Vultural

Under Milk Wood - 2014 - 8/10

“Oh, isn’t life a terrible thing, thank God?”
Dylan Thomas’ radio drama receives a magnificent interpretation via a luminous cast.
A dizzying rush of images, character sketches, plots, lies, treachery, regrets.
Language flows forth like a gushing spill.
One seizes upon an instant, before being propelled onward into another.
Crossing of memory and dreams, recollections true and misremembered.
“Remember me. I have forgotten you. I am going into the darkness, of the darkness forever. I have forgotten that I was ever born.”
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/under-milk-wood-2014/english/2995796

Hanzo The Razor: The Snare - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Goyôkiba: Kamisori Hanzô jigoku zeme

Hanzo, the sheriff with the big blade, prepares to interrogate.
One does not want to be interrogated by this man, trust me.
Treasury officials have devalued the currency, forcing desperate citizens into crime.
Hanzo, venting his disdain at officials stumbles across an illegal abortion site.
This is merely the beginning of slave traffic, government criminality, murder attempts.
Storylines churn at a furious pace. Speaking of churning, so does our big blade officer.
Middle outing of an extremely sleazy trilogy. Only Japan offers nuggets like this.

The Amityville Horror - 1979 - 6/10

The previous homeowner murdered his whole family.
A year on, the house is available – cheap!
So the new family snaps it up, moves in … and Pa starts weirding out.
What to do? Stay and get slaughtered? Or keep asking, “What’s going on?”
The house upsets a nun, a priest, a paranormal sensitive.
Any family with a lick of sense would flee.
Based on a huge bestselling book, which was based on “true events”.
Haunted house clichéd to the max in enjoyable if predictable, outing.

Cry Wolf - 1947 - 6/10

Sandra arrives at her late husband’s family home.
Wife? Widow? “Why, we never knew he was married!”
The narrative soon goes into one of mutual suspicion.
Is this woman a gold digger? Did her husband’s brother have something to do with his death?
One watches this to see Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck together – their only pairing.
Noirish looking, although this is more mystery / thriller.
Not enough tension in an underwritten script.
Watchable if you run across it while surfing late night.

Brossard, Chandler - The Wolf Leaps

His pale face looks out of place in the Harlem bar. A tourist, slumming? Or a prospect? One of the hookers sizes him up, approaches. After a few comments, he follows her to a grimy room. Money is exchanged and the bed soon squeals. And at that point, the priest develops a taste for dark meat.
Back at the parish house, the wife of our Episcopalian priest contemplates her miserable existence. Awful neighborhood, disgusting residents, not to mention her husband, a male with “needs”. How happy she had been in the days of her all-girls school, with soft female companions. Sappho beckons.
Then there is the pimp, sweet talking charm to the friendly waitress. She’s wasting her life on her feet all day when she could earn so much more on her knees or on her back. He’d pocket half, and promise her it’s for them, their future. Just have to coax her away from her family, her boyfriend. Easy.
Chandler’s style is lean, not a sentence wasted. Not surprisingly, after this novel of adultery, lesbianism and prostitution was written in 1962, publishers shunned it. When it was finally published in 1973, few in white bread America bought it.
Headlong rush down grubby Harlem backstreets.

Savage Nights - 1992 - 7/10
AKA - Les Nuits Fauves

Jean prefers men, although something about Laura fascinates him.
Their mutual attraction is such that they become sexually intimate.
Afterward, and not straight away, he confesses that he is, and has been, HIV positive.
At times maddening film of lust, obsession, and disinterest.
Jean is selfish, in denial, perhaps empty emotionally and spiritually.
Directed and starring Cyril Collard, based on his own novel.
At times insightful look at gay cultures, some underground, others known.

Bedroom Farce - 2022 - 6/10

Small house parties, perhaps the worst.
Especially when one invited couple is on the brink of divorce.
And two ex-flames have been invited, as well.
Laughs? Well, depends on the audience, I suppose.
Each couple is immature and come across as dumb.
In the theatre, with a roaring crowd – maybe. At home – pass.

Rolling Stones: Live L’Olympia Theatre - 2003 - 7/10

Professional capture of the band in a smaller venue.
Fans who want a show of greatest hits may pause, however.
One of the lures for this is the inclusion of many lesser performed numbers.
“Live With Me”, “Hand of Fate”, “No Expectations”, “Stray Cat Blues”, “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”, “That’s How Strong My Love Is”, “Going to à Go-Go”, “Love Train”, “Respectable” …
Charlie is effortless and concise, Mick poster child for dynamism, Keith and Ron walking cadavers.
Although there is a horn section, keyboards, background singers, the mix leans towards the guitarists.
The cutting is much to rapid to study the musicianship.
Mere quibbles. Stones’ fans, you know this.

