Vultural

White, Edward Lucas - Little Green Book Of Grue

I won’t go into “Lukundoo” which every Horror reader will have in at least one collection.

Early on, there is an auto accident in “The House Of Nightmare”. I had to remind myself of the 1906 publication. Roadworthy motor cars were still very new. The house where our driver seeks shelter has seen better days and is in dilapidated condition. The story itself seems even older than the manse, and you will predict every plot turn.

“A Picture Puzzle” concerns the stolen child, a precious daughter. So much has passed, however, that her case has gone cold. Parents clutch hope, and find distraction when a most peculiar puzzle box arrives unannounced.

“Amina” is a desert adventure, while “The Song Of The Sirens” is a seafaring yarn, moving slowly across the waves until it reaches uncharted territory in the Indian Ocean, somewhere off Madagascar.
Sea spray yields to blissful terror, to melodies bewitching. Think lotus eaters.

Little Green Grue is a well rounded, well chosen collection. Credit editor Kelly Laymon (yes, related to Richard) for selecting and sequencing. This is probably my favorite of this years crop of little books.

Over Your Dead Body - 2014 - 7/10
AKA - Kuime // 鬼門食女

Frictions emerge during rehearsals of “Yotsuya Kaidan”, a classic ghost story.
As the leading man / lady start to drift apart, the new ingenue becomes a love rival.
Roles begin to bleed into reality, to the point some see apparitions.
Highly stylized film mixes theatrical with cinematic with physical obsession.
Viewing The Ghost Of Yotsuya (1959) a few years earlier, prepared me for the bones of the story.
While visually arresting throughout, this may be too leisurely, too stagey, for restless types.

The Battle Of Hermann - 1924 - 6/10
AKA - Die Harmannschlacht

Too long have the Germanic tribes endured the Roman yoke.
Enslavement is still that, no matter how friendly the captors, how light the chains.
As always, once the occupiers start stealing womenfolk, weapons emerge.
Stodgy Silent suffers from too many characters, many with similar names.
Battle spectacles pocket sized. Acting in broad strokes.
Costumes, especially Germans looking like Vikings, enjoyable.

Life On Mars - 2006 - 7/10

Innovative, influential series that launched numerous imitators.
DCI Sam Tyler, struck by a speeding car, reawakens not in 2003, but 1973.
He is now DI Tyler, transfer from Hyde, and policing in 1973 Manchester is a different animal.
Violence, graft, language riddled with swearing, pervasive sexism, racism, intolerance, a sunken dream.
He is the proverbial square peg, admired and distrusted, respected and resented.
Sparrings with DCI Gene Hunt range from harrowing to excruciatingly funny.
The “look” is terrific: clothes, cars, music. Nothing elaborate, just enough to evoke the 70’s.
S01 funny and poignant, S02 darker and provocative. The conclusion, nailed it!
If you decide to view, choose wisely. Episodes run an hour. If less, beware cuts.

The Andromeda Strain - 1971 - 6/10

After a space probe lands, a deadly, hitherto unknown contagion snuffs out a small desert town.
Scientists rush to the scene, then try to isolate the virus before it spreads to populated areas.
Thoughtful thriller (courtesy Michael Crichton) plays out in what seems like realistic time.
A small team of specialists attempt to isolate the pathogen, while not pointing blame (military?) for bringing it back.
Tech is dated now, but the parallels to current outbreaks could not be sharper.
If only officials could reassemble this team for today’s widespread pandemic.

Crisp, Quentin S. - Erith

He needs to go to the Erith office in order to sort his housing allowance.
The train may well stop there, maybe the bus. Neither schedule lists Erith.
Oh, yes, he does ask. Answers are vague.
Why can’t he simply visit his own council branch? Procedure. One follows procedure. Period.

A flow of journeys, along with varying perceptions of the route. The narrator’s view, filtering his own anxieties with the theatrical dress he overlays on Erith itself.

For me, Mr. Crisp can be daunting, and my method has always been to simply read. Read, keep turning pages until I match step with his rhythm.
Now and then you may feel you are in Aickman territory. You are not. Crisp’s voice is distinctive.
Erith shifts from anxious, to comical, to suppressed frustration with each page.

Terrible Things - 2022 - 6/10

“Tell us what the world was like before it hated us.”
A survivor explores the bleak landscape.
With a few lines of dialogue, we gather what was.
As for the future of the traveler, unknown.

The Navigators - 2001 - 6/10

In the 70’s, I belonged to the UMW (United Mine Workers), small fry in a huge crew.
Come the 80’s, I was still blue collar, high steel, only now the force was 3 or 4, tops.
A Master, a Journeyman, a Helper or two. Often either a Master or a Journeyman and one Helper.
In ten years, the blue collar world had altered dramatically.
By the 90’s the same do-more-with-less downsizing hit Retail jobs.

This bleak Ken Loach film captures that, although it comes across as twenty years late.
The “navigators”, the BritRail workcrew, attend the meeting about privatization.
About competing for customers. Only gradually do they grasp they are competing for hours.
Payroll cuts, less safety, untrained temps. Our future ain’t never what we envisioned.

