Bernard Rose’s Paperhouse will always be one of my favorite films from the eighties. I find it appalling that the film hasn’t developed the following that it so deserves after all of these years. It is an intelligent fantasy with two incredible lead performances from young actors Charlotte Burke and Elliot Spiers. The film centers […]
David Lynch has always been a challenging director, with films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive rounding out his filmography. An abstract artist, his films register on many levels, namely the subconscious. He places images in front of our faces that we find repulsive, and yet because of his prowess as a visionary […]
David Cronenberg’s Crash is a study of incredibly sick people who share a mutual fetish involving sex and car crashes, which means that it’s also one of the most disturbing films ever made. Even after seventeen years, the film has lost none of its potency. I’ve been writing on the subject of film for a […]
A young girl sits next to her older sister in front of a creek, casually tossing stones into the bubbling waters out of boredom. Her sister quickly grows tired of this, and slaps her on the hand. She angrily stares dead on at the audience. This young lady is Alice. This is Lewis Carroll’s beloved […]
The good folks at Shout Factory are releasing a pristine Blu-ray/DVD combo of Peter Strickland’s brilliant erotic fantasy, The Duke of Burgundy, in September. It is a must-own for any serious film buff. The Duke of Burgundy’s opening moments set the tone for the rest of the piece, as a woman cycles through a neighborhood […]
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth? When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” With this verse of Scripture from the Book of Job, Terrence Malick begins his philosophical exploration of God, of nature, and of grace. The Tree of Life is an […]
The Blair Witch Project was the love-it-or-hate-it horror event of 1999. For every individual who thought that it was a groundbreaking cinematic masterpiece, there was always a detractor around the corner who would condemn it as a waste of film. After I saw the film in theatres, I ended up on the former side of […]
Jess Franco’s 1973 exploitation horror film, A Virgin Among the Living Dead (or Christina, Princess of Eroticism), is one of the most bizarre things that I have ever experienced. It is absolutely nothing like the promotional materials would have you to believe. In fact, it is much better than that, delivering everything that you could […]
In 1959, John Cassavetes directed a film that would become known as a landmark in American independent cinema. That film was Shadows. Shadows tells a tale of three siblings – Ben, Leila, and Hugh – who are trying desperately to scrape out a living in New York City. Ben and Hugh are jazz musicians. Ben, […]
Suspiria is a big, bloody rainbow of a horror film. It doesn’t make much sense at all, but it is loads of fun. The film, which was released in 1977, concerns a young ballet dancer, Suzy Banyon (played by Jessica Harper), who travels to a prestigious school of dance in Germany. Things begin to go […]
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