THE DANMAN CAN

Even for a director like Stanley Kubrick  (my favorite director , in fact), it's a bold move to claim a movie is a masterpiece before it's even released. But that's just what the attention-grabbing theatrical poster for The Shining  (1980) by iconic designer  Saul Bass  did. Then again, Kubrick had made several masterpieces (almost all of his films are) prior to The Shining . And he had two more masterpieces to deliver after The Shining , which is my favorite of his films, #5 on my Top 100 Films list, #2 on my Top 10 Horror Films list, and what I consider to be a perfect film. I hadn't watched The Shining for 10 years (far too long), but it's one of those films that burrows in your head—every moment is seared into my consciousness. It's less a terrifying experience for me as much as an unsettling one and absurdly funny at times. Jack Nicholson gives one of the all-time great movie performances—over the top, to be sure, but also one full of memorable facial...

The last time that I watched  Predator (1987) was 11 years ago. That seems like an eternity for this particular film—one that I've watched so many many times growing up and one that I consider lightning in a bottle. It's simply a perfect blend of action, sci-fi, and horror with an unreasonably macho cast quipping one-liners like nobody's business. It holds up incredibly well and is endlessly rewatchable. There's so much testosterone in this film it should come with a warning. The dialogue is highly quotable and the action sequences are bloody and bloody well executed (you can actually discern what is happening). In fact, director  John McTiernan  made two perfect action films—the other being  Die Hard  (1988)—in two consecutive years, which is no easy feat.  Alan Silvestri 's score is brassy, percussive and drives the action home. The acting is a notch above what you'd expect in movies of this ilk, thanks to the intensity of Arnold Schwarzenegger , Carl...

Having previously only been familiar with the characters of Sailor Ripley and Lula Pace Fortune through  David Lynch 's 1990 film adaptation (which I've seen many times and adore ), it was a treat (and a revelation) to finally visit them at the source. Barry Gifford  wrote 7 novels concerning Sailor & Lula from 1990–2007, all collected in the 2010 book Sailor & Lula: The Complete  Novels .  The first book in the series, Wild At Heart: The Story Of Sailor And Lula , was adapted very faithfully by Lynch for his film—save the ending, which necessarily needed to take the course that it did, in order for the characters to continue on in additional novels. It's easy to fall in love with Sailor & Lula—theirs is a true and lasting romance, the kind that we all wish we had. They stick together through thick and thin, as the saying goes. They might appear a bit trashy to some, but they are always cool and their love reaches that of Romeo And Juliet  prop...

I hadn't watched Pet Sematary (1989) since 2007 and, 30 years on, it honestly didn't hold up as well as I'd remembered. It's a weird combination of mean-spiritedness and attempts at both Greek tragedy and sentimentality. In some scenes it succeeds; in others the tone just isn't right. It's also a lot cheesier than I remembered (particularly some of the effects). Pascow—the helpful ghost—is a terrible plot mechanism and there are a lot of other tropey horror moments that kind of make me roll my eyes.  Dale Midkiff  is a very uneven lead—too over the top at times and too bland at others. Fred Gwynne , despite laying on the Maine accent a bit too  thick, is the best part of the film. There are things to appreciate—the cinematography and score are both solid, the Zelda scenes are creepy, and Church (or rather, the multiple felines portraying him) is one gorgeous cat. I've never read Stephen King 's 1983 book but I imagine it must be better than either...

What do you get when you hire Mark Frost , the non-weird half of Twin Peaks ' creative duo, to write a screenplay for a horror film? Somehow a really weird film involving a haunted house, the voodoo monster-ghost of a slave owner, a singer with poor psychiatrist boyfriend choices, gonzo gore f/x, and some poorly executed computer "graphics". Add in a boy with a desperate attachment to his racist Native American head lamp (which plays nicely into a plot gag eventually), a decent attempt at serious commentary on domestic abuse, and some dream-logic sequences that wouldn't be out of place in another, much better, 1987 horror film,  Hellraiser ( review ), and you have Scared Stiff .   It's not a great film by any stretch, suffering (or maybe benefitting?) from a bit of the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach, but it's definitely fun, unintentionally (?) funny, and has some imaginative set pieces.

