Reviews of movies with Christopher Lee.
Monday, March 24th 2008
Grade: B
Synopsis: A wheelchair-bound woman (Susan Strasberg) doubts her sanity after repeatedly seeing her absent father’s corpse around his French Riviera home.
Taste of Fear (Scream of Fear in the US) is an oft-overlooked gem in the Hammer library.
Jimmy Sangster’s script is a mix of suspense, mystery, horror and film noir that blends well. Further, Sangster anticipates cynical audiences by having his characters quickly acknowledge the cliché plot-points, thus giving the story an air of freshness. Sure, there are some holes, but they’re reasonably easy to overlook, and Sangster more than makes up for them by delivering a knockout third act. MORE »
Posted at 4:37 PM in Movie Reviews, Christopher Lee and Hammer Film.
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Monday, February 4th 2008
Grade: D+
Synopsis: A nobleman (Christopher Lee) invites a group of entertainers to his castle, intent on using them as unwitting specimens in his research.
Castle of the Living Dead (Il Castello dei morti vivi) is an atmospheric, but ultimately lacking Italian horror, notable chiefly for the involvement of Christopher Lee, Donald Sutherland, and Michael Reeves.
Lee makes the movie as the enigmatic Count Drago. With his dark eye makeup, and booming voice, the film picks up considerably when he finally makes his appearance.
Donald Sutherland, in just his second film appearance, does a bang-up job in a three-part role, appearing as a bumbling police sergeant, an old witch, and an old man. He genuinely seems to be having fun with all the parts and manages to find the perfect tone with each. MORE »
Posted at 12:44 PM in Movie Reviews and Christopher Lee.
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Thursday, December 27th 2007
Grade: C+
Synopsis: A fictionalized biography of stunted artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (José Ferrer).
Moulin Rouge is an engaging bio-drama from director John Huston.
Huston does a fabulous job recreating Toulouse-Lautrec’s late 19th century Paris, a vibrant cauldron of art and life, full of inspiration and frustration. This is Paris, perhaps not how it was, but rather, how it was through Toulouse-Lautrec’s eyes, and the Oscar winning art direction and costume design bring it to life. From the recreation of the titular nightclub, to the city’s carriage laden streets, Moulin Rouge is a feast for the eyes.
For his part, José Ferrer embodies Toulouse-Lautrec character completely. While Ferrer could easily have overplayed the part, he instead brings a quiet dignity reflective of his character’s upbringing. Through Ferrer’s performance we come to know a flawed man, struggling to make the best of the hand life has dealt him, though at the same time resentful of it. Though the film runs almost two hours, it never drags. Huston’s screenplay moves the story along well, and Ferrer’s performance remains captivating the entire time. MORE »
Posted at 4:22 PM in Movie Reviews, Christopher Lee, John Huston and Peter Cushing.
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Wednesday, December 12th 2007
Grade: D
Synopsis: In a story co-written by Bruce Lee, a young warrior (Jeff Cooper) meets a blind man (David Carradine) and battles both a monkey man (David Carradine) and a martial artist (David Carradine) in his quest for a book guarded by a wizard (Christopher Lee).
Circle of Iron is a bizarre film. Not bizarre in the sense of lacking a narrative structure, like so many “weird” movies, but rather bizarre in the execution of its ambitions.
The script, co-written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn, is supposed to be an exploration of Lee’s Zen philosophies. Unfortunately, it’s hard to discern what exactly those philosophies are, as they’re obscured by a myriad of almost laughable distractions. MORE »
Posted at 8:04 PM in Movie Reviews and Christopher Lee.
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Monday, October 29th 2007
Grade: A-
Synopsis: A Scottish police officer arrives at an island village to investigate a young girl’s disappearance.
The Wicker Man is a sharp, intelligent, thriller.
The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer is a thing of beauty. It sets you on edge from practically the first line of dialog and gets progressively more and more disturbing as it builds to its memorable and powerful climax.
The genius is in how Shaffer manages the tension. This isn’t a gory movie; in fact, there’s not a drop of blood to be found. Yet, even without a knife wielding maniac or supernatural killer, Shaffer manages to build a sense of claustrophobia and outright dread the equal of any thriller. He does this by playing on our own insecurities by using innuendo and outright erotica to instill a sense of unease that proves just as effective as any blood soaked corpse. MORE »
Posted at 8:44 PM in Movie Reviews and Christopher Lee.
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