Vultural

The Black Cat - 1934 - 7/10

Following a bus accident, a young American couple and Hungarian psychiatrist are stranded in remote Austria.
Not to worry, nearby is the home of a famous architect, and friend of the psychiatrist.
Actually, the men are old and bitter adversaries. In war and in love.
The young couple become sideshow pawns, as the long curdling revenge plays out.
Exceptional set design and atmosphere fully support this dark tale.
The leads, Bela and Boris, probably their finest pairing together.
This just ducked under the Production Code, and likely would not have been released afterward.

The Machinist - 2004 - 7/10

Trevor suffers insomnia, a year long bout of it.
Profound weight loss is apparent, and his attention to work seems slipping.
The hallucinations are powerful distractions.
Not without reason, as he is pursued, he is haunted.
No one else sees these “ghosts” nor does anyone believe him.
Christian Bale frightening in this slow boil thriller
Not remotely feel-good or energizing, a draining experience.

Demon - 2015 - 6/10
AKA - Dibbuk

Python, excuse me, Piotr as he is now, travels to the village of his buddy and his soon-to-be bride, Zaneta.
While helping shift brush with an end loader, Piotr accidentally unearths an unmarked grave.
There is a human skeleton, which he covers up.
Yet the spirit, the soul, emerges, and latches itself – herself – to Piotr.
And the wedding revelries get underway. Music, alcohol, dancing, alcohol, arguments, alcohol, sex, alcohol.
Only Piotr sees the darkly beautiful wraith, clad in an older style, approaching ever nearer.
The wedding celebrations, evasions and denials, dominate the supernatural elements.
For Americans, there are no explanations. Only a cryptic history to make your own guess.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357652

The New Morality - 2015 - 6/10

Betty, suspicious that her husband might be having an affair, loudly calls the other woman a rude name.
While never quite spoken, let’s say it rhymes with itch.
A scandal in the crusty social set, circa 1911, and slander rears its head.
Both females deploy their husbands as reluctant messengers.
Starchy theatre set aboard a houseboat: cabin below and on deck.
Acid humor, although situations better grasped by those familiar with New Woman feminism.

The Witches - 1966 - 6/10

Her final experiences in Africa were horrifying.
Tribal uprising led by the witch doctor.
Safely back in England, Gwen lands the job of headmistress in the village school.

Where, drip by drip, the locals still believe, still practice, the odd pagan rites.
Almost everyone is close-lipped, yet she sees how the women view the older children.
Obsessively protective, saving them … for what?
Hammer film has good locations, fabulous color, slow buildup.
Finale proves a little too artsy for my liking, however.

3 Bad Men - 1926 - 6/10

The wagon is attacked by a pack of outlaws.
Observing from on high, three desperadoes. Horse thief, card sharp, murderer.
They arrive too late to save the helpless pioneers, save for the young girl.
Nevertheless, they befriend her, and decide to stick with her for the Dakota Land Rush.
Early John Ford Western shows his liabilities and strengths.
Corny comedy, shmaltz, plodding social values.
Then there are magnificent scenes: the mustering of the rush, the torchlit riders, the siege of innocents.
A film of glorious villains. The crooked sheriff and his corrupt cronies, and the three “bad men”.

The “girl” is a smoldering Olive Borden (distant cousin to Lizzie, really).
Love story is token, although she and O’Brien display fiery chemistry.

Operation Eichmann - 1961 - 6/10

Four years before Hogan’s Heroes Klemperer and Banner as hardcore Nazis in this.
First thirty minutes features an intense Klemperer, bigger, badder, more powerful than one might suppose.
Browbeating Hoss (Auschwitz), putting Goebbels in his place, going toe to toe with Himmler.
As the war ends, he flees with his mistress to Spain, then the ratlines.
Second half follows the Mossad, and is more angsty.
Creative license throughout; quite topical when was released, the “history” is dubious.
Bizarre watching Klink and Schultz out of character.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357653

Pinwheel Horizon - 2023 - 5/10

Arid short set on another planet, celebrating purposeless conflict.
The trio march though desert wastes facing one battle after another.
Combat without end, without reason.
Conflicts range from minimal to nonexistent.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357655

Gold Lust - 1984 - 7/10

Documentary of the Serra Pelada gold field in Brazil.
A nugget was discovered in 1979. By the time of this film, tens of thousands slaved away.
Yes, gold was found, nuggets 10 lb and heavier.
The open air pit was humongous. As was the violence, thievery, murder, squalor.
Mud, filth, avarice, delusions, despair.
Narration by Orson Welles.
Doc captures the utter depths of humanity … the potential near-future of civilization.

