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cmartin-33
Reviews
Black Christmas (1974)
A really creepy little movie...
This little nugget continues to creep the bejesus out of me 32 years after the fact. I remember when I was 10 or 11 and this film first showed up on Home Box Office. My unsuspecting Mom thought it would be okay to watch despite the R rating. I made it through to the first obscene phone call before my Mom chases me out of the room! Up until that point, what I remember scaring me the most was the mood that was already established; my imagination was already filling in the blanks! I don't think it was until recently that I saw the film in it's entirety and other than some rather silly plot holes, the strength of the movie is what it "suggests" rather than delivers! A lot of the violence is inferred in lieu of the gore that has become the industry standard in today's slasher fare. Bob Clark's direction in this movie has become so copied, it was only until recently that I realized he almost single handedly defined the genre of slasher film; The point of view camera angles of the killer, the slow hand held camera shots going around dark corners or behind doors...Clark apparently gave John Carpenter the idea for 'Halloween' which in turn is such an homage of sorts to this movie! It's a true one of a kind classic and real creepfest you'll find yourself trying to avoid...until you need to watch it again!
Sophie's Choice (1982)
A career defining role!!!
Arguably Meryl Streep's most compelling performance...and lord knows the woman has turned in a few during her career! I found myself delighted, beguiled, enchanted, crushed and ultimately reduced to a drained and empty shell by the film's end; it took several days thereafter to fully recover. Her vulnerability and honesty are as inescapable as her demons. And you cannot help but be drawn into such a real sense of both conflict & compassion, duty and despair...this film completely melted my face off while cementing an admiration and awe I rarely experience from an actor's performance. All due respect to both Kline & MacNichol for their fine portrayals, but really the movie begins and ends with Streep's haunting, brilliant and enormously human turn as Sophie! This is a "must see" film albeit a gut wrenching experience!!! Totally amazing!!!