Snake Eyes (1998)

The lengthy opening scene is superb logistical work by all concerned and lets us know that we’re in for a real spectacle. Viewing it is like being a kid at the circus, waiting for the next exotic eye-opener to waltz into the ring.
The story happens mostly in one vast Atlantic City arena. Nic Cage is a less than perfect detective investigating an assassination. Through his questioning we experience the murder more than once, the same moment in time as seen from many eyes, the different angles and agendas completing the whole.
Cage keeps his madness to an acceptable level and the picture’s momentum at a heightened one. It falls apart in the last third, leading to a badly muddled ending, but the first hour is pure class.

4 bloody notes out of 5

The Mask of Zorro (1998)

The larger than life hero of the people fights a forgettable villain (with obligatory moustache) and woos a beautiful woman. Justice prevails.
The only genuinely unpredictable thing about the story is that no one hired Cheech to be a part of it. As contradictory as it is, if they had then I’d have at least been entertained by something beyond the fun swashbuckling characteristic that was a welcome throwback to a bygone era.

2 spirited dances out of 5

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)

Hammer’s seventh and last Frankenstein feature was also director Terence Fisher’s last ever sitting in the big chair. His contribution to the franchise and to the studio's success is impossible to overstate.
What’s also to be applauded is the return of Cushing to the role of the Baron. The modest budget and awful creature effects made it even more important to have such a redoubtable character actor as a focal point. He delivers.
He’s hiding out in a hospital for the criminally insane. Well, he’s not exactly hiding, the building houses people that society at large ignores, which is the perfect environment for the Baron to continue his work uninterrupted. As such, the primary threat to his efforts are ones of his own making.
Despite a less gothic setting there’s a noticeable return to the glory days of Hammer, and a welcome reintroduction of a tragic aspect to the creature.

3½ private works out of 5

Alan Parsons: Eye 2 Eye: Live in Madrid (2010)

Six guys on a stage with no gimmicks and no frills, letting the music speak for itself, which, thanks to their combined talent, it does admirably. It was recorded on May 14th, 2004 at the Plaza Mayor. Each man takes their turn to shine, never trying to upstage the others. If you’re an AP fan you’ll know that vocal duties are shared, even the drummer has a go and he’s amazing at it!
My only criticism is that there’s very little energy from the audience. The ‘live’ atmosphere isn't very prevalent, but that’s okay, it’s all about the music.

3½ games played out of 5

Carlito's Way (1993)

In one of Pacino’s best roles he attempts to go straight after being released early from a lengthy prison sentence. His efforts aren't entirely successful, in part because the old story of needing capital in order to build a better life and wanting it sooner rather than later attracts him. The quickest way to get the cash is to return to the streets on which he made his name.
His struggle is compounded by his lingering reputation and the people around him spiralling into dangerous waters, threatening to drag him down with them. One of whom is Sean Penn, acting his socks off as a lawyer on the edge.
I don’t completely agree with people who say it’s just another Scarface (1983), but it’s certainly similar in many ways and if you enjoy one then you’ll more than likely enjoy the other.

4½ walks on the wild side of memory lane out of 5

The Wig (2005)

A South Korean horror that doesn’t do much that we haven’t seen before with regards the horror aspect. In contrast to that, it succeeds in creating an atmosphere of mournful rejection and frustration for the two sisters at its core. One of them has a terminal illness; her short time left should help bring the siblings closer together, but sinister happenings may prevent that.
The tentative movement and absence of balance in the girls’ lives feels like it leaves a dangerous gap, an opening for a quiet violence to move in and take up residence. The horror tries to accentuate that notion but mostly ends up confusing things, and consequently the more interesting story of hidden truths and strained relationships is compromised.

2½ living memories out of 5

Kuroneko (1968)

A mother and her daughter-in-law suffer at the hands of warring samurai. After the men move on, the women vow to get their revenge by any means.
It’s a story that has similarities to Shindô’s masterful Onibaba (1964), but is much more fantastical. The pitch black nights act as a kind of impossible to measure frame for the well-lit female characters that emerge from it. They’re presented in a style reminiscent of Kabuki, one that’s relocated from a stage to a bamboo grove that, due to a rustling movement caused by wind, feels partially alive. The semi-translucent flowing curtains are similarly imbued.
It all adds up to an atmospheric folk tale made frighteningly real for a small number of tragic characters, not all of whom deserve their fate.