Up In The Air - 2009 - 6/10

Ryan is the corporate axeman.
Companies that don’t have the balls to fire employees, he is called.
Impersonal business, all the way. It’s a living.
Change is in the air, however.
How about firing employees via voicemail or text (which they now do, bastards).
Ryan argues for the “human touch”, despite his lack of empathy.
Most of this film is spot-on, Clooney sardonic and unforgettable.
Last section gets mushy, loses its spine (and a point from me).
Traveling downsizers, typically loss-prevention agents, NEVER embrace sympathy.

Around The World Under The Sea - 1966 - 5/10

Team of modern Argonauts roam the depths.
Mission: place early warning, earthquake sensors.
Cast of familiar faces struggles with a talky script, and a profound lack of action.
An onboard chess match seems more contentious than aquatic dangers.
The relationships are sheer nonsense, the “science” is comic book.
One watches mostly for Lloyd Bridges and Shirley Eaton, others less remembered.

Murders In Béarn - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres en Béarn

The corpse floats in the river, wearing an amulet of medieval legend.
Oh, and a hand has been chopped off.
Police are assigned, two females who despise each other.

Why? Their children, once married, now divorced.
Whereupon one mother had her son-in-law arrested, imprisoned, his reputation destroyed.
The murder is sorta interesting, but not enough for the film.
Thus, the soap opera dynamics.
Scenery and compositions soar above most of these French mysteries.

In Love With Alma Cogan - 2012 - 6/10

Despite the title, there ain’t no Alma, unless you count a brief flashback and lingering memory.
No, this is a traditional “theatre in trouble” trope, with the saving “let’s put on a show, gang!”
Typical of local theatre-goers, audiences are oldsters.
There is a clash of new accountancy, and a manager trying to make theatre affordable to everyday Joes.
The film is backstage and backstories. Grudges, rivalries, loyalties, and the pressure of change.
Really, this is for theatre fans, especially Rep or Regional.

Alma Cogan: The Girl With The Giggle In Her Voice - 1991 - 6/10

Alma dominated the English music charts from the mid 1950’s until the 60’s.
Buoyant and radiating optimism, Alma represented a return to joie de vivre following austerity.
With Merseybeat, with the rise of young pop groups, she became passé.
Nicely covers the high points of meteoric British artist, forgotten at home, unknown in the States.
The illness struck suddenly. She was 34.
Her “giggle” by the way, resembles a squeak (although not as pronounced as Dale Bozzio’s).
Beatles fans, proceed = https://webgrafikk.com/blog/uncategorized/alma-cogan-1932-1966/

Cassandra - 2025 - 6/10

Reeling from a family tragedy, the Prills move to a smaller community, new home.
Actually an old home, from the 1970’s, retro with then state-of-the-art technology.
Video monitors in every room, and a eager robot, Cassandra.

Who, we soon realize, is as lethally neurotic as it is cheerfully helpful.
The back history orbits in and out, although I grew up in this era. The gobot is sheer fantasy.
Family dynamics are a mixed bag, both kids grated on me.
Lavinia Wilson as Cassandra is brilliant.
The ending struck me as writing room compromise.
Great scene when the kids play hide and go seek and one child crawls into the oven.
My wife, who had ignored this show, “Is this a German series?”
“Yes.”
“And an oven! Didn’t someone realize the parallels with –”
“Hey, German humor. Go with it!”

Armored Car Robbery - 1950 - 6/10

Per title, a heist, highly timed and strategized.
Small team of professionals, perfect, except for those gun happy cops.
Then the fatalistic Noir ascends into who is expendable.
William Talman dominates as the ruthless, cold-hearted mobster.
Charles McGraw just a potent as the hard as nails detective.
Excellent use of police specialists in full support of the men.
And Adele Jergens – holy moly!

Thrower, Stephen - Flowers Of Perversion: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco, Volume 2

Monumental book on the cinema of Jess Franco.
This explores the films from 1975 – 2013. Reviews, opinions, running times, various versions.
Masses of photos. Screengrabs, stills, private snapshots.
Backstories, locations, ongoing events and changes in the film industry.
For the casual viewer, maybe not, although the price has always been reasonable, if not downright tempting. For buffs who like Franco, or just appreciate him, this is essential.
Personally, I took my time with this, taking a year to read front to back.
It is easy to get overwhelmed, and discouraged, as when Franco and crew make lesser films, usually owning to financial necessities.
For what it is, this is extraordinarily affordable, too.

