The Power Of The Whistler - 1945 - USA

The Power Of The Whistler - 1945 - 6/10

 
As the man nears the city curb, a speeding car sideswipes him, knocking him down.
He dusts himself, heads for the nearest bar, soon wonders,  “Hey?  Who am I?”
Yes, amnesia strikes again!
Luckily, a fetching blonde, half his age, sees him as attractive and offers to help.
So, following bits and bobs in his pockets, they dig up his history.
Dark entry in the Whistler series, plays its hand too early, hinting at our hero’s tendencies.
Brooding Noir, well shot, although Dix as a romantic swain?  C’mon.

Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion - 2022 - Indonesia

Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion - 2022 - 5/10
AKA - Pengabdi Setan 2

 
Extremely dark film, loaded with jump scares.  Check.
Children (teenagers) in danger throughout.  Check.
A plot that has little to no bearing on the first film.  Check.
In 1955, in an isolated area, graves yawn open and corpses shuffle into a shrine to bow before the icon.
That entire line is abandoned as the scene shifts to 1984, an impoverished apartment tower in oblivion.
A ferocious storm approaches, adults have vanished, and children roam dark passageways.
By and large, I enjoy Joko Anwar’s Indonesian horrors, but this is a let down.
Hardly a sequel, lacking the framework of a plot, clearly aimed at children and the timid.

Murder In Provence - 2022 - UK

Murder In Provence - 2022 - 6/10

 
The Brits borrow a page from the seemingly endless flow of French mysteries.
Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll play the prosecutor and forensic whatever, investigating deaths around Aix.
The countryside is nicely displayed, the murders have clever trails, numerous suspects.
The investigating couple are already an “item”, so there are no silly romantic sparks.
Dry humor pervades, and this is fine for fans of cozy.
For all this, the brief series could just as easily have been set in the Cotswolds.

The Interview - 2023 - UK

The Interview - 2023 - 7/10   

 
Interview being the earthshaking one between Princess Diana and Martin Bashir in 1995.
The play shifts back and forth between the wary princess and the opportunistic journalist.
In the wings are a pair of advisors to Diana, who urge caution.
Yet, she is tired of discretion, while the royal Firm cuts, nicks, and whispers.
Tired of the double standard.  And the journalist is a charmer.
Followed by the aftermath, the exposure of lies and betrayals.
The devious manipulation had me wondering if the princess had any trustworthy men in her life.

She Fell Among Thieves - 1978 - UK

She Fell Among Thieves - 1978 - 6/10

 
And the chief thief, her wicked stepmother, of course!
Young Jenny is due to inherit £20 million in a few days, once she turns 18.
Unless – she marries beforehand, whereupon said wealth  belongs to her stepmother, Vanity Fair.
Who, as we learn, is a diabolical mastermind behind murders, robberies, blackmail.
The film dances between cozy murder and camp.  Dialogue is a treat.
While set in France, I recognized Castell Coch (Wales).
Eileen Atkins delicious as the razor tongued villain.
English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/she-fell-among-thieves/english/3267249

Para Psychics - 1976 - Greece

Para Psychics - 1976 - 5/10
AKA - To Koritsi Vomva // Death Has Blue Eyes

 
A pair of low-level grifters, cheap adventurers, get “hired” by a mother-daughter combo.
The daughter is being targeted for assassination by, what seems a cheap government unit.
Big boss sits in front of a bank of reel-to-reel tape decks, killers all ride motorcycles.
The daughter, well, she can make stuff blow up, or make folks drop dead.
She’s got mind powers.
There’s about 30 minutes of actual plot.  The rest is tentative sex and interminable chase sequences.
Limited violence.  Flesh rompings that would make your mother yawn.

Pray For Blood - 2022 - Mexico

Pray For Blood - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Todo la Sangre

 
The first murder, a beheading, occurs during the height of fireworks and celebrations.
Followed by another, with more severed body parts.
Police have their trails and sources, tabloid journalists have their own.
In the middle, a cultural historian, who recognizes the ritual Aztec slayings.
It is not a serial killer.  Someone is laying the groundwork to open a portal.
Blood splattered gore in this dive down Mexican folklore, shamanism and corruption.

