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The Lost Boys 1987 ★★★½
For a vampire movie, this one has surprisingly little bitey action.
It was however well paced and entertaining and Kiefer Sutherland finds the right balance between cheeky and menacing. And Corey Feldman makes for a good comic relief.
Also nice to see Alex Winter pop up.
Misery 1990 ★★★★
I can't get the review out of the cock-a-doodie keyboard!
Anyway...
Misery falls into that category of movies that somehow managed to elude me for a long time. Somehow, the timing never seems right or something else gets in the way. Some of you will know what I mean.
However, I finally got around to relaxing and watching and it delivered on all levels. The master Stephen King delivers a compelling story about a phenomenon all successfull artists will know all too well: the obsessive fan who does not take too kindly to them choosing a different direction. And who go a little overboard in their response to that.
Like a lot of the better King-stories, this one relies mostly on characters. Thus giving the actors an opportunity to shine.
Especially Kathy Bates. Boy, did she deserve that Oscar. She really made Annie Wilkes believable as that insecure psychopath with every innocent word capable of making her snap. Which is especially scary with that sugarcoat of friendliness and homeyness on top. You can tell that she loves baking cookies and be generous and giving. And then she turns on a dime and kills you.
James Caan... I always remember that story that Rob Reiner told on 100 scariest movie moments. I can just imagine Caan being like: Oh no... I'm in bed? A-gain? Really? Wonder if that was frustrating for him. Nonetheless, he delivers a great performance here. Emoting very well the fear and the insecurity that Paul feels. Especially in that one pivotal scene that pretty much everyone knows and talks about. You know what's coming and still... oh... my... goodness.
And while ninety percent of the movie relies on Caan and Bates, it would be remiss of me not to give a nod to the performances by Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen. They share good chemistry, even though Sternhagen does not get a lot of screentime. Farnsworth shines as the small town sheriff who slowly but surely works out what's going on.
The only point of criticism might concern the final jumpscare. From a superficial point of view, it might feel unnecessary and could easily be cut. And I am more than willing to believe that this is one clear example of “the book did it better”. But it does fit the point King wanted to get across. A part of me even tends to think this was one of the first moments he had in mind while writing this novel and somehow worked up to it. But that's just the fan boy spitballing and speculating.
Four well deserved stars.
Amsterdamned 1988 ★★★★
I got the idea for this rewatch from a Letterboxd-member who claimed this to be “the most Italian non-Italian giallo I’ve ever seen”.
And you know what? He could be on to something. Some elements come back that remind me of giallos I have seen.
- The score: very seventies and the bit just before the car chase definetily has some Goblin vibes in there.
- The colors: in certain shots, they definetily give off that sensation
- The cast: With his five o'clock shadow and his posture, Erik Visser may pass for a southern macho. And Martin does look like a giallo killer. In that aspect, I liked how they kept him ambiguous until the end.
- The imagery: There were more, but the ones I have written down include the mortician holding the blade, the shot of the bookcase with Laura in front of the cd-player, Martin playing the piano or the killer preparing for another honest day's work. Part of me wants to include Willy in front of the candle, but now that I think of it... giallos never really had many kids in them, did they?
Sure, some of the story is silly and goofy, but there is still plenty to enjoy.
The kills were either suitably elaborate (the house boat) or brutal (the knife between the legs or the shot of the first victim sliding over the boat).
The banter between Eric and his daughter is funny – the shot with the cat food never misses to get a chuckle out of me. Or the way Anneke berates for forgetting the ha-gel-slag.
Credit where credit is due: the opening shots of the killer swimming through the canal and the final confrontation right before the big reveal do have a dose of creepiness. I also love the shot with the Chinese kitchen at the start. You don't have to understand their language to hear the chef going “where's the damn knife?” and the other guy “huh?”. “Where's the fucking knife?!” “How the hell should I know?” *bicker bicker*
And let's not forget the cheesy cop movie jokes and last but not least, a speedbot chase scene through the bloody Amsterdam canals. With a speeboat jumping over a bridge! How cool is that?!
This movie has a special place in my heart and there is no way it will ever gets less than four stars.
Final note: beschuitlul might just be one of the best insults ever.
A Bay of Blood 1971 ★★★★
The opening credits immediately have the snarks covered. Paola Rubens? Is there something to Pee Wee Herman that we do not yet know? Some Angela Baker-ish backstory? Moving on.
The plot sometimes feels a tad messy and complicated, but that's not the point of these movies. It's all about style and atmos. And kills, obviously. And they are fittingly brutal. Especially that decapitation. Holy fucking shit, that's awesome. Or the ending? Wow. Did NOT see that coming.
But that meatcleaver kill? Ugh. Such a rip off of Friday the 13th part 4. You will not catch Steve Miner with this kind of silliness. Boy I'll tell you.
I also liked how they threw shade on pretty much everyone. Like the Burt Reynolds-looking Simon, with the creepy laugh. And of course in true giallo style, the movie is full of beautiful shots and gorgeous women.
Great stuff.
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