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A lovely, breezy musical that I’d never heard of before and glad I finally watched….even mediocre musicals are more fun than most ofter films. 
While Kathryn Grayson as the lead actress is pretty stiff (or playing to the cheap seats which is awkward), Ann Miller (the landlady from MULHOLLAND DR) is amazing with a vibrancy, a killer smile and a complete showstopper dance and song sequence in the beginning that will completely knock your socks off…its the kind of scene that makes a movie star so Im surprised she wasn’t a more popular face.
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS’ Howard Keel and his “MANLIENESS” is a joy to watch if that’s your jam and Kenan Wynn & James Whitmore (the old man from SHAWSHANK!) literally steal every scene they’re in as low-level hoods who get sucked into the production, especially their “Brush up on Shakespeare” number. 
The colors are vibrant, the camera is expressive and knows how to shoot the musical numbers even if some of the music and singing itself is…just OK. 
And it was shot in 3-D so there’s a few times where they go “WoooOOOOooohhh!” which would have been cool to see in the format. 
I kinda can’t wait to see this on the big screen if it ever plays in a rep theater as it’s got more than a few scenes you’ll want to clap for.

Umpentheetn screening of HEAT, I feel like I know every angle, every acting beat, every sound design choice and every “slick” edit (co-edited by Tony Buba the Sombrero-wearing biker in DAWN OF THE DEAD!). 
It still feels ahead of its time while being so painfully 90’s with every ing year. 
For me, perfect film even in its imperfections. 
And looks truly stunning in ‘Filmmaker mode” on the LG OLED screen which enhances Mann’s love for all the shades of grey in the film, from the LA night landscapes to Vals shark-skin suit during the heist.

Ive been a little cool on Wes Anderson movies as of late; nothing I dont NOT ire and enjoy, but it feels like he’s been using the same “engine” of over-stylized artifice for many of his last films lately and while Ill watch them all somewhat immediately, they usually wash over me like ASMR. 
Which is why this new film really grabbed me, there was a vitality and even mischievousness to the storytelling, something I feel hasn’t been injected in an Anderson film in a while. 
I LOVED how the propulsive score kept me on edge the whole time while still being twee and playful. 
And his approach to “action” always kept me off-guard because he was using the language of a thriller and making it his own. 
Mia Threapleton was fantastic, as was the rest of the cast (Hanks/Cranston spin-off please!) and Benicio is of course mesmerizing even when he’s not shooting a gun upside down SICARIO 2 style. 
But Michael Cera, at least in the first half, steals this movie right from underneath all the fancy rugs. 
Maybe the most enjoyable Wes Anderson movie for me in years, even over GRAND BUDAPEST. 

Soapbox: Let is also be known this may have been one of the most annoying times at the movies lately (Burbank 16); from the concession people (who all looked like they took edibles right before their shift) taking 25 min to get to my order (I Just wanted popcorn!) which made me miss the first 5 minutes of the film (which in most cases Ill bail out of respect but can’t afford that luxury these days) to the guy behind me talking in some foreign language LOUDLY to the point where I had to turn around and tell him to shut up (which came with the under-breath threats for 20 min after until he left) to the lady taking VIDEO of ver 5 minutes for her Instagram Stories….seriously, this couldnt have been a less optimal way to watch this movie…yet it still was as enjoyable an experience I could have gotten if it was a better environment. 

Sometimes movies can save you a little…
A beautiful, soulful reminder in cinematic form that our lives are made up of vast memories and little moments structured in a way that feels very much like a nod to King’s writing style and an intriguing way to set up and pay off a theme. 
Tonally somwhat of a mix of everything Mike’s done till now, showing he has a huge heart and can still pull some genre punches…it’s intimately epic (or epically intimate?) 
In some ways, it feels like a goodbye hug to one of our greatest storytellers too…but let’s not dwell on that for now. 
There were moments I got goosebumps, especially the 2nd act (you’ll know the scene). 
I have to let this process a little more but considering my own mental health these days it was 1 hour and 51 minutes where I wasn’t doomscrolling or wallowing in self-pity and walked out feeling…hopeful. 
That’s the magic of the movies. 
Extra points for brining my 80’s girlfriend back on the big screen in a beautiful role and the ALL THAT JAZZ joke. 
See this on the big screen.

Another Peak TV ex-showrunner’s feature length, star-studded warning for a streaming service…but unlike Sam Esmail’s LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND where I kinda related to some of the characters, here I wanted every one of them to fall off the side of said MountainHead. 
Reminded me a lot of Mark Pellington’s I MELT WITH YOU, just with way more egos and wealth portfolio posturing. 
Liked the first half more when it was just these tech bro monsters sniping at each other before the end of the world is propositioned. 
And for a film shot for TV, it looked damn good on LG’s OLED screen in “Perfect Black” to go along with the pitch-black comedy. 
In a way, the perfect horror film for our times and with every “story swipe”, a sad satirical reflection of where are and where we’re likely going.

A Leone blind spot finally screened thanks to Bill Lustig’s Blu Ray. 
A curious mix of buddy comedy and political thriller coming off of his 1-2-3-4 punch of the DOLLARS trilogy and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, this Steiger/Coburn two-hander has some of the most insane explosions in any film ever while balancing humor and horror set against the Mexican revolution. 
Some of the executions are stunning and haunting. 
Steiger and Coburn are a great mismatched pairing. 
The train crash near the end rivals any, including THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH and THE LONE RANGER. 
And the beautiful 4K images on the Blu Ray, including those famous Leone widescreen close ups, are made even more stunning thanks to LG OLED’s “Filmmaker Mode” which truly highlights the film grain and attention to detail only celluloid can bring to the mise en scene. 
Sure it could be seen as “Lesser Leone” but DUCK is better than most filmmakers best work.
Hard to find but worth the wait.

It’s been 35 years since I watched this John Badham comedy-action hybrid that WANTS to have the same tone of say 48 hrs but doesn’t quite know how to balance slapstick, goofy comedy and more dark thriller moments. 
That aside, Dreyfuss and Estevez are great buddy cops on a stakeout doing slight cancellable (by todays standards) actions while staking out Madeline Stowe yet their charm and chemistry kinda makes us forget they’re being kinda creepy. 
Whoever thought having both cops sport moustaches is either a mistake or a REALLY bold choice. 
Dreyfuss as romantic lead badass is a stretch but he kinda pulls it off too. 
The dog shit in the fridge was the biggest laugh when I was a kid. 
The log scene is genuinely harrowing 
Good Saturday Night brain-cancelling entertainment.

Michael Mann’s THE TERMINATOR? 
After watching THE KEEP I needed to rewatch Mann;s first film, a diamond-cut thriller of such precise bravado its almost a shock he veered into hard genre right after this. 
Maybe one of the coolest films ever, with a steely craft that with exceptional precision, right down to the way Cann speaks in cold, measured wording with a lack of contractions; He makes Chicago speak feel otherworldly. 
Everything in this film feels 1000% chosen and calculated, much like Frank’s process for breaking into a safe, even the out of focus shots. 
And the 4K version of the film benefits greatly from the LG OLED “Perfect Black” mode that enhances the Chicago rain-slicked, neon-licked nighttime shots in a way I’ve never appreciated before. 
Masterful debut right up there with BLOOD SIMPLE as announcing a true voice in film from the jump.