4 observant strays out of 5

Raising Cain (1992)

Carter Nix (John Lithgow) is a child psychologist, loving husband and concerned father, which is an ideal place to hide the perfect psycho.
It’s so obvious what’s going on in the early part of the film that it’d take you to be paying almost zero attention to suspect otherwise, but knowing really doesn't matter, it’s even arguably beneficial for what comes later.
I'm aware that many people consider the film derivative and/or pure trash, but that's their choice. For me, De Palma proves that he was fit to wear the suspenseful shoes of his biggest influence more than once, most notably during a lengthy scene at a motel (where else?). It's so damn good on a technical level, regardless of what you think of the rest of the film.

4 dramatic exits out of 5

Zatoichi: The Last (2010)

Once again I find myself liking something that I later find out is almost unanimously hated, and wondering if we even watched the same film.
I agree that being blind and holding his sword in a reverse grip doesn't mean pop star Shingo Katori is anything like the Zatoichi we know and love, but that doesn't make ZTL a bad film. Remove the expectation and it’s possible to see director Junji Sakamoto’s work as the beautiful jidaigeki it really is. He's attentive to change, enabling his camera-work to adapt to its target (compare the scenes with and without Tatsuya Nakadai to see what I mean). The lighting, the sets and locations are all exquisite. The story is slow but I was never bored. If it had been marketed as being inspired by the Zatoichi series of films, instead of as a part of it, then I think it would be more openly accepted.

3½ right paths out of 5

The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)

Hammer’s sixth Frankenstein film is basically a retelling of their first but with a comedic slant, both direct and subtle. It sounds like a terrible idea on paper, doubly so when you find out that Cushing is absent, so it’s all the more surprising to find that it’s genuinely entertaining for the first hour, only going to shit once the creature appears. Ralph Bates takes on the Baron’s role, playing him with a supercilious and icy chill. Hammer semi-regular Veronica Carlson is the glamour, but her character is trounced by Kate O'Mara’s. As the house maid, O'Mara meets the Baron’s iron will with her own cold-cast one.

2½ late ventures out of 5

Eaten Alive (1977)

aka Death Trap

Tobe's follow-up to Chainsaw Massacre (1974) isn't as good, but that's to be expected because Chainsaw was amazing. However, Eaten Alive has a similar kind of frighteningly real violence, showing how Tobe's time spent as a documentary cameraman was clearly still an influence on his style.
Hotel owner Judd (Neville Brand) keeps a crocodile out the back of his establishment. The croc isn't the only predator in the story. Judd, a man with a dysfunctional conscience, is just as savage a killer. When the latter predator needs to dispose of his handiwork he feeds it to the former.
The blood-red nights are made even more eerie by an unusual musical score that by turns resembles some kind of alarm, screams, underwater groans, a machine or a metal fence under stress. music box chimes, and more.
The tension rises and falls as the story goes on, occasionally wearing thin, but when it's at its peak it's a truly menacing experience for the viewer.

3 scythe swings out of 5

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Twenty minutes into SMB I was thinking that critics had been overly harsh in their condemnation of it. Yes, it was really bad, but it wasn't train-wreck bad. Approximately two minutes after that thought occurred the train arrived.

The Mario brothers, who live together but appear to have just one bedroom with a double bed, use their plumbing skills to save a world held in the tyrannical grip of Dennis Hopper, who was evidently in need of cash.
Samantha Mathis lends support; she's pretty and somehow doesn't embarrass herself as much as every male member of the cast manages to do.

Besides names and the occasional prop the world has almost no resemblance to the game world that it purports to be based on.

Bundle it with Spawn (1997) and Double Dragon (1994) and gift the trio to someone you hate for their birthday; they'll get the message.

1 fungal scrotum out of 5

COOTIES [2014]

Some movies know they're bad so they decide to run with it and that's where they find their greatest strength.
Directors Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion's horror-comedy Cooties doesn't quite hit the mark.
An elementary school's students all become infected with a 'zombie' virus and begin chasing after the teachers for an afternoon snack.  This playful gory little film aims for big twisted laughs but mostly it ends up with a lot of groaners and terribly timed one-liners.  The horror elements, although a bit different in setting as most films like this, does nothing to scare or disturb.  If not for the wonderfully entertaining ensemble cast the film would fall even flatter on it's face than it already has.
In short, it's not funny enough to be a comedy or scary enough to be a horror.

