THE DANMAN CAN

It's kind of amazing that  Deathdream   (aka  Dead Of Night ) was released just a few months prior to  Bob Clark 's classic holiday slasher  Black Christmas   ( review ), but the former was sitting on the shelf for some time because according to Wikipedia it was filmed in the fall of 1972.  Deathdream  is notable for being only the second screen credit for makeup/special effects wizard  Tom Savini . His work here makes great use of a small budget and honestly looks better than some of what he did later on in the '70s (the '80s were where he really shined).  Carl Zittrer  provides the same type of jarring and dissonant score work that he did for  Black Christmas , and some of the cues and techniques are almost identical but slightly less effective here. Similarly there are other parallels and techniques that director Clark mirrors from his other—more famous—1974 film, including the way he uses humor to balanc...

For  Osgood 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 (particularly on the recently released 4K UHD). 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 like a combination of the earthy feel of  The Witch   (2015) ( review ) (also similar is that film's unsettling quiet) and the psychedelia of  Beyond The Black Rainbow  (2010) ( review ). Young actress  Sophia Lillis ' expressive features and understated performance do well to carry the film and  Alic...

Maybe not his most disturbing, but perhaps  Yorgos Lanthimos ' most hilarious and awkward film, if that's possible? It's very obvious that  Kinds Of Kindness  (2024) was co-written by  Efthimis Filippou —who also co-wrote 2009's  Dogtooth   ( review ) , 2011's  Alps  ( review ), 2015's  The Lobster   ( review ) , and 2017's  The Killing Of A Sacred Deer  ( review )—because it really leans into the surrealism and stilted performances. This is like Yorgos' Magnolia (1999). A trippy triptych with an unnervingly dissonant score/sound design. The best film of the year so far.   Yorgos Lanthimos Feature Films Ranked

With acting on the level of a teenage sitcom, the cinematography and lighting of an after school special, and Spirit Halloween-quality makeup and props, Michael A. Simpson 's Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers  (1988) is not good and is, honestly, pretty awful, but it's awfully good fun. I liked the film more on a second viewing (the first time I watched it was nearly a decade ago, geez) and awarded it a whole extra star. It was more enjoyable with an audience; there's something charming about its goofiness and blend of "gee willikers" morals with piss-poor gore (even if the references to other horror franchises are ham-fisted). Pamela Springsteen (younger sister of The Boss ) is pitch perfect as the grown-up Angela (played by Felissa Rose  in the 1983 original ).  Renée Estevez  (younger sister of Emilio and Charlie Sheen ) also stars, but, like the rest of the cast, doesn't impress much. A few of the kills are creative, even if their execution is lacking, ...

I didn't grow up with Albert Magnoli 's  Purple  Rain   (1984). I only saw it for the first time in 2016 for a special theatrical screening after  Prince  died. I also can't claim to be a huge fan of The Artist—not because I don't like his music a lot, just because I don't know much outside the hits and a few scattered songs (and his discography is  extensive ). Today marks the 40th anniversary of the classic PR  soundtrack/studio album  and the film was also released on 4K UHD. And my, does it look nice— Donald E. Thorin 's cinematography really shines on the format. As a film, the semi autobiographical  Purple Rain  has a  lot  of flaws—it's clunky, it's cheesy, and the acting isn't the best. The theme of domestic abuse crops up a lot—The Kid's home life is pretty dour and it's on one hand sad and on one hand perversely touching to see his mother and  Apollonia  stick by these abusive men. Because let's face it, The...