Yeah, what the fuck was that?
Mann’s maligned, mystical, messy, mesmerizing WW2 mish-mash is a film I’ve avoided for decades since I saw it once on HBO well before I knew who Mann was; it was just a weird film with an amazing poster that everyone said they hated; at the time, I just had no clue. 
It may be a total mess and in Mann’s eyes a film he disowns (Ive been there) you can’t help but take stock in the stunning craft involved in the film, thanks to a gorgeous 4K transfer to highlight the powerful scope of the cinematogrpahy and production design, along with hypnotic music from Tangerine Dream and the usual Mann detail to editing and sound design. 
Some images I feel Ive never seen before or will ever forget anytime soon. 
Great exploding bodies in slo-mo AND a highly erotic sex scene that came out of no where (not mad at it).
It feels like a dream/nightmare from the first to last frame, one where logic and linear storytelling are thrown in the void, and distanced from its initial release and aware of the cult following, it’s a cinematic curiosity you can’t deny in its ambition and craftwork even if it was heavily compromised.

Provocative, evocative and gorgeously gnarly, Doug Roos BAKEMONO is a kinda one-of-a-kind erotic body horror nightmare that reminded me a lot of Lynch’s HOTEL ROOM (or the Duplass Brothers ROOM 104) mixed with TETSUO: THE IRON MAN, Pink Cinema, POSSESSION, ENTER THE VOID, tentacle porn, etc. 
Sure it’s micro-budget (which Im sure affected the casting and production value) and yeah It takes a little time to get into the editing rhythms and story structure but once you get it it’s really engrossing emphasis on GROSS. 
It’s the kind of transgressive art-horror that youre either into or not (I was). 
Sometimes looks like famed DP Darius Kondji worked with Takashi Miike, in an exciting way. 
Considering Roos shot this in Tokyo only adds to the mystique of both the film and the filmmaking. 
Amazing creature and practical FX. 
Excited to see what Roos does next to push the boundaries….Ill def be watching.

For me, director Sean Byrne is now 3 for 3 with this ripper of a summer horror flick. 
A crazy mix of Serial Killer and Shaksploitation that transcends both subgenres successfully to make a great night at the movies (I wish I saw this in the theater, especially the last 15). 
For every convention I was always guessing where it was going to go next, which was refreshing…it felt like a story not (as Tarantino calls it) a “Situational”. 
And dammit you CARE about the victims; the two leads are charming, have great chemistry and youre actually rooting for them (even in the bleakest and meanest of moments, for which there are many)
Was alway on the fence on Jai Courtney (I still think his best role is in the first JACK REACHER) and here he’s allowed to SWING and it’s likely the most fiendish Aussie killer role since John Jarratt in WOLF CREEK (maybe even more watchable too)…he’s a BEAST. 
Great needle drops too. 
In a just world, this movie will make Hassie Harrison a movie star. 
A total blast cant wait to watch again and watch the score go up. 
Please don’t take 10 years to make another flick Sean!

Yikes.
If you’re gonna just copy exact jokes (with poorer comic timing) and “improve” on the original in ways that are sometimes confounding, I’ll stick to the charms of the original.

Again, big fan/sucker for the M’I movie so it was kinda bittersweet to watch what’s supposedly the final Ethan Hunt adventure (I think?) as I really did enjoy revisiting this series through my own life and filmmaking career. 
Wasn’t a big fan of the first 1/3 which got way too bogged down by all the previous film footage being used for flashback (did we learn nothing from THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 or EXTERMINATOR 2?)…this is one of those franchises where the audience wants to feel like they’re in the know or all the intel from other installments, I didn’t need to be reminded over and over. 
But once it really gets running, I was smiling like a moron the whole time. 
The last 40 or so minutes, from the sub scene to the bi-plane climax, was as good as the series gets so I walked out happy. 
I LOVED the legacy call back character (no spoilers) this time, very satisfying and loved when you felt the audience go “No way!” AND it’s a nice wrap up for a thread you never knew you cared about but only makes me want to watch the first film again. 
Good start of the summer movie season.

I grew up with Pee-Wee Herman in my life in one media or another, from first seeing the HBO show on TV when I knew it wasn’t for me to seeing him live on stage a few years ago, Rubens’ iconic character was part of my artistic DNA. 
This very effective 2 part doc plays with documentary form in an interesting way, including all of the catty remarks, sarcastic barbs and half-truths between Paul and the director which felt on-brand with the entire mystique of both the man and the “Luckiest boy in the world”. 
Amazing how much footage Paul had, it felt like he knew someday he’d be the subject of a doc (and the full-circle of having it on HBO was a little eerie). 
And all the highs and lows of his career was like diving back into my own childhood, what theater I was in when BIG ADVENTURE was released (and BIG TOP too)…which house I was in when PEE WEE’S PLAYHOUSE played every Saturday morning…when I heard the news about his arrest…his art was a time capsule, respectfully recounted by everyone involved. 
Can’t deny getting teared up by the end.

After an afternoon of movies, would have NEVER guessed this no-budget schlocker would be the most entertaining? 
It’s made for nothing, shot like a graduate film on 16mm with rep theater actors (ans/or neighbors) and the blood is brighter than the tone (which is equal parts dour and goofy) but at 61 minutes it delivers…if you’re in the mood for HG Lewis quality horror with a little more transgressive edge. 
But the lead, Priscilla Alden, is strangely compelling as she pretty much kills every jerk around her (I.e. everyone). 
And there’s a sequel?
Must see that ASAP.

Jean Rollin dark sex comedy that is always best enjoyed over a quality chicken sandwich and good company. 
….
It’s a Jean Rollin dark sex comedy, what more needs to be said?

A weird Spanish mix of FRIDAY THE 13th and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET that has some bonkers moments, a memorable slasher with a Freddy Glove rip-off where you can hear someone say “We need to make an even CRAZIER glove and also not get sued.” 
Also, that one chick has a HELL of a right hook, she punches EVERYONE!

From the poster (VHS box mostly, Im sure) you’d think this Canucksploitation posing as a Rolling DEATH WISH
Sadly almost everyone involved is too earnest or stupid to care about. 
The Killing Machine truck itself is pretty rad looking, even if it can sneak up behind hillbillies to exact…well, you know. 
Wish it was crazier (and bloodier) a la MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE. 
Also: Unless the Monster Truck is in the scene the film is pretty boring. 
That said, Ned Beatty is BONKERS, like he wanted to outdo his “boss” Gene Hackman from SUPERMAN times and make a character more southern fried despicable than Hackman in PRIME CUT…while also doing screen tests for the sequel of STREETS OF FIRE; it’s almost worth watching this…almost.

I’m bias because I’m part of the production but it was great to see Izzy Lee’s twisted vision on the big screen for the L.A. premiere. 
Some really striking moments and visuals and a ripping performance by Fanya Sanchez. 
Really effective cinematography by Sophia Cacciola and knowing it was a practical space, impressed all the more with how she created claustrophobia in that house. 
Also the “angry jogger” gives a towering performance. 
Viva Indie horror and Make Movies With Friends!

