Vultural

Murphy, Damian - The Narcissus Variations

A few pages in and one enters a hallucinatory dream spell, cast by Mr. Murphy.
Our narrator has arrived at a far outpost of the Empire. He is a member and servant of the Kin.
His assignment at the outpost is unknown, which is a typical method of the Kin (and Empire), letting servants find their role. Immediately, he sets about transcribing and amending odd journals.
This is a decayed society, with remnants of misunderstood or partially working technology.
Readers are as uncertain of events as our narrator, who is not unreliable, only not fully aware.
Knowledge does increase with each page as pieces begin to fit, if imprecisely.
A beautiful book, and the story enthralling, although the ending feels rushed.

Ghost - 2012 - 7/10
AKA - Phantom // 유령

Korea’s Cyber Squad Unit investigates the suicide of sex scandal actress, and dives deep into the snake pit of blackmail, vengeance, murder.
Series is a hacker’s delight.
Identify theft, DDoS attacks, steganography, file manipulation, malware, falsified texts.
One episode involves crashing media outlets and traffic lights with a virus. Afterward, citizens flocks to a rising computer security agency. Its stock soars.
Three stars if you can guess who launched that virus.
Police procedural series is one cat and mouse contest, with villains and heroes getting outflanked, then outsmarting the other. Evidence tampering, moles, bribery.
The main villain is well characterized and sympathetic. One could identify with his drive for revenge.
Ghost is slick, fast paced, with more twists than a coiled sidewinder. Also, no romance. This K-drama cranks from start to finish.

The Shadow Whip - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - Ying Zi Shen Bian // 影子神鞭

Energetic Shaw Bros. Actioner of revenge, missing treasure, and a quest.
A young swordsman, refusing to give his name, is soon in the thick of three villains, a bandit clan, a master, and a beautiful, whip wielding female.
Well choreographed conflicts are lengthy and frequent, serving to fill a smidgen of a plot.
Outdoor photography shows a lot of snow, which was an unexpected surprise.
Most distracting, the music score seemed to crib heavily from James Bond films!

Murder In Moselle - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - Amours à Mort

During a ballet performance at the closed steel mill (enacted by ex-workers), the despised mill owner is murdered.
An inspector arrives, meets with the owner’s daughter – who happens to be an old flame of the officer.

Why, he even asks her to start helping with the investigation.
Subplots are as non-compelling as the romance, and revealed histories feel forced.
Not as unbelievable as Hallmark, but please, ordinary souls dodge the police.
Minor crime mystery outing suffices as fast food; it fills a hole.

The Wall - 2019 - 7/10
AKA - La Faille

Modern variant of the “locked room” mystery.
After a stripper is found murdered, and carefully posed, a top investigator is sent from Quebec.
The locale is a “closed” mining community, meaning one huge complex.
(At times, to me, this resembles a vacant shopping mall.)
Anyway, the inspector is a hard-nosed boat rocker, who quickly commands the local cops.
Just as well, as there are other staged killings, and no shortage of suspects.
The actual mine is under financial distress and suffers saboteurs.
Tightly constructed series, and for snow bunnies, enough white to make you giddy!

The Party’s Just Beginning - 2018 - 6/10

Liusaidh is in love with Alistair, who is in love with Ben, who is being drawn into evangelism.
Ah, the unhappy love triangle.
Liusaidh, wracked by grief, drinks herself senseless at bars, engages in meaningless sex.
When she has visions, they are of catastrophes.
Powerful film of misery without relief, without exits.
Karen Gillan (who also penned the script) showcases acting chops that should rank her with the best in class, though she seems to be going a more lucrative route.

Soviet Storm: WWII In The East - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - Советский Шторм

Multi-parted documentary of WWII Russian Front, told from Soviet point of view.
This aspect of the war is rarely covered in the West. We believe it was all Patton, Monty and D-Day.
Far from it. Nazis and Soviets smashed at each other, big time. Massive fatalities.
Series made use of Soviet newsreel footage and limited CGI, along with the usual maps and arrows.
Beware: Maps were all in Cyrillic, though narration was in BBC English.
Highlights include the Battle Of Kursk, where over 6000 tanks slugged it out.
Must for war buffs.

Sleep Tight - 2011 - 6/10
AKA - Mientras Duerme

Suspenseful thriller about the creeper.
Barcelona concierge uses his pass key to unlock guest rooms in the middle of the night.
Chloroform ensures no one wakes up.
While tenants slumber, he explores, or pulls down bed sheets.
One habit he does is brush his teeth with their toothbrush, then wipe it dry.
That pales next to other actions which I won’t spoil here.
Disturbing mix of home invasion and peeping.
Nice one for late night.