2 chicky nuggets out of 5

The Wonder Woman Collection

We don’t currently have enough Wonder Woman material to warrant this post, but seeing as how Batman and Superman both got one it seems only fair that the lady from Themyscira gets one too, and all things being equal I'm allowed to draw attention to her lame disguise: a pair of glasses. She and Clark must've attended the same course on subterfuge. Both got an F.

Comics and annuals on Nut Ink:

01. Wonder Woman.

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. Wonder Woman (1974)
02. Wonder Woman (2009)
03. Wonder Woman (2017)

TV Series on Nut Box:
01. Justice League (2001-04)

Casualties of War (1989)

To paraphrase an unknown source, I don’t know much about war films but I know what I like. CoW is high on the list of likes.
Michael J. Fox plays a G.I. with a conscience, uncomfortable witnessing his fellow soldiers act like a law unto themselves when far from base camp. They see VC in every foreign face, terrorising the people they’re supposed to be protecting. Tensions are high, fuelled by anger, stress and the overpowering nature of the environment. Once the human evil gets underway it becomes a harrowing journey that won’t quickly be forgotten.
Amazingly, it was the only film that actress Thuy Thu Le ever made. She’s so terrifyingly convincing that you’d think her a long-time professional.

4½ non-standard practices out of 5

Zatoichi (2003)

aka The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (in the US)

Stepping into Shintarô Katsu’s well-worn sandals is a very tall order. I can think of no one more deserving of the honour than Takeshi Kitano.
Katsu’s Ichi shone even when acting nonchalant. Kitano chooses not to. He fades into the background often. Consequently, the secondary characters come across as being better written, making Ichi seem like less of a focal point and more of a supporting player in his own story. I'm sure it was intentional, but, even though the swordsman’s persona has been well-established previously, I feel the two halves ought to have been at least on equal footing, because for many folks it'll be their first ever Zatoichi film.
I’ve vented hatred for CGI blood in previous posts; pairing it with CGI blades elicits and qualifies for an even greater level of disgust.

3 dancing farmers out of 5

Fort Apache, the Bronx (1981)

A police drama that’s based on the lives of real policemen but is nevertheless set in a fictionalised version of the South Bronx.
Paul Newman is Murphy, a straight-talking cop who knows that in order to get through the day you sometimes have to let the rules bend, but only so far as they don’t break. A sound judgement is as important as a steady hand.
It’s a standard character-driven film about cops and their daily trials that includes bag-snatchings, drug pushers pushing their trade and their luck, and even a pimp in a fur coat. It’s nothing special, but nor is it any slouch.

3 neighbourhood sights out of 5

The Untouchables (1987)

Chicago in the 1930s was a good time to be a milliner, but, as agent Eliot Ness discovered, a bad time to be an honest cop on a crusade to take down organised crime. Luckily for Ness he had Sean Connery to mentor him in the ways of usefulness like some kind of ‘Irish-American’ beat cop sensei.
I’m puzzled as to why Untouchables ends up on a lot of Best Gangster Movie lists. It has some amazing set pieces, particularly the Eisenstein reference at the train station, but the casting is questionable, the performances lack spark, the story is weak, and even Morricone dropped the ball.
De Niro as Al Capone is an exception; his character is badly written but at least he gives the gangster nuances through subtle gestures.
The problem is perhaps due to De Palma wanting a commercial hit so that he could gain freedom to pursue more personal projects. An understandable goal, but the result is wishy-washy, with not enough identity of its own.

3 baby steps out of 5

CONTRACTED: PHASE II [2015]

Josh Forbes makes his directorial debut with the sequel to 2013's gruesome body-horror film, Contracted.
Matt Mercer reprises his role from the first film, as Riley, the dirty pervert who had the misfortune of fucking Samantha only to pull out and find a nasty case of vaginal maggots, leading to the uber-STD being passed off to him.  Like the first film, the pacing, horribly developed characters and under-developed jumbled narrative take away from the quality but this time around it's gorier, funnier and more action-packed to make it slightly more enjoyable.
It's an utter mess but if you're aware of that from the beginning than sit back and keep the barf-bag within arms reach because you're going to need it something fierce between all the nervous laughter.

2½ contact lenses out of 5

The Batman Collection

Batman’s my favourite hero for the same reason he’s many other people’s favourite: he has no super powers, so he has no unfair advantage, unless you consider inherited wealth to be one. His filmic adventures over the years have been pretty varied. He’s been comical, camp, serious, and more recently moody and broody. Personally, I think the best of the animated adventures trounce the best of the live action films. You may disagree. Luckily, there are enough variations on a theme to keep almost everyone happy.

