Beauty And The Fellow - 2015 - Japan

Beauty And The Fellow - 2015 - 7/10
AKA - Bijo To Danshi // 美女と男子

 
Irresistible, infectious J-dorama of the fools gold that is filmed entertainment.
Sawatari works in the IT department for a major conglomerate.
Arrogant, opinionated, rude, she is unpopular.  And finds herself transferred.
She is sent to an “investment,” a tiny, third rate talent agency.
The biggest star is a one-hit wonder from thirty years previous.
Undaunted, she tries to find fresh talent, and sets out to understand the entertainment industry.
For fans of this type (eg: Day For Night), there is a tremendous amount of backstage doings.
Work as an extra, bit parts, lead role in a cheap, late night program.
As with most J-doramas, there is a degree of “japaneseness,” meaning this show was created for the home market, and not with an eye toward a Western audience.
Central themes of teamwork and family come to the fore.
At 20 episodes, this does breathe a bit, and all characters, even those in a few episodes, contribute meaningfully.
Emotional roller coaster at times.  No tears, as found in K-dramas.  Just dreams fulfilled or destroyed.
Guilty pleasure, this.

If subtitles are needed, I heavily reworked marsa’s original subs.
Removed all overlapping lines, broke up over-long lines, corrected minor spelling errors, clarified syntax
and Westernized grammar.  Also used Yekaterina Sobkov'ya's translation for "Step By Step."
Available – https://subscene.com/subtitles/bijo-to-danshi/english/2051104

Orchestra Class - 2017

Orchestra Class - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - La Mélodie

 
Out of work concert violinist accepts a school position.
Teaching junior high (middle school) students to play violin.
The class seems primarily immigrant children, many disruptive and argumentative.
So, the instructor has got his work cut out.
Oh wait!  One of the children appears gifted!
Hey!  There will be an end of term concert!
Will youngsters who don’t even know how to hold a violin, let alone fingering, be ready?
Feel good material, better than Hollywood schmaltz.  Different, but on par with Swing Girls.

Bright Leaves - 2003

Bright Leaves - 2003 - 7/10

 
Gaze longingly, nicotine fiends.  Green fields of burley.
Ross McElwee documentary about the decline of great grandfather's empire, and tobacco itself.
The sire brought out the Durham Bull blend, crushed when Duke released pre-rolled Bull Durham cigarettes.
Duke today is a charitable foundation, a university, global empire, and probably the cause of millions of cancer deaths.
McElwee is forgotten, though survives in an old Gary Cooper film, Bright Leaf (that was blend that grew in North Carolina).
This follows the typical meandering pace of all Ross McElwee docs, delivered in his soft Southern cadence, and his usual wit.
Definitely worth seeing, though Sherman's March is McElwee’s most accessible flick and the one to hunt down.

Iron Sky: Director's Cut - 2012 - Finland

Iron Sky:  Director's Cut - 2012 - 6/10

 
Nazis!  On the Moon!
A battalion of the Third Reich fled WWII aftermath and hid out on the dark side of the Moon.
Sixty years later, their base is discovered and they launch blitzkrieg.
Funny satire with great looking old school contraptions.
Political / military humor was dead on, Sarah Palin lookalike as gun totin’ US President! What’s not to like?
Other elements felt forced. Example: the racial purity storyline.
Still quite funny with unexpectedly nice SciFi action sequences.
The Director’s Cut added additional special effects after early profits rolled in.
The sequel … dear me …. How could the creative team have stumbled so ineptly?

Grave Robbers - 1989

Grave Robbers - 1989 - 6/10
AKA - Ladrones de Tumbas

 
The Holy Inquisition prepares to execute a Satanist.
“You wait!  I will be back!  Generations from now, I will –  aarrgghh.”
Sure enough, 300 years later a truckload of twenty year olds break into the cemetery.
Nearby, four girls set up their campsite.  And – two peasants saunter in their horses.
What’s that add up to?  Lots of killin’, Fred.
Mexican horror film borrows from dozens of films.  Who cares?
Mayhem in the cemetery, in the crypt, in the graveyard, in the desert, in the church.
This dashes merrily along, full of energy, blood everywhere.

The Sign Of Four - 1932 - UK

The Sign Of Four - 1932 - 6/10

 
Downright creaky rendition of the detective mystery.
Arthur Wontner looks like the oldest filmed Holmes, though resemblance to the Paget drawings is uncanny.
This comes across, to this viewer, as a bridge between the theatre versions (Gillette, Saintsbury), and Universal adaptations (Rathbone).
This may prove too modern for purists, as there are motorcars, as well as speedboats.
There are also a few elements from other stories cobbled in.
Nevertheless, this is well done.  You could do a lot worse.

