Movie Reviews

In Brief: When a voodoo idol is stolen from its Haitian home, a voodoo priest sends animated dolls to revenge himself on those responsible. Amusing and yet creepy South of the Border horror from the richest period for such movies. Murderous dolls, a voodoo priest, gangsters and a zombie delivery boy all in one package.

In Brief: It's the X-rated classic where Dracula becomes spectacularly unwell whenever he drinks the blood of anyone who's not a virgin (prompting the magnificent outburst, "The blood of these whores is killing me!") — and if that appeals to you (and it should), this movie is right up your alley. It's all about Dracula…

The Story: A newly divorced 30-something returns to live with her parents and falls into a complicated relationship with a younger man. The Lowdown: Funny, perceptive little movie that gives the usually overlooked Melanie Lynskey a much deserved break. The rest of the cast scores, too.

The Story: A sadistic, psychopathic master criminal is hunted by a Detroit detective who wants to stop him from murdering a billionaire. The Lowdown: A confounding crime flick that slowly unravels into goofiness, and which also suffers from a lot of poor casting decisions.

In Brief: Big band leader Kay Kyser and his musicians find themselves playing for a birthday party at an isolated old dark house — where the guests include none other than Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. It's an engaging mix of music, murder and fairly broad comedy, enlivened no end by the three…

The Story: A bookish 30-something college admissions officer — freshly dumped by his girlfriend — returns to his old college and finds a possible new love and more. The Lowdown: A thoroughly enjoyable film about the allure and pitfalls of the academic world and experience — especially when viewed through the filter of nostalgia.

In Brief: François Truffaut's New Age classic Jules et Jim is one of those films that just never ages. It's as fresh and alive today as it was when it first appeared in 1962. At bottom, it's a love triangle, but in the hands of this filmmaker and this cast it becomes much more than…

The Story: Private — actually dilettante — detective Philo Vance sets out to prove that a suicide was actually a murder and to trap the killer. The Lowdown: The ultimate in classic detective movies from the age of the puzzle plot mystery, The Kennel Murder Case is also wildly inventive entertainment with the great William…

The Story: A down-on-his-luck true-crime novelist moves his family into a home where a multiple murder occurred in order to research a book on the crime. Spooky things happen. The Lowdown: Yes, there are some shuddery moments and, yes, you've seen worse horror pictures. But you've also seen better ones than this peculiarly overrated scarefest.

The Story: A lazy biology teacher decides to become an MMA fighter in order to raise the money required to save his school’s music program. The Lowdown: A run-of-the mill attempt at broad, feel-good comedy that’s dull, forgettable and messy.

In Brief: Neil Jordan's Interview with the Vampire may not be perfect, but it's still the closest anyone has come to creating a truly epic vampire movie — and in purely A-picture terms. It's big, it spans centuries and contents. It's a rich and richly detailed film that, if anything, is actually more impressive today…

In Brief: What you get with Without a Clue is a pretty good Sherlock Holmes yarn wrapped in a not so good premise — namely that Dr. Watson is the brains behind and inventor of Holmes, who in reality is a dunderheaded actor. That's mildly amusing and clever enough as far as it goes, but…

The Story: Documentary on artist/designer Wayne White. The Lowdown: A joyous look at a gleeful artist who takes tremendous pleasure in creating his art.

The Story: The second of a purportedly three-part adaptation of Ayn Rand's massive libertarian sci-fi soap opera. The Lowdown: Plodding, seemingly interminable, cheaply made and not likely to persuade anyone except the niche audience for whom it was made.

The Story: A pair dognappers — and by extension a troubled screenwriter — end up being targeted by a psychotic gangster when they steal his dog. The Lowdown: Brilliant, bloody, funny, touching and about so much more than any plot description even hints. Yes, it is extremely violent, but it's also possibly the best film…

In Brief: Blisteringly funny, cheerfully amoral pre-code comedy built on the machine-gun-fire fast-talking Lee Tracy as an unscrupulous gossip columnist (loosely based on Walter Winchell) who knows — and tells — where all the bodies are buried. Fast-moving with crackling dialogue and morals that would be impossible a scant two years later.

The Story: The “true story” of the CIA’s attempts at removing diplomats from Iran during the hostage crisis by having agents and the diplomats pose as Canadian filmmakers working on the sci-fi picture Argo. The Lowdown: A well-crafted, entertaining and intelligent crowd-pleaser that’s a bit too pat and Hollywood-ized to really transcend into greatness.

The Story: A transformative year in the life a troubled introvert and his coming of age with the help of some new friends. The Lowdown: Splendidly entertaining and involving film that is both funny and surprisingly perceptive. See this one.

In Brief: A race of space vampires (who travel about in some kind of giant seedpod inside Halley's Comet) end up making their way across England, sucking the lifeforce out of their victims — apparently to power their seedpod. As looney as it sounds, and something of a mess, despite Tobe Hooper's best efforts and…

The Story: Ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills and his family are targeted by the father of one of the kidnappers Mills killed when rescuing his daughter in the first movie. The Lowdown: Pointless and terminally dumb actioner with occasional moments of unintended humor.

In Brief: Simple, but engaging early Ozu film resembles nothing so much as a 90-minute Japanese variation on an Our Gang comedy. It makes a few rather bitter observations about the social hierarchy in Japan, but its most successful and appealing quality stems from the snapshot it provides of 1932 Japan.