Giallo In Venice - 1979

Giallo In Venice - 1979 - 5/10
AKA - Giallo a Venezia

 
The boyfriend.  Possessive and, as it turns out, territorial.
Not, however, on the police inspector’s radar.  He has two deaths to solve.
Sleazy, smutty Giallo delights in brutal kills and numerous sexual bouts.
The early killings involve a husband and wife.  The husband is voyeur, procurer, and exhibitionist.
As in exhibiting his wife, so he can watch reactions.
The lead detective appears to have rolled out of a porn shoot.
He consumes hard boiled eggs constantly (a spoof on hard-boiled genre?).
Enjoyment may depend on how much voyeur DNA you possess.

Lucky Jordan - 1942 - USA

Lucky Jordan - 1942 - 5/10

 
Local racketeer gets drafted, quickly deserts cause he gives orders, doesn’t take them.
Next thing, he’s involved with saboteurs, Nazis, military police, and fetching USO hostess.
Mindless, implausible time-waster.
Alan Ladd and Helen Walker radiated chemistry, but nothing came of that.

McQueen - 2018

McQueen - 2018 - 6/10

 
Penetrating documentary of the troubled fashion designer.
Good overview of his journey from talented, omnivorous cutter to apprenticeship with leading houses.
After he formed his own company his runway shows became legendary.
Hiring on to Givenchy seemed a stumble, which is analyzed.
Film does not shy away from McQueen's darker aspect and excesses, leading to the final act.
Perhaps better for fashionistas, though accessible to the curious.

The Wave - 2015

The Wave - 2015 - 6/10
AKA - Bølgen

 
Why, oh why, do developers place resorts and posh hotels in the path of potential catastrophe?
Turistas, of course!  They demand exclusive.  And what’s more exclusive than a hideous way to die?
Anyway, the head seismologist is leaving, accepting a high paid gig with oil tycoons in Stockholm.
Then, the day of departure, that unstable fissure in the mountain shows signs of greater instability.
Instead of saying,  “Whoa, I’ll send you guys a postcard,”  the geologist stays.
Because if the mountain flank shears off,  there will be a tidal wave in the fjord.
Top production values, typical of disaster genre.

Mandalay - 1934 - USA

Mandalay - 1934 - 6/10

 
Smuggler, con man, in debt to Rangoon crime boss, offers his girlfriend in exchange.
Kay Francis becomes - ahem - “hostess” in shady casino, and very popular with men.
She earns a lot of money, hops a freighter to Mandalay, meets alcoholic doctor.
Glossy trash that somehow slipped under the new Production Code net.

The Verdict - 1946

The Verdict - 1946 - 6/10

 
Stylish Noir set in gaslit Victorian London.
After the chief inspector sends an innocent man to the gallows, he is forced to resign.
In "retirement," he follows his grasping successor with keen interest.
Especially after a locked-room murder plunks in his lap.
Fine Warner Brothers effort, with excellent support, but the draw for this is Greenstreet and Lorre, their last film pairing together.

The Signal - 2007

The Signal - 2007 - 6/10

 
Your parents, your grandparents, all tried to warn you.  Too much TV is bad for you.
Sure enough, a weird electronic signal pulses through millions of screens.
Onlookers lose their grasp on reality and become murderous paranoiacs.
Those who anticipate gory violence will not be left hungry.
Splatter, dismemberment, carnage, all prefaced by anxiety delusions.
A dark film?  Well, yes, but it is also fiendishly funny (reference headgear in image above).
One of the best horror comedies since Re-Animator (1985).

The Women On The 6th Floor - 2010 - France

The Women On The 6th Floor - 2010 - 6/10
AKA - Les Femmes du 6e étage

 
Empty headed French comedy set in 1962, though the only evidence I could see of that were references to DeGaulle and later someone driving a Corvair (where did they find that?).
The occupants of the 6th floor were the Spanish maids, merry and engaged in Life, contrasted to the well heeled in lower suites.  Of course, the rich were bored, vacuous, disassociated.
Over the course of the story, the master, played by dependable Fabrice Luchini, went on outings with the ladies, even moved upstairs to the cramped room of his wife's discards, and he started "living."
Pleasant enough movie, though not one of "This Years Best" as many critics said.