Football's Fight Club - 2002

Football's Fight Club - 2002 - 7/10

 
Two part BBC documentary about the rise of football hooligans in the 70's.
Casuals, firms, riots on the island and abroad.
Comprehensive and well done.
The copy I saw left much to be desired, as it came from a YouTube broadcast.
Essential viewing for rowdier viewers to look for themselves!

A Lonely Place To Die - 2011

A Lonely Place To Die - 2011 - 6/10

 
Pursuit thriller set in the Scottish highlands.
Group of vacationing mountain climbers discovered a kidnapped child.
They free, only to discover the kidnappers  are murderous.
The chase is on, and our increasingly stupid climbers barely keep one step ahead of the kidnappers.
The "victim" was an annoying, shrill screamer, and the climbers kept yelling,  "Where are you?  Where are you?" every time they eluded their trackers.
Plot twists were fairly unexpected, location shots were great, story is formula.

Joseon X-Files - 2010 - S Korea

Joseon X-Files - 2010 - 7/10
AKA - Gichalbirok // 기찰비록

 
Young official is hired by Imperial house to investigate unexplained phenomena.
He gets a superstitious strong man cop for muscle, and teams with a scientific, medical female.
Their boss is a chain smoking (pipe) shadowy man who always knows much more than they do.
Sound familiar? Except this riff on the X-Files is set in 17th century Joseon (Korea).
Twelve episodes that include extra-terrestrials, alternate realities, witchcraft, political cults, and a couple head scratchers.
Definitely worth tracking down if you are a jonesin' for fresh Mulder and Scully fare.

Friday Night - 2002 - France

Friday Night - 2002 - 7/10
AKA - Vendredi Soir

 
Laure packs up her apartment and prepares to move in with François.
Drives through rain soaked Paris where, owing to a subway strike, streets are snarled.
Motorists are urged to help out, pick up passengers, if possible.
Laure offers a ride to a heavy set man, one a little rough around the edges.
Gradually, within the claustrophobic car interior, and the man’s sporadic nervous energy, Laure wonders what she had invited in.
Haunting film evokes loneliness and the nocturnal hours better than known, themed works.
Snatches of scenes pass by constantly.  Fellow drivers, pedestrians, lovers, shoppers, diners.
Individuals making their way through the city stream, of whom we are the onlookers.

Damsels In Distress - 2011 - USA

Damsels In Distress - 2011 - 5/10   

 
Forgettable "comedy" about a group of girls who man the Suicide Prevention building at Seven Oaks College.
Completely all over the map, as the damsels try to improve fellow students, educate frat boys, succumb to romantic perils, invent dance routine.
Dialog preposterously overwritten, arch and conflated.  Nobody - nobody - talks like that. Not even in a Shepard or Stoppard play.
I saw this because I had enjoyed director Stillman's previous works (Metropolitan, Barcelona, even Last Days Of Disco), but those were all from the 90's.
Damsels reeks of comeback desperation.

Carmilla - 2019 - UK

Carmilla - 2019 - 6/10

 
While the story is set in Victorian times, the film evokes the Regency countryside.
Young Lara is bitterly disappointed when Charlotte has become mysteriously ill and cannot visit.
Soon enough, however, a nearby carriage accident leaves a lovely guest recuperating in her home.
Carmilla.  Who cannot remember her family, or where she came from.
As Carmilla settles in, Lara becomes smitten while the household is unsettled.
Beautiful, dream like film may move too slowly for impatient viewers.
Much is unspoken, more is repressed, leaving this a film open to interpretation.

The Corpse Packs His Bags - 1972

The Corpse Packs His Bags - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Der Todesrächer von Soho

 
Soon to depart hotel guests find someone has thoughtfully packed their bags!
Alas, once outside, those soon to depart become the dearly departed, thanks to a thrown knife.
Scotland Yard investigates.
Hang on.  The inspector contacts a friend, a best selling mystery author, and a photographer.  Next, the doctor who was at the scene, except the inspector is more interested in getting the receptionist out of her glasses.
Everyone frequents a nightclub which is a front and run by shadowy types.
Stories spin out in all directions.  The narrative is incoherent.  I lost track of why the killings were occurring.
Many belittle this as another lame Jess Franco effort, but it is not a bad film.
True, the plot makes no sense, but it is entertaining and the humor is sly.
Better than most of the late cycle Krimi films I have watched.

