THE DANMAN CAN

For Oz Perkins ' third feature, Gretel & Hansel (2020) (the first that he didn't write himself), he decided to tackle and update a classic Brothers Grimm  fairy tale. The results are mixed but there is a lot to appreciate. The cinematography by Galo Olivares —combined with Jeremy Reed 's production design—is simply stunning. Sharp angles, triangular shapes, shadows and colored lights figure heavily into the visual palette of the film, taking an already creepy premise and adding an artistic flair that results in a feast for the eyes. The look and tone is a bit like a PG-13 combination of the more earthy feel of  The Witch (2015) (my review here ) (also similar is that film's unsettling quiet) and the psychedelia of  Beyond The Black Rainbow  (2010) (my review  here ). Young actress Sophia Lillis ' expressive features and understated performance do well to carry the film and Alice Krige  is really strong as the witch—never cartoonishly sc...

I've flip-flopped over the years re: my star rating for Predators (2010). I'm settling back on 3 stars for various reasons. Adrien Brody is an unlikely action hero (though I think he works here), but the whole cast, populated by strong character actors, works really well for this type of film. I like the concept of the more powerful Predators warring with their own weaker kind. There is some really strong cinematography (and fortunately not much shaky cam), effective production design and impressive practical f/x from KNB though also some functional but noticeable CGI that detracts somewhat. Some of the callbacks and ties to the 1987 film ( review ) are fun but overall there's a bit too much reliance on them. However, I don't think  Predators   is simply a rehash—it has enough of its own identity to serve as an entertaining, testosterone-fueled popcorn flick.

I first saw I Saw The Devil (2010) when it was released to the States in 2011. Now, as I felt then, I will say that it is a very good revenge film. It pulls no punches (well, actually it pulls a lot of them, along with many other forms of violence), but it's at its best in its quieter moments. What struck on this viewing was just how much of David Lynch 's influence is present in key parts of the film (mostly in the first hour or so). There's lots of appropriately uncomfortable moments, tension, suspense, and two superb lead performances, but some shaky cam, a bloated running time, and weak female characters keep ISTD from being a true classic.

Something about Bong Joon-ho 's films just doesn't fully take ahold of me. As with the other two films I've seen by him, The Host (2006) and Snowpiercer  (2013) (both of which I awarded the same star rating as this film), I found myself admiring the craft of Parasite (2019), but not connecting with a single character. I'm not sure what it is that I'm missing that everyone seems to have latched on to, since the film has received overwhelmingly universal praise. That's not to say I disliked  Parasite  in any way (I would definitely say it's the best of the three Bong films I've seen), just that I wasn't particularly impressed with it or its message (honestly I'm not even sure what it was). It starts out great, but I found the second (apparently shocking?) half weaker. A fine film but—like Bong's other two films that I've seen—not one I feel the need to revisit.

That might be the longest blog title I've ever typed. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead 's new album, X: The Godless Void And Other Stories  (2020), does an excellent job of blending their earlier punk sound (a la Source Tags & Codes  (2002)) with their more prog/pop leanings (a la Tao Of The Dead (2011)). Though I'd currently rank it their 7th best album, it's growing on me with each listen and the beautiful artwork in the accompanying booklet is some of Conrad Keely 's best.

Review

Titans  Bette Davis  and  Joan Crawford 's real-life off-screen rivalry fuels  What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?  (1962), a creepy, funny, campy horror classic from director Robert Aldrich . Crawford's immobile masochist Blanche is the perfect opposite to Davis' outrageous titular sadist sister. While I think the film is a touch overlong, it's still immensely entertaining.

Playing as a cross between Dunkirk (2017) ( review ) and Saving Private Ryan (1998) ( review ), 1917  (2019) is a riveting ride and a ridiculous technical feat (and   exactly the type of film made for IMAX). The amount of choreography, blocking, and timing that went into this film to make it appear as one take boggles the mind. The challenges that the cast and crew undoubtedly faced must have been tremendous. But, much like Dunkirk , I found myself wanting more story and human connection outside of mere survival and traumatic experiences. So while director Sam Mendes accomplishes an insanely impressive level of " Hitchcock ian audience manipulation" ( Alonso Duralde ), there are times when the "simulation of raw immediacy slips to reveal the calculated construct underneath" ( Justin Chang ) and it's there that  1917  falls short of being a truly excellent narrative film.

