A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 81

20th Century Women - 2016 - 7/10

Coming of age story, time/location specific to 1979 Santa Barbara.
Ma (Annette Benning) asks two other females to help raise (watch over) fatherless son.
What really occurs, however, is the three females work out bad stretches using the son as listener, witness, Greek chorus.
The teenage boy is fine because, unlike a man, he simply listens instead of trying to “fix” problems.
Talky, yet this does not drag. Should girlfriends load this, guys ought to be able to tolerate.
I caught a few minor errors, probably because I was in Southern California in the mid-late 70’s.

Abwege - 1928 - 7/10
AKA - The Devious Path

German silent, directed by Pabst.
Very much a precursor to Pandora’s Box and Diary Of A Lost Girl, this also explores moral shortcomings and the lifeless underbelly of the decadent Weimar.
Wife (Brigitte Helm), married to strait-laced fuss-bucket banker, deserts him one night to party with “more liberated” friends in hedonistic club.
Banker sits at home, window wide open, letting in blasts of freezing air, thinking of divorce options.
The club sequence, meanwhile, is a showstopper, and goes on for perhaps twenty minutes.

Pabst revels in the excitement, the loose morality, the sheer boredom, the drunken excesses, the hazy confusion.
Far better than most films I’ve watched, this gives a real feel to the jittery edge of Berlin before the street riots between Communists and Nazis.
Ending displayed the censor’s hand, unlike the bleak pit of Pabst’s next two films.

A Murderous Affair In Horizon Tower - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - Mo Tian da Lou // 摩天大楼

Locked room mystery finds attractive coffee shop owner dead in her luxury apartment.
Straight off, how can a mere barista afford to live in the opulent Horizon Tower?
Yes, the investigating detectives wonder at that, as well.
Suspects? Ha! The building teems with them.
Smitten building employees, jealous women, alpha males.
Episode 1 - 2 is of one suspect, 3 - 4 another. That is the structure.
Each episode is a little over 30”. I dislike binging, yet I watched two at a time.
Two things stick out in this Chinese drama. Police are honest; rules & evidence types. Yeah, propaganda.
The other is the undercurrent of oppressed or second status females.
I would not have pictured China admitting such occurs – though it is global wide.

Havana Widows - 1933 - 6/10

Misleading title aside, chorus girls Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell realize their funds are low and time dwindling.
What to do?
Head to Cuba! Play the badger game on a rich codger and sue for damages.
“There’s a man in our bedroom!” “Didn’t I tell you our luck would change?”
One-liners and zingers are the best part of this mild, risqué-free comedy.
“I’ll try anything once. That’s my undoing.”
Cast of Warners 30’s stock players try hard, but script lacks spice.
Blondell bounces a fair amount in this … if you notice that sort of thing.

The Love Witch - 2016 - 6/10

Warning - Existential oblivion seekers, not this one.

Wish I could say I viewed this by accident or this was airing in rehab.
No. Reviews mentioned bygone Technicolor productions, and I foolishly hoped for Douglas Sirk excesses.
Admittedly, I do have a taste for over-the-top folly. This is not “so bad it’s good,” but it veers close.

Artist witch moves to Eureka, into posh Victorian manor, to get over issues with her ex.
Like glamour girls everywhere, our attractive witch has trouble pulling guys, so she casts sex magick for bait n mate.
After sessions of heightened debauchery, spent males collapse and die.
Oh, well. There’s more guys with organic wands where those came from.
And she gets busy.

Lush and saturated colors throughout.
Females, wearing gowns and hats, congregate in a fantasy fern bar, nibble cakes and tea, while a harpist plucks.
Our witch sports a hairdo Bobbie Gentry would envy, as well as retro blue eyeshadow which I have not seen since the 70’s. (Car buffs - a 60’s Mustang and a big ass 70’s Impala stand out amidst boxy modern rides.)
Fair amount of frontal nudity, male and female, mostly during wicca ceremonies. Chanting, not panting.
More graphic are her sketches and paintings.
Romping and rutting is freaky psychedelic time, drowned with overloaded grind music.
Acting is stilted and wooden across the board. Characters read lines, never react.
My theory: There was only one camera, so the director shot actors one at a time, then spliced.
At two hours, this movie is also too long.
I enjoyed, but, I have fondness for cheesy flicks.

