Vultural

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.

The Big Day - 1949 - 6/10
AKA - Jour de Fête

Well-liked, but bungling postman works tirelessly in rural France.
Still, bicycle delivery is so slow. Especially compared with the efficiency of the US Postal system.
An arriving fair promises distractions for everyone.
Near wordless comedy borders on farce throughout.
Jacques Tati as the mailman is close to a buffoon and the punch to many jokes.
One element I picked up on during a rewatch was the quiet contrast between the leisurely countryside and the encroachment of the hectic, nervous metropolitan era.
Enjoyable, if silly, to be followed by the Hulot films.

A Gaza Weekend - 2022 - 6/10

Unknown disease A.R.S. erupts in Israel and borders shut down.
A British resident and his Israeli girlfriend determine to make for the nearest “safe” place.
In this instance, Gaza.
A pair of small-time hustlers offer to help with the illegal entry, for a fee.
Funny comedy from Palestine skewers everyone. Israelis, Hamas, vendors, shortages.
Poignant watching at this time, in light of how the people are again caught in bloody conflict.
English subtitles = https://subscene.com/subtitles/a-gaza-weekend/english/3298336

Fager, Anders - Swedish Cults

Nordic horror, Swedish horror, not necessarily based on any HPL Mythos. Fager has his own voice and is not a follower.

The opener, “The Furies From Borås” is full throttle sex, drugs and blood. An overdose of all three, swirling around the riot grrrls, barely of age, yet keepers from time immemorial of the forest entity.

Zami and Janoch are tasked with bringing the oldest relative to the new home. From Romania to Sweden. By van. Neither has driven before, neither can read maps. Both are outsiders to what he perceive as “our world”. “Grandma’s Journey” is the long trip between.

For those who view sex as a spectator sport “Miss Witt’s Great Work” will entice. Miss Witt is a porn star de jour. As with the overwhelming majority of film luminaries and popular musicians, fame is but a fleeting passage. Ours is the era of temporary celebrities. For Miss Witt, who has enacted and reproduced all manner of genital monstrosities, how can she maintain, let along top herself? For voyeurs everywhere, who prefer to watch.

Scattered between stores are tantalizing fragments, unfinished stories of promise.

The Last Wave - 1977 - 7/10

Australian attorney is assigned to defend five Aborigine men of a tribal killing.
The murder resembles a ritual, but the men stay locked in silence.
Another character in the film is the rain, all but relentless in this.
The lawyer, who actually specializes in corporate law, is out of his depth yet earnest.
So much so, he starts digging into the culture – which seems groundbreaking for 1977.
Then the dreams start.
Slow, moody film, carries a brooding undercurrent throughout.
There is an unnerving quality about this; a persistence of fogged memory.

Quest For Fire - 1981 - 7/10

They have lost their village. Worse, during the exodus, the fire has gone out.
Thus three men (cavemen) are sent to find fire, whether it grows from a shrub or comes in a rock.
Truly, they have no understanding of fire, save that survival depends on it.
Almost wordless film plays out across barren landscapes.
A chance encounter with a more advanced tribe offers gifts and experiences.
This is one that ought to be viewed on as large a screen as possible.

Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley On The Mystery Queen - 2022 - 7/10

Fine attempt to pinpoint Christie, who seems an elusive figure behind the facade.
Three part documentary is about the individual, not necessarily her output.
Privileged childhood, before Father squandered all the money.
Great War service, early writing (the Mary Westmacott novels are the most revealing).
Marple, Poirot, the still unexplained disappearance.
Numerous old photographs enhance the proceedings, and Ms Worsley offers some of her own theories.
All in all, essential for Christie buffs, although best taken with a grain of salt.

The Beast Must Die - 1952 - 7/10
AKA - La Bestia Debe Morir

Beast being the repulsive Jorge Rattery, who dies in the opening sequence.
Roundly hated by all, he beats his wife, smacks her son around, repeatedly tries to rape his sister-in-law, cheats his business partner, as well as sleeps with the partner’s wife, AND tells the wife she is looking old.
Then there is Felix, visiting crime novelist, whose diary reveals he intended to murder Jorge!
Yes, an overload of suspects.
Argentinean Noir suffers from opening histrionics, melodramatic acting, but settles following the death.
Mind you, most of the females remain fiery and explosive.
Nonetheless, this is Felix’s story all the way.
A bitter, sad, soil-boil of revenge.
Pristine restoration by Film Noir Foundation. Remade as Que la Bete Meure (1969).

An English Haunting - 2020 - 5/10

Grandpa Aubrey rattles on his deathbed, the nurse ran off, so his daughter and grandson arrive.
Daughter Margot cannot stand the man, so she drains the wine cellar.
Grandson Blake is a bookish type, aware that there is “something going on here”.
Behold the research montage in the library / billiards room.

Despite early misgivings (clear warning, one name is writer-director-producer), this held up as decent spooky thriller.
Until the last act when it went haywire. Mind you, I was laughing out loud at how ludicrous this became.
Even M R James or Lovecraft characters possessed more spine than Blake.

The Curse Of Her Flesh - 1968 - 4/10

One might have assumed Jennings was dead after the orgy of killing that was The Touch Of Her Flesh (1967).
Not so. He even manages the ole sweat house club.
Which means the same buxom dancers, cheesecake figures, fake eyelashes packed with mascara.
Jennings asks them out, creeps them out, snuffs them out.
Unusual accessories for a romantic evening? Large gourd and a speargun, anyone?
He has a plan, however, as he waits for his wife’s seducer, Steve.
Something along the lines of a plot helps this, and final act provides action and extra weirdness.

Imaginos: Blue Öyster Cult’s Occult Rock And Roll - 2021 - 6/10

Partly, it was the butchery that the Old World inflicted on the New World.
Partly, it was Spanish lust for the shining silver and bright, bright gold, and the plundering of both.
Along with the black obsidian mirrors, whereby innocence corrupted experience.
Leading to unimaginable slaughter in Europe generations later.
Lengthy documentary on BÖC’s long gestating, deeply flawed, screwed-up-by-the-label, final album.
First twenty minutes detail Sandy Pearlman, inspiration, creative architect, poseur, Svengali, warped.
Best guess, based on writings, interviews, recollections by others.
Second twenty minutes follow the Soft White Underbelly, the Stalk Forrest Group, the enigmatic Bill Gawlick, the group climbing, peaking, faltering, shadowland.
Final hour – Hour – is all about the troubled “Imaginos”. From the Soft Doctrines to Mutant Reformation.
For diehard fans of Susie and Desdinova and the Four Winds Bar.

A slice of King: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NblmKnOIL-4

Boston, Lucy - Curfew And Other Eerie Tales

Born in 1892, died in 1990, worked as a nurse in France during the Great War, wrote a popular series of children’s books, as well as assorted ghost stories.

The boys’ aunt and uncle rented the cottage, close by the crumbling manor. The aunt is mad for gardening and repurposing, and that includes an old bell from the ruin. The “Curfew” bell, as it is called, bears a sinister reputation. Does the aunt heed?

How had I missed “Pollution” over the years? This is an exemplary piece and belongs in more anthologies. This is a creepy work, not of fouled air, but tainted waters, worsened by neglect. Wrigglers that lurk in the depths, rising, however, when hungry.

Francis was recovering from appendicitis surgery in the countryside. The house was restful, the furnishings a tasteful mix of antiques. Including “The Italian Desk” … provided one did not examine the intricate carvings too closely.

The collection concludes with “The Horned Man” which is a chamber play. Normally, I dislike reading scripts: film, TV, theatre. This one was brief, and features a charismatic witch-finder who understands how to charge the treachery of testimony.

The boards for this book show a painting of Boston’s house. Inside, there is a website listed of the home where one can arrange a visitation appointment.
As always from Swan River Press, thoughtful touches.

The Zone Of Interest - 2023 - 7/10

An ideal, well-manicured backyard, perfect for raising a family.
Pity the adjoining property is a noisy 24 hour factory, Auschwitz.
A nearby stream is contaminated with ashes, dust, other objects from time to time.
And the fresh country air? Well, it’s not so good is you are asthmatic.
Nonetheless, Commandant Höss and his large family enjoy the posting.
The tone draws heavily from Hannah Ardent’s concept of the banality of evil.
From individuals to mobs, most are mere “joiners”; willfully blind or clueless functionaries.
Chilling film that pairs well with Son Of Saul (2015).

Duel - 1971 - 7/10

Grindhouse distillation, par excellence.
Businessman, taking the cut through the backwoods highway, annoys - irritates - disrespects the wrong character.
A 1955 Peterbilt, battered, scarred, swathed in diesel and dust.
The businessman, a nervous, high strung Nellie, swiftly realizes that Peterbilt means to murder his punky Plymouth Valiant, with him inside!
Barely any dialogue, just cat and mouse, murderous chase sequences.
A fantastic scene occurs when the Peterbilt thunders side by side with a freight train
Horns blaring, two primeval beasts roar recognition.

The Assassin - 1993 - 6/10
AKA - Sha ren zhe Tang Zhan // 刺客新傳之殺人者唐斬

Bao Jia is caught, trying to escape with his betrothed / girlfriend.
He is sentenced to an infamous prison where his eyes are stitched shut and the torture begins.
From here on, the film grows ever more brutal and darker, splashing blood and nudity.
Lesser known Hong Kong actioner boasts swordplay in spades.
Much of the look mirrors The Bride With White Hair and prefigures Blade.
With so much fighting, the narrative – if you can call it that – barely hangs together.
Doesn’t help that the subtitles are old school Hong Kong, nonsensical English.

The Green Marker Scare - 2012 - 6/10

Teenage, private-eye Noreen helps her detective dad.
Until the car accident. On his deathbed, he tells her his was no accident, but murder.
Whereupon she starts her own investigation.

Should you stick with this, the story tightens into an ugly, uncomfortable tale of murder, abuse, coverups.
Noreen and partner Cian are soon over their head, against agencies they do not comprehend.
Akin to Nancy Drew in a real world Hell.

Animators were ages 9-10-11, and never given a shooting script, thus unaware of the sinister, very adult narrative.
The crude, dayglow animation may put some off, yet the story of mystery and horror will haunt you for awhile.

The Intruder - 1975 - 4/10

Cheap (very cheap) looking variation on “And Then There Were None”.
A boatload of passengers arrives on a remote isle off Nassau.
Most are related to a deceased relative who supposedly left behind a hidden stash of gold bullion.
Once the yacht departs, once visitors start wondering about their situation – the dying starts.
Inept script. “Say, it’s a lovely night for a moonlight walk.” “Sure.” Next instant, lightning and lashing rain.
Or - when half the party are dead, everyone outdoors chasing, one female decides to take a bubble bath.
Conversations packed with pregnant pauses and reaction shots.
Within fifteen minutes, I knew who the killer was!
Three “name” actors in this, two snuffed early on, the third is a no-show until late.