The Burning

Rating: ** (or less)
Entertainment value rating: ***

Starring Jason Alexander. Music by Rick Wakeman. Special effects by Tom Savini. Sounds good, huh? . . . Nope, it sucks. (Though, in all seriousness, highly recommended.)

The Stranger (1946) D: Orson Welles

Rating: ***1/2

I didn't know about this one. Has a more traditional story than most Welles movies, but is still pretty damn good.

Sleepless (2001) D: Dario Argento

Rating: **1/2

There are good things and bad things (or maybe just boring things).
Good things: Max Von Sydow, a return to style for Argento (similar in feel to Opera), references to earlier Argento movies, Goblin score, bad taste.
Bad things: acting of younger actors, completely uninteresting plot (I wasn't even sure what the suspense was supposed to be about until the end), print of DVD.

Frantic (1988) D: Roman Polanski

Rating: ***

Entertaining thriller. Ennio Morricone score.

Bitter Moon (1992) D: Roman Polanski

Rating: ***1/2 (I guess; sometimes its good/bad in the same way of Showgirls)

The Pianist (2002)

Rating: ***

Them (Ils) (2007)

Rating: **1/2

Similar in many ways to The Strangers. Good, but nowhere near as creepy.

Jane Eyre (1944)

Starring: Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine

Rating: ***

The Strangers

***

Scary as fuck (but pretty cheap).

Review

Zappa: The Torture Never Stops: ***1/2

I would have rather had two DVDs, the first with the early show and the second with the late show. As it stands, there is way too much You Are What You Is material.

Review

Diary of the Dead (the second time): *** Much better this time. I still don't like the characters, but, otherwise, it's pretty damn good.

Reviews

Recount: ***

From Here to Eternity: ** (waste of a good cast)