An always welcome rewatch of what I think is a masterpiece. 
Top 3 Mann for me, the film that made me fall in love with the director past his “Mr Cool” position from MIAMI VICE to show how versatile he is as a storyteller and can bring that same type of modern sophistication to a classic, period-based tale. 
Daniel Day Lewis SMOKES in this but everyone is lensed sexily you can’t not want to jump all their bones. 
Dante Spinotti shoots every scene like a love scene. 
Best kiss in Cinema next to REAR WINDOW? 
Wes Studi owns every scene he’s in and some he’s not. 
The beauty is effectively juxtaposed with brutal violence executed with minimalist flair and maximum editing choices. 
The last 20 minutes using the fiddle as the soundtrack motif is thrilling and heartbreaking. 
One of my favorite films (and maybe my Mom’s favorite film of all time).

Embargoed.

Watching this back for some research was a total mind fuck time warp. 
Being on the set of TERROR FIRMER, my first “gig” out of film school, was a crash course in indie filmmaking and seeing myself (tan, fit, wearing a ton of Clothespins and questionable facial hair) was crazy…what a little young’n! 
What’s even more surreal is, like the film and the production itself, the line between what was actual production and what was the scenes in the movie were constantly blurred thanks to us using the set as a “set” of a low budget horror movie and most people behind the scenes were also in the film and vice versa. 
Kind of Troma’s BURDEN OF DREAMS…or is it BURDEN OF CREAMS. 
Very rarely do you have a peek behind the curtain THIS raw and honest…it’s both exciting and trauma-inducing. 
It really took me back…I miss those innocent days. 
Long Live Troma.

The funniest tragedy.
I forgot how funny the film is, not as loud and annoyingly boisterous as Hulce’s laugh bursts. 
I think because of its costume-period prestige and all those Oscars that it felt like a bit of a stuffy affair to revisit, but I also watching this a lot on HBO when I was a kid not completely getting it all but having now considered myself somewhat of an “artist” applying my skills to an art form for public consumption, I felt more connected to both Mozart and Salieri in some ways, which is what I feel Forman was intending with it. 
F Murray Abraham (kind of a joke with his win as seen in LAST ACTION HERO) is absolutely transcendent as the antagonist in the film, with nuances and facial expressions that are so layered you both know exactly what he’s thinking but there’s always so much more to it than that….he’s magnetic to watch. 
Dick Smith’s makeup holds up great in 4K too, a rarity for films that relied on grain for makeup. 
And I had no clue that Elizabeth Berridge, the main teen from THE FUNHOUSE, played Mozart’s wife, she’s great as well. 
The editing and sound design -  really telling the story of genius and the parasitic control, theft and slow murder of creativity - is subjectively groundbreaking.
A breathtaking piece of work that may be one of my favorite Forman films now, absolutely worth rewatching for a symphony of inspiration.

As light and breezy a thriller as the blockbuster novel its based on, Sidney Pollack does a great job making a 2 1/2 hour Tom Cruise vehicle with an all-star ing cast MOVE with just the right amount of style, using staging, whip pans and other subtle tricks - even a split diopter or two - to let you know youre in capable hands from the same guy who did THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR but has chilled out a little bit. 
The infectious mostly-piano score never makes the film feel TOO intense, making the drama coast along as the actors swoop in and blast though the twists and turns in an exciting, old-fashioned way, to the point where you think at the end everyone’s gonna come out for a curtain call bow. 
Cruise is a perfect everyman here and even gets some running in! 
Gene Hackman does slimy so well with the right amount of charm. 
Ed Harris is unHINGED. 
But between this and HARD TARGET, Wilfred Brimley sheds his COCOON image with a wonderfully controlled performance that exploits the “Everyone’s Favorite Diabetic Gramps” into true menace without ever really raising his voice. 
Even Gary Busey gives a great performance, especially next to Oscar-Nominated Holly Hunter. 
Even Tobin Bell is in this bitch, exuding pale menace! 
The scene when Cruise tells Jeanne Tripplehorn their house is bugged is pretty amazing, all music and looks. 
One of my favorite parts of the film is the editing; watch how Pollock and his editors cut so short out of dialogue scenes like Friedkin did back in the day, making for an energy that keeps the film rolling and never feels dull, even if it speed-plots into what makes the Firm so…”particular” quicker than I the book. 
Great revisit when these kinds of smart, mature yet fun thrillers could be huge hits during the Summer Movie season.

A delightful, rollicking, Ireland-set romantic drama thats a lot lighter of a collaboration between John Ford, John Wayne and some other familiar faces they’ve worked with in the past. 
Maureen O Hara and Wayne are magnetic together in their rollercoaster relationship. 
Sweeping Irish landscapes, lots of pints and thick accents, more than a few punches thrown, some forceful kisses…this movie has it all. 
Even though Ford said it was one of his hardest to put together and how insecure he was over the film, it may be one of my favorites. 
A joy to watch and you wont get the score out of your head anytime soon.

Requisite rewatch before the (ha!) FINAL RECKONING. 
I love this series, so many elevated moments that make these special even when it gets drunk on its own twists and turn spy gobbledeeguck.
The closest relative to the low angle, canted style of De Palma’s first in the franchise. 
Feels less vital than others maybe because it’s essentially (or was) only half a movie (funny how they dropped the Part 2 angle in marketing the new film.) 
But damn if there’s not some staggeringly handsome, muscular sequences. 
Now bring on the series-long callbacks…if one of the flying doves from the end of MI2 don’t have a plot specific cameo I may be a little pissed though.

Really impressed with this Mega-Micro budget Splatter Western love letter (made for 40,000 on film!?) that combines the look of early Corbucci, feel of THRILLER: THEY CALL HER ONE EYE (without the porn cut in…but there are extremities!) and the no-budget gumption of EL MARACHI or the first EVIL DEAD.
Sure it’s rough around the edges (they clearly used EVERY shot they could, focus be damned) but you can’t not be charmed by how director/writer/producer/editor/DP/Composer/Likely blood wrangler Austin Snell cobbled this all together and makes it work, especially as an homage to Spaghetti Westerns from the snappy zooms to that familiar gunshot sound effect used in EVERY movie from abroad in the 70’s and 80’s. 
And oh yeah…it has one scene that will make men wince a LOT….clearly Snell has balls to bring a lot of gore and other provocations to the hootenanny. 
Has some very cool, intriguing choices (the use of dreams, some interesting editing choices using film flare outs) 
Kinda can’t wait for him to get a proper budget for some killer practical muzzle flashers and bullet hits. 
Really fun stuff; very excited to see it again on 35mm at the new beverly with a predictably receptive crowd who will get all the 10-gallon hat sized nods to a genre of yore. 
Bring on the advent of SpaghettiCore!

Not gonna lie, didn’t hate it. 
Like how NAPOLEON DYNAMITE’s Jared Hess brings his energy, humor, style and delibertly terrible costume to a big IP cash-grab 
Jack Black is playing The Most Jack Black and it works here. 
Jason Momoa needs to keep doing characters who let him play off his looks to add weird humor (like in FAST X). 
The FX rendering is good but sometimes REALLY creepy especially when the character designs are more fleshy. 
Jennifer Coolidge owns every time the film cuts to her. 
Im sure seeing it in a theater would have added to the experience but still, disposable fun.

