A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 197

Strays - 1991 - 5/10

Fool yuppies move from the city to rural oblivion.
Inside the bucolic house, the husband’s cat allergies go overload.
Do they figure this out? Ha, ha.
Then there are rats! What’s wrong with local strays? My cats would have chomped down right quick.
Top cat is a wet, matted pelt of rage and fury, soon terrorizing hapless humanity.
Laughable mouse-killers matched by hammy people and a script full of holes.

The Red Spectacles - 1987 - 7/10
AKA - Jigoku no Banken: Akai Megane // 紅 い 眼 鏡

Owing to uncontrolled, rampant crime, Tokyo unleashes a heavily armed, brutally efficient police unit.
Who overstep all manner of propriety with heinous consequences.
Units are disbanded, save for three individuals who flee in full body armor. Only one escapes.
Such is the prologue, followed by three years later…

Fugitive Koichi, carrying a large trunk, returns to an utterly transformed Tokyo.
Secret police pursue, gunfights, captures, escapes, old contacts, betrayals, mind games.
Society has changed, people have changed.
Koichi is told, “Time stands still, we only pass through it,” which he does not understand.
Truly baffling film, immediately reminded me of Alphaville (1965).
Violent, dreamlike, characters and actions caught in a recurring timeslip.
Visually extraordinary, while the plot (at times, quite funny) all but incomprehensible.

The Other Bennet Sister - 2026 - 7/10

Who would be Mary, the bookworm, best seen previously in the 1980 adaptation.
Here, after her sisters marry, she is dispatched to London to stay with her aunt and uncle.
Who encourage her, bolster her, permit her to emerge from her shell.
Costume drama, RomCom all the way, brilliantly cast, with people who resemble you and I.
Final act seems to drag a trifle, squeezing the last ounce of predictability.
Goes without saying, you ought to have viewed at least one version beforehand.
For Janeites, this will please. On the fence? 10 episodes, 30 minutes each.

The Ghost Train - 1941 - 5/10

Owing to an absurd delay, eight passengers are stranded lonely train station.
Middle of nowhere, rain pouring in buckets. Worse, there’s a legend of a ghost train.
And death associated with it.
Decent thriller marred (ruined) by Arthur Askey’s ridiculous shtick.
His antics grow more insufferable with each (frequent) scene he is in.
I need to track down the earlier version. This one misses the spot.

The Ghost Train - 1931 - 6/10

Having seen the 1941 version, I was familiar with the characters.
This is superior, although the sound is wiped. (BFI needs to restore with music and intertitles).
Jack Hulbert plays the bumbler, equally as annoying as Askey in 1941.
Again, passengers are stranded and warned not to remain in the haunted station.
I must say, the finale of the ‘31 is far more exciting.
Villains this time, Bolsheviks.

Der Spooktrein - 1939 - 6/10

No, the passengers of Express 429 did not believe in ghosts, either.
Not until that night.
Netherlands remake of the Arnold Ridley play hits the right notes.
Atmospheric Gothic photography, comic elements are playful, not farce.
Stranded passengers this time include a magician and lovely assistant.
Of course, the way station is still haunted, and very dangerous.
Nicely restored version on www.eyefilm.nl
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370777

Murder In Saint-Paul De Vence - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Le Prix de la Vérité

The deceased is already floating in a large swimming pool.
Open and shut. Too much alcohol, fell in, drowned.
Until a female inspector from Lyon arrives. And deduces … murder.
Plenty of suspects, very few motives, in a small town OWNED by the rich man.
Convoluted throughout, with extended narrative track laid down at the end.
Feels like they painted themselves into a corner and had to create a solution.

The Attack Of The Saucer People - 1981 - 6/10

Roger screens a few scenes of his SciFi for potential investors.
Low-budget would be an understatement; one rocket appears to be a pencil.
Amidst heckling and badgering from mates, he manages to film a few more scenes.
Only he accidentally captures a passing UFO. Descending.
True filmmaker to the core, Roger keeps shooting even when he should flee.
Droll Irish comedy.

