Vultural

Paterson - 2016 - 5/10

Paterson, the bus driver, scribbles poetry on the side.
Snatches of conversation, visual snapshots of images, memories recalled through the lens.
Wife Laura is a free spirit artist, obsessed with black n white visuals and cupcakes.
He seems to have no dreams, her wild ambitions are boundless.
Movie strings out for seven days, with very little happening.
Though to Paterson and Laura, the week is quietly momentous.

Jim Jarmusch film sorely tried my patience.
While I don’t particularly care for this director, I do watch every new release of his.

Bikker, Edita - The Night Of Turns

At the beginning, Edita leaves the settlements, civilization, and attaches herself to a caravan. The Caravan Of The Burnt Woman, as we later discover.
As the wagons roll into the empty wilds, Edita meets the assorted members, and she tries to grasp the peculiarities and mysteries of the group. Not so much personal histories, but the activities, the guarded beliefs, as well as the oppressive strangeness that seems to hem in around them.
This is a brilliantly executed journey into superstition and routine. In many ways, what it means to be alive. The story is dripping with images.
“… From a distance the rain-worn wagon looked like a shrunken skull in a museum, eyelids, lips and nostrils stitched together, the ears sewn in the fatal clasp of a Venus fly trap…”
The caravan, and there are seventeen caravans on the path, is less doomed than the Donner Party, the company merrier, less ill-fated than Faulkner’s Bundren family.
From time to time, caravans meet. The Caravan Of The Fool, Of The Green Goose. And then the jovial, yet deadly, Night Of Turns commences.
Throughout, revelations and awareness unfold.
The novel has been tagged with the trendy “folk horror” moniker. It is less horror, more folk.

Broodcomb is a relatively new press, focusing on strange, weird or supernatural fiction.
Not necessarily horror. Readers with a taste for Aickman or Ligotti should check it out.

Ripper Street: S02 - 2013 - 7/10

Very much an extension of Season 01.
Narrative seems to have skipped a year or two.
One character now married, another’s wife has gone AWOL.
If anything, the tone is grimmer and darker than before.
Bucking the usual glossy, warming Victorian fare, the lives of all characters here spiral into misery for which there seems no exit.
Absorbing for viewers, but a dark, hard, brutish series.
Nonetheless, I’m losing interest.

Miskatonic University - 2014 - 6/10

Lovecraft aficionados have already spied the title.
Atmospheric HPL short, touching the Kadath, Cthulhu, and Nyarlathotep settings.
Set in the 1920’s, a young scholar arrives at MU, hoping to get access into famed library.
The Dean vigorously refuses, yet there are unsettling activities across the campus.
Excellent use of Maine locations, period fashions, and the eldritch library.
A couple of erotic angles in this, implied and overt, definitely not Lovecraftian.
Covers a fair degree of territory and maintains disoriented mood throughout.

Once Upon A Time In London - 2019 - 6/10

Scattershot overview of rival “Kings Of The Underworld.”
From the pre-WWII 1930’s to the advent of the Krays in the late 1950’s.
Ostensibly about two top bosses, Billy Hill and Jack Comer, we are early on introduced to a cavalcade of assorted henchmen, underlings, enforcers, specialists. Who are these guys? Confusion only grows as all seem to jump sides.
There are some capers and heists, but most action is retribution and knife fights.
Sex and gore is implied most of the time.
This will be better for viewers who know names and history.
For outside onlookers, this is a shallow sweep of greatest moments.

My Old Lady - 2014 - 6/10

Beware the free lunch. The surprise gift.
Or, in this movie, the inheritance.
Destitute Yank spends his remaining funds to fly to Paris to see the property his father willed him.
Several floors, nice grounds, worth a fortune - with a catch.
A viager. The former owner, the lone resident who receives a monthly payment of €2000 from the new owner.
For Americans, think reverse mortgage.
One might predict all sort of comic implications, but no, this curdles into drama.
The whole film smacks of theatre boards, which is just what it was.
Mostly a two set play with the stone broke American, the elderly British resident, and her daughter.
Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas.
All scratching to clutch tight to the property.

