0706 June 2007

Watching this gave me a sense of deja vu, since I "read" the Stephen King book last year. Actually, I listened to the audiobook read by William Hurt. A truly strange book -- not quite a novel, more like a series of interconnected stories. Because of that, and the nostalgic tone, I was reminded of Ray Bradbury's writing. The Hearts movie is an adaptation of just one section of the book, titled "Low Men in Yellow Coats." Whether Bradbury is one of Stephen King's influences I'm not sure, but H.P. Lovecraft definitely is. Like Lovecraft, King ties many of his stories together, in this case to the Dark Tower mythos. In the book, the "low men" are agents from another dimension, but their story is left open-ended. You don't get all the answers from their actions in Hearts, so it would hardly make sense to transpose it literally into the movie. The screenplay leads the audience to believe that the low men are FBI, BUT it's left fuzzy enough so you can believe they are as they were in the book. In any case, the deja vu I was feeling was unique, I think because of the personal nature of hearing the book read out loud. William Hurt was so perfect as Brautigan that I couldn't get him out of my head while watching Anthony Hopkins play the same character. I'm having trouble being objective, but overall it's a good movie. The soft, glowing photography gave the impression of fond memories, and screenwriter William Goldman found a good way to tie up the story, since going by the book would have been impossible.

A King Arthur story about honor and loyalty, combined with a certain hippie style. A bit too naive for me, but admirable.

Fun to watch after so many years. I had forgotten Steve Buscemi and Julianne Moore were in this. Great KNB effects and stylish photography.

I try to tolerate weird, but this one didn't pay off. It was obviously designed to be repulsive, and I was repulsed. The last act was an interesting change of pace, and Jodorowsky's character became more sympathetic, but it didn't redeem the rest of the movie.

Interesting to see Romero work outside his usual parameters, but very dated and sloooow. The influences (new wave films, the women's movement) are obvious and the results heavy-handed.

The Resurrected begins with the taint of TV-movie, through its low budget set design, 90s costumes, and hoary voice-over. Chris Sarandon is terrific in his dual roles, though. Once the story goes underground to the evil Curwen's caves, the movie becomes one freak-out after another.

Night of the Werewolf was written and directed by Naschy himself in 1980, after gothic horror was out of style. This film is gorgeous, though. Much better looking than Hammer's last gothic movies in the 70's. Naschy plays a tormented werewolf under the power of the vampiric Elizabeth Bathory. Certain plot elements, especially the opening scene where a man is executed wearing a mask, seem to be cribbed from Black Sunday. One of my favorite unearthed treasures of the year, and I'm inspired to check out other Naschy films.

When compared to El Topo, The Holy Mountain has just as many repulsive shots of violence, dead animals, and inappropriate nudity. Somehow, this one worked for me. The photography was beautiful, aided by a huge cast and considerably higher production values this time. The abstract plot, which takes several selfish archetypal characters on a quest of self-improvement, has social commentary that still resonates today.

Better than average thriller. Uma Thurman plays blind extremely well and Lance Henriksen is great in a supporting role.

The Empire Strikes Back of the series, in more ways than one. What I love is the way writers Rossio and Elliot stay true to the characters, including numerous call-backs to lines and behavior from the previous film. The Wile E. Coyote action scenes are fun, especially the never-ending sword fight / water wheel sequence.

Respectable that it didn't try to imitate the first movie beat for beat. This time, there is practically no suspense with the victims, but the "bad guy" storyline was fascinating. Richard Burgi and Roger Bart are great.

Except for Naschy's dual roles, not much to recommend here. The obnoxious jazz it at odds with the action, and the slo-mo zombie attacks become laugable after a while. And how exactly does commanding a few zombies lead one to take over the world? Particularly disappointing after seeing Naschy's excellent Night of the Werewolf the week before.

A somber movie. Beautiful photography, great action, but cold emotionally. I love how color is used to separate the different stories -- even though the flashbacks contradict one another, the colors help keep it coherent for the audience.