Lustig’s super fun sequel to his Cohen-written SlazeCore classic is bigger in almost every way from the original and while I miss Tom Atkins, the way it connects to the first film is great and Robert Davi’s introduction is welcome to add to the party. 
The practical stunts are insanity…how did people not die on this? 
Possibly Lustig’s biggest movie and it rips.

Always watch it before a new JURASSIC movie comes out. 
Perfect Blockbuster filmmaking, no notes.

Gore Verbinski’s best film in my opinion. 
The way he constructs the action in the storytelling through humor-tinged staging and editing elevates this shrewd Disney money printer from being just another piece of content the way other films like it (and sadly the sequels). 
Everyone is playing pirate at peak form. 
Every setpiece is memorable and Jack Sparrow is of course instantly iconic the moment he steps on the dock (you know the moment.)

Sexy young Michael Caine in an equally sexy British crime thriller from the director of FLASH GORDON, which is why I first watched it as a kid and frankly, was disappointed at the lack of camp I expected from someone who made the camp classic. 
Hodges’ first film is loose and shaggy held together by Caine’s seductive performance. 
Riveting, muscular filmmaking.

I had never seen this Howard Hawks directed comedic thriller starring Humphrey Bogart in full dark-charm mode. 
Amazing this is 19 year old Lauren Bacall’s first film, she’s SO good, confident and holds her own next to Bogie. 
No wonder they fell in love during the making of it, you can practically see them playing the seduction game on-screen. 
Great romantic noir.

My love and iration for this Pre-POLTERGIEST era Tobe Hooper Carny shocker grows every time we watch it. 
Sure, the first 30 or so is slower, by the time The Monster starts unleashing his drooly fury on everyone in his way over one terrifying night at a carnival, it gets brutal and intense and is very effective. 
Andrew Lazlo’s widescreen, flare-filled cinematography really ups Hooper’s game here…something that VHS and cable stifled when it was reformatted in 4:3 pan and scan; some GREAT use of split diopter went unnoticed back then. 
Little brother is a friggin PERV. 
Glad the film is being reassessed thanks to a better presentation, Tarantino mentioning it in his book CINEMA SPECULATION and smart Cineasts like my wife prodding me to give it another chance.

Requisite pre-watch before the live-action remake, which I’m actually looking forward to. 
I saw this opening night and dug it…while it felt like it was more low-key than the 90’s golden era for Disney but like EMPERORS NEW GROOVE, has grown on me and now I love it so much, especially when you have a dog who keeps reminding you daily of the feisty little blue son of a bitch in this. 
Great character designs, lovely music, memorable Elvis-set montages (3?!), all just entertaining. 
I hope they keep the running gag with the poor, poorly tanned shirtless guy who keeps losing his mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Big-topped and boldly colored with an expansive cast and a huge scope bursting from the pre-CinemaScope era’s 4:3 frame, DeMille’s Carny melodrama is just a lot of fun. 
And Jimmy Stewart as the Clown with a secret steals the movie even over Charlton Heston, Cornell Wilde, Betty Hutton and many others, who are all swinging for the back of the circus tents. 
I get the hate with it winning Oscars over more deserved films that year (making it kind of a FORREST GUMP to HIGH NOON’s PULP FICTION?) but outside of that context it’s a treat to see Heston and Stewart in the same scenes together. 
Also: Stealth cameo by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby for the win. 
The famous train crash (a plot point in THE FABELMANS) is staggering even with the use of miniatures. 
If I was being nitpicky I wish they realized depth of field was a factor to make the blue screen close ups (both in the stunt shots and even just some close ups) more realistic (just needed to be out of focus in the background…DeMille, you amateur! ;) ) but also kinda adds to the old school charm in the craft.

A VERY gnarly, sleazy early Giallo. 
The Killer’s look follows many of the Giallo tropes (Lots of leather, hidden face, big shiny cleaver) but his attack stance, especially while running, is kinda hilarious - butchers knife held high like a proclamation as he chases his killer. 
One of the weirdest uses of score in ANY film I’ve seen; I’m gonna chalk it up to VERY bold choices to have slow scenes have a rhythmic, pulsing cue and actual chase scenes scored with slow music but it almost feels like the sound editor got his notes mixed up and the director said “Whatever”….otherwise I love the score. 
Some AMAZING 70’s craft with gorgeous framing (clearly the director is a DP, having shot some Leone movies), snappy zooms and at times an aggressive camera during chases. 
The dubbed version is kind of a hoot. 
Any any movie with CALLIBER 9’s Mario Adorf/“Rocco Musco” -aka our Dog’s Name - gets props. 
Love that these mean, nasty flcks are being given the Criterion Channel reverence.

“…Cause we’re the people.”


John Ford’s depression-era family drama is just as heartbreaking now as ever, especially in today’s troubled times. 
Gregg Toland’s cinematography is absolutely stunning, his use of rich blacks and shadows that could almost be a dustbowl-set horror film if it wasn’t so heartfelt and sad; There’s some scenes that are lit like CARNIVAL OF SOULS. 
John Carradine (from THE HOWLING!) is particularly gripping, as is Henry Fonda and the rest of the cast, but his former-preacher lends the film all of the emotions of the time. 
I wish more politicians overlording the struggling working class of our age would watch this. 
Sadly timeless. 
“…I’ll be there too.”
Tom Joad forever!

Death is back baby!!
That was a splattery blast.
The opening 20 minutes is a showstopper and it doesn’t really let up from there with the right blend of Shock, awe, Rube Goldberg death sequences and humor, hell even a little heart.
Zach and Adam KILLED it. 
See on a huge IMAX screen with a bunch of friends and you will not be disappointed.
Lovely send off for Mr. Todd as well (who got a nice round of applause at the premiere).
Never let this franchise die.

A strange film in that it’s not QUITE a comedy yet not QUITE reaching the darker noir notes fully to invest it’s stakes into the audience but still, cool to see Feig playing in a thriller sandbox and bring his comedic sensibilities to what would likely be a John Farrow nail-biter if this was a black and white film from the 40’s. 
Kendrick and Lively are really good together and seeing Anna start emulating the Fatale 
Feig’s always been good at assimilating style to his films from other genres, from action (THE HEAT, SPY) to Sci-Fi/Horror (GHOSTBUSTERS: MAKE THE CALL) and here the style feels less attuned to letting the camera go and capturing those Apatow improv moments like in the past for something moodier, made all the most atmospheric by great DP work by Bayhem vet John Schwartzman, enhanced further while watching on an LG OLED screen with Filmmaker Mode on to give it the right amount of noir-contrast even in daylight. 
Funny how the 2nd act actually sucked me in the most overall. 
Andrew Moody as the cop nipping at their heels with a smirk and a well-timed retort nearly steals the film. 
LOVED the use of French pop throughout the soundtrack. 
By the time the twists start twisting I was rolling my eyes but I think that was the point…it’s stylish, heightened, sexy camp where everyone’s clearly enjoying the darker side. 
Actually excited to see where this goes with the sequel!