Dillinger - 1945 - 6/10

Reckless retelling of John Dillinger’s furious years.
Hardly accurate, but this version is smokin’ good.
Lawrence Tierney, in his film debut, is riveting as the hot tempered, quick to shoot bank robber.
For such a “violent” film, there is little onscreen violence. Everything is implied.
The script is brilliant, no fat whatsoever, no wasted scenes. Even quiet moments serve to heighten tension or lay the foundation for the following sequence.
Not to be missed, especially for film students wanting to study pacing and lean narrative.

Rockfield: The Studio On The Farm - 2020 - 6/10

From Black Sabbath to Stone Roses to Oasis to Coldplay, band members share memories.
The isolated recording studio on a farm in rural Wales.
Owners and founders, Charles and Kingsley Ward, offer chronology and share anecdotes.
Mostly feel-good documentary, with a cough now and then.
While I enjoyed this, something about it didn’t wash for me.
Midway, my radar went up and I wondered how careful were the commenters (Liam Gallagher aside).

War Of The Planets - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - I Diafanoidi Vengono da Marte

A bodiless power, the Gasinoids, launch New Years Eve attack on space station Delta 2!
Quickly followed by an attack on Alpha 2! Gamma 2 dispatches a ship to investigate.

Of course, shrewd viewers will suspect a prelude to invasion.
Amidst swinging spaceship cocktail parties, heroic men suit up.
And what suits! Zippers galore. Add great miniatures, cheesy special effects (aliens = green smoke).

Italian SciFi is plenty of fun, even more amusing since everyone is dead-faced throughout.
A gleaming entertaining future, to be sure. Oh, if only ours were such.

Hausen - 2020 - 6/10

Father and son, still grieving after the death of wife/mother, arrive at a run down tower block.
Dad, the new building superintendent, is a tireless worker, a hardy soldier, but he is soon out of his depth.

Time and time again, the building resists. Mold swells into sticky pustules, opens into festering tunnels.
Black ooze clogs pipes, the electricity is sporadic, and cleaning crews are nonexistent.
Residents are a mix of addicts, prostitutes, dealers, thugs, decaying elders.
Corruption and despair predominate. One might view the building as a coffin.
Relentlessly grim throughout, and highly enjoyable if one is comfortable with that ride.
I imagine this will appeal to the cult of Ligotti, and one can read cultural allegories, if one is so inclined.

Spring Breakers - 2012 - 6/10

Diverting trash.
Four hotties roll down to St Pete for sun, sand, booze, drugs, parties, adventure.
They hook up with a low level gangsta (James Franco effective as sleaze) and strut into dark territory.
First half of film binge drinking, bare breasts, layered disjointed dialogue. Daylight.
Second half much gloomier.
Overall, not a fun ride, but a bad acid trip.
Pink ski masks glow great under blacklight.
Confession, I was the only one in the room who liked this one.

The Wannsee Conference -1984 - 8/10
AKA - Die Wannseekonferenz

German docu-drama based on official transcripts of the 1942 meeting of high ranking Reich officials in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee.
Main topic was the establishment of concentration camps in the east, followed by deportation and extermination of European Jews.
Chaired by Reinhard Heydrich, the main purpose was to get everyone committed to the Final Solution.
All would bear responsibility, all would bear liability.
Low key performances offset by chilling dialogue.
Must see film, since we constantly forget the past, and continue to scapegoat margins of society.
Easily found on YouTube.

Daguerreotypes - 1975 - 7/10

Artists, especially writers, are encouraged to describe what they know best.
In this case, Agnes Varda offers a documentary on the small shops on her street.
The butcher, the baker, the clock repairman, barber, hairstylist, driving instructor, perfumer.
This has a marvelous sense of place, caught in the mid-1970’s.
Looking ahead, one can predict what shops will wash away with time, although all the proprietors are older.
For the curious, a poignant reminder of the community, before shopping complexes, before Internet.

La Revolution - 2020 - 6/10

Blood soaked reworking of the French Revolution.
Beware, this ain’t French History 101.
Aristocrats in the uppermost level are granted immortality.
The change does cause their blood to turn blue, and they develop a ravening hunger.
For fresh human, flesh and organs.
Pros: Unlike other series that promise mayhem, this delivers blood, gore, fights and fires.
Plus, a superb villain, Count Donatien, whom you will dislike intensely.
Cons (POSSIBLE SPOILER): Unresolved ending. Did writers have no conclusion? Or did Netflix urge them to hold back, hinting their may be a S02? Whatever the reason, this is irritating.

Baba Yaga - 1972 - 6/10

Fashion photographer Valentina draws interest of an older woman, perhaps an ageless woman.
Soon, photo shoots turn into accidental death sites, and casual faces caught in the lens drop.
Exuberant Giallo, based on then-trendy Guido Crepax cartoon.
Splash of colors, happening 60’s decor, costumes and hairstyles.
Oh, and a doll in bondage gear! Must not forget that.
Valentina has visions of Nazi officers, as well as Italian police.
Many sequences move fluidly between wild visuals and Crepax’s panels.
For all this, there is little story, and the pacing lumbers like the stoned guest.

