When The Price Is Dead Right

Nightfall. It is calmest before the storm as five hearses roll up the hillside carrying five fresh victims. Very much alive for now, they have all been invited by that eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) for his wife’s party… at the House on Haunted Hill. How he spoils her! To make the night more interesting (for himself), he has decreed that the guests will win $10,000 each if they last until morning locked inside the spooky mansion. They needn’t worry about losing by default of death since the money will then go to their next of kin. That Frederick… always thinking ahead.

The guests are strangers to each other as well as their host. More interesting that way. They include a typist and wallflower named Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig), the confident pilot Lance Schroeder (Richard Long), the psychiatrist Dr. David Trent (Alan Marshal), the columnist Ruth Bridgers (Julie Mitchum – Robert Mitchum’s sister!), and the owner of the house Watson Pritchard (Elisha Cook Jr.) who is visibly frightened beyond his wits. He goes on and on about their imminent doom by the housed evil. Why go in? They all need money, you see.

Just upstairs held up in her room forever freshening her face is Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), Frederick’s scheming wife. Annabelle insists that it was not he who married her, but she. She also makes no secret of the fact that she loves only his wealth and wants it all for herself. Actually, Annabelle is just wife #4, but what’s most alarming is that those last three wives are dead. Frederick knows of Annabelle’s infidelities and can’t prove them. They’re a perfect match because Annabelle is smart and can hold her own. Frederick would surely agree she is a worthy opponent. Oh, how they love implicating their petty torments on one another! It is their mutual hatred that makes their relationship so strong.

CONTINUE READING ►

Some movies have one great scene lost in a bunch of not so great ones. Then there are some movies where it is a challenge to pick one over the others. Matinee falls in the latter category. It was directed by Joe Dante (Yes! I made three references to Gremlins all in one week!) who specializes in unveiling very dark things under the guise of campy B-movies. This is perhaps the most idealistic autobiography that Dante has ever realized.

Set in Small Town America – 1962, the film affectionately follows Lawrence Woolsey played by the versatile John Goodman as a schlock independent filmmaker who showcases gimmicky monster movies with great bravado. He is a low-rent version of William Castle, the mastermind behind Vincent Price vehicles like House on Haunted Hill (1959) and The Tingler (1959), a movie that shocked theater patrons with electric buzzers in their seats courtesy of Castle.

Woolsey’s next science fiction film MANT!, a loving homage by Dante to Kurt Neumann’s The Fly (1958), uses the Tingler Effect and other tricks to offer his audience a unique experience. Releasing an exploitation film about atomic radiation mutations when Americans feared the dropping of the bomb at the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis is to Wollsey’s mind (“What better time to release a horror movie!”) Wollsey is not a cynical man; he genuinely loves making movies and entertaining people, within the confines of his capacity as a showman (the term ‘hack’ should be reserved for Michael Bay).

The Trailer for “MANT!”

Profiled like Alfred Hitchcock, the cigar-chomping Woolsey presents his preview for his cheerful creature feature titled Mant with the same dry humor and zest that The Master of Suspense did with his trailers. The way Woolsey presents the magazines that prove his cheap horror film is based on scientific fact is priceless. Watching this scene, compared to the bottom-line advertising tactics of films over the past few decades, one realizes filmmakers like Woolsey, whose gusto approach to making movies fun, are a dying breed. The only recent example I can think of is Rodriguez and Tarantino’s Grindhouse (2007). Dante never condescends but celebrates Woolsey the same way Tim Burton did for Ed Wood (1994) — Ed D. Wood Jr., director of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love (1971), was recognized as the “worst filmmaker of all time!”, which does deserve some reverence.

“You see, people come into your cave with a two hundred year old carpet.”

When I wrote that some films with great scenes are hard to choose from, case in point, here’s another one. Woolsey is accompanied by Gene, a young man not a mile away from myself, and learns some of the showman’s philosophy of movie-making. I still remember by heart the story told by Woolsey about the caveman who paints a Woolly Mammoth on his wall and figures: “Wait a minute! People are coming to see this thing! Let’s make it good!” A prime motive for how going for the jugular is more effective than subtlety (sometimes). The scene continues as Woolsey projects the point of view of any enthusiastic filmgoer’s journey through the matinee lobby and into the movie theater. Sometimes when I open the doors of a movie house with great anticipation I am inclined to call out, “Here I am! What have you got for me!”

For me, Woolsey represents a life path that is in considerable reach: an enthusiastic moviemaker touring far and wide in the pursuit of entertaining people. Another bonus is being accompanied by a sexy dry-wit like the one Woolsey takes along for the ride played by Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull, the REAL Best Picture Winner of 1980). Other idealistic life paths include being a productive yet reclusive painter living in a New York apartment I could barely afford, or becoming a womanizing journalist who drinks too many highballs. This charming comedy about young love and B-Movies is highly recommended. Though I have been deprived of the experience for now, I believe, like Lawrence of Arabia and 2001: A Space Odyssey, the classic Matinee would benefit viewing on the big screen. Or, at the very least, a deluxe Criterion release.

“Matinee” Trailer

ASH IS PUREST WHITE

Zhangke Jia’s Ash is Purest White bares witness as a young couple’s commitment to a criminal code and each other is thoroughly tested by the passage of time. The finest moments are when Tao Zhao’s character improvises her inspired grifts. The latest by Zhangke Jia doesn’t rise to the sublime and astonishing developments of his previous masterwork Mountains May Depart (2015), which will blow your mind by taking its premise farther than most filmmakers dare. The proverbial volcano in ASH trembles, but doesn’t erupt. In a riveting fight sequence, you will also see how motorcycle helmets can be put to brutal use.