School Of Death - 1975 - 6/10
AKA - El Colegio de la Muerte

Yes, sometimes our girls need minor correcting. Especially Leonore, here.
The “school” is something between orphanage and detention hall.
Once the girls are old enough they are hired out to families / employers unknown.
One unforgettable client has a face completely burned away.
Not to suggest he isn’t quite sane, but he does like using his scalpel on those girls.
Film moves too slowly for its own good, but boasts a stylized Gothic look.
Another film that is pure Hammer, except it is not Hammer.
By any other name, Inspector Coldman could be Wilkie Collins’ Sergeant Cuff.
Undercurrents of white slave trafficking poorly exploited.

The Best Hotel On Skid Row - 1990 - 6/10

“Life in here is an ode to the low-income blues.”
Rooms at the Madison are $8.20 a night. No hot plate. Coin-op TV sets.
Or you could crash in the all night movie house for $2.50.
Cheaper? Sleep in the alley.
Profiles of a few tenants. Where they came from, what they left behind, how they live now.
Some are resigned, a few clutch pipedreams. Such is life.
Narrated knowingly by Charles Bukowski.
Ideal double bill for this is It Was A Wonderful Life from 1992.

Poison Rose - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - Du mei gui // 毒玫瑰

The inspector listens on the other sided of the two-way mirror.
Oh, the sexy lounge club singer is bad, but she’s low fruit.
He wants the whole gang, and the kingpin behind them.
So he sends a third detective undercover, after the first two were killed.
Lightweight Shaw Brother film is part police, part espionage (with gadgets and 007 music cues).
The story percolates along, pausing for romance and musical numbers.
Better Shaw Bros are out there – and worse.

Highway - 2016 - 6/10

Hester, teenage runaway, accepts a ride from a family into Echo Valley.
A storm approaches, of which the occupants are blissfully unaware.
Unease mounts into terror in this effective short.
Moody journey of premonition and time displacement.
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/highway-2016/english/2988564

Tuttle, Lisa - The Dead Hours Of Night

A truly capital selection of choice stories here.
“Objects In Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear”, the opener, launches on a high note and things climb from here. A woman, her ex, and a house spied but not found twenty years earlier. Enter modern technology, satellite imaging. Those more wise understand that warnings to the curious cross cultures and centuries. A very Aickmanesque tale.
So how do you react to loathsome creatures on the sidewalk? No, not the vomit splashed drunk. The cockroach twitching on its back, the quivering, obviously sick rat. Do you ignore? Do you squash it underfoot? How about if your partner brings it home, as in “Replacements”? Are you empathetic?
Precious little to explain in “My Pathology”. To paraphrase an old co-worker of mine, “it’s just another typical tale about the Philosopher’s Stone and a teratoma.” Love and obsession, not in that order.
“The Dream Detective” spurred an annoyed reaction, I’m afraid. Friends arrange a blind date at their home, but the forced couple never hit it off. No chemistry. Or they suffer standards. Besides, the female, Grace, confesses to an ability to enter dreams. Intervene, interfere, or so she says. The narrative goes deeper still, becoming absorbing with each page – only to come to an abrupt stop! This was going full steam. Where’s the rest?
To fellow gardeners who have fought the persistent invader, “Vegetable Love” will flick your fury. Tuttle’s character deals with Japanese knotweed. For us in Dixie, the beast is Kudzu.
At one time or another, if we are lucky or unlucky, we receive “The Book That Finds You”. Here, the roots of Aickman are again evident, along with a glimpse of Tuttle’s personal history.
This is really an excellent, well-chosen collection, and since it is a Valencourt Book, reasonably priced.

Three Fveking Bears (Rambo, et al) - Vilgefortz

Filesize = 7.6 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC, Audio = 192 kbps AC-3, 2-Channel stereo. No subs.

“Why are you pushing me?”
Rambo’s initial story, totally reworked, via flashbacks and voiceovers.
The flashbacks work to propel the narrative pace of this irreverent actioner.
Contemplative lulls are fewer here. Prudish Americans ought to brace for steamy nudity, as well.
The voiceover work is funny as hell. Rambo sounds like he is sippin’ syrup throughout, just about to nod off into permanent dreamland.
Here and there, the image is battered, though not overly so.
Dialogue is fairly clear – I gripe about this frequently. I listened through headphones.
Too bad Neglify is no longer reviewing. This is one he should have enjoyed.

Miami Vice: 03 Redemption - RangerKris

Filesize = 5.14 GB, Video = 512 X 384p AVC, Audio = 317 kbps AAC, 2-Channel stereo. No subs.

Mix of two early episodes (“Evan” and “Definitely Miami”), both Crockett focused.
The editing is smooth throughout, gliding the stories back and forth.
Stylishly, the stories are very different, one mostly dark, the other bright.
“Evan”, from S01, has a more subdued color palette than “Definitely Miami”, which is more saturated, and probably how most remember this series.
Music terrific in this one, although the dialogue is muffled half the time.
Filesize strikes me as too large for the video and audio.
At 77 minutes, the length of time is spot on.
RangerKris changed into Ranger613 after this, then dropped out of the hobby.
Too bad, he was improving each time out.

Terminator Extended Edition - Rhythm Rice

Filesize = 1.2 GB, Video = 720 X 418p AVC, Audio = 128 kbps AAC, 2-Channel stereo. No subs.

