The Devil’s Hand - 1961 - USA

The Devil’s Hand - 1961 - 4/10

 
Our guy keeps having nightmares of a leggy blonde flouncing around in her sheer nightgown up in clouds.
By chance (ha!) he walks into a doll shop and sees a doll that looks just like that blonde!
The shopkeeper says it belongs to Bianca, and the guy can deliver it if he wants.
Curvy Bianca, still wearing sheer fabric, greets him at the door then flows against our man.
Before he can say he’s got a mousy girlfriend, his mind goes soft and his trousers go stiff.
For devotees of the great devil god, Gamba, this is a must!
Anyone else, this is crap - see through crap - though it is fun for about an hour.

The Scarlet Camellia - 1964 - Japan

The Scarlet Camellia - 1964 - 7/10
AKA - Goben no Tsubaki  //  五瓣の椿

 
Such an innocent face.  Yet underneath the smile simmers the fury.
No bones about this, Shino, under various pseudonyms, is a hunter.
Quarry, men who despoiled her flagrant mother, crushed her father.
Shino’s vengeance is righteous, and she leaves a red camellia beside each corpse.
Measured film (print I saw was close to 3 hours) is broken in two halves.
First section is devoted to Shino, her backstory, her technique.
Second follows Sakichi, the inspector, seeking her, growing to respect her guile and intelligence.
Outstanding classic Japanese film, working on multiple levels.

English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/the-scarlet-camellia/english/2692001

Asphalt - 1929 - Germany

Asphalt - 1929 - 6/10

 
German silent film melodrama about a wayward B-girl and earnest policeman.
The girl is caught at a jewelers, hiding merchandise.
The arresting cop hauls her off to headquarters, where she convinces him to take her home so she can get her papers.
In her rooms, no papers are forthcoming.  Instead, she opens wide and pulls him into the scented petals.
Melodramatic plot, great exterior photography of Weimar Berlin.
The real star - or distraction - is Betty Amann.
Like the better known Louise Brooks, she was another American cast for her striking looks.
Unlike Brooks, however, Amann is by turns exotic, hard, and flat out kooky looking.
Her hairstyle features a big curlicue plastered across her forehead, which makes her look cross-eyed.
The story is one of weakness and redemption.  There is a moral center to this, in contrast to Pabst’s bleak films.

The Armoire - 2017 - USA

The Armoire - 2017 - 7/10

 
Young, aspiring actor moves into spacious (?) Los Angeles apartment.
She buys a few pieces of cheap second-hand furniture, then spies the wooden wardrobe in a parking lot.
Empty inside … or is it?
Short horror is an intense shocker, well timed, excellently cut.
This one would have made a terrific “Night Gallery” episode.

Inherent Vice - 2014 - USA

Inherent Vice - 2014 - 6/10

 
I disliked the book, my bride dislikes Joaquin Phoenix, so what was I thinking?
I was hoping-hoping-hoping for an echo of Boogie Nights.
Paul Thomas Anderson directs, and location setting marks a return to the Los Angeles of the 70's.
Not to be.  Boogie Nights was almost epic in its structure and grandeur.

Inherent Vice is the incoherent ramble of a blitzed stoner.  That is fully in keeping with the novel, though.
Seemingly important characters surface, only to disappear.  Many story threads wither unresolved.
Overlong, and not especially funny, though it had its moments.
Think shaggy dog yarn.  Almost like Big Lebowski - only straight and grim faced.
Good Noirish acting from Phoenix and Brolin  not enough.

Prevenge - 2016 - UK

Prevenge - 2016 - 5/10

 
Eight months preggers widow starts hearing voices.
Voices urging violence against a seemingly disparate group of individuals.
Motives play out, as does the notion of escaped punishment.
Long patches of dull, interrupted by episodes wildly inappropriate, cringe inducing, tasteless.
There it is.  Too much dull, not enough black humor.
BUT - If you’re in the mood for a pregnant slasher film, this is a superior choice.

The Naked City - 1948 - USA

The Naked City - 1948 - 6/10

 
Acclaimed Noir, shown in documentary fashion, of a police investigation.
Realism is helped by location shooting across New York.
Open windows and street filming also mean the audio leaves much to be desired.
Story itself is a dry procedural of cops tracking the murderer of a model.
As for Noir camera flourishes and characters, The Naked City is fairly light.
The villains are the most memorable, cops bland.
I was not disappointed, though this reminded me of an OTR show.

