Vultural

Athena: Goddess Of War - 2010 - 5/10
AKA - 아테나: 전쟁의 여신

Disappointing spinoff of the ground breaking IRIS.
South Korean security branch, NTS, squares off against international energy terrorist cabal.
Poorly acted, wrong headed direction, and a script with more holes than a rat infested wheel of Swiss cheese.
The main lead is too young, and early on grins and mugs as if auditioning for teen boy band.
A team captain is inept and foolish, as is a North Korean ex-elite agent.
Don’t get me started on the bane of K-dramas. The tears. Weeping, crying, sobbing like six year olds.
Yet these blubbering basket cases safeguard the nation.
There are exceptions, the chief being the rogue baddie who excels.

The director obviously knows action sequences, which are showcases. With actors, he seems clueless.
As much as I blame the series director for foolish comic relief and histrionics, however, the main culprit is the ridiculous script.
Long, gorgeous episodes in Italy - for no purpose.
Two episodes in Japan, guarding a pop star - for no purpose.
Double agents exposed, and then the duped side shrugs and says, “Well, they’re sorry, so back to work.”
Initially, the main villains are USA agencies, which is a wonderful twist, only that thread is abandoned.
Stupid.
Mmmmm . . . wasted 20 of my life hours on this goo.

Thieves - 1977 - 5/10

Not as awful as other reviews make out, but this is not for the casual.
In fact, this is for dedicated fans of theatre boards.
Based on a then-trendy Broadway play, this catches a married couple during a few sketchy days.
She (Marlo Thomas) longs for them to be like they were in their 20’s.
He (Charles Grodin) reminds her, frequently, they are in their mid 30’s.
The story opens up to showcase New York exteriors, but the dialogue is, as expected, verbose.
Interesting as a time capsule, though Kojak is, in many ways, a wiser choice to view seedy NYC.
The native New Yorker, active theatre type, next to me, would score this higher.

Dorian Gray - 2009 - 7/10

Stylish retelling of the Oscar Wilde classic.
Young man who never ages no matter how many sins he commits.
Dark, sexy, perfumed with decadence.
Stunning set design, a high point being Dorian’s house which has a palpable presence.
Insightful audio commentary, as well.
Stars Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, and the Witanhurst House in Highgate.
Yes, the house is very much a character.
Decadent rather than Horror, cynicism over splatter.

Killer-K - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - Little Girl K // 소 녀 K

Echoes of grindhouse. High voltage Korean actioner.
Young girl is in the wrong place, wrong time with friends. All are slain.
Except her. She’s given the “join us or die” offer.
Next, she is trained as a corporate assassin.
Story plays out over three episodes, each more violent than the last.
This aired late night in Korea, and had nudity and rivers of blood.
Episode three has the highest bullets - body count, but to my thinking, the highlight was episode two.
“K” had discovered who had killed her friends and exacted revenge.
No firearms for that one. Her favored weapons, long knives.
Blood drenched action with machetes, knives, swords.
At three episodes, this is an easy entry into K-dramas. The violent ones.
This is always the series I suggest when friends / coworkers ask for sampling Korean dramas.

Fan-trailer
www.youtube.com/embed/EhjHRbnqfds

Retreat From Kiska - 1965 - 6/10
AKA - Taiheiyô Kiseki No Sakusen: Kisuka

Kiska, small isle in the Aleutian chain is the furthest outpost of Imperial Japan.
American forces encircle the small garrison of 5000 men.
Japanese fleet command decide to try and rescue their men!
This is more of a tactical film than an action one, as the far smaller Japanese group rely on inclimate weather and uncharted waters to out maneuver their adversary.
Bare bones retelling, although what struck me was how often subordinates openly second-guessed their superior or kept urging him to do this or do that.
Other military films (US, British, Russian, German), the XO may voice disagreements behind doors, but on open deck the commanding officer is never challenged.

IRIS - 2009 - 7/10
AKA - Airiseu // 아이리스

Convoluted K-drama actioner.
20 interlocking episodes with a cliffhanger or surprise ending each one.
Begins as espionage, gradually the existence of I R I S is revealed.
Conspiracies and plots spread like weeds.
Backstory and relationships are established in the first couple of episodes. By #04, the pedal goes down.

Gunfights galore. Lavish production values, filming sprawled across several global locations.
Unbearable romance elements. (the bane of K-dramas)

I thought this ended at Ep 17, but no, there were still plot twists and fresh narrative.
Wildly popular in Asia, spawned two sequels (mixed reviews there).

Jasper Mall - 2020 - 6/10

Walk through snapshot of a shopping mall in decline, down to one anchor store.
Overheard are employees, regular shoppers, storefront owners.
Again and again, “business ain’t what it was.”
No causes are given, however. This is not a doc on malls or changing shopping habits.
This shows one mall, hanging on, losing ground.
I watched, disinterestedly. Being a guy, malls never tempted or charmed me.
A young couple is shown. For those puzzled, their relationship mirrors the mall.

