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richard-III
Reviews
Night of the Living Dead: 25th Anniversary Documentary (1993)
Great feast of interviews
This documentary, "Night of the Living Dead: 25th Anniversary Edition (1993)", finds a fondness in the hearts of movie lovers who are grownup with George A. Romero's zombie film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). There are great interviews with the producers couple Marilyn Eastman en Karl Hardman, who played a couple in that classic horror movie together with their daughter, Kyra Schon (the first zombie child). Marilyn and Karl show what 1930s records they used to gather the soundtrack for the film for, including the sound effects. There was no money to contract a composer and an orchestra to write and play new music. Also there's a round-table conversation between Romero, co-writer John Russo, Karl Hardman again and Russell Streiner (Johnny, the first victim in the movie). Next to this there are small interviews with Sam Raini (EVIL DEAD, SPIDER-MAN), Wes Craven (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) and Tobe Hooper (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, POLTERGEIST). A treasure for any classic horror movies lover!
Les revenants (2004)
Creepy emotions
I found it to be a very good, eerie, sometimes creepy, but certainly emotionally disturbing film.
Okay, if you expected to see flesh-ripping granny's who leave their denture sets in bloodied victims, you might get disappointed. This certainly is not a horror/action movie.
One of Ray Bradbury's MARTIAN CHRONICLES told about one of the first earth expeditions on Mars, where they found a small town just like home, in the USA. Its inhabitants were deceased family members, loved ones of our astronauts, who completely forgot their mission and went off to the people they once said goodbye to. Bradbury's story end rather horrible, but the emotional quality is certainly here. And people who have experienced that their grandparents died, or their parents, or a brother or a sister, your wife or husband, know how it is to fantasize that their loved ones come back. Well, LES REVENANTS plays it out that they do come back. And what next?
Tuck Everlasting (1981)
A wonderful, almost classic movie
Although it has changed some minor things of Natalie Babbit's book, this 1981 film version is a wonderful and very moving film. The acting is good, the simplicity of the locations does wonders.
And it has my favorite music box tune of all times!
The frog has become a turtle is this film, which is okay, too (the 2002 Disney film version almost shows no interest in the everlasting frog story!). It is an everlasting turtle and in the end, after Jesse has seen Winnie's grave, it walks down the road (while we audience see the end titles and hear the music box tune). That ending blew me away.
A total 'A', or ten ********** stars.
De stille Kracht (1974)
Silent Power in the East Indies
When I was ten years old, the television series DE STILLE KRACHT (The Silent Power) was broadcasted. Though I was not fond of television drama, it was announced that this one was about Indonesia when it was still in the hands of the Dutch, at the beginning of the 20th century. Based on a classic book by Louis Couperus - a man who has lived and worked in the Dutch Indies himself - it tells the story of Resident (something like a governor) Van Oudijck's family and their contact with the Indonesian population. Van Oudijck's son has an almost incestuous relation with his young stepmother, while the resident himself is pulled into political chaos more and more. Indonesian freedom warriors, especially in Atjeh, again and again attack their colonialist 'masters'. On a more personal level, the resident's young wife is attacked by mysterious forces, probably because of her relationship with her stepson, and the fact that she is resident Van Oudijck's wife. Between rituals at the Resident's meetings with a local Regent (head), and ghost-summoning OuiJa board games, the whole of the Dutch Indies and the whole of the story seems to ooze supernaturalism. Almost everyone, maybe even everyone, there believes in the Silent Power, the supernatural powers of black and white magic. The actors, mostly the best of Dutch stage in the mid seventies, do an excellent job. The director seems to have had a very clear mind and mood, and the script is competent. Art direction is very good, remembering that for television there was not much money to spend on that.
The Guardian (1990)
Nice Celtic theme
This film is not bad at all. It has the delicious Jenny Seagrove (from "A Woman Of Substance" fame), and some themes that come from the Celtic world, like living trees and baby-napping. Read all about The Green Man legend (Kingsley Amis wrote a novel about it, BBC did a very good documentary on it, Robin Hood and wood god Pan are one and the same according to it, some British Christian churches have him above their pillars). THE GUARDIAN is not as even as another Celtic themed film, THE WICKER MAN, and sometimes it is too Hollowoodish for its own good, but Friedkin's directing style is still superior to many others.
Try looking at this film with a burning white candle and some incense, and maybe some Clannad before and after. :-)
The Dreamers (2003)
Bertolucci is back on the track
Whereas the word goes round that this film has some disturbing sexual scenes, I think this is Bertolucci's best since LAST TANGO IN PARIS and 1900 / NOVECENTO. At first seemingly casual, later on rather compulsive, the behaviour of the twin brother and sister, matched with the young Californian student absorbed me totally and drew me into the atmosphere of Paris 1968. The riots and strikes claiming to be the cultural revolution for the french, the love for European and American films (Bertolucci didn't show asian films here, like the works of Ozu or Satyajit Ray), the need to free oneself expressed in sexual and political freedom, it's all fresh and new again here. Bertolucci is 64 years old right now, and he remembers/constructs like it was yesterday.
Ganja & Hess (1973)
DUANE JONES
GANJA AND HESS is indeed an offbeat film. It is interesting, because of it not wanting to be just a blaxploitation film of the seventies, but it has a looseness which often makes it wander around too much.
Otherwise it points its finger to African culture, which is a great theme that could be investigated more often.
Duane Jones is fascinating as ever, even he's made only so-and-so-much films. I originally came to see GANJA AND HESS because of Duane Jones' great performance in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
Some Girls (1988)
A Fairytale Of A Movie
Rather unsuspecting I started watching a movie on television, co-starring young actress Jennifer Connelly whom I knew from the Jim Henson movie 'Labyrinth'. It started playful and lighthearted, but slowly grabbed me along its weird and wonderful storytelling path. This is a film to have and to hold, it grows on you. And Jennifer and her weird sisters are spellbinding and to watch out for!