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Vultural

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Join date
19-Aug-2013
Last activity
6-Nov-2024
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4,516

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Post
#1611860
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Girl From Tobacco Road - 1966 - 6/10

The chain gang guard turns his back, next thing his head is whacked and the men scatter.
“Snake” arrives in a rural Tennessee backwater and is befriended by a widowed pastor with children.
Eager young boy and two older sisters, one frisky, the other reserved.
Add a courting sheriff, add three city hoods, add a missing stash of bank loot.
More? Friends, the Tobacco Festival is underway, glorious celebration to burley and nicotine.
Square dancing, bluegrass, rockabilly, old timey country, an unbelievable harmonica number.
Eerie thing, this is a remarkable time capsule of a time and place where I grew up.
Nicolas Winding Refn has restored the surviving elements as best as possible.

Post
#1611859
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

True Colors - 2022 - 7/10

The driver died, although everything about the death is mysterious.
Following a car accident on community lands, police assign the case to a detective who long left the community.
Even though she was born there, she is immediately stonewalled.
Relatives, local police, artists, along with well-meaning exploiters.
Excellent “outside looking in” series, lifting a curtain off a culture unknown to most.
Men and women, separate art, separate rules and taboos.
Inhabitants want the murder solved, without meddling outsiders.
Cultural side is compelling, while the police stuff is pretty slipshod.

Post
#1611782
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Murder In Nancy - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à Nancy

The first corpse was found inside a vintage wardrobe during the auction.
With a bloody “witch” sign around her neck.
The whodunit grows less important than the whydunit.
Two senior investigators and a new recruit – sheesh, everyone is perky and happy.
This angle is unusual for a mystery, and the trio become more unrealistic and annoying.
Meanwhile, their boss, the prosecutor, is a boss from hell and a welcome distraction.
Aside from stray moments, local scenery is underutilized.
Not one of the better installments of these French murder shows.

Post
#1611781
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Slap Shot - 1977 - 7/10

Homage to the sport I’ve always referred to as “wrestling on skates”.
Struggling minor league hockey team in a dying town.
To boost attendance, and profits, the coach tries publicity stunts.
Not much works, until he brings in the Hanson brothers.
Similar to goofy, likeable teens, except extraordinarily violent.
One of the funniest films, and depressing (where I grew up, the steel mill was finally demolished in 2021), this also revels in humanity’s bloodlust.
Paul Newman excellent in this (he ought to have done more comedies).
Mind you, once the Hanson’s arrive, they own the screen.

Post
#1611780
Topic
What are you reading?
Time

McCarthy, Cormac - Two Ungathered Stories

Two very early stories, missing from collections and anthologies, first published in 1959 / 1960 in a University of Tennessee zine.
Both bear a style resemblance to Ernest Hemingway, especially his Nick Adams character.
“Wake For Susan” follows a young man into a rural cemetery, contemplating the gravestone of a 17 year old who had died a century earlier. What was she like? Did she have a fella? Dreams? A life, at 17, somehow cut short.
The second, “A Drowning Incident”, is more bitterish. Seething anger over a lie, a deception, followed by a horrific deed. The discoverer then opts for quiet revenge, and the eventual explosion.
Both hard to find, worthwhile if you can.
These came from a small bookshop in Penrith.

Post
#1611650
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Catwalk: Tales From The Cat Show Circuit - 2018 - 6/10

Beauty contests for felines. Actually, the owners. Cats would likely prefer to be at home – asleep.
White cat Bobby leads the mob, looks certain to win best-cat overall for the year.
Until the brown Persian named Ooh La La, arrives and begins snapping victories.
Cats and owners (breeders) go from one pageant to another, winning prizes taking orders for offspring.
As do the judges – the same judges! And if you don’t think judges have breed preferences, think again, Bosco.
For the cats, I felt great pity. Watching persnickety owners cat-handle them, I thought, “You poor bastards.”
Companion pairing, which I will not watch, is Living Dolls, 2001 doc of beauty pageants for little girls.

Post
#1611649
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Underdog: The Other Other Brontë - 2024 - 7/10

Of course not Charlotte, and Emily was much too willful to be anyone’s pushover.
The other Brontë, besides Branwell, was mild, self-effacing Anne, she of unsuspected depths.
Nevertheless, the play gazes at Charlotte throughout.
Domineering, manipulative, self-serving, even treacherous when necessary.
Despite the all for one ethos, sibling competition never ebbs.
Insurmountable difficulties for women writers are sharply drawn, and this is not as syrupy as Mrs Gaskill’s treacly bio.
Familiarity with “Jane Eyre” “Wuthering Heights” (perhaps “The Tenant Of Windfell Hall”) will boost enjoyment.

Post
#1611543
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Brainstorm - 1965 - 6/10

Scientist Grayam rescues an unconscious female in front of an approaching train.
Turns out, she is the trophy wife of his boss, head of Cord Industries.
Like fools, she and Grayam swiftly start an affair that crisps their common sense.
And the owner, instead of firing him, decides to ruin his reputation and drive him insane.
Two can play at that game, however.
Very late Noir, overlaid with psychological thriller cloth.
Inspired camerawork hampered by over-acting (Jeff Hunter) or poor acting (Anne Francis).
Conspiracy types should have a field day viewing this.