The Big Lebowski - 1998 - 8/10

After being disappointed by Inherent Vice, I dug this perennial from the shelves.
Mister Lebowski, AKA “The Dude” returns home from shopping the friendly Ralph’s aisles.
He is assaulted, face plunged into the toilet, while one of the vandals pisses on his carpet.
Later, at the bowling alley, The Dude laments to friends, and, egged on, begins to investigate the mystery.
Hilarious, shaggy dog tale. Cult classic for stoners, bowlers, mystery fans, damn near everyone save souls who hate Southern California, which this film reeks of.
Most people I know either have personal acquaintance with a classic slacker such as The Dude, or they have been him at one point or another.
Bridges unforgettable as The Dude, yet everyone involved is in top form.

Nihilists, come forth!

The Strange Case Of Yukio Mishima - 1985 - 7/10

Casual overview of the highly controversial author, made fifteen years after his seppuku.
Interviewees include his biographer and translator, as well as close associates.
For the uninformed, yet curious, this is an OK introduction.
I suspect this was difficult to make, since Japan has always been conflicted about Mishima.
Proud, yet embarrassed.
Might work better in conjunction with Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (1985).
Sadly, there is still no penetrating documentary on this writer.

2017 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action - 2017 - 7/10

Five of ‘em. Two crowd pleasers, two “serious” works of outsiders in Europe, and one pass.
“Sing” is about a competitive grade school choir. This will resonate with those who have been in band or choir, especially if you were in the 3rds or in the back rows.
“Silent Nights” follows a refugee in Denmark. Sent me a mixed message on how to score money from guilty rich.
”Timecode” watches bored security guards dance before surveillance cameras.
“Ennemis Intérieurs” (Enemies Within) is another story of outsiders. This time an Algerian, living in France for over 30 years, finally seeks citizenship. Why wait so long? And who are your associates? Claustrophobic, Orwellian.
“La Femme et le TGV” features Jane Birkin as an aging woman exchanging letters with the engineer of the high speed TGV express. She seems locked in the bygone, analogue age, with her manual typewriter, rotary dial phone, china tea set.

Bullitt - 1968 - 8/10

Definitive McQueen anti-hero, exuding cool elegance.
Officer Frank Bullitt assigned to babysit mob snitch, finds himself set up as patsy for incompetence.
Brilliant procedural as detective and partner pick up the seemingly dead trail and unravel a brilliant plan.
Film punctuated by three chase sequences, one a legend in movie history.
Wonderful Lalo Schifrin score, gorgeous San Francisco scenery.
Street scenes, cafe interiors, the steep hills.
Then there are the muscle cars at full throttle, terrific stunt driving, no - NO - computer fakery.

Anytime I read about a remake, I cringe, knowing disposable music would blare throughout, drowning out the roar of V8s.

Katherine Ryan In Trouble - 2016 - 6/10

Standup comedian on relationships, being Canadian in UK, men, family.
Hit and miss, with more hits, but this is chuckle material.
Timed correctly at one hour. Nothing stale, just her aloof humor which never engaged me.

Summer - 1986 - 6/10
AKA - Le Rayon Vert

French patience tester, extremely well acted, but might strain your endurance.
Recently dumped female (ahem, three years earlier) whines about what to do during summer vacation.
She stays with family and complains. Visits friends, moans incessantly.
Asks for advice, only to disregard.
One of the best / worst moments occurs during an outdoor meal when our protagonist, a recent vegetarian, launches into a tirade about meat and animals.
Doesn’t stop her from drinking, however. And complaining about vintages.
I always say people get what they deserve.
Sadly, how did her friends and family deserve this?

The Swarm - 2020 - 5/10
AKA - La Nuée

Recently widowed mother of two raises locusts. First for health food, then farm feed.
Profits are negligible.
If only she could get the locusts to grow bigger, quicker.
Hey, what if I start feeding them blood?
Wow, they like it!
Film takes a painfully long time to get going only to sputter.
Focus on character deterioration, rather than mayhem.
Watch X-Files S03E12 “War Of The Coprophages” instead.

