Category Archives: Features

Castor’s Underrated Gems – Dark of the Sun (1968)

Posted on May 10, 2020 by castordurden

Jacques Loussier’s progressive score tipples through the ear canals with mischievousness. A rescue-mission-as-subterfuge-for-a-treasure-trove framework is practically a porcine genre unto itself but it is the Simba Rebellion (as opposed to World War II Europe) as a backdrop and the central … Continue reading →

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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Possession (1981)

Posted on April 29, 2020 by castordurden

Sometimes the phrase “I don’t know” can be the most crippling statement. The uncertainty can propel people to extremism. Ingeniously, Sam Neill’s Mark is a castoff from a John Le Carre espionage novel. Andrzej Zulawski swirls the camera around Neill … Continue reading →

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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Spookies (1986)

Posted on April 29, 2020 by castordurden

An ark of the covenant from the 80’s that bypassed a DVD release and was mostly an object of misbegotten legend, Spookies has been varnished with immaculate care by Vinegar Syndrome. Firstly, the 4k print is monumental achievement for the … Continue reading →

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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Cotton Club (1984)

Posted on April 27, 2020 by castordurden

Disclaimer – Review based on the Encore Edition. When it comes to period recreation, Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to be retroactive back to 1930’s Harlem with painstaking authenticity. The Bamville Club and the flappers aren’t just tinseled scenery; … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems | Tagged francis ford coppola, nicolas cage | Comments Off

Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Hidden Fortress (1958)

Posted on April 27, 2020 by castordurden

While it might not be latent among Kurosawa acolytes, The Hidden Fortress wasn’t a crossover export when it was released in the U.S. Despite its acclaim, it isn’t exulted alongside Seven Samurai, Yojimbo and Rashomon as one of his masterworks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems | Tagged akira kurosawa, toshiro mifune | Comments Off

Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Hit (1984)

Posted on April 13, 2020 by castordurden

Eric Clapton and Roger Waters’ title track is no more than moody guitar thrumming but it is a perfectly minimalist accompaniment to Stephen Frears’ picaresque, introspective British road movie. The film is quite cavalier about Willie Parker’s (Terrence Stamp) embroilment … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems | Tagged john hurt, terrence stamp, tim roth | Comments Off

Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Swimmer (1968)

Posted on April 13, 2020 by castordurden

The Marvin Hamlisch score is pitched like a requiem mass before the camera trails behind Burt Lancaster’s initial dive into a pool. Ned Merrill (Lancaster) is a social butterfly and Lancaster magnetizes every plutocrat within his orbit except for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems | Tagged burt lancaster, john cheevers | Comments Off

Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Super Cops (1974)

Posted on March 31, 2020 by castordurden

Prefaced with candid interviews from the real-life subjects, Greenberg and Hantz, the busts and cumulative crime-fighting of the duo is genuflected with a flamboyantly cyclonic, pungently funny, rollicking stranger-than-fiction saga. When the instructor heeds “don’t look for trouble”, the next … Continue reading →

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Castor’s Underrated Gems – The Delicate Delinquent (1957)

Posted on March 16, 2020 by castordurden

In his first loopy, albeit winsome solo outing, Jerry Lewis fraternizes with his co-stars with a constraint on his mugging abandon. He might be a porcine screen hog but he milks every ounce of chortles from his potent chemistry with … Continue reading →

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Castor’s Underrated Gems – Deal of the Century (1983)

Posted on February 6, 2020 by castordurden

The commercial parody for the Peacemaker military jet (with “Someone to Watch Over Me” in the background) is intelligently acrid view of the American desire for orbiting safeguards against their enemies. Maybe I’m predisposed to unsung satires from SNL alumni … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Reviews, Robin's Underrated Gems | Tagged chevy chase, gregory hines, william friedkin | Comments Off