Vultural

A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder - 2021 - 6/10

Fun, socially distant (Covid era) production put on by CollaborAzian.
An all-Asian cast perform this musical cousin of “Kind Hearts And Coronets.”
After Montague’s mother dies, he discovers he is actually a D’Ysquith.
More than that, he is actually eighth in line for the earldom!
Oh, those pesky relatives. Save for the lovely Phoebe, something of a cousin, yet elegant.
Then there is Sibella, catnip personified.
First things first, those heirs, can’t they simply … move along?
As far as the songs, think music hall or Gilbert & Sullivan.
Theatre junkies, comedy tonight!

The Square - 2017 - 6/10

Flux of museum curator, publicity consultants, journalists, benefactors, an innocent.
Not the actual creative forces. No, showmen, touts, hangers on.
Stockholm museum, determined to juice interest in upcoming installation, opts for disturbing gala.
Anyone who has done PR - or rolled their eyes at it - will recognize how some stunts, no matter how moronic or stale, succeed despite themselves, whereas imaginative concepts may be utterly ignored by the unwashed.
The distracted curator is a poor father, thoughtless lover, bully to children.
Insider satire may be too icy and too incestuous for its own good.

I had a couple fundraising gigs for “non-profit” arts groups.
Their appetite for money would astonish many. Just how much was taken in and spent.
I was good, coaxing mid-sized Poobahs to donate so they could admire their names in guides
Until I was fired. Next year, I was recalled.
When money is involved, the arts world has little shame.

Just Like A Woman - 2012 - 6/10

Chick flick hits the road.
Two women flee Chicago for a belly dance competition in Santa Fe.
To pay for fuel and supplies, they perform at bars and clubs along the way.
Fabulous outdoor scenery provides backdrop to confessions and fears.
Unlike other traveling souls who seem drawn to trouble, these two try to avoid it.
Their past trails after them, however, and free spirits always capture attention.

The Museum - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Yr Amgueddfa

Daniel, right, brings new mate / love stud, Caleb, to the museum gala.
Whereupon Caleb immediately puts the moves on Dan’s mom, Della.
And Della, apparently as heedless as she is weak, succumbs and opens the velvet temple.
First episode of a corkscrew puzzler from Wales.
Believe me, there are twists and turns throughout this labyrinth of schemes and secrets.
At times, this is a little too contrived from its own good.
Soap opera elements detract from the mystery angles.

Vilgefortz, non-English would be no good to me, but I still think you ought to offer for others.
You could upload an srt and put a link in this thread somewhere.
Or I could load to Subscene for you.
Most subbers credit themselves at the beginning and conclusion, which you should do, if you decide to share.

The Double - 2013 - 6/10

How come I never heard of this one?
Oh, because it was way too confusing and artsy for 98% of the planet?
Evocative Orwellian set design, straight out of Brazil sets the tone of an oppressive worker drone state.
Insecure, nebbishy Jesse Eisenberg bobbles adrift in vast, gloomy, mega-corporation, going nowhere fast.
Then his double, Jesse Eisenberg, arrives, swaggering confidence and gusto.
The pair meet, and the charismatic one offers to help his meek counterpart.
Viewers can spot that L for loser across his forehead.
Bleak, often wickedly funny film based on Dostoyevsky story.

The Mystery Of Henri Pick - 2019 - 7/10
AKA - Le Mystère Henri Pick

Publisher Daphné hears about a peculiar library devoted to rejected books.
Manuscripts that other presses had refused to publish.
By chance, she comes across the one by Henri Pick, recently deceased pizza maker.
Once printed it becomes a massive best-seller, lauded by critics and casuals alike.
Save for Jean-Michel, TV critic, who declares the whole business is dubious.
From there, into the maze he scuttles, with viewers tagging behind.
Light comedy with a bitter edge will suit reading types, who will be better at catching the sly jokes.

Big Sur - 2013 - 7/10

Languid adaptation of Kerouac’s novel, focusing on a couple of stays at Ferlinghetti’s mountain cabin.
Slow going and meandering, yet enjoyable for fans of the author and the Beats.
Kerouac is older here, haggard, and well on his descent into alcoholism.
Opening paraphrase sums up the curse of fame and expectation -
“All over America high school and college kids are thinking Jack Kerouac is 26 years old and on the road hitchhiking, while there I am, almost 40 years old, bored and jaded,”
Might be difficult for those who know the Beats through movies, not their writings.

Ah! If you do subs, please share.
And I’m one of those for whom large filesizes are problematic.
Usually they are OK, unless internet goes out and I lose the whole damn thing.

The new ambush preview sounds good, by the way.

Grand Budapest Hotel - 2013 - 6/10

Is it just me? How is this shaggy dog tale such a critical darling?
Narrative supposedly shows hotel in its glorious heyday, especially the ever attentive manager, and how it came to fall into the possession of the current, and possibly final manager.
Story itself is a series of onion like recollections, each more stylized, more fabricated the deeper memory probed.
Stunning set design counterbalanced by mannered performances of oddballs and kooks.
Anderson’s films are always worth a look, but the overall look and tone begin to feel repetitive.

