THE DANMAN CAN

Two years after Jack Palance  and  Martin Landau  hammed it up together in  Without Warning   ( review ), which has  a  Halloween  (1978) ( review ) rip-off (homage?) during its climax, they again paired up for a total   Halloween rip-off (with some of 1980’s  Friday The 13th  thrown in for good measure), 1982's Alone In The Dark (which is a very misleading title, along with its theatrical poster).  AITD  also stars Donald Pleasence  so there's that connection as well, but the riffing (*rimshot*) on the  John Carpenter  classic also extends to Renato Serio 's score, which borrows liberally from its themes.  Jack Sholder 's—the man behind  A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge   (1985) ( review ) and The Hidden (1987) ( review )—directorial debut is solid though. You have the power trio of the three unhinged heavies plus Dwight Schultz  (a year before he starred as 'Howling Mad' ...

God Told Me To (1976) does that gritty NYC thing and that horror/sci-fi conspiracy thing that  Larry Cohen  does so well. It's a bizarre, low budget affair, as only the King could churn out, but it also has perhaps the greatest sense of cohesion of his directed work (of which I've seen). As much as I love Michael Moriarty  and his wackiness in later Cohen jams, Tony Lo Bianco (and his comparative restraint) was the right choice for this film, which has a melodramatic flair, as opposed to the wall-to-wall zaniness of  The Stuff   (1985) ( review ). Recommended for fans of  Q   (1982) ( review ),  Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978), and  The Brood  (1979) ( review ). Larry Cohen Feature Films Ranked

Paul Schrader 's  Cat People  (1982) is a scintillating, glorious, mythical mess, a hybrid horror arthouse avalanche. Horror tropes are plentiful (particularly some brief but tasty gore and fun makeup f/x), there's strong, animalistic performances from  Nastassja Kinski  and  Malcolm McDowell ,   a wonderfully atmospheric synth score from Giorgio Moroder , and some nice throwbacks to the 1942  Val Lewton / Jacques Tourneur   original  ( review ). CP is a difficult film to recommend to anyone who can't handle copious nudity or avant-garde storytelling without giggling or bursting into nervous laughter. For the adventurous viewer, it's a rewarding, if frustrating watch—a film with a lot of potential that loses steam here and there, but is very rewatchable (though the animal treatment makes me sad). Paul Schrader Feature Films Ranked

65 years on, Stanley Kubrick 's Paths Of Glory (1957) remains a masterful anti-war picture with a powerful central performance by Kirk Douglas . At times sobering, at times absurdly humorous, all of Kubrick's trademarks come to bear here—including smooth-as-glass tracking shots and piercing closeups. Kubrick's most humanitarian film, throughout POG  he highlights the cyclical nature inherent in the history of mankind's futile habit of attempting to annihilate itself. Stanley Kubrick Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors

As a piece of cinema history, 1971's The Zodiac Killer is an interesting curio that serves as the first film to reference the famous serial killer (supposedly made in an attempt to catch Zodiac ) that gets some of the facts of the (still) unsolved case correct but mostly plays fast and loose. As a movie, it's a hilarious, melodramatic, low budget mess that meanders and baffles in equal measure.  If you want to laugh at the casual misogyny, homophobia, and terrible acting,  The Zodiac Killer is actually pretty entertaining—as if  Herschell Gordon Lewis  tried to make a serious film (as my friend Rob put it). If you want a good film based on Zodiac, you're better off sticking with 1971’s  Dirty Harry (admittedly more tangentially based on the case but excellent nevertheless)—released later the same year—or David Fincher 's 2007 masterpiece  Zodiac .

