The Beatles: Made On Merseyside - 2018 - UK

The Beatles: Made On Merseyside - 2018 - 6/10

 
Pretty good documentary for Beatles fanatics.
This sticks with the formative years.
Skiffle, Johnny and the Moondogs, the Quarrymen.
Many of the heads interviewed are ex-members or friends from art school.
Pete Best gets a fair amount of time.  Brother Roag gives a tour of the Casbah, now a museum.
Doc concludes as “Please, Please Me” breaks and the band ignites.

Mora - 2024 - USA

Mora - 2024 - 6/10

 
Cody believes he has discovered an AI anomaly.
“The ghost in the machine,” he tells girlfriend Hannah.
Cody continues to experiment, adding layers, the bitter irony not lost on him.
He is a graphic designer – was an internet artist – before clients bailed for free AI generated art.
The search for the frightening woman leads him deeper down the rabbit hole.
Taut Horror short, gloomy bonbon to launch one’s fright night.
(Update: This has been picked up to be adapted into a feature.)
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370439

The Library Thief - 2011 - Sweden

The Library Thief - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - Bibliotekstjuven

 
John works in the national library (Stockholm) as a menial researcher.
A chance opportunity cracks the door to advancement, likewise access to priceless materials.
The polite face masks envy, jealously, resentment, greed.
Who’s going to miss a few books?  Books that can be sold to dealers of high-end antiquities.
Nightmare for book lovers and collectors, fans of the library.
Sadly, inspired by a real individual.  Curious: Anders Burius.

Outside The Law - 1920 - USA

Outside The Law - 1920 - 6/10

 
Confucius quoting Chang Lo attempts to rehabilitate two criminals.
Dad is partially reformed, before being framed and sent to the slammer for 8 months.
Daughter Molly, engages in a jewel heist masterminded by Big Mike.
Fairly good crime drama set in Chinatown.
Lon Chaney plays two parts, and he is better as the gangster.
This is a Priscilla Dean vehicle, and she dominates.
Morality tale of redemption, the midsection is awfully starchy.

Xenogenesis - 1978 - USA

Xenogenesis - 1978 - 5/10

 
Early SciFi effort by James Cameron borrows from Forbidden Planet and “Demon With A Glass Hand”.
Male cyborg and human female raised by computer set forth to rebuild the species.
Wind up on “abandoned” civilization, giant robot janitor removing intrusions.
Surviving footage appears to be workprint of lengthy confrontation.
Cameron has let AI play with his famous films, he ought to let it “improve” this short.

The Honey Trap - 2026 - USA

The Honey Trap - 2026 - 7/10

 
Ex-soldier agrees to an oral interview of an incident during “The Troubles”.
Plenty of old IRA members have given their side, but he is the first British soldier.
Dave recalls when he and young buddy Bobby flirted with two girls in a Belfast pub.
The girls were friendly, attractive, and coaxing.  Offering?
For Bobby, that was his last night.  Dave carried the grief, and searched for decades.
Knowing there are always survivors, laughing during holidays, enjoying Life.
Grievances linger for generations, revenge merely bides its time.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370779

The Hatred - 2018 - USA

The Hatred - 2018 - 7/10

“As long as there is a God, there is a devil.  And where there is no God, there is the devil.”

1869, Blackfoot Territory.  Union soldiers find themselves lost in the wilderness.

 
Low on ammo, out of food, freezing, starving.
An isolated cabin, mother and daughters, easy to murder … afterward.
Except they missed one daughter, who prays to the devil for vengeance.
The devil is ever-alert, and nearby swings an instrument.

 
Compelling film, told from the girl’s point of view, before a small military court.
The head man, like many, is godless and impatient.
She is not spinning yarns, she is quoting scripture.  Exodus, Matthew, Proverbs, John, Psalms, mostly Isaiah.
Stunning photography, monotone narration that lulls a false calm.
Always impressed by what this small family team can accomplish.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370773

A Shock To The System - 1990 - USA

A Shock To The System - 1990 - 7/10

 
Graham loses an expected promotion to a young upstart.
Irritated, but what can he do?
That was before he “accidentally” sends a panhandler to his death.
And, supposedly, once you kill, subsequent ones become easier.
How true.
And Graham resumes his climb up the corporate ladder.
Caine wonderful as the ruthless shark, in diabolically funny film.
(Profit seemed to borrow heavily from this.)

