Vultural

Belle - 2013 - 7/10

In the 1700‘s, naval officer / father drops off his half black daughter to high echelon parents.
The small girl is to be raised as proper English lady.
Straight off, I asked the person who loaded this one if it was based on story, script or true life.
Apparently, this was based on real life.
Plot ticks off British involvement in slave trade, as well as varying suitors for the grown lady’s well funded hand.
Rich production values and good cast. Film also underplays most character reactions, a refreshing change from the Americanizing of emotional behavior.
Couple of nice - if redundant - featurettes with the disc.

Another Heaven - 2000 - 6/10
AKA - Anazahevun // アナザヘヴン

Police arrive at a grisly murder scene.
Top of the victim’s skull is removed, gray matter simmers on the stove.
Other slayings follow, all reek of sexual congress.
The plot roars out of the gate with mounting horrors and kinky characters.
Alas, at the mid point of this Japanese cop show, the director eases off the accelerator.
The momentum never returns, the hectic energy dissipates.
The first half reminds me of a HK Cat III film, the second half methodically resolves.

Hit & Run - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Pegaa Ubrach // פגע וברח‎

Enroute to the airport, Danielle is killed by a hit n run driver.
Grieving husband Segev soon travels from Tel Aviv to Manhattan, seeking answers.
Fast moving thriller soon gets far-fetched, then worsens.
Lead characters Danielle and Segev had negative chemistry.
For instance, an artistic dancer and tour guide with a thuggish past?
Who happens to have contacts anytime the plot twist requires?
Our guy playing Segev only has one expression, a puzzled frown.
Like a child missing his applesauce, or the confused drunk the police officer asks to “spell conundrum.”
One is tempted to blame poor acting, but the culprits are likely the director(s).
Beware the “Netflix ending,” as the series nears conclusion, the writers and producers flat out quit.
Hoping, I suppose, for a S02. Don’t bother, boys.

Screaming Mimi - 1958 - 4/10

Bad movie alert >>> “Starring Anita Ekberg.”
Despite awful reviews, what the hey, I loaded this up.
Early on, voluptuous Ekberg emerges from the surf and hurries to take a shower outside the shack.
Nearby is a mental institution, along with a handy escapee clutching a big ole knife.
Two screams later, she’s in the nuthouse herself, traumatized outta her unnecessary mind.
Inside, she falls under the analytical spell of a possessive psychiatrist.
Next thing, they’re both gone, and she’s gyrating her assets, along with chains and ropes, as an exotic dancer.

Anyway, murder and attempted murder bolster this trashy Noir.
Swear, I’m not making this up.
Still undecided? The Red Norvo combo is the nightclub band, Gypsy Rose Lee is the owner.
Oh yeah, Miss Ekberg has a vicious Great Dane watchdog, but anyone can get past him if they softly recite the Gettysburg Address.

The House That Dripped Blood - 1971 - 6/10

Fun horror anthology boasts a strong cast.
Along with “the house,” which has proves to have a worrisome history.
Denholm Elliott opens as the blocked writer, seeing shelves with horror books, knowing he has found has ideal place to finish his latest horror mystery.
Next, Peter Cushing, a retired businessman, wanting a cozy home to read and listen to music.
Christopher Lee enters with his young daughter, a retiring child, that he attempts to keep in check.
Finally, Jon Pertwee, film ACTOR, drives up with fellow thespian, Ingrid Pitt.

Easily, the funniest chapter. Pertwee and Pitt seem to be having a blast.
Droll stories penned by Robert Bloch, tongue firmly in cheek.

Play It Again, Sam - 1972 - 7/10

Early Woody Allen film, overflowing with gags.
Allen’s friends arrange dates for him, but he is nervous, overexcited, and the dates fail spectacularly.
Even when he seeks advice from Bogart, he botches that.

Nice of cinematography of San Francisco, and a light directorial hand help make this an early gem.
This remains funny throughout, with many film references that buffs will recognize.

Carrington - 1995 - 7/10

Biopic of Edwardian painter Carrington and her platonic relationship with author Lytton Strachey.
Set mostly in pastoral England, during the Great War and afterward.
Strachey and Carrington entice and embrace various male companions, seemingly to vent their own frustrated passions.
Unlike almost every “creative artist" film I have ever watched, the angst and toil not shown at all.
Emma Thompson, as Dora Carrington, is quite good in this. Also, during the first half of the film, she manages the trick of resembling a twenty year old. Sense And Sensibility was released the same year; while she portrayed another twenty year old, there she looked like a matronly forty year old.
Jonathan Pryce as Strachey is brilliant.