A masterful cops and robbers drama with incredibly engaging (and deeply flawed) characters, a stupendous cast, indelible performances, choice dialogue that will stick in my brain for life, and a few action set pieces that will do the same, Michael Mann 's Heat (1995) is simply one of the best heist movies ever made. It presaged the many crime TV series which drew from its influence and probably would have worked even better had itself been stretched out to six hour-long episodes, but it remains a near-perfect film. Michael Mann Feature Films Ranked

There is such an honesty, genuineness, and vulnerability to  Running On Empty (1988). The characters are so well-drawn, the acting is superb, and it all feels so natural and real. There is a sadness and weepy quality to many scenes but there is also a wonderfully subtle humor. The teenage romance between (real life partners at the time) River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton  is beautifully touching. I love this movie (which I only saw for the first time a year ago) so much that I don’t even mind that all the main characters sing along to a James Taylor song.  Sidney Lumet  was such a marvelous director and he made dramatic art like nobody else. Sidney Lumet Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors

I've seen  Rolling Thunder (1977) twice now and neither time has it grabbed me quite the same way that other Paul Schrader -penned films like Raging Bull (1980) ( review ) and  Taxi Driver  (1976) ( review )   have (though I should note, as I did in my TD  review, that that one took me many viewings to come around). I do think RT  is a very good film though. It's a slow burn with a strong payoff.  This tale of a war veteran returning home after being a POW touches on themes Schrader often explores—masculinity, violence, men on some kind of hopeless quest, women with poor choices in men. Schrader can be artsy and weird in some of his work (I'm looking at you  Cat People  (1982) ( review ) and  Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters  (1985) ( review )) but not here— RT  is a straightforward revenge picture through and through. It definitely operates on the same wavelength as many movies by  Sam Peckinpah and...

For the fifth year in a row, on Bryan's birthday (and because it's the 16th day of the month, part of the  D B Mix Series  tradition), we've got two tasty new mixes for you! Read on to bask in the audiovisual delights of  DB Mix Series 14 – Storytime ! For those unfamiliar with these music challenges—my cousin Bryan and I alternately choose a concept, we each choose the allotted number of songs (from our MP3 collections), make a playlist, share with each other, then I mix the playlists, design the album art, and share with everyone! You can check out the previous  DB Mixes  here . The concept this time was chosen by me—storytime. The rules set by me were as follows:  - The song titles will play off of/continue the thought/sentence to form a story - 20 tracks - Any type of release will be allowed (singles, EPs, soundtracks, etc.; no restrictions) To recap our main rule—we never tell each other which songs we are going to pick, so the other's mix is always a ...

Prey (2022) is a solid Predator film that adds a cool angle to the franchise—that of Comanche facing off against the monster. I am all for taking the character and putting new spins on the basic premise (hunter vs. hunted), dropping the beast into different time periods, etc. And Prey does that, mostly quite well. I really like the way that the lead being a woman this go-around was handled and Amber Midthunder is very good. But some of the goodwill is unfortunately squandered by too much reliance on CGI and mediocre superhero-style action. This could have been something truly special but instead it's on par with 2010's Predators . My reviews of the first four films here, here , here , and here . Predator Franchise Films Ranked

Jordan Peele 's latest, Nope (2022), plays in the same willfully obtuse sandbox as David Lynch , only this attempt at an art film wrapped in a blockbuster shell never quite congealed for this viewer. There are lots of ideas thrown onscreen, but the film is overlong and repetitive. There’s some wonky camerawork and editing, and the characters feel underdeveloped. I wasn’t into a lot of the line delivery, there's too much of the creature, I couldn't get into the creature design, and only a few scenes had palpable tension.  Nope felt like another attempt at blending modern with that ‘80s  Spielberg  magic but the sense of wonder was missing. All that said, I liked the score, Daniel Kaluuya was mostly very good, and casting Keith David as his dad was inspired (although he had far too little screen time). I didn't love Peele's sophomore film  Us  (2019) ( review ) either, but I still think he's an interesting (if overhyped) filmmaker that I hope will make more per...

While 1988's Bad Dreams is certainly derivative of  A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors  ( review ) (released the previous year) and shares an actress with that film in Jennifer Rubin , I found it to be a fun little genre exercise. The cult leader angle (a perfectly cast Richard Lynch ; did he ever not portray an ultra creepy bad guy?) distinguishes the film just enough so that it doesn't feel like a complete rip-off and it's actually quite well made—the segues between the flashbacks and present time are particularly well-handled.  Bruce Abbott  ( Re-Animator  (1985); review ) is good here, feeling right at home in another role in a horror film largely set in a hospital and Charles Fleischer (the voice of Roger Rabbit in  Who Framed Roger Rabbit , released the same year; review ), who was in the first A   Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) ( review ) even pops up. Bad Dreams  is nothing to write home about, but it's got some stylish set ...

