Vultural

Ladyhawke Rescored – MusicEd921

Filesize = 11.3 GB, Video = 1920 X 1090p AVC, Audio = 221 kbps 2-Channel Stereo AAC, No subs.

A substantial edit, removing the 80’s soundtrack, replacing it with Jerry Goldsmith’s score for “Lionheart.”
Do not let the audio specs fool you. The music is robust and dynamic throughout, often swelling dramatically.
The audio editing is fabulous. Small scene removals, I never noticed.
This improves this film quite a bit, though I have always had reservations about it.
For one thing, the film still looks cheap to me. There are simply not enough extras. From pursuing soldiers to castle inhabitants, where is everyone?
Also, it is way too clean. Costumes always appear straight from EZ Sudz Washland.
For Rurgar Hauer fans, he is top flight in this! Glorious.
Aside from Michelle Pfieffer, every other actor borders on ham.
Mouse (and Mathew Broderick himself) remains excruciatingly annoying.

Future Perfect (Hitchhikers Guide)- Adabisi

Ah, a Radio 4 adaptation!
Of the Hitchhiker’s Guide, this might serve as a warning against the perils of alcohol.
Ford and Arthur blather away, attempting to decipher their latest predicament.
Arthur and Ford remain annoying twits, and Zaphod I would have spaced after ten minutes. Fortunately for him, and other listeners as disposed as I, he’s only on for four or five minutes in this short.
No video (I simply scored a 10). Audio is mostly discernable, though a few murmuring passages can be challenging.
I listened cold, then later read Adabisi weaved numerous sections into one mind and time boggling stroll.
Mind you, I appreciated more than I enjoyed. More clever than funny.

The Hidden B+ - The Scribbling Man

Filesize = 1.7 GB, Video = 710 X 386p AVC (m4v), Audio = 290 kbps AAC, 2-Channel stereo. No subs.

Man, for a “lite” trim, a lot of work has been put into this and it shows!
It’s not so much what is cut, and the cuts are minimal, but the sly rearrangement aid coherence and push the tempo.
Hidden was always an enjoyable thrill ride, part spree killer, part something unexplained.
(MacLachlan was either shrewd casting, or he really keyed into his aloof, removed character.)
There are numerous audio edits, as well, mostly for the better.
A little synth goes a long way. Excising or lowering audio on yesterday’s minor hits is pulled off well.
Me? I woulda kept the wheelchair, more strip club, more sex, but that may be Mötley Crüe DNA.
I often bitch about dialogue, but not here. My version did not have subtitles, nor did it need.
Bottom line, this edit improves on the original release.

Getaway (Drive) - thecuddlyninja

Not sure what cuddly was aiming for with this short of “Drive.”
This version is certainly not a love story. More like a tone poem or mood piece.
Some of the transition edits are first rate, meaning inspired.
All editing is solid, save for the closing credits which end with a thunk.
A couple seconds would have helped.
The narrative follows Gosling’s character as he befriends folks.
Scene to scene, fairly cohesive though it does not fit into this Consecution.
Don’t misunderstand, I enjoyed this, but cuddly has done better work.

Who Am I? - StuntGuy

Filesize = 8.1 GB, Video = 1920 X 820p AVC, Audio = 193 kbps AAC, 2-Channel Stereo. Limited Subs.

This is closer to a restoration, and the editor might want to load at FanRes.
Jackie, part of an elite commando unit, loses his memory as the mission takes a nosedive.
He is befriended by an African tribe who restore him physically and spiritually.
That element is important, as it indicates how Jackie was reaching out to a global audience, though the US version minimized that angle.
What follows are chase sequences, brilliant car work and cat n mouse hunts.
At the end, however, Chan delivers the stunts, and they are shattering.

StuntGuy’s edit breathes more than the US version, as such permits more character development.
The editing is terrific. The manner in which he layers in bits of memory resurfacing is well done.
I did not pull a side by side to check color modification, but everything is crisp and properly colored.
For Jackie Chan fans, this is an improvement over what’s out there.
Also very child friendly if you want to watch on family night (lots of fights, chases, no death or blood).

