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From ZERO to 6 ♥s. 100% ad-free. Run on pure love for movies, documentaries and TV-series. June 2025: Countdown to: Top 10: Best horror comedy movies - Upcoming review: There's Still Tomorrow (2023)
A mysterious, stressful poster for Brian De Palma's The Fury, which hints at the telepathic powers involved in the plot
Kirk Douglas (A Lovely Way to Die (1968)) plays a father, whose son is kidnapped by a secret governmental department inside the CIA, who want him for his telepathic abilities. With the help of a young woman with a similar talent, Douglas searches for his son. The Fury is written by John Farris (Dear Dead Delilah (1972)), based on his own same-titled 1976 novel, and directed by great New Jerseyite filmmaker Brian De Palma (Hi, Mom! (1970)), whose 11th feature it is. It is an odd b-film, reminiscent of the better films Carrie (1976), - also by De Palma, - and David Cronenberg's Scanners (1981). The story wallows in pseudo-science and is weak. John Cassavetes (Machine Gun McCain (1969)) plays a part in The Fury, SPOILER and when he literally explodes in sensational details in the ending, the film attains its tentative third ♥ in my assessment. But The Fury is surely no-one's finest hour.
Cost: 5.5 -7.5 mil. $ (different reports) Box office: Reportedly 24 mil. $ = Box office success - maybe even a big hit (cost returned 3.2 - 4.3 times) [The Fury was released 10 March (USA) and runs 118 minutes. De Palma cast Douglas, a major star, because he had felt that his previous telekinesis movie Carrie had suffered at the box office for missing a major star. Shooting took place in Israel and in Los Angeles, California and in Illinois, including Chicago, from July - August 1977. The hotel scene was shot in Chicago's Plymouth Hotel, which would also be used in John Landis' masterpiece The Blues Brothers (1980). Later stars Dennis Franz and Daryl Hannah make their movie debuts in The Fury, and Jim Belushi is an extra. SPOILER The first take of Cassavetes' body exploding wasn't successful, and it took nearly a week to prepare a second take. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. De Palma returned with Home Movies (1979), again with Douglas, who returned before that in The Villain (1979). Cassavetes returned in Brass Target (1978). The Fury is fresh at 80 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
An original, Gothic-styled, chilling poster for F.W. Murnau's Faust
Faust, an old alchemist, who is attempting to make gold, becomes the object of a bet between God and Satan: If the devil can corrupt Faust, he is entitled to everything!
Faust is written by Gerhart Hauptmann (Der Biberpelz (1971), TV movie) and Hans Kyser (Arabella/Arabella. Der Roman eines Pferdes (1924)), based on the legendary Faust tale and on Johann Wofgang von Goethe's (The Sorcerer's Apprentice/Der Zauberlehrling (1797), poem) same-titled two-part play (1808; 1832), and directed by German master filmmaker F.W. Murnau (Tartuffe/Herr Tartüff (1925)). As the plague sweeps across his town, Faust welcomes the devil's messenger, Mephisto, - in the grotesquely overacting, menacing figure of Emil Jannings (Husbands or Lovers/Nju - Eine Unverstandene Frau (1924)), - and later he fully enters a pact to reclaim his youth. SPOILER Contrary to the original ending of the myth, here God is in the end proved right, because the devil doesn't know of ... Liebe! [love] This provides a fine and moving ending that has a grandeur about it that matches the rest of the film's. Faust is most impressive because of its striking images, compositions and lighting, (cinematography by Carl Hoffmann (The Girl from Fano/Das Mädchen von Fanö (1941))); its sets, costumes and effects, (among them are Faust and Mephisto's flying on the latter's cape to Italy!), and its iconography, as is also apparent in the photos from the film below.
Cost: 2 mil. marks, different sources determine this to have been approximately 0.47 - 0.9 mil. $ at the time - a very substantial budget at the time Box office: Unknown = Uncertain - but reportedly the film recouped only half of its costs in admissions, which would decidedly suggest that it was a huge flop [Faust was first released 20 September (in Denmark!) and runs 106 minutes, - though running times may vary from version to version, as at least 5 versions of the film have been located. Murnau was not initially meant to direct the film, but after he - with Janning's backup - sought the job, he got it. And due to his success with The Last Laugh/Der Letzte Mann (1924), he was given a reportedly unlimited budget. Kyser's first script was reportedly so disliked by the studio that they hired Hauptmann, whose script was even less liked, and Kyser's was reportedly the one finally used. Filming lasted 6 months in UFA's Berlin studio, where Murnau challenged convention with two cameras filming simultaneously and innovative detail and effects orientation. The details surrounding the film's theatrical performance are not known. Murnau had relocated to Hollywood, when the film came out in Germany, and he was already busy making his first film there, Sunrise/Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927). Jannings returned in The Way of All Flesh (1927), also in Hollywood, now a lost film. Roger Ebert has given Faust a 4/4 review, translating to two notches better than this one. A version of the film has entered the public domain and can be seen and downloaded free and legally here. Faust is fresh at 94 % with an 8.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Faust?
