PONTYPOOL (2008) Movie Review Round Table!

PONTYPOOL (2008) d. Bruce McDonald (Canada)

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Tonight's selection, PONTYPOOL (2008), celebrating its 15th anniversary, is a fiercely intelligent variation on the “zombie/infected hordes” theme, indelibly anchored by film/TV veteran Stephen McHattie’s charismatic central performance.

1988 DOUBLE FEATURE: DEAD HEAT / NIGHT OF THE DEMONS

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In the heady days of the late 1980s, VHS stores were on every corner, in every strip mall, with new horror films hitting the shelves seemingly every week. Tonight’s episode is entitled THE CLASS OF 1988, even if “class” may not be the first word that springs to mind when describing these two horror/comedy titles. Both enjoyed limited theatrical releases, but by and large, home video was where most fans encountered them for the first time.

THE EXORCIST (1973) 50TH ANNIVERSARY ROUND TABLE

The Exorcist (1973) turns 50 this year. Is it still "the scariest movie ever made"?

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It’s amazing to believe that THE EXORCIST has been in our lives for a half century, because for many fans, it’s hard to imagine the horror landscape without it. Its release in the final days of December 1973 triggered a seismic shift in popular culture and the world has literally never been the same.

KING ON SCREEN (2022) Movie Review

King on Screen (2022) d. Daphne Baiwir (France/Belgium) (105 min)

Stephen King’s debut novel, Carrie, first landed on book stands in 1974 and was a relatively modest success. By the time Brian De Palma’s film version hit screens in 1976, King’s follow-up, ’Salem’s Lot had already been published, with The Shining just around the corner. Over the following 45 years, King continued to churn out tome after tome, oftentimes two (or more) in a single year. As of this writing, he has signed his name to 65 novels, over 200 short stories, and five non-fiction books, making him one of the most (if not THE most) successful living authors. It is therefore no surprise that the man’s work has been adapted time and again; over 80 feature films and TV projects (movies, miniseries, series) have their roots in King’s brainwaves, with many of them deemed modern classics.

SISTERS (1973) Movie Review

Sisters (1973) d. Brian De Palma (USA) (93 min)

 

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Following a stint together on a game show called Peeping Toms, aspiring model/actress Danielle (Margot Kidder) and the handsome and chivalrous Philip (Lisle Wilson) strike up a romance and end up back at her apartment. Across the alley, reporter Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt) witnesses a brutal murder through Danielle’s window, but when she arrives with the cops in tow, the body is gone and there is no trace of the crime. Undeterred, Grace hires a private detective (Charles Durning) to help her solve the mystery, which leads her down a twisty, tangled path that may cost her life, her mind, or both.