Deleted scenes are reinserted, making for a longer experience.
Not necessarily better, however.
The excised scenes are of lower quality, visually and sometimes audibly.
Moreover, they do not, to my way of thinking, add much to the characters.
Sarah, in fact, seems a little more dippy.
Her exchanges with Reese reveal almost no chemistry between the leads.
Reese’s observations, though, are haunting.
The knowledge that all this will be gone, swept away within a generation is chilling.
Likewise, his acknowledgement that he is a man out of place in this time, that he does not belong, is a painful truth and should have been left in.
I enjoyed watching this, can appreciate the professional work done, but I doubt I will ever rewatch.

eXistenZ - 1999 - 7/10

Yes, yesterday’s future draws closer everyday.
In the near future, players are immersed in heady games via bio-port into their nerve cord.
Once the game is underway, you cannot differentiate actual from virtual.
Mistakes prove lethal.
Complicating matters are outside terror groups, rebels, who sabotage the games and corporations.
Thoughtful, provocative actioner, eerily prescient, more so every year it seems.
A chilly film, however, with limited chemistry between the leads.

Chocolat - 2000 - 6/10

Late 1950’s, small French village, into which arrives the widow woman and daughter.
Even though the village is little more than a hamlet, she sets up a chocolate shop.
Chocolate, being a luxury item, straight off I’m growing skeptical.
How can locals afford this? How does she source ingredients?
Not to worry, a dalliance between her an a Roma guitarist provides distraction.
During release, this was the big artsy hit with mainstream viewers (usually one film per year).
I didn’t “get it” then, and still don’t. Yes, yes, no soul.
Romantics and fable lovers, this should suit you better.

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - 1992 - 6/10

The home-wrecker. Usurper. The hot babysitter, the childless au pair.
After Peyton loses her infant, she opts to enter a new family.
Mind you, the family in question, rather the wife, she holds responsible for the death of her husband.
Once in the home, small moves, worming her way deeper as a steamy, alternative mate.
Charged erotic thriller is too classy for that genre with a strong cast of rising faces.
Rebecca De Mornay could work these roles in her sleep at this time.
Sinister date film.

Safe - 1995 - 6/10

Carol, poster child for the ideal suburban life.
Picture perfect home, high earning husband, and she retains physical attractiveness.
After she suffers an allergic reaction, hidden anxieties surface.
Fear turns into phobias, worsened by “advisors”.
Julianne Moore offers nuanced portrayal of the soul swirling into Mysophobia / Nosophobia.
In 1995, this scenario seemed implausible. With the Covid pandemic, rabbit holes multiply.

An Ideal Husband - 1999 - 6/10

One of the less stagey adaptations of Wilde’s plays.
Lord Goring, bit of an idler, attempts to aid a ministerial friend being blackmailed by one Mrs. Cheveley.
What follows is a dry comedy of manners and delicious dialogue.
The conversations sparkle throughout, yet the tone is standoffish.
None of the characters every really engage one’s sympathy.
(Aside from Mrs Cheveley whom I found enticingly wicked.)
I applaud the production values, as well as cast and direction.
Still, this may be better for fans of the play or playwright.

Suicide Circle - 2001 - 6/10
AKA - Jisatsu Sâkuru // 自殺サークル

Schoolgirls hurl themselves in front of an express train.
Nurses leap out windows. Adults mutilate themselves.
Across Japan, the casualty count explodes, along with the popularity of the J-group, Dessert.
Not much is explained, although sensitive viewers can detect major themes.
Quiet points about disassociation and isolation echo throughout.
Early Sion Sono made a splash and caught the attention of Asia cinema fans.
As with many of Sono’s earlier works, the acting here is less bombastic.

The Groove Tube - 1974 - 5/10

Hit and miss sketch comedy, with far more swishes than hits.
An opening spoof of 2001 is funny, but quality varies thereafter.
Many of the skits are of TV commercials, products now lost to history and almost meaningless.
Some of the players appear in brownface and in blackface.
2 stars if you can guess what a story on planet Uranus will focus on.
Early roles for Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer.

The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion - 2001 - 6/10

Old school insurance investigator trades barbs with new employee who is tasked to reorganize.
In most versions, no matter how stellar, the dinosaur is pushed out for modernity.
This is a comedy, though, and the acid & oil couple are hypnotized into believing they are married.
And then, exploiting their inside-knowledge, they are persuaded into crime.
Old-fashioned comedy has good cast and terrific repartee.
This evokes the 1930’s and 40’s, except the pace drags too much.
Film has its moments, and plenty of them, so this will be good for Allen curious.

Changing Times - 2004 - 6/10
AKA - Les Temps qui changent

Antoine, construction overseer, arrives in Tangier to get a major project back on track.
This is only an excuse, however, to track down an old flame.
The woman in question is in a long term, if stale, marriage
Meanwhile, her son is visiting with his unhappy girlfriend.
The son intends to spend time with his boyfriend.
French fare filled with emotional complications amidst beautiful Moroccan locations.
Deneuve and Depardieu effortless in drama of expectations and obsession.