THE DANMAN CAN

The Blob  (1988) has a mean streak that I'm not typically a fan of, where everyone is disposable, and the filmmakers really seem to delight in killing people off in innovative ways, but when the f/x work is as good as it is here, it doesn't bother me too much. The tone is just a bit weird, when characters that you're supposed to care for die horrible, particularly cruel deaths. I do appreciate the killing off of the character that you think is going to be the male lead less than a half hour in (à la  Psycho  (1960)) though. A lot of the f/x appear to be homages to setups from John Carpenter 's The Thing (1982) (my review here ), including a few gags that are straight up rip-offs of Rob Bottin 's work from that most perfect of perfect horror films. There are also some shots that are reminiscent of 1987's  Street Trash   (my review here )  which is enough to melt a grue lover's heart (literally). But it's hard not to love practical f/x and makeup in ...

Phantasm (1979) is one of those films that I've seen many times, where I'm willing to forgive some of the clunkier aspects—the rough acting (and overacting), the dated f/x, the silly (but fun) dialogue, and some truly goofy character moments—because I can't help but marvel at the spirit and enthusiasm that its writer/director Don Coscarelli  and his dedicated cast and crew were able to get up on screen with a micro budget. It's one of those films that inspires because you can tell it's made by people who truly cared and it's got an underdog quality that you can't help but root for. In those ways, it's a lot like Sam Raimi 's The Evil Dead (1981)—in fact there are physical gags in Phantasm  that are similar to the type of humor used in The Evil Dead . Additionally, the chainsaw duel in this film's sequel,  Phantasm II (1988), was likely a tribute to  Tobe Hooper 's  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2  (1986), and the quadruple shotgun to  Evi...

Wild At Heart  (1990) features my favorite on-screen rebel couple, Sailor and Lula, two young lovers who cope with all the shit dealt their way from the wild weird world the only ways they know how—through sex, cigarettes, heavy metal, and their undying and true love for each other.  WAH  is a film about passion, crime, dancing, individuality, freedom, good and bad witches, temptation, menacing baddies, oddball families, and much more—all filtered through the strange and wonderful mind of  David Lynch . David Lynch Ranked

More than just a superb horror film, more than just a gore fest, more than just a dark comedy— An American Werewolf In London (1981) is a true classic that features revolutionary makeup effects by Rick Baker , affecting performances by David Naughton , Jenny Agutter , and Griffin Dunne , endlessly quotable dialogue, and a memorable score by the prolific Elmer Bernstein  (plus clever use of "moon" songs)—all directed to perfection by John Landis . Even though two other high profile werewolf horror films ( The Howling  ( review ) and Wolfen  ( review )) preceded AWIL earlier the same year, and while I like both of those films, they don't hold a candle to AWIL , which rightfully earned a spot on my Top 100 Films  list and my Top 10 Horror Films list. AWIL won the first ever Academy Award for Best Makeup—well deserved for Baker's incredible transformation scene alone. The blood and guts and mayhem (that Piccadilly Circus scene!) in this film are peerl...

While it may be a mark against this film for some viewers, there is something entirely satisfying to me that Conquest (1983) feels like it was birthed from the imagination of a 14-year-old boy. There is no denying that Conquest is a low-rent Italian rip-off of  Conan The Barbarian (1982) [ review ] and The Beastmaster (1982) [ review ] and has more in common with Hawk The Slayer  (1980), but that's what makes this movie so enjoyable. It's unfortunate that the photography is not up to par with Lucio Fulci 's other films (the soft focus was applied a bit too liberally), but it's impossible not to enjoy this fantasy freakfest. If you like your sword and sorcery flicks with a mostly-nude, golden-masked, snake-wielding, brain-eating, orgiastic necromancer witch who has an army of wolfmen and the power to control the sun and the moon, look no further! If, in addition to that (as if you needed more), slow motion jumping from great heights, a laser bow, healthy doses of g...

