Vultural

Rock On Fire - 1994 - 6/10
AKA - Girl On Fire // Ji mi zhong an zhi zhi ming you huo // 机密重案组之致命诱惑

Strap in, or strap on, this Hong Kong Cat III is one nasty piece of work.
A gun deal has blown up, owing to an impulsive cop.
Arms went with one middleman, money with the other.
Police want them, so do the top gangsters involved.
As do a brother / sister hit team from Japan.
That’s the bare bones of an almost incoherent story.
In between, there is a ton of sex. Consensual, misogynist, brutish.
The female hitwoman is a black widow. Mounting, mating, murdering.
Some jaw dropping fights, including one between backhoes,
Still, cops or no cops, the hit team own the film. Mikie Ng Miu Yee should have had a career.

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery - 1939 - 6/10

Enroute to the big match, an argument in the car. Bombshell and the striker.
Lovers tiff? Hardly. She’s met someone … with money.
Hour later, in the second half, look who drops dead on the pitch.
Heart failure? Broken heart? Or was it murder?
Scotland Yard arrives (a breezy Leslie Banks), while teammates evade answers.
Yes, female trouble lies at the root of this quick paced mystery.
Interspersed with football shenanigans.
Wet Saturday film.

Lovecraft, HP - Little Silver Book Of Supernatural Stories

Minimalist introduction to Lovecraft is a clever one.
Nine stories here, selected and edited by HPL scholar ST Joshi.
Most are early, fledgling tales, clearly showing influences of Poe, Blackwood, Machen.

“Dagon” and “Nyarlathotep” both hint at outside forces, with perhaps cults or underlying agencies.

The backwoods lead to treasures best left undisturbed in “The Picture In The Picture In The House” as well as “The Festival”.

“He” transplants many of the same themes to Gotham, “The Hound” likewise from England.

The longest, “The Call Of Cthulhu”, Joshi saves for last, and is a tour de force. In countless collections and anthologies – rightfully so – this remains an enjoyable reread. Lovecraft masterfully weaves separate narratives, hints, whispered blasphemies, journals and ship’s logs, tightening them into a monstrous finale.

Joshi’s introduction on HPL is succinct and useful. Joshi’s editing is impeccable.

Agatha And The Limitless Readings - 1981 - 7/10
AKA - Agatha et Les Lectures Illimitées

Sister and brother, both early 30’s, rendezvous at an empty seaside hotel for, perhaps, the last time.
The site where, in their teens, they first “saw” the other, and developed passionate feelings.
Feelings seem mixed. Neither guilt, nor regret, simply sorrow at the imminent parting.
Dialogue propels the narrative. Theatrical, arch, stilted, akin to poetry.
The siblings are rarely shown. Photography lingers on waves, skies, horizons, the beach.
I imagine we ought to consider the tide of memory, surging, shifting, receding.
Not for all tastes, but if one is patient, quite patient, and able to listen, this is deeply rewarding.

The Avengers: S04 - 1966 - 6/10

First season after the departure of Cathy Gale (the formidable Honor Blackman).
This marks the beginning of the Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) era, but is likely NOT the Emma fans think of.
Peel is less intimidating than Gale, more kittenish, more deferential to Steed.
In most episodes, she requires manly rescuing.
Late, very late in the season, Rigg must have asserted herself, and by “The House That Jack Built”, Peel is the cool, calculating partner fans think of.

The series, however, is becoming campy, playful. Not silly, but clearly heading that way.
“A Sense Of History” makes an interesting example. Robin Hood, arrows, murders, yet a late chance to see vintage Steed, ruthless and a brawler.

Please reread 15 MaF’s very first post, which says to send a PM.
15 MaF does not frequent this thread very much.

And - if possible - boost your post count.
Don’t just request all the time, participate on various threads.
OT is vast, with countless topics.
Don’t be a tourist, participate.

Supervixens - 1975 - 5/10

Russ Meyer nonsense / followup to Vixen (1969), lacks the former’s bite.
Clint works at the gas station, where he probably reeks of gasoline and oil.
No matter, he is ab-so-lutely irresistible to local ladies.
His sexually demanding and insatiable wife, Super Angel.
Persistent customer, Super Lorna, of the pendulous orbs.
In due course, the gasboy meets Super Soul, Super Cherry, I forget who else, all “Super”.
Copious nudity, unrestrained sex, barely a plot as Meyer edged ever closer to hardcore porn.
Trivia: This is where Meyer lured Charles Napier out of retirement and into a long Hollywood career.

Come Blow Your Horn - 1963 - 6/10

Fun artifact of the Rat Pack, of the Chairman, Sinatra.
Sinatra (who was pushing 50 at this time) welcomes his young brother (Bill, 22) into his swinging pad.
The older brother, a ladies man, decides to expose the younger one to soft temptations.
Fast-paced romantic comedy has beautiful women, a Sinatra song, boisterous innuendo.
Has the feel of a play (script by Neil Simon and Norman Lear), along with the winking sensibility of Playboy.
Shallow fun, more for my father’s generation, still entertaining.

Becomes A Woman - 2023 - 7/10

Francie works at Kress, in the music department.
1920’s, this means sheet music, and she sings, on-request, for customers inquiring about a given song.
Francie is a goody two-shoes, does not date, gives her earning to Ma.
Coworker Florry is a cynical Flapper, knows what boys want, likes to party, and knows how to avoid 9 month consequences.
Enter Mr. Kress’s son, rich swell, who sweeps Francie off her feet, and leaves her a gift – 9 months later.

That is Act One of three distinct acts.
One set in the sheet music section, the second in Francie’s blue collar, noisy home, the third in Francie’s room.
This is an early female empowerment tale, terribly risqué for its time
Originally written by Betty (A Tree Grows In Brooklyn) Smith in 1931.
Enjoyable, if something of a play of parts, Francie’s journey of experience.

The Secrets Of Finistère - 2023 - 6/10
AKA - Les Secrets du Finistère

The murder happened years before, and would have gone unnoticed except that the sacred tree fell in a howling storm, exposing the skeletal remains.
The body was laid out in accordance with Druidic rites. There is a Druid community in the area.
Questions, chief being was this murder or sacrifice?
French mystery combines investigation, apparitions, Druid lore, familial conflicts.
As always with these particular French productions, superb outdoor photography.
This outing, the steep cliffs of Brittany.

Jurassic World - 2015 - 5/10

Reboot of Jurassic Park into a giant theme park (20,000+ guests).
There is the money-making park, and there the research InGen, crafting new dinosaurs for military use.
Inside massive containment walls so there is no possibility of escape into –
Wait! What just happened?
Romance angle does not work, nor do kids in danger.
Dinosaurs are impressive, except they are given anthromorphic personalities.
Please, no matter the size, lizards have lizard brains.
Predictable, family friendly, depending on how much carnage you expose your children to.
Sad that this was beneath derivative. As is, popcorn for bubbleheads.

Pulp - 1972 - 6/10

The writer of lurid paperbacks is commissioned to ghost write the famous mystery man’s memoirs.
Ex-movie star (played with glee by Mickey Rooney) who starred in 1930’s gangster films.
Now, he lives in isolated retirement on a Mediterranean island.
Nonetheless, the book promises to tell-all, and is already ruffling feathers.
Lighthearted spoof delivers laughs and jokes, in accordance with how knowledgeable the viewer is.
Michael Caine is sardonic and caustic. Surprise guests include Lizabeth Scott, Lionel Standler, Robert Sacchi.
Location filming on sunny Malta. Lewis Carroll, red herrings, deadly priests, a romp for enthusiasts.

Harman, Christopher - Blood Wood

The featured story, an extended tale, rides along with Gavin, newly hired driver of the mobile library. The physical library is closed, meaning he is the book source for several rural communities. In Gavin’s background is girlfriend Jacqui and her son, an older teenager, moody – aren’t they all?
Around the library lies the forest, which few remember as Blood Wood, and fewer know why. Nonetheless, Gavin has free time, library resources, and a niggling curiosity.

One particular funhouse ride stirred nightmares. As boys, Brian and Travers had been aboard when the train came to a complete stop inside the ride. In the inked darkness of the spook house, something seemed to slither. In “Dark Ride” the train was never actually disposed of, but merely transported, tracks, rails, coaches, into a basement, where the proprietor continued making improvements.

Christmas. Hide & seek. The further one goes to hide, the less likely they are to be found. Unless, as in “The Last To Be Found” they come across the unexpected seeker.

The cancelation of a long running column in the weekly paper does not go unchallenged. The new manager wants to modernize, meaning let paying advertisers pen their own self-serving posts. And not those enigmatic prose poems by Mr. Pucklebry. “By Leaf & Thorn” indeed!

I have often found Harman’s style difficult to tune into. His word choice, descriptions, analogies, are unique to themselves. So much so, I often paused mid-paragraph to consider the word painting he had presented.

The Hateful Beast - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Nihon Bôkô Ankokushi: Onjû // 日本暴行暗黒史 怨獣

Two vagabond criminals arrive in the village from Edo.
One seeks dishonest coin, the other murderous revenge.
First things first, the angry one murders a prostitute and tries to frame an old adversary.
Here, events are interesting: as the two foes tell the same tale – differently. And it is never clarified.
Heady amount of sex throughout, fitting since sex and female betrayal permeate the history.
Brooding tale, borrows from Noir with characters doomed by Fate, personal wounds, flawed assumptions.

Grim Reaper - 1976 - 4/10

Salvation takes but a moment, yet damnation is eternal.
Ma and son Tim are dedicated church goers, while Pa and son Frankie drink and watch football.
Frankie races stock cars, a deadly sport filled with horrific crashes; and one afternoon …
And since Frankie ain’t saved, Hell claims his soul.
Rest of the film is Pa wrestling with faith.
Guest evangelists include Jerry Falwell and Jack Van Impe. The proselytizing is numbing.
Stock car pileups are a highlight, as are the bizarre Biblical reenactments.
Actors in headgear, robes, Roman Centurions, etc … talking with Southern drawls.
I can only knock this so much. It was earnestly made, if incompetent.

Fahrenheit 451 - 1966 - 7/10

Thoughtful adaptation of Bradbury’s prescient novel grows more relevant with each year.
Fireman Montag works to incinerate books. All books. Reading has been outlawed.
Instead, the populace is addicted to shallow, mindless television programming.
Montag’s wife is typical. She is childlike, stunted intellectually and emotionally.
All well and good for him, until he is challenged by another female to actually read one of the books.
Intense thriller, futuristic effects, and a lush Bernard Herrmann score.
Elephant in the room: Instead of outlawing books, stop teaching children how to read.
Books are still banned to this day.
Would-be oppressors do not want citizens to think.

The Deepest Breath - 2023 - 5/10

Take a deep breath, then dive. Down, down, down, deep as you can.
Then return topside, still using that same breath.
Run out of air, lose consciousness, get disoriented. Too bad.
In competitions, there are scuba divers, but because of compression they can only observe.
There are “support divers” who risk their lives on a single breath so deep divers can compete.
Early on, in this documentary, I began to dislike key players.
I never bought their stories, the “relationship”, words increasingly rang off-key.

Traitor: S02 - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Reetur 2

Alfred Vint returns, higher this time in the Estonian Defense Ministry.
He still receives payments from his Russian masters, but he is also blackmailed by them…
Intelligence now has him in their sights, however, even as he undermines security further
A smart espionage thriller, low on action such as bullets or explosives.
This is stealth, surveillance, spying, gathering intel.
Vint can be extraordinarily maddening, as he is one slippery bastard.
Both seasons have been quality, and a trailer for S03 shows promise.
Advise you wait for good subtitles; A I remains undesirable.

Femme - 2023 - 7/10

Jules, cross-dressing entertainer, needs cigarettes during the show.
The neighborhood is rough, in the convenience shop thugs wander in.
Insults thrown, Jules replies in kind, and receives a brutal beating.
Much later, he recognizes one of his attackers, and realizes he is a closeted homosexual.
The slow, cold craft of revenge ensues
Deep exploration of fear, rage, identity, inadequacy, even possessive jealousy.
The two performers give their characters a depth that belies their surface simplicity.
Off kilter thriller, not for all tastes, not for phobes.

