films I have seen

LMGROVLLUM

2010

2009


Lo Squartatore Di New York (New York Ripper, 1982)












Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Lucio Fulci
Rating: 8.5/10

Fulci in top form in this exquisitely sleazy slasher.


Posted on 01/25/2012

Le Quattro Volte (2010)












Director: Michelangelo Frammartino
Writer: Michelangelo Frammartino
Rating: 9/10

Expansively constrained meditation of morbidity.


Posted on 01/23/2012

The Last Wave (1977)












Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Peter Weir, Tony Morphett, Petru Popescu
Rating: 8.5/10

Polished and well-executed journey into dream-time.


Posted on 01/15/2012

King Kong (1933)












Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Writers: Ruth Rose, James Ashmore Creelman
Rating: 5.5/10

Standard-setting, but with disagreeable standards.


Posted on 01/15/2012

Quella Villa Accanto al Cimitero (The House by the Cemetary, 1981)












Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writers: Elisa Briganti, Lucio Fulci, Giorgio Mariuzzo, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 8.5/10

Bizzare b-horror; approximately 40% of the dialogue is characters calling each others' names.


Posted on 01/12/2012

A Scanner Darkly (2006)












Director: Richard Linklater
Writer: Richard Linklater
Rating: 3/10

Fairly wretched adaptation of an excellent Philip K. Dick story.


Posted on 01/08/2012

Mangiati vivi! (Eaten Alive!, 1980)












Director: Umberto Lenzi
Writer: Umberto Lenzi
Rating: 7/10

Fairly gruesome cannibal flick with a bit of "Jim Jonesploitation".


Posted on 01/05/2012

Violated (1984)












Director: Richard Cannistraro
Writers: Richard Cannistraro, Bennett Sims
Rating: 6.5/10

Rape-revenge flick that muddles its way through the genre, well-described as a "$400,000 date" for its inept director.


Posted on 01/04/2012

Witchboard (1986)












Director: Kevin Tenney
Writer: Kevin Tenney
Rating: 7.5/10

Entertaining b-horror, but somewhat restained in its absurdity.


Posted on 01/02/2012

Arrebato (Rapture, 1980)












Director: Iván Zulueta
Writer: Iván Zulueta
Rating: 10/10

Entrancing meditation on art, film, drugs, love; "everything connects to Arrebato".


Posted on 12/24/2011

Ŕ Bout de Souffle (Breathless, 1960)












Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writers: Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut
Rating: 8/10

Quirky and cutesy story of love.


Posted on 10/24/2011

The Boogeyman (1980)












Director: Ulli Lommel
Writers: Ulli Lommel, David Herschel, Suzanna Love
Rating: 8.5/10

At first glance it appears to be a crude amalgamation of "Halloween" and "The Exorcist" (as its box proudly proclaims), but it has an awkward coldness and confusion that is quite reminiscent of early Fassbinder.


Posted on 10/23/2011

Cannibal Apocalypse (1980)












Director: Antonio Margheriti
Writers: Antonio Margheriti, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 7.5/10

Interesting post-Vietnam cannibalism thriller that definitely has its charms, but overall is outshone by others from the same genre.


Posted on 10/22/2011

Last House On The Left (1972)












Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Wes Craven
Rating: 9/10

Torture/revenge flick that ranks above similar titles due to its detailed and well-played characters, as well as its thoughtful direction.


Posted on 10/22/2011

Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1979)












Director: George Barry
Writer: George Barry
Rating: 10/10

Sublimely oblique existential horror which borders (or becomes) avant-garde.


Posted on 10/21/2011

Tourist Trap (1979)












Director: David Schmoeller
Writers: David Schmoeller, J. Larry Carroll
Rating: 7.5/10

70s set-up of "Psycho"; interesting parts are slightly outweighed by cliche.


Posted on 07/12/2011

Dčmoni 2: L'Incubo Ritorna (Demons 2: The Nightmare Returns) (1986)












Director: Lamberto Bava
Writers: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Franco Ferrini, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 9/10

Quirky gothsploitative zombie flick.


Posted on 07/12/2011

Marquis de Sade: Justine (Deadly Sanctuary or Justine) (1969)












Director: Jesus Franco
Writer: Harry Alan Towers (Peter Welbeck)
Rating: 8.5/10

Stilted dialogue, awkward pacing, and bizarre performances make this Marquis de Sade adaptation quite intriguing.


Posted on 07/10/2011

The Black Cat (1990)












Director: Dario Argento
Writers: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini
Rating: 8/10

Somewhat harried in comparison to Romero's attempt [see below]; still, has numerous stylish scenes one one the best credits songs.


Posted on 07/10/2011

The Facts About Mr. Valdeman (1990)












Director: George Romero
Writers: George Romero
Rating: 8.5/10

Tight and steady execution of a classic horror story.


Posted on 07/10/2011

The Legend of Hell House (1973)












Director: John Hough
Writers: Richard Matheson
Rating: 9.5/10

Claustrophobic shooting, excellent atmosphere, archetypal plot.


Posted on 07/10/2011

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)












Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Wes Craven
Rating: 9/10

Engaging b-horror; solidly shot throughout.


Posted on 07/10/2011

Solyaris (Solaris, 1972)












Director: Andrey Tarkovskiy
Writers: Fridrikh Gorenshtein, Andrey Tarkovskiy
Rating: 10/10

Ephemeral and mystical sci-fi.


Posted on 06/23/2011

The Fifth Element (1997)












Director: Luc Besson
Writers: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Rating: 8/10

Sci-fi that pays many tributes to 70s/80s English style.


