Vultural

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.

Rich Hall’s Red Menace - 2019 - 6/10

The Cold War between USA and USSR, explained and satirized.
Origins, rivalries, dodging Armageddon (ineptitude) several times.
The CIA’s trained cat spies (cat owners will howl at this, “training” cats).
How to survive the nuclear blast, how to survive fallout.
Very fast paced, “informative”, kinda funny and kinda not.
Not in a world where more nations join the Nuke Club,
Not in a world where more nations are led / ruled / enslaved by enraged souls.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357261

Pagan Peak - 2018 - 7/10
AKA - Der Pass

The corpse straddles an Alpine marker between Austria and Germany.
As in The Bridge, two police jurisdictions arrive.
Except when the Germany inspector expresses interest, the Austrian shrugs.
“Be my guest.” And he’s gone, although he is eventually drawn into the investigation.
The core is an isolated serial killer, escalating, trying to make a point.

Society needs to reconnect with Nature, primal roots.
Convoluted, with personal sagas that added little.
More compelling were the survivalists, Krampus, and the Red Season.

The Hunger - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Gutten er Sulten

Everyone wants to be noticed.
Jørgen is envious of the bad boys, but he is too scrawny, too poor to gain acceptance.
Maybe Lucifer tattoos, even with a marker, will confirm intent.
If nothing else, visit the lair.

Bruising short of alienated youth, the rage of dissatisfaction.
For those for whom all the worldly trophies cannot equate with oblivion.

Untold Scandal - 2003 - 7/10
AKA - Seukaendeul: Joseon Namnyeo Sangyeoljisa

The young virgin is to the next concubine of the Lord.
She is innocent and fresh, and the wife cannot stand the youthful replacement.
So, she asks her cousin, a lecherous reprobate, to seduce and impregnate the girl.
Where’s the problem? He has his eye on a chaste widow.
By any other name, this is a version of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”.
A cruel drama of gamesmanship and manipulation.
Scheming and treachery, which leave a powerful and bitter aftertaste.
If nothing else, the set design and costumes are radiant.

Block, Lawrence - Killing Castro

Not everyone is happy now that Fidel is in power.
Consequently, a team of disparate types is commissioned for a whack job.
The five have nothing in common. Truthfully, only three are experienced killers.
Payoff for success is $100 K, no small change in 1961, to be divvied among the survivors.
Penned in 1961, when Castro was new, and already distrusted by the States, this what-if thriller crackles along. With hindsight, we know the missions (three) are doomed to fail.
Nonetheless, the book is an exciting page-turner.
Block’s misogynist tropes are evident, as well.
Great for fans of Block or caper thrillers.

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls - 1970 - 7/10

“This is my happening and it freaks me out!”
In-name sequel to 1967 soaper of Jacqueline Susann’s blockbuster novel.
Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert deliver a giddy parody that improves with the years.
Female rock’n’roll trio Kelly Affair travel to decadent Los Angeles for fame, fortune, sex and drugs.
Their manager ain’t up to snuff, so Z-Man Barzell (stunning John LaZar) takes charge.
What are there, 12 narratives? All of them mad.
The pace is blistering, and, for a campy spoof, everyone is dead-faced (aside from Z-Man).
Tamer today, yet still wonderful!

The Return Of Chandu - 1934 - 5/10

The Egyptian princess flees her foes and hides in a Beverly Hills mansion.
Thank her lucky stars, this is the home of Chandu a powerful magician (sorcerer) who may be able to protect her.
“May” being the operative word, as this is a serial.
Every installment threatens death and danger to the princess, Chandu, friends and followers.
Occasional action, hokey script, yet this has an innocent charm for those with a taste for cliffhangers.
Bonus: Rare chance to watch Bela Lugosi as the hero of the adventure.

Kneecap - 2024 - 7/10

Busted for perceived criminality, Liam only speaks Irish to the irritation of English speaking coppers.
A temp-translator is summoned, one who is sympathetic to Liam, recognizes the poetry and the blotter.
No telling how faithful to real events, but in this docu-drama, this is the origin of the Irish rap group.
As a story, this is funny as can be, although loaded with profanity and bed bouncing.
The group perform in tiny venues, are harassed by police and militia thugs.
Persevere lads, and perhaps dreams may fulfill.
Fill yer boots, man!

Private House Of The SS - 1977 - 5/10
AKA - Casa Privata per le SS

Breasts and swastikas - for many, that will be inducement enough.
Following the botched assassination of Hitler, the SS decides to investigate the military command further.
The recruit a dozen high class prostitutes and train them (judo, fencing, ballet, shooting).
Then invite the top Wehrmacht brass to their brothel for a night of debauchery and orgies.
And when that group expends itself, the SS invites another batch.
You’d think with all the nudity and larking about this would be kinky fun.
While decadent elements recall Salo (1975), this one grows tiresome.

Black Cat Mansion - 1958 - 6/10
AKA - Bôrei Kaibyô Yashiki // 亡霊怪猫屋敷

His wife suffers from tuberculosis, so her doctor husband drives her to the country.
The family home, terribly dilapidated, damp (pouring rain outside), and haunted!
Her condition deteriorates, more once the deadly wraith arrives.
Eventually, the truth emerges.

The village priest relates the backstory or murder, rape, and the curse.
The vessel of vengeance? The family cat.
Modern story is moody black and white. Earlier tale in color, stylized sets.
The “cat-demon” will be the make or break for most viewers.

A Window On Washington Park - 1913 - 6/10

The young millionaire (in 1913!) suffers ennui, stares out at the wintry park.
Spies an older man, clearly a gentleman, now enduring harder days.
Invites him inside, shares a meal, hears the story.
Of an over-possessive father, whose sternness caused his daughter to elope.
Silent tale brushes Melodrama with broad theatrical strokes.
Spare sets and painted backdrops.
I predict Artificial Intelligence will routinely clean print damage in a few years.

Deep Rising - 1998 - 5/10

Shorthand: Titanic meets Abyss meets Aliens.
Skipper of a crap boat ferries a cargo bad hombres to the South China Seas.
Where luxury liner Argonautica, on her maiden voyage, has stalled dead in the water.
Turns out the hombres are mercenaries with high powered weapons.
And the Argonautica suffers a slight squid infestation.
Mindless mayhem, cobbled from numerous other adventure flicks.
Writer / director Sommers hasn’t a single original idea in his head.
Hollywood, please save humanity’s IQ and quit funding this guy.

Wake - 2010 - 7/10

After her father died, Charmaine was no longer under his control.
Reckoned an “old maid” she was now free to find herself a fella.
She sought out the conjure woman, holding a box of specifications.
Handsome, green eyes, sharp dresser, and capable of satisfaction.
After the barter, the demoness said she’d find out.
Charmaine found out.

An abandoned Blockbuster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL5yOZ2BWYo

The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act Of Man - 1975 - 6/10

Rains fell and fell and fell, swelling the earthen dams.
Pittston’s general boss scanned the dam, declared it safe, and left the holler.
At 8:00 AM, cracks appeared in Dam 3. By 8:03, it failed; rushing waters destroyed Dam 1 and 2.
132 million gallons roared though 15 hill communities.
125 deaths, 546 homes destroyed, another 310 damaged and condemned.
Pittston promised to pay $15,000 per home, then lowered that $3000.
Folks got trailers. After all, Pittston had fended off citations and fines for years
The governor and officials were in their pockets. And them poor hillbillies, white trash.
Confession: Two years later, 1974, I started work at Buffalo Creek. High explosives, strip mining.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357057