It was just a few years ago that Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper was courting offers from tons of directors such as Adam McKay, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino before settling on two films that released last year and were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Cooper selected the lead role in Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley and a small, supporting role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza. Following the success of his own directorial debut, A Star is Born, Cooper was highly coveted and now, he’s about to work with the most famous filmmaker of all-time. 

According to Deadline, Bradley Cooper will star in the latest film from Steven Spielberg which will be a new original take on the legendary character Frank Bullitt played by Steve McQueen. The report details that the movie is not a remake of the original film, Bullitt, but a completely new idea that is centered around the character from the 1968 crime thriller. In the original movie, Bullitt is a sensible police officer from San Francisco who’s on the hunt for a mobster that killed one his witnesses in a case he’s on. The role is one of the more quintessential roles of McQueen’s career, so it’s interesting that someone of Spielberg’s stature would want to recreate the character for an actor such as Cooper. Having said that, this is an all-star pairing and continues Cooper’s streak of working with some of the best working directors in Hollywood. The film will be written by Josh Singer, who previously penned Spotlight and The Post.

The report also notes that the development of this project has been in the works since the COVID-19 pandemic. Spielberg and Cooper have been trying to work together ever since American Sniper, a film for which Cooper earned his third and fourth Oscar nominations, which eventually was helmed by Clint Eastwood. After that partnership fell through, Spielberg reached out to Cooper to direct his Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro, which Cooper eventually obliged. Following his performance and achievement in directing A Star is Born, Spielberg thought that after years of developing Maestro but maybe not having the time to direct himself, he handed the film off to the multihyphenate. Spielberg is currently on a press tour for his semi-autobiographical film, The Fabelmans which stars Paul Dano, Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen coming off of the heels of his incarnation of West Side Story which released in 2021.

This sequel to a horror classic needs more love and attention nowadays!

If there is any horror film synonymous amongst film fans and horror movie veterans, it is William Friedkin’s masterpiece The Exorcist, and for good reason! It’s a living nightmare of a film; a cinematic embodiment of what it means to fear for your own life especially when it comes to the residential home life. Also touching subject matters of helplessness and grief. Friedkin not only created something atmospherically disturbing but metaphorically terrifying as well, thus creating a classic status towards the film. And while many horror sequels attempt to capture that “lightning in a bottle” energy that its predecessor has created, some succeed and some fail at doing so. It is rare for a film to even be better than that first film, but William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist III is one of those rare instances where it completely outshines the original.

The Exorcist III [cred. Morgan Creek Prod.]

Set 15 years after the original film, The Exorcist III is a film that pulls a Halloween III: Season of the Witch approach of storytelling and not particularly be about any sort of monster rather than a social issue. In this film’s case, it is about the mysterious “Gemini Killer”. We see Lt. Kinderman solve the case through hospitals and even his own nightmares. Sure, the film does not seem like a straight sequel to the original film, but that’s the genius of it all. Kinderman and Father Dyer are still shaken after the events from the previous film, both meeting up once a year to catch up and try to forget. Doing so by either drinking or seeing a movie, both still living normal lives up until that day rolls around the corner. George C. Scott plays the role of Kinderman with such explosive range; from his most emotional and down-traught to his craziest when he comes close with Brad Douriff’s “The Gemini Killer”. Speaking of Douriff, he is an absolute standout and a delight to watch on screen. Even in other films, he is always the best-acted one not only in the room but in the cast listing and The Exorcist III just might be my favorite performance from him. On the surface, The Exorcist III is a typical mystery-thriller but it truly is elevated by its atmospheric tone and off-the-walls third act. What elevates it in terms of creep-factor and effectiveness of being considered in the horror genre is its slow-burn aspect and unexpectedly hitting the audience with startling imagery. Tonally, compare The Exorcist III to Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, both completely different films from their predecessor but sequels that reinvent the wheel in their franchises. The Exorcist III plays the same in terms of structure from the first film; depicting a man who is living in a nightmare and is constantly haunted by his past and is constantly battling that struggle via recent events. The Exorcist III is the perfect Halloween film and one of my favorite horror movies of all time and will consistently rewatch it and be mesmerized that a film like this exists in our lifetime.

