A few reviews . . (film or TV) — Page 171

Nyarlathotep - 2001 - 5/10

Rooting around during an archeological excavation in Egypt, the messenger is disturbed.
Promising concept does with best with budget constraints.
No dialogue, only narration finds Nyarlathotep, mascara and extended goatee, as celebrated prophet.
Still … a game attempt and worth a look. HPL short is easily found.

Haunted House - 1921 - 6/10

Harried bank clerk Buster takes the rap for counterfeit currency, then a holdup!
He flees – into the notorious haunted house, actually a front for counterfeiters.
A film by half. First half, in the bank, is repetitive and the glue joke is used to death.
Once the setting shifts to the spook house, look out.
Gag after gag after gag, and the pace is hectic.
Well preserved prints out there, too, and nicely tinted.

The film Halloween 1978 is a classic that lives up to its hype. A masterpiece of cinema and a fine piece of history.

Night Of The Comet - 1984 - 6/10

Save for a pair of Valley girls (and a pinball pro), a comet has wiped out most of humanity.
And other survivors are hungry zombies.
Light-hearted Horror goes for satire and laughs and hits most bases.
Wry homage to Dawn Of The Dead as well as grrrl power.
Shopping mall is laugh out loud at times, and the scientists are proof that the smartest in the room often have no common sense.
No great shakes, but fun, although so many references will be lost to post X-er viewers.

Killer’s Kiss - 1955 - 6/10

Grimy tale of washed up pug and dimehall dancer.
Sordid NYC tenement provides the location for this Pulp romance, with full Noir cinematography.
At barely an hour, this packs in fierce boxing, cheap dancing, jealousy, murder, and an irresistible fight amongst the mannequins.
Photography is breathtaking at times. Amazing that this was filmed for $75 K.
Weak point is the female actor, who has the magnetism of a worn out paper sack.
The director would ascend to greater films, but he often cast wooden types in those films, too.
View as a minor Noir, you should enjoy. Don’t overlay the director.

Eye Of The Devil - 1966 - 6/10

Philippe is summoned back to the ancestral home.
The surrounding vineyards are in decline, necessitating the ancient rites.
He tells his wife to stay home in Paris, with the children.
She disobeys, not understanding the danger she has placed herself and her children, into.
This is a fantastic looking film, yet it is a MGM vehicle for star Deborah Kerr.
And she dominates, hamming it up. Over-emoting, wailing, screaming.
David Hemming far more memorable as the mysterious archer.

There are the twelve robed figures, an upcoming village fete, and the fatalistic Niven.
Not to forget newcomer Sharon Tate, who seems an adept.

The potential for atmospheric Gothic Horror is rivaled by the disappointment in the Melodrama that this was.
Extremely disappointing as every other player serves the moody story.

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed Up Zombies - 1964 - 5/10

Rather than dinner and dancing, low-rent Jerry takes Angela to the carnival.
A sashay into Madam Estrella’s for palm reading only incenses him.
Then, near the sideshow, Jerry abandons milk fed Angela for gypsy Carmelita.
Strippers and cooch girls, yeah.

The plot, already crazy, now hits overload.
Fred Astaire dancing duo act as interludes, as does the burlesque revue.
The strolling guitarist, nightclub comedian, hypnosis, psychosis, the sinister knife.
At the core of evil lurks Madam Estrella.
A thoroughly slagged film, that I watched in an amused haze.
Good photography, slick editing, miserable acting, a cast who seem too old for every role.
Must for aficionados of trash cinema.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358196

Cesium Fallout - 2024 - 6/10
AKA - Fen Cheng // 焚城

Scavengers rake the industrial landfill looking for salvage, especially precious metals.
Oops, they stumble across highly radioactive material. Oops, oops, they start a fire.
Whoa! Deadly wastes explode, turning the junkyard into an inferno.
Worse, there is now radioactivity in the air, soon to turn Hong Kong into a wasteland!
Throwback to disaster films of the 1990’s is entertaining, preachy, predictable.
Heroic firefighters, bickering politicians, self-serving business elites.
Stemming the annihilation, a rogue scientist / activist.

A Time Out Of War - 1954 - 6/10

Late in the US Civil War, three soldiers guard a meaningless stream crossing.
A Johnny Reb and two Yanks exchange potshots, insults, jibes, pleasantries.
The war is almost finished, they know that and just want to return home.
After awhile, they decide to an hour ceasefire to go fishing.
Poignant short of the banality of war, along with the similarities that tie us.

