One Shocking Moment - 1965 - USA

One Shocking Moment - 1965 - 7/10

A subversive film, transgressive even, that came out while Ozzie And Harriet ruled the airwaves, along with Bonanza, Donna Reed, Bewitched, My Three Sons.  Whitebread saturation.
The young couple, Cliff and Mindy, leave Grand Rapids for Los Angeles.
A major career move for Cliff, compensated with countless potential female conquests.
And while he leers, gropes, pokes, he fails to see others have taken an interest in his bride Mindy.

 
A story of innocence, corruption, decadence.  The wide-eyed hurled into the cesspool of cynicism.
The acting is abysmal throughout, unless it is a deliberate parody of wholesome America.
A rather fun curio today, this must have been a heady experience in 1965, if one could view it.
“Do you want a good time, or oblivion?”

English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/one-shocking-moment/english/2724946

Daughter Of Darkness - 1993 - Hong Kong

Daughter Of Darkness - 1993 - 6/10
AKA - Mit Moon Cham on: Yit Saat  //  滅門慘案之孽殺

Vile, Category III flick proves a real chore for thirty minutes, then roars into Sleazeville.
A young woman hurries into the station to report her family has been killed.
Arriving on the scene, officers joke, make inappropriate poses, ask the girl all sorts of sexual questions.

 
This feels interminable, though we eventually leave Anthony Wong and move to Lily Chung’s character.
From here on, the flesh is on display.  Rompings, abuse, peeping.
Erupting into splatter.

Lucky Them - 2013 - USA

Lucky Them - 2013 - 6/10

 
Character study of aging music critic (Toni Collette) ordered to do article on vanished icon.*
Tracking the missing is just the device.  The story is about standing in place, unable to move forward.
She still prowls small clubs, has one night stands with increasingly younger musicians.  (Collette, 40, resembles 50.)
Worse, the music magazine she contributes to advises her that her readership is down.  She is irrelevant.
The movie becomes a road film, and an old admirer offers assistance if he can film her journey.
Thomas Hayden Church steals every single scene as ultra rich, socially clueless companion.
Funny throughout, filled with tunes you might enjoy in clubs, but never actually give your money for.

 * The reclusive artist trope is an oft used one, but it is invariably a myth.
Most artists run out of things to say, grow old and out of step, or their option is not renewed.
They don’t vanish - they are merely discarded, then forgotten.
Stepping away while you are still potent and disappearing for decades is no small trick.
J. D. Salinger - Syd Barrett - Garbo - Bobbie Gentry - belong to a small group.

Borgman - 2013 - Netherlands

Borgman - 2013 - 6/10

 
No, not 7 of 9, nor Locutus.   Arthouse - horror - message film from the Netherlands.
This is either an adult fairy tale or modern day allegory or disturbing parable or . . .
Wait.  According to the booklet, the director declares he deliberately kept the script open-ended, open to audience interpretation.  The result is at once unsettling and infuriating.
Unwashed, on-the-run homeless man knocks doors in exclusive neighborhood, asking to take a bath.
One husband refuses and kicks him out, then the wife permits him in later.
Hot bath with a tray of food and glass of wine.
More transients arrive and occupy the outdoor guest house.  Soon the killings begin.
One of the darkest themes is dream invasion and manipulation, so characters turn against each other.
Is this a xenophobic metaphor for illegal immigrants displacing W Europeans?
Is the wife a sleeper agent?  Is this a riff on Invasion Of Body Snatchers?
Pied Piper update?
Cold - sometimes creepy - more often irritating.
Who knows?  As noted, the lack of resolution will strike many as a sputtering mess.

Manhattan - 1979 - USA

Manhattan - 1979 - 8/10

 
The progression from Love And Death to Annie Hall to Manhattan is astonishing.
A mature, insightful film that delivers more layers with each viewing.
From Gordon Willis’ gorgeous black and white cinematography to the Gershwin score.
Allen’s barbed, scathing at times, social satire swirls through the mannered intelligentsia.
At core, participants cannot – revealed though their relationships – cannot escape their baser roots.
Funny, insightful, and disturbing, especially the way Allen’s character casually dismisses his underage girlfriend.
(Mariel Hemingway, in an emotionally powerful role, nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar.)