Films on Nutshell (inc. animated):
01. Batman gets his own label.  Click HERE.

See also:
01. Batman TV Series on our sister site, Nut Box.
02. Batman comics on our sister site, Nut Ink.

03. Batman games on our sister site, Nut Load.

GOOD WILL HUNTING [1997]

Director Gus Van Sant puts aside his usual artistic quirkiness and lets then unknown actors Ben Affleck & Matt Damon's script shine in the broad-minded character piece, Good Will Hunting.
A troubled janitor turns out to be a mathematical genius, who'd rather drink & fight and has a smart-ass answer to everything but the purpose of his own life.  Here he meets a mild-mannered yet eccentric community college psychologist that seems to be the only person that truly understands him.  The film is about experience being more than knowledge, insecurities, finding one-self growing-up, class differences and just about everything else Van Sant poetically explored in My Own Private Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy.  There's some beautifully crafted character moments between Damon & Robin Williams which will enthrall by the performances alone.
A wonderfully crafted film that tugs at the heart-strings in all the right places that'll make you think about the choices you've made.

4 apples out of 5

BACKCOUNTRY [2014]

The deep of the Eastern Canadian woods quite literally becomes bad news bears for a couple of tent-pitching hikers in director Adam MacDonald's thriller, Backcountry.
There's a bear.  He's hungry.  Conveniently there's a couple of lost campers who are probably pretty tasty.  Put the two together and you get a bare-boned story that might actually work.
What should be quite laughable is actually effective, thanks to the script never going anywhere ridiculously implausible, a hefty build-up of tension and lead actresses Missy Peregrym pulling off a believable performance.
It's a what you see is what you get sort of film that is light on substance but some clever editing, atmospheric photography, restraint on it's script and brisk-pace make it all the more enjoyable in a fluffy sort of way.

3 pan-fried trout out of 5

GOODNIGHT MOMMY [2014]

aka

Ich seh Ich seh

Austrian writer/directors Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala's Goodnight Mommy manages to dig it's nails deep into the flesh, burrow it's way into the nervous system and make a complete mess of it.  

In the remote countryside, a pair of young twin brothers find that their mother, who's recently returned home from facial reconstructive  surgery, may not be the woman they think she is.  

As the film gets deeper and deeper into the bizarre, sinister and disturbing the viewer's emotions are taken for a immensely unsettling journey that picks apart the psyche much in the same stylistic way Dogtooth did years before it.  If you're like me, you will have figured out the twist within the first 45 seconds, based on solely on a single shot but by the end you'll realize the film was never about the "big reveal" and more about how and why it gets there.  

This visually effective, well-paced thriller is that last thing to evoke pleasant dreams and finds all sorts of twisted ways to make the brain squirm.  

4 bedtime snacks out of 5

The Medusa Touch (1978)

I love discovering a film that ticks all the boxes I like ticked and makes me question how it ever managed to pass me by in the first place. It’s like unearthing an aged treasure, experienced as if it were new. The beautiful ‘old film’ feeling of 70s stock and knowing that FX aren't going to be painted pixels fills me with joy. You've guessed by now that TMT is such a film.
It begins like a regular crime drama, with a French Inspector (Lino Ventura) investigating the brutal murder of a writer in his London home.
It uses testimonies to initiate flashbacks, just like Citizen Kane (1941). They’re often accompanied by a Richard Burton V/O, and being a writer means his words have more literary power than the average Joe.
As the pieces begin to come together the film undergoes a sinister shift, taking up residence in a very different genre to that which it began.

4 victims of thought out of 5

Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman (1989)

Shintarô starred, directed and co-wrote a welcome second sayonara for his most famous character. Among other things, it’s centred around the passing of time. The first half is for people who took the full journey, all twenty-five previous films, showing how the swordsman’s life is when aged: he’s greying but still wandering. It also acknowledges the era in which it was released, being more violent than ever to please a new generation of viewers.
Some of what it attempted emotionally had been done better previously. Conversely, exploring the feelings that a son holds for a mother, opening a window into Zatoichi’s past, was handled beautifully.
Even though the extra running time allows for the character to be re-established, I don’t think it’ll have the desired effect on people who aren't long-time fans. A full appreciation requires knowledge of what came before.

