A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 198

Paradise Of Terror - 1965 - 5/10

The plane is flying over enemy territory (Vietnam), ferrying a diplomat and an Asian Colonel.
Rebel gunfire strikes the aircraft, everyone parachutes to safety.
Lost in the tropical jungle, they come across a modern house.
Air-conditioned, meals prepared, showers, coffee, ghostly women from time to time.
Lethargy sets in, their missions forgotten, they become lotus eaters.
Excellent photography, an adequate cast, yet the story lacks oomph.
Too much talking, rather than elaborating on the mysterious house.
Subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370771

Fuze - 2025 - 7/10

During construction, a World War II bomb is discovered in London.
A big one, a blockbuster.
The Army bomb squad is summoned, neighborhood evacuated, police cordon off the area.
Meanwhile, a small crew of robbers gets to work in the basement adjoining a bank.
Fabulous caper film, operating on multiple levels. Army, police, civilians, criminals.
If you enjoy heist movies, watch it cold.
Avoid reviews, sorry, most will spoil the countless twists that await.

Scent Of A Spell - 1985 - 7/10
AKA - Masho no Kaori // 魔性の香り

Leaving the waterside poolhall, a journalist sees a women jump into the waves.
He rescues her, forgetting the old rule that when you save someone, you are responsible for them.
Indeed, Akiko moves in with Esaka, and they have a torrid affair.
Even though Akiko is married, and her husband will not grant a divorce.
Akiko’s husband has moved his mistress in with them, yet will not divorce.
Leaving Akiko unstable, unpredictable, and dangerous.
Erotic thriller / arthouse / Noir drenched in rain, waves, body sweat.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370955

Elaine Stritch: Live At The Liberty - 2002 - 7/10

Stritch delivers her one-man show before a full house.
Some Broadway songs, light footwork (she is bumping 80), stories.
Stories are packed with names, shows, incidents, sweet triumphs, crashing disappointments.
Then there is her drinking. Completely out of control, she admits.
How she had “rules” for drinking, which she broke. Plus, she made huge mistakes.
She is bitterly funny, caustic, troubled, perhaps, by memories.

Shock Waves - 1977 - 5/10

The boat carrying tourists starts having trouble. Engine, navigation.
Matters worsen when they encounter an orange mist, and a derelict ship.
Captain goes missing (RIP Skipper) so they row towards a small island.
Lone inhabitant, a weathered SS officer, who realizes the derelict is a dangerous vessel.
Carrying unstoppable, unkillable Nazi zombies!
Cheap Horror outing suffers from budget constraints, poor plot, repetitive sequences, and it is dull.

Pretty Baby - 1978 - 6/10

Jollies in a New Orleans sporting house, 1917, prostitution still legal.
A photographer arrives, wanting to take photos of the ladies – and he will pay.
Rambling goings-on include the auctioning of a 12-year-old virgin (very good Brooke Shields).
More costume drama than one might expect, with stray quiet moralizing that many audiences miss.
Antonio Fargas memorable as a Scott Joplinish character.
I recall the marketing campaign splashed titillation rather than historical drama.
Unpleasant aftertaste.

The Horror From Beyond - 1965 - 5/10

Beyond what? Lo, a wooden coffin, floating, retrieved by a fisherman.
Inside, an intact skeleton, perfectly connected, even when manhandled.
Following a death (#1), police consult local scientists, leading to death #2.
No one notices the skull turn this way and that, listening or watching.
Soon enough, Skelly dons some clothes (modesty, please!) and toddles to a barbeque.
More killings ensue as ole bag-o-bones shambles along.
Despite bullets and science and law enforcement and our lonesome killer, this is Dullsville.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370956

The Gaucho - 1927 - 6/10

Fairbanks had been making a string of towering blockbusters when he wrote and starred in this.
A girl receives a miracle and the power to heal, and a village grows around her.
The village becomes wealthy, drawing the attention of a powerful bandit.
Enter El Gaucho, leader of a rival gang.
A moody, dark film, with too much religious babble (yes, audiences differed in 1927).
Different from Doug’s manic comedies, thrilling actioners. From what I’ve read, he was feeling old.
Would that the film was primarily Doug and the steamy Lupe Vélez (above).

