A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 188

Everything Went Fine - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Tout s’est Bien Passé

Age 85, André suffers a stroke, a bad one, leaving him paralyzed on one side and incontinent.
Although he recovers somewhat, his original request to daughter Emmanuèle abides.
“Help me end it.”
While euthanasia is legal in nearby Switzerland, it is illegal in fiercely Catholic France.
André is not a feel-good individual. Flashbacks show a faithless husband, and bullying father.
Film of conversations, memory, and journeys.
One’s age might inform their interest in this.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366592

Shopworn - 1932 - 6/10

College grad, pre-med David and waitress Kitty overcome a frosty beginning.
Then the relationship becomes serious enough to consider marriage.
Noses soon twitch. Kitty may be a nice girl, decent, but not our kind. Our class.
Interference is hard-nosed, and the pair don’t stand a chance.
Plain faced Regis Toomey OK, if oldish, as the square son.
Stanwyck luminous as the smitten Kitty, with a core of steel.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366591

Titanic Sinks Tonight - 2025 - 7/10

Four part documentary on the maritime disaster.
Relying on old diaries and journals, this sticks close to timeline following the encounter.
Most are different voices from earlier docs, the focus details class privileges.
Most of this is reenacted interviews, limited recreations and sparse CGI.
This pairs well with Titanic: Death Of A Dream (1994), which runs 4 hours.
Worthwhile for those interested in the story, but not enough for those needing a term paper.

Angel Terminators II - 1992 - 5/10
AKA - Huo Zhong // 火種

Disjointed Hong Kong actioner, packed with fights, yet incoherent plot wise.
Moon Lee and senior partner thwart a deadly robbery.
Meanwhile, a sextet of reckless youths get embroiled with a petty gang crew.
Behind all is a rising team of thugs led by Mad Dog.
Three or four half formed scripts jumbled together likely with an attitude that the audience won’t notice.
Waste of Moon Lee and Oshima Yukari, although their stuntwork is amazing.

The Kiss Of The Vampire - 1963 - 6/10

Their motorcar runs dry of petrol in lonely territory.
Fortunately, for honeymooners Gerald and Marianne, the castle belonging to Dr. Ravna is nearby.
Who is hospitable, his castle sumptuously furnished, featuring gourmet meals!
Gerald, who drinks too much, fails to notice the good doktor has taken an interest in his bride.
Story has some interesting points, and one can always wallow in the decor.
For those desiring more Hammer flesh, more erotic steam, this may frustrate.

The Carpet Of Horror - 1962 - 6/10
AKA - Der Teppich des Grauens

He intended to turn over evidence to Scotland Yard.
Too bad, he failed to notice the sphere roll onto the carpet, releasing poisonous gas.
Next man in the chain, a criminal chain, is equally blind, and just as doomed.
Fast-paced Krimi set in moonlit London, in between bright rooms.
The plot is convoluted to the point of confusion. The Yard, secret agents, a sinister organization.
Empty headed, but fun. I never grasped the aims of the thugs.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366934

Akabei - 2024 - 6/10

Karol (driving) is about to suffer more “relationship” issues.
Weronica will bring up meeting her parents … again.
Then, there is the strange female in red. Does Karol know her?
If nothing else, he is drawn to the same type: brunette, long hair, curvy.
And while my bride has slept with a knife for decades, weapons aren’t always a good thing in the house.
Thriller for those who feel trapped with their partner de jour.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366593

The Hollow - 2024 - 7/10
AKA - Kotlina

A frozen corpse is found outside the National Museum.
Detectives start investigating what appears to be a bad outcome for a homeless man.
Until the body is stolen from the morgue. Meaning, who was that person?
Excellent Noir, gloomy, fatalistic, set in Sarajevo, with its bitter history.
The music is downbeat and evocative, characters are hardened cynics.
A lot in five episodes, which conclude with an ironic, fitting ending.