Shiri - 1999 - 7/10
AKA - Swiri // 쉬리

Shiri was one of those films that put Korea on the map for Asian action fans.
Also a viewed as a passing of the action genre torch following the Hong Kong takeover in 1997.
Narrative revolves around a breakaway N Korean unit trying to disrupt peace gestures.
Espionage cat and mouse punctuated with high voltage gunfire sequences.
In the midst of all that a love story tries to blossom.
Red meat for Asian fanboys. Loosely remade into IRIS.

Jo - 1971 - 7/10

French farce, starts moderately, then builds situations and cascades mishaps.
Successful comic playwright wants to branch into mystery dramas.
He acts out deadly scenarios, only to accidentally … well, who knew the gun was loaded?
Then, there’s the body. Oh, those pesky corpses.
Worse, an estate agent keeps bringing potential buyers for his home.
His wife has planned a party. Police inspectors are sniffing around.
The jokes pile on. Much seems to echo the best of Tati.

Limits Of Control - 2009 - 5/10

What the hell was that?
Oh, a Jim Jarmusch film. No wonder it was incomprehensible.
Hitman Isaach De Bankole journeys across southern Spain,
and receives instructions from quirky messengers along the way.
Target is shrouded, as are the reasons. Narrative glides between literal and allegory.
Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Bill Murray and Paz de la Huerta play bit parts.
The scenery was great, moving from Madrid to Sevilla into the Andalusian countryside.
Pace never picks up, and viewers are given few clues, though that is part of the charm of a Jarmusch film, or reasons for annoyance towards his oeuvre.

After.Life - 2009 - 6/10

Christina Ricci breaks up with her boyfriend (as he’s trying to propose, no less!).
Storms off in the driving rain. The road is treacherous but the cellphone beckons.
Next sequence, she’s on the slab arguing with Liam Neeson.
“I’m not dead. I can’t be.”
“That’s what you all say.”
Neeson is a mortician with a gift. He can communicate with the dead in the three day window as they transition from this world to the next.
Dour, unsettling film. Especially when you begin to wonder if Ricci’s character is not really dead.
Definitely not an action flick, and the characters are not always sympathetic.

The Disappearance Of Alice Creed - 2009 - 6/10

I picked this up, blithely assuming it would be a fun ride thriller.
Plus, Gemma Arterton moves easy on the eyes.
This is, however, an unrelenting, grim, kidnapping yarn.
Methodical preparation, the quick snatch, then plans slowly fester, as back histories and private agendas surface.
Music was dire gloom throughout.
Didn’t care for this, but well executed.

Complete Unknown - 2016 - 5/10

His birthday party permits a brief relaxing of the tension in Tom’s marital dilemma.
Until he spies the guest in the shadows, and recognizes an old flame, missing over a decade.
Narrative is that of what have you been doing, rather than why.
A misstep to be sure, but others are more grievous.
Her past involves identities, which are sketched in an opening montage.
Acceptable in a bygone era (The Great Imposter (1960) or Catch Me If You Can (2002)), but not in a digital world, and not in a modern job requiring credentials.
Rachel Weisz’s character, a chimera of unresolved mysteries, is beyond far fetched.

Good Hair - 2009 - 6/10

Who knew a documentary about “fixing” bad hair could be so fun?
$1000 hair extensions, hair relaxers containing sodium hydroxide (lye), and a outta control stylist competition.
Plus, answers to questions like -
“How do you have sex with a woman wearing a weave?”
Answer - Girl on top. Touch hair and die!
Hosted by comedian Chris Rock.

Savage Wolf Pack - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Yaju O Kese

A young girl is chased, then repeatedly raped near US air base in Japan.
She commits suicide. Her brother, a big game hunter in Alaska, returns with vengeance on his mind.
First, though, were the rapists US soldiers or a rogue motorcycle gang?

Steady boil film, punctuated with minor violence here and there.
Each side probes the boundaries of the other. Caught in the middle is a runaway rich girl.
Knockoff of other films, but has its own refreshing character.
And yes, all the guns come out during the finale.

Mildly surprised no mention of Marillion.
If you like Genesis (Gabriel era), you should like Marillion (Fish era).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTdOMV-yTRg

I’m Thinking Of Ending Things - 2020 - 6/10

Potentially great film “enhanced” by screenwriter / director.
Girlfriend (Lucy-Lucia-Louise) goes with new boyfriend Jake to meet his parents.
Lucy and Jake have been together six, seven weeks, so this is a big step.
Problem is, she suffers misgivings. About the weather, about the trip, about the relationship.
Jake is a nice enough guy, but …
The journey takes forever, as does their car talk. Once at his home, time slips begin to occur, along with déjà vu and other fracturing.
Note: Because of recent reading (unrelated), I was alert to p-o-v which is paramount in this movie.
Fascinating film will engross the dedicated audience (ie: fans of this director).
For most, this may be deadly slow. Scenes play out far too long. Sometimes this technique works to sustain tension, there is little of that here.
The ending is a bungle. While I had suspicions about what transpired, I had to check reviews to confirm them.
The director made this so opaque that it was incomprehensible, unless one had read Reid’s book.

