Vultural

Predator: Killer Of Killers - 2025 - 5/10

Our quarry include a Viking warrior queen, a samurai / ninja duo, hotshot WWII teenager.
The Japanese section is fairly wordless and hews close to chambara.
Contrast this with our heroic teen, who suffers diarrhea of the mouth.
Truly, he is an annoying jabber jaw.
Action and style is straight up anime, energetic but nothing new. Perhaps a bit retro.
Throughout there are homages / fan-service / plagiarism of dozens of films.
A decent way to waste an hour, although one wishes producers possessed a wider imagination.

The Sisters Of Gion - 1936 - 6/10
AKA - Gion no Shimai // 祇園の姉妹

Two sisters still work as geishas, but the era has ended and patrons are dying off.
Or going bankrupt, which has happened to one sister’s benefactor.
His wife and daughter move away, and he opts to live off his unemployed geisha.
Sister Omocha, far more mercenary, shoves the old man out.
Then schemes and hustles to obtain a luxurious kimono, and wealthy sugar daddies.
“The way men treat us, it’s best we take as much from them as we can.”
I actually rooted for the cynical Omocha more than the soft-hearted Umekichi.

Suspense - 1913 - 6/10

“I am leaving without notice. No servant will stay in this lonesome place.”
After she departs, the homeless vagrant approaches the house.
Inside, a young mother and infant.
Pioneering film has sharp editing, excellent camera angles.
Also, early use of tri-screen.
Good mix of tension with hectic car sequences.

Collins, Max - Quarry’s Ex

Quarry is Collins’ gravy train, professional hitman, although by now, quasi retired.
He makes a living offering services to targets, dropping the killers and snuffing whoever hired.
Noir pulp all the way, in the vein of Mickey Spillane.
Quarry runs into his two-timing ex, Joni, now married to a director of exploitation flicks.
Joni is curvy and is still sexy. So is Tiffany, lead actress, ex-Playmate Of The Year.
So is Ginger, one of the young production team gofers. Waitresses, maids? All attractive.
Women are dolls, men vary from bikers to mobsters.
This provides a bit of a backstory, younger days, his progression into the world of contracts.
Collins writes old-fashioned, two-fisted stories for men.
If you enjoy those kind of novels, you should like this one.

Stoker, Bram - “Gibbet Hill”

City dweller, escaping the London bustle, escapes to Surrey for a day trip.
Climbing the hill, he spies a young married couple, fellow tourists, and a trio of children.
The children later engage in a odd ritual involving a flute, dance, and a snake.
Whereupon our narrator becomes spellbound.
Recently discovered “forgotten story” is cropping up from various presses.
Mine hailed from a small Penrith bookshop, from where I have found other gems.

Daylight - 1996 - 5/10

Explosion in the Hudson Tunnel traps a disparate bunch of innocents, malcontents, complainers and pompous.
Enter ex-rescue guy (Stallone), whom no one listens to.
With so many trapped characters, one can safely predict a lot of meals.
Disagree with our hero? Go off on your own? Bicker?
Yes, prepare the body bags accordingly.
Formulaic action / disaster flick, best for insomniacs or Stallone fanatics.
Sly, by the way, looks old in this, or simply haggard.

Accidental Stars - 2023 - 5/10

Nerissa struggles with a private acting lesson.
Then her mentor inquires if this existence, her existence, is real.
Thrown off script, she is flummoxed, then fearful of a wrong answer.
Surreal Horror short, ripe with imagery, bitter best for imposters.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3359588

Under The Skin - 2013 - 6/10

Extraterrestrial arrives on Earth, cloaks itself as human female.
Uses sex as a way of delving into and comprehending humanity.
Mating, however, does not go so well for the males.
Difficult to tell what the alien is about.
Reconnaissance? Crash survivor? Turista?
The “woman” moves almost at random from one encounter to the next.
Scarlett Johansson, fearless and remarkable in vague, confounding film.

