B&S About Movies: 45 Highlights/Non-Genre Reviews by R.D Francis
by rdfranciscritic | created - 22 Jan 2023 | updated - 3 weeks ago | Public45 highlights with a cross-section of the 920-plus reviews and features by R.D Francis at B&S About Movies.
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1. Welcome to the Circle (2020)
93 min | Horror
A random bear attack during a family camping trip leaves Greg (father) and Samantha (daughter) trapped by demon worshiping cult known as The Circle. Unbeknownst to all is that there's an ... See full summary »
Director: David Fowler | Stars: Matthew MacCaull, Taylor Dianne Robinson, Ben Cotton, Cindy Busby
Votes: 394
Disney wildlife documentarian David Fowler goes Italian Giallo in a tale about a backwoods religious cult.
2. High Resolution (2018)
TV-MA | 96 min | Drama
High Resolution, an adaptation of Tao Lin's novel Taipei, tracks Paul and Erin as they confront what it means to be young and in love in the early days of the 21st century.
Director: Jason Lester | Stars: Ellie Bamber, Justin Chon, Hannah Marks, Josh Salatin
Votes: 290
An existential effort by Jason Lester, the son of noted '70s and '80s director Mark L. Lester.
3. The App (2019)
78 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Loving girlfriend, family fortune, breakout movie role: he's got it all. Until an app awakens a powerful new yearning. While in Rome to shoot his first movie, Niccolò becomes obsessed and sent into a self-destructive spiral.
Director: Elisa Fuksas | Stars: Salvatore Costa, Vincenzo Crea, Jessica Cressy, Maurizio Di Carmine
Votes: 1,431
A Michelangelo Antonioni-inspired techno-noir regarding loneliness and alienation brought on by one’s addiction to social media.
4. Black Beach (2020)
TV-MA | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Carlos is a businessman who gets a request to intercede on behalf of a US engineer in the oil industry who's been kidnapped.
Directors: Esteban Crespo, Gonzalo Gilsanz | Stars: Raúl Arévalo, Paulina García, Candela Peña, Claude Musungayi
Votes: 1,804
A review of the Netflix-streamed, Spanish thriller.
5. Shadows (III) (2022)
101 min | Action, Crime
A young low-level drug dealer is reunited with his estranged mom and uncle to protect him when a ruthless drug kingpin puts a hit on him.
Director: Michael Matteo Rossi | Stars: Krista Allen, Francis Capra, Vernon Wells, David Labrava
Votes: 1,006
A well-made, direct-to-streaming indie-actioner on a budget.
6. Gozo (2016)
80 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Lucille and Joe have moved to Gozo, a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Malta. They have a nice car, a steady income, a beautiful farmhouse with breathtaking views and ... See full summary »
Director: Miranda Bowen | Stars: Joseph Kennedy, Ophelia Lovibond, Daniel Lapaine, John Bowe
Votes: 101
The Hitchcockian meets the Shakespearian as a man deals with the isolation brought on by his reliving the past -- shot on the Mediterranean island of Gozo.
7. Greenland (2020)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Thriller
A family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh | Stars: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn
Votes: 134,809
8. Still the Water (2020)
100 min | Drama
The men in a broken family reunite many years after a domestic tragedy drives them apart.
Director: Susan Rodgers | Stars: Ry Barrett, Colin Price, Spencer Graham, Christina McInulty
Votes: 131
9. Case 347 (2020)
85 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
CASE 347 follows psychologist and UFO skeptic, Dr. Mia Jansen (Maya Stojan), and a team of documentary filmmakers who believe that alien abduction claims are forms of "mass hysteria". This is their footage:
Director: Chris Wax | Stars: Maya Stojan, Chris Wax, Jason Kropik, Krista Allen
Votes: 245
A found-footage, sci-fi horror shot in the cinèma vèritè-style of French filmmaker Jean Rouch.
10. Happy Cleaners (2019)
98 min | Drama, Family
When the Choi family lose their dry cleaning business, they learn to love each other to survive the crisis and heartaches that they cause each other.
Directors: Julian Kim, Peter S. Lee | Stars: Donald Chang, Dax Richardson, Yun J., Yeena Sung
Votes: 146
11. Wicca Book (2020)
22 min | Short, Horror
This is a story about Wicca book. The book which devil plagued mankind with suffering. The all-powerful book of the Witches. But wherever there was evil, wherever an innocent would suffer, there would be Mia.
