Vultural

Bettie Page Reveals All - 2012 - 7/10

I was still active on FBook when Bettie Page died, and I posted a news blurb.
Some of my friends asked, “Who’s she?”
I uploaded a photo.
They may not have known her name, but they recognized her immediately.
Arguably the greatest pinup model of all time.

Loving documentary succeeds despite flaws.
First problem, the editing of the first half is below amateur level.
Brief scene or story plays out for a minute or two with accompanying music.
Quick wipe, then another vignette unspools with totally different music.
This buggy bouncing tone mars the fame period, her “glory” years.
There is a well known group of film “faneditors” out there.
At least twelve among them could have produced a more polished, more fluid, result.
Ain’t no use crying, however. Jumpy is what it is.
Better by far, Page provides most of the narration herself, in a hoarse Southern drawl that bears witness to decades of hard road.
Covering her later years, the director grows more cohesive, and that half is better composed.

Another problem is less tangible, more subjective.
I have been buying Bettie Page “stuff" since the 70’s.
When she resurrected in the 80’s, collectors gradually learned which photographers peddled her photos, yet never paid her a dime in royalties, knowing of her poverty.
Some were among the doc interviewees. Sorta stuck a craw in my throat.
Page’s image is iconic. Regarding icons, there is an uneasy line between appreciation and appropriation.
Early on, you see individuals borrowing the Bettie look.
Ordinary souls in search of an identity are one thing. Celebrities out for an extra dollar, though …
Takes all sorts in this world.

Even though I am kicking parts of this documentary around, I enjoyed it tremendously.
Of all the Bettie Page shorts, reels, and that godawful movie, this is the best.
Honest, unflinching, packed with sexy images, as well as bitterness.
Not always a fun documentary, but altogether satisfying.
One gets the feeling Bettie departed this world, touched with grace.

Little Forest: Winter, Spring - 2015 - 7/10
AKA - Ritoru Foresuto: Fuyu/Haru // リトル・フォレスト 冬編・春編

Followup to Little Forest: Summer, Autumn.
Winter snow blankets the landscape and Ichiko’s struggles deepen.
A punishing part time job, the bitter temps, her larder emptying.
She has to face realities, or herself, and stop her habit of turning away.
As before, absolutely stunning photography, and a lot of cooking.
The ending feels like the writers had painted themselves into a corner, what they offered was insufficient.
Nevertheless, this a magical a soothing depiction of a rural paradise.

I reworked subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/little-forest-winterspring/english/2691926

The Hidden Face - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - La Cara Oculta

Quicksand thriller from Spain.
Insecure female decides to “test” her boyfriend.
“Does he really love me?”
“Would he miss me if I left?”
She disappears.
Big - big - big mistake.
After a couple of days, he gets drunk at a cafe and goes home with a new bang bunny.

Males, being creatures of limited depth, rarely recall ex-girlfriends once new the new face drains the mojo.
Slow to get going, but a nightmare for asthmatics, the claustrophobic, and the insecure.

Last Cab To Darwin - 2015 - 7/10

Taxi driver, Rex, listens as his doctor reads his fate.
Cancer. Three months, tops. Death in a hospital bed.
Resisting the sterile white room, Rex embarks on a road trip to Darwin and the promise of death with dignity.
Euthanasia.
As in many road trip films, he encounters lost souls along the way.
Forthright, deceptive, and of course, appearance is often illusion.
The journey toward death, this trip is inconceivably uplifting.

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For - 2014 - 5/10

The sequel earned acceptable ratings scores, but atrocious reviews.
What do critics know?
Perhaps they don’t like black n white.
Maybe they didn’t appreciate Noir.
Possibly they get turned off by florid dialogue.
Could be they wanted a more timely, more faithful sequel.
Five minutes in, I grasped I was watching an inferior clone of the original.
While not as bad as feared, this was flawed. Writing was fruity and stilted, action was contrived, the characters were even more caricatures than before. It reminded me of a parody and I decided to interpret it thus.
All the visual flourishes that punctuated the first film, are done to death here. Too bad.
Worse, resolutions on stories abrupt and poorly thought out.
Is this a decent Noir? No. This is a fifteen year old’s comic book mentality of that genre.
Acceptable time waster, also a downer.

