Vultural

Mantis In Lace - 1968 - 3/10
AKA - Lila

So … while watching German “comedy” Lila Lila, my brain started hearing the old song, “Lila.”
Bad tune, from a bad movie, that I have viewed several times. Feeble mind.
Topless dancer Lila shimmies at da club, gyrating to her signature “Lila” song.
Guys pick her up and she hauls them to her nest.
Abandoned warehouse, stained mattress, candles in Mateus bottles.
Lila drops LSD, drops her dress, and before she can cry, “Oh my God!”
Her acid trip goes haywire and she starts killin’. Repeat - repeat - repeat.

No one watches this for acclaimed acting or nuanced script.
Nope, the allure is vast stretches of nudity punctuated with gruesome deaths.
Warning to current era viewers. All females are from the bush era.
If your preference is Barbie’s waxed sheen, you will likely hurl your nachos.

Afterthought - The DVD has lots of extras, including a couple “dangers of drugs” docs,
and over 100 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes. More dancers, tons more flesh.
One dancer I recognized from Russ Meyer’s Mondo Topless. Err, her assets … I mean.

Enchanted April - 1992 - 7/10

Two females, strangers, strike up a friendship.
Both are desperate to escape dreary, rain sodden London, and impulsively book a holiday in Italy.
A real crowd pleaser, vibrant with breathtaking color.
The lush surroundings act as a rejuvenating force.
For the women who inhabit the villa, for viewers who succumb to its spell.

Lila Lila - 2009 - 6/10

Aimless waiter discovers manuscript in stuck end table drawer.
To impress a girl, he shows and declares he wrote it.
In swift succession - publication, literary sensation, public adulation!
Hey, wait a minute, I saw this story.
They swiped this from 2012‘s The Words.
No, that can’t be right. I mean, 2009 came before …
Device of wayward creation claimed by another is fairly common.
This version is lighter, supposedly a comedy.
German humor is lost on me.

Nameless Poison - 2013 - 7/10
AKA - Na mo Naki Doku / 名もなき毒

Eleven part J-dorama, following two commonplace mysteries.
In the first half, the Chairman asks his son-in-law to assist the grieving daughters of his recently killed chauffeur.
They want to write a simple memorial about their father, with the hope whoever accidentally killed him confesses.
Only - as the son-in-law delves into the chauffeur’s history, a dark history emerges.
The second half is about a serial poisoner who is injecting cyanide into drink cartons in convenience stores.
Again, the son-in-law is drawn in, while his wife pleads, “Quit getting involved!”
So say we all.
No police - no detectives - just an ordinary man trying to help others, not always succeeding.
Even though he works full time, and has family obligations, he spends much of his free hours in a fabulously empty cafe.

And Then! He Kissed Me - 2021 - 6/10

The awkward date, or the date from hell, depending.
When “Natasha” decides to freshen up, misfortune grows.
Wordless short, marked as Horror, yet I laughed a lot.
“Bummer, dude. No, don’t do that! Aww, you’re making another mistake.”
Nevertheless, the ladies were going, “Omigod! Ewww! No-no-no! Oh, God.”
Category (comedy vs. horror) might depend on your gender.

House Of Bamboo - 1957 - 6/10

Sam Fuller movie, often pigeon holed as Asian Noir is more suitably Tourist Noir.
Ex-soldier (Robert Stack) arrives Tokyo after buddy summons him for crooked money.
Buddy is dead and Stack begins selling “protection.” Rich visuals in this section.
Eventually he gets recruited into a small gang of Army ex-pats led by Robert Ryan.
Lost man in unfamiliar city is Noir enough.
Numerous logic errors, though.
Wouldn’t authorities notice a crew of tall, white faced gaijin committing robberies?
Homoerotic angle in this, Ryan must have known, Stack, his early past is filled with whisper.

House Of The Dead - 1978 - 3/10

Insomnia sufferers, a possible cure beckons!
Grade-D omnibus “horror” anthology.
Not truly terrible, just cheap, awful, and mind-thudding dull most of the time.
Man is in town for the annual plumbers convention, also for a chance to cheat on his wife.
During a torrential downpour, his cabbie does not drop him in front of his hotel, but instead the mortuary.
Inside, the attendant gives him a casket viewing tour, and slowly delivers the story behind the deaths.
First two tales “best,” though they are still crap. A school teacher who hates kids, and a homicidal swinger.
Both display more energy, and both are unintentionally funny.
Steep downhill after those.
Actors are almost recognizable TV character bit players.
Big hook for some of you - Filmed entirely in Oklahoma!

