Rope (1948)

For all the talk about Alfred Hitchcock being the definition of conventional, not in the sense of it being derogatory but rather as a way of explaining how he defined cinema in a considerable way, he certainly did not find it difficult to experiment with form and content from time to time, as made abundantly…

The Fallen Idol (1948)

While their more notable collaboration may have been The Third Man (quite simply one of the greatest films ever made), Carol Reed and Graham Greene did collaborate on a few other projects, one of which is the woefully underrated The Fallen Idol, which is based on a short story Greene himself wrote in the 1930s,…

Resurrection (2022)

Resurrection is a film that was made about two decades too late. This kind of deeply disturbing, undeniably bizarre psychological thriller seems to be more at home with those low-budget blockbusters that centered on ordinary people having their fragile lives shaken by the presence of some vaguely psychopathic individual, who gradually encroaches into their lives…

Still of the Night (1982)

While he never failed to receive an abundance of acclaim and adoration during his lifetime, Alfred Hitchcock was undeniably more appreciated after his passing, particularly in terms of the sheer number of younger filmmakers that cited him as an influence, and would direct films that were explicitly inspired by his work. This is perfect logical…

Stage Fright (1950)

One of the reasons I revere Alfred Hitchcock as much as I do is because, despite being arguably the finest filmmaker to ever work in the English language, he wasn’t afraid to take a few risks on occasion. Some of these turned out splendidly, many of his films being subversive and influential entries that would…

The Silent Partner (1978)

Where does one start with The Silent Partner? There have been quite a few trusted voices that have drawn my attention to this film, an independent Canadian psychological thriller from the late 1970s, which (despite boasting some major actors in the central roles) seemed like a relatively minor work, and never found its way into…

Strangers on a Train (1951)

If there was ever a film that’s title reflected the most deranged sense of false marketing, it would be Strangers on a Train, since only approximately ten minutes of this film are spent on a train, and the two titular characters introduce themselves almost immediately, removing all sense of them being strangers. Luckily, this is…

Crimes of Passion (1984)

There aren’t many filmmakers whose work regularly, and often without fail, leave the viewer absolutely speechless. Ken Russell is one such filmmaker – throughout his prolific career that found him working on both sides of the Atlantic, the director managed to showcase a perverse set of talents that could bewilder even the most deranged artists….

Windfall (2022)

The term “Hitchcockian” is thrown around a lot nowadays (or at least since the great master departed this mortal coil and left behind an unimpeachable legacy). Essentially, any work that has a sense of foreboding dread and extreme suspense, as well as potentially a wicked sense of humour and an abundance of peculiar twists and…

Bad Influence (1990)

There’s a pivotal scene in Bad Influence where the main characters are engaging in a violent crime spree, while the song “Downtown” by Lloyd Cole plays over their antics, which grow increasingly more dangerous the more they become inebriated by both substances and the sheer power afforded to them in that moment. The song contains…