Coming up with a Sight and Sound ballot, even one that didn’t get submitted to the actual magazine, presents unique challenges. The only criteria put forth by the venerable magazine is to vote for the greatest films of all time, leaving voters free to interpret that. It opens things up to a wide set of... Continue Reading →
Lost in the Mail: Chris’s 2022 Sight and Sound Ballot
What's in a list, anyway? It's something I've struggled with throughout my time as an online writer. But when you're considering a set list of, as the BFI so brazenly puts it, the greatest films of all time, it becomes apparent that a list - any list - must encompass both a sense of inflexibility... Continue Reading →
Hooptober 2022 #33: The Fly (1958)
David Cronenberg’s 1986 The Fly is a cornerstone horror film for me. It’s the earliest horror movie I can remember watching and I’ve seen it many times since . The Fly moves me as much as it repulses me. A film about science gone amuck and an incredibly tragic romance. Sometimes though if you know... Continue Reading →
Hooptober 2022 #28: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The Curse of Frankenstein is one of two films, the other being Horror of Dracula, that cemented Hammer Films horror reputation. Horror of Dracula might be the more iconic of the two films. When people think of Hammer they think of Christopher Lee prowling the frame and look imposing. They they think of him in... Continue Reading →
Hooptober 2022 #6: Horror of Dracula (1958)
Let me start with the following declaration; if you watch a Hammer horror film, you’ll want to watch ten of them. After watching The Satanic Rites of Dracula, I had to watch another Hammer produced horror film. Since that was Christopher Lee’s last Dracula movie, why not revisit his first? Rewatching Horror of Dracula, or... Continue Reading →
Criterion Catch-Up: Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
When I was deciding what film was going to kick this off, I wanted something that was familiar. Sure, I could have gone with the challenge of something like A Brighter Summer Day but in the week of recharging the batteries in the midst of work and health/life stress I needed some comfort, something that... Continue Reading →
Hooptober 8.0 – House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Being Film #14 for Hooptober 2021 After a rough week I decided I needed a break for all the modern gore and guts and decided to turn to a campy favorite I hadn't seen in a while. William Castle was maybe known more for his gimmicks to pack theaters than the quality of his films,... Continue Reading →