Pearce’s Film Reviews

239 Films have been rated or reviewed by Pearce.

Child's Play (1988): One of the better late '80s slasher movies, which is admittedly a low hurdle to clear. One star off because the best part is the ending, which it rips off from Trilogy of Terror.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017): Conventional in style but eye–opening in content, this makes a strong case for the now little–remembered star to be considered one of the most important innovators of the 20th century.; DVD $24.95
Sleuth (1972): Clever but stagy, this twisty tail is an actor's showcase in which Caine easily upstages the hammy Olivier. The over–stuffed production design by Ken Adam is distracting.
Ariel (1988): If you're looking for the perfect double feature for Down By Law, this is it. Funnier than a movie which starts with the main character's father committing suicide in the toilet has any right to be.
Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, The (2008): Great direction can't save a witless and pointless script which – as others have observed – Eric Roth seems to have self–plagiarised from Forrest Gump.
Face in the Crowd, A (1957): This compelling black comedy is just about as relevant in the Trump era as it must have been sixty years ago. Only the ending seems out of date in America's post–scandal era.
Happy Death Day (2017): Fairly amusing, but why are all the characters in modern slashers unlikeable jerks? Would it be so bad for us to care whether they live or die, or were just able to stand watching them for 90 minutes?
Ring (Ringu) (1998): Ring contains the single scariest scene I've ever encountered in a horror movie. Bravo.
Zardoz (1974): One of the few science fiction films to actually approach the visionary imagination of the best literary SF.
Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972): Redeemable trash, anchored by an intense and iconic almost silent lead performance by Meiko Kaji. Great filmmaking from a period in Japanese film history where even the best were often reduced to making sordid exploitation movies.

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Pearce’s Film Reviews