My Favorite Movies

One of my personal favorite films that has had a profound influence upon my own screen and stage writings. Writer Anthony Schaffer has truly created the definitive "stage thriller"; it is the criterion in which all other thrillers of its ilk are measured up against. In addition to the clever and wholly original script, the spectacular performances turned in by Olivier and Caine bring this masterpiece to life! A tour de force! Essentially viewing for all avid film viewers!

Never has the term "lost masterpiece" ever been more applicable. Altman's surreal thriller was thought to be lost in a fire but a print was amazingly discover. The film is structured as a puzzle, with the film presented through the fractured mind of Cathryn (Susannah York). The film plays with the viewers mind as reality and delusion blend together into an hallucinatory blur that is challenging, yet incredibly fun, to decipher. Indeed, the tale has a twist in the end that is truly unexpected and gives chills down the viewer's spine. It is also important to mention the lush and dreamlike atmosphere the film creates, with some of the best landscapes shots put on celluloid (it's visual design is very reminiscent of Nicholas Roeg's "Don't Look Now"). If you are in the mood for a challenging film, do yourself a favor and see this!

Sidney Lumet does "Sleuth" bringing back Michael Caine and adding Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon into the mix, and though the film isn't as effective as that suspenseful masterpiece, this film is still a wonderful companion piece to the film with its own bevy of twists... including one that will knock your socks off! Only complaint: the ending is weak and ends the film on a sour note, but everything up until that point is an unpredictable cat-and-mouse thriller!

The characters are well developed and all are performed with gusto from the cast. The plot is clever and inventive as it makes the most of what is mainly a single location, and the ironic twists of fate are unexpected and draw the viewer in even more. The highlight of the film, however, is the wonderful visual design of the film, where colors take on specific meanings (the red as they dig the graves) and moments that reflect inner turmoil of a character's mind (the holes drilled within attic). A film that verges between clever entertainment and superb artistry.

From the great David Mamet who brought us such movies as "House of Games," "Heist," and "The Spanish Prisoner" comes another superb suspense-thriller that is filled with plenty of mystery and intrigue. Mamet takes an unconventional approach by slowly revealing the story layer by layer so you learn the story at the same pace as its main character, which admittedly creates some initial confusion as the viewer isn't quite sure what is happening... but that's what makes this film so great - you think the movie is going one direction and then another layer is suddenly peeled back and you find something else. Twists and turns abound in this slick, well-made thriller that even features a hypnotic score by Mark Isham that adds atmosphere to the wonderful script.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's masterpiece? Quiet possibly, only his hypnotic thriller "Cure" comes close in matching this spellbinding meditation on existentialism. The imagery of the film is mesmerizing as it transfixes your eyesight, causing you to be unable to take them off the screen, and you become haunted by a dark and foreboding atmosphere that seems to make dread an tangible entity. Though the visions presented may send chills down the viewer's spine, it is the concepts and themes explored within the film that truly frighten and unnerve the viewer, leaving them thinking and pondering about the unknown long after the credits have come and gone. Though the film is cold and depressing, this is deliberate in making the existentialistic nature of life all the more palpable. I am not exaggerating when I say that is one of the most frightening films I have ever witnessed.

A clever and witty mystery film with comedic touches, in the same tradition as Powell's own "Thin Man" series. The mystery itself takes several unexpectd twists and turns during the investigation that, along with entertaining performances from leads, keep the viewer watching. A must for mystery buffs!

Some of the best characterizations that I have ever seen within a film! The script provides each character with unique details, nuances, and subtleties that work to refine each one into a full, living person. In addition, the acting is phenomenal, especially by Joseph Gordon-Levitt; each actor is able to bring their characters to life. As a result, we genuinely care about the people on screen, and thus are held in suspense as they are thrown into tense circumstances that are out of their control.

The best Korean thriller since "Oldboy", director Ji-Woon Kim brilliantly combines elements of the spaghetti western, heroic bloodshed, hard-boiled noir, and gangster melodrama into a fresh and intelligent film. Admittedly, the film's storyline is fairy conventional in itself as it deals with a thug seeking revenge on those who wronged him, and true, the resolution never is in doubt, but it is not the story itself that is wonderful but rather the way the story is executed. Here, the characters are well-developed and sympathetic, making scene of violence all the more emotionally impactful, and Ji-Woon Kim adds moments of pathos with periods of lyric poetry that a truly beautiful to behold. Indeed, this has deep complexity underlining its conventional exterior. Highly recommended to all, not just action film lovers but anyone who enjoys richly developed and textured films that will leave a lasting impression on you.

One of the best British gangster films of all time. The film doesn't really concentrate upon the violence of the underworld but rather the characters who occupy it how they deal with the horrors of the business. As a result, the film is admittedly slower in pacing than more action oriented crime films, but this also results in a deeper, richer, and more satisfying film. The performances are incredible, especially Bob Hoskins who gives the performance of his career as the crime lord facing the longest day of his life. Special mention should be made of the screenplay as it is interestingly structured - the film opens with a bevy of vignettes showcasing what appears to be unrelated scenes, like pieces of a puzzle that don't seem to fit together. However, as the film progresses, we slowly learn what the images in the opening scene mean, how they are connected, and how they are, in fact, the very crux of the film! This is truly a very intelligent and mature picture that is essential viewing to not only lovers of the crime film genre, but also to lovers of British film and superb acting!