There are a lot of things to appreciate about Nicolas Roeg 's film version of The Witches (1990). Chiefly,  Anjelica Huston playing the Grand High Witch—that's perfect casting right there. Also, the wonderful f/x by  Jim Henson 's (who executive produced) production company. Additionally, for those of us who gravitate toward it, there is a dark edge here that was more common in children's movies of the 80s ( The Witches was completed in 1989, but the release was delayed for more than a year) that is just not present any more. I only really tend to like children's films when they are dark (give me stories in the vein of  Grimm's Fairy Tales   (1812) all day long). But unfortunately, Roeg decided to change the ending of Road Dahl 's 1983 novel  for his adaptation, which incensed Dahl to no end. Apparently, Roeg did  film an ending that remained loyal to the book but chose to use the happier version, which I'm not crazy about. I also feel like ther...

Night Of The Creeps  (1986) truly has it all—zombies, exploding heads, creepy crawlies, and a date for the formal. It's classic, Spanky. It has all of that plus aliens, killer slugs, axe murder, shotguns, a flame thrower, hot babes, dorks, frat boys, Tom Atkins , awesome one liners, 80s fashion, a B&W 50s intro, Tom Atkins, quasi gay male leads, a dorky male lead who gets the hot sorority girl, a handicapped best friend, a stereotypical Asian man, a token black police officer, characters named after horror/sci-fi directors (Romero, Carpenter Hooper, Cameron, Cronenberg, Landis, Raimi, Miner), sweet makeup from Howard Berger and Robert Kurtzman , killer practical f/x and gore, more than one classic poster, Dick Miller , Tom Atkins...

Kind Hearts And Coronets  (1949), perhaps the best of the  Ealing comedies , is a misanthropic romp, full of gallows humor, wonderful performances, and economic writing/direction by Robert Hamer. Dennis Price plays our antihero, Louis Mazzini, who casually murders the members of the D'Ascoyne family, in order to inherit the title of duke (robbed of him due to his mother marrying below her social class). The eight D'Ascoyne family members that Louis murders are all famously (and splendidly) brought to life by  Alec Guinness . Price gives a delightfully dry performance and it's hard not to root him on, even though Louis himself is a bit of a cad. Along with his gleeful murder spree, our protagonist carries on an affair with a married woman, Sibella (deliciously played by Joan Greenwood )—every bit the equal of the plotting and vengeful Louis. Although not necessarily a film of the laugh out loud variety, Kind Hearts And Coronets  is a classic of British come...

Three viewings in,   Ex Machina   (2014) holds up as a smart slow burn sci-fi with fantastic production and costume design, excellent performances, brilliant visual f/x, and an immersive score. Ex Machina is a thoughtful, engaging and aesthetically exciting film that topped my Top Films Of 2015 . For fans of  Her  (2013),  Under The Skin  (2013) and  Beyond The Black Rainbow   (2010).

After a second viewing, I'm still over the moon about  Mary Poppins Returns   (2018). A few little bits and pieces don't thrill me, and I wish there was more of Emily Blunt  as Mary, but I can’t deny the magic of this film, which topped my Top Films Of 2018 list. Please see my review from my theatrical viewing here .

The world did not need another Rambo film. The fourth entry in the series, Rambo (2008), was a perfectly fitting end to the character. That film served simultaneously as a hyper-violent good time and a tonally well-balanced entry in the series. Rambo: Last Blood  (2019) is none of the above. Rambo III (1988) has largely been considered the worst in the series, attempting to up the over-the-top nature of  Rambo: First Blood Part II   (1985), while becoming cartoonish in the process, but Last Blood  is a much worse film. By scaling back the action and the cause (Rambo's sort-of-niece gets kidnapped and his rescue mission leads to a mini-war with a Mexican cartel), the indication might be given that the series is hearkening back to its roots— First Blood   (1982) is a decidedly small and more personal film compared to the rest of the franchise. But Last Blood  is really just a generic action film—poorly plotted, sloppily edited, and unremarkably directed...

The last time that I watched  Deep Red  ( Profondo Rosso ) (1975), last year, I watched the "Export Version" (105 mins, sometimes called the Theatrical Cut) and I noted that I prefer it over this, the "Original Version" (127 mins, sometimes called the Director's Cut). As I've mentioned before, I find that the Original Version is overlong and drags and I don't feel that the scenes that were dropped from the Export Version add any true substance to the film. It's also annoying that the additional scenes are only available in Italian—it's very jarring when the film bounces back and forth between English and Italian, particularly within dialogue by the same character in a single scene. That aside,  Deep Red  holds up well on repeat viewings, due in large part to  Goblin 's fantastic and memorable score and a strong lead role played by  David Hemmings .  Deep Red  also marks the first time that  Dario Argento   had a decent femal...

