Vultural

The Tattered Dress - 1957 - 6/10

Blonde bait, Charleen, is having a fling with the hamlet’s ex-football star.
After a night of rough play, she and her husband screech into town and shoot the man down.
Middle of the street, witnesses, cold blood.
They are rich enough to afford an expensive, hotshot New York defense counselor.
Who takes the case, does well, but underestimates the town hicks.
Solid desert Noir has the makings of a classic.
Except it spends waaaaay too much time in the courtroom.
Philip Reed and Elaine Stewart (the rich swells) underutilized.
Two conflicting narratives, and the courtroom won out. Too bad.
My copy had a dull commentary by a pedantic academic.

Last Orders - 2001 - 7/10

When one of their mates dies, the surviving men convene.
The dead man’s last request was for his ashes to be spread in the sea.
What follows is the road trip to Margate, as the men recollect, share stories, live with grudges.
Common people recalling small moments, mistakes, turning points.
Terrific male cast includes Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, David Hemming, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren.
The farther along the path you are, the deeper this will resonate.

Yesterday - 2019 - 5/10

This garbage was foisted upon us during a visit.
Hack musician Jack awakes one morning to find no one on the planet remembers, or has heard of, The Beatles.
He does, however, so he begins singing their songs as if they were his own.
Becoming a massive global phenomenon!
Charming fantasy for some viewers, artistic appropriation for others.
His first ten years, I enjoyed director Danny Boyle’s work, the last twenty, not so much.

Night Shift - 2022 - 6/10

Closing time, Brittany cleans up the empty Eagle Theater movie house.
Or is it so empty?
Short horror thriller packed with suspenseful music, jump scares, in-jokes.
Nice use of 1959’s House On Haunted Hill as film within a film.
Atmospheric homage to a specific sub-genre (no spoiling).
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/night-shift-2022/english/3152896

If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium - 1969 - 6/10

Americans climb aboard the bus for a package tour of Europe.
Nine countries, eighteen days. Did I mention bus? Shoot me now.
The tourists are an odd assortment, easier to tag them, I guess.
The core is a romance between the jaded, womanizing tour operator (Ian McShane) and a fetching American tourist (Suzanne Pleshette).
The plot plays like stitched sitcoms, but the photography is remarkably good.
Proverbial “picture postcard” likely played well to armchair wannabee travelers, or aging WWII vets who always wanted to go back and visit.
Along with the gags (the good and the awful), there is an innocent charm about this.

Pengelly, Irwin - Rubbings From Second-Hand Books

Most peculiar work here. Slim volume filled with a mash of found fiction and flash fiction.
Jottings found on the covers of second hand books. Only the ghostly impressions, mind you, not actual ink on covers.
Grocery lists – contact info – equations – dash of poetry – rants – curses – pledges.
Sandwiching the “treasures” are the author’s musings and interpretations regarding the public hysteria that ensued.
The unleashed madness of a core group of readers who believe something greater, if not altogether sinister, lurks in the random scribbles.
I generally dislike this sort of found writing, but it does add more information about the Peninsula for those who read Broodcomb Press.

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush - 1968 - 6/10

Young Jamie arrives in a new town and decides his virginity has to go.
Thus, he sallies forth with a variety of birds, most of whom decline the prestigious honor.
By turns, funny, serious and a tad dated.
One point is fairly accurate: the Swinging Sixties didn’t swing for most.
Although the Spencer Davis Group contributed much of the music (even made a cameo), the songs were not the top.
Not necessarily a good film, but a pleasant time capsule.

The Blue Lamp - 1950 - 6/10

Police procedural extols the day to day humdrum.
Twin tales of observing the police go about daily business, while young thieves plot.
Leisurely, yes. Definitely not staccato paced.
London is still recovering from the Blitz and there is plenty of evident damage.
Style hews closer to Realism, as opposed to Noir.
Much of what is now “vanished London” is onscreen, making this a must for cultural historians.
Early breakout role for Dirk Borgarde who is electrifying in is.

From Hell It Came - 1957 - 4/10

No, not one of your in-laws.
Kimo is accused of murdering his father, king of the island.
He vows revenge of the true evildoers, is killed, then stuffed into a tree trunk.
Is Kimo dead? Hold on, friend. This South Seas island has been receiving radioactive fallout.
You guessed it. The tree trunk starts shuffling forth, seeking revenge.
El cheapo jungle horror is laughably bad.
A killer tree stump. Really? Who ponied up the cash for this one?

