Beat The Devil - 2021 - UK

Beat The Devil - 2021 - 7/10

 
Ralph Fiennes as playwright David Hare, who caught and suffered with Covid in 2020.
Scathing, biting rebuke of political leaders who did nothing as the disease approached.
Leaders who slashed funding for the NHS, permitted travelers from “hotbed” afflicted nations to enter without quarantine, who shuffled ill patients to nursing homes.
Leaders who said, “I’m sorry” not because 23 M caught the disease, not because 200 K died, but they were sorry because citizens were upset.
Harrowing satire, made worse because this still applies in nation after nation.
Good leaders, like good help, so hard to find.
English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/beat-the-devil/english/2939378

Super Size Me - 2004 - USA

Super Size Me - 2004 - 6/10

 
In his second outing, Morgan Spurlock struck gold.
Using himself as guinea pig, he waddles down the American fast food diet and balloons his size.
Funny and alarming.
Spurlock displays gentle humor and a better rapport with the Average Joe that the rival pompous blowhard.
Afterward, he became a one-man industry with numerous docs of varying quality.
This is his best, and probably useful for folks undergoing a personal recession thinking,
“Groceries are too expensive, fast food is cheap, how bad can it be?”

The Happy Ending - 1969 - USA

The Happy Ending - 1969 - 7/10

 
Surprisingly biting woman’s film follows stifled wife (Jean Simmons) of successful attorney (John Forsythe).
Opportunities are opening for young females that were unavailable to her generation.
Work is not an option.  Shopping is, as is bitching at the salon or spa.  And numbing house parties.
Sixteen years into marriage, she drinks, pops pills, loses herself.
Multiple timelines interweave flashbacks, present, future.  Deliberately confusing to mirror the character.
Great cast, especially in Nassau, includes Shirley Jones, Lloyd Bridges, Bobby Darin.
Song “What Are You Doing With The Rest Of Your Life?"  is evocative.
Opening sequence of Simmons & Forsythe as 20 somethings was completely false.
Simmons also looks older than Jones, though they were supposedly classmates.

 
Despite this being a woman’s story, I know numerous souls like her.
Most are retired or permanently unemployed.  They have lost their bearings.
Boredom or disappointment tempt them into affairs, or narcotics.

Bukowski At Bellevue - 1970 - USA

Bukowski At Bellevue - 1970 - 6/10

 
One hour film of Charles Bukowski giving an early poetry reading.
Audio quality is a tad muffled, but understandable throughout.
Video is black n white, often out of focus, dirty, and freezes frequently.
For Bukowski fans, this is must-see as he is fairly relaxed and steady the whole time.
The audience is quiet and attentive.  Poetry buffs, perhaps?  1970 would be considered the late 60's.
Contrast with There's Gonna Be A God Damn Riot In Here from 1979.
By then, his growing acclaim drew audiences not into poetry, often disrespectful.
This earlier film catches him younger, just before “Post Office” and the fame thing.

Female Trouble - 1974 - USA

Female Trouble - 1974 - 6/10

 
Bad girl Dawn (Divine) wrecks her family’s home when Christmas proves disappointing.
She runs away, bangs commando, burgles homes, becomes a hooker, seeks fame.
In other words, a corruption of the American Dream.
Or, for many, the American reality without the lipgloss.  
Biting satire by John Waters remains mercilessly funny.
Most early fans rally round Pink Flamingos, but I’ve always thought this better constructed and a darker journey.
Euro print (97”) recommended, especially with Waters’ commentary.

Hitler: Germany's Fatal Attraction - 2015 - UK

Hitler: Germany's Fatal Attraction - 2015 - 6/10

 
Barely adequate three part survey of der Führer's rise and fall.
Aspiring artist, World War I service, afterward – check.
Joining, then renaming, the National Socialist party, finding cohorts, chancellor – check.
Ambitions in Europe, peaceful then explosive, obliteration – check.
Rapid cutting, scenes used and reused, often within five minutes.
Throughout, talking heads attempt to explain the German populace of the times.
This is little more than a cheat sheet for back row students.

Bleak Moments - 1971 - UK

Bleak Moments - 1971 - 6/10

 
Sylvia is an office girl, caring for her mentally handicapped sister at home.
Hers is an isolated life.  Two coworkers, a shy teacher who may be interested, the man living in the garage.
Every character is withdrawn, awkward, self effacing.
While there is a television set, no one watches it.
Characters read, drink, sit about thinking, or play music.
Difficult to determine what, if anything, occurs internally.
First Mike Leigh feature is not a comedy in any sense of the word.
Character sketches of the lonely.

