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Reviews
The Angry Silence (1960)
Misunderstood? A masterclass of acting for sure.
Gem of a film,not anti union but certainly anti turning a blind eye to someone being ostracised or bullied,following the crowd blindly and not standing for what you truly believe.
Acting is the best you will see in any film,no one puts a foot wrong all round peformance wise,though Richard Attenborough is the stand out for me.
A masterpiece ,still relevant today,in a way i think it always will be.
The Postcard Killings (2020)
Worth a look thriller.
Twisty thriller,lurid and odd in its pacing. It lacks any actual thrills but the lead gives an involving and moving peformance as a father trying to track down the killers of his daughter. It is well acted and well shot and you could do worse than to give this one a go.
For once a movie that does not overstay it's welcome.
The Strange and Deadly Occurrence (1974)
Creepy little thriller
What was it about the 70s and these creepy little thrillers that often turned up as an ABC movie of the week and such like.
Good peformances all round,a great cast including Robert Stack and Vera Miles.
Someone wants the Rhodes family out of their house,but why? Some creepy goings on and some effective scares add to a neat little mystery.
A particularly creepy turn from the excellent Ted Gehring as the unsettling Dr. Gillgreen adds to the atmosphere too.
CBS Children's Mystery Theatre: The Haunting of Harrington House (1981)
Good fun,lovely to see and remember Dominique.
Good fun,old fashioned mystery,ghostly goings on that do not take themselves too seriously. Best watched with the lights out on Halloween night.
But for sure it is a time capsule as a document for Dominique Dunne,Phil Leeds,Roscoe Lee Browne and others,all of whom have passed now. Dominique was robbed of the chance of making more movies when she was murdered in 1982. Shame indeed,because as this movie shows she was a talented actress.
X (2022)
Odd,well acted and pretty creepy
Has something to say about ageing and loss of desire( or indeed desiring someone).
Shades of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but if your expecting that much gore you may be in for a shock. This is a slow burner that builds on the group of kids come to a house and the people in said house get nasty scenario with lots of tension and some wonderfully eerie imagery that lingered in my mind long after the movie ended.
And Mia Goth? Sure the gal is going places,and why not? She was excellent( as was the whole cast)
A movie that takes it's influences and meshes them into something of interest( even for the most jaded horror fan). Quite sad in places concerning one character( you'll see)
Might just become a cult classic over the years. Maybe it already has.
Our House (2022)
Excellent thriller
Well acted and staged thriller based around a family man who's actions effect his wife when he is found cheating and then he becomes involved in a blackmail plot( that again effects his wife)
Both leads are excellent. The acting was great all round i thought. Your never sure who Tuppence Middleton ( who plays Fi the wife) should trust,if anybody.
You feel their seemingly perfect life slowly unravel and you feel their life will not be the same again,but will it?
Nice turn from the actress who plays the menacing minx Wendy also.
Halloween Party (2019)
Great fun,give it a go
Ignore the negative reviews,the leads in this movie give funny,enjoyable turns,especially Amy Groening who i hope we see more of( she reminds me of a less serious Jennifer Love Hewitt.)
Is it very scary? Nope not really but any movies these days that have some charm and style deserve a thumbs up.
Well worth a look,after enduring the new 2021 Candyman and Old ( zzzz) this came as a pleasant surprise.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Bit silly but has its moments for sure.
Very silly as it went on but some of the imagery was pretty good,had some atmosphere.
Sure not a patch on the original , or for my money the Jessica Alba Chainsaw movie from a few years back.
That said i have seen worse ( Candyman anyone?)
But maybe it is just time to put these franchises to bed now.
Mijn beste vriendin Anne Frank (2021)
Superb
Not in the least boring as some poor mites found it( attention span problems bless them)
An emotive,very well acted movie,ultimatly tragic in it's portrayal of Anne( given her demise how can it not be?).Anne was not a saint,who is? But it shows her and Hannah enjoying life,wishing,dreaming and hoping for a future that in Anne's case never came because of the evil Nazi regime that destroyed so much life and hope. Well worth a look,the acting was spot on.
Such stories need to be told,demand to be told. We must never forget.
Slapface (2021)
Superb horror
Very well done,an involving,melancholic meditation on how dreadfully people can treat each other. The witch/ monster is very well used( and created). The acting spot on.
This will not please everybody,look at the gormless scores from those who completely missed any nuance and feeling displayed in this film.
If you fancy something with some feeling and soul give this movie a go.
It is not an easy ride but a rewarding one.
The Night House (2020)
Atmospheric
Certainly builds an atmosphere of sorts,a feeling of something being off. But having done that it does not quite know what to do with it.
Some elements brought to mind a much better ( and less draggy)film What Lies Beneath from over twenty years ago.
