Movie Review: The Connection (2015)

In 1971, William Friedkin gave us the first R-rated film to win Best Picture, The French Connection. It is a pretty amazing thriller that gives us a fictionalized version of an actual reality where a couple of narcotics cops stumble onto a drug smuggling ring with ties to France. It is a gritty thing of a movie that has to be considered among the best crime films. Now, knowing what was going on in New York City and the ties to France, could there be anything similar going on on the other side of the ocean? Enter The Connection, a French production that takes a look at the French investigation in Marseilles into the massive drug operation.

Movie Review: Killing Car

The other night is was scrolling through my Netflix queue looking for a movie to watch. I did not know what I was looking for, just something older that I may want to write about. I chose poorly and ended up with the 1954 science fiction feature Gog. What a bore that was, sure it had some interesting ideas, but I had no interest in writing about it. So, last night I went back to the well and stumbled across Killing Car. It had a release date of 1993 and had some interesting cover art. As I pressed play, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. Some would probably say I struck out again.

Movie Review: Cannibals

Italian filmmakers in the 1970s and 1980s would see something becoming popular in another country and then attempt to replicate it by jumping on the bandwagon and then making some absolutely insane movie that is somewhat but not really related and make it quite entertaining. Think about what Fulci did with Zombie (or rather, Zombi 2). It seems that at this time there were other countries looking to get in on the fun as well. The Italians hit it big with cannibal movies like Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, and Last Cannibal World that others wanted in on the fun. Enter French producers who enlisted Jess Franco to make his mark on the flesh eaters. The result was the lackluster Cannibals.

Horror-A-Day: The Iron Rose

There are some directors whose work is an acquired taste. One of those directors is Jean Rollin. I have not yet seen enough of his movies to make up my mind regarding my thoughts of him, but I am certainly intrigued enough to keep trying more of his films. Who knows when that may change. The latest film to infect my brain is The Iron Rose. It is a movie that bears some distinct Rollin elements, while being a rather atypical release for the prolific director.

Movie Review: The Living Dead Girl (aka La morte vivante)

Hot on the heels of my experience with The Night of the Hunted, I jumped right back into the Jean Rollin pool with The Living Dead Girl. It is another haunting exercise in style, atmosphere, and mood, with less attention paid to performance ad story development. Who knew this could be such a potent combination? (that is a rhetorical question. Clearly somebody knew and I am left to play catchup.) Also, whenever I see the title, I cannot help but think of Rob Zombie, and knowing his affinity for horror, am assuming there is a connection, but am too lazy to actually look.

Movie Review: The Night of the Hunted (aka La nuit des traquees)

I must admit to being a neophyte when it comes to Jean Rollin. Prior to The Night of the Hunted, my one experience win Rollin was Zombie Lake, a movie that is not good, but I think I kind of like (I am still making up my mind). It seems to me that Rollin is kind of love him or hate him type of filmmaker. I am rather glad that I discovered him at this stage of my cinematic maturation. If I had watched these movies earlier, I likely wold have written him off and meet looked back. I am not saying you will like him or not, his style is definitely am acquired taste.

Blu-ray Review: A Cat in Paris

Here is a film that I truly wanted to like, and I guess I kind of do, but not as much as I would have expected. The trailer was intriguing, the Academy Award nomination solidified my interest, and a desire to see something different all led me to this moment. A Cat in Paris is a family friendly animated noir film that barely reaches an hour in length as it tells the story of a cat burglar, a kidnapping, a mob boss, and, of course, a cat. It is not quite what I expected, although I am not quite sure what it was that I was expecting. Now, it is not without is moments, but it is not one I foresee many visits too.