Very much reminiscent of a David Lynch film, complete with a non-linear plot that blends past and present together with flourishes of the surreal. An omnibus and foreboding atmosphere creates a hypnotic quality that draws the viewer in and the emotionally intense performances from the stars also demand our attention. The initial premise of the mystery (an amnesic man must find out what happened within the Spider Forest) is certainly intriguing and the viewer keeps watching if only to discover the answer, but the script is very abstract in its revelations and one may be even more confused when the answers do arrive! This is most certainly a film you need to revisit more than once as each viewing adds a new piece to the puzzle, one that can hopefully be solved. A challenging film that will require the patient and attentive viewer... not recommended for those looking for a conventional thriller.

Purely an exercise in genre filmmaking... The film has no high ambitions or aspirations, its only goal is to provide the thrills and it does so wonderfully. A tight and effective thriller, nothing more and nothing less... I am completely satisfied with that!

Due to its similarity in tone with such European thrillers as "Ils", "Haute Tension", "Calvaire", and "Sheitan" (possibly because director Antal hails from that wonderful continent), "Vacancy" feels refreshing when compared with most thrillers coming out of Hollywood. Up until its generic climax and cop-out ending, the film is innovative and resourceful. The suspense sequences are some of the best of late, with an atmosphere of unbearable tension that is sure to keep viewers squirming in their seats with nervousness. With no sexual content and very little gore, the film shows its maturity and restraint by not descending into exploitation as other films ("Hostel", "Saw") have done. As a result, the film is very Hitchcockian, abiding by the master's rule that situations become more terrifying when they are left up to the viewer's imagination...

In keeping the tradition of independent films, Universal used another indy director, Paul Greengrass, to take over for the great Doug Liman who did the first installment. Greengrass brought a realistic and documentary style to the series, which seems to be a trademark of indy films, and just made this movie all the more tense. Greengrass managed to make the simplest events to appear to be suspenseful and gripping and the pace is always full force through out; their isn't a let down in it's speed. The film chronicles the framing of Jason Bourne as the CIA goes after him thinking he assassinated some of their agents, thus beginning a cat and mouse game between CIA agent Joan Allen and Bourne himself, Matt Damon. This film shines the most in the simple verbal combat and matches of wits between these two characters as each one tries to out-smart the other one... and of the course the action is quite good as well, it being fast and intense, especially with an absolutely breathtaking and intense car chase at the end which will leave all viewers limp from tension. Though, as with any film, this isn't a perfect movie. The plot is damaged by some sever plot holes that are pretty hard to believe (I won't point them out because doing so will spoil some parts of the movie), yet the movie does a good job making you accept them, mainly by it's sheer pace you don't have time to think about it too much. Another complaint is that the kinetic visual style Grreengrass invokes is at times TOO kinetic, making it difficult for the viewer to decipher the events on the screen. Never the less, it?s still a great movie all around, nearly as good, if not AS good, as the first installment.

One of those gems where a film goes straight onto home video and is surprisingly good... not just good but great even. This is as dark as comedies get as Simon Pegg, David Schwimmer, and Alice Eve face one crazy problem after another. The film is basically a series of twists as there are mistaken identities, double crosses, ironic twists of fate, and just plain old bad luck that the characters have to deal with. Sometimes the twists teeter on the edge of being ludicrous but the enjoyable performances from the cast keep it together... and indeed, some of the twists are clever, with the scene at the priest's house being nearly ingenious in structure. Not a perfect film as it goes a little overboard and becomes more and more unfocused as it goes on, but never the less it is an enjoyable, funny, and above all *unpredictable* film that will have you guessing each step of the way.

Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller bring a stunning and wholly original visual style to the film to is very reminiscent of the classic film noirs of the 1940's, (and the narrative reflects this as well). Startling colors appear against the stark black and white creating wonderful symbolisms that make the material transcend its formulaic nature and genre. The story, alas, is not too original since they are supposed to act as homage's to these classic noirs rather than reinventions. The violence, however, is quite startlingly and unflinching in it's depictions of gruesome methods of torture. Possibly exploitive, but I'd rather think Rodriguez was trying to show how harrowing and corrupted this world is in which the characters reside. Very beautiful film, not original in plot but original in everything else.

Surprising surreal and abstract for a mainstream film, this film is indeed one of the better adaptations of a Stephen King story. The characterizations are rich, with Cusack's character constantly expanded and fleshed out throughout the film, making the situations all the more tense because we genuinely care for him. As for the script, it managed to play with genre conventions, setting the viewer up for the expected and then pulling the rug out from under their feet at the last possible moment, making it feel fresh and unpredictable in comparison with other mainstream offerings. The film isn't perfect as it becomes redundant and there are the occasional dull spot, but overall this was an excellent little chamber piece with enough twists and turns to keep you interested.

