A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 124

Murder In Castellane - 2020 - 6/10
AKA - Les Mystères de la Chorale

Returning home on her bicycle, a young woman is run over, then stabbed.
The police pair investigating the murder are a young, female captain, and a much older, seasoned commander.
It is her case, but he is showing her “the ropes.” When to lean on suspects, when to let them stew.
When to intrude on the bereaved for details, when to leave them alone.
This how-to is a plus for the mystery.
The victim is Turkish, Muslim, and quite early I theorized (correctly) what type of killing it had been.
Midway, with evidence, I realized the motive.
That is a minus, if I can work matters out like that.

Cause For Alarm! - 1951 - 5/10

“Is your head bothering you?”
“Terribly, both of them.”
“Doctor, I made an absolute idiot of myself rubbing his head, both of them!”
For a brief moment, I wonder how this one sailed past the Code board.
That was the lone double entendre, and the whole story downshifts into a plod.
Fighter pilot George is now laid up at home, in physical and mental decline.
Wife Ellen intends to murder him, or so he imagines.
Loretta Young flutters effectively in cozy suburban thriller that strikes me as pure melodrama.

Jailbait - 1954 - 5/10

I suppose I’ve seen worse.
Don, son of a prominent – and wealthy – surgeon, gets busted for packing a gun.
He is also warned by the police, his sister, his father, not to associate with cheap thug Brady.
So, before you know it, Don and Brady commit armed robbery.
Shoddy film by auteur Ed Wood grinds to a periodic halt, yet he keeps tossing in scenes and ideas.
One being a black-faced minstrel smack in the middle of the story.
Lyle Talbot and Herbert Rawlinson shore up weaker players, outshine non-existent sets.
Very early film of a clean shaven Steve Reeves, pre-Hercules.

Budapest - 2018 - 6/10

Two junior execs, stymied on the Corporate ladder (they are not our kind, understand), launch a travel agency.
High end bachelor parties, stag night.
Attendees get a coked out guide, mass quantities of booze and drugs, strippers, playmates, access to military weapons.
What could go wrong? What do you think, Clyde?
Disasters on a colossal scale, and their business soars.
Uneven comedy skewers the foolishness of guys.

Blue Jean - 2020 - 7/10

Jean is a young P.E. teacher, also a closeted lesbian in Thatcher Britain.
Section 28 is coming to the fore, and if outed, she could lose her job, possibly any job.
A new student arrives, unsettling the classroom and gymnasium dynamics.
Film excellent in showing the pettiness of school (no rosy nostalgia here), as well as the camaraderie of the women in what one supposes are private clubs.
Jean makes mistakes, has errors of judgment, trying to straddle two worlds in a high stakes era.
The women’s characters seem spot on (I worked with several for years, and I recognized a couple “types”).
Good film, neither sugar-coated nor preachy.

Fire Of Love - 2022 - 7/10

Ofttimes puzzling documentary of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Much of their career was working as close as possible to eruptions and flows.
Both come across, at times, as reckless, chancing their luck, their lives.
At one point you see shoes melting, another time one canoes a lake of sulphuric acid.

Murkier is where they met, how they fund their expensive passion.
They describe themselves as freelancers, but jet-setting to fresh outbreaks must have been costly.
Commentary is sprinkled with speculations and assumptions, out of place in a doc.
Nevertheless, one watches this for the photography, which is top rate.

Millennium Mambo - 2001 - 6/10
AKA - Qian xi man bo // 千禧曼波

Akin to watching an in-your-face trainwreck.
Vicky floats through the neon nights of Taipei.
Boyfriend Hao Hao, anxious she will outgrow him, ensures she will never have any sort of career.
Even after she meets and hooks up with small criminal Jack, hers remains a listless existence.
Shu Qi is remarkable as Vicky, other characters are peripheral support.
One of my favorite sections (apparently trimmed) is Hokkaido Japan during a retro film festival.

Calling Dr. Death - 1943 - 6/10

Lon Chaney, taking a break from monster roles, plays a neurologist who uses hypnosis.
His own life ain’t so hot. His glamorous wife Maria runs around on him.
Until she is grotesquely murdered, that is.
Who do police target as suspect numero-uno?
Chaney is OK, supporting cast far better. Internal monologues used to good effect.
Several montages, excellent.
Fun commentary with film historian C. Courtney Joyner and Regina LeBorg (director’s daughter).

The Most Assassinated Woman In The World - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - La Femme la Plus Assassinée du Monde

Decadent premise, the ebbing nights of the Grand Guignol.
Well thought out backstage mise-en-scènes, allusions to troupe interactions.
Potentially compelling backstory for our main heroine, Paula Maxa
Acting theatrical, if not melodramatic, fitting for the subject matter of onstage murders being mirrored out on the cobblestone alleys.
For all that, the script, written by committee, is a muddled attempt.
Predictable shocks, with a serving spin at the end.
Felt like the creative team over-compromised.

