Last Orders - 2001 - UK

Last Orders - 2001 - 7/10

 
When one of their mates dies, the surviving men convene.
The dead man’s last request was for his ashes to be spread in the sea.
What follows is the road trip to Margate, as the men recollect, share stories, live with grudges.
Common people recalling small moments, mistakes, turning points.
Terrific male cast includes Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, David Hemming, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren.
The farther along the path you are, the deeper this will resonate.

Yesterday - 2019 - UK

Yesterday - 2019 - 5/10

 
This garbage was foisted upon us during a visit.
Hack musician Jack awakes one morning to find no one on the planet remembers, or has heard of, The Beatles.
He does, however, so he begins singing their songs as if they were his own.
Becoming a massive global phenomenon!
Charming fantasy for some viewers, artistic appropriation for others.
His first ten years, I enjoyed director Danny Boyle’s work, the last twenty, not so much.

Night Shift - 2022 - USA

Night Shift - 2022 - 6/10

 
Closing time, Brittany cleans up the empty Eagle Theater movie house.
Or is it so empty?
Short horror thriller packed with suspenseful music, jump scares, in-jokes.
Nice use of 1959’s House On Haunted Hill as film within a film.
Atmospheric homage to a specific sub-genre (no spoiling).
Subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/night-shift-2022/english/3152896

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium - 1969 - USA

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium - 1969 - 6/10

 
Americans climb aboard the bus for a package tour of Europe.
Nine countries, eighteen days.  Did I mention bus?  Shoot me now.
The tourists are an odd assortment, easier to tag them, I guess.
The core is a romance between the jaded, womanizing tour operator (Ian McShane) and a fetching American tourist (Suzanne Pleshette).
The plot plays like stitched sitcoms, but the photography is remarkably good.
Proverbial “picture postcard” likely played well to armchair wannabee travelers, or aging WWII vets who always wanted to go back and visit.
Along with the gags (the good and the awful), there is an innocent charm about this.

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush - 1968 - UK

Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush - 1968 - 6/10

 
Young Jamie arrives in a new town and decides his virginity has to go.
Thus, he sallies forth with a variety of birds, most of whom decline the prestigious honor.
By turns, funny, serious and a tad dated.
One point is fairly accurate:  the Swinging Sixties didn’t swing for most.
Although the Spencer Davis Group contributed much of the music (even made a cameo), the songs were not the top.
Not necessarily a good film, but a pleasant time capsule.

The Blue Lamp - 1950 - UK

The Blue Lamp - 1950 - 6/10

 
Police procedural extols the day to day humdrum.
Twin tales of observing the police go about daily business, while young thieves plot.
Leisurely, yes.  Definitely not staccato paced.  
London is still recovering from the Blitz and there is plenty of evident damage.
Style hews closer to Realism, as opposed to Noir.
Much of what is now “vanished London” is onscreen, making this a must for cultural historians.
Early breakout role for Dirk Borgarde who is electrifying in is.

From Hell It Came - 1957 - USA

From Hell It Came - 1957 - 4/10

 
No, not one of your in-laws.
Kimo is accused of murdering his father, king of the island.
He vows revenge on the true evildoers, before he is killed, then stuffed into a tree trunk.
Is Kimo dead?  Hold on, friend.  This South Seas island has been receiving radioactive fallout.
You guessed it.  The tree trunk starts shuffling forth, seeking revenge.
El cheapo jungle horror is laughably bad.
A killer tree stump.  Really?  Who ponied up the cash for this one?

Darker - 2022 - Netherlands

Darker - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Donkerster

After Rhena’s father tucks her into bed, he heads into the woods and disappears.
The forest is forbidding, perhaps haunted or cursed.
Undaunted, Rhena hurries in, then begins to listen, really listen.

 
She defies the god, Atlas, earning repercussions.
Terrific folk horror short from the Netherlands.

Let The Corpses Tan - 2017 - Belgium

Let The Corpses Tan - 2017 - 7/10
AKA - Laissez Bronzer les Cadavres

 
The heist goes off flawlessly.
Armored truck shipment of gold bullion.  No survivors, no witnesses.
A hitch-hiking family is given a ride, however.
By chance, they are planning to visit where the robbers are hiding.
Suspicions are already mounting when cops arrive.

 
Arthouse crime thriller, drenched in bold colors, steeped in blood and sweat, chopped into visual fragments.
A surrealistic dream / nightmarish vibe pervades the film.
Viewers must sort through memories, baggage, delusion, hallucination.
In the heat, everything, everyone, reduces to primal essence.
Last film to date from Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.

Langrishe, Go Down - 1978 - UK

Langrishe, Go Down - 1978 - 6/10

Three middle aged sisters live on the family estate in declining circumstances.
One tends the garden, the animals, the kitchen.
Another, more literary, keeps a journal, keeps records, writes countless letters, unsent.
The third, Imogen (Judi Dench), reads, attends cinema, starts an affair.

 
With Otto Beck (Jeremy Irons), a perpetual student who has rented the back cottage.
He is brainy, dismissive and a mooch.
Imogen seems desperate, perhaps for a relationship, perhaps for an escape.
Based on a Pinter work, this would benefit from an audio restoration.
Otherwise, quite good if dour and a bit confusing.

Sherman’s March - 1986 - USA

Sherman’s March - 1986 - 7/10

 
Ross McElwee’s documentary about the South, focusing on the ramifications of the Union Army under William Tecumseh Sherman and their ruinous march from Atlanta to Savannah.
Instead, however, McElwee veers into his disastrous relationships with females.
Seemingly from one loony girlfriend to another.  We’re talking seriously oddball belles.
All of whom he films obsessively, constantly.  I’m amazed none shot or bludgeoned him.
Throughout, this is laugh out loud funny.  Burt Reynolds obsessing?  Please!
Thing is, this “doc” is really Southern.  Deeply Southern.
Such DNA is almost essential for “getting this”.
Probably overlong at 2+ hours.

Beyond The Summit - 2022 - Spain

Beyond The Summit - 2022 - 6/10
AKA - La Cima

 
Mountaineering porn.
Height of off-season, Mateo begins his ascent of Annapurna.
Barely a day in, he makes a mistake and winds up rescued.
Instead of sending him to a clinic, Ione watches him eat her food, take her dog, boast about his ambitions.
Finally, he tackles the ice face again.  This time, middle of the night.
Gorgeous scenery undercut by Mateo’s complete lack of intelligence.
He is rash, foolish, obstinate, incapable of planning.
Oxygen?  Who needs oxygen at 22,000 feet.  God will help me.
Narrative is third rate, aimed at pre-teens (no disrespect to this age group).

Lady Whirlwind - 1972 - Hong Kong

Lady Whirlwind - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - Tie Zhang Xuan Feng Tui // 鐵掌旋風腿

 
Ling is pursued and beaten by workers at the gambling den.  Why?  Who knows.
He is left for dead on the beach.
Three years later, Tien appears in the casino, asking about Ling.
When threatened, she beats the hell out of everyone.
Eventually, she tracks down Ling who has taken all this time to recuperate and train.
“Don’t kill me now!”  he begs.  “I want revenge on those gamblers.”
Shaw Brothers flick has a LOT of overlong fight scenes.
Angela Mao as Tien Li-Chun is the best thing here, followed by a mess of sneering villains.

Destination Moon - 1950 - USA

Destination Moon - 1950 - 6/10

 
Pioneering SciFi of early rocket to the Moon.
(Not to forget Méliès (1902), Lang (1929), others.)
This one is heavy on science, or Hollywood science, with technical difficulties explained.
Characters are stuffy at times, and the narration seems docudrama.
The effects are pretty good, the Moon sets inspired, as is the photography.
Even unexpected drama and conflict from time to time.
What surprises is how accurate some of the predictions were.
Slowish, but worthwhile for fans of 1950’s SciFi.