Outer Space (1999)

This short, 10 minute, film re-edits and post-processes the '81 demon rape film The Entity. The imagery is fast cut, burned out, mirrored, re-spliced and generally fucked with to within an inch of its life. That's scary enough but now we get to the really spooky bit...the soundtrack, which is absolutely terrifying! Think of the dark ambience of Lustmord and Vitriol, the industrial electronica of Front 242, and the soundtrack remixes of UNKLE, fed into a million filters that stretch, throb, shift, darken, pop, crackle, loop until you have the sound of hell itself.

A great piece of film making; go watch it now.

Original letterboxd review

Rushmore (1998)

Sweet, annoying, charming, pretentious, heroic, petty, childlike and very funny. That pretty much sums up Max and Rushmore; his journey into adulthood, and self-discovery.

A beautifully shot film; Anderson frames and composes every shot with thought and style.

Sic transit gloria

Original letterboxd review

Inferno (1980)

This sequel to Argento's fever dream of Suspiria is a terrific gothic horror in the tradition of Corman's Pit and the Pendulum and Masque of the Red Death.

Dario throws us into a giallo tinged, demonic thriller filled with a Boris Karloff like antique dealer, vicious rats, bubbling cauldrons, cowled figures half hidden in shadows, organ music, candelabras, dark basements, dusty libraries and cats; lots and lots of nasty cats. Every gothic trope is present and correct but updated with the long knives and black gloves of giallo.

With cinematography tighter and more claustrophobic than Suspiria and Profondo rosso, deep shadows, red and blue lighting and some fantastic sound design, Argento builds tension beautifully until the fire-lit finale.

I've knocked half a star off for Keith Emerson's sometimes, inappropriate score - the taxi ride particularly stands out.

As a parting note: did anyone else notice the parallel between Argento's scene in the music conservatory and Polanski's witchcraft lecture in The Ninth Gate?

Original letterboxd review

Bettie Page Reveals All (2012)

The following may be a little biased as I was a member of the official Bettie Page fan club.

A terrific little biog of the beautiful Bettie Page. Great archive footage mixed with interviews with Bettie's friends, collegues and even with the queen of pinups herself (voice only as she always refused cameras as she wanted people to remember her the way she was back in the day).

We are taken through Bettie's life from her childhood in Nashville with an abusive father and a mother who abandoned her, through to California and New York modeling days, and finally to her treatment in a psychiatric hospital.

Bye bye Bettie :(

Original letterboxd review

Deep Red (1975)

I watched the 127 minute directors cut on Arrow Blu-Ray.

Whilst not as immediately beautiful as Suspiria, Profondo Rosso delivers with some stunning camera work reminiscent of Carol Reed's The Third Man, great performances by Hemmings and Nicolodi, one of Goblin's best soundtracks and a plot that will keep you guessing until the end.

This film features some of the best cinematography in any of Argento's work. Each frame is lovingly arranged and composed by Argento, with the subject either in extreme close-up or at the edge of a stunning wide shot. Negative space, deep depth of field, macroshots, reverse zoom, static and tracking shots; Argento throws the lot at us. The only thing missing is his love of colour used in Suspiria to great effect.

A great giallo and a great, possibly the greatest, Argento film.

Original letterboxd review

The Conspiracy (2012)

A below average faux documentary about the new world order, mithras worship etc.

I had no idea what I was about to watch as I didn't read the synopsis and assumed it was just a documentary. Then, in the first few minutes, we are introduced to an ageing conspiracy theorist in the usual grubby flat with iots walls covered in clippings. This is where my issue with this film started - all the clippings were of a uniform photocopier white and not the expected mixture of whites, yellows and brown aged newsprint - everything was too perfect, too clean, too... arranged. The film was paused while I checked and, yes, it was a mockumentary. Suspension of disbelief (hugely important in this type of film) was broken into little pieces and I just couldn't get into the film again.

