Spring Night, Summer Night - 1967 - USA

Spring Night, Summer Night - 1967 - 7/10

Eldest son Carl is unsuited for farm work.  Coal mines are closed, but he would have not fit in there, either.
Then there is Jessica, his sister (half-sister, actually), equally unhappy with her lot as surrogate mother to the children.

 
Stifled, bored, attracted, what happens seems foregone.
Especially in that rural, pocket-community which is already riddled with adultery and drinking.
Five months, the swelling aftermath, guilt and resignation.
Bear in mind, 1967 was the Summer Of Love, Vietnam raged, Civil Rights activists marched.
Meantime, this region harks back to 1930’s Depression America.
This is an authentic time capsule of a region people choose to forget.

English subs = https://subscene.com/subtitles/spring-night-summer-night/english/3303358

I watched with creeping recognition.
The Canaan signpost – Canaan had been in my father’s sales territory (heavy equipment).  
Summer’s he often took me along for a week.  Appalachian hamlets were a mix of the busted and painted over.
I recognized characters, as well as some of their activities.
Beer brews, Stroh’s, Schlitz, Blatz, Black Label, were local faves.
A childhood friend fooled around carelessly, was forced to marry his two-months along girlfriend.  Pa stood behind, rifle swinging at his side.  Their marriage was a happy one.  Decades on, they died within a week of each other.
Unlike in the film, coal mines were not all closed at this time.  Mid 70’s, I worked in Buffalo Creek to pay for my way to Los Angeles.  Coal work was dirty, difficult and dangerous, yet I was desperate to get away.
Appalachia has ever been exploited, the people discarded.

A Warning To The Curious - 1972 - UK

A Warning To The Curious - 1972 - 6/10

 
There were three buried crowns that guarded the realm in times of war.
Two were lost.  The third has been safeguarded, for generations, by a highly protective family.
Until the archeologists started digging.  Amateurs, at that.
Mr. Paxton has sniffed out a trail, leading to Seaburgh.
Along the way, warnings and close looks are given, which he ignores.
The fever of the hunt possesses him.
Unsettling M R James adaptation, shot mostly in broad daylight.
Possibly too slow for the impatient, yet the lethargic pace adds to the tension.

Deep Throat - 1972 - USA

Deep Throat - 1972 - 5/10

 
Linda, sexually frustrated, seeks a medical diagnosis.
After an examination, the doctor informs her that her clitoris is not where it should be.
Reference the title.
Enlightened, Linda pounds the libido accelerator and starts making up for lost time.
Funny, sleazy, and kinda depressing in a way, this film made Lovelace a cause célèbre for a spell.
Inconceivable in today’s society, this was a wildly popular “date film” in the 1970’s.
Indeed, it was generally paired with The Devil In Miss Jones as a double feature.
I first viewed in Hollywood’s Pussycat Theater with the hippie chick (her choice).
Featherweight biopic Lovelace came out in 2013.

This England - 2022 - UK

This England - 2022 - 6/10

 
Done with the Covid pandemic already?  Well, it’s not done with you.
Newly elected PM Boris Johnson and cabinet have plans, big plans, for overhauling the nation.
Only thing, there is new mysterious disease erupting in China … then Italy
While the government dithers, the disease arrives in the UK, and spreads exponentially.
Scene after scene of an individual coughing, leading inexorably to the last gasp.
Kenneth Branagh is uncanny as Johnson.
Too much time, however, is wasted with his ditzy girlfriend / wife.
More, excruciatingly so, is given to that damned dog of theirs.
Those who relish suffering hospital dramas will be in heaven.
Others may find this a puzzling misfire.

The Old Dark House - 1932 - USA

The Old Dark House - 1932 - 6/10

 
No matter how atrocious the weather, one never goes knocking at the gloomy manor.
Still, there is the timeworn excuse:  I didn’t know!  Nobody told me!
Plus – the rain truly is dreadful, and the car is leaking.
Do they recognize the door opening butler as Boris Karloff?
The travelers arrive, dry themselves, try to ignore how fearfully eccentric the inhabitants are.
For a creaky, locked-room film, this moves quickly and many images are downright eerie.

Mexican Vampire Cinema: A Brief History - 2014 - USA

Mexican Vampire Cinema: A Brief History - 2014 - 6/10

 
OK, so this neglects the 1931 Drácula, and starts in the 1950‘s.
A lot of films, players and background are included in roughly an hour.
Presented by David Witt, who is an authority here.
The look for most of these is Expressionistic / Gothic, the acting vigorous.

 
While the second half focuses heavily on Santo, there are several gems.
Such as, did you know international cuts featured nudity?
Another variation on this series is Mummies In Mexican Cinema.
Just what I need, more questionable viewing.

Drácula - 1931- Mexico

Drácula - 1931- 6/10

 
Virtual shot-for-shot remake of the Lugosi classic.  Same sets, same cameras.
The Mexican version is less static, is sexier, is, in many ways, flashier.
Pretty clear, the Mexican team, working the late shift, either saw US rushes, or caught some of the shooting.
Either way, scene after scene boasts notable improvements.
Carlos Villarías, however, is no match for the charismatic Lugosi.
Despite my (slight) reservations, this remains must-see for Horror fans.

Kinky Boots - 2005 - UK

Kinky Boots - 2005 - 6/10

 
Price & Sons footwear, in business for generations, is going bankrupt.
Times have changed and customers are buying cheaper, foreign shoes.
Except there is a possible niche.
Shoes, boots, for drag queens.  Shoes that have to be fashionable, yet sturdy.
Quite sturdy.  Wearers are big boned, tall, and performing takes a toll.
A mix of belly laughs and serious introspection (which tend to halt momentum).
Chiwetel Ejiofor unforgettable as the indomitable Lola.

Midnight Express - 1978 - USA

Midnight Express - 1978 - 6/10  

 
Naive American turista attempts to smuggle hash out of Turkey.
Caught, arrested, tried, convicted, sent to Sağmalcılar Prison.
That’s early.
Film shifts to the prison from Hell.  Nonstop brutality amid inhumane conditions.
Harrowing film is one for masochists; I recall this being wildly popular despite being unrelentingly grim.
I also dimly recall viewing our sympathetic hero as a fool.
Rewatch confirms my previous take.

Prick Up Your Ears - 1987 - UK

Prick Up Your Ears - 1987 - 7/10

 
Uncomfortable bio-pic of playwright Joe Orton (whose “Loot” is must-see theatre).
Orton is in a homosexual relationship (still punishable in 60’s England) with fellow writer Kenneth.
As is sadly often the case, one partner is more creative, more successful.
While the lesser grows ever more resentful, jealous, possessive, abusive.
Acting is tiptop across the board, although it grows increasingly difficult to comprehend why Orton stays with Kenneth.