The Head - 2020

The Head -  2020 - 7/10

Top notch, engrossing thriller, though I am tempted to drop a point.
When the relief team arrives at the Antarctic base, they discover corpses.

 
And a survivor, shuddering from cold and psychosis.
Episode by episode, the narrative is teased out, death by death - except - the narrator is unreliable.
Additional witnesses are likewise untrustworthy, and, the prime interviewer has an agenda.
In our current era of lies, this is spot on.
My main problem is that the winter team (RIP) would be Weyland-Yutani rejects.
They are psychologically unfit for isolation and close quarters interaction.

All About Nina - 2018 - USA

All About Nina - 2018 - 6/10

 
Stand up comedienne moves from New York to Los Angeles, chasing the break.
Offstage, she bangs meaningless one night stands.  Onstage, she vents and vents.
Most of the jokes are painfully funny, more female centric.
Actually, the club scenes, auditions, competitors, are enjoyable.
Actor Winstead shines here.
With relationships, however, things drop a notch.
Personal matters reflect “Me-Too” period, and seem forced, almost contrived.
Her LA guesthouse owner evokes passé New Age, space cadet stereotype.

Charlie Is My Darling - 1965

Charlie Is My Darling - 1965 - 6/10

 
Recently discovered, never shown documentary on early Stones.
Often blurry, rapid pans, pixelated images.
Worthwhile to see a very young band still playing halls and clubs.
Less than an hour long.  Great for fans.
Mick and Keith before they became the Toxic Twins.

Wanted For Murder - 1946

Wanted For Murder - 1946 - 6/10

 
Nice British thriller set in post WWI London.
Eric Portman plays the rich swell with a slight strangling compulsion.
Fine police procedural as the inspectors focus their gaze on him, and the small errors he makes.
Many scenes of London add to the appeal of this one.
Great film for a wet weekend.

Death Bed: The Bed That Eats - 1977 - USA

Death Bed:  The Bed That Eats - 1977 - 5/10

 
How’d I miss this gobbler?  I was dating Zelda at this point, and surely this would have screened at the Nuart or Reseda or Victory drive-in.  Or my brother would have posted me a copy over the years.  Nope.
Anyway, per title above, inside an abandoned manor lurks a huge four-poster that eats folks.
And not just humans!  First couple arrives for a bit of buckle bouncing.
The man brings food for stamina:  apple, tangerine, Ripple, and a bucket of chicken.
While the man navigates her brassier, the bed wolfs down that fried chicken.
The narrator of the story is trapped within a painting.
As he relates how the bed came to be cursed, victims are chomped.  Or he carries on a one-sided conversation with the bed, who does little more than chuckle, moan and chew noisily.
Sure enough, this movie is desperately bad, and yet it is weirdly original, so some points there.
This is god awful slow, however, and our thespians have the acting chops of a bag of soggy pork rinds.

Speaking of actors, in the credits I saw “Dave Marsh” as the soul trapped in the painting and went,  “No way!”
WAY!!!
I looked it up.  Same Dave Marsh who wrote for Rolling Stone, Creem, Village Voice, as well as editor of the first and BEST edition of The Rolling Stone Record Guide, the red one!

Paranormal - 2020 - Egypt

Paranormal - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - ما وراء الطبيعة

Early in life, young Refaat, playing hide and seek, is tempted into a shunned house.
The house is cursed, haunted by a siren, waif sized Shiraz.

 
While friends and siblings “rescue” Rafeet, the ghost is a tenacious playmate.
That is the arc of this six story series, set in 1960’s Egypt, ruled by Nasser.
Rafeet grows into a troubled, lonely soul, yet admired by those he reluctantly aids.
Like other “touched” souls, he is drawn to darkness, and darkness drawn to him.
Stories are steeped in superstition and myths of Ancient Egypt.
Mummies, tomb guardians, plagues, etc …

Def Leppard: In The Round - 1989

Def Leppard:  In The Round - 1989 - 6/10

 
VHS memories.
The group was at their pinnacle here, touring the "Hysteria" album.
Well photographed, crisp sound mix, nonstop wall of hits.
This is a perfect time-capsule for the pop metal / hair metal era of the 80's.
Def Leppard and Van Halen were arguably the top of the commercial heap.
Within two years, Grunge would sweep that era away like molten lava.

Dream House - 2011 - UK

Dream House - 2011 - 5/10

 
Daniel Craig quits job to write and move to small town with wife Rachel Weisz and two daughters.
Happy laughter one moment, followed by outdoor peepers, prowlers, teens breaking in, and learning their home was the site of a gruesome mass murder.
Like couples everywhere, they decide to stay put.
The plot twists all over itself, several times.  Pretty clear the writer or editor mangled a good premise too often, leaving the viewer watching a mess.
Naomi Watts plays the divorced neighbor.

