Vultural

Malfi, Ronald - The Mourning House

Following personal tragedy, Sam Hatch, physician, pushes himself adrift.
Literally. He becomes, in the truest sense, a drifter. Traveling without purpose, without destination.
Until he spies an abandoned, rotting homestead off Tar Road.
Hatch buys the house, unaware or unconcerned about its history or characteristics.
Repairs underway, he discovers the home does have ghosts – the ones he carried with him.
A grief haunted novella, one of a series of miseries that Delirium seemed to favor during its heyday.
While I am not necessarily a huge fan of this writer, Malfi’s focus is keen, his hand steady throughout.

The Musketeers Of Pig Alley - 1912 - 7/10

Every rewatch of this Griffith gem is a potent reminder of how rapid his craft was developing at this stage.
The young couple struggle in a cheap apartment in the new York slum.
In a few minutes, the story packs in the dance hall, the rival gangs, the alley showdown.
While the audience is supposed to identify with and root for the newlyweds, the camera is irresistibly drawn to the flamboyant Snapper Kid. (Elmer Booth, who would be killed in 1915.)
D. W. Griffith stodgy? No, this is an exciting outing.

Divided We Stand - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - ZERV

After the wall comes down, Germany reunifies in the 1990’s.
Relaxed freedoms, and – Hey! What about all those East German weapons?
A tiny agency is formed to dispose of them, and ensure they don’t wind up in the wrong hands.
Thing is, major weapons are financially lucrative.
Politicians never seem to have enough money, while arms brokers have cash to splash.
Squabbling team members are East and West, cursed with assumptions and misunderstandings.
Based, not surprisingly, on actual events. Series bears dark humor throughout.

The Weavers: Wasn’t That A Time - 1982 - 7/10

Essential documentary of the highly influential group.
The Weavers bridged the gap between the Depression folk singers and the later protest songs of the 1960’s.
Much of this is set in Lee Hays’ farm, where an informal picnic leads to a final performance at Carnegie Hall.
Throughout, there is their history, the McCarthy era, and the defiant, sold-out concert at Carnegie in 1955 during the height of their blacklisting.
Something of a wistful turn here, realizing the folkie movement pretty much collapsed in the 1970’s, and has never again regained prominence.

The Old Oak - 2023 - 7/10

Sullen regulars watch in disgust as Syrian refugees come and go in their pub. THEIR pub!
Strikes or no strikes, the best days of the town were over by the 1990’s.
Now, do-gooders and government flunkies shuttle in busloads of Syrians.
More and more of them, into cheap (or free) accommodations and free perks.
“No charity for the homefolk?” one complains. Another notes, “I don’t see you moving them to Westminster or Chelsea.”
Ken Loach film is unflinching in showing both sides.
Grievances and desperation.

Brooks, Louise - Lulu In Hollywood

A book I have read and reread numerous times.
Except no, it is the Barry Paris biography I have read over and over.
This is an irresistible collection of Hollywood essays.

Incisive profiles of W. C. Fields, the Ziegfield artist extraordinaire, whose talents were butchered in the editing room.

The theatrical dynamo, Humphrey, contrasted with the legend, Bogart, with his tics and mannerisms,

Self-destructive Pepi Lederer, niece of Marion Davies, and parties at the sprawling Hearst estate.

Observations of and advice from the Bennett sisters, girlfriends and rivals.

A book much, much too short from someone who was there when the 1920’s roared.
Not to overlook a wonderful essay on G. W. Pabst.

Various (Editor: Diniz, Alcebiades) - Et Sic In Infinitum

Three tales from Raphus Press, along with a back catalogue indicating a prolific output.

Jonathan Wood’s “The Self’s Dark Monograph” eyes the book dealer / collector, whose obsession plagues his sleep. Dreams of books – lost, forgotten, imaginary – stack like dust covered tomes in moldy, dark rooms.

“On The Art” by John Howard and Mark Valentine, asks …
So how do you find the obscure bookshop? Not the one devoted to felines. Nor ones specializing in travel books.
No, the sorts that won’t even have a listing in Google. The ones whose very obscurity means it might, just MIGHT, carry something truly unique. Something our narrator has been seeking for years.

Brian Evenson’s “Lancastrer” catches up with the small time author. No, he is not a household name. He sells just enough to keep trying. Every year, on the road for a few months, the pointless meet & greets, talking to empty faces, signing books, shaking hands.
Exhausting himself, for what? The futility of immortality?
The ground shifts in Lancaster. Which one? They are all the same. The man with the black beard and homburg hat, he is there – then he is not – then he is back.
Our writer senses an ugly joke is unspooling. Knows one public reading too many might finish him. Unless he can steal the moment.

Zelazny, Roger - The Dead Man’s Brother

Wiley finds a dead man in his gallery. A bygone partner from his questionable youth. Police summoned, they do what most might do: assume Wiley did the deed and put him on ice. That is, until the CIA decide to spring him.

From this point on, this nutty yarn scampers from Langley to Rome to Brazil, as our man Wiley is coerced to find a missing Vatican moneyman.

The first half has a dynamic momentum and jumps around more than a grasshopper convention.

The second half bogs down in overly talkative passages, and lengthy exposition attempting to explain whatever the current mystery perplexes.

Despite Zelazny’s attempts to enliven proceedings with beatings, jungle escapes and bedspring romps, the tale grows ever stagnant until it reaches Dullsville.

Falowo, Dare Segun - Caged Ocean Dub

Imaginative and expansive collection of tales tinged with supernatural and folklore. Author Falowo draws from his Nigerian community, bringing stories steeped in war strife, daily struggles for existence, and what I can only term destiny.

One story weaves through the apprenticeship of hair braiding – a complicated art where mastery seems better attained by those who are called, over those who simply want a profession.

In a similar vein, a starving orphan is accepted into a hectic kitchen, popular with the wealthy and the elites. She is marked out, she has “the gift”. And while the meals, grand feasts, are sumptuous and unforgettable, they carry a heavy toll.

All of Falowo’s stories will expose the reader to new vistas. This is a collection for adventurers.

I do have an issue, however, and it is a sticky one. Every tale has several Nigerian words. I never read with a computer at hand. I am often lax about looking up words, especially when there are 2-3 unfamiliar, unguessable words per page. By the final section, the author seems to have realized this, and has begun to add brief definitions.

For the book, a glossary would have proved useful, although I can understand a publisher’s reluctance in adding one.

Angels Without Wings - 2006 - 6/10
AKA - Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi // 翼の折れた天使たち

Late night J-dorama follows four different girls (one per episode) who have gotten lost in Tokyo.
One works as an escort so she can buy expensive fashions. Another makes adult films.
One works a phone sex line, another is lucky with gambling, unlucky in love.
Each receive unexpected assistance, guidance, and there is something of a closing moral.
I imagine most of the females are idols, trying to break into film.
Watchable, neither cloying nor preachy. Good stories for those about to fledge.
English subtitles = https://subscene.com/subtitles/tsubasa-no-oreta-tenshitachi-angels-with-broken-wings/english/3225492

Call Her Savage - 1932 - 7/10

Wild child Nasa (an incredibly sexy Clara Bow) leaves Texas for Chicago.
Has a fling with, and marries a cad. After he dumps her, well, no birth control in the 1930’s.
A hot Pre-Code flick breaks numerous taboos:
A gay bar, girl fights, half-breed allusions, excess alcohol, unwanted pregnancy.
Bow was near the end of her career by this point, with weight problems and national scandals.
Plus, like other Silent stars, she had an absolute phobia of the microphone.
Tawdry throughout, although her next and final film, Hoopla is another good Clara vehicle.

France, Anatole - The Queen Pedauque

Young Jacques, son of the popular local cook, assists his father by hand-turning the rotisserie.
Soft spoken, yet intelligent, he catches the eye of the roguish Friar Ange who offers to educate the lad in exchange for meals, and the occasional drop of wine.
All well and good, until the friar misbehaves most shamefully – one too many times.
Jacques then comes under the tutelage of Jérôme Coignard, doctor of divinity, master of arts.
From now on, the novel picks up tempo and rollicks along is an escalating series of picturesque adventures.
Escapades, philosophizing, drunken bouts, gambling, romance, sexual fumblings. Plus, once the mysterious cabalist, d’Asterac, arrives, expect fanciful pagan explanations for what one might previously view as the “normal” world.
Not exactly what I would call a page-turner, yet this was far more entertaining than anticipated, and I would not have minded reading a few hundred more pages.