Review

Q (1982) has a lot going for it—director Larry Cohen 's jazz-like (or scattershot, depending on your opinion) approach to acting, action, and editing; Michael Moriarty 's at times bafflingly hilarious, at times bizarrely dramatic method performance; zany, Z-grade Harryhausen -like f/x, and a killer Boris Vallejo theatrical poster. But Q  is not the sum of its parts. Or maybe it is… Either way, it's a clunky mess of a film, but it's a lot of fun. I've always been convinced that Cohen didn't have a completed script when he began shooting, just a basic idea ("It's King Kong ...but with an ancient bird!")—instead letting his actors improvise away. And that's OK because we love ya for it, Larry; there was nobody quite like you and your tripped-out style.

On a second viewing of  Hereditary  (2018) I understood its mechanics better, though I wouldn't necessarily say I liked it more (my initial review  here ). Of his two films, I think I might prefer  Ari Aster 's second film,  Midsommar   (2019) (my review  here ), though I think I need a second viewing to say that with certainty. I'm not in love with either film and I think his characterization needs work but I still think he is a very good filmmaker who has major potential.

All About Eve (1950) is the quintessential ‘egomaniacal-aging-grand-dame-replaced-by-scheming-ingenue’ picture (to paraphrase Rebecca Flint Marx in their AllMovie review). Though the acting is melodramatic by today's standards, it's fitting given the theatrical setting. The cast and crew that won (and were nominated for) the many Academy Awards given to the film deserved them, for the precedent which it set.  Of the many things I love about All About Eve , a couple worth mentioning are the fact that there's no heartwarming romance and no characters “finding themselves.” No—just cynicism, whipcrack dialogue, and acceptance of one's fate. Yet there is an undeniable playfulness to the film, thanks to director Joseph L. Mankiewicz 's razor sharp script.  All About Eve— now nearly seventy years old—still packs a punch and will forever remain a classic.

Almost two years ago, I posted My  Criterion  Top 10 picks since 2012, when I created Volume 4. Continuing the trend of creating a new CC Top 10 list every two years, here is: My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 5] (click the orange spectacles for reviews of each film) The titles in the link above are ones that Criterion released (some of which are format upgrades) since the previous volume that I posted. If you'd like to visit the previous volumes, you can do so at the links below. My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 1]  (originally posted 7/16/12) My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 2]  (originally posted 4/23/14) My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 3]  (originally posted 1/9/16) My Criterion Top 10 [Vol. 4]  (originally posted 3/2/18) My Criterion Collection

Buffalo '66 (1998). What a strange and wonderful film. It's hard to view Vincent Gallo as anything but pretentious and narcissistic, but there is an undoubtable genius to this film, which is very difficult to classify or describe. Which is why I give it 5 stars because honestly I don't know how else to rate it. I'd seen Buffalo '66 at least three times previously (the last time being exactly five years ago) and I never before realized that Christina Ricci was only 17 when she starred in the film (which I should have been able to put together since she and I share the same birthday, year and all). Nor did I realize that Gallo was 36 when he made the film which is pretty icky. I also don't pay much attention to movie stars and their personal lives, though I knew that Gallo didn't get on well with cast and crew (many of whom intentionally never worked with him again). Then there was The Brown Bunny (2003) and all that surrounded that production, of cou...

Under The Silver Lake (2018) is one of those films where the mystery and the enticing journey are far more interesting than its conclusion. The ending somehow still feels perfectly appropriate for a film populated by vapid characters, inexplicable oddities, seeming non sequiturs, a layer of unreality, and clues/symbols that (maybe?) don't amount to much. Director David Robert Mitchell clearly took a page from David Lynch and Joel & Ethan Coen , not merely because of Silver Lake 's Los Angeles setting (a la Mulholland Drive (2001) ( review ) and The Big Lebowski (1998) ( review )), but its neo-noir leanings. Where it fails to match those classics is in its lack of characters that a general audience can identify or empathize with. Its lead is kind of a loser and all of the women have thankless roles—a good deal of them appearing nude for no apparent reason. I'm honestly not sure if the film is trying to make a comment on privilege, the male gaze, the patriarchy, ...