Darker - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Donkerster

After Rhena’s father tucks her into bed, he heads into the woods and disappears.
The forest is forbidding, perhaps haunted or cursed.
Undaunted, Rhena hurries in, then begins to listen, really listen.

She defies the god, Atlas, earning repercussions.
Terrific folk horror short from the Netherlands.

Let The Corpses Tan - 2017 - 7/10
AKA - Laissez Bronzer les Cadavres

The heist goes off flawlessly.
Armored truck shipment of gold bullion. No survivors, no witnesses.
A hitch-hiking family is given a ride, however.
By chance, they are planning to visit where the robbers are hiding.
Suspicions are already mounting when cops arrive.

Arthouse crime thriller, drenched in bold colors, steeped in blood and sweat, chopped into visual fragments.
A surrealistic dream / nightmarish vibe pervades the film.
Viewers must sort through memories, baggage, delusion, hallucination.
In the heat, everything, everyone, reduces to primal essence.
Last film to date from Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.

Langrishe, Go Down - 1978 - 6/10

Three middle aged sisters live on the family estate in declining circumstances.
One tends the garden, the animals, the kitchen.
Another, more literary, keeps a journal, keeps records, writes countless letters, unsent.
The third, Imogen (Judi Dench), reads, attends cinema, starts an affair.

With Otto Beck (Jeremy Irons), a perpetual student who has rented the back cottage.
He is brainy, dismissive and a mooch.
Imogen seems desperate, perhaps for a relationship, perhaps for an escape.
Based on a Pinter work, this would benefit from an audio restoration.
Otherwise, quite good if dour and a bit confusing.

Sherman’s March - 1986 - 7/10

Ross McElwee’s documentary about the South, focusing on the ramifications of the Union Army under William Tecumseh Sherman and their ruinous march from Atlanta to Savannah.
Instead, however, McElwee veers into his disastrous relationships with females.
Seemingly from one loony girlfriend to another. We’re talking seriously oddball belles.
All of whom he films obsessively, constantly. I’m amazed none shot or bludgeoned him.
Throughout, this is laugh out loud funny. Burt Reynolds obsessing? Please!
Thing is, this “doc” is really Southern. Deeply Southern.
Such DNA is almost essential for “getting this”.
Probably overlong at 2+ hours.

Beyond The Summit - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - La Cima

Mountaineering porn.
Height of off-season, Mateo begins his ascent of Annapurna.
Barely a day in, he makes a mistake and winds up rescued.
Instead of sending him to a clinic, Ione watches him eat her food, take her dog, boast about his ambitions.
Finally, he tackles the ice face again. This time, middle of the night.
Gorgeous scenery undercut by Mateo’s complete lack of intelligence.
He is rash, foolish, obstinate, incapable of planning.
Oxygen? Who needs oxygen at 22,000 feet. God will help me.
Narrative is third rate, aimed at pre-teens (no disrespect to this age group).

Fits in perfect for the party.

Lady Whirlwind - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Tie Zhang Xuan Feng Tui // 鐵掌旋風腿

Ling is pursued and beaten by workers at the gambling den. Why? Who knows.
He is left for dead on the beach.
Three years later, Tien appears in the casino, asking about Ling.
When threatened, she beats the hell out of everyone.
Eventually, she tracks down Ling who has taken all this time to recuperate and train.
“Don’t kill me now!” he begs. “I want revenge on those gamblers.”
Shaw Brothers flick has a LOT of overlong fight scenes.
Angela Mao as Tien Li-Chun is the best thing here, followed by a mess of sneering villains.

Destination Moon - 1950 - 6/10

Pioneering SciFi of early rocket to the Moon.
(Not to forget Méliès (1902), Lang (1929), others.)
This one is heavy on science, or Hollywood science, with technical difficulties explained.
Characters are stuffy at times, and the narration seems docudrama.
The effects are pretty good, the Moon sets inspired, as is the photography.
Even unexpected drama and conflict from time to time.
What surprises is how accurate some of the predictions were.
Slowish, but worthwhile for fans of 1950’s SciFi.

