Guide for the Film Fanatic

Great, campy fun. Gruesome deaths (including a great new reason to hate brussel sprouts), tongue-in-cheek dialogue, and Vincent Price and Joe Cotten. Dr. Phibes is the original Jigsaw (of the "Saw" flicks), with a lot more flair. I doubt you're ever going to see death by unicorn in any other horror flick.

Solid, gritty crime drama PACKED with great performances. James Whitmore and Sterling Hayden stand out as down on their luck criminals, violence seething underneath them, but yet will go out of their way to feed a stray cat or provide a safe haven for a wayward dame. Sam Jaffe is great, and a young Marilyn Monroe is absolutely stunning. It's very clear why she became such a huge star from her small role in this. A dark, gripping heist story with a beautiful ending. As a fan of noir flicks, this is an excellent addition.

One of my favorite movie musicals ever. Not as complex as the BBC mini-series it's based on (starring the best actor EVER, Bob Hoskins), but it stands up great on its own. It's unlike any musical I'd ever seen, none of the characters actually singing, but rather lip-synching old standards from the Depression era. And the story is pretty damn bleak for a movie musical. The musical numbers are some of the best, most visually exciting this side of "Singin' in the Rain" and "Moulin Rouge!" You could tell Steve Martin was trying to break free from his "wild and crazy" persona on this one, playing a fairly unlikeable cad who you still somehow find yourself rooting for. Bernadette Peters is cute as a button, particularly in her "Love is Good for Anything" number, and Christopher Walken. . .oh Christopher Walken. His striptease routine is one of those rare screen gems that more people should see but haven't. This one belongs with modern musicals like "Dancer in the Dark" and "Once", taking the audience's expectations of what a musical is and turning it on its ear.

Blech. When Peter Sellers is on the screen, there's a laugh or two guaranteed. Unfortunately, Sellers is woefully underused in this first installment. There's far too much time spent on David Niven and Robert Wagner's characters, both of whom are completely uninteresting, as is the plot to steal the Pink Panther. Skip this one and head on to "A Shot in the Dark" and the rest of the series to truly appreciate Sellers' talents.

Come back, Vincent! After watching "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" double feature, and thoroughly enjoying both of them, I decided to take another Vincent Price horrorfest out for a spin. And I'm glad I did! "Theater of Blood" is basically a remake of "Abominable", only this time VP is bumping off arrogant theater critics rather than arrogant doctors. "Theater" is "Saw" for the intellectual set, with Price designing elaborate deaths based on various Shakespeare plays such as Richard III and The Merchant of Venice. High-minded and high camp, you can tell Price is relishing his role, getting to play so many different classic Shakespearean roles AND getting to dispose of theater critics in very gruesome ways. Plus Diana Rigg's in it. Growr. Too bad about the poodles, though.

I typically shy away from silent dramas. Silent comedies tend to translate well to a "modern sensibility", but in my experience, it's generally not the case for dramas. Too much overacting for me to really immerse myself in the story. But "Greed" is a rare exeption, and is in fact one of the better movies I've seen. Von Stroheim is a masterful director, getting the most out of both his actors and his locations. Gibson Gowland is fascinating to watch; his physical power leaps off the screen, and he has a fascinating, expressive face. At over two hours (cut down from an original nine), the story never slowed, and the ending was good and bleak. Highly, highly recommended.

Rented this on a whim a few years ago after a suggestion from a coworker. Since then, it's become one of my favorite movies. David Byrne is such a gentle, sweet-natured narrator, and all the characters are so darn cute and likeable, you can't not smile when you're watching this. Plus you can't beat Talking Heads music. An odd, funny, wonderful little flick.

Solid '50's sci-fi. I actually prefer the paranoia of John Carpenter's remake, but this one was entertaining throughout. And I have to say, there aren't many monster flicks from the era that actually produced a legitimate scare for me, but this one had a great one that made me jump. Keep watching the skies!

What a great movie! Having watched "Greed" last weekend, this was the antithesis of it. Where "Greed" was cynical and bleak, "The Crowd" is hopeful and triumphant. While made nearly 80 years ago, the story holds up unbelievably well. The relationship between Johnny and Mary is as authentic if not more so than many screen couplings today. It's a pretty basic story, boy meets girl, they get married, have kids, struggle with tragedy and finances and everything a typical family still struggles with today. And it's all done with a perfect blend of humor and drama. I've been pretty reluctant to watch silent dramas as many that I've seen have been a bit too over the top, but having seen two amazing ones in a row, I'm happily surprised to find such cinematic treats!

I am really digging these American International exploitation flicks! "Last Man on Earth" is a pretty faithful adaptation of Richard Matheson's excellent story "I Am Legend". Vincent Price is great as ever as Robert Morgan, the only survivor of a plague that turns its victims into vampires. I read somewhere that George Romero was greatly influenced by this flick when making "Night of the Living Dead", and you can definitely see how that might be the case, especially the shots of the vampires trying to get into the house. Some very creepy dialogue, including Price's former best friend moaning for him to come out to see him, and "Let me in" whispered over and over by a certain someone (I won't give it away, it creeped me out in the book, and it's just as chilling in the film). Solid end of the world entertainment.

"Panic" is a great post-apocalyptic paranoid nuclear fantasy. You can't beat a nuclear war flick that's got Frankie Avalon in it! It's actually a pretty tense story, or at least it would be if they didn't daddy-o beach party music playing during all the action sequences. Were it not for the music, this would be a pretty solid B-movie drama, but it's hard to take things too seriously when you're waiting for Frankie and Ray to drop their rifles and start doing the Watusi.

