Vultural

Strange Darling - 2023 - 7/10

She is running, literally for her life, as she is being hunted, pretty much through the whole film.
Often she’ll ask, “Can you help me? Please?”
Usually folks will oblige. If not, she is in survival mode.
Six chapters, chopped, making the storyline trickier to get a handle on.
Outstanding chase thriller, veering into Slasher territory, with venomous turns.
If curious, I would go in stone cold; I fear most reviewers cannot be discreet.
Willa Fitzgerald gives a tour de force performance as the quarry.

Dirty Weekend - 1993 - 6/10

Even I knew her boyfriend was shagging half the females at his birthday party.
Bella, hurt, opts to move to Brighton and start freelancing.
With American flicks, the victim runs, screams, and falls down a lot.

In this, Bella takes matters into her own hands, or rather takes the hammer into her hands.
Black comedy of tables turned, the lamb into butcher.
Lia Williams, a dead-faced sponge in the first third, gradually reveals the hunter’s smile.
Large name cast, many acting against type, seem to be having fun.

The Wastelander: Sector 23 - 2024 - 6/10

Near future sees conflict in cityscape rubble.
Human soldier vs mechanized foes.
Our protagonist, carrying a battered map and tech gear he does not comprehend, is on a quest
Minimal conflict sequences (badly choreographed, overlaid with poor music). Quiet moments are better.
Borrows from iconic films, leading to a dark reveal.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3353238

Various (Editor: Smith, Imogen Sara) - Noir City Annual 16

Longtime contributor Smith takes over the editor’s role this outing. As always, diverse topics, a few unfamiliar gems, and late appreciations.

“Stoner Noir”, from the very title, one realizes most will be later films. Highlight, Lebowski.

“No Exit” makes a case for one of Orson Welles forgotten films, “The Trial” with Anthony Perkins, filmed before the actor was doomed by typecasting. Other Kafka adaptations are discussed, acknowledging how difficult the author has been to turn into cinema. No mention of the superb 2024 series.

“Architects Of Illusion” – Classic era art directors and set design, what a great choice! From those who were blessed with handsome budgets, to those who scraped by with loose change and imagination.

An essay on Roger Touhy, Chicago gangster. And the movie somewhat based on him. Added to my to-find list, no matter how poor.

“Ripped From The Headlines!” details the original, fact-based incidents that sparked subsequent films, which most Noir fans have screened.

Likewise, “Guns For Hire”, a survey of hired assassins. Hitmen. There are far too many stories about the triggermen, so there will be missing gems. This is a nice smattering.

Profiles include Jean Hagen, Walter Matthau (really? yes, really), Bob Rafelson (focusing on late works).

Usually, I make a list of reviews ruined by spoilers. Lazy writers who equate a synopsis with a review. Editor Smith seems to have checked those tendencies. Bravo. There are countless newcomers who have not viewed all films, and don’t need those ruined with gushed endings.

Note: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. These Noir City Annuals do not stay in print long. The limited number print run only benefits aging aficionados and collectors. Publisher Eddie Muller really ought to offer p.o.d. reprints for future generations.

Secrets Of Coca-Cola: The Billion Dollar Beverage - 2019 - 6/10

History of the obscure beginnings of the snake oil tonic to global dominance.
No, there wasn’t cocaine in the early product, it was coca, from the leaves.
Kept for a long time, eventually removed. Formula remains a guarded secret.
Upstart Pepsi mentioned, but the 90’s taste-test challenge, not the earlier Pepsi Generation.
Best for cola junkies, who I suspect are legion. +
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3353312

• My own father was the latter. He had a standing order with the local bottler to deliver 15 cases monthly.
  That’s the 16 oz bottles, 24 per case. Yes, he drank two six-packs a day.
  Also smoked a steady stream of cigars. Health conscious souls, he lived to be 86.

Rimfire - 1949 - 5/10

Army gold has been hijacked, and an incognito officer is dispatched.
Around the one-horse town somewhere, and the town ain’t nothing but lowlifes.
Saloon, cardsharp, brawls, a half drunk judge, shady cowpunchers.
Somehow marked as a Western Noir, this is just a B-oater.
Final feature by Breezy Eason, and the wild opening has his trademarks all over it.
Nobody could shoot charging horses like he could.
Reed Hadley is in this, but underutilized.
For an hour film, this has a pile of cold-blooded murders, close to a dozen.

