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Newest Reviews: New Movies - Old Movies - Archives - Recap: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 , 2005, 2006, 2007
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November 2004 Screening Log - click for reviews, when applicable. Titles of short films listed in bold.
01. Tales From the Crypt (Freddie Francis, 1972) 71 [The best of the Amicus anthologies, largely thanks to the inherent nastiness and wicked simplicity of the original Crypt comics. Each of the five tales here has a lean, inventive plotline and ends with suitably grisly comeuppance. There aren't any truly stellar segments here, but more importantly none of the stories is a dud, despite predictability. Consistency can win out over excellence in an anthology film like this.] Bad Day at Black Rock (John Sturges, 1955)
44 [Self-congratulatory and too thought through for its own good, with all the
bad guys obviously bad, and the central, secret incident that fuels the plot
never seeming questionable in any way. Its message is so unimpeachable that
Spencer Tracy's strong-arming of the cads who stand in the way of Truth feels
too brutal. The movie is torn between providing action movie thrills and
audience edification, and it doesn't exactly work on either level.]
02. You'll Find Out (David Butler, 1940) 38 [A memorable séance sequence is the lone saving grace of this disappointment. Despite a promisingly creepy cast (Karloff, Lorre, and Lugosi!), the focus is placed squarely on squirrelly emcee Kay Kyser, who comes off like a second rate Spike Jones. As is often the case with so-called horror-comedies, the results are neither very scary nor funny. It is hardly a disaster, but it's impossible not to expect more, given the talent involved.] House on Haunted Hill (William Castle, 1959) 62 [Low budget thrills, conveyed effectively, and gruesomely, with a minimum of fuss. It's not the subtlest of haunted house films, but Castle, was never a subtle filmmaker. More than a huckster, he's able to entertain an audience despite the fact that recognize the cheesiness of his charade. Price is at his creepy best in a setting as atmospheric as this.]
03. Birth (Jonathan Glazer, 2004) 75
04. In Name Only (John Cromwell, 1939) 37 While the City Sleeps (Fritz Lang, 1956) 68
05. Ray (Taylor Hackford, 2004) 56 Boundin' (Bud Luckey, 2003) 33 The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004) 15
06. Animal Farm (Joy Batchelor & Jay Halas, 1954) 66
07. Vanishing Point (Richard C. Sarafian, 1971) 53
08. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Albert Lewin, 1945) 79
09. Waterloo Bridge (Mervyn LeRoy, 1940) 69
10. Quill (Yoichi Sai, 2004) 41
11. The Asphalt Jungle (John Huston, 1950) 73
12. Friday the 13th: Part 2 (Steve Miner, 1981) 55
13. The Polar Express (Robert Zemeckis, 2004) 74 Finding Neverland (Marc Forster, 2004) 37 Seed of Chucky (Don Mancini, 2004) 62 New Guy (Bilge Ebiri, 2003) 45
14. Twisted (Philip Kaufman, 2004) 36
15. The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979) 82
16. Day of the Outlaw (Andre De Toth, 1959) 70
17. Shanghai Express (Josef von Sternberg, 1932) 71
18. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (Nunnally Johnson, 1956) 73
19. Attack of the Giant Leeches (Bernard L. Kowalski, 1959) 35
20. The Flight of the Phoenix (Robert Aldrich, 1965) 57
21. Teenagers from Outer Space (Tom Graeff, 1959) 32 Bad Education (Pedro Almodovar, 2004) 56
22. Death Becomes Her (Robert Zemeckis, 1992) 54
23. Gunslinger (Roger Corman, 1956) 37 Breakin' All the Rules (Daniel Taplitz, 2004) 51
24. Stella Dallas (King Vidor, 1937) 56
25. Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, 2004) 58
26. Evil (Mikael Hafstrom, 2003) 41
27. Moments choisis des Histoire(s) du cinema (Jean-Luc Godard, 2004) 82 Lost and Found (Jeff Scher, 2004) 50 Le Lion Volatile (Agnes Varda, 2003) 77 Words in Process (Gilles Jacob, 2004) 48 Prologue (Bela Tarr, 2004) 32 Alexander (Oliver Stone, 2004) 62
28. Unhook the Stars (Nick Cassavetes, 1996) 39
29. Butterfield 8 (Daniel Mann, 1960) 57
30. Four Daughters (Michael Curtiz, 1938) 72
January 2004 - February 2004 - March 2004 - April 2004 - May 2004 - June 2004 - July 2004 - August 2004 - September 2004 - October 2004 - November 2004 - December 2004
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