Vultural

Hate to say this, but you might exclude too many.
I have exchanged PMs across numerous forums, discussing the demise of reviews and / or constructive criticism.
Boiled down, writing either seems like homework, or ability has gone dormant, or fear of exposure.
When I first got active on forum boards in 2006 there were easily 10-12 movie reviewers per site.
I patterned my style after two or three individuals.
Ten years on, most surviving forums (boards are a dying breed) were down to had one or two reviewers.
For some, a review is “Awesome!! 10/10” or “Mikey Hits It Outta The Park!!” or “Sucks! -10/10”
Colorful, but lacks details.
For myself, I’d like a general idea before I DL, then give a film / edit an evening I won’t get back.
You should not limit your edits to feedback types. It ain’t gonna happen.
One of the editors (Don Kamino ? maybe) was pretty upfront with “If you see my film, I want a review.”
That attitude irritated me, so I never watched his edit. Truth to tell, it was another Star Wars thing and I was sick to death of watching one tweaked version after another. Editors, be bold!
Sorry for the wall of text. I usually try to keep a low profile on OT.

It appears Babylon 5 may see a reboot.

https://d126flc6chkhco.cloudfront.net/item/Babylon-5-is-being-rebooted-at-The-CW-from-original-series-creator-J-Michael-Straczynski-vaSDAn

“A “from-the-ground-up reboot” of the 1990s Emmy-winning space opera is in development at The CW. “Written by Straczynski, the reboot revolves around John Sheridan (played by Bruce Boxleitner in the original series), an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background, who is assigned to Babylon 5, a five-mile-long space station in neutral space, a port of call for travelers, smugglers, corporate explorers and alien diplomats at a time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war,” according to Deadline. “His arrival triggers a destiny beyond anything he could have imagined, as an exploratory Earth company accidentally triggers a conflict with a civilization a million years ahead of us, putting Sheridan and the rest of the B5 crew in the line of fire as the last, best hope for the survival of the human race.” Babylon 5 premiered in 1994 after the pilot movie aired a year earlier in 1993, ending in 1998 after five seasons. Straczynski won over a dozen awards for his work on the series, including two Hugo Awards, the Saturn Award, the Space Frontier Foundation Award, and the Ray Bradbury Award. Babylon 5 spawned the spinoff Crusade and several movies…”

Three Wise Girls - 1932 - 6/10

Single girls in New York. One struggling, one cruising, one conflicted.
Jean Harlow in an early role is the conflicted girl.
Attracted to a man, a married man, whose wife “won’t give me a divorce.”
An oft used excuse.
For all the romance and swinging, this is stuffy, though Harlow fans will relish.
Me? I watched because I wanted to see the “struggling” girl, Marie Prevost.
A faded Silent vixen, Prevost gives her character humor and humanity.
Prevost would be gone in four years, Harlow in five.

The Touchables - 1968 - 5/10

Four females kidnap Michael Caine from Madame Tussaud’s.
OK, Mr Caine’s wax effigy.
Next step, they kidnap a cute pop star (think Davy Jones) and take him to their woodland bubble.
Once inside, they take turns romping on either the cushy round bed or plush stack of cushions.
Free love in Swinging London.
Side plot follows wrestlers, one of whom is infatuated with the pop singer, and gangsters.
“Plot” is an overstatement. This is a series of situations and vignettes. Perks along, though.
Not a particularly good film, nor fun-bad, just an odd relic from the 60’s.
Song “All Of Us” by Nirvana.

Adele: Live At Royal Albert Hall - 2011 - 7/10

Before she shredded her vocal cords, before the baby, before the seemingly endless hiatus …
Adele rode the tiger of fame.
Emotional live concert, in front of an adoring, hometown crowd, Adele in possibly a milestone moment.
Going against popular fashion, she keeps her cloths on, has no spectacular sets, and doesn’t bother with choreographed dance.
For golden ears who lament the death of pure singing, there is no auto-tune, no lip-syncing, and a full third of the show are just Adele and her pianist.
Just music, and that voice. At this point, she was fearless, reaching for high notes, pushing the pedal for power.