First World War - 2003 - 8/10

Excellent, 10 part companion to 1964‘s thorough, 26 episode documentary, The Great War.
Despite covering the same years, there is little overlap plus a lot of additional information.
Example - British encouragement of Japanese involvement against German Pacific territories laid the seeds for the Pearl Harbor attack
Or, Jews, fleeing Russian persecution, serve under the Kaiser and relocate their families to Germany.
Or the proposed German plans to attack Boston.
Much of the global conflict is referenced, Asian campaigns, Arabian adventures, African guerrilla warfare.
What is missing are first hand interviews and detailed campaign analysis.
Thus noted, one whole chapter is devoted the the Ludendorff Offensive, which almost turned the outcome.
Ending seemed rushed, though historians might say the same about the war’s resolution itself.
Marvelous series, perhaps easier to digest than the ‘64.

A Little Place Off The Edgware Road - 2013 - 7/10

A novelist, perhaps grieving, suffers block and talks with a psychiatrist.
Just enough details emerge that he is hurt, haunted by a recurring dream.
Between visits to his therapist, James attends a Hitchcock festival.
Disturbing short finds writer blurring lurid news, his own works, and personal tragedy.
Top flight actors, fine direction, Graham Greene story, with a dash of supernatural.

Zelig - 1983 - 7/10

Imaginative faux documentary about the chameleon, Leonard Zelig.
Throughout the 1920’s and 30’s, he was able to fit in and blend with everyone.
Musicians, politicians, Nazis, athletes …
Viewers are meant to ponder identity, although Zelig apparently has none.
There is no “there”, no core, only proximity appropriation.
Technically, this is a marvel. It may have been Allen’s concept, but credit Gordon Willis and visual artists.

Anaconda - 1997 - 6/10

Yes, of course that humongous snake is smart! Smarter than everyone on that leaky Micaela-I.
The documentary film crew heads up treacherous waters, lead by a guide who they don’t realize is bonkers.
He wants revenge, they want footage, and the anaconda wants feet, as in feet first, gulp.
Early twists boost this creature feature shocker.
Nevertheless, one watches this for Jon Voight who pushes his character to the max.
Hollywood being what it is, I knew who would die, who would survive.
Plot holes, logic? Please, a giant snake.

Murder In Amiens - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à Amiens

Female corpse Is found inside an amusement park ride of the Nautilus.
Police arrive at the Jules Verne park, question wary farmers and property developers.
There are a tangle of backstories and motives, not to mention suspects.
The victim was trusted by many, but with potential profits to be made everyone is unsure.
Plotting is tighter and better than typical French TV thrillers, and lead Grégoire Bonnet denotes a top caliber of acting.
No romance between he and his younger colleague, thank God.

Concussion - 2015 - 7/10

Pittsburgh coroner realizes connection between gridiron head injuries and cognitive impairment.
Whereas the average soul will ponder ten seconds, “Bang your skull, brain damage - duh," the NFL (National Football League), is not exactly thrilled.
They react much as Big Tobacco did when confronted with evidence equating smoking with cancer.
Will Smith disappears into a multilayered role of embattled, idealistic soul, dealing with frightening, rabid football fans.
“What!! You wanna take away our football!!”
Trifle overlong, yet never dull or boring. Not preachy, either.
A tone of elegy tints the film throughout.

Apartment Zero - 1988 - 7/10

Adrian rents out a room to help pay mounting debts.
He owns and operates an arthouse movie theatre in Buenos Ares, ticket sales are minimal.
New tenant Jack is handsome, carries himself with dash, and is a social mixer.
Adrian is drawn to Jack, though it is uncertain whether this is loneliness or homosexual in nature.
What else? Adrian’s mother was insane and the condition may be hereditary.
Oh, and a string of serial murders are plaguing the city!
Early on, I tried to connect Adrian’s political activist employee and the killings, but that was slippery.
Equal parts disturbing character study and psychological thriller.
Intense performance by a young Colin Firth.

