The river has flooded in this comic fantasy, which has stellar production design but little sense of higher purpose
Purloined Jane Austen quote for a title, fog-wreathed wharves, smoke-spewing factory stacks, greasy spoons and, for those old enough to remember the Primrose Hill set, Sadie Frost’s acting career – no variety of antique Londoniana is unresurrected in Ben Charles Edwards’s comic-fantasy debut. The river has flooded his retro-unfuturistic capital, as Michael Winder’s piano player and Max Bennett’s sailor form a chance friendship and dream of escape to Egypt. But there’s a rising tide, too, of precious romanticism that swamps these “pilgrims not making any progress”, James Hatt’s stellar production design putting a fire under moon-dilated vistas but weighing down Edwards’s direction. There are moments of Guy Maddin-esque vim – like the crayfish that draws tarot cards – but even cameos such as Noel Fielding’s...
Purloined Jane Austen quote for a title, fog-wreathed wharves, smoke-spewing factory stacks, greasy spoons and, for those old enough to remember the Primrose Hill set, Sadie Frost’s acting career – no variety of antique Londoniana is unresurrected in Ben Charles Edwards’s comic-fantasy debut. The river has flooded his retro-unfuturistic capital, as Michael Winder’s piano player and Max Bennett’s sailor form a chance friendship and dream of escape to Egypt. But there’s a rising tide, too, of precious romanticism that swamps these “pilgrims not making any progress”, James Hatt’s stellar production design putting a fire under moon-dilated vistas but weighing down Edwards’s direction. There are moments of Guy Maddin-esque vim – like the crayfish that draws tarot cards – but even cameos such as Noel Fielding’s...
- 9/15/2016
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Reviewed by Kevin Scott
MoreHorror.com
The Beast Must Die (1974)
Written by: James Blish (Original story), Michael Winder, Paul Annett, Scott Finch
Directed by: Paul Annett
Cast: Calvin Lockhart (Tom Newcliffe), Peter Cushing (Dr. Christopher Lundgren), Marlene Clark (Caroline Newcliffe), Charles Gray (Arthur Bennington), Anton Diffring (Pavel), Ciaran Madden (Davina Gilmore), Tom Chadbon (Paul Foote), Michael Gambon (Jan Jarmokowski)
I’ve been on a werewolf kick here lately. I’ve watched new flicks like “Wolves” (review forthcoming), and some really obscure stuff like “Full Eclipse” about werewolf cops. It’s been purely unintentional, it just happened that way. This film is the one that lit the fuse, and the best of the pack. It has volumes of cool stuff going for it, and is ripe for a good remake with all new cool stuff made possible by modern technology. I’ll get to that later.
This is an Amicus film.
MoreHorror.com
The Beast Must Die (1974)
Written by: James Blish (Original story), Michael Winder, Paul Annett, Scott Finch
Directed by: Paul Annett
Cast: Calvin Lockhart (Tom Newcliffe), Peter Cushing (Dr. Christopher Lundgren), Marlene Clark (Caroline Newcliffe), Charles Gray (Arthur Bennington), Anton Diffring (Pavel), Ciaran Madden (Davina Gilmore), Tom Chadbon (Paul Foote), Michael Gambon (Jan Jarmokowski)
I’ve been on a werewolf kick here lately. I’ve watched new flicks like “Wolves” (review forthcoming), and some really obscure stuff like “Full Eclipse” about werewolf cops. It’s been purely unintentional, it just happened that way. This film is the one that lit the fuse, and the best of the pack. It has volumes of cool stuff going for it, and is ripe for a good remake with all new cool stuff made possible by modern technology. I’ll get to that later.
This is an Amicus film.
- 2/5/2015
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Here's another installment featuring Joe Dante's reviews from his stint as a critic for Film Bulletin circa 1969-1974. Our thanks to Video Watchdog and Tim Lucas for his editorial embellishments!
Which one is the werewolf? Finding the answer makes a neat gimmick, smart promotion of which should make this otherwise tame British import a strong contender in ballyhoo markets. Rating: PG.
This British horror mystery has a good audience‑participation gimmick going for it: a "Werewolf Break," during which the story stops to allow viewers to shout out the name of whichever suspicious character they think is the werewolf that's been wiping out other cast members. Reminiscent of the sort of surefire gimmickry that William Castle specialized in during the early '60s, this bit is being shrewdly promoted by the always showmanship‑minded Cinerama Releasing, and should boost The Beast Must Die to good grosses in fast saturation playoff.
Which one is the werewolf? Finding the answer makes a neat gimmick, smart promotion of which should make this otherwise tame British import a strong contender in ballyhoo markets. Rating: PG.
This British horror mystery has a good audience‑participation gimmick going for it: a "Werewolf Break," during which the story stops to allow viewers to shout out the name of whichever suspicious character they think is the werewolf that's been wiping out other cast members. Reminiscent of the sort of surefire gimmickry that William Castle specialized in during the early '60s, this bit is being shrewdly promoted by the always showmanship‑minded Cinerama Releasing, and should boost The Beast Must Die to good grosses in fast saturation playoff.
- 9/2/2014
- by Joe Dante
- Trailers from Hell
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.