Vultural

Fackham Hall - 2025 - 6/10

Young Eric, pickpocket and casual thief, is dispatched to the lord of the manor above.
Before he can deliver the message, he is mistakenly hired as the new hall boy.
From lowly beginnings, he does soon climb.
This spoof of class dramas will be a hoot to fans of Downton Abbey, Gosford Park and Poirot.
Visual jokes, double entendre, situations, livestock and vicars.
One does not have to be steeped in these shows, but it will help.
Clever throughout, with few lulls. Even then, look about for in-jokes.

The Devil To Pay! - 1930 - 6/10

Willie sells off all his possessions and departs India. Another failure, his tenth.
Back home, his father is fed up! Fed up, I say!
Nonetheless, Willie is contrite and, even as a wastrel, utterly charming.
Especially so when he catches the eye of an heiress, soon to be engaged to a duke.
Cheery Rom-Com has risqué (for 1930) situations and saucy one-liners for the alert.
Ronald Colman’s grace carries the film, with Loretta feisty as the spunky ingenue.

Beforeigners - 2019 - 6/10

Time travel hopefuls, this is an imaginative entry.
Beforeigners are those who have time-slipped into modern Oslo.
From the Stone Age, the Viking era, and the late 19th Century.
One of the transplants, a Viking shield maid, now a detective, works with an inspector on cases.
Crimes are committed by and against the newcomers, and more arrivals increase social unease and resentment.
Concepts and threads are off-the-scale throughout.
At times, too much so, as narratives and characters ofttimes simply disappear.
Second season introduces King Olaf I, Jack The Ripper, and – wait for it – from Asgard, Odin!
Creators are bursting with ideas, but an overall lack of focus hurts.
S03, which would supposedly conclude the series, seems abandoned.

Marked Eyes - 1964 - 6/10
AKA - Les Yeux Cernes

The widow is the lone mourner at her murdered husband’s funeral.
Likewise, his sole heir, although she had sought a divorce.
Now, she remains in the tiny Alpine village.
Partly because she wants to know who killed him and why.
Partly because she is being threatened. Everyone observes her.
Moody French Noir boasts plenty of suspects, motives and secrets.
Lethargic pace. At 75”, this seems to run longer.

Under The Greenwood Tree - 2005 - 6/10

Young Fancy arrives in the village to tend her ailing father and teach the children.
She soon attracts menfolk: the vicar, the rich man, the industrious poor man.
Thomas Hardy adaptation charts the seasons, and the rural landscape is beautiful.
Music, dance parties, clash of class, aspirations.
Very much an idealistic portrait of a world that, I suspect, was on the edge of disintegration.
Although considerably later, this might appeal to Austen fans.

The Devil Came From Akasava - 1971 - 5/10
AKA - Der Teufel kam aus Akasava

After discovering a powerful, magical rock, the professor goes missing in Mambasa.
The Brits send agent Jane Morgan to find out what-where-how-why.

She soon encounters slew of counteragents, assassins, deceivers and charmers.
This rolls like a late Krimi spoof of Eurospy flicks.
Soledad Miranda compels viewing, but the story is silly and incoherent.

English subs = https://sub-scene.com/download/3365674

Erish, Andrew - Vitagraph: America’s First Great Motion Picture Studio

As often noted, history is written by the victors, or simply the survivors. Per title, Vitagraph was one of the earliest US film studios. Indeed, they coined the phrase “film studio”.
This detailed book goes a long way to reestablishing Vitagraph’s importance.
Thing is, the vast history of Silent Era footage has been lost, burned, or dissolved.
Pre-1910, there are few films to look at, plus these are predominantly shorts. One or two reels.
From the beginning, Vitagraph, along with almost every other studio, was slogging it out with attorneys for Thomas Edison, who allegedly invented everything under the sun, including the air and the sun itself.
Then, there were takeover attempts as well as machinations by the Paramount mogul.
World War I damaged European rentals, as well as the Great Influenza Epidemic.
Don’t even get me going about the installment of an “efficiency expert” who chased away talent.
Most film histories and biographies end in sorrow, and Vitagraph’s story is no exception.
From Biograph to Lumière to Selig to Méliès to Griffith to Entwhistle …
An essential addition to any film fan’s bookshelf, especially Silent cinema fans.