The Monster - 2016 - 5/10

Part arthouse, part mother - daughter road trip (ha ha).
Dysfunctional, alcoholic, abusive mother drives neglected young daughter to her ex.
They are supposed to depart at 8:00 AM, except hungover Ma doesn’t get rollin’ until 4:00.
Soon as they hit the spooky backroad, rain pelts down in sheets.
The car strikes a wolf and the subsequent crash leaves the vehicle inoperative.
Before they can say - “Hey, where’d that wolf go?” - the girls realize trouble is mounting.
Acting by the female leads is terrific. I hated Mom, pitied the small girl.
The pace may be too measured to hold interest for many, though.
There is also that allegory about who the real monsters are, which some might equate with spoon feeding.

Quibble: I grew up on backroads. None ever had streetlamps, let alone three of them.
Plus, after you crash your car, switch off the headlamps and wipers!
I should not have to explain this to stranded drivers unless they want to be future meals.

The Things We Say, The Things We Do - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - Les Choses qu’on Dit, Les Choses qu’on Fait

Maxime arrives from Paris to spend time with his cousin.
His cousin is away on business, but his girlfriend, Daphne, takes over.
Maxime is nursing a bruised heart. In a way, so is Daphne.
As they share stories, histories, they are slowly drawn to each other.
French romantic drama of lost love, mistaken love, wronged love, unrequited love.
Talky (of course), yet the multiple stories weave and tangle much like a puzzling mystery.
Enthralling throughout, though Hallmark addicts will be disappointed.

The Town - 2010 - 6/10

Overlooked, street smart caper film from Ben Affleck, with ass kicking finale.
Crime passes from one generation in Charlestown.
Favorite target seems to be banks, which in this film are all helpless as comatose grannies.
Security? Trained guards? Hidden surveillance cameras?
Sorry, no, which is rather hard to accept in otherwise realistic script.
Affleck gets involved with sorta almost witness, while the gang presses for one final haul.
The big one. The stereotyped “last score,” after which all will lay low and exit crime.
Yes . . . how many times?
Ingenious heist, clinically executed. Gunfire galore.
Nice location filming, which might be a double-edged sword for some.
Unwary viewers better have subtitles if unaccustomed to nasally New England dialect.

Murdered By My Fiancé - 2016 - 5/10

Slight doc about murder of author Helen Bailey and her dog!
Boyfriend reports to police four days after she disappears.
Despite Bailey being a best selling author, barely any video of her.
Detectives, analysts, neighbors, and the fiance.
Unexplained - why Fido was killed. Unexplained - relationship.
Why is it “murdered by *my *fiance"? As if the dead author produced this.
Find something else to waste an hour.
Otherwise, example of how not to kill someone.

The Thanksgiving Play - 2021 - 6/10

The creator - the director - the historian - the actor.
Not so much theatre as a video conference, brainstorming concepts for a play for nine year olds.
While a few observers might regard the above image and think self-indulgent egoism, the results are funny.
After a soggy opening, this moves swiftly.
The bottom individuals are the funniest or have the best lines.
There are barbs about the holiday, though this is not Woke self-righteousness.
Reeves’ deadpan delivery is sidesplitting at times. An underappreciated comedian.

Hector And The Search For Happiness - 2014 - 6/10

Simon Pegg as successful psychiatrist who suffers a crisis. Bored, self-doubt, plain old ennui.
Abandons his girlfriend (Rosamund Pike!) to pursue a globe-trotting quest to discover what makes happiness.
Exotic locales, scrapes and escapes, plastic villains, convenient guardian angels.
Feel like I’m shooting BB’s at the balloons of a nine year olds birthday party.
The story was diverting, though hackneyed and lighter than sponge cake.
Essentially a feel good travelogue with dollops of greetings card wisdom.
Breezy … yeah, yeah … saw it, checked off my list, won’t rewatch in this life.