Conspiracy In The Court - 2007 - S Korea

Conspiracy In The Court - 2007 - 5/10
AKA - Hanseongbyeolgok // 한성별곡

 
Costume K-drama set in 17th century Joseon.
New king wants to relocate the palace capital to new area where there will be more food for citizens.
Most courtiers and power brokers do not want to move.
Labyrinthian maze of scheming, poisoning, assassinations, financial chicanery.  
Plot is confusing, though not impossible if you persevere.
More intrigue than action, with dozens of villains.

Biggest drawback gainsaying recommendation art the Elizabethan subtitles.
Verily, the sole subs hailst from the now-moribund Written In The Heavens sub chamber.
Dialogue be heavy over-subbed, configuring archaic words and syntax.
“Liar!” might get subbed “Thou liest, foul knave.”
Gentle viewers wouldst squander precious time reading and pondering obsolete verbosity.
Yea, methinks WITH aimed for historic veracity, yet hold steady!
Yon play is enhanced with modern pop songs (which were not subtitled).
Be thou warned, varlets and slatterns.

Mantis In Lace - 1968 - USA

Mantis In Lace - 1968 - 3/10
AKA - Lila

 
So ... while watching German “comedy” Lila Lila, my brain started hearing the old song, “Lila.”
Bad tune, from a bad movie, that I have viewed several times.  Feeble mind.
Topless dancer Lila shimmies at da club, gyrating to her signature “Lila” song.
Guys pick her up and she hauls them to her nest.
Abandoned warehouse, stained mattress, candles in Mateus bottles.
Lila drops LSD, drops her dress, and before she can cry,  “Oh my God!”
Her acid trip goes haywire and she starts killin’.  Repeat - repeat - repeat.

No one watches this for acclaimed acting or nuanced script.
Nope, the allure is vast stretches of nudity punctuated with gruesome deaths.
Warning to current era viewers.  All females are from the bush era.
If your preference is Barbie’s waxed sheen, you will likely hurl your nachos.

Afterthought - The DVD has lots of extras, including a couple “dangers of drugs” docs,
and over 100 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes.  More dancers, tons more flesh.
One dancer I recognized from Russ Meyer’s Mondo Topless.  Err, her assets ... I mean.

Enchanted April - 1992 - UK

Enchanted April - 1992 - 7/10

 
Two females, strangers, strike up a friendship.
Both are desperate to escape dreary, rain sodden London, and impulsively book a holiday in Italy.
A real crowd pleaser, vibrant with breathtaking color.
The lush surroundings act as a rejuvenating force.
For the women who inhabit the villa, for viewers who succumb to its spell.

Lila Lila - 2009 - Germany

Lila Lila - 2009 - 6/10

 
Aimless waiter discovers manuscript in stuck end table drawer.
To impress a girl, he shows and declares he wrote it.
In swift succession - publication, literary sensation, public adulation!
Hey, wait a minute, I saw this story.
They swiped this from 2012‘s The Words.
No, that can’t be right.  I mean, 2009 came before ...
Device of wayward creation claimed  by another is fairly common.
This version is lighter, supposedly a comedy.
German humor is lost on me.

Nameless Poison - 2013 - Japan

Nameless Poison - 2013 - 7/10
AKA - Na mo Naki Doku / 名もなき毒

 
Eleven part J-dorama, following two commonplace mysteries.
In the first half, the Chairman asks his son-in-law to assist the grieving daughters of his recently killed chauffeur.
They want to write a simple memorial about their father, with the hope whoever accidentally killed him confesses.
Only - as the son-in-law delves into the chauffeur’s history, a dark history emerges.
The second half is about a serial poisoner who is injecting cyanide into drink cartons in convenience stores.
Again, the son-in-law is drawn in, while his wife pleads,  “Quit getting involved!”
So say we all.
No police - no detectives - just an ordinary man trying to help others, not always succeeding.
Even though he works full time, and has family obligations, he spends much of his free hours in a fabulously empty cafe.

English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/nameless-poison-na-mo-naki-doku/english/1161557

And Then! He Kissed Me - 2021 - Russia

And Then! He Kissed Me - 2021 - 6/10

 
The awkward date, or the date from hell, depending.
When “Natasha” decides to freshen up, misfortune grows.
Wordless short, marked as Horror, yet I laughed a lot.
“Bummer, dude.  No, don’t do that!  Aww, you’re making another mistake.”
Nevertheless, the ladies were going,  “Omigod!  Ewww!  No-no-no!  Oh, God.”
Category (comedy vs. horror) might depend on your gender.

House Of Bamboo - 1957 - USA

House Of Bamboo - 1957 - 6/10

 
Sam Fuller movie, often pigeon holed as Asian Noir is more suitably Tourist Noir.
Ex-soldier (Robert Stack) arrives Tokyo after buddy summons him for crooked money.
Buddy is dead and Stack begins selling “protection.”  Rich visuals in this section.
Eventually he gets recruited into a small gang of Army ex-pats led by Robert Ryan.
Lost man in unfamiliar city is Noir enough.
Numerous logic errors, though.
Wouldn’t authorities notice a crew of tall, white faced gaijin committing robberies?
Homoerotic angle in this, Ryan must have known, Stack, his early past is filled with whisper.

House Of The Dead - 1978 - USA

House Of The Dead - 1978 - 3/10

 
Insomnia sufferers, a possible cure beckons!
Grade-D omnibus “horror” anthology.
Not truly terrible, just cheap, awful, and mind-thudding dull most of the time.
Man is in town for the annual plumbers convention, also for a chance to cheat on his wife.
During a torrential downpour, his cabbie does not drop him in front of his hotel, but instead the mortuary.
Inside, the attendant gives him a casket viewing tour, and slowly delivers the story behind the deaths.
First two tales “best,” though they are still crap.  A school teacher who hates kids, and a homicidal swinger.
Both display more energy, and both are unintentionally funny.
Steep downhill after those.
Actors are almost recognizable TV character bit players.
Big hook for some of you - Filmed entirely in Oklahoma!

The Whistlers - 2019 - Romania

The Whistlers - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - La Gomera

 
Convoluted, confused, baffling mystery set in the Canary Islands.
Romanian cop, Cristi, disembarks the ferry and begins shuttling between local police and local crime lord.
High level smuggling is ongoing, a convict needs to be sprung (because he knows where €30 M is stashed).
Supposedly undercover, Cristi proves more bent than a paper clip.
At least, that’s my take.  The narrative bounces and jumps, blundering into incoherence at times.
Relationships are murky and poorly explained.
Dialogue is in Spanish, English, Romanian, and “whistling”.
And yes, the film is also a how-to, as there are lessons on learning and improving your skills there.

M. R. James: Ghost Writer - 2013 - UK

M. R. James: Ghost Writer - 2013 - 6/10

 
Presenter Mark Gatiss narrates the life and works of premier ghost story scribe, M R James.
Excerpts from stories, talking heads, location shots of Cambridge and Eton.
A scholar, and solitary man.  Typical of most writers, James himself is not particularly compelling.
Forays into his sexual inclinations seem a cross between speculation and weak attempt to create interest.
Time filler.

Night Of The Demon - 1957 - UK

Night Of The Demon - 1957 - 7/10
AKA - Curse Of The Demon

 
Old school ghost tale based on M R James’ classic,  “Casting The Runes.”
American professor come to London for conference on supernatural.
He runs afoul of devil worshiper and realizes a curse has been placed.
Moody, atmospheric film, with adversaries polite and well mannered.
Dana Andrews fine as skeptical American joining forced with colleague’s younger niece.
Fortunately, no icky romance which would be de rigueur nowadays.
A trifle stuffy, but an excellent adult supernatural yarn.