Grandma - 2016 - USA

Grandma - 2016 - 7/10

 
Inventive road movie starring Lily Tomlin as no-nonsense elder, helping granddaughter.
Narrative transpires in one day. as the pair drive from friends to family to rivals.
From the sorry-ass boyfriend to Grandma's ex, the duo try to raise money for an abortion.
Each encounter is a mini-short story.  Shrewdly done to reveal grandma's history and character.
Very much the small film, shot in 19 days, micro budget, yet a strong cast gives top performances.
Funny, acid-tongued.  The DVD has worthwhile “making of” doc and a Q&A bonus.
Note - That is Lily Tomlin's actual car.

What Waits Below - 1984 - UK

What Waits Below - 1984 - 5/10

 
Wolfsen, gathering intel on Nicaraguan mercenaries, makes a hasty, gun-blazing exit.
Why?  Because a new cave network has been discovered in Belize.
Archeologists and military ops squabble over site rights, until all descend.
Low budget, fast moving adventure nonsense juggles politics, Navy submarines, romance, escapes, lost civilization.  
Hardly a great film, though I was amused throughout.
I watched to see Lisa Blount, who never quite caught the breaks.

A Little Chaos - 2014 - UK

A Little Chaos - 2014 - 6/10

 
Labour of love from Alan Rickman follows 17th century Versailles landscape designers.
Kate Winslet plays utterly fictional Sabine De Barra who handles the “water element” section.
The hunky head designer has a loveless marriage and De Barra is fetching.
Will they have a romance?  Will Versailles get completed?  Will there be wigs and sumptuous costumes?
Not completely predictable, since fresh characters surface throughout.
One might ask,  “I wonder what their story is?”
Who knows?  Most you never see again.
Likeable fluff, scant substance.

Raging Fire - 2021 - Hong Kong

Raging Fire - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Nou Fo  //  怒火

 
Unoriginal, borrowing from dozens of films, yet this is an exciting Hong Kong actioner.
Donnie Yen as headstrong, sometimes righteous, sometime not, cop.
On the other side, Nicholas Tse, ex-cop, leading a gang on high stakes heists.
One watches this for the violence, high powered shootouts, car chases through downtown Hong Kong.
Not to mention the martial arts.  Donnie Yen is older, and his style is brawling.
Tse, I keep forgetting how good he can be, makes a formidable adversary.
For Hong Kong diehards, yeah, someone can still make these gems.

Psychobitches - 2013 - UK

Psychobitches - 2013 - 6/10 

 
Brief (6 half hour episodes) sketch comedy of dead females going to psychiatrist.
Patients include Bette Davis & Joan Crawford (as above), Mother Theresa, Mona Lisa, Sylvia Plath, Diana Dors, Mary Queen Of Scots, Leni Riefenstahl, Betty Ford, Mary Pickford (using silent intertitles) ... dozens more.
Hit n miss, though more laughs than lulls.  Complaints, venting, and confessions galore!
Appreciation might depend on knowledge of subjects.
S01 slightly superior to S02.  Fresher, perhaps.

Tomorrow At Seven - 1933 - USA

Tomorrow At Seven - 1933 - 6/10

 
The wealthy man, proud of his latest purchase, shows off the rare painting – too late aware that his friend is none other than the murderous Black Ace!
Thereafter, disparate souls arrive at the manor, then board an aeroplane.
Airborne, wouldn’t you know it, the Black Ace strikes again!
From here, we return to “old dark house” territory.
Creaky whodunit anchored by Chester Morris and Charles Middleton, offset by bumbling police.

Beyond Outrage - 2012 - Japan

Beyond Outrage - 2012 - 7/10
AKA - アウトレイジ ビヨンド

 
Well executed Takeshi Kitano crime drama, very much in his oeuvre.
Police detective starts manipulating rival yakuza, trying to instigate a war and land himself a promotion.
At the center is Otomo, recently paroled con whose yakuza family was destroyed by a traitor.
The men here are all smart and wily.  They know they are being played, yet run their own stakes.
Lies, double-crosses, honor, revenge.
Typically of Kitano, the pace is slow.  Talking and calculation predominate over violence.
The film is packed with beatings and bullets, however.
Black sacks and a memorable batting practice sequence.
This is a direct sequel to 2010‘s Outrage.
Viewing that first will clarify characters early on, but one can view this without seeing that one.
Both films boast a roll call of Japanese talent.

