Alfred Hitchcock directs Paul Newman, Julie Andrews and Lila Kedrova in this espionage thriller where an American scientist defects over to the Soviets… only for his unwitting girlfriend to follow him beyond the Iron Curtain.

Nobody’s favourite Hitchcock. The set-pieces are actually pretty awesome – an arduous drawn-out murder, a bus ride con, a chase against a sea of escaping bodies! All these wonderful burst of extended tension are expertly orchestrated. The plot that strings them loosely together is wayward and unfocused. A few more drafts of the screenplay might have wrung a bit more mileage out of Newman and Andrews’ mistrust of each other’s motivations. Instead we often tread water – with Newman avoiding letting his beloved in on the grand scheme and her waiting in reception areas until the great escape picks up pace. Neither star feel particularly stretched in their bland roles and they certainly don’t generate any heat as a potential red hot pairing. Torn Curtain still fills an afternoon neatly, the now unknown faces who populate the film make up for the mismatched leads. If anything Torn Curtain reminds one most of Hitchcock’s Thirties thrillers where couples jauntily evaded the continental saboteurs and the double agents of a totalitarian regime. Maybe this style of thriller had its day back when the Allieds took Germany? It certainly feels creaky sitting between Marnie and Frenzy.

6

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Just Jaeckin directs Corinne Cléry, Udo Kier and Anthony Steel in this softcore Eurotrash adaptation of the classic anonymous work of erotic literature.

Corinne Clery is very attractive on the eye, comfortable with her near constant nudity and the often ridiculous S&M contortions she has to make. The secret cabal of subs and doms world of hidden chateaus and cultish rituals is essayed quite convincingly. But Jeackin’s direction is uninvolving, the characters all remain insipid blanks and there is very little for the ladies in terms of beefcake or nudity to make it a workable “couples film”. A dirty mac museum piece with a nice visual language all of it own.

5

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

John Boorman directs Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson and John Vernon in this classic thriller where a left-for-dead career criminal stalks the partner, the wife and the organisation who have his $93,000.

Richard Stark’s The Hunter is one of my favourite novels. A focussed, resourceful and amoral individual taking down a syndicate that is too big to fail. It is the template for a fantastic thriller and has had many incarnations over the years. Mel Gibson’s Payback is probably the most popular. Robert Duvall’s The Outfit is probably the most faithful adaptation, even though it is based in name on a different novel. But when I read a Parker novel, I see Lee Marvin. I see Lee Marvin marching like an invading army of one. I see Lee Marvin in his immaculate suits. I see Lee Marvin like a vengeful otherworld wraith that barely acknowledges his adversaries existence unless he is killing them or demanding what is his. Sure, the artier aspects of Boorman’s direction befuddle the purity a little bit. This 80% pure Siegel or Fuller, 20% Swinging Sixties mustard. Those elliptical flashbacks and allusions to the supernatural are cream for critics but sour for those of us who just want to see a brutal man take down the suits. Three last words: Angie Dickinson – smoking!

8

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Frank Marshall directs Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood and Moon Bloodgood in this Disney adventure where a team of huskies are abandoned to fend for themselves through an Antarctic winter.

A solid kid’s adventure movie that imbues the dogs with definable personalities and does not sugarcoat the peril or human culpability. If you’ve come just for cute dogs in a triumphant story of survival you might need to brace yourself. Genuinely thrilling at times, though do watch out for the terrifying Leopard Seal’s close-up!

6

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Tony Richardson directs Albert Finney, Susannah York and George Devine in this period adaptation of Henry Fielding’s riches to rags romp.

An unlikely and now unloved Best Picture Winner, this is a lot of bawdy fun. Playing like a lighter, more madcap Barry Lyndon, I really enjoyed it. Showcasing fine support from York, George Devine and in particular Joan Greenwood. There is some dated animal cruelty that holds it back.

8

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Werner Herzog directs The Dalai Lama, Lama Lhundup Woeser and Takna Jigme Sangpo in this documentary witnessing the Buddhist ceremonies and pilgrimages at Bodh Gaya, India.

The camera gets right in the mix here and captures some immersive footage. Herzog’s deadpan and doom laden narration adds an unintentional humour to the proceedings. Hearing the disembodied voice of the sinister and ominous crackpot auteur interview the living embodiment of wisdom and serenity has its pleasures.

6

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Rob Zombie directs Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell and Tyler Mane in this slasher horror remake that re-explores the backstory and psychology of Michael Myers.

About as good as modern day reboots get, Zombie takes everything that works about Carpenter’s revered original and puts his own extreme, sleazy and unsettling stamp on it. Is it as expertly composed as its canonical source? No. Does it deliver an unrelenting, heart stopping alternative take? A lot of the time… yes. Not for faint hearts (or haters of helium voiced scream queens), this is a very nasty, decent budgeted piece of genre fanfic from a unique cinematic visionary.

8

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Jim Sotos directs Bo Hopkins, Dana Kimmell and Aleisa Shirley in this slasher horror where the mysterious new hottie in a small town keeps ending up meeting boys just before they are murdered.

No great shakes as a horror but the murder mystery aspect is as well developed as a Columbo or a Murder She Wrote. I enjoyed Dana Kimmell as the over enthusiastic final girl. The Sheriff’s sleuthing daughter who has graduated from Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie is a neat protagonist in a town heaving with suspects. We guessed the killer the moment they appeared but that didn’t dampen the low level pleasures this has to offer.

5

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Luc Besson directs Jean-Marc Barr, Rosanna Arquette and Jean Reno in this existential sports drama where two deep sea divers compete to see who can stay under the under ocean deepest and longest without oxygen.

The first two hours of this epic are a seductive blend of once in a lifetime visuals and competitive yearning. Only James Cameron seems to share Besson’s obsession with aquatic exploration, macho extremes and love at first sight romance. Reno completely energises the narrative as the rival diver / best friend. Quirky, consumed and chaotic his strutting peacock is less antagonist and more confidant. Yet at three hours this does strain the patience… magical realism and shrill emotion can’t be sustained for that bum numbing length. Jean-Marc Barr is too blank a hero to care for, and his creepy dolphin obsession borders on taboo. Arquette is as alluring as ever as the outsider let into this tribal subset but by the last hour is reduced to a screeching nag. Messy but still way too spectacular to overlook.

7

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Robert Stevenson directs Hayley Mills, Dean Jones and Roddy McDowall in the Disney live action caper where the FBI think a mischievous cat might know the location of two bank robbers and a hostage.

How! Can! This! Be! Two! Whole! Hours! Long!

3

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/