Movies
As British as can be. I'm still not quite sure what the intention of this film was. I'm guessing it's a psychological thriller, possibly with some social critique layered underneath, but it doesn't come across at all. It's a rather ridiculous film that never succeeds in giving any validity to its premise. Tony is a wealthy man looking for a servant. His eye falls on Barrett, a young man who seems like the perfect candidate. Once hired, Barrett starts to show his true face. He pushes Tony to overspend on his house and starts to take control of the household. Little by little, he undermines Tony's authority. The premise is interesting enough, but the bland characters don't do it any justice. The mind games aren't exactly subtle, still it's hard to buy the setup between the two leads. The soundtrack is middling, the cinematography nothing too special (though it does pick up during the finale). A very forgettable film.Read all
Noirs are a dime a dozen, and The Prowler is a film that does extremely little to try and differentiate itself from the others. That's not a bad thing if you're into noir cinema, it's pretty damning if you don't. It's another film I never really cared for, and apart from it being quite short, there's nothing much positive to say. Webb is a cynical officer who is called to Susan's house to investigate a stalker case. He falls in love with her on the spot, Susan seems to like Webb too, but she is quite loyal to her husband. Webb decides to fix that problem for her, though he makes sure to leave Susan out of the loop. Like most noirs, there's a tiny bit of action and tons of stuffy dialogue to fill the gaps in between. The performances are pretty bad, the pacing is jumpy and the presentation is bland. It's not too demanding or too ambitious, which saves it from being a complete crapfest, but it's not a genre/era that brings me much joy.Read all