Weekly Brief Movie and DVD Reviews

1. Death At A Funeral - a droll but funny British film helmed by American Director Frank Oz. Many of the cast were unknown to me so their performances were fresh and invigorating. Chaos ensues when a man tries to expose a dark secret regarding a recently deceased patriarch of a dysfunctional British family. Very witty, Wilde. 3/5


2. The Wolf Man and Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man - To me, The Wolf Man has always been THE monster movie. Frankenstein was a mindless monster and Dracula was an evil prick vampire descended from Vlad the Impaler but The Wolf Man was, and always will be, the tortured soul Larry Talbot who knew what was happening to him and hated it. A truly literate script, beautiful cinematography and a chilling score (used over and over in future Universal B movies) tautly complement Lon Chaney's bravura performance. The sequel is pale by comparison but who can pass up the opportunity to see Bela Lugosi in his only role as The Monster. Wolf man 5/5 Frank meets Wolf 3/5


3. The Counterfeiters (Die Falscher) - a truly extraordinary movie based on a true story. As world war 2 breaks out a small time Jewish crime lord and counterfeiter, Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch, is arrested and sent to a concentration camp where he is recruited to lead a team of Jewish prisoners in counterfeiting for the Nazis who wish to invade Britain and America with fake currency in order to upset their economies. There is a reason this movie won Best Foreign language Film at the 2008 Academy Awards. Watch it. 5/5



4. Duck Soup - What can I say. One of the greatest movies ever made. If you haven't seen it, you're life is a sorry excuse.