The Mummy (1932)

Ok this is really old! Well it is about a 3700 years old mummy...

It was a simple carefully done movie, that never terrifies, but it must have been terrifying to watch in the 30s. I have a soft spot in my heart for these classic monsters, I do not know why, I just do.

Karloff had such power, as an actor and as a chair filler, that he was advertised only through the last name, sometimes it was followed by “the Uncanny”, a tag created for him by Universal Studios. He was/is the greatest monster movie actor of all times, followed by Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. In this movie, his strong and overwhelming presence on screen was carefully toned down, he almost does not move, he is extremely calm and silent, leaving all the performance strength to his face and eyes. To attain Imhotep’s look and to strengthen his look, Karloff was subjected to a very long and painful characterization, an ordeal that helped him get into character, I imagine.

Watch it, it is part of the film history, and it certainly played and still plays a part in the definition of Horror movies. Some of its imagery will haunt you...




Rating: Mostly because it is more than 75 years old 6,5/10

To Catch a Thief (1955)

One can argue that Hitchcock’s work fluctuated. That the quality of his movies wasn’t constant, but did he ever made a bad movie? Well, did he?

One cannot say that “To Catch a Thief” is a bad movie because it is a great movie and an ode to the beauty of cinema and its visual impact (Oscar for best Cinematography).

The movie tells the story of a former jewel robber (John Robie – Cary Grant) wrongfully indicted of a series of robberies. We follow his attempts to prove his innocence and assist has he falls in love with the beautiful Frances Stevens (Grace Kelly). Some of the dialogues between the couple made me remind the dialogue in “North by Northwest” (1959). The wit of the Screenplay is wonderful, and the Storytelling is done with a great understanding of time and pace.

As always in Hitchcock’s movies, this movie does not end in blissful happiness, the final scene unveils the troubles ahead!

I have to say once more that Grace Kelly is beautiful; she dazzles the camera and her image is still one of the strongest in Hollywood.

Rating: 7,5/10

Blue Velvet (1986)

This Lynch movie starts and ends in the same way with the image of flowers against the blue sky. This idyllic image contrasts with the dark subject of the movie. Mystery, seduction, crime, sex and an ear…

Please watch this movie and let yourself be taken, but never, never lose your touch with reality, otherwise you might end up in someone’s closet.

Rating: 7,5/10

Freaks (1932)

The terrifying tale of the engagement and wedding of a beautiful women and a dwarf is the line that take us through the backstage of a sideshow. With a song we realize the visceral bound that links the sideshow freaks. Hurt one and you have hurt them all!
The story is dull and plain, the acting is not impressive, but the images are among the strongest images ever produced. The director Tod Browning came from a smash hit, “Dracula” (1931) and was hired to produce another monster movie, but “Freaks” went beyond this, it is a social statement one that brings the monsters to the real world. It was so outrageous for the time that it was banned in many states of the U.S.A. (in some states it still is banned) and in England it remained banned until the 1960’s. This translated in a box-office flop and in the beginning of the end of Browning’s career.

Rating: for its importance 8/10

We need MOVIES

As we all know the movie industry is declining in excellence. The thing that most populates our theatres today are remakes, sequels, prequels and all sort of unimaginable ways to explore box-office gold. What about the truly original, truly excellent filmmaking? We the public demand more of that. A movie remake should try to make the story more in touch with real times wile doing homage to the original movie and script.

I’ve recently been to cinema, and I watched a dreadful movie. They didn’t even try to conjure up an appealing plot. All was based on cute faces and bodies, car chases, death and special effects. The movie exploited the very same aspects it was trying to criticise, it was a painful experince. These kinds of films don’t help the position of the 7th art.

We don’t have the fabulous movie quotes, which worked even on the philosophical level; we only have foul language and poor dialogues. What about movie characters? They are lame and plain, there is no depth to them. A character is well developed when we feel identified or repulsed by it on the first 5 minutes of the story, after which we can relate to their way of thinking and acting.

There was a time when movies were beautiful; the images that they gave us were work of art. What happened to good lighting and image composition? Each movie has to have its one characteristic feel, and it should act as a brand. Some great movies still transmit a feeling just by thinking of them, just by hearing someone refer their title.

The installing and growing crises will be reflected on the film industry as we will be dumped with more remakes and such, and even less original work. Sadly the growing profits of the industry are sinking the film making essence to basal levels.

Once (2006)

Tiered of reading about old movies in this crummy old shop corner?

In respect for you I’ve watched “Once” the movie that took everyone by surprise and kidnapped the best song Oscar from Disney’s “Enchanted” (2007).

It’s a great, simple, plain, down to earth movie. It is so real that is sad to a point, but its brilliant in its simplicity and the music plays the third leading role.

So my prescription to you is - watch this movie and listen to this movie.

Rating: 8/10

The Usual Suspects (1995)

“Psycho” (1960) delivers an unexpected finish, no one can argue against it. But “The Usual Suspects” brings this ending twist to a new level. The entire movie leads you in one direction and then in the last scene of the movie you realise that the entire story being told was wrong. It is like a punch in the stomach.

A great set of actors with an amazing script on their hands. It is an instant masterpiece.

Watch it and you will spend the next week thinking about it.

By the way there is a line in “Casablanca” (1942) that goes: “Round up the usual suspects”. Is there any connection between these two facts? Who knows? I like to think there is one.