Little Forest: Summer, Autumn - 2014 - 7/10
AKA - Ritoru Foresuto: Natsu/Aki // リトル・フォレスト　夏・秋

Gorgeous film will enthrall or calm you into slumberland.
Know thyself.
Ichiko, after a time in the city, returns to her village of Komori.
There, she works her land, cooks meals, remembers her mother and the quiet lessons.
Quite a bit of cooking in this, a two-part film, as well as pensive reflection.
Ichiko is immersed in nature, and technology is on a back burner.
Tech is shown in cars, phones, electricity, but the rural experience dominates.
Because this is slow, the impatient will be put off.
Quietly unfolding is a disappearance mystery, and perhaps Ichiko’s story.
Based on a manga, followed by Winter, Spring.

I reworked subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/little-forest-summerautumn/english/2691929

Just A Sigh - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Le Temps de l’aventure

Struggling actress returns to Paris for audition.
Forgets her phone charger, travels with insufficient funds.
The casting director even inquires, ungallantly, how old she is.
Nonetheless, she spies a fellow damaged soul on the train, and crashes a funeral to meet him.
“Missed love” tale of passing ships. The broken hearted and the abandoned lover.
Bittersweet, yet hopeful story of trying to connect with another.

Beyond The Lights - 2014 - 6/10

Musical / drama / love story.
Off duty cop, working security for singing sensation, halts her lame suicide attempt.
Will Fate draw them together? Will they fall in love?
Neither seem to be living their own lives, but instead follow “the plan” of their parents.
Nice quota of tunes. Lip syncing by the star, and MTV montages with chart toppers.
What struck me by the end was that the lead characters had more or less switched roles and destinies.
I don’t think that was deliberate, either.
Had trouble with the love story, too.

Auschwitz: The Nazis and the Final Solution - 2005 - 8/10

Outstanding six part documentary of infamous camp.
Digging deeper than the usual horror parade, this shows the early role of the camp, before its metamorphosis into a killing machine.
At first it was intended for political prisoners, then Russian POWs, eventually Jews and all enemies.
Actors employed, as well as reenactments, though producers restrained themselves.
One unforgettable sequence is a lengthy photo montage of children heading into annihilation.
Another sequence is of a camp survivor, returning to her village, finding her home and possessions appropriated by neighbors.
Pointed reminder for idealistic birds who declare such things shall never happen again!

Borderland: The Mural Murders - 2021 - 5/10
AKA - Sorjonen: Muraalimurhat

Opening shot, the hooded person stands before the suspended corpse, draining blood.
Next scene, bystanders stare at the crimson mural, painted in bright red blood!
Alas, the hooded artist is not Banksy. Neither does blood dry a lurid red.
The lead inspector, mystified, consults a genius mentor, now in a mental institution.
Yep, the nutty cop trope. Another overused crutch warning me of crapola writing ahead.
Various social miscreants have been kidnapped and online voting determines who gets killed.
Interesting – if that line had been pursued. Instead, the narrative consists of abandoned ideas and cameo characters.
Oh yeah, and a brilliant sociopath, imprisoned, whom the authorities release so he can deliver a college lecture!
The writers ought to be ashamed for scribbling such garbage. Even Hallmark Mysteries are better constructed.

Modern Times: Welcome To Mayfair - 2014 - 7/10

Insidious little documentary about one of London’s poshest neighborhoods.
The village Mayfair.
Rich residents, we only hear from one or two.
Not surprisingly, honest views come from pensioners who live in the old servant’s quarter.
What? Affordable digs in Mayfair? Apparently so.
Most of the chat, and the general drift of the narrative, flows from tradesmen.
Estate agents, shopkeepers, florists, the couple that run the tiny cafe.
Realtors do spectacular business as properties sell for millions of quid without ever getting listed.
Buyers range from nouveau riche to crusty money. Arab princes, footballers, Russian billionaires.
Most are shadows who covet an address, yet rarely abide in the neighborhood.
True casualties are the tiny shops. The fabric that weave and nourish any village.
One by one, they are squeezed out, replaced by Bulgaria, Tiffany, Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Cartier, Armani.
Global chains who peddle expensive bangles, mass produced in faraway factories.
Such is the sweep of life, however. Places alter, evolve, crumble.
The poor get displaced, the middle class cannot keep pace, the cost of living soars out of reach.