The Brightening Air - 2025 - 7/10

Stephen abides in the decaying farmstead.
First, to take care of his mother as she deteriorated breath by breath.
Afterward, sister Billie, sharp and alert, although her cognition is muddled.
Enter older, successful brother Dermot, with plans to improve the estate.
Anyone might predict, family improvements seldom bode well for lesser members.
Biting play seems to borrow heavily from Chekhov.
Chris O’Dowd ideal as the slippery Dermot, with Rosie Sheehy’s Billie painfully memorable.
“… how much of living, is really just forgetting?”
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366932

The Man They Could Not Hang - 1939 - 6/10

Long before the efforts of Dr. Christiaan Barnard, Doctors Saavard and Lang develop a mechanical heart.
During the first test on a human volunteer, however, they are interrupted by meddlers and authorities.
The subject dies, Saavard is found guilty of murder, and swings.
Lang has the equipment and know-how, and quietly revives his partner.
Interesting SciFi (reminiscent of Universal films) soon goes into offscreen revenge.
Story bogs down, but Karloff smoothly underplays his role and the sets and photography are top notch.

Murder In Grasse - 2016 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à Grasse

Boiled first, then shoved into a watery vat of scented flowers.
Fitting demise for a perfumer, one with a gifted nose.
This echoes a suicide from earlier, and a secret cabal is glimpsed.
Akin to the Grail or the Covenant, is the Odor Of God.
Sought out, likewise defended.
The bones of a deeper mystery lie here, yet this is burdened by familial resentments.
You could do worse. Oh, for what might have been.

The film Dracula (2026) is my new favorite adaptation of the story. A romantic tragedy that spans centuries and brings with it newfound understanding. A phenomenal production well worthy of the title Dracula. A must see if there ever was one!

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story - 2025 - 6/10

The outcome is foregone. Straight off, we see Ruth pull out the gun and shoot the man down.
Narrative swings from backstory to courtroom preliminaries.
Still, the gun. Witnesses. Four shots.
Sure, she had her reasons, powerful ones.
Long have I remarked that it’s a miracle women haven’t murdered us all.
Compelling period drama, although those touches fade with incarceration.

Shoot First, Die Later - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Il Poliziotto è Marcio

Yes, they are celebrated heroes. Stopped a heist, chased down the wheelman.
They are also on the take.
Domenico has an expensive girlfriend, Garrito likes fast cars. Porsches.
When their crime lords want a case closed, a file retrieved, Domenico drags his feet.
The wheels of villainy are impatient, however, their methods cruel and obvious.
Italian Poliziotteschi opens in a fury, simmers down as the later conflict builds.
This one is fairly sadistic. Caveat emptor.

The Moor - 2023 - 6/10

The boy had been missing 25 years. As were the other children.
Abducted, killed, hidden in the bleak wilderness.
It was a forsaken place, unwholesome, evil.
Nevertheless, Bill refuses to abandon his missing son.
His obsession knows no bounds, nor does he worry about endangering the living.
Bleak, oppressive film, hints at supernatural, stresses the remoteness, the otherness of the moor.
Steeped in atmosphere throughout, the ending stumbles poorly.

Mahjong - 1996 - 7/10
AKA - Ma Jiang // 麻将

His string of kindergarten schools made money hand over fist.
And yet, he was indebted to criminals. Who decide to kidnap his errant son.
The son leads a crime crew, two con men, a third who gigolos rich women.
A young Parisian arrives, looking for a wayward love, and the crew decide to turn her into a prostitute.
Complicated, confusing plot, at the core greed, avarice, obsession with profit.
Taipei is a pitiless background in often funny, often sad film.

Berthe Morisot - 2012 - 6/10

Biopic of the French Impressionist painter.
Family life, especially with sister Edma, friendship with Manet, inclusion with the Impressionists.
Narrative drops one in cold, and I had trouble differentiating the sisters at first.
Afterward, I researched Morisot and gathered the broad strokes are fairly accurate.
Her being included among the first Impressionist Exhibition is barely touched, yet this was a staggering honor.