A genuine surprise! The script is tight, focused, and resourceful as it takes place all within a radio booth. The film relies mainly on dialog and clever story telling, which already sets it apart from the majority of Asian horror films that rely more on shock and atmosphere. The film delivers a series of twists throughout to keep you on your toes and provides several red herrings to play with your mind. A fresh and unpredictable entry into the Asian horror scene.

Slow to be sure, nothing much happens in this psychological mystery that has hints of horror underlying it. Despite a sluggish pace and no real conclusion or resolution to the story, the film features strong performances from the leads, moments of truly emotional intensity, haunting imagery, unconventional direction within its plot, and even moments of (albeit rough) poetry. The film is hypnotic and mesmerizing, but those expecting standard genre fare will be greatly disappointed.

In the tradition of such classic Noir films as "Somewhere in the Night", "The Long Wait", "Street of Chance", or "Strange Impersonation", "Shattered" tells the story of a man whose memory is erased from a car accident and he now has to rebuild his life from scrap. Things are going well until he begins to discover dark secrets about his forgotten past and enigmatic nightmares that haunt him. The plot is very solid with an incredibly strong sense of mystery (you keep watching to discover the answers to these puzzling riddles) and characters are well developed for the most part. Performances are solid, especially by Hoskins who plays an amateur private investigator and pet store owner with great wit and charm. The twists the film makes at the conclusion are indeed surprising and unexpected, yet be forewarned that they may require a suspension of disbelief. Still, if you want to watch a mystery that will have you guessing throughout (and probably proved wrong in the end) this is a very good film to do just that.

The best way to describe this film is "The Usual Suspects" by way of "Reservoir Dogs", and though its not as good as those genre classics it is still a solid mystery-thriller that fans of either of those pictures will enjoy. The narrative structure is non-linear with a bevy of flashbacks that slowly peels back layers of the story to reveal more and more answers about the mystery which surrounds the characters. Speaking of which, the characters are all well-developed and are embodied by a cast of fine actors. The film is fast-paced and there is never a dull moment in its hour and a half run time. Its speed makes it a very entertaining flick to watch but it is a flick that requires your full attention... pieces of the puzzle are embedded within every scene meaning only an active viewer will be able to put the pieces together to solve the riddle. Of course, as mentioned earlier, the picture isn't original as it draws much from other pictures but it is very well executed and intelligently constructed... I highly recommend this picture to all.

Director Michael Mann again proves that he is one of the best thriller directors out there today, creating yet another solid example of the suspense-thriller. Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a cold-blooded hit man who makes taxi driver Jamie Foxx drive him around Los Angeles to kill his targets with the cops in close pursuit. The film is tense and intriguing, with cracker-jack dialogue and interaction between the two main stars. In fact, the best scenes in the film are just the discussions the two have between one another. And of course the action is slam-bang as well, with a highlight shootout in a club. What also makes this film stand out above other films of its type is that it goes in unexpected directions, avoiding the standard clichés and making up its own material. The only problem is that some things pan out as being too unrealistic, invoking the "Oh, come on!" reaction from the audience (ie. the taxi cab gets totaled and both walk away without a scratch). Also, the ending is admittedly anti-climatic, but not such a letdown as to put a damper on the entire experience. Despite this, the film is still a very solid thriller.

A remake (of sorts) of Hitchcock's classic "Vertigo" - it even has the same composer, Bernard Herrmann! The similarities between the two films are so strong that it is impossible not to draw comparisons, and any film, let alone this one, would pail in comparison to Hitchcock's masterpiece. However, judging it upon its own terms, it is a tense and suspenseful thriller with its own unique twists and turns that even those who are familiar with "Vertigo" may be surprised. Director De Palma creates a wonderful dream like atmosphere and Herrmann's musical accompaniment adds to this feel. The script, though fairly tight and focused overall, does drag heavily within the midsection of the film, but the highlight of the film is the final act which features a series of surprising revelations and some well constructed suspense sequences in the De Palma mold.

One of the best films of 2007, this character study cum dramatic thriller has such complex, rich, and detailed characters that the viewer becomes deeply involved in the film, and the acting is so emotionally powerful and riveting (dare I say that this was George Clooney's best role ever, even better than his Oscar-winning turn in "Syriana"?) that the viewer's attention is glued to the screen, despite a glacial pacing that may test some viewers with attention deficiency. The thrills don't come from action, violence, and explosions but rather from the intensive confrontations between actors and the struggling with one's own internal demons... Destined to be one of those great thrillers that will be fondly looked upon in years to come...

The pairing of Plummer and Mason is one of the best representations of Holmes and Watson ever put on screen. The narrative is engrossing, very well structured, with the characters being well written and developed. Besides solid writing and superior acting, the atmosphere is palpable with striking period detail and a dark and omnibus mood. Only complaint: the pacing is indeed sluggish, at points, with the picture being a tad too long at 124 minutes. However, the mystery, atmosphere, and characters will keep you engrossed... I wish there was another pairing of Plummer's and Mason's take on Holmes and Watson, but alas there never was one...

Truly a feast for the senses... Tykwer creates such lush visuals, edits scenes with such fascinating cuts, and surrounds the film with such hypnotic sounds that the viewer is compelled to watch despite some issues within the script. Add the fact that the acting by the cast is pitch-perfect (though admittedly, Dustin Hoffman seems a little out of his element) and John Hurt's narration is spot-on and you got yourself one of the best thrillers of 2007.

