Vultural

Wrestling Women Vs. The Killer Robot - 1969 - 6/10
AKA - Las Luchadoras vs el Robot Asesino

Buxom, full figured athletes square off in front of an arena of enthusiastic fans!
Meanwhile, a mysterious robot (wearing suit, fedora and sunglasses) kidnaps scientists!
Police attempt to investigate, yet they are easily distracted by curvaceous wrestlers.
Toss in a megalomaniacal scientist and a dimwitted, lustful humanoid failure.
Highly entertaining Mexican gem smokes along.
There are five or so ringside bouts, while the murderous robot busts down doors and karate chops victims.
Cosmopolitan cinema for the connoisseur.

The Lady Vanishes - 2013 - 5/10

Glossy remake of “The Wheel Spins” by Ethel Lina White, on which Hitchcock based his 1938 classic.
Young flapper meets spinster on a train through the Balkans.
When the old woman disappears, and all passengers declare they never saw her, the girl investigates.
This telling is supposedly more faithful to the book. No Nazis, just scandal and intrigue.
Nice costumes, claustrophobic train compartments (even a library car), and enigmatic strangers.
Unfortunately, the female lead is extremely unsympathetic. Rude, entitled, selfish.
You want someone, anyone, to eject her from the train. Hopefully when it is on a bridge. A high one.
Blame bad directing and a script too modern for this period piece.
Otherwise, passable wet afternoon film.

The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes - 1937 - 6/10
AKA - Der Mann, Der Sherlock Holmes War

Two men halt the midnight train, then climb aboard.
One carries a violin case and smokes a pipe, the other seems a medical man.
The conductor and guards immediately jump to the conclusion, “This is Sherlock Holmes!”
Not necessarily, though the pair exploit the misassumptions constantly.
They are sucked into a “Russian Dolls” mystery within mystery within mystery.
Brisk comedy, thriller is quite fun, and despite being a Reichsfilme, strikes me as propaganda free.

Lake Of Dracula - 1971 - 5/10
AKA - Noroi no Yakata: Chi o Suu me // 呪いの館 血を吸う眼[

The Carpathian count buys lakefront property?
No no. Muddled Japanese homage to Hammer films.
Apparently, several generations earlier, the count did a bit spawning with a Japanese female. (Forget the notion of vampires being sterile). A hundred years later, the bloodlust DNA emerges.
Slow going, predictable, clichéd. I kept studying 70’s clothes, hairstyles, and interiors.
Characters are downright clueless.
Truck arrives and unloads the coffin into the house. Two sisters observe uncomfortably, then go shopping!
Another incident, an unconscious girl is rushed to Emergency. Almost drained of blood!
Doctors and nurses notice two punctures on her neck, then decide, “We will ask her about those when she wakes up.”

A Heart In Winter - 1992 - 7/10
AKA - Un Coeur En Hiver

Two men run a classical instrument restoration business.
One is the suave, well-connected owner, the other is the technical genius.
The owner is smitten with a brilliant, beautiful violinist, but her curiosity is aroused by his austere partner.
Not really a ménage à trois, this story is more attraction - infatuation - obsession.
The tone is chilly throughout, most of the characters are reserved or repressed.
Ravel’s music is an emotional counterpoint in a story where characters alternately pursue and shun each other.

A Smell Of Blood – 2015 - 6/10
AKA - Un Parfum de Sang

Above, the master perfurmer trains the new “nose”, his proposed successor.
At stake, the future of the renowned fragrance house.
Mind you, this was before the murder.
And, this is AFTER a previous, unsolved murder decades earlier.
With the same gun.
OK crime mystery set in the world of fragrant rivalries and jealousy.
Superficial romance elements add little to this follow-the-clues story.

