by Sam Juliano
I want to thank all those who have sent on heartfelt condolences on the loss of my Dad, they are appreciated more than you know. A special shout out to my longtime friend Tony D’Ambra of Sydney, Australia for his exceedingly kind words via private message. But so many have expressed themselves in a manner I won’t ever forget. Thank you to Jamie Uhler for his generous gift and to the many who sent on mass cards and/or flowers. The Wonders in the Dark community in general has gone above and beyond in every conceivable manner.
Jamie Uhler’s extraordinary Horror Fest 2019 series highlight the 1973 genre masterpiece The Exorcist:
Today, I provide capsule of a rewatch that is long overdue, a negligence that led me to often slag this film off, probably unfairly*. It was somewhat understandable, I’d first seen The Exorcist as a pre-teen on vacation in New Jersey at my Aunt and Uncle’s home on an evening where they succumbed to my badgering and pleading to rent some Horror videos on a day where rain unexpectedly kept us indoors. We met somewhere in the middle of a compromise; my Uncle letting the youngsters pick one and he pick the other, which led to me being more scared of our trashy, childish excursion (the original Child’s Play) than his, the titanic film in question today. It wasn’t hard to see why I’d pass it by then, I was much too young for its themes, instead giggling in glee at split pea soup projectiles, spinning heads and little else. I’d catch up with it again freshman year at Kent State, but, though it was the recently released 2000 edition that had that extended crab walk in reverse down stairs, the sequence I always recalled most vividly, it was a time in my life where a (free to students) university theater was regularly blowing my mind with the first genuine Art films I’d ever seen. Next to Jean-Luc Godard, who I had never even heard of, a film as blasé as a 10-time Oscar nominee seemed immensely lame. It’s the ignorance of youth of course, a trait matched only by youthful hubris, but that’s more or less how my opinion shuffled the Exorcist. Until now.
Lucille and I saw the Korean Palme d’Or winner Parasite on Friday evening. It is a masterpiece and one of the very best films of 2019. I hope to discuss my feelings on the film in the near future.
Parasite ***** (Friday evening) Chelsea Cineopolis
Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
Thanks so much Edward!
Terrific review of The Exorcist.
I can’t wait to see Parasite!
Thanks Ricky! Yes Jamie’s THE EXORCIST review is brilliant, and I am thinking you will find PARASITE a superlative cinematic work. Please appraise me after you see it.
Question Sam. Would you say Parasite is better than Memories Of Murder or at least its equal? The latter is definitely one of the best films of the 00’s and if Parasite is anywhere on that level I’m running to the theater tomorrow.
Maurizio MEMORIES OF MURDER is certainly a very great film and I do believe that PARASITE is equally excellent, of me one of the very best film of 2019 with Never Look Away, Ad Astra and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood among a few others! I can’t be 100% certain what you will think, but I suspect you will assess PARASITE in the most positive of terms. Looking forward to your response!
Maurizio, I am also curious to see what you will think of this film. My memories of MEMORIES OF MURDER are fading a bit but from what I recall I would place that over PARASITE. Still, PARASITE is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. A different proposition.