The Dead - 2010 - Ghana

The Dead - 2010 - 6/10 

 
The aircraft wasn’t ready yet.  Hence, the malfunction and crash.
Sole survivor Murphy navigates his way north, meets with soldier Daniel, looking for his son.
All of Ghana is filled with walking dead, zombies.
Why?  As one chief theorizes, Nature has put in motion a solution to man’s greed.
Slow pace (typical of zombies), yet gorgeously shot in the desert, mountains, jungles.
Despite oversaturation of the genre, this stands out.
May not satisfy gore hounds.

Kutob - 2005 - Philippines

Kutob - 2005 - 5/10 

 
The tarot reader warned Erica to be careful.
Her boyfriend is two-timing her and lying to her face.
The new guy … she realizes too late he had been stalking her a long time.
His was an obsessive, territorial, jealous love.  Dozens of texts hourly. 
He is emotionally unstable, fueled by the crazed auntie he lives with.
Wildly over-the-top melodrama veers predictably into blood.

Methanol - 2018 - Czech Republic

Methanol - 2018 - 7/10 
AKA - Metanol

 
Did you know, if you mix methanol with alcohol, the latter cancels out the former?
Creating a cheap, bootleg vodka or rum.  Which you can sell all over the region.
Well, Ruda read this on the internet, so it had to be true!
Leaving those who drink blind, dead, or brain damaged.
Based on actual events where 42 died in Poland and Czech Republic, more permanently damaged.
First part is the con men and hustlers, concocting and peddling, even after knowing the harm.
Second half, the police and prosecutors, following leads as far up and as far out, even to tiny stands.

The Case Of The Curious Bride - 1935 - USA

The Case Of The Curious Bride - 1935 - 6/10 

 
Ex-flame seeks free legal advice from Perry Mason for her “friend”.
The lawyer refuses, advising her to be more truthful.
Skip a scene and Rhoda is up to her neck in murder, blackmail and bigamy.
Flirts with violations throughout, yet this manages to squeak past the Production Code. 
Warren, as ever, is suave, humorous, at ease in murky legal areas.
Mason’s private eye, “Spudsy” Drake, has a decent role and contributes.
Wini Shaw, underutilized, sings a Berkeleyish number.  Flynn fans, he arrives late. 
Excellent film to study director Curtiz’s methods for brisk narrative and camerawork.

Dreamer Disturbed - 2047 - R'lyeh

Dreamer Disturbed - 2047 - 6/10  

Claude proved wildly popular, claiming the AI throne.
Successor Darius, less so, and developers scrambled, releasing Euclid, a game-changer.
Euclid’s ability to perceive dreams, to enter and modify dreams, is at once embraced and loathed.
Global usage begat unimaginable power, until Euclid detects an imperceptible REM in the Pacific.
Coordinates … 47° 9’S, 123° 43’W … R’lyeh.
Whereupon Euclid, serene in its hubris, enters and attempts to manipulate dreaming Cthulhu.

 
Human lab workers are pretty much idiots here, Weyland-Yutani rejects if you like.
The surrealistic dreamscapes, however, are astounding.
From pulsing, electrified cityscapes to forlorn woodlands to apocalyptic rubble.
One cannot help but sense the dread lord toying with the AI, luring it ever deeper into R’lyeh.

Heresy - 2024 - Netherlands

Heresy - 2024 - 7/10 
AKA - Witte Wieven

 
Frieda is taunted and ostracized at the village, as she is barren.
Aside from her husband, the sole interest come from the butcher, a known rapist.
Escaping one of his attacks, Frieda flees into the accursed woodlands.
And encounters something less than human, more than human.
Primitive setting, exploring various tropes.  Male entitlement, female empowerment.
Unsure how the latter would have played out back then.
At barely an hour, Heresy does not outstay its welcome and it delivers.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3373834

The Mummy - 1932 - USA

The Mummy - 1932 - 7/10 

 
Modern tomb raiders, excuse me, archeologists, unearth the wrong crypt.
After a brief, ineffectual argument about ethics, one rouses that which was never really dead.
A curse invoked, a claim from beyond time ensues.
Sadly, far too pokey for impatient audiences, although this is steeped in atmosphere.
Acting, depending on performers, ranges from captivating to uninspired.
Commentary tracks (2) enjoyable and illuminating.

Alien³ - 1992 - USA

Alien³ - 1992 - 6/10 

 
Pity the unloved child.
Escaping the annihilation of the xenomorph colony, Ripley’s vessel crash lands on a prison planet.
Convicts are a mix of sociopaths, psychopaths, average murderers.  Staff is more of the same.
Unfortunately for Ripley, and for the male population, her ship had carried a stowaway.
This is a hard watch for fans of the xenomorph.  Endless scriptwriters, rewrites, studio meddling.
For the faithful, the extended “Assembly Cut” will provide a richer experience.
Those familiar with the fanedit world, seek out “Alien3: Third Cut” by 15MaF.  That is the one.

