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Darkness and bestiality looms on this grim-looking poster for Lucio Fulci's The House by the Cemetery
A New York couple move to a former scientist's house in Boston, where the man is to finish up some research and make an extra buck. But a strange curse rests over the house and their babysitter!
The House by the Cemetery is written by Dardano Sacchetti (Demons/Dèmoni (1985)), Giorgio Mariuzzo (Doppio Misto (1985, TV movie)) and co-writer/director Lucio Fulci (I Ladri (1959)), with Elisa Briganti (Manhattan Baby (1982)) contributing story elements.
Aside from incredibly bloody effects, this horror hit is something of a bomb in Fulci's body of work. It is technically bad, with a confusing twist about 'children as monsters' (underscored by a Henry James quote in the end), but it falls flat due to lousy child performances. The House by the Cemetery isn't all you'd hope it would be.
= Uncertain - but almost certainly at least a box office success (returned 2.33 times its cost in Italy alone)
[The House by the Cemetery was released 14 August (Italy) and runs 86 minutes. Shooting took place from March - May 1981 in Massachusetts, including in Boston, New York and in Rome. The film was released almost uncut in Italy, where it reportedly was Fulci's most successful horror of the 1980s. In the UK the film was released with 2 minutes cut out, a release that was put on the 'video nasties' list in 1984. It was video released again in 1988 with 4 minutes now missing, and was not released uncut in the UK until 2009. There are regrettably no available information about the film's box office performances in its several other markets. Fulci returned with The New York Ripper/Lo Squartatore di New York (1982). Catriona MacColl (Saint Ange (2004)) returned in Les Amours des Années Grises (1981, TV-series)) and theatrically in Les Diplômés du dernier Rang (1982); Paolo Malco (Turbo (2001, TV-series)) in The New York Ripper. The House by the Cemetery is rotten at 45 % with a 4.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
+ Best American Movie of the Year + Best Drama of the Year + Best Massachusetts Movie of the Year
Warm autumn colors and a wonderful still of stars Matt Damon and Robin Williams make up this classic poster for Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting
Will Hunting of South Boston cleans at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in secret solves mathematical problems on a blackboard in a hallway, while he in his spare time gets into some trouble with the law.
Good Will Hunting is written by co-writer/co-star Ben Affleck (Live by Night (2016)) and co-writer/co-star Matt Damon (Promised Land (2012)) and directed by Kentuckian master filmmaker Gus Van Sant (Mala Noche (1986)), whose 6th feature it is.
Damon convinces in the title part as the simultaneously incredibly smart and incredibly dumb Will Hunting. Robin Williams (The Night Listener (2006)) is formidable as the psychology doctor who begins seeing Hunting as a patient, and there is also impeccable supporting performances from Stellan Skarsgård (Hope (2019)), Casey Affleck (Ocean's Twelve (2004)), the other Affleck and Minnie Driver (Goats (2012)).
Good Will Hunting is a handsomely shot (by Jean-Yves Escoffier (Gummo (1997))), superiorly directed drama with a lot of fun lines and stories in it; it is fresh, exceedingly well-written and structured to a T. It may be said to stretch some of the relationships depicted, in particular the patient-psychologist relationship, but then Hunting is a obviously a very special case, and so it is entirely forgivable. It never compromises the film, which has an excellent beginning and just goes on being excellent.
Good Will Hunting is a marvelous motion picture, awe-inspiring and full of heart and brains.