Based on Tracy Lett's play of the same name, this cinematic adaptation is stays (mostly) true to it's stage source, which does make the film a little "stagy" (cinematically stilted) as a result. However, the performances are the real show here, and every single one of them are incredible. Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon (criminally unknown and underrated), and Harry Connick Jr give *the* performances of their career (they have never done better work) and this is certainly William Friedkin's best film since his 1977 film "Sorcerer" (though his 1985 film "To Live and Die in LA" is very good as well). The scripting is tight and focused (as most stage plays are), the dialogue is superb (real, clever, witty, and shocking all at once), and the characters are meticulously well-drawn (with believable arcs in each one's development). The only qualms I have is that there are some "dry spells" and is ending is abrupt and seems rushed. Other than these minor quibbles, this is an excellent "stage thriller".

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors from Japan, and with this film he continues to solidify that attitude. This film, though slowly and deliberately paced, is absolutely hypnotic and mesmerizing. His direction is so sparse that it becomes disturbing, as they isolated imagery of the characters reflect their isolation and disconnection from others. Besides the superb direction, the story itself is rather involving and clever, with some very bitterly ironic twists of fate that are both unexpected and painful to watch. Several sequences are unbearably suspenseful as well, such as when the inspector calls to their house or the scene when Sato is alone in the cellar... with a little black box in the middle of the floor! Speaking of Sato, Kôji Yakusho's performance of this man is right on target as he exhibits such a vast array of emotions with just the slightest facial expression, he is truly one of the finest actors working in Japan. Overall, this is a sad, depressing, emotionally wrought, disturbing, and disquieting supernatural thriller that may frustrate many expecting a conventional example of the genre, but others wishing to be challenged and be provided with rich food for thought will surely brace this exceptional film.

Enigmatic and perplexing existential thriller that asks more questions than it does provide answers... which makes it all the more intriguing and fascinating. The plot moves at a snail's pace and reaches no conclusion, but the atmosphere is haunting and the direction so hypnotic that one is compelled to watch. Indeed, this film will certainly disappoint audiences expecting a conventional mystery thriller... this is the antonym of that... in fact, it is anything but conventional! Adjust your expectations accordingly and you will discover a wonderfully surreal and abstract puzzle to be studied and solved.

A Korean thriller in the vein of "Se7en", this film features strikingly stylish direction from director Yoon-Hyun Chang, moments of chilling suspense, and a plot that is genuinely clever with manipulative red herrings and a few surprising twists. However, there is a major flaw: under-development and lack of cohesion within the said plot. The film's final revelation leaves the viewer in a state of confusion as multiple questions are raised but are left unanswered by the film. The lack of answers is not thought-provokingly ambiguous (which I would have welcomed) but rather it simply had not been adequately explained enough within the film for it to be cohesive with the rest of the plot (which I do not welcome)... it's as if the filmmakers had simply tacked on the ending for an added surprise element, or that certain scenes were simply deleted that would have more fully explained things (perhaps out of fear it would make the ending too predictable?). Regardless of this flaw, the film is still an effective piece of genre filmmaking that fans of serial killer-thrillers such as the aforementioned "Se7en" or its many knock-offs.

Well-developed and interesting characters, slick and stylish direction, witty and clever dialog, humorous situations, and effective action help mask the script's mediocrity. The plot is predictable and average but all the other elements make it feel fresh... and not to mention very entertaining.

This unique and visionary thriller has a plot that's more of a series of vignettes rather than a whole entire cohesive narrative, but that actually works in is favor as it acts as more of an exploration of the fantastic world Nimrod Antal has created, and what a world it is as its a wholly original vision of a futuristic society that is simply mesmerizing to behold. The visual design is stunning with striking imagery that really captivates the viewer, and the direction is stylish and kinetic, making it an intense ride for the viewer. The film also has a darkly comedic edge to it that provides genuinely hilarious laughs along its tense situations, often due to its clever and witty dialog and quirky characters. The film's structure is also abstract and surreal, with strange turns of the plot and hallucinatory sequences that are left to the viewer's own interpretation, making repeat viewings all the more enriching. Finally, the film makes many allegorical statements upon society (workers forced to live underground while the successful elites live above). Indeed, this is an entertaining yet challenging film, one that surprisingly asks quite a bit of the viewer with its messages and meanings... Highly recommended!

In terms of narrative, "Deep Red" (aka "Profondo rosso") is Dario Argento's most accomplished work. The plot is indeed tight and focused, but the most significant aspect is that its logic flows seamlessly, with no lapses in rationality (which is a rare quality amongst horror films). The story does offer a bevy of red herrings that seem to present only to deceive us, but in retrospect they too make logical sense.

Though the plot does utilize some tried-and-true motifs found in other mystery films, it does so in a very unique, clever, and effective way, making them feel fresh and unconventional. Indeed, its main "surprise" element isn't necessarily new but it's handled in such a brilliant manner that it's truly surprising (again, a rare quality this day and age)!