Murder In The Larzac - 2020 - France

Murder In The Larzac - 2020 - 6/10
AKA - Crime dans le Larzac

 
Local mover & shaker, butcher, mayoral candidate is murdered
Usual duo arrives.  Prosecutor (left) and local police captain (right).
The victim was roundly despised and the village is packed with motive bearing suspects.
Middling mystery benefits from professional officers.
(The bane of French mysteries is the two leads sniffing each others pants.)
Conclusion was mediocre, but one seldom expects much from these.

Hackney’s Finest - 2014 - UK

Hackney’s Finest - 2014 - 6/10

 
Acceptable crime spoof that launches interesting, stumbles at the end.
Rogue copper tries to bust drug courier network.
After a savage interrogation of a suspect, he gets what he thinks is his first break.
He enlists a Russian crew for the dirty work, the courier has a Jamaican connection.
Accents = Cockney, Pakistani, Russian, Chechen, Jamaican, Oxford, dunno what else.
Brace for a degree of incomprehension unless you are a UK local.
Fun ride for much of the film, but budget limitations apparent by the end.
Ran out of energy, laughs, twists.
Caveat emptor - overdose of drug use in this, lot of free basing.

Bad Guys - 2014 - S Korea

Bad Guys - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Nappeun Nyeoseokdeul or 나쁜 녀석들

 
Hardboiled Korean actioner.  Oft told concept, but well executed.
Police commissioner offers special deal to three long term convicts:
“For every crime solved, five years will be knocked off the sentence."
The three include a professional assassin, a Gangpae strong arm enforcer, and a serial killer.
Overseeing them is a detective who had been suspended for excessive use of force.
Those expecting violence will be amply rewarded.
Beatings - stabbings - shootings.
Defying the usual K-drama clichés, there is limited romance, few tears.  Very plot driven, and it is apparent the writers have numerous ideas they want to explore.
For a couple episodes I worried the characters were going mushy, the sympathy route.  Did not happen.
Episodic by nature, yet there is an overall arc to the 11 episodes which gets progressively darker, concluding with an ass-kicking finale.

The Wing Or Thigh? - 1976 - France

The Wing Or Thigh? - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - L'aile ou la cuisse

 
Gourmet cuisine clashes with fast food and elephants in French farce.
Editor publisher of annual dining guide intends to retire and leave ratings guide business to his son.
The son, however, prefers being a clown in a children's circus.
Meanwhile, greedy entrepreneur is snapping up regional cafes and turning into his fast food franchise.
Can the gourmet editor save France from going the American diet route?
Fast, funny, best of all, not oversubbed.
Great sequence finds our critic undercover as an American cowboy, wearing pink rodeo garb.

Surge - 2020 - UK

Surge - 2020 - 7/10

 
A journey of self-liberation?  Please.
Overworked, overstressed travel security worker is already running off the rails when we first see him.
Surely his colleagues and supervisors see this.  Or maybe they pretend not to.
Within thirty minutes, he is out of control.
Frantic, reckless, dangerous to himself and to others.
Uncomfortable watching, especially since all of us have worked with primed-to-blow coworkers.
Ben Whishaw ought to have received accolades for this.  Mainstream viewers will go,  “Q who?”

Hell Bound - 1957 - USA

Hell Bound - 1957 - 6/10

 
The heist unwinds like clockwork.  The castaway, the doctor, the nurse.
Military brass won’t know until too late, opiates for injured troops have been lifted.
Street value = 250K.  Dreams for druggies, green for smart men.  Whatya say?
Sure enough, it’s only a pitch to “investment bankers” from the smooth hustler in a cheap suit.
What could go wrong?  Damn near everything.
B-Noir will appeal to buffs of the genre who will nitpick and dissect throughout.
Many scenes involve lengthy tracking shots, clearly meant to pad the film to an hour.
Fine Les Baxter score, often mondo interesto, other times having no bearing whatsoever on the plot.
John Russell, usually in Westerns, owns this one.  Smiling, ruthless, violent.
One of my favorite padded sequences involves the burlesque club.  Split, Jack.

The Guest - 2014 - USA

The Guest - 2014 - 5/10

 
Recently discharged soldier shows up at doorstep of family of his combat buddy.  Recently deceased.
Politely gains their trust with -
“He wanted to me tell you he loved all of you.”  and  “I would have been here earlier only I was in the hospital.”
Red flag alert for any family other than a movie family!  What kind of hospital?
Aarrgghh, they never catch on.  Instead they confide and reveal themselves.
Straight off the audience sees Dan Stevens is wound tighter than a rabbit trap.
First half of the film actually pretty good, before the plot bounds into the Land of the Preposterous.
Experimentation - civilian contractors - mercenaries - don’t wonder.
Not that I have to have explanations, in fact I enjoy ambiguous narratives.
Yet the script laid down miles of plot rail and left numerous questions suspended.
Better for non-demanding action buffs.

