Vultural

Zorro’s Fighting Legion - 1939 - 7/10

For a Saturday matinee serial, this is full of exciting adventures.
High filmmaking artistry?
The Lord of Gold (Don Del Oro), with plans to become emperor, steals gold shipments.
Enter Zorro, and his band of …ahem … singing men.
OK, they mostly sing the “We Ride” song.
This is set in Mexico, not California, though villagers immediately recognize the hero.
Excellent budget for this Republic serial, star power (Reed Hadley), outstanding stunts.
Best DVD copy is the restoration by Serial Squadron.

Photographing Fairies - 1997 - 6/10

Following the death of his fiancée, Charles enlists and enters the Great War.
Afterwards, he makes a living photographing death servicemen with their families.
All the while, however, he is a haunted soul.
He is drawn into the world of faeries, particularly capturing images of them.
To do this, he begins taking hallucinogens.
Moreover, he incurs the wrath of a fundamentalist reverend, concerned about faeries and paganism.
There is a lot in this film, and it is, in many ways, richer than Fairy Tale (1997).

Shakespeare In Love - 1998 - 7/10

Nicely told fairy tale of the famous playwright hitting writer’s block.
The cure? A clandestine affair with a lady betrothed to powerful Lord Wessex.
Instead of a typical romance, this bounces freely across the theatre boards.
Struggling acting companies, arcane legal restrictions, figuring out what the punter want.
And will play for.
Paltrow and Fiennes have exciting chemistry; the whole cast is top notch.
For worries, dialogue is NOT Elizabethan English.
Terrific date movie.

A Woman Of No Importance - 2017 - 7/10

Young Gerald is hired to be secretary for Lord Illingworth.
Unaware that the Lord is his actual father, who seduced then abandoned his mother years earlier.
At a soiree of the gentry, Gerald’s mother, Mrs. Arbuthnot arrives, as does an outspoken American heiress,
This rendition by Spring Theatre is of two halves, and feels like two different works.
The first section sparkles with witty, at times trenchant, dialogue, barbed and cynical.
The second, however, is a confrontation between Illingworh and Arbuthnot.
Wit is replaced by resentment, and bracing accusation of the double standard between men and women.
Very much an early pre-feminist or proto-feminist work.
Plus, a trio of unexpected, delightful songs!

Blue Thunder - 1983 - 6/10

LAPD pilot is assigned to train on a new, cutting edge helicopter.
Designed for riots or crowd control, this beast is military assault.
In due course, our pilot (a coasting Roy Scheider) suspects nefarious forces.
The film wanders all over thriller, voyeurism, mystery, even romance.
The plot feels like concepts cobbled together by the writer, oops writers, and the result is messy.
Action pieces are standout, however. Malcolm McDowell terrific as villain.
Surveillance paranoia dated today as CC and drones are daily realities.

Little, Bentley - Indignities Of The Flesh

Referencing Machen’s Hieroglyphics, this is a collection of reading matter.
Stories neither horrific nor frightening, nor particularly memorable. Any of them would be suitable for Readers Digest.

From teeth brushing to whacking the piñata to crafting gingerbread men to foiling Disney thugs.

“Even The Dead” stands out as a melancholy tale, while “Pray 4 Baby” sets up a tone of dread in the stifling desert.

If this had been a paperback, I would have left my copy in any airport terminal for the next curious reader. In a phrase, this is a travel read. Disposable.

A few years ago, gushing readers compared Mr Little to Stephen King.
I don’t see it.

A Simple Favor - 2018 - 7/10

Single mom Stephanie is the go-getter volunteer for school activities.
Behind the smiles, she is lonely, and doesn’t have much of a life.
Until she meets fellow parent Emily, ballbreaking PR for a New York agency.
Obvious misfits, yet they strike an odd friendship,
So much so, when Emily disappears Stephanie becomes a sleuth.
Not only a decent mystery, this is a savage parody of vlogs, influencers, and Hallmark derivatives.
Deceptively written, skillfully potted, though with enough foul language to send paper hearts running.
Your squeeze suggests another mystery romance, queue this screamingly funny gem instead.

Crime Doctor - 1943 - 6/10

Kicked from a speeding car, the man is rescued, taken to hospital.
Revives. Oh, no! Amnesia.
So, like so many who have lost their memory, he goes to medical school and becomes a doctor.
Of course, amnesia or not, somebody pushed him from the car.
B-film crime thriller shuffles at a brisk pace, leaving numerous clues who the doctor had been previously.
No great shakes, but adequate entertainment.
First of the Crime Doctor series.
Ray Collins plays his initial doctor, later partner, and his character already resembles Lt. Tragg.