Back To The Beach  (1987) is cheesy, corny, silly, but most of all fun, like the best '80s films (plus it has the added bonuses of Fishbone and Pee-wee Herman ). This was my first time viewing of  BTTB  and, while I was certainly aware of it, I don't know why I never saw this film before. I would have loved it when it was released but I can genuinely say that I love it now and it was a worthwhile blind buy.

Kill Them All And Come Back Alone (1968) (what a great title) has to be the most acrobatic western ever made. Dudes are literally leaping through the air, pole-vaulting, backflipping, and swan diving every five minutes. The story is thin and familiar (it's all down to gold, of course), but Enzo G. Castellari could direct the hell out on an action picture and this film is a lot of fun. Recommended for fans of  The Dirty Dozen   (1967), The Magnificent Seven (1960),  The Great Escape   (1963) ( review ), and  The Guns Of Navarone  (1961) ( review ). Enzo G. Castellari Films Ranked

I first saw The Proposition  (2005) when it had limited theatrical screenings in the U.S. in 2006 and it immediately became one of my favorite westerns. I've seen (and bought) it on three home video formats since then (DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD) and the film has lost none of its power. I can confidently say that it's my favorite (what some consider an anti- or revisionist) western of the past 20 years.  The Proposition features a lyrical screenplay by  Nick Cave , an inhospitable atmosphere via the Australian Outback, tasteful yet unflinching direction by  John Hillcoat , poetic performances from an outstanding cast (including Guy Pearce , Ray Winstone , Danny Huston , John Hurt , David Wenham , and Emily Watson ), and a wonderfully experimental score by Cave and Warren Ellis  (which holds its own outside of the film). All these elements (and more) meld together beautifully in this brutal tale of vengeance, family, colonialism, and machismo to make...

Astron-6 's The Editor  (2014) is the comedy troupe's most accomplished work, a ridiculous parody of gialli  and poliziotteschi that manages to capture trademarks of those genres while still infusing the film with their particular brand of zaniness (including their hilariously homoerotic leanings). They delightfully play up the casual misogyny, gratuitous nudity, and violence present in those 70s Italian productions to intentionally over the top levels.  I'm not always the biggest fan of super obvious callbacks to other films (it can tend to distract by becoming a game of "spot this reference")—in this case the work Lucio Fulci , Dario Argento , Sergio Martino , Brian De Palma , to name a few, plus Nicolas Roeg and David Cronenberg for good measure—but it works in The Editor because of the tone of the piece. Not every joke lands, some scenes drag a touch, and I really wish that Astron had been able to shoot on film to provide a more authentic experience, but up...

The Witch   (2015)   is one quiet film. There are moments of sudden alarming noise, to be sure. And the tension remains throughout, even in the quietest moments. But it's a textbook definition of a slow burner. The performances are excellent across the board, the cinematography is exceptional (shot with mostly natural light only), the excruciating level of detail of the production to achieve authenticity shows, and the atmosphere is creepy as all get-out. I've seen  The Witch  four times now in three different formats (cinema, Blu-ray, and UHD) and it's been an engaging and enveloping experience each time—it's an excellent horror film but also a really good dark religious family drama. Recommended for fans of  Valhalla Rising   (2009),  A Field In England   (2013) ( review ),   The House Of The Devil   (2009) ( review ),   and  Rosemary's Baby   (1968). Top 10 Horror Films (1990–Current)

Moving The Needle Podcast  likes me enough to keep asking me back and recently both Ryan and I guested on an episode covering  Richard Franklin ’s  Cloak & Dagger  (1984)! Listen to  MTN   Episode 68  to hear  Sean, Henno, Ryan, and I discuss the film. Follow  MTN  to enjoy all of their episodes! Richard Franklin Feature Films Ranked