3½ colourful lives out of 5

The Halloween Tree (1993)

An animated adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s children’s book (1972) of the same name. Small changes were made but there’s justification for them, Most are an attempt to make the visuals do the work of the unspoken written word. Halving the number of kids was obviously for time purposes, and adding a girl to the line-up addresses something that was sorely missing from the text. The mystery surrounding Pip is more clearly defined. I really wish they’d kept the Samhain scene, though, because it could've been a highlight.
It was a Hanna-Barbera TV production, so it doesn't look spectacular, but the voices are good. A croaky, unrecognisable Leonard Nimoy gives life to the mysterious Mr. Moundshroud. The narrator is Ray, sometimes reading passages directly from his own novel.

3 varieties of darkness out of 5

Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century (1999)

In the third annual Detective Conan film, the young sleuth attempts to thwart the flashy thief The Kaitou Kid from stealing a piece of Russian history in the form of an imperial Fabergè egg. With a wider scope, the plot sheds the formulaic trappings of a regular episode of the series. Like a matryoshka, the story leads Conan down a multi-layered scheme. The animation won't win any awards, but there are a few visual effects which enhance the film. Released by FUNimation, their plans to block out all references to the original title and its kanji are back. An angle option separating the original cut of the film from the English dub would have been a welcome addition. Instead, on all character profiles a rectangular gray eyesore is present. This is somewhat strange as many of the clues involve ironies between foreign alphabets. I can imagine the story being convoluted for a child, but there's plenty of action and heroic events to entertain all crowds.

3½ right eyes out of 5

The Stepfather (2009)

After the lackluster remake of Prom Night (2008), the extensive television director Nelson McCormick takes a crack at another genre film in The Stepfather. Fortunately, he does it justice by recreating some of the more memorable aspects and scenes from the 1987 original. After returning home, son Michael (Penn Badgley) finds his mother (Sela Ward) set to marry a new man (Dylan Walsh) after only being divorced for six months. Wary, Michael soon discovers he's really a chameleonic psychopath who preys on families. In an effort to portray a more nuclear household, it fails in showcasing every child's tribulations in the wake of the stepfather's breakdown. Dylan Walsh, in a somewhat corny performance, does a fine job as the visibly stable yet irreversibly damaged David Harris. The tension is built slowly, allowing the audience to invest in the characters before the stepfather's unrealistic family ideal eventually unravels. The more his bloody past is revealed, the more the Hardings see his composure splinter. But unfortunately a poorly constructed conclusion caps off this surprisingly effective remake.

3 disappointments out of 5

Mutant (1984)

aka Night Shadows

In a case of 'wrong place, wrong time,' brothers Josh and Mike (Wings Hauser and Lee Montgomery) stumble into a rural town where trouble only begins when they become a target for the local rednecks. A mysterious illness has struck, leaving a scant few townsfolk alive during the day and growing hordes of "chemical zombies" by night. The fog machine is working overtime in this one as an effectively unsettling mood is created at dusk. The acting is above average for this b-movie as locals have a wealth of southern personality. The infected do stand out among other films with their pale blue skin and darkened sockets, though their blood does resemble something closer to nacho cheese than chemically degenerated hemoglobin. As it should be, the third act is the most thrilling with the population reaching its infected heights, but it suffers by lingering in one location for too long. Comparison to genre standards is inevitable, and while there is a colorful cast and a relatively intriguing plot, it all comes off a tad underwhelming.

2½ little green men and perverts out of 5

Uninvited (1988)

Instead of a wolf in sheep's clothing we have a deadly genetically-engineered creature in a household cat's skin. In one of the more ludicrous b-movies ever produced, a lab experiment gone wrong escapes and winds up an uninvited stowaway on a boat set out for the Cayman Islands. The rest of the plot and character motivations scarcely matter as we all wait patiently for the killer cat to chew everyone's faces off. Despite some amazingly bad puppetry, the monster's concept is actually quite unique. While the creature's carnage is fun and undeniably laughable, it's too bad the rest of the film is filled with geriatric villains and monumental cock teases. Just die already!

2 bimbos out of 5

The Superman Collection

Think of him however you want, as the man of steel or as the alien who wears underpants over his pants, but Superman is a force to be reckoned with in more ways than one. Initially, he seems overpowered, you know he’s always going to win with his super strength and game-changing ability to fly, but in the hands of a good writer the hero can be brought to his knees by emotion, which is something that even Kryptonian skin can’t protect against.