The Girls At The Back - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Las de la última fila

Solidarity. The sort that only best friends, childhood friends, often share.
So, when one is diagnosed with cancer, they all shave their heads and go to the beach.
They have agreed not to discuss the C word, and to take dares.
Step out of their routines, their comfort zones.
Brief series one should not rush through.
Flashbacks surface and disappear without warning. As do internal conversations.
The women, in their 30’s, are full of life, and more perceptive about friends than themselves.
Chick drama. γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Night Shift - 2023 - 6/10

Dheeraj works as a cabbie, working himself to exhaustion.
He has not met his quota and must keep driving, then picks up a fare hurrying to reach the airport.
Unaware she is a troublemaker, an instigator. Who claws into his loneliness.
Hindi short is a moody Noir, using conversation to push the story.

Duncan, Andy and Ellen Klages - Wakulla Springs

Up around Apalachicola, jungle oblivion, pre-kudzu. Home of a crystal clear pool of unfathomed depth. Perfect for Hollywood productions.
This novel divides into four sections, four decades. The 1930’s, when Johnny Weissmuller films another Tarzan adventure, swimming and diving in Wakulla Springs. This is Jim Crow Dixie, which Tarzan neither understands, nor sympathizes with.
Come the 1950’s, a young boy, son of one of the maids, watches eagerly as underwater shooting begins on the Gillman, later titled, “The Creature From The Black Lagoon”.
The final two sections are brief returns of characters, now in the 1960’s and 2000’s. A highlight of this portion is a wry, cantankerous interview with Cheeta. Other retired stars may be interview shy, but Cheeta is not one for discretion, no sir.
Both writers provide a lengthy introduction, discussing genesis and process. The book is neither Fantasy nor SciFi, but a golden hued back glance at times that were not necessarily golden.

Razor Blade Smile - 1998 - 5/10

Eileen Daly parlayed her intro-host role for Redemption/Salvation Films into this attempt.
Lilith, turned vampire 100 years earlier, works as an assassin.
Targeting members of the (trendy in the ‘90’s) Illuminati.
Despite being a vampire, she relies on firearms (or sword).
Her wardrobe is leather or vinyl to display her silicone boost.
Flashy at times, other moments beyond cheap.
Nevertheless, the cast seems to be having fun with moronic script.

Mystery 101 - 2020 - 6/10

Hallmark whodunit film series, far above their usual fare.
Professor Amy Winslow teaches crime fiction at the local university.
Detective Travis Burke relocates from the big city, unaware of the crimes and murders in the sleepy community.
These programs rely on the charisma and chemistry of the lead characters.
Most flail somewhere between smirking and smarmy.
In Mystery 101, the players look, act and behave like adults – not arrested adolescents.
The puzzle plots are fair to good, and the character arc reaches a nice conclusion.
Except – the canned Spam IQ of Hallmark tacked on an incongruous 30” cliffhanger.
Before the canceling the series.

The Bravados - 1958 - 7/10

Douglass arrives in the small town to watch a hanging.
Four outlaws. The men Douglas had been tracking after they murdered his wife.
Instead of a hanging, the men escape, and Douglass leads the posse.
Hard-edged, violent Western of obsession and self-righteous vengeance.
Gregory Peck, who I usually view as a pompous ham, is exceptional as the man blinded by fury.
While not listed as such, this is a terrific Noir.
I grew up on the black & white version, and that is how I prefer to view this one.

Magnum Force - 1973 - 7/10

Inspector Harry Callahan returns in this, in many ways, more violent sequel.
Thanks to good lawyers and lenient courtrooms, criminals are escaping justice.
Only, not quite. A small unit is single-handedly dispensing judgment. Lethal judgment.
The message here is more heavy handed than Dirty Harry.
Might makes right. Agitprop. Be aware of this and you should appreciate this one.
The poliziotesschi Execution Squad came out a year before and I wonder if that informed this film.

War Of The Satellites - 1958 - 5/10

Every time the Space Agency tries to place a satellite into orbit, boom!
Soon we learn, the Spiral Nebula Ghana has banned humanity from exploring space.
They take telepathic control of the agency chief.
Cheapo Roger Corman has no real plot, dime store sets, and only two of the players can act.
No matter. This moves like mad. You can only register one implausibility before another displaces it.
Thrilling entertainment when I was a kid. Even now, watchable.