Judas And The Black Messiah - 2021 - 8/10

Outstanding study of the snitch within the Black Panther chapter of Chicago.
Time frame = circa 1966 - 1969.
Low end thief is recruited (pressured) by the FBI to infiltrate the Panthers and report back.
An uneasy film to view, watching law enforcement repeatedly sidestep or violate laws.
The narrative strikes me as accurate. Years earlier, I had viewed Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution (2015), as well as Eyes On The Prize (1990).
Fred Hampton, the target of the FBI, was viewed by them as extraordinarily dangerous.
His message of resisting oppression resonated in 60’s Chicago. Not only with blacks, but Puerto Ricans and poor whites from Appalachia. Class struggle knew no race. Overlords have since wised up, in my opinion.

Crime Squad - 2011 - 6/10
AKA - Detectives In Trouble // 강력반

Episodic police procedural, K-drama.
The opening 15-20 minutes of E01 are sheer crap!
Really. Flatulent jokes, toilet scenes, folks fanning the air.
Afterward, the series never returns to moronic antics, so keep this in mind if curious.
The four man team investigate a new crime every couple weeks.
Most are imperiled females. Bullied, battered, stalked, tortured, murdered.
The rebellious Officer Park is shadowed by perky Reporter Jo.
Will they connect? Are there clouds in the sky?
Characters are likeable clichés.
Middling, and mid-pack as far as K-drama crime shows go.

Kiss Of The Damned - 2012 - 5/10

Another vampire spin.
Scriptwriter is sent to Connecticut to work on a Hollywood project.
In the video rental store (huh?) he meets a hot babe.
He pursues, though she warns him repeatedly.
Safe sex ensues, meaning she is shackled with massive steel chains to her four poster.
When she gets aroused her beast emerges. Does he flee? Of course not, he’s a writer.
He unshackles her (?). They bounce, she bites.
In time, the usual coven of fangsters appear, elegant and wealthy, for off-Broadway plays and cocktails.
Arthouse twaddle directed by Xan Cassavetes (John’s daughter), which violates numerous vampire rules:
Vampire seen in mirrors. Drink of choice, synthetic blood. Living prey, forest animals. Latter example, possum.
Dark, moody film, with not enough time given to bloodthirsty, dysfunctional sister.

I’m From Hollywood - 1989 - 7/10

Terrific documentary / satire / sport-a-rama.
Andy Kaufman takes on womenfolk and baits the Memphis crackers in the Inter-Gender Wrestling matches.
From this, the epic feud with Jerry Lawler started.
Wrestling was no less fake in the early 80’s than it is today, but steroid inflated gorks were not the fixtures.
Interviews with Marilu Henner, Robin Williams, Tony Danza.
Also clips of Kaufman urging Southern women to shave their legs, and locals to discover soap and toilet tissue.
Brilliant.

Antidote - 2021 - 6/10

After her appendicitis bursts, Sharyn is rushed to the hospital.
Complications arise and she wakes in a different medical facility.
The experimental kind. And she is the latest in a huge section of test patients.
Horror film fits into the subgenre of “hospital horror.”
For a budget film, quality actors have been cast, though the gray complex resembles a bunker.
Unlike most hospital horror, this is one busy place, with orderlies, nurses, and plenty of horrible procedures.
Only a handful of characters are shown, yet most have backstories which we discover.
The producers tried for an unusual, original ending. I did not necessarily buy it, but I laud the attempt.

Female Ninjas: In Bed With The Enemy - 1976 - 5/10
AKA - Kunoichi Ninpo: Kannon Biraki // くノ一忍法　観音開き

The passionate embrace, face to face.
Until!! The bandit realizes she is a female ninja, and he is caught in the technique known as octopus pot!
As she tightens, will he confess what he knows? How much pain can he endure? Will she leave him with a nub?
Back up. A shipment of the king’s gold has been stolen, and the prime minister deploys a trio of female ninjas.
Swordplay here and there. Nudity makes up 50% of the film.
Oh, there’s a wandering scholar, as well.
The plot … I think it’s … I kept getting distracted.