Japan Organized Crime Boss - 1969 - 6/10
AKA - Nihon boryoku-dan: Kumicho // 日本暴力団 組長

As the Danna Organization from Osaka expands and grows stronger, the Tokyo families form an alliance.
In the middle is the territory around the port of Yokohama.
The major factions exploit the smaller Yokohama groups as proxies, thereby sparing their own men.
(Anyone who cannot see modern day parallels is blind.)
After the boss is murdered, Tsukamoto becomes the new head of a small Yokohama group.
Trying to protect his men, he charts a careful unaligned course.
Moody, Kinji Fukasaku yakuza film mixes explosive violence with tactical lulls.
Doom laden, watching the small firm caught between powerful belligerents.

English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/japan-organised-crime-boss-nihon-boryoku-dan-kumicho/english/3076748

Madame Claude - 2021 - 6/10

Biopic of Parisian madam plays out like scattershot Twitter feed.
Straight off, pre-credits read, not based on or inspired by, but rather “Based on true events from the imagined life.”
Hello?
Claude runs a team of 300 prostitutes, so expect sex and (tasteful) nudity.
Comfortable with criminal racketeers, she likewise works with the police, and later the SDECE.
Who is she, Chuck Barris?
Wait a minute, “imagined life,” remember?
Jumbled mess of characters, incidents, scenes, without depth or coherence.

Mansfield Park - 1999 - 6/10

Poor sparrow Fanny is invited to live with wealthier relatives at a young age.
She grows into a beautiful and intelligent woman. Marriage bait.
Then, as now, a lot of men don’t want no woman who’s too smart for her own britches.
And one with no fortune, no dowry?
Fanny is a wry observer, commentator, but still a back row student.
Producers attempt to “modernize” Austen with righteous stances on slavery.
Save for Harold Pinter, entire cast lacks charisma, lacks chemistry.

I Smile Back - 2015 - 7/10

Well acted across the board, but depressing, disturbing film of mental illness.
Mom (outstanding Sarah Silverman) drinks, pops pills, snorts lines, prowls for men who like doggie.
Stunts and reckless behavior to break the numbness.
Not shown, but probably when she’s on lithium.
When she skips the lith, she swings from belligerent to utterly withdrawn.
Childhood demons might be a cause, or it might be genetic.
Family and friends are trapped with her, or swirling near the edge of her whirlpool.
The soul in a tunnel with no light at either end.

The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady - 1984 - 7/10

Lovely adaptation of Edith Holden’s book, which was quite popular a generation earlier.
12 episodes, one per month, this follows the changing seasons, as well as Holden’s life.
Nature fans will embrace the scenery. Topical points also raised (hunting limitations).
Holden herself is something of an enigma.
Pay attention and you will notice her family’s declining fortunes.
Her death was likewise a mystery, although producers offer unsupported hints, which they ought not have.
This series should be better known. Music by Jon Lord.

The Search For John Gissing - 2001 - 5/10

Hotshot young Yank is transferred to London to help with a takeover merger.
Events turn south immediately. No pickup at Heathrow, the office is locked, the hotel is the wrong one.
Matthew’s boss (a delicious Alan Rickman) turns out to be a master game player.
Labored comedy is a very spotty affair.
Writer/director/star Mike Binder aims for Ben Stiller or Woody Allen, though he is not in their league.
He has the sense to surround himself with excellent comedians (Rickman, Janeane Garofalo, Juliet Stevenson).
Stale goods, nonetheless, might have been funnier decades earlier.

Venus - 2021 - 6/10

Mother knows the risks are immense, as she hurries to place her daughter Iris’s memories into a synthetic.
SciFi short borrows from Blade Runner and Ex Machina.
Even answers a question omitted by the latter.
This feels like a pitch, or proof-of-concept, yet is well done and leaves a door open.
Worth a look.
English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/venus-2021

The Danish Girl - 2015 - 6/10

Unsteady biopic of transgender pioneer, “inspired” by Einar Wegener (Lili Elbe).
30’s Danish artist goes from modeling female costumes for his artist wife, then cross-dressing at soirees.
Finally, he decides he was mis-born male and tries to convince medical types he is not insane.
Extremely earnest and correct film rings false on a few fronts.
One, the history is inaccurate - hence the “inspired” tag.
Wegener/Elbe was not the first operation, that was Dora R in 1921.
Eddie Redmayne, exceptional as Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything, here is either miscast of suffers atrocious pancake makeup.
Not once could I accept him as female, transgender or cross-dresser.
This reminds me of gay cinema of the early 70’s (eg: The Boys In The Band).
Heavily viewed, embraced. Entertaining as broccoli.

