ab-14

A truly stunning simulacrum of a 1970s giallo. The illusion is so convincing that I'd never have guessed it was made last year.

If you're not a fan of gialli, this one will do nothing to change your mind. It has no interest in covering new ground or breaking the well-worn mold, but if you treasure the thought of exploring a whole new one, this is the movie for you.

If we were judging by looks alone, this would be a solid ten, but some story issues (and not ones really typical of or inherent in the genre in my view) require a deduction.

I may change my mind on subsequent viewings, but I'd rate this a must-see for giallo fans. Non fans might be able to use this as a gateway, but it's probably better to start with the real thing.

While not as bad as the B.C. Thanksgiving special, which is truly horrible, this really isn't very good. Both the animation and the story are a vast improvement over the Thanksgiving effort, but the payoff, while strangely interesting in its attempt to make a point without resolving the fundamental time and space issues that recur in the B.C. universe, is spectacularly bizarre- especially in light of the overtly (and, I've always assumed, wantonly anachronistic) Christian elements of the comic strip.

I have both these atrocities on (a single) LaserDisc. They've not been released any other way as far as I know, and that's probably for the best, but if anyone ever needs evidence that B.C. isn't even a second rate property, look no further. There're good reasons this isn't aired every December.

I did enjoy the "B.C.'s Quest for Tires" video game on the Commodore 64 when I was a kid, though, so maybe it's not all bad. But still, Johnny Hart, Charles Schultz you ain't.