THE DANMAN CAN

Review

Review

Art imitates life is what they say, no?  Much like the story’s Mrs. de Winter can never hope to replace the late Rebecca, this 2020 version can never hope to take the place of Alfred Hitchcock ’s 1940 film (my review here ). Most of Ben Wheatley ’s adaptation feels like a work-for-hire TV movie (albeit with a better budget and more cinematic production design) which any number of filmmakers could have churned out. There are scant few moments where it actually feels like something that Wheatley would make and I’m really puzzled why he was considered a good fit for the material. Everyone needs a paycheck, I guess?  Make no mistake, Rebecca is impeccably shot, the costumes are beautiful, and the film is consistently handsome to look at but if you’ve seen the original, there are no surprises here. The colors in this film are a sight to behold but I prefer the mystery and atmosphere of the black & white original. Lily James does a commendable job in the lead part, channelin...

Cults ' 2020 album, Host (their fourth), is 12 tracks of dreamy, introspective synth-laden pop, recommended for fans of Metric , Enon and Danger Mouse  style production.

The Curse Of The Cat People (1944), the sequel to 1942's Cat People  (my review here ), doesn't actually have a single cat in it. It really doesn't have a whole lot to do with its predecessor, which mostly works in its favor to set it apart from the first film. RKO studios wanted to cash in on the success of CP , and insisted on the Curse  title, even though producer  Val Lewton  wanted to change it to Amy And Her Friend  (which despite befitting the subject matter better is not a good title). TCOTCP  marked two directorial debuts— Gunther von Fritsch  (who had only previously directed shorts), who, when he fell behind schedule, was replaced by  Robert Wise  (who had edited Orson Welles '  The Magnificent Ambersons (my review here ) the year previous), assigned by the studio to take over. Wise went on to have a prolific and versatile career as a director, creating many classic films and his work here is great right from the get-go...

I last watched Jacques Tourneur 's Cat People (1942) just shy of four years ago when the Criterion Collection Blu-ray was released. Rewatching the film now I've come to appreciate it even more.  Val Lewton 's first feature as producer is nothing short of impressive. Lewton had a prolific but unfortunately short run as producer over nine years (1942–1951), releasing fourteen mostly great pictures, mostly in the horror/thriller genre.  Lewton would work with Tourneur two more times in 1943 for I Walked With A Zombie and The Leopard Man . Both were good movies, but neither could top the success and legacy of Cat People . All of the Lewton/Tourneur collaborations are very short features and even though CP  is the longest of the three, at a mere 73 minutes, there is no denying the efficiency and economy of this wonderful work. A big reason that the film is so excellent, of course, is  Simone Simon 's singular performance as Irena Dubrovna, a Serbian immigran...

"Greetings, Starfighter! You have been recruited by TheDanmanCan to read his review of the 1984 film The Last Starfighter . Get ready. Prepare for blast-off!" For his sophomore film as director, Nick Castle —most famously known as playing The Shape in John Carpenter 's Halloween (1978) ( review ), as well as its 2018 sequel ( review )—dove into a space opera about a teenager, Alex Rogan ( Lance Guest ), who is recruited to fight in an intergalactic war, based on his arcade game skills. Guest does a great job of conveying all the right emotions for character—awe, skepticism, frustration, and charm. While there is no denying that TLS  was influenced by and is similar to Star Wars , the film stands apart by pulling its hero from a trailer park on Earth rather than a galaxy far, far away. Alex still has aspirations the same way that Luke Skywalker does but there is a more "down-home" quality to this story. Another major differentiator is the extensive use of CGI ...

I've steadily grown to appreciate Harry Kümel 's Daughters Of Darkness (aka  Les lèvres rouges ) (1971) more with each viewing. This was the third time I've seen the film and maybe it had something to do with it looking absolutely incredible via Blue Underground 's new limited edition 4K UHD , but something just clicked and I realized that I flat-out love it. I'll admit I haven't seen that many sapphic vampire films but this is the best one that I have seen. Delphine Seyrig  as the Countess Elizabeth Báthory  is pure seduction. And while Danielle Ouimet and Andrea Rau 's acting chops may not be up to par with Seyrig's, they're both well cast. All three are strikingly beautiful in their eye-popping costumes. Eduard van der Enden 's lush cinematography captures everything with style. DOD is clearly a film in love with its images, with cinema itself. Sound is important too.  François de Roubaix 's score is an all-timer, creating a soundscape t...

