Vultural

Super Cop - 1992 - 7/10
AKA - Police Story 3 // 警察故事３超級警察

For many Westerners, this is where Jackie Chan exploded.
Top Hong Kong cop “Kevin” teams up with Beijing Interpol officer “Jessica”.
Target, a powerful lord, with Kevin infiltrating as a friend.
With Michelle Yeoh as the Chinese cop, one should expect action on a colossal scale.
Indeed, the stunts in this are off the scale (Hollywood relied on explosions and one-liners),
As with all Jackie Chan films of this era STAY for the credits (outakes).

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror - 2021 - 8/10

The term “folk horror” is now as overused as “Film Noir”.
Any eerie film with a tree, there you go. Or sheep, my God!
Notwithstanding, this is a marvelous overview.
No idea how many films are referenced. 100+.
UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, the States (mostly the South and Appalachia).
Are there missing favorites? Sure. Overlook that.
At three plus hours, you might want to break this down piecemeal.
And make notes, lots of films for your to-view list.
Horror buffs, an essential primer and guide to help you wander the world.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357056

Crime Is Her Game - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Le Crime Lui va si Bien

French female buddy cop mini-series.
Straitlaced, by-the-book transplant from the city, and the local who shirks protocol and actually does illegal acts.
The chemistry is awkward, the mysteries routine, supporting players mere caricatures.
Notwithstanding, this never takes itself too seriously.
Murders here and there, amidst jokes and jibes.
Mid-tier, but acceptable when you want a break from cozy or Scandinavian.

Marathon Man - 1976 - 7/10

“Is it safe?”
Nazi loot, diamonds, form the McGuffin of this high stakes espionage piece.
The younger brother is an idealist, the older is dodgier, a middleman between worlds.
Young innocents are ever drawn into shadows, and here is no exception.
Dustin Hoffman fine as the ordinary soul caught up, Laurence Olivier unforgettable.
Poster child for generations of dental practices.
Exceptional thriller as it unfolds, afterward don’t overthink the logic.

The Night Porter - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Il Portiere di Notte

Ex SS officer Max has been incognito, working in the Vienna hotel.
Until camp victim / lover Lucia stumbles across him.
They renew their “relationship”, best described as toxic and obsessive.
Less taboo today (especially as nations nudge toward fascism again) this still provokes.
The SS imagery, the dangers to themselves and other hiding Nazis, songs, attire.
Tone gradually gets saturated in claustrophobia and paranoia.
Enjoyment / appreciation might hinge on how ruinous were your sexual relationships.

Conan The Barbarian - 1982 - 6/10

Decent adaptation of Robert E Howard’s Cimmerian hero.
Village destroyed by the Snake Cult, young Conan grows up thirsting for vengeance.
Milius was blessed with casting (James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow, really?), an Oliver Stone script, and Ron Cobb’s design.
Money was spent on this, yet it still looks meager.
Simply not enough extras for the epic sprawl.
Nonetheless, I do watch this repeatedly, I appreciate the stunts, grim humor, and lack of CGI.

Love From Mother Only - 2003 - 6/10
AKA - Amor Só de Mãe

Fihlo’s mother is pious and in poor health. Not dead, though.
Which is what his girlfriend, prostitute Formosa, urges him to hasten.
Oh yeah, she is also a devil worshiper.
By and by, Satan digs his claws into both, with gruesome results.
Festering Brazilian horror reeks of sweat, semen and blood.
Nudity and positions coaxing the hapless fool.
Warned, you be.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356786

Black Box Diaries - 2024 - 7/10

After drinks with a potential new boss, a passed-out Shiori is escorted to the Sheridan and raped.
Then congratulated. She got the job!
He is a media mogul, friend to Japan’s president, an untouchable man.
Shiori is a mere journalist, yet she is outraged and decides to use the courts.
Revealing documentary of Japan’s widespread tolerance for rape.
(Age of consent for girls is 13.)
Many support her, though police are warned off from someone at the top.
Uncomfortable from beginning to end.

Backwoods - 2019 - 5/10

Austere adaptation of H P Lovecraft’s “The Picture In The House”
Finding a “deserted” house, a young man enters and then sees a case of books.
Only the home is not deserted, and the ancient inhabitant shuffles in.
Slow boil horror sets a gloomy mood, with inspired pictures reminiscent of Lee Brown Coye.
Dialogue is poorly caught, however.

Oliver, Reggie - The Dreams Of Cardinal Vittorini

Oliver’s first collection for Tartarus Press is just solid in every way. Stories set among the theatre boards, others in the countryside, a few dipping into bygone times.

“Beside The Shrill Sea” is an actor’s recollections from his green youth. First roles, minor roles. The troupe. Unpleasant memories of toxic companions. The tightening of the spring until – well – I never specified the recollections were happy ones.

