Films That Matter
A Lawyer, a Mortician, and a Professor Walk Into a Morgue...
One of the trends of the gialli, when possible, was for the film making team to attract a formerly successful Hollywood star who had aged out of his heyday a bit... think The Pyjama Girl Case who nabbed Ray Milland, The Cat O’Nine Tails starring Karl Malden, or The Killer Is On the Phone featuring Joseph Cotten... and, with today’s example, Farley Granger leading So Sweet, So Dead (1972). Directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero, the feature, which is also known as the less subtle The Slasher ... Is the Sex Maniac! follows a small city detective, Inspector Capuana (a mustached Granger – They Live by Night; Side Street), who has recently moved to a larger locale in southern Italy.
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This Scandinavian Entrée is Delicious
HeadhuntersJanuary 11, 2014One global region that has really gained traction and popularity in the film and television industry recently is Scandinavia. With the huge success of Stieg Larsson’s novels that became the highly popular Millenium film trilogy (Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), we have seen these northern European countries develop complex and entertaining stories that usually fall within the noirish crime genre. Television such as Forbrydelsen (The American TV show The Killing is based on this), Wallander, The Bridge, and Borgen (Stephen King’s favourite show of 2012) have not only found their niche in North America, but have also influenced the television and film industry in North America and Britain as well. One such movie that fits within this genre is Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters (the highest grossing Norwegian film of all-time).
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Not That Clouseau
DiaboliqueOctober 30, 2013When hearing the name Clouseau, most people automatically think of the bumbling French detective made famous by comedy genius Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther movies, or the uninspired remakes with Steve Martin. Yet I am not referring to that character, instead I am talking about serious film director Henri-Georges Clouzot who directed the horror mystery/thriller Les Diaboliques in 1955.
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The Vintage Horror Feel
The OrphanageOctober 16, 2013Too many horror movies today tend to go for cheap thrills, such as jump-scares and graphic violence, rather than focusing on what makes the genre so special – slow-building suspense and a thick and eerie atmosphere. There is nothing wrong with mixing the two together, but too often directors forget about the mood of the film altogether. It is quite rare to find slow-burning and cleverly crafted horror films such as past classics like The Shining or The Changeling. Some of the most recent motion pictures that do capture this more vintage style of horror film are from Spanish speaking countries such as Spain and Mexico. It has been quite impressive to watch the sizeable amount of these style of horror films emerge over the past decade or so. One such film is the 2007 horror flick The Orphanage.
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Ebert Didn’t Pan This Labyrinth
Pan's LabyrinthApril 23, 2013Roger Ebert’s top film of 2006 was the Spanish motion picture Pan’s Labyrinth, which he considered to be one of the greatest fantasy movies of all-time. A fairy tale meant for adults, the storyline follows a young girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), as she moves to a secluded old mill with her mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) and new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez).