Vultural

The Mysterious Lady - 1928 - 6/10

Her mission: steal some plans off the Austrian officer.
Romance and lies. If necessary, seduction.
Garbo excels as the femme fatale, ala Mata Hari.
Conrad Nagel fine as the dashing, smitten officer.
Being an espionage thriller, the pace is low key, despite the stakes.
Evocative lighting by candles, cigarette smoke.
For those who never understood the “fuss” about Garbo, she is lovely in this.

Garuda - 2008 - 4/10
AKA - Paksa Wayu

Digging a new tunnel, workers hit a rock that cannot be drilled, or blasted.
In due course, they and two Western scientists awaken the petrified bones of a garuda.
According to Thai mythology, the creature is part man, part bird. All evil, and all angry.
An elite military squad is dispatched, but the action is minimal and shows budget constraints.
The creature is intriguing, as it seems to possess a sense of humor.
The directing is bad and the acting worse.
Bought this years ago from ThaiNetCity, who sold Asian DVDs for $5, fair when chancing unknown titles.

He Walked By Night - 1948 - 7/10

A beat cop accidentally interrupts a burglar and is killed for his interference.
Police manhunt of the cop killer is no mere procedural.
For one thing, the killer / thief is smart. Really smart.
He has devised a homemade radio set to eavesdrop on the police radio channel.
His patterns of crime, he changes those to muddy the trail.
Moody photography, eerie use of the Los Angeles sewer system.
Richard Basehart starred in several Noirs, this one of his best.
Audio commentary by film historians worth listening to, as well.

Night Shift - 2021 - 6/10

Rent-a–cop security guard prowls empty corridors and rooms.
Bored, he sets up and runs an old slide projector, viewing whatever images are loaded in the drum.
The screen grows progressively more disturbing.
Near-wordless short makes great use of lighting, editing and angles to sustain creeping terror.
In an ideal world, young director Jerrod Moore would get a crack at a B-film.

Marano, Michael - Stories From The Plague Years

Be not misled by the cover. Plague more often refers to AIDs, or drug addiction, instead of cholera or bubonic.
Likewise, do not be put off by the Cemetery Dance imprint, usually associated with pumpkins, Halloween, and coming-of-age nightmares. Breezy beach reads.
Not this outing.
Marano’s prose is dense, his style thickly textured, frequently elliptical with opening scenes returning by the conclusion.

“Displacement” listens to a creative serial killer. Why victims were chosen, and why an especially inventive method of dispatch employed.
The murderer, Dean, is a compelling, if arrogant, study. Unfortunately, the author seemed to tire of him by the end, and the tone shifted abruptly and, to my mind, not for the better.

“Little Round Head” is a stolen infant, probably human, possibly a discarded abortion, fostered by sewer rats. Throughout, I recalled the Harlen Ellison tale, “Croatoan”.

The final story, “Shibboleth”, is prescient, foretelling a global pandemic, the disruption and collapse of the supply chain, armed militias. The youthful pair venture out from the fortified city of Boston, hoping for improved chances in greener environments. Instead, they discover when lack of order occurs, human nature and good will plummets.
An ugly, telling prediction, and one we continue to tread closer to.

What Pauline Is Not Telling You - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Ce que Pauline ne Vous Dit Pas

After yet another telephone argument with her estranged husband, Pauline decides to visit in person.
There, at her old home, she finds him on the ground, dead.
Rattled, she drives home, and only then does she summon an ambulance.
Pauline is an unreliable narrator, with strong motives to kill her husband.
Police are highly suspicious, as is the investigating judge.
Online, every yahoo spews their hateful opinion.
Human beings what we are, people up and down the social scale lie and lie and lie.
And believe and embrace our own fabrications.

Lake Placid - 1999 - 6/10

I forgot I owned this one! I forgot Brigit Fonda was in it, as was Bill Pullman.
Now, Betty White, she I remembered with clarity.
A mangled body surfaces in the Maine lake. The local ranger calls an animal expert to determine the predator.
In time, the sheriff gets involved, as does a creepy professor.
Despite the cast (I kid you not) this is, at heart, a B-film creature feature.
Only thing is, the writing in this is funny as hell.
A smart parody of an over-milked genre. Chomp, chomp.

The Flapper - 1920 - 6/10

Girl disobedient, Ginger, is shipped to a strict boarding school.
Where, she periodically escapes, chases young men, goes clubbing.
The glamorous life.
At a cost, however, which become the seeds of moral lessons.
Olive Thomas (who died young and under mysterious circumstances) shines in this.
The hijinks are playful, and she knows how to embody a teenager.
As a “flapper” she is an innocent version, not the sort who loses her stockings.
In a word, no steam, no oomph.

T-Men - 1947 - 6/10

T, as in Treasury. Agents mostly concerned with counterfeiters.
Two T-men go undercover to join a Detroit gang.
On the run, their own gang now extinct, they are studied and gauged by the new outfit.
Interesting mix of styles: Noir, police procedural, docu-drama.
Influential cinematography by Alton, Noir icons Dennis O’Keefe and Charles McGraw.
Listening to the commentary, the financial backers were mobster John Roselli and Production Code chief censor, Joe Breen. Quite the odd couple.

Louise Brooks: Looking For Lulu - 1998 - 7/10

Subsequent documentary that incorporates and supersedes the Arena episode.
Five parts devoted to dance, Hollywood, Berlin, the lost years, the resurrection and iconic fame.
Interviewees include Brooksie, biographer Barry Paris, costars, friends, neighbors.
Film clips from Silents to her final role with John Wayne, Weimar newsreels, plenty of photos.
Concludes with a poignant, haunting quote that will linger inside you for days.
“… I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of ‘not trying.’ I tried with all my heart.”

The Brides Of Dracula - 1960 - 6/10

Well, the young man was so handsome! And his mama kept him in those dreadful chains. So, of course, I helped free him.
So muses the pretty new schoolteacher, after she frees the Transylvanian vampire.
Named Count Meinster, by the way, no Vlad in this one.
However – one Van Helsing just happens to be in the neighborhood.
Hammer outing boasts Cushing, a good-looking David Peel, attractive females, Gothic sets.
Not completely predictable, this remains enjoyable in spite of a well-traveled narrative.

Dry Water - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Auga Seca

Son Fran is an idealist, developing a process for dry water to help drought stricken regions.
Too bad his family is more profit oriented.
Their business is international export, and when a bloody death occurs at the pier, police visit.
And the detectives keep at it, since stories and evidence does not add up.
Two short seasons of corruption and investigation.
To tell the truth, I was happy with one, deciding it was more accurate to reality.

Diary Of A Nobody - 2007 - 7/10

Mr. Pooter holds himself, and his lot, with higher regard than his actual station.
Fortunately, he keeps a diary and jots down his thoughts on the day, anxieties, regards of others, despairs.
Engaging from the start, this is essentially a one-man play.
Hugh Bonneville embodies the soul of the man, fleshes him out, makes him one we might like to meet.
Light-hearted comedy, in the amusing vein, for fans of Victorians, Edwardians.

Heads For Sale - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Nü Xia Mai Ren Tou // 女俠賣人頭

After Pi-Lien marriage proposal is rejected, she enters the young lord’s villa, swords at hand.
Things simmer down once he tries to make amends.
Just as well, since thugs and bullies are multiplying, with heroes short in supply.
Shaw Brothers film has numerous fights, even more characters – I could not keep track.
As ever, the choreography is something to marvel at.
The title is a misnomer, since this is an actioner, though it would be perfect for a retail horror shop.
Mid-tier from the studio, yet it will keep you awake after 2:00 AM.

Santa Fe Trail - 1940 - 6/10

New West Point graduates, and best friends, Jeb Stuart and George Custer, are assigned the Kansas Territory.
Not yet a state, Kansas, then known as Bleeding Kansas, is where John Brown sets fire to hearts and homes.
Rousing action film is peppered with more historical names: Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee, James Longstreet, Phil Sheridan …
Inaccuracies abound. Characters actually graduated in different class years, nor were most friends.
Don’t get me going about the use of revolvers during the musket era.
Those not into history should enjoy; there is plenty of firepower.
Raymond Massey dominates as the fiery abolitionist, John Brown.

Late Night With The Devil - 2023 - 7/10

“You okay, Jack? He, he, he.”
Of course late night host Jack Delroy is not okay.
His beloved wife recently died, show ratings are slipping, cancellation seems nigh.
Halloween night, the guests are a bizarre assortment of intense types.
A psychic, a debunker, a medium, and one possessed?
Set has the feel of a Carson knockoff. Think Geraldo or Springer, minus the staged fights.
Entertaining, and well directed.
Helps if you recall the Satanic Panic, although that peaked in the 80’s.

A Kiss From Beyond The Grave - 1963 - 5/10
AKA - El Beso de Ultratumba

Wannabe writer Emilio has been sponging off friends for years.
Someday, he may actually write a sentence.
Visiting his doctor, to borrow money from him, he notices the pretty new receptionist.
He asks her out – then – “You’re the daughter of the rich industrialist?” / “Yes.” / “Will you marry me?” / “Sure, I guess.”
Yes, it really does go that fast. Just as fast, the potential wealth vanishes.
Except new bride Laura has an immense insurance policy.
If only she would die.
Dark thriller has scary moments, but naïve and gullible Laura defies belief.

JeruZalem - 2015 - 5/10
AKA - ג’רוזלם

Film opens strong with five minutes of ominous backstory, setting the tone.
Which is shattered by two vacationing American girls. Squealing in the air, on the ground, detouring to Jerusalem.
Both highly annoying, I kept hoping for the Horror element to kick in and for them to get killed.
After some forty minutes in, the narrative darkens, although our girls still sound like a bag of cats.

Every scene is shot, point-of-view, from one female’s smart glasses.
Tolerated for a bit, grows staler than travel underwear.
Despite intriguing potential, this is a bungled job all around.
Writer / director brothers Paz clearly view females as stupid, and portray them as such.

Harry Wild - 2022 - 6/10

Professor Wild faces retirement with her usual accessory. Alcohol.
After being robbed, she turns into something of a sleuth.
Cozy mystery series builds the entourage by the end of episode 1.
Set and filmed in Dublin, which will appeal to many.
One might envision Hallmark salivating over this, except our star is foul mouthed, and sleeps around.
Jane Seymour demonstrates a nice flair for comedy.
More seasons followed.

Faxneld, Per - The Tree Of Sacrifice

Forty-four Folk-Gothic tales. An ideal book of interludes. Three pages each, and each with a woodblock illustration. Just the thing before bedtime, between books, between chapters of a novel.
These read like vintage campfire stories, or ominous fairy tales. While a few carry morals, most do not.
Some involve bad dealings, attempted cheats, or simply poor decisions.
More feature innocent souls, perhaps in the wrong place / situation, or Fate had tossed them a sorry hand of cards.
There are a few witches, more stories contain “cunning men” of variable skills.
This is NOT a book to be left on the nightstand of the guestroom – you will never see it again.

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold - 2017 - 7/10

Imaginative biography of the writer’s life, influences, and works.
The first hour staggers through the Sixties, into the mendacious 80’s.
Vogue fashions, California sunshine, peaceful hippies and the corroded underbelly.
Marriage to John Dunne struck me as hothouse, tightly bound, not to the exclusion of friends and colleagues, yet few are in the closest zone.
This is both informative to newcomers, and perceptive for fans of her books.
Talking heads in this are well known, to say the least.

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 1912 - 6/10

Jekyll experiments with drugs to separate his good and evil sides.
Within seconds, the brutish Hyde emerges.
A quick change back, “Thank God it’s me again!”
Except Hyde is not so easily contained.
Edison film distills the story down to 12 minute thriller. Likely very suspenseful back in the day.

The Bride Wore Black - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - La Mariée était en Noir

Wedding day, Julie’s husband is killed.
Grief and temporary madness are soon swept aside by thoughts of vengeance.
Narrative now becomes “track n whack”, with ingenious demises.
While the template may seem Noir, the color photography is not.
Jeanne Moreau excels as the remorseless, yet aloof, huntress.
Probably inspired Franco’s She Killed In Ecstasy, Tarentino’s Kill Bill, among others.

A Little Princess - 1995 - 7/10

Sara, rich yet unspoilt, lives in India with her widowed father.
With the onset of the Great War, dad is dispatched to the trenches, Sara to a post New York boarding school.
All’s well, until dad is reported killed, and the money seized by the bank.
Expect no sympathy from a harsh headmistress (a sinister Eleanor Bron).
Very good family film for children, girls and boys – especially since this values girls.
Minor bullying, nothing upsetting, the tone is generally positive.
One of those rare films that, I think, received a second theatrical release.

Dr. Cyclops - 1940 - 6/10

Decades ahead of his time, the “mad” doctor decides humankind is bad for the planet.
His solution? Shrink everyone. Thus, our impact on the planet and resources will be diminished.
Per his request, other scientists arrive to confirm his findings, and end up … you guessed it.
Despite the potential, the result is a silly B-flick, saddled with an uninspired script.
Implications ignored, this becomes a survival narrative.
Early 3 color release boosts the curiosity factor.