Films seen in August
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05. The Haunted Strangler (1958, USA)
Robert Day -
worth seeing
06.
I Know Who Killed Me (2007, USA)
Chris Siverston -
worth seeing
[C-]
I’ve heard comparisons to Verhoeven, De
Palma, Lynch and even Kieslowski from those who are supporting this film. It’s
quite possible that director Chris Siverston -- whose adapation of Jack Ketchum’s
The Lost I’m very eager to see -- approached this project with
the same intellectual bravado as the aforementioned directors, there is no denying
the guy has a sharp expressionist eye for cinema, but I have a sneaking suspicion
that these things were abandoned in post-production in favor of something far
more Camp. This is the only way I have of explaining things like Lohan’s
mechanical Robo-Hand and its garish sound effects, or some of the choices made
in editing and line delivery. The script by Jeffrey Hammond is full of subconscious
allusions to reality (Lost Highway being the obvious model -- that
film was about a killer who created an alternate reality to confront his guilt,
this about a victim who creates an answer and a salvation to her unknown murder),
and while this elevates the story miles above just about every other mind numbing
film being shown at the local cinemaplex, I’m itching to know just who
is responsible for derailing this project in order to cash in on Lohan’s
dwindling stardom.
10.
Divine Intervention (2002, Palestine) Elia Suleiman
-
worth seeing
11.
Disturbia (2007, USA) D.J Caruso -
worth seeing [C+]
12.
Flash Gordon (1980, UK) Mike Hodges -
worth seeing
13.
Touki Bouki (1973, Senegal) Djibril Diop Mambéty
-
Excellent
14.
I Vampiri (1956, Italy) Ricardo Freda & Mario
Bava -
has redeeming facet
15.
The Big Bad Swim (2006, USA) Ishai Setton -
a must see [B-]
17.
Satan's Cheerleaders (1977, USA)
Greydon Clark -
has redeeming facet
Harmless camp fun, it actually works better when
it’s not trying to be a horror film.
19.
Chainsaw Sally (2004, USA) Jimmyo
Burril -
worthless
The fact that shit like this even gets made,
let alone makes it way onto the shelves of stores nationwide makes me hate horror
audiences…
20.
Skyjacked (1972, USA) John Guillermin
-
worth seeing
Eliminate Heston’s flashbacks and this
ceases to be camp, and in fact actually winds up being a rather terse and sharp-edged
little thriller. The ‘Scope cinematography combined with jarring ultra
quick pans works wonders to jack up the tension. Thanks for digging this one
up Warner.
21.
Super Fuzz (1980, USA) Sergio
Corbucci -
worth seeing
When I saw this film as a kid, this was a SERIOUS
cop flick. Seen today it’s a rather slight Italian comedy, but the wild
soundtrack remains intact and it scores points for nostalgia.
22.
Hellraiser (1987, USA) Clive Barker
-
Excellent
Marred only by a choppy and half-baked conclusion,
this is a virtuoso debut film that screams for worldwide critical reappraisal.
Terrifying, and filled with images you may never shake, this is also a deeply
intelligent piece of erotic horror, the caliber of which one usually associates
with Zulawski or Cronenberg. It’s too bad that Barker never panned out
as a filmmaker as there is so much promising and daring filmmaking on display
here.
23.
Sinderella and the Golden Bra
(1964, USA) Loel Minardi -
worthless
Essentially the worst musical you’ve ever
seen, played out for 60 minutes, before finally indulging in 10 minutes of topless
shots of women as the titular bra is tried on in order to find its proper owner.
This is bad, even as far as Something Weird releases are concerned…
27.
Talk Dirty to Me (1980, USA) Anthony
Spinelli -
worth seeing
This is the only film I had never even heard
of in Jami Bernard’s fascinating The X List: The National Society of
Film Critics' Guide to the Movies That Turn Us on, and even though it’s
one of the few choices to actually warrant the term “porno,” there
is a definite filmic sensibility at work from director Anthony Spinnelli (references
to Howard Hawks and Raoul Walsh appear out of left field!?). The performances
are universally strong for a hardcore feature; with lead actor John Leslie sleazing
it up to the Nth degree, his filthy-mouthed antics certainly more than earn
the film its provocative title. Pornography is a difficult thing to look at
critically, and it’s only in today’s virtually saturated world of
the Internet and in-Demand viewing, that one can truly glimpse the heart of
much of these narrative XXX films (yes actual film stock) from the 1970’s.
These were works not meant to be viewed in secret, but rather to be projected
publicly on a huge screen and viewers were comfortable confronting these works
out in the open instead of hiding them under the bed. Viewing a film like Talk
Dirty to Me in the year 2007 on the big screen seems almost preposterous
and like foreign films -- which also thrived in American cinemas of the Seventies
and have all but vanished on the screens of today -- there are some meaty cultural
implications to be chewed on when we consider the absence of films like these
from respected theaters. Have we declined as audiences? I think the answer is
obvious…
29.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988,
USA) Tony Randel -
worthless
Anytime a horror sequel finds it necessary to
start off with clips from the previous film, you can be certain a complete shit-fest
is soon to follow.
33.
Big Bad Wolf (2006, USA) Lance
W. Dreesen -
worth seeing [C-]
One of those bad horror films that really has
no business being as good as it is. Filmmaker Lance Dreesen walks a fine line
between campy self-parody and B-movie seriousness, and even if the result is
nothing to howl over, I never once found myself bored.
35.
Fracture (2007, USA) Gregory Hoblit -
worth seeing [C]
37.
Bad Reputation (2005, USA) Jim Hemphill -
has redeeming facet [D+]
38.
À nos amours (1983, France) Maurice Pialat
-
a must see
40.
Horrors of Malformed Men (1969, Japan) Teruo Ishii
-
worth seeing
41.
Sicilia! (1999, USA) Danièle Huillet &
Jean-Marie Straub -
worth seeing
42.
The Being (1983, USA) Jackie Kong -
worthless
44.
Scream for Me (2000, USA) Christopher Alan Broadstone
[short] -
worth seeing