THE DANMAN CAN

Notable for being one of three underwater sci-fi movies released in 1989,  Sean S. Cunningham 's  DeepStar Six   (released   in January, followed by  Leviathan   ( review )   in March, and  James Cameron 's blockbuster  The Abyss   ( review )   in August) is pretty standard horror film, taking obvious inspiration from prior classics, but it's a well-lensed  little monster movie with some fun (if underutilized) practical effects work from legends of the craft ( Robert Kurtzman ,  Greg Nicotero ,  Mark Shostrum ), a strong score , and a great performance (in a thankless role) by MVP Miguel Ferrer .   Sean S. Cunningham Films Ranked

For A Few Dollars More   (1965) is my favorite of the  Dollars Trilogy . I have always loved this film and it just slightly edges out  The Good, The Bad And The Ugly   (1966) ( review ) for me. Everything about  FAFDM  improved upon what was established in  A Fistful Of Dollars  (1964) ( review )—the score, the shots, the characters, the plot.  Fistful  was almost completely devoid of the famed " Leone  close-up," but that changed with this film—here they take center stage.  FAFDM  ratchets up the tension, the stakes, and even the humor. Clint Eastwood  and  Gian Marie Volontè  return from  Fistful  (along with a few other great character actors). Eastwood again flawlessly portrays the laconic  Man With No Name   (actually Manco or Monco in this seco nd outing) and Volontè  adds dimension to what could have been a stock villain—playing the brooding, scheming maniac El Indio to p...

A Fistful Of Dollars  (1964), like  The Magnificent Seven  ( review ) four years earlier, is a western based on an  Akira Kurosawa  film—in this case  Yojimbo  (1961) ( review ), itself influenced by westerns ( John Ford 's in particular).  Sergio Leone  made a bang with his seco nd film, but would certainly hone and improve his style across his remaining five  films (not including films for which he did not receive a directing credit). This is also the film that propelled  Ennio Morricone  into the spotlight as an in-demand composer of Italian films—particularly the yet to be dubbed " Spaghetti Western ," which this film, for better or worse, helped popularize. His score is unique, memorable, and perfectly compliments Leone's style. The first film in the  Dollars Trilogy  (I prefer to refer to the films this way, as opposed to the  Man With No Name Trilogy , as  Clint Eastwood 's ch...

"The power of the human spirit will never be obsolete!" Steven Kostanski Feature Films Ranked

Greetings, Weirdos! This month  Uncle Spooky ,  Demented Danman , and  Lil Spooky  dive into the evolution of horror across generations—exploring how fear has changed, adapted, and endured through the decades, all through their uniquely twisted perspectives. We also introduce a new segment called 'Words With Weirdos'.  Listen to  Weirdo Wednesday Podcast : Episode Four  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 and every other(ish) Wednesday  at  The Owl Theatre  in Lowell, MA. 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

Softcore crime sexploitation comedy shenanigans with a weak plot and tepid action, Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers ) (1973) is nevertheless a  Jean Rollin  film (definitely my least favorite of his that I've seen so far), so it's entertaining and has lots of vibrant colors. Jean Rollin Feature Films Ranked

In a career filled with surreal, poetic, gothic, autumnal imagery,  Jean Rollin 's  The Iron Rose (1973) features some of his most beautiful and evocative. The simplicity of the story works in its favor, as does the haunting score. I could watch Françoise Pascal dancing and humming in a cemetery for hours. Jean Rollin Feature Films Ranked