Thriller
Rod Lott
From 1932, the mystery The Phantom of Crestwood may be one of Hollywood’s first gimmick flicks. That doesn’t make it any good, however.
Monday 20 May
OKG Newsletter
Topic: murder
The Phantom of Crestwood
She deserved it. Case closed.
Thriller
Rod Lott
From 1932, the mystery The Phantom of Crestwood may be one of Hollywood’s first gimmick flicks. That doesn’t make it any good, however.
D.O.A.
Twenty-four hours to live, in 96 minutes or less.
Thriller
Rod Lott
A guy walks into a police station to report a murder: himself! With that setup, one could make a tight, terrific crime film — and D.O.A. is that movie ... in 1950. The 1988 remake doesn't fare as well, but at least it's been preserved on Blu-ray by Mill Creek Entertainment.
Seeking Justice
Just in the Nic of time.
Thriller
Rod Lott
With little exception (National Treasure, Kick-Ass, about one minute of Grindhouse), there’s no denying that Nicolas Cage has spent the better part of the past decade in a career slump. Witness such critically lambasted underperformers as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Season of the Witch, Bangkok Dangerous and, most recently, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
Crime Does Not Pay: The Complete Shorts Collection (1935-1947)
Look who broke out of obscurity jail.
Drama
Rod Lott
Coming presumably from the deepest, darkest, dankest corner of Warner Archives’ basement, right by the leaky pipe from which hangs an opossum about to give birth, comes a true obscurity: Crime Does Not Pay: The Complete Shorts Collection (1935-1947).
God Bless America
‘God Bless’ Bobcat Goldthwait for making this savage satire.
Comedy
Rod Lott
With God Bless America, writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait slices a wound on our country's collective stupidity, then wrings a lemon wedge into its opening. Too bad his targets aren't likely to watch it on purpose. And if they did, they're less likely to get the joke. Their loss.
Nobody Else but You
An ill-fated actress serves as the heart of a strange French thriller.
ATM / Brake
Boxy, but good.
Some Guy Who Kills People
Some movie that’s better than it sounds.
Thriller
Rod Lott
You hear a title like Some Guy Who Kills People and think, "Is that all the energy and enthusiasm they can muster?" Well, this little thriller is a surprise, all underpromising and overdelivering, mostly due to a deft performance by '90s indie-film mainstay Kevin Corrigan (The Dictator).
The Girl from the Naked Eye
I spy something pulpy.
Thriller
Rod Lott
Presented as a story in the nonexistent Dark Mystery pulp mag, The Girl from the Naked Eye respectively refers to a call girl and the club where she worked.
How many children must die?
Letters to the Editor
Richard Westmoreland
The headlines the morning of July 20 read: Aurora, Colo., 12 dead and at least 50 wounded. The reality is this is nothing new, and it’s going to happen again.