The painting was a curious sort. Forgotten in the manor of an aristocratic line all but tapped out. An illustration neither recognized nor valued, save by Jason, actor on location, still striving for that career break. He doubted anyone would actually miss the painting, a tranquil, bucolic scene, with an almost hypnotic allure, set “In Arcadia”. It exerts a tug, into thievery, into quieter depths.

It’s not that he was a lonely child. His parents were in the diplomatic corps, continuously abroad, while he was conveniently offloaded to boarding school. Bit of an afterthought, I suppose. Nevertheless, one of the masters takes a shine to him. Gordon and his wife Freda, a couple sophisticated and swank. Our lad is suitably impressed, yet as time rolls, his observation keens. So much so, that he spies the “Death Mask”, or the ghost in their home. Not to worry, others have witnessed it. There are ghosts seen and unseen, however, as the chic pair are also haunted. This is a poignant tale, drawing from friendship and loss, personal loss and cruel Fate.

Another inducement for this collection are the illustrations. Oliver has included line drawings (his own) prefacing each tale. And this is my only quibble, or wish if you like. Would that these were 30% larger.

The Terror Of The Tongs - 1961 - 5/10

The Count and the Master. Oops! The leaders of the Red Dragon Tong.
Opium smugglers, dealers in flesh and gambling in 1910 Hong Kong.
Merciless rulers of the Oriental capital of vice
Until they get of the wrong side of Captain Jackson, whose energetic fist is ready to resist!
This is bad in so many ways. Westerners wearing Asian makeup.
Fights that are American wrestling rather than martial arts. A lazy, confused plot.
Still, one gets to watch Christopher Lee and Roger Delgado ham it up.

The Voice Of Merrill - 1952 - 6/10
AKA - Murder Will Out

Jonathan is the first suspect interviewed.
The acclaimed author, playwright, caustic intellectual.
Then there is Hugh, lesser writer, not really up to scratch.
Finally, the publisher, bit of a bungler with finances that one.
All three knew Jeanne, up until she was murdered. Well, she was a conniving blackmailer.
Police deal with three suspects with no alibis.
Jonathan has the plummy dialogue, as well as the give as can get wife, Alycia.
Sharp cozy mystery spins like a play, and in a good way.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356783

Crowhaven Farm - 1970 - 6/10

Maggie was not supposed to inherit the farm, but forces intervened.
Indeed, Fate’s hand casts its shadow throughout her time at the farm.
She keeps having flashbacks of, perhaps, an incarnation 300 years earlier.
Something to do with witch trials, torture, betrayal.
Meanwhile, her marriage is troubled owing to an insecure and jealous husband.
An early TV movie, clearly lensed in California, has pacing problems and a loose story.
Hope Lange miscast as the young wife, Cindy Eilbacher memorable as the grudge holding Jennifer.

Forgotten Silver - 1995 - 6/10

Documentary / biography of Colin McKenzie, New Zealand filmmaker of the Silent era.
A true innovator, yet is seemed everyone one of his breakthroughs collapsed.
His earliest film stock, for example, relied on albumen. He was arrested for stealing 2000 eggs.
Years before Vitaphone, he developed sound, yet his players only spoke Chinese.
Thus it goes, inspiration undermined by a complete lack of common sense.
Overlooked gem from Peter Jackson, coming between Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners.

The She-Butterfly - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Leptirica

Vule makes the fourth miller that year to be murdered.
Villagers curse their bad luck, wonder if a vampire is among them.
More importantly, who will mill their grain?

Wait! There’s young Strahinja, who desperately wants to marry the village beauty, Radojka.
Radojka’s father refuses, however, as Strahinja is poor. So, he accepts the perilous miller job.
Like males in general, he fails to see the depths within the girl he desires.

Superstition with scattered pratfall comedy.
An hour film that packs several themes, history, village lore.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356785

The Witches Of Salem: The Horror And The Hope - 1972 - 6/10

Following a fire and brimstone sermon, the young girls seek out … the voodoo lady.
Who describes the Sabbat, the blood, the dancing, the hollering. Men and women.
Most listen in rapt attention. While the guilty and proud reveal the devil’s presence.
Persecution – hysteria – execution. Of the young girls? Or the outcasts?
As a video “Cliff notes” of the witch trials, this is a bare bones condensation.
Acting is a bit toppish, but makes for a quick study.

Missing Noir M - 2008 - 8/10
AKA - Siljongneuwareu M // 실종느와르 M

“A history of injustice manipulating justice to kill off justice.”
Exceptional K-drama. Bleak, true-to-life, set amidst modern realities.
A small team is formed to work on unsettled cold cases.
An ex-FBI agent with too many killings for the Bureau. A hot-headed cop. A computer hacker with a past.
The opener is a two-parter, with clues for imminent murders, ala Se7en.
There are other two-parters, as well as stand-alones.
Contrary to the usual clichéd formats, the team don’t exactly bond, but begin to buckle under the stress.
The final episodes are pitch black and, unfortunately, eerily prescient of today’s normal.
For those skeptical of justice in this world, in this life, this is for you.

