Vultural

Trapped - 2015 - 7/10
AKA - Ófærð

A body is fished out of the harbor. Actually a torso.
The body had been chopped up, while the cruise ship anchored nearby.
A vessel apparently engaged in human trafficking.
As for the harbor? Chinese investors want to transform it into a mega port.
If enough locals are willing to sell their land, to their elected officials in charge.
Icelandic series follows numerous threads on a small island community.
Blizzard conditions mean the tiny police force is on their own.
Inspired plotting in this modern Noir.

Octopussy - 1983 - 6/10

The traveling circus, a Soviet art thief, Fabergé, the cult of the octopus, and Bond.
This 007 outing tones down much of the silliness and camp associated with Moore’s version.
Still as light-hearted outing, this is sleek and very good James bond vehicle.
Louis Jourdan makes an elegant and formidable villain.
Maud Adams, cool and reserved as leader of a smuggling ring.
Comic relief moments, however, should be removed in any director’s cut or fanedited version.
With Bond, comedy belongs in dialogue and black humor situations.

Murders In Pont-Aven - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à Pont-Aven

The first death was a convicted art forger, dating the gallery owner.
Right after the exhibition of Émile Blot, featuring newly discovered paintings.
The local gendarme will be assisted, as always, by an outsider.
Who, it turns out, had investigated the death of the gendarme’s mother years earlier.
French mystery has art references, an intriguing backstory, side stories, and NO romance,
Better than the cutesy “will they, won’t they” biscuits.

Kiss Me Goodbye - 1982 - 6/10

Mild-mannered remake of Jorge Amado’s “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands” (a very saucy novel).
Kay’s troublesome husband, Jolly, is dead, except he won’t stay dead.
Even while she prepares to remarry, Jolly keeps haunting her.
So much so, she is constantly confusing the two husbands, responding wrongly to questions.
Watching, this is often funny, especially if you view in a library or revival theater with an audience.
The spark is diminished at home, and this comes across as a bland sitcom.
James Caan steals the film, while Sally Field and Jeff Bridges lack chemistry.

Singapore Sue - 1931 - 5/10

Sailors enter the bar / cafe in the middle of the dance revue.
The showoff immediately hits on the girl selling dolls and souvenirs.
No matter how attractive, she ignores the pompous boor, no matter that he is Cary Grant.
Early Grant role, and his manner and delivery are straight out of music hall
Musical short, three songs.

Grenfell: In The Words Of Survivors - 2023 - 7/10

“Most of our words come from interviews, and sometimes they’ll come from the public inquiry, and, occasionally,
we’ll speak as ourselves.”
Raw theatre, piecing together memories of residents, complaints about the gradual deterioration of the estate.
Along with testimonies from parties responsible for maintenance and upkeep – who shirked.
Mitigating factors barely alluded to. Cool Britannia was over and Britain’s budget woes were massive.
Also, the Grenfell Tower was in Chelsea Kensington, and was an extraordinarily valuable piece of real estate.
Diminished safety standards, a laissez faire attitude toward repairs, ill regard for the dwellers.
Gripping throughout. Bear in mind, this is theatre – not a documentary
The anguish of survivors, along with the grief likely carried to their graves.
English subtitles = https://www.mediafire.com/file/rf4me8d3e7n3rqp/Grenfell_In_Words_Survivors-2023.srt/file

The Furies From Borås - 2017 - 6/10

PG adaptation of Anders Fager’s brutal, sexually charged story.
Here, the blood, the semen, the alcohol, and other lubricants are minimized.
Nevertheless, a male sacrifice is sought out for the rites, and the “meat” is culled.
His chances? One drug addled male and a fistful of sturdy, ravenous girls.
High school production shows budget limitations, and the graphic carnality is only hinted at.
The tone is correct and the furies seem accurate, rather than Hollywood kewpies.

Love Honour And Obey - 2000 - 7/10

Jonny, disgruntled courier, has ambitions. Also a mate with underworld connections.
Jude, nephew to powerful crime boss Ray.
A quick word, Jonny is in, whereupon he soon … what’s the phrase … starts going postal.
Encroaches on rival territory, tries to initiate a full scale mob war.
Absolutely one of the funniest gangster movies ever!
Stellar cast, everyone having a romp, packed with catchy songs.

♪ No one gets to live too long. Where the soul of a man is easy to buy.
♪ Everybody’s wheeling, everybody’s stealing. All the low are living high.
♪ On the avenues and alleyways. ♫

The Witches Attack - 1968 - 5/10
AKA - Atacan Las Brujas

The sexy leader of the witch guild accepts a ride from a masked wrestler in his Porsche.
To enslave all mortals, the witches need to sacrifice an innocent and a hero.
Music is brooding and thrilling, sets are high Gothic, passageways and chambers.
The women are unbelievably attractive, clad in short togas.
Fights are repetitive and overlong, and a few sequences appear to be reruns.
For me, it is always incongruous that people would consult a detective in his office, behind his desk, wearing a suit and tie, and a mask.
Then again, this is an early Santo flick.