Wise Blood - 1979 - 6/10

“… where the blind can’t see, the lame don’t walk, and what’s dead stays that way …”
Hazel Motes (a riveting Brad Dourif), recently discharged from the Army, starts his own street church.
Actually, his Church Without Christ is more of an anti-church.
Quietly poses the disquieting notion (in the 60’s and 70‘s) of whether Jesus, should he return today, would he be a Christian or would he form his own denomination? How far astray has Christianity wandered?
The canvas is over-weighted with Southern oddballs, weirdos, eccentrics, all of whom scream stereotypes.
Yes, small towns boast one or two, but this town must be where a pack of them overwinter.
Harry Dean Stanton memorable as religious competition, the blind faith healer.

Beautiful Lies - 2010 - 4/10
AKA - De Vrais Mensonges

Forced, unfunny comedy. Cold, gauche.
Male employee writes an anonymous mash letter to his female boss.
She round-files it, only to retrieve it later, copy it word for word, and post to her lovesick mother.
Complications ensue, along with lies, false assumptions, and emotional outbursts.
French misfire that stumbles on many levels.
For a comedy of errors, the pace plods like a drunken penguin.
Main characters are unpleasant and immature.
I could never decide if the director had no respect for women, or none for his audience.
Advertising equates this with Amélie - don’t believe that.

Flesh Gordon - 1974 - 6/10

Earth is under attack from deadly sex-rays, turning the populace into rutting (meaning non-working) sybarites.
Bankers, factory owners, corporate bosses want laborers outta bed and back to the grind.
Football star Flesh, Professor Jerkoff, and Dale Ardor journey into deep space, heading for planet Porno.
Campy spoof of 1930’s Flash Gordon seems to lift scenes and sets in toto.
Well, not totally, as there is a tremendous amount of nudity and bouncing in this.
Gems include Jerkoff’s ship and power pasties, Prince Precious and the monster (voiced by Craig Nelson).
Special effects are good for their time. Star Wars was still three years away, yet a lot of SW techs cut their teeth on this one.
Avoid the sequel, avoid the censored version. If you have qualms, don’t watch, the tone will upset you.
Literally a XXX film, this was a popular date film.
Informative audio commentary by producer Howard Ziehm is dryer than an infirmed lecturing professor.

Dragon Inn - 1992 - 7/10
AKA - San Lung Moon hak Chan // 新龍門客棧

Superlative remake of Dragon Gate Inn 1967, (itself a classic),
A powerful eunuch, advisor to the emperor, assassinates an outpost commander.
Next, in full pursuit, his Black Arrow assassins chase after the commander’s surviving children.
Events converge at the Dragon Inn, where murderers meet rival murderers, along with determined protectors and treacherous denizens of the establishment.
The inn serves a nearby garrison, and is part brothel, charnel house (meat specialties come from somewhere), with slippery sleeping accommodations.
If such sounds confusing, it is. Just hold tight.
Funny, sexy, with astounding swordplay and expertly choreographed fights.
One of the greatest films from Hong Kong’s heyday.
Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Donnie Yen.

Dough - 2015 - 6/10

Contrived British comedy of Jewish bakery losing clients to relocation and the Reaper.
The Conservative baker has just lost his assistant to an expanding chain.
In desperation, he hires a young Muslim from Darfur as his apprentice.

Dynamics of old - young, Jewish - Muslim, small shop - big chain. mixed with calculated design.
The apprentice is also a low-level weed dealer who starts adding leaf to the dough.
The sleepy shop revives, though the old guy never notices green flecks in his bagels?!!
Pleasant, feel-good film, lacks believability. Shot - not in London - but Budapest.
(Includes an intriguing trailer for a doc of Streit’s Matzos which went on my find-list.)

Moore, James - Homestead

Kathy takes up sketching again. Something creative, as her life seems in a rut.
Pick up the children after school, make dinner, clean house, be a loving wife.
Also sympathize with her friend Tina, whose husband is cheating.
Sketching, however, she starts incorporating faces of disappeared children.
Years ago, when she was a child, there had been a string of missing children.
The community was small, isolated, police never found clues.
Yet as Kathy sketches, dreams begin to intrude, then memories bubble up.
A brief novella of secrets buried under daily banalities.
The ending leaves a lot to be desired. It feels like Mr. Moore hit his word count and quit.
“Homestead” is a slow burner that finally vents, but leaves a major question unanswered.
Despite my left handed review, this Cemetery Dance book is readily available and is profusely illustrated.

