Vultural

Film World War - Gaith

Overview - An interesting sweep of World War II, as viewed through the lens of film, no documentaries or newsreels. About ten minutes of historical background (mankind’s deep rooted bloodlust), which could have been excised. Following WWII, an afterword which fitted well.

Audio = 128 kbps AAC, 2-Channel stereo. No subs. There is intermittent voiceover.

Narrative - Gaith provides year by year signposts (1940-1941-1942). Viewers who did not snooze during History 101 will tag along fine. Nevertheless, this is, by design, jumpy. In addition, there are few recurring characters to hold onto. There is a chronological timetable, but no narrative.

Enjoyment - To be honest, I watched this, dumbfounded at first, thereafter curious. What the hell was Gaith going to do next, I wondered.

This is a mix of histories, timelines, figures, anecdotes, and sheer fiction.
The first warning came when The Mummy’s Imhotop was referenced.
Followed by the Rocketeer, Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes, you get the idea.
Historically accurate? Well, no.
On the other hand, as one gets older, we realize “history” is ofttimes a blend of fact and myth.
This is what Gaith delivered.
Who is to say the Thermians interpretation of Earth history is any better or worse than Gaith’s WWII?
In many ways, this seems like the stepchild to Brother, Can You Spare A Dime (1975).

For whatever reason, this is not on FE (as of today’s date).
Curious to view? PM Gaith direct, or check his thread at FE.

Blade Runner - The Nexus-7 Cut - Krausfadr

Replicants loose in downtown Los Angeles, near future (anyone who thinks we will be offworld by 2049 is myopic). Anyway, replicants roaming free, who ya gonna call?

Video - 3400 X 1600p AVC. Holy moly, I know where the filesize is here! How much did I pay for my disc at Az? $30.00. This is better looking! Period.

Audio - 640 kbps, 5.1 AC3. 2 tracks, one without narration, both 5.1. I saw this theatrically 3-4 times, and was always comfortable with Decker’s Noirish commentary. Here, Krausfadr has pruned much of it.

Narrative - This is fix and not a mix, so nothing is changed. The ending is somewhat unresolved, and the unicorn abides. Unless you are deeply into Blade Runner, the unicorn is an enigma.

Enjoyment - The video on this is breathtaking. I don’t even have a 4K screen, but even on my plasm it is remarkable. I was truly concerned that Krausfadr might have overly brightened the image, resulting in seeing too much. All sorts of props and sets that Scott hid with shadows and smoke.
I appreciate the Krausfadr kept part of the narration on a separate track. I viewed this several times when it originally screened, and that was the version I was accustomed to. The editor kept narration that explains points, removed narration that restates the obvious. Excellent choices, by the way.

This ain’t at FE! What the hell?

Jaws 2: Extended Integral - RidgeShark

How many times have I viewed Jaws 2? Five? A dozen? I live with two shark obsessed females, which means I get to see good shark flicks and a school of bad ones. And to me, Jaws 2 is a bad one.

Filesize = 13.4 GB. Video = 1920 X 1080 HEVC. Audio = kbps AAC 2-Channel stereo. Subs, well sorta.

This is too much of a good thing. Every single lost or cut scene is reinserted. For finatics, this is great.
Some bits are 4 X 3, and I sorta wished the editor had mildly cropped top and bottom, as well as increased contrast and sharpness. The contrast and sharpness for other lost bits, too. Such might defeat the editor’s vision.

This remains and unsatisfying film for me (mind you, the two I watched this edit with were ecstatic).
Regular film, extended edition, the kids ought to have died. All of ’em.

Finally, 13 GB struck me as big for h265.

Black Lagoon: S01 Recut - Common-Eye

Filesize = 124 MB (yes). Video = 854 X 480p HEVC. Audio = 129 kbps AAC, 2-Channel stereo.

Heavy cut of Season 1 of this action anime. Somewhat too close to the bone for me.
The first section, the kidnapping, is truncated almost to incoherence.
The essentials are there, but little else. In fact, this edit bounds along until the U-boat section.
Mission is explained, tactics, actions, twists.
The last section is pretty good, as well, though more of a shooter game.
What is missing from this, aside from Roberta, is the dialogue.
The conversations, observations, philosophies, are one of the quiet strengths of this series.
I suspect the editor found these too much “My Dinner With Andre.”
Too bad, for these lulls are what elevated this series above most screaming fighting anime.
(Closing credits display hardsubbed lyrics. Those should be masked or cropped,)

You’re Next - 2013 - 6/10

Justly praised slasher flick, for many reasons.
Family gathered at remote, grand home, for parents’ anniversary, gets attacked by killers wearing masks.
For the baddies, events go amiss owing to one of the visiting girlfriends, a survivalist.
Gore is there, but not as much as gorehounds expect. Not gratuitous, either.
Off kilter mix of savagery, suspense, and humor. Story glides between darkness and black comedy.
Example would be the “lamb mask”.
Few lulls and fewer heroes. Turns predictable after the major reveals.
Great nod to Dwight Twilley, too.

