Vultural

Nouvelle Vague - 2025 - 7/10

He has been writing critical reviews, but now Jean-Luc Goddard is ready to make his own film.
There is a scenario, written by friend Truffaut, and he has recruited another friend, Jean-Paul Belmondo, to play the petty, nihilistic thug. More, he wants Jean Seberg, a young American, already a star.
What follows is a deep, deep plunge into the making of Breathless (1959).

Script, what script? Goddard seemingly improvises the narrative, then makes extensive jump cuts.
Releasing an influential and audacious masterpiece.
One can view this cold and enjoy the comedy, the process, the fashions, the look.
Cineastes will be ecstatic, however, as the film namechecks Chabrol, Romer, Rossalini, Melville, Bresson, Gréco, Varda …
The more French cinema one has viewed (especially New Wave), the more you may appreciate.

Itim - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - The Rites Of May

The magazine is shuttered for summer, so Jun leaves Manila for small village San Ildefonso.
Jun’s doctor father, incapacitated following an accident, exists in a gloomy manor.
Taking photographs during Lent, Jun soon finds himself attracted to Teresa, who is lost in a fog.
Nor is this mere attraction, but the hand of Teresa’s dead sister, Rosa.
Who begins to manipulate her sister, and the couple, for her own purposes.
Photography is dreamlike and hazy throughout, many scenes maddeningly opaque.
Chances are, you will deduce the plot and twists before the end.
Jungle mix of Catholicism, shamanism, superstition and taboos.

The Sorcerers - 1967 - 5/10

Professor Montserrat just needs a subject. Intelligent, inquisitive, sober.
Once under, he should be able to read the subject’s mind, experience vicariously their day to day.
From there, control the subject.
Alas, wife Estelle has other desires: theft, violence, bloody murder.
The weaker sex? Fool! Estelle is soon up to all manner of diabolical mischief.
Even for a dated film, the pacing is slow, and the director lets scenes run much too long.
A pruning would aid this one, although there is a melancholy vibe.

The Hollow Spirit - 2025 - 6/10

Manos made a deal, a pact, and there had been plenty of time to change course.
Only now his time has expired. Payment is due.
He must fulfill the bargain. Even then, he’ll only lose.
Greek short of death, faith and bitter agreements.

Various (Editor: Gevers, Nick) - Extrasolar

Science / Fantasy set outside our solar system. Stories that implore us to believe in destinies beyond our capacities. One should reach high, I suppose.

“Holdfast” follows two combatants in an ongoing, endless war. It offers hope - possibly forlorn.

Kaslo is a private investigator, working undercover for a secretive client. A valuable assistant has disappeared, along with a pet project, the “Thunderstone”. Kaslo’s task is to find both. His partner / assistant, the integrator, proves an unheralded delight.

Humanity likes to assume we are special. Perhaps we are. Conditions have to be near ideal for life to take a foothold, then flourish. And conditions may be fleeting, as they are on planet “Canoe”.

Few openly acknowledge that climate change leads inexorably to the dying earth. People continue to squander and pollute, instinctively knowing they are murdering their own children, their grandchildren. Why change? Lewis is a specialist, hunting for “Life Signs” beyond our sphere. And he is so very smug.

“The Tale Of The Alcubierre Horse” is the longest tale, mixing Polynesian folklore with futuristic
modifications. No one can breathe eugenics, yet selection and engineering propel the ambitions of impatient youth. A lot to appreciate in this one, and much to roll one’s eyes at, One truism abides: no matter how civilized we become, how sophisticated, we remain murderous.

Hit n miss collection for me. I no longer enjoy SciFi as I did in my teens (this book was part of a Grab Bag sale). I see the genre as pipedreams written by idealists for those who pray we are somehow better than our actions indicate.

Glass Ceiling - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - El Techo de Cristal

“And I’m telling you, I’m hearing footsteps upstairs. I think she killed her husband.”
Marta, like the other women in the dwelling, has too much time on her hands.
The weather is hot, sultry, their husbands or boyfriends absent, and they are mad with desire.
Marta suffers the worst, while both Julia and Rosa roam with abandon.
Steamy Spanish thriller touches on Giallo, but not quite.
Plenty of cake with an undercurrent that never loosens.
Then there is the smell. Everyone comments on the stench.

Death Of A Killer - 1964 - 6/10
AKA - La Mort d’un Tueur

Released after five years in prison, Massa wants revenge.
Someone betrayed him, someone wanted him out of the way.
Luciano did so to steal Massa’s girl, Maria.
Who just happened to be Massa’s sister.
French Noir intercut with flashbacks, Underworld justice, the heist.
French Jazz might be too perky for purists, but it adds local flavor.
Imaginative locations throughout.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/3364481

Meaning, participate. Don’t just ask for links.

