Review: The Conversation (1974) (Let’s Talk About A Great Film!)

He’d kill us if he got the chance

Ahhhh, The Conversation, Mr. Coppola’s little gem directed between The Godfather Part I and II. For my money, it’s a more coherent and entertaining film than either Godfather movie. That’s not to say it’s a better movie (it lost Best Picture Oscar to The Godfather Part II, and who am I to argue with the Academy Awards?!?!?), but given a choice of a Francis Ford Coppola film to watch, I’d choose The Conversation any day of the week! The Conversation is an insight into paranoia, an expert dissection of the human conscious when forced to rethink its notions daily. Powered by a powerhouse performance from Gene Hackman, The Conversation is a must-see film.

Review: Dark Star (1974) (Carpenter’s Supernova!)

Someday this tape will be played and then they’ll feel sorry.

I’ve been having something of a John Carpenter binge lately, watching both Assault on Precinct 13 and The Fog (both of which I’ve never watched before!) I decided to take a look at Carpenter’s first film, Dark Star. Oddly, I was introduced to Dark Star during my first year of philosophy at university. The lecturer used to show us clips of science fiction films to explain certain philosophical concepts. He showed us the conclusion of Dark Star, where a man and a sentient bomb are talking about the meaning of life. It was only years later that I watched the whole film. While a rough piece of work, it’s still a great science fiction comedy.

‘Halloween Speical’ Review: ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (1974) (A True Horror Classic?)

“It’s all the more tragic in that they were very young”

I’ve reviewed the remake of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ on my blog (click here for my review), so to balance the scales of quality I thought I’d review the original. The remake was so terrible, and reviewing it. I felt sorry for myself for watching it. The original gave me all I wanted in a horror film: it’s rough, nasty, and leaves a lot to the imagination! The remake was interchangeable with any other silly horror remake that pollutes the cinema screen. Obviously, at the time, the original Chainsaw Massacre didn’t have any competition; yet today, it still stand out as a horrific experience.