Vultural

The Blonde Witch - 1956 - 6/10
AKA - La Sorcière

Brulard, Parisian engineer is dispatched to a Swedish timber baron.
Baroness, actually, widowed and attractive, if aloof.
The locals are superstitious, reluctant to do certain things.
Brulard is forceful, however, both with the project, and in melting the owner’s heart.

Until he encounters Aino, a wild, untamed dweller in the woods.
Villagers view her as a witch, while he sees her as an innocent, and disturbingly beautiful.
There are elements that suggest supernatural, although Aino is closer to a “wise woman”.
Brulard, who I think perceives himself as a player, is naive and callous about females.

The Brother From Another Planet - 1984 - 6/10

Who is actually an escaped slave from another planet.
He lands in New York, and is viewed as another street person as his clothes are shabby.
Plus, he is black and is mute. An outsider. Yet, a curious and gentle soul.
Soft sell, fish out of water story, with an undercurrent of community and slavery.
The latter runs throughout as there are “bounty hunters” on his trail.
Joe Morton amazing in non-speaking role, communicating eloquently with gestures and expressions.

Cobra - 1925 - 6/10

Count Torriani, hounded and pursued by women across Italy, soon sails for New York.
Where he finds the New York ladies are just as attractive, just as interested, just as brazen.
The Count is an exotic addition to an art dealer, particularly his breeding and charm.
Problem is, females, quite literally, fascinate him.
“Cobra” refers to females who spellbind the Count, who is weak for flesh.
Valentino good in this slouching melodrama, with an air of entitlement and foolishness.
Sets by Cameron Menzies are, always, flat out something else.
Forgotten today, Nita Naldi plays the full-figured vamp who beguiles our Count.

Attack The Block - 2011 - 5/10

Returning home, Samantha is mugged at knifepoint by a teenage gang.
Robbery, heading towards rape when a fallen meteorite distracts.
Emerging / transforming is a furry alien with hungry teeth.
A series of attack – counterattack between numerous furballs and thugs.
Honestly, I did not know who to root for. Aliens, no. Petty hoodlums, as if.
Decent comedy situations, laughably cheap effects, dicey acting.

Gannibal: S02 - 2025 - 7/10
AKA - Gan’nibaru 2 / /ガンニバル

All the tension that had been mounting throughout S01 boils over and explodes here.
This is a wildly violent season, with multiple gun battles.
And bloodletting, a tremendous spillage.

This season showcases the backstory of the Goto family, and their acquired attitude.
Youthful Gin Goto, in particular, as the beautiful, sex-driven female – with a grudge.
The family has a history of dealing with Kuge Village, with the police, a lot of police.
Officer Agawa, however, booted out of Tokyo, is a borderline psychopath.
Japanese exploitation fans, this is manna.

Gannibal - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Gan’nibaru / /ガンニバル

Officer Agawa is transferred to sleepy village of Kuge.
He carries a history and superiors hope the tranquil mountain area will sort him.
The previous village officer had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
As far as peace and calm, the area is a festering web.
Inhabitants live in fear of the Goto family, amidst whispers of cannibalism.

Officer Agawa is a piece of work, however, and not one to back down.
Series (7ep) explores the dark side, is punctuated with explosive violence.
Ends on a cliffhanger, although S02 has finished airing.

You have stamina, friend.

The Silencers - 1966 - 5/10

Initial Matt Helm installment plays the agent strictly for laughs.
Helm is now retired, living as a glamour photographer. (pretty girls)
His old agency discovers a threat to initiate global nuclear war - Operation Fallout, and persuades him back.
Despite a big budget, this feels like glorified Maxwell Smart to me.
Stella Stevens plays a moronic nemesis, gratingly whining and crying.
She will get on your nerves and irritate you throughout.
Funny (in a slapstick way) and successful back when. Now feeble.

Britain By The Book - 2023 - 5/10

The ought to be called “Dorset by the Book” since it stays there.
Show is predominantly the couple, who spend a lot of time horsing around and joking.
We get to enjoy a lot of drive time, most inside as scenery breezes by.
“Look! There’s Corfe Castle.” Whoosh.
Note: Our driver squints throughout, she ought to wear glasses.
One author, who has since been outed for fraud, is interviewed.
Should you want to watch two juvenile hosts, this is for you.
Want to see Dorset, visit or get a guidebook. Or read Thomas Hardy.

Hannah And Her Sisters - 1986 - 7/10

Hannah is the family anchor, with one straying sister, the other struggling.
Sister Lee begins an affair with Hannah’s husband, while Holly slides from one attempt to another.
Three, four stories intertwine over roughly two years.
Part drama, more comedy, much of the comedy is emotionally dark.
Allen’s character, Mickey, searching for “meaning” in Life bounces from fad to fad.
Still, one of the Woody’s best films, winner of deserved acclaim.
Large cast of major names, excellent cinematography.