While I do love John Carpenter 's Halloween  (1978) and acknowledge its classic status and influential standing, it is neither my favorite Carpenter film nor my favorite slasher. Those honors go to The Thing   (1982) (my review here ) and Bob Clark 's Black Christmas (1974) (my review here ). That said, there's lots to love about one of the most successful independent films of all time—Carpenter's indelible score featuring that pulsing theme, Dean Cundey 's iconic cinematography which includes impressive early use of the Steadicam, plenty of "totally" quotable dialogue, and a tone that successfully blends suspense, scares and humor. I was surprised to note that the last time I watched the film was almost four years ago to this day and that was the extended (television) version (which is an interesting curiosity but a weaker film). The last time that I watched the film proper was the day after Halloween in 2013! Watching the film for the first time in...

Slither (2006) is a fun film. I enjoy it well enough. I hadn't seen it since the DVD was released. I also saw it in the theater when it was originally released. I appreciate that it's a throwback to (though at times maybe borrows a little too liberally from) films like  Night Of The Creeps  (1986) (my review  here ),  The Blob (1988) (my review here ),  The Thing (1982) (my review here ),  Freaked  (1993), and  Society (1989) and that films like this don't get made too often. I love practical f/x and they are big part of a gory slimy horror film like  Slither  (and they are very well done here). But there is also a bit too much CGI for my taste and much of the humor is a bit too broad (and not that funny to me). Director James Gunn cut his teeth with  Troma  and it's one thing for a film to be unabashedly goofy and embrace its low budget nature throughout (I can dig on that). It's another to have frequent juvenile humor ...

I'm glad that I saw Uncut Gems  (2019) (my review here ) before I saw Good Time (2017). Reason being that in a lot of ways Good Time  feels like the test run for Uncut Gems , a far superior film. Both films are crime stories that invoke a very similar kind of anxiety, feature a frenetic score by Daniel Lopatin , dizzying cinematography, and have a central character that makes one asinine decision after another. But while Robert Pattinson  does give a very good performance in this film, Connie has none of the charisma that Adam Sandler 's Howard does in Gems . I know it's not necessarily fair to compare the two films or actors when they are not the same beast—I just got a lot of the same vibe in Good Time  but didn't connect with the characters. Jennifer Jason Leigh 's screen time in particular felt wasted. In short, this film is indeed a good time but not quite a gem. Safdie Bros Feature Films Ranked

Maniac  (1980) is an exploitation classic, a film that caused much controversy on its initial release, and I love it to pieces. While the (great) gore f/x by master  Tom Savini  seem tame by today's standards, they're still brutal and indelible. For me though,  Maniac  is  most  memorable for the gusto performance that  Joe Spinell  gives as Frank Zito, the second greatest screen psychopath with mommy issues, after Norman Bates. Sure,  Maniac  is clunky at times. And it's pretty unbelievable that a beautiful fashion photographer like the one played by  Caroline Munro  or any of her models would give sweaty, greasy Frank the time of day. But I've always found Spinell's performance, with its creepy voice-over and labored breathing (a la  Black Christmas   (1974) (my review here )), genuinely effective—elevating the film beyond mere trash. The guerrilla filmmaking by director William Lustig provides a time caps...

Happy 9th birthday today to my blog,  The Danman Can ! Each year on this date I post the  the number of films I've watched per year since I've been keeping track (15 years of doing so today actually!). Here they are: 2005  -  338 films 2006  -  368 films 2007  -  274 films 2008  -  269 films 2009  -  234 films 2010  -  189 films 2011  -   237 films 2012  - 254 films 2013  - 352 films 2014  - 350 films 2015 - 337 films 2016 - 270 films 2017  - 265 films 2018  - 207 films 2019  - 254 films I watched almost 50 more films in 2019 than in 2018, but I haven't hit the 300 mark since 2015, which is OK by me. Hopefully it means I'm doing other productive and/or fun things in my life. Since 2018, I've been writing a review of every single film I watch, whether old or new to me. I hope that film lovers will use my blog as a database of sorts, search for my ra...

An incredibly minimalist slow burner with plenty of spookery, uneasy imagery, creepy sound design, and a very good central performance by Ruth Wilson ,  I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House  (2016) is a solid follow-up by Oz Perkins to his great debut The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) (my review here ). I can't help wishing there was just a bit more substance to the film, but I did enjoy it. I appreciate that spare films like this exist, and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good glacial ghost story. For fans of  The  Innocents (1961),  The Haunting  (1963),  The Changeling  (1980) (my review here ) and The Innkeepers (2011).