Family Resemblances - 1996 - France

Family Resemblances - 1996 - 7/10
AKA - Un Air de Famille

 
Part birthday celebration, part weekly family gathering.
One imagines resentments have been bottled up for years.
Except this time, feelings start spewing out.  (Well, it is a movie.)
One of those marvelous conversation dramas the French easily pull off.
Catherine Frot memorable as the airhead (trophy?) wife of the successful, if stressed, salaryman.
Everyone is great though, from those you sympathize with, to those you want to strangle.
Family, eh?

Black Widow - 1954 - USA

Black Widow - 1954 - 6/10

Glossy potboiler masquerading as Noir.
Broadway producer Van Heflin allows dewy eyed girl to use his apartment during days so she can write.
Instead, she delves into the social register.  The “male” social register.

 
Soon enough, she is found dangling by the noose.
Detective (George Raft) conducts a rather leisurely hunt while Heflin scrambles for clues.
Ginger Rogers steals movie as diva, Gene Tierney seems subdued.
Very w-i-d-e and lush looking CinemaScope heightens glossy interiors and New York streets.
Noticeably awful sound mix, though.  Early stereo, and it sounds like a third of the dialogue was looped.
Alert viewers will recall title when narrowing suspects.

The Blade - 1995 - Hong Kong

The Blade - 1995 - 7/10
AKA - Dāo / 刀

Spectacular Hong Kong swordsplay actioner.
Stuntwork is dazzling in this, and I would not be surprised if dismemberment had occurred.
Rivalry within a swordsmith’s fortress creates tension and discontent.
Outside the walls - somewhere - marauding bandits pillage at will.
The landscape is splattered with various battles and bloodbaths, while bandit numbers swell.
What they really need, however, are more swords.

 
Exceptional Tsui Hark film, though less known, perhaps, because it is relentlessly grim, dark, bleak.
No heroes here.  Survivors, betrayers, murderers.
Violent retelling of the one-armed swprdsman tale.
Hong Kong released quite a number of pessimistic films fore-shadowing the takeover.
Hard Boiled, Burning Paradise, Black Sun, are a few that come to mind.
The Blade will be an action lover’s dream.

The Joy Of Easy Listening - 2011 - UK

The Joy Of Easy Listening - 2011 - 6/10

 
Dim the lights.  Better, light the candles, pour the wine, spin up your 101 Strings Plays Soothing Black Metal.
Brace for silk, satin and romance.  Ha, in your dreams, button-head.
Long sweep of Easy Listening from its origins in post WWII to Millennials rediscovering with,  “Wow cool!”
From Percy Faith, Ray Conniff, Bert Kaempfert, Henry Mancini (represented by their daughters) –
Herb Alpert, Richard Carpenter, Jimmy Webb,
Better for those with a broad, diverse musical palate.  Embarrassing how much I knew, how much I own.

Note:  I grew up hearing this daily.  Apart from Dad’s nonstop Big Band Swing, Mom kept her kitchen radio glued to the easy listening station.  WHEZ (I kid you not) which my brothers and I referred to as Wheeze.
Worse, I bought countless Easy LPs.  I joined the record club for my free KISS, Deep Purple, Beatles, whatnot.  Then, to fulfill my obligation, I bought 101 Strings, Mantovani, Percy Faith for a dime each.  Ended membership, joined a month later under a new name.  Gave the mellow vinyl to Mom.  Which, to my annoyance, she played.

Far From The Madding Crowd - 2015 - UK

Far From The Madding Crowd - 2015 - 7/10

 
Not surprisingly, beautiful looking adaptation of Hardy’s novel.
Each of the three male rivals is given a sympathetic treatment - more or less.
Story follows young (20) Bathsheba Everdene who inherits her uncle’s farm.
Like most of Hardy’s works, Fate predominates, at times cruel, others capricious.
Some reviewers have been harsh toward Miss Everdene who often makes poor choices.
Consider, however, she is a bare 20 and has led a rather sheltered life.
Thoughtful decisions are usually sound, impulsive acts deliver consequences.
For “purists” this is not an overly Modern interpretation, as has been the trend for Austen productions.
Leisurely paced, but not slow.  Plenty to see with sly subtleties.
Note the farm songs when Bathsheba operated it on her own, and those after Mr Troy arrived.