Regensburg, September 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Mémoires pour Simone (1986)
TV documentary as a tribute to Simone Signoret.
Sensitive and insightful homage, more essay than docuemtary, typical for Chris Marker's style of appraoch.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Les diaboliques (1955)
The wife of a cruel headmaster and his mistress conspire to kill him, but after the murder is committed, his body disappears, and strange events begin to plague the two women.
A classic horror mystery melodrama that stills manages to thrill and shock; masterfully executed in all departments.
Halliwell***: "Highly influential, suspenseful and scary thriller with a much-copied twist typical of its authors. Slow to start and shabby-looking as befits its grubby school setting, it gathers momentum with the murder and turns the screw with fine professionalism."
Maltin***1/2: "Classic ciller builds slowly, surely to final quarter hour that will drive you right up the wall. A must."
First Lines: Adam Hall - The Quiller Memorandum
A couple of air-hostesses cames in through the glass doors, crisp and pure-looking in Lufthansa uniforms.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chainsaw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals.
Relentlessly effective horror shocker that stops at nothing in its terror - with grim humour (if you can take it) and all filmed in broad daylight.
Halliwell**: "Relentless horror thriller adapted from real events which also inspired Psycho; its cult success led to a flood of similar slasher movies, though few reached its level of sustained terror."
Maltin***: "Sweat-inducing, claustrophobic, unrelenting suspense-comic-horror film. Classic and influential - and nowhere nearly as violent as it's reputed to be."
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002)
Astérix and Obélix go to Egypt to help architect Numérobis who is building a palace for Cleopatra.
Fairly
entertaining live action adaptation of the beloved comic classic; well
produced, it has its moments, but a lot of the humour is quite silly.
Halliwell*: "Jolly slapstick romp through Roman history with some good gags along the way."
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
First Lines: Anthony Price - The Labyrinth Makers
Every August 14 for twenty-three years Mrs Steerforth put the same In Memoriam in the Daily Telegraph:
STEERFORTH, John Adair Steerforth, Flt Lieut, DFC, RAFVR. Lost at sea, September 1945. On this, his birthday, not forgotten - Mother.
New Stuff: Sonic Youth
An album recorded live at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago on October 14, 1987, featuring songs mostly from the album Sister - and I didn't have it yet!