Vultural

Black Bag - 2025 - 7/10

A colleague confirms George’s suspicion.
There is a traitor in the house, someone who’s gotten hold of something dangerous.
The list is a narrow five, one being George’s wife. Kathryn.
Exceptional espionage thriller, more of a chess match than stunts and explosives.
Think [U]Ipcress File[/U] rather than modern [U]Mission Impossibles[/U].
One watches master game players at work, not omni-talented heroes.
Fassbender and Blanchett work well as the secretive couple, but the entire cast is outstanding.
One of the best Soderbergh films I’ve viewed in a decade.

Cliffhanger - 1993 - 7/10

Retired mountain ranger is asked to rescue a clutch of lost hikers.
Turns out, they are murderous thieves who have hijacked a cool $100 M.
Innocent survivors? None. Which our rescue team soon realize, foretelling their own fate.
One of the great action films of the 90’s before CGI replaced stunts, before heroes wore pajamas.
A crew of formidable villains, breathtaking scenery.
Probably my favorite movie by Stallone, and yes I know about the others.

She Beast - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - Revenge Of The Blood Beast

“It looks like that bed could collapse at any moment.”
“Let’s risk it,” she laughs.
What could be more romantic? On your honeymoon, when your car breaks down in Transylvania.
Where your bride is body switched with a 300 year old, hideous witch.
The premise is sure enough, but the comedy dominates.
Moreover, it is silly bordering on stupid.
Looking for Barbara Steele? Hurry. Her scenes are few.

You Never Know Women - 1926 - 6/10

Vera is rescued at a construction site by a rich swell.
Each is smitten. She with his gallantry. He? Well, Vera is a peach.
She is also the star of a Russian circus, from where he attempts to lure her away.
Money, furs and easy comforts. Who cares about friends, family, colleagues, work?
A triangle develops, although Vera is unaware of partner Norodin’s feelings toward her,
Norodin’s act resembles Houdini’s water torture, by the way.
Nice little drama with impressive illusions.

DeLuca, Sandy - Reign Of Blood

Darcy and boyfriend Bobby travel the lonesome highways and backroads.
Killing for kicks, for profit, because they simply like the smell of blood.
While there are references throughout to Bonnie & Clyde, they are not famous bank robbers.
They are low rent white trash, their robberies are small change and petty.
Rather than Bonnie & Clyde, the template for this pair seems Mickey & Mallory, without the charisma.
Indeed, our villains come off as cardboard wannabees.
My suspicion is author DeLuca had a theme and an ending, while the midsection muddled around.
I appreciate that Darcy is our narrator, hence this is from a female point of view.
Killings are detailed, but not in the gore strewn, mouth watering detail a male writer might lavish.
Likewise, the few sex scenes, where a male might describe female bodies in wondrous raptures.
Well written, although I was never engaged, let alone engrossed.

The Secret War Of Harry Frigg - 1968 - 5/10

Spotty comedy of lowly private assigned to impersonate a general, and get himself captured by Italian forces.
Objective? Free several real generals held prisoner in a posh villa.
Once there, he relishes the luxury, as well as the lovely countess.
Why Paul Newman chose this turkey is beyond me.
He seems stiff and ill at ease throughout.
One would find better comedy watching Hogan’s Heroes reruns.

Succubus - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - Necronomicon Geträumte Sünden

Male and female are chained to crosses, while a knife wielding woman carves their flesh.
Hold on, it’s only a decadent cabaret show for jaded sophisticates.
“Tormentor” Lorna is a creature of the borderlands, however.
Apparently slipstreaming various incarnations of herself.
Much of this might resemble six scenes in search of a narrative.
Nevertheless, this is one of Jess Franco’s earliest dream fugues.
(The Acid Party surely inspired David Lynch.)
Perhaps better viewed after seeing a dozen other Franco films beforehand.
The US dub (Terry Vantell) smooths some elements, obscures others.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subscene/71969 (US Dub)

Samuels, Mark - Black Altars

Slim collection that Mark would only grudgingly allow to be reprinted. Some feel like youthful works, but he needn’t have worried over that. They are all good.

Visionaries, mystics and an astronomer fill the gentleman’s narration in “The Lichen”. Kropeki, the mystic, is of the most unfortunate kind, foretelling doom and gloom that are, worse, contagious.

Glanville Home, an imposing brick structure where the well-heeled and well-off sojourn to recover from whatever maladies, real or imagined, trouble them. The sort of establishment our investigative journalist – shall we call him “Patient 704” – ought never to step foot inside.

The night wanderer, the solitary insomniac, who shares dark alleyways and waysides with, what else, cats. A league of felines all paying fealty to “The Ailuromorph”. One of those eerie homages to Bast that HPL would have applauded.

Mentioning Lovecraft, the closing story “Dedicated To The Weird” also bear the fingerprints of the Providence scribe. Through a series of letters to Beatrice, Henri notates the isolated hamlet where he has holed up, writing furiously. The village is odious, the inhabitants corruptions of humanity. Henri senses he cannot tarry overlong. Nonetheless, loathsome town fuels his imagination.

