Vultural

Green Snake - 1993 - 6/10
AKA - Ching Se // 青蛇

Two female snakes adopt human form to mix with villagers.
One has her eye on a shy scholar and longs for romance and more.
The other, younger, seeks ordinary pleasures of song, dance, food, joy.
Threatening them is a rigid, over-zealous monk.
He ignores precepts that one can reincarnate into higher existences.
His dogmatic stance is one obstacle, the younger snake sister’s jealously is another.
Dizzying, often confusing Tsui Hark fantasy, makes the most of fog and open sets.
Plot is based on a Chinese folktale, with shortcuts. Repeat viewing helps.

The Snapper - 1993 - 6/10

Sharon, after a night of drinking and debauchery. Soon realizes a snapper (baby) is coming.
Her family is supportive and ashamed, antagonistic and repentant.
Broad Irish comedy will resonate with some, less with others.
Might depend on the sort / size of family you grew up in or live with.
I wanted to enjoy this, eager to laugh, but this was very hit and miss for me.
Next to me, the girls laughed and laughed.
Colm Meaney towers as the father in full charge in this.

Eddie Murphy: Delirious - 1983 - 7/10

Hard to imagine this is over forty years old.
Easy to forget just how damned funny Eddie Murphy was that this stage.
His career was on fire already, and this standup is an avalanche of jokes and stories.
Raunchy, off color, politically correct? (ha, that wasn’t a thing yet).
Those who dismiss Murphy for his Disney films overlook his exuberant youth.
Check out 48 Hrs, hell check out his fantastic homage to Dolemite (overlooked by the Oscars).
Raw gold. Not for the squeamish, easily offended or moralistic.

Gold Diggers Of 1935 - 1935 - 7/10

Not 42nd Street but damn, this is fun.
Young Dick works the summer resort to pay for med school.
(Factor in the Depression, and the undercurrents will make more sense.)
Wealthy, penny-pinching patron hires him to chaperone her daughter.
Meantime, a lavish fundraising show is underway.
Please, this is a Busby Berkeley musical. Despite sly jokes and innuendo the river runs to the finale.
And gracious, “Lullaby Of Broadway” is a showstopper: mammoth choreography, as Broadway baby says goodnight.

The Enchanted - 1984 - 7/10

The old neighbor, Booker, tries to warn him about the peculiar brood.
Following a few years at sea, young Royce returns to the empty family farm.
Living out in the woods are the Perdrys, who offer help – for a pittance.
The oldest girl, Twyla, puts the glamour on Royce, and she is soon in his bed.
Milking the stamen, as well as clouding his reason.

Perhaps too slow for many, Southern yarn set on the fringes between subsistence and the backwoods.
I recognized the landscape almost immediately. Florida scrub. Slash pines, palmetto, cypress, moss.
Strange, hypnotic film of border crossings, and the tenuous veil between worlds.

The Ballad Of Wallis Island - 2025 - 7/10

Herb accepts an offer of a suitcase of cash to perform at a small island.
Unbeknownst, his ex-musical partner has also been invited.
Despite artistic chemistry, there is a history of damaged personal feelings.
Old partner Nell is married and long out of music, while Herb is a sellout, or artistic compromiser.
Advertised as a “big-hearted comedy”, this is a soft ballad of loss.
Lost youth, lost love, lost moment. Hopes, mere flickers.
Yet, as with many losses, what fills the void is unpredictable.

Charley Varrick - 1973 - 7/10

“The last of the independents,” states crop-duster Varrick, who now adds bank robbery to boost earnings.
Most recent one, in a podunk, one-horse town, nets $750 K.
Which Varrick (a droll Walter Mattheu) realizes is laundered Mafia money.
And they‘ll be coming, with more persistence than local police and the FBI.
The mob dispatch “Molly” (Joe Don Baker), charming, polite, brutally terrifying.
A great heist flick, where amazing luck becomes the worst luck of all for the thieves.

West By God - 2023 - 6/10

Nelly spots Dane across the pool.
She knows he’s a dealer, but agrees to go for a ride.
One deal misfires, but mostly they drive around, talk, gaze at the hills.
Title refers to West Virginia, and this short captures some of the emptiness.
Lot of opportunities have dried up there, so dealing – it’s a living.

Various (Editor: Beech, Mark) - The Rooming House

An inspired collection. Themed, no less. Stories set, for the most part, in a shabby rooming house. Characters high-lit in stand alone tales, yet are also referenced or glimpsed in other tales. Clearly, a lot of thought, as well as back and forth went into this.

“Behind You!” sets the pace lays the track. The theatrical troupe is doing a panto, with Webber & Quinn offering a chuckling, uncomfortable skeleton dance. Webber is jovial, if stale ham, while Quinn carries an unsavory reputation.

The inspector arrives for the “Defective Premises Survey”, bringing along his damaged son. The boy’s solace is playing his piano, almost nonstop. The house exerts and influence on father and son. The man realizes it would be prudent to leave, but he is a thorough and conscientious inspector.

The twin sisters live as shut-ins. Even speak in their own coded prattle, jalinga. Reclusive, hidden, after all “The Gingiver Twins” had a whispered history. Did something wicked. One might assume they were forever inseparable, save for the choking house, damp, dank, suffocating.

Zoe explains to Tim: the rooming hose is only temporary, a way station before moving on, hopefully moving upward to more quality digs. Nonetheless, the house approves of Tim. As one of “The Inhabitants” Tim finds it difficult to explain what the house communicates, what it expects.

Aside from the multiroom house, there are other recurring places. The Palace Theatre, a seedy pub, and a slightly better dining establishment.

Most of the writers play fair with the premise, which builds from story to story. One doesn’t even try, and his yarn gallops in its own loose direction.

Following that, the final quartet lure us back into dim lit hallways and murky chambers, where dreams and hopes go to die.

Wisconsin Death Ride - 1999 - 6/10

Hard to categorize this kinda/sorta Docu-drama.
Wisconsin, 1890-1900, in and around Black River Falls.
Newspaper articles, diaries, medical extracts.
The mines close, one of the banks fails after a bank run, people go to hell.
Insanity, suicides, arson, murders, adultery, epidemics, underage assassins.
One man lays himself down or railroad tracks, another blows his head off with dynamite.
Intermittently, modern scenes indicate how “normal” the area is today.
Funny at times, yet my take was how easily people slip into madness – or murder.

Survive Style 5+ - 2004 - 6/10

“What’s your function in life?”
A birdman, an ineffective murderer, a British assassin, burglars.
Random stories that barely connect, linked by Vinnie Jones’ menacing character…
None are particularly compelling, and the interest factor declines right quick.
All feel like improvised sketches.
As for comedy, this was too silly for me.
I never laughed, just wondered why I bought this one.

The Beguiled - 1971 - 7/10

Wounded Union soldier, deep behind Confederate lines, is taken to an all-female school.
They - girls, teachers, headmistress, staff - they should turn him over to Confederate authorities.
Instead, they take a shine to the flattering, handsome man.
The school slowly tuns into a fox in the henhouse scene.
Jealousies, competition, as well as sexual shenanigans heat the pot to boiling.
Southern Gothic drama finds the soldier (Eastwood) in control and out of his depth.
He never quite grasps how dangerous the female can be.
Underrated Eastwood film, challenging fan-base expectations.

The Incredible Shrinking Man - 1957 - 7/10

Out fishing, Scott encounters a thick fog, probably radioactive.
In time, he begins to shrink. There is no cure, and no foretelling how much he will diminish.
One can watch this for the terror angles, and some of the encounters are life and death.
Then there is the existential horror of losing your identity, recalibrating, then losing more identity.
This plays out with his wife Louise, and later a carnival worker, Clarice.
Boys will relish the battles, men will grasp the loss of stature (masculinity).
Women may possibly say, “Oh, look at the cute cat!”

The Dead Woman From The Way Of St. James - 2025 - 6/10
AKA - Der Galicien-Krimi: Die Tote vom Jakobsweg

The corpse washes ashore, thrown from the cliff, carried by the tide.
Lungs filled with freshwater indicate murder.
The new chief is from Valencia, far rougher than Santiago, pilgrimage destination.
And yes, although there are murders, blackmail, lies, this mystery is steeped in religion.
Imagery, proverbs, character backgrounds, turistas, vocations.
German production takes a page from French mysteries via photography.
Mind you, this is set in Spain, characters have Spanish names, yet German is spoken.

No Man Is An Island - 1962 - 6/10

Early in the Pacific War, Guam is overrun and occupied.
Navy radioman Tweed is one of a handful who are overlooked and escape to the hills.
Well, not for long. The Japanese are no fools and soon scour the island.
This is based a real serviceman who eluded search parties for over two years.
Good war movie, with perhaps less action than run and hide.
Hunter fine as the furtive Tweed.

Mussolini: Son Of The Century - 2024 - 8/10

Dazzling series of Il Duce’s rise from Fascist fringe to taking control of Parliament.
Plot encapsulated = The self-serving usurps democracy.
Luca Marinelli is utterly mesmerizing: funny, honest, brutal, manipulative, fearful.
This moves at a furious pace, compressing events and overlapping images. Lavish production values.
Sex, violence, profanity, blasphemy, along with the treachery that accompanies politicians,
Bristling dialogue will thrill or terrify. “Fascism is the rule of force. It is the will of a few imposed on the will of many. It’s the law of the stronger. It’s hatred, it’s mass excitement, it’s anger. It’s contempt for weakness and doubt. And whoever gets in the way …”
The rare beast that is frightening and nervous laughter.
For whatever reason, not yet airing in the USofA.

