A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 155

Hotel Europa - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Das Weiße Haus am Rhein

Emil returns to Germany after World War I, carrying a dark secret.
The victorious French have requisitioned the family Dreesen Hotel, yet Emil is able to broker a deal allowing the family and staff to remain, giving the French commanders luxury service.
The hotel is struggling, although Emil has new ideas, bold concepts, at odds with traditions.
Two-part series goes from 1918-1938, an era of uneasy peace, building to war.
No dates are mentioned, so those with a knowledge of history and events might fare better.
Dignitaries include Charlie Chaplin and Adolf Hitler, both of whom actually stayed in the hotel.
The “events” are eerily accurate, family dramas – who knows.

Workers Or Shirkers: Victorian Benefits - 2019 - 6/10

Things never change. You want to aid the less fortunate, those down on their luck, the injured.
The lazy, the idlers, the spongers, the loafers? Not so much.
Traces the earliest solutions, devised by those ever-industrious Victorians.
From the workhouse, to unemployment benefits.
Until the government money begins to tap out.
Then the rabble hear a posh phrase – austerity measures.
Even today, no easy solutions, perhaps no solutions.

Untamed Mistress - 1956 - 3/10

In India, two white hunters listen to a dying maharajah talk of a strange tribe.
Gorillas, who kidnap women. White women.
Scene shift, and they are in Africa (elephants, lions, giraffe) where they meet the well dressed, well fed, Velda.
Painful adventure film sees our crew wander sets then gape at footage of wild Africa.
And yes, there are gorillas. They stalk, they fight, they dance.
They kill. What’s theirs stays theirs.
Spectacularly bad.

Pink Floyd: The Making Of Dark Side Of The Moon - 2003 - 6/10

Entertaining, generally informative documentary of the genesis and creation of the classic album.
Aside from band members, talking heads include engineer Alan Parsons and influential critics.
Band members are interviewed separately and are civil toward each other.
This album, they regard as their finest moment as a unit.
Subsequent problems that would wedge the group are merely alluded to.
All members in 2003 are alive, lucid, although some recollections vary.
The techniques were so very old school, no computer software in 1973.
Not necessarily essential, yet fascinating for fans of the group.

The Forger Of London - 1961 - 6/10
AKA - Der Fälscher von London

His father was insane, a murderer. What if he inherited –– What’s that sound?
Jane marries the wealthy Peter who suffers from amnesia and missing time.
Nonetheless, he is rich. Money smooths problems, such as the occasional corpse.
At the same time, counterfeit bills are flooding various countries.
Suspect #1? You got it, wealthy playboy, AKA who am I again?

Krimi based on Edgar Wallace novel moves briskly.
Superb use of lighting, possibly too many characters (more dead bodies).
None of the camp or comedy that hampered latter Krimi.

Last Looks - 2021 - 6/10

After a TV star is accused of murdering his wife, the studio exec lures a disgraced cop out of retirement.
The PI is not really interested, until various factions violently order him to stay away.
The alcoholic star, played with boozy perfection by Mel Gibson, is a fallen Shakespearean.
Shyster lawyers, femme fatales, Chicken, vindictive cops, Inuits, more …
This is one shaggy dog yarn, prepare to hold on.
Light-hearted mystery with an edge.
Some have commented on a Chinatown vibe. For me, Big Lebowski.

Kainer Dies Here Today - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Heute Stirbt Hier Kainer

The brain scan explained the increasing fainting spells.
No cure, his time is running out.
Ulrich heads off to the country, disembarking at random, for a peaceful place to kill himself.

Unfortunately, the sticks prove to be rotten: deadly business rivals, young punks, crooked police.
Drunken oldsters concoct a rumor that Ulrich is a Mafia hitman.
Even the craziest rumors often bear an inkling of the truth.
Droll German comedy, with explosive violence ever simmering.

Love In The Afternoon - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - L’amour l’après-Midi // Chloe in the Afternoon

Despite a pleasant marriage, Frédéric has a wandering eye.
He sizes up women on the street, in shops and cafes, on trains.
Are they single? Intelligent? Lonely, adventurous, stimulating?
Frédéric seems too young for a mid-life crisis; perhaps it is malaise.
Enter Chloe, ex-girlfriend of one of his old buddies.
Scornful, needy, dismissive, more than a little toxic.
Nevertheless, Frédéric sets aside afternoons to listen to her talk, or to assist in problems.
At once, the story goes “nowhere”, yet shows how slippery are morals, ethics and vows.

Subspecies - 1991 - 5/10

Three college girls (two Americans, one local) investigate folk culture in Romania.
Where in Romania? Transylvania.
And yes, vampires do exist, friend. In this case, two rivals, brothers.
The “good vampire” is magazine handsome and has his eye on one of the girls.
The “evil vampire”, Radu, seems a descendant of Murnau’s Nosferatu, and has his eye on world domination.
Straight off, I root for the baddie.
Location filming in Romania is the best thing here. Script likely penned by a fanboy reading issues of Forrest Ackerman’s “Famous Monsters”.
3-4 sequels expand this Full Moon vampire saga.