I had only vaguely heard of this Peter Yates’ directed action thriller but when Bill Lustig says we need to watch it on his Sunday movie meet ups, we listen and Im so glad I did. 
Part heist(s) movie, part “one last job” existential crisis character drama about a small-time gangster looking to lessen his inevitable jail time by ratting out his “friends” is simmering with a quiet tension that saturates every scene with menace, not just the bank robberies done throughout the greater Boston area. 
Robert Mitchum is perfectly cast and exudes a world-weary air as he secretly blows up the world around him for a break in what little time left he has. 
The cast, from Peter Boyle to Alex Rocco, Richard Jordan and other “heavy” character actors are all solid…considering how much time we spend with the other characters who Eddie rats on, its practically an ensemble which only works in making you feel bad when they do get busted (or worse). 
Whoever in the gangs who was in charge of buying the masks for the various low-level bank heists should get a raise. 
While I love the score, most of the scenes you’d think would need score cues are left silent which make the film move slower than today’s action rhythms but also create a sense of menace and suspense that’s at times nail-biting. 
And MAN you do not expect the way things turn out, the final 15 minutes are as unpredictable as life. 
It’s no coincidence that Tarantino is a fan of the movie besides the fact a main character is named “Jackie Brown”; it has the same “hangout” vibe and many similar scenes of people meeting in parking lots to have conversations on the DL. 
It may not have the energy of Yates’ BULLITT, but EDDIE COYLE feels so real and matter of fact that it gets under your skin without a lot of empty movie style. 
Great film.

I feel like I saw this 2013 doc before but apparently not, which is surprising because I love Struzan’s work, it feels like a POV of pop art from my childhood. 
A nice, extended profile that’s more darkly personal and as sobering look the darker side of the business vs art than I was expecting.
Great to see so many of my favorite talking heads waxing Drew’s car.
Maybe the first time Ive ever seen a Split Diopter shot in a documentary, bravo. 
Lovely cinematic portrait of an artist I (and many others) ire and feel was a huge part of the movies as well as a case towards artists hand over the computers cursor.

Cinematic comfort food. 
It’s not BIG NIGHT, but this confection is a perfect Sunday screening with your mom (or hey, Mother’s Day! Slick release strategy Netflix), hopefully over some home cooking, enjoying all the familiar faces multiple generations can enjoy is a nice hunk of schmaltz.
The scenes of erotically filmed edibles are perfect food porn, especially when watched in all it’s close up glory on LG OLED in Perfect Black which really gives so much detail you can smell the marinara- will challenge even the most hunger deficient. 
Seeing all the Mothers together yelling and making their own Italian dishes was the most fun, their bickering and bonding could have been unscripted and I wouldn’t have been able to tell. 
I could watch outtakes of those actors for hours.
Also, Susan Sarandon - woah Mama, hoochy Nonna! 
As cheesy as a block of Parmesan and as creamy as the inside of a cannoli and as satisfying as a bowl of bucatini. 
Also: clever cameo/gat tip to BIG NIGHT.

Director Budd Boetticher’s westerns are lean, mean, no-frills westerns usually starring Randolph Scott playing breezy “what me worry?” Cowboys rolling in and out of town and this solid B+ flick is no different. 
It doesn’t quite hit the heights of THE TALL T (so far my favorite of his “Ranown Western” series lovingly restored by Criterion Collection) but Boetticher’s “elevated GUNSMOKE” style, filled with charming anti-heroes and sometimes stark moments of code-friendly violence, 
Would love for filmmakers to make some more of these types of simple, effective, non-ironic westerns that make the most of their budgets. 
Scott is as charming as ever, the way he deals with a death threat by shrugging things off and requesting a steak at the pub is truly inspiring. 
And Criterion’s new 4K transfer of BUCHANAN is gorgeous, as long as you dont mind a heavy dose of film grain which actually enhances the color, especially watching on an LG OLED screen with Perfect Black which modulates the contrast in those interesting “Day for Night” scenes. 
Boetticher’s work on films like BUCHANAN prove he’s one of those quiet auteurs who came in, shot what he needed, got solid performances and got the hell outta dodge, and for this I tip my hat atcha, Budd.

The second in John Ford’s Cavalry trilogy is a curiosity for sure; where FORT APACHE is a serious western drama recounting a real-life event in our history, YELLOW RIBBON feels like a side-story goof that the cast and crew decided to put together for fun between takes or after they wrapped because they had some money left over from the previous film….like BLUE IN THE FACE was to Wayne Wang’s SMOKE. 
John Wayne is actually “ACT-ING” as opposed to “RE-ACTING” like most of his Duke roles in this and I loved seeing him play lighter, broader, a little sexier with some camp swagger as the retiring Captain on one last campaign. 
After the stark, stunning infrared Black and White cinematography of FORT APACHE, the vibrant colors in this only add to the lighter fever dream of YELLOW RIBBON, with some frames BURSTING with color, especially if you watch it on an LG OLED in Filmmaker Mode the way ole John Ford would likely have intended it….this may be one of his most colorful films, even if it pales in comparison to his other works.

Quite possibly one of the best chronicles on the pains (sometimes literally) of not just making a movie but creating an unlikely franchise. 
The scene when the money drops out is one of the most harrowing things Ive ever seen captured on film (and been a part of in other instances). 
The amount of footage they had of the behind the scenes drama is staggering, it’s like they KNEW this was going to happen it almost feels staged. 
I THINK I even saw myself in the FantasticFest footage! 
Even if you’re not a WICK fan or care much about how the action sausage is made, this is a compelling story of one of our modern movie icons and how they tripped and shot into Cinematic legacy. 
A must watch for any filmmaker for an almost 4DX experience.

I grew up on PRESS YOUR LUCK as a kid (I mean, it had the animated Whammy, illustrated by one of my favorite filmmakers as a Kid, Savage Steve Holland!) so this was CRAZY to see a QUIZ SHOW like thriller about a contestant casing the CBS system, even down to how accurate they got the set and Whammy drawings (although, no animations at ALL? There goes a star right there). 
Paul Walter Ha is always great, he really captured “Michael” when you see the end clip of the real broadcast. 
Walton Goggins, however, looks nothing like host Peter Tomarken (who looked more like the principal in SUMMER SCHOOL) but still solid. 
MVP in the cast is Shamier Anderson, the producer turned private eye who also functions as the audience’s conscience by the end. 
What’s really surreal for anyone who watched PRESS as a kid in 4:3 on the old boob tube will be taken back over the almost AR-like experience watching the LUCK set in 3-D and on film in high def, especially when watching on an LG OLED in Filmmaker Mode that brings so much cinematic detail to how the director Samir Oliveros weaves GOODFELLAS like through CBS studios, enhancing the tension almost like a heist movie…and in a way, it kinda is. 
Would be an interesting pairing with WOMEN OF THE HOUR of classic game shows with a lot more goings on behind the studio curtain. 
Fun, sometimes gripping, solid performances…needed more Whammies.

Reminded me a lot of THE VIGIL and/or LA LLARONA.
And I’ll watch David Dastmalchian chew scenery in his own special way even through a door jamb. 
Hey look it’s Kevin from HOLLISTON!

