Homicidal (1961)

4.5 / 5  Nov '09
Tagline: A WORD OF WARNING! Please don't reveal the ending of this picture or your friends will kill you - IF THEY DON'T, I WILL! - William Castle
Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Robb White
Actors include: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich
Genre: Horror, Black Comedy, Thriller
Length: 87 Minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one hilarious black comedy, and shocking (well until about the halfway point where it's a dead giveaway) but still! It's about a murderous Nurse who is looking after an old Woman with a lot of money. It's very hard to review this actually because I don't want to give a thing away because it really must be experienced with as little information as possible. Heck William Castle threatened to kill anyone who gave the ending to this away! I can say it's surprising, it's dark, I laughed a ton, the characters are amusing and the lead character is simply stunning as a homicidal maniac! This film's gimmick was a 45 second fright break near the ending for patrons who weren't ready for it to leave the theater. Kinda weak on his scale of gimmicks but the movie more than made up for it in style and sheer entertainment. I was glued to the screen from the beginning to the ending, it really is one heck of a film and I'm kinda surprised that Castle had this in him! Definitely watch now and don't read any more for your own good...

Availability:  On DVD

Strait-Jacket (1964)

4 / 5   Nov '09
Tagline: HER HUSBAND...HER ROOM... ......AND ANOTHER WOMAN
Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Robert Bloch
Actors include: Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 93 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Castle has done it again, another amusingly dark black comedy/horror picture only this time his gimmick was having a star...actress Joan Crawford. She does a stunning job as Lucy, who gave her Husband 40 wacks and when she saw what she had done she gave his Girlfriend 41! Or so I think that's how I remember it..., at any rate Lucy does kill her hubby and girlfriend with an axe in front of their 3 year old daughter (who looks way older than 3). She ends up in an Asylum for 20 years and we catch up with her as she's released. Lucy moves in with her Daughter, Brother and his Wife to try to adjust to life as a sane person. Her Daughter has a nice young Lad she wishes to marry and needs her Mom to be sane so his Parents will approve. Lucy seems to be having some coping skills (especially as people seem to humourously be using axes and knives around her repeatedly) but could she be responsible for several people's disappearances? It's pretty gosh darned entertaining and it definitely has that good old Castle vibe with the wit and sets and everything. The ending does beat you a little over the head with obvious information...it left me feeling like they thought I either didn't watch the movie or I was entirely a Moron. I guess to that point the story is clear...very very clear! Still quite a nice little gem that actually goes a little further than I thought it might but I think that's what makes it so gosh darned charming.

Availabilty:  On DVD

The Cremator (1969) aka Spalovac mrtvol

2.5 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Juraj Herz
Written by: Ladislav Fuks
Actors include: Rudolf Hrusínský, Vlasta Chramostová, Jana Stehnová
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Length: 95 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I guess this one just wasn't for me...over my head or too artsy or whatever you want to say. I did think the black comedy element was rather amusing, it did give me a few giggles. I can also recognize that it is a rather disturbing portrait really, a Cremator who absolutely loves his job wayyy too much. He also gets in with the wrong crowd and he begins to be obsessed with ridding the world of the Jews. Only trouble his, his family are part Jewish (you see where this is going) and as his dementia grows well let's just say the movie gets crazier. It's extremely dark, the artsy way it's shot seems to be a little too much for me, I found it nearly schizophrenic in places and hard to pay attention too. Unnecessarily obtuse I guess, but I'm sure that is just me as so many love this film. It's depraved sure, but not in a way I find very effective, watch it if you are curious because well I'm in the minority.

Availability:  On DVD

Fargo (1996)

4.5 / 5
Tagline: A homespun murder story.
Directed by: Joel Coen
Written by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Actors include: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi
Genre: Black Comedy, Thriller, Crime
Length: 98 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
My first Cohen brothers picture, but definitely not my last. I remember being rather surprised at the strange style here...definitely appealing but unusual. The plot is about a fellow named Jerry (William H. Macy) who is pretty desperate for money, so he hatches a wacky scheme to have his wife kidnapped for ransom (she has a wealthy father). Things of course go terribly wrong when the kidnapping isn't done properly and all it turns into a bloody mess. Then Police Chief Marge (Frances McDormand) is on the trail (and pregnant) and things seem to get even worse for Jerry what with the angry kidnappers and everything. It's one of those everything that can go wrong basically does things plus it's gross enough and yet it still has a sense of humor...it's very balanced. It's no wonder so many went crazy for this film, I thought it was pretty darned impressive and extremely memorable, definitely one that you simply must see.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Pretty Poison (1968)

