Vultural

The House By The Cemetery - 1981 - 5/10
AKA - Quella Villa Accanto al Cimitero

Doctor Peterson dumps his wife and shacks up with his girlfriend in the rambling house.
Before the opening credits, he murders her, then commits suicide.
Yeah, yeah, backstory. Next, Doctor Boyle decides to continue Peterson’s research.
He takes his headcase wife, and whiny moppet son Bob, to the same big ole house.
By the cemetery. Inside, the cellar door is nailed shut. For how long, you wonder.

The family hears voices, sobbings. The house is haunted. Do they bolt out the door?
There’s a burial slab inside the house. Who is buried there? Whoa, it’s Professor Freudstein!
A mysterious babysitter is hired. Moppet Bob chats with a girl no one else sees.
On and on. Lucio Fulci film piles incidents and ideas slapdash, with no thought of continuity or logic.
An utter mess. Nevertheless, I sat there, transfixed, wondering what would happen next.

Under Siege - 1992 - 6/10

Though considered “too mainstream” by Seagal’s old school fans, this remains a guilty pleasure
From the era of “action heroes” (which bloated into “super heroes”), Steven Seagal plays lowly Navy cook on a battleship that falls under the control of mercenaries.
Seagal, you guessed it, more than a mere cook, takes on the hijackers.
Mindless film benefits from excellent villains, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey.
Even the second tier villains are great.
Seagal, also, is not a one man show. He receives assistance from supporting characters.
Followed by an inferior sequel and a seemingly endless stream of chest-thumping duds for Seagal.
“It’s not a job, it’s an adventure.”

Ladies Who Do - 1963 - 6/10

A char woman finds a tossed cigar in the trash, wraps it in a scrap of paper, a gives to the retired Colonel, whose home she also cleans.
And that scrap of paper? An internal memo from property speculators.
The Colonel phones his broker, shorts a position to the tune of £5000, and then cleans up.
He shares his profits, and the woman realizes she has a new tactic to save her block from - you guessed it - property developers.
Beady eyed satire strikes a lot of marks. Class divisions, income levels, unions, police.
A bit dated, but the comedy rollicks along, and Peggy Mount is an unforgettable force of nature.

Parasite - 2019 - 7/10
AKA - Gisaengchoong // 기생충

A film of levels. Strata. Ground floor, upper floors. Basement, sub-basement.
Likewise, social levels. Class.
Poor family struggles to survive in pricey urban South Korea.
They mooch wifi and toil low-end, piece work jobs, but life is not sweet.
Via an old classmate friend, the son lands a tutoring job for a privileged daughter.
You watch, as the family maneuvers to shift themselves into the household, cuckoo like.
Inside, economic and social disparities slowly bloom with an aroma that everyone keeps sniffing.
A simmering boil, this will likely be viewed differently, depending on your economic situation.
Affluent will say, “Demand references and check them.” Poor, “Welcome to our world.”
Middle class, however, who are slipping globally, will recognize their future with horror.

L’Amant Double - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Double Lover

Ex model, now museum attendant, sees a psychiatrist for personal issues.
Quicker than you can read the professional ethics guidelines, they have an affair, and she moves in with him.
Then, like Pandora, she begins to wonder about this perfect partner.
And soon discovers he has a secret twin. Also a psychiatrist!
Or - is this simply him, combing his hair differently?
Or - maybe she isn’t exactly cured. Is she imagining things?

François Ozon thriller lurches between suspense and far-fetched.
More sex and nudity than some cultures will approve of, as well as mirrors (for those of you into symbolism) in almost every scene.

The Flu That Killed Fifty Million - 2018 - 7/10

Excellent documentary of the influenza that killed 50-100 million in 1918-1919.
Far, far more died than those in the Great War.
Accurately pinpoints where it began (Kansas, not Spain) and the exact individual.
Pioneering efforts to discover and control were limited by technological shortcomings, as well as officialdom in denial.
For the latter, think climate change deniers who hold political power.
Modern reenactments are minimal, this relies more on vintage photos, newsreels, charts.
Great if you are into this.
Afterthought in 2018 was not if there will be another pandemic, but when.