I See You - 2019 - 7/10

Top mystery thriller requires a careful review.
Children in small Ohio town are going missing … again.
Has an earlier serial killer reemerged? Or is this a copycat?
Concurrent with this is the home life of one of the assigned detectives.
Marriage unrest, an angry teenage son, the usual. And – some not so usual events.
About a third of the way in, the narrative makes a jarring pivot.
From there until the end, this becomes diabolically creepy.
If twisting puzzlers are your manna, I urge you to watch this cold.
Too many reviews over reveal, ruining surprises.

Reality - 2012 - 5/10

Italian “comedy” about a fish seller / hustler who gets prodded to audition for the Big Brother reality show.
He gradually obsesses over tiny details and loses touch with reality.
Opening sets were breathtaking. The wedding site, then the Naples neighborhood.
Characters were a different matter, however. I wanted to hurl bricks at most of them.
Probably by intent. Everyone was transfixed by the lure of fame and celebrity.
Everyone around me laughed out loud, whereas I viewed the main character as being trapped in a chamber of Hell.

Chicken With Vinegar - 1985 - 6/10
AKA - Poulet au Vinaigre // Cop au Vinto

A trio of scoundrels try to fleece Ma and son out of their derelict homestead.
They are secretive, but the son is a mail carrier and he routinely opens their correspondence.
He is also aided by his postal colleague (an enticing Pauline Lafont as rich cheesecake).
The youth is soon out of his depth with the older males.
His silky colleague soon leads him around by his belt buckle.
And after the first murder, the police inspector takes no nonsense from him.
Odd, light-hearted mystery wanders out of category throughout

Night Train To Lisbon - 2013 - 7/10

Jeremy Irons plays Swiss professor who, after an encounter, stumbles across a slim philosophical / confessional book by a Portuguese writer.
He becomes bewitched by the “goldsmith of words,” and catches the train to Lisbon to meet the writer.
Once there, he interviews family and friends, and teases the backstory of broken dreams, lost love, betrayal, and torture, set during the Portuguese revolution of the mid 70’s.
Dual narratives dovetail Irons’ deepening quest with the excavation of memory.
Most of the film was shot in Lisbon, with its narrow, cobblestone lanes and breathtaking views of the night washed city below and the distant Sao Jorge Castelo. Especially at night, from the Alfama, Lisbon is enchanting.
Highly rewarding film for those who enjoy following the thread to wherever it leads.

Vanished By The Lake - 2015 - 7/10
AKA - Le Mystère du Lac

During the night of the village fete, teenage Chloe disappears.
Almost twenty years after two other girls vanished, never to be found.
The best friend forever of the original duo, now a Paris detective, appears.
As does one of the males who had been accused back then.
Within a month, the village is nothing but suspects, resentments, and ugly histories.
Short series excels in casting plausible suspicion up to the last few minutes.
Mystery fans, this is tight plotting.

The Children - 1980 - 5/10

A leak at a nuclear plant goes ignored, enters the water table, and then – the children are affected!
Those the children come into contact with burn alive.
Also the children seem to have baked brains.
Grade-D horror outing has a good sense of place. Rural Massachusetts.
Photography is decent, though acting worsens as the film proceeds.
Bad as this is, it is an entertaining watch.

Skin Of Roses - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - Dan Oniroku Bara no Nikutai // バラの皮

With her husband in prison, Ritsuko is obligated to pay off his debts.
She is hostess in a bar, but after hours she has extra-curricular activities with special customers.
Additional clients pay heavily to watch.
This is a serious money maker for the mob, and repaying the debt makes no business sense.
Not one of Naomi Tani’s best films, but devotees of Pinku Eiga will want to watch, or rewatch to study the clever cinematography, the strategic placement of vases and flowers.
This is also a rough one.

