Vultural

Kepler X-47 - 2014 - 6/10

Humanity, perhaps on the brink of disaster, accepts help from “visitors”.
It is possible, however, that the arrivals caused the calamity.
Viewers who recall “To Serve Man” might slot this as “To Observe Man”.
“The species (humanity) finds purpose in feeding, grooming, mating, and acquiring objects.”
Short SciFi of survival, freedom and restraint.

Reincarnation Of Golden Lotus - 1989 - 6/10
AKA - Pan Jin Lian zhi Qian shi Jin Sheng // 潘金蓮之前世今生

Beauty attracts admirers, those who would possess, those who would abuse.
So Lotus discovers during the Cultural Revolution.
Marrying rich, she moves to Hong Kong where she is troubled by visions.
Long ago, in Imperial China, she had been a beautiful courtesan, and mistreated by three men.
Not only is she a reincarnation, so are her previous attackers.
So, vengeance? Or try to lead a righteous life.
Gorgeous film flirts with Cat III. Plenty of steam, though little skin.
Haunting story of love, grudges, karma, and Fate.
Underrated Hong Kong gem, and a nice role for Joey Wong.

45 Years - 2015 - 8/10

Agonizing portrayal of marriage in crisis.
Days before a husband and wife celebrate their 45th anniversary, he receives an official note of a “found” body.
His old girlfriend, who had been hiking with him in the Swiss Alps, had fallen into a crevasse.
With global warming, the glacier had melted and her body was visible, some fifty years later.
“Why would they notify you?” the wife asked.
“I was listed as next of kin.”
“Why was that?”
“Well, see, we were sort of married.”
After that, the husband grows increasingly soaked in regret - for his youth, for another life, for the girl he wanted to spend his life with.
Charlotte Rampling devastating as wife who sees the old flame as a destroying angel.

Images - 1972 - 7/10

A children’s writer relocates to the countryside to recharge and escape some “disturbances”.
Difficulties persist, however, as she begins confusing her husband with two ex-lovers (one dead).
Hallucinations increase to the point where she encounters her own doppelganger.
We view from author Cathryn’s perspective, which means we are muddled.
A dreamlike quality suffuses, making it hard to tell if Cathryn is losing her sanity or is actually haunted.
Difficult Altman effort may reward repeated viewing. There was supposedly only a loose script and much improvisation (typical of this director).
I rewatch for the exceptional “look” and performances, although the plot continues to baffle me.

Jacqueline Sauvage: It Was Him Or Me - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - Jacqueline Sauvage: C’était lui ou moi

Straight off, we know Sauvage kills her husband. Three blasts from the shotgun will do that.
While she confesses, police notice her ugly facial bruises and cuts.
Investigations reveal 40+ years of physical and emotional abuse.
Against her, their children, neighbors. Of which the police did – nothing.
Nevertheless, does physical violence justify killing?
What follows are prison scenes laced with courtroom drama, and ugly flashbacks.
Viewers should be aware, the concept of “guilty until proved innocent” applies here.

Quills - 2000 - 7/10

Despite being imprisoned (for “insanity”) the Marquis de Sade continues to get his writings smuggled out.
And then published. Of course, the powers that be are not amused.
De Sade, vilified as a heretic and class traitor, is guilty of blasphemy and forced, violent sex.
If free Sade is a perpetrator, imprisoned Sade is a victim.
Of censorship and punishment, restrictions and surveillance.
Very theatrical production manages to be intellectually heady yet completely squalid.
Jess Franco fans, this is not the de Sade you are looking for.

Blame It On Rio - 1984 - 5/10

Two friends, fathers, head for Rio with their two teenage daughters in tow.
Steamy days, sultry nights, and soon one father and the other’s daughter pair off.
This borders on smutty exploitation, yet it is awfully funny.
Michael Caine and Joseph Bologna share good chemistry (and good one-liners).
Rio is a postcard, Michelle Johnson is absolutely ripe (though Demi Moore seems uncomfortable).
One does wonder why Stanley Donen, of all people, is directing this fluff.

Learning To Drive - 2015 - 6/10

After her husband walks out of their 20+ year marriage, the wife decides to take driving lessons.
This is set in New York City where one can live a lifetime without a car.
Plot avoids the usual marital conflicts and roots of divorce. View this as a no-fault breakup.
The story follows the wife’s increasing self reliance.
Getting out of the apartment, envisioning a trip to her daughter in Vermont.
The Punjabi cabbie teacher’s story is more sketchy, as are all male figures in this.
Ending struck me as improbable. Other elements (how does she afford NYC rent) implausible.
A quiet film, but much occurs. May resonate more with female viewers (it did here).