Kill Zone - 2005 - 7/10
AKA - Saat po Long // 殺破狼

Chief inspector Chung has tried to nail crime boss Wong Po for years.
Chung, now with a brain tumor, is set to retire and hand the reins to Kwan.
Yet, he still wants to toss Wong Po behind bars, even if that means breaking the law.
Straightforward Hong Kong actioner boasts three top stars.
Simon Yam as the inspector. Sammo Hung, cast against type as the deadly Po.
And Donnie Yen, in absolute peak form!
The photography in this bleak, Neo Noir is outstanding.
Numerous fights in this, all dazzling showstoppers.

Pickup - 1951 - 6/10

After his dog is killed, Jan heads to the town carnival for a new puppy.
There, he crosses paths with Betty, a low-life floozy who wants a good time.

She is also distressingly poor, and smells money on the lonely man.
Soon enough, she weds him, then schemes to make herself a rich widow.
Trashy Noir benefits from Beverly Michaels’ surly, contemptuous performance.
Offbeat film, more cult than Noir classic.

Reefer Madness - 1936 - 5/10

I had assumed every film buff in the world had seen this one.
Wrong. I was informed, it’s black and white, from the 1930’s. So passé.
Moralizing tale is so over-the-top preachy, it proves an irresistible delight.
Teenagers get caught up in the world of reefer, weed, jive, marijuana.
They engage in uninhibited sex, run stop lights, play the piano faster … and faster!

Or suffer complete and utter mental deterioration. Insanity!
Unintentionally funny, although the underground enjoyment was heightened owing to laws up to recent times.
Possibly because this is public domain, and was cheap to begin with, I have never seen a fine print.

Night Shift - 2018 - 6/10

Bianca is reinstated for active duty, just before partner Tony is about to transfer.
First, however, Tony has a debt.
“Cops with a history” short, soon splatters into a mixed martial arts brawl.
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/night-shift-2018/english/3168199

Fantastic Voyage - 1966 - 7/10

An important scientist in a coma needs a miracle!
How about we miniaturize a small submarine, crew, and surgeons?
How small? The size of a blood platelet. The future, today!
Once injected into the bloodstream, viewers are given the grand tour of the inner body.
Very impressive back in the day, and still great entertainment so long as you don’t nitpick 1960’s science.
I vividly recall seeing this with my family on big screen. My younger brother had previously read the comic adaptation, and when one character appeared, he blurted out, “That’s a bad one. Who gets killed in the end.” We all yelled.

Wings In The Dark - 1935 - 6/10

Daredevil pilot works on inventing “auto-pilot” in his spare time.
Countless rejections from fellow pilots, airplane companies, investors.
Following an accident, his is blinded … for a while, or forever.
A female barnstormer, smitten, performs stunt work to raise funds.
Brief premise in pretty offbeat tale.
More drama than adventure or romance.
Main draw is a young Cary Grant paired with Myrna Loy.

Dead Ringers - 1988 - 7/10

Disturbing film (particularly to female audiences) of identical twin brothers, both gynecologists.
One is a Casanova, preying on his patients. The other, mild mannered, appreciates discards and leftovers.
After an emotional triangle erupts, drug abuse from one leads to sanity unraveling.
Jeremy Irons is dazzling as the twin brothers,
I freely confess I found it hard to separate the pair as the story progressed.
The unpredictability of behavior is what proves so unsettling – not to mention new surgical instruments.
Loosely based on reality = https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a35522434/marcus-twins-gynecologists-death-story.

Maneater Of Hydra - 1967 - 5/10
AKA - La Isla de la Muerte // Island Of The Doomed

No, no, no! Listen up, potential turistas.
No matter how far off the beaten track you want to go, you don’t ever want to go to no deserted island.
Especially if the lone inhabitant is a scientist, or researcher, or doctor, who likely needs guinea pigs.
Baron von Weser welcomes his guests, whereupon the stroll, and the deaths, begin.
His specialty is carnivorous plants. Small ones, that feast on mice.
No one would make large plants, would they?
Endearingly bad movie, which boasts atrocious dubbing (part of its charm) and decent acting.
The print has never been restored (as of 2023) and it remains 7th generation.

Several JPB speakers have been discounted sharply.
https://www.jbl.com/loudspeakers/#

The Attackers - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Istrebiteli

The Russian front, 1943, sees the Soviet Union pushing against the Wehrmacht.
Mini-series is of the Fighter Regiment. Pilots, officers, mechanics

Story builds to the initial launch of the Kursk Offensive.
Camaraderie along with dogfights, with many unexpected elements.
As ever, a different point of view can be engrossing.
Straight off, many of the fighter pilots are female – totally accurate – shout out to the Night Witches.
NKVD political advisors are not kindly displayed.

Surprisingly, the Germans are not demonized, just battle hardened soldiers.
Their POW camp is shown with Soviet appeasers working for food and favors.
Trench war is appalling, the field hospital primitive.
Back in the rear, people live safer, and regard women at the front as little more than prostitutes.
Other reviews complain the female pilots are too attractive.
Untrue, there were dishes = https://www.rbth.com/history/334739-10-best-soviet-female-fighter

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.