Vultural

Rose - 2022 - 7/10

Rose sits shiva to mourn a young girl, someone she did not even know.
She begins to talk. To us? To God? To the emptiness that is Life?
Rose grew up in the tiny shtetl of Yultishka, geography claimed/ignored by Russia, Poland, Ukraine.
Fleeing poverty, pogroms and Cossacks, in 1937 she moved to the safety of Warsaw.
In 1939, the Nazis arrived. Just another of God’s cruel jokes.
Maureen Lipman is an unforgettable one-person tour de force.
Remembrance, kvetching, wearied anger, resignation, fondness, righteousness.
How well you know your history (Auschwitz, Exodus, Palestine) may inform appreciation.
Nonetheless, for theatre fans, an essential performance of voice and facial expressions.

Watcher - 2022 - 6/10

Julia and husband Francis arrive in Bucharest, where he has a new job.
Early on, they witness the aftermath of a murder and learn a serial killer is targeting females.
Julia, who cannot speak Romanian, leads an aimless existence.
After awhile, she realizes she has attracted an admirer / observer / stalker.
Her husband, neighbors, police … no one believes her, so she starts following him herself.

Well turned thriller, with at least one funky descent.
The anxiety proverb rings throughout. “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean …”

Pearl - 2022 - 7/10

Grisly, slow burn thriller might try patience of viewers expecting more X (2022) excess.
This prequel, set in rural Texas during 1918.
Influenza still slaughters millions, while boys perish in the French trenches of the Great War.
Pearl, restless daughter of German immigrants, wants out!
Outta the farm, the one-horse town, her whole dilapidated life.
Like countless others, she daydreams about becoming a Hollywood star.
The exteriors glisten, like the Land of Oz, at variance with Pearl’s home.
Smiling study of madness, delusion and violent release.
Movie buffs, check the poster for Theda Bara’s Cleopatra, lost in a fire.

The Glass Wall - 1953 - 6/10

Stowaway Peter escapes Immigration, and although badly wounded, heads into Times Square.
There he is befriended by Maggie, another persona non gratis.
If caught and deported, Peter returns to Communistic Hungary and certain death.
Noir has docu-drama feel, and is a time-capsule for looking at the marquees.
Also to catch a session with Jack Teagarden and Shorty Rogers.
Gloria Grahame gives a luminous, raw performance.

Nightlight - 2017 - 6/10

Brooding short of isolated cabin dweller leaving meat outside his door.
Night after night.
What is out there? Why is the man tasked with this?
Mood, atmosphere, bleak environment.
Explanations? Best guess.

Blackout - 2021 - 6/10

Across Europe, the lights go out as the entire power grid fails.
No accident, either, but terrorism enacted by … there’s another problem.
Are “unfriendly” neighbors, who offer aid, actually guilty?
Four plotlines: two children (pointless, added for parental demographics).
Manzano, classic Hitchcockian type. Innocent who is the police’s prime suspect.
Nuclear power plant. Will it blow? When will it blow?
Bickering government officials.
Don’t probe too deeply and this thriller should satisfy. At six episodes, a digestible length, too.

Decision To Leave - 2022 - 5/10
AKA - Heeojil Gyeolsim // 헤어질 결심

The husband falls to his death in mountain climbing accident and disappears from the film.
While ruled an accident, one detective suspects the wife, even though she was in the city, working, at the time.
For reasons unknown, the pair soon develop an attraction toward each other.
The story shuffles like a mouse dropped in a dry well.
Characters appear and vanish to no purpose (detective’s partner, his wife).
The romantic angle is forced and the couple display negative chemistry.
Suspend disbelief for this? No, get a partial lobotomy first.

Cantwell, Adam - A Forest With Its Mouth Open Wide

This gathers numerous stories that previously appeared in a chancy Eastern European press, along with two from Egaeus and two from Raphus. All, I believe, are OP.
“Orphans On Granite Tides” essays the collector, the procurer, and the madman. A legendary journal, pages doled out in scraps, charts the departure from a far West paradise into – what? – bitter knowledge? There’s the puzzle. The original scribe could be gaining and sharing tortured wisdom, or could be rationalizing delusions. The collector has his own points, the procurer less.
In any event, this is one of the longest and most accessible tales.
Several stories come across as fragments. Perhaps they connected with adjacent works in the themed tomes from Romania. No idea.
“The European Monster Part 2” seems a cautionary parable of the powerful corruption of the omnipotent despot. And those who curry favor, or furtively retain their position. This was possibly a fantasy when originally published. Now the horizon looms darkly.
The closer, “The Chamber In The Universe”, studies the traveler, the banker, the investor, stranded at the pagan monument. In the middle of the broiling wastes. Will he be missed in time? Will someone even bother with a rescue attempt? Or will he, like the monument, become part of dust and discarded memories?
This hailed from the legendary And The Whore Is This Temple and, while it fittingly closes this collection, it may have been even stronger in that book.
Good to see these titles collected, and as of 2023 02, still available.

