The Glass Wall - 1953 - USA

The Glass Wall - 1953 - 6/10

 
Stowaway Peter escapes Immigration, and although badly wounded, heads into Times Square.  
There he is befriended by Maggie, another persona non gratis.
If caught and deported, Peter returns to Communistic Hungary and certain death.
Noir has docu-drama feel, and is a time-capsule for looking at the marquees.
Also to catch a session with Jack Teagarden and Shorty Rogers.
Gloria Grahame gives a luminous, raw performance.

Nightlight - 2017 - Canada

Nightlight - 2017 - 6/10

 
Brooding short of isolated cabin dweller leaving meat outside his door.
Night after night.
What is out there?  Why is the man tasked with this?
Mood, atmosphere, bleak environment.
Explanations?  Best guess.

Blackout - 2021 - Germany

Blackout - 2021 - 6/10

 
Across Europe, the lights go out as the entire power grid fails.
No accident, either, but terrorism enacted by … there’s another problem.
Are “unfriendly” neighbors, who offer aid, actually guilty?
Four plotlines:  two children (pointless, added for parental demographics).
Manzano, classic Hitchcockian type.  Innocent who is the police’s prime suspect.
Nuclear power plant.  Will it blow?  When will it blow?
Bickering government officials.
Don’t probe too deeply and this thriller should satisfy.  At six episodes, a digestible length, too.

Decision To Leave - 2022 - S Korea

Decision To Leave - 2022 - 5/10
AKA - Heeojil Gyeolsim  //  헤어질 결심

 
The husband falls to his death in mountain climbing accident and disappears from the film.
While ruled an accident, one detective suspects the wife, even though she was in the city, working, at the time.
For reasons unknown, the pair soon develop an attraction toward each other.
The story shuffles like a mouse dropped in a dry well.
Characters appear and vanish to no purpose (detective’s partner, his wife).
The romantic angle is forced and the couple display negative chemistry.
Suspend disbelief for this?  No, get a partial lobotomy first.

Lagaan - 2001 - India

Lagaan - 2001 - 6/10

 
Native Hindi take on British oppressors at their own sport.  Cricket.  
Also a doomed romance between an English rose and Hindu boy.
Team India is wildly diverse, checking multiple demographics.
The caste racism is alluded to, though skirted.
Most unbelievable is the one-sided romance.
Sex-farm antics I might have bought, but emotional involvement, no.
Film looks great, and the sporting conflict builds nicely.
The match is exhilarating.  Watch if only for that.

Shaun Of The Dead - 2004 - UK

Shaun Of The Dead - 2004 - 6/10

 
I don’t know.  Maybe during a zombie apocalypse, I might want military protection.
Maybe not.  Armed troops might could shoot me, making me an unhappy meal distraction to aid a retreat.
So instead, slackers to the rescue?  Brains fried from too much reefer?
Funny, gory, reverent to zombie rules,
For most Stateside, this was the first encounter with Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.

Winter Walks - 2020 - UK

Winter Walks - 2020 - 7/10

 
Quiet outdoor series proves a refreshing alternative to similar programs hosted by noisy blabbermouths.
A different host each week rambles along a favorite route.
This is winter, and one feels the cold simply watching.
Plus side, there are no turistas.
Hosts vary between perceptive and insightful and those who may be slyly self-serving.
Those sensitive to their surroundings resonate best.
“What was once this kind of powerhouse of industry and prayer and culture
and civilisation, became a memory, an echo. Just an outline of what it had been before.”
Rev Richard Coles (S01E05)

I Remember It Well: Conversation Judi Dench & Giles Brandreth - 2022 - UK

I Remember It Well: Conversation Judi Dench & Giles Brandreth - 2022 - 7/10

 
The pair sit onstage, converse, reminisce.
First half may appeal more to Brits.  Theatrical career, fellow stage actors, experiences.
Better, perhaps, for those who might have attended those plays.
Nevertheless, this is priceless history.
Second half, films.  Playing “M”.  Mentioning leading men.
Dench is extremely careful here and does not dish.
The first ten minutes are somewhat awkward, her memory appears foggy as Giles asks about her childhood.
She is in her 80’s.  Who recalls 70 years previous?

Seven Years Of Night - 2018 - S Korea

Seven Years Of Night - 2018 - 6/10
AKA - 7 Nyeonui Bam  //  7年의 밤

 
Early on, he is reminded, the lake is cursed, haunted.
It had been flooded before the village was evacuated.  People died.
Late at night, diving gear on, he plunges in anyway.
Caustic thriller of obsession, family violence, death, guilt.
A sunless realm, wallowing in gloom and reprisals.
Characters vary from outright unlikable to unexplored ciphers.
Overlong.

See How They Run - 2022 - UK

See How They Run - 2022 - 6/10

 
1954.  London, Theatre district.  “The Mousetrap” celebrates its 100th performance.
During the after-party, someone is murdered.
Scotland Yard, occupied with the Rillington murders, can only send two members.
Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker arrive and start to filter conflicting versions of events.
Wry, quiet comedy best suited to those familiar with cozy mysteries and Agatha Christie.
Having attended a performance of “The Mousetrap” will help, too.
Packed with in-jokes, references, homages that may elude the casual.
Inspector Stoppard, indeed.

Death Whistles The Blues - 1964 - Spain

Death Whistles The Blues - 1964 - 6/10
AKA - La Muerte Silba un Blues

 
At the border, two trick drivers are stopped.  One is killed, the other sent to prison.
Turns out the shipment of fruit was actually guns.  They were framed.
Fifteen years later, the convict is released and seeking revenge.
Early Jess Franco film boasts a compelling Noir look  and vibrant Latin Jazz score.
While the plot is over-busy and empty headed.
Supposedly set in Jamaica (filmed in Spain) the support cast of barflys are a gallery of great faces.
No great shakes, yet a zesty romp and OK for those wary of Franco’s skin flicks.

The Keyhole - 1933 - USA

The Keyhole - 1933 - 6/10

Maurice puts the touch on wife Anne yet again.
After their divorce, Anne married a wealthy sugar-daddy.
Except Maurice never actually filed the divorce papers, making Anne a bigamist.
Meanwhile, the older husband, concerned about his wife’s erratic behavior hires a detective.
Whose specialty is catching adulterous wives.

 
Titillating Pre-Code film lacks steam and is as juicy as burnt toast.
Despite the shipboard cruise to Cuba, then Havana strolls, very little happens.
Kay Francis fans, yes you’ll have to watch this anyway.

Clay Pigeons - 1998 - USA

Clay Pigeons - 1998 - 6/10

“You should take a shower.  I can still smell her on you.”
Don’t cheat on a cheater.

 
Clay, already having an affair with married Amanda, has a quick fling with Gloria.
Very quick, as Amanda is not only adulterous, but also murderous.
Women, eh?
Thank God, Clay has just made a new friend.  Loopy grin, concrete heart.
Steamy thriller fueled with black comedy.  Vince Vaughn unforgettable (what happened to him?).
Rocking fun the first time out, less with repeated views.