In between the sprawling super-productions of The Hallelujah Trail (1965) and Ice Station Zebra (1968), in 1967 John Sturges switched to a smaller intimate project that was ostensibly about the stubborn friendship between two men of differing moral character bonded by an unwavering loyalty…
Review of John le Carre’s spy thriller and romance The Russia House, released on Blu by Twilight Time, and a fascinating time capsule of glasnost Soviet Russia circa 1990 + some random thoughts on visiting East Berlin in 1989.
It’s worth pondering whether this particular adaptation of John le Carré’s novel would’ve been produced today, given there is no gunfire, no a single foot chase, car chase, murder, any act of violence, and the hero’s a sixtysomething heavy drinker who describes himself as ‘a disappointment’…
Deliberately peppered with a star-studded international cast for global appeal, The Cassandra Crossing is a ludicrously implausible disaster film / virus thriller that nevertheless manages to entertain and transcended some standout boneheaded scripting and continuity gaffes…
Nestled between Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) and Small Soldiers (1998) is Matinee, director Joe Dante’s surprisingly reverent tribute to B-movie showmanship, and that other master of suspense, director William Castle. Castle’s forte wasn’t directing but creating escapism built on a hook, and giving thrills through gimmicks, be they ‘ghosts’ gliding over audiences…
Now Where Were We? Right. Let’s go back to LAST NIGHT (1998)
Don McKellar’s LAST NIGHT (1998) is the first review after a long pause in activities at KQEK.com
Gothic Steele: An Angel for Satan (1966)
Review of AN ANGEL FOR SATAN / UN ANGELO PER SATANA (1966), Barbara Steele’s last Italian Gothic, on Blu-ray from Severin Films
Spanish Giallo I: When a Cannibal is not a Cannibal, but When a Scream is Indeed a Scream
Severin Films showcases the work of Eloy de la Iglesia via two fine Spanish gialli entries: NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM (1973) + CANNIBAL MAN (1972)
ArtScopeTO 10: Interview with Abstract Painter Donna Wise
For my occasional podcast series ArtScope TO, Abstract Painter Donna Wise discusses her unique techniques, and working during the 2020-2021 pandemic.
Podcast: Jason Pichonsky on Restoring Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + PHOBIA (1980)
Alongside a podcast with CanCon film historian Jason Pichonsky are revised reviews of Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + John Huston’s PHOBIA (1980), both from KINO Lorber / Unobstructed View.
Podcast: ANNE WITH AN E composers Amin Bhatia & Ari Posner
Podcast interview with ANNE WITH AN E’s composing team Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner.
Assorted characters collide and interact in the lead-up to Earth’s demise at precisely midnight.
BR: Angel for Satan, An / Un angelo per Satana (1966)
Had Barbara Steele remained in Europe – especially Italy – during the early 1970s, she may well have appeared in giallo thrillers…
BR: Cannibal Man / La semana del asesino / Apartment on the 13th Floor, The (1972)
Cannibal Man has a palpable crime-drama feel – the events unfold after daily title cards – and one can sense Hitchcockian sensibilities…
BR: No One Heard the Scream / Nadie oyó gritar (1973)
After the grisly thriller Cannibal Man (1972), Spanish auteur Eloy de la Iglesia opted for a far less graphic thriller which is part giallo…
DVD: Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films, The (2014)
Produced and released around the same time as Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014), the approach by director Hilla Medalia is a more authorized chronicle…
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