Admittedly, the atmosphere is not on par with the brilliance of Argento's own "Suspiria" - the visuals are still pleasant but are more traditional, and the score (provided by "The Goblins") is more intrusive to the mood than amplifying the terror.

Despite this, the narrative is so strong and the suspense so potent that it literally carries the film by itself.

My opinion: Argento's second best feature film (after "Suspiria") and quite possibly the best giallo ever produced.

Director Dario Argento designed the film not as a categorical horror film, but rather as a surreal fairy tale. Its construction is purposefully unreal and fabricated in order to create a dreamlike, fabled storybook semblance that manifests the perspective of the Suzy, a young girl leaving the security of domesticity for the first time in life. Her child-like innocence becomes juxtaposed with the harshness of reality that she has never encountered before, and as fairy tales did for children, she tries to interpret the unfeeling world while trying to maintain a sense of that said colorful innocence. Indeed, within the film characters are child-like and naive with their world is awash in iridescent luminosity that seems wholly fabricated. The dialogue is simplistic (as if a child was speaking) and the narrative is both uncomplicated and elementary with lapses in logic (as fairy tales often contain). The mystery, however, is potent as if reflects the mystery of a new life that Suzy is encountering. The music is ominous and foreboding, with a palpable dread that mirrors her apprehension in this transitional period within her life. These motifs lie buried just underneath the surface of what falsely appears to be a facile tale of horror. Indeed, it is the presentation of the film itself that is the main focus of the filmmakers as it creates a rich critique of femininity and the transference to womanhood.

Chan-wook Park's most politically-charged film tackles the very volatile tension that exists between the North and South Koreans. This could have easily been propagandistic in nature, with this South Korean film portraying the Northerners as mere caricatures of Communistic ideals, but instead the film happily sidesteps this and portrays both the North Koreans and South Koreans as kinsmen.

In the beginning of the picture, both sides have a skewed view of one another, seeing each through the lens of their political temperament - the border between the two thus is interpreted as a wall that filters and jades each one's perspective. However, once that that wall is finally crossed, the two sides realize that no wall really exists, and they begin to see each other as human beings - The soliders first call one another "enemies", but soon they are calling one another "brothers".

The characters are richly drawn and dynamic to reflect this - each are humans, with their own unique demeanor, and that their national identity is nothing more than a facade. While the soldiers are alone, away from their government infrastructures, both sides cling to one another in fellowship as they find themselves all the same. Only when the absent governmental element is reintroduced are the soldiers forced to revert back behind their facades, and tragedy results.

A powerfully moving and keenly intelligent analysis of the confusing political situation between the two opposing governmental systems. Despite being slightly marred by a few lapses into melodrama and overstatement, that can not take away from its piercing effectiveness.

The highest recommendation possible.

The most socially aware picture in Chan-wook Park's "Revenge Trilogy", this film is a biting and scathing commentary on Korean society that is truly unnerving, and almost frightening, in its power and authenticity. In this temperament there are no heroes or villains but only victims of society's indifference to people's plight. Sad, depressing, bleak, yet utterly moving and unforgettable. The highest recommendation possible.

Argento's first directorial effort is actually one of his best films, albeit slightly flawed due to his infancy as a director.

The narrative is its strongest aspect. The strength lies in the construction of the mystery, which is logical and clever with a twist ending that is both surprising yet rational - it isn't a non-sensical afterthought as most "twist" endings in giallos seem to be. In addition, the red herrings (which I often feel is cheating) don't seem forced and illogical - again, they are rational and cleverly placed.

However, the plot is slightly draw out and not as tight as one would like, causing the pacing to suffer slightly, but it's still possesses more focus than the majority of thrillers out there. Characterizations also suffer some what as many of the supporting parts are rather flat and one-dimensional. However, the lead character is focused upon greatly, thus making him nicely rounded and developed, and is also well performed by Tony Musante, all of which add weight to the proceedings.

Despite these small issues, the direction by Argetno is masterful. He creates a very palpable sense of dread that saturates the atmosphere, and the suspense sequences he constructs are truly effective and genuinely... well, suspenseful. Admittedly, the direction isn't quite as aesthetic as his later works, but the term "masterful" still applies to it.

My opinion: Argento's third best, after his masterpiece of surreal horror "Suspiria" and his iconic giallo "Deep Red".

Though not quite as successful as "Suspiria", "Deep Red", or even "Bird with the Crystal Plumage", "Tenebre" still is one of Argento's best films due to a surprisingly tight and cleverly constructed plot and artful direction.

However, unlike the other Argento films previously mentioned, this one is more exploitative than the others, relying more on shock and grotesque nudity to provide thrills, rather than relying on mystery, suspense, and intrigue to provide them.

Yet there is another side to this - Argento makes it blatantly clear, in both dialogue and development of the plot, that the film is meant to serve as a critique of violence in the media. In one such scene, a critic condemns an author for the violence he depicts in his works as it negatively affects the reader, making the reader themselves prone towards violence. There are several instances that expound upon this theme, but to cite them would mean to divulge the plot, therefor I shall refrain from doing so.

Perhaps the exploitative nature is then deliberate as these self-reflective scenes seem to suggest... or perhaps it is only just an excuse for Argento to use in order to depict these harrowing images of the grotesque. I tend to accept the former rather than the latter.