Lagaan - 2001 - 6/10

Native Hindi take on British oppressors at their own sport. Cricket.
Also a doomed romance between an English rose and Hindu boy.
Team India is wildly diverse, checking multiple demographics.
The caste racism is alluded to, though skirted.
Most unbelievable is the one-sided romance.
Sex-farm antics I might have bought, but emotional involvement, no.
Film looks great, and the sporting conflict builds nicely.
The match is exhilarating. Watch if only for that.

Shaun Of The Dead - 2004 - 6/10

I don’t know. Maybe during a zombie apocalypse, I might want military protection.
Maybe not. Armed troops might could shoot me, making me an unhappy meal distraction to aid a retreat.
So instead, slackers to the rescue? Brains fried from too much reefer?
Funny, gory, reverent to zombie rules,
For most Stateside, this was the first encounter with Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.

Winter Walks - 2020 - 7/10

Quiet outdoor series proves a refreshing alternative to similar programs hosted by noisy blabbermouths.
A different host each week rambles along a favorite route.
This is winter, and one feels the cold simply watching.
Plus side, there are no turistas.
Hosts vary between perceptive and insightful and those who may be slyly self-serving.
Those sensitive to their surroundings resonate best.
“What was once this kind of powerhouse of industry and prayer and culture
and civilisation, became a memory, an echo. Just an outline of what it had been before.”
Rev Richard Coles (S01E05)

I Remember It Well: Conversation Judi Dench & Giles Brandreth - 2022 - 7/10

The pair sit onstage, converse, reminisce.
First half may appeal more to Brits. Theatrical career, fellow stage actors, experiences.
Better, perhaps, for those who might have attended those plays.
Nevertheless, this is priceless history.
Second half, films. Playing “M”. Mentioning leading men.
Dench is extremely careful here and does not dish.
The first ten minutes are somewhat awkward, her memory appears foggy as Giles asks about her childhood.
She is in her 80’s. Who recalls 70 years previous?

Seven Years Of Night - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - 7 Nyeonui Bam // 7年의 밤

Early on, he is reminded, the lake is cursed, haunted.
It had been flooded before the village was evacuated. People died.
Late at night, diving gear on, he plunges in anyway.
Caustic thriller of obsession, family violence, death, guilt.
A sunless realm, wallowing in gloom and reprisals.
Characters vary from outright unlikeable to unexplored ciphers.
Overlong.

See How They Run - 2022 - 6/10

1954. London, Theatre district. “The Mousetrap” celebrates its 100th performance.
      During the after-party, someone is murdered.
      Scotland Yard, occupied with the Rillington murders, can only send two members.
      Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker arrive and start to filter conflicting versions of events.
      Wry, quiet comedy best suited to those familiar with cozy mysteries and Agatha Christie.
      Having attended a performance of “The Mousetrap” will help, too.
      Packed with in-jokes, references, homages that may elude the casual.
      Inspector Stoppard, indeed.

Phillips, Thomas - Interiors (with Alcebiades Diniz)

Small volume of troubled souls.
In the oddly narrated “Pagan Dread”, driver and passenger head into the woods as far as their car will take them. Next, on foot, to a rendezvous with transfiguration.
This reads like a sketch, a pitch, and I wish Phillips had fleshed the narrative more fully.
“Living With Literature” is hardly that. Instead, this is the misery of the teacher or professor, evaluating yet another pretentious, insipid student paper. His voice oozes sarcasm in a tale funny yet barbed.
“Abattoir” explores boundaries. One’s home, and the implied, perhaps wistful assumption, of the safety within one’s home.
Finishing, Diniz offers an overview of the Utopia of Infra-Noir, useful for readers who come across similar publishers who reference this movement, but seldom provide historical details.

Death Whistles The Blues - 1964 - 6/10
AKA - La Muerte Silba un Blues

At the border, two trick drivers are stopped. One is killed, the other sent to prison.
Turns out the shipment of fruit was actually guns. They were framed.
Fifteen years later, the convict is released and seeking revenge.
Early Jess Franco film boasts a compelling Noir look and vibrant Latin Jazz score.
While the plot is over-busy and empty headed.
Supposedly set in Jamaica (filmed in Spain) the support cast of barflys are a gallery of great faces.
No great shakes, yet a zesty romp and OK for those wary of Franco’s skin flicks.

The Keyhole - 1933 - 6/10

Maurice puts the touch on wife Anne yet again.
After their divorce, Anne married a wealthy sugar-daddy.
Except Maurice never actually filed the divorce papers, making Anne a bigamist.
Meanwhile, the older husband, concerned about his wife’s erratic behavior hires a detective.
Whose specialty is catching adulterous wives.