Post
#1611541
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Quant - 2021 - 7/10

For fashionistas, a must-see biography of the Sixties designer icon.
Who actually set up her own boutique shop in 1955.
Best remembered for the miniskirts, bright colors, free moving garments.
Plus, she was not designing for the affluent elite, but for everyday girls.
Numerous talking heads from models to historians to a few gushing cheerleaders.
While she rarely receives credit today, her influence still pervades fashion.
The Mary Quant Shops remain strong in Japan.

Post
#1611353
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Fury In Marrakech - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - Furia a Marrakech

International crime syndicate has located Hitler’s immense cache of counterfeit dollars and pounds.
The CIA send clean-scrubbed Dixon to investigate, Special Branch sends Alexander King to observe.
Plot is paper thin. Dixon comes across as naive, inexperienced, perhaps chaste.
Action runs along chases and shootings.
Locations must have been pretty exotic: the Caribbean, New York, Marrakech, the Swiss Alps.
There is a poor man’s Q, whose gizmos rescue Dixon from time to time.
Skiing sequences predate On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Empty headed knockoff, capitalizing on Bond mania.
Movie buffs, check out the theaters marquees at the twenty minute point!

Post
#1611352
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Okinawa Yakuza War - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - Okinawa Yakuza Sensô // 沖縄やくざ戦争

Since the end of WWII, local gangs ruled Okinawa.
In 1972, the island reverted back to Japanese control; with that came the larger yakuza groups.
The Okinawa clans form alliances while the larger outfits wait for the inevitable falling outs.
Frantic crime drama loaded with shootings and beatings and extreme cruelty.
Shin’ichi (Sonny) Chiba dominates as the volatile Kunigami, boiling resentment and fury.
Blistering pace, way too many characters – necessary for the body count.
Ugly, misogynist, sadistic. For fans of Japanese gangster flicks.

Post
#1611204
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Blood Free - 2024 - 7/10
AKA - Jibaejong // 지배종

Chae-woon, ex-Naval officer, is recruited / assigned to bodyguard the CEO of BF.
Blood Free, synthetic meat, meant to end the era of human carnivores.
Ranchers don’t like it, nor do the processing plants, nor do self-righteous protestors.
Then there are business rivals, who will steal or murder to appropriate BF’s data.
Original series mixes speculation with espionage, along with fights and ballistics.
Final ending, while certainly bloody, will fizzle for many.
The conclusion leaves stray threads and questions.
Being a Western (Disney) financed series, difficult to foresee if there will be a S02.
If you are comfortable with uncertainty, this is a gripping, action-punctuated show.

Post
#1611203
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Murder In Mayfair - 2023 - 6/10

Martine Vik Magnussen, 23-year-old business student in London.
Out partying with friends, caught on camera leaving the club with a male friend.
Body found later in the basement of his apartment, under debris.
Scotland Yard, slow off the mark, realized too late the main suspect had caught a flight to Egypt.
Frustrating documentary of an unresolved case.

Post
#1610938
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

You’re Sleeping Nicole - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Tu Dors Nicole

Summer break, parents away on a vacation, Nicole has the house to herself.
Both she and best friend, Véronique, hang out, drift about, bounce the random male.
They wonder aloud, “Is this what our summer is going to be?”
Then Nicole’s brother arrives, band in tow, and begin rehearsing.
The males are older, not especially talented, likewise going nowhere.
Film does a good job of catching the stagnant lethargy of summer, broken here and there.
The closer one is in age to the characters (19-20) the more one may identify and sympathize.
English subs = https://subscene.best/subtitle/3348255

Post
#1610937
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

She Devil - 1957 - 5/10

You do love me, don’t you Dan?
Yes, I have killed a couple of people, but so what.
I want what I want, and that includes you.

Kyra had been near death, incurable, until the doctors tried an experimental, insect based serum on her.
Now, she heals immediately, even from fatal accidents.
Worse, she has lost her humanity, empathy, and is moving up the predator food chain.
Straight instead of campy. Not enough SciFi, nor enough Horror, not enough murders!
Mari Blanchard a real force as the driven fatale, while menfolk are roadkill.

Post
#1610840
Topic
What are you reading?
Time

Keene, Brian - Little Silver Book Of Street Wise Stories

Wise authors view these “Little” books as an introduction to new readers.
At least, one feels Keene has done this, selecting very good, very choice stories.

“Dust”, which references Manhattan, September 11th, still carries a bite two decades on.

There also a SciFi gem in “The Two-Headed Alien Love Child”. A G-Man, working his own special brief, deals with interlopers, casual, careless, hit-n-run sorts. Read to the end for the sting.

“Bunnies In August” is a sorrowful paddle into guilt. Accidents, misdeeds, and the knowledge that even if catastrophes are not your fault, consequences may still leave one wounded.

Keene’s popular dealer of closure is given back-to-back slices in “I Am An Exit” and “This Is Not An Exit”. Recommend to read both together to stay in the mood.

Marriage on the rocks, accursed job, a life little more than a waste of space, poozie woozie is appalled at the miserable cell he has placed himself into. The closure guy is not about, and yet in “Without You” a typically American solution is nearby.

Santa Claus, mob hitmen, an alien deity? “The Siqquism Who Stole Christmas” throws these displaced sorts into the blender for a funny, if unmerry Yule yarn. Oh yeah, reindeer, too!

Post
#1610831
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

The Public Cemetery Under The Moon - 1967 - 5/10
AKA - Wolhaui Gongdongmyoji // 월하의 공동묘지(기생월향지묘)

Perhaps Wol-Ha was born unlucky.
During the Japanese occupation, her brother was imprisoned.
While she was forced to work as a geisha or comfort woman.
Even later, married, she sickened, then died.
Then the new wife and her mother made moves to murder her son.

Lumbering ghost story spends a lot of time with the sneaky Nan-Ju.
Replacement wife, covetous, treacherous.
Enjoyable, if corny. Beautifully shot, if much too slow.

Post
#1610830
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

The Clouded Yellow - 1950 - 6/10

Booted out of the secret service after a failed assignment, Somers takes a job beneath his skills.
Cataloging butterflies in a rural manor. Gentry husband and wife, and their flighty niece.
The niece, Sophie, has repressed memories owing to the deaths of her parents.
Following the death of the local gamekeeper / poacher, police eye the easiest suspect, Sophie.

While this has the trappings of a cozy mystery, the inclusion of an ex-agent pivots this into a pursuit.
Somers uses his skills and contacts to escape snare after snare, although the nets tighten.
Despite the age difference, Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons pair well with each other.
English subs = https://subscene.best/subtitle/3348256

Post
#1610688
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Who Saw Her Die? - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Chi l’ha Vista Morire?

After his young daughter is murdered in Venice, a sculptor tries to track down her killer.
Finding out she is part of a string of killings, which continue every time he ferrets out a witness.
Venetian locations (some seedy) add atmosphere to this convoluted Giallo.
Post-Bond Lazenby almost unrecognizable since he lost 35 lbs for the role.
Pacing hurries along, then slams to a stop periodically, matching the father’s frustrating hunt.
Ennio Morricone score is especially unsettling whenever the mysterious killer is about.
Memorable chase inside an empty dockside warehouse finds 4-5 characters playing cat n mouse.

Post
#1610686
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

The Eye Of Envy - 1917 - 5/10

Young “Ambition” works as a blacksmith in Sleepy Hollow.
A stream of travelers constantly hurry past on the road to Success.
Including the couple, “Innocence” and “Avarice”.
At the wishing tree, Ambition asks to have Innocence as his girlfriend, along with Avarice’s money.
Silent parable is a preachy melodrama, and an example of those that give Silent films a bad name.

Post
#1610518
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

Violette Nozière - 1978 - 7/10

Teenage girl, chafing against her parents’ petty restrictions, begins prostitution.
Soon acquires a needy boyfriend, whom she supports financially.
Parents are clueless, until she contracts the disease.
Slow burn thriller / morality tale simmers steadily.
Isabelle Huppert seems too old to play a teenager, yet Chabrol’s direction uses her wisely.
Based on an explosive 1933 true history, the resolution of which may not please many.

Post
#1610517
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

IXE-13 et la course à l’uranium - 2024 - 6/10

1946, Canada, World War II is over and the special espionage team disbanded.
There are missing containers of uranium, however, so the team squares off
Against Soviet agents, against a clandestine Nazi group, against nervous politicians.
Follow the glowing vials and you will be fine.
Canadian series has too many characters, some barely utilized.
Motivations and alliances swivel often, as if they don’t know each other.
Narrative is intriguing, but sloppy. Tries too hard.
In French, beware inept computer subtitles.

Post
#1610395
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Phil Spector - 2008 - 6/10

Strange “documentary” that seems part interview, part paean to the troubled producer.
Weaving in and out, the 2007 homicide trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson.
Spector, hands visibly shaking (Parkinson’s, Bells?) discusses his life, production glories, individuals.
For whatever reasons, he has a particular axe to grind against Tony Bennett.
Courtroom proceedings are all but silent, although several of the high tier individuals seem to mug and giggle.
Video clips of groundbreaking songs also fuel the narrative.
Underneath, an author writes hyperbolic, rapturous praise about these pop hits.
There is no real biographical meat to this.

Post
#1609779
Topic
A few reviews . . (film or TV)
Time

My Dinner With Andre - 1981 - 7/10

The inspiration for those action figures (Waiting For Guffman).
Theatre director Andre meets friend Wally for dinner, and we eavesdrop.
Andre has had affairs, foreign travels, broad worldviews.
Wally is more grounded, more of a listener, but not a milquetoast.
When pushed, he can shove right back.
In some ways, this is theatre, in other ways, this is listening to intellectual intelligence.
A quiet film, one could rewatch every few years and tease new insights.