Various (Editor: Beech, Mark) - Songs Of The Northern Seas

A collection of bitter cold adventures. When I began reading this, temps were 17° F outside. My home was never built for cold, nor was I. Tattered comforter around my legs, pot of black tea within easy reach, physical insulation to stave off the chill each tale heightened.
“The Ghosts Of The Great Northern Sea” makes a strong opener. A missing lover, apparently murdered, a suspicious stranger, and the tall tale of skating 200 miles across frozen seas.
Missionaries and whalers contest for the goodwill – and souls – of the Nunats in “The Tupilaq.” Nor are they alone, for there are shamans and ill faced spectres.
“Oil” as in lamplight, as in the face in the flickering flame, is an hors d’oeuvre. A soured savory, this feels like the subsection of a longer work. Tasty, but unfulfilling.
The following tale, “In Orbis Alius,” is more substantial. Owing to warmer temps, a Viking ship, in superb condition, has thawed from an ice cave. A party of two are dispatched to secure the site until a larger team arrives. To wait. Waiting, however, proves increasingly difficult.
As with most collections, there are a few tossed bones. “The Salon In The Woods” is overlong and over written. The main character, the naked, wild-man poet, like the story itself, is akin to the nutter on the bus, rambling incoherently and interminably. No song, no Northern Sea, only miasma.
“Excerpts From The Filed Notebook Of Dr. Eveline Cohen” reads like a missing story from Weird Tales. An anthropologist, trekking far north in Russia, hopes to study, perhaps write about, the “uncivilized” before progress wipes them. The style harks to the 1930’s, although I imagine Farnsworth Wright would read and reread the ending quite a few times.
“The Ice You Can Hear” is an icy lament that should haunt you.

Altitude - 2019 - 6/10

“What was that sound?” she asks.
He looks, alarmed, then says, “Probably an animal.”
They both know better. They have been climbing for hours, they have not found the cabin, and the fog thickens.
Short is a mix of rural horror and psychological horror.
Ending lacks oomph, this should have been a couple minutes longer.

Hamish MacBeth: Season 03 - 1997 - 7/10

Quirky drama comedy set in remote Highlands village.
Robert Carlyle plays the local constable.
Fans of Beaton’s books, read no further, as Carlyle will never substitute for the tall, red haired book original. Indeed, the series bears next to no resemblance to the books.
This third - and final - season concludes a couple story arcs, and is also a little darker than seasons one and two.
Most of the episodes were written or directed by Danny Boyle.
Beautiful Scotland - severe, craggy, lush - give a good sense of place, though the time is harder to pin down.
Some stories drift into allegory or fairy tale.

One warning. There were NO subtitles I could find.
A few conversations were difficult to translate, and subs would have been helpful.

She-Wolves: England’s Early Queens - 2012 - 6/10

Three episode documentary on six women who attempted to rule Medieval England.
Historian Helen Castor is several cuts above the witless, perky presenters who litter docs.
The material itself is a mix of intriguing and sketchy (as Castor confesses) from lack of records.
Narration, illuminated manuscripts, picturesque ruins. No talking heads.
Not necessarily compelling, but will be of interest to history buffs.

Shoot To Kill - 1947 - 5/10

Wife threatens blackmail to her crooked District Attorney husband, who is in thick with three rival gangs, after hurling a fourth leader into the slammer on falsified testimony. Only then, the jailbird escapes and . . .
Whew! At 63 minutes, this B-film percolates briskly.
While it has Noir photography, the plot is straight gangster flick.
Wooden acting, decent score, OK twists.
Selected this when I wanted something quick and brief. Enjoyable time waster.

A Woman In Danger - 2001 - 6/10
AKA - Une Femme Piégée

Hit n miss French thriller seems like a throwback to the 1980’s.
Florence, after spending the night bouncing the local stud, slinks home by morning.
Before she can concoct a plausible fairy tale for her husband, she scans the headlines.
Hey, isn’t that her lover who was murdered?

Wait a minute! He did not look like that. Hold on, wait! Oh no, the police!
So begins the footrace. Barefoot Florence with the dogged gendarmes in pursuit.
Stylistically, this resembles one of those erotic thrillers from the 1980’s.
Overuse of zooms to frowning closeups, music crescendos to punctuate a point.
Retro angle kept me watching, though this is far-fetched, cinema meatloaf.

