The Last Boy Scout (1991) - A real mess of a movie. Willis is quite good, as are some moments and jokes, but Wayans is pretty rough, as is the narrative for the most part. C
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) - This is one of those movies you watch that make you frustrated - only because you wonder why it’s taken you so long to get around to watching. An almost entirely agreeable watch from start to finish. Runs on pure fun. A-
Jacob’s Ladder (1990) - Basically the exact opposite of an “entirely agreeable watch.” An incredibly upsetting film, but a finely executed one. Perhaps one of the best depictions of the sort of stream-of-consciousness narratives I’ve seen, with the ultimate “is it real or imagined?” question feeling much more potent and pertinent than most films that attempt it. A-
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) - I feel like this must be a bit of an under appreciated gem? Yeah I’ve heard of it before, but no one seems to talk about how good it is. Pretty much all you could want from a heist film - intriguing plot and villains, affable hero, effective drama and, of course, a good sense of humor. A-
Bloodsport (1988) - I suddenly had a hankering to watch a JCVD film (had never seen any) and it seemed like the consensus was that this is his best. Well, if that’s the case, I doubt I’ll be watching more of his work any time soon. D
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) - A pretty engaging bit of modern pulp, with something of a beating heart at its core. Davis and Jackson make for a great duo, too. B+
The Predator (2018) - Not nearly as bad as some of the reviews have made it out to be. Certainly a departure from the rest of the series as, not only is it not scary, it doesn’t seem to even attempt to be so. But what it does attempt - to be an amusing action comedy - is well achieved, more or less. A good ensemble of characters make it easily watchable, even if the ostensible lead is perhaps the least interesting of the bunch. C+
Charade (1963) - I’ve often hear this called “the best film Hitchcock never made,” which seems a bit reductive. There’s certainly commonality in the kind of story being told here, but the voice is definitely distinct. Hitchcock never failed to inject comedy in his films, but that element is a significant factor here to great effect. If anything, I’d say this almost feels like a Hitchcock parody. And a great one at that. A
Cabin Fever (2002) - An exceedingly unpleasant film, though of course that’s the intention, so a tip of the hat. Still… C+
The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018) - Came for the IMAX 3D Thriller that played before, but stayed to see what is ultimately a decently entertaining spooky kiddie fantasy flick. The kind of movie that needs to be made more. B-
The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) - I’m finally dipping my toes into the Miyazaki filmography, and I have to say this is a pretty good start that’s definitely making me eager to check out the rest of what he has to offer. B
Hellaiser (1987) - What a fucking wack job of a movie. There’s a fairly compelling/disturbing story there, though failings in the filmmaking don’t make it as effective as it could be. C
House on Haunted Hill (1959) - Perhaps due to the numerous shoddy public domain DVDs of this that abound, I always thought it was little more than bargain bin trash. Not at all, as this is really a kinda fantastic little yarn, with all the twists and turns you want from a classic madcap madhouse genre picture. B+
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - I decided I wanted to dig deeper into the Universal Classic Horror films and this was listed as the first. I don’t know why though, because it’s not a horror film about a “monster,” just an effecting drama featuring a deformed hero. And it’s pretty good too, just not scary in anyway. B+
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - Now this is more clearly a fit for the label. A film that achieves the same heightened gothic atmosphere as the best of the silent horror I’ve seen. The grotesque terror of the story manifests not just in Chaney’s titular Phantom make-up (which unfortunately does not generate the same effect these days), but in the production design and slow burn plotting. Wasn’t a fan of the score in the version I saw, which hurt the experience a tad, but only makes me want to watch it again (also because I apparently saw a later, condensed version). A-
Drácula (1931) - Yes, the accent mark means the Spanish version. It’s been sometime since I saw the original, so it’s hard to really compare, but I was struck by some of the rather dynamic staging and camera movement here. Still though, I’d be skeptical that it’s really all that better (as reputation suggests), as it shares something of sizable flaw with the original - the lack of musical score, which, while actually adding a lot to the almost suffocating eeriness of many scenes, ultimately over the course of the films’ runtimes only serves to dampen the energy. As well, this version features an almost insurmountable disadvantage in comparison to the original - the lack of Lugosi, who is replaced here by someone who, well, let’s be nice and just say he isn’t quite in the same league. B+
The Wolf Man (1941) - A moderately diverting film, which mainly misses reaching classic status in my mind due to the mostly obnoxious screen presence of Lon Chaney Jr. B-
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) - Leave it to Universal to let someone else go and do a remake of one of their movies and have it turn out better than pretty much all of their movies. Maybe not perfect, but the beauty of the filmmaking and performances make this one for the ages, I think. A
Phantom of the Opera (1943) - I’m aware this is somewhat heresy, but I don’t think this is really much of a drop in quality from the Universal original. Now, granted, they are really very different, in ways that mostly reflect poorly on this one. The Phantom is given a sympathetic backstory, which works well… until he becomes the evil and unrepentant Phantom on a dime, which serves to negate much of the backstory while also erasing any mystique the character should have. Still, Rains is fantastic as always, and what this film lacks in mystery and atmosphere it makes up in plain panache, and a really enjoyable sense of humor. A-
Hold the Dark (2018) - Not as tightly plotted as Saulnier’s previous efforts, but pretty nearly as tightly wound. He seems to be better than most when conveying the sheer brutality of human violence - underneath it all here he seems to be trying to reach for a thematic understanding of human nature, but it doesn’t really coalesce in a satisfying way, with some heavy-handed signals that only serve to deflect from much depth. Still, the filmmaking here is endlessly compelling. B