[Good Will Hunting premiered 2 December (California) and runs 126 minutes. Damon began writing the script in his playwriting class at Harvard University. He wrote the complete script with Affleck, and they sold it for 675k $ to Castle Rock Entertainment, where president Rob Reiner asked them to remove its thriller aspect. Castle Rock was not interested in production with the two writers as stars, and they got 30 days to find another buyer, which became Miramax, where Harvey Weinstein stepped up to buy the project. Damon was paid 650k $, Affleck 300k $; Williams' participation was the film's scoop; he took a drastically reduced salary (reports say anywhere between 1.5-5 mil. $) but profit participation means he eventually landed an undisclosed, much bigger payday from the film. Shooting took place from April - June 1996 in Massachusetts, including Boston, and in Toronto, Ontario. The film opened #13 to a 272k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #2, staying in the top 5 for another 8 weeks, grossing 138.4 mil. $ (61.3 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for 9 Oscars, winning 2; for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Williams). It lost Best Actor (Damon) to Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets, Supporting Actress (Driver) to Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential, Director to James Cameron for Titanic, Editing to Titanic, Score (Danny Elfman) to James Horner for Titanic, Original Song (Elliott Smith's Miss Misery) to Cèline Dion's My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, and Picture also to Titanic. It also won 1/4 Golden Globe nominations, the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, a European Film award and 2 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to 2 notches lower than this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #87 on the site's Top 250, between Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) and Like Stars on Earth/Taare Zameen Par (2007). Van Sant returned with Hanson: Weird (1998, music video) and theatrically with Psycho (1998). Williams returned in Disney's Math Quest with Aladdin (1998, video game) and theatrically in What Dreams May Come (1998); and Damon in Saving Private Ryan (1998). Good Will Hunting is certified fresh at 98 % with a 8.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
Casey Affleck holds a gun and has turned his back turned towards the camera against a dramatic sunset on this poster for his brother Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone
Two private detectives are hired to investigate the abduction of a girl by the name Amanda. A missing person's case that gets deeper with each step.
Gone Baby Gone is written by Aaron Stockard (The Town (2010)) and great, debuting, Californian co-writer-director Ben Affleck (Argo (2012)), adapting Dennis Lehane's (The Given Day (2008)) same-titled 1998 novel. The plot moves in similar thematic waters to Clint Eastwood's great Lehane-adaptation Mystic River (2003), also a crime drama about child endangerment in Boston, Massachusetts. The casting is on point, the performances and the local Boston colors are fine, (Affleck grew up in Boston.) But something about the film's structure is off, and the third act seems to last the whole second half of Gone Baby Gone. Ben Affleck's little brother Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)) plays our protagonist private investigator Patrick Kenzie, SPOILER who seems to make the wrong decision in the pensive, stone-in-the-shoe ending to the film. Affleck the filmmaker deserves a compliment for staying in the difficult story here, and for making moral questions a cornerstone in it.
Cost: 19 mil. $ Box office: 34.6 mil. $ = Big flop (1.82 times the cost) [Gone Baby Gone premiered 5 September (Deauville Film Festival, France) and runs 114 minutes. Shooting took place in Massachusetts, including Boston, and in California from May - August 2006. The film opened and peaked #6 to a 5.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed solid 20.3 mil. $ (58.7 % of the total gross). Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 3.6 mil. $ (10.4 %) and France with 2.7 mil. $ (7.8 %). Its performances in many other markets were too small for it to succeed theatrically overall. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this review. It was nominated for an Oscar: Best Supporting Actress (Amy Ryan), lost to Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton. The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe, won 2 National Board of Review awards and many other honors. It has been listed on annual top 10 lists by at least 65 film critics. Ben Affleck returned with UNHCR-themed video short Gimme Shelter (2008) and theatrically with inferior, Boston-set heist movie The Town (2010). Casey Affleck returned in The Killer Inside Me (2010). Gone Baby Gone is certified fresh at 94 % with a 7.7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Gone Baby Gone?
This poster for Ben Affleck's The Town conjures up a threatening vibe
A young, beautiful bank director is taken hostage, then freed. One of the robbers falls in love with her. We get to know the bank robbers' mecca: Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Town is written by Peter Craig (Blood Father (2016)), Aaron Stockard (Gone Baby Gone (2007)) and great Californian co-writer-director-star Ben Affleck (Argo (2012)), based on the novel Prince of Thieves (2004) by Chuck Hogan (The Standoff (1995)). It has a good car chase, and Jeremy Renner (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)) is good in it.