Director: Vahagn Karapetyan | Stars: Christos Diamantoudis, Nikos Tsoleridis, Stellina Vogiatzi, Kika Zachariadou
A Greece-made indie horror that understands the concept of image over dialog when telling a story.
12. The Wandering Earth (2019)
TV-MA | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
With the sun dying out, a group of brave astronauts set out to find new planet for the whole human race.
Director: Frant Gwo | Stars: Jing Wu, Chuxiao Qu, Guangjie Li, Man-Tat Ng
Votes: 36,363 | Gross: $5.88M
A sci-fi disaster blockbuster from China seen in the US on the Netflix platform as The Wandering Earth.
13. Space & Time (2017)
89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
As they approach their 30s, an academic physicist and her long-time photographer boyfriend realize that they have reached a crossroads in their relationship.
Director: Shawn Gerrard | Stars: Steven Yaffee, Victoria Kucher, Risa Stone, Andy McQueen
Votes: 50
14. Loqueesha (2019)
Not Rated | 98 min | Comedy
Faced with a financial crisis, Joe, a divorced, quick-witted bartender, applies for a job at a failing Detroit radio station -- as a black female disc jockey.
Director: Jeremy Saville | Stars: Susan Diol, Camille James Harman, Albie Selznick, Alveraz Ricardez
Votes: 1,091
A much-maligned, critically misunderstood radio station-based flick.
15. Red Rover (2018)
100 min | Comedy, Romance
After feeling he has nothing left to live for on earth, a lonely geologist tries to qualify for a one-way mission to Mars with the help of an offbeat musician who is just as lost as he is.
Director: Shane Belcourt | Stars: Kristian Bruun, Cara Gee, Meghan Heffern, Morgan David Jones
Votes: 277
16. Shanda's River (2018)
90 min | Horror, Thriller
A professor goes to a small town in Italy to study the story of a witch killed in the early 1800's, and is drawn into a web of terror and possession as the spirit of the witch attempts to find a new host.
Director: Marco Rosson | Stars: Marcella Braga, Claudia Marasca, Toni Pandolfo, Margherita Remotti
Votes: 475
AKA Evil River in the U.S.
17. Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
G | 99 min | Drama, Family
A skilled flyer but very rebellious young seagull is kicked out of his clan. However, instead of being sad or lonely, he decides to enjoy and explore his newfound freedom.
Director: Hall Bartlett | Stars: James Franciscus, Juliet Mills, Philip Ahn, David Ladd
Votes: 2,327 | Gross: $1.60M
A review of the film along with an overview of the '70s "Jesus Rock" movement that inspired it.
18. Disclosure (1994)
R | 128 min | Drama, Thriller
A computer specialist is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss who initiated the act forcefully, which threatens both his career and his personal life.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland, Caroline Goodall
Votes: 54,445 | Gross: $83.02M
A review along with an exploration of the “Erotic Thrillers” cycle of the ’90s.
19. Ugetsu (1953)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito
Votes: 25,839 | Gross: $0.01M
The groundbreaking, influential Japanese ghost tale.
20. When Worlds Collide (1951)
Approved | 83 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.
Director: Rudolph Maté | Stars: Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen, John Hoyt
Votes: 9,241
A well-made, '50s disaster flick with numerous remake attempts.
21. Gozu (2003)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Yûta Sone, Kimika Yoshino, Shohei Hino, Keiko Tomita
Votes: 12,742 | Gross: $0.05M
Another crazed, Takashi Miike joint!
22. UFO: Target Earth (1974)
G | 80 min | Sci-Fi
An electronics expert searching for evidence of aliens picks up signals that he believes are from an alien spacecraft--and they are coming from a lake near town.
Director: Alessandro De Gaetano | Stars: Nick Plakias, Cynthia Cline, LaVerne Light, Tom Arcuragi
Votes: 469
A "Close Encounters"-styled film on a budget.
23. The Spirits of Jupiter (1984 Video)
106 min | Horror
The planet Jupiter has moved closer to the Earth causing an increased gravitation pull which affects the human brain, and people with certain blood types in higher elevations. The result is... See full summary »
Director: Russell Kern | Stars: James Aerni, Chopper Bernet, Rex Cutter, Carol Engel
Votes: 53
A much-bootlegged, Colorado-shot post-apoc film.