Troll Hunter - 2010 - 6/10

Someone is killing bears in Norway. Only specific hunters are granted a license, and they suspect illegal poaching.
One van in particular which is battered all to hell and reeks of stench, draws their gaze.
College students, filming a documentary, pick up on the whispers and begin to trail the van and its bearded, unfriendly occupant.
The deeper into forests they drive, the more secrets and legends they uncover.

Generally, I dislike “found footage” films. Lazy filmmaking. Boring pace, ignorant (read stupid) characters, less than amateurish photography.
None of those flaws apply here.
The narrative moves along, lingering to explain as needed. Student filmmakers seem normal, not stereotyped templates. Moreover, main character Hans, the hunter, is focused and decisive. He always knows where he is going and why. Finally, the cinematography is well done. Troll Hunter resembles an actual documentary, rather than spit and paste slapdash.

I can’t quite label this a Horror film, those seeking frights and chills will be disappointed.
Good popcorn movie, nonetheless.

Body Jumper - 2001 - 4/10
AKA - Pop Weed Sayong // ปอบ หวีด สยอง

Thai masterpiece.
Busload of students teach impoverished natives exercise to improve their wretched lives.
Malcontent wino heckles them that their village beyond help, it is cursed.
Late night, the hottest girl from the bus bathes in the haunted lake and is swiftly possessed by liver eating ghost.
Two heartbeats later, students back in Bangkok, and the once-shy girl now has an appetite for boyfriends.
Guys who soon turn jaundice yellow and die of liver failure.
More comedy than horror, comedy also silly and juvenile, though plot points are inventive.
Of course she is harvesting livers. Their backs is to her, briefs down, shortest route = the back entrance.
Add a gushy transgender, an out of place dance party, chases through ventilator ducts, a flying shaman with umbrella and magic condoms, and you have non-demanding craziness.

To The Devil A Daughter - 1978 - 6/10

Good adaptation of the Dennis Wheatley novel, and apparently a labor of love for Christopher Lee.
A young nun is sent from Bavaria to England to await instructions.
She has been raised in near-isolation and does not know her role will be that of vessel.
Unfortunately for the scheming demon worshipers, the girl is intercepted and hidden by an American horror novelist.
The story then becomes a high stakes, cat n mouse contest between good and evil.
A power cast leads a fast moving story across a well shot London landscape.
The pace moves, hiding plot holes huge enough for an ocean liner. Otherwise, fun.
Final Hammer horror outing for the next thirty years.

The Gorgon - 1964 - 6/10

Atmospheric Horror film with Cushing and Lee.
Teutonic village plagued during full moon when hapless victims are turned to stone.
Why was the Gorgon in that village to begin with?
One of several unanswered questions in handsome, albeit lethargic, Hammer production.
Well thought out set design with grays and slate exteriors to match the stone and rock motif.
Interiors awash in intense colors, hallmark of the Technicolpr process.
Reason I noted all that was because the pace was slow - slow - slow.
Minutes pass as characters methodically walk about those crafted sets.
Cushing mostly seen in first half of film, Lee in second.
For Dr. Who fans, head of police was Patrick Troughton.
Fine for classic film buffs, though this might put modern fans to sleep.

The Devil Rides Out - 1968 - 6/10

Hammer adaptation of the Wheatley shocker.
Satanist Charles Gray wants to initiate two young acolytes.
Opposing him is one of the young man’s friends, Christopher Lee.
Gorgeous production values, the film bolts fast from the onset, turns talky two thirds through.
Gray is a powerful villain, neat trick against Lee who was at an early peak.
When this originally aired, the book, from the 30’s, was still a heavy seller.
Thus, original viewers understood the ending, while later audiences might well go, “Say what?”
Great rainy night Gothic horror.

Warm Bodies - 2014 - 6/10

To paraphrase the oft moaned female lament,
“He couldn’t keep it up.”
Zombie film as told from a detached, wry, dryly humorous soul.
Hmm, do zombies even possess souls?
Pointedly funny, satirical contrast of those disconnected vs. those dead.
Thirty minutes on, love enters the narrative and the edge wilts.
Movie turns romantic, then preachy, ultimately sappy.
For zombie gourmands, very few unhappy meals in this one.