Posted on 06/23/2011

The Dead Pit (1989)












Director: Brett Leonard
Writers: Gimel Everett, Brett Leonard
Rating: 9/10

B-horror that blends many tropes of other 80s b-horrors without becoming bland; starts to unravel slightly near the end, but overall an excellent effort.


Posted on 06/22/2011

Mansquito (1995)












Director: Tibor Takács
Writers: Kenneth M. Badish, Ray Cannella, Boaz Davidson, Michael Hurst
Rating: 6.5/10

Vaguely interesting "The Fly"-esque premise, ultimately suffers from the "Sci-Fi Channel syndrome", but cannot compare to something like Shark Attack 3: Megaladon.


Posted on 06/22/2011

Cyber Tracker (1994)












Director: Richard Pepin
Writer: Jacobsen Hart
Rating: 8.5/10

Surprisingly enjoyable over-the-top mish-mash of 80s sci-fi tropes.


Posted on 06/22/2011

Zombi 2 (1980)












Director: Lucio Fulci
Writers: Elisa Briganti, Dardano Sacchetti
Rating: 10/10

Classic of the genre coupled with the best soundtrack of the genre.


Posted on 06/10/2011

Zombie Holocaust (1980)












Director: Marino Girolami
Writer: Fabrizio De Angelis, Romano Scandariato, Marino Girolami
Rating: 7/10

Blend of cannibalism/zombie with some nice gore, but isn't shot or directed too well and feels more like a cut-rate "Zombi 2".


Posted on 06/10/2011

Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)












Directors: Richard Robinson, David Worth
Writer: B.W. Sandefur
Rating: 8/10

"Hicksploitation" flick exploring racism and relationship; pervading quirkiness thanks to a great electro-acoustic score and odd characters.


Posted on 06/08/2011

Samurai Cop (1989)












Director: Amir Shervan
Writer: Amir Shervan
Rating: 9.5/10

Sublime b-cop flick: awkard, ridiculous, enchanting.


Posted on 06/05/2011

Baron Blood (1972)












Director: Mario Bava
Writer: Vincent Fotre
Rating: 8/10

Nicely done Italian b-horror, suffers (or benefits) from heavily accented and poorly edited dubbing.


Posted on 06/05/2011

Deadly Obession (1989)












Director: Jenö Hodi
Writers: Brian Cox, Jenö Hodi, Paul Wolansky
Rating: 8.5/10

B-slasher that slightly stands out with its decent direction and absurd plot.


Posted on 06/05/2011

Ax 'Em (1992)












Director: Michael Mfume
Writer: Michael Mfume
Rating: 5.5/10

Astoundingly cut-rate horror flick shot on VHS (?); most dialogue is incomprehensible.


Posted on 05/24/2011

Alien Dead (1980)












Director: Fred Olen Ray
Writers: Fred Olen Ray, Martin Nicholas
Rating: 8/10

B-horror that is surprisingly engaging; heavy "Night of the Living Dead" influence but with unique small-town Florida flavor.


Posted on 05/24/2011

Cataclysm (1980)












Directors: Phillip Marshak, Tom McGowan, Gregg C. Tallas
Writer: Philip Yordan
Rating: 8.5/10

Bizarre and disjointed horror/detective/Satanic b-flick.


Posted on 05/05/2011

The Ninth Configuration (1980)












Director: William Peter Blatty
Writer: William Peter Blatty
Rating: 9/10

Well-executed psychodrama concerning the Vietnam War, PTSD, Christianity, and psychology.


Posted on 05/02/2011

Scream 1-4 (1996, 1997, 2000, 2011)












Director: Wes Craven
Writers: Kevin Williamson (1-4), Ehren Kruger (3),
Rating: 6/10

Somewhat entertaining horror franchise that almost succeeds in providing a satirical overview of the genre, but is ultimately mishandled. [Note: Do not watch Scream 3]


Posted on 04/30/2011

Syngenor (1990)












Director: George Elanjian Jr.
Writers: Michael Carmody, Brent V. Friedman
Rating: 4.5/10

Lackluster horror/sci-fi that only has a few campy redeeming qualities.


Posted on 04/30/2011

Na Srebrnym Globie (On The Silver Globe, 1988)












Director: Andrzej Zulawski
Writer: Andrzej Zulawski
Rating: 10/10

Fantastical philosophic sci-fi with plenty of extended soliloquies and superb set/costume design; well worth many viewings.


Posted on 04/27/2011

Demon Seed (1977)












Director: Donald Cammell
Writers: Robert Jaffe, Roger O. Hirson
Rating: 8/10

Somewhat derivative AI-centric sci-fi, but has a bizarre enough premise to make it worth watching.


Posted on 04/25/2011

The Blob (1988)












Director: Chuck Russell
Writers: Chuck Russell, Frank Darabont
Rating: 7/10

Decent take on the Blob; some excellent effects, but ultimately the characters are flat and the dialoge is lacking.


Posted on 04/25/2011

The Hidden (1987)












Director: Jack Sholder
Writer: Jim Kouf
Rating: 8/10

Above average sci fi/cop thriller; all aliens love speed metal and Ferraris.


Posted on 04/25/2011

The Funhouse (1981)












Director: Tobe Hooper
Writer: Lawrence Block
Rating: 8.5/10

Fantastic carny portrayals in a classic Florida teen slaughter B-horror.


Posted on 04/23/2011

Nightmare (1981)












Director: Romano Scavolini
Writer: Romano Scavolini
Rating: 9/10

Well-executed B-horror/suspense from Florida; plenty of quirks and latex gore.


Posted on 04/23/2011