matthew-hays Reviews

Alpine Lake (2020)

OMFG, SUCH a fantastic film!

[10/10 · 13 March 2021]

Couldn't believe how great this was! The acting! The script! The direction! The fact that they just used the microphone on the camera to capture all the sound on the film! The fact that it looks like someone's home movies! This is the movie you should watch to make the decision about whether or not Prime is worth paying for. I was lying about the ten out of ten, if you can't already tell.

Blood and Lace (1971)

Rock-bottom cheapie with Freudian twist

[8/10 · 11 February 2007]

For those who love trash, this movie has everything! From its lurid, brutal double murder sequence at the opening (love that hammer-cam!), "Blood and Lace" is an entirely unforgettable film. I first saw it as a kid and was amazed at how terribly nasty and cheap it all was. Seeing it as an adult was even better. Everything about this film, from its acting to its writing, is fabulously over-the-top and kitschy. There are numerous ludicrous plot twists, and the sheer insanity of the set-up (nefarious orphanage management makes money by killing the orphans, keeping them frozen and then, when inspectors show up, explain that the kids just aren't feeling well as a cover) is so incredulously bizarre it makes you wonder which brand of glue the screenwriters were sniffing when they came up with this. I love it!

Still of the Night (1982)

Underrated

[8/10 · 10 February 2007]

This film has received quite a few negative posts. I also read Leonard Maltin's review, in which he said that it was full of holes and was a weak Hitchcock homage. I really think people are all wrong about this one; it's full of some very good old-fashioned suspense, and I love all of the Hitch touches many here have already noted. As well, it must be recalled that Hitch dealt in many implausibilities in his films. He hated those who constantly pointed out that "that could never happen in real life." It's not real life, it's a movie! That's one of the ways I thought this film succeeded, was in reflecting (or even gently parodying) Hitch's use of things that would never happen in real life. Loved the chemistry between Meryl and Roy, not to mention the lovely mentor/parent shrink/shrink relationship between Roy and Jessica. Nice work from Robert Benton. I love this film. --Matthew Hays

Seven and a Match (2001)

A highly intriguing film, well worth a look

[9/10 · 11 November 2005]

I was quite blown away by this directorial debut. Here, a number of friends reunite, all of them carrying serious baggage. I loved the intimacy with which the characters are presented, the way in which the writer-director captured so much nuance about each and every one of them. The ensemble were consistently pushed to emotional extremes, with each actor allowed to explore their own personal dilemmas. I would have loved to have been on the set to see how the cast created each moment. A very strong cast has been collected here, in one of those rare indie films that really reached in and yanked at my insides. Moving, unusual, and so refreshing after watching so much studio crap. Bring on this filmmaker's next project, for god's sake!!

Peep Show (I) (2002)

A highly unusual dance performance captured on film.

[9/10 · 9 January 2005]

An engaging and thoroughly clever little film, a short that is quite hilarious. A man looks into a peep show and finds a strange thing on the other end... inventive and unusual, the director's vision makes this well worth seeing, and should really be part of a short-film anthology on DVD so as to reach a wider audience. As well, "Peep Show" has two delightful and arresting performances. A wild marriage of modern dance and film, I thought the way in which the forms are fused here is highly intriguing. I am impressed with this film -- making short films that actually work is very tricky indeed, and this is something the filmmaker has achieved with finesse and a great sense of humor.