Alice In Borderland: S02 - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Imawa no Kuni no Arisu // 今際の国のアリス

Never would have predicted this.
I enjoyed S01 up until it faltered at the Beach.
Was unsure if I wanted to view this season, until the fans raved deliriously.

Vestiges of Tokyo are disappearing under vegetation.
Players survive in pockets, form temporary enclaves as the games grow more elaborate.
For a second season, there is a wealth of narrative track, in deeper, richer veins.
Secondary, even tertiary players assume major roles.
Just how much is packed into eight episodes is astonishing.
Much relies on S01, so one must see that season first,
A few installments boast separate contests, with glimpses of still other games.
This season is more thoughtful as characters grapple with the value of human life.
What determines value? Merit, money, education? Who decides?
Is Life itself even worth the struggle, worth living? How about freedom?
Imaginative ending, too, in this well thought-out series.

”Your life is yours. Don’t follow someone else’s path."
Kyuma

To The Limit - 1995 - 4/10

After her boyfriend is murdered, Vickie Lynn revives her CIA training to track the killers.
Meantime, a Vietnam vet sees his wedding shot-up to hell, so he wants the killers.
The team complete (Anna Nicole Smith and Joey Travolta), the narrative spirals.
If you try to pay attention to the plot, this may distract you into enjoying it more (plot being jumpy and incoherent).
Smith offers nudity a few times, although these hew close to her Playboy videos.
Action is average, explosions probably from a fireworks stand.
Curious about Anna Nicole? None of her films are that hot. To The Limit may be the best, although it never showcases her exuberance.
I have long puzzled over why there is no documentary pertaining to her murder (follow the money).

Mrs. Warren’s Profession - 2021 - 6/10

Not that it is even mentioned, but the profession is the oldest one.
Mrs. Warren’s expertise has enabled her to put daughter Vivie through college.
Mother and daughter are strong characters, proto feminists.
A George Bernard Shaw play, the language is preachy, pompous, dull at points.
The message is dated and timely, female must empower to avoid shackles.
Over talky, stagebound, with players rooted to their marks, speechifying.

Crazed Fruit - 1956 - 7/10
AKA - Kurutta Kajitsu // 狂った果実

Arriving with his date, suddenly the guys realize innocent Haruji has bettered them all.
She is a beauty. She can dance, she is fun. How had he scored?
While Haru may well be naïve, his girl Eri is apparently not.

A sun swept romance, with unsettling undercurrents.
Haru’s older brother decides to take the girl away, by whatever trick.
Most of the characters appear very young, though I would guess them to be 18-20.

Enys Men - 2022 - 6/10

Lone inhabitant of isolated island is disturbed by visions - memories - remnants.
Writer / director has not bothered to elaborate, so speculate freely.
Suffice to say, there IS a female resident, and there once WAS a community.
There were miners, who also manned the rescue boat.
Categorized as Horror, it is not. It hews much closer to Aickman, into strange, into fringe.
The chronology is deliberately jumbled; advise you to simply watch and let proceedings bloom.
Viewers seeking Horror tropes, stop! There are thousands of other titles available.
Audio-freaks, this cranked my subwoofer, big time!

Tidhar, Lavie - The Big Blind

Her expression impassive, Claire studies the others round the table.
After a late night of card playing, gambling for small stakes, she returns home quietly. Donates her winnings, creeps to her chamber, dons her habit.
Day job, Sister Claire, convent nun.
I had grabbed this from a recent stack, ignored the cover art, and thus this turn came as a surprise. I mean, a poker playing nun?
Midway through this short novel, I must confess how much I was enjoying it. I started replaying scenes and moments as if this were already a film adaptation. Like those rollicking Irish comedies between 1995 and 2005.
The book itself is an effective crowd pleaser, whether or not you know a call from a flop from a river.
Entertaining beach read – which I mean as a compliment.

The Saragasso Manuscript - 1965 - 7/10
AKA - Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie

During a lull in the Napoleonic War in Spain, an officer finds a thick book.
The manuscript details the adventures, perhaps madness, of his grandfather, decades earlier.
Beginning with a shortcut through borderland territory, where he meets two beautiful sisters.
Supposedly cousins to him, they say. Or are they ghosts? Or djinns? Or succubi?

Bravado and common sense ignored, he drinks, as any female who coaxes the tiny head could predict.
Meanwhile, he is hunted, captured by the Inquisition. Rescued by a Kabbalahist. Or gypsies!

Baffling film, brims with heady stories, odd alleyways, serendipitous coincidences.
Utterly engrossing, although the three plus hours length kept this on my shelf for a few years.
Even now, I think I missed a lot.
Multiple viewings are supposedly necessary to fully appreciate this film.
Early champions of this include Scorsese, Coppola, and of all people, Jerry Garcia.
World cinema, arthouse fans, probably a must.