Within Our Gates - 1920 - 6/10

Sylvia waits for her fiancé to return, unaware her cousin wants him, too.
Also unaware her cheap thug male cousin desires her.
Tawdry melodrama soon shifts to the Jim Crow South, where an earnest pastor tries to educate black children.
Fully aware that there are elements who don’t want no uppity minions.
Film wobbles for quite a while, but bores full throttle after a killing.
Lynching, rape, pursuits, rough justice, blind to mercy or truth.

The Last Socialist Artifact - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Podrucje Bez Signala

The factory used to make turbines. Before the problems. When the nations were Yugoslavia.
Two hustlers arrive from the city, and try to convince the locals.
The won’t divulge who the customer is. Nor how many orders there are.
Still, work is good, correct? Not in the Balkans, where grudges endure generations.
Six-part series, each focusing on a specific character, advancing the story from their p.o.v.
Bitter throughout, with Fate vying with Hope.
Compelling and satisfying.

Vine, Richard - SoHo Sins

Amanda is murdered, shot in the back of her head, looks like professional hit.
Husband Philip confesses, although he was on the other side of the country at the time, and it is apparent he is suffering steep cognitive decline.
Family friend Jackson and ex-cop Hogan begin to dig.
Mystery trawls into the world of high-end art collectors, pretentious hipsters, terrified wannabees, fading talents – and – child porn.
A decadent vibe curdles the narrative, and most characters seem tinged with feigned vanity. The bar of accepted dissipation, elevated by gangster officials, is now uglier than anything in this book.
This is a fast read, page-turner if you like, with an ending that is appropriately loose stitched and foul.
Copy now in the box of Salvation Army donations.

Beauty And The Boss - 1932 - 6/10

The Baron runs his own investment bank, and seems to specialize in mergers and acquisitions.
He keeps a string of lovely ladies on the side, yet work is all business.
Except for those secretaries who wear short skirts and low cut blouses.
Ones who cannot take dictation, but would prefer to take –
Then he hires a mousy thing, who is as efficient as a machine and just as sexless.
Pre-Code comedy brims with innuendo.
One knows the mouse will transform.

Komisario Palmun Erehdys - 1960 - 6/10
AKA - Inspector Palmu’s Error

Bruno sets the rules for a who-can-do-the-best-unreported-crime contest
Then Bruno is found murdered – in a locked bathroom!
The inspector arrives with two flunkies and begins interrogating one liar after another.
Everyone has motives and secrets. Bruno was hardly a quality soul.
Finnish mystery bears similarity to Krimi. Comic touches are droll, rather than farce.
Some nudity, too, which surprised me for this 1960 date.
The mystery itself is fun and sustains interest.

The Woman In Black - 1989 - 7/10

Very good adaptation of Susan Hill’s shocker.
Young attorney Arthur is dispatched to a remote village to settle an estate.
The manor is even more isolated, rising on an island in the flooded fens.
Locals shun the place, and tragedy touches all who stare too deeply.
This is Horror that M. R. James fans will appreciate, subtle and escalating.
More modern 2012 remake might appeal to viewers wanting a more visceral outing.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366202

Promises & Betrayals - 2002 - 7/10
Britain And The Struggle For The Holy Land

The seeds for ongoing conflicts over Palestine, sown during the Great War.
Britain, double-dealing to gain and appease allies made promises to Arabs and Jews and the French.
The focus of the one hour doc is on Britain, leading to the misery which persists today.
Overall, this stays on point. World War events touched on, as are the Ottomans.
Mostly, this details politics: promises and lies.
Essential in understanding beginnings and miscalculations.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/download/3365671

The Cockleshell Heroes - 1955 - 6/10

WWII. The Wehrmacht has overrun France and controls a vital port in Bordeaux.
A small force is assembled to infiltrate and destroy.
Using canoes or kayaks.
Yes, there were many of these stories, only this one is based on true events.
Aside from one or two soldiers, most are just faces.
Two officers, José Farrer and Trevor Howard, stand out. Christopher Lee has a bit.
Music is too loud, intrusive and jaunty.

The Easiest Way - 1931 - 6/10

Ma and Pa have five kids - five mouths - to feed, ages ten to twenty.
Pa used to work as a longshoreman, now he finds excuses.
Laura, the oldest, quits her department store job to be a model.
Successful, too, catching the eye of the big boss who woos her and makes her a “kept woman”.
No, the word mistress is never used, although she has a nice apartment, limousine, furs, jewels.
Later on, a moral dilemma. The poor, honest guy or the older, rich man?
Remember, this was the Depression. Folks were starving to death, freezing in winter.
Pre-Code drama with great MGM cast, and bleaker than their usual fare.