Possessed - 2009 - 6/10
AKA - Bulsinjiok // 불신지옥

Korean horror / thriller / mystery.
Young woman starts investigating disappearance of sister from skanky apartment complex.
Residents are alcoholics, religious nuts, nervous sorts.
Doesn’t help that since the girl went missing, they have started dying, one by one.
First half of film packed with symbolism, which yields to conflicts between faith and superstition.
Went from mystery to obsession. The transition is weak and my interest wavered in the second half.
Gray and cold looking film casts an air of melancholy throughout.
Film also known as Living Death, Disbelief Hell, Hell Of The Non Believers, the latter makes more sense.

It! The Terror From Beyond Space - 1958 - 5/10

No, from Mars, dammit. Not beyond space, Mars.
Sheesh, talk about misleading titles.
Supposedly the template for Alien which was why I picked this howler.
Not that I need any help, I select bad films all the time.
So … our spacecraft gets stuck on Mars and waits six months (!!) for rescue ship.
Only the captain survives and he is to be taken back to Earth for court martial.
Ship carries a stowaway, however. It!
Creature begins to hunt and kill crew one by one. Especially in the ducts.
For an interplanetary vessel, the ship is well stocked with pistols, rifles, grenades, even a bazooka!
During battles, I was yelling about explosions and oxygen. What do I know?
OK enough late night time waster, but for fans wanting an Alien fix, this ain’t it.

Santo And Vengeance Of The Mummy - 1970 - 5/10
AKA - Santo en la Venganza de la Momia

An ancient tomb is discovered deep in the Mexican jungle and a expedition team is assembled.
Professors, overseers, chef, porters, camera girl, secretary, and a masked wrestler.
You never know when you might need those luche libra skills, and need them bad.
Warning outside the crypt: Do not enter lest the curse — Of course they enter.
Then on the Olmec mummy: Do not touch the sacred necklace or — They remove the necklace.
Deaths follow soon and often, as the mummy proves adept with bow and arrow.
Plot races by, and the mummy back story has stock footage of an uncredited Aztec movie.
Wrestling matches in Mexico City Arena bookend the film.

Blood From The Mummy’s Tomb - 1971 - 5/10

Large cast of familiar Hammer players wasted in Egyptian reincarnation theme.
Professor’s beautiful daughter keeps having dreams about Egyptian princess, with whom she bears an uncanny resemblance.
The mummy, in the care of the professor, is stunningly preserved.
No moldy, rotting strips of cloth. No, sir.
The dead princess wears a few radiant silks and gold jewelry covering strategic areas.
Otherwise, she is all flawless skin and most of that exposed.
The plot is stale formula, pace is lethargic, the sets quite cheap looking, camera work static.
Definitely not up the usual Hammer standards.
Watchable if alternatives are shopping channel or Ask The Celebrity.

You’ll Find Out - 1940 - 5/10

Wasted opportunity in this musical / comedy / horror / mystery mishmash.
Old dark mansion, perched on a cliff over a pounding surf, under thunder and lightning skies, provide the setting for young girl’s 21st birthday party.
Kay Kyser and his Kollege Of Musical Knowledge provide the entertainment, and is also, sadly, the chief focus of the film.
Kyser and bandmates seem too old for their slapstick and silly antics. Musical numbers are unmemorable.
Plot creeps along, the humor is flat out corny.
Rather young and earnest Dennis O’Keefe (future Noir stalwart) is underused.
The three main villains, though, really shine. They steal every single scene, and effortlessly ooze the sinister, the conniving, the scheming.

No ifs - ands - or buts - the film ought to have been about this trio of old pros.

Asamatsu, Ken - Inverted Kingdom: Tales Of The Hidden Gods 2

The opener, “The Horror In The Kabuki Theatre” is the longest and most challenging work in this collection. Challenging because it is filled with names I was not familiar with. Aside from the artist Hokusai, most were playwrights and performers, along with a producer or two. The story explains how evil or misguided souls misused the theater to crack a fissure into another reality, allowing older gods a foothold back into this world. Fans of HPL will recognize this all too well. And hey! The titles seems like a riff on “The Horror IN The Museum.”
“Taste Of The Snake’s Honey” is a decadent stroll into drugs, slavery, debauched sex, and jaded attempts to relieve excruciating ennui. Our protagonist inherits his father’s international trading firm, as well as his father’s long time Shanghainese partner. All is permitted, including the corpse.
I imagine all cultures share certain taboos. Such as, no matter how cheap the rent, living next to the cemetery may not be wise. Or, once family members exhibit deteriorating symptoms, do not tarry departure. Of course, many horror franchises rely on individuals ignoring warnings, as does our hero in “Summoned By The Shadows.”
He is an overworked, unlucky taxi driver. As his wife spirals, he clutches the hope things will improve, that they will save enough money to move. Just a little more time.

