Vultural

Murders In Figeac - 2023 - 5/10
AKA - Meurtres à Figeac

Suspend disbelief immediately.
This opens in a cave, lit by pitch torches, where an ancient Egyptian mummification ritual is underway.
The soon-to-be corpse is the first kill.
In time, there is an Anubis mask wearing person, as well as scrolls of hieroglyphics posted in daylight.
Meantime, by chance, a prosecutor visits Figeac to attend her wayward husband’s funeral.
Please, who sells pitch torches? Ebay? Who sells lengthy scroll paper? Arts & craft shop? Go there!
Events in broad daylight. No witnesses? Not one?
Diverting mystery while underway. Afterward, wait a minute …

Local Hero - 1983 - 7/10

The Texas oil giant sends the young Turk to Scotland to acquire land for a potential refinery.
Arriving in the Scottish village, the impatient exec, Mac, has to downshift his pace and expectations.
Residents stand to make a lot of money, should they abandon their homes, and way of life.
A leisurely film, beguiling, that pulls one into its spell.
Various spells, actually, as this is sprinkled with eccentrics and the landscape is one of mist and magic.
A comedy, with a melancholy undertone.
Haunting experience, better watched with all distractions checked.

History With A Small H - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - L’Histoire en Minuscules

Grandmother Hortense moves in, to the annoyance of recent high school grad, Flora.
Hortense is frail, elderly, her cognition failing. For Flora, dead weight.
Until mother tells Flora to start clearing up Grandma’s boxes for removal.
There are the vintage clothes. Who knew Grandmother had such style?
Then the journals, which Flora begins reading. She begins to “see” the actual person.
A life of joys and despairs. Small moments along with life changing events.
To reawake fading memories, Flora begins to reenact stray milestones.
Brief, charming series may resonate with those who witness a loved one slowly disappear.

The Lickerish Quartet - 1970 - 6/10

The wealthy gentry depart their castle to stroll the visiting circus / carnival.
One of the performers is a daredevil cyclist, who, after removing the helmet, eerily resembles the female in an erotic film the family had been viewing previously.
Naturally, they invite her back inside the stone walls for a get-to-know you session.
Beautiful locations, attractive cast, and a strange plot of misdeeds and fantasy.
Arthouse softcore, for connoisseurs of such, suffers from slow pacing.
To be honest, I imagine one is supposed to observe and ponder the proceedings.
Early Radley Metzger that I have viewed several times, still unable to grasp, if I am even supposed to.

Zorro’s Black Whip - 1944 - 6/10

After the Black Whip is killed, sister Barbara takes the mask, whip and pistol and carries on.
Location, Idaho, on the verge of statehood, unless a wealthy land baron can stop that.
He’s got all sort of illegal money making enterprises which would end once the Feds arrived.
“Shoot, we reckoned we killed him.” Nor do they realize the female body differs from a male.
Republic serial has NOTHING to do with South of the border, Mexico, let alone Zorro.
Production values are routine, cliffhangers range from decent to cheating.
Stunts and action are good.
As with all serials, take your time and watch an episode before your main flick.

Cyrano, My Love - 2018 - 7/10
AKA - Edmond

Despite a powerful champion in Sarah Bernhardt, Edmond Rostand’s first play is a flop.
Dusting himself off, Edmond begins a new play. Two years on, the words still don’t come.
Until he catches sight of friend Léo’s girlfriend, Jeanne, who acts as his muse.
Whereupon he begins to write about novelist, musketeer, swordsman, Cyrano de Bergerac.
Story moves into “let’s put on a play” territory. 42nd Street (1933), Babes In Arms (1939), A Midwinter’s Tale (1995), Shakespeare In Love (1998) are merely a sampling of a formidable list.
Set in 1897 Paris, the story generates romance, comedy, sparkling dialogue, and theatrical tropes.

