Christine (1983)
Paid In Full (1950)
Kol (The Call) (2020)
The Girl Next Door (1953)
The Brothers (1947)
Obsession (1976)
Body Double (1984) ///
Christine (1983) Told with a creeping visual threat, insecure Keith Gordon becomes infatuated with a Plymouth Fury that is possessed by evil. Featuring vulnerable Alexandra Paul, engaging build of teenage angst, and warped high school coming-of-age, is controlled and devilishly tense.
Paid In Full (1950) Overblown melodrama fails to elevate dour tragedy as sisters Lizabeth Scott and Diana Lynn, one caring the other selfish, fall for Robert Cummings. Pregnancies, death and fatal sacrifice ensue, none of it remotely convincing, narrative twists only moderately involving.
Kol (The Call) (2020) Always involving, often gripping, stylish time-altering narrative sees sympathetic Park Shin-hye speak with feverish Jeon Jong-seo twenty years in the past, unknowingly letting loose a killer. Enough twists and brutal streak to heighten tension despite head-spinning plot holes.
The Girl Next Door (1953) Bright and colorful visuals allied to nimble choreography provide energetic respite from otherwise routine comedy and grinding story machinations. June Haver and Dan Dailey coast through unsurprising romance while songs rarely aspire beyond the pleasant. Animation is quirky extra.
The Brothers (1947) Imbued with the mystical spirit of
rugged, remote Scottish shores, beauty and cruelty entwine with raw desire, as
beguiling Patricia Roc's arrival provokes family and community conflict. Stark
visuals illuminate the conflict of overtly suggestive, wild melodrama and edgy
realism with bracing effect.
Obsession (1976) Stylish visual command and swirling chords of Bernard Herrmann's unmistakable score power less secure narrative with somber Cliff Robertson encountering double of wife Geneviève Bujold, killed years earlier in kidnapping. Romantic melodrama mimics masterful Vertigo, yet lacks wit and tragic yearning.
Body Double (1984) Tale of voyeurism and obsession in a trashily enjoyable provocation of violence and nudity as bland Craig Wasson gets involved in murder and porn films. Melanie Griffith supplies energetic support, insider industry irony adds texture, though ending fizzles despite technical polish.
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