Opening Night (1977)

I remember watching Opening Night (1977) a long time ago when I borrowed the Criterion Collection Cassavetes boxset from the uni library. I enjoyed it though I felt like I was missing something, maybe. You hear so much about John Cassavetes and then you watch one of his movies, and it’s such a singular experience. […]

Sleuth (1972)

Listening to several interviews with Knives Out director-writer Rian Johnson, he mentioned several influences on his take on the “Whodunnit?” genre (including some very obscure ones like The Last Of Shelia). I’d heard of Sleuth (1972) ever since an old movie book I once read spoiled the ending with its chapter on ‘Classic Movie Deaths’. […]

Hi, Mom! (1970)

A product of its times as well as being a statement on its times, Hi, Mom! (1970) is a free-wheeling satire of middle-class values. A young Robert De Niro plays Jon, a returned Vietnam vet in New Yorl who veers from one obsession to the next, beginning as a budding pornographer who wants to create “Peep […]

The Fury (1977)

I’m a big fan of director Brian De Palma for his signature stylistic flourishes, the way he uses music to score his camerawork, and how many of his movies deal with lurid images and/or themes. The Fury (1977) was his follow-up to his Stephen King adaptation, Carrie, and it also deals with teenagers discovering their […]

Prime Cut (1972)

At under 90 minutes running time, Prime Cut (1972) is efficient and taut like its mob enforcer protagonist Nick (Lee Marvin, another great role as a measured tough). Yet there’s also an original streak of perverse humour throughout, more than likely helped by director Michael Ritchie (who’d go on to specialise further in comedy with classics like The […]