Excalibur (1981)
Jun 28, 2002Arthurian Legends
The definitive film version of the Arthurian legends. John Boorman gives us a magnificent and soaring work of beautiful impassioned imagery that delves deep into the rich mythology of the cycle
Gabriel Byrne
The Keep (1983)
Jul 4, 2002Nazis vs Ancient Evil
Adaptation from a best-selling horror novel about Nazis battling an ancient evil. Michael Mann lavishes amazing visuals on the film but almost entirely sidelines the horror element
Gothic (1986)
Oct 19, 2002Mary Shelley-Lord Byron Meeting
There is a good idea here, exploring what happened in the meeting between Lord Byron, Mary Shelley et al at the Villa Diodati in 1816. However this is hijacked by Ken Russell in lunatically over-the-top-mode
Hello Again (1987)
Feb 2, 2003Resurrected Housewife Comedy
A frustratingly insipid light fantasy comedy with Shelley Long as a housewife who returns from the dead where she proceeds to turn the life of her family into chaos
Siesta (1987)
May 22, 2005Deathdream
This directorial debut for Mary Lambert is a stylish but empty-headed erotic mystery that eventually settles for a fantastical twist ending
Cool World (1992)
May 12, 2000Alternate Tooniverse
Animator Ralph Bakshi jumps aboard the Who Framed Roger Rabbit? bandwagon with a toon film in which a Jessica Rabbit-like cartoon character is dragged into the real world whereupon she is played by Kim Basinger
Into the West (1993)
Nov 14, 1999Mystical Horse/Irish Magical Realism
A Magical Realist film sets against the harsh backdrop of a dreary present-day urban Dublin as two boys befriend the mythical horse Tir na Nog and go on a cross-country journey
Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1997)
Oct 31, 2005Scandanavian Murder Mystery/SF Twist
Adapted from an acclaimed book, Julia Ormond stars as an Icelandic heroine in a detective story with an SF twist
Quest for Camelot (1998)
Jan 7, 2006Animation/Arthurian Fantasy
An Arthurian legends fantasy adventure made as part of the animation renaissance of the 1990s. Anything serious aspirations are wrecked by the insertion of inane popular culture in-jokes
End of Days (1999)
Dec 1, 1999The Devil Returns to Earth at The Millennium/Action Film
Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on The Devil on the eve of the millennium. This is essentially The Omen and one of its ilk having been reworked as a mindless big-budget action and effects movie
Stigmata (1999)
Sep 11, 1999Possession/Catholic Conspiracy
This seems caught between offering an earnest theological debate about Catholicism and being a standard possession film. The results are not entirely uninteresting
Ghost Ship (2002)
Feb 27, 2003Haunted Ship
This was a big-budget revival of the ghost ship theme by Dark Castle Entertainment about a salvage crew encountering a ghost vessel. Visual effects tend to trump spooky atmosphere
Spider (2002)
Feb 8, 2003Inside a Mentally Ill Man's Mind
David Cronenberg film that subjectively takes place in the mind of mentally ill Ralph Fiennes, a bewildering film with no easy handholds
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Apr 11, 2005Urban Siege
Fair-to-reasonable remake of John Carpenter's low-budget 1976 film about a handful of staff in a police station under siege from gangs outside. Much of the original has undergone change
Vampire Academy (2014)
Feb 8, 2014School for Vampires
One has zero enthusiasm for this, which has been sold as Twilight meets Harry Potter. Defying expectation, it is written with a sarcastic amusement puncturing its own seriousness and has a great performance from its leading lady, if in the end it is too weighted down by story exposition needed to set up its sequels to ever open up dramatically
Hereditary (2018)
Nov 24, 2018Hauntings/Sinister Cult
Word of mouth hit that has in its fingertips the capacity to be a great horror film. Moments of intense spookiness and an awards-worthy performance from Toni Colette but Ari Aster has an unfocused script