And Soon The Darkness (1970)

4.5 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Robert Fuest
Written by: Brian Clemens, Terry Nation
Actors include: Pamela Franklin, Michele Dotrice, Sandor Eles
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 99 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one film that actually gave me the creeps, it felt real and they did a perfect job of giving off that vibe of alienation and horror. The story is about two young British girls (Jane & Cathy) bicycling through the back areas of France neither of which are fluent in French. After the girls get in a squabble Jane takes off and leaves Cathy suntanning out in the woods. She decides to sit at a roadside cafe and wait until Cathy catches up. After waiting quite a while she decides to bike back to try to find her friend, but she isn't there. Only a few random items are left as a reminder that they were ever there. A ways back a Fellow was watching them, could he have taken Cathy? Jane will stop at nothing to find out, and it's one frightening ride to say the least. I've heard some complain that many of the characters speak in French (untranslated) but the thing is, that's how the girls would have felt. I can only pick out a word or two of French but it was enough to know that something was terribly wrong. I was surprised just how horrific this one actually was, though it is rather slow moving at first (but not in a bad way, it just builds into a doomy tense situation). Recommended highly, this was a real treasure, thanks to Infofreak for recommending this one to me, it's frightening!

Availability:  On DVD but OOP

The Collector (1965)

5 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: A man kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there.
Directed by: William Wyler
Written by: John Fowles, Stanley Mann
Actors include: Terence Stamp, Samantha Eggar, Mona Washbourne
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Length: 119 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
One heck of a thriller really, you won't find many like this and it was so influential with films that followed like 盲獣 [Blind Beast] and The Silence of the Lambs. The story is about a man called Freddie (Terence Stamp) who is obsessive about collecting butterflies, only as it turns out he's had a more sinister plan. He spies on and follows the beautiful and vivacious Miranda (Samantha Eggar) who is a free spirited artist. Eventually Freddie decides to chloroform her and drag her back to the gigantic house he's bought (with a separate hidden chamber for Miranda). I think the big shock is the amount of detail and planning this would have taken, and the fact that Freddie doesn't believe he's really done anything wrong. He only wants Miranda to love him and he figures this is the way...by holding her captive. It's demented, brilliantly acted, both Eggar & Stamp deserve Oscars for this...it's so engaging and so well written, this is an absolute must!

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

Trade (2007)

2 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: You'll pay for this.
Directed by: Marco Kreuzpaintner
Written by: Jose Rivera, Peter Landesman
Actors include: Kevin Kline, Kathleen Gati, Alicja Bachleda
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Length: 120 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
While this actually started well, at first I thought it would be similar in spirit to Hostel seeing as how it was very violent, surprising and dark initially. Soon something changed and it became one of the most stupid contrived ridiculous films ever made. It's about the sex trade industry in Mexico, we meet two young girls who were flown in to Mexico in hopes of modelling work. They are kidnapped from the airport upon arrival pretty much, and also we follow a 13 year old Mexican girl called Adriana who is kidnapped off of her bike. The purpose of kidnapping the girls is to rape them, then sell them to areas in the US for more sex. Her 17 year old brother Jorge goes on a mission to retrieve his sister. Where it gets beyond moronic is brother Jorge goes on this unlikely friendship/getting to know you venture with a Man he randomly meets Ray Sheridan (Kevin Kline). It's overly long, and the downtrodden mood is quickly ruined by this silly buddy nature of it. Yet for all of my complaining I can't even seem to convey how much it sank into the depths of blah and it took so long to do so (the movie is sadly 2 hrs long). Somewhere in here is a good movie, if it had been completely rearranged and huge portions omitted but as is it was really a waste of time.

Availability:  On DVD

Cold Comfort (1989)

4 / 5
Tagline: It's not always safe to come in from the cold.
Directed by: Vic Sarin
Written by: Richard Beattie, James Garrard
Actors include: Maury Chaykin, Margaret Langrick, Paul Gross
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Length: 111 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I really love how unusual this film is...and it's rather uncommon, when I went to try to find a copy but everyone kept thinking I meant Cold Comfort Farm...sigh. Oh well, this is one lively Canadian picture, weird as all heck but a great cast and it's sheer strangeness make it a must see. The film is about a strange Father Daughter relationship between Floyd (Maury Chaykin) and Dolores. Floyd seems to erm be rather inappropriate with his Daughter and he clearly wants a piece of her. When Floyd comes across Stephen (Paul Gross) a stranded motorist in a ditch during a blizzard he is all to eager to dig him out. He brings him back to the house and gives him as a gift to his Daughter for her birthday. It's really very fascinating, I was very pleased that my friend Craig introduced me to this one because likely I'd have never come across it otherwise. One to keep your eyes out for, particularly if you like sleazy dramas, well worth the hunt.