The film is pretty entertaining, although it bears the mark of being another 'training movie' for Affleck as director and has a very drawn out ending. The purpose of the film seems to hang in the air to some degree.
Jeremy Renner gives an interview about the film at the Toronto International Film Festival here
Cost: 37 mil. $
Box office: 154 mil. $
= Big hit
[The Town premiered September 8 (Venice International Film Festival) and runs 124 minutes. Warner bought the rights to the book in 2006. Sheldon Turner's developing job was tossed out, as Affleck was hired in 2008. He and his high school mate Stockard did research in Charlestown, including involving locals as extras, and Affleck went specifically for Pete Postlethwaite, who died soon after its release, for the film after seeing his audition tape for Inception. Filming took place from August - September 2009 in Massachusets, including Charlestown, and Connecticut. The claims in The Town about the crime in Charlestown are hugely exaggerated and also refer to a (smaller) spike that happened in the 1990s. The film opened #1 with a 23.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed in the top 5 for 3 weeks in total and grossed 92.1 mil. $ (59.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 8.9 mil. $ (5.8 %) and the UK with 7.4 mil. $ (4.8 %). The film received one Oscar nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Renner), which it lost to Christian Bale for The Fighter. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. A 2012 extended cut of around 150 minutes has also been released; it apparently has a darker ending and is preferred by Affleck. The Town is certified fresh at 94 % with a 7.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
♥♥♥♥♥ + Best True-Crime Movie of the Year + Best Boston Movie of the Year
The poster for Tom McCarthy's Spotlight indicates its focus on investigative journalism
Spotlight is the 5th feature from great New Jerseyite writer-director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent (2003)), who has written the Oscar-nominated script with Josh Singer (The West Wing (2003-04)). In the offices of the Boston Globe newspaper works the country's oldest investigative journalism unit, Spotlight. As the paper gets a new editor, a local scandal that has been overlooked comes to take over the unit's long hours for months: The Catholic Church's decades-long problem with sexually abusive, pedophile priests and their covering up for them. The authentic content of Spotlight, of which the vast Boston scandal is only one out of several dozens if not hundreds, is outrageous and deeply affecting. The deceit of trust and neglect involved on the behalf of the Catholic Church worldwide amounts to what I consider as one of the largest crimes against humanity in modern history. And the fact of the matter is that the Church of today, despite its drawn out acknowledgment of its responsibility and possible change of policy internally, still clings to the practice that is at the heart of this problem: Its insistence that its priests remain celibate. Spotlight's great accomplishment is that it lays bare this very dark chapter of US, Catholic and essentially world history. But also that it shows the unique importance of investigative journalism to lift such major societal issues out into the light, when society-bearing institutions are not up to the task, which won them the Pulitzer prize in this instance. In a time when social media, communications people, gadget, finance, sports and celebrity news have increasingly eaten up newsrooms the world over, Spotlight takes a stand against that development and for the importance of the labors of the serious, investigative reporter.
One of the heavy-aired meetings in Tom McCarthy's Spotlight
No doubt Spotlight is a must-see film. It is not only gut-wrenching but will leave many audiences panting, nauseous and literally sick to their stomachs. It is a feel-bad movie, but an essential, important one. It is hard to single out actors for praise, since the film is really a case of a great ensemble giving fine performancesacross the board. Liev Schreiber (Pawn Sacrifice (2014)) as the surprisingly conscientious and smart new editor at the Boston Globe; Brian d'Arcy James (Game Change (2012)) as the Spotlight member who has to take up writing a horror novel in order to get his mind off the fact that the Church has a secret treatment center for its pedophile priests in his neighborhood; Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada (2006)) as the tireless lawyer working with the survivors, and Jamey Sheridan (Homeland (2011-12)) as an incriminated lawyer were in my view truly great in Spotlight, but Oscar-nominated Rachel McAdams (The Vow (2012)), Michael Keaton (Batman Returns (1992)) and Oscar-nominated Mark Ruffalo (Begin Again (2013)) are also all fine. Spotlight is a sober depiction of a scandal from the view of the journalists that uncover it in the vein of the great All the President's Men (1976). The filmmakers have chosen to let the content speak on its own, presenting it in a docu-like realism that can hardly be termed very filmic. Masanobu Takayanagi's (Warrior (2011)) cinematography and Howard Shore's (The Departed (2006)) overly simple score are the least impressive parts of the film in my opinion, and the reason for my not awarding it a 6th ♥.