The Big Lebowski   (1998) is a stone cold cult classic from one of my favorite directing teams ever, Joel and Ethan Coen , responsible for so many classics. TBL  is one of my  Top 100 Films  and probably the most quotable film that I can think of. Every scene is so ingrained in my head that I can envision it before it plays. I've probably seen other films that I love more times than this one, but I can probably quote 80% of this movie by heart. It's one of the few films that really does deserve every bit of praise it receives—just absolutely brilliant in every way. You can find my  Coen Bros Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

Hook  (1991) is one of Steven Spielberg 's most divisive films among audiences. It's even divisive to me, within my own opinion of it. Part of me unabashedly loves most of it. But part of me also recognizes the flaws that a lot of critics and reviewers have pointed out—that it's overlong, that it strikes a weird tone as it tries to appeal to both adults and children. But there are moments in this film that leave me positively grinning from ear to ear—at the wonder of it all. When I first saw the film in the theater at 11 years old, I knew who Spielberg was (I mean look at the guy's 80s track record), but I was less concerned with "filmmaking" and the art of filmmaking. It was a fun fantasy adventure film and that was all it needed to be. As I grew older, I saw the film in a different light (both a blessing and a curse). Seams start to show, technology ages, and as I began to consider it among Spielberg's filmography, it sits just below the middle. Rob...

I've seen  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri  (2017) three times now and while I've settled back on my original star rating, I still love this film (o ne of my  Top 20 Films Of 2017 ) . On a third viewing, it's a lot funnier than I remembered. Most of the characters are pretty unsavory, which I think confuses viewers looking for anyone to completely relate to, but that's kind of why I think it's so good—the lack of compromise to pander to the audience.  Frances McDormand ,  Woody Harrelson  and  Sam Rockwell  give complex, multifaceted performances in a film involving tough subject matter (rape, murder, arson, assault, discrimination, cancer, police torture, suicide and more) yet it's filled with humor and heart (and cuss words) throughout, all assuredly directed by  Martin McDonagh .

Hal Ashby  made twelve theatrical feature films and one TV movie during his lifetime (in addition to editing a handful of films, including two classics) and The Last Detail (1973) is only the third of his films that I've seen. While it didn't have the same impact on me that seeing Harold And Maude (1971) ( review ) for the first time did, and while I think I like it just slightly less than Being There (1979), The Last Detail  is an excellent film and one I can see myself revisiting. It contains one of Jack Nicholson ’s best, most naturalistic performances. It has a spare, at times handheld feel, even approaching a documentary-like quality (partly because the characters feel so real), though it does have some beautifully long dissolves and satisfyingly long takes. It's roughly lit (intentionally by debut cinematographer Michael Chapman ) and roughly recorded (some bits of dialogue aren’t even audible), which all just adds to the realism. Moments feel captured rather th...

At just shy of three hours long, I can’t think of many other films that are as consistently entertaining throughout as Casino (1995). It never feels long, no matter when I watch it (and I’ve seen it many times). On the surface, Casino might appear to be GoodFellas (1990) ( review ) Pt. 2 (and there are certainly plenty of similarities), but even if that’s all it was (which it's not), I’d honestly be OK with it. With its frenetic pace, vivid costume design, plus Robert Richardson ’s rapid fire camerawork and Thelma Schoonmaker ’s brilliant editing, Casino keeps you glued to the screen. Chock-full of classic songs by the likes of The Rolling Stones , Devo , and Harry Nilsson , and superbly acted by De Niro , Stone and Pesci , Casino is a fascinating and often hilarious exploration of what excess, glitz and greed will do to gangsters and con artists. And there is no one that does sprawling epics, particularly of the violent mob kind, like Scorsese . No one. You can find m...

