Opening with a heavy hand — perhaps the least subtle opening theme in history is interrupted by explosion — the film explores what would happen if a virus resulted in death and destruction of crops, paving the way for famine — and, thus, wonders newscasters, perhaps cannibalism. Upon hearing rumors that big cities may be nerve-gassed, […]
thriller
Posted inArts & Culture
The Carey Treatment
It’s almost as if 1972’s “The Carey Treatment” was based on the 1968 novel “A Case of Need,” written by Jeffrey Hudson, the blockbuster author’s med-school nom de plume. While not the first Crichton adaptation to hit the screen — that’d be the prior year’s “The Andromeda Strain” — “The Carey Treatment” is among the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Carey Treatment
It’s almost as if 1972’s “The Carey Treatment” was based on the 1968 novel “A Case of Need,” written by Jeffrey Hudson, the blockbuster author’s med-school nom de plume. While not the first Crichton adaptation to hit the screen — that’d be the prior year’s “The Andromeda Strain” — “The Carey Treatment” is among the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Carey Treatment
It’s almost as if 1972’s “The Carey Treatment” was based on the 1968 novel “A Case of Need,” written by Jeffrey Hudson, the blockbuster author’s med-school nom de plume. While not the first Crichton adaptation to hit the screen — that’d be the prior year’s “The Andromeda Strain” — “The Carey Treatment” is among the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Stool Pigeon
In other words, whether you’re into HK cinema or not, temper your expectations. The storyline bears all the roots of a great Michael Mann script, rife with ethically compromised cops and their questionable informants, and the danger that awaits both sides of these shaky pig-and-snitch relationships as they go undercover. Here, director Dante Lam (“Vampire […]
Posted inArts & Culture
13
So now, my fellow Americans, the unadventurous among you have the color, English-language, star-packed “13.” And not only is it written and directed by the same guy, Géla Babluani, but it’s also pretty good. I still think you should watch the original, too, although I know you won’t. Sam Riley (you saw him top-lining the […]
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Good Neighbors
Awkward, geeky Victor (Jay Baruchel, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”) moves into a Montreal apartment builder and is eager to befriend the other young residents who aren’t nearly as ecstatic: the cat-crazy, Chinese restaurant employee Louise (Emily Hampshire, “Earthsea”) and the wheelchair-bound, smirking Spencer (Scott Speedman, “Barney’s Version“). Maybe they’re skittish because there’s a serial rapist/killer on […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Phantom of Hollywood
Witness Brian De Palma’s cult classic “Phantom of the Paradise,” the ’80s straight-to-VHS slasher “Phantom of the Mall” and the somewhat obscure “The Phantom of Hollywood,” a 1974 CBS movie of the week now brought back to public consciousness via Warner Archive. Without me telling you, you can guess its basic story points: The fictional […]
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The Venetian Affair
“Venetian” opens with a bang — an explosion at the table of a nuclear disarmament summit, and the person to blame is one of the men sitting there: the diplomat repping the United States. Fenner, now replete with sobriety issues, is called back into action in a plot that involves peeping telescopes, fatal gunshots, secret […]
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Cry Terror!
Man 1: “Well, suddenly, we’ve got a problem on our hands, and it’s a dilly: the prankster.” Man 2: “Oh, no, not another one.” Man 1: “The fifth character to pull this sort of stunt in the last 60 days alone.” Man 2: “Used to be the joker who turned in the phony fire alarms. […]