The Greeks Had A Word For Them - 1932 - 5/10
AKA - Three Broadway Girls

Jean returns from Paris, penniless, failing once again to snag a sugar daddy.
With roommates Polaire and Schatzi, she is soon back to her old ways.
In effect, she tries to appropriate Schatzi’s Pop, then Polaire’s mentor, then fiancé.
Saucy Pre-Code film is more suggestive than anything.
Ina Claire dominates; she is a pale Mae West copy, lacking West’s charisma and delivery.
Joan Blondell may be top-billed, but she is given little to do.
Direction is lazy throughout, static and stage bound.

Little Red Monkey - 1955 - 6/10
AKA - Case Of The Red Monkey

Several scientists have already been assassinated.
Professor Duskenko barely made it past the Berlin checkpoint.
In London, he is a target and attempts have been made.
Scotland Yard is on alert, as is MI5, and there is an agent from the US State Department.
Then, there is that monkey, that witnesses reported before each murder.
Decent espionage thriller, plays like a “how-to” for both sides.

The Love Butcher - 1975 - 5/10

So much for the neighborhood. Another pretty girl murdered.
Police are stymied, as the killer keeps using different weapons.
All of ‘em some sort of garden tools.
Too bad no one suspects Caleb, near-sighted, crippled gardener / handyman.
Nor do they realize Caleb has a second personality, Lester, love stud.

El cheapo Slasher unreels like a parody of the genre.
Loads of attractive females, blood that resembles nail polish, and dialogue of innuendo and nonsense.
The violence and gore factor is low, yet Eric Stern is so over-the-top making this bearable.

The Stone Tape - 2015 - 7/10

In a recent issue of Hellebore, there was an essay on The Stone Tape, a BBC film from 1972.
I more appreciated the film, rather than liking it.
The article discussed the film, then the radio adaptation from 2015 from Peter Strickland.
Intrigued, I tracked down the binaural version, donned the headphones and was immersed.
The story remains muzzy for me, but the sound mix is superb, putting you fully into the terrors.
Audio is online at the usual sites. Be sure to check to see if it lists binaural.
Strickland discusses this at length at sadly bygone Electric Sheep Magazine.

Mother Of Flies - 2025 - 7/10

Radiation failed, chemo failed. College girl Mickey heads to the woodlands.
Some view Solveig as a witch, or practitioner of black magic.
Where I grew up, these older females were called wise women and one did not taunt them.
A slow film, steeped in atmosphere, with a compelling story and minimalist backstory.
Acting is understated, but solid. I am amazed by what this small production team accomplished.
Fans of drive-in Horror will be frustrated.
Those whose preferences run to Hagazussa or You Won’t Be Alone should investigate.

The 2026 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts were astounding and completely perfect in every single way. Some were comedic others were dramatic, but all were meaningful! A must see!

Sons Of The Neon Night - 2025 - 5/10
AKA - Fung Lam fo Saan // 风林火山

Wildly uneven film that borders on incoherence.
Alternative take on Hong Kong 1994, where crime is rampant and officials corrupt.
A major crime boss is dying, a younger son poised to take over, while the older, preferred son, is in hiding.
There are the cops, the son, and an elite team of fixers.
Also gun battles punctuating major lulls.
The lulls are killing. Very talky, rambling, philosophical, fatalistic. Enough.
A lot of money was spent on the visual look, as well as acting talent.
The lack of plot, however, make this attempt a major fail.

The Hotel In Amsterdam - 2004 - 5/10

Three couples on winter holiday share a large suite.
Before even getting settled, they order the drinks.
And thus, they drink, and drink, then talk, voicing their scorning opinions.
Foremost is Laurie (a brilliant Tom Hollander), dominating the room.
He is bilious throughout. In fact, I tired of him long before the others did.
His character is a more refined version of Jimmy from Look Back In Anger.
Set in 1968, there is nary a hint of Swinging London or the Sixties.