Influenza 1918 - 1998 - 6/10

Part of the “American Experience” series.
As such, there are a couple of talking head “experts” along with a host of individuals sharing their memories.
So you have these seniors, who were young children in 1918, airing their experiences.
There are newsreels, vintage photos, yet minimal science, scant history.
In contrast, The Flu That Killed 50 Million from 2018, kept a detailed history and reenacted dialogue using letters, journals and memoirs. That version gets the nod from me because the history is better.
Topical - US politicians in 1918 denied the growing crisis and kept reassuring the public.
One senior gave a good definition of their “age of innocence.”
“… we really didn’t know what was ahead …”

Foto Proibite di Una Signora Per Bene - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion

“Today, I quit smoking, and drinking,” Minou muses while lolling in the bubble bath. “I ought to stop these pills, too.”
All the while, she puffs, pops and swigs.
Nerves, understand? And she is a trifle unstable.
Minou then dresses provocatively, walks the wharf at night, and attracts a stalker.

Too late, she is in deep to blackmail and sexual gamesmanship.
Early “erotic thriller” boasts plenty of skin, hardly any nudity.
The plot layers madness with tension, ending with a satisfying who and why.

Biblia Koshodô no Jiken Techô - 2013 - 7/10
AKA - Antiquarian Bookshop Biblia’s Case Files
ビブリア古書堂の事件手帖

Wonderful J-dorama for people in love with reading, addicted to books - real books, especially used books.
Set in a cozy, golden hazed bookshop, Biblia Antiquarian Bookshop Case Files revels in ordinary, seemingly impossible mysteries that proprietress Shinokawa has an uncanny knack for deciphering.
Just as well, too, as the puzzles get harder and ofttimes deadlier with each week.
Many of the problems are affairs of the heart, others plunge into the obsessive realm of book collectors.
Therein might hint why this imaginative, clever series fared so poorly ratings wise.
Non-readers might have felt excluded, believing it was targeting a very limited audience.
Then again, a lot of people don’t like books and actually dislike reader types.
Shinokawa’s tall male assistant, Goura, acts as Watson to her Holmes, asking questions about the books referenced, and jumping to impulsive (invariably wrong) solutions to the mysteries.
Marvelous little series. Perfect for wet nights.

Note: If you need subs, I overhauled. – – https://subscene.com/subtitles/antiquarian-bookshop-biblias-case-files-biblia-koshodou-no-jiken-techou/english/1161627

The Town That Loves Books: Arts At Hay - 2014 - 6/10

Documentary on the biggest book fair in Britain, in small Hay-on-Wye.
Dealers, publishers, authors, celebrities, fan-fiction, fans, rain rain rain.
Doc is hopeful one frame, worrisome the next.
On one hand it is reassuring to see people buying and taking an interest in books.
On the other, publishing houses are dwindling, and it is harder for new writers, save celebrity authors.
Thanks to self publishing, anyone can be an author! Though no one may buy your book.
I watched this with avid book types - they were in a happy place.

Quiet Please: Murder - 1942 - 6/10

Brisk thriller / mystery, with the main characters very much the villains.
Smoothie George Sanders is a rare book thief.
After well-publicized thefts, he creates quality forgeries which he peddles to unscrupulous collectors.
They can’t well verify if the book is real, and if they find out, who can they complain to?
Great plan, eh?
Except one forgery is sold to a Nazi agent, buying for Hermann Goering.
During a blackout, Sanders and his duplicitous colleague (sensual Gail Patrick) find themselves trapped in a vast public library, along with a private investigator and those pesky Nazis, demanding a refund!
Fun little B-movie, very much of its time.

Barneys Books And Bust-Ups: 50 Years Of The Booker Prize - 2018 - 6/10

Lightweight overview of the Booker prize.
Early days (including the sugar cane roots of Booker), growth of importance, controversies.
Most of the interviewees are winning authors and judges.
Prize money seems OK, the real aspect of the award lies in publicity and increased book sales.
Complaints include elitism, veiled lobbying, and surprisingly, from the winners, that owing to scheduled appearances, they usually cannot return to writing for a few years.
Nevertheless, readers (a dying breed) will find this entertaining.

The Antique: Secret Of The Old Books - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - Biblia Koshodô no Jiken Techô // ビブリア古書堂の事件手帖

Condensation of several novels by En Mikami limits its focus to shopkeeper Shioriko, and her part time assistant, Daisuke.
Possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of books, Shioriko struggles to keep her shop afloat, while fending off threats from an obsessive / psychopathic book collector.

Daisuke’s story is more the mystery of his recently deceased grandmother, and her forbidden love affair.
Shioriko, unfortunately, is underwritten. Replace the constant book in her hands with a cellphone, and she would be any naval gazing soul of today, more interested in elsewhere than people in front of her.
The grandmother’s story is set in 1964 during the Tokyo Olympics.
Played by Kaho (Tokyo Vampire Hotel), she is a ramen cook. Full of life, and curiosity.