A Haunting In Venice - 2023 - 6/10

Detective Hercule Poirot has retired to Venice.
He is not accepting new cases, absolutely not!
Nevertheless, he is intrigued by an upcoming séance. On Halloween night!
What follows is a locked-room mystery, with good elements and weak ones.
Nice assortment of characters with motives – and yes, there are deaths.
The set design is extraordinarily done; the house feels massive, gloomy, decaying.
Direction, at times, is heavy handed. Jump scares, ridiculously loud noises.
Expected of a horror B-movie, not Kenneth Branagh.

Kill Baby … Kill! - 1966 - 6/10
AKA - Operazione Paura

Points for brooding atmosphere, set design, Gothic photography.
Following yet another death, a doctor arrives in a remote village to autopsy the corpse.
A police inspector has already arrived and is being stone-walled by villagers.
Were the deaths murders or suicides?
One busy night, and a forced visit to Villa de Graps, yields an answer.
Stylish Mario Bava film rambles throughout, and the script has more gristle than meat.
Goofy US title, although my German print was Die toten Augen des Dr. Dracula.
This would benefit from being tightened, or trimmed here and there.

The Scarlet Claw -1944 - 7/10

Non-canon, but this late cycle Rathbone & Bruce adventure of Sherlock is one of the finest.
A series of deaths occur in a small Canadian village.
The beast appears to be a deranged beast, and superstitious villages feed the fears.
Holmes, eminently logical, begins to investigate.
Photography is outstanding in this, a fusion of Gothic and Noir.
The plot is a retooling of “The Hound Of The Baskervilles”, yet no lazy copycat.
Old-fashioned mystery, superbly done.

Christmas Carole - 2022 - 6/10

Sour holiday bon-bon starts with a flourish, adds extras throughout, ends in treacle.
Carole, president of her company, sells Christmas tat. Junk.
Overpriced festive twaddle, guaranteed to break and need replacing.
Yuletide profits, you dreamers.
Her merchandise is disposable, as are her employees.
Owing to numerous references, this is for Brits and Anglophiles.
(Test: Are you familiar with Morecambe and Wise?)
First two-thirds are pure gold, final act is the equivalent of penalty kicks.
English subtitles = https://subscene.com/subtitles/christmas-carole/english/3245914

Red Snow - 2021 - 5/10

Mid-Winter, a bat crashes into a windowpane, falls into the snow, bleeding.
I don’t know about you, but I would summon one of my cats and say, “Hey, snacks.”
Olivia, however, rescues the mite infested, rabies carrying varmint, and soon discovers it’s a vampire!
Slow boil horror flirts with Twilight territory, although the tone stays light and amused.
Respect to the crew for a smart, sharp film on a minuscule budget.
Ending is poorly thought out.
Despite holiday tropes, this is not the Yule beast you were hoping for.

Solaris - 1972 - 6/10

My first exposure to Tarkovsky, watched in 1977 was a cure for insomnia.
(Unfortunately, along with a plethora of SciFi’s at the Nuart, trying to cash in on the Star Wars phenomena.)
In between yawning and checking the theater clock, I sat there bewildered.
The crew of the station orbiting Solaris are exhibiting signs of madness.
A psychologist is dispatched, and he soon suffers hallucinations.
Most intriguingly, the planet is an organic being. An over-mind, or unisoul.
The plot is maddeningly vague, however, with nonexistent pacing.
I appreciate Tarkovsky more now, but even this recent rewatch, I cannot get into this one.

Saint - 2010 - 6/10
AKA - Sint

Every time December 5th occurs during a full moon, Saint Nicholas reemerges.
Not the jovial bearer of gifts, but the malevolent plunderer. Of children and adults.
Even though this is Amsterdam, snow laden streets and quays seem deserted.
Expect brutal dismemberments, along with splittings, yet little blood.
Scare factor is quite low, as is the humor.
Entertaining while watching, but little more.
Another lump of coal for your Holiday Horror mix.

Your Christmas Or Mine - 2022 - 6/10

“There’s lots of things you don’t know about me, James Hughes.”
So says Haylay inside Marylebone Station as she and James head off to their respective family homes.
Then, in an O. Henry twist, they board the wrong trains and wind up at the other’s home.
Whereupon they swiftly discover they did not “know” that person they were in love with, at all,
Feel-good holiday romcom leans on a formula, but it is energetic and good natured.
As far as the “new ones” go, you could do a lot worse. Enjoyable, if slight.

Holiday Affair - 1949 - 6/10

WWII vet Steve works at a big department store.
Connie is an early “industrial spy”, meaning she buys goods, gets the price and returns items.
(Why she can’t just look at shelf tags or prices on the box is beyond me.)
Anyway, he tags her, then cuts some slack which gets him fired.
What should he do? How about, let’s go on a date?
Forced RomCom, guilty pleasure for many (me included) have major limitations.
Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum display no chemistry (Mitchum has more with child actor Gordon Gebert).
Leigh is, as ever, comes across as brittle, on edge, never relaxed. Simmering anxiety. Mind you, this film came after Mitchum’s notorious reefer bust, and most actors were afraid to be seen with him.
Mitchum fans, yeah, he’s coasting. OK Christmas fare when you want an alternative.

A Christmas Carol - 1941 - 6/10

A radio perennial that aired regularly for decades before fading away.
Ronald Colman makes a crisp Ebenezer Scrooge, bolstered with assorted supporting actors and musical accompaniment.
What is surprising is how much of the Dickens tale is distilled into a half hour.
My ancient vinyl is paired with the Christmas section of “The Pickwick Papers” read by Charles Laughton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RmnelkRvfk

The Road To Revenge (The Nightingale) - Maniac

Filesize = 9.29 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p, Audio = 1536 kbps, 5.1 DTS. Subtitled (I’ll get to that)

Acquaintanceship with previous Maniac efforts ought to be warning enough.
In this edit, as in the original film, there is an appalling amount of violence towards women.
At 78 minutes, an hour has been shaved off.
What is astonishing is how coherent, how well the result holds together.
This is a taut thriller, a story of vengeance that turns into character studies.
As with all of this editor’s works, there is replacement music and his choices are excellent.
Subtitled throughout. Hardsubs. One cannot switch them off, and I wonder if that was a mistake or oversight.
Editing is seamless.
This is top-notch work and aspiring editors would be advised to study this one.

I don’t have links. Don’t ask.

Pinkface (Timecrimes) - Neglify

From the DVD, Neglify Shorts Vol 1, and the Time Travel Consecution. Timecrimes was a Spanish film I was unfamiliar with. Reading IMDB, one realizes Neg hugged the original plot tightly while shearing away an incredible amount of time.

Video shows damage, deliberately done. I usually don’t like scratches or grain, specifically in recent films or movies I have seen because the results look sloppy and amateurish. I didn’t know this film, however, so I was completely fooled into thinking this was a cheap 1970’s production. I laughed when I realized my false assumption later. Well done.

Audio is 2 Channel AC3, 192 Kbps. One of the best/worst music tracks I have heard. Edgy, skittering violin makes one feel like they’re trapped in a room full of mosquitoes and crawly bugs. Selected music performs slight of hand distraction as it is so irritating one does not focus on jump cuts or any of the “laboratory bits.”

End of the day, I appreciated more than enjoyed this. I chuckled at the end, but I had figured out what was going on and who was what. Thankfully, this was only 13 minutes instead of the original 92 minutes.

Nevertheless, for me, this was funnier than I expected and I laughed out loud a couple of times.

Darth Vader’s Unstoppable Murder Rampage Across the Galaxy (numerous Star Wars) - Rhythm Rice

Filesize = 6.32 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p. Audio = 333 kbps, 2-Channel stereo AAC. No subs.

An unstoppable action adventure of Darth’s greatest moments is closer to the bone.
Luke? Who’s Luke?
The chronology itself is pretty messy, likely to be incoherent to those unfamiliar with the saga.
Source material ranges from the Star Wars films, to Rogue One, the Obi Wan series, and edits by TMBTM.
Editing is choppy, abrupt at times. This is a franchise notorious for wipes and those are not used.
The edit is interesting throughout, since the editor is crafting a fanmix, which is more difficult than fanfix.
At times, however, it feels he tries too hard, attempting to force fit scenes into his vision.
Watchable from beginning to end, however. No child Anakin, no Jar-Jar, no political babble that bloated other films.
For fans of Darth, badass, no-nonsense Darth, this is one you’ve been looking for.

I don’t have links. Don’t ask.