Arrival (2016) is one of those rare films that, without the need for extraneous backstory, unnecessary character development or oversimplified exposition, still manages to tell a beautiful and engaging story. It also holds up extremely well on rewatches (this was my third viewing). Denis Villeneuve 's Malick esque film is a bit like a spiritual sequel to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977) (my review here ) with more melodrama. Twists can make or break a film—especially one where the whole purpose of the film's being hinges on it—but the one in  Arrival  smartly eschews that all too common issue by not being too clever, which proves rewarding on revisits. The central performance is really key to a film like this, where so much depends on the main character's actions and reactions.  Amy Adams  does an exceptional job, giving a performance grounded in reality in a science fiction film. Jóhann Jóhannsson 's unusual minimalist score elicits so many va...

I had heard good things about Upgrade (2018), but I wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up really enjoying the film and it seems like one that will reward even more on revisits. Essentially a sci-fi actioner about a man who becomes superhuman via an implanted chip and seeks revenge for the tragedy that befell him and his wife—it delivers. The tone is spot on—the humor never gets stupid and the darkness never becomes unbearable. It's fun but it also has just the right amount of gravitas. There are definite similarities to another 2018 film—  Venom — as far as the concept and theme of autonomy goes, which is made even stranger given that Logan Marshall-Green  bears more than a passing resemblance to  Tom Hardy . I haven't seen that film so I can't comment, but from what I hear, Upgrade  has a lot more to offer. That's probably because, while there is a superhero vibe happening in this film, it's not tied to any existing property so there's nobody beholde...

My initial review of  Unsane   (2018) is here . On a rewatch I found that the film held up very well. A few of the no name actors' performances are distracting but thankfully they are very brief and Claire Foy and Joshua Leonard do an excellent job carrying the film. I got a real dialed-down De Palma /90s psycho-thriller meets low tech vibe this time around.  Unsane just works for me. You can find my  Steven Soderbergh  Feature Films Ranked  list  here . You can find my  Top 20 Directors  list  here .

It blows my mind that   director  Aldo Lado 's Who Saw Her Die?  (1972) was released a year before Nicolas Roeg 's Don't Look Now   (my review here ), due to the similarities between the two films—the tragic death of a child, the Venice setting, a strained marriage, the mysterious atmosphere, enshrouded by fog. While WSHD?  is a much more conventional film than  DLN (and doesn't have the same sense of grief), it seems almost impossible that the screenwriters didn't read  Daphne du Maurier ’s 1971 short story , on which the latter film is based, and pull inspiration from it. Following up his excellent debut from the previous year,  Short Night Of Glass Dolls (my review here ), with another  giallo , Lado wasn't able to match the quality of that film, but WSHD?  is nevertheless a very good follow-up (despite a weirdly comedic and tonally out of place ending). It has strong cinematography by Franco Di Giacomo , a haunting (though repeti...

The World's End  (2013) is a fun film. I've seen it three times now. It's not in the same league as  Shaun Of The Dead  (2004) ( review ) or  Hot Fuzz  (2007) ( review ), but it's still quite enjoyable. I like seeing all the  Spaced   (1999–2001)   alumni make their appearances (particularly  Mark Heap ), but the cameos themselves aren't really memorable. The first hour of the film is quite hilarious and brilliant (on par with most of what  Edgar Wright  has done), but after that it begins to lose me every time and by the end I flat-out don't like it. Which is a shame because I think the film works better when it's grounded in reality and just a clever comedy. When it goes sci-fi, the overblown "superhero" nature and slightly forced drama in the finale ultimately hurts it. I appreciate the choreography of the fight scenes, but I don't like the shaky camerawork at all. There are plenty of funny and inventive moments, but The...

Almost Human (2013) is a decent debut feature from director Joe Begos . The story (or lack thereof) and shots, which are highly derivative of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers   (1978) and  John Carpenter (both the credits font and elements of The Thing  (1982) (my review here ) and Halloween (1978) (my review here ))—along with the amateur acting—ultimately hurt the film, but the fun gory makeup f/x from Rob Fitz  are a highlight. I also can't help but appreciate the effort and spirit behind low budget horror films when the cast and crew clearly care about the outcome (even if it's mostly mediocre). I'll admit I'm pretty interested in Begos's upcoming film VFW (2019) though because it has a cadre of recognizable genre actors ( William Sadler , Stephen Lang , David Patrick Kelly , George Wendt , and Fred Williamson ) and I'd like to see how his filmmaking has improved over four films.