The Whistlers - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - La Gomera

Convoluted, confused, baffling mystery set in the Canary Islands.
Romanian cop, Cristi, disembarks the ferry and begins shuttling between local police and local crime lord.
High level smuggling is ongoing, a convict needs to be sprung (because he knows where €30 M is stashed).
Supposedly undercover, Cristi proves more bent than a paper clip.
At least, that’s my take. The narrative bounces and jumps, blundering into incoherence at times.
Relationships are murky and poorly explained.
Dialogue is in Spanish, English, Romanian, and “whistling”.
And yes, the film is also a how-to, as there are lessons on learning and improving your skills there.

M. R. James: Ghost Writer - 2013 - 6/10

Presenter Mark Gatiss narrates the life and works of premier ghost story scribe, M R James.
Excerpts from stories, talking heads, location shots of Cambridge and Eton.
A scholar, and solitary man. Typical of most writers, James himself is not particularly compelling.
Forays into his sexual inclinations seem a cross between speculation and weak attempt to create interest.
Time filler.

Night Of The Demon - 1957 - 7/10
AKA - Curse Of The Demon

Old school ghost tale based on M R James’ classic, “Casting The Runes.”
American professor come to London for conference on supernatural.
He runs afoul of devil worshiper and realizes a curse has been placed.
Moody, atmospheric film, with adversaries polite and well mannered.
Dana Andrews fine as skeptical American joining forced with colleague’s younger niece.
Fortunately, no icky romance which would be de rigueur nowadays.
A trifle stuffy, but an excellent adult supernatural yarn.

Family Resemblances - 1996 - 7/10
AKA - Un Air de Famille

Part birthday celebration, part weekly family gathering.
One imagines resentments have been bottled up for years.
Except this time, feelings start spewing out. (Well, it is a movie.)
One of those marvelous conversation dramas the French easily pull off.
Catherine Frot memorable as the airhead (trophy?) wife of the successful, if stressed, salaryman.
Everyone is great though, from those you sympathize with, to those you want to strangle.
Family, eh?

Black Widow - 1954 - 6/10

Glossy potboiler masquerading as Noir.
Broadway producer Van Heflin allows dewy eyed girl to use his apartment during days so she can write.
Instead, she delves into the social register. The “male” social register.

Soon enough, she is found dangling by the noose.
Detective (George Raft) conducts a rather leisurely hunt while Heflin scrambles for clues.
Ginger Rogers steals movie as diva, Gene Tierney seems subdued.
Very w-i-d-e and lush looking CinemaScope heightens glossy interiors and New York streets.
Noticeably awful sound mix, though. Early stereo, and it sounds like a third of the dialogue was looped.
Alert viewers will recall title when narrowing suspects.

The Blade - 1995 - 7/10
AKA - Dāo / 刀

Spectacular Hong Kong swordsplay actioner.
Stuntwork is dazzling in this, and I would not be surprised if dismemberment had occurred.
Rivalry within a swordsmith’s fortress creates tension and discontent.
Outside the walls - somewhere - marauding bandits pillage at will.
The landscape is splattered with various battles and bloodbaths, while bandit numbers swell.
What they really need, however, are more swords.

Exceptional Tsui Hark film, though less known, perhaps, because it is relentlessly grim, dark, bleak.
No heroes here. Survivors, betrayers, murderers.
Violent retelling of the one-armed swprdsman tale.
Hong Kong released quite a number of pessimistic films fore-shadowing the takeover.
Hard Boiled, Burning Paradise, Black Sun, are a few that come to mind.
The Blade will be an action lover’s dream.

The Joy Of Easy Listening - 2011 - 6/10

Dim the lights. Better, light the candles, pour the wine, spin up your 101 Strings Plays Soothing Black Metal.
Brace for silk, satin and romance. Ha, in your dreams, button-head.
Long sweep of Easy Listening from its origins in post WWII to Millennials rediscovering with, “Wow cool!”
From Percy Faith, Ray Conniff, Bert Kaempfert, Henry Mancini (represented by their daughters) –
Herb Alpert, Richard Carpenter, Jimmy Webb,
Better for those with a broad, diverse musical palate. Embarrassing how much I knew, how much I own.