The Big Combo - 1955 - 6/10

Daring, perverse Noir finds obsessed detective pursuing boss of major syndicate.
Cornell Wilde OK as cop, Richard Conte excellent as cool, controlled organization leader, always two steps ahead of authorities or slippery enough to glide out of snares.
Swanky jazz score along with fine ensemble acting drive this one.
Famous with Noir buffs for the dramatic lighting, every shot is a master study in black n white contrast.

The Production Code was pushed to the limits with this one.
Forgetting the strippers momentarily, the more I watched Conte’s two gun men (Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman), I noted they shared a room, one was bare chested, and they kept touching each other.
Also, Conte’s trophy girl tries to escape, complains how she hates him, but cannot break away.
In a key scene, boss Conte, standing behind her, drops quietly down, and her facial reaction is one of anticipated pleasure.
Conte’s hold on her seems a cunning one.

And Then There Were None - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Soshite Daremo Inakunatta

Attractive looking adaptation of Christie’s tale of eight invitees and two servants stranded on an island.
Once inside, all are accused of homicide, which each denies most heartily.
This is set in the 2000’s as there are cellphones and delivery drones – which are addressed.
There is also a full police investigation, complete with oddball inspector in the Poirot mold.
More than other versions, this is quite talky. Accusations, confessions, explanations, etc …
It is also repetitive. Scenes are shown, later replayed by police, then later.
Not necessarily boring, this does feel padded.

I Love A Mystery - 1945 - 6/10

Decent Columbia B-flick, based on popular radio show.
Wealthy husband has been told - no, prophesied to - he would die after a year.
Well, times up, big boy!
His wife becomes an invalid, a weird melody haunts him, a mysterious dame hooks up with him at the Russian Samovar club, he is pursued by a pegleg, death attempts, the secret society of Barokan!
This is the opening ten minutes!
I recognized many character actors, but the only real face was George Macready.
Hold on, keep up, and brace for twists.

Possessor - 2020 - 6/10

Near future SciFi of espionage, mind control, assassination.
After the hack crew implants a teammate’s consciousness into the victim’s brain, the body is now a killing machine.
Apparently there is a “bleed-thru”. Suspected by the crew, but not addressed.
That was one of the problems I had.
Hallucinatory visuals look old school (not CGI) and are enjoyable.
Ruttings and gory violence throughout.
Midway, I felt the story beginning to loop.
I kept waiting for a fresh element. Particularly, defense.
Firewall, poison pill, malware detection, counter implant. No, nothing like that.
Nicely done, but seek out Predestination (2014) afterward.

Blonde Crazy - 1931 - 6/10

Jimmy Cagney hooks up with Joan Blondell, and they move from the small burg to a great midwest city to New York.
Plying the old badger game on rich fools, easily distracted by rolled stockings and perfume.
Cagney plays his usual brash, lecherous male, leering at a bevy of bottled blondes.
Cynical tone undercuts the comedy, and the romance angles are guarded on all sides.
At its heart, a grim journey as stakes and consequences mount with each outing.

Night Train To Munich - 1940 - 6/10

Brisk paced, cozy, espionage spy thriller.
Czech inventor of new armor plating for steel flees to England once Nazis invade Czechoslovakia.
By clever means, the Nazis hijack him back and Rex Harrison volunteers to return the favor.
Same writers for Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes, the same setting - a train, leading lady Margaret Lockwood, as well as old boy toffs, Caldicott and Charters.

Breezy, cat ‘n mouse chase, with Nazis portrayed as easily duped, lightweight villains.
As World War II progressed, their roles would darken considerably.

Call My Agent: S02 - 2017 - 5/10
AKA - Dix Pour Cent: S02

Second season of theatrical agents suffers from “more-itis.”
A new colleague, who is a caricature of the meddling owner.
More comedy, the farcical sort. More sexual encounters.
More recognizable cameos for potential US viewers (Christoph Lambert, Fabrice Luchini, Isabelle Adjani, Juliette Binoche).
Unfortunately, all this more adds up to less.
The writers and producers lost the thread with this second season, as characters behave stupidly to self destruction.
A pity, as the first season boasted a lot of charm and was a novel concept, smartly carried off.

