THE DANMAN CAN

Impeccably shot abstract oneiric bullshit/brilliance. Recommended for fans of  Carnival Of Souls   (1962) ( review ),  The Possessed  (1965) ( review ), and  Mulholland Drive  (2001) ( review ).

1983 was a really good (probably the best) year for  Stephen King  film adaptations.  Lewis Teague 's  Cujo   arrived in August, followed by  David Cronenberg 's  The Dead Zone   ( review ) in October, then  John Carpenter 's  Christine   ( review ) in December. It had been a long time since I'd watched Cujo  and, while it's my least favorite of those three movies, it was  better than I remembered.  Cujo  does a wonderful job of developing characters without ever being boring or unnecessary. The film is anchored by fantastic, dedicated, and believable performances by  Dee Wallace  and  Danny Pintauro . It's stylishly and inventively shot by  Jan de Bont  and beautifully and dramatically scored by  Charles Bernstein . The single-setting canine siege that comprises the latter half of the picture is an incredibly tense exercise in horror, fueled by relentless motherly dedication.  Lewis Teague Films Ranked Stephen King Feature & Television Film Adaptations Rank

I know nostalgia is a four letter word these days, but this movie is intrinsically wrapped up in my childhood. The Transformers: The Movie (1986) is a schizophrenic mess of a film, but one that, if it hit at the right time in your life, will always be meaningful, fun, and transformative (sorry, had to). The animation is gorgeous, the soundtrack (and score ) kicks ass, and the assemblage of voice actors is impressive. My friend and neighbor Jon and I watched this tonight to get Prime d for seeing The Cybertronic Spree live tomorrow night. Remember: you can win if you  Dare !

Mario Bava 's  Black Sabbath   (1963) is simply one of the best horror anthologies ever made. Though it's only three stories, each one is unique and worthwhile, filled with beautiful actresses and spooky imagery. It's not a gory movie, but it's got an old school charm that holds up to this day. Hell, pioneering metal band  Black Sabbath  took their name from the film, which only adds to its legacy. This time around I watched the  AIP  Cut. While it's nice to hear narrator and star  Boris Karloff 's voice on the English version, I'm of the opinion that the Italian version (which is shorter and contains a different score), known as  I Tre Volti Della Paura   ( The  Three Faces Of Fear ),  is superior. I also like the order of the stories in the Italian cut better, which opens with "The Telephone", followed by " The Wurdulak ", and concluding with the best story, "The Drop Of Water". In the AIP Cut "Water" opens the film,

Torso   (aka  The Bodies Bear Traces Of Carnal Violence ) (1973), was  Sergio Martino 's fifth  giallo  in the span of two years (!!), all five of which were written by giallo superscribe  Ernesto Gastaldi . It's a sleazy but stylish proto-slasher—filled with unnaturally beautiful women, absurdly oafish and lecherous men, and an excellent score from  Guido  and  Maurizio De Angelis . The plot is actually pretty straightforward as gialli go, but, as with many of these films, the killer's reveal comes out of left field. The best part of  Torso  though is the disturbing final third, featuring an incredibly tense cat and mouse game and an impressive fight sequence. Sergio Martino Feature Films Ranked Giallo Feature Films Ranked

The Linguini Incident (1991) is an amusing absurdist romantic crime comedy caper with hilarious dialogue (so many lines about tits), fun fashion, and wonderful production design. Pairing Rosanna Arquette with David Bowie (who are both charming here) is a weird choice (though they have...I don't know if I'd call it "chemistry" but something...), but everything about this film is weird, so naturally I loved it. Also, Eszter Balint is a jewel and it was nice to see another movie with Buck Henry and Bowie together.