Dark City (director’s cut) (2008)
I’ve very little in the way of criticism to give this film. Jennifer Connelly is breathtaking as always (as is her singing voice); Richard O’Brien verges on charismatic with how gleefully sinister he is; Kiefer Sutherland – in a quite atypical role for him – is quite enjoyable; the set design is nothing sort of marvellous; and Rufus Sewell and William Hurt’s performances, though nothing spectacular, are competent.
There’s one nit I found to pick, though: the final showdown towards the end. It’s so overblown, it was almost enough to take me out of the movie.
9/10
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Love the sets, and Conrad Veidt, Sabu, and Rex Ingram are great all around. Shame that John Justin and June Duprez aren’t nearly so captivating, nor is the love story between their two characters. The plot’s a bit unfocused also. Still, it’s fairly enjoyable. Had I kids, I’d certainly put this on for them.
6/10
Careful (1992)
This would’ve made a fine 15-to-20 minute short film. Unfortunately, it’s 80-to-85 minutes too long. Sure, it’s got the wonderful retro visuals, quirky characters, and offbeat humour I love of Guy Maddin’s work, but they’re sandwiched in between several thick layers of BORING.
This is certainly one of my least favourite Madden films, if not my least favourite.
6/10
Body Bags (1993)
It’s an enjoyable little flick. It certainly isn’t great – it wouldn’t make it into any “Top 10 Anthology Horror Films” list of mine – but it’s watchable.
There’s three stories in this one. The first, “The Gas Station”, is the best of the three stories, with some good tension present. The second, “Hair”, is alright; I’d probably like it less if I didn’t like Stacy Keach. The third, “Eye”…
… speaks for itself.
7/10
The Man Who Laughs (1928)
I’ve had this on my watchlist for some years now, but only got my ass around to finally seeing it recently. My thoughts? It’s good, but not as great as all the hype would indicate. Veidt’s portrayal of Gwynplaine is nothing short of amazing; he does an excellent job conveying a wide range of emotions while still having to sport a rictus grin throughout the run of the picture. Mary Philbin’s positively ethereal. The photography’s also lovely. On the other hand, the direction’s a bit off at times. For example, Gwynplaine doesn’t come across as a particularly amusing clown, so I don’t see why audiences in-universe find him so damn funny, grin notwithstanding. And the pacing’s a bit long-winded; I’m sure the chase at the end, for one instance, could’ve been trimmed down some.
Overall, I’d still recommend this movie to individuals interested in checking it out.
8/10