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Saw (2004) --> Although the film doesn't hold up under scrutiny, it is a very well made film and a truly creepy experience. Whether you believe a guy can fake death and lie still for such a long period of time (as the killer does) without being found out by two men in the same room, or whether you are convinced the killer can make a man do the elaborate set of actions (holding a family hostage, taping and watching two men in a dirty washroom) without contacting police on the premise that he has been given a slow acting poison, it does not immensely take away from the hold the film has on the viewer. The reason for this is you are reacting emotionally to what you see on the screen. The movie focuses on the watcher rather than the story. When the killer stands up in the middle of the bathroom and you realize the full effect of this surprise, it has immediate impact. After you leave the theatre your analytical side takes over and you can see the holes.


Full Spectrum Staff

Children Underground (2000) --> After the fall of Communism, Romania's economy crashed sending many people onto the streets including many children. This documentary tells the stories of a group of children living in a subway station in Bucharest and the problems they face living day to day. Varying in age from 8 to 16 years of age, the kids are shown to rely on begging and menial tasks they perform for subway venders. Edet Belzberg (the director) takes a hands-off look to her filming which opens a window for the viewer to see the everyday lives of the children. What shocks most is that the kids are all hooked on Aurolac paint which they use to get high. People pass them without care looking at them as more of a menace than a social problem needing solving. With little help from government (other that attempts at reconciliation with problem parents or institutionalization) the children are left mostly to fend for themselves. Nominated for an Oscar, Children Underground is a frightening look at some of the effects, in human terms, of global economic upheavals.


Full Spectrum Staff

Sasquatch Hunters (2005) --> This direct to video film is one that you need to avoid when visiting your local movie rental establishment. It tells the story of an entourage of anthropologists who enter a forest searching for the answer to a set of questions a bone of unknown origin (not human, not gorilla) poses. When the anthropologists and their company stumble upon a burial ground containing more of the relics all hell breaks loose. The movie is badly made and the acting is sub par. The scenes that should make you jump out of you seat make you yawn or laugh in angered disbelief. Avoid this movie unless you love cheese.


Scott D. Brown

The Gold Rush (1925) --> It is difficult to pick which is Chaplin's greatest, but The Gold Rush is definitely one of them. Focusing on the days of the Klondike Gold Rush, this film tells a rags to riches story for "The Little Fellow" who crosses the Chiloot Pass to find his fortune and win his girl. It's pointless to tell how great this film was (you can find hundreds of books for that) but to point out the classic scenes would be helpful. The starvation scene where Chaplin and Swain eat a boiled boot, and later when Chaplin runs around the cabin being pursued by Swain (as he thinks Chaplin is a big chicken) are truly comic. Add to them the dancing dinner roll scene and the waltz with dog attached scene and you can see why Chaplin is one of the greatest comic actors and film makers in cinema.


Full Spectrum Staff

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