The Vengeful Beauty - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - Xue fu Rong // 血芙蓉

Straight off, evil is afoot. Bookshops are raided, books burned, booksellers beheaded.
Their families, too. And the writers, and the publishers, and proofreaders.
The emperor does not like criticism, let alone readers, for that matter.
On a pilgrimage to honor her old master, Yung is away when her family is massacred.
Fleeing, she receives help from a fellow student, as well as a repentant assassin.
In pursuit, the Flying Guillotine squad!
Of course, swordplay abounds, including one topless fight.
Camera work is creative throughout, from angles to perspectives.

Under Paris - 2024 - 6/10
AKA - Sous la Seine

An opener in the North Pacific, under the massive floating island of human garbage.
Prowling underneath, a shark. A big one, really big, and aggressive.
A team of shark biologists descend … and … miscalculate.
Three years on, survivor Sophia works in Paris, and a team of save-the-earth types advise her of a shark in the Seine.
There is also an upcoming triathlon (yo, swimming) spectacle.
Excellent shark film, chasing Deep Blue Sea and The Shallows, so long as you do not overthink.
Low scores likely hail from the Sharknado or Meg contingent, hoping for more splop.
I live with two shark obsessed females, who always, always, root for the shark.

Fascism On A Thread: The Strange Story Of Nazisploitation Cinema - 2019 - 6/10

Interesting, if watery documentary on bizarre subgenre.
From classy productions like Rome, Open City and Night Porter.
To grindhouse faves such as Salon Kitty and Ilsa, She Wolf Of The SS.
Into completely disreputable and inept nonsense such as SS Girls and Elsa.
Two camps of exploitation studied: Italian fare and US.
As always, talking heads and aging participants share histories, observations and anecdotes.
Perhaps there just weren’t that many Nazi exploitation flicks made, as this seems lightweight.
Note: After Dyanne Thorne retired, she became a Las Vegas minister.
Want to get married by Ilsa instead of Elvis? In SS attire? She does that.

Hardly A Criminal - 1946 - 6/10
AKA - Apenas un Delincuente

Even as a boy, Moran had been impatient.
Later, a man who favored expensive suits, nightclubs and horse races.
He could not afford the wardrobe, nor the cabaret. And his horse picks were all nags.
Worse, the loan sharks are hounding him.
Moran works in the bank, however, and embezzlement proves an easy out.
Even after he is caught, sentenced to prison, he has a plan.
All it requires is patience.
Yet, Moran has always been impatient.
Outstanding Argentinian Noir. (Wikipedia plot summary inaccurate)

Ilsa, Harem Keeper Of The Oil Sheiks - 1976 - 5/10

Just when you assumed our notorious commandant perished with the destruction of Stalag 13.
Goes to prove, you can’t keep a sadistic mistress down for long.
Ilsa works for Sheikh El-Sharif, managing his white slave harem.
Like any boot camp drill instructor, her task is to prep new arrivals; here, for market auction.
By any means necessary.
While more over-the-top than She Wolf Of The SS, this lacks the bite and trappings of that film.
Wait a minute! She died, correct?
In the commentary, it was revealed producers assumed audiences would not remember.

Ghahwagi, Karim - Black Hand, The

Malta experiences a bizarre series of murders. Dismembered bodies amidst feathers, a lot of feathers.
Inspector Osman is assigned. A Libyan, he works under the auspices of the Port Authority, yet actually he falls under the Secret Police.
The murders are not only inexplicable, but they are delicate and have connections with the swelling migrant community.

Osman enters the refugee camps, where he is told a lengthy fable of a wealthy merchant and his daughter, whose singing sent those who heard her into raptures.
Apparently, the fairytale is the core of this novella.

We return to Inspector Osman, where his case concludes abruptly. Not that readers deserve solutions, let alone explanations, yet more exposition might have improved this dramatically. Perhaps 10-15 pages.
One gets a sense that Ghahwagi simply quit. Put down his pen, ceased typing, went for a walk.
The result is a half finished draft. Unsatisfactory and badly done.
Where is the publisher’s guidance? Try harder, please.