The film Meg is to put it simply, an experience. It’s as campy and ridiculous as the idea of the Megladon returning can ever be. It’s not the best or worst movie I have ever seen. In many ways this is another mid monster movie, while in others it’s just that side of nonsensical to justify the watch. Watch it, don’t watch it, up to the viewer.

Director’s Cut - 2024 - 5/10

Not to be confused with The Director’s Cut which also came out in 2024.
Underground group, Suicide Disease, has not broken big yet.
Maybe they never will. They need a hit, new album. Hot video.
Yeah! A killer video. Except they don’t have the money for that.
Until an unknown director offers to shoot it pro bono.
Psycho Slasher suffers through two-thirds of talk. Boring dialogue.
Writer / director the problem here.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370776

The Endless Summer - 1966 - 7/10

Early, arguably the finest surf doc, generating a plethora of docs that followed.
Mike and Rob follow the warmth, shifting from one part of the globe to another.
Most of the places they surf are flat-out deserted.
The commentary is laid back and humorous.
Photography is not what surf porn is today, but sparse beaches and empty waves will be mouth-watering to those accustomed to herds of pros, influencers, followers and wannabees.
Exotic travel, once exclusive, viewed that way here.

Don’t Fraʞ In The Woods - 2016 - 4/10

With a title like this, one is warned, OK?
A group of twenty year olds head to the woodlands for … I dunno … Nature.
First couple were killed by, what looks like a scout from Gorn.
Well, they were making all manner of noises. Gasps, moans, cries, loud rutting.
Later arrivals don’t worry about ticks, mosquitos, chiggers, wheel bugs.
Mostly they drink, talk, swim, talk, play truth-or-dare, talk, smoke, talk.
Get the idea? But once inside their tents, clothes fly off, and it’s Kama Sutra time!
Attracting our Moral Majority Monster who has a problem with couples coupling.
I won’t knock this softcore Horror too much. Small production crew, outtakes indicate fun.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370775

The Brood - 1979 - 6/10

Mommy’s not well. In fact, she is under restricted care by Dr. Raglan.
Specializing in a new treatment, psychoplasmics.
Husband Frank is unable to pry wife Nola from his care.
“She’s at a critical stage, don’t you know?”
Raglan role plays with Nola, permitting her to release her demons.
Psychological drama steadily descends into Horror.
Early gem from Cronenberg. Patience, then hold on.

The film Supergirl was alright, neither good nor bad. Though the one and only standout part was the inclusion of Lobo. Not a must see and generally ok to miss in theaters.

Passport To Shame - 1958 - 6/10
AKA - Room 43

So, how’d a nice French girl like Marie wind up in a London brothel?
Under the tutelage of steamy Vicki (very va-va-voom Diana Dors).
Brit Noir is a sleazy exploitation of prostitutes and handlers.
Innocents, vice and shame.

At one point, Marie is given a “funny cigarette” and spirals down a lurid dream sequence.
Yielding to the temptations of flesh and easy hedonism.
Strange to see Eddie Constantine as the romantic lead.
Keep an eye out at the quickie wedding site for a young Michael Caine.

Les Biches - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - Bad Girls

Frédérique spies a poor street artist, drops a large banknote in her pot.
Later, talking and navigating barriers, she invites the girl home where she seduces her.
Next, they leave for Frédérique’s chateau in Saint Tropez.
Frédérique has money, does not need to work, idles away ennui with parties and games.
So that when the girl, named Why, meets an architect, Frédérique casually steals him.
Slow thriller of observing and coveting. Tastes, possessions, identities.
Borrows from Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Vampira - 1971 - 5/10

Experimental Docu Horror conjoins vampire legends with succubus.
Predator of lifeforce, as well as essence.
The recently deceased is soon initiated into an older coven.
No dialogue, aside from an intermittent narrator.
“It is not just the existence or the influence of other people.”
Sin and evil are inherent.