Henry V - 1989 - 8/10

Kenneth who? This introduced Mr. Branagh to the rest of the world, big time.
Henry V, continuing the Plantagenet claim, embarks to bring France under heel.
First, however, a slice of treachery, then a flash of Henry’s previous existence.
What follows, to paraphrase the Chorus, is a masterful use of smoke and mirrors.
The story, gritty and muddy, looks to have been shot within budget, but the execution is brilliant.
The camps appear large, the battles widescale.
Shakespeare, not exclusive for the arthouse officer, but for the base, common and popular.

The Last American Hero - 1973 - 6/10

Moonshine runner, Junior Jackson, wants to quit that crooked game and go legit.
He enters NASCAR, with buddies as his pit crew.
Only, it turns out NASCAR is just like dealing illegal hootch, a snake pit.
Sponsors, judges, big money backers, rivals who expect a pecking order to be obeyed.
Biography of an iconoclast, fueled with gasoline and exhaust, and plenty of car action for the drive-in crowd.
Valerie Perrine good as the less than innocent groupie, but Jeff Bridges owns this one.
Based on Junior Johnson.

Testament Of Youth - 2015 - 7/10

Latest adaptation of Vera Brittain’s World War I memoir.
Brittain, presumably part of the rural gentry, dreams of becoming a writer and being admitted to Oxford.
Events go her way at first, though one is reminded of simmering tensions in Europe throughout.
Gradually, however, the conflagration across the Channel empties her world.
Film picks up pace as the conflict grows. First part of the movie is a bit low key.
The romantic leads lack chemistry, as well as intensity.
Second half is altogether sharper and grimmer.
Ending feels rushed. Investigate the 1979 mini series for a fuller aftermath.

I’ll See You In My Dreams - 2015 - 7/10

Unexpected romance at the retirement home.
Woman visiting her girlfriends is persuaded to participate in the next speed-date mingler.
Males are over-earnest, sad-sacks, overdosed on erectile meds, or simply lonely.
Female friends urge her to move into the senior center, share the good times!
The woman (Blythe Danner) has her own home, dog, pool guy, daughter who visits occasionally, and freedom.
Then the handsome stranger from Texas arrives. Sam Elliott.
Narrative is absorbing because the plot veers in unexpected directions frequently.
Just when you conclude, “This is going to --” the story hard turns.
Same thing with characters. Just when you feel reassured - or worried - Fate skips across the surface.
These are people with miles of time behind them, precious little road ahead.
You hope for the best, but -

The Devil In Miss Jones - 1973 - 5/10

Lusty remake of the funny … ha!
Justine Jones commits suicide. Look, she’s bored, OK?
Suicide is a mortal sin, yet Jonesy has led an otherwise pure life.
So the gatekeeper is in a quandary. Solution: send her back to life to chalk up a pile of sins.
From there, we follow her into hardcore territory.
Despite production values and decent actors, the landmark film is hardly a romp.
For all the assorted rutting and moaning, this is a downer with a moralistic Afterlife.

The Devil And Miss Jones - 1941 - 6/10

Union organizers, whether at your local Starbucks, or decades earlier in the department store.
Most bosses just want these headaches quelled. By the quickest means. Usually firing.
Unlike most overlords, Mr. Merrick is a hands on kinda guy, and he goes undercover.
He is now the new shoe salesman, and a poor one at that, but befriended by – gasp! – those union types.
Feel good comedy is a product of its times (the Depression) and gets too schmaltzy.
Best to see for the leads, who are fun.
When everyone has an IRA or 401k, sympathy for the underpaid working class seems diminished.

Match Point - 2005 - 8/10

Tennis star Chris teaches at the upper class club.
He’s young, but the professional days are behind him, and the club is just marking time.
Student Tom takes a shine to him and introduces him to family, where the sister is besotted.
Jackpot! Which the tennis player realizes, and the couple are soon an “item”.
Tom, however, is dating a fetching siren.

Outstanding mystery / thriller is one of Woody’s finest.
Observations on class and aspirations. Desire, financial and sensual.
Letting – not the heart rule the head – but letting the part rule the head.
One wants to yell at the player, how perfect the rich daughter is.
And yet, Scarlett is utterly bewitching.

The Last Seduction - 1994 - 7/10

Bridget, female grifter, swipes her husband’s drug money, skedaddles to the boondocks.
She knows how to push a workcrew, so new employers are delighted.
More than that, she knows how to manipulate dumb n hung.
That husband, though. Yeah, loose end. And she knows he’s searching.
Heady Neo-Noir, laced with black comedy, made Linda Fiorentino a star … briefly.
Juicy dialogue is particularly memorable.