Anyways, this film comes recommended namely on the complex plot and the superb direction, but there is indeed a profound subtext lurking underneath its exploitative shell. Whether it was intentional or not is irrelevant - it's there and provides ample food for thought.

The film is not a categorical Giallo as it is often suggested as being, but rather it's more of a entry into the Gothic horror canon, with a incredibly strong sense of mystery that keeps the viewer intrigued even when the pacing becomes sluggish. The film is not exploitative (as most giallo films are) but mature, intelligent, and effective. Indeed, there is no nudity and little violence is present as the picture's primary focus is its complex, labyrinthine mystery that truly surprises the viewer with its unexpected turns of the plot. The film is also heavy on atmosphere, artfully directed by the award-winning Pupi Avati (of "The Story of Boys and Girls" and "Incantato" fame), which really intensifies the mystery, making it not only it spellbinding but also horrific and terrifying at times (especially near the end). The debits I perceive is that the narrative is a tad drawn out and some of the characters aren't as developed as one would hope, but the mystery is so good that it's easily to look past all these minor quibbles. Highly recommended to those who liked slow-burning Gothic mysteries such as "Don't look Now".

Often considered Argento's last "great" film, this entry into the giallo canon is unquestionably better than any Argento film that has followed it, but to call it his last "great" film might be stretching it a bit.

The directorial and stylistic flourishes - the hallmark of all Argento films - is indeed present, with some of his sequences of suspense ranking up with his best (the "peephole" sequence is especially memorable), and the cinematography by Ronnie Taylor is outstanding (the fluorescent lighting is beautiful).

However, the narrative - which is hit and miss in all of Argento's films - is missing here. There is indeed a potent sense of mystery and intrigue, but the plot resorts to what is essentially a string of murder sequences, with one following the another, leaving no real time to fully construct a right, focused mystery to be solved. All of this results in a climax that is, well... anti-climatic, as the film did not invest enough interest to make us truly care.

Regardless, this is recommended simply due to the masterful direction and beautiful imagery that Argento evokes. I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for Argento's films, however (for that, I would recommend either "Deep Red" or "Suspiria"), but if you enjoyed those, or even any giallo, then this is a very good addition to your viewing repertoire.

The film features stylish and effective direction from Amenabar that makes its already taut, focused, and clever screenplay all the more intense and suspenseful. The plot begins fairly conventional with a few predictable twists of the plot, yet this is all just a clever ploy to lull the viewer into a sense of security, only for the script to throw every possible trick imaginable to mislead, confuse, and overturn viewer's expectations in its genuinely thrilling last half. It may take its back and forth twisting to the level of preposterousness, but it is undeniably effective in surprising and shocking the viewer. It's a little rough around the edges but considering it's Alejandro Amenábar's feature film debut, it's a complete success. Highly recommended to anyone who loves mystery-thrillers.

Tight, focused, and effective thriller. Characters are well developed and the plot is resourceful in throwning in as many unexpected turns as possible to grab our interest. Nothing strikingly original, it just employs the genre conventions efficiently. Recommended.

Nowhere near as exploitative at the title suggests, the film is actually a clever Hitchcockian thriller about obsession. "Between..." opens with a title sequence similar to Saul Bass' title sequence in Hitchcock's "Vertigo", and the film's musical score is also very reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann's score for "Vertigo", making this film into an obvious homage to the Hitchcock's classic dream-like thriller. The performances are terrific and the atmosphere is hallucinatory with flashbacks, flashforwards, and dreams all blended together. The film does suffer from an unpolished screenplay that doesn't have a strong enough focal point, making it sometime incoherent and unfocused, and there a moments where is drags, but the film still manages to draw you in and the twist ending is truly a surprise (which is rare in this day and age).

Brian De Palma is America's Dario Argento, complete with a reciprocal visual vivaciousness in his directorial style and a psychosomatic sexual perturbation within his plotting.

"Dressed to Kill" epitomizes the prevailing traits of the giallo genre - beautiful women brutally murdered in the most beautiful of ways, severe sexual repression leading to eruptions of carnal violence, etc. - while concurrently making it wholly its own.

The plot fairly straight-forward and certainly is unoriginal, but this is due to the fact that De Palma's focus is not the narrative but rather a vigorous analysis of duality vis-a-vis his visual bravura.

Duality is the most dominant theme in Brian De Palma's "Dressed to Kill" which is developed extensively through his creative fabrication of mise-en-scene. He populates the cinematic images with a multitude of motifs such as mirrors, windows, glass, and reflective surfaces to visualize this concept of duality.

However, this duality not only exhibits the characters' multiple identities, but also articulates the characterÂ?s' partitioned relations between one another. Let me clarify - The characters appear to be located on the same plane, and are visible to both one another and the audience, but are disconnected and isolated by a clear obstruction such as a window or shower door.

Indeed, this is De Palma's tour-de-force with its plethora of visual motifs that add a rick and textured subtext to the proceedings, making the film ripe for analysis and discussion.