4.5 / 5  Feb '10
Tagline: She's such a sweet girl. He's such a nice boy. They'll scare the hell out of you.
Directed by: Noel Black
Written by: Lorenzo Semple Jr., Stephen Geller
Actors include: Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld, Beverly Garland
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Black Comedy
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I actually thought this was really quite charming, who'da thought that Anthony Perkins could be out crazied? In this film he plays somewhat of a sociopath ex-con who convinces a simple beautiful young woman (Tuesday Weld) that he's a secret FBI agent. He charms her with tales of his imaginary life and even convinces her she's working with the FBI all in the name of getting back at the chemical company that fired him. When they go on a "mission" to rig the collapse of part of the building things go really wrong when they are spotted by the night watchman. It's really a bizarre film because Tuesday's character is really naive and well seemingly dense but yet well appearances aren't always what they seem. This is one unusually creative and fun to watch crime film with well written characters that seem surprisingly real and some nice violence. You can't go wrong with this one and there certainly aren't many like it....sort of like Bonnie and Clyde for the mentally disturbed!

Availability:  On DVD

Concerto per pistola solista (1970) aka Weekend Murders

3.5 / 5 Aug '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Michele Lupo
Written by: Sergio Donati, Massimo Felisatti
Actors include: Anna Moffo, Ida Galli, Gastone Moschin
Genre: Giallo, Horror, Comedy, Thriller
Length: 98 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was kind of a neat little black comedy/giallo offering, rather a strange hybrid but a serviceable one. The characters here are beyond colorful and weird, the story is revolving around a will and of course there is a murderer at large that seems to be bumping off the folks in the family. Georgie is a son who doesn't seem to be all there, he likes to play dead and act death scenes out to freak out his overbearing Mother. There is a local Police man who looks like an idiot but probably isn't as dumb as he looks, also a detective is part of the tribe who seems to actually be the idiot. There are many others too and of course one naturally will try to figure out the plot but I think it's more fun on this one to just ride it out and enjoy it and wait for the cards to be dealt to us. It's not as creative and bloody and far out as some of the other giallo films but it does succeed in being amusing and a little bit different. It's also strange that this is an Italian feature but it was shot in Britain and it feels very British. Not the greatest but recommended for fans of the genre who wouldn't mind a chuckle or two.

Availability:  On DVD

Barton Fink (1991)

4 / 5
Tagline:  There's only one thing stranger than what's going on inside his head. What's going on outside.
Directed by:  Joel Coen
Written by:  Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Actors include:  John Goodman, John Turturro, Judy Davis
Genre:  Black Comedy, Thriller, Mystery
Length:  116 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

This is really strange, even for a Coen brothers flick but I liked it.  John Turturro plays Barton Fink, a weird playright who has major writer's block while trying to come up with a script for a wrestling film.  He's staying in a gross seedy hotel in New York while trying to write and he becomes fast friends with next door neighbor Charlie Meadows (John Goodman) who is splendid in this).  Barton ends up continually distracted and soon finds himself in some serious trouble when a girl he beds (who is the girlfriend of another writer) ends up dead next to him one morning.  Soon the cops are buzzing around, Charlie seems to be more helpful than one might think and the pressure is on to deliver one heck of a script.  The first half plays very much like a surreal comedy, and the second half is a blackly comedic thriller I suppose but it's all very interesting and unpredictable.  It's just unlike most films I've seen which I really liked and although it sort of left me a little unsatisfied at the end but at the same time I really did enjoy everything laid out before me.  I laughed, it had a few tense moments and it's surprising.  Not their finest but definitely a must for the fans of strange comedies and Coen devotees.

Availability:  On DVD

Falling Down (1993)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  A Tale Of Urban Reality
Directed by:  Joel Schumacher
Written by:  Ebbe Roe Smith
Actors include:  Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey
Genre:  Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length:  113 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

Wow, this was not at all what I expected, it's almost like Death Wish in some ways...okay so less shooting and no Bronson but still!  The story is about an unemployed divorced fella named William (Michael Douglas).  We follow him on his quest to get home to see his Daughter for her birthday only just about everything that can go wrong does.  This leads to William abandoning his car in L.A. traffic and taking to the streets with a reckless demeanor...he's basically lost it.  The thing is, the streets are rather dangerous, but not as dangerous as him as he destroys and beats up just about anything in his path...it's really very exciting!  The only thing is a nearly retired Cop is on his path and not about to let him get away with all of his destruction.  This is one heck of a dark comedy that I really loved the heck out of, it's something different and one heck of a treat.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray