20 hours ago‘The House That Screamed’ or — ‘Psycho’ + ‘Suspiria’ = Pasolini?For its first half or so Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s ‘The House That Screamed’ (1969) seems a fairly unremarkable Gothic mash-up pot-boiler: a touch Hammer Horror here, a splash of Henry James there all cooked-up in a mysterious boarding school for girls setting. It’s handsomely shot (this was Spain’s most expensive…The House That Screamed3 min readThe House That Screamed3 min read
1 day ago‘Thunder on the Hill’ or — Nun Noir?I was expecting Douglas Sirk’s ‘Thunder on the Hill’ (1951) to be a film noir and even though it can certainly be labelled as such it doesn’t initially seem to start out that way, appearing to be more a melodramatic mystery than anything else at first… but only at first. …Thunder On The Hill3 min readThunder On The Hill3 min read
5 days ago‘All That Heaven Allows’ or — The Vital Importance of Having Your Shrubbery Pruned?Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) is a wealthy, upper-class widow, mother of two children on the cusp of adulthood and who would now like her neglected garden to be given a good seeing to. Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) is the young, local… tree guy?… who would love nothing more than to…All That Heaven Allows4 min readAll That Heaven Allows4 min read
Mar 21‘Inseminoid’ or — Better Than ‘Prometheus’?My expectations for Norman J. Warren’s ‘Inseminoid’ (1981) were so rock-bottom you could’ve surveyed them for oil deposits. A low-budget British ‘Alien’ (1979) rip-off starring Stephanie Beecham with a luridly provocative title and an even more off-putting poster? Er… okay? And those fears are pretty much born out for the…Inseminoid3 min readInseminoid3 min read
Mar 18‘Magnificent Obsession’ or — Crazed Sirk-adian Rhythms?‘Magnificent Obsession’ (1954) has been described as a “combination of kitsch and craziness and trashiness” with a “damned crazy story if ever there was one”. These aren’t the words of some mean and nasty critic but of the film’s director, Douglas Sirk, himself and he’s totally right because ‘Magnificent Obsession’…Magnificent Obsession3 min readMagnificent Obsession3 min read
Mar 10‘Creed III’ or — Solid State Cinema?Spoiling ‘Creed III’ (2023) is both an impossibility and an inevitability because if I was to describe even the opening ten minutes then you would not only be able to predict the ending with mathematical precision but also simultaneously visualise every single plot point existing within because as soon as…Creed Iii3 min readCreed Iii3 min read
Mar 9‘The Working Class Goes to Heaven’ or — Even the Manzoni is Mechanised?Lulu (Gian Maria Volonté) is woken by machines every morning. He marches through the factory gates with lines other workers (and work shall set you free?) to operate machines that make pieces for other machines whose function Lulu is never told. The workers adorn the insides of their machinery with…The Working Class Heaven4 min readThe Working Class Heaven4 min read
Feb 26‘Cocaine Bear’ or — Okay-aine Bear?I’d deliberately kept my expectations low for ‘Cocaine Bear’ (2023) because the concept and trailer were both so cool I didn’t want to risk over-hyping it in my head. And I did a pretty good job until, on the day I went to see it, someone told me they hoped…Cocaine Bear2 min readCocaine Bear2 min read
Feb 20‘Amsterdamned’ or — Imagine ‘Jaws’… Except Without the Shark… and Set in the Middle of a City?I’d never heard of Dick Maas’ ‘Amsterdamned’ (1988) until the weekend but considering my experience of Dutch cinema is completely non-existent I didn’t feel too bad about my ignorance of it. But what sort of film would it be? I was curious so decided to watch it last night and…Amsterdamned3 min readAmsterdamned3 min read
Feb 19‘Sonny and Jed’ or — Cinema for Nasty Schoolboys?(Warning — contains language and imagery that might upset some readers, especially Quentin Tarantino fans) So my mate came round for movie night on Friday evening. “Hey, Colin! We should watch ‘Sonny and Jed’. It was the subject of one of…” “Quentin Tarantino’s latest podcast?” (He’s recently joined the cult…Sonny And Jed4 min readSonny And Jed4 min read