Ok OK…Don’t QUITE believe the anti-hype.
The MegaBudget Russo Brothers RoboRevisionist history adventure feels like what the streamer has been striving for since it started making it’s own Hollywood product, a replication of the kinds of movie magic that was stoking the alforhythm for years. 
Like EX MACHINA, its goal was to create “life” but that can only go so far….and not to use the ole AI-generated dig but this “feels” like a Hollywood movie but also synthetic in a way.
That said, with lowered expectations, I smiled a bunch! 
What it did seem to replicate was that Amblin-esque formula or a “What if?” Scenario if Robert Zemeckis wanted to make a popcorn movie in 1995 after winning the GUMP Oscar and had a VERY open checkbook. 
That said, I guess I went in with absolutely no expectations but it was a fine afternoon watch with plenty of VFX enhanced scope, LOTS of payday casting (seriously it must have been a quarter of the budget to lock in big actors in small parts, sometimes confined to an LED screen) and on a LG OLED in the film doesn’t have that usual Netflix sheen; funny enough its reported they shot on 35mm so the grain actually pops more on Filmmaker Mode (likely how they intended over that dull digital look); interesting choice but it actually helped fall into the bombastic escapism. 
And throw an 80’s influenced Alan Silvestri score on any movie and Im already half engaged. 
Then again, every single needle drop of 80’s-90’s pop and rock songs were SO obvious, it’s like the music super checked out and dropped in overly familiar music to stoke nostalgia…try harder people! 
I totally get the hate around it too but I bet this movie will be another generation’s “favorite movie” the way previous generations hold flops like SUPER MARIO BROS or CONGO high on a pedestal. 
As the Junkfood Cinema guys say…”It’s not a good movie…it’s a GREAT movie” and if you go in for some Summer Blockbuster escapism it’s a breezy good time. 
As an indie filmmaker, you may throw your snack at the screen when you realize every 10 minutes was the equivalent of your entire flick’s budget. 
And sure…not an original idea seen around but that’s fine here. 
All in all? Didn’t hate it! 
Also,  WELCOME TO COLINWOOD?

Embargoed.

Ah, the 90’s, a transitional decade for Cinema; from the rise of Indie film to infiltrate the studio system to the end of the millennium with arguably one of the best year of Movies (1999), the show and business of film changed the art form forever…for better or worse depending on who you ask.
Either way, some amazing new voices came to play and some veteran filmmakers provided some of their best work and gave audiences around the world films we have never forgotten.
And thanks to LG OLED’s “Filmmaking Mode” you can view these films knowing they are likely the best way to present the look and feel of the artist’s bold visions the way they intended.

• King of New York
• Schindler's List
• The Shawshank Redemption
• Pulp Fiction
• Strange Days
• Kiss of Death
• The Matrix
• Three Kings

The 2000s were a special era in film. A new millennium offered endless possibilities for visual storytelling, and filmmaking shifted immensely on its axis. While following in the footsteps of the likes of David Lynch and Martin Scorsese, a new wave of writers and directors emerged and pushed boundaries even further. As creativity reached new heights, technology developed in exciting ways, too—giving filmmakers more freedom than ever before.

Today, LG OLED takes that spirit of innovation even further. With self-lit pixel technology that delivers Perfect Black, these displays don’t just show darker darks—they turn pixels off completely for a true absence of light. No blooming. No backlight. No washed-out grays. Just cinematic precision, exactly how these films were meant to be seen.

Certified by UL Solutions, LG OLED’s black levels meet the highest global standards, ensuring incredible detail in both bright and dark scenes—so you can experience the 2000s’ boldest films in a whole new light.

Now, are you ready to enjoy Noir films perfectly with LG OLED? If so, clickhttps://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-oled65c5pua-oled-4k-tv?utm_source=letterboxd&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=HQ-MS-COG_MS_TV_USA_25_Q2_LGCNS_Movie_lg.com_apms&utm_content=250401_playlist_cog-organic_conversion HERE to discover more detailed information about LG OLED.

*Applied models: M5, G5, C5, CS5, B5
*LG OLED Display is verified by UL for Perfect Black measured to IDMS 11.5 Ring-light Reflection standards.

• Pitch Black
• Shadow of the Vampire
• There Will Be Blood
• Panic Room
• The Descent
• Sin City
• The Prestige
• Irreversible
• Collateral
• Déjà Vu

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Happy end of 2024!

While this year was extremely tough, I thought it was a great year for Cinema, many films were instrumental in inspiring, enthralling, educating, exciting and at the very least, distracting me from the shit show of 2024. 

I know it’s a long list but (after the first top 5 they’re all pretty fluid) there was just so many great pieces of first-run works….many I may have really liked but loved the more they sat with me past my initial logging. 

Thank you to all the filmmakers who made some amazing cinema this year, you inspired me and likely made me very jealous. 

Agree or disagree, who cares?
That’s the beauty of cinema.
Don’t like it? Make your own list. 

Here’s to a banner year in film for filmmakers and film lovers….Viva Cinema!

• The Substance
• Challengers
• Anora
• The Brutalist
• Saturday Night
• Strange Darling
• The People's Joker
• Joker: Folie à Deux
• Late Night with the Devil
• Rebel Ridge

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

"Two old-fashioneds, for two old-fashioned people.”
-Barkley Cooper, MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW

Happy End of 2024!

One of my favorite things about Cinema and being in Love with fellow film lovers is sharing films the other hasn’t seen before…and even better, to fall in love with the film and the person who recommended it all the more. 

Here’s my favorite films I discovered this year that were clear blind spots that have been corrected. I hope a few become your new favorite discoveries someday too. 

Thank you again Bubba for another year of exposing me to some of my favorite new films. I hope I did the same.

• Make Way for Tomorrow
• Four Flies on Grey Velvet
• the Night
• Someone's Watching Me!
• The 4th Man
• The Wages of Fear
• The Silent Partner
• Golden Boy
• The Girl Can't Help It
• Lies

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Welp, better late than never…
here’s my favorite first run films of 2023. To be fair, I missed a bunch that Im sure would be on here otherwise but of the films I saw this year (581 to be exact, not to shabby!) these were my personal favorites. 

One major factor to these being on here was the theatrical experience (hence the inclusion of TAYLOR SWIFT and TOXIC AVENGER which isn’t out yet technically); I love a great audience experience which usually affects my score so a few of these made my list for having a great night in a Cinema. 

NOTE: These are mostly in some form of order, at least the Top 5 or 10, whatever.

NOTE 2: Yeah, I put my movie SUITABLE FLESH on there cause for all the times I had to watch it and Im still not sick of it yet and Im proud of the weird little fucker, warts and all. 
Whatever, make your own list!

• Poor Things
• Godzilla Minus One
• When Evil Lurks
• RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop
• Oppenheimer
• Barbie
• May December
• The Holdovers
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
• Asteroid City

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

One of the delights about loving Cinema and being with people who love cinema is all of the recommendations I get, those “You haven’t seen…[INSERT MOVIE HERE]!” that we write down and try to catch later. 
And this year was no exception in some fantastic classic films or some that just slipped me by that have been watched in 2023. 

NOTE: RRR is on here because I missed it last year so that counts, right?

• Humoresque
• Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
• RRR
• How the West Was Won
• Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
• Come and See
• Gun Crazy
• Busting
• Hellzapoppin'
• Modern Romance

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Hello Letterboxd! 

As a dedicated Letterbox’r myself (follow me at @TheJoeLynch) I love when fellow filmmakers make lists of films that influenced them in the making of their work on here; hell I’ve done a few of them myself for projects like EVERLY, MAYHEM, POINT BLANK and my CREEPSHOW episodes. 

