On THE TIN DRUM
THE TIN DRUM (DIE BLECHTROMMEL) by Gunter Grass has been widely acclaimed as the greatest German novel since the end of WWII
Who’s Afraid of Chris Elliott?
What follows is perhaps the most controversial stance I’ve ever taken
Krampus in Fiction and Film
We all know about Santa Claus, but what of his less savory companions? Krampus the horned incubus is the most prominent and horrific of Santa’s “helpers”
Splatter, Maggoty Muppets and Heavenly Creatures: The Early Films of Peter Jackson
With the LORD OF THE RINGS films now ensconced in the “classic” cinema pantheon, I’d say it’s an opportune time to take a look at the output of their director
The PLEDGE of Our Discontent
Friedrich Durrenmatt’s 1957 novel DAS VERSPRECHEN, or THE PLEDGE, is perhaps the most cruel and sardonic crime novel ever written. It contains all the twisted wit and macabre invention that tend to characterize Durrenmatt’s other novels and plays—TRAPS, THE...Notes on the Downfall of M. Night Shyamalan
M. Night Shyamalan’s the dark years
A Less-Than-Admiring Take on the Films of Rafael Corkidi
Here (for once) is a commentary about a director whose work doesn’t particularly excite me: Mexico’s Rafael Corkidi
Comic Con 2013
The endless Comic Con reportage over the past few days has invariably contained a lot of bitching
The 2013 Summer Movie Season
These days I find it difficult writing about Hollywood without sounding like an old fart
The State of the Midnight Movie Circa 2013
Back in 2009 I complained that the midnight movie scene had essentially become a venue for eighties nostalgia, but now…