runs away with it. She winds up at the Bates motel, run byContinue reading “‘Psycho’ 1998: Why???”
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