[Spotlight premiered out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival September 3 to sustained applause and runs 129 minutes. McCarthy and Singer's script figured on the 2013 Blacklist. McCarthy is Catholic and Singer stated that the aim was not to expose the Catholic Church but to show the power of the newsroom and that journalism is important. Shooting began in September 2014 in Massachusetts and Ontario, including in many of the real locations such as the Boston Globe offices and the Boston Public Library. The Oscar-nominated editing lasted 8 months. On the limited release first weekend in 5 cinemas in North America, it racked in a 59,002 $ per screen average, among the best averages of the year. Spotlight made 4.4 mil. $ in its wide-release opening weekend, finishing #8, (which is far from impressive, given its stars and great relevance.) It has grossed 38.3 mil. $ (65.9 % of the total gross) in North America, and the 2nd and 3rd biggest markets have been the UK with 6.3 mil. $ (10.8 %) and France with 3.1 mil. $ (5.3 %). The film has been praised by the Vatican, and the Vatican City's commission on clerical abuse have attended a private screening of it. Spotlight is nominated for 6 Oscars; Best Picture, Supporting Actress (McAdams), Supporting Actor (Ruffalo), Directing, Editing and Original Script. It has won a slew of awards, figure on tons of critics' top 10 lists of 2015 and is #172 on IMDb's Top 250 as rated by its users. Spotlight is certified fresh at 96 % with a 8.9 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
+ Best Boston Movie of the Year + Best Gangster Movie of the Year + Best Comeback Actor of the Year: Matt Damon + Best Remake of the Year + Best Ensemble of the Year:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin
Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alex Baldwin, Kevin
Corrigan, James Badge Dale
Jack Nicholson lurks in the background behind the young leading men on this poster for Martin Scorsese's The Departed
QUICK REVIEW:
In Boston, Massachusetts, it isn't Italian Americans who control the city's criminal underbelly. Frank Costello does; an Irish crime king who has a guy on the inside of the city's police department, but who also has an 'infestation problem' of his own. In Boston you just have to deal with your problems...
Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese (Casino (1995)) does it again with The Departed; creates a unique crime blast of a movie. The Departed is a remake of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's Infernal Affairs (2002), a very successful Hong Kong movie which got 2 sequels, written by William Monahan (Kingdom of Heaven (2005)), who won an Oscar for his adapted screenplay. The movie offers juicy parts for an exciting ensemble cast that all bring their very best to the film. - And for once, at this stage in his career, Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting (1997)) also has a fully fledged part. - His star was back on the rise, after about 5 years of more or less dubious movies, with his performance in Departed. The film features a cool music side; both lots of great source music and a great score by Howard Shore (Doubt (2008)). The Oscar-winning editing, by Scorsese regular Thelma Schoonmaker (Goodfellas (1990)), and Michael Ballhaus' (Air Force One (1997)) cinematography are unmatched. SPOILER Martin Sheen's (Apocalypse Now (1979)) death scene is very exciting, and the film's ending, in which nearly everyone 'departs', is great. I only withhold the 6th ♥ from Departed because the characters, and especially Jack Nicholson's (The Shining (1980)) Frank Costello, seem at times exaggerated in an almost circus-like way. It is truly a great movie nevertheless.