OK, if you simply must view this season, episode 05 is the best installment.
Guy Marchand suffers a mini stroke early in shooting and the production is in jeopardy.
With a mere trifle of a part, perhaps ten minutes screen time, Marchard infuses his role with confusion, bonhomie, loneliness, regret, hope.
It is spellbinding to watch an extraordinary actor fashion gold from expressions.
The rest of S02 is a letdown, but S02E05 is a gift for those who adore French cinema.

Afterword. Long after I had lost interest, this show became trendy with US binge watchers.

Predestination - 2014 - 8/10

High concept, Kafkaesque, puzzle plot, brilliantly executed.
Ethan Hawke plays time traveling, Temporal Agent.
His duties are to stop mass murders, terrorist bombings.
For health reasons, agents can only jump in time so often.
Hawke is near retirement and draws out a potential candidate.
Only the candidate has a history of kinks and twists, and therein hangs the tale.
Based on a story by Robert Heinlein.
The script is flawless, the direction taut and lean. Not a single scene is wasted.
Try to watch without reading too much about this one.
Most reviews will be unable to resist spoilers.

Call My Agent: S01 - 2015 - 7/10
AKA - Dix Pour Cent

Brief mini-series about stressed film agents and demanding clients.
Ones liking may depend on tolerance for actors and affinity for French fare.
Story revolves around four agents trying to keep company afloat.
A gallery of French stars fill the guest roles…
Funny, exasperating, infuriating.
Viewers who expect tidy resolutions and explanations, beware.

Autumn Tale - 1998 - 8/10
AKA - Conte d’Automne

Possibly my favorite of all Éric Rohmer films.
Well meaning Isabelle decides to matchmake for friend, Magali, a 45 year old widow.
Isabelle places an advert, then interviews respondents.
From there, a series of misinterpretations and miscommunications ensue.
Magali is a wine grower and much of the photography lingers on her lush vineyards or the small village.
Autumn refers to the season and age of the characters.
A multi-layered story of loneliness, diverting trajectories, emotional messiness, and hope.
For those who believe older adults still have the second chance.

Underworld U.S.A. - 1961 - 7/10

Murderous Noir that came out at the very end of the Noir cycle.
Early on, a young boy watches his father beaten to death by four thugs.
Twenty years later, the grown boy, now a hardened criminal, targets his father’s killers, bigwigs in the Syndicate.
How this passed the Production Code is beyond me. Crossed a lot of lines, up to and including #14, cruelty to children.

I hunted this down because Samuel Fuller directed and Beatrice Kay played Robertson’s mother figure.
Kay, an acquired taste, did much to keep alive Gay 90’s music and vintage Music Hall, not treating songs as crystal relics, but as naughty, salacious, roisterous turns.

Wolf Creek: S02 - 2017 - 6/10

As with the theatrical releases, the second season of serial killing is mixed.
This time out, Mick Taylor hijacks a bus full of turistas.
Where does he take them? Where do you think?
A busload equates to more meals, yet also less Mick.
The writing team fails to concoct an ingenious narrative, and promising adversaries are underutilized.
Initial episodes are solid, last two brim with tension and twists.
In-between those, characters muddle along and talk and talk.
Disappointing. Nevertheless, Mick is hard to kill and it appears he shall return.

Architecture Of Doom - 1989 - 8/10

Curious documentary of the Third Reich dominated by artistic and aesthetic components.
How many of the party leaders were unsuccessful writers, poets, painters, etc …
The aim of the Party was to rebuild the nation on a vast scale.
Major exhibitions were shown of idealistic representative art and massive civic improvements.
Second half switches from city layouts to body perfection. Eugenics.
Which leads to the systematic obliteration of “flawed humanity” via extermination camps.
I cannot say I concur with many of the arguments as presented, yet the take is provocative.
No mention, by the way, of Lebensraum.
No talking heads, just dry narration. Arresting visuals.
Difficult to make up my mind about this. Each time I rewatch, I have raised my score.

Snake Dick - 2020 - 6/10

No, not interspecies porn.
Unfortunately, the girls’ car starts to break down in desert oblivion.
Luckily, they are able to coast into a well-lit diner/gas station/motel parking lot.
Unluckily, two redneck goobers start to heckle and offer lewd suggestions.
Conflict escalates.
One might envision a studio flunky thinking this coulda made a feature.
As a short this is funny, mean-spirited, confrontational, and has a wicked bite.

