The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2017) | Directed by Oz Perkins

 3.5/5

Oz Perkins’s The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a very creepy, very effective psychological horror film. The visual isolation of the main characters echoes their loneliness in a way that grows increasingly sinister and haunting, especially as the film explores the ways in which isolation can lead to some incredibly dark places. I especially appreciate the film’s approach to time – even if the big reveal is something you can see coming a mile away. It’s not a perfect film, but it is thoroughly compelling and anchored by three really outstanding performances. And if you’re looking for a solid horror film that will slowly build and crawl under your skin, this is a really great one to catch.

This review has been made possible by the generous support of Doug McCambridge of the “Good Time, Great Movies” and “Schitts and Giggles” podcasts.

The Leopard Man (1943) | Directed by Jacques Tourneur

 3.5/5

Jacques Tourneur’s The Leopard Man is a lean and effective little thriller that may be thin on plot, but gets us from one moment to the next without too many unnecessary detours. It’s refreshing to have the plot set in motion by two selfish, white outsiders coming into a community of color and wreaking havoc with their carelessness. And it’s also refreshing to have them both move from selfish, hardened narcissists to two individuals who really begin to care for others and begin to see the consequences of their actions. However, the real reason to see this is Tourneur’s use of light and shadow. He takes this simple story and imbues it with real poetry, mystery, and horror, using his images to express a deep and primal terror that his screenwriters were unable to convey through the script.

Knives Out (2019) | Directed by Rian Johnson

 5/5

Rian Johnson’s Knives Out is an exquisitely constructed murder-mystery with a brilliant twist on the format from its very beginning, which propels the narrative forward in some wholly unexpected, incredibly clever, and thoroughly delightful ways. The script is a masterclass of precision, the intricacies of plotting paying homage to the great mystery writers who have gone before, all the while managing to keep us second-guessing up until the final reveal. The cast is all delightful here, the pacing and comic timing superb. Johnson’s wit is razor-sharp here, and his use of framing and composition to hide (and reveal!) the film’s mysteries is exceptional. I love that the film is told from the point of view of an immigrant and that the film is ultimately about the anxieties of white Americans losing the privilege, power, and entitlement they’ve desperately held on to for so long. The message may be pointed and blunt, but it’s all wrapped up in a delightful little confection that’s oh-so-easy to swallow.

Where to Watch

Cabin in the Sky (1943) | Directed by Vincente Minnelli

 3.5/5

Vincente Minnelli’s musical Cabin in the Sky is remarkable for featuring a cast comprised entirely of African American performers in 1943. This morality tale about a gambler whose soul is being fought over by the forces of heaven and hell has touches of a comic Faust about it, and the central relationships are an absolute delight to watch unfold. Even in this early work, Minnelli finds ways to keeps his camera gliding across the set, keeping the energy buoyant and light. And this is one of the few musicals of its time to feature music that moves that helps tell the story. While the film manages avoids some of the more exaggerated stereotypes of African American characters found in more mainstream Hollywood fare, the film does come close enough to caricature to be uncomfortable and problematic. Still, no matter how much these performers were boxed in by the conventions and expectations of the day, their brilliance and talent shine through.

Where to Watch

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) | Directed by Don Siegel

 4.5/5

Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers was a surprise in the vein of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead or Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla – films that transcend their b-movie, sci-fi/horror origins and have something far richer and more substantial to say about the human condition that has lasted far longer than the cultural moment that gave birth to the fears they originally articulated. Siegel’s direction is sharp and effective, cold and unsparing. You’re glued to the edge of your seat from the beginning, right up to the hollow victory at the end. I find it absolutely fascinating that a film that was originally made to warn against the threat of encroaching communism could end up – 60 years later – playing today as a warning against the dangers of mass conformity and a cry of despair at the thought that the country we thought we knew was replaced overnight by cold and callous, unfeeling pod people from another planet.

Where to Watch

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) | Directed by Albert Lewin

 2.5/5

Albert Lewin’s Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is filled with one missed opportunity after another, one wasted moment followed by the next. While Jack Cardiff’s Technicolor cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, what should have been a haunting and lyrical, lush supernatural romance is instead a tepid and lifeless, boring and ultimately ordinary melodrama that feels as predictable and monotonous as the Flying Dutchman claims immortality has been. Scenes that should be filled with tension and dread are undercut by a flat voiceover narration that sucks the vibrancy out of the film – even as it tries to add a bit of false drama to the mix. And the gender dynamics are even more hopelessly regressive and aggravating then other films of the time. It’s a boring slog, only made bearable by Cardiff’s beautiful photography.

For Me and My Gal (1942) | Directed by Busby Berkeley

 4/5

Busby Berkeley’s For Me and My Gal continues to solidify my absolute admiration for Judy Garland as a performer. Another show-biz musical, Gene Kelly plays another pushy and obnoxiously entitled suitor, but it’s refreshing to have these character traits portrayed as flaws rather than features. The musical numbers are all stunning – it’s lovely to see Berkeley working with scaled back production numbers and focused on the genuine human relationships and complicated feelings between Garland and Kelly. A wartime drama, it manages to send several characters off into battle without it feeling patriotic or heroic – up until the propagandistic jingoism of the film’s final moments. Still, I’m impressed by the subtlety and nuance woven throughout the film. It was a lovely surprise.

Where to Watch

Booksmart (2019) | Directed by Olivia Wilde

 4/5

Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart is a refreshing and delightful high school comedy that centers the plot revolving around its female protagonists – not on their romantic escapades, though that does play a part – but on their enduring friendship and their long repressed desires. The episodic structure gives the film and almost Odyssean flavor as our heroes journey from party to party – accompanied by their very own version of the Oracle at Delphi – and run-ins with monsters, both literal, and made of their own selfishness and pride. The performances are joyous, and Olivia Wilde proves herself to have a knack for comic timing and the use of music to undercut our characters’ perceptions of themselves. I’m a sucker for high school comedies that end up challenging our assumptions and stereotypes, and Booksmart does that quite nicely.

Where to Watch

I Walk Alone (1947) | Directed by Byron Haskin

 4/5

Byron Haskin’s I Walk Alone is an incredibly solid, elegantly constructed noir with three stunning performances at its core. It works off the framework of a revenge thriller, but uses that as a springboard to explore much more interesting ideas about the rapid ways in which society changes and leaves some people behind. I especially appreciated the ways it explores the transition many criminals make from illegal to legal enterprises – how the tactics employed in capitalism are very similar to the tactics employed by the underworld, and yet how difficult the transition to white collar crime is for some who is used to things being so cut and dried. Haskin finds moments of pure visual poetry, images etched in the shadows and the subtle camera movements that have continued to linger in my thoughts.

Where to Watch

Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) | Directed by Norman Taurog

 4/5

Norman Taurog’s Broadway Melody of 1940 is so much better than a film with such a generic title has any right to be. Sure, the plot is thin and the characters only sketches of real people, but when you have Fred Astaire singing, dancing, and playing the piano (at the same time no less!), who need a plot or characters? It continues to be refreshing to find classic musicals in which the plot doesn’t revolve around a pushy or stalker-y romantic pursuit. Here, the plot revolves around a misunderstanding and everyone’s genuinely good-natured attempts to do the right thing. There’s nothing revolutionary here, but it’s charming, delightful, and incredibly winsome.