Vultural

Truth - 2015 - 6/10

Well acted, over earnest retelling of TV news story gone awry.
Back when Bush vs Kerry was ongoing, CBS aired a report about Bush’s guard duty.
For those blissfully unaware, Kerry served in Vietnam, Bush enlisted in National Guard.
Before fully vetting the facts, the story goes out.
Redford plays reporter Dan Rather, though the film is about the producer, played by Cate Blanchett.
Underlying theme is of business commercializing news.
Everyone tries hard in overlong, deadly serious fare.
Broccoli film of fading era. News? Most no longer trust it, their prime source is Facebook or Twit.

Beyond Evil - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Gwimul // 怪物

Took awhile for the hook to set in this K-drama, but this is a brilliantly written mystery.
New inspector, hotshot from Seoul, arrives to small Munju City, home to unsolved serial killings years before.
By chance (ha!), young Joo-Won is partnered with Dong-Shik, suspect #1 from twenty years earlier.
For the older man, his sister had been a victim, which is why he joined the police and maintains a personal hunt.
The younger guy, well, his motives are unspecified. All we know is that he is totally overqualified at Munju.
As with many K-dramas, there is team support to bulwark against secrets, conspiracies, corruption.
And this one is packed with secrets, blackmail, subterfuges, and corkscrew twists.
Sixteen part series constructed as halves, where the first eight episodes conclude and splash into the final eight.
Gripping until the end, then the conclusion falters from an underwritten finale.

Aurora Teagarden: Haunted By Murder - 2022 - 5/10

Holy moly! At last, at last, this string of 18 Hallmark mysteries has ended! (star Candace Bure has departed)
Anyway, Aurora, now married, overhears at the book club that her mom has bought the haunted house.
Flashback to high school, where Aurora and Sally discovered a corpse in said building.
Yes, this reawakens an old mystery.
Nor does it matter who dunnit. Rest assured, the police will not solve this without Aurora and crew’s aid.
To be honest, this is a good one to bow out on, thought still a cookie cutter mystery, sticking like bond-all to predictable formula.
Why are these Hallmark mysteries so popular?
Then again, why are pajama clad superheroes so popular?
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/aurora-teagarden-mysteries-first-season/english/2853264

Legend - 2015 - 6/10

Tom Hardy portrays the brothers Kray, crime lords in 60’s Swinging London, and is the chief reason to view this.
Hardy riveting as certifiable Ronnie, equally effective as more polished Reggie.
Film starts in early 60’s,after the Krays have conquered the East End where they are feared and adored.
Oddly enough, the narrative is told primarily from Reggie’s girlfriend, later wife, Frances.
Consequently, there is little in the way of “gangster” business. Violence is minimal.
More a character study, especially the triangle between Ronnie - Reggie - Frances.
Atmospheric set designs. Nice, unfamiliar soundtrack. Fine acting all around.
Still, the film is sorely lacking in oomph.
Fifteen minutes of Guy Ritchie would have juiced this up.

Final Offer - 2018 - 6/10

Henry, a bottom fishing attorney, rouses from another hangover in the well appointed office.
Where Olivia launches negotiations.
At stake, pretty much the survival of the planet, although Olivia seems willing to cut a small, very small, deal.
SciFi short is more horror than science, more comedy than terror.
Ever attended the morning work conference, half intoxicated?
This is for you.
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/final-offer/english/2850723

Oscar Wilde - 1960 - 6/10

The glory years for the playwright, height of fame masking the whispers.
Robert Morley flawless as Wilde, in panache and moods.
Yes, I know some quibble he is too old. John Neville equally fine as Bosie.
Film fairly straightforward, and seems faithful to everything I have read about the man.
To be honest, it does appear to have had budget restrictions.
A true film about Wilde should have been opulent to the nth degree.
I imagine this was quite the financial risk when this came out, and homosexuality still outlawed.