A Widow’s Game - 2025 - 6/10
AKA - La Viuda Negra

The grieving widow, finding solace through clubbing.
And playing pop the weasel with several comforters.
Actually, Maje had been catting around before the marriage … ooh … and during.
Husband stabbed, now she receives a widow’s allowance.
Well, he was old. 36. Maje was 26. Hot. And liked doing that thing.
Police investigation. Somewhat predictable, a shade too long.
Based on true events, however.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3359589

Machete - 2010 - 6/10

After a betrayal from a corrupt supervisor, after his wife is murdered.
Ex-Mexican police officer Machete now works itinerant labor in Texas.
Where, again, he is conned into an operation, little more than a setup.
After so many mainstream films, I had written Rodriguez off as riding the Hollywood gravy train.
Most of those releases were hits, production slick as can be.
Machete feels like a return to roots, and casting Danny Trejo is inspired.
Quote to live by, “Machete don’t text.” So say we all.

Panic Room - 2002 - 6/10

Mother and daughter move into New York multistory flat, with a “panic room”.
Seems the previous owner had good reason, as he kept his stash here and not in banks.
Villains assault the building, Ma and Sarah slam the room shut.
Momentum swiftly downshifts, as should one’s expectations.
Many folks overlay social commentary on this, fair enough.
Yet as a high tension flick, this lags into, what feels like, padding.
Characters are unsympathetic, so one might not care less about them.

Various (Editor: Black, Andy) - Necronomicon Three

Following Vol 01 and 02, this shows a change of publisher, and two aspects are immediately apparent. The type is larger. Same amount of pages, but with larger type the word count will be less. In addition, many images are iffy. Several are so poor as to resemble Xerox copies. Lastly, the typos are off the scale. Where is the editor throughout?

Alright, the good stuff: Opening with a humorous interview with Brian Yunza (Necronomicon, The Dentist, Dagon, From Beyond, Re-Animator), who doesn’t take his output too seriously.

Back to back articles on Scream And Scream Again (stylistically all over the place), and Baron Blood (now on my list) and others.

“The Modern Fantastic” roves from Carpenter’s The Thing to Lynch’s Fire Walk With Me, studying both films in depth.

Editor Black offers a nice remembrance of Soledad Miranda.

Essay on Herzog’s Nosferatu will be a must for fans of the film or director. Likewise another chapter on Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn, with emphasis on colleague Tarantino.

As always with this collection, a few resemble overwritten college papers, fine for those who long for additional psychological explanations for their Slashers.

There is an excellent argument for Stivaletti’s Wax Mask, another one that passed below radar, both mine and the public’s it seems.

Should I mention Wicker Man, Eyes Without A Face, Faceless? Final essays conclude another strong group of film essays.

Here’s hoping Black will rein in the typos by volume 4, and quality proof those images.

Exte: Hair Extensions - 2007 - 5/10
AKA - Ekusute // エクステ

A young female is washed up dead. Save for her hair, which keeps growing.
And what luscious hair! Glorious tresses that a collector / fetishist starts selling to salons.
Too bad the hair turns out to be cursed.
Clear signpost that the “dead wet girls” cycle was finished.
More campy than frightening, silly more than scary.
I felt cheated the first time I watched. Second time, I decided to view as comedy / satire and this was better.
Better still, find other wet girls for your enjoyment.

The Divorcee - 1930 - 6/10

Ted cheats on Jerry, so Jerry has a quick fling of her own.
Ted, scandalized, demands a divorce!
Soon both are splashing in murky, hedonistic waters.
Pre-Code drama of manners alternates between sultry and stuffy
Norma Shearer is surprisingly sexy, while Chester Morris is an overstarched collar.
Viewed via a historical lens, this is illuminating, although other Pre-Codes are more fun.

El Mariachi - 1992 - 6/10

Case of mistaken identity.
A wandering musician and a gang who assume he is a murderous hitman.
The men pursue in droves, while the guitarist finds refuge, and romance, with an attractive female bar owner.
That’s the plot in a nutshell. The energy, however, is off the scale.
Despite an amateur cast, despite a budget of under $8000, this became a huge hit and made director Rodriguez a Hollywood player.
He would work with major stars, with multi-million dollar budgets.
None would ever have the heart and soul, the authenticity, of this, his first release.