Iron Buddha - 1970

Iron Buddha - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Tie Luo Han // 鐵羅漢

 
Wandering rogue enters home of a martial arts master, tries to rape the nearest female.
He is stopped, but instead of being killed, he is marked with a sword scar and banished.
Forward a few years.  The wanderer, now a master himself, returns to slay and rape.
Master and disciples are slaughtered, save for one student, who was away, and who vows revenge.
Shaw Bros actioner should leave fight fans breathless.
I lost count of villains and conflicts.  Choreography is excellent, often imaginative.
To be honest, though, I found the endless fights tedious after awhile.  Our “hero" is not particularly sympathetic, either, which does not help.
Nevertheless, combat aficionados will find plenty to relish, and the baddie is especially hateable.

Coded Bias - 2020 - USA

Coded Bias - 2020 - 6/10

 
MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini, playing with new facial recognition software, discovers built in prejudices.
The software is very good at differentiating between white males, less with white females, even less with males of color, and poor with females of color.
In other words, facial algorithms developed by white males seem best suited for white males.
The errors of mistaken identity have implications when facial recognition is used by law enforcement.
Parallel narratives follow how this being implemented in China, and in the West, by Big Tech (Amazon).
The narrative wanders off-topic into identity, privacy and data mining, not necessarily by facial recognition.
Meaning, the biggest personal snitch is the one in your pocket … your “smart” phone.
And, in my opinion, fewer and fewer angst over personal privacy.  Younger souls have less inkling of being free range.

The Human Face Of Big Data - 2014 - USA

The Human Face Of Big Data - 2014 - 5/10

 
One of those docs that arouses my skepticism.
52 minutes of earnest, very, very idealistic souls talking of the miracles of data mining.
We can track diseases!  Governments will be better serve citizens!
Neighborhoods will be more efficient and cleaner!
Society will grow closer, we shall be oh-so happy!
Good thing, too, for the 1,000,000,000 additional planet dwellers predicted within a generation.
At the 40 minute mark, there are a few remarks about the downsize of correlating and exploiting.
But, hey, that only lasts for 6 minutes, then back to smiling utopia!
The majority of speakers are affluent, privileged souls, living in the sheltered bubble.
I suspect few of them would permit the lower orders into their community.
Nor would they allow the children of dirt to attend the same schools as they own offspring.
(One phrase I have heard,  "They just can't keep up.  It's sad.")
No dictators, totalitarian leaders, or government spy agencies were interviewed, either.
Dark souls who apply data information to ... well ... you know where I’m going with this.

The Sapphires - 2012

The Sapphires - 2012 - 6/10

 
Feel good rubbish, "inspired" by actual events.
I enjoyed this while I watched it, but afterward started dwelling on it.
The oldest girl looked old - the actress was in her 40's.
Who was that white Irish guy who supposedly found and managed the group?  Phil Spector?
(Chris O’Dowd perfect casting as sleazo manager.)
Since when did the war department carry entertainers into Vietnam active combat zones?
Oh, I forgot, "inspired by."
Which means any fantasy will suffice.
Nice music, but otherwise this is a fairytale.

Sherlock Holmes - 2013 - Russia

Sherlock Holmes - 2013 - 7/10
AKA - Шерлок Холмс

 
Highly entertaining retelling of the canon.
Not that stories are faithful, they are respectful, yet differ in bold strokes.
The series is more Watson-centric, often told from his point of view.
He is not a stupid bumbler.  Moreover, as ex-military, he knows how to use his revolver as well as his fists.
And yes, that revolver gets used with deadly accuracy.  As do the police revolvers.
Yes, another difference, the police carry and use guns.  At times, scenes resemble Tombstone rather than London.

 
Inspector Lestrade is a wily old fox, chastising Holmes, yet shrewdly using the detective.
While scenery is full Victorian, this London is more open, less cramped, and extraordinarily gritty.
Fans will have fun seeing what shards of stories are utilized in each episode.

Greyzone - 2018 - Denmark

Greyzone - 2018 - 5/10

 
Security forces in Denmark and Sweden hunt for missing nuclear warhead, then advanced drone!
Soon, they realize a high-tech expert has been kidnapped, and she may be forced into dark deeds.
Reviews for this were wide ranging, so I knew there was a 50-50 chance I might dislike this.
Within a half hour you realize the terrorists are Muslim extremists.  Really?
Woman kidnapped, and her son threatened.  Child in danger, really?
To get info, she has to copy files from a security company to drive.  Huh?
Later, load spyware to said outfit.  Say wha?  The company has no malware protection?
More?  Each episode bears a title, which turns out to be a reveal or, worse, a spoiler!
On and on and on and on.  Clichés stack into each other.
The writers are sloths, the story predictable, with characters you want to shove into a garbage truck.

