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Films seen in April
Note – I’ve tried time and time again to offer up brief reviews of every film I watch, which by now I have to confess is an impossible chore for me stay on top of. To keep myself somewhat dedicated to this site, I’m going to at least try to offer reviews of all the recent films I see. So anything I see made within the last 3 years, plan on finding a review in this log.
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03. Night Train Murders (1975, Italy) Aldo Lado -

worth seeing

04. Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973, USA) Sam Peckinpah [director's cut] -

a must see

05. Let Me Die a Woman (1978, USA) Doris Wishman -

worth seeing

06. Highway Patrolman (1992, USA/Mexico) Alex Cox -

a must see

07. Phenomena (1985, Italy) Dario Argento [2nd viewing; *** rating up from **]

08. The Defilers (1965, USA) Lee Frost -

worthless

09. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000, USA) Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky -

worth seeing

10. Princess Raccoon (2005, Japan) Seijun Suzuki -

Masterpiece - DVD Reviewed HERE

11. Torso (1973, Italy) Sergio Martino -

worth seeing

12. Fantastic Voyage (1966, USA) Richard Fleischer -

a must see

13. The Cloud-capped Star (1960, India) Ritwik Ghatak -

Masterpiece

14. Mondo Cane 2 (1963, Italy) Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi -

worth seeing

15. Secret Beyond the Door (1948, USA) Fritz Lang -

a must see

16. The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970, Italy) Luciano Ercoli -

a must see

17. The Girl From Monday (2005, USA) Hal Hartley -

worth seeing

18. Thundercrack! (1975, USA) Curt McDowell - DNF on account of a bad DVD. Anyone have a copy?

19. Tremors (1990, USA) Ron Underwood [3rd? viewing; no change in rating ***]

20. The Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971, Italy) Paolo Cavara -

worth seeing

21. Snake Eyes (1998, USA) Brian De Palma -

worth seeing

22. Eaten Alive (1977, USA) Tobe Hooper -

has redeeming facet

23. Forbidden Planet (1956, USA) Fred M. Wilcox [2nd viewing; no change in rating ***]

24. The Deadly Spawn (1983, USA) Douglas McKeown -

a must see

25. Whisky (2004, Uraguay) Juan Pablo Rebella & Pablo Stoll -

a must see

26. Ellie Parker (2005, USA) Scott Coffey -

a must see

27. Marebito (2004, Japan) Takashi Shimizu -

has redeeming facet

28. Motor Psycho (1965, USA) Russ Meyer -

a must see

29. She Killed in Ecstasy (1971, West Germany) Jess Franco -

a must see

30. Red Garters (1954, USA) George Marshall -

a must see

31. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985, Australia) George Miller & George Ogilvie -

worthless

32. DiG! (2004, USA) Ondi Timoner [3rd viewing; no change in rating ***]

33. Terror Firmer (1999, USA) Lloyd Kaufman -

has redeeming facet

34. It (1927, USA) Clarence G. Badger -

Excellent

35. Safety Last! (1923, USA) Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor -

Masterpiece

36. Lady in a Cage (1964, USA) Walter Grauman -

a must see

37. Girl Shy (1924, USA) Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor -

a must see

38. The Street with No Name (1948, USA) William Keighley -

a must see

39. Earth vs. the Spider (1958, USA) Bert I. Gordon -

worth seeing - for sheer camp value

40. Up! (1976, USA) Russ Meyer -

worth seeing

41. Fargo (1996, USA) Joel Coen [4th? viewing; rating lowered slightly, see top 10 lists]

42. Crime of Passion (1957, USA) Gerd Oswald -

a must see

43. All the Colors of the Dark (1972, Italy) Sergio Martino -

a must see

44. Babe: Pig in the City (1998, Australia) George Miller -

a must see

45. Silent Hill (2006, USA) Christophe Gans -

worthless

46. American Dreamz (2006, USA) Paul Weitz -

has redeeming facet

47. Anna: the Pleasure, the Torment aka Secrets of a Call Girl (1973, Italy) Giuliano Carnimeo -

has redeeming facet

48. 3:10 to Yuma (1957, USA) Delmer Daves -

a must see

49. Park Row (1952, USA) Samuel Fuller -

Masterpiece

Jagged surveillance style direction, complete with ticking clock suspense, is put forth with a nauseating intensity in this soggy thriller. Clearly the raison d'etre of this picture is to lure in fans of FOX’s “24” series, and it doesn’t hurt to have that show’s star appearing alongside a screen presence like Michael Douglas to try and pull it off. Unfortunately it fails, and even though there are some genuinely gripping moments in the middle, the television style direction and rushed story transpose to the big screen rather poorly. Eva Langoria enters the film via a shot of her ass, and given the caliber of her performance and the complexity of her character, it’s her ass that should’ve been given the screen credit.

Believe it or not, this silly straight-to-video horror film represents some of Tobe Hooper’s best work in years. A mother moves her two children to a small town where she intends to take up residence as the newly hired mortician, but things get complicated when their new house by the cemetery proves home to an evil secret. The horror elements at work here are a mélange of everything from Friday the 13th, to Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, to even something as obscure as The Lair of the White Worm. Screenwriters Jace Anderson and Adam Gierasch have trouble settling down into just one idea. Of course there is a ton of Romero and Hooper in there as well, which is a good thing as Tobe is directing the film. He approaches this project with tongue firmly planted in cheek and directs the proceedings with the sort of campy sensibility he seems to have adopted since The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 -- expressive Christmas tree lighting included. The cast is serviceable (a few wincers are delivered but forgiven) and if you can handle that the film is out to have fun and not scare the shit out of you, you just might enjoy yourself.

53. Kiss Me Quick! (1964, USA) Peter Perry -

worth seeing??? - Let just me say that these Something Weird DVD’s almost defy categorization at times…

54. Scarlet Street (1945, USA) Fritz Lang -

Masterpiece

55. Femme Fatale (2002, France) Brian De Palma [3rd viewing; my appreciation only deepens for this one...]

56. The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, USA) Jack Arnold -

Excellent

57. The Reflecting Skin (1990, Canada) Philip Ridley -

worth seeing

58. Lisa and the Devil (1973, Italy) Mario Bava -

worth seeing

59. Ziegield Follies (1946, USA) Vincente Minnelli -

a must see

60. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971, Italy) Emilio Miraglia -

a must see

61. Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948, USA) Max Ophüls -

Excellent

This is pretty solid as far as teen-comedies are concerned. Writer-director Jessica Bendinger, who penned the script for Peyton Reed’s successful Bring it On, has a ball re-inventing teen lingo and displays a great deal of wit and comedic talent. Many people have mentioned Busby Berkeley when discussing this film’s approach to the elaborate filming of the gymnastics, but Berkeley did it for real and Bendinger uses CGI and trick photography to fill the frame with multiple bodies. In this sense, the film is a true MTV-hybrid, and although it has value outside of its teen pop-culture context, for the most part it falls victim to not fully embracing its genre status, and the film stumbles when it tries to make larger statements about youth, parents, and the nature of the sport.