Vultural

The Hard Way - 1979 - 7/10

Terrific, underrated, and I suspect, little seen crime film.
Patrick McGoohan plays an Irish assassin who does a final job before telling the go-between he is finished.
Quitting is not so easy, however. His main employer, Lee Van Cleef, needs him for a more difficult job.
After clear refusals, leverage is brought to bear upon the marksman.

Moody film that advances slowly, with a brilliant sense of quiet.
Dialogue is spare, a couple characters hardly talk at all. Tight closeups of gun work.
Emphasis is placed on hunting, tracking, and stalking in three distinct sequences.
Stealth, by its nature, can be a silent and patient enterprise.
One also sees the organized hierarchy. McGoohan works under Cleef, who accepts assignments from another, who in turn is merely another go-between. Contractors, sub-contractors.
McGoohan’s estranged wife acts as a chorus, sketching in details of the man.
Hyperkinetic action fans, not for you. Those who enjoyed The Mechanic (Bronson), find this.

Z-108 - 2012 - 6/10
AKA - Zombie 108 or Qi cheng

Every time I worry Asian films have become slick, mainstream, middle-of-the-road bores, along comes a demented throwback to previous times.
Escaped virus turns Taipei into Deadsville.
SWAT team joins gangsters against hordes of lurching, running zombies.
Meanwhile, most of the strippers are captured by sex psychopath and his pet octopus.
Drug use, rampant nudity, chaotic plot, carnage, gore, silliness.
Great scene where obnoxious reporter questions girl,
“Your whole family has been murdered! Tell our viewers how you feel. How sad are you? Oh, were you bitten? Aaarrrgggh!!!”

Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud - 1995 - 6/10

Nelly’s marriage is at an impasse. Her husband has not worked in a few years.
Reads newspapers, magazines, complains of no recognition of his talent.
Lunching with her sister, she is introduced to Mr Arnaud, retired and wealthy.
And, he has been trying to write his memoirs … if he could only find a typist.
Opening ten minutes provide the template for the entire film.
Quiet character studies, layered conversations, small revelations.
Fine acting, excellent dialogue. French buffs, certainly. Others? Possibly.

The Last Of Sheila - 1973 - 5/10

Old fashioned Hollywood lineup assembles in timeworn yarn of multiple suspects in a mysterious killing.
Mogul (James Coburn) “invites” has-beens and hopefuls to his Mediterranean yacht for a week of games.
Mix of Clue and Treasure Hunt with revealing cards and exposed secrets.
Ian McShane, Raquel Welch, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Richard Benjamin are in the cast.
Written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, actual puzzle fanatics and game players.
First third has fabulous location shooting and propulsive drive.
Then it all bogs down into sluggish chamber drama
Very talky, exposition becomes paramount. “Show, don’t say” rule is discarded.

Doghouse - 2009 - 5/10

A dining alternative.
Handful of London blokes decide to take recently divorced mate for an outing to Moodley.
Once there, they realize every male in the hamlet is dead.
Murdered by women who have all become ravenous, cannibal zombies.
Mayhem ensues. Misogynistic and funny. Lot of lad humor.
Designed more for laughs than gore.

Cleopatra: Mother, Mistress, Murderer, Queen - 2016 - 6/10

Thoughtfully constructed and produced documentary of the fabled queen.
Presented chronologically, interspersed with talking heads and actors.
The experts clarify historical misassumptions, add textures to her story.
Actors more reenact events (no speaking) and are much above the usual doc players.
Money had been spent of this, and it shows.
Actium, wisely, not attempted.
Bettany Hughes, one of the contributors, also presented Helen Of Troy a few years ago.
Also worth a look, though lavish production values for Cleopatra give it the nod.

Dancer - 2016 - 7/10

Critics declare Sergie Polunin is greatest dancer of his generation.
Profile shows his early youth, where his talent is clearly recognized.
Also the sacrifices made by his family to underwrite his training and education.
The pressure becomes a heavy burden and the doc is unflinching about showing the strain he is under.
And how humans often stumble and falter.
Rewarding film for dancers, very young dancers, especially parents of aspiring dancers.

Isle Of The Snake People - 1971 - 4/10
AKA - La Muerte Viviente

Inept voodoo film set, from the opening map, in the Pacific.
Dismiss that. From the drums, rituals, plantations, zombies, this is clearly meant to be Haiti.
A new police captain arrives, along with the niece of the island’s largest landowner.
The official plans to squash sacrificial slayings, while the niece is a Temperance do-gooder.
The movie plods. Scenes linger past their welcome, even sensuous gyrations with snakes.
One of Boris Karloff’s last appearances, and he looks frail.
An interesting sequence occurs when the niece, under a spell, splits into two souls, good and evil, who are erotically drawn to each other. Alas, that is not maximized.
I have watched worse – – and will see worse in the future.