Uzumaki - 2000 - 7/10
AKA - Spiral // うずまき

Her boyfriend is the first to succumb to the lure of the spiral, vortex, swirl.
Such is the initial infection, accelerating after his death (by washing machine).
The town is rapidly afflicted, and the obsession with spirals leads to physical alterations, deformities.
Steeped in rain soaked atmosphere, this runs between HPL and Lynch, more so the latter.
Meaning, with Lovecraft there “might” be an explanation. Here, naught.
Worth watching for weirdness alone, adapted from a manga which I have not read.

Deep Cover - 2025 - 6/10

Police try a new angle to infiltrate some of the savvier gangs.
Hire actors, improv actors, capable of thinking and talking on their feet.
Yes, the concept is pretty darned silly. Just buy it, and trot along.
Fast comedy relying on situations, characters and clever dialogue.
Most of the cast seem to be having a full tilt blast.
Extra credit to Orlando Bloom as the crazy Marlon, as the outta control Roach.

Seam - 2017 - 6/10

The Seam is the borderzone between humanity and cognizant machines.
An agreed “reservation” after a global war between the two.
Machines also include lifelike cyborgs, living with humans. Partners.
Forbidden partners, punishable by extermination.
SciFi leans on BSG themes. Superb Jordan locations, OK CGI, slick editing.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370958

Powaqqatsi - 1988 - 6/10

“Life In Transformation”
Followup film to Koyaaniqatsi (1982) is not a sequel, is more a view of changing cultures.
This implies the simplistic life is superior to our modern one.
Better to be a farmer or fisherman than toil in an industrial, urban world.
The message was repeated ad nauseam, until it felt preachy and ham-fisted.
Did not care for the Glass music this outing.
Exceptional photography, although not assembled / edited as well as before.

Manhandled - 1924 - 6/10

Tessie toils against a tide of customers in a large department store.
The struggle in the subway is just as onerous. New York is not for the faint.
Boyfriend Jim is a mechanic, at night a cabbie.
He is trying to save enough for marriage, and perfect an invention.
Tessie wants to go out; if Jim is too busy, she goes with the rich swells.
Comedy, the genre I would not associate with Swanson, but she is funny here.
Mind you, she has to impersonate a countess, so out comes the wardrobe.

The film The Odessey (2026) is only about 50% accurate to the tale. In terms of cinematography and effects it gets a higher rating, though the acting isn’t as good. I think it’s not necessarily a must see nor a pass.

Deep Water - 2026 - 6/10

Lithium batteries, dude. Unpredictable and flammable.
Fire in the cargo hold, and passenger airliner must ditch in the Pacific.
Survivors soon discover they are shark bait.
A whole mess of sharks, attracted by the kicking, flailing, bleeding, squealing meals.
Summer popcorn flick, although batteries go off in aircraft every week.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Oval Portrait - 2025 - 6/10

The antique shop is by appointment only, Whitlock is fussy.
Nevertheless, thieves try and fail to steal an oval portrait.
Then there is the downsized art student, painter, Ava, who Whitlock befriends.
Three threads, but each have additional sideplots.

For a low-budget affair, the photography is excellent.
The musical score is old-fashioned, grandiose, sweeping, perhsps too loud at points.
The side narratives seem tacked on, while the main line glides between mystery, thriller and melodrama.
Aside from the two leads, others are “re-actors”, waiting for their lines, then speaking awkwardly.
Ava is nicely turned, riding bad luck. Whitlock is straitlaced, mannered, a throwback.
Poe’s story is incorporated, and Edgar resonates, along with a dash of Bierce, perhaps Fitz-James O’Brien.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370957

What Lurks Beneath - 2024 - 4/10

World War III breaks out … again.
Undersea denizens are fed up with humanity annihilating the planet so an emissary is sent.
Via the torpedo hatch arrives the attractive nude blonde.
Not to nitpick, how did she open that hatch door from underwater?
How come the submarine only has a crew of 7 with 2 Brit advisors?
How does the “stowaway” wander the vessel?
Terrible script comes off as watery Alien copy-clone.

