Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
Running time: 136 minutes



Rosemary Woodward and her husband Guy, an aspiring actor, move into a new apartment in this older building in New York City, hoping to start a family. The couple is quickly befriended by two older neighbors, the Castavets, who will quickly take an ever-growing place in their daily life. When Rosemary becomes pregnant, after a very unclear conception that happened during a night when she was passed out, her paranoia increases as she starts suspecting their older friends of being Satanists trying to take control over her and baby.

This 1968 film, adapted from Ira Levin’s bestselling novel of the same name, has become a true classic of the psychological horror genre. Polanski wrote the screenplay and directed the movie, and he did commendable work of it. As they say about Polanski in some circles: Good movie director, bad date. In Rosemary’s Baby, Polanski weaves a tale where the mood is set and then the action takes us slowly and surely to a strong climax.

Mia Farrow offers a solid performance as Rosemary, a young naïve wife whose paranoia increases slowly, and with good reason. Some would even say she should have caught on quicker, but, movies being what they are, good things take time to develop. Ruth Gordon is also very good as Minnie Castavets, an overbearing old lady who hides such darkness under these layers of niceness.

If you have yet to see Rosemary’s Baby and you like a good horror film, give it a chance; it is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I must admit I cringed a bit at the end, with the cliché of the Asian guy in a group of Satanists taking pictures, but it was an acceptable thing to convey back in the 60’s I guess. Beyond that, this Polanski classic still deserves to hold a very respectable rank on any cinephile’s list of best movies.

Rating: «««««


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