Evilside - 2025 - 6/10
AKA - Korvessa Kulkevi

High-schooler Aapo is devising a satanic themed LARP game.
Something goes awry, however, and he is found murdered. Butchered corpse on his father’s sled.
Suspicion falls on Joanna, village outsider, rumored to be an acolyte of the devil.
Goth girl, artist of unsettling cataclysms, and apparently Aapo’s muse.
Mind you, there are suspects everywhere on the island.
The officer sent from Vantaa discovers resentments, accusations, and silence.
Brooding series from Finland wanders for four episodes, then dives down an ugly pit.
In some ways, a Twin Peaks locale, minus the Lodge and timeslips.

La Malédiction du Lys - 2023 - 6/10

Probably because the victim was a mayoral candidate.
Then again, he was found naked, with a muzzle across his face and a recent brand burned into his flesh.
Paris sends an agent to assist the Bordeaux police captain in charge.
Aside from dinner requests, no romance in this outing (hooray).
The plot is rather convoluted, with weird turns.
Inherited wealth, derived from bygone slave trade, fuels motives.

The Naughty Flirt - 1931 - 5/10

Two grifters calculate heiress Kay is worth 5 million.
She is a Jazz baby, party goer, wildly living it up like the Twenties still roared and there was no Depression.
The male gold-diggers are too obvious for her, and she sets her sights on a stuffy lawyer.
Feather-lite comedy for Alice White, who flutters and flounces and sparkles those big eyes.
White often gets compared with Clara Bow, I imagine because of those expressive eyes.
There is nothing to this film, unless you want to gaze at her.

Creditors - 2025 - 7/10

Adolf complains to Gustaf about his vampiric wife, Tekla.
Draining him of his creative talent and energy.
Appropriating his opinions as her own, building a cadre of followers.
Mind you, every story has two sides, as Gustaf (above) listens to Tekla.
Hothouse theatre delivered by a trio to top flight professionals.
Oft times funny, yet being Strindberg, one buckles up.

The Seasoning House - 2012 - 6/10

1996, Balkan Wars, Angel is seized after her family is murdered.
Brought to a wooded brothel, her disfigured face means she will not be appealing.
Viktor, proprietor of the house, uses her as helpmate, drugging captive females, tidying aftermaths.
Most of the clients are extraordinarily violent.
Unflinching narrative of toxic behavior, with excellent use of claustrophobic spaces.
Horrific thriller that gnaws and churns, never bothering with clichéd formula.

Schedule of UK holiday shows.

https://ukchristmastv.weebly.com/confirmed2025.html

This does get updated weekly, with air dates and times.

The Last Voyage Of The Demeter - 2023 - 6/10

July 6, the Demeter sets sail from Varna, Bulgaria, with 50 crates of Transylvanian soil.
Progress is good, and the crew anticipates a bonus.
Except, the opening shipwreck is a bit of a spoiler.
Not to mention that anyone remotely familiar with Dracula knows the outcome.
This is well photographed, however, and the tension is sustained throughout.
The crew assorted nationalities, most with limited common sense.
Really, once they grasp the potency of sunlight, they ought to work with that.

Various (Editor: Coleman & Chinn) - Shadowplays

Per the introduction, this is meant to be an homage to “Tales Of The Unexpected”, a UK series loaded with the sardonic humor of Roald Dahl. As with most anthologies, I anticipated a mix of gems, and MOR.

Set in the television world, “Totu” finds theatre trained Izzy accepting commercial roles, cheap parts for money. Her boyfriend is a self-deluded sponge, yet her faith and desperation lead her up the stairs and into the part that would dominate the rest of her days.

No telling what one will find in the junk shop. “Damaged But Adorable” are broken articles that are alluring to others. Delay means the item will be gone by the next visit. No telling what you will find on the shelves – or what might find you.

It was specialist who had leveled the news at Gavin. He had never been able to make friends, not even with school misfits. Even his parents shunned him. There was a “Stigma” attached, and oh what a repulsive thing it was. The experimental cure was not without risk.

Isabella possessed glamor. An Italian beauty, she was certainly out of Nigel’s league. Nevertheless, he had the inkling where to find a legendary scroll. A grateful Isabella would reward his desires, how? Some quests are never to be found, or “Never To Be Told”.