The Stranger - 2025 - 7/10
AKA - L’Étranger

Meursault is roused early. Telegram informs him his mother has died in the retirement home.
His employer gives him two days. He sits through the vigil, attends the planting, returns to work.
Also reconnects with Marie, with whom he has an affair, then agrees to marry.
Is he in love? No. Did he grieve for mom? No. Is he ambitious at work? No.
Not that Meursault is bored. He is simply disinterested, disconnected. Lifeless.
Even facing criminal charges, he couldn’t care less.
Ozon’s adaptation of the Camus novel is detached, forcing viewers to watch abstractly.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3371179

The Last Of The Mohicans - 1992 - 7/10

French and Indian War, where the English are outmatched in wilderness warfare.
Hawkeye and his Mohican family are reluctant to take sides, but eventually assist the English.
Director Mann filmed this as rousing adventure and it works gloriously.
Varied chases, memorable ambushes, spectacular battles.
Daniel Day Lewis solid as Hawkeye. This put Madeleine Stowe on the map.
The dark star, however, is Wes Studi as the fierce Magua.
His eyes and expressions are implacable.

The Last Of The Mohicans - 1920 - 6/10

Indian guide Magua misleads English reinforcements heading to a besieged fort.
Magua, ally of the French and Huron tribe, is an opportunistic devil.
And lusts after Cora, daughter of the English colonel, who herself is drawn to Uncas.
The outdoor photography is breathtaking at times, remarkable for 1920.
Although this is part of Cooper’s “Deerslayer” stories, Magua dominates here.
Wallace Beery makes a formidable, unstoppable villain.

House Of Wax - 1953 - 6/10

OK remake of Mystery Of The Wax Museum (1933), noteworthy for the 3D effects.
The museum partners have a falling out. The sculptor is an artist, the manager wants profits.
Before he is murdered by a mysterious assailant.
You can easily guess whodunit and where the plot is going.
Vincent Price, too often a charismatic ham, can make you forget Lionel Atwill.

Dear England - 2026 - 7/10

Inspiring adaptation of the West End play into a four-part miniseries.
The tenure of Gareth Southgate as he rebuilds a broken English squad into contenders.
Team building moments, similar to boot camp, without the abusive Drill Instructor.
Also a sport psychologist to help navigate mental and emotional pressures.
Key players profiled, along with important matches. World Cups and Euro Cups.
Will be enjoyed more by fans or supporters of the game.

Man On The Prowl - 1957 - 6/10

Doug’s mom wasn’t the best. Maybe the best drunk.
Worse, she was lazy. Maybe why she sent him to a mental institution as a child.
Couldn’t be bothered. Wasn’t her fault Doug turned out the way he did.
Understand, he liked the ladies well enough.
Until they said “No”. Or, “I’m not that kind of girl.”
Refusing him, reminding him of Mom. Reason enough to kill.
Then – look for another. There were plenty of girls.
Cheapie B-Noir of a serial killer.
Actors are all pretty good, but this is James Best’s film, as the smiling, agreeable headcase.

Robotrix - 1991 - 6/10
AKA - Nu Ji Xie Ren // 女機械人

Scientist Sakamoto, deranged, shifts his consciousness into an android.
From there, he goes on to kidnap, then a spree of rapes and murders.
Who’s gonna stop him? Female police officers, transferred into female cyborgs.
Fembots, anyone?
Think Robocop with loads of nudity, sex, slathered with sleaze.
Trashy Category III flick, an inspiration for teenage males; robotics builders who will recreate Amy Yip and Chikako Aoyama girlfriends.

The Testament Of Caleb Meeke - 1969 - 6/10

A generous uncle leaves Caleb his mansion (crumbling ruins) and adjoining hills (with buried, restless things).
After exploring a bit, Caleb finds books, including “Account Of The Old Ones” and “Necronomicon”.
Reading draws him deeper into the strange grimoires.
Then the diary from 1756, full of warning about fiends from the bogs and pools and depths of the woods.
Gothic horror from Roy Spence is one of his best efforts. Well thought and realized.
Like to see the Irish Film Institute give this a full restoration.