After Porn Ends - 2012 - 6/10

Find your faves here.
Thoughts and recollections from a smattering of ex porn stars.
Readjusting to the normal world poses more challenges than expected.
Interesting, funny, bitter, depending on experiences.
Primarily talking heads, though given the subject matter there is nudity (but no XXX).

After Porn Ends 2 - 2017 - 5/10

Glossy, easy sequel to the original. Different actors, different chapters.
A bit more upbeat, with a sunnier sheen.
Feel good tone, if you could call it that.
Does feature more current performers.

The English Teacher - 2013 - 6/10

Former star pupil returns to the small town, after flaming out as Broadway’s next big playwright.
His family doesn’t understand him, but his old English teacher does! Even better, she helps get his drama produced for the annual school play.
Julianne Moore plays the mid-forties, unmarried high school English teacher. This is very much her story as she steps out of her comfort zone.
Plot dragged a bit past the midway point, but gracefully avoided the predictable.
Nathan Lane as drama teacher would seem a cliché, but he radiates fun and energy.
For English majors everywhere!

Thank you for your comments, Rodney. I will stick with it.
With the first trilogy, I found the first third alright, with stellar effects.
S02 was better in almost every way, and S03 was a superb capper.

With S04, the series seemed to backstep, rebuilding as it were.
I realize the show is character driven, but characters on the new colony and their conflicts bored me.
Fortunately, the producers are working from “published” works, so I am hoping to avoid the disappointment that was GoT.

Thanks again for your insights; I appreciate them.

Chinatown Nights - 1929 - 6/10

Creaky drama, loses steam after an opening that resembles Warners films.
Rival Tong gangs battle on the streets and in a Chinese theater.
One gang led by the inscrutable Oriental (stereotyped Warner Oland), the other by an Irish boss (Wallace Beery).
First act rips along, only to stutter into romantic entanglement.
Despite flaws, film has loads of curiosity value.
Begun as a Silent, Paramount converted it to a Talkie mid production.
Dialogue was looped, save for Florence Vidor, hers was dubbed and she subsequently quit movies.
Mild by Pre-Code standards, there are elements that definitely would be censored later.
The silent scenes, even those dubbed later, move quicker and better than the static talkie sections.

Looking For Eric - 2009 - 6/10

Postman Eric’s life is whirling, spinning out of his control – as if he ever possessed any control.
His daughter needs him to babysit her child while she attends college, and that means encountering his first wife, whom he abandoned years earlier.
Sons of wife number two (dead, missing, in prison) have gotten in over their heads with a crime boss.
No one can help Eric, until he channels his idol, Eric Cantona.

The Man U legend offers advice, though typical of King Eric, it can be maddeningly enigmatic.
Ken Loach film mixes despair and optimism with football sequences.
During the latter, I received bonus commentary from my dainty bride, a long time Man U supporter.
This film would serve as an agreeable introduction into Loach’s oeuvre.

Priceless - 2006 - 6/10
AKA - Hors de Prix

At a posh resort, drunken golddigger (Tautou) has a fling with dashing rich young playboy, and dumps her geriatric sugar daddy.
Then realizes the playboy is only the bartender / dog walker!
Bartender quickly emulates her and seeks his own wealth.
Slightly forced French comedy of greedy opportunists and the lonely rich.
Had its moments. Attractive cast.

I just finished S04 and was underwhelmed. For those who have viewed S05, is it markedly better?
Also, has S06 been confirmed? I know a big reason why the second trilogy was picked up was because Jeff (Amazon) Bezos was such a fan.
With him stepping down in the third quarter this year, I wondered how the new bosses regarded the series.

Saint Maud - 2019 - 6/10

Category? Religious horror? I don’t know.
Maud, previously known as Katie, works as a carer for dying patients.
Previously she had been a nurse, though for reasons unexplained she no longer is.
Maud is a recent convert to Catholicism, and intensely devout.
Visions, voices, self-punishment inform her days, as does the need to save souls.
Meaning, her dying patient, whether she wants salvation or not.
Listed as horror, this is a study in fanaticism, and dangerous delusion.
For some, the thought of an ultra-pious soul taking charge of their life will be terrifying.
I am unsure how this resonates with viewers in an age where few attend church and belief seems casual.
Religious souls, truly spiritual types, not the sanctimonious, strike me as nearly extinct.

The Brontë Sisters - 1979 - 6/10
AKA - Les Soeurs Brontë

French dramatization of sisters Emily, Anne and Charlotte. Oh yeah, brother Branwell, too.
This is before publication. Home life, Charlotte’s Belgium period, Branwell’s disastrous affair.
Austere film, with bleak countryside and cramped interiors.
Characters Branwell and Emily fleshed out best, though I raised an eyebrow at times.
Possibly a companion with the documentary, The Brilliant Brontë Sisters.
Literary acclaim arrives late in this.
Not an upbeat experience, fans of the Brontës already anticipate this.

