Goldbeater

Everything you ever wanted to know about the making of Fitzcarraldo, but were afraid to ask. A very interesting documentary that maps the problematic realisation of Herzog’s unforgettable film. Also worth mentioning is this brilliant documentary about Herzog’s relationship with Kinski.

If Herzog won’t come to the mountain, then the mountain must go to Herzog!

Unconventional for a French production at the time and quite disturbing; watching this film requires a specific mood. One of the strongest moments is that documentary-like scene where Dr. Génessier describes how the face decays after a failed operation. And Eyes Without a Face has more in stock! After the second viewing, I can recommend this picture with confidence. It's way ahead of its time.

After Total Recall, screenwriter Dan O’Bannon comes back with another sci-fi inspired by Philip K. Dick. It’s more of a B flick this time, which is not a bad thing. Peter Weller fits in wonderfully and the atmosphere in Screamers is just so great! Slightly undervalued inconspicuous gem.

An excellent film in all respects, which, like wine, matures in your head over the viewings. The combination of Milos Forman being on top form and the frantic acting of Jack Nicholson is simply mesmerising. And I could point out every aspect of the film in that same way. In short, a truly legendary piece of work.

Perhaps the most fun and inventive horror comedy I’ve been honoured to see in the past few years. And it stays equally funny each time I watch it. I wish for a sequel so badly!

To sympathise with the main characters of this flick is impossible. The sooner you get that fact, the better you will make sense of the developments in the second part and accept the very naturalistic ending. And even if all the dread from this horror tends to just be hinted, it’s enough to give you the chills. At the end, this movie might give you some sense of satisfaction, but it certainly won’t replenish your optimism.

A solid slasher whose biggest drawback is that it takes a long time for the killer to show up and carry out his bloody rampage. From there onwards, however, it’s worth it! Naturally, I could complain further on about the screenplay – what happened to the character of Leslie Nielsen in the final part of the story? But let’s not be picky; I’ve learned over the years that this kind of slasher should be watched with some reserve, not to become upset about it. In my opinion, Prom Night is quite an undervalued slasher, which was worshipped in the USA mainly due to the participation of Jamie Lee Curtis. As for lightening up the atmosphere with humour, the sequel does slightly better.

Craven’s sadistic view on how a family vacation might go wrong. I cannot imagine how shocking this film must have been at the time of its release. It is still shocking today, for that matter.

An interesting documentary and a must see for all fans of Friday the 13th series, despite the fact that it doesn’t bring much new information over the course of its ninety minutes. Instead, we get to explore the past with a bit of self-promotion and uncritical patting on the back here and there (of course, the executive producer of the documentary is Sean S. Cunningham). Besides, the sequence in which the creators philosophise about Jason Voorhees as if he was a figure of antique tragedy, is laughable. The rest of the film, though, is intentionally funny, from Tom Savini’s guiding commentary or the few hilarious allusions (like Kevin Bacon’s star on the Walk of Fame). On the whole, this is just to be watched the same way as the series itself: by switching the brain off and enjoying the ride.