Thundering Sword - 1967 - Hong Kong

Thundering Sword - 1967 - 5/10
AKA - Shen Jian Zhen Jiang Hu // 神 劍 震 江 湖

 
To bring balance to the martial arts world, mystical sword must be found and destroyed.
Two rival clans seek.  One righteous, one wicked.  One handsome male, and one attractive female.
Do they fall in  love?  Can love conquer all?
Overtly theatrical looking story features only a handful of swordfights.
Instead there are three songs, some sweeping musical cascades, and moral lessons.
Not a terrible film, but less action than expected from a Shaw Brothers production.

Before I Go To Sleep - 2014 - UK

Before I Go To Sleep - 2014 - 5/10

 
Woman (Nicole Kidman) wakes up next to “husband" (Colin Firth).
Only she has no idea who he is.  After an accident ten years earlier, she suffers from anterograde amnesia.
Each day is a blank, she cannot remember the previous day, only memories up to her late twenties remain.
Every night when she sleeps she forgets that day all over.
There are mysteries.
A psychiatrist is trying to help her - is he really a psychiatrist?
Is Colin Firth really her husband?
What happened ten years ago?  Who was she?
Less imaginative and creative than 50 First Dates, let alone Memento.
Slow, stagey, cheap looking.  Ill thought out script rutted with plot holes.
Waste of talent.

The Legend of Barney Thomson - 2015 - UK

The Legend Of Barney Thomson - 2015 - 6/10

 
50 year old barber with anger issues escalates into homicide.
Hmm, the body.  What to do?  I know, ask Mum!
Mum, an acerbic, spiteful soul bails him out.  From frying pan into fire.
Now, police suspect him of being a notorious serial killer!
Very black comedy of murder, treachery, dismemberment.
Robert Carlyle - Emma Thompson - Ray Winstone, all must of had a field day in this.

Buyer beware!  My DVD has no SUBS, and the Glasgow dialect is thick and actors slur lines.

As Above, So Below - 2014 - USA

As Above, So Below - 2014 - 7/10

 
I’m normally as patient with “found footage” genre fare as I am with “dead teenager” flicks.
Still - - when those with subterranean settings beckon, I often cast aside misgivings.
Young archaeologist and historian/translator join with explorers and descend into Parisian catacombs.
Holy relics for one group, treasure for the other.
Above ground proceedings slow.  Characters irritating, voicing reluctance, then feebly acquiescing.
Once into the depths, though, hold on!
For viewers who have done unguided caving, especially the wet caves, this captures the claustrophobic exhilaration and disorientation.  Narrow, twisting tunnels, watery passages, surprise chambers, and ever-present mud.
Excellent midnight movie.

Layered meanings and symbolism throughout, though frequently convoluted.
I recommend Dr. Sapirstein’s (fan)edited version, slightly cut and rearranged.

Bothersome Man - 2006 - Norway

Bothersome Man - 2006 - 7/10
AKA - Den Brysomme Mannen

 
Norwegian parable.
Office drone wakes up on bus roaring down oblivion highway.
He is dumped at a shack, then ferried to his new city, new apartment, new job.
Everyone is cheery, friendly, and work duties are undemanding.
Bonus, he lands a girlfriend who is agreeable and willing.
Sound like Paradise to you?  Yeah, well, some types are never happy with their lot.
The new man is dissatisfied.  He cannot pinpoint what his problem is with Eden, but he wants something else.
And he gradually makes everyone around him uncomfortable.
Well thought out visuals, maddening dialogue, and steady pace as the reveal unfolds.

Malignant - 2021 - USA

Malignant - 2021 - 6/10

 
Appears Madison is being troubled again by an old companion.
Folks are starting to die, horribly, because of him.
And of course, being suspect numero uno, when she tries explaining to the police.
“What?  Say what?  You had a dream?”
Until they check out the address.
Rocket paced horror thriller is well scripted and shot, though it is actually absurd.
It moves so quick, and has ongoing answers and exit doors, giving you little time to wonder at the nonsense.
When over, you’re like,  “That was fun, but how … or why … how did he dodge …?”