But with SUITABLE FLESH (out Oct 27th in theaters and VOD; Blu Ray Jan 9th and streaming on Shudder in January!), which was not just a love letter to body swapping flicks, Neo-noir and Lovecraft films but to the collective works of filmmaker Stuart Gordon (RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND, et al), we wore our influences on our bloody sleeves here and I thought I’d compile a list of all of the films that contributed to the look, feel and execution of our lusty love letter to films we “enjoyed” in the past and love ing along to you as well! 

Some had direct inspiration to the film, while others maybe a stylistic nod or two, but all of them aroused our cinematic senses, tickled our filmic fetishes and got us hot, heavy and horny to bring you some crazy Lovecraft (Lustcraft?) lore that will spice up your night and beyond. 

Enjoy!

-Joe Lynch

• Re-Animator

  For me it’s the Granddaddy of Lovecraft adaptations that has direct ties to SUITABLE FLESH including Miskatonic University and some characters as well as many of the same crew. While the tone may be more extreme than FLESH, it’s definitely in the same gonzo spirit Stuart Gordon brought to Lovecraft. 
  Would make a fun double feature with SUITABLE FLESH for sure (play FLESH 2nd maybe). 

• Dressed to Kill

  If there was another spiritual ancestor to SUITABLE FLESH it would have to be Brian De Palma’s Western Giallo/erotic thriller DRESSED TO KILL.
  Clearly I stole (ahem) “paid homage” to a lot of the style De Palma was going for here, including Split Diopters and other visual tics.
  The gender fluidity and trans-nature of the film also plays a part thematically. 

• From Beyond

  Gordon does Lovecraft again and injects a BDSM bent on the classic prose the skews more Sci-Fi than horror but also has Miskatonic Ties and many of the RE-ANIMATOR gang is back (as they are in SUITABLE FLESH too). Maybe a hornier movie than RE-ANIMATOR and gave me the inspiration to go big at times with the dramatics. 

• Lost Highway

  We owe a lot to “Uncle Dave” with LOST HIGHWAY, from the whacked out camera lens look where the image warps and stretches to the brown darkness that plays a lot in Dr. Derby’s office at night. LOST HIGHWAY is sexy as hell and confusing as all get out, but it works and we watched it a lot before, during and after the shoot to get that weird, dream-like feel to the visuals. 

• Freaky Friday

  Still the best Body Swap movie in my opinion, a kids movie that seemed to start a sub-genre (even if the idea was as old as well, Lovecraft with “The Thing On The Doorstep” short story) but this one kicked off the trend in high campy style. 

• Basic Instinct

  All of Verhoeven’s was a big inspiration on SUITABLE FLESH but BASIC INSTINCT, with its own nods to Film Noir and its brazen execution of sex scenes was one we were hoping to harness even a little. Jerry Goldsmith’s score was a big influence on our score. Not all the sexual politics work but the classic style Verhoeven took from older noir works great here. 

• Bound

  The first Wachowski directed film is a wonderful homage to Noir but also its pro-queer storyline and strong leads makes this one of the hottest films ever. Loved the playful camera which inspired our own expressive camerawork in the film and the editing and sound design was a huge inspiration in post for us. Also: SEXY AS FUUUUUUUCK and two women leads that take no prisoners. 

• Body Double

  Another De Palma, this time in the more “SleazeCore” realm where he was looking to make the most sexual studio film ever and may have done it. Another Hitchcockian riff but done in his own style with many signature De Palma flourishes that satisfy my own cinematic festishes, many on full display here. 

  Also: Barbara Crampton Cameo!

• The Last Seduction

  THE gold standard for NeoNoir in the 90’s with the best Femme Fatale in years; Linda Fiorentino became a star in this twisty spin on Noir tropes from the 40’s where the Femme Fatale is the protagonist (kinda) and John Dahl plays us like a top, spinning all the genre plates in wonderful, confident fashion. 

• Body Heat

  One of the SWEATIEST films ever (and funny knowing it was a chilly set, at least temperature wise) Lawrence Kasdan’s noir homage has some of the best sex scenes between movie stars ever; the chemistry is palpable and yet never explicit. Throw in a murder mystery that is actually a great story and you have what they call a “modern classic” that holds up amazing today. 

...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

One of the great things about film is discovering a new favorite and 2022 gave me the opportunity to check out some great (at least to me) films that I missed in the past and glad I have now experienced them now!

• Thank God It's Friday

  This is the most joyous exploitation of a movement (Disco) and it’s just so camp and filled with weird delights it will forever be our go-to Friday night movie. NEED to see it in a theater!! I NEED to host that screening!
  And Jeff Goldblum? “Fabulous…”
  THE discovery of 2022 for me. 

• Spetters

  Maybe the ultimate Verhoeven “hang out” movie">View the full list on Letterboxd.

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I know it’s “technically late” (I mean, who’s counting right?) but here’s my top 15 films that we’re released in 2022 that I saw in ‘22 (or a few days later).
NOTE: I would put RRR on this list but I may save it for ‘23’s list.

• Nope
• Bones and All
• Moonage Daydream
• The Fabelmans
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• TÁR
• Deadstream
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Blonde

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Here’s a list of films I screened in 2021 that aren’t new releases but they were new to me and I’m so glad I discovered them.
Don’t judge me for missing out on these until now!
No particular order but POSSESSION was one that impacted me so much I’m shocked it took this long but I’m glad I saw it when I did.

• Possession
• Navajo Joe
• Random Acts of Violence
• The Bad and the Beautiful
• Bigger Than Life
• The Long Goodbye
• House
• Pillow Talk
• Sabrina
• Two Weeks in Another Town

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Here’s a list of my favorite movies released in 2021. I wish I got to see more new releases and still have a bunch I lm getting to but I guess those will be 2022 discoveries? 
Also, this is in no real order (and it changes all the time) but LICORICE PIZZA may be my #1 for the sheer joy it brought being in a cinema in glorious 70mm. 
Great year of cinema.

• Licorice Pizza
• Nobody
• Pig
• Candyman
• Red Rocket
• Last Night in Soho
• New York Ninja
• Benedetta
• Titane
• Werewolves Within

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

When I first read John Esposito’s timely and terrifying “Meter Reader” script I thought “How the HELL are we gonna pull this off on CREEPSHOW’s budget and schedule?” Yet, we somehow did it, thanks to an amazing cast and crew and a very solid idea of the world we were building, along with a very clear, post-apocalyptic meets western feel. 

One of the joys of this show is the ability to switch visual and tonal gears with each new segment of the anthology-based series, so to get the chance to mash-up styles and techniques tied to particular genres was a total blast. We watched a lot of westerns from the 60’s, especially Sergio Corbucci, who was the master of the “zoom master” (doing an entire scene in one take using deft camera placement and deceptive zooms in and out of scenes) and John Ford to achieve a scope not achieved yet on a show known more for more sparse, soundstage-based episodes.

Mix in some early George Miller roadside apocalyptic imagery and a heaping of Friedkin for our EXORCIST homage and you have a stew of cinematic references that really helped me communicate the world of “Meter Reader” to the crew and the audience.