One Night At Susie’s - 1930 - 6/10

Susie had foster-mothered a lot of boys, now men and gang leaders.
With entrenched conflicts, they come to her for a solution.
The apple of her eye is the youngest, Dick, a legit press agent.
Who announces his engagement to … Uh oh … a chorus girl.
Susie takes an immediate dislike to Mary, very cute and very stupid.
Who soon murders her theater owner after he despoils her at a private party.
Pre-Code film flirts with sleaze and criminality, but is half-hearted.
Helen Ware rules as Susie, Doug Fairbanks Jr and Billie Dove support in short movie.

Meshes In The Afternoon - 1943 - 6/10

A woman seems caught in a recurring dream.
Entering her apartment, realizing someone has been there, sleep, then spying a hooded figure outside.
An unsuccessful chase, return to her apartment, slumber, repeat.
Each recurrence, elements differ, there are changes.
Mesmerizing film, rather an abstract mystery.

Sight & Sound listed this short as one of the greatest films of all time. Top 20.
I watched this, then asked, “Really?”
Curious, I went to their list of the 250 greatest films, and noticed glaring omissions.
Including – Zhang Yimou, John Huston, Chabrol, Soderbergh, Riefenstahl, Parajanov …

Raise The Red Lantern - 1991 - 7/10
AKA - 大紅燈籠高高掛

Songlian is sent by her financially ruined to be wife #4 of a wealthy man.
Treated lavishly at first, she soon realizes her “husband” is capricious.
The various wives are untrustworthy, as are the servants.
Pressure is tremendous, security assured only if a wife gets pregnant – and bears a son.
Beautiful film, as are most of Zhang Yimou’s, yet the tension never lets up.
Video releases I have watched since fail to match the vibrant colors I saw in the arthouse theater.

Big Night - 1996 - 6/10

Word is, Louis Prima is going to swing by their ristorante.
Brothers Primo and Secondo are stoked. Prima and friends ought to revitalize their struggling place.
Primo is a food perfectionist (and 20 years ahead of his time).
Secondo wants to build clientele, the rabble who want spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna.
One senses the brothers have been competing and arguing for decades.
As the night ebbs away, with Prima late-late-late, tempers bubble.

Titus - 1999 - 7/10

Roman general Titus returns from campaigns victorious.
After Caesar dies, Titus, an honorable man, declines the sceptre.
Yielding the throne to sharks and cutthroats.
Brilliant film of power, corruption and madness.
Overlong, however, with a few too many characters.
Fared poorly box office wise; possibly audiences were tired of Shakespeare films, or this was simply too long, too strange.

Growing Up Female - 1971 - 6/10

Time capsule of what it was like to be a US female at the start of the 1970’s.
From an early age, roles are defined, futures narrowed.
Girls interviewed are children, teens, early twenties, a 40-year-old mother.
The unspoken desire is freedom, equality, the chance of self-actualization.
Not necessarily mandatory viewing, yet current females surrendering equality ought to watch.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370774

The Fare - 2014 - 7/10

Car driver Harris rolls down a deserted stretch of nowhere.
Seems like a prank, but no, the fare is waiting along the road.
Attractive, a little sad, Penny climbs in, gives her destination.
Both talk freely, swap quips, enter an easy camaraderie.
Until the cab nears a storm, then Penny vanishes.

Next scene, Harris heads towards the fare, Penny … into the storm.
Small film with a tremendous heart.
Timeslip, classic mythology, well realized story.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370772

Specimens - 1982 - 5/10

Extraterrestrials near Earth, Stone Age.
A giant robot is gathering specimens, in this case, a Neanderthal.
When, suddenly, a volcano erupts, and the robot sinks into the molten earth.
Millennia later, coal is being removed from a deep pit.
Tons of soil loosened, the ground splits, and the robot … oh, no!
Whatever batteries it runs on, I want some.