Movie Reviews

Do you remember Paul Zindel’s “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds”? It was a beautiful, Pulitzer Prize-winning play (and later, film) about a troubled girl whose lifeboat out of a troubled environment is her high school science fair project.

In the Ayres family’s House of Dark Shadows, nothing greater than a 25-watt bulb illuminates any room. Ditto even in the local doctor’s office. There’s gloom aplenty and precious little natural light to penetrate this supernatural thriller.

By Barry Paris / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There’s no doubt that asbestos and cigarettes cause lung cancer.

There’s no doubt that DDT kills wildlife.

There’s no doubt about the existence of acid rain and holes in the ozone layer.

There’s no doubt that the Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves have shrunk by 23 percent.

By Barry Paris / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Kumiko is a stranger in a strange land and in the equally strange movie that bears her name.

At work in Tokyo, she’s an “Office Lady” for Mr. Sakagami, a Clarence Thomas-type boss, who seems to be pushing a sexual agenda even while instructing her to buy an anniversary present for his wife.

“What kind of present?” asks Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi).