Vultural

Show-Business At Home - 1943 - 6/10

Morale booster and propaganda reminder of show business during WWII.
USO clubs, Hollywood Canteen, Command Performance, stars touring the front.
Studios (image = Disney) given over to creating training films, along with Allied version of news.
Less than half the talent shown is referenced. Likely viewers then knew every star.
March Of Time newsreel from 20th Century Fox.

A Taste Of Honey - 2014 - 7/10

Jo tags after Helen to the latest dismal digs.
No heat, dirty rooms, an undesirable neighborhood.
They probably owe money to the previous landlord, and Helen is not one for steady work.
As far as mothers go, she’d rather have a drink. Or the whole bottle.
She does have a fancy man, however, who has followed her to the hovel.
Speaking of fancy men, young Jo has caught herself a sailor – who says he loves her.
Groundbreaking play (alcoholism, unwed mother, inter-racial, homosexuality) less risqué today.
One watches today for the caliber of acting which is high in this, and fierce.
Compare this with the 1961 film adaptation and this version bristles.

Hall, Leland - Sinister House

Pierre and Annette flee the grime and soot perils of Gotham for upstate New York. Small, rural Forsby. Fresh air and a wholesome setting to raise their children.
Neighbors and friends Eric and Julia live near enough in a run down dwelling that has seen better days. Julia had fallen in love with it at first sight, despite the flaws.
So much for domestic bliss.
The decaying house shelters a malignant spirit, bent on inflicting harm, then escalating.
Published in 1914, following the Great War, the narrative dawdles along. No flappers, no Roaring Twenties tempo here. The look and outlook of characters seem to presage a Norman Rockwell painting.
While the supernatural elements are dangerous, there are simply not enough of those forces. Instead, Hall fills the book with the kitchen sink dramas of Annette & Pierre & Eric & Julia.

Faceless - 1988 - 6/10
AKA - Les Prédateurs de la Nuit

After his sister is horribly disfigured in an acid throwing attack, Doctor Flamand turns to heinous methods to restore her beauty. Partner Nathalie in lockstep, perhaps even more brutal.
Beautiful women are kidnapped, butchered, discarded after one failed procedure after another.
Then he seizes the daughter of a tycoon / gang boss who dispatches a fixer.
Sleazy, exploitation fare dives into Slasher territory with giddy delight.
Late Jess Franco film has a cohesive plot, hefty budget, quality performers.
Oscar bait, hardly, yet should interest fans of the genre, who appreciate Euro attitudes.
English Subtitles (Commentary with Jess and Lina) = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3360251

The Spider Woman Strikes Back - 1946 - 5/10

Arachnids? Barely. Think poisonous, carnivorous plants. Being watered with blood.
Jean answers a “companion wanted” advert for blind Miss Dollard.
The only other servant is the mute, deformed Mario.
Even at not quite an hour, filmmakers struggle to lay down narrative.
10-15 minutes are used to pad with stealthy shuffling about
Holmes fans, you know this is not canon. Background program, at best.

Russell, R B - The Woman Who Fell To Earth

The woman would be Catherine, who fell to her death on Tanya’s roof. Once friends, they had cooled after Catherine wed Tanya’s favorite uncle, and began appropriating.
Is there a police investigation of just how Catherine fell, apparently, from open sky? Alas.
Catherine was the champion of an esoteric horror writer cum hack. After his death, she had jealously guarded his papers, as well as the sixtystone *.
Tensions notwithstanding, Catherine’s will made Tanya the executrix of everything. Almost immediately, interlopers appear: rivals, cheats, liars, poseurs, thieves.
All simmering the narrative. Until – midway – an unexpected individual arrives.
The plot becomes haphazard, loose, improvised, bordering on what I call fantasy island.
I will guess the author was being playful, lightening the tone, although I found it awkward.
I read to the conclusion, hoping, hoping, yet the energy had drained and the tale sputtered out.

• Sixtystone: an in-joke or knowing reference. To familiarize yourself, read Machen’s Three Imposters first; it’s a brief novel. If time pressed, read the story “The Novel Of The Black Seal.”

It Feels So Good - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Kakô no Futari // 火口のふたり

Naoko is getting married to a 40-year-old officer.
First, however, while he is away, she calls old flame Kenji.
She wants sex. A lot of sex. All through the night, every night.
In between, there is a lot of talking. About parents, aunts, ex-partners. Their youth.
Two souls who could not commit when young; now in their thirties, and now too late.
Coitus may put prudes off, lengthy conversations may irk the impatient.
Undercurrent of catastrophes overshadowed by taboos.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subscene/159560

Night Monster - 1942 - 6/10

Servant Milly has had enough of Ingstron house, too many weird goings-on.
The sheriff pays no attention to her warnings, until she is found dead in the road.
About the same time as three doctors arrive at the house.
No, make that four, except the fourth is female psychiatrist.
Along with an Indian mystic. A swami!
Headliner Lugosi wasted as butler. Lionel Atwill fans, don’t blink.
This is a “old dark house” mystery, and a pretty good one.
Moody photography, rising body count, no end of suspects.

World At War - 1973 - 8/10

Good companion to The Great War which covered WWI.
Massive amounts of newsreel and combat footage. Talking heads include veterans and historians.
Chronological, with numerous detours into specific campaigns or nations.
Burma, for example, is not always included in docs. Nor is Holland. Both are here.
Focus more on common soldiers or airmen or seamen, rather than brass, save for generals who were actually field generals, out there.
Deaths from the war = 55,000,000.
One quote stayed with me, “There are a great many soldiers who take great pleasure in destroying people, wasting things. This aspect of human nature is not discussed enough, but it is surely one of the causes of warfare.”
I don’t see us evolving much.

Night Shift - 2017 - 6/10

Security guard patrols the sprawling building. Offices, corridors, conference rooms, parking lots.
Same ole routine, until one locked door will not open. Pained noises within.
Complex is vast, vigilance is tiring, and, being alone, the guard has no backup.
Tightly wound thriller, quite well done with bare bones crew.
Excellent quasi-Rachmaninoff music heightens mood.

The Concert For Bangla Desh - 1972 - 7/10

Monumental benefit concert with an impressive array of talent.
George, Ringo, Ravi Shankar, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Bobby Dylan, Billy Preston, Badfinger …
The sound mix and camera work are excellent for a live concert.
Mind you, the TV series In Concert had been airing for a year.
Who was missing? Stephen Stills, who was royally irritated, as well as Lennon.
The DVD has both afternoon and evening shows, and there are differences.
High watermark for many involved.

All This I Will Give To You - 2024 - 7/10
AKA - Tout cela je te le donnerai

Aymeric is brother number two to die under mysterious circumstances.
Which means the final survivor, Joffrey, inherits the estate and vineyard.
Not so fast! Aymeric’s will leaves everything to his husband, Manuel.
Manuel doesn’t necessarily want the estate, let alone deal with the nest of vipers that inhabit the manor.
Nonetheless, he does suspect the death was suspicious.
A retired gendarme, who hates the entitled family, launches a stealth investigation.
From here, the mystery twists and coils, with seedy revelations.

Moguls And Movie Stars - 2010 - 7/10

Hardly Hollywood: A Celebration Of Silent Film, yet this is a fine overview of the pioneering years.
Detailing the slow invention of film from kinetiscope to nickelodeons to theaters to studios.
Stars and name directors are highlit, but the focus is on the bosses: Goldwyn, Warner, Mayer, Laemmle, etc …
Seven episodes = seven hours. Concludes with a crash in the 1970’s.
By that time the “star system” was shattered, theater chain control long over, and maverick directors were loose.
Excellent for buffs and historians, but this only goes to the 70’s, so know your appetite for older fare.

Son Of Kong - 1932 - 5/10

Denham returns to Skull Island and finds Kong’s young offspring.
The youngster is smaller and far, far friendlier.
The set design is still there, yet seems diminished.
I kept thinking of Tarzan films.
This is safe for children, whereas the original was one scary film.
Storywise, this is poorly written, perhaps rushed by the studio.
The finale is memorably infuriating. Watch if you must.

Marvick, Louis - Maculate Vision And Other Stories

Vision stained, vision polluted. A thick half dozen stories, many that earlier appeared in an Side Real Press collection, now OP.

The title piece is a dark amusement. An inheritance with a blasted provision. Yet, Eddie so needed the money, he accepted the uncanny painting. He knew his uncle was up to something.

“Is For Ilinx” wears better a second read around. The Texas caricature still rings off-key, but heightens the disparity between boorish wealth and jaded experience. Conte cruel, this one.

“Of Interactive Surveillance And The Circular Firing Squad” draws us into the rarefied world of Classical music prodigies, tasked with tutoring untrained children, damaged in various ways. The tone is one of anxiety and confusion, building to a grotesque finale.

Zagava has published several Louis Marvick books, and appears to be championing his works. He is well worth investigation by fans of Weird Lit with a taste for extended style over gore and fluids.

Se7en - 1995 - 7/10

Exceptional Neo-Noir sticks with two detectives tracking a serial killer.
A methodical, painstaking murderer who has planned, apparently, for years.
Seven refers to the seven deadly sins, and each killing is a stylized tableau.
The experienced Somerset has seen too much depravity in the city and is ready to retire.
The impetuous Mills is a small town transfer, cocksure and aggressive.
Drenched city landscape contrasts with the serenity of the library, comfort of Mills’s apartment,
Grim exploration, nonetheless, of the darker jungle abiding amidst our ordered world.

