When it comes to compiling "Best _ of All Time" lists, I generally find the process more interesting than the final lists themselves. For me personally, I obsess for hours over the internal debates and criteria which only make sense to me. Once those decisions are made, all that is left to do is record... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
The camera gives us, the audience, a view of the Atlantic Ocean. This scene is not particularly peaceful. The waters here don’t look beautiful. The ocean roils into muddy bubbles. An African-American father and son though play unconcerned in these not particularly calm waters. The camera then turns to a white woman named France, watching... Continue Reading →
One of the joys of watching regional horror movies is coming across something deeply strange. Regional films tend to bring out the unhinged in a particular era of filmmakers. Maybe the film needed to meet the demands of a producer or distributor. Possibly the filmmakers tried to one up another film to get your film... Continue Reading →
There’s always been something… off about actor Kyle MacLachlan. On the surface, MacLachlan is a traditionally handsome actor. In his performances, he can exude deep empathy or be a total prick. However, he always comes across as one step removed from society, an otherworldly presence. One of the great missed opportunities is he never got... Continue Reading →
Something that rarely works is the “prestige” horror film. Before elevated horror was a thing, studios occasionally tried to legitimize horror films by casting with A-list stars instead of genre stalwarts, getting well known directors, and making the films variations on classic stories. The idea being they would make the “good” horror film. These films... Continue Reading →
Being Film #23 for Hooptober 2022 Of course, every Hooptober must contain a review of a Tobe Hooper film, and Dan has maybe forced me to re-assess my negative experience with Eaten Alive based on his review. And I may still do that, but for this year's entry I needed to return to something else,... Continue Reading →
In the fine tradition of Italian knockoffs such as Starcrash and Contamination, comes Bruno Mattei’s Shocking Dark. Knockoff is generous though. An acquaintance described this film as one clearly written by a 12 year old which isn’t far off. Only if it was an ambitious 12 year old that only watched James Cameron’s pre-Abyss films.... Continue Reading →
Being Film #19 for Hooptober 2022 Called an audible last night since I needed something fun and fast to watch between school pickups, dinners, and other Dad-related duties, so I pulled The Hidden out from the Criterion Channel's recent spotlight on 80s horror. Man, if ever a movie felt like all of the 80s rolled... Continue Reading →
Cinema Dual 