The Lady On A Train - 1945 - 6/10

Silly murder mystery, not without merits, though not, as indicated in IMDB, a Noir in the classic sense.
Deana Durbin’s character sees, or thinks she sees, a murder being committed from her seat on the train.
The police don’t believe her, nor does her favorite mystery writer whom she pesters.
She discovers the identity of the “victim.” A rich gentleman, his death ruled a suicide.
Heirs include Noir heavy Dan Duryea and smiling Ralph Bellamy.
Several other quirky characters fill the plot, as well as false trails, more murders, quick dialogue.
For fans, Ms Durbin sings a couple standards.
Hard boiled seekers, this light hearted fluff ain’t it.

The Young Girls Of Rochefort - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - Les Demoiselles de Rochefort

What a disappointing howler.
This was followup to The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg.
Seaside village prepares for the end of summer fete, as the French version of carnival arrives.
Looking for love are Catherine Deneuve and her real life sister Françoise Dorléac (who died tragically young that year).
Also on hand, dancing away, are George Chakiris and Gene Kelly.
Dancing is an understatement, the film is almost nonstop choreography.
Numerous songs by Michel Legrand, none truly memorable.
The movie gets exhausting after awhile. The impression is that everyone tried too hard.

The Killer Is Loose - 1956 - 6/10

Curbside, the getaway sedan purrs like a tiger. The wheelman, eyes and ears on full alert, watches the building. Next to him, the gunman, patient as blight, calmly holds his weapon. At either end of the bank, two confederates nod. And the heist unfolds.
Easy money, folks. No gunfire, no injuries. Yeah, Jack, crime pays.
Except there were a couple of loose comments, which the police, ever perceptive, pick up on. There had been an inside man.

All the makings of a police procedural fly apart after a trigger-happy raid.
An innocent is slain, and the one left grieving vows revenge … and waits.
Decent B-Noir, undercut by domestic melodramatics.
Joseph Cotton and Rhonda Fleming notwithstanding, the reason to watch is Wendell Corey, his character maddened by grief, driven and resourceful in vengeance.
And – Los Angeles, filmed during rainy season, night and day.

If Walls Could Talk: The History Of The Home - 2011 - 6/10

Four part documentary by Lucy Worsley focusing on four rooms in the home.
Living room - Bedroom - Bathroom - Kitchen
Evolution from Medieval time to modern age.
Informative, entertaining, full of catch-phrase origins:
“By hook or by crook” - “Walls have ears” - “Burning the candle at both ends” -

I Heard It Too - 2014 - 5/10

Mom sings daughter Bethany to sleep.
Before slumber and dreams, comes the rustle, then a voice.
Horror short of home invasion will not be to all tastes.
Might depend on how you enjoy watching a terrified 3 year old.
I didn’t.

Gun Woman - 2014 - 5/10
AKA - Nyotaiju Gan Ūman // 女体銃 ガン・ウーマン

Exploitation trash, aimed at the US market, per Los Angeles and desert settings, and a pair of talkative American hired guns.
The redeeming element about exploitation - even trash is often enjoyable and this does have potential.
Basic revenge plot, the baddie is a homicidal whack-job, and the anti-hero (known as “The Mastermind”) is cold, clinical, utterly goal focused.
Most of this is explained and described in lengthy exposition between the hired guns.
One asks questions, the other warbles away. Like a bad infomercial.
The pace is pretty darn slow (ahem, padded), and the limited body count shows signs of budget restrictions.
Gun woman herself might have ten lines of dialogue, though the movie is about her (no, it’s about Mr Mastermind).
Her zero thespian skills are compensated during the final twenty minutes or so, when she performs all her fighting, killing, stabbing, shooting, general bloodlust, stark naked. No foggy lens, strategic plants, digital manipulation.
All Asami, all the way.
For many exploitation hounds, that will boost overall scores.

Le Capital - 2012 - 6/10

Slick financial thriller of high rolling executives.
When the head man of a massive French bank takes ill, he appoints a temporary boss.
His experience is limited and circling sharks eye him as chum.
Worse, a wealthy American hedge fund buys controlling interest in the bank, then sets up traps.
Unlike similar movies - say Big Short, there is no spoon feeding to viewers.
Maneuvering occurs across continents and conference rooms.
Temp Boss proves a cynical calculator, though there is a love angle, stupid beyond belief.
Root for villains because there are no “good guys.”