Films on Nutshell:
01. He's so super that he has his own label. Click HERE.

See also:
01. Superman animated on our sister site, Nut Box.
02. Superman comics on our sister site, Nut Ink.

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON [2015]

Friday director F. Gary Gray walks with some familiar faces in the music bio-pic Straight Outta Compton, depicting the short-lived rise & fall of pioneering West Coast rap act N.WA.
It's follows the group in 1986 as they come together and leads right up to the 1996 birth of Aftermath Entertainment, so obviously it follows the members for quite a few years after the demise of the controversial group.  So with that being said, it might not be so much a N.W.A. bio-pic and more a E, Dre & Cube bio-pic seeing as M.C. Ren, The D.O.C. and DJ Yella are largely ignored in it's 2½ hour running time.  It's not often when a film like this hires actors who look like the people their playing have actual talent but thankfully due to some excellent direction and strong performances it never becomes distracting or overly phony.  It glazes over quite a few shadier incidents involving our "heroes" of the film but nothing that would push the dramatic plotting of the film.  It's not the perfect musical bio-pic but certainly is one of the more easily digestible and entertaining.

3½ Bye, Felicia's out of 5

TRAINWRECK [2015]

For the first time in his mainstream career director Judd Apatow makes a film he didn't write himself.  With a script by comedian Amy Schumer, Trainwreck refines both her and Apatow's knack for the crude, thoughtful and realistic characters like a match made in heaven.
A down-in-the-dumps city gal, who's never had a serious relationship in her life, begins having feelings for a successful doctor.
Essentially the film is a rom-com by all means but fans of Schumer & Apatow know they're not going to let it play like one.  Sure there's long stretches of hardly any laughter at all but that's alright when the characters are being developed during this down time.  In fact, Bill Hader just keeps getting better and better with each role I see him, leading me to believe he's well on his way to becoming a successful dramatic actor as well.  A well-paced film, with a few odd bumps in the road, is ultimately rewarding as you can't help but fall for the real human emotions it draws upon.

3½ Uptown Girls out of 5

SPY [2015]

Director Paul Feig's thriller/comedy, Spy, is as funny as it is violent, quite often simultaneously.
Melissa McCarthy plays a desk-bound CIA analyst who's thrust into the field to recover a nuclear device, much to the dismay of a far more experienced field agent, played by Jason Statham.
Whoever's idea it was to team-up McCarthy & The Stath knew it would work wonderfully, especially when both are sticking to what they do best, being the typical lost-in-luck American middle-aged white woman or the grunting hard-assed Pip-pip with a temper.
Instead of parodying the Bond/Bourne films, Spy simply inserts the fish-out-of-water character into the fold and runs with that, quite often letting the jokes create themselves along the way.  The number of characters gets to be a bit of a mess by the end of the film but it's a wildly entertaining and hilarious ride along the way.

4 Cranks out of 5

Fearless: Director's Cut (2006)

A biopic of Master Huo Yuanjia, founder of the world-renowned Jin Wu Sports Federation. It's best to forget that it has any connection to a real historical figure, though, at least until the end credits roll. Doing so frees you of any need to forgive fight scenes pushing the limits of what’s humanly possible, even by one as masterful as Jet under the guidance of Yuen Woo-ping.
The Dir's Cut adds 40 minutes to the running time of the International Edition, bringing the total to 141 mins. It makes a huge difference to the overall feeling and, more importantly, to the emotional impact of the story. The best of what's new is in the middle section. It's a quiet, reflective time wherein a fiercely competitive martial artist discovers that there's more to life than fighting.

4 untangled knots out of 5

Body Double (1984)

Things start out strange, but once you realise De Palma is doing for imagery what he did in relation to sound in Blow Out (1981) it looks promising. What follows, and where it ends up, will definitely and greatly split opinion.
At its best it’s a tense drama that mixes elements of Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958), but it’s only at its best about half the time. The rest is ridiculous, almost laughable nonsense that’s far below De Palma’s previous standards.
What I like about it despite its many failings and frequent lack of originality is that even during the stupid scenes the camerawork is amazing.
The Hollywood setting is an important factor; more than just backdrop it’s a place where everyone is false, trying to be something they’re not.