Cause Célèbre - 1987 - 6/10

The first marriage was for love, until he perished at the Somme.
Next, one of convenience, which fizzled after a few years.
Third time lucky, older man with money, until the funds and vigor ran dry.
Enter the 18-year-old handyman, chauffeur. Imposing and virile.
Afternoon romps until the husband’s skull is bludgeoned.
Based on the life of Alma Rattenbury, half the film is courthouse proceedings.
Theatrical imprint is strong in this. Fine acting, but not especially engrossing.

Hard Truths - 2024 - 7/10

For Pansy, one more day of the same.
Cleaning the home that no one appreciates, arguing with people on the street, venting anger at her sister.
Her anger issues are now beyond toxic; they are destroying her and damaging those around her.
Rage and fury mask depression and emotional problems.
Much as this might sound like an endurance trial, this is terribly funny at times.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a tour de force throughout.
Like many here, I know real people like Pansy. I’ve worked with them.
One is my neighbor. I am the only one on the block who will still chat with her.

Miscreant - 2019 - 6/10

Just a series of unfortunate events.
Wrong place, wrong time, not knowing someone’s identity.
Three deaths, one house, one survivor. Police interrogation.
Short thriller / drama is well done, save for an ending that flat quits.

Parsons, Eliza - The Mysterious Warning

Ferdinand, impetuous youth, marries the impoverished yet lovely Claudina, against the expressed wishes of his father, the Count.
He is swiftly disinherited, casting he and Claudina adrift in the cruel world.
The best course of action seems to join the Emperor’s regiment against the Turks.
Where, he is injured and imprisoned.
Meanwhile, half-brother Rhodophil pleads his case, or so he says, all while seducing the lovely Claudina, causing servants to whisper, “she’s now a-breeding”.
Sprawling novel thumps across the continent from manor to castle.
Barons and counts, thieves and rogues, misunderstood hearts and treachery.
While not what I would call a thumping good read, it does entertain, amidst a lot of soap opera revelations and tangled relations.
I blame Jane Austen for this, my initial entry into her “horrid novels”.
Read, if you have leisure, and a taste for extended prose.
Note: the observation of ancient Rome is unsettling.

The Resurrected - 1991 - 6/10

The client glides into the office.
Blonde, wearing a gold satin outfit, lips red enough to halt a cavalry charge.
Only there’s a wedding ring. Her husband is missing.
Happened after he unearthed a portrait of a bygone ancestor.
With whom he bears an uncanny resemblance. Oh yeah, the husband’s name is Charles Dexter Ward.

Get the flaws out of the way first.
For the first hour, the directing and photography is atrocious.
Closeups galore, amateurish reaction shots, and a Deckard style narration.
A cross between cheap TV and tacky.
The flashback sequence of 1771 goes straight into classic HPL.
Exploration of the subterranean catacombs is eerie and spooky.
And the finale is a real doozy.

Maria Marten, Or The Murder In The Red Barn - 1935 - 6/10

Beware, lovely minx, what the squire proposes is actually “a moment of pleasure, a lifetime of regret”.
Succumbing to urges, Maria finds herself in “trouble” a few months later.
As for the squire, played by the incomparable Tod Slaughter – well – he’s no Mr. Darcy.
“Ah, fair maiden, let us visit the abandoned red barn before we elope.”
Lively Melodrama bolstered with full blooded performances in theatrical rendition.
Viewing experience is between music hall and regional theatre, yet tremendous fun.
Loosely based on the real Red Barn Murder, which I first heard about on Shedunnit.

Out Of Time: The Material Issue Story - 2021 - 6/10

Documentary of the fondly remembered, yet ill-fated Chicago group
Focus on singer, songwriter, frontman Jim Ellison throughout.
That is a bit light, however, as afterward, Ellison remains an enigma.
Chronology weaves with hit songs, along with studio labors.
Although the heads reflect on missed greatness, power pop has always struggled.
As do most groups in general. There is “the moment”, brief and brilliant, then the fade.
Their debut album “International Pop Overthrow” was very popular and it was on heavy rotation in our record store.
The second fared less well, the third not at all.
Most groups break up at this point, a few slog on, Ellison chose a darker route.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358863

The Pledge - 1981 - 6/10

The fate of the highwayman. Rob, ride hard, live well, for the gallows await.
Flashbacks and voiceovers recall crimes and revels.
Memories recalled from the final prison cell, or the gibbet.
Later, confederates recall their pledge to honor the corpse.
Moody, brutal short of the glamorous life.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358862

Yokai Monsters 100 Monsters - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari // 妖怪百物語

Yes, the woods are dangerous, dark and deep, with forces lurking everywhere.
Yet, the perfidious and treacherous souls of men are much worse.
The wealthy landowner (property developer) plans to tear down the shrine and houses for a brothel.
In cahoots, the crooked, corrupt local magistrate. Well, profits outweigh public needs.
An evening of sake and ghost stories culminates with a purification –
Which the men of power forego, scoffing at superstition.
There are about five narratives in this, but everything stitches well and moves briskly.
Monsters are old school puppets, costumes, acrobatics, pasteboard.