Perhaps it's because America already feels like a satire this year, more so than I can ever recall in my lifetime. Possibly it's because the first film was such a novelty and so incredibly   funny at the time that a sequel had a slim chance of topping it. Maybe it's because at times it just feels like more of the same from the character. Whatever it is,  Borat Subsequent Moviefilm   (2020) does not have the same impact as its 2006 predecessor. That isn't to say that it's not a very funny, biting, shocking, and even quite poignant movie(film). It just feels particularly timely, so I wonder how it will age. All I can hope is that future generations will look back at a (movie)film like this and laugh because of how much better the world is and because they could never believe that the USA could be this ridiculous.

Back To The Future Part III  (1990) was a blast right from its release. Filmed simultaneously with Back To The Future Part II (1989) (my review here ) and released six months later, it's amazing how different the two films are. I still give them the same star rating, but, much like the Indiana Jones franchise , the third film is my second favorite of the series (my review of the first film here ).  BTTF III is simply a ton of fun, has the best action sequences of the three, and the most exciting finale of the BTTF  series . It's also the most romantic without being overly sappy ( Christopher Lloyd and Mary Steenburgen really shine in that regard). For fans of the genre, the film plays with Western tropes (including some nice homages to classics) in a very pleasing way without being too serious or too goofy about it. Michael J. Fox is, as always, the perfect lynchpin to the series. Additionally, when at first glance, he may just appear to be playing variatio...

Four years after  Back To The Future   (my review here ) became an international phenomenon, its sequel,  Back To The Future Part II (1989), was released. It's always been the whackiest, most over-the-top entry in the BTTF franchise , but for that I love it. BTTF II  brought us through three timelines (1985, 2015 and 1955) via clever writing, including an entertaining revisit to events that transpired in the first film. Though silly at times, the gags, visual FX, production design, makeup, and costumes are incredibly inventive and fun. The characters' interactions with their other timeline selves is a joy. As an amped-up sequel that dared to be different, BTTF II is  admirable for its audacity and remains a treat.

Thirty-five years ago,  Back To The Future   was unleashed on audiences and an instant classic was born. Despite some problematic elements and despite some logical flaws, I still consider the film a masterpiece (and one of my  Top 100 Films ). It's endlessly fun, rewatchable, and quotable. Michael J. Fox  as Marty McFly is the picture of effortless charisma. Christopher Lloyd  as Dr. Emmett Brown is a lovable weirdo. Robert Zemeckis ' direction hits all the right beats.  Dean Cundey 's cinematography is legendary. Alan Silvestri 's score is rousing and instantly recognizable. Huey Lewis And The News ' songs are slices of pop perfection . Drew Struzan 's poster is iconic.  BTTF  raked in box office and for good reason—it's the definition of blockbuster entertainment and, like a sizable portion of the human population, I love it dearly. Zemeckis (who has final rights to the films in the BTTF franchise ) has stated that he will block attempts t...

As I wrote in my reviews of  Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure   (1989) ( here ) and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey   (1991) ( here ), my enjoyment of the  Bill & Ted  films is highly steeped in nostalgia. Watching the first two films now is partially like returning to my tween self, but it's also a reminder that the first two films were highly flawed to begin with. I wish I could say the same for the long (re: forever) in development sequel,  Bill & Ted Face The Music (2020). Oh, it's flawed all right and the goofy charm is still there, but I didn't find myself taken back to my younger years. No, I was distracted by poor CGI, unfunniness (everyone seems to love Anthony Carrigan here but I felt all of his scenes were obvious and fell completely flat), and mediocre filmmaking.  It really just feels like Bill & Ted were dropped into a below average comedy with obvious markers to signify the moods (look everyone—this is the funny part; th...

To pull from my review of  Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure   (1989) ( here )—my enjoyment of the  Bill & Ted  films is highly steeped in nostalgia. Watching these films now is partially like returning to my tween self, but it's also a reminder that the first two films were highly flawed to begin with. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey   (1991) is an inventive and creative sequel, possibly even goofier than its predecessor, but just as charming. I find that the split screen FX with the two pairs of Bill & Teds hold up incredibly well, while some of the other FX do not at all. The Hell sequences are still a joy to watch, with lots of fun production design. William Sadler as the Grim Reaper remains a highlight.  EA  and BJ may not have the same impact on me as they one did but it's difficult to deny the charisma that the these two slacker dudes have on screen.

My enjoyment of the Bill & Ted  films is highly steeped in nostalgia. Watching Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and its sequels now is partially like returning to my tween self, but it's also a reminder that the first two films were highly flawed to begin with. No matter— Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey (1991) (my review here ) are still a lot of fun. They're goofy as hell but have an undeniable charm. It's certainly easy to pick apart the weaker aspects now, but I don't really find the need to.  EA remains a fun time traveling slacker comedy, populated with quotable lines, memorable characters, and inventiveness, most of which still lands a good deal of the time.