Hello, Dolly! - 1969 - 5/10

The widowed matchmaker attempts to find a match for an “almost millionaire”.
Then there’s the rich man’s niece and her impoverished boyfriend.
Which the rich man properly says “No’ to. (Except in films, artists rarely make money.)
All sorts of stratagems and subterfuges follow.
With way too many characters and an over-complicated plot
Add a batch of songs, most highly unmemorable, and you have a musical turkey.
This is one of those films that killed musicals back when.
I was, and remain a Streisand fan which is why I watched this back in the day.
Recent rewatch – just as bad. And the vinyl ST, it ain’t “Funny Girl”.

The Talented Mr. Ripley - 1999 - 7/10

The leechlike wannabe, hooking up with class and affluence.
Ripley is innocent, inexperienced, but wealthy Dickie takes shine to him.
For awhile, theirs is a nonstop party.
Jude Law almost steals the movie as the rich, jaded, hedonistic Ritchie.
As Ripley, however, Matt Damon navigates a sordid journey.
Impressive cast includes Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gwyneth Paltrow.
Excellent thinking man’s thriller.

Wings Of The Dove - 1997 - 7/10

Kate’s wealthy aunt orders her to break her relationship with a cheap journalist.
As Kate’s mother had died penniless, the plan is for her to marry wealth.
Easier said than done, since the rich are well aware of the target on their back.
Enter the American heiress, whom Kate pushes her newspaper boyfriend toward.
Sumptuous adaptation of Henry James’ novel of morals, money, and calculating schemes.
Bonham Carter well cast as the adventuress Kate.
Dark theme and melancholic tone bear down as the film progresses.

Oyston, David - Poems From The Sideshow

Confession. Poetry isn’t really my bag. I lost my appetite for it decades ago. Likely my age; time dwindling by the moment, and me urging the poet to get to the damn point already.
This collection makes for an exception, however. For me. And for those who are familiar with the Broodcomb Peninsula.

The sideshow feels like a midpoint between the settlements and the caravans, with a sizeable population of geeks, gaffs and assorted misfits.

Initial section strolls from tent to tent, wagon to wagon, meeting individuals. Characters. And yes, this is poetry. This leisurely introduction is approximately half the book.

Next, a rollicking wedding. Where bashful clash with the obnoxious. Guests invited, as well as the menacing interloper. Poetry notwithstanding, on the Peninsula, danger is ever a breath away.

Following the reception, there is dispersing. Guests scatter and page after page is crammed with fragmented dialogues and thoughts. Readers who have read sections in order will be on surer footing, in that you might differentiate voices. Navigating each and every page here might intimidate.

Did I enjoy this? Not altogether. Oh, this is heady stuff. Again and again, however, my mind drifted back to the settlements, to the caravans.

One stanza lingered with me long after I closed the book:

“Always distrust the perfect smile
Crook tooth, split tooth, yellow canine
or lost incisor is more honest
than the faultless light of a white smile.”

I immediately thought of what passes for our modern smile. The rictus grin. Teeth clenched, lips raised in an ironic sneer. The social tease of the beauty contestant, the prostitute, the politician. Disdain cloaked by warmth. Frauds and fakes. While the spectators, gullible fools, are so often you and I.
Be safe out in the Wide World, friend.

Big Brown Eyes - 1936 - 6/10

Despite several high end jewel robberies, an insurance specialist has luck retrieving them.
Smooth, debonair, and he runs with criminals.
Police officer Barr heads the case, with more than a few complications.
Girlfriend Eve for example, who career shifts from manicurist to muckraking reporter.

Bipolar film is part screwball, other part cynical gangster.
Indeed, despite galloping dialogue, innuendo, laugh out loud comedy, there is an ugly undercurrent.
Cary Grant and Joan Bennett have an easy chemistry.

Nuts In May - 1976 - 6/10

Or, a camping we will go.
The Pratts, Keith and Candice Marie, arrive at a rustic Dorset campground.
Both educated, ahead of the curve in vegetarianism, anti-smoking, non-drinking.
Both pretty smug, one must say.
Sadly, yobs arrive, playing the radio, tooling noisily on a motorcycle.
Clash of class ensues, as pretty much everyone gets on each others’ nerves, including the viewer.
Early Mike Leigh comedy. I must admit a fair bit escaped me.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3361065

The Ghost Story of Oiwa’s Spirit - 1961 - 6/10
AKA - Kaidan Oiwa no Borei // 怪談お岩の亡霊

Tamiya was to have been one of the 47 Ronin, but he missed the event.
Now, self-disgraced, he has turned to villainy to feed his antisocial habits.
Witnessing him murder someone, wife Ida leaves him.
He misses her, rather he misses her body, and schemes to get her back.
Until he see the glowing young daughter of his new neighbor.
Now the wife has to go.
Extremely dog-eat-dog version of the Yotsuya ghost story.
Tomisaburô Wakayama as the disgraced samurai is despicable, cunning, and lethal.