Ferris Wheel At Night - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Yakou Kanransha // 夜行観覧車

Warning! This J-dorama is like a female hormonal tornado.
Family moves into exclusive, posh community they can barely afford.
Straight away, neighbors regard them with disdain and belittle them numerous times.
At school, the daughter is bullied. Across the street, a brutal murder.
No mistake, while seemingly a “chick drama," secrets and conspiracies increasingly predominate.
Perfect families, perfect neighborhoods, and those brittle, perfect facades that conceal so much.
Cleverly constructed to punch emotional buttons.

Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work - 2010 - 7/10

Documentary following the comedian for a year.
I had viewed this when it came out, but watched this time with her audio commentary.
In many ways, funnier, with merciless self awareness.
Rivers packs the commentary with jokes, one-liners, sarcasm, and confessions.
Sensitive souls, beware, there is foul language galore, as well as an early sequence of her sans makeup.

You are one of the old school members. Chances are you were active during the Boon tenure.
What are you making with Ladyhawke?
An mp4? Or a DVD with menu and trailer?
Fewer craft the latter nowadays.

The Stranger (Eyes Of A Stranger) - Maniac

Excellent, concise version of a middling slasher / stalker flick.
A serial killer prowls Miami streets, primarily at night.
The police are … what police? Only a perky TV newscaster seems interested.
Especially after she hones in on a suspect.

Filesize = 7.3 GB. Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC. Audio = 1536 kbps 5.1 DTS. No subs.

The image in this is pretty good, especially during night sequences.
Slashers were never demo time for crisp imaging.
The cuts boil the narrative down to bones and pulp, omitting several superfluous characters.
To be honest, most of the characters could have been jettisoned, all served as props to push plot.
The DTS is very strong, in fact, it is better than this film deserves.
At barely an hour, this dark thriller might conclude while you have a few cans left of your sixpack.

Home Invasion (Don’t Breath 1 and 2) - Maniac

Excellent combination of two thrillers, with perfect segue from the first one to the second.

Filesize = 11 GB. Video = 1920 X 1080 AVC. Audio = 1536 kbps 5.1 DTS. No subs.

Continuing a trend within the community, the filesize is a whopping 11 GB.
(For me, I simply can’t burn a copy which I regret.)
The first film, better, fresher, is a hardboiled caper gone to hell.
As always with this editor, DB1 is trimmed to bare essentials. Not that viewers care about the “intruders” except to see how they will be dispatched.
The second effort launches with new ward, Phoenix, who has target stamped on her head.
Baddies are more lethal and Mr. Lang absorbs enough abuse to kill an elephant.
Early on, a news alert drops the hint about a missing medico. That should have been removed.
The sound mix in both films will satisfy you and annoy your roomies. The tiniest sounds are picked up, and when it roars, brace for complaints.
That said, the dialogue in the DB2 was always murky, and is no better here. Most of the villains mumble and seem incomprehensible. This is the sound designer, loading layers of audio yet forgetting to maximize dialogue. Being a source issue, don’t blame the faneditor.
The ending felt like quitting time. The original wasn’t much better.
Maniac wisely cut Phoenix, though the bit with the dog might have been a better outro.

Blue Steel 44 (Blue Steel 1990) - Maniac

Rookie cop Megan interrupts a convenience store holdup, and accidentally awakens a germinating serial killer.

Filesize = 7 GB. Video = 1920 X 1080 AVC. Audio = 1536 kbps 5.1 DTS. No subs.

Straight off, this is not Megan’s story, so much as it is that of an increasingly violent exchange broker (an intense Ron Silver).
This edit is stripped to that narrative, it is extremely tight and works throughout.
Note should be made to the audio specs. The DTS is a beast.
Maniac has tweaked the gunfire which explodes from your speakers.
If you are watching this with the volume turned up, your neighbors will know.
This is an editor who continues to learn and up his game.

Hitler: Memories Of The Past (Triumph Of The Will) - Maniac

I reviewed this several years ago at another site.
At the time, I voiced serious issues I had with the result. Insufficient subtitles.
Maniac overhauled his edit and delivers a superior second version.

Filesize = 4.32 GB. Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC. Audio = 192 kbps 2-Channel stereo AC-3. Subtitled throughout.

The image for Riefenstahl’s 1934 film is sharp, the quality for “Night And Fog” less so, and “Memory Of The Camps” runs fair to poor. This is source material so do not blame the editor.
One watches the 1934 Nuremberg rally unfold, and then the narrative shifts to the camps.
This is jarring, and well done. The blunt juxtaposition of pomp and pageantry, and atrocity. Words vs. deeds.
The speeches are now subtitled, which vastly improves the contradictions of “the coming Reich” and “what the Reich became.”
Music additions were mixed for me. I thought the opening, aerial sequences worked, and the score for the closing was haunting.
At barely an hour, this ought to be mandatory viewing.

Note: The original V1 is available at another fanedit place. Don’t get that one. Go to Maniac’s own site.

Thirst (Raw - 2016) - Maniac

This gory, cannibalistic shocker is tightened and pushed to carnivore maximum.

