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The Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)
It’s possible to interpret Curse of the Crimson Altar, on the surface another hoary old tale of black magic and fleeting nudity in the same vein as The Devil Rides Out (also ‘68) and The Skull (1965), as a transitional sort of swan song in British horror. It’s very much an old man’s film, the…
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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
I just saw Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and it was an enjoyable if somewhat forgettable coda to the franchise. It’s been getting the usual sneering reviews from critics who must think it a sign of their cine-literacy to hold their noses when passing pulp trash, but it’s a watchable piece of hokum…
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Asteroid City (2023)
I just saw Asteroid City by Wes Anderson and it was great. It took a little while to win me over and it’s possibly too mannered and esoteric to be widely beloved, but it tells a very simple story with a simple message at its core and is one of the sweetest, sunniest comedies to…
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Sisu (2022)
I just saw Sisu and it was ehhhhhhhh… alright. A war film with an exploitation edge, it struggles to escape feeling Tarantino-lite, with its chapter headings and gore and pulpy characterisation. With Tarantino that works because he’s a genius at what he does, managing to stuff every frame with detail and create a whole film…
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Tenebrae (1982)
One of director Dario Argento’s most renowned giallo films, 1982’s Tenebrae (Italian for “darkness”) is a murder mystery set in Rome and following an American suspense novelist called Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) as he’s stalked by a serial killer whose crimes appear to be inspired by Neal’s latest book, titled Tenebrae. Argento’s frequent collaborator Daria…
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Terrifier 2 (2022)
I just saw FX maestro Damian Leone’s Terrifier 2 finally, and it was pretty okay if you like this sort of thing, and probably the worst film ever made if you don’t. I dithered about watching this one for a while because of its reputation for sadistic violence but pushed ahead because the material I’d…
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The Sorcerers (1967)
The second of three films directed by Michael Reeves, a talented British filmmaker whose career was sadly cut short by an overdose when he was just 25, The Sorcerers stars the legendary Boris Karloff (who in 1969 would die the same year as Reeves) as “medical hypnotist” Dr Marcus Monserrat. Assisted by his wife Estelle…
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The Wicker Man (1973)
I just saw a restored edition of 1973’s The Wicker Man in the cinema for its 50th anniversary and it was a heartwarming tale of faith against adversity. Well, maybe not. But it was a good detective story that develops into a tale of horror and madness as old superstitions come up against modernity. The…
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Full disclosure time. These are the reasons why I went to see this film: I wanted to see how it stacked up in 3D. I couldn’t find Michael Bay’s name in the credits on Wikipedia. (Though he is a producer.) It’s of an acceptable length at 2 hours. (Still too long really. A film like…
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Beau is Afraid (2023)
I just saw Beau is Afraid and it was overlong, intriguing, infuriating, and kind of unique. It’s possible to see it as a gigantic self-indulgence with little respect for the audience’s time and the same contempt for them that you see in a lot of contemporary art. And it is that. (There were walkouts in…
I Just Saw
Telling you about movies I just saw