Alligator - 1980 - 6/10

Kids, there’s a reason why you don’t buy baby gators in Florida.
They grow fast, and sooner or later you’ll just flush ’em down the toilet.
Where, in the sewers, they eat rats, fish, garbage, or lab animal carcases, juicy with growth chemicals.
Here, humans disappear and a jinxed detective is assigned the case.
Hokey creature feature is more fun than expected.
Most memorable is Henry Silva as an arrogant “sportsman” (animal killer).
Comparisons with Jaws? No.

Dune 2 - 2024 - 7/10

The initial film was so tedious, I barely stayed awake, never bothered to scribble a review.
Followup is action galore! Conflicts and strategies, on the battlefront and within the royals.
Paul Atreides, as the perceived messiah, Lisan al Gaib, unifies the southern tribes.
The path to jihad sprawls open.
One can easily view a proxy conflict between the decadent West and fundamentalist worshipers over a precious resource. Spice / oil.
Filmmakers skirt this issue as best they can, although they can neither disguise nor bury it.
Likewise, the sense of feudalism, which is today’s simmering infection, ignored or unseen.
A dense film, carefully updated from Herbert’s novel, to make a narrative more palatable to current sensibilities.

Cold Heart - 2024 - 5/10

Ethan hires on at the Y2K Cryo Lab. Dr. Olivia is his dismissive superior.
Patient after patient after patient winds up in Waste Management.
Amusing short does not outstay its visit.
More silly than engaging. Entry in the Sato48 Competition.

Alex Hugo - 2014 - 6/10

Ex-Marseille police detective Hugo, fed up with city violence, moves to the tranquil countryside.
Alas, the bucolic setting turns out to be another Cabot Cove (sans JB Fletcher), and just as lethal.
Cult suicides, runaways killed, axe murders.
Bears more than a passing resemblance to Midsomer Murders.
By the end of 3 episodes, an ensemble has been built around the burly Hugo.
Rugged mountain scenery is the attraction here.
Mysteries themselves are routine, and series seems low on energy.

Kingdom Of The Spiders - 1977 - 5/10

Shatner alert.
A rancher’s calf is dead. Calls the vet – first name Rack, please – who discovers it was killed by spider venom.
Right quick, an arachnologist hits the scene. Female and attractive (remember, this is a Shatner flick).
Soon, more livestock is killed, and even A DOG!
A humongous spider mound is discovered, and our experts decide:
“Ooh, I guess some gasoline will take care of business.”
Definitely a cult winner, this holds up – IF – you don’t think too much.
Despite being a theatrical release, this feels like a TV movie.

Regan - 1974 - 6/10

An undercover cop is in the wrong place, wrong time.
Local pub, hangout of a rough gang. Unfortunately, he is tagged as a copper.
After his murder, DI Regan of the Flying Squad starts investigating.
On his own – almost – since the various branches are being reorganized for better efficiency.
Almost, as he brings in an ex-colleague, Carter, to help suss out South London.
Decent procedural, convoluted plot with an intelligent narrative.
A year later, the duo would be rebooted into The Sweeney, a violent cop series.
“Get yer trousers on, you’re nicked.”

In The Mouth Of Madness - 1994 - 6/10

After the famous horror writer disappears, an insurance investigator is sent to the small town.
With a female associate, the pair arrive at Hobb’s End (think Arkham, reference Quatermass).
The town, and supposedly the author’s novel, serve to distort perception and reality.
Throughout, nods are given to Lovecraft, as well as Stephen King.
Actual concepts, however, seem to hew closer to Aickman, Campbell or Ligotti (the latter obscure then).
The potential here is high, the result is a half–hearted muddle.
Unsure whether director Carpenter lacked vision, pandered to an LCD audience, or if suits interfered.
Disappointing. All intelligence drained.

Note: An intriguing fanedit was crafted in 2014 by RollWave called In the Mouth of Event Horizon.

Trailer = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eZYF7nIPmg

The Great Lillian Hall - 2024 - 7/10

An icon for many years. Fans still talks about performances they witnessed 20, 30 years earlier.
During rehearsals of “The Cherry Orchard”, she has difficulties with lines, movements, acts.
A visit to a specialist reveals that she has declining cognition, dementia.
Nevertheless, she is adamant about doing Chekhov.
Part of her impairment is her dead husband, whom she sees and talks with.
Jessica Lange, as ever, is riveting as the aging theatre diva.
Kathy Bates excellent as the loyal, ferocious assistant.
Pierce Brosnan is her late night neighbor, also something of a chorus.
Theatre buffs will already be drawn to this.