The Wandering Earth - 2019 - China

The Wandering Earth - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - Liu Lang di Qiu

 
Earth is doomed!  Again.  This time, it ain’t us, it ain’t alien invaders.  Nope, our Sun is going supernova.
What to do?  What to do?  How about build 10,000 thrusters and shuttle the whole planet 4 light years distant?
Science majors, quit rolling your eyes and bail already.
Those who can tolerate heroic SciFi actioners, this should be OK.
Lots of characters, a fair amount who are annoyingly young and plucky.
Most of the drama occurs early in the voyage, around year 15 of a 2500 year trip.
Calculations for using Jupiter as a slingshot are a twee bit off, igniting a mad scrambling.
There is a part 2, and this was OK enough that I may view down the line.

Murder Is Easy - 2023 - UK

Murder Is Easy - 2023 - 6/10

 
Village resident, Miss Pinkerton, is heading for Scotland Yard with her suspicions.
Two have already died in mysterious circumstances, and she suspects a third.
On the train journey, she shares her thoughts with young Fitzwilliam, from Nigeria.
Then, in London, she is murdered, struck down by a hit-n-run driver.
Whereupon Fitz, an attaché to Whitehall, decides to head to her village and begin investigating.
Adapted from an Agatha Christie novel, this may tempt her fans, yet there are problems.
Directorial choices are poor.  Excessive close-ups ruin the flow.
The actors have no chemistry.  Rather than engage, they shift around, waiting to say lines.
The script, for those who have read the book, is a jaw-dropping fantasy.

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - Italy

The Murder Mansion - 1972 - 6/10
AKA - La Mansion de la Niebla

 
You know, you can warn people over and over.  If the door to a subterranean world opens, don’t.  If you find catacombs, tunnels, turn around.
Six disparate travelers, driving the backroads, get lost in rising fog, seek refuge in an isolated manse.
Out on the woods, stalking one of them or more, are ghosts of the original homeowner and her chauffeur.
Giallo takes a lot of time showing characters, building tension.
Midway between Horror and Thriller, with a fair dollop of Scooby Doo.
Eventually gets going, and the conclusion is satisfying.  My version seems PG.

Driving Madeleine - 2022 - France

Driving Madeleine - 2022 - 7/10
AKA - Une Belle Course

 
Madeleine hires a cab to shuttle her from one side of Paris to the other.
Farewell to her home of many years, and a free-range existence.  Awaiting her is the “retirement” home, and smiling, overly cautious imprisonment.
Enroute, she and the driver converse (this is French).  About their lives, family, personal histories, the changing Paris.
Detours and side trips, cafes and jostling with street life.
Where would you go on your last day of freedom?
Haunting film catching the last flicker of twilight.

She Killed In Ecstasy - 1970 - Germany

She Killed In Ecstasy - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Sie Tötete in Ekstase

 
Dr. Johnson is stripped of his medical credentials.  Well, he had been experimenting with – not embryos, as he declared – but fully developed fetuses.
His goals: to improve our species.  And in 1970, this still smacks of eugenics.
Quickly, he falls into an irreversible decline, and his wife vows revenge on those she views as his murderers.  Who?  The four-person medical panel.
Intelligent (early) Jess Franco film is erotic, not pornographic, a stylish, thoughtful thriller.
Not enough skin and fluids to tempt hardcore fans, yet a safe outing for novices.

Bury Me Dead - 1947 - USA

Bury Me Dead - 1947 - 5/10

 
The stables burn down, and Barbara, heiress, horse trainer, pugilist fan, is carried out, burned beyond recognition.
At her own funeral, heavily veiled, no one recognizes her.
She wonders who tried to murder her.  Her resentful half-sister?  Philandering, alcoholic husband?  The husband’s grasping, greedy mistress?  Or the butler!
Half-assed Noir has fantastic photography, courtesy John Alton, when the sets don’t wobble.
The mystery is marred by comic relief overload, along with – what? – 5 or 6 flashbacks.
This is a B-Noir, as well as a mystery comedy.  Too bad the result awkwardly straddles genres.

Tokyo Vice - 2022 - USA

Tokyo Vice - 2022 - 6/10

 
Missouri journalism major lands dream job with Japan’s most prestigious newspaper.
Assignments mean reporting news in such a way that does not offend, speculate, gainsay the police line.
Bland headlines, meekly espoused.
In the midst of the day to day, an outside Yakuza is trying to muscle in on territory.
Yakuza rivalries and tactics, absolutely!  Police maneuverings, irresistible.  Newspaper, great stuff.
That said, much of the “story” dawdles into club hostesses and their angst.
At best, the females are a distraction.  By and large, they are written as stupid.
Together, they have the common sense of a sea sponge.
This could have, should have, been superb, instead of soap opera poo-poo.