I did continue watching and the rest was one telegraphed twist after another. Anyone that is surprised by the final scenes really needs to watch a few more thrillers.

A decent idea ruined in its execution.

Original letterboxd review

Frances Ha (2012)

A film about that weird period in your late twenties when one person in your group of friends starts to settle down and then it's like a virus. Suddenly careers, babies and mortgages start poping up everywhere and poor Frances is the one person left behind, desperately holding on to her carefree life-style.

The soundtrack was pretty good but I'm not sure why they filmed in black and white (or was it post-processed) as it didn't seem to add anything (apart from "hipness") and the contrast seemed a little week to me - all mid-tones and not enough solid blacks and whites.

Original letterboxd review

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

I cried. Again. I dare you to watch Spencer Tracy's final speech, and knowing the story of him and Kate Hepburn, not do the same.

Original letterboxd review

Welcome to the Punch (2013)

A so, so British crime thriller that tries to follow the American trend for gloss, lots of glass and neon rather than the usual UK gritty backstreet littered with broken glass.

This seems to work pretty well with nice lighting and some excellent camera work including some stunning aerial shots of London at night. The rest of the film was a little mundane with a simple, easy to follow plot with no twists and no character development.

Mark Strong is top-notch as usual and Johnny Harris gives a great performance with little to work with. Andrea Riseborough on the other-hand was totally wasted; a great actor relegated to secobnd fiddle to a lackluster James McAvoy.

Could have been great but comes out just ok'ish.

Original letterboxd review

Step Up (2006)

Please don't tell anyone but I quite liked this. Shhh....

Original letterboxd review

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography (2012)

Stacy Peralta's followup to Dogtown and the Z Boys. I love the first doc so much as it reminds me of when I started skating back in the 70's when we made our own boards from planks and Flyer rollerskates.

This doc, whilst really good, didn't seem to have the focus of the first film. It did capture the personalities in the Bones Brigade skate team though with Rodney Mullen and Lance Mountain shining though. Alva makes a few brief and welcome appearances and unfortunately so does Fred Durst. Covers the movement from skateparks to half-pipes and the new tricks this enabled.

If you're into skating and was either there in the 80's or wanted to know what the superstar skate scene was like back then you really shouldn't miss this.

Original letterboxd review

Dark Skies (2013)

Paranormal Activity crossed with Fire in the Sky. Filled with cheap jump scares and irritating characters.

Original letterboxd review

Indie Game: The Movie (2012)

A great doc that focuses on three independent video games: Braid, Super Meat Boy and Fez. A shame it didn't give a little background on indie games but keep watching for some demo game play of several games in the credits.

Original letterboxd review

Red Dawn (2012)

Whatever happened to kids walking down rail tracks in search of a dead body. I've a feeling that this is how Michael Bay would direct a coming of age film. Jingoistic crap, but sort of fun.

Suck my fat one, you cheap dime store hood!

Original letterboxd review

Carrie (2013)

The remake of de Palma's Carrie (1976) is pretty much the same as the original but now with added "Social Media" and, to be honest, is a pretty soulless affair.

They really missed an opportunity to make a film about the pressures that young girls are still under; to have the perfect figure, to wear the pretty dresses and make-up, to submit to the male in a relationship, to follow the pack. This could have been "the" film for the freaks, the misfits and everyone else that doesn't conform. Instead we get the same old story; you will go to the prom, the dashing young prince will rescue you and if you do anything else you will be called a freak and be shunned by your peers.

The addition of the video the "bucket of blood" scene was unnecessary and the reaction of the audience was hard to believe - do you really believe that an entire room full of teenagers would laugh at something like that? Stop tarring an entire generation with the same brush!

And to everyone who says that Chloe Grace Moretz is too pretty to be Carrie - what, pretty girls can't be abused? Plus what does that say about the beautiful and talented Sissy Spacek.

And finally; thank god they didn't try and recreate de Palma's wonderful split-screen prom finale.

As Generation Y would say... meh.

Original letterboxd review