Les Rendez-Vous de Paris - 1995 - 6/10

Three separate stories of romance and fidelity by Éric Rohmer.
A girl is informed her boyfriend is unfaithful. What to do?
Another girl cannot decide to remain with her boyfriend or go with another.
The third story follows an artist who tries to pick up a newlywed.
Narratives are sequential, not interlocking.
Great photography of Parisian backstreets and neighborhood parks.
Talking and walking. Ordinary lives.
Characters mention the word “banal” frequently. It applies.

Remember - 2016 - 8/10

Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau as ninetyish Auschwitz survivors in nursing home.
Plummer suffers dementia, Landau is wheelchair confined.
They discover an Auschwitz officer had escaped under a false name and lives in North America.
Plummer, confused and forgetful, agrees to locate and assassinate the Nazi.
Landau arranges as much as he can: tickets, room reservations, a printed itinerary, but Plummer is on his own.
Story makes rather painful viewing, but the hunt, the unfolding mystery, is thrilling, suspenseful and will keep you glued to the screen.
Plummer is exceptional in this, shading the character, Zev (Hebrew for Wolf) with regret, weariness, yet underlying resolve.

Note - Tiptoe review, this. Unexpected surprises occur during Zev’s journey.
Beware of reviews with thoughtless spoilers. Sadly, that trend worsens each year.

Unsustainable - 2012 - 6/10

A nightmare awaking. In your car, buck naked, no car keys.
Flashback: He lives with liberal idealists. Dumpster diving, save the planet vegans.
Which he doesn’t buy into, him being into consumerism and all that.
Someone has to pay the bills. Enter the mysterious Frédérique.
Sharp satire of the blind and self-absorbed.
Omission on IMBD is an odd oversight.

Thom Pain - 2017 - 6/10

Thom reaches the stage, opens with a story of childhood innocence, crushed by Fate and bad luck.
Join the club, Barney, I think.
An audience member departs – visibly – possibly staged. My suspicion begins.
Next, the female. THE female, the one. Their relationship, like 99.7% of unions, sours. Get over it.
Thom shrugs the “whatever” attitude, barely concealing his pity party.
From time to time he addresses or singles out audience members in the front row.
No one responds (which in most theatre, someone would), of which I suspect they have been instructed.
Also, the ticket buying public appear to be the flip-flop crowd, yet the front row are model specimens.
The editing and cutaways display the artificiality of this outing. And Thom? Thom is yesterday’s raffle loser.

The Secret - 1979 - 6/10
AKA - Fung Gip // 瘋劫

Family asks Li Yuen when she and her steady are getting married.
She keeps putting them off, and seems reluctant to press the issue with Ah Saw.
Next the village is shocked when the pair are found brutally murdered and trussed up.
Police locate a suspect and close the case.
One relative, friend, is troubled by memories and starts investigating.
Unearthing darker secrets.
Baffling mystery with random characters and events had me going, “What’s the point of this?”
That said, the conclusion weaves stray threads and individuals into a neat solution.

New Years Eve - 1924 - 5/10
AKA - Sylvester

Outside, the sidewalks and streets are jammed with merrymaking throngs.
Many venture inside the cafe and continue the party.
The barkeep serves and replenishes canapés and drinks in the back.
His wife assists. Then the man’s mother arrives, a meek, withered, dry piece of toast.
In contrast to the revels without, they share a quiet meal before the man returns to bar duties.
And the quiet mother, no longer capable of controlling her jealousy and resentment, erupts.
No intertitles, by design. The copy I viewed had a pronounced flicker, very fatiguing.

House Of Horrors - 1946 - 6/10

Diverting B-thriller with a solid Noir / Expressionistic look.
Outsider sculptor (failed artist) rescues large man from river.
Inspired by his grotesque features, the artist uses him as model for his Neanderthal piece.
He rants about unappreciative critic, not knowing his new friend is actually a psychotic killer.
Still … no one likes critics, now do they?
At barely an hour, the plot chugs along swiftly. Pleasant 40’s era cheesecake a bonus.

Full Alert - 1997 - 6/10
AKA - Go do Gaai Bei // 高度戒備

“How can I tell you what I don’t know? I’m in prison.
“Yes, you found explosives in my room. Even a map of some vault.
“I don’t know nothing about nothing.”
The police sense something is planned, something huge, only the crook won’t break.
And the small gang needs him bad enough they intend to spring him.
High octane Hong Kong caper (one of the last pre-takeover) from Ringo Lam.
Illegal car chases (literally), shootouts, booby traps.
As with most caper flicks, you start rooting for the baddies.
More so here as the head cop abuses his team and civilians.

Goldilocks - 2016 - 6/10

A series of one-man ships search for a new Earth.
Time extends and the young explorers lose more than youth.
Effective SciFi short captures the loneliness of deep space.
Perhaps the futility that there is a “reset” home for humanity.
Very, very widescreen, perhaps too much so.