Vultural

Blood Simple - 1984 - 7/10

Sleazy bar owner suspects his wife is having an affair with one of the help.
He hires a private eye, who turns out to be one devious, twisted soul.
Participants circle warily, crossing, then double-crossing each other.
Brooding Noir put the Coen Brothers on the map for audiences who saw this.
Siskel & Ebert, then emerging, helped with positive reviews.
This ugly film, that feels like a trashy paperback, still packs a punch.
Unforgettable sequence of an active burial.

Vardeman, David - Suddenly, This Summer

1966, Roberta toils in the stacks. Librarian in a small Iowa town.
She had nursed her invalided / hypochondriac mother for years, until Mom died, followed by Roberta’s brother’s suicide.
Such is the backstory – the period of thankless normalcy – until the serial killings begin.
Understand, Roberta is convinced she knows the killer‘s identity, convinced it is someone she knows personally.
And she sets out to bait him, trap him, kill him.
Vardeman’s novel lulls you, tightening the narrative screws every few pages.
Roberta takes risks, endangers her life even, as she herself grows loopier by the day.
When a mass murder of nurses occurs in Chicago, her stability shakes for good.
Gripping psychological thriller, quite outside the normal tropes.
Fans of this author typically scoop up new titles immediately.

Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill - 2016 - 8/10

Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday in one of her final performances.
Songs, mixed with reminiscences, her incarceration, allusions to substances.
All the while, drinking steadily, deteriorating onstage.
McDonald is absolutely phenomenal, channeling Lady Day’s vocal phrasing, drawl, slipping in comedy along with bitter misery.
Filmed in a small New Orleans club, this gives the impression you are inside the Philly venue.
How McDonald could perform this night after night, live, is beyond belief.
Theatre fans, Jazz fans, this is absolutely not to be missed!

Live Nude Girls - 1995 - 6/10

Steady on there.
Chick flick of five friends and a bachelorette party.
Sharing dramas, secrets, troubles.
Surprisingly funny throughout.
The “nude” by the way, I gather equates to open or bare, as in bare confessions.
With such a major cast, this should have been a box office hit, although I imagine the title confused audiences.

Appointment With Crime - 1946 - 6/10

Quick job. Smash the glass, grab the jewelry, hop into the nearby getaway car.
Easy, yes? Wrong. Which is why Leo winds up doing a stretch in prison.
Once his sentence is finished, he hunts for the men who left him there.
Dark little British Noir is filled with memorable, peculiar characters.
Likewise the bristling dialogue, and cheap view of life that steeps this one.
Best, however, is the merciless Leo, perfectly played by William Hartnell.
For you Doctor Who fanatics, he simply nails it.

Bustin’ Down The Door - 2008 - 6/10

In the mid-1970’s, Australian surfers arrived in Waimea, North Shore, Pipeline.
Their style was extraordinarily aggressive and they soon dominated the competitive heats.
Documentary mixes graybeards recollecting amidst vintage films.
The men, however, when younger, were callow and arrogant and made mistakes.
Mistakes which haunt them to this day.
Editing in this is especially fluid, making this a clinic for filmmakers.

Magpie Murders - 2022 - 7/10

Susan, editor for a prestigious publishing house, has a dilemma. Two actually.
The firm’s top writer has turned in a major novel … minus the final chapter!
Moreover, the author is now deceased. Possibly suicide, although many are skeptical.
The series weaves back and forth between modern Susan investigating the writer’s demise, and the period detective of the unfinished mystery, one Atticus Pünd, working to solve a series of deaths in the book.
Both mysteries are well plotted, firmly in the cozy world.
Not a series for multi-taskers, as scenes shift abruptly and several actors play dual roles.

Moods Of Love - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - Feng Hua Xue Yue // 风花雪月

The newly appointed magistrate tours temples in his region.
Saving Shui Yue Temple for last, since it is led by a living Buddha.
Jealous, he decides to soil the priest with a sexual scandal.
First, and weaker, of a risqué Shaw Bros. two-parter.

The second concerns the wily Madam Fox, skilled in turning girls into prostitutes.
A shameless, ruthless exploiter who lies, bullies, threatens. Whores and male clients.
(Madam Fox sells one girl three times as a spotless virgin.)
Lotus River is the crowded lane, from brothels to teahouses to cramped flop rooms.
Where girls cajole, coax, and peddle the pleasures of the pink palace.

A sleazy tale, beautifully shot, of karma and cheap vengeance.
Three of the Taiwan “sirens” are on display, wearing easily shredded clothes.

Blood Woods - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Blutholz

The company man is attacked by bears and dogs.
Hold on! Those are men in bear suits who release the attack shepherds.
The logging company hires a lawyer and aging troubleshooter to investigate.
Set in Brasov, Romania, this mystery has an excellent sense of place (I have been there).
It also explores the underlying tensions with the Roma, as well as political corruption.
Not a “romance” mystery, but a foray into murky history.
Good choice for fans of Noir.

