Haxan is an old Danish silent-era movie from 1922. Originally a documentary about witchcraft, it is widely considered a horror film today, due the dramatized scenes shown as examples of the evils of witches throughout the movie. The movie is sometimes humorous at times when seen through modern eyes, but awakening when you consider what people once thought witches were capable of (and what they were blamed for). Macabre and chilling at times, this is a very well done film, with some pioneering effects for its day.
Onibaba is a Japanese horror/fantasy film from 1964, and a thrilling one. It is about two women, an older lady and her daughter-in-law, who are struggling to survive while awaiting the end of a civil war in 14th century Japan and the return of their men. To make ends meat, they kill wandering soldiers and trade their armor and weapons for food. One day a neighbor returns home, having fled the war, and he tells the tale of the young one’s missing husband, saying he was killed while attempting to steal food for himself. The mother doesn’t want to believe, bu the younger woman accepts it, and begins to have an affair with the returned neighbor. In order to deter this behavior, the mother takes the mask of a demon to scare her daughter-in-law out of her behavior. This leads to terrible consequences for all involved. A creepy movie.
On the whole, I find Bullitt to be a very good movie, though not great. This film came up in conversation with my Dad last weekend, giving me the itch to re-watch it after over a decade since my first viewing. The famous 1968 Steve McQueen caper about a police detective trying to get to the bottom of a couple murders, involving the Chicago mafia no less, this film is probably most well known for its extremely entertaining car chase through the streets of San Francisco. And the chase is worth every minute; it is quite possibly the most exciting, most thrilling car ride in any movie ever. The camera work and driving ability through the hills and winding roads makes you hold your breath, and holds up to this day. Tremendous film making for those few minutes, even if, in my opinion, the rest of the film isn’t as great as everyone says it is.
The original The Manchurian Candidate is, for most of the film, a fairly straight forward drama occurring against the backdrop of the escalating Cold War in 1962. Starring Laurence Harvey, Frank Sinatra, and Academy Award nominated Angela Lansbury, it is about a soldier, Raymond Shaw, returning home from the Korean War as a war hero. Applauded publicly, he has secretly been brainwashed by a conglomerate of Communist countries, with an unknown nefarious plot to unfold. The thrills ratchet up in the final third of the movie, when we see just who is pulling Shaw’s strings, and what his ultimate target is. Great acting and a solid plot keep you going through the admittedly slow first half, leading to the movie’s fantastic conclusion. Another cherished classic (and the 2004 remake isn’t half bad either).
Bitter Rice is a decent Italian film from 1949, with two leads (Doris Dowling and Silvana Mangano) who are equally easy on the eyes. Francesca is a nice girl at heart, but has been caught up in her thieving boyfriend’s (Water’s) lifestyle. On the lamb, she is hiding out with rice workers, where she meets Silvana. Silvana is a beautiful care-free girl that all the guys like, including Walter when he finally sees her. Walter hatches a plan to steal all the rice that has been picked, using Silvana’s greed to manipulate her into helping. Francesca spends much of the film thinking she is no better than Walter, but finally sees she can make a difference before the end. A passable (though unsurprising) movie, it is worth a single viewing.
Jons Movie Takes 
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