Vultural

After Life - 2021 - 6/10

“Yesterday you passed away, I am very sorry for your loss.”
New guests are given three days to select one memory from their life to carry forth into the unknown.
One or two arrivals are young, their pool of choices limited.
Others worry about what they left behind. Their cat. Who will find it? Feed it?
This theatre adaptation lacks the humor of the original film, focusing on the “staff”, their dramas and conflicts.
Overall strong, although the squabbling seems forced and awkward.
For those self doubting their own worth, remember, “… no life is average.”

After Life - 1998 - 7/10
AKA - Wandafuru Raifu // ワンダフルライフ

Welcome to the afterlife. New arrivals are given one week.
They have one week – one week – to choose one memory to retain.
One memory from a lifetime, before they move on. To where? No one knows.
One moment, and all other memories are wiped clean.
As for the memory, the staff does their best to recreate that, and the recreation is what the deceased hold onto.
This has a documentary feel. Arrivals deal with their new situation, a temporary one.
Worse, the decision is agonizing at times.
Thought provoking, forcing viewers to wonder what event they might select.

Friedman, Stephen - The House At The Edge Of The Dark

Out walking in Prague, our narrator finds a phone on a bench.
Sound advice is to ignore the device and stroll on.
Instead, he picks it up, scrolls through images, even forwards one to himself.
That is of a house he has passed dozens of times. Why had the owner taken a photo of it? If they were so curious, maybe he should be.
And so, down the dark end of the street he walks.
A short curio, not lacking merit. I find Friedman has a wonderful pattern of sentencing that young writers would be wise to study.
The novelette itself resembles a trap, a snare, grim and effective.

Always Be My Maybe - 2019 - 7/10

Despite sporadic lulls, this is a sharp RomCom, throwback to classic, pre-Hallmark romances.
Next door neighbors, childhood best friends, Marcus and Sasha seemed destined for … until they weren’t.
Sasha is a jet-setting restaurateur and chef, Marcus is a blue collar HVAC tech.
After a sixteen year absence, she returns to San Francisco and bumps into, who else?
Mind you, she instantly recognizes a setup, as does he, and neither want to be hurt again.
Not enough San Francisco scenery to boast about, but the film is funny!
Barbed dialogue, great one-liners, weird situations – all almost undercut by the skoffy patches.
Romantics will enjoy and sigh with this. Cynics will note the money and social gap.

A Bloodthirsty Killer - 1965 - 6/10
AKA - Salinma // 살인마

Ghost story jumps off the rails immediately, yet remains compelling viewing throughout.
Entering an empty art gallery, a man finds a painting of his ex-wife, ten years dead.
Only the painting melts in his hands, and then he is hijacked into the country.
Next comes another painting, an encounter with an apparition, murder.
This is fifteen minutes in. Hold on, for the narrative now shifts into high gear!
Ghosts, revenge, adultery, furtive servants, disappearances.
A tremendous amount of plot in this Gothic Horror, including for you feline fanatics, lethal cats.

The Great Texas Dynamite Chase - 1975 - 6/10

Candy busts outta prison long enough to rob a bank and help Pa save his foreclosed, broke down, tumbleweed overrun homestead.
She soon teams up with the daydreaming Ellie-Jo, and the pair commence to robbing more banks.

Rolling through west Texas (Alpine, Del Rio), they acquire better clothes, trade in their rickety Chevy 210 for a Rolls, latch onto the stud Slim (Johnny Crawford).
Fair amount of nudity, lots of explosions, some gunplay. Template for beloved Andy and Drew Sidaris flicks.
Also – and I ain’t going out on no limb here – the inspiration for Thelma And Louise.
Excepting one was embraced by cinema connoisseurs, while Texas Dynamite Chase is straight up drive-in.

Black Sabbath: Master Of Reality Documentary - 2022 - The Tapes Archive

Absorbing end-to-end “fan” documentary on the making of “Master Of Reality”.
Background, historical timetables, comments by group members, the whole Satanic thing.
No lulls, rarely dull, excellent use of images (group, commercials, news footage, film clips),
Only quibble I had was the creator-writer-producer also does all the narrating.
Other voices would vary the listening experience and, in my opinion, make this better.
Still, this labor of love production is absolutely first rate!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6GTf6rOepQ

After the show -
^

My first Sabbath concert was when they were supporting the newly released “Master Of Reality”.
The next morning, I was chatting on campus with a female friend who had also attended.
“Did you notice the singer in the jumpsuit?” she said. “He had an erection the whole show!”
“Guys don’t really stare at another man’s crotch,” I said. “Why would you do that?”
“Because,” she shrugged. Then she started staring down at my pants.
After a minute, I started getting aroused. “Hey, stop that! I have to go to class.”
“That is how we do it,” she smiled. “And as for why … because – we – can.”
Thousands of female eyes gazing at Ozzy that show, resistance was futile.
^

Nothing To Hide - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - Le Jeu

Said it before, dinner parties – the worst.
On the night of a lunar eclipse, three couples and a spare meet up.
A comment about privacy, openness and secrets, leads to a game.
Everyone will leave their phones on the dinner table.
Any calls or texts will be answered, comments read out loud, pictures shown.
Oh yeah, these are middle-aged adults, not twenty year olds.
Who knew phones would be so busy? Callers would post images, express demands.
Uncomfortable laughs mix with squalid exposures.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Arthurs Gesetz - 2018 - 6/10

Wife Martha convinces Arthur to endure a work accident.
“Think of all the insurance money we will collect! Besides, you have another hand.”
Arthur is a fool. Stupid, perhaps. I mean, he didn’t notice the surveillance camera near the power saw?

Nevertheless, hope springs eternal! Arthur falls in love with a singing prostitute.
I kinda lost track of the death count in this black comedy.
They are numerous and they are fairly inventive.
Short series is laugh out loud funny, yet extremely mean-spirited.
Caveat emptor.

Engstrom, Elizabeth - Nightmare Flower

I should have liked this collection; I wanted to like this collection. But I couldn’t, for a number of reasons.
The stories, by and large, have a remote, cool tone, as if each narrator was disengaged. Consequently, I never felt sympathetic with characters, let alone their activities.

Two titles, “Nightwind” and “Rain”, pits characters against elemental weather, although I wondered, what was the point of each?

I won’t kick other tales, wasting your time and mine.

The last, longest, and finest, is the novella “Project Stone”. This seems more a conspiracy thriller than horror yarn. An anxiety ridden urbanite finds refuge in a gated desert enclave. Peace of mind comes with a price, of which she contentedly ignores. This feels like a very 90’s take, akin to an “X-Files” episode from that period.

Valencourt books are always affordable and worth a look, but, for me, this was wet powder.

Lone Wolf (Wolf Creek - Wolf Creek 2) - Maniac

Maniac combines Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2 into one blood drenched fantasy reel for Mick Taylor lovers. Mind you, a little of smiling Mick goes a long way.

Video - 1920 X 1080p AVC. Day scenes were vivid, nights equally so. I like how the two movies have been shuffled somewhat. The first half seems to have more cuts and editing, and moves quicker as a result. Much of the finale occurs in Mick’s “den,” a grisly bachelor pad, with more static camera work.

Audio - Dialogue (Mick’s nonsense, along with whimpering, pleading, groaning, etc …) is clean, though Mick’s Oz Outback accent can be a strain at times. No subs, although hardsubs given for German hikers. No unusual fadeouts, music cuts. New Isham music is effective.

Narrative - As noted, a little of this goes a long way. Most of the cuts are of the “meals” or victims, so must viewers will not develop much empathy for them. Not that you have much empathy with Mick, he’s still the spooky neighbor you try not to engage with.
To be blunt, the narrative is huntin’ - hurtin’ - killin’.

Enjoyment - Ohhhhhhhhhh, not so much. I liked both features, they seemed to breathe more. This edit is a remorseless grind. To be fair, Maniac retained the dread of both films, the trapped, doomed ambiance that worms into the viewer’s gut. Few of Maniac’s edits are happy rides. This nasty slice shredded humanity will surely please Maniac’s fans.

Alien Elements (AvP) - ThrowgnCpr

I must confess I have a fondness for AvP, and rewatch it frequently.
Early on, some odd business relocates AvP from the Pole to the pyramids.
It feels shoehorned in and is awkward.
Once our modern (future) team is inside “the pyramid,” the tempo charges ahead.
No idea who characters are, other than they act as quick meals for the xenomorth.
Despite sharp editing throughout, the story is a bit of a jumble sale.
Interesting ideas, but fairly incoherent. I wanted to like this.
Part of me wonders if this was a learning experience for the editor, as he certainly went on to craft on a higher level.
Worthwhile short, nevertheless. Especially for fledgling editors, seeing the baby steps of editors who are now leaders.

Ripley (Alien3 & Resurrection) - Job Willins

Editor Job Willins previous edit - Derelict - was an arresting and entertaining comparison of two of the stronger entries in the Alien canon. If anything, Derelict shows how much the Prometheus lot echoed / borrowed / swiped from the original Alien movie. This second edit mixes two of the most misunderstood, if not roundly disliked Alien films, Alien³ and Resurrection. Skepticism notwithstanding, I dropped in to have a look.

Video - 1280 X 720p MPEG-4. As with Derelict, Ripley is also rendered black n white. Too dark, especially in the first third, to my liking. Brightness could be boosted a bit, and yes I understand filmmakers use smoke and shadows to mask budgetary limitations. I strained to make out foreground details. A curious thing I noticed was two (2) video streams. After demuxing, the smaller stream revealed itself to be a series of ten still frames. Time markers for the editor perhaps? Or perhaps an abandoned menu design? I had never seen that before.

Editing itself was uniformly fine. Now and then, an inspired cut from one film to another. Most struck me as random.

Audio - 2 Channel AAC, 251 Kb variable. No subs. Despite being a pair of actioners, the dynamic range is not especially sweeping. Dialogue understandable throughout.

Narrative - Ripley suffers in comparison with Derelict. Ripley is two films from two different periods of the timeline. The edited story bounces about like a pinball. There seems no reason for this. The editor simply could have assembled his film chronologically, rather than this random method. Both storylines are weak on plot. Characters are poorly drawn, and even Ripley is barely more than a cipher. This is especially true for the Resurrection half.

Part of the problem lies with the original films themselves. Garbage in, garbage out, as the saying goes. Job Willins is trying to forge a superior viewing experience from poor stories.

Enjoyment - Less than ecstatic, I’m afraid. I disliked both films when I first screened them theatrically. They failed to improve after seeing on VHS and later DVD. The stories are simply weak, the characters unmemorable. This edit did nothing to improve my opinion.

The closing credits ought to have mirrored the opening credits, by the way. The closing credits, rolling to oblivion, are too busy and an unfortunate choice.

Stuck Together - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Huit Rue de l’Humanite

French comedy about apartment renters enduring early Covid restrictions.
Obsessive compulsive, cavalier, greedy opportunists, puppy love.
Add the smug landlord and a quack biologist, looking for a cure (and any stray pets).
Although characters are more caricatures, this is packed with funny situations and witty jousting.
Despite its fuzzy warm heart, there is an edge to this, an undercurrent of the days when Corona was out of control.

Life Is Beautiful - 2022 - 5/10
AKA - Insaeng-eun Areumdaweo // 인생은 아름다워

You wouldn’t guess it, but Se Yeon has cancer. A month, two months, tops.
She makes a checklist of things she wants to do before dying.
Her family, meanwhile, still treats her as a doormat.
The husband is a rude, insensitive boor, the children indifferent. One wishes Mom were gone.
Years before, she made the wrong choice and lost her first love. Her schoolgirl crush.
Is he still somewhere? Could she find him?
While her family continues to treat her like dog scrapings, Se Yeon pushes optimistically ahead.
Comedy / musical (!) makes for an uncomfortable watch, in may ways, morbid.
Vintage K-pop songs + lavish dance numbers = sheer schmaltz. The finale, tasteless.
Being kind, this got lost in translation … or is simply too Korean for me.

Muse - 2017 - 6/10

The professor’s live-in girlfriend is tired of hiding their relationship.
Post-grad student Beatriz would stir comments, perhaps cost him tenure.
Before he can decide, however, Samuel gets entangled with the “Seven Ladies”.
The mystery of the muses, the ones who inspired and tormented artists over centuries.
Fairly unique storyline, although the bones of this are classic quest. Who? Why?
Sensual and bloody throughout, dashing assumptions, as well.
Fine Gothic supernatural thriller.

Miss Barton’s Famous Cakes - 2019 - 6/10

Miss Barton makes prize-winning cakes.
So highly sought after, that two detectives arrive to warn her about two escaped convicts.
Both of whom are desperately hungry for her cake, and both, apparently, are impersonating detectives!
Wry humor predominates in exceptional looking short.

