Favorite films

Recent activity

• 

  ★★★½

• 

  ★★★½

• 

  ★★★

• 

  ★★★

Recent reviews

• 

  November 2017

  ★★★½ Watched by CarcinoGent 28 Nov 2021

  Visually gorgeous and quite intriguing in its presentation of Estonian folklore (both the macabre and the downright silly aspects), November feels just a bit too scattershot in its focus to be deeply affecting on an emotional level.  That said, I think there’s something here that I can’t quite put my finger on, themes that are worthy of consideration, like those in many of the best folktales...

• 

  House of Dracula 1945

  ★½ Watched by CarcinoGent 10 Oct 2021

  Quite the whimper for this series to go out on.  I kinda despise Carradine’s take on Dracula and Lon Chaney Jr.’s eternally mopey Talbot.  Given that, I was never going to be a fan of this film, but the sheer laziness on display here is just downright galling.

Popular reviews

• 

  The Birch 2016

  ★★★½ Watched by CarcinoGent 15 Jun 2016

  A stylish horror short that feels a bit disjointed in its storytelling, almost like a CliffsNotes version of the actual tale. That said, I was impressed by the amount of mythology the filmmakers were able to cram into the scant runtime and by the solid creature effects.

• 

  The Big Combo 1955

  ★★★★ Watched by CarcinoGent 20 Apr 2016

  The Big Combo is a stylish crime film with an appropriately twistng plot and a cast of (mostly) compelling characters. While the lead character, portrayed by Cornell Wild, can be a touch bland, we're treated to a great scenery-chewing turn from Richard Conte as the villainous Mr. Brown. A pair of (gay?) henchmen, a nightclub singer and an antique store dealer with a secret are all welcome and colorful additions

  As far as negatives (other than a dull lead), the…