A brother and sister buy an abandoned house on the Cornwell coast only to discover that it is haunted by a malevolent spirit. More of a mystery film with some supernatural trappings than a full blown ghost story. Would've liked this more if it had a stronger denouement and leaned more heavily into the horror aspect. The light-hearted tone the film goes for often feels all wrong for what turns out to be such a tragic and traumatic tale. In the final scene everyone is joking and laughing like this had all been some jolly lark. Good ghost effects for the time, though.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Two lighthouse keepers (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) on a remote New England island in the 1890s struggle to hold on to their sanity when they are marooned during a harsh and unrelenting storm. Directed by Robert Eggers, this is a slow burn descent into total madness that makes no attempt whatsoever to explain itself, which is often the best approach with this kind of nightmarish horror. It is a truly handsomely made production, with some gorgeous black and white photography, and a pair of great performances by Defoe and Pattinson, but it just never fully clicked with me. This ended up being one of those films I admire more than I love.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Ingmar Bergman's historical fantasy is one of those films that most people can probably recognise instantly without ever having seen it because it has been referenced and parodied so often. Max von Sydow plays a knight returning home from the Crusades who challenges Death to a game of chess in order to save his own life. What surprised me most about this film is that it's actually rather funny with some genuinely uplifting scenes in-between all the meditations on the nature of existence and the role of unseen divine power in this cruel and unforgiving world. Death himself is quite the snarky fellow, as is the knight's squire, who at one point plays Cyrano to a simple blacksmith struggling to insult his wife's lover.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Peter Weir's stunning adaptation of the 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay. During a Valentine's Day picnic at Hanging Rock in 1900, a small group of students from the Appleyard College in Victoria mysteriously disappear without a trace along with their teacher. This is a dreamy and hypnotic film that is less concerned with what actually happened to the missing girls, but the devastating effect it has on those left behind.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After a string of mishaps that leave him broke, New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone (James Craig) agrees to sell his soul to the devil (Walter Huston) for seven years of good luck and prosperity. But when it comes time for devil to get his due, Stone has buyer's remorse and turns to noted lawyer Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold) to help him break the deal. Also known as All That Money Can Buy, this is a very American take on the Faust legend. It was originally a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét, which he later adapted into a play and then an opera with Dan Totheroh, who co-wrote the screenplay with Benét. It is easy to spot its theatrical origins, with the exception of a few scenes the entire film is confined to Stone's farm, but luckily director William Dieterle brings a lot of stylistic touches to overcome that. Arnold is perhaps little too “I'm playing a great American” as Webster (probably more an effect of the story treating him like some New Hampshire saint), but Huston is having a great time as the devilish Mr Scratch and saunters off with the entire movie.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A group of strangers get together in a cottage in the English countryside and swap stories about their own encounters with the supernatural. This anthology film was a rare step into horror for Ealing Studios, which was mainly known for its comedies. Only The Golfer's Tale, featuring Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford essentially reprising their characters from The Lady Vanishes in all but name, feels like a typical Ealing production. The quality of all the tales varies, but the standout remains the final tale, starring Michael Redgrave as ventriloquist slowly losing control to his domineering dummy. It's so good I'm kinda annoyed that it wasn't the plot of the entire movie.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
In 1930s Hong Kong, glamorous courtesan Fleur (Anita Mui) commits suicide with her lover (Leslie Cheung) when his rich family tries to drive them apart. Unable to find him in the afterlife, Fleur's ghost returns to Hong Kong fifty years later, seeking the help of a young couple in order to be reunited with her lost love. A heart-breaking ghost story from Stanley Kwan that also doubles as stark warning against the dangers of becoming lost in nostalgia for a past you never experienced and how tragic romances really aren't something we should romanticise. The whole thing is anchored by a fantastic central performance by Mui, an immense talent taken from us way too soon.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011 More Mark Greig
I own the Uninvited and enjoyed it, but also agree it was too silly at times. Reading up on it, the implied sexuality of some of the characters made this one a favorite among the LGBTQ community. I saw Ray Milland in Premature Burial and liked him there (although Price would have been better), so picked this up and found it a solid experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm very curious about The Lighthouse, and really need to see it one of these days.
"Admired more than I love" is such a great way to describe The Lighthouse. It's gorgeous and well-acted, but it's also a movie that my brain immediately switches into 'Tear This Apart and Figure Out How It Works' mode instead of just watching it and enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteI'm obsessed with Picnic at Hanging Rock.
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