Since day one, family members had been warned to keep away from “Begbrook”, the deep woods, the place where disappearances mounted over the years. When you are young, however, there is nothing so irresistible as the taboo. Besides, what do parents know?

“South Riding” closes out the book, again in the theatrical world, this time, rep. Small town Disston has an eager audience for old chestnuts, even Ayckbourn is too modern. Audiences are reserved, yet seats and stalls are packed. What is there to complain about? The long season, the mix of Christie and Vane, everything so blasé, grinds Don to the knuckle, although he was already half-dead to begin with.

What The Hell Happened To Blood Sweat Tears? - 2023 - 7/10

It didn’t matter where they performed or why. The critics piled on the hate.
Documentary on the well-intentioned, yet naïve concert tour of Eastern Europe.
Exposure to authoritarian regimes, followed by blowback from counterculture elites.
BST had been riding high beforehand, their second release Grammy Album Of The Year.
The premise is that the tour, brought on by pressure by the US State Dept., damaged their credibility.
I don’t necessarily buy that. Critics lambasted Zeppelin, Mahler, Grand Funk, Bruckner, Rush, Chet …
BST faded because the hits dried up. Trends run their course.
Counterculture ended with the 70’s, while critics / influencers continue to survive and fester.
Nonetheless, this is a highly absorbing film – primarily for fans who recall this version of the group.
And the footage that survives, my God, the band was incandescent for those audiences.

Lucy Worsley Investigates - 2022 - 7/10

In this series, mysteries or myths.
The princes in Richard III’s Tower, Witch persecution, King George’s madness, the Black Death of 1349.
These are fairly in-depth, researching archives, interviewing historians, visiting locations.
Unlike lazy “presenters” Worsley does not pad episodes with pointless drive time or aimless walking.
She has a sly sense of humor, knows her subjects, seldom utters a self-serving opinion.
The persecution of witches (ie: midwives, wise women) arguably the most distressing episode.
Black Death most enlightening, as most confuse with the 1665 London Plague.

Nectar - 2014 - 6/10

Attendants stimulate the queen, who exudes honey, or nectar.
Which is collected, stored, eventually making its way to the outside humankind hive.
Health of depends on the queen, otherwise the community perishes.
Arthouse allegory with an evocative sound field (should be boosted substantially).
Mirroring the cityscape with the honeycomb subtly done.

Fake - 2024 - 7/10

Better late than never for Birdie, disappointed in love and a nest of insecurities.
Enter Joe Burt into her life. Handsome, filthy rich, bubbling with enthusiasm and bold vision.
Thing is … he’s not exactly dependable.
He forgets dates, cancels meetings, although there are always reasonable excuses.
Every time Birdie doubts, questions him, it backfires and her guilt intensifies.
I mean, he’s such a great guy! A real catch. No matter what her intuition says.

Traveling Saleslady - 1935 - 6/10

The stolid toothpaste brand faces an upstart.
Cocktail, and yes, those are the flavors the rival offers.
Unbeknownst to the big brand boss, the salesperson spearheading the opposition is his own daughter.
Yes, a mere female. The sex that knows nothing about business.
Brisk RomCom is simply a vehicle for Joan Blondell, queen of the bygone Pre-Code.
No one else matches her charisma in this.
Oh, would that this had been filmed a year or so earlier, before the Code.

Looks like an improvement on the original.

Eugenie de Sade - 1973 - 6/10

Eugénie’s stepfather, Albert, writer of erotica, initiates her into a world of seduction, torture, murder.
She proves a willing, even eager accomplice.
At first, they are careful, covering their tracks, creating alibis.
Gradually, more experienced, confident, they grow careless.
Jess Franco’s film of sexual gamesmanship, based on de Sade, is well composed and structured.
Plus, he is blessed with Soledad Miranda, whose presence is palpable throughout.
The stars were aligned for her at this point (1970), and a bright film future loomed.

Love Birds - 2011 - 6/10

Innocuous RomCom triangle.
A native Kiwi, recently dumped by his aspirational girlfriend.
An English Rose transplant, wary of messy entanglements.
And a duck.
If a joke, this would start “A Kiwi, a Rose and duck entered the bar …”
Not on par with classic RomComs of the 80’s and 90’s, but still an OK date flick.
Note: our male protagonist has a serious Queen fixation. Prepare for Freddie.

oojason said:

^ https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/08/09/you-had-mail-aol-finally-discontinues-dial-up-internet-service
 

Always a weird reminder that AOL is still around.
If I had saved those discs that came in the mail, I could probably resell them to collectors on eBay.
I have 1-2 friends who still have an AOL email address.