Note: I grew up hearing this daily. Apart from Dad’s nonstop Big Band Swing, Mom kept her kitchen radio glued to the easy listening station. WHEZ (I kid you not) which my brothers and I referred to as Wheeze.
Worse, I bought countless Easy LPs. I joined the record club for my free KISS, Deep Purple, Beatles, whatnot. Then, to fulfill my obligation, I bought 101 Strings, Mantovani, Percy Faith for a dime each. Ended membership, joined a month later under a new name. Gave the mellow vinyl to Mom. Which, to my annoyance, she played.

Far From The Madding Crowd - 2015 - 7/10

Not surprisingly, beautiful looking adaptation of Hardy’s novel.
Each of the three male rivals is given a sympathetic treatment - more or less.
Story follows young (20) Bathsheba Everdene who inherits her uncle’s farm.
Like most of Hardy’s works, Fate predominates, at times cruel, others capricious.
Some reviewers have been harsh toward Miss Everdene who often makes poor choices.
Consider, however, she is a bare 20 and has led a rather sheltered life.
Thoughtful decisions are usually sound, impulsive acts deliver consequences.
For “purists” this is not an overly Modern interpretation, as has been the trend for Austen productions.
Leisurely paced, but not slow. Plenty to see with sly subtleties.
Note the farm songs when Bathsheba operated it on her own, and those after Mr Troy arrived.

True Story - 2015 - 6/10

Engrossing, if not altogether satisfying drama of lies and murder.
Jonah Hill as New York Times reporter fired for fabricating a cover story.
James Franco as man indicted for killing family, then dropping bodies into the bay.
The accused offers to tell his story to the disgraced newsman.
Each recognizes the other as a pathological liar, and there is the difficulty with the movie.
The film is packed with invention, self-deception, false assumptions.
Very little truth and no honesty.
Primarily a two man show, both actors play against type and do fine in chilly movie.
Sparse dialogue. Many scenes, one individual talks or asks, and another declines to answer.
Dry and emotionally empty.
It will hold your interest throughout, but you might not care about anyone involved.

Without Name - 2016 - 6/10

The surveyor works a remote forest in Ireland.
His employer, a shady individual with undisclosed plans for the area.
Tip: Surveyors are usually the advance scouts for “civilized” blight afflicting the wilderness.
Ominously, the woods feel almost sentient.
Readers of Blackwood’s “The Willows” look no further.
Excellent camerawork, ranging from claustrophobic to man dwarfed by Nature.
Trippy ending is OK, though the director loosened the reins a little too much.

The High And The Mighty - 1954 - 7/10

Craving an old-fashioned airline disaster film?
Look no further. This is the root of mainstream copies and inevitable spoofs.
Large cast headed by John Wayne and Robert Stack (coupled with “names” of the era and well as recognizable character actors) climb aboard the Honolulu to San Francisco four prop plane.
The flight seems only half full and seats are spacious.
Passengers each given their moment to tell their story.
Before the engine trouble arrives, then fuel problems.
Wayne very good in understated role as weary albatross observing Stack’s character navigate inner demons.
At times corny and predictable, most of the film is a tense thriller. (Hooray, free films at the museum!)

Walsh, O. Jamie - The Revenants

For those who have read Edita Bikker’s The Night Of Turns (also from Broodcomb), this collection makes an ideal companion, especially for those who wondered what “the settlements” were that Bikker left.
This reads like a newcomer’s guide. Meeting inhabitants, seeing and perhaps guessing how the society work. There are a variety of characters, several we drift back to repeatedly, others are chance encounters.
Bikker is referenced once in an unsent letter. There is an offhand comment about Potter’s Museum (Of Curiosities), which brought a smile, recalling a visit there decades earlier.
Each entry is brief, never more than two pages, and I would calculate there are 100+ in this generous collection.
This is a book to be read in small doses, not to wolf down, but to allow impression to steep into you.
At the fringe is a group of individuals who had ventured outside the settlements on a search-rescue expedition. When they returned, they were profoundly altered. Unable or unwilling to communicate, they live apart, and they live – perhaps – out of time. Locals call them the revenants.
Late events rise to a crescendo, although readers who long for meaning to be folded into mystery may be stymied. We are permitted so much, yet we remain observers, outsiders.
Several of the main actors have a hunger, a thirst for experiencing, or simply “seeing.” Experiences are often transactions. Something gained, another thing lost. The bartered exchange is frequently bitter, yet the longer one lives, the more one grasps that there is no going back, only looking back.