Secret Agent - 2016 - 6/10

Three part drama of anarchist activity in Victorian London.
Verloc has infiltrated a Russian terror cell.
He is in thrall to his paymasters, the Russian embassy, and he is also in the pocket of a British copper.
Fear of exposure and betrayal leave him in constant dread. Business affairs are complicated, family likewise.
Factions push him into bombing as political statement.
Rather dour adaptation of little known Joseph Conrad novel.
Toby Jones excellent as the shifty, blame-everyone-else Verloc.
Ian Hart dominates, though, as the fanatical bomb-maker, the Professor.

Brossard, Chandler - The Double Dealers

Went into this novel stone cold, finished half aware of events and characters.
Brossard shuffles characters and settings abruptly. The story / stories come across as snapshots of early 1960’s New York, and most of the players are idlers.
Few seem to visibly work. Hawkins is a college professor, Carter is institutionalized.
Harry leads a dual identity as bored husband and lower class thug.
Other characters hide another self behind masks. Hawkins, the professor, with desires or aspirations to mix with the white intellectuals, who aren’t necessarily intellectual.
Margaret, heiress, with transgressive sexual desires and perverse glee in trying to shock her (deceased) grandparents.
Carter’s wife Janine and friend Rand. Outwardly, they want the best for him. Yet so long as Carter is within the asylum, they can freely roll in the sheets.
The pages flick throughout between wandering souls and petty amusements.
A biting satire that reminded me at times of Dawn Powell’s Turn, Magic Wheel.

I particularly recommend the new edition by Corona \ Samizdat.
Lively in-depth introduction by Zachary Tanner, and an afterward by Iris Brossard, talking about her parents, their combative relationship, as well as a few anecdotes, funny, bitter.

Mommie Dearest - 1981 - 6/10

“No wire coat-hangers!”
Based on a then-popular, tell-all book by Joan Crawford’s daughter.
(Published after Crawford’s death.)
Allegedly a biography, this is so over the top, it must be seen to be believed.
Faye Dunaway unforgettable as the furious, over-controlling mother and lover.
The book was a hatchet job, the film a parody.
Points awarded for sheer camp value.

Macbeth - 1971 - 7/10

Polanski’s gory adaptation of Shakespeare’s gruesome play of treachery and revenge.
Scottish laird Macbeth and his wife, plot to assassinate the king, seize the throne.
This was after a trio of witches issued a prophesy, of sorts.
The atmosphere in this is steeped in Gothic and Horror.
Perpetually overcast skies constantly darken the mood.
A harsh, cold, brutish world, this ain’t an MGM costumer.
Not stuffy Shakespeare, but a lurid shocker.

Love & Friendship - 2016 - 6/10

Flawed, yet enjoyable adaptation of an obscure Jane Austen novella.
The movie is based on “Lady Susan”, written when Austen was 18, and not “Love and Freindship” (misspelling correct) which was penned four years earlier.
Lady Susan, an unscrupulous widow, sets out to find rich, easy to control husbands for herself and her daughter.
She flirts, conducts affairs, oppresses her daughter, imposes on her relations.
A right piece of work.
Costumes, set design, photography are all excellent. Acting, top rate.
The pacing if off, however. Too modern. The story dashes breakneck throughout.
Numerous characters introduced, yet several are underutilized. Stephen Fry = 2 brief scenes.
More air, a longer cut would help immeasurably.
Amusing entertainment, nevertheless, and Austen fans will find this irresistible.

Bound - 1996 - 7/10

Ex-con Corky, who works at the apartment building, catches the eye of neighbor Violet.
Violet invents an excuse for them to meet, and the two soon give in to desire.
Standard enough fare, perhaps edgy with the lesbian angle, but then there is Violet’s boyfriend.
Caesar is a Mob money launderer (literally), and the girls decide to fleece him.
Showpiece debut by the Wachowskis is an outstanding low budget affair.
Bold, powerful support (Joe Pantoliano enjoyed a streak afterward), yet the film belongs to the ladies: Gina Gershon and Meg Tilly in this subversive Neo-Noir.

Love And Death - 1975 - 6/10

Napoleon invades Austria and cowardly Boris is conscripted into the Russian army.
Miraculously, he survives, which leaves him free to marry cousin Sonja, who is less than thrilled.
Neither her first choice, nor is he exactly immune to temptations.