Happily Married - 2020 - Canada

Happily Married: S01 - 2020 - 7/10
AKA - C'est Comme ça Que je t'aime

Gaétan and Serge, neighbors and best friends, are married to Huguette and Micheline.
Only thing, Gaétan is banging Micheline, Serge’s wife.
Separately, Serge and Huguette decide to murder the adulterous pair.

 
When attempts fail, the group swirls into the local underworld.
Canadian series is a knowing spoof of those seemingly endless crime dramas.
Not only that, but a spoof of 70’s shows.  Big cars, thick mustaches, coke.
The show is as smart as the characters assume they are.
And no, these folks are extraordinarily foolish.
(A running tally of dead bodies is thoughtfully provided.)
One of the better comedies I’ve seen in years.

Murder In Tours - 2018 - France

Murder In Tours - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - Les Mystères de la Basilique

 
“Rag!”  she calls out.  Worried?  Needing to talk, or in a frisky mood?
Searching the abandoned factory, now an artist’s enclave, she finds Raglain’s mutilated corpse.
Nearby, a large canvas of a female nude has been slashed to ribbons.
At the same time, a priceless religious relic, hitherto unknown, is stolen from a basilica.
Coincidence?  Or just an excuse to pair a police officer with a priest?
Focus is on a gallery of suspects, as well as the unrelated stolen artifact.
The artist’s group is forgotten after five minutes, and the church seems oddly unresponsive about the loss of a 1000 year old possession.
If you can overlook such plotholes, this will suffice as an adequate mystery.
French outing benefits from well executed premise and tight editing.

The Ipcress File - 2022 - UK

The Ipcress File - 2022 - 7/10

 
“He’s not Michael Caine,”  said my wife.
“That was over 50 years ago,”  I said,  “and most won’t watch that nowadays because they won’t watch black n white.”
Six episode miniseries reboots Harry Palmer into the thick of Cold War espionage.
Here, Palmer is recruited out of prison.
Extremely intelligent, cheeky, yet not of the right class, so Palmer’s horizon is truncated.
After a scientist (nuclear weapons sort) is kidnapped the Ministry of Defence turns the matter over to a shadowy government agency, who offers Palmer a prison release and a possible future.
Dialogue is barbed wire sharp as adversaries UK, Soviet, USA, kidnappers circle and undermine each other.
Fans of spy thrillers, no it ain’t Michael Caine, but this is very good.

Prima Facia - 2022 - UK

Prima Facia - 2022 - 7/10

 
Tessa is on top of the world, top of her game.
A defence barrister, she is young and accepts what is offered.
In most instances, the scummy, sleazy, unpleasant ones.
High among those, sexual abusers.
As with all lawyers, winning is paramount.
Guilt vs innocence?  Please.  Work the fabric of the law.
And Tessa is good.  Her predators walk free.
Midway, tables turned, she finds herself on the other side of winner-take-all jurisprudence.
Jodie Comer is tour de force in this provocative, if weakly thought out drama.
The artifice of the “turn” in the play is evident and sloppy.
The average law school graduate takes the bar at 27.  Tessa has been with the firm a few years.
Her errors, judgment and physical, are those of an 18 year old.
Exceptional acting, careless thought-out rationale.
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/national-theatre-live-prima-facie/english/2932568

Impact - 1949 - USA

Impact - 1949 - 6/10

 
Tycoon plans business trip with his wife, whom he adores.
She catches a headache, gets hubby to take her “cousin” (spelled l-o-v-e-r) instead.
Wife and boyfriend intend sending hubby to the Reaper, except when the plan goes wrong it goes terribly wrong.
From that point, until the last couple minutes, the narrative curves and haripins in often unusual directions.
Sometimes it is predictable, other turns come straight outta nowhere.
Solid Noir-ish mystery with good San Francisco locations and period creampuff cars.

 
Charles Coburn steals every scene he’s in as sharp Irish detective.
For old school buffs, Silent actress Mae Marsh has a key role during the idyllic sequence.
Anna May Wong, in one of her final roles, is likewise given a pivotal character.