Abuse Of Weakness - 2013 - 7/10
AKA - Abus de Faiblesse

One of those films that might impel you to hurl rocks at the screen.
Isabelle Huppert more or less plays Catherine Breillat who directed and wrote the screenplay for this.
Based on her own unfortunate - maddeningly foolish - experiences.
Film director suffers a stroke, spends months regaining her abilities.
During that time she scripts her next film, even sees the man she wants to cast as male lead.
A con man, embezzler, thief, hustler, scam artist.
Despite friends and family repeatedly warning her to eject him from her life, she gets enmeshed deeper with him.
He always has a big deal afoot, and needs investment capital.
As in . . . her cheques.
Most of the lines and excuses he uses a high school girl would roll her eyes at.
There were times during the film, audience members were shouting out loud at her.

Kinky Boots: The Musical - 2019 - 7/10

Theatre junkies, kick up your heels!
The shoe factory is on financial life support, soon to expire.
Customers want cheap, not quality built to last.
New boss Charlie opts to revamp the product line, focusing on boots with sturdy spiked heels.
Is there a niche market for these? Dare you ask.
Will there be songs? Yes, hook laden and memorable!
Surprisingly excellent adaptation of the 2005 film.

I, Daniel Blake - 2016 - 6/10

Cheerless tale of everyman Daniel Blake.
Carpenter, out of work after a heart attack, caught in the “medical care” bureaucracy.
Mr Blake fills out forms, meets Nat’l Health reps, watches his money and time decline.
He tries to remain hopeful and earnest throughout, but the system is broken and pitiless.
Those of you familiar with director Ken Loach know what to expect.
Others, this will be an enervating, if not preordained, slog.

Chambers, Robert - A Little Yellow Book Of Carcosa And Kings

By any other name, “The King In Yellow”.
Most have either read this book, or own it, or plan to do one or the other.
Consequently, I shall talk about this particular edition, issued by Borderlands Press.
The boards are a sickly yellow, altogether fitting, with faded gold endpapers. The frontispiece is a 1900 photo of the Dragon Court, since demolished. The book itself is small sized, easy to hold and easy to hide, should the need arise.
The four sections of the book are generously footnoted. Those annotations are my chief problem and eye-rolling lament. The numbers don’t always match up. Usually, the notes appear below the text, sometimes in the text itself.
The notes themselves range from helpful to trifling.
Said errors, picayune as they are, ought to have been caught / corrected.
This is an increasingly common complaint, but I do wish presses would muster extra eyes to examine galley proofs.

The Dragon Of Macao - 1965 - 6/10
AKA - Makao no Ryû // マカオの竜

The fabulous Himalayan Star diamond has been stolen, and is now in the hands of Aizu, head of a modern day gang of pirates.
Also coveting the jewel is a yakuza gang, and two shady characters from Hong Kong.
Into the melee arrives the Dragon, a stoical fixer with a briefcase stuffed with cash.
Lively programmer with fast paced action, double-crosses, plenty of gun fights, and a incendiary lighter.
Bewitching femmes compensate for a plot that is often a jumble.
Not bad, not great. For fans of Nikkatsu actioners.

Barefoot - 2014 - 6/10

Far-fetched romantic comedy of hustler who meets wide eyed naive soul in mental hospital.
The hustler is a ne’er-do-well, heavily in debt to criminals.
He takes the girl back to his rich New Orleans family to pass as his girlfriend as he tries to weasel money .
Predictable, by the numbers, and the premise of using that girl is fairly creepy.
Evan Ward’s portrayal is luminous, though.
She nails this childlike innocent and glows throughout. Viewers might start looking at the world through her eyes.

Despite preconceptions, less awful than feared.
Mind you - syrupy, romantic date movie all the way.

Forbidden Planet - 1956 - 7/10

Earth expeditionary force travels to far flung, scientific outpost, which has become incommunicado.
On arrival, officers meet the lone survivors: the colony’s linguist and his daughter.
All other scientists and colonials had been slaughtered by a mysterious, unstoppable force.
Long dormant, the murderous force reawakens.
Your grandfather’s SciFi, vintage yet quite watchable.
Eerie electronic score, good special effects (consider the year), and planet interior sets that are still impressive.
One of the few psychological SciFi’s, though that aspect is a bit heavy handed.

The Weeping House Of Qala - 2018 - 7/10
AKA - Hemm Dar il-Qala

“I have a great idea! There’s a house where I live, supposedly haunted. Why don’t you shoot a documentary there?”
So declares Aaron to the film production head, and eventually Aaron shows the way into the derelict home.
The film crew, a mix of scoffers and the superstitious, soon hear more than bumps and creaks.
Do they flee? Do they ever?
The chief character is the house, filled with spirits of those who lived inside before coming to bitter ends.
Well done dark house horror, filmed in Malta.

