Vultural

Copper, Basil - Whispers In The Night

Unable to buy Mr. Coppers two Arkham House collections, “And Afterward The Dark” and “From Evil’s Pillow”?
Rest easy. This very fine assortment is still available from Fedogan & Bremer, reasonably priced, and available direct, since F&B are still extant.

“Wish You Were Here” opens in Hoddesden Old Hall, bequeathed by an eccentric aunt to her nephew, Wilson. The manor had been neglected and needs work. Fortunately, like so many, Wilson is a successful writer and awash with cash. Along with the money, Wilson has a fiancée, Deirdre, and a best mate, Barry. Together, they form a curious triangle.
Then there are the postcards. Curious things, Edwardian, perhaps? Smudged, barely legible, arriving with increasing frequency. An uneasy Yule tale, best when the fire burns low.

Following a row with Angela, Claverhouse feared their engagement was finished.
To clear his mind, he spontaneously decided to catch a carriage to Croxted. Mechanical difficulties, dreadful weather, finds him compelled to lodge at the Red Lion Inn – where – he spies the most beguiling female.
“In A Darkling Wood” is another novella, this set in lonely country, troubled country.

Oh, the rising artist and his model, perhaps his muse. In this case, two models (muses), whom Ainsley juggles to keep each unaware of the other. Jealously can be so unpredictable.
Ainsley worriedly finds himself “Riding The Chariot” of industry, deception and desire.

“Out There” makes for a change. SciFi, set in the far future where mankind braces in technological fortresses, besieged by forces unknown.

Selected and introduced by Stephen Jones, enhanced with appropriate illustrations by Stephen Fabian.

BlackBerry - 2023 - 7/10

Rise and fall of the communication device, ubiquitous in the early 2000’s.
The original company is a small software developer, exploited and going nowhere fast.
Until they hire a corporate shark who kicks, shoves and propels them into giddy heights.
For those with adequate memories, BlackBerry leapfrogged the pagers.
The film plays out like a docudrama, covering a lot of territory fairly comprehensively.
Marked as a “comedy” I laughed maybe once or twice, although I enjoyed very much.
Some of the accuracy is sketchy (I doubt the SEC had jurisdiction in Canada).
Note: I detested seeing that “Sent from my BlackBerry” in emails back when, much as I detest seeing “Sent from my iPhone” today.

The Effect - 2024 - 7/10

Connie and Tristan enter clinical trials for a new drug to combat depression.
She is a psychology major and wants to experience side-effects, he’s for the pay.
As subjects, a couple, they are paired: boy - girl.
A major side effect is heightened dopamine levels, and interest between the unlikely duo mounts.
The play is a study of attraction and medical ethics.
Also an examination of love. Is attraction, even spiked by chemicals, enough?
Held my interest, although the dilemmas may resonate more with younger audiences in uncertain relationships.
English subtitles = https://subscene.com/subtitles/national-theatre-at-home-the-effect/english/3268702

Golden Eyes - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - Hyappatsu hyakuchû: Ôgon no me

After the opening chase, a helicopter with skyhook chasing fleeing chauffeur, the “plot” gears up.
At the center is a gold smuggling cartel.
Justice includes the Japanese police, Interpol, a female race driver and an insurance investigator.
Double crosses are everywhere!
Spy fever was at a height, as were spoofs (Matt Helm, Derek Flint, Max Smart, Lemmy Caution, Shandigor).
This boasts weird assassination attempts, preposterous shootouts, a jazzy score, and silly humor.
If you are in the mood, if you enjoy these carefree parodies, this rollicks along.

The Skeptic - 2009 - 6/10

Late at night, the elderly aunt dies suddenly, and her ostracized nephew Bryan inherits the white elephant mansion.
Or so he assumes.
Since his marriage is in rough patch, he decides to move into the manor for a few weeks.
And starts to hear and see “things”.
Good psychological horror film, probably a decade too late (for audiences who need explanations).
Is the house itself haunted? Or is locked-tight, emotionless Bryan haunted?
One thing for sure, the home and new occupant act as triggers upon each other.
The spacious dwelling (a wonderful character) is immaculate throughout.

The Power Of The Whistler - 1945 - 6/10

As the man nears the city curb, a speeding car sideswipes him, knocking him down.
He dusts himself, heads for the nearest bar, soon wonders, “Hey? Who am I?”
Yes, amnesia strikes again!
Luckily, a fetching blonde, half his age, sees him as attractive and offers to help.
So, following bits and bobs in his pockets, they dig up his history.
Dark entry in the Whistler series, plays its hand too early, hinting at our hero’s tendencies.
Brooding Noir, well shot, although Dix as a romantic swain? C’mon.

Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion - 2022 - 5/10
AKA - Pengabdi Setan 2

Extremely dark film, loaded with jump scares. Check.
Children (teenagers) in danger throughout. Check.
A plot that has little to no bearing on the first film. Check.
In 1955, in an isolated area, graves yawn open and corpses shuffle into a shrine to bow before the icon.
That entire line is abandoned as the scene shifts to 1984, an impoverished apartment tower in oblivion.
A ferocious storm approaches, adults have vanished, and children roam dark passageways.
By and large, I enjoy Joko Anwar’s Indonesian horrors, but this is a let down.
Hardly a sequel, lacking the framework of a plot, clearly aimed at children and nyctophobiacs.

Murder In Provence - 2022 - 6/10

The Brits borrow a page from the seemingly endless flow of French mysteries.
Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll play the prosecutor and forensic whatever, investigating deaths around Aix.
The countryside is nicely displayed, the murders have clever trails, numerous suspects.
The investigating couple are already an “item”, so there are no silly romantic sparks.
Dry humor pervades, and this is fine for fans of cozy.
For all this, the brief series could just as easily have been set in the Cotswolds.

The Interview - 2023 - 7/10

Interview being the earthshaking one between Princess Diana and Martin Bashir in 1995.
The play shifts back and forth between the wary princess and the opportunistic journalist.
In the wings are a pair of advisors to Diana, who urge caution.
Yet, she is tired of discretion, while the royal Firm cuts, nicks, and whispers.
Tired of the double standard. And the journalist is a charmer.
Followed by the aftermath, the exposure of lies and betrayals.
The devious manipulation had me wondering if the princess had any trustworthy men in her life.

Gladysz, Thomas - Louise Brooks, The Persistent Star

Yes, yes, as others have pointed out, there are scattered redundancies here and there. Also, for casual readers, much here borders on trivia or minutiae.
My biggest complain is the lack of an index. Possibly this will be remedied in a later edition.
Nevertheless, this is a goldmine of information and photographs, not only of Brooks but also of her contemporaries, along with billboards, newspaper clippings, adverts, etc …
There are reminisces of those smitten by her, during and after her moment.
Gladysz’s passion is remarkable, his dedication tireless. He is the proper definition of fan, a fanatic.
Overall, an excellent companion to the biography by Barry Paris, which itself is essential.

She Fell Among Thieves - 1978 - 6/10

And the chief thief, her wicked stepmother, of course!
Young Jenny is due to inherit £20 million in a few days, once she turns 18.
Unless – she marries beforehand, whereupon said wealth belongs to her stepmother, Vanity Fair.
Who, as we learn, is a diabolical mastermind behind murders, robberies, blackmail.
The film dances between cozy murder and camp. Dialogue is a treat.
While set in France, I recognized Castell Coch (Wales).
Eileen Atkins delicious as the razor tongued villain.
English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/she-fell-among-thieves/english/3267249

Para Psychics - 1976 - 5/10
AKA - To Koritsi Vomva // Death Has Blue Eyes

A pair of low-level grifters, cheap adventurers, get “hired” by a mother-daughter combo.
The daughter is being targeted for assassination by, what seems a cheap government unit.
Big boss sits in front of a bank of reel-to-reel tape decks, killers all ride motorcycles.
The daughter, well, she can make stuff blow up, or make folks drop dead.
She’s got mind powers.
There’s about 30 minutes of actual plot. The rest is tentative sex and interminable chase sequences.
Limited violence. Flesh rompings that would make your mother yawn.

Pray For Blood - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Todo la Sangre

The first murder, a beheading, occurs during the height of fireworks and celebrations.
Followed by another, with more severed body parts.
Police have their trails and sources, tabloid journalists have their own.
In the middle, a cultural historian, who recognizes the ritual Aztec slayings.
It is not a serial killer. Someone is laying the groundwork to open a portal.
Blood splattered gore in this dive down Mexican folklore, shamanism and corruption.

The Wandering Earth - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Liu Lang di Qiu

Earth is doomed! Again. This time, it ain’t us, it ain’t alien invaders. Nope, our Sun is going supernova.
What to do? What to do? How about build 10,000 thrusters and shuttle the whole planet 4 light years distant?
Science majors, quit rolling your eyes and bail already.
Those who can tolerate heroic SciFi actioners, this should be OK.
Lots of characters, a fair amount who are annoyingly young and plucky.
Most of the drama occurs early in the voyage, around year 15 of a 2500 year trip.
Calculations for using Jupiter as a slingshot are a twee bit off, igniting a mad scrambling.
There is a part 2, and this was OK enough that I may view down the line.

Bell, Peter - Hauntings: Tales Of Supernatural Dread

At times, the sheer consistency of Bell seems uncanny, almost frightening.
Ten stories here, of recent vintage or new to this collection.

Rock climbers and Carl and William tackle the crags of Scotland in spring, before the horde of rookies, except they started too early and they are soon disoriented and trapped by a blizzard. In “The Bothy”, they find shelter in the self-named dwelling, only to encounter a fellow lost soul.

“Rounding The Stone” lingers in Machen territory, featuring an abandoned rural church, perhaps the grounds of an earlier pagan site, and the solitary explorer, overly curious, oblivious to the prickles rising on the back of his neck.

“Pict, Celt, Saxon, Viking and Norman had come and gone, yet the yews that crowded darkly round had outlived them all.”
So thought Blake, educated wanderer, with free time enough to traipse the back country, even take the wayward turn and finding an ancient chapel.
In “Ragnarok”, he scratches into the history, lightly, suspecting Norse origins, not suspecting how truly old the origins were.

The university professor and attractive female student. The thirst of knowledge, flirtation, followed by trysting. (I had witnessed similar scenarios during my college years.) In “The Curator Of Souls”, Dr. Slade proves a novice compared with Laura, in a tale that softly eddies into the realm of Aickman.

“Crucifix” concludes this strong collection and is a gem for bibliophiles.
Pamela worked for a Brighton bookshop, high end, prestigious. Until she was released owing to, shall we say, a misunderstanding.
Luckily, she accepts an offer to inventory a large, private collection in Scotland.
The owner, Lady Wilson Brodie, wants shed of the books, gathered over the years by her deceased husband, and his father before him, as well as … going back a century. Lady Gwen has no interest in, let alone knowledge of, books in general. She preference is for drink.
As for the books, Pamela spies numerous rarities, many worth a ransom, which could easily tempt the individual who was dismissed owing to “a misunderstanding”.

Murder Is Easy - 2023 - 6/10

Village resident, Miss Pinkerton, is heading for Scotland Yard with her suspicions.
Two have already died in mysterious circumstances, and she suspects a third.
On the train journey, she shares her thoughts with young Fitzwilliam, from Nigeria.
Then, in London, she is murdered, struck down by a hit-n-run driver.
Whereupon Fitz, an attaché to Whitehall, decides to head to her village and begin investigating.
Adapted from an Agatha Christie novel, this may tempt her fans, yet there are problems.
Directorial choices are poor. Excessive close-ups ruin the flow.
The actors have no chemistry. Rather than engage, they shift around, waiting to say lines.
The script, for those who have read the book, is a jaw-dropping fantasy.

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - La Mansion de la Niebla

You know, you can warn people over and over. If the door to a subterranean world opens, don’t. If you find catacombs, tunnels, turn around.
Six disparate travelers, driving the backroads, get lost in rising fog, seek refuge in an isolated manse.
Out on the woods, stalking one of them or more, are ghosts of the original homeowner and her chauffeur.
Giallo takes a lot of time showing characters, building tension.
Midway between Horror and Thriller, with a fair dollop of Scooby Doo.
Eventually gets going, and the conclusion is satisfying. My version seems PG.

Driving Madeleine - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Une Belle Course

Madeleine hires a cab to shuttle her from one side of Paris to the other.
Farewell to her home of many years, and a free-range existence. Awaiting her is the “retirement” home, and smiling, overly cautious imprisonment.
Enroute, she and the driver converse (this is French). About their lives, family, personal histories, the changing Paris.
Detours and side trips, cafes and jostling with street life.
Where would you go on your last day of freedom?
Haunting film catching the last flicker of twilight.

She Killed In Ecstasy - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Sie Tötete in Ekstase

Dr. Johnson is stripped of his medical credentials. Well, he had been experimenting with – not embryos, as he declared – but fully developed fetuses.
His goals: to improve our species. And in 1970, this still smacks of eugenics.
Quickly, he falls into an irreversible decline, and his wife vows revenge on those she views as his murderers. Who? The four-person medical panel.
Intelligent (early) Jess Franco film is erotic, not pornographic, a stylish, thoughtful thriller.
Not enough skin and fluids to tempt hardcore fans, yet a safe outing for novices.

Bury Me Dead - 1947 - 5/10

The stables burn down, and Barbara, heiress, horse trainer, pugilist fan, is carried out, burned beyond recognition.
At her own funeral, heavily veiled, no one recognizes her.
She wonders who tried to murder her. Her resentful half-sister? Philandering, alcoholic husband? The husband’s grasping, greedy mistress? Or the butler!
Half-assed Noir has fantastic photography, courtesy John Alton, when the sets don’t wobble.
The mystery is marred by comic relief overload, along with – what? – 5 or 6 flashbacks.
This is a B-Noir, as well as a mystery comedy. Too bad the result awkwardly straddles genres.

Tokyo Vice - 2022 - 6/10

Missouri journalism major lands dream job with Japan’s most prestigious newspaper.
Assignments mean reporting news in such a way that does not offend, speculate, gainsay the police line.
Bland headlines, meekly espoused.
In the midst of the day to day, an outside Yakuza is trying to muscle in on territory.
Yakuza rivalries and tactics, absolutely! Police maneuverings, irresistible. Newspaper, great stuff.
That said, much of the “story” dawdles into club hostesses and their angst.
At best, the females are a distraction. By and large, they are written as stupid.
Together, they have the common sense of a sea sponge.
This could have, should have, been superb, instead of soap opera poo-poo.

Whitehead, Henry S - West India Lights

After a disappointing “attempt” from a modern press, I went to the shelves and retrieved this vintage Arkham House edition, purchased in 1984 for – get this – $1.50.
300+ pages, 16 stories and an essay explaining the obi to outsiders.

“Black Terror” is classic voodoo. A curse is laid, a Catholic priest summoned.

Recalling M. R. James “The Mezzotint”, the title story, “West India Lights” is of an eerie painting, and the soiled history of a privileged youth gone bad, quite bad, and the gallows.

“The Shut Room” lies in a small inn, losing business trade owning to thievery. Two of Whitehead’s recurring characters, Lord Carruth and Gerald Canevin, feature prominently.

The majority of these tales hail from the 1930’s and 40’s, published in popular pulps and magazines. All are eminently readable and should delight fans of old-fashioned yarns.

This was Arkham’s second volume devoted to Whitehead. I have never found volume one at a reasonable price. Good luck to all those who likewise hunt for books to fill your shelves.

Hoodoo Ann - 1916 - 6/10

Infant Ann was dumped off at the orphanage on Friday 13, and hard luck has been her lot since.
Mid-film, her inherent goodwill and generosity give her chance at happiness.
All the while, the hoodoo, the jinx, bides its time.
At an hour, this boasts enough plots for 3-4 films.
The orphanage scenes, domestic bliss in an unsettled neighborhood, a murder mystery!
Then there is the film within the film, “Mustang Charley’s Revenge” a Wild West melodrama.
Good role for Mae Marsh in a, at times exciting, if sweet little film.

Walking On Sunshine - 2019 - 6/10

Trials and tribulations of the weather division of a local Austrian TV station.
On one hand, the team does its own in-house analysis and forecasting.
One he other hand, they are tiny, and the German behemoth wants them as a feeder.
The team is a mix of likeable and bullying, professionals and fools.
Ex-alcoholic news presenter Otto is the most compelling as the self-deluded egoist.
Others, well, the writers try their best to make dullards seem intriguing.
Season 01 = 10 episodes. Doubt I shall return for more.

Count Magnus - 2022 - 7/10

The English tourist, a self styled scholar, delving into histories best left buried.
Mr Wraxall, a writer of travel guides, is vacuous and supercilious, and a classic wheedler.
His hostess, the publican, the priest, all warn him to avoid anything to do with the long dead Count Magnus.
And yet …
Probably one of the better adaptations by Mark Gatiss.
Previous installments have been adequate, hum-drum, but this scores points for atmosphere and a Jamesian style.
Cozy, not gory. Understated, not bellowing. Know thyself.