Utö - 2024 - 6/10

There is an ear-piercing sound, followed by atmospheric disturbance.
Afterward, the small Finnish island of Utö is utterly isolated.
No one can leave, no one can arrive.
As supplies dwindle, so too does community spirit. Every man for himself.
Woven in are supernatural elements and actual history of ship disasters near the island.
Acting in this is bad. Primarily from the lead (Maria) who is insufferably annoying and whiny.
Subtitles I viewed were inept AI generated: an educated chimpanzee would do better.
The narrative itself has good points, and provides a strange twist near the end.

Morning Patrol - 1987 - 6/10
AKA - Proini Peripolos // Πρωινή Περίπολος

Her memory wiped, the landscape hostile and desolate, she is desperate to reach the city.
The Morning Patrol, guards, move with lethal intent, killing any survivors.
The city itself is deserted: plague, war, or a harvesting.
From her internal dialogue, we know her home was Manderley.
Except that is a fabrication, a fictional manor in du Maurier’s “Rebecca”.
Likewise, when she ponders death, the big sleep, now paraphrasing Chandler.
In the city, the TV runs, movie houses are open. Both run classic Noir films.
Later in the film, when she wonders how much time she has remaining, viewers will catch references by Dick.
Enigmatic, near-future, dystopian Noir, loaded with unanswered questions.

Human Traffic - 1999 - 7/10

Friends head out for a weekend of excess in Cardiff.
Dancing, ecstasy, alcohol, hormones, inhibitions, release.
Home and work environments are sketched, those being family and colleagues.
Not your mates, your best friends. Those who mean the world to you – for the shortest of times.
Buried in the revelry is a sense of fin de siècle.
The end of the 90’s, the end of the millennium, the last surge of youthful exuberance.
A roaring club soundtrack, and a low mixed dialogue track.
To hear conversations, you have to crank the volume.
Back inside the nightclub roar, raise your arms and reach for the lasers.

The Sister Of Ursula - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - La Sorella di Ursula

The sister, Dagmar, has her hands full with Ursula.
Ursula is still in agony over the death of their father.
Worse, she is high strung, has premonitions, usually of death.
And the off-season hotel where they are staying (in stunning Amalfi) has a serial killer.
While the hotel keeps trying to gloss over and cover-up the deaths (bad for business), Dagmar hooks up with a junkie.
Speaking of hooking up, wow! is there a lot of sex and full frontal nudity in this one.
In essence, this is a Slasher, with a lot of attractive scenery.

Parker, Rosalie - Through The Storm

PS has put together a very plummy collection. A generous assortment ranging from unsettling, poignant, and downright mystifying.

“The Moors” was Simone’s true element, where she could spend hours, perhaps her life. She loved that it was so desolate, forsaken even. Except when she encounters the others.

The Robinsons were newcomers to “Village Life”. Younger, too, energetic with a dash that diminished the oldsters. They also appeared to have an appetite for dirt and whispers.

“Dear John”, often perceived as a kiss-off, yet this is stranger by far. The correspondence between lonely hearts, drawn together, forming a tentative attachment, along with an odious presence.

Leonie is working with the big name actress. Cinema star, cast in a rural role, where she requires coaching with dialect. accent, cadence. Exposed to the bustle and sweep, Leonie is touched with a case of city fever. Her place, however, is in “Cow City” where she is unaware of the chains.

There was a disagreement, an argument, outside “The Cinema”, where Anne and Callum got separated. Anne, disoriented – and cold – soon wanders into unfamiliar neighborhoods. As darkness rises, masked smiles offer assistance. The treachery of good cheer. Wisely, she senses the teeth, begs off, only to flee deeper into confusion.

Just a sampling of the stories, most of which are solid, and have conclusions.
A modern tendency is to leave readers suspended. This collection offers very little of that.