An inducement for those wavering: Two sources (QC & JP) confirmed that Mark revised two stories. The last one only somewhat, but the first one extensively. Rest easy, friend of Machen.

I am on the fence, waiting to see if this concludes or turns into another unfinished soap opera.

The Mambo Kings - 1992 - 6/10

Cesar and Nestor hit New York in the 1950’s, determined to swagger into the music scene.
Cesar is ambitious, Nestor wants a quieter life, perhaps a small club.
If the film was mostly Cesar, it would rock harder.
Nestor (Antonio Banderas) is a bit of a wet noodle, pining over his love left behind in Cuba.
Music is hot throughout, propelling the film and compensating for the soapy bits.
Assante steals the film as driven, yet honor bound, older brother.

Flirting - 1991 - 6/10

Adolescent misfit Danny is shipped off to a boys school where he is even more isolated and bullied.
During an outing, he meets an African girl and they share an unlikely attraction.
Mind you, this is early 1960’s Australia. She is black, he is white, the result is outrage.
A lot of melodrama could have been milked from this, yet instead it is a gentle comedy.
Probably the best route, as the film is wise and enjoyable.
I kept telling Danny, “Dude, she’s too big for you,” even though I rooted for them as a couple.
Young talent who went further include Thandiwe Newton, Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman.

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon - 1949 - 7/10

Similar to “one last bank job”, here a cavalry officer is on the eve of retirement.
When Custer and his men are massacred at Little Big Horn, and it appears a range war is imminent.
Commander Brittles is assigned to “sort matters”, hopefully as peacefully as possible.
Large scale Western benefits from Monument Valley locations, as well as a convoluted narrative.
Instead of events leading inexorably to a huge crescendo, there are more feints and skirmishes.
A good Western, and good John Wayne role.
Too often, I feel he plays a version of himself. Here, he resembles a tired, wise commander.

Bitter Moon - 1992 - 6/10

Sea voyage. Two couples. A pragmatic marriage, and the soured fail
Not that it has failed, as they are still together.
Yet, it is now love / hate. They have inflicted too much emotional and physical pain on each other.
They share anecdotes, lowlites of their marriage, as the quieter couple hear in horrid fascination.
This is a chamber play of slow poisoning. Mean spirited and bile bitter.
One gets the feeling that director Polanski revels in dragging viewers into misery.
Know your appetite for this. I would urge caution.

Last Embrace - 1979 - 5/10

After Harry’s wife is killed in a shootout, he spends a few months in a sanitarium.
Then he declares himself ready to return to work. Harry is some kinda agent.
The agency, distrusting his sanity, orders him whacked.
Meanwhile, he’s received a death threat in Hebrew (Aramaic, actually).
Wait! A doctoral student has sublet his New York apartment.
Complicated enough for you? This will only grow more farfetched and preposterous.
A throwback thriller with an evocative Miklos Rosza score, and excellent settings.
The narrative, the plotting, the motivation, all farfetched, to say the least.

Blakeston, Oswell - The Hut And Other Stories Of Dread

Occult Press unearths a bit of obscurity here. Blakeston, pseudonym for Henry David Hasslacher, had a colorful career, starting out as a conjuror’s assistant. The stories in this range far and wide.

It’s the headache, beastly thing, that steered events. David leaves work early, races for the train, and lands himself in First Class. In “Adventure Without Asking” David finds his equilibrium worsening, along with the migraine. Then, there is persistently yawning, repellent, gnome-like man.

Was the death murder? Or something else? In a sealed room, by drowning, in “The Mysterious Fluid”. Houdini is not called, but the superintendent is well versed in magician trickery.

“The Hut” is a particularly nasty place. Perhaps not the dwelling, although it had been the site of hideous evil before. Such places always seem to attract the wrong element, as well a stream of fools.

Superintendent Deering features several times. “The Disappearance” follows him in pursuit of a criminal organizer. A receiver of stolen property, a fence to employ slang. This bears a touch of what might have passed for SciFi in the 1930’s.

“The Secret Of The Graves” is the longest, and the closest to Pulp. A child’s grave has been desecrated and the village newcomer is Suspect #1. The mystery, and not a harmless one, involves a hard-nosed village cop, a troubled medium, and an isolated manor.

There are also two extra pieces that skirt around Austin Osman Spare. Readers with knowledge of the London artist will appreciate these more.

Spiral - 2005 - 6/10
AKA - Engrenages

A female corpse is found in a junkyard, body mutilated beyond recognition.
Gendarmes and a magistrate try to determine who she was, why she was murdered.
That is the overall arc. There is also a baby killing, smuggling, corrupt cop, the usual.
Mix of procedural and soap opera, meaning characters’ mini dramas.
Highly absorbing if you like getting lost in characters.
Me? I couldn’t’ care less and won’t return for additional seasons.