Big Eyes - 2014 - 7/10

Based on the true story of Margaret Keane who drew wildly popular “big eyed" children in the 50’s and 60’s.
Her husband claims credit, since womenfolk lack serious artistic talent.
Christopher Waltz steals more than credit, he steals every scene with his cringeworthy portrayal of the oily husband.
This is a Tim Burton film and I was concerned going in that it would be another excursion into repetitive weirdness.
Not to worry, this was a straight ahead drama / female empowerment journey with nice San Francisco locations.
Turns out Burton is an admirer and collector of her work.
Narrative never drags, though it is spare on the aftermath.
Terence Stamp delicious as sarcastic art critic.

Creepy, big eyed children would make perfect zombies.

Dead Mountain - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - Pereval Dyatlova // Перевал Дятлова

Docudrama based on the 1959 Dyatlov Pass Incident, where hikers mysteriously froze to death.
Nine students from Ural Polytechnic head for the Otorten peak in January.
Accompanying them is a helper / observer, we later discover is KGB, mission undisclosed.
The series has two narratives, the hike and subsequent investigation.
In addition, there are numerous WWII flashbacks of the storming of Berlin by two characters.
Finally, local Mansi natives repeatedly warn the group the mountain is dangerous, an evil spirit.
Gripping throughout with superb photography and production values.
Best viewed during the coldest months.

Happier days. Students relaxing, checklisting inventory, eager for adventure.

The Last Of Robin Hood - 2013 - 6/10

Kevin Kline disappears into world weary Errol Flynn in his last years.
Movie spotlights relationship with 15 year old Beverly Aadland and her eagle eyed mother.
From what I have read on and by Flynn, events seemed accurate.
Flynn was still a name star, but the glamour roles had dried up a decade earlier. (Warners dropped him in ‘53)
There were mentions of Oscar nods for The Sun Also Rises and Too Much, Too Soon but nothing came of those.
Fine acting all around in a warts n all portrayal. No one escapes.
Bad reviews seem more from fans who prefer the rollicking swashbuckler, not the worn out wreck.
Kline captures the charm and grace that never failed the man.

Last hurrah - Flynn & Aadland on the Red Skelton Hour (episode aired posthumously).

Berkeley In The Sixties - 1990 - 7/10

Caveat. Documentary is about Berkeley political protest and unrest.
Not the “Summer Of Love” city, San Francisco.
Released in 1990, aging participants recall the rise and demise of campus activity 25 years earlier.
Genesis was in demonstrations against HUAC, police over-response, escalating confrontations.
Well arranged materials deliver an organized history from campus speakers to People’s Park to Panthers.
Enthusiasm for heady, early days is contagious.
Likewise, regrets and brutal honesty about mistakes that led to the collapse.
25 years seems a good time to look back. No telling how many of those interviewees are around or have their mental faculties, now 50 years on.

Change Of Plans - 2009 - 6/10
AKA - Le Code A Change

French dinner party from Hell.
Spousal sniping, family conflicts, old flames, food nazis.
There were almost too many characters, but by the end of the film you knew who was who and what their stories were.
Passable. Some reviewers were too harsh. What did they expect?
Going in, I knew this would be a talky dinner party.
One character, praying inside the church, echoed my own thoughts every time I have a party to attend.

“Lord …
Give me the strength to go to this damn dinner!
Give me the strength to pretend, to laugh.
To ask questions, when I don’t care about the answers.
To pretend that I’m there, when I’m far away.”

Maria’s Paradise - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Marian Paratiisi

Onset, the young woman, rechristened Salome, boards the train carrying religious cult followers of Maria Åkerblom.
At first, Salome is awestruck, though gradually the veil opens and she sees misdeeds by other followers.
The religious practice of sleeping prophecy is shown, but it is hard to see how it grips others.
Maria, as leader, has presence, but also a taste for “nice things.” Material things.
A pattern mirrored with modern religious shepherds.
Interesting drama will perhaps yield more to those familiar with Åkerblom.

I came onto this rather circuitously.
Hans Ewers’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” (Side Real Press) has an appendix on the sleeping prophet phenomenon.
Benjamin Tweddell’s “Sermons In A House Of Grief” points toward another Finnish cult, Kartanoism.

Fortier: S01 - 2001 - 6/10

Canadian police procedural follows “elite” unit given dirty cases, primarily sex crimes.
Dr Fortier is the female psychologist assigned to the team.
Solid ensemble show, though Fortier’s quirks are overdone and distracting.
S01 has ten episodes. Five two-part stories.
OK, but not on par with the best Scandinavian crime shows, though this is a decade earlier.
Note - Set in Quebec, Fortier is a French language production.