Spring Night, Summer Night - 1967 - 7/10

Eldest son Carl is unsuited for farm work. Coal mines are closed, but he would have not fit in there, either.
Then there is Jessica, his sister (half-sister, actually), equally unhappy with her lot as surrogate mother to the children.

Stifled, bored, attracted, what happens seems foregone.
Especially in that rural, pocket-community which is already riddled with adultery and drinking.
Five months, the swelling aftermath, guilt and resignation.
Bear in mind, 1967 was the Summer Of Love, Vietnam raged, Civil Rights activists marched.
Meantime, this region harks back to 1930’s Depression America.
This is an authentic time capsule of a region people choose to forget.

English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/spring-night-summer-night/english/3303358

Waggoner, Tim - The Last Mile

Following the Arrival, Earth is decimated; population mostly, I suppose, eaten.
Unseen rulers came from beyond and are called Masters.
Their go-to human servants are branded and called Thralls.
Everyone else is destined to be an unhappy meal, sooner or later.
Dan is a Thrall, driving down a broken highway with tied-up Alice in his backseat.
Destination? “Here’s yer pizza, boss!”
I have a suspicion Waggoner simply arranged bits from his idea journal, but this is stitched with a twist.
As with other books I’ve read by this author, there is a misogynistic component that may disturb some.
Never could decide whether the arrivals were SciFi aliens or Lovecraftian entities.

A Warning To The Curious - 1972 - 6/10

There were three buried crowns that guarded the realm in times of war.
Two were lost. The third has been safeguarded, for generations, by a highly protective family.
Until the archeologists started digging. Amateurs, at that.
Mr. Paxton has sniffed out a trail, leading to Seaburgh.
Along the way, warnings and close looks are given, which he ignores.
The fever of the hunt possesses him.
Unsettling M R James adaptation, shot mostly in broad daylight.
Possibly too slow for the impatient, yet the lethargic pace adds to the tension.

Deep Throat - 1972 - 5/10

Linda, sexually frustrated, seeks a medical diagnosis.
After an examination, the doctor informs her that her clitoris is not where it should be.
Reference the title.
Enlightened, Linda pounds the libido accelerator and starts making up for lost time.
Funny, sleazy, and kinda depressing in a way, this film made Lovelace a cause célèbre for a spell.
Inconceivable in today’s society, this was a wildly popular “date film” in the 1970’s.
Indeed, it was generally paired with The Devil In Miss Jones as a double feature.
I first viewed in Hollywood’s Pussycat Theater with the hippie chick (her choice).
Featherweight biopic Lovelace came out in 2013.

This England - 2022 - 6/10

Done with the Covid pandemic already? Well, it’s not done with you.
Newly elected PM Boris Johnson and cabinet have plans, big plans, for overhauling the nation.
Only thing, there is new mysterious disease erupting in China … then Italy
While the government dithers, the disease arrives in the UK, and spreads exponentially.
Scene after scene of an individual coughing, leading inexorably to the last gasp.
Kenneth Branagh is uncanny as Johnson.
Too much time, however, is wasted with his ditzy girlfriend / wife.
More, excruciatingly so, is given to that damned dog of theirs.
Those who relish suffering hospital dramas will be in heaven.
Others may find this a puzzling misfire.

The Old Dark House - 1932 - 6/10

No matter how atrocious the weather, one never goes knocking at the gloomy manor.
Still, there is the timeworn excuse: I didn’t know! Nobody told me!
Plus – the rain truly is dreadful, and the car is leaking.
Do they recognize the door opening butler as Boris Karloff?
The travelers arrive, dry themselves, try to ignore how fearfully eccentric the inhabitants are.
For a creaky, locked-room film, this moves quickly and many images are downright eerie.

Mexican Vampire Cinema: A Brief History - 2014 - 6/10

OK, so this neglects the 1931 Drácula, and starts in the 1950‘s.
A lot of films, players and background are included in roughly an hour.
Presented by David Witt, who is an authority here.
The look for most of these is Expressionistic / Gothic, the acting vigorous.

While the second half focuses heavily on Santo, there are several gems.
Such as, did you know international cuts featured nudity?
Another variation on this series is Mummies In Mexican Cinema.
Just what I need, more questionable viewing.

Drácula - 1931- 6/10

Virtual shot-for-shot remake of the Lugosi classic. Same sets, same cameras.
The Mexican version is less static, is sexier, is, in many ways, flashier.
Pretty clear, the Mexican team, working the late shift, either saw US rushes, or caught some of the shooting.
Either way, scene after scene boasts notable improvements.
Carlos Villarías, however, is no match for the charismatic Lugosi.
Despite my (slight) reservations, this remains must-see for Horror fans.

