Both Erin Donovan and James Van Maanen volunteered to work their way through Criterion's recently released Agnes Varda collection. And while the odds are they'll more or less agree on the overall quality, each has their own unique takes on these films. We'll start with Le Bonheur (1965).

Reviewer: James van Maanen
Rating (out of five) *****

Funny to call a movie a masterpiece when you're not really certain that you like it all that much. But I'm afraid Agnes Varda's Le Bonheur qualifies for just this adjective-overused as it may be-along with the caveat. I first saw the film, controversial upon its debut and even more so today, during its initial American release over 40 years ago. Revisiting it, I find it holds up even better than I remembered--possibly because I am older and, I hope, a bit wiser than I was in my 20s.

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Posted by at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reviewer: Erin Donovan
Ratings (out of 5): Undying Monster ***; The Lodger ****; Hanover Square ****½

Erin reviews the trio of films that were part of Fox's newly released Horror Classics Collection.

It's a real shame that John Brahm is such a little-known name in film history that even when three of his finest films are given the super deluxe DVD treatment, the box set has to be generically named as "The Fox Horror Classics Collection". But film lovers have been long told to take it where they can get it so that will be the last complaint registered about this wonderful collection of once-lost gems. Brahm, a German emigree courtesy of Adolf Hitler, came to America in 1937 to apprentice for D.W. Griffith (and given the latter's world viewpoint, that must have felt to Brahm as only a marginal improvement). Before embarking on a 25-year television career, he used his pension for Expressionistic style filmmaking to create psychologically dark portraits emphasizing fear of the unknown and the terror created by a single twisted mind over actual physical danger. His films were typically with B-level budgets and scripts brought to an A-level with strong actors, haunting cinematography and dry wit.

Undying Monster ***

In The Undying Monster, a wealthy but cursed family is plagued by an ancestor believed to have sold his soul centuries ago to the devil (or so the legend goes). This monster now attacks people who wander the woods alone on moonlit nights. Creating the template for British crime procedurals for generations to come, a sardonic and weathered detective (James Ellison) agrees to help a brazen and skeptical heiress (played by cult icon Heather Angel) to get to the bottom of the curse while a twitchy, doomsayer butler warns them all of the grave, unspeakable things the curse has wrought.

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Posted by at 12:15 PM | Permalink

Reviewer:Jonathan Marlow
Rating (out of 5): ***½

"Nine killed her, nine will die!"

Robert Fuest is one of the greatest directors you've never heard of. From his days as helmsman for a handful of episodes on the ground-breaking television show The Avengers, on to his brief attempt at Eurotrash with the fabulous And Soon the Darkness and even until his last feature, the surprisingly explicit Aphrodite, the man was an exceptionally crafty filmmaker. Over a two-year period (1971-2), Fuest released among the most original pair of horror pictures ever made, both starring the legendary Vincent Price as Anton Phibes: The Abominable Dr. Phibes (amazingly, Price's 100th movie appearance), and the less successful Dr. Phibes Rises Again. In the original, organist Anton uses the ten plagues of Egypt (as described in Exodus) to kill the nine doctors responsible for his wife's demise. With a supporting cast of Joseph Cotten, Terry-Thomas, the stunning Virginia North and an array of talented character actors, the first Phibes is a masterpiece. The sequel, continuing in the black-humor vein, still has the systematic death element (even if it isn't worked into the plot quite as cleverly), still has significant guest stars (Robert Quarry, Peter Cushing, Terry-Thomas again -- didn't we kill him off in the first one?) but lacks the spark of the original. Yet despite the fact that it feels rushed into production to capitalize on the success of the first film, the sequel is terrifically entertaining. When Price died in 1993, it temporarily killed my dream of making a third Phibes film. "Temporarily" because, as you'll note when you watch these films, Vincent's character can be replaced -- he has no face. Someday, someday...

Posted by at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reviewer: Craig Phillips
Rating (out of 5): ***½

Criterion's edition of Fiend Without a Face is a wonderful transfer of an oft-neglected little creeper. Whereas the previous DVD edition looked no better than what you would have seen on late night television twenty years ago, the new anamorphic edition was put through the usual Criterion care and feeding to look as sharp as it likely ever has. There is also some truly outstanding audio commentary with producer Richard Gordon and expert horror film writer Tom Weaver that isn't just about the film itself but also about producing films in the 1950s. It will make you want to watch the whole thing all over again.

The story: People in a small town seem to be losing their minds - literally! Could radiation, and telepathy, be involved? It isn't as silly as it sounds (okay, it's a little silly). Like the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this film came at the height of Cold War paranoia and could be interpreted in several ways - some of them silly. But cinematically it has its champions, too; many critics, and film buffs, claim that Fiend Without a Face was a direct influence on such low-budget horror classics as Night of the Living Dead and some of John Carpenter's films. Given the time the film was made, it's particularly surprising how relatively gory the film is in spots - this too, was surely an influence on Romero and others. Makes one wonder if there was a disclaimer provided with the film upon original release - "Warning! This film contains crawling brains being splattered!" But fear not (or perhaps, fear yes!) for this classic cult film, ignoring its clunky science, has surprisingly good effects and is full of scares - and, okay, a few unintentional chuckles, too. Either way, it's the perfect movie for a Halloween treat.

Posted by at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

• The Omega Man (1971).
• Dead Alive (Brain Dead) (1992).
• Shaun of the Dead (2004).
• 28 Days Later (2002).
• Re-Animator (1985).
• The Serpent and the Rainbow (1987).
• Zombie/Zombi 2 (1979).
• Land of the Dead.
• Bio Zombie (2001).
• Junk (1999).
• Return of the Living Dead (1985).

Posted by at 10:35 AM | Permalink