Eleven years after the supposed final entry in a trilogy (2000's  Scream 3 , my review here ), Scream 4 arrived. When I saw the film in the theater I remember liking it more than expected but I realized that I hadn't yet revisited it until this viewing. After rewatching the third entry just before this one, I ended up liking the former more than I previously did and the latter less. Series creator  Kevin Williamson  returned to write this installment, which references the 1996 original (my review here ) quite a bit. But there's no cleverness here, just sad attempts at hipness and already dated efforts to modernize the series with new technology (seriously, that dude's webcast headgear *shiver* ). Sidney also kind of takes a backseat in Scream 4 — Neve Campbell really feels like she's going through the motions in this one (as an actor and not just as the character). All the new characters/actors are easily dislikable, which I suppose makes them easy fodder to be sl...

Scream 3 (2000) had previously been the entry in the series that I liked the least but after this latest rewatch that's changed. It's still not as good as the first two entries (my reviews here and here ), but as sequels go it's pretty solid. This time around, series creator  Kevin Williamson  wrote an outline which was scrapped and writing duties fell to Ehren Kruger . I must admit, it shows—it's easy to spot that a different voice penned this installment. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but the tone is certainly different. Part of the reason for that though was due to the Columbine High School massacre , which took place the year before the film was released. In response to increased public scrutiny regarding violence in media, emphasis was placed on comedy in  Scream 3 , and the violence and horror were reduced. Wes Craven 's stamp feels less present here than on the previous two films, as the direction feels pretty stock, but the dream sequences with S...

While I've always really enjoyed Scream 2 (1997)—basically as much as its predecessor—after this latest rewatch, I can now safely say that I think it's better than  Scream  (1996) (my review here ). Wes Craven  and Kevin Williamson 's follow-up more cleverly satirizes the horror/slasher genre, along with sequels—handling its meta,  whodunit nature and its characters' self-awareness in a much more satisfactory way. Partly that's because the film embraces its  Scooby-Doo   qualities and ups the craziness in a slightly campy way that still works. Introducing the film school and theater aspects was inspired as well. What's impressive is that Scream 2 managed to accomplish all this, despite being rushed out only a year after the success of the first film and with constant rewrites during production. The cold open isn't as strong as the original, but Scream 2  features better kills, which Randy ( Jamie Kennedy ) mentions is a must in horror ...

I was very much the target demographic of Wes Craven 's Scream , a film which I saw numerous times in the theater when it was released in 1996. I loved horror films, I loved a few of Craven's films, and I was 16. At the time, Scream  was welcomed and highly lauded due to its self-awareness (no one used the word "meta" back then), its satirical nature, and because it breathed life into a stagnating genre. Even as it poked fun at horror/slasher films, it clearly still had a love for them and their audience.  Kevin Williamson 's script felt incredibly clever and the film was unbelievably entertaining. But removed from the zeitgeist, in 2020, Scream  just isn't the classic for me that I know it is for many. I get why people love Scream so much and I do still think it is a good film (with one of the better cold opens ever), but I can't help but be put off by the overacting, so-so direction, and a runtime that is a tad too long. That said, I still find bits fun...

Requiem For A Dream (2000) (one of my  Top 100 Films ) is a harrowing experience, no matter how many times you've seen it. I've seen it at least four times now, I believe, but it's definitely a "one and done" for some people, due to its depressing content.  Darren Aronofsky  and co-writer  Hubert Selby Jr.  put viewers through the wringer with their adaptation of the latter's 1978 novel , an unrelenting and uncompromising look at how addiction and the search for the American Dream send four individuals on a downward spiral. All manner of squirm-inducing bodily harm befalls our leads, each of whom give a powerful and memorable performance, in particular Ellen Burstyn .  Aronofsky uses seemingly every cinematic and editing trick imaginable—often in sledgehammer fashion—to jar his audience and put them into the mindsets of the characters. These include fast cut montages, split-screen, uncomfortably tight closeups, Snorricam  (mounted on the actors),...

Fando And Lis (1968),  Alejandro Jodorowsky 's feature debut, introduced the world to many of the controversial avant-garde filmmaker's trademarks but doesn't quite have the finesse present in his other films. Both times that I've watched F&L  I've felt a bit disengaged and even bored at times, but there is no denying that there is striking imagery and imagination on display.  It caused a scandal in Mexico when it was released but most of it seems fairly quaint by today's standards. Still, this odyssey by one of cinema's most unique voices remains an interesting dry run, if you will, for Jodorowsky to go truly bonkers in the early 1970s with his cult films  El Topo and The Holy Mountain . The new 4K-scanned transfer on the ABKCO / Arrow Video  Blu-ray box sets is a revelation as well, besting the previous DVD by Fantoma by a wide margin.