Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 26, 2023

(1967) Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis; Written by James F. Hurley; Starring: Tony McCabe, Elizabeth Lee, William Brooker, Mudite Arums, Ted Heil and Lawrence J. Aberwood; Available on DVD Rating: *** “The witch has a painting on her leg, which is a mouth. There are areas in here where   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 21, 2023

The times, they were a-changing. Ira Levin’s 1972 novel The Stepford Wives,* reflected the evolving sociopolitical climate of the turbulent late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when many women, tired of being regarded as second-class citizens, and shackled by domestic life, demanded more. At   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 7, 2023

“Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future…” – Criswell (Plan 9 from Outer Space) Oh, the...   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 31, 2023

(1969) Directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda and Kimiyoshi Yasuda; Written by Tetsurô Yoshida; Starring: Kôjirô Hongô, Pepe Hozumi, Masami Burukido, Mutsuhiro and Yoshindo Yamaji; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “I’m the guardian of this place, the Onizuka. Those who do not he   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 25, 2023

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020) In this clever sci-fi/comedy, Kato (Kazunari Tosa), a coffee shop owner, inadvertently discovers the means to see events two minutes in the future via his home computer. Soon, his friends and plucky co-worker attempt to delve further into the mysteries of acc   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 19, 2023

(1991) Written and directed by Shin'ya Tsukamoto; Story by Koji Tsutsumi; Based on the manga by Daijirô Morohoshi; Starring: Kenji Sawada, Masaki Kudou, Hideo Murota, Naoto Takenaka, Megumi Ueno and Chika Asamoto; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “…Light and darkness   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 8, 2023

(1957) Directed by Mitsuo Murayama; Written by Hajime Takaiwa; Starring: Ryûji Shinagawa, Yoshirô Kitahara, Junko Kanô, Yoshihiro Hamaguchi, Ikuko Môri, Ichirô Izawa and Shizuo Chûjô; Available on Blu-ray Rating: *** “Light has a fixed wavelength. The human eye is the same. The human eye   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on December 28, 2022

Night and Fog (1956) 10 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, French filmmaker Alain Resnais revisited the grounds of the infamous concentration camp. The bucolic, tranquil surroundings (filmed in color), belie the fact that this was once the backdrop for some of the greatest atrocities perpetra   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on December 15, 2022

(1982) Directed by Les Blank; Written by Michael Goodwin (Narration); Narrated by Candace Laughlin; Starring: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, Mick Jagger; Available on DVD Rating: ****½ “When I came back to Germany, and I had to hold all the investors   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on December 4, 2022

(1949) Directed by Carol Reed; Screenplay by Graham Greene; Based on a novella by Graham Greene; Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Paul Hörbiger, Ernst Deutsch, Erich Ponto; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***** “Carol Reed is the kind of director who&   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on November 27, 2022

Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) This gripping thriller from director Roy Ward Baker takes place over the course of one tense night. After being dumped by his lounge singer girlfriend Lyn (Anne Bancroft, in her first feature film), airline pilot Jed Towers (Richard Widmark) looks for some rebound   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on November 20, 2022

Several months ago, I was challenged by Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews to discuss my top five favorite movies from 1978. As many film fans know, it was such an exceptional year for movies. The plethora of choices made it difficult to narrow down my picks – so difficult, in fact,...   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 31, 2022

As George Harrison once wrote, all things must pass, and so it goes with the Devilishly Delightful Donald Pleasence Blogathon. On behalf of Gill Jabob from Realweegiemidget Reviews and Yours Truly, we’d like to give a hearty thanks to everyone who took part, as well as our dear readers! I&#   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 30, 2022

Where did the weekend go? We’ve already reached Day 3 of the Devilishly Delightfully Donald Pleasence Blogathon, hosted by Gill Jacob of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Yours Truly! Tonight, we present a quartet of posts for your enjoyment. Note: There will be a post-blogathon wrap-up tomorrow,   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 30, 2022

(1960) Directed by Sidney Hayers; Written by George Baxt; Starring: Anton Diffring, Erika Remberg, Yvonne Monlaur, Donald Pleasence, Jane Hylton, Kenneth Griffith and Yvonne Romain; Available on Blu-ray and DVD. Rating: ***½ This post is part of the Devilishly Delightful DonaldPleasence Bl   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 29, 2022

We’re back for Day Two of the Devilishly Delightfully Donald Pleasence Blogathon, hosted by Gill Jacob of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Yours Truly! Please enjoy today’s posts, covering some film and television titles that might have slipped beneath the radar.It’s not too late to j   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 28, 2022

Welcome to Day One of the Devilishly Delightfully Donald Pleasence Blogathon! My superb co-host Gill Jacob of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Yours Truly are proud to present this three-day event, celebrating versatile, enigmatic character actor Donald Pleasence. We have a bumper crop of posts for you   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 25, 2022

We Are the Night (2010) Lena (Karoline Herfurth), a small-time thief with a troubled past, finds a strange kinship among a group of vampires. She initially enjoys her new-found freedom as an immortal being, but soon discovers the terrible price that comes along with her transformation. Things get es   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 16, 2022

(1940) Directed by: Jean Yarbrough; Written by John T. Neville; Story by George Bricker; Starring: Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Dave O’Brien, Donald Kerr, Yolande Mallott (Donlan) and Guy Usher; Available on Blu-ray and DVD. Rating: *** Note: This r   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on October 10, 2022

(1973) Directed by John Hough; Written by Richard Matheson (based on his novel, Hell House); Starring: Roddy McDowall, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill, Gayle Hunnicutt and Roland Culver; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **** Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill): "Is there anything you’d care   read more