3 tight spots out of 5

The Inglorious Bastards (1978)

France, 1944. A small group of escaped military prisoners attempt to make it to the Swiss border by going through German occupied countryside.
It's been described as the Dirtier Dozen, and even though there's significantly less than a dozen of them it's a label that fits well.
Castellari spends time characterising his anti-heroes, giving them more depth than is usual for this type of production. The men, including Fred Williamson with obligatory chomping cigar, are 'take what you can get' kind of guys, but for some of them the taking is sweeter if it's earned.
The action scenes are plentiful and always entertaining.

4 indecorous replacements out of 5

The HAMMER Karnstein Trilogy

Most of Hammer's vampire films are part of one unified whole wherein Count Dracula is the progenitor of all vampiric evil. The plucky Van Helsing, or his descendant, is the Count's human nemesis, a scholar with some action hero skills and an unshakable resolve. But the Karnstein Trilogy was different. It had its own lore (e.g. the vampires aren't afraid of sunlight) that separated it from the bigger picture. It's a trilogy in the loosest sense and, depending on who you speak to, might even have four films.

Films on In a Nutshell:
01. The Vampire Lovers (1970)
02. Lust for a Vampire (1971)
03. Twins of Evil (1971)
04. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Books on Nut Ink:
00. Twins of Evil was novelised by horror author Shaun Hutson in 2011. I own it but haven't read it yet. I wanted to mention it in case any of you who would like to know of its existence didn't already know. Now you do.

Brimstone and Treacle (1982)

A second filmed version of Dennis Potter’s controversial TV Play that was made six years after the Play for Today (1976) version but released before it.
Sting plays the stranger and provides much of the music. I’d not have thought his musical style well-suited to the story but it’s genuinely complementary at times. His methods for ingratiating himself to the father (again played by Denholm Elliott) aren't particularly believable, but it was important to show the transparent nature of the ruse and the casual way he went about it. He’s a little like Kubrick’s version of Alex DeLarge.
It might look like a kitchen sink drama on the surface, but the dark, sinister turns in the story are shown without reservation; it’s uncomfortable viewing.

3½ fainting feigns out of 5

Brimstone and Treacle (1976)

Dennis Potter’s TV play directed by Barry Davis was banned by a fearful and controlling BBC before it was even shown. They eventually relented in 1987 and it’s currently available on DVD.
Michael Kitchen stars as a wicked confidence trickster who worms his way into the home of an older couple. With an angelic smile on his face he causes chaos, all the while pretending to care for their sick daughter. There’s more to it than that but it‘s best if the viewer discovers it by themselves. If you know Potter’s work you’ll know to prepare yourself for strong views and shocking turns as the layers are peeled away.
The visitor’s origins are purposefully murky but they’re less ambiguous than in the subsequent filmed version (1982).

4 peaceful arts out of 5

eXistenZ (1999)

I hope it isn't but it’s possible that the film is Cronenberg’s last full-on venture into the ‘body-horror’ genre that he excelled in. It contains within it many elements that fans of his earlier works will be familiar with, including the weird character names and sharp angled Canadian architecture, as if to say this is where the past ends, I'm moving onto genres new afterwards.
It has a lot in common with Videodrome (1983), not just thematically but in other ways, and as such I’d definitely recommend viewing Videodrome first.
If you expect to find something intriguing but sickening you’ll not be disappointed. How does a rubbery, foetus-like VR game pod with umbilical cords that plug into a bizarre anus in your lower back sound?

4 signs of the times out of 5

Escape from the Bronx (1983)

aka Bronx Warriors 2

A sequel to 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) set a decade later. Trash is back, biking through ruins and shooting at helicopters with just a pistol.
A villainous businessman wants to flatten the entire Bronx and build new, profitable ventures in its place, but first he needs to publicly ‘relocate’ the residents. He sends in helmeted death squads to make quick work of it. But wait, Trash isn't going to take that shit lying down!
The audio issues are as bad as they were before. However, the story is more focussed and purposeful than either of the other two films and for that reason alone I think it’s my favourite of Castellari's trilogy.

3 underground ball-scratchings out of 5

TerrorVision (1986)

A strange sitcom family (mercifully free of canned laughter) cock-up their satellite TV installation and unwittingly create a gateway into their home for an alien creature. It sounds weird, but the premise is arguably the least insane thing about it. The gaudy décor and OTT family stereotypes are both painful and satirically on point. It’s a terrible film, it really is, and for that reason I have no doubt that it holds pride of place in someone’s collection. I must say, though, the special FX are genuinely ‘special’ in the best possible way.

2½ brain rots out of 5