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Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) - 1/5
The father of gore's most infamous film is probably remembered mostly for its idea and not its execution. It starts out great, banjos roaring and confederates raging; in fact, the opening credits sequences paint an extremely uncomfortable portrait of an angry southern town. However, the next hour or so tears that apart with snail-rate pacing and an uninteresting storyline.
Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) - 3.5/5
A loving homage full of twists and turns, cinematic in-jokes and style. Argento gleefully fills the screen with all of his favorite Hitchcock moments (and ours too) but never crosses into kiss-ass or cheese territory, which is extremely impressive. Elio Germano does a great job at playing the sympathetic angle while remaining voyeuristic and nosy, and the rest of the unknown cast do a good job filling in the gaps around him.
Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) - 5/5
Becker's response to the noir wave is both gracefully entertaining and revolutionarily violent. The film takes its time in engulfing itself in a world which just seems to get darker and darker, constantly diving into lower depths of the city. As usual, Jean Gabin is astounding; here he is cool and sleek, not unlike a lot of the American noir icons, but he doesn't have as gracious a sense of humor and he's on the wrong side of crime. Modern gangster fare owes credit to the slow-burn, character-oriented plotting used here, though few films have been able to match Becker's engaging style.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - 3/5
A decidedly unfocused attempt at pairing Bram Stoker's meticulous novel with themes of voyeurism and cinematic invention. The film isn't a failure; Coppola is masterful in both his stunning visuals and his complex sound design, and the film is probably the closest Stoker adaptation to date. Unfortunately the acting is unnatural and uncomfortable. Oldman seems pretty at-home with his Count characterization, and Hopkins knows exactly what he is doing, but the rest of the cast is blatantly overwhelmed. Whether Keanu is in place as some kind of cultural joke is not important because his naivity is both boring and unprofessional. See it for its craftsmanship but don't expect any kind of groundbreaking drama.
To Have and Have Not (1944) - 4/5
The beginning of a beautiful friendship; Bogie and Bacall are immediately magnetic, their chemistry gleaming as though it had been alive for years. The story isn't exactly explosive (in the wake of Bogart's previously successful overseas film, this one seems recycled) but strong characters keep the film pulsing and rich. Hawks and Bogart reportedly never got along, but this never showed in their collaborations, which ironically were some of both of their finest career moments.
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