Shinobi no Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy - 1965 - 6/10
AKA - Shinobi no Mono: Iga-Yashiki // 忍びの者 伊賀屋敷

Saizo’s son, after seeing his father killed, grows up following the ninja path.
Their time, however, is passing. As political alliances and maneuvering come to the fore.
Even the ninja, skilled as he is, realizes by the end that knowledge is more important than ability.
The opening conflict is exciting, and there is a spectacular rooftop fight in the rain.
Yet the overall tone is one of change, with the ninja fading from influence.
No matter how three generations have opposed, the Tokugawa clan is entrenched.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold - 2011 - 6/10

Watchable, though not particularly illuminating documentary on product placement.
Morgan Spurlock visits image consultants and product representatives, and pitches his notion of having them fund his documentary in exchange for gratuitous advertising throughout.
The consultants and executives are far more interesting than the concept.
At least one of the products I had no idea was still around - so this was a win for them.
Major companies who declined had me scratching my head.
The budget for this film was minuscule. $1.5 million. A major corporation’s investment would have been petty.
One who declined pled that documentary viewers were too few to matter.
Perhaps. Spurlock remains a recognizable name, however, and documentary viewers are supposedly intelligent.
Film was short, humorous, and I did sympathize with company honchos.
Notwithstanding, I do tune out their ads.

I Am Not Your Negro - 2016 - 8/10

Quasi-documentary of author James Baldwin carries a lot of bite.
Based on his never finished proposed novel incorporating Medgar Evans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
Traces and analyzes the almost futile misunderstandings of whites who have never come to terms with blacks living in their midst.
Baldwin’s voice ranges from resigned to despairing to righteous anger.
The filmmaker incorporates recent clashes, pointing the obvious: this is an unhealed sore, not remotely on any curative path.
This is a brilliant, insightful work, yet will be blistering for most.
We are, for any who bother to look, segregating society more than ever, physically and socially.

Six Empty Seats - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Polyot // Полёт

Six business colleagues drive to the airport. As it turns out, the wrong airport.
The airliner they were supposed to board? It crashed, leaving no survivors.
Reactions vary. From guilt, to rebirth, to self-analysis.
One thing is certain, they have put themselves in a world of trouble.
Each episode told from one characters point of view. Their life before, and after.
Final episode is as fitting as it is haunting.
Would that all series were as well written.

The Monk - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - Le Moine

French film, set in 17th century Madrid.
Foundling abandoned outside monastery is taken in by monks, subsequently raised as one of their own.
In time, the orphan (Vincent Cassel) grows into the monastery’s rock star.
Devoted followers from near and far pack the chapel to listen to his sermons, give confession.
Enter the serpent, a new acolyte, clad in an expressive leather mask to conceal the ravages of disease.
Visuals are ravishing, with several remarkable set pieces.
Performances are subdued, troubled, including Déborah François in a supporting role.
An ominous undercurrent builds throughout, but there is nothing in the way of explosive action.
Story is not necessarily the most original, though handsomely presented.
May prove excruciatingly slow for impatient viewers.

10 Rillington Place - 1970 - 7/10

Richard Attenborough plays the mild mannered, soft spoken John Christie.
Strangler, rapist, serial killer, trophy collector, check all the boxes on this one.
Film opens during Blitz era London, shifts to 1949, his proclivities do not lessen.
Rather, we meet new neighbors (Judy Geeson and John Hurt).
Slow pacing serves to ratchet the tension.
Historical accuracy seems to be fairly spot-on, though motives are minimal.
Attenborough outstanding as quiet milquetoast with haunted eyes and demonic compulsions.
Murder fanatics? Visit Christie at Madame Tussaud’s.

“60 Minutes” had an episode on this recently (right before the Adele show for US).
I caught the last five minutes and it looked good.
Whole section -
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beatles-get-back-let-it-be-peter-jackson-60-minutes-2021-11-14/

Thank you for updating us at OT.
Many will be keenly interested in this.

Spring - 2014 - 6/10

The casual affair that could turn into love.
American male, fleeing trouble in the States, goes to Italy and meets mysterious girl.
She carries a few secrets of her own including rebirth and transfiguration.
While carrying the Horror tag, romance and communication predominate.
The two leads have evident chemistry and this could be a warm date film.
Except there is a horror component, there is almost casual violence, and there is disintegration.
Narrative of love, however brief, colliding with the longer path.
This is an intelligent, well thought out film, splashed with beautiful coastal scenery.

Dear Murderer - 1947 - 5/10

The opening was one of the longest “prepare to die” speeches I have ever seen.
Twenty minutes.
Suave, cuckolded Eric Portman, visits then subdues his rival.
Next, he tells how he learned of the man’s bush brushing while he was overseas, and how he intends to kill him.
Afterward, he spends another five minutes doing the deed and scattering the false trail.
Then all the steam escapes, and the plot plods into police procedural.
Turns out, hot, cheating wife (Greta Gynt) has a history of running around. She’s already lined up her next man snack. Her husband needs roller skates to snuff everyone grazing her grass.
Nice lighting, lot of Noir touches, though this is very much in the British mystery vein.
Alright, at best. Dull and disappointing at worst.