The Coca-Cola Kid - 1985 - 6/10

Coke execs discover an untapped market deep in the Australian Outback.
It is the fierce stronghold of the local beverage.
They send their ace, Becker, to try and topple the rival.
Strange comedy runs quirky, sexy and bittersweet.
The best moments, the ones that linger, are pure Aussie.
I didn’t always understand some, yet that was OK.
“As Australian as a barbed wire canoe.” Making the jingle below. Brilliant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml0TURpHRuw

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - 2004 - 7/10

A somewhat indescribable film of a tempestuous couple.
Clementine has already gone to the clinic and had all memories of Joel purged.
Afterward, reluctantly, Joel decides on the same.
Erasure proceeds from most recent (angry, hateful) to older.
Earlier memories are romantic, poignant, and Joel wants to hang onto them.
Chronology shifts wildly and abruptly. Camera techniques and styles vary.
Perplexing at times, likewise depressing, story of love, memory and Fate.
Also the only Jim Carrey film I ever liked.

The Temp - 1993 - 6/10

Peter is released from the mental clinic. Issue, paranoia.
Now divorced, he returns to work to find the company has been taken over – layoffs announced.
Help arrives in the form of a temp, Kris, who proves to be an adept workhorse.
Meanwhile, praise the maker, work enemies and adversaries encounter misfortune.
Better viewed as a black comedy, this is a Noir tinged thriller.
Studio interference crippled this one. Not to mention test audience surveys.
A twisted narrative, never properly resolved.
Coulda, shoulda. Guilty pleasure for me, yet a flawed movie.

Cristóbal Balenciaga - 2024 - 7/10

Strolling biopic series of the formidable fashion designer.
Active in Paris haute couture from the 1930’s into the 1970’s.
This explores his obstacles, relationships, methods.
His rivalries / friendships include Dior, Chanel, Givenchy.
Homosexuality is touched on several times, as well as Fascist Spain, and Nazi occupied Paris.
Alberto San Juan digs into the lead role, showcasing Balenciaga’s innovation and almost monomaniacal need for control.
Superbly done – BUT – this is one of those series where one ought to have a handle on fashion history.
(I married a fashionista, one who is steeped in the major houses and keeps up with current designers and models.
I even went to an exhibition of Balenciaga’s garments a few years ago.
Hate saying this, but the less you know, the more you may miss out.)

Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters - 1985 - 8/10

Highly stylized film of the celebrated writer and patriot.
Childhood flashbacks mix with scenes of his final day, and failed coup.
Then there are scenes from several works: “The Temple Of The Golden Pavilion”, “Kyoko’s House” and “Runaway Horses”.
Familiarity with Mishima’s life and works is not essential as you will be spellbound by visuals.

Ken Ogata is a bit beefy for the role, but he is compelling and one soon forgets the physical disparity.
This is still something of a scandal in Japan.
I met director Paul Schrader one time and asked questions about this film. He is very proud of it.
I was in my teens when Mishima’s death made global headlines; I recall being quite shocked.

The Bride With White Hair 2 - 1993 - 5/10
AKA - Bak fat moh lui zyun II // 白髮魔女2

Disappointing, to say the least, sequel to the 1993 Hong Kong classic by Ronnie Yu.
The “white witch” recruits and builds a female army of lethal assassins.
New heroes are mustered, their purpose to end to the carnage befalling the major houses.
Despite the presence of Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung, their roles are small.
This actually feels like a showcase for new talent.
Quality action, complicated narrative, and pace that swings between busy and idle.
See the original first, Crave more, this will fill a hole.

Duffy, Steve - These And Other Mysteries

Rich assortment of stories from the reliable Duffy, who seems to have found a haven in Sarob.

Volunteer mourners assemble periodically for unloved deceased, those without family, friends. In “Dead Center Of Manchester” one of those forgotten souls apparently had a worrisome past. Of which the more curious mourners dig into, areas sinister.

Jake found the TV in a skip. A perfectly good telly. At home, he and Angie join the hordes of glazed viewers. Free entertainment! Not quite. For in “Screen Burn” Angie is mesmerized by the static. Or something behind the static.

Pursuing a spree killing, the investigating officer is urged to consult a quirky academic. Paranormal type. As a team, they do not gel; worse, he is dismissive and skeptical of her arcane method, the religious inferences. “Stations”, she reminds him, are what the killer was checking off.

The two surviving adult siblings arrive to sort the shocking clutter of their deceased brother’s home. The house holds memories, unpleasant ones, along with childhood fears. “Last Rites At Saltstrand” moves from confirmed anxieties to unsettling surprises to the lingering echo of grandfather’s warning.

“Three Deals With The Supreme Being”. Go ahead. Three requests. God may, or may not listen. Or merely dispatch an angel. What is absolute life or death for you? Better make it good.

Haunted Palace - 1949 - 5/10

Shaw Desmond presents a handful of reenacted hauntings.
A remorseful priest, waiting 200 years for forgiveness.
The evening arrival of spirits to a long past gathering.
Interspersed with a ballerina, gracing the proceedings with interludes.
Hauntings, not horror, catching sight of lingering presences.
Note Desmond’s circular bookcase in the background.

Alien Vs. Predator Requiem - 2007 - 5/10

Pity the unloved child.
Unexpected followup to 2004’s AvP boasts more carnage with a barely coherent story.
Hard upon that film, the Predator crew is overwhelmed by a new chestburster, and the ship crashes in woodsy USA.
The Xenomorph survives and scampers away, laying fresh eggs.
A Predator fixer races to the area to clean the mess, remove evidence and liquidate all Xenomorphs.
What else? Law enforcement, overage teenagers, compositions that are far too dark.
Not as good as the previous effort (which received mixed reviews), this has decent scenes, absurd logic.
B-flick. Hopefully, the studio will resist the creators lobbying for another film.

Various (Editor: Holmes, Carly) - Uncertainties Volume VII

Late 2024 found the latest installment of this dependable series in my mailbox. Carly Holmes, no stranger to fans of Weird Lit, at the helm. Assorted riches, as always, so I will just breeze through a handful.

“Pond Scum” finds two brothers, battered from personal setbacks and Life in general, in Italy, traipsing lonely country. They no longer have much in common, except weakness for alcohol. And a thirst for trouble, diversion. My sympathy does not extend toward aggressive drunks.

After his wife dies from the slow rot of cancer, Graeme needed solitude, isolation to grieve in peace. He takes a room in a remote village near the beach. His landlady is cheap, sexually pushy, yet sly enough to loosen trousers. Oh, yes, the beach. Something strange there. A distant figure, one with the “Sad Face” unsettles Graeme. Then there are those queer black stones. He knows he ought to depart, he really ought to.

Grief of another cloth in “A Suit Of Darkest Blue” finds Joan on a seemingly endless cruise, trying to escape, to forget. With her, however, is the ghost, perhaps ghosts, as grief wars with anger. On the decks, on shore leave, she “sees” because she cannot, she will not, let go.

Do you have a parent or sibling or any loved one who is a hoarder? If so, best advice – die first. Otherwise, you might have to endure the joy of tidying their house. Are you claustrophobic? Does your asthma flare when the very air itself is squeezed out by mountains of junk? “Little Nothings” will be for you. Should I mention the bugs?

The writer, tapping dry on inspiration, spinning clichéd plots aloud. One may be forgiven suspecting he is more hack than scribe. One tired notion after another “Ends Abruptly”. That’s the trick, though, correct? The satisfying conclusion. And oh, how fitting this one lands.

The Charge Of The Light Brigade - 1936 - 6/10

High powered adventure loosely based on historic fact, the Tennyson poem, and nonstop creative license.
The English vie for influence in the Khyber region. While the Vickers brothers vie for the love of Miss Campbell.
The India backstory is lengthy, mixing romance, intrigue and betrayals.
This seems straight out of Kipling.

Nonetheless, the scene inexorably shifts to the Crimean War and the Balaclava Heights.
The finale is thrilling and horrifying. Flynn blamed director Curtiz; the culprit was likely Breezy Eason.

Here In America - 2024 - 7/10

“When the government goes into the business of destroying trust, it goes into the business of destroying itself.”
Arthur Miller
A series of meetings, mostly in 1952, between Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan.
The HUAC meetings are underway, and the men may be targets.
Kazan was a member of the US Communist Party, Miller attended a few meetings.
Neither did anything overtly wrong, but the Committee is more interested in those who held influence.
Also who else belonged. Who were the other traitors? Names. What were their names?
Heady play about witch hunts and persecution, a cycle that resurrects over and over.
Miller would fashion his experience into “The Crucible”. Kazan … is what he is.
He is left to ponder Miller’s phrase about the gap between what’s right and what seems best for you.

Lot 249 - 2023 - 7/10

Smith is a hard-nosed pragmatist, a scoffer.
Nevertheless, the medical student has witnessed the deaths and near deaths.
He knows the prime suspect, and his method employed.
Something not quite of this world, existence of which the authorities would never accept.
Classic holiday ghost story, this outing courtesy one Arthur Conan Doyle.
These Mark Gatiss films seem to move from strength to strength each season.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3352989

Juror #2 - 2024 - 7/10

During voir dire, those in the pool try to escape.
Our main protagonist, Justin, is selected despite having a pregnant wife who is a nest of worry.
The trial is a lowlife affair. Boyfriend accused of bludgeoning his girlfriend.
Plenty of tavern witnesses saw the fight, her defiant exit, him climbing into his vehicle.
Witnesses include Justin, who was not supposed to be anyway near alcohol.
And who, like a zillion other people, should never have checked his phone, while driving in a rainstorm.
Later, he reflects back, “It was a deer I hit, right? It couldn’t have been her!”
Excellent courtroom drama, with keen eye toward juror preconceptions.
Film makes a tense moral thriller – so long as you overlook plotholes.
(SPOILER > He could have dodged jury duty simply saying he was in the bar and saw the fight.)
Midway, my bride observed, “This is Georgia. Your drawl is heavier than anyone in this.”

The Reflecting Skin - 1990 - 7/10

The heartland, late 1940’s, young friends Seth, Kim and Eben idle away the summer.
They especially enjoy tormenting the English Rose transplant.
Seth’s mother is neurotic and unpredictable, harsh even.
His father reads a vampire pulp, which fires Seth’s imagination to the point he believes a neighbor is one.
Highly stylized film shot from the boy’s point of view.
His house and parents are browns and grays, rust and dust.
While the outside world is deeply saturated colors.
Darker concerns, not caught by the child, is his troubled brother, back from WWII.
And a long, black Cadillac.
A visual feast for the arthouse crowd. Casual crowd, you’ve been warned.

Demons - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - Shura

Ronin Gengobei has already squandered his money and heirlooms on a smiling geisha.
Friends and fellow samurai loan him 200 ryo so he can repay his debts and join them.
He is to be part of the 47 Ronin, except the geisha and her heartless friends see the money.
Slow tale, composed as if for a theatre, dark throughout.
A story of lies, multiple deceptions, destroyed honor, revenge.
Neither cheating nor vengeance bring release or satisfaction.
Classical Japanese cinema; may be excruciatingly slow for the impatient.

Downtown - 1975 - 5/10

Inept private detective Al Pereira peers through the trick, two-way mirror.
Two stunning hustlers, planning to blackmail a rich playboy, need a photographer.
They have already fooled our PI once already, landing him in jail, but he is ever gullible.
Jess Franco outing mixes Noir with comedy with erotica. Plot is OK for once.
Beautifully lensed in Beaulieu-sur-Mer in the French Riviera.
Chemistry between Franco and Lina Romay is electric, as their real life relationship ignites.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3352990

Joko Anwar’s Nightmares And Daydreams - 2024 - 7/10

Seven chapter anthology from Indonesia’s maestro of horror.
Installments are stand-alones. Some conclude, others end weirdly.
While Indonesia is largely Muslim, these are steeped in folklore and superstition.

Stories reflect values, castes, horrors.
Wealth, and lack of same, hold hands with death and betrayals.
One soul gets lost in the theater of his youth, another searches for a sister she never knew she had.

Even the righteous, trying to behave ethically, err. Consequences are swift.
These may be alien, but let Anwar’s mood envelope you.
The finale manages to go wildly over the top, and link preceding episodes.
Fans of this director, crash the gate.

Event Horizon Slashed Killer Horizon - Mollo

Grim overhaul of muddled SciFi / Horror. Mollo pulls this out of tech and into blackness, heightening the horror.

The avi image is a little soft and is undoubtedly superior on the (for me, unavailable) DVD version.

Video - 640p, MPEG-4. Well done throughout. Numerous alterations are unnoticed. The additional scenes were worked in nicely.

Audio - 2-channel, MP3 128kbps. Man, this is where the edit really shines. An outstanding soundscape Mollo has crafted. Do not overlook the extras! The “Evil Sounds” bonus is a clinic on layering audio channels. Aspiring editors would be well advised to study this.

Narrative - Coherence gets lost in this. Of course the film was always a jumble. Dr. Weir seems even odder from the get-go and his usefulness onboard is negligible. An asteroid (from Deep Impact) sweeps past in the beginning for no real reason, though it is in the alternative ending bonus. At the end, Capt Miller sends Lt. Starck to the command deck for intel, and she … it is not explained. This turns into a flat out horror film with many stray threads and unanswered questions. That is not a problem, a lot of mysteries have no solutions, but there seem to be an awful lot in this edit. The pacing also feels rushed, very much so past the midway point.

Enjoyment - Appreciate would be a better word. I recognize and admire much of what Mollo did here. It does feel like a horror film, which was his intention, though not a particularly intelligent one. He removed much of the stupid factor, which is commendable, yet many of the characters are reduced to sketches. I never cared about them, so I never cared what happened to them. Tough luck, kids.

On one hand, the outro music, the last taste one gets from any film, was incongruous, intrusive and irritating.
On the other hand, the bonus features, redeemed quite a bit for me. Seeing how much Mollo had done, just with one brief scene, had me recognize and applaud the work he did with this. Adding those bonus features in a folder along with the feature .avi is genuinely considerate.

Good edit, worth viewing. Based on other reviews, tracking down the DVD is recommended.