The Insect Woman - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Chungyo // 충녀

Too late, fellow patients warn the new arrival about female insects.
The ones who devour male partners after mating.
Professor Lee’s wife dominates him in business and in the household, leaving him impotent.
Meanwhile, one of his teenage students, forced to provide for her family, starts work as a hostess.
Meaning, casual prostitute. And as a virgin, her first time will cost plenty.

Professor and student start an affair, restoring his prowess, of which his manipulative wife is aware.
She even pays the girl an allowance.
Then things start to get surreal.

Pay attention all you want, the plot steadily loses cohesion.
Until the police arrive.
Strange Korean melodrama, desperately in need of a restoration.

Wetherby - 1985 - 6/10

Early, a prophesy is spoken, which could resonate today:
“Logic also tells us that there must be constraints. That if people went around saying exactly what they feel, the result would be barbarism.”

The young man shows up out of the blue.
Friendly, yet withdrawn, moody. Suicidal, too, as it turns out.
His death stirs undercurrents throughout the community.
Old memories, resentments, faded promises, dashed obsessions.
I watched when it first screened (never having heard of Hare) and did not know what to make of it.
Still a puzzle, a film of aching loneliness, of disconnection within ones community.

Gipsies - 1921 - 6/10
AKA - Cikáni

Giacomo plies the canals of Venice, dreaming of his betrothed, Angelina.
Deck mates warn him, “Trust not fortune nor women, both are deceitful and changeable.”
Thus, when the handsome, wealthy stranger appears, so disappears Angelina.
Giacomo, forlorn, gazes out at the empty waters. End of Prelude.

Time passes and the narrative fragments into several overblown stories.
Orphaned children, accused women, jealous menfolk.
Melodramatic acting, flailing arms, contorted facial expressions.
Wonderful restoration of this obscure Czechoslovakian Silent.
Modern score serves the story.

A Taste Of Flesh - 1967 - 4/10

Another blunder. I thought I was acquiring another of the “of her flesh” series by Michael Findlay.
Wrong. This is a Doris Wishman roughie.
Two armed men invade the apartment of two women and a friend.
Assassins, it turns out, who run at the mouth.
Appalling film boasts flesh, but suffers from being boring.
The actors are inept. My theory is Wishman hired thespians at a nearby truckstop.

A fantasy sequence carries lesbian overtones, which make some giddy.
I’m ambivalent whether such was the living arrangement or not.

What’s Love Got To Do With It? - 2022 - 6/10

Childhood best-friend Raz tells Zoe he intends to have an arranged marriage.
He probably should have waited, as Zoe is a documentary filmmaker and begs to film the whole process.
The matchmaker, screening candidates, awkward meetings, interviews with happy arranged marriages.
Consistently funny (Emma Thompson is a hoot), yet the last act veers into a different direction.
Much of the steam and energy also evaporates, causing me to wonder (you’re not going there, are you?”
Rom-Com is a cousin to My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), although that confection had a hard center while this is marshmallow filled.

Pride And Prejudice - 1980 - 8/10

This gem is often overlooked, eclipsed in popularity by the 2005 film and the superlative 1995 series.
Airing just before the 1980’s asserted its own identity, this 70ish production boasts great costumes and exteriors.
Most of the drama occurs in drawing rooms, libraries, dens, where the flat 1970’s look suffers.
The casting, however, is the strength of this, and it is impeccable.
Moray Watson and Priscilla Morgan as Mr and Mrs Bennett are marvelous, polar opposites.
Both Mary Bennett and Charlotte Lucas receive more due here than in any other version.
The leads, Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul, possess an electric chemistry.
Garvie makes a keen, witty, observant Eliza, barely keeping herself in check.
Rintoul’s Darcy is austere, aloof, ever alert. Watching them fence is thrilling.
Excellent companion / contrast to the 1995, and perhaps the closest in spirit to Austen’s novel.

Pension Metsä - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - ペンション メッツァ

Gentle, soft-spoken series about the proprietress of a rural guest house.
Each episode (of six) sees one visitor arrive, talk about life, perhaps their past or a future, share a meal.
Discussions are contemplative, meditative, whimsical, philosophical.
If you desire action, emotional drama, or answers, this is not the place.
This is a quiet show, the house is something like a rest oasis
Those who peer deeper will grasp the passage of time, and how transitory is one’s journey.
Regulars at the Midnight Diner will feel at home.

The Getaway - 1972 - 7/10

Newly paroled con, Doc, is tasked with a bank heist.
In the background, corrupt politicians and calculating mob bosses.
As with most film heists, events swiftly go up in flames.
Hit and miss action film, worthwhile to see McQueen in prime form, blessed with Peckinpah’s red-blooded direction and a hard-nosed script by Walter Hill.
Plot and twists better than most action flicks.
Still, one watches this for McQueen and bullets. 12 gauge 00 shells. Gun hounds will go crazy watching this.