Bernie, 2011. Directed by Richard Linklater.Starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. SYNOPSIS: In small-town Texas, the local mortician strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow, though when he kills her, he goes to great lengths to create the illusion that she’s alive.  Director Richard Linklater is one of the most unpredictable film […]

The Lords of Salem, 2012. Written and Directed by Rob Zombie.Starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, Meg Foster, Patricia Quinn, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Michael Berryman, and Sid Haig. SYNOPSIS: Heidi, a radio DJ, is sent a box containing a record — a “gift from the Lords.” The sounds within […]

Bernie, 2011. Directed by Richard Linklater.Starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. SYNOPSIS: Small-town Texas mortician Bernie Tiede begins a friendship with a recently-widowed millionaire, and after he kills her the local community rallies in support of Bernie. In Bart Layton’s excellent 2012 film The Imposter the line between documentary and thriller is blurred […]

Gone Wild, 2012. Directed by Dan Curean. SYNOPSIS: A documentary chronicling a herd of wild horses on the Danube Delta.  Gone Wild narrowly misses out on full marks due to its last moments spent on making protest noise, but the rest of the doc has beauty and quiet insight reminiscent of Terrence Malick. No documentary […]

The Sound of Old Rooms, 2011. Directed by Sandeep Ray. SYNOPSIS: Filmed over 17 years, this up-close documentary takes the viewer through the life experiences of an ordinary Indian man trying to hold on to his calling of being a poet while juggling a normal life.  The most interesting thing about documentary The Sound of […]

I Have Always Been a Dreamer, 2012. Directed by Sabine Gruffat. SYNOPSIS: A documentary travelogue and film portrait of two cities in contrasting states of development: Dubai, UAE and Detroit, U.S.A. I Have Always Been a Dreamer begins with a single long take scanning the inner city area of Detroit. The camera gazes up at […]

Knightriders, 1981. Written and Directed by George A. Romero.Starring Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, Christine Forrest, Warner Shook, Brother Blue and Cynthia Adler. SYNOPSIS: A medieval reenactment troupe find it increasingly difficult to keep their family-like group together, with pressure from local law enforcement, interest from entertainment agents and a […]

Man at the Top, 1973. Directed by Mike Vardy.Starring Kenneth Haigh, Nanette Newman, Harry Andrews, William Lucas, Clive Swift, Paul Williamson, John Collin and John Quentin. SYNOPSIS: Northerner Joe Lampton becomes involved with Lord Ackerman, the powerful chairman of a pharmaceutical concern, where he makes a shocking discovery: his predecessor committed suicide because of his […]

Spanish Fly, 1976. Directed by Bob Kellett.Starring Leslie Phillips, Terry-Thomas, Graham Armitage, Nadiuska, Frank Thornton and Sue Lloyd. SYNOPSIS: On the Mediterranean island of Minorca, expat Sir Percy de Courcy buys 100,000 gallons of local wine, hoping to sell it at a vast profit. Unfortunately, the wine tastes foul, and when he asks his chauffeur […]

On the Fiddle (a.k.a. Operation Snafu), 1961. Directed by Cyril Frankel.Starring Alfred Lynch, Sean Connery, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway and Eric Barker.  SYNOPSIS: Tricked into joining the RAF by a wily judge, wide boy Horace Pope sets his sights on the main chance, teams with slow-witted, good-hearted gypsy Pedlar Pascoe, and works up a lucrative […]