24. Spine (1986 Video)
72 min | Horror
A madman stalks nurses, brutally stabbing them to death. In his fevered mind, he believes his victims to be a woman from his past named Linda. Police struggle to apprehend him before he can... See full summary »
Directors: John Howard, Justin Simmonds | Stars: R. Eric Huxley, Janus Blythe, Lise Romanoff, John Howard
Votes: 193
An SOV-slasher classic.
25. Six-Hundred & Sixty Six (1972)
89 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A group of people inside an underground complex which possesses high tech computers which tracks world events consider all options as nuclear war is at hand,air supplies may last only eight days and Biblical prophesy unfolds.
Director: Tom Doades | Stars: Joe Turkel, Byron Clark, John O'Connell, Ed DeLatte
Votes: 35
A lost, and very inventive post-apoc film for the religious set -- made on a tight budget.
26. The Blood of Jesus (1941)
Approved | 57 min | Drama, Fantasy
An atheist accidentally shoots his Baptist wife. She dies and goes to a crossroads, where the devil tries to lead her astray.
Director: Spencer Williams | Stars: Cathryn Caviness, Spencer Williams, Juanita Riley, Reather Hardeman
Votes: 776
A wonderful, inspiring black & white-shot "race flick" regarding faith.
27. The House That Vanished (1973)
R | 96 min | Crime, Horror
A young model and her petty thief boyfriend find their way through the English fog to a backwoods manor in hopes of looting it. What they find instead is murder.
Director: José Ramón Larraz | Stars: Andrea Allan, Karl Lanchbury, Maggie Walker, Peter Forbes-Robertson
Votes: 655
A great, plot-twisty, British film marketed as a "Last House on the Left" clone, but it's not.
28. Ricky 6 (2000)
111 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the true story of drugs, satanism, and murder in the upper class town of Northport, Long Island in 1984.
Director: Peter Filardi | Stars: Vincent Kartheiser, Chad Christ, Sabine Singh, Richard M. Stuart
Votes: 719
A troubled, failed horror production drawing from the life of teen murderer Ricky Kasso.
29. Dark Sunday (1976)
R | 99 min | Action, Thriller
A skid row reverend helps young junkies to a better life. This incurs the wrath of the local drug dealer who sends his goons after the good minister.
Director: Jimmy Huston | Stars: Earl Owensby, Monique Proulx, Phil Laner, Ron Lampkin
Votes: 46
An Earl Owensby-produced drive-in classic that pinches from 1974's Death Wish.
30. Raging Angels (1995)
R | 96 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Two musicians are unknowingly drawn into a supernatural scheme.
Director: Alan Smithee | Stars: Sean Patrick Flanery, Diane Ladd, Monet Mazur, Michael Paré
Votes: 377
Michael Pare in a Christsploitation flick with heavy metalsploitation overtones.
31. Panic Beats (1983)
94 min | Horror
A man moves his ailing wife to his family's ancestral house for a period of recovery. Things are not what they seem to be, when the wife becomes plagued with terrifying visions, which begin to worsen her ailment.
Director: Paul Naschy | Stars: Paul Naschy, Julia Saly, Lola Gaos, Silvia Miró
Votes: 706
A Paul Naschy film based on a European legend about a serial killer.
32. Half Past Midnight (1988 Video)
32 min | Short, Horror
Wim Vink's classic splatter short about a girl who takes bloody revenge on those who tormented her.
Director: Wim Vink | Stars: Angelique Viesee, Judith Driessen, Ad Kleingeld, Femke Bakker
Votes: 82
An SOV (shot-on-video) classic from Europe.
33. Black and Blue (1980)
87 min | Documentary, Music
Concert film of 1980 East Coast U.S. performance by heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult.
Director: Jay Dubin | Stars: Vinny Appice, Black Sabbath, Eric Bloom, Blue Öyster Cult
Votes: 78
The classic concert film starring Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult.
34. Eye See You (2002)
R | 96 min | Crime, Thriller
A lead detective being stalked by a serial killer is asked to check into a clinic treating law enforcement officials who can't face their jobs.
Director: Jim Gillespie | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Charles S. Dutton, Polly Walker, Kris Kristofferson
Votes: 29,530 | Gross: $0.08M
A failed Sly Stallone vehicle based on a best-seller.
35. Interface (1984)
88 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A group of strange beings at a master computer control room use their equipment to kill people by remote control.