Kinky Boots - 2005 - 6/10

Price & Sons footwear, in business for generations, is going bankrupt.
Times have changed and customers are buying cheaper, foreign shoes.
Except there is a possible niche.
Shoes, boots, for drag queens. Shoes that have to be fashionable, yet sturdy.
Quite sturdy. Wearers are big boned, tall, and performing takes a toll.
A mix of belly laughs and serious introspection (which tend to halt momentum).
Chiwetel Ejiofor unforgettable as the indomitable Lola.

Midnight Express - 1978 - 6/10

Naive American turista attempts to smuggle hash out of Turkey.
Caught, arrested, tried, convicted, sent to Sağmalcılar Prison.
That’s early.
Film shifts to the prison from Hell. Nonstop brutality amid inhumane conditions.
Harrowing film is one for masochists; I recall this being wildly popular despite being unrelentingly grim.
I also dimly recall viewing our sympathetic hero as a fool.
Rewatch confirms my previous take.

Prick Up Your Ears - 1987 - 7/10

Uncomfortable bio-pic of playwright Joe Orton (whose “Loot” is must-see theatre).
Orton is in a homosexual relationship (still punishable in 60’s England) with fellow writer Kenneth.
As is sadly often the case, one partner is more creative, more successful.
While the lesser grows ever more resentful, jealous, possessive, abusive.
Acting is tiptop across the board, although it grows increasingly difficult to comprehend why Orton stays with Kenneth.

Newell, Adam - Dracula’s Forgotten Brides

Onscreen, perhaps a minute. Dialogue, none.
Nevertheless, once seen among the mists of the crypt, the three “brides” are not forgotten.
Despite their insignificant roles, their images were endlessly reproduced.
Slim homage to the trio of actresses: Dorothy Tree, Geraldine Dvorak and Cornelia Thaw.
Packed with photos, this exquisite gem shines a light on the three and their mixed success in Tinseltown.
Clearly, this will appeal to film buffs, perhaps exclusively to Horror or Dracula fanatics.
Thanks to Mark Valentine for alerting all to this (https://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com/2024/02/draculas-forgotten-brides.html).
An unsolved mystery – who were the Mexican brides?

Charade - 1963 - 7/10

Reggie (female) plans to divorce her husband, until he is found murdered.
Their Parisian apartment ransacked, money gone.
She tries to investigate, in spite of a ferocious adversary (George Kennedy), a facilitating CIA op (Walter Matthew), and a shady friend / nemesis (Cary Grant).
Near flawless mix of suspense and romance, intrigue and comedy.
A perfect Hitchcock movie, except it’s not.
Audrey Hepburn and Grant are wonderful together, terrific Mancini score.
Real throwback to Hollywood’s Golden Age, and an ideal date flick.

Who Are The Cockney’s Now? - 1968 - 6/10

Part of the “One Pair Of Eyes” series, this installment hosted by Georgia Brown.
Brown grew up in Whitechapel during the Blitz, when the area was very much a Jewish enclave.
By the late ‘60’s, however, most of the Jewish community had departed, their storefronts closed.
New immigrants were Pakistani, facing the same discrimination as those previous.
Here, Brown wanders off theme, as she repeatedly urges Jewish leaders to open their doors to newcomers.
Could be the spirit of the ‘60’s, could be Brown herself no longer lived there.

Revenant - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - Akgwi // 악귀

“Beware of the handshake, that hides a snake.
“For smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies, and I got proof.”
Our heroine is possessed by a ghost, beneficial at times, murderous at others.
Trying to aid her, and exorcise the spirit, is a folklore professor.
Meandering K-drama goes full bore into supernatural, shamanism, fetishes, and violent deaths.
The narrative drags in the middle and is repetitive.
Plus, the mother is extremely tiresome; an anxious, fearful, foolish, nonstop whiner.
A fun watch, nevertheless, for its theme of what some will do for good fortune.
Finale is fairly enthralling, as twist piles up twist, clever opponents outguessing each other.

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams - 1990 - 7/10
AKA - Yume // 夢

Eight short films by Kurosawa. Gorgeous to look at, some are better than others.
A young boy disobeys his mother and is banished until repentance.
“The Blizzard” is a riff on the legend of the Snow Ghost.
The futility of war appears in “The Tunnel”, another ghost tale.
For Van Gogh fans, “Crows” is a delightful tale, as an observer wanders into a series of paintings.
My favorite, and the only episode I revisit often is the “Village Of The Watermills.
Serene meditation on simplicity and harmony, shunning modern busyness.