Titane - 2021 - 6/10

Look, even when little, Alexia was one messed up kid. Then again, the metal plate in her head did not seem to help.
After one too many murders goes wrong, so she disguises herself as a male.
A fireman provides cover since he regards Alexia as his missing lost son, Adrian.
The first part of this is eye popping. Neon design, sexualized cars, stiletto deaths.
The second half, however, grows dreary. The narrative flits randomly, only the swelling tumescence abides.
Bizarre film may or may not bear any sort of message, yet will lure seekers of weird cinema.
Beware, graphic sex and violence. Mmm … apparently unprotected sex.

I Bury The Living - 1958 - 4/10

Thriller without thrills, Horror without horrors.
Man assigned to run local cemetery finds he might have the power of life and death!
Office has a big map layout of plots and stickpins.
White pins for reservations, black pins for planted residents.
When he mixes up pins on the map, folks start dying!
Hopeful premise ruined by the man’s (Richard Boone) dismal guilt complex.
Plods along, too talky, stagebound. Feels like a rejected “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episode.

Coffee Town - 2012 - 6/10

Overlooked comic gem.
Denizens of small coffee shop discover their hangout could be turned into a food bistro.
Instead of deadbeats fixed like barnacles to tables all day, pushy, noisy eaters will arrive.
And lingering, loitering, chilling all day, will be gone with the tape deck.
So they evolve an absurd plan to stop that.
Funny on multiple levels: situation, farce behavior, clever wordplay.

Truth to tell, I never glance twice at laptop types (mostly guys) sitting in coffee shops.
I assume most are safely eyeing porn without mom, wife, girlfriend looming.
This world is already disappearing, as laptops give way to phones for the majority.

I Who Have No One - 2019 - 5/10

Ugly duckling Frances, failing to snuff herself, encounters Jerome, devil worshiper.
Before you can sing Screaming Jay Hawkins, Frances is killing. Mostly trim, pert females.
Horror short lacks budget and scope.
Overused ideas, compensated with a few funny moments.

Paterson - 2016 - 5/10

Paterson, the bus driver, scribbles poetry on the side.
Snatches of conversation, visual snapshots of images, memories recalled through the lens.
Wife Laura is a free spirit artist, obsessed with black n white visuals and cupcakes.
He seems to have no dreams, her wild ambitions are boundless.
Movie strings out for seven days, with very little happening.
Though to Paterson and Laura, the week is quietly momentous.

Jim Jarmusch film sorely tried my patience.
While I don’t particularly care for this director, I do watch every new release of his.

Bikker, Edita - The Night Of Turns

At the beginning, Edita leaves the settlements, civilization, and attaches herself to a caravan. The Caravan Of The Burnt Woman, as we later discover.
As the wagons roll into the empty wilds, Edita meets the assorted members, and she tries to grasp the peculiarities and mysteries of the group. Not so much personal histories, but the activities, the guarded beliefs, as well as the oppressive strangeness that seems to hem in around them.
This is a brilliantly executed journey into superstition and routine. In many ways, what it means to be alive. The story is dripping with images.
“… From a distance the rain-worn wagon looked like a shrunken skull in a museum, eyelids, lips and nostrils stitched together, the ears sewn in the fatal clasp of a Venus fly trap…”
The caravan, and there are seventeen caravans on the path, is less doomed than the Donner Party, the company merrier, less ill-fated than Faulkner’s Bundren family.
From time to time, caravans meet. The Caravan Of The Fool, Of The Green Goose. And then the jovial, yet deadly, Night Of Turns commences.
Throughout, revelations and awareness unfold.
The novel has been tagged with the trendy “folk horror” moniker. It is less horror, more folk.

Broodcomb is a relatively new press, focusing on strange, weird or supernatural fiction.
Not necessarily horror. Readers with a taste for Aickman or Ligotti should check it out.

Ripper Street: S02 - 2013 - 7/10

Very much an extension of Season 01.
Narrative seems to have skipped a year or two.
One character now married, another’s wife has gone AWOL.
If anything, the tone is grimmer and darker than before.
Bucking the usual glossy, warming Victorian fare, the lives of all characters here spiral into misery for which there seems no exit.
Absorbing for viewers, but a dark, hard, brutish series.
Nonetheless, I’m losing interest.