For many years I have ignored black and white films. Not because I thought they were extremely bad or uninteresting. Maybe it was because they seem so dated and mostly terribly slow compared to movies of our time. But thanks to a “Horror Challenge” and the encouragement of a like-minded person, I started watching movies from the old days. And to be honest, after a while I started to appreciate them. Admittedly they are dated and some of them are terribly slow. Yet they radiate a certain charm and you can consider many films from that time as the foundation for later films.

As promised, another selection of watched movies

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

I am not much of a fan of silent movies, but I found this one very entertaining. A classic among monster movies. Now I know where “The Bollock Brothers” got the front-picture used on their LP “The Slow Removal Of Vincent Van Gogh’s Left Ear”. The sets are impressive. The ghost does look very creepy. Obviously, the expressions and movements are hugely exaggerated at times. But how else could one convey drama these days? All in all, I thought it was a pleasant experience.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

Not exactly the first “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” movie that was made. I’ll probably watch the 10 years older version with Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins as well. This version does have a more famous cast. I thought Spencer Tracy was suitable for this role as the split personality. The man has a naturally calm facial expression that emphasizes the contrast with the psychopathic looking Jekyll. By the way, I thought the transformation (although it looks old-fashioned) was quite successful. And then you have Ingrid Berman and Lana Turner. Two ravishing beautiful women. I wonder if other versions of “Jekyll & Hyde” reach the same level.

The Wolf Man (1941)

Yet another monster movie from Universal. Filmed in an atmospheric way, but not really exciting. But isn’t it characteristic of most horrors of that period? The most positive thing I can say about films from that period is the length of time. Perfect as a quick inbetweener.

Cat People (1942)

I found this one quite disappointing. A lot of blabbering and little action. I have to admit, I liked the 1982 remake a bit better. But that must be due to the fact that I could marvel at the sensual body of Nastassja Kinski and that this film version did indeed portray the transformation. Admittedly, in 1942 the techniques were not yet so advanced that this could be achieved. For me, it was more about love affairs and their problems, than horror.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

This was also disappointing. Bela Lugosi is certainly not the very best Frankenstein. I fear the sole reason for this movie’s existence was the success of the other two movies. The original films “Frankenstein” and “The Wolf Man” were so successful that some smart marketing employee came up with the bright idea to put both creatures in one and the same film. Success guaranteed. However, there was certainly no quality guarantee!

House of Frankenstein (1944)

I thought it would be a nice idea to unite all the key characters from the monster movies. Only Dracula missed that mysterious quality you experience with Lugosi and Lee. Frankenstein looked quite comical. Too bad they gave Boris Karloff the role of Doctor Niemann. Only Lon Chaney was allowed to reprise the role of Wolf Man. All in all, I thought it was a poor continuation of the Frankenstein franchise.

Dead of Night (1945)

Another golden oldie. Who knows. Maybe one of the first anthology horror-thrillers. Some good stories (The Mirror & Dummy). One bad one (The Golf Players).

Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Well, given the age of this film, it’s not surprising that it feels quite dated. The humor is a bit lackluster. They reminded me of Laurel & Hardy and it got a little annoying at times. Still had to chuckle a few times (the union joke and the expression on Costello’s face when he pulled a tablecloth, for example). But I don’t think I’ll immediately watch the films about the encounters of this duo with other lurid characters.

The Thing from Another World (1951)

Really a movie that fascinated me. There are certainly points of contact with Carpenter’s “The Thing“. Only that this 1951 film looks a bit dated (but still stood the test of time). Obviously, the budget was limited at the time because the conversations flash by at a very fast pace. No time to waste. Also fun to see how they kept laughing till the end during conversations, even though the world is about to be conquered by intellectual creatures.

The Man from Planet X (1951)

One word describes it best: boring. Ok I admit, it’s a very old movie. But it seems as if the alien just fled from a puppet theater. The spacecraft resembled a tin dart. “The Invisible Man” from 1933 looked much better, even though it was made about 20 years earlier.

To be continued …