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Drama, Suspense/Thriller | No Comments »

directed by Alphonse Cuaron 
reviewed by Debra Murphy
(content warnings: Rated R for violence, profanity) 

This is an amazing film, both cinematically and thematically. But it’s the theme I want to touch on quickly, because I almost can’t believe it.

A number of critics have mentioned the film’s "dystopian vision", but I have yet to see anyone connect director Alphonse Cuaron’s vision with what appear’s to this viewer as a seering critique of the Culture of Death, especially if we don’t get our act together as a society and start appreciating the dignity and miracle which is human life.

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Drama, Sci Fi | 1 Comment »

directed by Carl Dreyer

Carl Dreyer, director of the landmark Passion of Joan of Arc, tries his hand at atmospheric horror with 1932’s Vampyr and the result is an arresting tone poem. Visionary filmmakers are particularly well-suited to the horror genre. Like the folklore from which so many spine-tingling tales spring, stories involving the supernatural, the unconscious and the specter of Death tap into the primordial fears and nightmares of the
viewer. A great director can cast a hypnotic spell on his audience—lulling you into a deep-dream state where images impact on a primal level. Kubrick’s The Shining, Murnau’s Nosferatu, Hitchcock’s Psycho, Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, and Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom are just a few of the many classic horror films elevated by the hallucinogenic power of a sibylline storyteller.  

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Horror | No Comments »