Heartless - 2009 - 5/10

Gloomy horror.
Photographer with disfiguring heart-shaped birthmark on his face roams London’s midnight streets.
Sees murderers under hoodies in action.
Hold on. Are those lizards under the hoodies?
Next, he is summoned by a demon. A proposal is extended, in exchange for services.
This really ought to be fun times, but the protagonist is a downer.
Even when he scores, he screws up.
Needs more lizards, less thinking.

The Woman In Black 2: Angel Of Death - 2014 - 4/10

The cursed house out on the moors returns.
Timeline has moved to 1941. London children are being relocated to escape the height of the Blitz.
Two women are in charge of about eight kids, one of whom was orphaned in a bomb raid the night before.
The younger woman senses something is the house is not quite right, and investigates noises in the middle of the night. The nearby village offers hints, but that gets ignored in the story.
Children squabble, children perish.
Sadly, that pretty much describes the entire plot.
Scares are all gotcha stings, as you couldn’t care less about a single character.
Cheap, pathetic Horror film, that follows the laziest, sleaziest route - placing children in danger.
Writers, producers, director - all ought to be shunned for two years for that.
Clever photography masks shoddy sets and budget production values.
Ostensibly a Hammer film, it is dark and murky throughout. None of the legendary Hammer color here.

Throwback - 2013 - 4/10

Noticed this dubious winner on the shelf, read terrible reviews.
Grabbed it anyway. Marshmallow for brains here.
Of particular note was writer / director / producer = same name.
Likewise producer / star. Small cast alert.
Australian bush prospectors are hunting for lost treasure of legendary Thunderclap Newman.
They find treasure relatively easily, but then they get found by the Yowie.
Think Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti. Huge furry creature who must be miserable under the Australia sun.
Beautiful photography cannot overcome dreadful editing.
Almost every single scene goes on two - three beats too long. Whole film is padded.
Minimal verbal exchanges, which is OK, but also minimal action and no twists or decent story telling.

The Swallow And Titmouse - 1924 - 7/10
AKA - L’Hirondelle et la Mésange

The two men seem to get along fine, Captain Pierre and new hand Michel.
Pierre has two barges, the afore mentioned Swallow and Titmouse.
They ply the canals between Antwerp and northern France.
Moving construction goods – and perhaps a bit of smuggling.
Of which the smiling, obliging Michel is determinedly curious.

Film may be too slow for some, enthralling for others.
The restoration is superb. The music, evoking a liquid current, marries well.
Most of all are the images of lost habits, parades, exteriors.
Postcard views of the world between wars, which WWII would erase.

Gimme The Loot - 2012 - 6/10

Graffiti artists Malcolm and Sophia labor all night on a new mural, only to see it completely tagged and defaced the next day by rival gangs.
Their newest “exhibition” is to sneak into Mets ballpark and tag the home run sign.
Oh, and they need $500. Easier said than done.
Bleak comedy trails the rather amoral pair as they steal cans of spray paint, only to get robbed and hustled themselves.
For those who think New York is Sex And The City, this is a refreshing dose of reality.
Quite a fun show. (Best get subtitles. Hood slang is hard to follow sometimes.)

Britain’s Great War - 2014 - NA (not finished)

Documentary on World War I that I had been looking forward to viewing.
Jeremy Paxman, who wrote the acclaimed book on which this is based, is the presenter.
Alas, he is too much of a good thing, at least for me.
Maybe I am getting tired of the presenter / tour guide format.
Mr Paxman is seems to be in almost every single scene.
His dead serious expression and over earnest delivery usurp maps, newsreels, archived interviews.
It’s not like I have not seen WWI docs before, I have watched plenty. A few I have recommended.
Not this one, however. The omnipresent tour guide wore me out.

Stax-Volt Revue - 1967 - 8/10

Video quality is soft, audio is sufficient.
Nevertheless, this captures one of the greatest live shows ever!
Artists include Booker T & The MG’s, Eddie Floyd, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding.
Each act pours on passion and intensity, as each act must follow and top the preceding.
Leaving Otis, the headliner, and at the peak of his career, to bring the audience to their knees.
An absolute must for classic Soul fans.

Paddington 2 - 2017 - 7/10

I certainly never thought a Paddington film would ever grace my screen again.
Especially after I roundly disparaged the first outing, which seemed modeled on the cartoon series.
This has the heart and charm of Bond’s books and stories, though.
Paddington works jobs and saves money to buy a book for his Aunt Lucy, still in the Home For Retired Bears.
The book, a pop-up affair, is stolen, and Paddington and the Brown family get involved.
A gallery of guest stars and cameos add to the fast moving enjoyment.
Listen hard enough, and you can almost hear Michael Hordern narrating.