Woody Allen’s most “Russian” film leans heavily on literature, music and stereotypes.
For many, this is Allen’s last “good” film, stuffed with jokes, gags, puns, sexy humor.
For others, this is where he starts writing more layered films, with serious undercurrents.
Knowledge of Tolstoy and Dostoyevski is not essential, but may help you to pick up references.

San Francisco 2.0 - 2015 - 6/10

Documentary by Alexandra Pelosi.
For non-USA residents, she is the daughter of current / ex House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
Straight off, I braced for a “message” so was not surprised.
Doc charts affluent developers of the Bay city versus poor folks being squeezed out.
Note image above. Everything is disposable. Even a legendary ballpark.
By and large, the poor are renters living on rent control.
Landlords want to quadruple rent for rich Millennials working in burgeoning tech firms.
Never mind that so many are start-up unicorns.
Talking heads (Robert Reich, Jerry Brown) cite vanishing diversity, class inequality, diminished opportunities . . .
Sure, boss, whatever. Landowners always want top return, tax man wants higher property taxes, hipsters will pay for trendy.
How quick do you think developers and City Hall can jerry-rig the system?
Lower orders, if your education and work skills are inferior, then your pie shall be humble.
Been that way since Caesar.

Aside - I have visited San Francisco regularly for over a decade.
Political liberalism aside, the true power brokers always strike me as conservatives.
Folks often praise diversity, while prize exclusivity.

Godfather II Extended Edition, The - hal_over_9000

Filesize = 10 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC, Audio = 157 kbps 2-Channel Stereo, AAC. No subs (other than hardsubs when Sicilian is spoken),

For me, the sequel surpassed the original in breadth, as well as depth.
From the Black Hand enforced Sicily of 1901, to Stateside at the edge of the 1960’s.
The missing scenes have been restored and reinserted flawlessly.
I was not avidly “looking” for problems, and I never caught things.
To be honest, I assumed extensions included the Tahoe party and Cuba, but no, those were Coppola’s excesses to the extreme.
Scenes back in were “this n that.” They did not add much to the story, nor did they slow the pace.
As before, many of the conversations are soft or mumbled. Subs.
Running close to four hours, I watched over two nights.
A Godfather fanatic or enforcer will appreciate and enjoy this more than the casual viewer.

Wild About Harry (Ipcress File, Funeral Berlin, Billion Dollar Brain) - Steven Soderbergh

Effort from “then-retired” Hollywood director reveals his usual hobbyist limitations.
This time, he “combines” the three Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) movies into one viewing “experience.”
The results remind one of Orson Welles’ comments: “Don’t let Ted Turner deface my movie with his crayons.”

Video - MPEG 4, 1280 X 720p. Split screens are a constant, sometimes horizontally, others vertically. There is no invention with them, however. Apparently Mr. Soderbergh has missed out on Tarentino. Perhaps he has not viewed “Pulp Empire” by njvc. Blacks are not as solid as they should be, the overall image is soft.

Audio - 2 Channel AAC, 256 kbps. Original audio (dialogue and music) replaced with Muzak by Flying Lotus. The music rarely syncs with onscreen action (I suppose the editor feels this music is cool). If you don’t agree, then he feels sorry for you. The music, if this edit is screened at a museum gala or cocktail party, is adequate. Home viewers might turn it off altogether with no loss.

Narrative - There is no narrative. This is an art installation, using someone else’s art. The faneditor chose not to use his own films. Curious. Anyway, art installations don’t have to be logical, or show narratives, or even make sense. They are ART.

Enjoyment - Mixed bag for me. Interesting to watch a once-talented director muck around in the fanedit sub-culture. At this point, Soderbergh had not advanced very far in skill or technique. Indeed, this reviewer nursed the suspicion he was getting a free pass because of his name. Had this been submitted by an unknown novice, I imagine it would still be pending approval.