A New Leaf - 1971 - 6/10

Snob-to-the-max Henry discovers he has squandered his wealth on a lifestyle.
Choices are now: poverty – get a job – suicide – marry a rich girl.
Suicide is the choice until he meets Henrietta, clueless and gauche.
Never mind, Henrietta has cash without end.
Henry opts for marriage, followed by a quick murder.
Elaine May’s first directorial outing seems a loose connection of scenes.
The humor is deliberately awkward and forced, screwball, often skin crawly.
It is sweet, however. Her next film, Heartbreak Kid would deliver a more savage bite.

Horror Hospital - 1973 - 6/10

Jason, on break from the music scene, heads to a woodland retreat.
Enroute, he meets Judy, who is going likewise to meet an aunt.
Once there, the vibes are bad, dude. Like Bummer City. Ain’t no way out either, man.
Horror spliced with mad science, with a scene chewing Michael Gough.
Funny at times, and Vanessa and Robin make a sexy couple.
(Why, oh why, did no one ever cast Robin Askwith as Rolling Stone Brian Jones?)

Crisp, Quentin S. - Out There

Jake arrives in Japan to visit with Sean.
And to hike into the mountains. Get away, recharge, maybe.
For all the peace and quiet he wants, Jake cannot break free from modern noise.
The intrusive upsetter, his phone. Where in the mountains, there is no signal.
Story is a clash of expectations and values, and one wonders about their friendship.
In time, the story walks into the rain swept fantastic. Quite literally.
Jake wanders away, then is soon led into floating dreams.
An altogether singular character offers wise counsel, although humanity tends to ignore wisdom.
“Your saviours are malevolent. They do not know themselves. They wear masks to cover their emptiness, and they force their way into the Shrine Of Life, where you were born.”
As with much of Crisp’s work, the book is elegant and reflective, with an uneasy undercurrent.

Black Lizard - 1968 - 7/10
AKA - Kuro Tokage // 黒蜥蝪

The female criminal mastermind wants that stone, the Star Of Egypt.
Moreover, she even warns the wealthy jeweler of the upcoming theft.
Who swiftly obtains the resources of Detective Akechi.
From there, move / countermove, each relishing the competitive match.
Overly talky at times, but the dialogue is florid and heady.
Gorgeous to watch. Story by Edogawa Rampo, script by Yukio Mishima, directed by Kinji Fukasaku.
Perverse film, highly entertaining, depending on your tastes.

In Blind Daylight - 1971 - 5/10

Famed actor Anthony leaves the doctor’s office, still blind, yet now capable of navigating the world at large.
He quietly returns home to announce his progress.
And overhears his wife and best friend making bedroom noises.
From there, he plots murder, which, step by step, we follow.
Sluggish thriller seems patterned after Blind Corner (1963), albeit with less snap.
Suzanne Pleshette and Stella Stevens wasted.

Upcoming mystery / crime / thriller Film and TV for 2026.

This is a bear.

https://thekillingtimestv.wordpress.com/2026/01/01/2026-crime-drama-the-killing-times-enormous-rollicking-great-new-year-preview/#more-41324

Loose Ankles - 1930 - 5/10

Ann, now a wealthy heiress, does not want her inheritance. (please!)
Codicil: If she is “compromised” or discovered that way, she loses her inheritance.
As do all the other relatives.
So, she hires a cad – until it transpires they both like each other.
Depression era nonsense flirts with Pre-Code and Screwball.
Comedy is slapstick and farce. Screen presence by leads is low.
The insane circus cafe a highlight.

The Intruder - 2025 - 6/10
AKA - L’intruse

Ma, late 40’s, unexpectedly pops out another kid.
She works! What to do? Hire a nanny!

Tess is hired, adored by the teenage kids and Dad, while Paula suffers doubts.
Paula is a weak hinge, behind at work, out of touch in the house, and guilty of an affair.
Tess is manipulative, cunning, and quite dangerous.
Has makings of a good thriller, especially since I disliked the mother and began rooting for the bad.
Always a viewing mistake to side with the villain.

Gravity - 2013 - 7/10

Space junk destroys a shuttle making repairs to the Hubble scope.
Two survivors make for the International Space Station, only to find that situation almost as bad.
The astronauts work without a safety net, trying to survive and – maybe – return to Earth.
Despite the outer space tropes, this hews closer to adventure survival.
Nevertheless, the effects are outstanding, the plotting well-thought out.
A great one for science majors who don’t demand a lot of magical explanations.
Dazzling cinema.