Film lover, work in progress.
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Psycho 1998
On this rewatch, I realized the fundamental flaw of Van Sant’s Psycho. When he made the original, Hitchcock was trying to make a thriller. With his remake, Van Sant is only trying to copy another movie. Any possibly for suspense or entertainment is sacrificed at the altar of simply replicating Hitch, in garish color.
Those bold color choices have inspired me to revisit Psycho ‘98 often. But each time I feel a little less of the Gus Van Sant who…
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Fleshtone 1994
The worst movie I’ve yet seen on the Criterion Channel.
Fleshtone is part of the new Erotic Thrillers collection on the channel. Other, better candidates must not have been available. A lot of better candidates, if incompetent garbage like Fleshtone has to sit beside classics like Dressed to Kill, and The Last Seduction.
Fwiw, I don’t think a movie has to be “good” to be on the Criterion Channel or released by CC on disc. Their mission statement, “an ongoing…
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Thanksgiving 2023
Could have done with twice as many broad Massachusetts accents, but other than that, fully delivers.
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The Last Run 1971
George C. Scott always felt old, and so didn’t stand out once the youthful New Hollywood came into vogue in the 79s. But Scott is every bit as intimidating, yet warm and funny, as Gene Hackman.
Would make a good double feature with the George Clooney American.
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Schlock 1973
Schlock has been unavailable for years. There was an out of print DVD from the early 2000s that kept getting more expensive, but other than that there's been no way to see John Landis' debut film. Recently an all-region blu-ray came out from a German company. Wow, was it worth ordering.
Schlock has all the flaws you'd expect from a low-budget horror movie made in the 70s by a 21-year-old. There's plenty of bad acting, sloppy lighting, and a threadbare…
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Mandy 2018
A gorgeous, haunted rock concert of a movie. I’m so happy Panos Cosmatos has been able to continue the throw-everything-at-the-wall style trip he was on for his debut, Beyond the Black Rainbow. Mixing Argento, 80s kitsch, proto heavy metal so heavy it feels like the soundtrack to an ancient sect of evil monks, and a strong simple belief in true love, Cosmatos doesn’t so much make a movie as cast a spell.
At the start of the film (set in…
