Film Journal - 2/21/2010
Dracula A.D. 1972
Having now watched three Hammer films — two featuring Dracula — I feel comfortable saying that I get the allure. As a group they feel very dated, but in the best possible way. It’s almost too easy to call them a perfect blend of the Universal studio era sensibilities and the edgier, tongue-in-cheek genre conventions that would blossom in Hollywood in the 70s and 80s. While I understand the appeal of the Hammer oeuvre in general, “Dracula A.D. 1972” is a far from exemplary offering. The problem is that in trying to give the Hammer-Dracula formula a cheeky modernizing, the production team stripped out what makes the other Hammer films so much fun.
Final score: 2 out of 5
The Wolfman
The shame here is that with the budget and the talent involved, Wolfman could have been so much better. Read my full review at BloodyGoodHorror.com.
Final score: 2 out of 5
Shutter Island
I’m having some trouble reconciling the complaints from the various haters out there. I wouldn’t go so far as to call “Shutter Island” a masterpiece, but it’s certainly not a bad film. You always open yourself up to a critical pounding when you construct a film around a pivotal moment that shifts the entire viewing experience in retrospect. Scorsese walks us to the moment in question with enough finesse, and with enough breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout that I had no problem handling the shift. You can sample more thorough discussion at the BloodyGoodHorror Podcast.
Final score: 3 out of 5