The Reincarnation Of Isabel - 1973 - 5/10
AKA - Riti, Magie Nere e Segrete Orge nel Trecento…

Isabel, a witch burned, is resurrected (by reincarnations of those who killed her).
No reason why or how they summon Isabel is given.
From here, the story slips, careens in varying directions.
The narrative feels like fragments of dreams, stitched loosely together.
Style over substance, yet for style points this is gorgeous.
Attractive females, kaleidoscope colors, a seedy, decadent tone.
Note: Years ago, I bought the Redemption laserdisc.
I was thrown by countless characters and random plotting. I am still confused.

When I receive PMs asking for this or that edit, I always directed them towards Info.
Appears to be dinosaur dead now.
Any FE honchos know where - if -what?
Also a decent alternative where to point requests.
Before I bailed at Reddit, I noticed that database had tanked, as well.

Brotherhood Of Lizards - Lizardland

Martin Newell’s short lived duo with Nelson.

one tune =
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpEBwIs2O9o

Intimacy - 2001 - 6/10

Highly charged sexual relationship between bartender and aspiring actress.
Every Wednesday, she appears at his dilapidated flat for rolling on the cluttered floor.
Where did they initially meet? Unexplored.
He walked out on his family earlier. She still belongs, but is a chronic cheater.
A coproduction, this UK film looks and feels very French.
The sheer nudity and sex may put off a large audience, particularly Americans.
Arthouse fare of loneliness and obsession, disassociation and emotional longing.

Intimacy - 1966 - 5/10

Walter has been cooking the books with his company, plus he’s in hock to loan sharks.
If he can just swing the agency contract with the high and mighty Jim.
Walt tries bribery, alcohol, then sends a blonde hooker to Jim’s room.
The whole time, a hidden camera rolls, in case any frisky business occurs.
This ought to be sleazy entertainment, save this was filmed in two rooms.
Worse, this is a marathon talkfest.
Boring, despite attractive cast and voyeuristic come-on.

Excellent.
Will there be a threshold before one-post-wonders can request?
Likewise send a PM?
Thank you.

The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg - 1964 - 8/10
AKA - Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

Star-crossed Geneviève and 20-year-old Guy are desperately in love.
Intoxicating and heady as only the young experience it.
Her mother disapproves, however.
Fate intervenes in the form of Guy’s mandatory military service, and absence.
Poignant love story told entirely in music and song.
Sweeping set design, magnificent use of color.
Aching film, especially for those who had the great love.
Arthouse types, if you have not viewed yet, then you owe yourself.

Broadway Danny Rose - 1984 - 6/10

Who happens to be, if not inept, then he is simply unable to land quality talent.
Some are relics from vaudeville, others seem like circus sideshow, some charity cases.
His washed up singer, Lou, is enjoying a comeback, and cheating on his family with a hot blonde.
Who is also the girlfriend of a mobster.
Interesting Woody Allen movie mixes jokes with violence and betrayals.
Allen surely had long experience and deep memories of characters like these.
Exaggerated, sure, yet the bittersweet truth makes this part of his heady run of successes.
For the Mia Farrow faithful, this is one of her finest performances.

Newell, Martin - This Little Ziggy

“Music-biz success is comprised of five basic ingredients: right sound; right place; right time; right look and right age. The first four of these, you might have some influence upon, but talent often takes a long time to develop and the whole of that time, the clock is ticking away.” mn

The writer refers to these adventures as fiction, and I politely disagree. These essays are memoirs, recollections, perhaps tidied or distorted, jumbled or massaged. There is a ring of truth throughout. So, fiction? Not totally. (Note: I refer to my own essays as fables, but most are pretty accurate.)

Travel stories of a soldier’s son, across England, and also Singapore, back when travel was exotic.
Teenage kicks. The wrong crowd, drugs, acting out, drugs, baffling females, drugs. Police.

Followed by salvation. Joining a covers band, The Mighty Plod, Colchester’s finest.

This is the heart of an extremely entertaining read. Mistakes, pitfalls, perils for a struggling young band.
Newell possesses a droll sense of humor and a skeptical view of fame and the music business.

Hunt around, you might listen to their demo songs on a global video site.

Sult - 2018 - 6/10

Predator and prey flirt in wordless horror short.
Seduction, rejection, lingering malice.
Unnamed characters, means you will have to work out events on the fly.
Drinks always taste better when they’re free.