The Impossible Kid (1982), the sequel to For Y'ur Height Only (1981), starring  Weng Weng , the shortest adult actor (at 2' 9") in a leading role, is a Filipino spy/action spoof of the James Bond film series . It's not a very good film, but it's certainly an experience. The way females fawn over Agent 00, he should have been called The Irresistible Kid. In addition to women throwing themselves at the Interpol agent every chance they get, TIK is filled with more kicks to the crotch (Agent 00's signature move) than perhaps any other film, impressive yet hilarious stunts (all performed by Weng Weng himself), uncomfortably long maniacal laughing, an endless supply of henchmen that would make a Bond villain blush, and an obvious Henry Mancini / Pink Panther theme rip-off song. Having watched the English dub, I'm curious how the film would play in its original language. It's a strange thing to watch a movie like this in 2019, where the whole film feel...

When I saw It (2017) in the theater, I awarded it four stars and really enjoyed it (my review here ). On Take 2 six months later, I deducted a half star and enjoyed it a bit less but still really liked it. After seeing the sequel, It Chapter Two (2019), I was going to rate it three stars, but I settled on two and a half. Just about everything that made the first film feel both fresh, yet nostalgic, (and in that combination, special) is lacking in its follow-up. While the bond of the Losers Club is still strong, funny, and heartwarming, and while the older versions of the characters are very well cast in ICT , everything feels too familiar. The sequel is all spectacle, I found the scare scenes extra silly (and annoyingly chock-full of CGI), and the film as a whole incredibly t ropey. Sure, I laughed, I had some fun, and there are some genuinely strong moments throughout, but the third act was a snoozefest and the overall feeling I was left with was "meh." I'm sure...

Right off the bat during its credit sequence,  Flight Of The Navigator (1986) hits you with slow motion footage of dogs catching frisbees backed by the most 80s music imaginable. Totally rad. I know that I watched FOTN  more than a few times when I was young, but I didn't really remember it well. For instance, I didn't recall that Paul Reubens did the voice of the film's spaceship robotic commander—which is crazy because Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) (blogpost here ) is my favorite film. I believe this was the first time I'd seen the film since the 80s. As I watched it, it started to come back to me. It holds up really well—providing a nice blend of nostalgia and timelessness—it both invokes childhood and stands as a film that parents can proudly show their kids. E.T.   (1982) is clearly an influence and there is a bit of a Spielberg ian feel to FOTN , but it's definitely its own film. There are a lot of factors that contribute to Flight Of The Navigato...

There's still a few John Landis films I haven't seen and up until now Spies Like Us (1985) was one of them. It's very funny at times, thanks to two comic geniuses, but overall I found it to be similar to but a lesser version of Stripes  (1981) (minus the extended boot camp sequences). SLU is enjoyable but predictable and very 80s, though it never quite reaches the classic status of other Landis films. "Doctor." "Doctor." "Doctor." " Doctor ."

John Woo 's  Heroes Shed No Tears  ( Ying Xiong Wei Lei ) (1986) is a crazy action/war film that pits a group of mercenaries against a drug lord and his henchmen. Tonally it's all over the place—some scenes are highly dramatic, some are brutally violent and exploitative, and some are straight out comedic (and frankly silly)—but that definitely gives the movie a certain charm. Woo has disassociated himself from Heroes , partly due to the fact that he didn't shoot some of the scenes (such as the comedic ones mentioned before, which the studio had shot and added later), but it's never not entertaining (particularly the action scenes).

Michael Mann 's L.A. Takedown  (1989) serves as a decent dry run for his 1995 film Heat   ( review ) . A TV movie with the same characters, much of the same dialogue and staging, though much poorer acting, L.A. Takedown  still offers some cool action scenes (particularly for a TV movie) and is a nice curiosity for Mann fans. If anything, even if I never watch it again, if L.A. Takedown  allowed Mann to make Heat , a masterpiece, then I'm grateful that it exists.

For her second feature film director  Jennifer Kent  presents a grim and violent Australian period piece focusing on a young woman who, reluctantly teaming up with an Aboriginal tracker, seeks revenge for crimes against her family. Despite receiving many offers to direct other scripts and even being in talks to direct Wonder Woman  (2017), Kent instead chose to and/or ended up making The Nightingale (2018). Personally, having been burnt out on superhero stuff for quite a while now (I don't bother with them anymore), I'm glad that this ended up being her next film. The Nightingale  is original, it's not a remake, sequel or part of a franchise, it's based in reality, it has two exceptional lead performances by  Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr , and it has a voice and vision. The film certainly isn't for everyone, given the difficult and visceral nature of particular sequences. But, while I liked Kent's first film, The Babadook (2014), I found Th...