There really is no other film like  2001: A Space Odyssey   (1968). No other film before and no other film since. And there really was no other filmmaker like  Stanley Kubrick  (my favorite director). Before or since. It's a film of impeccable style, grace, and patience, filled with gorgeous visuals, sumptuous and occasionally terrifying sounds, and ponderous and unnerving moments. It's a technical marvel, a masterpiece and the existential sci-fi film to end all existential sci-fi films—one that has sparked many theories. When I made the updated 2019 version of my Top 100 Films , I rightfully included 2001  on the list. It seems to get better with each viewing. In 2018 I had the pleasure of seeing the film in a new 70 mm print. One day short of a year ago I watched the newly remastered Blu-ray, which was just as gorgeous. Since I bought a 4K OLED TV and a 4K Ultra HD player earlier this year, I have had the capability to watch the UHD disc and I finally ...

People On Sunday (1930) is an historically significant film for several reasons. Chief among those reasons is that it was one the first films made by several young German/Austrian filmmakers ( Robert Siodmak , Edgar G. Ulmer , Billy Wilder , Fred Zinnemann , Curt Siodmak , and Eugen Schüfftan ) who would all go on to become important figures in Hollywood in varying capacities. Another reason is the naturalistic, almost documentary-like quality of the film (combined with its cast of "non actors"), which would influence and anticipate the Italian neorealist movement. Additionally, POS  provides an interesting—if maybe not entirely accurate—look at the interwar period in Berlin. Its examination of everyday people enjoying time off is fun to watch and it often features evocative imagery. Outside of everything mentioned above though I'm not sure it's a film that has a lot of rewatchability for this viewer, due to its lack of plot. In short: People On Sunday is a great...

Full disclosure:  M.R. Mackenzie  is a friend of mine. I've  guest hosted  numerous times on the podcast which he co-hosts,  Movie Matters . I also had a hand in proofreading this book, so this was my second read-through. And I like to support my friends in their creative endeavors. Regardless of all that, I still very much objectively enjoyed his sophomore novel  Cruel Summer  (2019). Summer is the sequel novel to In The Silence (2018) (my review for that book here ) and the second installment in the Kelvingrove Park Trilogy . Two of the main characters from  Silence , Zoe Callahan and Anna Scavolini, return in Summer , but the focus this time lies on Zoe rather than Anna. Three years after the horrific events of ITS , which, without spoiling anything, have a deep and personal affect on Zoe, we now find her embroiled in possible political scandal and in bad favor of some unsavory and dangerous people, who threaten her and her loved ones....

In Robert Eggers ' sophomore feature, the  Poe / Lovecraft -inspired   The Lighthouse  (2019), the sanity of two wickies  (portrayed by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson ) is brought to question when their scheduled four-week contract is extended due to a storm, which may have been brought on by an act of violence perpetrated by one of them. While I wouldn't say that The Lighthouse  offers any surprises or twists, I don't think it needs them. Its primal story (Eggers co-wrote the screenplay with his brother  Max ) is chock-full of period prose, imaginative insults, and well-timed farts (yes). Dafoe's salty (former) seafarer, Thomas Wake, is perfection, one of those "born to play" roles, and his sinister Poseidon / Neptune -like quality is a force on screen. Pattinson as Ephraim Winslow is quite good as well, forced to endure the verbal and physical punishment doled out via Wake (when he calls Winslow "pretty as a picture” it feels as if he's speci...

While praise can rightfully be aimed at Karen Black for the range of her performances across all three segments in Trilogy Of Terror  (1975), all of which are different and decent, the television budget and production levels are clearly evident throughout and there's not much of a lasting impression. TOT is good for some laughs, particularly this TV movie's ability to be "sexist, racist, (and) pervy as well as tackle Daddy and  Mommy issues in just over an hour" (thanks to writer Richard Matheson )—to quote my friend Kate .