Ceux de 14 - 2014 - France

Ceux de 14 - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Men Of ‘14

 
Men of 1914, onset of the Great War, soldiers of the French 106 Regiment.
Pretty much all told from the soldier’s point of view.
March here, wait, go there.  Attack, retreat, no – go back, wait, wait.
Husbands, boyfriends, sons, an illiterate, a cook, scavenger, intellectual.
In keeping with the mass carnage of that war, each installment brings losses.
Not as much as those in 1914, Verdun, but familiar faces will be buried.
History types will be on surer footing, yet the lack of details may disappoint them.

The Oval Portrait - 1973 - Mexico

The Oval Portrait - 1973 - 4/10

 
“Ah, Rebecca as I painted her, wasn’t she lovely?”
War Between The States over, Confederate soldier Joseph returns to his Yankee bride.
Too late, as she has died during childbirth / miscarriage.
Such is the extended backstory.  The bookends are the relatives coming for the will.
Experiencing the haunting of the manor.
So much is so wrong in this Mexican production filmed in Canada.
Interiors too modern, one of the heroines much too old, bad hair, intrusive music by Les Baxter, scenes milked for every drop of melodrama, over-acting, poor directing, bad editing.
This has NOTHING to do with the 2-page Edgar Allen Poe story.
I liked the two lovers and Mrs. Warren.  Otherwise, this is a so-bad-it’s-fun movie.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370780

The Plague Of The Zombies - 1966 - UK

The Plague Of The Zombies - 1966 - 6/10

 
Old school, not modern flesh feasters, but mindless drones.
The esteemed surgeon fields a request from his star pupil.
A dozen villagers have died mysteriously, and his own wife is acting strange.
Mischief afoot, and as ever, suspicion upon the local squire.
Solid Hammer outing is good mystery, with handsome production values.
Seems to hark back to Lugosi’s Zombie (1932).

Black Sheep - 2006 - New Zealand

Black Sheep - 2006 - 6/10

 
Science, so overrated. Messing with sheep DNA, what could go wrong?
Uh, they become carnivorous?  And zombie like, in that infectious.
Plus, there’s a ka-zilion of them in New Zealand.
Humans fare poorly.  Well, we’re guilty of so much anyway.
One-joke horror comedy does OK for awhile.
Loses steam along with overall freshness.

The Director’s Cut - 2024 - USA

The Director’s Cut - 2024 - 5/10

 
You see correct.  Terrence runs an indie video rental shop (and sells water!).
One of his regulars, who was once a scriptwriter, gives him a very rare copy of The Midnight Mangler.
The “director’s cut”, with six extra kills, edited out by Hollywood.
Watching, Terrence realizes the kills match a local serial killer – precisely.
What to do?  How about, talk with a girly friend and two fanboys for over an hour?
This one talks itself to the grave.  For those who long for “My Dinner With Michael Myers”.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370437

The Vicious Dead - 2014 - UK

The Vicious Dead - 2014 - 5/10

 
Busted.  Computer “ace” Chase has been caught peeping.
Inside a secret laboratory where experiments are ongoing.
Recall “Alien Autopsy” and you’re halfway there.
Henchmen locate Chase within minutes, just before zombie apocalypse.
Too many ideas, not enough running time.
Lengthy credits of outtakes.

Battle Royale II: Requiem - 2003 - Japan

Battle Royale II: Requiem - 2003 - 5/10
AKA - Batoru Rowaiaru Tsū Rekuiemu // バトル・ロワイアルII

 
Why, why, why?
Why did they make this?  Why did I originally buy this?  Why did I rewatch?
Survivors of the first film are now terrorists.
The fascist government reacts by kidnapping more teens and sending them to a remote island.
Opening salvo explodes onscreen, yet exposes an inherent flaw.
There are … were … plenty of “contestants” and most are massacred at this time.  
Combatants who survive are dull and unsympathetic.
Moreover, the film is preachy, action-oriented yes, but laden with messages.

Best In Show - 2000 - USA

Best In Show - 2000 - 7/10

 
Dog lovers, here’s a woofer for you!
Cutthroat competition, onstage and backstage, amidst the dog show.
Parodied are the human / canine interaction and adoration.
Funny, and nails types I encountered during a pet store gig.
(Note: I’m a cat person. With dogs I roll my eyes.)
Well-thought out situations throughout, making this, for me, on par with Guffman.