I Walk Alone - 1947 - 6/10

Successful bootleg partners Frank and Dink have a gentleman’s agreement.
Should one of them go to the slammer, his 50% share of the business will be intact upon release.
Honor among thieves, hey? Make a prediction.
Yes, once Frank serves 14 years, his buddy is all smiles and excuses.
“Agreement? What agreement? I don’t know nothing about no agreement?”
Swanky nightclub, femme fatale singer, crooked accounting, a frame job.
Typical elements for a Noir, yet this is slow and rather boring.
Best is Kirk Douglas as the swindling, duplicitous partner.

Seven Days In May - 1964 - 7/10

During nuclear disarmament talks with the Soviets, the US President’s approval ratings plunge.
The man is ailing, out of step with the people, and stubborn.
While behind his back, a clique of Pentagon brass plot a military coup.
Far-fetched? The premise swings in and out of relevancy all the time.
Just as it’s hard for viewers to choose a side, depending on what team is in power.
Burt Lancaster plays the calculating general with chilling effectiveness.
The Cold War was ongoing when this premiered, and audiences probably gasped at coincidences.
As mentioned, the theme of takeover, or ignoring the Constitution never seems to go away.

Bon Voyage - 1944 - 6/10

During WWII, RAF gunner Dougall escapes from a German prison camp, back to England.
Of course, he had help through France, and a French officer wants details.
So, Dougall relates how he and his comrade navigated from one safe house to another.
Terribly obscure Hitchcock wartime short is absolutely worth tracking down.
Everything is first-rate: camera work, story, the murky undercurrent.
A Hitchcock vehicle, this does not shy away from unpleasantness.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358198

Macbeth - 2025 - 7/10

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
Macbeth the Thane, aspires to the throne via blood, urged by his dominating wife.
Austere version of Shakespeare’s darkest play may not appeal to all tastes.
Minimal set design, however, serves to enhance the words.
Language, dialogue and monologue, is paramount, forcing viewers to flesh proceedings themselves.
Powerful play of ambition and treachery, of deceptive promises and muddled prophecy.
Inspired use of small folk ensemble offering sparse music.
“Cruel are the times when we are traitors and do not know ourselves.”
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358197

The Au Pair - 2025 - 5/10

Fashion designer Zoe and husband Dr. Chris hire an au pair for their too-old-to-need-one kids.
The French arrival, smiles on the surface, malice beneath, launches quiet sabotage from the onset.
Wily Sandrine holds your interest, wondering what drives her, and who or what she will destroy next.
To my annoyance and frustration, the narrative pivots midway into family angst.
This becomes a completely different story, and I start barking at characters with short term memories.
My suspicion is the writing room boxed itself into a corner, then shrugged.

The Man Who Changed His Mind - 1936 - 6/10

“I can take the thought content from the brain and store it.”
Perhaps that is when young Doctor Wyatt goes on alert.
True, the scientist she came to study under, Dr. Laurience (Karloff), is a genius.
Yet, dabbling in matters such as mind transfer could have dire consequences.
And – this wouldn’t be a mad scientist movie if he did not perform unethical experiments.
Karloff, eccentric, stymied, resentful, vengeful, is the driving power in this.
Everyone else is support, other scientists, journalists, chimps.
Loder as lovestruck boyish stalker has the charm of a dented bucket.
Fans of classic Universal, this could pass muster.

The film Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning is a fantastic possible bookend to the series! A must see for action fans!

Leap Of Faith - 1992 - 6/10

Religious hucksters, suffering a breakdown in Kansas, set up the tents.
Well, have to pay for the repairs and parts somehow,
The region is in the midst of drought and eagerly donates money for a miracle.
Even when the town sheriff exposes chicanery, townsfolk don’t care.
Last third sees a slow shift in direction, with the cynical edge being glossed.
No unswerving Elmer Gantry tone here.
Steve Martin good as heel (always enjoyed his dramatic turns over his comedy schtick).

