Letterboxd — Your life in film

No other movie has affected me more so than Lost in Translation - straight to my emotions, deep down into the very being of my soul. This film left an ache in my soul that lasted for several days and that continues to do so - this very day. Someone once told me that extroverts will hate it, and introverts will love it – and I tend to believe them. No other film, in my opinion, has divided movie fans,…

The Silence of the Lambs based on the novel by Thomas Harris - featuring Dr. Hannibal Lecter, (played by Anthony Hopkins who steals the film and was deserving of his Best Actor award) who is perhaps the most iconic character in film history and Agent Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster who really holds the film together and her performance is her greatest in my view). The film is a rare example of where a film wins several Oscars for…

Haunted house movies can be extremely creepy and atmospheric when done right, the tension builds and builds, they grab you and don't let you go. They need to be precisely and brilliantly choreographed. They can also be a hell of a lot of fun. Don't Go to Sleep has all this in abundance. This lesser known TV horror classic made such an impression on me that still remember it as if I watching it right now. What Don't Go to…

Edward Scissorhands (played by Johnny Depp) is about a man who has scissors for hands. The film begins with a friendly Avon saleswoman Peg Boggs (played by Kathy Baker) who visits this abandoned mansion on the edge of the town and discovers Edward and she takes him home with her. From there on we Edward trying to fit in with the locals and discover the world that has been closed off from him. The film poignantly depicts Edwards early years…

They Have Changed Their Face is perhaps the most innovating and original take on the Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. In this intoxicating allegory on capitalism, they substituted the well- trodden Dracula with a successful and powerful businessman, Giovanni Nosferatu, the head of a massive corporation, who invites a low- ranking employee to, from what appears on the exterior as an old dilapidated villa. As soon as he arrives in the locality - things are not quite what they seem. He…

It seems that zombie movies are dime a dozen and offer little in the way of originality and imagination so it is always refreshing to see a zombie flick that attempts to bring new ideas into the exhausted sub-genre. Today, I am going to talk about a film that I seen three years ago and still haunts me to this day. I was bored and weary and I decided to watch, what I thought was your typical low-budget flawed zombie…

Alain (superbly played by Maurice Ronet) is a recovering alcoholic at a rehabilitation clinic in Versailles who also suffers from depression. The film begins with Alain and Lydia in bed together, the friend of his estranged wife, Alain believes she is the only person that can save him from his demise. She begs him to come to America with her but he adamantly refuses while adding that "I'm not eager to face life again" while maintaining that life as a…

...A romantic way to go...if there was such a way. But Ben never used to be like that. At the start of this neon soaked masterpiece we see Ben ridding himself of the last remnants of family life and leaving it all behind for the drink. We see a photo of himself, his wife and his son before the drink had a grip on him. You could say that Ben had it all but he was always chasing something more…

I just love these offbeat vampire flicks. I decided to check this out on the spur of the moment last night and I didn't regret it. It is based around female artist who happens to be a vampire - played seductively by the stunning Cristina Ferrare. It is not your traditional vampire flick in the sense that this one is about vampirism as a disease like George Romero's 'Martin' - only 'Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary' predates it by three years.…

I had bought the Mill Creek Chilling Classics 50 movie pack a few years ago and I had noticed that Messiah of Evil (1973) was included in it but for one reason or another I never wanted to watch it. Fast forward to last years October Challenge and I was running out options to watch - so I half-heartedly decided to watch it. Well, needless to say, I didn't regret it, and even tho the copy wasn't the best in…

Naturally, there are so many horror movies released each year that it's difficult to see them all. Subsequently, some great horror films have, and continue to, slip under the radar. Mutants is one of such movies. The breathtaking French countryside that serves as a background to a deadly virus that spreads through France, that turns its unfortunate victims into unstoppable flesh-eating mutants, but unlike other Zombie movies, it differs, in that it offers its victims the cruelty of hope -…

Myths do not die, they just get transformed. Today I talk about The Addiction. And so ends this most interesting film, vampirism is transplanted to a harsh modern urban setting as a metaphor for addiction, religion and redemption. The vampire legend, that is so rich in metaphor and symbolism, has never been treated with such intellectual depth and biting social criticism. The modern vampire sub-genre in my opinion works best in real harsh urban environments, with limited action scenes, that…