Excellent [A-]Bold no-bullshit drama on the famed 1981 hunger strike of Irish Republican Army prisoners in Maze Prison is one of the best debut films in past years. Newcomer Steve McQueen is an heir to the great Alan Clarke in his direct approach to the political material. His actor’s dedication to their craft combined with McQueen’s long-takes and stripped down styling gets to the heart of matter, ditching all of the hyped up melodrama which tends to most often spoil these kind of films. This was everything I wanted The Wind that Shakes the Barley to be.
02. Lazybones (1925, USA) Frank Borzage -
ExcellentOne of the great romantics in the history of cinema, Borzage tells yet another story about the couple that will never be, this time in the form of a lazy country boy who secretly adopts a society gal’s bastard child to save her from family shame. Borzage’s true gift lies in his handling of his actors and the beautiful human tenderness of his characters. He is a craftsman like Murnau, but where Murnau’s tools were his editing and his mise-en-scene, Borzage’s is more corporeal, and his films are all the more special for it.
03. Monster from Bikini Beach (2008, USA) Darin Wood -
worthless
[F]Someone compared this to The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, and if I ever remember who that was I’ll be sure to call them an idiot. This is beyond “student film bad.”
04. The Cage (1947, USA) Sidney Peterson [short] B&W 28 Min. -
worth seeingBallet mécanique for the beatnik crowd.
05. Beyond the Darkness (1979, Italy) Joe D'Amato -
worth
seeingSort of a Eurosleaze take on the Ed Gein story, this is one those horror films that is compulsively watchable despite never being quite successful at what its going for. It has quite a bit of notoriety amongst gorehounds for a few scenes of body dismemberment and yet another deadly cool score by The Goblins. Serious genre nuts only on this one…
06. The Night Stalker (1972, USA) John Llewellynn Moxey -
a must see
07. The Dead Next Door (1989, USA) J.R. Bookwalter -
worth seeing
09. Troll (1986, Canada) John Carl Buechler -
worthless
10. Bad Biology (2008, USA) Frank Henenlotter -
a must see [B]
11. Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture (1973, Japan) Teruo Ishii -
worth seeing
12. In the Mood for Doyle (2007, France) Yves Montmayeur -
worth seeing
[C]
13. 100 Feet (2008, USA) Eric Red -
worth seeing [C+]
14. I Was Born, But... (1932, Japan) Yasujiro Ozu -
a must see
15. Death Note: The Last Name (2006, Japan) Shusuke Kaneko -
has redeeming facet [D]
16. Christmas, U.S.A. (1949, USA) Gregory J. Markopoulos [short] B&W 13 Min. -
has redeeming
facet
17. Adventures of Jimmy (1950, US) James Broughton [short] B&W 10 Min. -
worth seeing
18. Interim (1952, USA) Stan Brakhage [short] B&W 24 Min. -
a must see
19. Unglassed Windows Cast a Terrible Reflection (1953, USA) Stan Brakhage [short] B&W 29 Min. -
a must see
20. Viva (2007, USA) Anna Biller -
Excellent [A-]
22. Troll 2 (1990, Italy) Claudio Fragasso -
worthless
23. The Gauntlet (1977, USA) Clint Eastwood -
a must see
24. Dead in 3 Days (2006, Austria) Andreas Prochaska -
has redeeming facet [D+]
25. Let the Right One In (2008, Sweden) Tomas Alfredson -
Masterpiece [A]
26. Home Movie (2008, USA) Christopher Denham -
worth seeing [C+]
27. Role Models (2008, USA) David Wain -
worth seeing [C]
29. The Way to the Shadow Garden (1954, USA) Stan Brakhage [short] B&W 11 Min. -
a must see
30. The Extraordinary Child (1954, USA) Stan Brakhage [short] B&W 13 Min. -
has redeeming facet
34. Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959, USA) Robert Stevenson -
worth seeing
35. Synecdoche, New York (2008,USA) Charlie Kaufman -
a must see [B]
36. Alien Raiders (2008, USA) Ben Rock -
worth seeing [C]