THE DANMAN CAN

Abel Ferrara 's Body Snatchers (1993), the third film adaptation of Jack Finney 's 1955 novel , holds up quite well on rewatches. Despite some limitations, the movie is exceptionally lit and shot, has a solid cast (MVP Meg Tilly ), and adds an interesting dynamic  to the well-known alien invasion story with the military aspect (via  Larry Cohen ). Stuart Gordon was originally slated to direct (and he's still credited for the screenplay), but the film ended up with Ferrara (his first of two Hollywood pictures made in 1993; the other being  Dangerous Game   [ review ]). The first half of the film is a slow buildup, but the second half ramps up the action and effects, which are both very well done. It's a mostly straightforward, even "classic filmmaking" affair (and clocks in at an economic 87 minutes), particularly for Abel, but there are enough juicy moments to keep it exciting. Abel Ferrara Feature Films Ranked

It's interesting how "hot button" films like this age—how you process and reevaluate them at certain points in your life, based on the zeitgeist and politics of the time.  Falling Down  (1993) is a film that I've seen numerous times and one that I've always liked a lot. As a character study and a modern day odyssey, it's top notch.  Michael Douglas ' performance is perfect. As a tense piece of entertainment, it's really good. ( James Newton Howard 's propulsive score is also particularly great.) It feels realistic, for the most part, and seems to want to comment on mental illness, domestic/gun violence, capitalism, racism, and inequality ("not economically viable") in a broad sort of way. A key question, though, is how much are we supposed to sympathize with our protagonist—he who terrorizes innocent people due to his own breakdown? Just how bad should we feel for our white middle class hero who goes on a rampage in L.A.? The film makes t...

"Die someplace else." Released in the middle of a stretch of excellent crime dramas,  The Outfit  (1973) is a lean and mean, no frills thriller with economic direction by  John Flynn  (of  Rolling Thunder   (1977) [ review ] fame). Populated by a stellar cast of character actors, the film contains biting dialogue and a funky/jazzy score by the underrated  Jerry Fielding . It beautifully captures the tone of  Donald E. Westlake 's (writing as Richard Stark)  Parker  character, also adapted in films such as  Point Blank   (1967) [ review ] and  Payback   (1999). "You send a guy out to kill somebody, maybe his feelings get hurt." Recommended for fans of  The Mechanic  (1972) [ review ],  Prime Cut  (1972) [ review ], and  Charley Varrick   (1973). John Flynn Films Ranked

With  Drive   (2011),  Nicolas Winding Refn  distilled the essence of noir and the fairy tale, along with the action, crime, and western genres into a blood-drenched, neon-soaked, slow burn romance. Via a perfect cast, minimal dialogue, assured visual design, and an inspired soundtrack (R.I.P. Kavinsky ) plus score by  Cliff Martinez , NWR and crew created a modern masterpiece. A consummate film that loses none of its heart, artistry, or luster upon revisits. Recommended for fans of  The Driver   (1978) [ review ],  Thief   (1981) [ review ],  Point Blank   (1967) [ review ],  To Live And Die In L.A.   (1985) [ review ], and  Bronson   (2008) [ review ]. Nicolas Winding Refn Ranked The Danman Top 100 Films (2024 Edition) Top Films Of 2011

Greetings, Weirdos! If you've ever watched a movie and thought, "This is great, but I really wish the dead would rise from their graves and completely dismantle society," then George A. Romero is the filmmaker for you! Join  Uncle Spooky , Demented Danman , and Lil Spooky  as we stumble through the bloody, brain-munching filmography of the godfather of modern zombie cinema, from  Night Of The Living Dead  (1968) [ review ] and beyond, discussing gore, satire, social commentary, and why the real monster was probably capitalism all along. Listen to Weirdo Wednesday Podcast : Episode Thirteen  here .     Let us know what topics/films you'd like to hear us talk about! Follow us on your favorite streaming platform and on Instagram . We love feedback and positive reviews too. Don't forget that Weirdo Wednesday takes place every Wednesday evening at Cinema Salem in Salem, MA at 7:30 PM (tickets here ). Dates for summer 2026 Freakout Fridays at T...

"You have chosen to live in agony." A candy-colored, crystal-coated, mist-enshrouded, hyper-stylized comic book fairy tale fever dream, filtered through  Bava ,  De Palma ,  Friedkin , Lynch , and  Mann , with an absolutely gorgeous score by  Pino Donaggio . Bold cinematography, sumptuous production design, delicious artifice. Bizarre, mysterious, lovely. Nicolas Winding Refn Ranked

Curry Barker 's Obsession (2025) is an assured debut feature with excellent performances—a disturbing, reflective horror flick and a cool variation of W.W. Jacobs ' short story The Monkey's Paw (1902). Barker did miss a great opportunity to use both  Jennifer Paige 's original version of " Crush " and  The Dismemberment Plan 's downbeat  cover  in the film, though.

Damian McCarthy 's Hokum (2026) is a well-made, handsome-looking, and creepy film with good performances, but it's a bit too Mike Flanaganc ore for my tastes. Less boring than  The Innkeepers (2011) [ review ] but more boring than  The Shining (1980) [ review ].

I'm always wary of modern hype machine movies, but I ended up enjoying Kane Parsons ' feature film debut  Backrooms (2026) quite a bit, despite some shortcomings. I've never seen the web series, but my biggest gripe with the feature is the found footage aspect. To begin with, I'm not super into found footage films, but I also feel it wasn't necessary here and Backrooms would have functioned better without it. I was simultaneously glad it wasn't the driving force and bummed that it was there at all. That alone prevented me from awarding the picture another half star as a rating.  Still, I liked the ambiguity and the creepiness of this surreal low budget horror movie, the performances are good, and the fact that Parsons got the elusive Boards Of Canada to agree to use a song from their stellar new album, Inferno , over the end credits (and before said album, their first in 13 years, even dropped) is truly impressive.

Undoubtedly grand spectacle filmmaking, but I have the same problems with The Odyssey (2026) that I do with most of  Christopher Nolan 's movies, which is that the editing is oftentimes atrocious and the action is sloppy. Here, too, his out-of-sync style feels like it's designed to draw audiences back for revisits to make more money than as a fitting narrative device.  That being said, this picture is easier to understand and follow on the first viewing than much of his prior work (by virtue of the fact that the source material is so well known and that no great attempt was made to be faithful to the Greek origins; usually I'm not too bothered by anachronisms, but they were egregious here). Thankfully, most of the dialogue can be made out as well (unlike 2020's  Tenet   [ review ]) . The look and feel of The Odyssey is very much in line with  Denis Villeneuve 's Dune  films, which I'm not in love with either.  Overall, entertaining enough and worth se...