Crisis In Six Scenes - 2016 - 6/10

Late 1960’s, a free-spirited radical invades the home of her quasi-aunt and husband, straitlaced middle-class types.
Lenny (a good Miley Cyrus in a one note role) is on the run following a bombing and shootouts.
She is opposed to all isms save for the utopian Communism.
Woody Allen’s foray into a series has its moments and gags, but often treads water.
Aside from fashion models, most 60’s agitators were more scruffy. Lenny is Hollywood.
Best episodes are the first and last (homage to A Night At The Opera).
Historical references seem like cliches, plus a lot of characters for six half hour episodes.
Not as bad as the Allen or Cyrus hate legions decry.

A Great Day In Harlem - 1994 - 7/10

In 1957, Esquire magazine ran a Jazz series: the inexperienced writer wanted a photo of the leading musicians.
A veteran would have shrugged, “That ain’t gonna happen.”
Nevertheless, through persistence, naiveté, and sheer good luck, an image was taken in dawn hours.
Engrossing documentary told from the creators, and from surviving artists.
Talking about the day, fellow musicians, influences, styles.
This makes an essential primer and introduction to classic Jazz, the 50’s.
An acclaimed Jazz documentary came out in 2001, although it gave short shrift to this era
Numerous “Great Day In –-” followed. This is the one.

48 Hrs. - 1982 - 6/10

Buddy cop flick finds unorthodox detective paired with temp parolee.
Forty-eight hours to track down and cuff or kill a crime group.
Nick Nolte has the gravitas with the badge, but Eddie Murphy in his film debut is a ball of fire.
Loose, wise-cracking, with terrific lines. He more than held his own with a very macho cast.
Film, and dialogue, is not remotely “correct” or “woke”.
Nolte and Murphy are terrific, and launched a series of buddy films.

Kafka - 2024 - 7/10

Inspired construct / retelling of the writer’s personal life, work life, writing, outlook.
Kafka’s domineering family, his circle of friends, suffering women.
Then there are the ever-present men in dark suits or trench coats.
Major works are shown as daydreams or nightmares.

Visual style enhances the overall surreal outlook.
Tone at once paranoid, pointless, despairing, and painfully funny.
Kafka is among a select few who realize life is meaningless, with participants the butt of a cosmic joke.

The Maze - 1983 - 6/10

Following the war, Arthur and Catherine return to her family home.
The large Victorian estate supposedly is haunted, but it is not.
Catherine is the one haunted by her childhood memories, as well as an incident that occurred during childbirth.
Much of the drama centers around Daisy who persists in playing in the back maze.
Where she defiantly argues she is seeing someone.
Simmering mystery yields broth.

EMI: The Inside Story - 2016 - 6/10

Glib overview that sticks with a few artists, generally one per era.
Oh … Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, Sex Pistols, Duran Duran, Kate Bush, Pet Shop Boys, Radiohead.
This also remains on the British side, so don’t expect any US names.
Uncomfortable financial malfeasance unmentioned.
Entertaining, yet the feel of a hearty heigh-ho, pat on the back pervades.
The label itself was pretty much defunct by 2012.

Mysterious Intruder - 1946 - 6/10

One of the last of the Whistler series is also one of the best.
A mild-mannered, kind-hearted shopkeeper hires a private detective to search for a missing child.
The girl had disappeared sever years earlier, but she has now come into a huge inheritance.
That triggers the PI’s larcenous eye, as he is a rather shadowy spirit.
Soon, there are brooding thugs and impersonators.
The story moves hard, packing in details. Best, it mirrors the Whistler OTR, loaded with dubious characters.
Jeremy Arnold provides an incisive commentary touching on pre-schlock director William Castle, ex-football alum Dix and MacLane, Charles Lane (character actor with 300+ roles!), not to mention the ill-starred actresses, as well as the mechanics of the B-studio output.

Starship Troopers 2: Hero Federation - 2004 - 5/10

Pale followup to the 1997 flawed original is even more maligned, yet not without interest.
Here, a small Federation detachment is stranded at an abandoned outpost.
Completely surrounded by Klendathu warriors.
Dwindling supplies, armaments, power, food, no hope of reinforcements.
This lacks the budget, scope and characters of the original.
The atmosphere is claustrophobic, and one is left with a gloomy outlook regarding the long outcome of humanity.
In many ways, this is more kindred to Aliens.

Starship Troopers - 1997 - 6/10

Near-future Earth finds itself at War with planet Klendathu.
A few whisper we were the provocateurs, infringing on Klendathu territory.
Hardly cause for them to annihilate a major Earth city!
Patriotism surges, high schoolers enlist, and, whether they remember their training or not, few soldiers survive.
Intense battle sequences coupled with black satire aid this flawed SciFi.