Worth the casual viewer’s time? Definitely not. How about fans of the original Harry Palmer movies? I dunno, how about mashing a trio of 007 films with nonstop Country & Western music? Wait a sec! Maybe fans of faneditor Steven Soderbergh will appreciate this. Course, these are not really his films, are they?

Memento: Parallel Cut - INH5

Filesize = 4 GB, Video = 720 X 480p mpgv, Audio = 448 kbps 5.1 AC3, No subs.

Very interesting cut of a film I struggled with for a few viewings, before deciding it had no story.
I appreciate how the color follow chronologically, while black and white fill in backstory.
The film flirts with Noir, but never commits.
Hate to say it, I was just as frustrated with this edit as I am with the DVD.
Speaking of DVD, the filesize of this strikes me as largish for 480p.
Oh, the rendering is terrific, sharp in all details.
Nonetheless, this is fit on a standard DVD-R blank, for those who still burn.
Dialogue is often murky, especially in B/W scenes, and I wonder if Nolan did that deliberately.
Subs would have helped. Funny thing is, codecs indicate spu subtitles, two tracks. Could not work them on computer or BluRay.
The editing is superb, audio especially.
Truth to tell, I’m not a Nolan diehard. His films are generally overlong, and often empty of substance. I only like three films that came out right in a row.
Nolan fans (that’s you) pick this up, you should really enjoy.

SCUM (May and American Psycho 2) - BlueYoda

Two lesser known exploitation flicks, merged into an entertaining drive-in twofer. May was more acclaimed - possibly - but Rachel (American 2) is equally memorable. Two polar opposites, yet extremely driven females pursue obsessions. Get out the popcorn with red karo syrup.

Video - Rachel bears heavier cutting, and is stronger for it. No annoying subplots, no Shatner buffoonery.
Kunis was terrible to begin with. If anything, BlueYoda’s editing made her more wooden.
May is an odder, more creative attempt, though again all secondary characters were lessened for the better.
With so much mass cutting, the editing is excellent. Not that you’ll notice, not that you’ll care.

Audio - Solid, nothing untoward here. Reading Neglify’s review, I half hoped for an inspired audio commentary.
I suspect that was a trick to lure the unwary into the menacing Chat Room. No subs.

Narrative - Both are fine, surprisingly cohesive. May was the superior film, with better actors and the dark vibe of “the other.”
May, I had confused with Kissed (another twisted female film), and I was momentary lost when it started.
Rachel, as edited, is breathless. Like hurtling downhill on a runaway roller coaster. Cheap roller coaster.

Enjoyment - Big yes for me! I must confess I preferred the first film, perhaps because it was so gleefully awful and it had more sheer energy. May doubtless has more fans who will nitpick this edit, but Rachel (who is really Rachael!) is an improvement over the original dreck. Still bad, but fun bad.

Jigsaw II: Endgame (Saw(s)) - Maniac / Zagadka

Filesize = 10 GB, Video = 1920 X 1080p AVC, Audio = 1536 kbps 5.1 DTS. Subs yes!

A better finale than the series itself offered. Also, a more thoughtful conclusion, more world weary.
The editing in this is fluid and creative, weaving Saw 3 - 4, along with earlier moments as flashbacks.
What is even better, is the audio mix. The DTS is a beast, music throbbing like a maddened tiger throughout. And yet, the dialogue remains clear. Major studios screw this up constantly. So delighted with surround effects and dynamic score, they suppress character conversations, leaving audiences asking, “What’d they say? Say what, huh?”
In keeping with the series, John Kramer, on his deathbed, is still “teaching”.
This edit, whether it means to or not, shows the sheer folly of his lessons.
People seldom learn, even apt pupils.
More than anything, this finale indicates the pointlessness of trying, perhaps even the futility of existence.

Hellman v. McCarthy - 2014 - 7/10

“Every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the’.”
Oh, how wrong the joke, cute or snide, can backfire.
Mary McCarthy, chatting on the Dick Cavett Show, comments on Lillian Hellman.
And Hellman, who happens to be watching, immediately phones her attorney.
Dishy, bitchy play tracks the feud between two literary heavyweights, both past their prime.
Ugly viewing, acidly funny, desperately sad.
The legal battle, which went on for years, bankrupted McCarthy, damaged Hellman’s legacy.