I must confess: I do not like the cinema of Lucio Fulci. Although he is often considered a top tier director of Italian horror/gialli, I found his films to be nothing more than exploitative and shameless, capitalizing on violence and sex to appeal to nothing but the viewer's carnal desires while providing little (if any) intelligence for the viewer's mind and cognitive thinking.

Imagine my surprise when I found this not only to be a *good* movie, but also quite possibly one of the best gialli I have ever seen (second only to some of Dario Argento's best work).

Despite a rather unnecessarily violent and gory opening (which is more laughable than shocking), the film is very subtle and restrained, with no nudity and very little violence, focusing upon its labyrinthine mystery to provide the thrills rather than anything visceral.

And the mystery is superb, playing out very much like a jigsaw puzzle. The main character (Jennifer O'Neal) sees a barrage of images in the opening of the film, like pieces of a puzzle, and as the film progresses we see the pieces beginning to come into place and form a whole picture. All of this creates a very engrossing experience as we get en-wrapped within he mystery.

That is not to say the film is totally devoid of visceral thrills. The suspense sequences are genuinely suspenseful, with the chase scene in the run-down church being almost unbearable in its potent tension. Not to mention, the very last sequence in the house will also have you on the edge of your seat.

And the story isn't the only thing that makes this giallo work so well - the direction by Fulci (I can't believe I'm saying this) is magnificent, with such stunning sequences of camera movements and edits that just draw the viewer into the action. Also, the music by Bixio, Frizzi, and Tempera is hypnotic, creating a very much palpable atmosphere of dread and ominous foreboding.

However, I don't mean to sound like this is a masterpiece of Italian cinema - it's not. I am merely so shocked at how good this film is considering its filmmaking pedigree. The opening scene, as mentioned earlier, is entirely out of place, and the plot, while complex, is strangely perdictable once you begin to understand what's happening.

Despite this, the plot is tight, focused, and clever, with genuine suspense, which makes it one of the best giallo films ever.

Essential viewing for not only giallo fans, but also any lover of a good mystery.

The film starts off fairly routine as it appears to follow the "is she crazy or isn't she" story formula to a T, complete with the perdictable twist that reveals the answer to the said question. However, what elevates this above other "Les Diaboliques" imitators is the fact that the film doesn't end at the twist but continues, offering up its own original twists that are both genuinely clever and surprising, making the plot much more complex and intricate than we originally thought it was. In the end, the routine predictably of its opening reels was to only lull the viewer into a false sense of confidence, only to undermine that confidence within its closing act with its startling twists.

Hammer Studio's best of their many "Hitchcockian" thrillers they produced (including "Paranoiac" and "Nightmare").

��lex de la Iglesia's entry into the "Peli­culas para No Dormir" series is definitely the best of the lot. This macabre tale of ghostly hauntings is not only inspired by the classics of European horror, but also is surprisingly influenced by several Italian gialli (most notably Argento's "Deep Red" and Fulici's "Seven Notes in Black"). By mixing the creeping dread of the horror genre with the noteworthy twists of a giallo, the film is made all the more effective in creating a truly shocking experience; it slyly shifts between each genre's motifs to make the ride both chilling and unpredictable. Admittedly, it's not original per se as it borrows much from other films, but this is because Iglesia was simply crafting a very reverent homage which pays tribute to its genre roots. However, it is still clever and intuitive on its own terms.

An interesting stagy thriller with several twists and turns that draw the viewer in. The acting is generally good, though it sometimes wavers, and the plot goes in and out of focus. However, once the film enters its final act, it gains complete focus and opens up the flood gates to a long series of twists, with a final trump card that is genuinely surprising!

This horrific thriller had alot going for it: a terrific cast, each giving a solid performance; an clever opening sequence that added genuine mystery to the film; dark and foreboding atmosphere; a genuinely surprising twist half-way through... But unfortunately, as the narrative progresses, the more it reverts to simply slasher-film conventions. In addition, the film's final twists seem to just make everything that came before it meaningless, not to mention that there were quite obvious, thus leaving a sour aftertaste in the viewer's mouth. It's really a shame because the opening sequences were so good that I almost thought we had a classic on our hands...

Donald Cammell is one of the more criminally underrated directors of our time. Perhaps this neglect is a result of his short filmography (which consists of only four feature length films), perhaps it's because his films are an odd combination of conventionalism and pretentious artistry that seem to conflict with one another, or perhaps it's because he has been overshadowed by his more "successful" film partner Nicolas Roeg, who together made the classic psychedelic gangster thriller "Performance". Whatever the case may be, Cammell's work needs to be re-evaluated as one will find him to be a true film auteur - a master of dark, nihilistic, and existentialistic thrillers.

In terms of plot, "White of the Eye" is probably the most conventional of Cammell's films - the narrative is a straightforward rendition of the "slasher" genre (if one wishes to call it as such), offering up no surprising developments or unexpected turns - but everything else about the film is far from conventional.

The editing is by far the most mesmerizing aspect of the film. The cuts are elliptical, with time and space overlapping with one another until they ultimately merge, creating a surreal and hallucinatory ambiance.

Adding to this mood is the fact that the cuts are often not cuts at all but rather dissolves - shots melt into one another instead of being severed by splicing as they normally are, not only amplifying the dream-like nature of the film but also seeming to suggest that the characters are linked to one another on a more metaphysical level rather than their social relationships.