Picture Brides - 1934 - 6/10

Brazil. The women ride the steamer into the jungle where the diamond mine is.
And the men. Who ordered brides Specifying blondes…
They warn one that her peroxide will eventually run out. “Too late then,” she laughs.
The men are a mixed lot, from a crafty, brutal overseer to an embezzler on the run.
Pre-Code film is missing eight minutes. Attempted rape, rape aftermath, and innuendo dialogue.
Alan Hale and Dorothy Mackaill overshadow the others as the wicked boss and sharp-tongued hussy.
If puzzled, consider 1932 was still Depression era, leading many to desperate choices.

Night Shift - 2010 - 5/10

The office workers have left a mess. Blood, entrails, and a mob of zombies.
The flask swigging janitor takes it in stride. He’s paid to clean up, after all.
Budget horror short is cheap looking, and goofy throughout.
That said, there are plenty of good jokes in this. (Beer or reefer may help.)
You could do worse.

Jane Anger - 2022 - 5/10

Jane is the “dark lady”, muse for Shakespeare’s sonnets.
After a brief introduction, she disappears for much of the play.
Instead, we have the bard and his boorish go-fer huddled in their one room.
Will’s pen has run dry. He recalls old triumphs, yet suffers writer’s block.
Jane does eventually reappear, as does Anne Hathaway (the wife).
For a feminist work, the females don’t do much; wife Anne is inaudible.
The humor is silly, primarily delivered by the men, who show razor rapport.
Forced farce, tries too hard to be funny.

Possession - 1981 - 7/10

Mark returns from another lengthy mission, only to find wife Anna unresponsive and wanting out.
She denies another man, yet he quickly finds the name Heinrich.
The two men come to blows, while Anna returns home sporadically, yet emotionally distracted.
After disappearing from both men, Mark hires a detective agency.
Then things get really weird.
Possession relates to relationships, emotionally and physically, especially carnally.
Also obsession, along with the inklings of doppelgangers.
This can be an especially draining watch, with the emotional outbursts.
Although Mark (Sam Neill) is the focus, keep trained on Anna (Isabel Adjani) who is both possessive and possessed.
Get the UNCUT version. Possibly watch twice, unless your are grossed out by intense scenes.

Dark Tide - 2012 - 4/10

Supposedly a “shark film”, although Carcharodon sightings seem sparse, and waters are murky.
They needed a better agent.
Speaking of agents, Halle Berry is ostensibly the star, and she is shrill and whiny throughout.
This role makes her look like a fool.
Anyway, after a shark attack, Berry’s character gives up research and lets her business go to hell.
Until a rich tycoon appears with 100,000 if she will let him go swimming with sharks.
Almost immediately, one despises him almost as much as Berry and her husband.
Grief … the waters are dark much of the time. Sharks have to be punched in the nose to attack.
Very disappointing, unless martial bickering and squabbling is your thing.

Willeford, Charles - Understudy For Death

Richard toils the graveyard shift at the small town rag in Florida.
He has a wife, a son, yet he works nights so during the day he can polish his play.
Been working on that play five years already.
The managing editor assigns him a story about a local murder / suicide.
Young mother, who killed her two children before herself.
Richard is a piece of work, antagonizing most everyone he encounters.
Likely his wife Beryl most all. Beryl is Southern belle down to her heels and wonderful to read.
The book is another left field title from Hard Case Crime, as there is no crime, aside from suicide which generally distresses most folks.
Lot of carnal bouncing in this, although not graphic (originally published in 1961).
Similar to John Dexter fare, or titles from Candid Reader or Late-Hour Library.
While the narrative meandered and muddled along, I did enjoy it.
Not necessarily main character Richard, but the supporting characters and especially his sly bride.

The Blonde Witch - 1956 - 6/10
AKA - La Sorcière

Brulard, Parisian engineer is dispatched to a Swedish timber baron.
Baroness, actually, widowed and attractive, if aloof.
The locals are superstitious, reluctant to do certain things.
Brulard is forceful, however, both with the project, and in melting the owner’s heart.

Until he encounters Aino, a wild, untamed dweller in the woods.
Villagers view her as a witch, while he sees her as an innocent, and disturbingly beautiful.
There are elements that suggest supernatural, although Aino is closer to a “wise woman”.
Brulard, who I think perceives himself as a player, is naive and callous about females.

The Brother From Another Planet - 1984 - 6/10

Who is actually an escaped slave from another planet.
He lands in New York, and is viewed as another street person as his clothes are shabby.
Plus, he is black and is mute. An outsider. Yet, a curious and gentle soul.
Soft sell, fish out of water story, with an undercurrent of community and slavery.
The latter runs throughout as there are “bounty hunters” on his trail.
Joe Morton amazing in non-speaking role, communicating eloquently with gestures and expressions.

Cobra - 1925 - 6/10

Count Torriani, hounded and pursued by women across Italy, soon sails for New York.
Where he finds the New York ladies are just as attractive, just as interested, just as brazen.
The Count is an exotic addition to an art dealer, particularly his breeding and charm.
Problem is, females, quite literally, fascinate him.
“Cobra” refers to females who spellbind the Count, who is weak for flesh.
Valentino good in this slouching melodrama, with an air of entitlement and foolishness.
Sets by Cameron Menzies are, always, flat out something else.
Forgotten today, Nita Naldi plays the full-figured vamp who beguiles our Count.