Date Bait - 1960 - 3/10

Had low expectations with this, yet was hopeful.
Promising trash opts for wholesome instead of sleaze.
Troubled teen returns to the soda shop after being six months away.
His supposed girlfriend now dancing with another guy.
Pushing leads to fists leads to knifeplay - which gets interrupted.
One realizes right quick, that kid’s head ain’t on straight.

A Cadillac convertible driven by crooks tries to crush a roadster.
Movie has heroin pushers, a crazed hophead, kidnapping, bongo drumming, frisky teens.
Two timeless songs, “Date Bait Baby” and “Purple Pleated Bermudas.”
Ingredients for greatness, but unfortunately the core plot is true love between girlfriend and boyfriend and all the pesky obstacles they must overcome.
Most of the teens look to be in their mid to late twenties.
Dull. This could have been so much worse - and more entertaining. Bummer.

Women, Sex and Society: Timewatch Guide - 2016 - 5/10

Hour “documentary” about women’s fight for rights over 100 years.
Three eras: Suffragette movement of 1890’s, the Swinging 60’s, and the 90’s.
Talking heads skim the surface. Suffragette radicals, fight for abortion, employment.
Numerous popular movies would serve the curious better.
Suffragette from 2015, or 2010‘s Made In Dagenham.
This whole production felt like a homework assignment. Badly padded, at that.

Under The Shadow - 2016 - 6/10
AKA - Zir-e Saye

Offbeat, and off the beaten track ghost story from Iran.
Near 1988, the end of the Iran - Iraq War, a bombed out roof allows a djinn to enter an apartment.
Or is does it ride in with the haunted orphan boy from Abadan?
Unclear, in a good way. Items go missing and an unease descends.
Soon enough, inhabitants divide between believers and scoffers.
As bombings intensify, those who believe in spirits do the proper thing - they run.
Leaving behind, a mother and daughter.
Usually I would never watch any US film with the “kid in peril” device as they are 98% predictable.
This, being an Iranian production, will upset predictions.
Good spook story.

Note - I downed several subs and was happy with none. Typos, odd timestamps, no caps for names.
I tweaked a set and uploaded if you need - http://www.addic7ed.com/movie/119833

Cilla - 2014 - 7/10

Well done, if not altogether completely accurate, mini series of young Cilla Black.
Cilla was the girl singer in Brian Epstein’s stable.
She never succeeded in the States, yet became an institution in Britain.
Series covers the early days when she was a Cavern Club devotee and often sang onstage with the lads, through her hit making years.
One of her friends is Rory Storm’s drummer, Ringo. Then there’s those other three guys.
Numerous songs throughout, and several groups listed, including some that never made it out of Liverpool.
Sheridan Smith does her own belting and is astoundingly good.
Story ends around the same time as the end of the British Invasion, but before the dissolution of Swinging London.

Tell Me A Story: S01 - 2018 - 7/10

Had I more appetite for US fare, I might have stumbled upon this earlier.
Three fairy tales, updated and relocated to New York City.
Hansel and Gretel, Three Little Pigs. Little Red Riding Hood.
Common to all, the wolf. Yeah, a bad one. Make that wolves.
I found myself engrossed in one thread, irritated with another.
An episode later, my allegiances would shift.
In addition, several times I second-guessed. “Aw, man, is going to happen? This is so predictable.”
Except that seldom happened. The writing is high, they always took unexpected directions.
Sharp little series, at least S01. I might try another season.
Based on the Spanish series, Cuéntame un Cuento, about which I am now very curious.

Murder On D Street - 1997 - 7/10
AKA - D-Zaka no Satsujin Jiken // D坂の殺人事件

Edogawa Rampo murder mystery starts slowly, and confusing.
A used book dealer, ex geisha, hires a forger to recreate paintings.
Pornographic art of bondage and cruelty by Shundei Ohe.
Forbidden, suppressed, so of course there are eager collectors who will pay dearly.
Creative film goes into detail on the forgery techniques.
Also the use of ropes, knots, model positioning.
The first hour features lusty action by neighbors, who initially seem to have no bearing on the story.
Murder, as well as Detective Akechi, comes late in the film.
Dark, highly charged erotica, demands full attention.