Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Manchester by the Sea 2016

  ★★★★★ Watched 26 Jan 2017

  as dysfunctional family dramas go, wow

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  The Iron Rose 1973

  ★★★½ Added

  Beautifully and elegantly shot with dream-like pace to it. The Iron Rose is pampered with minimalistic style and deathly poetry that made up for the lack of character depth. It had so much potential to be an potent and heartfelt cemetery romance but I just couldn't quite sympathise with the lovers and their vagueness. I know it was their first date but they could have opened up a bit more rather than making out in pits of skeletons.

Popular reviews

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  Valerie and Her Week of Wonders 1970

  ★★★★ Watched 19 Aug 2016

  This film was a gem of a dream that I'm glad I stumbled across. An odd Czechoslovakian fairytale that provides a surrealistic dreamlike experience as a young girl loses herself within a fantastical journey when she learns of a magical pair of earrings. The themes of adolescence and sexual awakening are exposed in a haunting light, commenting on the sinful side of this development and the threats that appear. The sinister tone is covered by a silky, hypnotic blanket of chamomile, carnival paraders' violins and floating smiles through forests...

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  Black Sabbath 1963

  ★★★★½ Watched 25 Sep 2016

  Bava's haunting anthology consisting of three ghostly tales. I've always admired supernatural giallos and this collection provided me with three concise segments of suspense that didn't fail to engross me. Karlof's introduction to each short story gave a nod to Frankenstein and it's introductory warning of the horrors that lie ahead! I'm fond of that engagement with the audience. Voyueristic scenes and sudden zoom shots make for an exciting claustrophobic build up. The execution of light and shadow offered a…

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