Titillating Pre-Code film lacks steam and is as juicy as burnt toast.
Despite the shipboard cruise to Cuba, then Havana strolls, very little happens.
Kay Francis fans, yes you’ll have to watch this anyway.

Clay Pigeons - 1998 - 6/10

“You should take a shower. I can still smell her on you.”
Don’t cheat on a cheater.

Clay, already having an affair with married Amanda, has a quick fling with Gloria.
Very quick, as Amanda is not only adulterous, but also murderous.
Women, eh?
Thank God, Clay has just made a new friend. Loopy grin, concrete heart.
Steamy thriller fueled with black comedy. Vince Vaughn unforgettable (what happened to him?).
Rocking fun the first time out, less with repeated views.

Irina Palm - 2007 - 6/10

The grandson needs expensive medical treatment. Parents seem hopeless.
Only Grandma pushes down all avenues to earn money despite her complete lack of modern skill sets.
Nonetheless, a few professions are timeless. The oldest profession, for example.
In which she proves surprisingly adept and successful.
Marianne Faithful marvelous as the grandma whose desperation is stronger than her moral qualms.

The Last Of The Haussmans - 2012 - 6/10

Mother abandoned her two children early to live in an ashram.
Grandma took care of the youngsters and promised them her home when she died.
After she died, however, Mother appeared and took possession of the home, cutting the children out.
She could not afford to maintain the property and allowed it to descend into shambles.
So the play opens. Mom, half-senile, one tumor removed, living amidst her sixties hippie delusions. The adult children, failures each, watch any sort of security ebb away.
The hippie stereotype wears thin, and no one seems capable of becoming “adult”.
Not particularly funny, nor tragic. Talking, not conversation.

Hot Thrills And Warm Chills - 1967 - 5/10

Toni regroups with her old gang, Dody and Kitten, and plan a high stakes heist.
Mardi Gras. The bejeweled crown of the King Of Sex! The plan to lift it.
Beforehand, they hit the club and see hard-rocking Glory Rhodes, admire a topless dancer, then slick the sheets with aroused males.
Yeah, one of those kinda of films. The kinda films men used to like.
Once talking stops and the “plot” kicks in, this becomes a shambles.
Completely incoherent. Get in the mood, drink two bottles of Thunderbird first.
Subtitles = https://subscene.com/subtitles/hot-thrills-and-warm-chills/english/2998025

The Hillside Strangler: Devil In Disguise - 2022 - 6/10

The first murder occurred in October 1977, the final pair in January 1979.
Main suspect Kenneth Bianchi confessed and recanted countless times.
He implicated his cousin, he exonerated him, then changed his mind. Again and again.
Bianchi persuaded a deluded female to commit a copycat murder to muddle the case against him.
The trial lasted four years and was one of the most expensive in California history.
He remains a habitual, chronic liar and the truth will never be truly known.
Four part series. Talking heads, repeated use of numerous photos and clips.
Victims lightly mentioned. Their dreams, plans, given short shrift.

The Menu - 2022 - 7/10

The Hawthorne, exclusive restaurant. How exclusive? On its own island.
Expensive? Prices run into four figures.
Yet tonight, as in every night, tables for twelve are sold out.
And the meal, a multi course cavalcade, is a building presentation of art.
The guest list is composed of critics, “foodies”, loud-mouthed wannabees, entitled, and snobs.
Vicious satire on cork sniffers and swooning nibblers who rhapsodize over their consumption.
Acid laced meal of Bitter Feast (2010), Boiling Point (2021), seasoned with the bitter bile of Flux Gourmet (2022).
Eat, drink and be merry.

La Cérémonie - 1995 - 7/10

Disturbing psychological thriller based on Ruth Rendell novel.
Distracted wife interviews maid applicant, explains duties, gives a tour of the house.
Does or does not run background check.
The maid, it is revealed, has one glaring shortcoming, which gnaws at her more than anything.
Maid falls under the influence of busybody mail clerk,
and two females bond over resentments, secrets, worries, and grudges.
Tension is tightened throughout until the last reel.
One of Claude Chabrol’s more accessible films.
Huppert and Bonnaire pitch perfect as amoral pair.

The Wayward Cloud - 2005 - 6/10
AKA - Tian bian yi duo yun // 天邊一朵雲

Half sibling to 1999’s The Hole. In the earlier film, torrential rain, in this one drought.
Water flows briefly each day, residents rely on melons to slack thirst.
A seemingly abandoned apartment building houses a film crew making porn videos.
Tenants wander listlessly, engage in bored sex, browse the empty video shop.
This is mostly wordless. While there may be meaning, I did not think too hard.

As with The Hole, the favorite parts for me were the weird-beyond-belief musical numbers.
Prudes, beware numerous mid-core pornographic sequences. γνῶθι σεαυτόν
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/the-wayward-cloud-tian-bian-yi-duo-yun/english/2997328