Yet there is another significant detail about the editing that needs to be addressed - the rapid succession of of cuts made during several key sequences. For example, the first murder sequence is not simply shot in a long take - nor is it filmed in a gritty, kinetic style as they often are - but rather it is carefully constructed with a multitude of symbolic edits that both compliment and contrast the scene with a series of juxtapositions (a goldfish flounders in a bowl of meat, the heads of roses become detached as they fall, red sauce is splattered across a white table and a painting, etc.). These sequences are so rich and detail that it would take several viewings to fully comprehend each shot's significance.

In addition to the spectacular editing, the direction is just as superb, with the camera tracking in forcefully and spinning around characters rapidly to create greater intensity and "presence" (we feel... we experience more).

The cinematography is also striking with such wonderful compositional decisions as extreme closeup of the eye, sudden inversion of colors (that is, shot in the negative), etc.

Interestingly, the musical score is composed by members of "Pink Floyd" and is truly haunting - it's strange, not rhythmic, and unbalanced, amplifying the uneasy, surreal, and dream-like atmosphere the other aspects of the film have already established.

The film is an experience. It is a visceral and psychedelic assault on the senses. It has to be felt and not rigorously deconstructed. It is a film about the surface, about symbolisms, about metaphors, about a mood, about a feeling, all told with a framework of a conventional genre piece. Conflicting elements to be sure, but a mesmerizing film none the less.

The "mockumentary" approach to the horror genre is nothing new (Cannibal Holocaust, Blair Witch, Cloverfield, Last Broadcast, Road to L, Noroi, etc.) and isn't even new to the Zombi sub-genre (Diary of the Dead, American Zombie, The Zombie Diaries, etc.) but regardless of it's lack in originality, [REC] is the most effective implementation of this narrative device I have ever seen within the horror genre.

What elevates this film above all others of its ilk (both within the zombie sub-genre and the usage of mockumentary) is this - superb craftmanship. Directors Balaguero and Plaza stage sequence so efficiently - with such a keen eye for detail and with such great intensity and energy - that they truly are gripping.

Admittedly, the narrative isn't that original either - the quarantine premise was done in a similar manner in "Right at Your Door" (though no where near as effectively) - but that's not to say it is weak - far from it, in fact. The film maintains a strong sense of mystery throughout (why are they quarantining them? how did this outbreak occur?) and the answers to the mysteries are unexpected and delightfully ambiguous (they give you enough without explaining it all, making it all the more eerie). In addition, the script is incredibly resourceful, using every facet of its location to draw out the most from it.

Yet again, it all comes down to this: execution. The film is so effective in its execution that you will become engrossed despite the fact that it isn't entirely original. Indeed, the final twenty minutes possess such a raw energy and such a ferocious intensity that the viewers don't even get a chance to reflect upon the plot - let alone have a chance to breath. The craftsmanship is so superb that the viewer is yanked into the turbulent whirlwind of the situation against their will - they *will* become involved with the proceedings, whether they want to or not.

And the secondary factors of the film are also executed with such great skill - the performances have a genuine sense of realism, the makeup effects are disturbingly effective, the characters are fully developed enough so that we actually care for them in their plight (making it all the more suspenseful), and so on and so forth.

The film has one goal: to scare the living daylights out of you. It succeeds... and then goes above and beyond this and succeeds on all other levels.

Absolutely terrifying.

Words such as philosophical, metaphysical, and mathematical are the best suited choices in describing this rather mysterious tale of science fiction (if it can be even categorized as that). Hypnotic cinematography and stylized direction makes the proceedings engrossing even when the narrative is rather aloof and incomprehensible. Nevertheless, this intelligently crafted mystery is certainly thought-provoking. Recommended to those who enjoyed such heady thrillers as "Pi" and "Primer".

This is my favorite type of film: a thriller with only a few characters and all the action unfolding in one location. This set-up forces the script to be resourceful, the characterizations to be complex, and the dialogue to be intelligent because the film would uninteresting and uninvolving otherwise. Some of my favorite films fit this description - "Sleuth", "Deathtrap", and "Death and the Maiden" to name a few - so needless to say, I had high hopes for this psycho-thriller two-hander from Germany.

And I am happy to say that I was pleased with the results.

Now, the film will by no-means join the ranks of those films I previously mentioned, but it is still a solid entry into the small sub-genre of thrillers which I will tentatively call "chamber thrillers".

The film works due to the solid performances from the two main stars and the complex characters they embody. Whenever the plot seems to slow down, the film throws us a startling revelation about the characters to grab our attention. The downside to this formula is that the script is very much episodic, moving from moment to moment, rather than being a cohesive whole.

Regardless, the twist and turns the plot takes are - at times - genuinely surprising, but makes them really work is the film's lack of subjectivity - we have no clue whether these are lies being told or actual events that occurred. As a result, there is constant doubt and suspicion.

Though, admittedly, the film ends on a note which leaves much unanswered, and in retrospect the film is much-ado-about-nothing - a lot of questions but no answers.

Still, the film is cleverly told and interesting throughout, even if it ends being inconsequential in the end.