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Thursday, October 6, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Film series screening offers Howling good time
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 3:36 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE HOWLING (1981)
***1/2
DIRECTED BY Joe Dante
STARS Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee
The best of the three werewolf pictures released in the same year — the others were An American Werewolf In London and Wolfen — The Howling is one of those rare horror flicks that manages to integrate some humor into the proceedings without detracting from the terror elements. For that, we can thank director Joe Dante and scripter John Sayles, who both tweak the genre while still maintaining an obvious reverence; E.T. mom Dee Wallace, who delivers an excellent performance as a TV news reporter who unwittingly ends up at a resort populated by a werewolf colony; and makeup artist Rob Bottin, responsible for the astonishing transformation scenes.
Made for $1 million (admittedly, the low budget resulted in some shortcuts; check out the laughable conclusion to the campfire scene), this grossed $18 million and led to seven schlock sequels, none of which had anything to do with this class act. A top-notch werewolf flick on its own, this offers added appeal to film buffs, who will catch the brief appearances by horror-movie mainstays (including John Carradine, Dick Miller and Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J Ackerman) and the fact that most of the characters are named after directors of previous wolfman pictures.
(The Howling will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, at the Neighborhood Theatre, 511 East 36th St. The movie is being shown as part of the Bad Moon Rising series presented by The Light Factory, The Neighborhood Theatre, Actor’s Theatre, and Visart Video. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Details here.)
Friday, September 30, 2011
Film / Film Reviews The Wolf Man lumbers into local screening
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 5:12 PM
- Universal
- Claude Rains, Lon Chaney Jr. and Evelyn Ankers in The Wolf Man
By Matt Brunson
THE WOLF MAN (1941)
****
DIRECTED BY George Waggner
STARS Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains
"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."
For approximately a quarter-century, Universal Pictures was responsible for producing the lion's share of the classic monster movies, atmospheric horror yarns starring such genre superstars as Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Yet even with a canon that includes the definitive versions of (among others) Frankenstein, Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera, The Wolf Man (1941) has always remained my favorite of the studios' prolific output.
Film / Film Reviews Friday Film Reviews: 50/50, Moneyball, Abduction, Killer Elite, Higher Ground
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 3:09 PM
- Lionsgate
- Abduction
Click on the title to be taken directly to the review.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Friday Film Review: Drive
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 16, 2011 at 7:08 PM
Monday, September 12, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Blu-ray Picks: Citizen Kane & Michael Caine
Posted By Matt Brunson on Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 2:29 PM
- Warner Bros.
- Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles and Everett Sloane in Citizen Kane
- MGM & Fox
- Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill
By Matt Brunson
CITIZEN KANE (1941)
****
DIRECTED BY Orson Welles
STARS Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten
DRESSED TO KILL (1980)
****
DIRECTED BY Brian De Palma
STARS Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson
Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane has been cited as the greatest film ever made from so many different quarters — the American Film Institute, the long-running Sight and Sound survey, even Creative Loafing’s own poll way back in 1998 — it’s a wonder that a Congressional law hasn’t been passed making it required viewing for anyone who claims they like movies. With his first picture, writer-director-producer-star Welles introduced and/or perfected a slew of innovative cinematic techniques, as well as related a damn good mystery (“Rosebud”) and an even better character study.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Friday Film Reviews: Attack the Block, Contagion, Warrior
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 3:03 PM
- Screen Gems
- Attack the Block
Click on the title to be taken directly to the review.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Friday's Film Reviews: The Guard, Our Idiot Brother, Point Blank
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 2, 2011 at 4:32 PM
- The Weinstein Co.
- Our Idiot Brother
Click on the titles to be taken to the reviews.
And from earlier this week:
Friday, August 26, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Friday's Film Reviews: The Whistleblower, Conan the Barbarian, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 5:00 PM
- Lionsgate
- Conan the Barbarian
Click on the link to be taken directly to the review.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Friday's Film Reviews: Fright Night, One Day, Sarah's Key, Another Earth
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Aug 19, 2011 at 2:54 PM
- DreamWorks
- Fright Night
Click on the title to be taken to CL's review.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Film / Film Reviews Friday's Film Reviews: The Help; 30 Minutes or Less
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 3:39 PM
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Bank errors continue to cause wrongful foreclosures
Charlotte's Bank of America is all mixed up in this mess.
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5 Reasons To Buy Home Insurance Policy
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Question the Queen City: The story of Nellie Freeman, aka 'Razor Girl' 2
She decapitated her husband, was declared innocent, and never hurt another soul.
