A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 183

Asakusa Kid - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Asakusa Kiddo // 浅草キッド

Early 1970’s, young Takeshi Kitano starts working at the failing France-Za club in Asakusa.
He’s there to learn from Fukami, one of comedy’s kings.
Time has moved away from his skits, however, replaced by manzai (straight man / funny man duos).
The closest I can categorize France-Za club is burlesque. Striptease, skits, jokes, songs.
Fukami Senzaburo’s narrative is every bit as compelling as Kitano’s.
For Westerners, us who mostly know Kitano through his cinema, this is a revealing look at his comedy.
Also, a loving look back at the passing of an age.
Do yourself a favor, avoid dubbed, learn to read subs.

After Love - 2020 - 6/10

Ahmed comes home, sits down in the chair to relax, then slips into the afterlife.
Later on, wife Mary comes across bits of evidence. That her husband was a cheater, with another life in France.
She catches the ferry and travels to Marseilles, where things get complicated.
Quiet film of multiple betrayals. Also denial and curiosity.
Joanna Scanlan and Nathalie Richard carry the weight.
One, grieving and angry, the other angry because Ahmed has not arrived to help her relocate.
Dialogue is minimal. Instead, we watch characters react, think, try to understand.

Secrets Of A Secretary - 1931 - 6/10

On a drunken whim, heiress Helen marries caddish Frank, disowned by his family.
Abruptly, her father dies and Helen discovers the Crash had left him – and her – penniless.
So, she takes a job as social secretary (AKA - personal assistant) to a wealthy family.
Where she soon attracts a Lord, and finds racketeers in the background.
Pre-Code potboiler enhanced with a young Claudette Colbert and the mellifluous Herbert Marshall.
Depression romantic froth, elements might have contributed to My Man Godfrey (1936).

The Lathe Of Heaven - 1980 - 7/10

Akin to the “The Monkey’s Paw”. In a future time, highly overpopulated, George suffers dreams.
Only his dreams alter reality.
His psychiatrist, Dr. Haber, something between a meddler and a martinet, exploits this.
Remake society, build a better world.
Except there are always flaws in improvements.
Heady, intellectual SciFi (SpecFi, actually) has minimal budget but far-reaching concepts.
Some locations were the same as those in Logan’s Run.

Red Skelton Hour - 1954 - 5/10

Specifically “Dial B For Brush” season three finale with Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr, and Vampira.
Red, dimwitted door-to-door brush salesman, knocks at the home of a mad scientist.
Dr. Lugosi, along with his half brother, who is half werewolf.
The scientist needs an empty brain for a muddled experiment.
Wasp-waist Vampira plays the drop-dead femme interested in a quickie canoodle.
Of course this is ridiculously silly, yet Bela seems to be enjoying himself.
Red must have known how prickly Lugosi was about ad-lib and improvisation.

Ed Wood - 1994 - 6/10

Career? What career? Even by Poverty-Row standards, Wood’s product was dismal.
Even indie studios have zero interest. Besides, a cross-dressing film?
Doris Wishman, Russ Meyer, they never did those. Besides, their films made money!
Nevertheless, Wood’s fountain of optimism acquires a coterie including Tor, Bela, Dolores, Lyle.
At his lowest, inspired (encouraged?) by Orson Welles, young Ed forges ahead with Plan 9.
One watches this for the amazing performances (Depp, Landau, Arquette) and sympathetic direction.
The inaccuracies are well known, but it’s hard it dislike the intent here.
It would have been easy to ridicule Wood, his output, his friends.
This never does that.

Plan 9 From Outer Space - 1957 - 4/10

What an enjoyable disaster.
Aliens revive the recent dead to show stupid, stupid Earthlings who’s going to call the shots.
Mind you, they reckon not with hot-tempered fists.
Cheap sets, inept SFX, poor dialogue, bad acting, mindless editing, no narrative.
I rewatch periodically with fondness, as I realize this was a game attempt by one with limited talent.
Hardly the worst film, in that it is never boring. Confused, yes.
Give me a bad film with heart over formula dreck any day of the week.

Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The ‘Plan 9’ Companion - 1992 - 6/10

Labor of love documentary / celebration of Ed Wood’s monsterpiece.
Sure, it reminds one of a fan doc, yet be thankful participants were interviewed before they were gone.
Locations are visited, including the derelict Quality Studio, cemetery, Tor’s house.
Better organized than any film Wood made, yet this is still sporadic and meandering.
Over and over, the focus wanders away from Plan 9 onto players or oddball interviewees.
Perhaps little new for obsessives who have read or researched all matters Wood.
Breezy, informative, wistful to see and hear Maila (Vampira), Gregory, Conrad, shoot, even Valda.

The film The Curse of The Necklace is a fantastic horror movie, full of both twists, turns, and unintentionally hilarious moments.

Between Land And Sea - 2016 - 6/10

Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland. The intrepid leap into the surf from the rocky shoals.
The ride back, approaching cliffs and boulders will require skill.
Surfing community in Ireland has grown and this doc examines a lot of players.
Several men, now with families, realize their time on big waves is closing.
Shot over a few years, we watch child Nora go from toddler to attending school.
This goes deeper than most surf porn, the interviewees (except one) more thoughtful.

The film Your Monster is an excellent combination of dark romance, irreverent humor and just a sprinkle of revenge fantasy. Excellently acted, shot and scored. I highly highly recommend it.