Monthly Archives: October 2011

10 Most Fearsome Films Since 2000

In conjunction with Slant Magazine‘s recent 25 Best Horror Films of the Aughts, to which I contributed three capsule reviews, I hereby submit my original list of the 10 Best, alongside 10 Honorable Mentions. Films under consideration did not by … Continue reading

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Maniac Cop (William Lustig, 1988)

“Synapse Films gives Maniac Cop a righteous Blu-ray upgrade, capturing the grit and grime of Ed Koch’s New York in all its 1080p prime.” Read my review of Maniac Cop on Blu-ray from Synapse Films, released on Oct. 11, at … Continue reading

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Wes Craven’s THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and Antonio Margheriti’s INVASION OF THE FLESH HUNTERS (aka CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE)

What struck me most last night at Retrofantasma, watching The Last House on the Left in a theatrical venue, was a purely technical aspect. It’s long been common coin that Wes Craven’s grindhouse poison pen letter to the American family … Continue reading

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Dead Alive (Peter Jackson, 1992)

“Lionsgate’s visceral, albeit barebones Blu-ray package lets viewers really sink their teeth into Dead Alive.” Read my review of Peter Jackson’s early splatstick classic, Dead Alive, which came out on Blu-ray Oct. 4, at Slant Magazine.

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3 Women (Robert Altman, 1977)

“If you’ve ever wanted to take the plunge into the deep end of Robert Altman’s brainpan, Criterion’s impeccable Blu-ray transfer presents the ideal jumping-off point.” Read my review of The Criterion Collection’s recent Blu-ray release of 3 Women at Slant … Continue reading

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Interview: Lucky McKee

“Something of a horror switch-hitter, McKee seems equally at ease with Splat Pack-style extreme gore as he is with more subtle psychological horror.” Read my interview with writer-director Lucky McKee, whose exceptional new movie, The Woman, opened in limited release … Continue reading

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The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)

“Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life seems certain to remain the most audacious, abstract, and ambiguous American film released this year.” Read my review of Fox’s recent Blu-ray release of The Tree of Life, which hit the streets on Oct. … Continue reading

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“Daughters of Darkness” (1971) Harry Kümel Playing in Greensboro This Saturday Night

My film series, “Sinister Cinema 1932-1989” continues at The Greensboro School of Creativity, 900 Sixteenth Street, Greensboro, this Saturday night with a presentation of “Daughters of Darkness.”  http://on.fb.me/ruMc6Y International screen icon Delphine Seyrig (of Last Year at Marienbad fame) stars … Continue reading

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The Woman (Lucky McKee, 2011)

“The Woman is a slow-burning incendiary device, a brutal satire on the sanctity of the nuclear family and its conservative “values.”” Read my review of Lucky McKee’s impressive new film, opening in limited release this Friday, Oct. 14th, at Slant Magazine.

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Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1975)

“A bracing cinematic buzzkill, Salò will wipe that shit-eating grin right off your face.” Read my review of the The Criterion Collection’s Blu-ray release of Salò, which hit the streets Oct. 4, at Slant Magazine.

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