Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on June 2, 2017

(1984) Written and directed by Peter Hyams; Based on the novel 2010: Odyssey Two, by Arthur C. Clarke; Starring: Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Hellen Mirren, Keir Dullea, Bob Balaban and Douglas Rain; Available on Blu-ray and DVD. Rating: **** “People ask me what the monolith means   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 28, 2017

Black Belt Jones (1974) Director Robert Clouse’s follow-up to Enter the Dragon is a real hoot, starring Jim Kelly (who also appeared in Enter the Dragon) as the kick-ass, take-no- prisoners title character. He’s a one-man wrecking crew, working with the cops to take down a powerful mafia   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 17, 2017

(1975) Written and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith; Starring: Yu Wang, George Lazenby, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Roger Ward and Rosalind Speirs; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “It’s a convention for these kind of movies that five or six guys will attack the hero   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 3, 2017

(1960) Directed by Doris Wishman (credited as Raymond Phelan); Written by Raymond Phelan and Doris Wishman; Starring: Marietta, William Mayer and Lester Brown; Available on DVD Rating: *½ “Don’t you understand? I’m in love. For the first time in my life,   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 29, 2017

(1972) Directed by William Crain; Written by Joan Torres and Raymond Koenig; Starring: William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Thalmus Rasulala and Gordon Pinsent; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “Well, we can’t ignore what the world characterizes   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 22, 2017

(1970) Directed by Bob Rafelson; Written by Adrien Joyce (aka: Carole Eastman); Story by Bob Rafelson and Carole Eastman; Starring: Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Billy Green Bush, Toni Basil, Lois Smith and Susan Anspach; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***** “…I felt   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 20, 2017

Gimme Danger (2016) Jim Jarmusch’s no frills documentary chronicles the rise and fall of seminal proto-punk band The Stooges, featuring archival footage and interviews with Iggy Pop and the surviving band members. The film traces Iggy’s humble beginnings in a Michigan trailer park, and c   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 12, 2017

(1958) Directed by Karel Zeman; Written by: Frantisek Hrubín and Karel Zeman; Based on the works of Jules Verne; Starring: Lubor Tokos, Arnost Navrátil, Miroslav Holub and Jana Zatloukalová; Available on Blu-ray (import) and DVD (Opt for the PAL version, if you can) Rating: **** &#8220   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 30, 2017

Vanishing Point (1971) Barry Newman stars as Kowalski, a former race car driver charged with transporting a 1970 Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in record time. From this simple premise sprouts a kinetic, introspective film that uncovers more layers as facets of his checkered past are   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 23, 2017

Hear ye, Hear ye! I’m interrupting this theme month to bring you a special announcement. The fine folks at Flicker Alley, purveyor of rediscovered classics* and underrated gems from yesteryear, are celebrating the April 4th Blu-ray/DVD release of Behind the Door (1919). You can join in the ce   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 15, 2017

(1981) Directed by Richard Franklin; Written by Everett De Roche; Starring: Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marion Edward and Grant Page; Available on Blu-ray and DVD. Rating: **** “Just because I drive a truck does not make me a truck driver…” – Pat Quid (Stacy   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 6, 2017

(1985) Directed by Tim Burton; Written by Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens and Michael Varhol; Starring: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger and Judd Omen; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **** “I enjoy the immediacy of the live action, and again when you&#8   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 28, 2017

Under the Shadow (2016) Set in 1980s Tehran during the Iraq-Iran conflict, writer/director Babak Anvari’s multifaceted debut feature film deftly balances text and subtext. After Shideh’s (Narges Rashidi) husband is sent to the front, she’s left alone in a tenement building with her   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 15, 2017

I was in the midst of a big move when Cinephile Crocodile bestowed a pleasant surprise upon me, with a nomination for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Now that I’m relatively settled, it’s been tougher than I anticipated to jump back into the swing of things, but I couldn’t allow this...   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 3, 2017

(1988) Written and directed by Sandor Stern; Based on the novel by Andrew Neiderman; Starring: David Hewlett, Cyndy Preston, John Ferguson and Terry O’Quinn; Available on DVD Rating: **** “I wanted to take a look at siblings who grow up in the same family and have divergent   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 26, 2017

Jigoku (1960) Many films about hell make promises about what you might see, but few deliver. Jigoku is a rare exception that doesn’t pull its punches in its sordid depictions of the Buddhist underworld. Shirô (Shigeru Amachi) is a young college student, engaged to marry the daughter of one of   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 10, 2017

(1963) Directed by Ishirô Honda; Written by Takeshi Kimura; Adaptation by Shin'ichi Hoshi and Masami Fukushima; Based on the story “The Voice in the Night,” by William Hope Hodgson; Starring: Akira Kubo, Kumi Mizuno, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kenji Sahara and Hiroshi Tachikawa; Available on DVD (   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 1, 2017

(2003) Directed by Takashi Miike; Written by Sakichi Satô; Starring: Yûta Sone, Shô Aikawa, Kimika Yoshino, Shôhei Hino, Keiko Tomita, Harumi Sone and Renji Ishibashi; Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Amazon Instant Rating: *** “…When I was a child the world was more interesti   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on December 28, 2016

No matter how you slice it, 2016 has been one tumultuous stinker of a year, with the loss of so many beloved public figures and continued political upheaval. As much as I’d like to think that everything will be okay when the ball drops in Times Square and the year...   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on December 20, 2016

Viy (1967) Based on a Russian folk tale, Viy is filled with visual surprises, getting crazier as it goes along. Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov), a young layabout monk, spends the night in the house of an old woman. When she attempts to fly away with him in tow, she reveals her...   read more