Phase IV - 1974 - 6/10

In the Arizona desert, a colony of ants is rapidly evolving.
They have built large towers, similar to termite structures in Africa.
Moreover, they are breeding themselves immunity to pesticides.
The local human population has fled, leaving a trio of researchers.
For those who predict the meek shall inherit the earth, this is a good one.
For those prefer picnics and backyards ant free, this will be a nightmare.
Numerous closeups of invading insects, for those who suffer ant-phobia.

The Middleman - 2020 - 6/10
AKA - L’agent Immobilier

Olivier, incompetent Parisian real estate agent, cannot present, cannot close, cannot retain properties.
Even his own flat, and he takes to squatting inside recently sold addresses.
Fortune smiles after his mother dies, bequeathing him a battered apartment building.
Olivier plans to resell the valuable location to a developer.
Except, there is a viager, an elderly woman tenant with rights to occupy.
Yes, Fate gives and Fate takes away.
He is saddled with the property, creditors hound him, relations with his family are dismal.
Then again, there is a talking goldfish. And, Olivier can seemingly slipstream into the 1970’s.
Say what? Yes, peculiar mix of comedy and fantasy, though not enough and of poor quality.
Four part series. For Francophiles who will watch anything.

To The Ends Of The Earth - 1948 - 6/10

Dick Powell stars as Federal narcotics agent trailing human traffickers and opium smugglers.
From San Francisco to Shanghai to Cairo to Havana, coordinating with local authorities.
Stock footage for exotic exteriors are OK if you can suspend disbelief.
There is no main villain here, only shifting hydra heads per location.
Dry, exposition driven narrative, similar to T-Men, FBI Story, and The House On 92nd Street.
Better for those who appreciate starchy doc-dramas.

Twixt - 2011 - 5/10

Has-been horror writer has seen better days.
He no longer has a publisher, nor a distributor.
Instead, Hall is printing books himself, then driving from town to town, peddling to small bookstores.
Yeah, King never did this.
He involves himself with an unsolved murder, and seems to be investigating.

Impossible to tell, however, as the ordinary world bleeds into dreams.
Part experimental film, part Gothic, with weird humor tossed in.
Coppola made this one, apparently with multiple endings (that ought to have been on the DVD).

Devil In A Blue Dress - 1995 - 6/10

Easy Rawlins, private eye, accepts the case of finding a white woman, wife of a powerful political.
She has a “taste for jazz and dark meat,” and is believed to be hiding in black Los Angeles.
We know, before he does, the case won’t be simple, and the obstacles soon mount.
Denzil Washington very good in this, as the veteran just trying to make living.
Don Cheadle, however, sets the screen on fire as the lethal Mouse.
Film has a laid back LA vibe, with strong attention to late 40’s details.
Solid Neo-Noir, under-seen and under-acclaimed.

Sitcom - 1998 - 5/10

Stately home exterior, Happy Birthday sung within, punctuated with gunfire and screaming.
Then the phrase, “Earlier …” and the flashback.
Deliberately strange François Ozon comedy / satire of family mores.
During dinner, the son stands up, announces he is homosexual, goes to his room.
Also at the table is the maid’s husband who offers to speak with the boy.
He goes to his room, removes his own clothes, and verifies the homosexual claim.
After dinner, the suicidal daughter reveals a propensity for S&M.
The distraught mother decides to test her son’s sexual inclination her own way.
Oh, I almost forgot the family white rat who is encouraged to crawl in and out of all sorts of places one would not normally think of.
And no, I’m not giving much away since this is simply the opening twenty minutes of a bizarre ride.
Somewhere, Robert Crumb smiles.

Deep Crimson - 1996 - 7/10
AKA - Profundo Carmesí

Mexican retelling of the “Lonely Hearts Killers.” +
Low level con man romances widows and spinsters. Steals money, jewels, silver, then slips away.
Most are too embarrassed to report him, so he operates for years.
Until he encounters the large, needy woman. They link up, cruise Sonora, turn murderous.
Film really captures the abandoned wastelands of the Mexican scrub.
The pair share a sexual passion, exclusive and claustrophobic.
Faithful retelling, though the ending is off.

• Lonely Hearts Killers: Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Fernandez_and_Martha_Beck