So we’re counting down to -2. But it’s a great movie that deserves mention and a review.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Category Archives: Movies
Halloween Countdown: City of the Dead (1960)
Oh stop! This would be more effective at midnight with howling winds and crashing thunder and even then it wouldn’t frighten anyone
—Professor Barlowe
Hammer Studios made a name for itself in the late 1950s and early 1960s as purveyors of gothic horror, became more sexualized in the early 70s, halted production in the 1980s, and has tried to reestablish itself in the twenty-first century, with mixed results. Its most lasting contributions to the horror genre are probably Christopher Lee’s Dracula, Lesbian Vampires as a genre, and The Wicker Man, one of the most notorious horror films ever made (with possibly the worst remake in cinematic history. Few b-movies have ever been as bad as 2006’s Neil LaBute/Nicholas Cage disaster).
The Wicker Man did not spring fully-formed out of Hammer’s head. Hammer slowly nailed the pieces together, with two significant precursors: City of the Dead aka Horror Hotel (1960) and The Witches aka The Devil’s Own (1966).
With Halloween approaching we’re reviewing both tales of strangers finding themselves in small communities that aren’t what they seem.
Halloween Countdown: The Witches / The Devil’s Own (1966)
Between The City of the Dead and The Wicker Man, Hammer Studios brought a teacher to a small village hiding a sinister secret….
October Reviews: Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
“We need 50% less kink!”
This weekend’s October Countdown takes us away from horror, as we consider two recent films of interest to genre aficionados. Blade Runner 2049 is the big SF release this October (reviewed by W. Blaine), but Professor Marston and the Wonder Women also found its way into theatres.
The fictionalized biopic gives us the story– or, at least, a story– behind Wonder Woman, her creator, and his wives.
October Review: “Blade Runner 2049”
In my view, the terms “film” and “movie” are not synonymous. I believe a “film” is a work that prioritizes metaphor, analysis, symbolism, etc. above entertainment value, while a “movie” does the opposite, striving to put entertainment value above all else. 2001: A Space Odyssey is my all-time favorite film, but 2010: Odyssey Two is a better movie. In 1982, Ridley Scott set out to make a film, and the studio tried to turn it into a movie. I would say the original Blade Runner is a nearly perfect film, both in the Director’s Cut and the Final Cut, although it’s a deeply flawed movie. Now, 35 years later, Denis Villeneuve teamed up with Blade Runner co-writer Hampton Fancher and Michael Green (Heroes, Logan, American Gods) to produce this sequel. I use the term “sequel” loosely: watching the original will enrich this experience, but it isn’t strictly necessary, and characters from the original are on screen for less than an hour of the 163 minute runtime.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – Make Me Watch It #10
The latest subject of Make Me Watch It is Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The series can also be found on Stitcher, on iTunes, or in a direct RSS feed.
October Reviews: XX
“The devil gets blamed for a lot of stuff he didn’t have nothing to do with.”
October has fallen again and, once more, the Bureau digs up its ghostly offerings for night-time viewing. We’ll have horrors past and present up for review. Along with the shambling dead and the body snatchers, the horrors lurking behind your neighbor’s white picket fence and friendly facade, and the mysterious agents holding back the hordes of hell, we’ll also examine an SF sequel more-anticipated than any recent Star Wars chapter. Our full list appears at the end of this review.
Without a doubt, the most-discussed horror films of 2017 have been It (reviewed here) and Get Out (which we will examine on Halloween night). However, much fan chatter also centered ’round the horror anthology XX— and that’s where this year’s October Reviews begin.
Summer’s End Review: The Dunwich Horror (1970)
“Why don’t you take this copy of The Necronomicon and return it to the library?”–Professor Armitage
We have one final Summer Weekend Review for 2017: the notoriously trippy 1970 adaptation of the classic H.P. Lovecraft tale.
The equinox is here.
We begin our October countdown in two weeks.
Summer Weekend Review: Melancholia
SF and fantasy often uses peculative elements metaphorically. Melancholia reworks When Worlds Collide as an art-house film about depression, with a stunning central performance by Kirsten Dunst. As summer 2017 comes to a close, we continue with our reviews of older films– this one from 2011.
Monty Python’s Meaning of Life: Make Me Watch It #9
The latest subject of Make Me Watch It is Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam. The series can also be found on Stitcher, on iTunes, or in a direct RSS feed.