+ Breakthrough of the Year, Male: Kelsey Grammer + Best New TV-series of the Year + Shooting Star of the Year, Male: David Hyde Pierce + Best Sitcom of the Year + Best Washington Title of the Year
The Seattle skyline and the five leads - and dog Eddie - make up this poster for the first season of David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee's Frasier
Frasier was created for NBC by David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee (Wings (1990-97), all). It might be the most perfect first season of a sit-com ever made. It is solid right off the bat; the first episode presents the central characters with the series' signature title cards presenting them, ('the son', 'the father' etc.) Successful psychiatrist Frasier (Kelsey Grammer (Partners (2014), TV-series))) has moved from Boston to Seattle after a divorce, which removes him from his son Fredrick. He is setting himself up as the city's top radio therapist and rekindles his friendly but also deeply competitive relationship with his brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce (The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999))), also a psychiatrist with a successful private practice. But as the two Crane brothers' father, widower Martin's (John Mahoney (The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000))) health is declining, Frasier allows his old man, - naturally his complete counterpart in terms of lifestyle and preferences, - to move into his swanky new penthouse apartment. From here on their father-son relationship is put to the test: Martin's Easy-chair and smart dog Eddie are a great nuisance to perfectionist Frasier, whereas Martin's residential, British physical therapist Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves (Garfield 2 (2006))) is mostly a joy to have around, - although mostly to frequent visitor Niles, who quickly falls for her completely and courts her more and more openly. Daphne of course never realizes this, (despite her claims to have psychic abilities.) Niles, who is married to upper class mansion-owner Maris, (whom Frasier at one point describes as "like the sun, but without the warmth", and whom we never see, which is a funny ploy), admits late in the season that he isn't happy, and that he longs for an affair with Daphne. At work Frasier is partnered with his radio show producer Roz Doyle (played with feisty affability by Peri Gilpin (Occupy, Texas (2016)), and we are introduced to other radio station characters such as Bulldog Briscoe (Dan Butler (Hey Arnold! (1997-04)) is supremely energetic), Gil Chesterton and Chopper Dave; and each episode has celebrities making the listener calls to Frasier. - First season includes calls from names such as Jeff Daniels, Jay Leno, Mel Brooks, Ben Stiller, Piper Laurie, Henry Mancini, Elijah Woods, Malcolm McDowell, Reba McEntire, Mary Tyler Moore and Tommy Hilfiger. These radio 'sessions' of Frasier's are almost always failed attempts at telephonic therapy - and usually hilarious. Roz is a notorious man-eater, while Frasier is lonely and mostly alone: He has a relapse with his ex-wife Lilith, but otherwise little action romance-wise on his part in season 1. When Martin strikes up a short-lived relationship to a woman, Frase unintentionally ruins their growing fling by discussing their sex life on his show! He attempts to make it up again, and such is the basic structure of many an episode: Expectations, analyzing, mistakes being made, arguments, conflicts - and reunification. It is always the snappy, intelligent and deeply humorous dialog served up by a terrific team of writers, which amazes and entertains in the warmest fashion from episode to episode. - An example of of the show's many familiar jabs could be this reply from Frasier, when Niles in one episode suddenly boasts to Daphne about his having begun pumping iron: "Niles, you don't even pump your own gas!" The cast is also brilliant, especially leading man Grammer, who creates a grand comical figure in Frasier Crane, and the series is much in his debt. The season is so lovely that at its conclusion, you will be ready to join in Frasier's late admittance of happiness.