Filesize = 4.5 GB. Video = 1980 X 1080p mp4. Audio = 317 kbps, 2-Channel AAC. Subtitled throughout. Hardsubs.

The gurgling narrative is boiled down to its essence of meat and ravening hunger.
Odd conflicts and personal dramas are gone from this.
Instead, Justine’s first year at vet school doesn’t mess around. She does, though.
Yet her ride is plunging down a descending roller coaster, one permanently in the twisting tunnel.
One of the surprising joys of this cut is how funny this film is.
That is Maniac’s droll gift, highlighting the gruesome humor throughout.
Much of the over the top antics are laugh out loud. (Perhaps that says more about me.)
Editors, check out opening and closing credits.
Warning! If you are new to Maniac’s edits, this is NOT the one to begin with.
And this, like others, may be an acquired taste. Ha, sorry.

Web Of Deception - 1989 - 6/10
AKA - Jing Hun Ji // 驚魂記

Lawyer Lin, planning to emigrate to Canada, is being blackmailed.
Her friend and assistant, May, might have motive.
In addition, May’s friend Queenie has a desperate financial need for her convict sister.
Then, during a stormy night, everyone winds up in Lin’s dark home.
Muddled Hong Kong thriller has an improvised, cobbled together feel.
As if they had a sketch, rather than a script.
Juicy dual role for Joey Wong, especially as the crazy, vengeful jailbird sister.
No great shakes but will divert Hong Kong fans for an hour or so.

Phantom Thread - 2017 - 7/10

Austere take on the Pygmalion fable.
Dressmaker for London’s high end takes on new girl as model.
He is extremely fastidious, the only soul who understands or who can communicate with him is his sister.
Leisurely paced, desaturated color scheme, the narrative steps along by nuances.
Character study of man with complicated mother issues, the irony being his incredible eye for enhancing female appearance compounded by his tendencies to wound them.
Sound mix is noteworthy. Concentrated silence marred by the tiniest activity.
This will not be for all tastes.
First Paul Anderson film I have actually enjoyed since Boogie Nights.

The Hoodlum - 1951 - 6/10

Ma pleads with the parole board, “He’s a good boy. He’s learned. Please, he’s my son!”
So junior get released, then starts working at his brother’s gas station.
Conveniently located across the street from the bank.
Grade-D Noir with hard as nails, Lawrence Tierney.
Main supporting cast are terrible, including Tierney’s brother, Edward.
Guys portraying the heist crew are fine, and the caper was creative.
Film clocks in at barely an hour, packing bullets, betrayal, and sleaze.
Okay for Noir diehards or Tierney fans.

Army Of Shadows - 1969 - 8/10
AKA - L’armée des Ombres

French Resistance during the German occupation of World War II.
This focuses more on the tedium, the tension, and the loneliness of key members.
Individuals seem to be constantly on the move, relocating from one “safe” house to another.
Missions are small, try to rescue a pilot, deal with a betrayer, recruit, and missions often fail.
Help comes from ordinary people, while armed troops scrutinize the populace.
No lengthy gun battles, pyrotechnic explosions, bombastic heroic music.
Everything is understated and weary.
There are the Germans, the Vichy collaborators, and the weasels.
Lack of glamour possibly evokes the Occupation and Resistance better than other films.

The Wave I Ride - 2015 - 6/10

Surfing doc of Paige Alms, one of the few, very few, females riding big waves.
More than most surf films, this is a character study. Don’t go here for loud music, hyper cut, surf porn.
Paige’s training, injury, support crew, home life, community work, jobs.
Yes, jobs. Being a girl, she doesn’t get the sponsorship that the boys get.
The sport is segregated male / female.
Money also tends to flow to riders working the shore, or – especially – those who model for boards and suits, showing sculpted backsides.
As in many spheres, talent and ability generally lose out to sex appeal.
Paige is genuinely likeable, if a little New Agey.

Le Week-End - 2013 - 6/10

Film references and pays homage to Goddard’s Band Of Outsiders, and features cues by cult fave Nick Drake, yet Le Week-End remains a frustrating, pale reminder.
Narrative follows an older, professorial British couple who return to Paris for their 30th anniversary.
Their original honeymoon room has changed … or perhaps they have.
They bolt, and book the executive suite in a posh hotel.
Bickering, whining, accusations and atrocious behavior soon flow thick and fast.
The scenery was enjoyable - hell, I appreciated the story - a frayed marriage at the end of its rope.
Yet, I disliked the couple. Intensely.
Once they started running, without paying, from every place they went, short-changing waiters, cooks, maids, etc…, “working people,” it was hard to be sympathetic toward them.

Los Angeles Overnight - 2018 - 6/10

Shaggy dog yarn.
Failing, barely working actress overhears a whispered conversation during her waitress gig.
What she caught was a secret, a clue, a puzzle. She needs assistance in solving.
She should have realized bad guys would find her.
Plot is nothing new, characters are oddballs, though not needlessly weird.
Surprise in this sunny Neo Noir is the waitress/actress who is determined to remain in Los Angeles, praying for the mythical big break.
Her desperation to not return to Ma n Pa and the hometown, pushes her actions.