I began the Reely Bernie Horror Fest on Sept. 15th, and I've been overjoyed by the response. There is a remarkable group of people out there who enjoy and embrace the spooks of October like I do, and the dialogue about horror movies – old and new – has been insightful, hilarious, and downright nostalgic. I am so grateful. What a chance to escape through the dark forest for a bit, or open that creaky door to the abandoned house…
It’s the summer of ‘94 in my best friend’s basement, and we’re watching MTV music videos at full blast. Soon, we see three skinny, pale guys dressed in ‘70s era undercover cop garbs with fake mustaches running wild through alleyways. Their hideous striped ties and shaggy wigs fly in their faces. The music behind the... Continue Reading →
There’s a twisted part of me that recognizes Fargo (1996) as a comedy. I don’t think the Coen Brothers would contest this. In fact, I think they were going for comedy all along. Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) and Letterboxd have Fargo labeled under the genres of Drama, Crime, and Thriller. But, when I first... Continue Reading →
Nothing can ever replace my experience of seeing Interstellar for the first time in the theatre. The perplexities of time warp in galaxial black holes, Hans Zimmer’s glorious pipe organ-centered score, and the state-of-the-art cinematography both on a dust bowl dying Earth and a gravity defying galaxy were truly extraordinary encounters embedded forever in my... Continue Reading →
As much as I want to discuss the ending to Magnolia, I am also ecstatic for the human being who has yet to see this remarkable film (and that extraordinary ending). I promise I am not giving anything away when I say that the ending has a lot to do with what is happening to... Continue Reading →
Although this Steven Soderbergh thriller is a bit dated, its subject matter couldn’t be any more timely. As the Coronavirus continues to make headlines and possibly touch the lives of people we know, a sense of fear is expected. For me, the manufactured fear found in movies is a necessary antidote. Contagion suffices (for now).... Continue Reading →
Take it from Alan Alda in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) when he says, “If it bends, it’s funny. If it breaks, it’s not funny.” The same can be said about thrillers and horrors where suspension of disbelief is so fragile, the moment you push the otherworldly button too soon or too forcefully, you break the... Continue Reading →
Like the muddy, carcass-filled trenches we so elaborately experienced in Sam Mendes’ brilliant 1917, this time of year in movies is “No Man’s Land.” Unless you’re into redundant ultraviolence (“Birds of Prey”), Tarantino-wannabe violence (I saw The Gentlemen when it was called Snatch, and I saw Snatch when it was called Lock Stock and Two... Continue Reading →
1917 is a miracle in filmmaking. Never have I been so deep-seated in a journey through the shrapnel-infested bloodshed of war and my theatre chair at the same time. I blame it all on the camera work. The camera puts you right there. As British soldiers Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay) deliver a... Continue Reading →
Top Ten lists are the most personal, subjective, and ludicrous arrangements in the universe. If there’s one essential purpose to their existence, it’s that they instigate conversation, harmless controversy, and passionate opinion sharing. Ambiguous weight is placed on terms like “Top,” “Greatest,” or “Most Influential.” Overall, I think these lists we make are simply our... Continue Reading →
There’s a reason Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times placed Ford v Ferrari as his top film of 2019: It is a refreshingly uncontrived look at male camaraderie, and it revitalizes the sports movie genre, even if you have a low motorsports IQ. Yes, there are several mentionings of 427-cubic-inch big-block engines, GT40 acronyms,... Continue Reading →
se – quel noun a published, broadcast, or recorded work that continues the story or develops the theme of an earlier one. Okay, so technically, Return of the Jedi (1983), The Godfather: Part III (1990), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), are all “sequels.” Well, this blog post is... Continue Reading →
Two grown men are stranded on a remote island with flatulence abound. This is not going to be a popular mainstream movie. Add black and white photography, an alien dialect of 1890s New England, and the claustrophobia of a shoddy lighthouse, most Marvel Comic Universe fanatics will tear their hair out. For me, The Lighthouse... Continue Reading →
I am only 5 years old, running aimlessly around the neighborhood cul de sac like any 5-year-old would do. “Poltergeist is playing, Poltergeist is playing!” yells Deedoo, my next door neighbor who’s one year younger than me. I have no idea what “Poltergeist” is. Is it a tv show maybe having something to do with Star Wars because... Continue Reading →
They say the book is better, and most of the time, they are right. It's nearly impossible to replicate the visions, time lapses, and shadows one conjures while reading a good book, especially the masterful horror fiction of Stephen King. The shadows are the most important element, I think. In the midst of reading and... Continue Reading →