I saw this theatrically and I remember how, at work, we jeered the soap opera romances, clichéd boot camp, and the deadly accuracy of bug farts against the sneering fleet.
Aside from Rasczak and Carl, most characters are ignorant fools, including the top brass.
Still, over the years I’ve rewatched this … what … a dozen times? More? The pezhead and his guilty pleasure.
I speed through the Rico-Ibanez-Barcalow twaddle, linger over Dizzy, and ask myself why, oh why, oh why, has no one in the fan-edit world ever given this gem an adult overhaul.

One California Day - 2007 - 7/10

Tour through the California surf, from Baja to the North Coast.
Different waves, participants, alternate attitudes.
In Baja, for example, riders prefer the isolation, aloneness, the chance to embrace Nature.
Further north, say Malibu, Orange County or Santa Barbara, surfers deal with the crush.

Some scenes witnessed riders shoving other surfers off boards.
Coarseness may contribute, as well as the fact that California is beyond overcrowded.
Music is low-key, and there are nice detours to traditional board makers.
(Professionals now use Thai factories to produce their endorsed boards.)
Doc contrasts how the beach was, with how it is today.

The Chaperone - 2018 - 6/10

“Inspired by true events” apropos for a film based on a fiction novel.
1922, Norma offers to chaperone 15 year old Louise Brooks to New York for Denishawn acting tryouts.
Both females are fleeing troubles in Wichita, both find something akin to rebirth.
The film is a character study of Norma Carlisle, so Brooks curiosity seekers be forewarned.
Norma’s story (based on Alice Mills) is pure fabrication, as she encounters 20’s taboos.
As for Louise, dismiss the intro, she was never a major star in the Silent era.
Those were Mary Pickford, Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, Garbo, Theda.
Louise’s icon status came decades later, although it is now rivals Marilyn and Bettie Page.
For Brooksie, for readers, the Barry Paris biography.
Or 1979 New Yorker interview = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1979/06/11/louise-brooks-tells-all
Or the Hefner funded documentary, Looking For Lulu.

Stand Up If You’re Here Tonight - 2024 - 5/10

How do you know when you’ve done it? If you’ve succeeded?
At what? Well, Life, friend.
One-man show that enlists the audience to field questions, take sides, choose.
Life itself remains something of a banal journey, punctuated, depending on your luck, with memorable moments.
Our narrator seems to have more regrets rather than cherished memories.
Wrong choices, indecision, second-guessing.
While thought out and scripted, this has the feel of free form improvisation and audience participation.
During the show, he comments how the audience paid $60 a ticket.
To quote the immortal poet T, “I pity the fool”.

Daughters Of Darkness - 1975 - 4/10

Do not confuse this with the 1971 Horror classic from Belgium, youngling.
Our young man rides into San Francisco via BART.
An aspiring writer (on the supernatural) he does not have much money.
Luckily, he scores cheap digs in the home of sexy witches.
Yes, Satan worshipers who are undressed and busy most of the film.
Despite all the romping, he decides he cannot concentrate and announces he will move out.
Until they put a spell on him. Mondo tattoos and bubbling closeups.
Grindhouse nonsense has frenzied, ritualistic orgy finale, and a cop-out ending.

The Man Behind The Masquerade - 2009 - 6/10

Oh, what a phenomenon this was!
The book that became a runaway bestseller, inspiring legions of treasure hunters.
Americans speculated, Japanese considered the philosophy, while Brits dug.
Kit Williams, genial, publicity-shy artist, is profiled in this documentary.
From childhood memories, to unwanted fame, to the 300+ works he has done following “Masquerade”.
His later output is highly sensual and erotic, using locals from his Gloucester area as models.
I had always heard one story of the “discovery” of the golden hare. This corrected my misconception.
Comment: I had asked permission from the artist to include one of his later works as a visual.
He declined.

Murder In Verdun Gorge - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres dans les Gorges du Verdon

1958, the young couple are chased to their death by an armed group.
Fast forward 60 years, and murders begin.
Person or persons unknown are targeting the now aged vigilantes.
Local gendarme paired with a rising hotshot (behavior analyst) assemble the clues.
Character relationships are poorly drawn in this, leading to confusion and muddy logic.
Diverting photography, yet the overall mystery is ho-hum.

Hollywood Boulevard - 1936 - 6/10

The Silent era has-been still has his pride, though casting directors shun him.
Until a magazine publisher offers to print his memoirs for a princely sum.
His reminisces are discreet, gentlemanly, whereupon the editor rewrites them into spicy tell-alls.
Well, that’s what readers want! Scuz, trash, filth. Who cares about reputations?
The film is packed with cameos of faded Silent stars, even a rising Gary Cooper.
Would that the whole film were thus.
Instead, there is a secondary story of an estranged daughter and her unbelievably obnoxious boyfriend.
Fast-forward scenes with eager beaver Bob Cummings and this will be more enjoyable.