Her relationship with a struggling writer is the emotional core of the movie.
The modern story with the collector is forced and poorly done.

A better experience might be Antiquarian Bookshop Biblia’s Case Files from 2013.
With 11 episodes, it offers a deeper, richer exploration of Mikami’s novels.

Is anyone else still following the Axanar project?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=85&v=d7-FDvIbGlQ

Memoirs Of A Murderer - 2017 - 7/10
AKA - 22-Nenme no Kokuhaku: Watashi Ga Satsujinhan Desu
22年目の告白－私が殺人犯です

Modus operandi: strangulation, with a bound and gagged onlooker nearby.
A close relative, permitted to survive, bear witness, live with despair and guilt.
Spree killing of 5 murders, before the murderer mysteriously disappears.
Police departments and news agencies fail to unearth the killer.
Months elapse, then years, until the statute of limitations passes by.
And then, the killer surfaces, peddling his tell-all book.

An instant best-seller! Society goes berserk, the killer is “really cool.”
Police are infuriated, yet stymied. A lone senior news anchor decides to challenge the killer.
Gripping thriller manages to be a brilliant twist n turn tale, as well as a rotten exposé of the shallowness of society and their fascination with celebrity, even the celebrity of monsters.

American Factory - 2019 - 7/10

Six years after GM shut a truck factory in Dayton, Chinese investors reopen it as an auto glass manufacturer.
Told from both Chinese and American perspectives, this doc shows the uneasy progress.
The Chinese are accustomed to hard work and long hours. Environmental concerns, not so much.
The American crew are ex-UAW members. Benefits and pay offered are slim.
Unlike the Japanese, a generation earlier, Chinese ownership is wide-eyed to the cultural differences.
Growing pains are rocky, and provocative politicians and union organizers stir discontent.
Watching the overweight and slow-walking Americans in this film had me shaking my head.
Their movements were sluggish, their minds less nimble, and I just knew how this would flow.
The Chinese think long term, which you grasp by the end of the film.
^

Confession: I was once a dues paying member of the United Mine Workers.
The era of unions seems very distant now.
^

Le Dos Au Mur - 1958 - 7/10
AKA - Back To The Wall

Jacques thought Gloria loved him. Their three year marriage is passionate, strong.
Until he realizes he is a fool, a sap, the classic cuckold.
There is a younger man. A struggling actor, with a two seat sport car.
A feckless man who had discarded Gloria years before, yet her flame for him burned.
Jacques, rich, powerful, sets out to destroy the relationship.
Dark mystery, filled with shadows, positions the infatuated couple against a calculating, faceless foe.
Cruelty runs hand in hand with despair in bleak gamesmanship.
Everyone earns a mix of sympathy and disdain.

The Song Of Names - 2019 - 7/10

The young violinist, unknown yet already heralded as a genius, disappears even as the audience fills the theatre.
Then there is nothing. Decades pass, he seems erased from the planet.
Via flashbacks, he arrives from Poland to England in 1939. September arrives, Germany invades Poland, Europe is engulfed in World War II. Blitz ravaged England becomes home to the prodigy.
Decades after the mysterious disappearance, the violinist’s childhood friend finds a loose thread.
From there, the reclusive history and fallout.
Time and again, when souls vanish, ofttimes they have their reasons. Private reasons.

Star Wars 30’s Serial Edition Part 2 (Star Wars trilogy) - TMBTM

Condensation of the Original Trilogy into a silent serial.
I enjoyed Part 2 slightly less than Part 1.
The editing was fine, but the Dusty, while nicely marred, was sepia toned, and I had trouble adjusting.
Tinting would have been appreciated.
Mind you, I appreciated how this looked, but to me a 30’s serial ought to be B&W.
The sound was great, visual and audio editing flawless.
Can easily recommend this edit, especially if the viewer doesn’t suffer strange prejudices towards sepia.

Afterthought. Going the silent route is a shrewd way to alter dialogue, rearrange narrative, incorporate scenes from other films.
Wondering aloud.

Star Wars 30’s Serial Edition Part 1 (Star Wars prequels) - TMBTM

Condensation of the prequels into a silent serial.
As others have commented, a really nice edit. All the more so as this negates half of Christensen’s part - his voice.
I watch a lot of serials, and this had the right feel to it.
That said, the black and white version was too clean, and might have been better with more elements of distress.
Dusty might have appeared better. I’m not sure.
All in all, I enjoyed this a lot and would recommend it.

