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Reviews & Commentary by Adam Groves
GOING BERSERK
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the untimely March 4, 1994 death of the great John Candy, here’s a look back at his first-ever Hollywood starring vehicle
SURVIVING LIFE
A standout effort from the incomparable Jan Svankmajer
GANJA & HESS
Arthouse vampire thrills from the late Bill Gunn
STOP!
One of the most famous “lost” films of the late Twentieth Century was this never-released counterculture drama from the late Bill Gunn
DESERTERS
If you’re willing to put up with an abundance of low budget distraction you’ll find this to be one of the most interesting Canadian films of the 1980s
THE STRANGERS
A vastly overpraised novel, but one that imparts a powerful sense of near-otherworldly strangeness
THE LAST CHILDREN
This uber-bleak depiction of a post-nuclear Germany was published, unbelievably enough, as a children’s book
THE BARN OF FEAR
An underground comix anthology about homicidal animals. At least one of its parts is strong.
UGLY MUG 7
The latest installment of the UK based House of Harley’s UGLY MUG series of underground comix art
THE FUNGUS
London is destroyed yet again in this 1980s example of “Nasties” horror writing
AESTHETIC DEVIATIONS: A CRITICAL VIEW OF AMERICAN SHOT-ON-VIDEO HORROR, 1984-1994
The first in-depth critical study of SOV horror, written by an author who really appreciates this stuff
THE EXORCIST LEGACY: 50 YEARS OF FEAR
A 50 year overview of an enduring classic, written by an author who was ideally suited for the job
CORMAN/POE
This book, in which the veteran writer/editor Chris Alexander explores Corman’s 1960-64 cycle of Edgar Allan Poe inspired films, is long overdue
SOLDIER: FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN
I’ve admittedly never been too enthusiastic about the 1998 Kurt Russell science fiction vehicle SOLDIER, but thoroughly enjoyed this passionate account of its making
JIM
A “Self-Centered Memoir” of the recently deceased Jim Brown by the disgraced James Toback
BUBBA HO-TEP at 20
Here’s a film that hasn’t been getting too many retrospectives, but I say it’s deserving of at least one
Documenting Terry Gilliam
Two books and four docs about the one and only Terry Gilliam
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST at 35
On the most controversial film of our time
TV Flashback: DARK DREAMERS
I’m not sure how Stanley Wiater managed to convince a Canadian TV channel to broadcast a show comprised entirely of interviews with horror writers and filmmakers, but I’m glad he did
William Friedkin’s Films, Ranked
On August 7, 2023, film director extraordinaire William Friedkin, a.k.a. Hurricane Billy, passed away. Here’s my ranking of his 20 features.