Not so much a remake of "The Thing From Another World" as an alternative sequel had the original crew not fared so well. This is truly a horror classic, and while the ground-breaking special effects make it so, it's really the story of twelve men stuck in an isolated outpost not knowing who among them has a monster lurking within them. A taut, tense tale, with some truly horrifying scenes of the Thing itself. Kurt Russell makes a great ignoble hero, and he leads a great cast. Keith David and Wilford Brimley in particular shine as men on the verge, one barely containing his rage, the other barely containing his sanity. One of a select few horror movies that has a satisfying story and a killer ending.

inTENSE! Any time you get Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, and Louis Gossett, Jr. in the same room together, watch out. This was just mesmerising to watch; there was an energy coursing through every scene and every actor/actress that kept you riveted to the screen, which is especially impressive since the majority of the film takes place in one room of the family's small apartment. For all intents and purposes, you are basically watching a stage play, and that immediacy comes through loud and clear. Strikingly ahead of its time, with discussions of feminism, abortion, and equal rights, this is a must-see powerhouse of a drama.

Awesome hard-edged Billy Wilder flick, cynical as hell, with great dialogue. Kirk Douglas chews through every bit of scenery. Sadly, over 50 years later, the story is every bit as relevant as it was when it was made. Thousands of people camp outside the mine, the level of absurdity getting so bad that a carnival comes in replete with a Ferris wheel, all while Douglas' character Tatum milks the miner's tragedy for all its worth. Like "Network", this one's a scathing indictment not just on the field of journalism, but on all of us who consume its sensationalism. In an age where Britney Spears' custody battles and Lindsay Lohan's trips to rehab are considered "news", this one hits right on the money.

I've been meaning to watch this for years after Stephen King recommended it in his book "Danse Macabre". A great premise: Ray Milland experiments with hormones to increase his eyesight to superhuman abilities and succeeds far beyond his greatest dreams (and nightmares! bwoohahahaaa!). Campy fun with some creepy music and pretty passable special effects for the time, but it's the very end that you have to stick around for. King described it in his book, and he definitely did it justice. Corman tapped into something pretty horrifying here; I'd love to see the idea explored again, preferrably in a sci-fi remake without Will Smith or Nicolas Cage attached (actually, come to think of it, Cage could probably camp it up to great effect).

What a wonderful movie! This one defines "feel-good". Everyone in this was outstanding. I don't think I've ever wanted two characters to get together more than I have Keri Russell and Nathan Filion's. Andy Griffith was charming and greatly cast against type as a bit of a grump, Jeremy Sisto was just mean enough so that you disliked him and there was an undercurrent of danger but not so much as to darken the story, and Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly were absolutely wonderful as Russell's fellow waitresses. Eddie Jemison also shined as Ogie, he was absolutely hilarious. And don't forget the pies, they looked so yummy. Shelly's death was a horrible tragedy, but I can't think of a better memorial than this sweet, funny movie. She did an amazing job as writer and director; I was smiling the whole time. Really, really wonderful!

Read the book first. Seriously. I'm glad I did. This is a great film, but I can understand why it got such a critical lambasting when it came out. The book is a wonderfully complex story filled with political intrigue, religious mysticism, and planetary ecology. And that's a pretty heady mix for any movie. Lynch does a great job in adapting it into a screenplay, but because of the book's complex nature, it's understandable why the uninitiated would be pretty much completely lost as to what the hell is going on in the movie. But if you HAVE read the book, this is a great adaptation. Considering this is David Lynch, he took very few liberties with the story; this is a pretty doggone faithful adaptation, even including the nature of the Voice power. The second half does tend to speed through a lot of major events pretty quickly, but at the same time, I don't know that anyone but Lynch could capture the cosmic intrigue of Paul's transformation into the Arrakis messiah. The one major, MAJOR shift away from the book is the milking of the cat. Seriously, that came out of nowhere. Bless your heart, David Lynch. One thing I really enjoyed as I was watching this was imagining those that hadn't read the book watching this in jaw-dropped confusion, trying to figure out what the hell all this reference to "the spice is the worm" is all about and why the hell that guy had to milk a cat (all right, I'm still trying to figure out the cat thing). You go, David Lynch!

For a movie about a guy who made up some basically innocuous stories, this one was pretty intense. And all of it due to some outstanding performances. Since his big break on "Attack of the Clones" and subsequent films like "Life as a House", Hayden Christensen has perfected whiny unpleasantness, which is exactly what Stephen Glass is all about. You can completely understand why he duped so many people. His false modesty and "niceness" was the perfect cover for a compulsion to lie that is pretty astounding. To really appreciate Christensen's performance, check out the 60 Minutes Glass interview included as a bonus feature. His false sincerity is just as grating in real life as it is in the movie. Other stand-out performances by Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn, and Chloe Sevigny, but the other real heavy hitter in this is Peter Sarsgaard. The more movies of his I watch, the more I like him. He has a very understated style which has served him well in his roles, and this is no exception, playing an editor who has to juggle personal responsibilites, office politics, and a scandal that is likely to ruin a respected magazine. You can see the strain and immense pressure he's under in every scene. A smart, tense drama.

"Sherlock, Jr.", on the other hand, is not only hilarious but brilliant filmmaking. The scene where Buster gets trapped inside a movie showing at the theater is technically amazing and shows that Keaton had a wonderful grasp on the magic of what film can do. Beyond that, the various comedy bits are still funny after all this time, and Keaton's sense of timing is physically breathtaking. This would be a great introduction to anyone not familiar with how wonderful (and funny) silent comedies can be.