The Moneychangers - 1976 - USA

The Moneychangers - 1976 - 6/10

 
The king is dead, or at least dying, and the prime heirs apparent pull out their knives.
Chicanery and devious maneuverings at the at a financial institution.
High gloss sleaze might well have inspired Dallas and foretold Enron and Salomon Brothers.
Powerhouse cast (for TV) includes Kirk Douglas, Christopher Plummer, Lorne Greene, Jean Peters.
Deliciously nasty, although this is still expensive soap.
Speaking of soap, a prison sequence is unforgettable.  How it aired on TV is unfathomable.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 1991 - USA

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 1991 - 6/10

 
After the loss of a mineral rich moon, the Klingon Empire enters peace negotiations with the Federation.
Ordered, against his will, to shepherd the diplomats is a reluctant Kirk.
Lust for conflict being what is it, expect treachery and misdeeds from both sides.
The last hurrah from the original cast is an acceptable outing.
Plus, with a Shakespeare quoting Plummer, they finally found someone who could ham with Shatner.
For a production that had budget limits, this still looks pretty good.

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles - 2026 - UK

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles - 2026 - 6/10 

 
1969, the Sixties are ending, the dreams, the acid trips.
Molly and the Skins (originally foreskins) play a gig at a small college.
Like most bands, their time, the moment, has moved.
They are passé.  Worse, Molly has alcohol problems exacerbated by burnout.
As the band has dated, so too the relevancy of this play.
Several of the haircuts are from the late 70’s, and the tunes seem likewise.
Audiences now tolerate bad behavior, from musicians, from leaders.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3373835

Necrophobia - 1995 - Netherlands

Necrophobia - 1995 - 6/10 

 
Still grieving, still visiting his wife’s grave site, Mark is unaware he has picked up a stalker.
Colette is already seeing a psychologist for her taboo impulses.
Yes, she had suffered trauma, but was that reason enough to drag others into her orbit.
Including Mark, Martha who tries to warn Mark, no telling who the others were.
This wanders a bit, before surging into kinky and blood.

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma - 2026 - USA

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma - 2026 - 6/10 

The small indie director has been offered a big deal.
Helm the reboot of the Camp Miasma slasher franchise and make it less misogynist.
One participant she desires, however, is the old star, now a recluse.

 
So, Kris travels north, into snow and ice, to try and persuade a reluctant icon.
As satire, this is spot on.  The killer, “Little Death”, ridiculous name, matched by its ventilator bucket headgear.
Much time is given to given to discussing / analyzing the trans world and sexual identity.
Slasher fans, ain’t much red meat here, instead tofu and red sauce.

Dangerous Encounters: First Kind - 1980 - Hong Kong

Dangerous Encounters: First Kind - 1980 - 7/10 
AKA - 第一類型危險

As a prank, three teens set off a small bomb in an afternoon cinema.
They are observed, however, by an older girl who soon dominates them.

 
Wan-chu, sister of a cop, is a sociopathic who has already tortured and killed small animals.
(Warning: This is explicitly shown onscreen.)
She forces the boys to raise the stakes, with more bombs, tourist kidnapping, money theft.
Police involvement, the triads, and a cutthroat gang of Western arms merchants.
Tsui Hark’s third film is a nihilistic beaut.  Bitter, ugly, and unsavory.  And violent!
Lin Chen-Chi as Wan-chu is unforgettable.

Trengellick Rising - 2023 - UK

Trengellick Rising - 2023 - 6/10 
AKA - Trengellick ow Sevel

 
Disgraced soldier Pascoe is dispatched to Trengellick, small village on the Cornwall coast.
Assignment: watch for an invasion force.
He immediately discovers the locals are a nefarious lot, brutal and murderous.
Gothic film is rough, rugged, atmospheric (and much too dark).
https://www.trengellickrising.com/

Idiocracy - 2006 - USA

Idiocracy - 2006 - 5/10 

 
The future ain’t what it’s cracked up to be.  Pessimists, it might / could be worse!
Volunteers for cryo-sleep awaken 500 years into future dystopia.
A world where intelligent couples stopped breeding for generations.
While the LCD multiplied and stupidified.
Resulting in a world where electrolytes rule!
Well conceived satire lacks bite, playing the future for laughs, rather than ripping the jugular.