The Preview Murder Mystery - 1936 - 6/10

Leading man Neil receives numerous warnings that he will not live to see his latest film.
Police suspect publicity stunt, until – yes – adios Neil. RIP.
Followed by more warnings, more deaths. All on the studio lot.
What to do? Seal off the entire studio and hope the murderer makes a mistake.
B-film mystery packs plenty into its sixty minutes.
No motive for the police (not dimwits) to draw in on.
Buffs will enjoy guessing which Paramount sets were used for scenes.
Impressive camera work from the inventive Struss.
Movie within the movie “Song Of The Toreador” looks dreadful, although operetta musicals were popular.

Westworld - 1973 - 710

Saddle up, pardner. Or more likely … draw.
High tech amusement park, Delos, with realistic androids.
Depending on which section one chooses, diversions include centurions, knights, gunslingers.
Along with comely wenches, gargantuan amounts of food, and beverages.
Visitors indulge all manner of appetites, including bloodlust.
Wouldn’t you know it? Technical malfunctions, followed by real bloodlust.
A rare SciFi / Western, reverent, funny, exciting, thoughtful.
There would be a sequel, which tried, but this was magic in a bottle – or brothel.

Silver Dollar Road - 2023 - 6/10

Hit and miss documentary of a family trying to retain land from a property developer.
The Reels family has owned prime North Carolina waterfront property since the Civil War.
(US General Sherman reference early, with NO clarification.)
A distaff relative in New Jersey claims he owns the land and sells it.
(Is this relative shown or interviewed? No. Is there a title search?)
Eventually the developer tosses Melvin and Licurtis Reels in jail for refusing to sign away their land.
{Is the developer interviewed? Or even their exterior address shown? No.)
Much is made of the fierce strength of Grandma. What we watch is her turning up Gospel music when things get tough. It is the younger females who step up, while the two men sit in jail, year after year.
All in all, this is sloppy work, from a director who has done much better.
Disappointing. Read the Pro-Publica article instead = https://features.propublica.org/black-land-loss/heirs-property-rights-why-black-families-lose-land-south/

Flamingo Road - 1949 - 7/10

Another turn for the carnival, dash outta town before the sheriff seizes assets.
Except Lane (Elaine), cooch dancer, decides to stay in Bolton after the deputy takes a shine to her.
Thing is, she doesn’t count on the sheriff, who owns the town.
Hell, the entire state seems in his pocket, via bribery, blackmail, political machinery.
Then, this becomes a bruising battle of iron wills,

Noir drama is ostensibly a Joan Crawford vehicle, though she seems too old.
Tell that to Sidney Greenstreet, who shines as the unscrupulous, manipulative Sheriff Semple.
For innocents who assume only top officials are corrupt.

The Mad Adventures Of Rabbi Jacob - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob

Pivert witnesses the attempted murder of a revolutionary.
Assassins are in pursuit, followed by uncomprehending police.
His wife is badgering him, too. Their daughter’s wedding is tomorrow.
Mind you, Pivert, who is bigoted against all save Catholic French, will impersonate a rabbi.
The first ten minutes load the narrative, and well as the pace, which is frantic.
French comedy roars into farce without blinking.
Silly by every definition, almost nonstop with gags and jokes.

Premonition - 2004 - 6/10
AKA - Yogan // 予言

Select individuals, like our male protagonist, catch the odd newspaper clipping.
Or it flat lands on their desk or windowpane.
Foretelling upcoming death. Solo or multiple. Of course, he is skeptical.
First casualty, his own young daughter.
Slow boil, J-Horror, similar in tone and style with other of this era, eg: Ringu, Pulse.
Guilt and grief permeate the first two-thirds.
Then, timeslips and alternate possibilities shift at an increasingly giddy pace.
Glad I hung with this, although the slow build might put some off.

Abigail Leslie Is Back In Town - 1974 - 5/10

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Abigail is back in backwater fishing village, Baypoint.
If she had a wanton reputation before, now she’s raunchy with a mission.
Boink and dive all her friends, frenemies, boyfriends, girlfriends, whoever and whenever.
Softcore exploitation (look hard and specifics are soft) has an awful lot of walking and talking.
Sad to say, this is Dullsville.
Attractive cast includes Sonny Landham, who would regret these choices when he ran for governor.

Coma - 1978 - 6/10

Patients beware of Operating Room 8, unless you have a death wish.
Pity the whole staff isn’t in on this, since all it takes is one do-gooder to spoil the scam.
We’re talking body parts, organ harvesting, and none of that grave robbing skullduggery.
Very good thriller, especially for those with upcoming surgery.
Major or minor surgery. Plus, who are those folks behind the masks?
Geneviève Bujold drives this as the out of her depth medico, digging for answers.

Our Man Flint - 1966 - 6/10

Likely overdue, following the 1960’s spy craze of Bond, UNCLE, Harry Palmer, etc …
Derek Flint, agent for Z.O.W.I.E., must take down runaway scientists, demanding world peace.
Gadget, a tricked out cigarette lighter.
Parody of spy genre all the way, would have likely been a goofy dud (like the Helm films) had it not been for the magnetism of James Coburn.
He exudes cool and panache throughout, even during the most absurd moments.
Great viewing when I was a kid, still funny.