Medusa Deluxe - 2022 - 6/10

Eve of the competition, one of the stylists, predicted to win, is murdered.
Backstage, contestants and models begin to speculate.
Muddying theories is the fact that the victim, a male, had his hair scalped off.
Dialogue driven mystery, listen and keep up! Broadly drawn characters ease identifying.
Tour de force camerawork appears to be one-take.
Engaging while underway (although I could have dispensed with the final dance video).
Might pair pretty well with Blow Dry (2001).
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358740

The Secret Glory - 2001 - 5/10

During the battle in Heaven, Lucifer lost the war and his crown.
The latter was recast into a cup, The Grail. Last custodians of which were the Cathars.
The Grail vanished when they were slaughtered.
In the 1920’s, secret agencies sought for it: White Eagle, Polaires Brotherhood, Thule Society.
Among them, one Otto Rahn, German fantasist, dreamer, who would soon catch the eye of Heinrich Himmler.

Documentary about the history of the Grail is absorbing, although film fans will be distracted trying to identity all the Silent film clips used in this section.
This is a biography Of Otto Rahn, however, and his story is simply not compelling.
He was, at best, a tiny historical footnote. His niece dominates talking heads.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358739

Draug - 2018 - 6/10

The missionary had ridden into the far north wilderness of Sweden.
Bringing Christianity to the pagans, Circa 1000 AD.
After he and his party disappear, a team of warriors hit the search trail.
Into the woods of superstition and curses, blood feuds and possession.
Along with slumbering memory, and buried atrocities reawakening.
The narrative is too opaque for its own good.
We are thrown into a brightly lit landscape, seething with resentment.
A few reviews categorize this into a zombie film – it is not.
Nonetheless, I needed a review to clarify the ending for me.

Non-Stop New York - 1937 - 6/10

Jennie is partial witness to a New York murder.
She did not see who did it, but she did see the convicted man depart before the homicide.
Yet, she is now back in London, penniless chorus girl.
How to return to the States to save the fall guy from the noose.
Wait! The sky clipper! A wet dream of an aeroplane, and where the film gets fun.
Passenger rooms as big as your bedroom. Gourmet dining. A stocked bar. An outside observation deck!
The dialogue is witty, carried by several smooth rogues, along with the absurdity of the airship.

Human Centipede - 2009 - 5/10

Straight off, the doctor is deranged. Even his premise is pointless.
Explain that to his drugged and imprisoned guinea pigs.
Three sections: front, middle, caboose. Head to rear.
All dining on unhappy meals. Dog food, or leftovers.
The Horror is offset by the grotesque repulsiveness of the premise.
The comedy, and yes, that is pitch black, is again overwhelmed.
Body horror buffs will have no trouble watching with popcorn.
Although you might eye others around you, wondering what part of the chain you would be in.

The Decline Of The American Empire - 1986 - 6/10

“The concept of personal happiness permeates the literature of a nation or civilization as its influence wanes.
"Personal happiness means the expectation of receiving instant gratification in daily life.”
Thus begins a witty, philosophical opening act.
Followed by a quartet of women at the exercise arena, while at home menfolk prepare dinner.
The ladies gossip, confess affairs, analyze male insecurities, while the males boast of prowess.
This whole section is terribly funny, yet once the dinner party commences, the easy cheer evaporates.
As in life situations, innuendo and snarky competitiveness burdens the table.
A Canadian film, this should appeal to fans of dialogue driven French fare.

Crime Story - 1993 - 6/10
AKA - Zhōng Àn Zǔ // 重案組

If you can’t beat ’em – then kidnap and ransom them.
So, a crooked cabal decides, before snatching an unscrupulous property developer.
Midway investigations, Detective Chan suspects his partner might be crooked.

Blistering Jackie Chan actioner dispenses completely with comedy.
This is bullets and bare bones, wild stunts across Hong Kong and Taipei.
The influence of John Woo can be seen, although lacking the bloodshed.
For Jackie fans, still one for your to-view list, and edge-of-the-seat good.

Murdercise - 2023 - 3/10

Pretty poor, even for my taste for bad cinema.
Masquerading as cops, the Skid Row Strangler targets high end hotties.
Meanwhile, a bevy of lovelies films an exercise workout video.
Stripper, dancer, wrestler, Goth, and others squat, spread, and flex their plex.
All vie to be the cover girl – and one by one, killings commence.
Spoof of 1980’s Slasher flicks has atrocious directing, and some whoopsie acting.
Not as funny as it aspires.
Bored, I examined complexions. Several of the ladies need a dermatologist.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358738