AT WAR

Stéphane Brizé’s Measure of a Man (2014) stars Vincent Lindon as an unemployed family man enduring many indignities in a jobless market. The latest At War is a thematic continuation where Lindon leads a workers’ strike against capitalist exploits and gaslighting. Like a fly-on-the-wall Frederick Wiseman doc, At War is full of long-held meetings that gradually deepen with ideological conflict, obstruction and clarity. It is a slow burn where tempers, betrayals and resolve rise to a boil. A demanding and enraging experience.

CONTINUE READING ►

“Approximately and exactly.”
— Parabatial Kanhaiyalal ‘P.K.’ Dubey (Vijay Raaz) from Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Great Television Shows

2025

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (dir. Mary Bronstein)
Sound of Falling (In die Sonne Schauen) (dir. Mascha Schilinski)
A Little Prayer (dir. Angus MacLachlan)
Die My Love (dir. Lynne Ramsay)
Sharp Corner (dir. Jason Buxton)
Bring Her Back (dir. Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou)
The Love That Remains (Ástin Sem Eftir Er) (dir. Hlynur Pálmason)
One Battle After Another (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
The Ugly Stepsister (Den Stygge Stesøsteren) (dir. Emilie Blichfeldt)
The Plague (dir. Charlie Polinger)

HONOURABLE SELECTION (+3)

TRIX ARE FOR KIDS

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2025)
Kill Bill Vol. II (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
Kill Bill Vol. I (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 2003)

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WE’VE LOST CONTROL

28 Years Later (dir. Danny Boyle, 2025)
28 Weeks Later (dir. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007)
28 Days Later (dir. Danny Boyle, 2002)

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WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST

Sisu: Road to Revenge (dir. Jalmari Helander, 2025)
Sisu (dir. Jalmari Helander, 2022)

Weapons (dir. Zach Cregger)
Reflection in a Dead Diamond (Reflet dans un Diamant Mort)
(dir. Bruno Forzani and Hélène Cattet)
Black Bag / Presence (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi) (dir. Joachim Trier)
Caught by the Tides (Feng Liu Yi Dai) (dir. Jia Zhang-ke)
Dangerous Animals (dir. Sean Byrne)
The Shrouds (dir. David Cronenberg)
Henry Johnson (dir. David Mamet)
Roofman (dir. Derek Cianfrance)
Eddington (dir. Ari Aster)

The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
Caught Stealing (dir. Darren Aronofsky)
The Rule of Jenny Pen (dir. James Ashcroft)
Lurker (dir. Alex Russell)
The Ice Tower (La Tour de Glace) (dir. Lucile Hadžihalilović)
Honey Bunch (dir. Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer)
No Other Choice (Eojjeolsuga Eobsda) (dir. Park Chan-wook)
A Private Life (Vie Privée) (dir. Rebecca Zlotowski)
Bugonia (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
That They May Face The Rising Sun (dir. Pat Collins)

MORE MOVIES (35-54)

2024

THE SUBSTANCE (dir. Coralie Fargeat)
What Remains: The Confession of a Serial Killer (dir. Ran Huang)
Armand (dir. Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel)
Club Zero (dir. Jessica Hausner)
Snack Shack (dir. Adam Rehmeier)
Mars Express (dir. Jérémie Périn)
The Coffee Table (dir. Caye Casas)
Janet Planet (dir. Annie Baker)
Music (dir. Angela Schanelec)
The Apprentice (dir. Ali Abbasi)

HONOURABLE SELECTIONS (+7)

PERFECTLY SET GET-TOGETHERS
(REPRESSIONS AND RELEASES)

The Sparrow in the Chimney (Der Spatz im Kamin)
(dir. Ramon Zürcher, 2024)
The Girl and the Spider (Das Mädchen und die Spinne)
(dir. Silvan Zürcher and Ramon Zürcher, The Best Movie of 2021)
The Strange Little Cat (Das Merkwürdige Kätzchen)
(dir. Ramon Zürcher, 2013)

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WALLACE & GROMIT

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
(dir. Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, 2024)
A Matter of Loaf and Death (dir. Nick Park, 2008)
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (dir. Nick Park, 2005)
A Close Shave (dir. Nick Park, 1995)
The Wrong Trousers (dir. Nick Park, 1993)
A Grand Day Out (dir. Nick Park, 1989)

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THE ESTATES OF COUNT ORLOK

Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers, 2024)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (dir. Werner Herzog, 1979)
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (dir. F. W. Murnau, 1922)

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“I’M THE GHOST WITH THE MOST, BABE.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (dir. Tim Burton, 2024)
Beetlejuice (dir. Tim Burton, 1988)

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TIME DESTROYS ALL THINGS

Irreversible (The Straight Cut) (dir. Gaspar Noé, 2024)
Irreversible (dir. Gaspar Noé, 2002)

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“I’M A TEMP.”

Vulcanizadora (dir. Joel Potrykus, 2024)
Buzzard (dir. Joel Potrykus, 2014)

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STICKS AND ZONES

ME (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2024)
World of Tomorrow Episode 2: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts
(dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2017)
World of Tomorrow (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2015)
It’s Such a Beautiful Day (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2012)
Rejected (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 2000)
Billy’s Balloon (dir. Don Hertzfeldt, 1998)

Strange Darling – A Thriller in 6 Chapters (dir. J.T. Mollner)
Memoirs of a Snail (dir. Adam Elliot)
Eephus (dir. Carson Lund)
Small Things Like These (dir. Tim Mielants)
The Brutalist (In VistaVision 70mm) (dir. Brady Corbet)
His Three Daughters (dir. Azazel Jacobs)
Oddity (dir. Damian Mc Carthy)
Hard Truths (dir. Mike Leigh)
Better Man (dir. Michael Gracey)
Daddio (dir. Christy Hall)
CONTINUE READING ►