THE DANMAN CAN

Jealousy and paranoia. Power and toxicity. Recommended for fans of  Rebecca  (1940) ( review ), Gaslight (1944) ( review ), and  Tristana  (1970) ( review ). Luis Buñuel Films Ranked

"You watch your mouth, buddy." "Excuse me. You're standin' in your pizza." "The law is some tricky shit, isn't it?" Ridley Scott Feature Films Ranked

The French Dispatch   (2021),  Wes Anderson 's ode to journalism (via the likes of  Harold Ross ,  James Baldwin , and more), draws inspiration from (and pays homage to) sources as varied as  Jacques Tati ,  The Adventures Of Tintin ,  Jean-Pierre Melville ,  Serge Gainsbourg , and  Henri-Georges Clouzot , just to name a few. In typical Anderson fashion,  TFD  features an enormous ensemble of famous actors (many of whom have worked with him before), but it also spends a healthy amount of time with a select few charming characters ( Benicio Del Toro ,  Frances McDormand , and  Jeffrey Wright  being standouts).  Split into three main stories plus a wraparound,  TFD  is  incredibly  dense (even for Anderson), both on the visual and storytelling front. Most of the amazing design, tongue-twisting dialogue, visual effects, animation, and information zips by at lightning pace. And yet there are some ...

"Life goes on. It always does. Until it doesn't." Stanley Kubrick Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors

Greetings,  Weirdos ! Tune in as your favorite local horror hosts,  Uncle Spooky ,  Demented Danman , and  Lil Spooky , unwrap their must-see Christmas horror picks and bring some spooky cheer to the holiday season! 🎄 Listen to  Weirdo Wednesday Podcast : Episode Eight  here . Let us know what topics/films you'd like to hear us talk about!  Follow us  on your favorite streaming platform and on  Instagram . We love feedback and positive reviews too. Don't forget that WW takes place every Wednesday evening at  Cinema Salem  in Salem, MA at 7:30 PM (tickets  here ). Dates for fall 2025 Freakout Fridays at  The Owl Theatre  in Lowell, MA are listed below (tickets  here ). Come get Weird with us in both Salem and Lowell! WW Podcast Themes  by  Demented Danman WW Logo by  Iris Miller WW Owl Poster by  Lil Spooky

Aesthetic. Melodramatic. Tragic.

It's odd to think of calling a film as strange as  Hiruko The Goblin  (1991) "conventional," but compared to  Shinya Tsukamoto 's feature film debut,  Tetsuo: The Iron Man   (1989),   that description applies, to some degree. It's even odder to hear Tsukamoto, in an interview on  Mondo Macabro 's (who also released Tsukamoto's great 1999 film  Gemini   ( review ) here in the States) Blu-ray, say that he actually gravitates more towards this style of film, but because  Tetsuo  was so popular (sparking an excellent 1992 sequel,  Body Hammer  and a not-so-good 2009 sequel,  The Bullet Man   ( review ), he continued to make films in that experimental vein.  Perhaps it's partly because  Hiruko  is based on the  Yōkai Hunter  series manga by  Daijiro Morohoshi , and perhaps it's partly because this was only Tsukamoto's second widely distributed feature film (and backed ...

"Reality is not what it used to be." The final film in  John Carpenter 's self-described "Apocalypse Trilogy" (which includes  T he Thing   (1982) ( review ) and  Prince Of Darkness   (1987) ( review )),  In The Mouth Of Madness   (1994) (one of my  Top 10 Horror Films (1990–Current) ) was a box office failure but, like many of the director's films, has gained cult status and appreciation over the years. For my money  ITMOM  is the best  Lovecraft -inspired story—with allusions to  King  and  Barker —ever put to film (particularly fitting given that one of the main characters is a horror novel writer). Of Carpenter's work, it bears the most similarity to  POD  but with better acting— Sam Neill , capable of great range, is perfectly cast here.  Michael De Luca 's script is taut and suspenseful. Along with  Edward A. Warschilka 's tight editing and Carpenter's expert direction, the story su...

The last time I reviewed  Sleepless   (aka  Nohosonno ) (2001), in 2021, I mentioned that, up until that point, it was one of a handful of  Dario Argento  feature films that I still had yet to see. It was definitely the one with the best reputation of his "late period" films. Since then, I've seen all but one of the other Dario films that I mentioned in that earlier review — The Five Days   (1973) ( review ),  Trauma  (1993) ,  The Phantom Of The Opera   (1998),  The Card Player   (2004) ( review ), and  Dracula 3D   (2012).  Do You Like Hitchcock?   (2005) is the only Argento feature film that I still have yet to see. For his return to the  giallo  (after the bomb of  POTO ) in  Sleepless , I've seen it mentioned more than once (including by my friend  Michael  in his  review ) that Argento put together a greatest hits package of his trademarks. Indeed, the director i...