Watch the totally kick-ass trailer for the movie here
Cost: 90 mil. $ Box office: 289.8 mil. $ = Big hit [The Departed was shot on locations in Boston with interior scenes shot in New York. The film was highly anticipated and became one of Scorsese's biggest hits to date, both commercially and critically: Departed broke Scorsese's decades-long Oscar jinx and earned both Best Picture, Director as well as Adapted Screenplay and Editing Oscars. Mark Wahlberg (Ted 2 (2015)) was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Many have commented that Scorsese won for a lesser film than he has previously been nominated for. He has himself said that he won for Departed because it is his first movie "with a plot." It opened #1 in North America with 26.8 mil. $ and grossed 132.3 mil. $ there (46 % of the total gross).] What do you think of The Departed? Any thoughts on Scorsese and Co.'s Oscar wins for the film?
A simple, neat poster for Antoine Fuqua's The Equalizer
Antoine Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen (2013)) made a great villain out of Denzel Washington (Flight (2012)) in his break-out movie, which also won Washington his Best Actor Oscar, tough crime drama masterpiece Training Day (2001). It escalated both of their careers and was also a landmark for African-Americans, as Washington was the first black man to take the Best Actor Oscar, although the fact that he got it for playing a despicable, violent, drug-taking, morally reprehensible character bothered some. This may be an indirect reasoning for the matching in this year's The Equalizer, in which Fuqua directs Washington again, but this time as a straight-as-an-arrow vigilante hero, making up or 'equalizing', if you will excuse the pun, their past misdemeanor in the African-American mirror of self-reckoning.
McCall is a tough, aging guy who is content with a job at the Home Depot, until his local acquaintance, a young woman who is a prostitute from an Eastern European country, gets in trouble with some nasty Russian hoodlums ...
The Equalizer isn't a societally relevant, troubling, groundbreaking film as Training Day was. Instead, it is a potent revenge thriller, based on a CBS TV-series (1985-89), where Washington hands it out to some really ugly Russians in Boston. For those of us who'll never tire of watching ugly Russian mobsters take beatings and some incidental bullets, Equalizer is a joy. - Most people who have experienced random violence will find it easy to revel in having a guy like Washington clean up the tables of rot which society can't manage by itself. Richard Wenk (16 Blocks (2006)) has written the simple, solid script. Dissatisfied customers will claim that Equalizer is too much at times, - but I'll say they ordered the wrong dish. This dish is revenge, and that's gotta be cold, just as it is here. The script's most satisfying turn in my opinion is its finale, SPOILER which is set inside the Home Depot where our hero works: As the militarized Russians enter the Home (Mart), they've sort of asked for what's coming, haven't they? Needless to say, such a location abounds with booby-trap materials... The Equalizer first of all has bad-ass Washington going for it, and fans of the great will appreciate hit turn here, even if it isn't among his dramatically powerful films. The Equalizer is also a tad long at 131 minutes. - It doesn't have annoyingly superfluous passages but just takes its time telling its story. There's well-produced, fine, professional photography by Mauro Fiore (Avatar (2009)) and a good, tight, slightly Drive (2011)-reminiscent score by Harry Gregson-Williams (Deja Vu (2006)).
The nasty villain is played effectively by New Zealander Marton Csokas (Noah (2014)), who gave me goosebumps at least once. Happening young actress Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass (2010)) is alright as an imperiled prostitute; and David Harbour (Revolutionary Road (2008)) is great as a troubled corrupt cop. The Equalizer is a vigilante movie with its heart in the right place. I liked the way that the film takes its time closing up shop as well, and finally I must say that I loved the last scene SPOILER of Washington in the American diner, answering some stranger's distress post on Craigslist, just because he can. The Equalizer is all about that guy. The good guy that we all hope is out there.
Watch the excellent trailer for the film here
Cost: 55 mil. $ Box office: 191.3 mil. $ and counting = Big hit [The Equalizer continued Washington's impressive box office sway in the US, where it opened first with a 35 mil. $ opening weekend and broke some records, including biggest R-rated September opening as well as becoming Fuqua's best weekend opening. The film has also made decent business abroad and Fuqua has announced interest in a sequel with writer Wenk, if Washington wants to...] What do you think of The Equalizer?
