Revenge of a Film Journal: March
Ratings from 1 (*) to 5 stars (*****). First time viewings in bold.
March
The Sixth Sense (1999) **** - Not the sweeping classic everyone says (the now-legendary ending is a huge, implausible plot hole), but a tense, unusual thriller with remarkable acting, music and setpieces.
Blackadder: Back and Forth (1999) **½ - Blackadder gets a big-budget cinematic treatment, sadly retaining little of the original's charm, wit or sophistication. But Stephen Fry does get four different roles...
Theatre of Blood (1973) ***½ - Vincent Price delivers a remarkable performance as a spurned thespian murdering his critics with torture devices robbed from Shakespeare. Doesn't quite live up to expectations, but the climactic soliloquy is a stunner.
The Ghost Breakers (1940) *** - Bob Hope and the ever-radiant Paulette Goddard embark to a zombie-infested castle in Haiti. Dated business with a slow beginning and hasty resolution, but pleasant enough.
The Devil Rides Out (1968) ****½ - Hammer dabbles in Satan worship. Christopher Lee, Bond villain Charles Gray, great special effects and a frenetic, action-packed script elevate this to classic status.
The Unholy Three (1930) *** - Lon Chaney's one and only sound film before he succumbed to cancer. The titular clique entails a circus strong man, a vicious midget and a conniving old grandmother.
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) *** - Here's a first: a comedy that isn't funny and a horror film that isn't scary. Yet Roman Polanski imbues the proceedings with unrivalled atmospheric and photographic flourishes.
The Haunting (1963) ***** - One of the genuinely brilliant horror films. The face on the wallpaper and the presence in the hallway are my favourite moments. Kudos to Robert Wise (again)!
The Reptile (1966) ***½ - Perhaps Hammer's strangest film, in which a maiden reverts to snake form every winter. Made back-to-back with the far superior The Plague of the Zombies, it includes some memorable makeup and death scenes.
Grip of the Strangler (1958) ***½ - The great Boris Karloff plays a writer possessed by the spirit of a long-dead, Ripper-style murderer. The concurrent Corridors of Blood takes the cake, but it's a close race.
Faust (1926) ****½ - A milestone in the German silent cinema, uniting cutting edge special effects and Expressionistic cinematography in this oft-told epic of good, evil and love. Emil Jannings is a marvellous, impish Mephisto.
New Films: 8
Month Total: 11
March
The Sixth Sense (1999) **** - Not the sweeping classic everyone says (the now-legendary ending is a huge, implausible plot hole), but a tense, unusual thriller with remarkable acting, music and setpieces.
Blackadder: Back and Forth (1999) **½ - Blackadder gets a big-budget cinematic treatment, sadly retaining little of the original's charm, wit or sophistication. But Stephen Fry does get four different roles...
Theatre of Blood (1973) ***½ - Vincent Price delivers a remarkable performance as a spurned thespian murdering his critics with torture devices robbed from Shakespeare. Doesn't quite live up to expectations, but the climactic soliloquy is a stunner.
The Ghost Breakers (1940) *** - Bob Hope and the ever-radiant Paulette Goddard embark to a zombie-infested castle in Haiti. Dated business with a slow beginning and hasty resolution, but pleasant enough.
The Devil Rides Out (1968) ****½ - Hammer dabbles in Satan worship. Christopher Lee, Bond villain Charles Gray, great special effects and a frenetic, action-packed script elevate this to classic status.
The Unholy Three (1930) *** - Lon Chaney's one and only sound film before he succumbed to cancer. The titular clique entails a circus strong man, a vicious midget and a conniving old grandmother.
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) *** - Here's a first: a comedy that isn't funny and a horror film that isn't scary. Yet Roman Polanski imbues the proceedings with unrivalled atmospheric and photographic flourishes.
The Haunting (1963) ***** - One of the genuinely brilliant horror films. The face on the wallpaper and the presence in the hallway are my favourite moments. Kudos to Robert Wise (again)!
The Reptile (1966) ***½ - Perhaps Hammer's strangest film, in which a maiden reverts to snake form every winter. Made back-to-back with the far superior The Plague of the Zombies, it includes some memorable makeup and death scenes.
Grip of the Strangler (1958) ***½ - The great Boris Karloff plays a writer possessed by the spirit of a long-dead, Ripper-style murderer. The concurrent Corridors of Blood takes the cake, but it's a close race.
Faust (1926) ****½ - A milestone in the German silent cinema, uniting cutting edge special effects and Expressionistic cinematography in this oft-told epic of good, evil and love. Emil Jannings is a marvellous, impish Mephisto.
New Films: 8
Month Total: 11
posted by James C. Swanton at 3:39 PM
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