Riesending - 2022 - 6/10

Riesending, as in the massive cave labyrinth in Germany, somewhat explored.
Josef is injured in a rockfall, his skull cracked with internal bleeding.
After a 12 hour climb, one of his companions reaches the surface and seeks help.
Officially, the job belongs to Mountain Rescue, only they are inexperienced with caves.
Professional cavers arrive from Austria, from Italy, even further, yet they are sidelined.
The German Ministry does not want to appear incapable. Delays and excuses go into days.
The caving scenes are accurate and well done (I caved myself for 15 years).
What gets on one’s nerves and drag the film are the surface arguments and doubletalk.
Barely mentioned in one text is the cost to taxpayers of having to rescue an outdoor adventurer once again.
(The rescue ultimately was €1 M, and the “rescuers” left behind 1 ton of garbage inside the cave.)

Odd Girl - 2019 - 6/10

Social misfit Belinda somehow gloms onto the cool crowd, although most scorn her.
There is something repellent about her, yet she is so hungry to blend in.
To make a friend – any friend. Someone agreeable, and willing.
Warning short about the dangers of embracing the pariah.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356784

Devil’s Diner - 2025 - 7/10
AKA - Tiem an Cua Quy

The dark companion to Midnight Diner, as this is where visitors lose their souls.
This presupposes human nature is inherently evil, and weak.
Sins include greed, anger, delusion, pride, suspicion.
Diners enter, and with a smile, the owner coaxes them toward retribution, and eventual payment.
While cloaked in Horror, this has definite Asian sensibilities.
Revenge, while sweet, carries a cost, a terrible cost.
Acting ranges from adequate to excellent. Everything else, pretty accomplished.

They Call Her … Cleopatra Wong - 1978 - 6/10

Near-perfect counterfeit currency is flooding several Asian countries.
Police and government agencies are stymied.
Interpol contacts their best agent: hard living, hard loving, Cleopatra Wong.
Who, following the trail, zeroes in on the convent.
You got it. Nuns. And yes, a new subgenre for me, nuns with guns.

For lazy travelers, Cleo scuttles from Singapore to Hong Kong to Manila.
Accompanied by kitschy, action stock music.
Dubbing is a parody of clichéd stereotypes.

Lots of martial arts, long chases (one on Singapore’s cable car.
Of course, nuns with guns. Who’s going to resist that?

Reawakening - 2024 - 6/10

14 year old Clare ran away from home. For a decade, her parents never stopped looking.
Ten years on, she is back on their doorstep. Or, is it really her?

Mother is convinced it is really her, father equally obstinate she is not.
While Clare answers highly detailed questions, offers to do a DNA test, her eyes are evasive.
Chopped chronology serves the confusion and mystery well.
Her presence frays the reserve, the hope, the trust.
Both parents strike me as too old for their roles.
Erin Doherty is matchless, as she was in Chloe (2022), another role within a role.
How plausible is the family cuckoo? The Imposter (2012).

The Maiden’s Tune - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Devicanska Svirka

The coachman drops Ivan off in rural oblivion.
No one is willing to carry him further, so Ivan begins to walk.
Until he is transfixed by the castle, the eerie music and haunting song.

Circumstances unfold and Countess Sibylle begs his help.
Her enters her coach, enters the castle, and is soon dazed.
Sibylle is seductive, kittenish, fragile, neurotic.

While repressed, one gathers she is also sexual and dangerous.
Ivan, the young gallant, is caught between the eyes, the heaving breasts, and desire to help.
Glacial pace, excessive closeups, yet the ending, inside the music chamber, will linger.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3356533

Horrors Of The Black Museum - 1959 - 6/10

Hapless Rick is not exactly caught in the middle, but he does suffer a domineering boss and an overly inquisitive, soon to be controlling girlfriend,
What is boiling underneath? Murders, violent, gruesome killings.
No motive, no clues, no evidence.
Scotland Yard is baffled, although best-selling crime writer Bancroft has theories.
Good color for a English film of this time, Michael Gough professional as always.
Plotting is OK, although character reactions grow predictable.

Black Moon - 1934 - 6/10

Juanita, answering the summons of the drums, returns to the family plantation in Haiti.
Where, as a child, she was indoctrinated into the voodoo cult after her parents were massacred.
Steamy tropic film, thick with atmosphere and a backstory of slavery and uprisings.
Fay Wray and Dorothy Burgess solid as loyal secretary and feckless mother.
Pace languishes for modern audiences, and the white master carries a foul taste.
English subtitles = https://subsource.net/subtitle/black-moon-1934/english/10094911