Best episodes: Episode 1: The Good Son - written by Angell, Casey, Lee; directed by James Burrows (Man with a Plan (2016-17)) The characters are introduced, and Frasier accepts his father into his new Seattle abode. Episode 12: Miracle on Third or Fourth Street - written by Christopher Lloyd (Modern Family (2009-19)); directed by Burrows A delightfully unpretentious anti-Christmas Christmas episode in which Frasier is mistaken for being a homeless man. Episode 17: A Mid-Winter Night's Dream - written by Chuck Ranberg (House Blend (2002), TV movie), Anne Flett-Giordano (Mom (2015-18)); directed by Lee Niles and Daphne are caught in Niles' mansion, and the Maris jokes are many and uproariously funny. Episode 21: Travels with Martin - written by Linda Morris, Vic Rauseo(Roomies (1987), TV-series, both); directed by Burrows The family of four go camping to Canada, where Daphne isn't supposed to be, officially! Episode 24: My Coffee with Niles - written by Angell, Casey; directed by Burrows The sublime episode takes place exclusively in Frasier and Niles' regular hangout, the aptly named Cafe Nervosa, where the two carry out an intense conversation on the topic of happiness, disturbed by the series' regulars. SPOILER Frasier answers Niles' question, finally, to the waitress; yes, he is mostly fairly happy.
Watch a clip of the very beginning of the first episode of the show here
Cost: Unknown Box office: None - TV series = Uncertain - but certainly a TV hit [Frasier season 1 was first shown from 16 September 1993 - 19 May 1994 on NBC, and it spans 24 episodes of an average 22 minutes, totaling approximately 528 minutes. The series is a spin-off of Cheers (1982-93), wherein Frasier (Grammer) was a regular in Sam's (Ted Danson) bar in Boston. Shooting took place in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with establishing shots from Seattle, Washington. The series' cost grew during its run, and the cost per episode at its closure after 11 seasons was reportedly 5.2 mil. $ (124.8 mil. $ for the 24 episodes), of which 60 % went to its regular stars, of which Grammer commanded an impressive 1.6 mil. $ (amounting to 38.4 mil. $ for the season). Still, with syndication, foreign sales, home video etc., the series was likely a great asset for NBC. The season's ratings lowest were 25.5 mil. US viewers and its highest was 33.1 mil, - impressive numbers, - ranking it #7 on the Nielsen rank, which the series only bested in its seasons 6 and 7. The season won 4/6 Emmy nominations, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and other honors. The second season started showing in September 1994. Grammer at the time also starred in TV movies Beyond Suspicion (1993) and The Innocent (1994). 62,422 IMDb users have given the show an 8.0/10 average rating.] What do you think of Frasier's first season?
Charlize Theron as the protagonist who's swamped by motherhood and here has it virtually plastering her face on this lovely poster for Jason Reitman's Tully
Marlo is already the mother of two, of which son Jonah is especially challenging, and is now about to give birth to her and her husband's third, an unplanned child. Somewhere along the way, Marlo has lost connection with herself, as a sprightly night-nanny appears to help her out. Tully is written by Diablo Cody (Young Adult (2011)) and directed as the 7th feature by great Quebecker filmmaker Jason Reitman (Labor Day (2013)). Tully is the name of the somewhat mysterious, whimsical free-spirit night-nanny, who comes to the rescue for Marlo. Charlize Theron (Prometheus (2012)) gives a simultaneously courageous, moving and frightening powerhouse performance as Marlo, one that makes it feel as if she really must know about the burdensome plights of motherhood personally, (she undoubtedly does, though not the biological aspect, as her own two children are adopted.) The degree to which Marlo has gotten out of whack mentally and personally sticks deeper than we may think initially, and Theron's wild performance hints at this several times, where red lamps ought to be blinking for the discerning viewer. - Although we constantly also want to give her the benefit of the doubt, as also seems to be the case with her nice but too passive husband, (finely played by Ron Livingston (The End of the Tour (2015)).) Theron touched on the same miserable state in The Burning Plain (2008), but in this case there is more depth and connection to her desperation. SPOILER Tully takes a surprising turn in its third act, which highlights the maternal depression as a phenomenon that needs to be taken really serious, and it makes Marlo's inner pain pungent and moving; becoming a parent isn't only a blessing, it is also a process in which you lose portions of what you thought you were, and Tully resides in this perplexing area with weight and integrity. Mackenzie Davis (Plato's Reality Machine (2013)) is delightful as the ever-changing, pro-active, insightful Tully, and Asher Miles Fallica (Ozark (2017), TV-series) and Lia Frankland (Betting on the Bride (2017), TV movie) are both natural and lovely as the siblings. Tully also has several funny moments. One of the best: A running scene, in which Theron, - who reportedly gained an impressive 50 pounds for the role, - overtakes a younger woman, only to collapse before the girl, who seems genuinely disturbed at the sight. Reitman is also a terrific, smart montage filmmaker, and Tully has a great montage of the doldrums of motherhood, and a later car sequence to several Cyndi Lauper tracks. - What a sweet delight that was, and what a great, debate-inspiring film Tully is. It may be especially meaningful for couples dealing with the throngs of parenthood together. Thank you, Reitman and Co.!