The Woman With Red Hair - 2016 - 6/10
AKA - La Femme aux Cheveux Rouges

Early on, a woman with red hair is pursued, then, what appears to be, drowned.
This, as it transpires, is a flashback (not handled particularly well).
The story shifts to a war journalist, staying in this small village, recovering from trauma.
Plus, the red-headed daughter of the deceased. (Note: Mother and daughter use vivid hair coloring.)
Unlike most French mysteries, the hunt for this decade old mystery is by these two, not detectives.
A point for that, a point for good use of indoor and outdoor scenery.
As for chemistry between the two sleuths? Negative.

Young And Beautiful - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Jeune et Jolie

Oft told tale of young, pretty student turning tricks for money.

• Never overweight girls with buck teeth and furry legs -
  Girl earns €300 - €500 per handjob, bj, bareback, etc … and peddles her wares on Internet sites.
• No mention of AIDS, scuttling crabs, or bright crimson, leaky weenie sores -
  Nevertheless, this is a François Ozon film, and I always watch his releases.
  Girl is younger than most. 17, not college aged. Her family is affluent, in fact, she doesn’t spend the money on anything. She seems to drift into the game after a boring initiation with German visitor. Subsequent encounters seem little more than ways to kill an afternoon.
  She shows business savvy and a sense of her own worth, understanding that youthful flesh is fleeting and valuable.
  Luminous Charlotte Rampling has key role near the end.

Life - 2017 - 4/10

I watch a lot of bad SciFi and Horror. This blend is a godawful, reeking pile.
Special effects are fine, though the plot is beneath any eight year old.
Orbiting scientists snag a one-celled organism from Mars.
They stimulate it and encourage it. Even name it - Calvin.
(Consider if the Nostromo crew had named the xenomorph - Daisy.)
Not only does the creature get a lot bigger, it quickly becomes smarter than anyone else onboard.
Also the hungriest. Lucky for Calvin there are a half dozen, box o rocks, totally stupid crew members.
Too bad the Life script writer was not among them.

Diablo Guardián: S01 - 2018 - 6/10

Rose Alba has had it with her family’s middle class aspirations.
Most offensive is her name, and she rechristens herself Violetta.
OK, I’ve known young people who did likewise.
She decides to run away, stealing a stash of family cash.
Alright – but – how many families have 300K in US dollars in their homes?
Then, through impossible luck and fortuitous encounters, Violetta skedaddles to New York.
Skeptical? Shelve that, and be prepared to suspend more disbelief, a lot more.
Fairy tale seems aimed at frustrated adolescents who believe Pretty Woman is real!
Paulina Gaitan memorable as the juicy, headstrong, reach for the skies sweet tart.
Everyone else lacks charisma, some can barely act.
Concluding episode of S01 was inept, I bailed on S02.

Saint Amour - 2016 - 5/10

Viewers with a soft spot for “dumb” (dumb friends, coworkers, neighbors) might score higher.
Aging father and son hit the Agricultural Fair.
Dad hopes his prize bull will win a prize, Junior intends to get sloshed.
During a prolonged interval, they hire a taxi and drive through various wine regions.
Three males, including the driver, encounter a variety of altogether willing females.
Yes, male fantasy time. Our studs are bumpkin stumble-bums, yet ladies tumble.
Over talky, touchy feelie, angst laden, baggage packed, pointless, sexist …
Oh, sensitive souls, Depardieu exposes a v-a-s-t swath of stomach in a romantic interlude.

Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/saint-amour/english/1635227

Nausicaa - 1971 - 6/10

Interviews, reenactments, cobbled stories of Greek refugees in France during the Junta 1967-74.
Finding work, finding accommodations, homesickness, forming enclaves.
One of the female characters is named Agnes, and may be drawn from the director.
Or maybe not.
Varda is perhaps playing with truth here, but not to the extent of say Herzog.
What is most interesting are street interviews.
Most either did not know about the Greek situation, or did not want to know.

Lies & Alibis - 2006 - 6/10
AKA - Alibis

Confidence sting in new clothes.
Steve Coogen helps cheatin’ husbands, cheatin’ wives.
Big money to be made in saving adulterous marriages from divorce lawyers.
When a younger client treats his rough trade girlfriend a little too rough, stories and alibis fire up.
Entire cast uniformly excellent in droll comedy.
Sam Elliott memorable as seething Mormon hitman.

Berguño, George - The Sad Eyes Of The Lewis Chessman

Choice collection of stories at an irresistible price.
Note must be made, however, that of the nine stories, five had previously been published in Ex Occidente’s The Exorcist’s Travelogue.
“Billy Goat Blues” takes place in the far Shetland. An aged narrator, older, perhaps wiser through soured experiences, recalls his terrifying investigation of the poet, the prosecutor, and the murderer.
“The Bannað” reads like a Norse myth, or something between myth and sad memory. Of promises, of paradise, of oaths and honor, and the encircling aftermath.
“The Dogs Of Valparaiso” weaves between philosopher and interrogator. Connecting them, first one, then the other, are the unwanted. Strays. Dead eyed, homeless dogs. Neglected, limping across the cityscape. A staring guilt on those whose concern is minimal.