18: Clash Of Futures - 2018 - Austria

18:  Clash Of Futures - 2018 - 7/10

 
Followup to the series 14:  Diaries Of The Great War, covering the interwar years 1919-1939.
Cossack rebel, Marina Yurlova, carries over from the previous series, but by and large these are new memoirs.
Luminaries include Pola Negri, Rudolf Höss, Unity Mitford.  (Sisters Mitford deserve a doc of their own.)
There is a wealth of material used, perhaps too much, as the result is often a hodgepodge.
History buffs will appreciate the mix of footage (excellent, by the way) with reenactments.
Others may be baffled, trying to keep pace.  Brits may find references to Mosley unsettling.
Disjointed, yet compelling observation of an era torn between communism and fascism, with democracy waffling in the corner.  Though democracy has ever been a guise for capitalism.
And know ye, whatever your ism, tis a fool’s game and squarely rigged against you.

To Rome With Love - 2012 - Italy

To Rome With Love - 2012 - 5/10

 
Woody Allen film is homage to classic Italian cinema.
All star cast includes Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni, as well Allen regulars and many Italian stars I did not recognize.
Multiple storylines, none of them interacting with each other. Film felt more like a series of sit-com moments.
Postcard photography of Rome.
Typical of later Allen, hit and miss, heavily on the miss.  Unsympathetic characters do not help.
Note:  I am not a major fan of Italian cinema, though you can tell Allen is.  He tries hard, perhaps too hard.

Your Sister's Sister - 2011

Your Sister's Sister - 2011 - 6/10

 
A year after his brother's death, Jack accepts an invite by best friend Iris (and his brother's girlfriend) to straighten out at her island cabin.
Also at the cabin is Iris's half sister, Hannah.
Hannah is gay, but she and Jack start tossing back tequila . . .
Confused yet?
Slow film, over talky at the intro, but rewarding.
Definitely of this current age, characters react to situations and traps that earlier generations would have shunned, repressed or murdered.

14: Diaries Of The Great War - 2014 - France

14:  Diaries Of The Great War - 2014 - 7/10

 
Imaginative WWI documentary should not be ones first choice for an overview of that war.
A compelling series, nonetheless, that will reward viewers who dig into it.
The usual combination of newsreel footage, stills and maps, is augmented with reenactments.
Diaries are quoted extensively and played out by actors.
This may take awhile to get accustomed to, but one does fall in with the concept.
“14 Diaries” are the prime journeys, yet secondary quotes and passages come from hundreds of memoirs.
Diaries and journals are not necessarily historically accurate, but they are heartfelt and hopefully honest whereas wartime news reports are invariably censored, if not fabricated.
Of particular note is the film restoration and coloring (sparingly) which is breathtaking.

 
An international production (trench sequences shot in Canada) that gives me my only quibble.
Characters speak in many languages.  Sometimes they are subbed, other times overdubbed.
I wish producers would have made one choice and stuck with it.
Minor nitpick.  For historical types, this should go onto your queue.

The Dirt - 2019 - USA

The Dirt - 2019 - 7/10

 
Hell yeah!  Mötley Crüe!  Politically correct Woke folk, check this out!
Biopic wallows in excess, nudity, sex, drug use, projectile discharge, vile language, violence.
Story pretty much follows the bestselling book from 2001.
Charts the band formation, rise, incredible lapses, rot, rally.
Fine encapsulation.  Solo careers ignored, as were all post “Feelgood” albums.
I find it curious how many critics laud Straight Outta Compton, yet decry many of the same situations, attitudes, and behavior found in this film.

At the record shop, Crüe’s “Dr. Feelgood” proved to be the last New Release that fans camped overnight for.
Not too many, twenty, twenty-five people, dressed in rags.
I rolled in at 9:00 AM, opened up ten minutes later, even though we normally opened at 10:00 AM.
A few bought vinyl, most compact discs.
Camping overnight for a New Release was common in the 70's, increasingly less through the 80's.
The dedicated Crüe fans that morning were a last breath, and the memory of that day stayed with me.

King Of Thieves - 2018 - UK

King Of Thieves - 2018 - 5/10

 
Another “over the hill” gang rides again.
A quartet of aging geezers, and a young tech geek, eye the impregnable bank fortress.
Vault for stashed wealth, legal and illegal.
Caper film is a meandering stroll through ineptitude.
The gents commit more mistakes than Paddington Bear, without his lucky fortune.
Nothing really new in this, and it is frustrating to view, what proves to be, a foregone conclusion.
Late – quite late – in the film, there is a breathtaking moment as the men march out, infirm, out of step, then scenes of their much younger, swaggering selves, parade by.  Only a moment, alas.
Based on the recent, 2015, Hatton Garden robbery (Losses = £200 million).

Beautiful Neighbor - 2011

Beautiful Neighbor - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - Utsukushii Rinjin / 美 し い 隣 人

 
Stunning, mysterious female glides into the neighborhood.
Her husband is a foreigner (American) and forever abroad on business.
The woman next door is married to an overworked salaryman who is also gone most of the time.
Female bonding swiftly occurs.
Saki, the new arrival, is the beguiling spider, however.
Smiling softness cloaks the snares she lays for her friend, her friend’s husband, their child.
She is a destroyer.

 
Very much a “chick drama,” Yukie Nakama is mesmerizing as the duplicitous Saki.
One keeps watching to find out, if nothing else, what put the venom in her veins.
Immaculate photography, haunting music, though the plot falters near the end.

