Tag: year-end-2016
-
Oculus (2013): A Study in Perception and Dread
I love a good psychological horror film about as much as I love a good ghost story. In both those sub-genres, you have some question as to the actual nature of the events going on. When done right, it’s the film version of print’s “unreliable narrator” technique. It leaves the characters–and the audience–wondering, at least […]
-
Young Frankenstein: Comedy Born From Horror
If you haven’t seen Young Frankenstein, you’re missing one of Mel Brooks’ greatest comedies. A good deal of that greatness rests on the shoulders of co-writer and star Gene Wilder… and the rest of the fantastic cast. This is one of those films that wouldn’t have existed at all if it weren’t for the original Universal […]
-
House on Haunted Hill (1959): More Than Just a Gimmick
The House on Haunted Hill is one of the earlier horror films I saw growing up. It still stands as one of my favorite “haunted house” films, even though the question of just how haunted (if at all) the house is remains unanswered. There’s a lot to like right off the top. It’s got Vincent Price […]
-
House: Not the Doctor Show, the Haunted Kind
When I first saw House, around the time it came out on home video or HBO in the late 80s, I don’t remember thinking of it as a horror-comedy. Part of the reason for that is that I saw House II first which is more of a comedy with horror elements in it. Putting the two side […]
-
The Woman In Black (2012): A classic ghost story with a twist
I like ghost stories. Ghost stories aren’t always “monster movies” or the kind of horror that makes you jump out of your seat. A good ghost story will leave your skin crawling long after you’ve finished it. A great ghost story will leave you questioning reality at least a little. Sure, there may be a […]
-
Frankenstein (1931)
Thanks to my father’s love of the monster movies of his youth, I grew up watching horror films. It started with the old Universal Pictures movies that were shown sporadically on channel 13, the PBS station out of NYC. One of the first I remember seeing, the lights dim in the living room, was the […]
-
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru
Anyone who’s spent even half as much time watching TV at odd hours in the late 80s through the 90s will recognize Tony Robbins immediately. His infomercials were ubiquitous in those wee hours and, as he became better known, ads for his books and seminars would seep into various other viewing hours. He’d show up, […]
-
Man of Steel: Not My Superman
When Man of Steel was first announced, I wasn’t as excited as I wanted to be. I’d already been burned a bit by Superman Returns (which, in my opinion, told a bad story and wasted some really solid actors), not to mention Superman IV (the last of the Christopher Reeve films). They weren’t going to spin-off from Smallville, which, […]
-
Now You See Me: Illusion and Magic
I’ve always been a interested in stage magic. Every since I saw my first bit of slight of hand when I was a kid, I wanted to know more about it. That made me a wee bit annoying for, say, local magicians playing birthday parties and community events. Especially once I figured out how some […]
-
Adventureland – Quirky and Awkward as Expected
Adventureland has been on my list to see since it came out. It always seemed exactly like the kind of movie I love and, well, it is. It’s the kind of film I relate to probably a bit more than I should. It’s not a screwball comedy or, really, even a standard rom-com. It doesn’t quite […]