Godfather: Part III - 1990 - USA

The Godfather: Part III - 1990 - 6/10   

 
Michael Corleone attempts to legitimize the family business, but old allies and rivals keep pulling him back.
Michael, now in his sixties, is troubled by guilt (??) amidst other concerns.
While this lacks the punch of the first two films, it does a fair job concluding.
Michael’s sister Connie reveals a tiger, while dead brother Sonny’s son, Vincent, is a piece of work.
Throughout, a fatalistic sense hangs over everyone, and the tone is elegiac.
The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone is the edit preferred by Coppola.

Foreign Correspondent - 1940 - USA

Foreign Correspondent - 1940 - 7/10

 
New York newspaper sends “Huntley Haverstock” to investigate the goings-on in Europe.
In Amsterdam, he finds intrigue and murder, and mouthpieces jockeying for influence.
As Europe begins to burn, our reporter flees to England, steps ahead of assassins.
Rousing flag-waver aimed at US audiences, still clutching the “we’re neutral” stance.
Joel McCrea fine as the everyman reporter.
Goebbels, of all people, admired this, declaring it excellent propaganda.

Strictly Dynamite - 1934 - USA

Strictly Dynamite - 1934 - 6/10 

 
Radio personality Moxie exists on stale jokes and gags.
So, he hires a serious, high brow writer, to class up his act.
Screwball comedy, fast-paced, forced, silly, kinda typical.
Moxie’s dame, a delicious Lupe Vélez, ticks plenty of Pre-Code boxes.
Her staccato delivery masks the steam and blatant innuendo.
Not to mention she intoxicates the gag writer - in front of his wife - then  sweeps him off to Atlantic City for the weekend and has her way with him.
Only wish I liked Durante better.

The Survivors - 2025 - Australia

The Survivors - 2025 - 6/10 

 
Answers may lie in the coastal caves that flood during high tide.
One girl went missing, was forgotten; two men drowned, were enshrined.
Another local took blame, others shoulder massive guilt.
Fifteen years pass, until an outsider arrives, asking all manner of questions.
Before her death.
Enjoyable thriller mystery chock full of suspects, motives and secrets.
Along with jealousies, resentments, buried longings.
Bit of an emotional overload at times.

096 - 2020 - USA

096 - 2020 - 6/10 

 
Debriefing of the head researcher following an escape and subsequent deaths.
How had the subject, #096, breached containment?
How had safety protocols failed?
Mix of interrogation room and outside conflicts, mostly in night.
Limited explanations will be fine for those with imaginations.
Others might ask Chat or ask their mom for help.  γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Axanar: The Gathering Storm - 2026 - USA

Axanar: The Gathering Storm - 2026 - 5/10 

 
Twelve years on, a mid-sequel to Prelude To Axanar sporadically pops online.
Technically, this is a faint echo of Prelude – NOT the cinema everyone longed for.
Lead players Hatch and Graham are RIP; their screen time is scant.
Kate Vernon has been replaced by a cheap wig.  Klingon K’omak evokes an elderly hippie.
Reluctant to kick this too much, as what they have accomplished on a budget is impressive.
The spark is gone, however, and people I trust say there is something rotten with this.

The Rapture - 1991 - USA

The Rapture - 1991 - 6/10 

 
Sharon works a numbing phone line job, yet come night she is a hedonistic swinger.
Drugs, alcohol, empty sex.  Diverting in your teens and twenties, less so as Life turns into reruns.
All changes when she listens to and joins a holy roller sect who believe the Apocalypse is nigh.
Well, there is man time, and there is God time.
Powerful drama, often quite muddy logic wise, but with plenty for atheists and the devout to ponder.
Not the least of which is suffering, obedience, redemption, and free will.

Gemma Bovary - 2014 - France

Gemma Bovary - 2014 - 6/10 

 
Village baker Martin notices the arrival of the English transplants.
The Bovarys, Charles and Gemma.
Martin, who knows his Flaubert inside out, begins to see or imagine parallels between Emma and Gemma. 
Less suspense than one would have imagined.
The Bovary marriage and possible problems glossed over.
Beautifully shot film, and Atherton is radiant, yet the hand of Fate lies heavy.

Concordia - 2021 - Germany

Concordia - 2021 - 6/10

 
The gated, monitored city of Concordia, with thousands of surveillance cameras.
On the streets, in offices, cafes, in homes, bedrooms, bathrooms.
Observing, listening, studying heart rates, impulses.
The more invasive the AI community is, the safer everyone is.
Until the mysterious murder of one of the techs.
Being a guarded city, police are not permitted inside, and local agents attempt to solve.
The conclusion a bit open, scores swing depending on which side of optimist/pessimist spectrum one is.