Mayes, Elaine - It Happened In Monterey

Essential book for any attendee, fan or collector of the 1967 Pop Festival. Perfect companion to the Pennebaker documentary, as well as a beaming contrast to the cranky collection by Joel Selvin.

Mayes was there, in the photographers pit, and this book is bristling with her photos, black and white, as well as color.

Chapters are broken up by each day, further divided into afternoon and night performances. There are shots of almost every artist, along with fairground attendees. The book is also filled with recollections from performers and audience members. Some reflect on the event, others on how things have changed – or have not.

This is a true artifact of a brief, too brief, magical moment.

As of 2024, Elaine Mayes is still selling signed copies through her website. Support the artist.

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop And Gangster Films That Ruled The '70s - 2012 - 7/10

Thorough documentary on Italian film subgenre that followed Spaghetti Westerns, concurrent with Giallo.
The Poliziotteschi.
Influences for these films were Bullitt, Dirty Harry, French Connection.
Italian style. More gunplay, bloody violence, crazy chase sequences, nudity, and corruption.
Key interviewees include John Saxon, Franco Nero, Henry Silva, Antonio Sabato, Fred Williamson, Leonard Mann, Joe Dallesandro, along with writers, producers, directors.
Methods explained. As with Hong Kong, no sound during shooting. Stunts real, guns loaded, jumping from speeding cars – yes, the actors did that.
Reasons why these were wildly popular in Italy and much of the world, yet flopped Stateside.
Fast paced, funny, informative, this is an outstanding overview, although not necessarily an introduction.
Filmed just in time, as many of the subjects are now gone.

Blind Corner - 1963 - 6/10

Hit composer Paul, his loyal secretary and manager, watch as a new tune swings up the charts.
Missing is Paul’s wife, she of hot skirts and a painter boyfriend.
Paul is blind and in the way, and, well, accidents could be arranged.
Interesting Brit Noir (very late in the Noir run) is loaded with sex and a few twists.
Musical / dance numbers catch one offguard, yet seem typical and fitting.

The Lady In The Death House - 1944 - 5/10

The psychologist, the female being blackmailed, and the prison doctor / executioner.
Soon, one will be accused and convicted of murder, and the other, her boyfriend, will have to throw the switch.
While the psychologist will hurry to find out what happened (since movie police are too lazy).
Cheap PRC Noir is too much the psychologist smoking in the gents club, telling the tale.
Acting is routine, save for Lionel Atwill in his “post orgy infamy” period.
A curio - this film has more clock wipes than I have ever seen.

Kapop - 2003 - 3/10

“Hear what? I didn’t hear nothing!”
After masked men try to forcibly rape a village girl, a ghost offers to settle scores if she can take possession.
Before long, men are slain, dangling genitalia bitten and horribly mutilated.
And even though menfolk KNOW a demon is in their midst, anytime a girl drops her shorts and says, “Happy hour!” foolish men follow their swords.
Bizarro Thai flick is 50% nudity, crazy floating ghost-head nonsense, and a van of visiting high schoolers.
Yes, add dead teenager trope to the mix.
The females are beautiful, the men oafish, acting amateurish.
Body Jumper preceded this and is better.

Sleeping Beauty - 1959 - 7/10

Maleficent, a powerful witch / sorceress, bears a grudge after a royal slight.
She curses infant Princess Aurora to die at age sixteen.
In many ways, this is a darker version of Snow White (1937).
Disney’s most ambitious animation (until 1989) seems an elaboration on the fairy tale.
Despite being a Disney film, an undercurrent of anxiety haunts the film, giving it an adult feel.
Maleficent’s transformation at the end astounded me as a child.
Depending on screen size, this still packs a punch.
To this day, it looks fantastic! Disney clearly spent a lot of time on this and it shows.
Not surprisingly, my mother always adored Snow White, while my brothers and I preferred Sleeping Beauty.