Director: Andy Anderson | Stars: John S. Davies, Lauren Lane, Matthew Sacks, Michael Hendrix
Votes: 181
A low-budget wonder of an '80s AI world.
36. Easy Rider 2: The Ride Home (2012)
R | 105 min | Adventure, Drama
Family drama spanning decades follows the Williams clan connected through motorcycle passion. No analysis, just their struggle to bond amid internal conflicts from the 1940s to present.
Director: Dustin Rikert | Stars: Chris Engen, Sheree J. Wilson, Jeff Fahey, Michelle Borth
Votes: 488
The "sequel" that no one knew was made! Actually, it's one of two "sequel" films!
37. The Last Victim (1976)
PG | 83 min | Horror, Thriller
A serial rapist stalks and murders prostitutes.
Director: Jim Sotos | Stars: Tanya Roberts, Ron Max, Nancy Allen, Brian Freilino
Votes: 540
A proto-slasher film that leads to John Carpenter's Halloween.
38. Arctic Warriors (1989 Video)
78 min | Action, Adventure
Stars: Michael James, Thomas Striker, Ronald L. Marchini, James Ryan
Votes: 20
The lost Ron Marchini film filled with snow and martial arts mayhem!
39. Ravagers (1979)
PG | 90 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
In a post-apocalyptic world divided between two groups called the Flockers and the Ravagers, an adventurer and his "pleasure girl" try to find their way to a rumored safe haven called the Land of Genesis.
Director: Richard Compton | Stars: Richard Harris, Ernest Borgnine, Ann Turkel, Art Carney
Votes: 518
A late-to-the-'70s-apocalypse dystopian flick before Snake Plissken changed the game -- with links to and a discussions of other films from the era.
40. Fascism on a Thread- The Strange Story of Nazisploitation Cinema (2019)
91 min | Documentary
A look at the ideas and people that was involved in the naziploitations movies.
Director: Naomi Holwill | Stars: Helmut Berger, Dirk Bogarde, Allan Bryce, Mario Caiano
Votes: 291
A well-made documentary on the genre -- with links to reviews of other films from the era, including the best-known film: Love Camp 7.
41. Brain Twisters (1991)
R | 91 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Employees of a software company discover a conspiracy to use the games made by the company to control the thoughts of its customers.
Director: Jerry Sangiuliano | Stars: Farrah Forke, Terry Londeree, Joe Lombardo, Donna Bostany
Votes: 538
An early AI film inspired by the Polybius legend. Features links to other '80s AI films.
42. Night of the Zombies (1981)
R | 88 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
Investigators search for soldiers' missing bodies, and hear unbelievable rumors about zombies. Dismissing those rumors they set out to investigate. After two men are found dead, CIA ... See full summary »
Director: Joel M. Reed | Stars: Jamie Gillis, Ryan Hilliard, Ron Armstrong, Shoshana Ascher
Votes: 745
The infamous Gamma 689 -- with an overview of other Nazi-zombie films and the career of Joel M. Reed.
43. The Night God Screamed (1971)
GP | 85 min | Crime, Horror, Thriller
A woman is persecuted by Jesus freaks after they've crucified her preacher husband.
Director: Lee Madden | Stars: Jeanne Crain, Alex Nicol, Dan Spelling, Michael Sugich
Votes: 301
Includes an overview of Hagsploitation films and Manson-inspired "hippie flicks" of the '60s and '70s.
44. Curse of the Blue Lights (1988)
R | 93 min | Horror
A group of teenagers battle a horde of zombies and evil creatures that live underneath a graveyard.
Director: John Henry Johnson | Stars: Brent Ritter, Bettina Julius, Clayton A. McCaw, Patrick Keller
Votes: 411
Includes an overview of '80s SOV films, as well as other Denver, Colorado-shot indie films.
45. Kamikaze 89 (1982)
Not Rated | 106 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
In a totalitarian society of the future, in which the government controls all facets of the press, a homicide detective investigates a string of bombings, and finds out more than he bargained for.
Director: Wolf Gremm | Stars: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Günther Kaufmann, Boy Gobert, Arnold Marquis
Votes: 827 | Gross: $0.02M
For fans of Jean-Luc Godard’s neo-noir Alphaville, Elio Petri’s pop-art romp The 10th Victim, Claude Chabrol’s Docteur M, and Francois Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451.
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