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Reviews & Commentary by Adam Groves
AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION
I say this is the best of the AMITYVILLE movies. No, AMITYVILLE II isn’t particularly good, but it is superior to its overrated predecessor and the innumerable follow-ups
SUPER MARIO BROS.
The first-ever video game inspired movie, and (no joke) one of the most ambitious big studio releases of the 1990s
MOROZKO
The only Russian fairy tale film of the 1920s, and the premiere example of Soviet-made folk horror
ALEX JOSEPH AND HIS WIVES
The very definition of a curio: a 1977 quasi-documentary by the late schlockmeister Ted V. Mikels about a notorious real-life polygamist
DOOMED LOVE
No-wave weirdness!
THE SHADOW AND OTHER STRANGE TALES
A short single author anthology that appears to have been aimed at children
STRANGE OBJECTS
In the midst of near-universal adulation I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn’t much care for this novel
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
This, the premiere work of prose fiction by Quentin Tarantino, is in many respects just like his films
THE WATCHER
Yet another example of a book done in, commercially speaking, by poor packaging
THE DAY THE GODS DIED
A third party companion-piece to CHARIOTS OF THE GODS, and a dispatch from an era in which allegedly true revelations of incredible events were popular
PSYCHEDELIC SEX VAMPIRES: JEAN ROLLIN CINEMA
In the absence of a comprehensive English language book (as of 2012, at least) on the French filmmaker Jean Rollin, this lavishly illustrated trifle will have to do
PHALLIC FRENZY: KEN RUSSELL AND HIS FILMS
This isn’t the first book about the English cinema’s premiere enfant terrible Ken Russell, but it is very likely the best
EXQUISITE CORPSE: SURREALISM AND THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
The so-called Black Dahlia murder of 1947 continues to inspire all manner of speculation. EXQUISITE CORPSE, a profusely illustrated coffee table hardcover, is the latest in a long line of lengthy analyses on the still-unsolved crime
EDISON’S FRANKENSTEIN
This book has some irritants but I treasure it nonetheless, and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone with an interest in the origins and evolution of horror cinema
A WRITER’S TALE
It’s a shame this book is currently so difficult to get a hold of, as it’s truly one of the finest-ever books about writing and publishing
Robert Forster: 1941-2019
2019 is shaping up as, among other things, a year in which quite a few vital character actors breathed their last breath
1988: The Year in Bedlam
I really hate to keep repeating myself in my year-end summations, but I just have to say it: 1988 was an abysmal year for movies
Sid Haig: 1939-2019
Oftentimes it can be difficult to grasp just how much a skilled supporting player adds to the movies s/he graces—until, that is, the player in question is no longer with us
TV Flashback: AN AMERICAN FAMILY
AN AMERICAN FAMILY, a 12 episode docu-series that aired on PBS in 1973, is very likely the most famous yet least seen TV program in history
TV Flashback: MANIAC (2015)
In the category of insane asylum set TV programs the ten episode Norwegian miniseries MANIAC (not to be confused with the 1980 William Lustig slasher classic, nor the 2012 remake) is a definite standout