Escape from Alcatraz is one of the grittier movies Clint Eastwood has starred in. It was the fifth and final collaboration between him and director Don Siegal. There’s no Dirty Harry-style catchphrases here in this true(ish) story of allegedly the only convicts to ever escape from Alcatraz island. Its a fairly dour affair, as Clint…
Brazil
Terry Gilliam’ famously fought a public battle against studio meddling over Brazil, particularly regarding an enforced happy ending. Heavily influenced by both Orwell’s 1984 and Kafka, the movie stars Jonathan Pryce as a low level bureaucrat, who becomes lost between his dreams and reality in a hyper-stylised city, somewhere between film noir and Lang’s Metropolis….
Dead Of Night
British film studio Ealing is famous for making many classic comedies (Whisky Galore, Passport To Pimlico etc) in the 40s. They also, strangely, made one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Dead Of Night is a ‘portmanteau’ style horror – later popularised in the 60s by another British studio, Amicus (Tales From The…
Pearl Harbor
Back in 2001, I was living in Japan. It was there I had the somewhat surreal experience of attending the world premiere of Pearl Harbor, in the company of director Michael Bay, star Ben Affleck, and around 40,000 Japanese. (I have no idea quite what they made of it). It is, frankly, a crappy movie…
Supergirl
I remember going to see Supergirl in 1984 to review it for my university newspaper. I don’t recall any specifics, other than it being an unholy mess! Helen Slater plays the title character (before vanishing from our screens), with Faye Dunaway chewing the scenery as the evil witch baddie. Brits Peter O’Toole and Peter Cook…
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen this 1950 gangster/noir, but I like this image of tough guy star James Cagney, seen here on the Belgian poster. The movie had the distinction of being banned in Ohio for “a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission….
Dracula
Hammer’s 1958 Dracula was their follow-up to the hugely successful The Curse Of Frankenstein, and together they set the template for “Hammer horror”. Director Terence Fisher is once again at the helm, and his steady hand delivered a new take on gothic horror. Notable in particular is how Christopher Lee’s Count sweeps down the stairs…
Jaws
Jaws is one of the greatest movies ever made IMHO. It was also the first time I was properly scared in the cinema. Although it was released with an “A” certificate in the UK (meaning all ages could go), there are a number of gruesome shock moments (notably the half-eaten corpse that pops out of…
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I seem to remember this being something of an Xmas TV staple when I was younger. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang originated as a children’s book by James Bond author Ian Fleming. I once had an illustrated copy when I was a kid. Its a fantasy tale of an inventor who restores a broken down old…
Creature From The Black Lagoon
The Creature From The Black Lagoon was the last major Universal monster. Released in 1954, the movie was shot and originally released in 3D. It spawned two direct sequels and the Creature (aka ‘The Gill Man’) has become a beloved horror icon. He was played for the underwater sequences by champion swimmer Ricou Browning. The…