Curse Of The Aztec Mummy - 1957 - 5/10
AKA - La Maldición de la Momia Azteca

Sequel to the Aztec Mummy incorporates flashbacks, plucky boy, and Angel, masked hero.
Can you say luchador? Well, there are no arena bouts, and in fact, El Ángel gets his ass kicked,
No matter, the Bat and his resourceful gang are going to get that Aztec loot!
And how about that mummy? Of course it’s there.
Utterly predictable, with long patches of tedium.
Wait! Another sequel? Yes, producers filmed the trilogy back to back to back.

The Aztec Mummy - 1957 - 6/10
AKA - La Momia Azteca

Professor Almada explains to reporters, and the world (and underworld boss, The Bat).
About hypnotic regression, pushing subjects back to a previous life. Reincarnation.
Scoffers pounce. For proof, Almada regresses his fiancé Flor.
Turns out, she was an Aztec priestess, with knowledge of hidden treasure!
“Treasure? Did someone say treasure?” and master criminal Bat swings into action.
Routine adventure saga perks up considerably with all the Aztec story.
Costumes, drums, pyramids, doomed lovers.
Sequel follows.

Scarecrow - 2001 - 5/10
AKA - Kakashi // 案山子

Kaoru, searching for her missing brother, enters a forsaken village.
By and large, everyone is taciturn, occupied with an upcoming scarecrow festival.
As for Kaoru, she has the common sense of a radish.
Her car stalls in the tunnel outside the village. She is repeatedly warned and urged to get out.
She is annoyingly inquisitive, yet incapable of putting clues together.
The direction of this runs from ponderous to lame. The female lead CANNOT act.
Advice, should you ever find yourself in a nest of menacing scarecrows: box of matches or firehose.

The City Of The Dead - 1960 - 6/10

‘Why yes dear, there was a witch burned here. Oh, our village was notorious.”
Student Nan journeys to a remote village for research on her paper on witchcraft.
And gets far more than she intended.
True, she is warned, and her own intuition ought to warn her.
Still, anyone who wears underclothes like hers is already fearless.
Moody horror steeped in fog, crypts, hooded figures, and glowering looks.
Third act akin to a rehash, but a queasy ride.

Killing Sherlock - 2023 - 7/10
AKA - Lucy Worsley on Holmes vs Doyle

The success, the recognition, the fame, the money.
Yet, Arthur Conan Doyle was sick and tired of his famous creation.
Fascinating documentary explains why he sent Homes over the Reichenbach Falls.
And how Holmes proved far more resilient, and enduring, than Doyle anticipated.
For Sherlock buffs, great stuff.
Makes a highly effective argument for “The Case-Book” as well.

Dr. Caligari - 1989 - 5/10

The interior of the asylum as observed by one of the inmates.
Prime obsessions seem to be open sores, roving tongues and below the belt stimulation.
Husband Van Houton institutionalizes his wife for disease of the libido.
Caligari proceeds to hyper sexualize afflictions rather than cure.
Complaints are dismissed with, “Staff is expendable, genius is not.”
Theatrical, to say the least, this plays like surreal stagecraft.
Drama majors on acid.

Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam - 2021 - 6/10

Women and their relations with menfolk.
Domineering swine, gullible fools, doomed lovers, lying deceivers.
Yes, it’s a man’s world, this time in Pakistan.
While these are individual stories, an underlying arc links them.
Time and again, there are dark twists as the men underestimate angry or hungry females at their own risk.
While this is modern (cars and cellphones) the Look is supernatural Gothic.
Ruins, shadows, bonfires, wastelands, layers of impressive visuals.

It - 1927 - 6/10

Clara Bow’s signature role (being a Clara fan, I am kind with the score).
The shopgirl minx has eyes for the distinguished boss.
He is a lamb and falls like a late December leaf until morality rumors surface.
Clara is an irresistible watch. Sensuous, innocent, hopeful, expressions sweeping in a breath.
Leading man Moreno was 40 and looks it, difficult to accept him as a hunk.
Writer of the novel “It”, stuffy Elinor Glyn, plays herself (surely an inspiration for Margaret Dumont).
Watch this for Clara’s playful sexiness. As a romance, a dud.