- Casino Royale Review
- Carrie (1976)
- Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
- Trainspotting (1996)
- Rain Man (1988)
- Fatal Attraction (1987)
- Targets (1968)
- An Education (2009)
- Mirror, The (1974)
- Fargo (1996)
- Fight Club (1999)
- Do The Right Thing (1989)
- Report (1967)
- Is "The Sting" The Best Gambling Film Ever Made?
- Pink Flamingos (1972)
- Ox-Bow Incident, The (1943), Or 28 Angry Men
- Rome, Open City (1945)
- Spring in a Small Town (1948)
- Drive (2011)
- Vinyl (1965)
- Seconds (1966)
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
- A Hollywood Invasion of Casino Halls
- Thin Man, The (1934)
- In The Heat of the Night (1967)
- All In: The Poker Movie, Player’s Best Tricks
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
- 1001 Club - Skyfall (2012)
- 1001 Club - When Harry Met Sally... (1988)
- 1001 Club - Rain Man (1988)
An Apocalyptic Open Letter To One Of My Readers
Hi All,
As you can see I haven't been posting, but I have begun drafting reviews again this week, no worries, I'm coming back.
One of my readers and occasional film recommender, Ben Saddington, wrote me today extolling the virtues of two Apocalyptic films, Kubrick's Dr Strangelove and The Day After (1983), a made for TV movie starring Steve Guttenburg. Rather than having my response read by Ben only, I thought I'd include it for all of you to read, especially given the caliber of these films I list below - So here it is for your reading pleasure:
Amazing letter Ben. Thanks so much for your recommendations. I also very much enjoyed Strangelove, as a matter of fact I reviewed it in '07.
As for The Day After, I saw it recently and though dated, those moments when the flashing images of people being vaporized in an instant still haunts me - I actually saw it when I was 8 - when it was originally televised.
Terrifying, bleak, and absolutely incredible
Apocalyptic film is one of my favourite genres, so if you come across other stuff, please let me know. If I may recommend something I saw last month that had a profound effect on me. Because of the passing of my father my reviewing has been halted for a while, so unfortunately I did not tell the world about this great find, but I urge you to see Fail-Safe (1964), directed by the great Sidney Lumet, especially now that you've seen Dr. Strangelove and it's still fresh in your mind. Both films are based on the novel Red Alert, and Fail-Safe takes a far more serious approach. It is absolutely incredible. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. The film stars Walter Mathau and Henry Fonda. Because it's in no way a comedy, Fail-Safe is far more poignant than Dr. Strangelove, terrifying in fact.If you want to check out a twist on the nuclear theme, you may also want to check out When The Wind Blows (1986) - it's animated and also based on a book of the same name.
The China Syndrome (1979) starring Jack Lemmon also has left quite the impression on me and I certainly recommend it to anyone interested in a story about critical failure in a nuclear power plant. And finally, though not nuclear, the consequences of Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) are certainly world-changing. I recommend it as well.
Have yourself a great viewing, Ben.Squish