Swing Girls - 2004

Swing Girls - 2004 - 7/10
AKA - スウィングガールズ

 
Charming, feel good story of summer school underachievers wandering into a swing group.
When the school band gets ill, a group of girls agree to learn instruments to encourage the baseball team.
Terrible are the results.
A stubborn handful persevere and practice outside stores, in karaoke clubs, along the river.
For those of you who were ever in high school band, you will recall the scales, the warmup, the endless rehearsals.
And just like your own experience, within six months they are in a groove.
Innocent film that ends with a rousing flourish.  Play loud.

Pieces Of Me - 2012

Pieces Of Me - 2012 -  6/10
AKA - Des Morceaux de Moi

 
IMDB reads “mother-daughter” film, but this is coming of age.
Younger daughter, Erell, is increasingly frustrated by high maintenance mom, who suffers MS.
She lives in small village, her friends are resigned or simply going nowhere.
Everyday, the same ole, same ole.
Until her older sister returns after a four year absence.
As Erell narrates, “Things are the same, but they are not the same.”
One aspect I enjoyed was watching the “kids” (17-19) strike out, break free.
No idea how common this is in France, or Europe.
Now, in the States, 30 year old offspring are still dependent on parents.
Aside from that observation, while this was well acted, I was never engaged.

A Hard Days Night - 1964

A Hard Days Night - 1964 - 9/10

 
Classic film capturing the Beatles during their meteoric, giddying ascent.
Funny, witty, irreverent, featuring great songs, gear clothes, posh clubs ...
The lads would continue to grow in fame and importance, but there is something especially exciting about this period, when they were streaking to heights unknown.
So many of my young friends and colleagues assumed the Fab Four were "Sgt. Pepper" or "The White Album".
No so. The early period was essential, and terrific fun.
The final 12 minutes or so, the concert, Richard Lester somehow, brilliantly, capture lightning in a bottle.
Sheer exuberance, and a tonic.

Zone Blanche: S01 - 2017

Zone Blanche: S01 - 2017 - 7/10
AKA - Black Spot

 
Eight part French series set in deep woods village.
Though set in the middle of nowhere, mischief and deviltry occur constantly.
Murders, missing females, shootings, run concurrent with traditions and rituals.
The small Gendarme branch is extremely busy, and is not helped when an exiled district attorney from Paris arrives.
A constant presence is the surrounding forest, a primeval wilderness, which may harbor an unknown.
This series carries a strong Twin Peaks feel, as interpreted by Dana Scully.
Though each episode is a singular story, there is also a connecting arc.
While I enjoyed this, the ending left me dissatisfied.

Euphoria - 2017

Euphoria - 2017 - 6/10

 
Successful artist, Ines, travels to Europe to spend time with the more reserved Emilie.
Once together, both head to a rural spa where Emilie makes an announcement  to her perpetually too-busy sister.
For Ines, time has run out.  The spa is where the affluent depart in their own way.
Much of the sisterly interaction feels forced;  their dialogue is especially artificial.
The rest, I could buy somewhat, despite staff appearing unprofessional (tuck in shirts, please).
Aside from one older male, no other clients are drawn.
Potentially interesting film, let down by indifferent commitment.

The Cabin In The Woods - 2012

The Cabin In The Woods - 2012 - 7/10

 
I watched this grudgingly.  Definitely not the Joss Whedon fan.
The dialogue he writes for actors strikes me as twee and arch.
Film opened with 5 college kids driving for a weekend in the woods.
Christ, another dead teenager flick.
I hung with the movie, however, because there were mysterious lab technicians in a parallel narrative.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Deep into the plot, threads converge into a neat twist and a hair raising finale.
Belongs in every Horror fan's shelf.

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi - 2011 - Japan

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - 小野 二郎

 
Documentary about tiny, hole in the wall, sushi bar in a Tokyo subway, run by 85 year old Jiro.
The place seats 9, the reservation list is for one month, prices start at ¥30000 yen ($350 - £241 - €304).
No drinks, no appetizers.  Just sushi.
Apprenticeship lasts a decade.  Michelin gave the place three stars.
- Squeamish Alert -
Part of the hutong who viewed this - those who selected it - went hysterical when some of the servings were far, far fresher than they had anticipated.
There was screaming in the room and hands over eyes.  
You have been warned.

The House Of Mystery - 1923 - France

The House Of Mystery - 1923 - 7/10
AKA - La Maison du Mystère

 
Ten episode silent serial from France.
Straight off, serial rules do not necessarily apply to surviving Silents, likewise European serials.
After marrying his childhood sweetheart, Julien is convicted of murder and sent to Devil’s Island.
While imprisoned, his boyhood friend runs his factory for him, and secretly attempts to seduce his wife.
Events spin out over twenty years, before – during – and after the Great War.
Blackmail, murder attempts, harrowing escapes, fights, disguises.
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler came out a year before, and may have been an influence, especially with the disguises.
Nonetheless, the French DNA predominates.  Interiors, clothing, attitudes.
While only ten parts, each episode runs approximately 40 minutes.  Few bonefide cliffhanger endings, though no cheats.
The print I viewed had been immaculately restored, excellently tinted, nicely subbed.

