Monthly Archives: August 2019

Catholic exorcism tales have just one serious rival when it comes to “religious horror” movies — the snake handlers of Appalachia. There’s built-in suspense, the medulla-based terror of the reptile, the tension of not knowing if a rattler will bite, … Continue reading →

David Ayer is, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in talks to direct a WWII combat drama ‘El-Alamein’ for #Lionsgate. The once low budget mostly horror and cheap thriller studio is staking a claim to combat pictures in the digital effects … Continue reading →

If one settles in for “Blinded by the Light” expecting it to be a giddy affair, hoping to be transported by the pre-1987 music of Bruce Springsteen, one is almost sure to be disappointed. If so, it’s one’s own fault. … Continue reading →

CBS Films gets to cash in on the feverish anticipation for “IT: Chapter Two” with another “brand name” horror film, this one produced by Guillermo del Toro. Based on an Alvin Schwartz novel — hey, we can’t ALL be named … Continue reading →

I had some doubts, interviewing him some years ago. But the demented garbage pouring out of his sewer hole these days has the tint of backwoods dolt about it. The real “acting” must have been as a compassionate teacher of … Continue reading →

For truth in advertising, it’s hard to beat the title “Friedkin Uncut.” This documentary about the great, not-forgotten but certainly under-heralded director of “The Exorcist,” “The French Connection,” “The Boys in the Band,” “Sorcerer,” “Bug” and “Killer Joe” is formless … Continue reading →

The brisk, violent opening act of “The Kitchen” sets us up for a two-hour wallow in the grit, grime and crime of 1970s New York. The novelty alone, the building of a crime empire run by three women “married to … Continue reading →

It helps to remember that Bruce Joel Rubin, the screenwriter who conjured up the original “Jacob’s Ladder” back in 1990, also wrote the blockbuster “Ghost.” And Mr. Rubin, as he told me way back then, wrote these afterlife thrillers during … Continue reading →

As I twiddle my thumbs, waiting for the embargo to clear for “The Kitchen,” allow me to share the fond hope that this, the latest 70s-80s music film to demand our attention, will be worth the wait. A Pakistani Briton … Continue reading →

It started life as a BBC sci-fi radio comedy, became a series of novels, was adapted for British TV and eventually, finally and AFTER the death of its creator, Douglas Adams, became a sort of half-hearted movie. Now Hulu has … Continue reading →