Vampire Doll - 1970

Vampire Doll - 1970 - 4/10
AKA - Bloodsucking Doll - Bloody Eyes // 幽霊屋敷の恐怖 血を吸う人形

 
Cliché ridden horror film.
Boyfriend arrives at spooky house only to learn his fiancee just died!
Or did she?
Next, his sister arrives, looking for her brother (that boyfriend) because he’s been gone a week now.
The mother is remote and warns all visitors to leave, while the deranged servant keeps trying to murder everyone. (Good staff is so hard to find.)
Add a creepy doctor, sinister music, thunder and lightning, gravedigger, empty grave, the basement, cliff fights, chases.
Nothing new here, though it went by quick enough.

 

La Llorona - 2019 - Guatemala

La Llorona - 2019 - 6/10

 
She pushes through the mob of demonstrators, past the police barricade, the new maid.
The regime of the military dictator is over, and although his mind is slipping, he is on trial for war crimes.
Family members pray for a “just’ verdict.
Family are, of course, “ignorant” of his methods used to find and exterminate guerrilla insurgents.
Slow boil story of unsettled spirits and, perhaps, reckonings.
I found the latter aspect difficult to swallow.  For me, the bad sleep well and are rarely punished.
I bear witness to misdeeds daily, in the office, in the checkout lane, in the news.
Justice?  Karma?  Constructs that serve to barely keep impulses restrained.

Tiger In The Smoke - 1956

Tiger In The Smoke - 1956 - 5/10

 
Brit Noir set in the foggiest locations ever.
On the eve of her marriage, a woman’s presumed dead husband contacts her.
Scotland Yard tries to intervene, but the husband is elusive.
Also gliding in and out of the fog is a notorious escaped murder, Jack Havoc.
Despite murders, captures, fisticuffs, the plot is marred by long exposition sections.
Stellar photography, and I think the premise is decent, but overall much too talky.

Lovelace - 2013

Lovelace - 2013 - 7/10

 
Fairly absorbing drama on star of Deep Throat, focusing on her nubile early years and stardom peak.
Ugly, but not as vile as it could have been.  A surprisingly strong cast throughout.
Very much in the Boogie Nights vein, but definitely lighter.

I saw the original Deep Throat back in the 70's at Hollywood Blvd's Pussycat Theater.
Part of a double bill with The Devil In Miss Jones.
The Pussycat was terribly plush, and never fully dark.  Ushers prowled ceaselessly.
Aisles were packed with couples - porn was in its heyday.  The era when free love hippies gave way to disco clubrats.
Lovelace caught a lot of that vibe.  From the weed to polyester to wide lapels.
A fun film, perhaps because I had good memories.

The Ghost Story - 1979

The Ghost Story - 1979 - 6/10
AKA - Gui Jiao Chun  // 鬼叫春

 
“It’s getting late, children, now go to bed.”
“Good!  Now you can start telling the spicy stories.”
And so, the village grandfather proceeds to tell several naughty tales.
Three sisters run a country inn.  When troops arrive, private delicacies are offered.
Villagers shake their heads, but do not interfere.
In another tale, lusty men are attracted to tiny shoes, which slip off so easily, as do the clothes.
Easy females, not always the safest option.  Prudes – nudity galore.
This is laugh out loud funny and a great Shaw Brothers film.

A Simple Story - 1978

A Simple Story - 1978 - 7/10
AKA - Une Historie Simple

 
Marie, above, caught at the moment when she dumps her going-nowhere boyfriend.
French drama of relationships, primarily female relationships.
Most of the women work in the same company, which has recently merged with another.
Workers face redundancies, management tries to gloss unpleasantness.
The females are more like sisters, venting on each other, or lending support, emotional or physical.
Males are not caricatures, though they are secondary.  This is very much a chick bonding film.
Very good vehicle, by the way, to catch Romy Schneider.

The Thief Of Baghdad - 1924 - USA

The Thief Of Baghdad - 1924 - 8/10

 
Fairbanks towering achievement, with eye popping stunts, incredible sets, and rousing action.
Lowly street thief falls in love with (completely out of his league) princess.
Meanwhile, encroaching Mongols plot to take over Baghdad.
Redemption, and the royal hand, can be gained through severe trials and heroic deeds.
One of those films for those who say, “I don’t like Silent Films.”
Magnificent, and great entertainment.