Cleo From 5 To 7 - 1962 - 7/10

Pop songstress visits the tarot reader, and the cards are dire. Twice.
She quickly dashes into her career, distracting herself.
Shopping, dining, listening to her tunesmiths (pianist Michel Legrand), complaining.
Fame is fleeting, and the cards only confirm her fears after an earlier visit to the doctor.
Corinne Marchand is beguiling as Cleo, nervous, high strung, flighty, and yet, in the second half of the film, her character relaxes and you see a different person beneath the celebrity facade.
Throughout, wonderful street scenes of early 60’s Paris.

The Reef - 2010 - 5/10

Watery adventure off Australia!
Handful of friends sail out for a couple days swimming and snorkeling.
Without giving too much away, boat strikes reef and capsizes.
Most then decide to swim toward unseen, yet hoped for, land, eleven miles away.
After several hours one asks, “Hey, what’s that fin poking through the waves?”
What? Not the shark! Sure hope he doesn’t like tasty humans.
Supposedly based on a true story, yet within ten minutes I predicted who would get eaten, in what order, and who survived.
Had its moments, offset by boring paddling. Worse, I kept rooting for Marc The Shark.

The Devil Below - 2021 - 5/10

Horror outing has its moments, but those are outweighed by monumental plotting errors.
A cataclysmic mining disaster wipes out a community of 1000.
Decades later, geologists and history hunters arrive in remote Appalachia, seeking the lost hamlet of Shookum.
Warnings are ignored, obstacles surmounted, then deep into the depths.

I can tolerate whining male characters led by a plucky Woke female. And the murky photography.
Even the main premise, which is stale goods at best.
But – the whole rural community – who seem to have neither jobs nor income – who have been combating their adversaries for decades – alone … Think on this, and you will grasp how dull witted and lame are the writers.
This ain’t The Descent (2005), or even As Above, So Below (2014).
Watchable, but written by someone who assumes viewers are dumb.

Promising Young Woman - 2020 - 7/10

Cassie is on a mission, perhaps vendetta would be more accurate.
She is out to intimidate and hopefully correct males who prey on intoxicated, vulnerable females.
The background and reasons play out in slow burn, “correct” film.
To its credit, the film does not strike for the jugular of revenge, which would be exploitation.
Powerful acting throughout, still the premise rang false for me.
By and large, misbehavior from influential figures (usually male) is unchecked in most societies.
Cassie’s decade long trajectory may sadden those who recognize a wasted life, blighted by revenge.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - 2012 - 6/10

You’re riding high in April, shot down in May.
Financial whiz, Changez, fresh outta college, nabs a highly lucrative job in a Wall Street capitalization firm.
He is mentored by Keef Sutherland, and starts banging the boss’s niece. On the jet express to the corner suite.
After 9/11, everything changes. As a Pakistani, he is perceived as a potential terrorist.
Great character study of the pawn in a no-win situation, who reinvents himself, and attracts the beady eye of government ops.
Great acting all around, with gray area plot (as in, you find your sympathies shifting around).

Ménilmontant - 1926 - 6/10

Densely packed Silent short opens with a brutal axe murder of two adults.
Parents of two girls, now orphaned. Who, in no time, have grown and struggle in Paris.
Enter the smooth man, with his gentle hands, coaxing insistence, and fleeting promises.
Film dazzles with then-cutting edge techniques of double exposures, rapid pans, and quick cutting.
Risqué material probably meant this was never shown in America.
This ought to run 30+ minutes. Beware of shorter run times which were likely from the wrong speed,

Girl Model - 2011 - 7/10

Documentary about the modeling meat market.
The girls in this film come from Siberia and are 13 - 14 years old. Most are rejected for being too old (say 15) or overweight (not starved enough).
Those “fortunate” enough to get signed will travel to Japan for work.
Narrative tracks two stories. Young girl who optimistically chases the dream, only to spiral down.
The other is of the “talent agent” who used to be a girl model, totally hated it, but is now an active exploiter.
Models struggle in squalid rooms, agents live posh. Surprise, surprise.
Disturbing, may leave a rotten taste in your mouth.

Murder On Belle Island - 2020 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à Belle-Île

A real estate agent, with a reputation for wife-stealing, is found tied to a menhir, dead.
Mainland detective is sent to assist, just as another murder occurs.
The first half of this is (unintentionally) funny, as the mainlander has no check switch and the damnedest things fly out of his mouth. Such as, he starts flirting with suspect #1, and even makes a romantic date.
Gradually, the nonsense ebbs away, leaving a routine ho-hum procedural.
Compensation, fantastic island scenery.