Cost: Unknown (but Reitman, Diablo and Theron's latest, and similarly scoped collaboration, Young Adult (2011), had a 12 mil. cost, so we can assume Tully's cost to be in that neighborhood) Box office: 5.5 mil. $ and counting = Too early to say - but has a long way to go to become profitable theatrically [Tully premiered 23 January (Sundance Film Festival) and runs 96 minutes. Cody has stated that she wrote the script as a form of therapy after her third birth, unable to write the Barbie film she was supposed to be working on, and that Tully saved her life. Shooting took place in New York and Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada from September 2016 - ?. Theron has stated that it took her 1½ years to get rid of the 50 pounds again, during which she also experienced her first depression. The film opened #6 to a small 3.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it is playing right now. It will soon open in Sweden (18 May), Indonesia (23 May), Brazil and Thailand (24 May), Germany and Greece (31 May), Norway (1 June), Portugal (7 June), Finland (11 June), France (27 June), Italy (28 June), Belgium (11 July) and Russia (12 July). With a Fall release, Tully might have been an Oscar contender with a stronger domestic gross, but Reitman is scheduled to return later this year with The Front Runner (2018), which may be his big awards bid; it is a political biopic led by Hugh Jackman. Theron returned in Gringo (2018). Tully is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Tully?
A red-tinted, murky, dusk-like darkness hangs over this poster for Scott Spiegel's From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
A gang of criminals plan to rob a bank in Mexico but before they get to it, they are attacked by some blood-hungering bats that carry a frightening virus. From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money is written by Duane Whitaker (Stripteaser (1995)) and co-writer-director Scott Spiegel (Intruder (1989)), with Boaz Yakin (Max (2015)) contributing story elements, as the sequel to Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). It is something as rare as a vampire heist movie, which lends it a certain 'fun-to-watch' quality. But although Spiegel's direction has clear Tarantino ambitions, (Quentin Tarantino stars in and co-wrote the original film with pal Rodriguez and executive produced this pic), it lacks finesse: Exaggerated action and unfortunate effects mar Texas Blood Money, which also is bogged down by a sorely unengaged lead performance from Robert Patrick (True Blood (2012-14)). After the exhilarating original film, the earth-bound failure of this sequel is a shame. Related posts: Scott Spiegel: Hostel: Part III (2011) - Spiegel ends Roth's beloved gore franchise
Cost: 5 mil. $ Box office: Unknown (mainly a direct-to-video release domestically and in many other markets) = Uncertain (but likely successful commercially) [From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money premiered 16 March (USA) and runs 85 minutes. Shooting took place in South Africa. The film was reportedly intended to be a test venture for Dimension Films of the direct-to-video market, but it was also theatrically released in several markets. The film's gross and video sales are not immediately available online, but there is a good chance the film was successful. Another sequel followed, P.J. Pesce's From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter. Later came From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014-16). Spiegel eventually returned to directing with My Name Is Modesty: A Modesty Blaise Adventure (2004). Patrick returned in The Vivero Letter (1999). From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money is rotten at 9 % with a 2.7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money?
A familiar figure in a poncho returns on this striking painted poster for Sergio Leone's For a Few Dollars More
Manco is a hard-nosed bounty hunter in the wild West, but in his hunt for the evil bank robber Niño, he runs into the vengeful colonel Mortimer, and the two partner up in what becomes an extremely dangerous duplicity. For a Few Dollars More is written by Italian master co-writer-director Sergio Leone (The Colossus of Rhodes/Il Colosso di Rodi (1961)), Luciano Vincenzoni (Beyond Justice (1992)), Sergio Donati (Almost Blue (2000)), Enzo Dell'Aquila (The Brute and the Beast/Le Colt Cantarono la Morte e Fu... Tempo di Massacro (1966)), Fernando Di Leo (Loaded Guns/Colpo in Canna (1975)) and Fulvio Morsella (My Name Is Nobody/Il Mio Nome è Nessuno (1973)). It is the middle film in Leone's Dollars Trilogy, which starts with Fistful of Dollars/Per un Pugno di Dollari (1964) and ends with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly/Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo (1966). There seems to be a trend among online film critics to praise this film over the others now, because it is the least commonly hailed among the three, but I still feel that For a Few Dollars More is the weakest among Leone's western films, which include two subsequent films: The masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West/C'era una Volta il West (1968) and the great political epic Duck, You Sucker/A Fistful of Dynamite/Giù la Testa (1971). This in no way makes For a Few Dollars More a poor film, however; it is extremely entertaining, but also feels a little like a playground for the champion filmmaker to develop and reuse effects, devices and techniques, which not until his following two films would place him as an incontestable western maestro. The film is well acted: Clint Eastwood (Honkytonk Man (1982)) is great as the dogged gunslinger Manco; Lee Van Cleef (How the West Was Won (1962)) is good as the colonel, and Klaus Kinski (Paganini (1989)) is fun in a wild supporting role. But it is Ennio Morricone's (Sabato, Domenica e Lunedì (2012), TV movie) original and innovative music that to me is the greatest part of For a Few Dollars More.