None Shall Escape - 1944 - USA

None Shall Escape - 1944 - 6/10

 
Reichskommissa stands trial before an Allied tribunal for crimes committed in Poland.
Narrative quickly shifts into flashbacks, not to show how he became a monster, but rather how his growing power and influence permitted more heinous activities.
One understood early on, this man was a bitter and rotten soul.
Movie is preachy at times, to be expected, yet note the date.
World War II was ongoing at this point, and victory was not necessarily a foregone conclusion.
Camerawork is impressive throughout, and the story must have been an eye-opener to the home front.
Can’t say I enjoyed this, yet it was impressive, especially considering when this was lensed.

Enter Nowhere - 2011

Enter Nowhere - 2011 - 6/10

 
Perhaps judged over harshly by the Horror boys, Enter Nowhere  resembles a lost episode of The Twilight Zone.
During the height of the opening convenience store hold up, the scene cuts to a stranded woman in the forest.
Eventually, the strangers number three.  They walk for hours, and end up back at a derelict shack.
There is no easy way out of the forest.  Food begins to run out as they start comparing stories and secrets.
An indie thriller with nice twists.  I suspect fanboys got mad because there was no gore, no T n A.
There is an Eastwood, however.

Broadway Bad - 1933

Broadway Bad - 1933 - 6/10

 
Lopsided Pre-Code film starring Joan Blondell.
First half is showgirls in lingerie, risqué humor, nightclubs, rich dandies.
Second half money and lawyers and babies.  Crying babies.
Fun romp takes an unwelcome, preachy detour.
C’mon, this is Code, save the moral bit for the final two minutes.
Ginger Rogers costars as loyal friend.

The Man From London - 2007 - Hungary

The Man From London - 2007 - 6/10

 
A railroad switchman catches a shady transaction that concludes in murder.
The killer disappears, as does the victim, yet the McGuffin bobs to the surface.  A briefcase, packed with English banknotes.
The switchman, sensing a life changing opportunity, takes the money.
Viewers either adored or loathed film.
Filmed in high contrast black and white, it strives hard to emulate Noir.
With maybe fifty lines of dialogue, this is almost a Silent film.
The pace is incomprehensibly slow.  Snail like camera pans, lingering on faces, expressions of stone.
Personally, I found this style mannered.
The story, based on Georges Simenon, is what drew me.  As adapted, it boils down to a trifle, a comatose trifle.

Manhunt Of Mystery Island - 1945 - USA

Manhunt Of Mystery Island - 1945 - 6/10

 
Republic serial.
The villain kidnaps two scientists to build him a device to control unlimited planetary energy through radium.
Lance, the lunkheaded hero, could take a punch; he got a pounding every episode.
Luckily Linda Stirling was in the cast to bail him out, or shoot a handful of baddies d-e-a-d.
Fights were better than most because the chief henchman was Kenne Duncan, who was a specialist in leaping, flying though the air fisticuffs.
The head baddie goes by Captain Mephisto, and he has a magic, electrical chair (fan behind that sprays sparks).
With the chair he can transform his features into anyone he chooses.
Does he pick President, movie star, four star general?
Nooo!  He opts for the pirate look:  tattoo, cutlass, big hat, face scars.

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs - 1978 - France

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs - 1978 - 6/10
AKA - Préparez vos Mouchoirs

 
This “popular in its time” arthouse comedy has dated uncomfortably.
Husband feels is wife is cold, disinterested in life.  She also suffers fits and swoons.
Men around him advise she needs to get pregnant.  “We’ve tried!  For years!”
Soon, the husband approaches a man in the restaurant, and asks if he would like to enjoy his wife.
She has no say in this, nor when a male neighbor gets involved.
Eventually she does find one who inspires her, though this is implausible beyond belief and sexist, to boot.
By design, this is meant to be disturbing, in a comic way, yet social attitudes have altered so much, that I daresay modern audiences will be unable to view this dispassionately, or through the lens of history.
Acting is broad based, appropriate but not relatable.

Houdini: Unlocking The Mystery - 2009

Houdini: Unlocking The Mystery - 2009 - 6/10

 
Documentary of Harry Houdini, featuring many magicians.
Vintage newsreels, as well as clips from many of his movies.
What amazed me was the producers unearthed one of his final assistants (Dorothy Young, who died in 2011, aged 103).
Film intercut with auction proceedings of memorabilia.