Shadow Dancer - 2012 - 6/10

Tense drama / thriller set in 1993, during negotiations between Sinn Féin and the British government.
Clive Owen plays MI-5 handler of “flipped” IRA informant.
Plot meanders between the maneuverings of MI-5 compartments, and the internal investigations of the Republican Army.
The political background is not brought to the fore, and unless you were aware of the disputes many in the IRA had with Sinn Féin, you were in the dark.
Likewise, there were many gaping plot holes: A possible romantic angle. Why the group suspected they had a mole. Why MI-5 locked data from Owen’s character. The ending.
Film felt rush released, and would have benefited from a more coherent edit.

Adolf Hitler The Itinerary - 2018 - 5/10

Slap dash, two part series of der Führer.
The author has gone to great pains to correct numerous errors which, he declares, have crept into histories and biographies.
First fifteen minutes are somewhat interesting, showing Hitler’s childhood, youth, student years, and starving artist period in Vienna.
Then events unroll rapidly. World War I service, party building, the failed putsch, chancellor, war, end.
The final ten minutes also interesting, focus on what happened to the “body” in the years afterward.
There are superior WWII, Hitler, or Nazi docs available.

Miss Devil - 2018 - 7/10
AKA - Miss Debiru: Jinji no Akuma Tsubaki Mako // デビル 人事の悪魔・椿眞子

Addictive J-dorama proves quite the guilty pleasure.
Kyoa Home Insurance hires HR consultant, the gorgeous Miss Tsubaki, to prepare 50 eager new hires.
After two weeks training, 40 have resigned. HR is horrified, top management delighted.
Only one recruit dares to stand up to her, the shy, timid Saito.
The Boss gives Tsubaki her own section, and she hand picks a small staff, including the terrified Saito.
Every two weeks, Tsubaki sends Saito into an area to train: Sales, Underwriting, Marketing, Sprockets.
His task - find the weakest member for Tsubaki to remove.
The mysterious, if frightening, Miss Tsubaki is the axe-man
Nasty little series flicks deftly, rapier-like, at everyday corporate grievances.
Sexual harassment, unpaid overtime, pregnancy, all the while treading to higher stakes.
Realize, Tsubaki, known quickly as Miss Devil, has a personal agenda.

Tragic Night - 1942 - 6/10
AKA - Tragica Notte

Stefano is an overly conscientious gamekeeper.
Poachers have their weapons seized, or their licenses revoked.
One is even sent to prison!
They decide to teach him a lesson. They don masks and beat him senseless.
He recognizes one culprit, however, and bides his time. Laying the pieces for a nasty revenge.
Although based on Toscan Delfino Cinelli’s novel “The Trap,” the story evokes “Othello.”

Bling Ring - 2013 - 6/10

Like others, I knew the story from news reports, and a Rolling Stone article.
Interesting film, and reactions. People around me were disgusted and upset by the whole “home invasion” aspect, while I shrugged.
Rich folks didn’t have home security systems?
Plus, I couldn’t care less if Lindsay Lohan was burgled, especially if she - or any of them - was Facebooking her movements and tweeting her home absences for all the world to read. Also, if the Kardashians had been targeted I might have laughed.
The high school kids’ use of Facebook and Google earth to plan heists was audacious.
Coppola walked a fine line being sympathetic yet showing their envy and greed.
I enjoyed this, but my morality is shadowy, and I understand how others were disturbed.
Note: Paris Hilton allowed friend, Sofia Coppola, to film inside her home.

Beware Of Mr. Baker - 2010 - 7/10

Biography of Ginger Baker, devil of the drums.
Interviews with Bruce & Clapton from Cream, Winwood from Blind Faith, and lots of modern era drummers, who were influenced by him.
Tons of clips as well as animated sequences.
Baker was a troubled child and a reckless force of nature. Three of his four wives speak on camera (though wife #4 seem\s less than comfortable).
Drug addictions, zero financial sense, and rootless ways keep him skirting near the edge of poverty.
What saves him is his drum kit. At any age, he can still pound harder, and with more soul and understanding than almost any.
Even in his 70’s, Baker is a right piece of work, opening the film by giving his interviewer a bloody nose by smacking him with his cane.
Great moment. Do not go gentle into that good night.