Rating: 9/10

Rope (1948)

Hitchcock with His usual dark humour brings us the tale of two young men and their desire to perform the perfect murder. The movie starts with the crime being committed and the body being hidden in a trunk. This trunk will be for the rest of the movie in the centre of attentions. The two men, in order to prove their superior intellect, invite the dead man’s family and friends for a party. The entire movie is set on only one room (the same one where the body lies). The over ambitious party becomes suspicious and the crime is discovered and the two men caught. Ambition and personal pride killed the bandit!

This movie is cut in a way to lead the audience to think that the movie was shot in one continuous take. The camera movements are a perfect example of Hitchcock’s genius.

Murder can be an art!

Rating: 7/10

The Third Man (1949)

Korda and O’Selznick produced one of the most acclaimed mysteries of all time. “The Third Man” counts with the always valid input of Orson Wells who supposedly wrote his character’s lines. The director Carol Reed worked 20 hours a day to direct three distinct filming crews (one during the day, one at night and one exclusively on Vienna’s sewers).

A murdered happened, but the stories don’t fit. One man is missing from scene, who is he? Who is the third man?

In a beautiful black and white we follow Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) trough the streets of bombed Vienna in the search for the third man. This search will lead him to a personal confrontation with his feelings for a friend and for a woman. His choice separates him from both and the movie ends as it started.

Good classic have always to be part of our culture, and as such this is a movie that has to be watched. Go on now, go!

Rating: 7/10

Rear Window (1954)

Grace Kelly was beautiful! And, she is in this movie!

If this isn’t enough for you to rush to the telly and watch this movie, let me tell you that it is direct by non other than the great cock, Hitchcock.

A photographer is stuck at home with a cast on his broken leg. To spend his time he watches the daily routines of his neighbours. But one day someone disappears and he starts to suspect that a murder has occurred. How will this mystery unveil? Remember he can’t move and can only see what is watchable from his rear window.

This is a great great movie, full of intensity and thrill. I have to say that this has to be one of Hitch best movies. If you have any shred of movie lover in you, you have to watch this movie and love it for all eternity.

I have to go now, and light my candle to Hitch.

Trivia – In 1955 Grace Kelly won the Oscar for best actress in a leading role. But it wasn’t for her interpretation on “Rear Window”, it was for “The Country Girl” (1954). And Hitchcock missed the Oscar which went to Elia Kazan for “In the Waterfront” (1954) the movie that took the Oscars like a storm and got 8 Oscars and was nominated for 4 more.

Rating: 8.5/10

Basquiat (1996)

From an unknown director (Julian Schnabel, recently nominated for an Oscar), “Basquiat” falls on our lap like a bomb. With an amazing cast of newcomers, in which Jeffrey Wright delivers the performance of his career and David Bowie incarnates Andy Warhol.

It is a Biopic about the life and work of Jean Michel Basquiat, a brilliant contemporaneous painter. The movie follows Basquiat from the time he was living in a card box until the time he reached stardom and then decadence.

The aesthetics of this movie are different from the bulk of film making introducing a new dimension to the film. The images associated with the music transform this film into a work of art.

This is a very unknown movie that stands firmly in my top favourite movies and that deserves wider recognition. It is without a doubt one of the bests independent movies ever made.

Develop a little bit of culture and see this movie. That is an order! Go and obey, do as you are told.

Rating: 9.5/10

The Trouble With Harry (1955)

Who is the Man? This guy is the man. Hitchcok stood out from the rest as the suspense master during his silent movies phase (still in England) and reinforced his status with spoken and then colour movies (now in the USA). He is the reference in terms of shots, angles, camera use and innovation on story telling.

But no one expected a comedy from Hitch. What fun must he have had planning the premier of this movie, playing with everyone’s mind and expectations. Still to this day “The Trouble With Harry” surprises people when they watch it for the first time.

It is a marvellous comedy full of exquisite dialogs and sequences. Death has never been treated so lightly.

Obviously a mystery is at hand…Who killed the man? I did, you did, he did. No one knows. Lets burry him and them dig up, over and over again. Brilliant comedy! Who would have guessed that a simple light marvellous comedy would be filmed by the Master Alfred Hitchcock?

If you like classic movies, his is one you can’t miss, even if the toasts are ready.

Rating: 8/10

Ed Wood (1994)

Tim Burton is one of my favourite directors. Why? Just see the movies!

It seems that Burton has the Midas touch, he has the fabulous ability to make a delicate subject an instant masterpiece. He has, much like Terry Gilliam, created his own universe, a universe that can all always be tracked down to him. If you learn to know his touch you will be able to recognise one of his movies without knowing, in advanced, that it was his.

This movie tells the story of the famous Edward d. Wood Jr., considered to be the worst director in history (some say that Uwe Boll is trying to dethrone Ed Wood). The movie helped to rekindle the fuzz around Wood’s movies granting him an all new group of fans throughout the world.

He was in some aspects an odd and peculiar character, but all he wanted to do was to direct movies. Movies with a new sense of realism and with very little money (truly low budget dependent of stock footage). So he relied on exploitation and on his own trouble imagination to create bad taste epics that were cursed to endure.

Trough the movie we start to care for this character and for his fate, accepting him for what he his and for his pureness of heart. The cast was truly outstanding, but praises should be given to Johnny Deep and to Martin Landau, who transmuted into Bela Lugosi.

This black and white movie is one of the best Biopics I’ve seen. If you haven’t seen it shame on you. Get off the couch and go rent it or buy it.

Rating: 8/10

Hi everyone!

Welcome to a new cinematic experience.

I am just a guy that really likes to watch movies, all kinds of movies. So I thought - why not share my views on some of these movies? I hope to introduce you to some movies, that are unknown to you, and to ignite your desire to see some of these movies.

Be free to comment and to ask questions.