Summer City - 1977 - 5/10

Sandy is about to get married, shackled as mates would say, so the lads head to the coast for a fling.
Arguments, flirty women, the dance hall, endless pints of beer, jailbait, surfing.
All seem game for a laugh, save for Sandy, a more reserved, thoughtful type.
Counter-balanced by Boo, a loud, obnoxious throwback who antagonizes everyone.
Underrated Oz flick, where it’s not the slow pace, it’s the characters one observes.
As above, John Jarratt and Mel Gibson.
Subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3361067

Tragedy Girls - 2017 - 6/10

McKayla and Sadie are high school podcasters, influencers, reporting on a series of killings.
Police are not interested, classmates bored, and their numbers (followers) are low.
What to do? They could … arrange some of their own killings.
Black comedy of Slasher films relies on venomous dialogue over gore.
Social media’s dark side, says one observer, narcissism and shallowness.
Fear not car wreck watchers, deaths do steadily mount, a lot of them.
One views for the two femmes, however, who are sweetly irresistible.
Good soundtrack, too.

Flesh Feast - 1970 - 3/10

Grade-D nonsense, that I knew beforehand was atrocious, but I was coaxed.
Veronica Lake (final film role) as the mad Dr. Frederick, who experiments with maggots.
The goal? Restore youthful appearance, if not youth, to the subjects.
How’s that grab ya? Let maggots crawl around your face.
Cheap by every imaginable standard. Film seems to be shot in one house, with one camera.
Characters deliver lines in monotone, with zero interplay. Amateur hour all the way.
Final five minutes sizzle, unless you have glanced at 99% of reviews, in turgid twaddle.

Logan’s Run - 1976 - 6/10

Never trust anyone over 30. More than a slogan, this is the new path.
Reach 30, and citizens shall be “renewed” in the Carrousel.
Want a few more months … years … decades? Tough. There are Sandmen.
Film evolves into a hunt / chase adventure toward the goal of Sanctuary.
Diverting, even enjoyable, so long as your mind slumbers.
I am curious to view an uncut or director’s cut, but it would likely be longer nonsense.

THX 1138 - 1971 - 6/10

Embrace your Orwellian future, today!
Citizens bear the mark of the beast, numbers & letters.
Sex is forbidden, drugs are mandatory, clothes are monochrome white.
Our protagonist (Duvall) is obedient until his female mate messes with his drugs.
Sex and rebellion, followed by pursuit.
Dystopian SciFi is bare bones expansion of a George Lucas student film.
Star Wars resurrected this downer and gave it traction, yet it’s still a drag.

Newell, Martin - The Greatest Living Englishman

Compromise score this. For those unfamiliar with Newell, this is likely a 3. For readers who have several of his other books, as well as a slew of records, this is a 5. And essential.
Followup to This Little Ziggy picks up immediately after events of that memoir.
Time frame runs roughly twenty years, from 1974 to 1995.
The fatigued demise of The Mighty Plod to the “The Off White Album”.
In-between are creative adventures, as well as the slog of the ups and downs.
This entertaining book relies on diaries and journals, and feels fairly accurate.

I am long familiar with Newell the musician. In the early 1990’s coworkers at the record shop, bemused by a lizard tea party, opened The Brotherhood Of Lizards compact disc and played it in-store for a few months. I bought that, then later, “The Greatest Living Englishman” on CD, followed by more titles on small labels and from JAR.
For curious buyers, this book is exorbitantly priced at mainstream book dealers. Avoid those.
Martin sells this book direct on Bandcamp. He gave me permission to include the link.
https://thecleanersfromvenus.bandcamp.com/merch/the-greatest-living-englishman
Martin is a “cottage industry”. Support him and others like him, rather than second-hand souls.
Goodnight, Illya.

The Third Man - 1959 - 6/10

Note the release date. This is not the cynical Noir set in Vienna.
This is a reboot, with Michael Rennie playing a more urbane, genteel EX–criminal.
At half an hour, each episode hustles along as Lime aids a damsel, an old colleague, or friendly government.
This Lime is actually a throwback to the gentleman detectives of the 1930’s.
Routine mysteries, though supposedly set in exotic locales.
Passable time-waster late at night when you want to kill 30 minutes.

Wait For Your Laugh - 2017 - 6/10

Highly entertaining biography of Rose Marie.
From 3-year-old radio star, Baby Rose Marie to voice character on Garfield.
Most will recall her from The Dick Van Dyke Show and Hollywood Squares.
From beginning to end, relentless touring and stage shows.
Powerful friends include Al Capone, Joe Fischetti and Bugsy Siegel.
There are some spare reenactments of characters, but this is mostly footage and interviews.
Even at 94, she remains fierce and funny throughout.