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie - 2016 - 6/10

I thought I had escaped, that this was forgotten, then my wife spied it in a bargain bin for 66₯.
Tired comedy that is twenty years too late and tries too hard.
Apart from Lumley, the cast has visibly aged. Physically, and their characters seem much older.
Patsy, though, is in fine form.
Story is of Edwina chasing Kate Moss to be her agent, idly killing Moss, then fleeing to France.
There are laughs in this, more in the final act.
If one condensed the best jokes and lines, you would have a great half hour episode.
Bloated and soggy. Stick with the original series.

The Love Punch - 2013 - 4/10

Tedious, forced comedy, undermined further with a totally implausible script and broad over-acting.
Felt like rehashed 60’s farce.
Pierce Brosnan (who looks ill here) plays soon-to-retire tycoon who sells business, only to discover he sold to a corporate raider who emptied all accounts, including pensions. His included.
With ex-wife (Emma Thompson) and two friends he decides to crash the raider’s wedding and steal a diamond worth £10 million.
OK, call me jaded. £10 million is the haul? For pensions, his ex’s retirement, kids’ money, etc … £10 million?
Moreover, didn’t his company have lawyers or accountants to protect the finances? Or litigate afterward?
Pensions are usually sacrosanct. Separate from all other elements of negotiations. So I never bought that angle.
Their method of crashing a wedding - which I shall not spoil - is preposterous.
(Trust me, Zelda and I have crashed our share of weddings, domestic and abroad.)
Film is OK enough for undemanding souls in the mood for corn.

The Master Key - 1945 - 6/10

Universal serial set in 1938, before WWII.
Secret Nazis and Nazi sympathizers plan to buy up all the US manufacturing companies and corporations they can.
That way, once war starts, they will own the States.
To accomplish their task, they need money - lots of it.
Fortunately, they have copied the “Orotron,” a device that can extract an endless supply of gold from sea water.
Combating this conspiracy is one FBI agent, one police detective, and a plucky female newspaper reporter.
Luckily for them, there is an empty theater hall nearby, filled with juvenile delinquents who don’t like Nazis, either.
Fast paced cliffhanger with fairly good twists - the usual cheats, nice cast, inventive plot.

Guilty Bystander - 1950 - 6/10

Georgia tracks down her ex-husband, ex-cop, now working as house dick in a grungy dump.
He fits in just fine – he’s a lush.
Still, Georgia’s brother is missing, along with her and her ex’s toddler son.
Max, after a few belts of whiskey, heads out.
Cheap Noir benefits from creative cinematography and sleazy set design.
The plot, a feeble muffin, is a who’s-got-it mystery.
Max’s stumbling, lurching hunt (yeah, still drinking) staggers from one odd character to another.

Certainly not top Noir, yet this will be fine for hardcore buffs of the genre.

Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/guilty-bystander/english/2670747

Heron-Allen, Edward - The Princess Daphne

One of three ghost-written novels Heron-Allen penned for/with actress Selina Dolaro.
Published in 1885, Daphne fits in with other novels of the era. We meet a bright set of young aspirants, creative hopefuls. More bourgeois than bohemian; they have nice digs, eat rich, and are terribly well mannered. These are not the decadents of the fin de siècle.
The novel moseys around for 100 pages before tightening around a trio of couples.
While geographically apart, they are more similar than not. Weaving the couples are money, inspiration and mesmerism. This last element may be the lure for modern curiosity seekers. In this instance, mesmerism is less hypnotism and more astral projection. Think of the Rosicrucians.
The novel is narrated by an unseen member of the opening clutch of friends, and his wordiness borders on overly florid.
The Romantic era – to be candid, Romance tinges the characters and proceedings. An undercurrent of surprising sexuality runs throughout. Pacing moves back and forth from yawn inducing to full gallop. I would read immersed, than change my mind and think, “get on with it.”
There are two other novels in this trilogy of ghost written works by Heron-Allen. I hope to read the other two. My copy is brand new. Perfect bound, done imperfectly. Some pages are already falling out. Sign of the times, I fear, especially with large sized perfect bound books. Buyer beware.