There are many aspects of  Neil Marshall 's  The Descent (2005) that I love—the premise, the top notch all-female cast, the cinematography (though some of the camerawork is not my speed), the production design, the creatures, the effects, the gore. But the film (which I've seen three times now) has never quite grabbed me the way I wish it would. It's a very good, straightforward, tightly paced, claustrophobic, and somber horror thriller but not quite a classic for this viewer.  Neil Marshall Feature Films Ranked

"Hail Mary, full of grace. Give this bitch the speed of the Holy Spirit!" Juliet: Parting is such sweet sorrow. Tromeo: It totally sucks. Lloyd Kaufman Feature Films Ranked

 "I'm a goddamn marvel of modern science." "Your hand is staining my window." Milos Forman Feature Films Ranked The Danman Top 100 Films (2024 Edition)

"From the moment you looked at me, I had an idea you had an idea." Classic Screwball Comedies Ranked

"Unless I miss my guess, Captain...you're out of uniform." "Get back in the car, you smirking slut!" "Sometimes I even have trouble imagining that I'm me, if you know what I mean." Mike Nichols Feature Films Ranked

"I sent them a message." Michael Winner 's Death Wish 3 (1985) is the most economical, relentlessly paced, patently absurd revenge movie ever made, distilling the vigilante action picture to its very core. It employs every trope imaginable, with zero concern for any of its characters, zero narrative arc, and basically zero character development. Cartoon villains, ridiculous tonal shifts, hilarious dialogue, and Charles Bronson stoically blasting endless baddies with no remorse—all set to a pulsing Jimmy Page synth score. Pure entertainment. Absolute insanity. An exploitation film that delivers. A Cannon film through and through. Michael Winner Feature Films Ranked

" Sister... " Abel Ferrara Feature Films Ranked

Frankenstein (2025) looks really nice (except the digital sheen on everything plus way more CGI than I prefer) and the performances are good, but I found it pretty uneven, overwrought, and overlong. I'm glad  Guillermo del Toro  got to fulfill his dream and that lots of people love it though. Guillermo del Toro Feature Films Ranked

"There's no good or evil. Only spirit and matter. Only movement toward the light—and away from it." Richard Stanley Feature Films Ranked

As far as  Wes Anderson  stop motion films go, I like  Fantastic Mr. Fox   (2009) more (there are a few beats in this film that fall flat, unlike FMF , which is close to perfect), but  Isle Of Dogs   (2018) is a whole lot of fun. Some of the characters don't do it for me, some are underutilized, and some of the scenes drag a bit, but on the whole I love the film, which is bursting with eye and ear candy.  Wes' style of storytelling suits the scenarios perfectly, this time around working from a story by himself,  Roman   Coppola   (who previously co-wrote 2007's  The Darjeeling Limited   and 2012's  Moonrise Kingdom  with him),  Jason   Schwartzman   (who has previously worked with Anderson as both actor and writer) and  Kunichi Nomura  (who voices one of the characters in this film). Anderson   has always worn his influences on his sleeve and in  Dogs  the more ob...

"I want to ride. I want us to be the wind." Nobuhiko Obayashi Feature Films Ranked

William Friedkin 's Rampage (1987) is a solid court room/serial killer drama (based on  "The Vampire Of Sacramento" ) with good performances. While it contains a few sensational scenes, it suffers from being polemic and never truly grabs the viewer. A very underplayed Friedkin film, but not one without merits (chiefly its attention to detail in the trial of a man who has committed horrific crimes). William Friedkin Feature Films Ranked

Not my favorite  Tim Burton  film, but perhaps the quintessential Tim Burton film. Perfectly cast ( Dianne Wiest , MVP), exquisitely designed, beautifully scored, and often very funny. A wonderfully weird and tender fairy tale. Tim Burton Feature Films Ranked

" I feel...like my heart is being touched by Christ. " Altered States  (1980),  Ken Russell  and Paddy Chayefsky 's (who famously clashed) trippy existential psychological sci-fi body horror always leaves an impression, particularly the barrage of sound and images presented in the brilliant out-of-body scenes (looking better than ever via The Criterion Collection 's 4K UHD ).  William Hurt , who went on to many memorable roles, shines in his feature film debut (fun fact: this was also  Drew Barrymore 's film debut). I've never seen  Blair Brown  in any other movies, but here she gives a dedicated, impassioned performance. John Corigliano 's wonderful score was deservedly Oscar-nominated.  Jordan Cronenweth , who two years later gifted us the astounding cinematography of  Blade Runner   ( review ), provided lots of beautifully lit compositions. The special effects and makeup—the former by Bran Ferren , the latter by the legendary...

" Perhaps you had better start from the beginning. " It's funny to think that 1957's  The Curse Of Frankenstein ,  Hammer 's first color horror film , first in their  Frankenstein  series, and the film that helped establish their horror legacy, was considered  very  gory in its day and received an X rating when originally released.  TCOF  is a strong update of the  1931 Universal version  ( review ), with plenty of gothic flavor, wonderfully moody and meticulous lighting, beautiful cinematography and costumes, and excellent performances from  Peter Cushing  (as the further and further unhinged titular character) and  Christopher Lee  (as The Creature ). Terence Fisher Films Ranked