Perversion Story - 1969

Perversion Story - 1969 - 5/10
AKA - One On Top Of The Other

 
With either title, I had such expectations.
Late 60's, glossy Italian trash about philandering doctor and swinging babes.
All set in groovy San Francisco.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .
Oops, did I fall asleep?
Boring soap opera, too much talk, one artsy lovemaking scene, **zero** counter-culture, plot more tangled than Cher's hair in a wind tunnel.
Not nearly the fun I was expecting.

Before The Winter Chill - 2013

Before The Winter Chill - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Avant l’hiver

 
French neurosurgeon chats with an alluring waitress at a coffee shop.
Soon, he starts receiving flowers at home and at the practice.
No sender listed.  He also begins bumping into the tempting girl at random locations.
Is she stalking him?  Distracted, he begins meeting with her, sharing histories.
While everyone around him assumes he is having a mid-life crisis.
On surface, a French bedroom drama, only this holds an extremely dark heart.
The bloodless domestic elements receive more weight than the exotic thriller aspects.

Hunger Games - 2012

Hunger Games - 2012 - 5/10

 
I delayed watching this for the longest time.
Comments from fellow Asian flick fanbase held me off.  Constant mumbling about this being a mere ripoff of Battle Royale.
Fears unfounded, it was not an imitation of Battle Royale.  Nor was it a passable action romp.
Instead it was a boring character study, minus (according to friends who read the novels) vast chunks of narrative.
As an action film NOTHING happened for the first hour. Blame the screenwriter, blame an inexperienced director.
Contrasted to Fukasaku (BR), who was a master of staccato violence and relentless movement, Ross's HG was leisurely and spare.
One memorable scene involving bees (wasps, hornets) he milked for several slow minutes. Gibson covered similar territory in Apocalypto far more effectively and efficiently in 15 seconds.
Hunger marketed itself as a big budget actioner, it was not.
I could rate it much lower, but my expectations were already lower than dirt.

The Wife - 2018

The Wife - 2018 - 6/10

 
The peerless author, acclaimed, lauded, is to receive the Nobel Prize for literature.
Accompanying him is his son, struggling in the giant’s shadow, and his support and anchor.  The wife.
Oh, and on the trip is another writer / reporter, wanting to a biography, after “clarifying” a few questions.
Acting is excellent throughout.  Sympathized with characters, rooted others on, hated one.
For all that – – Within ten minutes, I turned and asked,  “Are you familiar with this storyline?”
“No, I didn’t read much about it.”
“Well, do you think this is about THE BIG TWIST ENDING?”
“Yeah, that how it feels to me.”
Sure enough, the script telegraphed the ending early on.  So, the whole time, I am beginning to hate every single spineless character, not to overlook the producers who have dumbed down the film to make it easy for viewers to follow.
Final ten minutes – THE BIG TWIST ENDING – my mental jukebox spins Peggy Lee, “Is That All There Is?”

2 Days In New York - 2012

2 Days In New York - 2012 - 5/10

 
Julie Delpy transplants the Two Days In Paris followup to New York.
Chris Rock is new boyfriend.  Her crazy family visits and gets into farce situations.
I think she was aiming for Woody Allen territory, but missteps badly.
Silly, disappointing, waste of talents.

Mara Maru - 1952 - USA

Mara Maru - 1952 - 5/10

 
Errol Flynn as salvage boat skipper working in the Philippines.
His partner is murdered, just after drunkenly boasting about “treasure.”
Shadowy types then circle the captain, who has no idea of any loot.
Sluggish film, despite underwater sequences action trappings.
Flynn looks tired and not remotely interested.  Raymond Burr as suspicious party comes off best.
Story is recycled from dozens of other, better, titles.
Worth a look if on late night, though this almost put me to sleep.

The Truth - 2019

The Truth - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - La Vérité

 
Daughter Lumir visits as mom, Fabienne, is publishing her “autobiography.”
How accurate is the book?  How accurately would you cast your life?
Lumir is a Hollywood screenwriter, married to a TV actor.
Fabienne, however, is a doyen of French cinema, a legend, nearing her twilight years.
While the main dynamic is between mother and daughter, there is a long dead friend.
Surrogate mother, rival, cult figure.
Should be highly enjoyable to French film fans.

The Tall Man - 2012

The Tall Man - 2012 - 5/10

 
A lot of Horror buffs kicked this one because it defied conventions.
Because it was a Thriller, not Horror.
This started off well, creepy, and the plot knotted and twisted every ten minutes.
Absolutely no idea who the Tall Man was, or why he was abducting children.
Near the end, the tension dissipated as the narrative unwound in a most unsatisfying manner.
There was a 7 movie in there. Too bad.

The Mystery Of Edwin Drood - 2012 - UK

The Mystery Of Edwin Drood - 2012 - 6/10

 
Another adaptation of Dickens' final (unfinished) work.
Production values are top notch.
I wonder about some of the characterizations, though.  Rosa and Helena, for example.
The ending is plausible, better than others I have seen.
Fine rainy night film, if that is your only option.  Want a larger helping?  “Drood” by Dan Simmons.