Project Wolf Hunting - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - Neukdaesanyang // 늑대사냥

Prisoner transfer from Philippines is anything but routine.
First off, using a cargo freighter? Not vetting the staff? Grasping that one container could contain weapons?
This section borrows from Under Siege and amplifies violence to 11.

There is, however, a clandestine government agency involved.
Not to mention something down in the hold.
Proceedings go haywire! Live action version of slaughter game.
Creative imagination runs dry midway, action is set to excess, rerun, rerun, rerun.

Tunnel - 2021 - 5/10

The yawning opening beckons.
He takes a photo, prepares to leave, only to yield to curiosity.
Nice photography, uneasy concept of Möbius portal and rural horror.
Acting adequate, cop-out conclusion.

Mirror Images II - 1993 - 5/10

The occasional sequel that improves on the original, although this lacks the “star power” of the first.
Steamy starlet Shannon Whirry plays Carrie and Terri, twin sisters. Good girl, bad girl.
Contrary to the normal world, goody-two-shoes marries the money.
Not to worry, sleazy husband advises her to fool around, while he bounces trashy sis.
After awhile the story makes no sense, and the sensual rollicking grows repetitive.
Glossy production values elevate this above most soft-core fodder.
Wildly popular during the erotic thriller heyday of the 90’s.

Weatherer, Dan - Tainted Isle

Novel written as a series of journal entries from the late Victorian era to the “end of all that” and the onslaught of the Great War.
Young man, Solomon Whyte, is a budding supernatural investigator, although he categorizes his occupation as paranormal work.
“Paranormal” strikes me as a modernism, and is not the only one in this collection of pastiche adventures.
Duly noted, and yet the stories have their moments, especially the first clutch.
“The Dressmaker’s Mannequin” is a perfumed dream, vivid upon awakening, elusive soon after.
Unlike so many investigators, Whyte is fallible, faltering throughout the narrative. Mistakes, poor decisions, mistiming matters. Rather refreshing.
This is a nice collection, with haunting black and white illustrations scattered through the pages.
In addition, this seems suitable for young readers.

Dracula - 1979 - 6/10

The roots are Stoker, yet this is based on the 1924 play, re-adapted for a 70’s Broadway run.
(I distinctly recall a Broadway TV commercial featuring “A Chorus Line” and “Dracula”.)
The count here accents the charm, the courtliness, as well as the sensual enjoyment of the female body.
Think Dracula cast as Bob Guccione.
Kate Nelligan, who I never fancied one way or another, is a fetching dish as Lucy
She and Langella spark terrific chemistry, as does he and Laurence Olivier.
I recall enjoyed this at the theater, especially the cinematography and rich colors.
The current version has been desaturated (much like the Coppola).
Please, give viewers all three: bold color, desaturated, black and white.

Bonn: Alte Freunde, Neue Feinde - 2022 - 6/10

Elements for an excellent espionage thriller here.
Two government agencies contest in post-WWII Bonn.
One insists on bringing old Nazis to justice.
The other is concerned about Communism at their doorstep.
Spy-counterspy activities are a chess match of strategies.
Into the narrative, however, is Toni. Idealistic 20 year old.
A Nancy Drew heroine, able to open safes, unearth secrets, even find a hidden sector!
Her amateur / super sleuth powers trivialize a potentially superior series.

The Song Of Lunch - 2010 - 7/10

He gazes at her wrist, so elegant and deft, with conjecture and speculation.
Has it truly been ten years? Fifteen? So little has changed.
Well, she is married, with two children.
While he remains a has-been poet, after she had married that successful fraud.
Two old flames meet for lunch. Why, you wonder.
To rekindle? Or to reaffirm?
Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman in pocket drama, although the latter carries most of the soured load.
Adapted from a poem, the dance of language in this is magical.

Amber - 2021 - 7/10

Jamal opens the barbershop. One customer, full treatment.
Then he notices the client is on the newspaper headline.

Exceptionally taut thriller, wordless throughout.
Short suspenser barrels into survival and blood.
Perfect as a featurette before starting the main film.

Everyone Says I Love You - 1996 - 7/10

People forget that there actually were musicals between 2016 and the final curtain in the early ‘60’s.
Au contraire, grasshopper. The Woodster released this loving homage in the mid-90’s.
Plotwise, there are couples falling in love, arguing in love, and the running “I’m through with love”.
Musical numbers are Broadway standards. Most of the cast does their own singing, and they are game.
Production numbers range from simple to elaborate. Who expected to see singing ghosts?
Clearly not for all tastes. If you have a fondness for this genre, this movie is a romp.
And hooray for Captain Spaulding!

The Staircase - 2022 - 7/10

Michael and Kathleen, power couple, before she is found dead on the staircase.
Did she fall? Was she attacked? Was she murdered?
The first to find her, and suspect number one, is husband Michael.
Challenging mystery series shuffles chronology as much as the theories.
Mixing dead earnest point-of-view testimonies with deceptions and outright lies.
Few perfect couples are ever as ideal as they appear and this pair is a sticky pile.
Unbelievable cast include Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Juliette Binoche, Parker Posey …
Based on true events from North Carolina, though I would advise NOT researching first.