• The Exorcist
• The Searchers
• Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
• The Great Silence
• Mad Max
• Hombre
• 28 Weeks Later
• Navajo Joe
• 1408

When showrunner/EP Greg Nicotero invited me back to do more episodes for the new season of CREEPSHOW he prefaced it with “I wanna see you do something SCARY again” which, after doing more genre/action hybrids lately I was all for! He specifically picked out the two segments for me, including the script for Josh (BIRDBOX) Malerman’s “Familiar” which, upon reading, I too was ready to get under the audience’s skin more.

Considering this was a blend of creature horror and psychological thriller, especially since the main character is never sure if the demon haunting him is real or in his mind, I wanted to watch a lot of films that dug into the psyche of the main character to allow us a more emotional journey…and also find the right visual moments and visual corners to hide the “Familiar” in all the right (and wrong) places. 

• Repulsion
• Carnival of Souls
• Drag Me to Hell
• Poltergeist
• Angel Heart
• Creepshow
• Hellraiser
• The Tenant

While “The Right Snuff” was a bit of a big swing for the series, going outside it’s usual realm of settings and into (cue Theremin) “Outer...SPAAACE!”, Dan Kraus’s script for PIPE SCREAMS was definitely the more traditional CREEPSHOW type storyline I grew up loving and still do to this day: those wonderfully morbid morality tales that push the limits of TWILIGHT ZONE-type anthology into a grander Guignol style and feel but never forgetting that unmissable mix of horror and dark comedy. 

Considering this was dealing with the rusty, rotting world of a dilapidated apartment building and its inhabitants with a location drearier and more rotten than the peeling wallpaper in BARTON FINK, my main visual inspiration on PIPE was Jeunet/Caro’s 90’s classic DELICATESSEN, shot by Darius Khondji (SE7EN, FUNNY GAMES, etc). That film in particular used color and wide angle lenses in such a wonderful way, creating dread and offbeat humor effortlessly while highlighting all those unique faces they cast when they shove a low angle 10-18mm lens in their faces similar to Terry GIlliam who employed this in more real world situations Ike THE FISHER KING without losing the audience in absurdism. I think we achieved that particular look so well (thanks to CREEPSHOW DP Rob Draper and his team) I’m expecting a lawsuit from Jeneut and Caro any day now. “Mes excuses, les gars!”

Then throw in actors like Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR, JAKOB’S WIFE), Selena Anduze (WandaVision) and Eric Edelstein (GREEN ROOM) who are completely game to chop it up with a literal “P.O.S.” and a crew who holds EVIL DEAD 2 and THE BLOB in high regard as I do and you have a recipe for classic CREEPSHOW.

CREEPSHOW season 2’s “Pipe Screams” episode premieres April 22nd on Shudder!

• Creepshow
• Creepshow 2
• Delicatessen
• Evil Dead II
• The Blob
• The Hand
• Barton Fink

When I read Paul Dini & Stephen Langford’s script for THE RIGHT SNUFF, immediately I thought it would be a lot of fun to play with the tropes of “Idealized Sci-Fi”, back when the genre’s tech and design was indicative of the times and not influenced by a grounded realism or NASA (yet). A time in genre cinema when directors, Production Designers, Special Effects teams, Costume Designers et al were tasked with creating worlds outside our own but still be somewhat believable. It was a blast going back to the films I loved as a kid that kinda came up with their own fantastical looks and designs that, at the time, likely felt real but now seem crude and unbelievable by today’s standards, especially after films like ALIEN and OUTLAND took a more grounded approach. 

It was so exciting finding old button-and-lever based machines to retro-fit into the controls of the ship and we even employed the “Saul Bass Orange” into the overall look of the Space Station Nebula, which was a gas. Plus, both our main actors Ryan Kwantan (TRUE BLOOD, KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM) and Breckin Meyer (CLUELESS, HAPPILY) discussed how to replicate the slightly more theatrical cadences of those actor’s performances from the 60’s and 70’s genre films into their own performances, which only added to the “retro” feel. 

It’s not every day you get to mix your Romero tropes and your Kubrick homages together into one DARK story, right? As we would say every day on the set...
”Hey...that’s CREEPSHOW!”

CREEPSHOW season 2’s “The Right Snuff” episode premieres on Shudder April 15th! Hope you like it!

• Creepshow
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• The Andromeda Strain
• Silent Running
• Dark Star
• Fantastic Voyage
• Black Mirror: USS Callister
• Vertigo

Hey gang,
Considering my new film POINT BLANK wears its influences on its sleeve like a corsage, I thought I’d list up the films that directly (and indirectly) influenced the visual style, themes, tone (what’s that again? Clearly I always forget) and even the production of POINT BLANK. 

If anything, our scrappy little flick will inspire you to watch some superior filmmaking on display that got our wheels turning too. Enjoy!

“Friedkin!”
-Big D/Joe

• 48 Hrs.
• To Live and Die in L.A.
• Lethal Weapon
• Sorcerer
• Shakedown
• Midnight Run
• Running Scared
• Freebie and the Bean
• Prince of the City
• American Gangster

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Someone asked if I would make a list of the films that were either in my head or my subconscious when I was working MAYHEM out conceptually, cinematically, thematically, what have you. Some of these film inspired me in a general way, some were vital during production as technical or visual examples, some were just spinning in my orbit as the creative juices we flowing and the clock was ticking. I think any of these would make great double features with MAYHEM and feel free to add whatever else I probably ripped off. Enjoy!

• Nine to Five
• After Hours
• Brazil
• Game of Death
• A Clockwork Orange
• 28 Days Later
• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Office Space
• Die Hard
• The Warriors

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My favorite 2016 movies...first 10-11 are in kind of an order, the rest are ones I really enjoyed this year.

• The Nice Guys
• Green Room
• Elle
• Train to Busan
• La La Land
• Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
• Gleason
• Arrival
• Sing Street
• Manchester by the Sea

...plus 23 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Here's a short compilation of the movies I loved this year. In order from my favorite film (WOLF OF WALL STREET) with a lot of "honorable mentions" near the bottom. Great year for movies!!

• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Gravity
• Her
• Prisoners
• Stories We Tell
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Spring Breakers
• This Is the End
• West of Memphis
• 12 Years a Slave

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Here is a list of films I'm watching closely as "research" for my new film EVERLY. Might be the film's tone, or a scene, a shot...but it's on here for a reason, big or small.

I love doing my homework...

• Die Hard

  The Godfather of Action movies.

• Oldboy

  A spiritual relative to our movie for sure. Dark, stylish, heartbreaking...and that long shot?

• GoodFellas

  Every frame will teach you something. It does to me every time.

• Bound

  An "enclosed space" movie that feels so dynamic and kinetic.

• Léon: The Professional

  Awesome euro approach to action, character quirks, widescreen scope

• Blood Simple

  That final scene...wow.

• I Saw the Devil

  Some of the most brilliant shots and scenes of dread and violence Ive seen in years. Best Serial Killer movie since SE7EN.

• Miller's Crossing

  creative angles, mood, inventive style, makes offbeat work.

• Sonatine

  Yakuza movie as sublime character piece. Beat Takeshi is the man.

• Hard Boiled

  Woo, Yun-Fat, double guns, pigeons, index cars. Need I say more?

...plus 36 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.