Asylum - 1972 - 6/10

Young psychiatrist arrives at the mental clinic for an interview.
Whereupon he is informed the director is now a patient.
Our applicant is to interview four patients. If he discovers who is the real director, he is hired.
An adulteress, a tailor, an heiress, a puppet-maker.

Typical of an anthology series, the yarns are a mixed bag.
Camp dominates over fright. Nervous laughter jousts with laugh out loud giggles.
Script by a thumb-sucking prankster, Robert Bloch.

Ex Machina - 2015 - 6/10

Buzzworthy SpecFi (as opposed to SciFi) started irking me from the onset with numerous plotholes and logic leaps.
Hotshot programmer for mega Internet company wins competition for dream date week with the boss.
Turns out, what he really gets to do is test AI (artificial intelligence) on prototype robot with female face.
Dialogue driven tale, as boss - programmer - robot all play word games, maneuver, glean info.
High stakes office politics, ethical and intellectual, with a sexual undercurrent.
Several gorgeous outdoor sequences, notwithstanding, movie feels stagebound.

One is supposed to suspend disbelief, more so with futuristic fare. Still, this film asks for a lot of suspending.
Issues ( POSSIBLE SPOILERS )
Who can acquire so much acreage nowadays? Who is selling?
Vast, spotless complex. Not a roomba in sight, let alone janitor, guard, or most anyone else.
Random holes include: the alcohol crutch, power outages, team members (?), battery life, restraining gizmo.
Alicia Vikander memorable as bewitching Ava. Male characters - limitations abound.

Ward, C. E. - An Unheavenly Host

Recent title from Sarob Press may prove irresistible to M. R. James aficionados.
Eight stories here, all supernatural or black business off in the corners.
Mr. Andrews inherits Oakgrove Fennell Hall, hoary estate with a troubled history going back to the Civil War. In “Autumn Tale” the orchard still retains the taint of gunpowder and blood, although the new owner is a confirmed scoffer.
After the large and mid-sized churches have been tallied, researched and catalogued, the ministry types turn their gaze toward the leftovers. “The Chapter House Windows” features Lyeminster Church. Modest, unassuming, save for the stained glass, painted over, along with interior statuary, unfortunately broken and, to be candid, unpleasant looking.
“Sons Of The Father”, a lengthy yarn, has roots with the RMS Titanic. This is a slow descent of a personal journey and character study, with an ending anticipated yet unexpected.
“11334” is a sequel to James’ “The Tractate Middoth”. The affluent man, successful, accustomed to the word “yes” purchases Bretfield Manor. Half of the acreage is to be sold off and developed. The crumbling estate shall be knocked down. Once – he can find men willing to set foot on the grounds. Country folk, superstitious lot, he decides. First, however, something needs to be done about all those spiders.

Desert Nights - 1929 - 6/10

Capetown diamond mining company expects dignitaries.
The visiting lord and his daughter. “Probably bow-legged and cross-eyed,” predicts Rand, the manager.
Well, turns out she’s easy on the eyes, and Rand is smitten (by a luminous Mary Nolan).
Romantic sparks light the desert air.

Next day, events turn south and characters soon struggle in forsaken sand dunes.
Final Silent from John Gilbert is a good adventure yarn. His character is a tough guy, and he seems well suited.
Gable would land those roles, however.
I also believe, had Gilbert lived long enough, he would have done well in Noir.
Print I watched was in good shape, though there was a jump @ 54.25 indicating missing footage.

The Dark Past - 1948 - 6/10

Bust outta prison, check! Break roadblocks and get away, check! Head to the shack on the beach.
Wait, check that. We’ll hole up at that house owned by the college professor and his friends.
Cops will never suspect where we are.
Only thing, that professor is a doctor of psychology, and he starts digging into gang boss’s neuroses.
Marked as Noir, this is a psychological thriller, with some “moments” here and there.
Mostly, however, this bores.
William Holden makes a smoldering villain, if hammy at times.