Frank's Movie Log

Most remakes disappoint. Scarface proves an exception. It reimagines Howard Hawks’ 1932 gangster picture as a contemporary psycho-sexual thriller with terrific results. Continue reading...

Blind spots are dangerous. They can obscure critical flaws. But what makes them insidious is you often don’t recognize them. Continue reading...

I’m struggling with this review. On the one hand, I liked the story of four outcasts making their way across wild west Utah, pursued by a maniacal outlaw. The plot proved a surprising exploration of immoral versus evil. The cast engages and director Lucio Fulci and his cinematographer exploit the Austrian locales to present a heightened version of the frontier west that’s both beautiful and brutal.

And yet, it didn’t resonate. Perhaps it’s the dated folk-pop soundtrack. Perhaps it’s how Rob Zombie seems to have modelled his look after the film’s villain. Or perhaps it’s how the standard definition stream lends the film a false sense of cheapness. Whatever the cause, the film deserves a high definition rewatch.

Nightmares plague a group of suburban teens. A common figure haunts their dreams. He wears a tattered fedora hat and striped sweater. Burn marks cover his face and he has razor blades for finger nails. Continue reading...

Between body horrors Rabid and The Brood, director David Cronenberg made a pit stop in the world of minor-league drag racing. The film follows a crew travelling the northwest circuit. They’re sponsored by a motor-oil company repped by John Saxon. Conflict arises between the team’s drive to win and Saxon’s corrupt motives. Continue reading...

Ken Russell’s debut feature. James Booth plays Jim, a deckchair attendant in a dying English seaside resort. Alita Naughton plays his charming girlfriend, an American journalist who’s showing signs of outgrowing their small town. With his world threatened, Jim concocts a scheme to stage a film festival starring a French beauty. Continue reading...

Chris Sheffield plays Harry, an aimless young man living in the isolated community of Block Island. He lives with his aging father Tom, his sisters long since having departed for life on the mainland. He returns home one night to find Tom standing outside in a stupor, staring at the neighbor’s dog. Tom shrugs it off, but Harry senses something’s wrong. The next morning, Tom is missing. When he turns up, Tom struggles to account for the time he’s been gone. Harry’s investigation into his father’s strange behavior leads him down a similar path of blackouts and missing time. Spoilers follow. Continue reading...

Noomi Rapace and Aksel Hennie play an estranged married couple. They head to their lake house for a weekend getaway. Bad things happen. Spoilers follow. And please, if you watch it on Netflix, watch it in its native Norwegian. Continue reading...

Nicolas Cage plays a truffle farmer living in the Oregon wilderness. His lone companion is his truffle pig. One night, a pair of assailants break into Cage’s cabin, assault him and steal his pig. The search for said pig leads Cage to Portland, where we discover what led to his life of isolation. Continue reading...

Wes, what have you done? You return to your independent roots after two studio efforts (Deadly Blessing and Swamp Thing) and deliver a tepid, inane mess. Was this a paycheck gig? Was the film wrested away from you? The truth fades, but your “written and directed by” credit remains. Continue reading...