The black and white is pure Noir fused with high Gothic.
Atmospheric Noir score, as well, although the story itself is fluff.

Strange Confession - 1945 - 6/10

Part of Universal’s “Inner Sanctum” series. Viewers expected thrills or supernatural will be disappointed.
Stodgy drama, bordering on corn, finds brilliant chemist exploited by his boss, who soon takes a shine to his wife.
This feels like “product” and in many ways, it is.
The audio commentary, itself quite hit and miss, explains how Hollywood churned out films for the WWII home front.
With the war’s end, there would never be such strong casting for a B-film (Lon Chaney Jr, Lloyd Bridges, Brenda Joyce, J. Carroll Nash …). Sets would be fewer and cheaper. The commentary, when focused, serves the film.
The print itself shows outstanding restoration, far beyond what one might expect for such a small vehicle.
J. Carroll Nash steals the movie.

The Head: S02 - 2022 - 7/10

Despite the heavy death toll at Polaris VI, research continues.
After all, while humanity parties on, global warming escalates.
Arthur is determined as ever to find a solution and immortalize his name.
Just as Maggie is equally driven to destroy him.
The scene now shifts to a huge research freighter in the South Pacific.
An uneasy crew, more so after the initial death.
More characters this time out who I intensely disliked and kept hoping were next.
Drifting into formula now, yet this remains a taut thriller.

Judas Kiss - 1998 - 6/10

Heist film, yet from the onset, this defies expectations.
Security is distracted.

The heist is the kidnapping a of tech mogul, and runs slick with a small hiccup.
A bystander appears and needs to be liquidated. Only the victim is a politician’s wife.
Feds are involved to the chagrin of the detective in charge, who did not want the case to begin with.

The narrative careens all over kingdom come, with flashbacks, twists, adult situations.
Diverting enough mystery set in New Orleans, although a real mystery is why two Brits play the two coppers.
Rickman, by the way, cannot drawl a Southern accent for the life of him.

Hell Hole - 2021 - 6/10

Mason is not employee-of-the-month material.
Lazy, goof-off, shirker, lolling in this truck (Tonka?) instead of making his rounds.

Not surprisingly, his clumsiness causes an accident. A calamitous one.
Comic horror short seems to be building toward something (a longer film?).
Ridiculous, creative use of miniatures.

Shattered - 1991 - 6/10

Dan emerges from the car crash a physical and mental mess.
Total amnesia.
Luckily, his wife is there to help him rebuild his memories. Or is she?
Ditto his business partner wants to help. Or does he?
Old fashioned thriller about the dangers of the truth.
Or the dangers of not knowing.
Stereotyped premise has been told better, although this is adequate for a Saturday night.

Nolan, William F. - The Winchester Horror

Old-fashioned potboiler that Nolan could pen half asleep.
A midnight séance in the famous house rouses long dead Sarah Winchester. From that point on, trespassers in the home receive brutal deaths.
Meanwhile, psychic investigator Kincaid accepts the request of a police officer friend to hunt for his missing sister, herself heavily drawn to psychic truths and realities.
The novella switches back and forth, from Winchester House to Kincaid.
Any reader will foretell the inevitable encounter between dwelling and seeker.
Fast moving yarn which proudly shows its Pulp roots.
One to read with a smile, before tucking back into the shelves.

Design For Living - 1933 - 6/10

Titillating Pre-Code ménage à trois
Two men (best friends), one woman, who decide to live together platonically in Paris.
Funny film of manners, dialogue and situations.
Sly and naughty, yet never overt, which is probably why the Production Code passed it.
I suspect censors knew there was “something” about this that offended, but could not identify.
In ’34, the Code tightened and this was banned.
Sophisticated comedy, perhaps a bit starchy now.

The Getaway - 1972 - 7/10

Newly paroled con, Doc, is tasked with a bank heist.
In the background, corrupt politicians and calculating mob bosses.
As with most film heists, events swiftly go up in flames.
Hit and miss action film, worthwhile to see McQueen in prime form, blessed with Peckinpah’s red-blooded direction and a hard-nosed script by Walter Hill.
Plot and twists better than most action flicks.
Still, one watches this for McQueen and bullets. 12 gauge 00 shells. Gun hounds will go crazy watching this.