Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 22, 2021

Whew! I hope you’ve had time to catch your breath, dear reader, because it’s time for Day Two of the Christopher Lee Blogathon. Today, you’ll find seven spectacular posts spanning multiple genres, from historical drama, to sword and sandal, and westerns. If you plan to participa   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 22, 2021

(1962) Directed by John Gilling; Written by John Hunter and John Gilling; Story by Jimmy Sangster; Starring: Kerwin Matthews, Glenn Corbett, Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, Marla Landi, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper and Peter Arne; Available on DVD. Rating: ***½ “Tarted up with palms and b   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 21, 2021

After months of planning, the big day has finally arrived. Yours Truly and my co-host with the most, Gill Jacob of Realweegiemidget Reviews, proudly present Day 1 of the Christopher Lee Blogathon! It’s an honor to dedicate this three-day event to one of my all-time favorite actors, who was th   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 13, 2021

(1987) Directed by Jack Sholder; Written by Jim Kouf (as Bob Hunt); Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian, Clu Gulager, Ed Ross and William Boyett; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “In a span of 12 hours, I’ve got five bodies, not counting Miller, w   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on May 1, 2021

The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971) Dr. Nils Hellstrom (Lawrence Pressman) serves as our guide to the overlooked world of insects and arachnids in this pseudo-documentary, directed by Walon Green and Ed Spiegel. Supposedly shunned by the academic community for his controversial theories, Hellstrom opine   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 27, 2021

(1997) Directed by Guillermo del Toro; Written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins; Based on the short story, “Mimic,” by Donald A. Wollheim; Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Charles S. Dutton and Josh Brolin; Available on Blu-ray and   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 18, 2021

(1955) Directed by Jack Arnold; Written by Robert M. Fresco and Martin Berkeley; Story by Jack Arnold and Robert M. Fresco; Starring: John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll, Nestor Paiva and Ross Elliott; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar): “But wh   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on April 7, 2021

(1974) Directed by Saul Bass; Written by Mayo Simon; Starring: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy and Lynne Frederick; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **** Note: This article is an expanded version of a capsule review, originally posted in November 2014. “They’re not individuals   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 30, 2021

The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) Director/co-writer John Gilling’s lurid dramatization of Burke and Hare’s real-life exploits is consistently compelling, remaining one of the best versions of the tale. George Rose and Donald Pleasence play the notorious pair of ne'er-do-wells who supply D   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 27, 2021

Note: As my friends on Twitter can attest, it’s been a bit of a rough week, with my family’s beloved cat, Buster, missing. Despite this unfortunate setback, I have decided that “the show must go on,” so I can give everyone ample time for the following event… After a y   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 9, 2021

(1973) Directed by Freddie Francis; Written by Jennifer Jayne; Starring: Jack Hawkins, Donald Pleasence, Georgia Brown, Suzy Kendall, Peter McEnery, Joan Collins, Kim Novak and Michael Petrovitch; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **½ “Up until now, apart from the patients, I’   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on March 2, 2021

(1946) Written and directed by Jean Cocteau; Based on the story by Madame Leprince de Beaumont; Starring: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély, Nane Germon, Michel Auclair and Marcel André Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***** “To find trees where there are none, or something where i   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 25, 2021

Port of Shadows (1938) Jean (Jean Gabin), an AWOL soldier, hitches a ride to the port town of Le Havre, with the intention of assuming a new identity and hopping on a cargo ship bound for Venezuela. In a short span of time, he meets new friends (including a dog...   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 21, 2021

(1987) Directed by René Laloux; Written by René Laloux and Roland Topor; Based on the novel Les Hommes Machine Contre Gandhar, by Jean-Pierre Andrevon; Starring: Pierre-Marie Escourrou, Catherine Chevallier, Georges Wilson and Anny Duperey; Available on DVD (Region 2) Rating: **** “What do   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 11, 2021

(1991) Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro; Starring: Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Karin Viard, Ticky Holgado, Silvie Laguna and Rufus; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **** “The story came about, as I said many times back then, because   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on February 1, 2021

Ugetsu (aka: Ugetsu monogatari) (1953) Director Kenji Mizoguchi’s Feudal-era yurei (ghost) story resonates with the viewer long after it’s over. Genjurô (Masayuki Mori), a poor pottery maker dreams of making a fortune selling his wares in the big city. After evading roving samurai and t   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 27, 2021

(2007) Written and directed by Keiichi Hara; Story by Yuichi Watanabe and Masao Kogure; Based on the stories "Kappa Daisawagi" and "Kappa’s Surprise Journey," by Masao Kogure; Starring: Kazato Tomizawa, Takahiro Yokokawa, Naoki Tanaka, Naomi Nishida, Tamaki Matsumoto and Natsuki Uematsu Avai   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 21, 2021

(2009) Directed by: Yoshihiro Nakamura; Written by Tamio Hayashi; Based on the novel by Kôtarô Isaka; Starring: Atsushi Itô, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Noriko Eguchi, Hidekazu Mashima, Gaku Hamada, Mikako Tabe, Mirai Moriyama, and Kengo Kôra; Available on Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD. Rating: ****½   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 10, 2021

(1997) Directed by Satoshi Kon; Written by Sadayuki Murai; Based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis, by Yoshikazu Takeuchi; Starring: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji and Masaaki Ôkura; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: **** “I don’t think that it’s   read more

Cinematic Catharsis Posted by Barry P. on January 1, 2021

The Wave (aka: Bølgen) (2015) No, it’s not about the ubiquitous stadium crowd activity, but a killer tidal wave that strikes the touristy Norwegian village of Geiranger. After accepting a new job in the big city, Kristian (Kristoffer Joner) can’t seem to let go of his old position as a   read more