Availability:  On VHS only unfortunately

Weekend Of Terror (1970)

2.5 / 5 Jan '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Jud Taylor
Written by: Lionel E. Siegel
Actors Include: Robert Conrad, Carol Linley, Lee Majors
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 74 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was a rarely seen made-for-tv "thriller" involving a kidnapping gone wrong. It's very light weight and it was rather cheesy considering what they could have made from the plot. Some kidnappers capture a girl, but accidentally she dies during an attack. They then end up kidnapping a similar looking girl and two nuns and holding them hostage. See they need to trick the fellow into paying the ransom and then they can make a getaway before they realize they were given the wrong girl. It's tolerable but certainly missing pizzazz or danger really, it never gets tense or even that interesting, you pretty much know exactly what is going to happen throughout. Oh well there are definitely worse films you could be stuck watching, I just wouldn't run out and try to find this one if I were you.

Availability:  Not on DVD currently

Abducted (1986)

3 / 5
Tagline:  Her morning jog became a terrifying run for her life!
Directed by:  Boon Collins
Written by:  Boon Collins, Lindsay Bourne
Actors include:  Dan Haggerty, Roberta Weiss, Lawrence King-Phillips
Genre:  Thriller, Drama
Length:  90 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

Sort of a scenic backdrop of the Canadian Rocky mountains is set for this tale of....abduction (you got it!).  A woman is out jogging when she is taken by some crazy guy named Vern who lives in woods and held captive at his cabin.  She of course tries to escape, but Vern chases her down again and all seems hopeless...or does it?  It's not as sleazy as it needed to be (I hate to say) to make it good for exploitation fans, and it's not interesting enough to be a good thriller for fans of that sort of thing.  It really didn't leave much of any sort of impression really but it's been quite a while since I've seen this one.

Availability:  Not currently on DVD

Commando (1985)

4 / 5  Jan '11
Tagline:  If there's a mission that no man could survive...then *he's* the man for the job.
Directed by:  Mark L. Lester
Written by:  Jeph Loeb, Matthew Weisman
Actors include:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alyssa Milano, Rae Dawn Chong
Genre:  Action
Length:  90 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review: 
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Commando...a former Commando who has now retired to pet deer and lick ice cream with his daughter (played by a young Alyssa Milano).  Some army men show up and want Arnold to help since his former Army buddies are being bumped off one by one but he won't budge.  That is until the bad guys come swooping in and abduct his daughter...then he has no choice but to co-operate!  The only problem is they want to force him to kill the President!  It's filled with amusing one-liners, violence and trickery...all the good stuff that action movies are made up of.  Satisfying though silly in many places, this is one to watch when you don't feel like thinking...just watching stuff blow up.

Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD

A Stranger Is Watching (1982)

2.5 / 5 Feb '11
Tagline: Beneath New York's Grand Central Station, a killer can hide, victims can disappear... and a million witnesses will never know it happened.
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
Written by: Mary Higgins Clark, Earl Mac Rauch
Actors include: Kate Mulgrew, Rip Torn, James Naughton
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 92 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I've actually enjoyed a few Sean S. Cunningham but this is definitely not one of them. I was surprised how tame it was, it felt like a movie of the week thriller involving a kidnapping. Now yes, towards the end we get a little knifey action but it's far too little too late. The plot is about a young girl who watches her Mom get raped and murdered. The it jumps to the future and she and Dad's current girlfriend (Kate Mulgrew) are kidnapped by the Man (Rip Torn) who killed Ma. From there it's a ransom situation with a "daring" escape as they are imprisoned below Grand Central Station with Bums (er homeless) galore. It should have been way more entertaining than it was, and perhaps if I had found that little girl less irritating I might have cared what happened to everyone. Oh well, certainly not a satisfying horror film or thriller really but it could have been worse.

Availability:  On DVD