Anna Karenina - 1977 - UK

Anna Karenina - 1977 - 7/10

 
Lavish (in its day) adaptation of Tolstoy’s doomed heroine.
Anna, in a loveless marriage to an older man, a count, meets the dashing Vronsky.
Sparks ignite, and they attempt to deny the physical attraction.  As if.
Lust, betrayal, romance, Fate, with a capital F.
Nicola Pagett and Stuart Wilson share electric chemistry.
At ten episodes, this breathes and goes deeply into the novel.
Gorgeous originally, this now appears a trifle faded.

The Supergrass - 1985 - UK

The Supergrass - 1985 - 6/10

 
Big talking Dennis is overheard by coppers and locked up.
A prehistoric computer spits data that he has criminal connections.
He has none, but can certainly spin lies and fables.
Two minders in tow, they are seaside bound.
Where, as one might guess, there is actual criminality.
A goofy comedy, noteworthy for a curious cast.

The Bat Whispers - 1930 - USA

The Bat Whispers - 1930 - 5/10

 
Upper story apartment, police protection, ha!
City criminal “The Bat” predicts the robbery, then carries it out.
Makings of a mastermind vs. law-and-order suddenly shifts locations to a remote country mansion.
And becomes a bipolar old dark house mystery.
Straight off, the look of this is outstanding, and the manor must be the size of a shopping mall.
There are enough goings-on to make one’s head spin.
Comic relief servants are silly and stupid.
Based on a Mary Roberts Rinehart novel, and yes, this film influenced Bob Kane.

Jason Rising: Friday 13th Fan Film - 2021 - USA

Jason Rising: Friday 13th Fan Film - 2021 - 6/10

Three female convicts murder the guard and flee into the woods.
And into Camp Crystal Lake.
Reason?  “No one would be crazy enough to follow us here.”
Except for two federal agents and two local sheriffs.
Effective homage is fairly paced, wisely shot at night, has solid acting.
Wicked in-jokes to other infamous monsters.

Suspicion - 1941 - USA

Suspicion - 1941 - 6/10

 
Lina is swept off her feet by Johnnie, very flashy playboy.
Johnnie is a bon vivant, a friendly rake, and, as Lina learns after an impulsive marriage, penniless.
Cary Grant the beguiling confidence man, whom Hitchcock wisely keeps ambiguous.
A quiet thriller throughout, teasing audiences with preconceptions of Grant during this era.
Joan Fontaine matches him with a brittle performance.
Unsure how bygone snap marriage films are perceived by modern, commitment phobic audiences.

Naked Killer - 1992 - Hong Kong

Naked Killer - 1992 - 6/10
AKA - Chik Loh Goh Yeung // 赤裸羔羊

 
Kitty is a punisher, exacting revenge on men who brutalize women.
Where it hurts, between the man's legs.
With a cop investigating her, she enmeshes him in her vigilante world.
There is a mentor and partner, later a lesbian duo of assassins.
Easily enough for three films, tossed together like a salad.
Fast-paced Cat III film is prime Hong Kong, more fun should one be addled.

Eraserhead - 1977 - USA

Eraserhead - 1977 - 7/10

 
I first screened this in 1977 as a midnight flick.
Henry’s love life is the stuff of nightmare.
A girlfriend who swiftly gets pregnant, births a monstrosity, then flees.
His apartment, merely a chamber in Hell.
Again and again, I feel like all of this is internal.
That Henry is either mad, or withdrawn into himself to the point of shutdown.
Mind you, there are dozens of theories / explanations / arguments for this film (horror, experimental, surreal).
Hopelessly funny at times.

Killer Shark - 2021 - China

Killer Shark - 2021 - 5/10
AKA - 夺命巨鲨

 
Happy-go-lucky shark has plenty to feel cheerful about.
The Pacific teems with screaming, squealing, tasty humans.
Once it starts chomping, it can’t stop at just one.  Or two, or four.
Six affluent (or wannabee affluent) youths crash their yacht and are stranded.
One bleeds heavily, attracting the voracious predator.
Borrows from The Reef, although most know this going in.
Laughably bad subtitles.  Meals are whiny beyond belief – root for the shark!

Urchin - 2025 - UK

Urchin - 2025 - 7/10

 
Mike sleeps rough and scrounges drugs as he can.
After incarceration for robbery, he begins to claw his way back to redemption.
A social worker, a temp residence, employment, coworkers who like him.
In his background vision,  however, lurks a siren, playing violin.
The old life, the perfumed existence of nothingness.
Possibly better for those who have been on the streets, been poor, desperate.