Like so many movies these days this seemed somewhat padded, but that said some may find some creepy fun in this ghost tale.
Rebecca Hall is excellent,in fact the acting was excellent all round i thought.
The actress Stacy Martin puts in a good,aloof,cool but very watchable performance as Madelyn. Hope we see more of her.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
Not great,but the music is.
Loved the music but boy was this hard work,the lead actress sounds like a five year old every time she speaks. A feast for the eyes and ears ( if you like 60s stuff) with a overstretched story cobbled together with dull,uninteresting characters. Listen to the soundtrack instead.
Books of Blood (2020)
Excellent anthology of three tales
Excellent anthology,well scripted and acted. Of the three tales the first is the best,but i enjoyed the second almost as much.
Does not outstay its welcome and includes some memorable( if grim) visuals.
Well worth a look. I love the old Amicus anthologies of yesteryear and this movie was up there with the best of them for me.
Dark Beacon (2017)
VERY slow
God this dragged and was as flat as a pancake. It looked beautiful and the acting i thought was fine, but if my insomnia does not improve i am thinking of watching this again to help me get off. What it is it with these movies that take 5 minutes to show someone going into a room. It is not suspenseful,it is not atmospheric,it is however incredibly tedious and sleep inducing.
Would not recommend.
Sinister Switch (2021)
I enjoyed it.
Worth a look,well acted,photographed and staged ( in the North Pole judging by the weather lol)
A couple are so happy to have their daughter back after she disappeared six years earlier. But is she who she seems?
Circle of Friends (2006)
Decent mystery
I am a Julie Benz fan so enjoyed this mystery on Prime,it was well acted and a fun watch,do not expect too much from these kind of Hallmark mystery movies but they do deliver if you want a easy on the eye ( Julie in this case) enjiyable 90 minutes or so. A generous 8 from me,not for everybody ( what is?) But the time went by fast and i think there was good chemistry between Julie's character and Harry.
No Surrender (2011)
Twisty,turny,no one is who they seem thriller
Certainly worth a look,Mena Suvari has a stalker but who is it? A few people in the frame and your left to work out who is the blighter and why are they doing it. Not a bad mystery movie at all with some engaging performances,especially from the gorgeous,talented Mena.
Wrong Turn VI (2014)
Not great but not that bad either.And Sadie Katz is great.
I enjoyed this more than part 5 and 4,mainly because the pick them off one by one slasher feel has kind of gone here,and that change makes for a better movie than those two efforts in my opinion.
Indeed some might be very put off by the slower pace,most of the kids make it into well past the half way mark.
The feel of the film seems more European than West Virginia but some credit is due for a quite eerie feel to some of the scenes inside the hotel/spa,as well as when Danny is taken to meet his new " family".
I also really liked the actress Sadie Katz ,who with those beautiful angular features deserves a part or two at least in any future Tim Burton gothic masterpieces of the future.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
Poor stuff ( but not woke thank lord)
Pretty flat and boring,i loved the Scream tv series but this did not warm up at all. The first episode was really heavy going( and the lighting dark as hell).
Where as Scream ( the tv series) had interesting characters that drew you in this has characters that are flat as a pancake,no mood suggesting fear or suspence is created and it ends up a kind of by the numbers b movie effort.
The flashbacks are annoying but worse of all by far this is not scary,there are no thrills,its a thrill free zone. The acting was not that bad but really they had so little to work with that it didn't matter. Wanted to like this but sorry in the end this is a sozefest,and a very overstretched one at that. People who are giving this high ratings are either really easily pleased or related to the actors etc involved in this film lol.
There's Someone Inside Your House (2021)
Not bad i quite enjoyed it.
After watching the woeful Halloween Kills this Netflix offering seemed quite enjoyable. An odd one,the 70s tv movie graphics at the start,a kind of 80s/90s feel to the production it seemed to me. But you could almost end up rooting for the killer as some of the main characters were kind of unpleaseant and not very winning in the personality stakes.
Whilst hardly original it had its moments and was far from rubbish( like the latest Halloween and Candyman offerings.
If you liked the Scream series on Netflix or Pretty Little Liars etc you may enjoy this( though it is nowhere near as good as either of them).
Violation (2020)
Awful mess
Just because you can does not mean you should,the idea of a revenge thriller that is gut wrenching and told from the female perspective is fine but boy is this drawn out and patience testing. The central performance is very well acted,and some of the nature scenes are beautifully shot,and a pretty effective,melancholy score as well.
But the characters seemed flat,and the central character seemed very self absorbed and not particularly likeable in the least.
Wanted to like this and i do hope we see more of Madeline Sims Frewer but no thanks on this arty journey into brutality,pain and self absorbed,irritating characters.