Departures - 2008 - 7/10
AKA - Okuribito // おくりびと

After the orchestra folds, unemployed cellist returns to his hometown, where he had inherited his mother’s small home / coffee shop.
He answers a Classifieds ad for “Departures” thinking it some sort of travel work.
Wrong.
Departures means the final trip, from this life to the next. His duties involve making the body appear as lifelike as possible so families can say goodbye.
Moody, quiet film, with peerless Japanese set design.
Academy award winner. Worth your time, unless the inevitability of death unnerves you.

Bait - 2012 - 5/10

Bait as in the menu of the shark menu, with savory humans as appetizers and snackies.
Powerful tsunami drives great whites inland into an Australian shopping mall.
Helpless shoppers splash and shout anytime those jaws snap.
Better than recent, smirking comedies designed for “celebrity” cameos.
Premise of killer in a locked room with victims is OK.
Characters, ranging from sketches to neo-melodrama, behave mostly intelligently.
(Note: I live with two shark obsessed females, for me there is no escaping species Selachii.)

Made On Broadway - 1933 - 5/10

Messy PreCode vehicle straddles blasé sophistication and screwball.
Jeff Bidwell is a publicity agent / fixer, and his fees ain’t cheap.
There is an endless stream of clients who flutter to his nightclub / office after they land in another swamp.
He takes an impoverished suicidal type under his wing (why?), determined to remake her.

Story tries to be too many things – daintily – and is neither risqué nor comic.
Warners could have done something lurid or sordid with this, MGM is stodgy.
Babyface came out the same year. See that instead.

My Afternoons With Margueritte - 2010 - 6/10
AKA - La Tête en Friche

Nice, feel-good, French film.
Village laborer (Depardieu) begins spending lunch on park bench with elderly woman (Casadesus).
She begins reading aloud to him, gradually reawakening his own lapsed reading habits.
Nice relationship between the two, as well as with friends at the tavern.
Love interest between burly laborer and fetching bus driver completely implausible.
Casadesus (born 1914) is exceptional at any age.
Depardieu solid as ever, yet I found his sheer bulk distracting. His gradual metamorphosis into Jabba The Hut is grotesque.

Una - 2016 - 7/10

If you missed “Blackbird” on Broadway or the West End, here’s a fine alternative.
28 year old female tracks down the man with whom she once had an affair.
Fifteen years earlier. At the time, he was her neighbor, her father’s best friend, and 35 years old.
Uncomfortable material, in-your-face delivery, filled with accusations and excuses.
To say she was permanently damaged by the encounter would be an understatement.
Throughout, both characters shift from sympathetic to repugnant.
Viewers who stick with this unsavory story will be kept on their toes the whole time.

Jonah Who Will Be 25 In The Year 2000 - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - Jonas qui aura 25 ans en l’an 2000

Coming to terms with ones idealistic youth upon reaching middle age.
A group of individuals, loosely related, now “work for the man” rather than “stick it to him.”
Most were active in the heady 60’s, but now toil in a factory, teach, work the checkout lane.
They still get excited about what needs to be done, yet they are not in the spearhead and understand that.
Dialogue driven. You get an idea of who characters are, less so who they were.
More than most films I have watched (including 1930’s) this has dated.

The Imposter - 2012 - 7/10

Maddening docudrama based on true life disappearance of 13 year old Texas boy.
Who shows up three years later in Spain.
Family hurries to fetch their blonde haired, blue eyed relative, who now has brown eyes, dark hair, a French accent, and a five o’clock shadow.
The family, classic example of no child left behind, shrugs and says, “Welcome home!”
That’s about midway. Film then takes bizarre, unbelievable turns, which you had to believe because they were true.
Great stuff which will have you going WTH throughout.

Finch, Paul - Ill Met In Darkness

A quartet of unrelated, though bracing, chilly tales, set away from the urban hustle bustle.
“Snicker Snack” examines the collector. A cult illustrator and, perhaps, an unfinished work. Or perhaps a canvas considered too abhorrent for public display.
Two ex special forces soldiers are drawn into the search for treasure in “Down To A Sunless Sea.” Thrills and adventure abound in a rattling yarn.
Another two men, criminal hitmen this time, have an assignment in a godforsaken village. Dark fortune favors them, however, as it is Guy Fawkes night. The wild revels ought to muffle misdeeds. And “The Hell Wain” is all about misdeeds.
Then there is “Spirit Of The Season.” Yule season, that is. The curious type and his quest for Father Christmas. The old, very old Father Christmas, or whatever earlier, sinister name he was called.