Listen to Morricone's unequaled theme for the film here
Cost: 0.6 mil. $ Box office: 15 mil. $ = Mega-hit [For a Few Dollars More premiered 18 December (Italy) and runs 132 minutes. As Fistful of Dollars was released to immediate success in Italy, a sequel came up fast. But locking Eastwood for it was challenged, as the film was not yet released in the US. The producers rushed an Italian print to him, and screening it along with some friends, Eastwood was impressed by the film and signed up for the sequel upon realizing Leone's talent. The first script was reportedly written by Vincenzoni in 9 days. Charles Bronson was approached for a role but passed, as he had done with the previous film as well. Eastwood was paid 50k $ and Van Cleef 17k $. Shooting took place in Spain and in the Cinecittà studios in Rome, Italy. The film became an even greater success than Fistful of Dollars in Italy, where it by 1967 had become the highest-grossing film in the country ever. It did not get a North-American release until May '67, 4 months after Fistful of Dollars, and was a big hit, grossing 5 mil. $ (33.33 % of the total listed gross) there. The film was also successful in France; there it was the 7th highest-grossing film of 1966. It has since been re-released countless times. Leone returned with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), which was also Eastwood's next movie. For a Few Dollars More is fresh at 94 % with a 7.8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of For a Few Dollars More?
The two dueling filmmakers each command half of this cleverly composited poster for Jørgen Leth and Lars von Trier's The Five Obstructions
Danish master filmmaker Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves (1996)) has watched fellow Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth's (Notebook from China/Notater fra Kina (1987) documentary) short art film The Perfect Human/Det Perfekte Menneske (1967) obsessively as a fan, and as he finds himself in a position of power as a consummate filmmaker himself, he engages his idol Leth to revisit and attempt to ruin his film. For anyone interested in Trier and/or Leth, who are artists with completely deviating aesthetics, temperaments in their works, and different creative standpoints, The Five Obstructions is a highly stimulating documentary of an artistic exercise, which is ripe with all sorts of interesting layers. They venture onto the film's experiments with very different mentalities, each highly intelligent and respectful of the other: SPOILER Trier's experiment is as one out to be perfidious, perverse and arrogant. Out to make his opponent commit a mess. In the face of this, Leth shows impressive courage, patience and creative muscle. Trier realizes these things towards the film's end, which adds complexity to the peculiar exercise that ends with a narration read by Leth, allegedly wholly written by Trier.
Watch
a portion of Leth's solution to the second obstruction here in a scene
shot in Mumbai's red light district, with Spanish subtitles
Cost: 8 mil. DKK, equal to approximately 1.28 mil. $ Box office: At least 279k $ = Uncertain - but looks like a mega-flop [The Five Obstructions premiered 11 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 90 minutes. The film opened in 1 theater in North America to an 8k $ first weekend. It peaked in 3 theaters and at #68 there, grossing 165k $ (59.1 % of the listed gross). The film was screened at 17 film festivals. 12,636 paid admission to see it in Leth and Trier's native Denmark. The film was nominated for a European Film Award. It was later, around 2010, rumored that Trier was going to be collaborating with master filmmaker Martin Scorsese about another similar documentary, in which he would challenge Scorsese to remake his masterpiece Taxi Driver (1976), but this never came to fruition. Leth returned with documentary short Aarhus (2005), another short called Most of the Time/Det Meste af Tiden (2009) before he returned theatrically with The Erotic Man/Det Erotiske Menneske (2010). Trier returned with Manderlay (2005). The Five Obstructions is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of The Five Obstructions?