Escape From Alcatraz - 1979 - 7/10

Clint Eastwood as Frank Morris, one of the inmates who “may” have escaped from the island prison.
Not so much an action film as a slow boil procedural.
Planning, acquiring materials, clandestine operations.
Under the daily life of oppressive incarceration.
Patrick McGoohan memorable as the confident, no-nonsense warden.
Shot inside Alcatraz, the photography is all harsh light and hard angles.
Frank Morris = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_1962_Alcatraz_escape_attempt

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! - 2015 - 7/10

1943 Calcutta, Bakshy is hired to find a missing father.
Instead, he finds WWII intrigue (rising Japan, British rule), drug smuggling, gang battles.
The plot is more convoluted than a Chandler hangover.
Sushant Singh Rajput excellent as the quick thinking detective, often too quick for his own good.
Great villains, obvious and disguised, as well as the English governor watching over his shoulder.
Femme fatales? Of course, especially the bewitching songbird, Anguri.
Highly entertaining Hindi Noir, underappreciated in India, perhaps owing to the grim tone.

The Girl With A Bracelet - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - La Fille au Bracelet

Lise, vacationing with her family, is apprehended at the beach.
She offers no resistance, then waits two years for the trial.
The charge? Violent, stabbing murder of her best friend.
What plays out is a courtroom drama, with the prosecutor quietly slurring and trashing the accused’s reputation.
There is little evidence, no murder weapon, so the trial focuses on her private life.
Lise is stone-faced throughout. Most of the reactions come from her parents.
A generational divide, with parents assuming young girls remain children even when they are 15, then 16.
Always bear in mind, in France, accused are considered guilty until proven innocent.

Garton, Ray - 411

Kaitlin works in the information call center. Answers questions that lazy phoners cannot look up.
One shift, replying to another, “where is the nearest …” Kaitlin overhears a murder – double murder.
Paranoia kicks in when she fears she just might be next.
By-the-numbers thriller feels like cobbled together scenes and clichés from cheap TV.
Is there a single original idea? No. Nada. Zip.
Our author could, at the very least, have made an effort, instead of this regurgitation.
Don’t waste your time, unless you have a hearty appetite for warmed over reruns.

Three-Body - 2023 - 7/10
AKA - San ti // 三体

Across the globe, leading research scientists are committing suicide.
Police officer Qiang is assigned to protect nanoscientist, Wang Miao.

Which draws both men into a clandestine organization, the Frontiers Of Science.
Into conspiracy, ultimately an invasion.
Very heady SciFi series from China demands an early degree of patience.
Thirty episodes, of which the first 10 feel padded.
Why show a 30 second scene, when you can stretch it to 2 minutes?
Likewise repeat a scene over and over, with various angles, so the audience “gets it”.
The characters are somewhat over-the-top and unlikeable at this point, too.
Trust me here, the show settles down and the narrative tightens considerably.
Especially whenever the focus shifts to the Cultural Revolution and the Red Coast base.

Therein lie the seeds for human annihilation.
There is VR gameplay involved and the retro flat CGI is fun.
Science, math, physics and equations throughout.
Outstanding adaptation of Liu Cixin’s novel.
The entire S01 is currently available from Tencent in 4K, with excellent subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-UO8jbrIoM

Dislike that 30 episode commitment? Reading subs gives you a thinkache? Prefer a more multi-national cast?
Netflix has an 8-part adaptation in the pipe.

I See A Dark Stranger - 1947 - 7/10

Bridie is a fierce Republican. Irish Republican.
As England reels in 1944, she decides to help the charming Reich agent with his mission.
Bridie is headstrong, naïve, innocent, while the English – well, they are descendants of Cromwell!
Galloping espionage thriller is shot through with comedy, situations and dialogue.
Script by Gilliant and Launder, plot resembles Hitchcock of this period.

My Favorite Year - 1982 - 7/10

Wonderful homage to early TV, and harking back to the Golden Era of Hollywood.
1950’s, television is live, and the popular variety show has a swashbuckling actor from the ’30’s.
Alan Swann (cough Errol Flynn cough) who has problems with alcohol and ladies.
Newly hired gag writer Benjy (ahem, Mel Brooks) is tasked with keeping the guest safe and sober.
It is all the young man can do to simply keep up.
O’Toole is outstanding, embracing Flynn’s self-destructive tendencies, as well as his grace and charm.
Wonderful, big hearted comedy, packed with jokes for tourists, and in-jokes for buffs.
When this screened, oldsters still remembered both Sid Caesar and Flynn in their prime.

Disappearing London - 2006 - 6/10

Hosted by Suggs (frontman of Madness), this explores ordinary places, now slipping away.
The dogtracks, haberdasher, custom shoes. The umbrella store, working class cafe.
The tram, bakery, the lido, the tobacco shop, the rivermen….
Suggs is charming throughout, never bemoaning, never complaining.
Many of these places are delightful reminders, yet Time and Progress steamrolls all in its path.
These episodes, I believe, are available on YouTube. Two seasons.

Konpaku - 2019 - 6/10

On a dare from his Malay buddies, Haqim approaches a female and asks for her phone number,
The banter is not straightforward.
The female, a Japanese named Midori, asks a handful of tangled questions before giving her number.
From then on, Midori assumes an increasingly prominent role in Haqim’s life.
Entering his dreams, his bedroom, his intimate life. Midori is a sexual demon, a succubus.

Low budget horror from Singapore has a brooding undertone and plenty of jump scares.
Owing to Malaysian Muslim laws, sex is alluded to, with scenes going near brink.
The vampirish Midori, is not only possessive, but also fiercely territorial, as friends discover.

Narrow Margin - 1952 - 7/10

She agrees to testify against the mob, who then put out the hit contract.
Cops are assigned to protect her on the train journey, but the assassins are onboard.
Claustrophobic Noir bolstered with terrific performances by genre icons McGraw and Windsor.
The dialogue sizzles and the suspense never lets up.
B-movie budget, yet the acting and direction more than compensate.
Brilliant hard film, ideal for past-midnight viewing.

Bridges, Thomas C - The People Of The Chasm

Dick is a brilliant engineer, and, as it turns out, a crack pilot.
Alas, when he is taking brother Monty on a test flight, powerful winds blow them into France.
Their rescuer proves to be an extremely wealthy man, whose son disappeared in Antarctica a few years earlier.
Within a few chapters, our intrepid young heroes and wealthy benefactor arrive at the South Pole.

High adventure follows, with deadly creatures, a lost civilization, and a pillar of fire!
Breathless entertainment from 100 years ago makes a decent palate cleanser after heavy reading.

Warning to cynics: Dick and Monty are relentlessly, cheerfully upbeat.

Baby Face - 1933 - 7/10

Turned prostitute by her own father, Lily departs the cheap saloon.
She finds work at a large bank and begins her career ascent.
Sleeping with one supervisor (including young John Wayne) after the next.
Beautifully corrosive film, cynical, jungle survival at points.
The headlong fury of this tapers about two thirds in, and the ending is a whitewash.
Audiences knew better, the moralizing conclusion was tacked on for censors.
Fill in your own end.
Barbara Stanwyck is on fire in this essential Pre-Code stunner.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - 1967 - 6/10

Jack answers a vague classifieds ad and is soon whisked to Europe.
In Paris, he encounters Nikki; then in Monte Carlo, her highly competitive father.
Nikki and family are affluent. So he stays on the case, keeps playing the games.
Confusing thriller as Jack is unsure of his mission.
Soon, however, he realizes the assignment has put him in grave danger.
Early made-for-TV movie is near Hollywood standards, with jazzy Lalo Schifrin score.
Excellent casting of Robert Wagner and Peter Lawford, with Jill St. John.
“Such a needless expenditure of time and energy, like your life itself.”

Oktoberfest: Beer And Blood - 2020 - 7/10

Beer drinkers, raise your steins high!
Circa 1900, rich brewer Prank from Nuremberg arrives in Munich.
His vision is to revamp, modernize, the annual beer-fest.
A mega-tent, instead of seven allotments.
Entrenched rivals regard him as an upstart, an outsider, and crass.
Per the title, expect blood, along with murders, beatings, and carnal relations.
The side story of Prank’s daughter wandered, yet tied in by the end.
I will say, this grew on me as threads coalesced.

They Call Me Trinity - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Lo Chiamavano Trinità…

Half brothers, Trinity and Bambino, set aside their differences to help a powerful landowner.
The rancher wants to chase away Mormon settlers from his land.
The brothers, layabouts and chiselers, eye the owner’s unbranded horses.
Action mixes with chuckles and romance.
Gunfights and stunts are better than expected, although one watches this for comedy.
This spoofs traditional Westerns with jokes and slapstick, and some purists begrudge that.
My younger brother was addicted to these Italian Westerns, his favorites being the Trinity films.
Most I recall as stupid, yet this is a rare good one. The sequel, if I recall, even better.

Murder In The Canal du Midi - 2020 - 6/10
AKA - Le Canal Des Secrets

Turistas find a dead woman floating in the canal.
Suicide? No, homicide. Suspects include her husband, the judge.
As well as her lover, soon enough located, chained in the canal. Dead.
Typical of generic French mysteries, an inspector and prosecutor team up, male and female.
Rather than succumbing to mating impulses, this pair compensates for each others’ deficiencies.
A few red herrings, as well as twists and overlooked clues, will please genre fans.
Mildly better than most of these not-quite Hallmark films.