Confession, Theory, Actress - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - Kokuhakuteki Joyûron

Something between experimental cinema and avant-garde theatre.
Three women recall key events that drew them into acting, along with traumas.
The three are “high maintenance” souls, prone to dramatics.
Swoons, breathless declarations, half hearted suicide attempts.
Camera work includes odd angles, and framing characters off in corners or near the bottom of immense skies.
Though the film can be a trudge at times, the overall experience is of eavesdropping.
How much you enjoy may depend on how high your voyeur DNA.

St. Trinian’s - 2007 - 6/10

Remake of the 50’s classic series.
England’s notorious St. Trinian’s all girl school.
Lots of girls in uniforms. Cute girls, hot babes, randy vixens, Goth gurlz, stoners.
Goofy hijinks in a silly plot to save the ‘school for misfits’ from closure.
This comedy was slagged by a pile UK critics, 35-60 year old geezers, but fared better after a global release. A hoot from beginning to end.
Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Gemma Arterton, Russell Brand, and probably 10 future stars.

Berberian Sound Studio - 2012 - 6/10

Toby Jones plays sound designer hired to work on 70’s Italian horror film.
Think Argento or Fulci (Zombie, Demons . . . )
Interesting for the first half hour, bogs down, grows pretentious, artsy, preposterous.
Reviews have been all over the map. I think I scored kindly.
Film looks good, though dark, and does a fine job showing how effects were made.
Jones plays his character one-note. The narrative wanders then stops.

Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans - 2009 - 6/10

Where to begin …
Nicholas Cage gives another crazed, over the top performance in Werner Herzog film.
A cop with neither morals nor check switch.
The group I watched this with hated it.
For myself, I have mixed feelings.
Co-starring Val Kilmer, Brad Dourif, Eva Mendes, and Xzibit, this should have been better than a television knockoff.
Cage’s character pops more drugs than Mötley Crüe, with less consequences.
For local color, Herzog did some point of view shots from the back of an alligator, later an iguana.
Plastic alligators.
If you view this as a parody of police procedurals, you may like this better.

The Ship Of Lost Men - 1929 - 6/10
AKA - Das Schiff der Verlorenen Menschen

A young American doctor gets caught on a battered ship sailing from Hamburg to Brazil.
The captain is a cruel tyrant, the crew are cutthroats or criminals on the run.
Into their midst falls a female aviatrix (early Marlene Dietrich) who ignites passions.
One of the last Silents, this is moody, darkly lensed, and slow as a wintry puddle.
Viewers longing for things to happen will wait and wait and wait.
Many times, when a film plods, I study costumes and sets.
Not here, with minimalist interiors and so dark, even shadows are few.

A Date With The Falcon - 1942 - 5/10

Second outing for George Sanders’ suave thrill seeker and police meddler.
Early on, he is supposed to be flying off with his not-yet-wed bride on their honeymoon.
When a pair of dark eyes and thick eyelashes beckon, his fiancé is forgotten.
The plot - if you tend to be charitable - is of a kidnapped synthetic diamond inventor.
Misunderstandings with police, banter with lovelies, and glowering heavies cannot disguise a fluff story.
Film relies on Sanders’ charm, but is beneath his talents.

A Town Called Panic - 2009 - 7/10
AKA - Panique au Village

I rolled my eyes when one of the girls chose this kiddie film.
Wrong assumption, this was entertaining fun.
Monty Python-esque animations, subtitled Belgium cursing, adventures ranging from under the sea, to the center of the earth, and romance in the music class.
Story races merrily along, with effortless, and endless, charm.
How Horse puts up with Indian and Cowboy, however, is way beyond me.
Then again, I had friends like those. More like, I was (am) one of those insane friends.

Who Killed Nancy? - 2009 - 7/10

Nancy Spungen was killed Oct 1978. Six months later, boyfriend-suspect Sid Vicious died of an overdose.
Case closed, everyone decided “Sid did it.”
Police records reveal there were actually six suspects.
This documentary picks up the threads with mixed results.
Lots of interviews with friends, drug buddies, roadies, etc … As well as a solid soundtrack.
Narrative meanders and never quite targets the prime alternative.
One has the impression Sid didn’t kill Nancy (witnesses confirm he was passed out) … but who did? And why?
This should have been better.
Essential, nevertheless, for fans of The Great Rock-N-Roll Swindle or readers of Jon Savage’s “England’s Dreaming,” or anyone who moshed in punk shows.