Grabbers - 2012 - 5/10

Irish horror comedy set on remote island facing big storm.
Just in time for an alien invasion!
Giant octopods attack boats, devour pilot whales, then clamber ashore.
Next dinner course, tasty humans, though it spits out those crunchy heads.
Apparently the big squids suffer alcohol allergies, which village inhabitants discover.
Expect serious drinking.
Not as gory as it could have been, and certainly not as funny as it should have been.
Wasted opportunity. That said, should you drink as heavily as the characters, your enjoyment may improve.

30 Coins - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - 30 Monedas

Shepherds assemble in a tiny village, supplicants to the new invocation.
Wait, getting ahead of myself here.
Before this, the village experiences all manner of unexplained doings.
Miracles, resurrections, bloody dismemberment, a wild series of escalating cataclysms.
Hold on, back up even further.
This series launches with a crackling heist, followed by a cow giving birth to a human infant.
We meet the priest, who is an ex-convict, owing to an exorcism turning into death rites.
What else? Possession, the fetish, the insectoid? This is only the FIRST episode!
You know when shows front load the works in E01, then the next installments stagger?
Not here! Writers have a shelf of ideas and the series goes from one outrageous strength to another.
From opening credits to the close, the writers and producers pour it on, visuals, locations, faith and action.
This may resonate more with Catholics, lapsed Catholics, even those who snoozed during Sunday school.

Belinda And Me - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Belinda et Moi

Older woman’s partner dies and their piano cafe closes, the lease expires.
She intends to move out, but what to do about the piano?
Oh! Give to Jean, the nephew, promising student, and angelic little boy.
Jean arrives, employment skills limited to after hours park work, poor cosmetic technique.
And he prefers to be called Belinda.

Once unconventional subject has become mainstream. No edge here.
That said, the narrative stays fresh with plot shifts, unexpected characters.
Belinda is not a sympathetic soul, but one roots for her after awhile.
OK French TV film.

Incendies - 2011 - 7/10

The notary addresses the twins (male and female) during the reading of their mother’s last will and testament.
The girl is given an envelope to give to their father. What father? Mom had always been the lone parent.
The son is given an envelope to give to their brother. Brother? What brother?
The children leave Canada and head toward their mother’s birthplace. Lebanon.
And begin to unravel who their mother truly was.
In the 70’s, Lebanon succumbed to a brutal civil war between Christians and Muslims.
Dual storylines of the orphans following threads, learning of horrors, mixed with their mother’s youthful journey away from fire and death and unfinished promises.
Violence, murders, torture, and dark revelations set the tone.

Confessions Of An Opium Eater - 1962 - 6/10
AKA - Souls For Sale

Strange, cult gem, set in 1902 San Francisco.
Gilbert De Quincey (Vincent Price) gets involved in Tong wars, slave trafficking, opium dens.
Price seems to work for one side, then the other, while beautiful girls hang suspended inside bamboo cages, waiting to be bartered for opium bricks.
Exteriors shrouded with fog to disguise minimal sets, though the entire film has a dreamy (drugged) quality.
Secret tunnels, subterranean waterways, trick doors add to the maze vibe.
Movie filled with fortune cookie dialogue:
“The more we approach our enemies the more they think of us as lambs.”
“The superior man blames himself, the inferior man blames others.”
“There is not poison in a green snake’s mouth, as in a woman’s heart.”
“The path of righteousness lies around us, for the eye that will see and the foot that will follow.”

The Ritual - 2017 - 5/10

Five mates plan their annual travel excursion.
Oops, make that four following an early tragedy.
Soft city lads, they opt for a stiff hike through Sweden’s wilderness.
Photography is moody, stark, disorienting. The guys are equally moody, dense and confused.
Prime example: “If we take a shortcut through the woods we can save time.”
No no no! Do not take shortcuts, especially if your knowledge of outdoors is zilch.
Mistakes mount, compound, and you realize these unsympathetic louts are too dim to care about.
The plot staggers into lore territory, and that feels shoe-horned. Kitchen sink mentality.
Disappointing adaptation of Adam Nevill’s book.
Confession: I grew up in a mountain region and hiked backwoods all the time.
I have limited patience with these bozos who make blunders an eight year old would avoid.