Movies

Hitch’s career respectfully launches with ‘Pleasure Garden’ (1925)

Right out of the gate, Alfred Hitchcock shows a knack for pacing, character arcs and energy with the light romantic drama “The Pleasure Garden” (1925).

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‘The Strangers’ (2008) puts suspenseful horror ahead of explanation

“The Strangers” (2008) raises the question of how simple is too simple of a premise for the film to still be good. Writer-director Bryan Bertino’s

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‘The Lodger’ (1927) shows Hitch can be Hitch without dialog

It’s tempting to feel like a snooty film scholar after watching “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” (1927) – considered to be the

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Summer movie preview 2024: 10 films I wouldn’t mind seeing

Here are my picks for 10 major motion pictures to keep on your radar in the summer of 2024. All are theatrical releases, but you

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Twisty, creepy ‘Influencer’ (2023) is worth a follow

2023 was a good year for horror films starting with the letters “Inf” and involving travelers who have their passports stolen. “Infinity Pool” got more

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‘Psycho’ saga takes a truncated shot at TV with ‘Bates Motel’ (1987)

The 1987 TV pilot (sometimes called “TV movie”) “Bates Motel” (NBC) is by far the worst installment of the “Psycho” franchise – rating even lower

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Coming-of-age story exhilarates in tasty ‘Snack Shack’

“Snack Shack” fits firmly into the coming-of-age genre, but it has a tremendous sense of place in 1991 Nebraska City, Neb., and its rhythms are

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‘Ghostwatch’ (1992) a little-known but highly influential found footage horror film

A fun thing about being a movie fan is that I still come across classics I hadn’t seen before, or – in the case of

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‘Jamaica Inn’ (1939) mercifully ends Hitchcock’s British period

Alfred Hitchcock adapted three Daphne Du Maurier works, more than any other author. Two are famous: the Oscar-winning “Rebecca” (1940) and the creature-feature favorite “The

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Utterly generic nature leaves ‘Night Swim’ all wet

A lot has been made about the coming age of AI-generated scripts, but a movie like “Night Swim” (Peacock) makes me wonder if anyone will

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