THE DANMAN CAN

Robert Fuest 's The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) is a frighteningly fun and campy horror comedy, filled with deliciously dark humor, strikingly bold Art Deco design, creative costumes, and exquisitely elaborate murder set pieces (which telegraph the Saw films). Vincent Price , as the titular organ-grinding abomination, wreaks wonderful Old Testament-inspired vengeance on the medical team he believes took his beloved wife Victoria from him. Phibes is aided by his beautiful, silent, and, most importantly, "fashionable," violin-touting partner in crime, Vulnavia ( Virginia North ). The tone and humor remind me of another (admittedly less grisly but still pretty dark) cult classic 1971 movie, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory , which this picture shares an actor with ( Aubrey Woods ). Recommended for fans of  The Phantom Of The Opera  (1925) ( review ), The Masque Of The Red Death (1964), and  Tales From The Crypt   (1972) ( review ). Fun fact #1: Terry-Thomas ,...

Penelope Spheeris ' punk rock western road revenge movie,  Dudes (1987), has an interesting cast (I always love seeing Lee Ving  show up), but the plot is threadbare with lots of haphazard detours, all the characters are underdeveloped, there is some unfortunate (just silly and unnecessary) cultural appropriation, the soundtrack is more hard rock/hair metal than punk, and the tone of film is messy (it mostly plays as a comedy but has some jarringly serious moments and bursts of violence that feel out of place). I also wish that Catherine Mary Stewart 's role was bigger—while she is actually pretty badass, she kind of does the same loyal love interest thing here that she did in 1984's  The Last Starfighter   ( review ) (but she at least had more screen time in that picture) . Overall, this is a fun little flick, but I can't help wishing it was weirder, funnier, and swung a little bigger. Recommended for fans of  Repo Man  (1984),  Pee-wee's Big Adventu...

I was hoping that I'd like  Frank Henenlotter 's Bad Biology (2008) more on a second viewing, but I felt about the same. While it's clearly in the director's wheelhouse, there's a certain something, tonally, present in his other films—even when dealing with purposely exploitative, potentially offensive, subject matter—that is missing in BB . Henenlotter has always had a style similar to Troma films, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi that sets his work apart. Here, however, it just feels like Troma (and I like Troma just fine).  Charlee Danielson gives a good performance though (there's a particularly funny and impressive scene where she has great dialogue delivery while bashing a dude's head in with a lamp) and the effects by longtime Henenlotter collaborator Gabriel Bartalos  are really fun. Frank Henenlotter Feature Films Ranked

I've gone back and forth over the years regarding how much I like  Danny Boyle 's (a director whom I'm pretty hot and cold on)  Trainspotting (1996). I've seen the movie numerous times and I've always really liked it, but a little bit less than everyone else, it seemed. I can't relate to the characters or their habits, but I can't deny that the dialogue, the performances, and the filmmaking are all great. And the soundtrack is unequivocally brilliant.  Perhaps  The Criterion Collection 's 4K UHD—where the picture looks the best it has on home video and the highly stylized, visceral, and innovative visuals really shine—helped push my opinion in the film's favor (and my rating to go up from my previous viewing on Blu-ray nearly 13 years ago). The humor seemed to connect more with me this go-around. Sometimes (and I'm certainly cognizant of this), my mood affects my opinion of a film, too. Additionally, some films hit me differently at different st...

A really fun, spooky, and influential murder mystery with innovative camerawork and effects,  Paul Leni ’s  The Last Warning   (1928) was the director's last film before his life was sadly cut short at age 44. TLW was released simultaneously in three versions: a part-talkie ; with music and sound effects; and as a silent, but only the latter survives. Here the "old dark house" is supplanted by an "old dark theatre."Comedy and thrills abound in equal measure in this briskly paced, well cast, and highly entertaining motion picture. Recommended for fans of  The Cat And The Canary  (1927) ( review ),  Clue   (1985) ( review ), and  The Phantom Of The Opera  (1925) ( review ) (which this film recycled sets from). Paul Leni Feature Films Ranked

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) is a wildly imaginative, whacked-out romantic horror comedy fantasy, with elements of wuxia , directed by  Siu-Tung Ching  of  Duel To The Death  (1983) ( review ) fame. A tender love story, a goofy slapstick riot, a delirious fright fest, and a badass action extravaganza all rolled into one, this flick goes to hell and back (literally)! The movie moves at a breakneck pace and features frenetic editing (which isn't an anomaly in pictures of this ilk), which is usually off-putting to me, but here it works in its favor. I will admit, it was difficult to keep up at times, A CGS is very nonsensical, and I was a tad worried that the film would run out of steam, but quite the opposite happened and it got even better in the second half. There is just a lot  going on in this motion picture and most of it is of the awesome variety (including one insanely long and dangerous tongue). ACGS  desperately deserves a U.S. and/or U.K. Blu...

An atmospheric, melancholic, noirish, gothic-flavored proto-giallo fever dream, exquisitely shot with a wonderfully ominous score,  The Possessed (aka  La donna del lago ) (1965) is one of those films where solving the mystery is not important; it’s the journey that matters. Recommended for fans of  Carnival Of Souls   (1962) ( review ),  Diabolique   (1955) ( review ) , and  Repulsion  (1965). Luigi Bazzoni Feature Films Ranked