War Of The Worlds: Extinctive Cut (War Of The Worlds - 2005) - CBB

“Its not enough to survive… One has to be worthy of survival. “ Commander William Adama.

Sadly, such concepts are not universal. That might explain the survival of repellent lead characters. After two hours of the original, viewers will likely root for aliens to capture, consume and silence our ordinary fellow humans.
Boon is biting off a lot here, trying to paint lipstick on a cancerous pig, attempting to carve the crap without leaving behind a corpse.

Hit PLAY and you get to choose which version of CBB’s edit, “Extinctive” or “Purist.” In both cuts, once past Chapter 10, resolution grows poorer. More noticeable in “Extinctive”, especially with blacks and deep shadows.

I watched both versions, and both are cohesive. “Extinctive’s” ending held an unexpected surprise. Can’t say that I bought it from a logical point of view. Questions about how long a “future” are we looking at? Food supplies? Water? Politicians? Still, it might be taken as a Hollywood 70’s ending. The “Purist” was better for me and my skeptical nature.

Did someone say extras? Man, Boon is generous with the goodies! Trailer, Deleted Scenes, the shack with and without Robbins, a chunk of CBB edits to boot. Hey, did I mention, the features are subtitled? Boss.

As far as enjoyment, I disliked the original and my dislike for the edit is only marginally less. Blame the source. Characters you want killed. Script and direction both pander. Spielberg had early a history of terrorizing children. Not judging, just saying. There is less of that in this edit, and CBB reimagines Robbie’s path well.

Recommended to fans of the original. Naysayers will still be displeased.

Three Identical Strangers - 2018 - 8/10

First day at new college, fellow students smile at the new guy, hug him, say, “Glad you’re back, Eddy!”
Only thing, his name is Bobby, not Eddy.
By the end of the day, he meets the twin he never knew he had.
“Newsweek” covers the story, and, incredibly enough, a third missing brother surfaces!

All three had been separated at birth, to different families. Who knew?
The boys become a national phenomenon, they are feted, they appear on national television, even cameo in a Madonna movie!
They bond, the nation loves them, a bounty of luck showers down.

Yet, ever so gradually, the story grows unimaginably dark.
Their story is a sinister one, almost painful, akin to a diabolical X-Files episode.
If remotely curious, then I heavily recommend this, and recommend you see this cold.
Especially if you know nothing about this story. Almost every review I read afterward is filthy with spoilers.

Juha - 1999 - 6/10

Black and white, Silent movie from Finland. And yes, this predates The Artist by a good decade.
Married Juha and Marja live quietly and simply on the farm. Social activities include friends, or the club.
Into their life, however, comes a sleek, if ailing, Corvette. Driven by the city soul, Shemeikka.
While Juha repairs the visitor’s sports car, the driver immediately woos Marja.
She’s too nice for this life, she deserves better.
The contest between flash and stable usually has one outcome.
And into the darkness of the city the wayward wife plunges.

Bleak tale, though surprisingly funny at times.
Broad acting at points, subtle nuance during other moments.
A very modern soundtrack - added immensely and jarred inappropriately.
Well cast with interesting faces.

The Leisure Seeker - 2018 - 6/10

Aged couple embark on a road trip, probably their final one.
The husband is clearly succumbing to Alzheimer’s while his wife pops meds like candy.
He had been a college professor in Boston, their trip is to Key West, home of his touchstone, Hemingway.
Yes, there are small adventures, encounters, revelations along the way.
The story itself is of how they react to the presence of the final curtain.
Sutherland’s character lingers in a fogged world, Mirren resents that the man she fell in love with has been stolen away by the disease.
Darkness tinges the proceedings, but one recognizes the feel-good tone of the whole.
^

I had relatives who did this, traveled huge swathes of the globe in their pickup camper.
Time passed, however. They grew old, and destinations remote and nearby, became more challenging.
They stored decades of memories in boxes and boxes of slides.
Gone now. The traveling pair, the slides, their possessions, a lifetime of memory.

^

Tante Zita - 1968 - 6/10

Aunt Zita is a survivor of the Spanish Civil War, giving piano lessons in Paris.
She collapses from a stroke, and family and nurses soon watch her struggle.
One who is especially anxious is the niece, Annie, earnest college student, with limited Life experience.
This gradually becomes her story, and the wondrous night she has when she leaves to clear her head.
Snapshot of late 60’s Paris nightlife fuels the film from here on.
Nightclubs, music, various men, romance - the promise of romance, a stray goat, police, fashion models.
Her world slides into dream territory, tugging viewers along with her.