Kiss And Make Up - 1934 - USA

Kiss And Make Up - 1934 - 6/10

 
Dr. Maurice owns and operates the highly successful Temple Of Beauty in Paris.
Females engage in his expensive treatments, buy his creams, and, of course, adore him.
So much so, he suffers “women problems”, while failing to notice his loyal right hand, Annie.
Broad satire of beauty cures, and the chasing thereof, is timeless.
At this point, a discerning viewer can easily see the transformation of Archie into Cary.
The charm, the self-depreciating humor, the grace with females.
Echoes of the Music Hall lingers, as well, with Archie playing piano and singing “Love Divided By Two”.

Red Coats - 2024 - USA

Red Coats - 2024 - 6/10

 
Whatever that “thing” is, it just took out 400 men.
Survivors were those who fled.  At the front of the yellow squad is a young, inexperienced commander.
Lost patrol, in the Colonial wilderness, in conflict with Washington’s troops.
Excellent photography in this short horror – thriller.
Premise could easily be expanded into a feature.

The Vampire's Coffin - 1958 - Mexico

The Vampire's Coffin - 1958 - 5/10
AKA - El Ataud del Vampiro

 
Why, why, why would anyone exhume the coffin of a slain vampire?
I suppose if you are a doctor, wanting to experiment on something new.
Just don’t go removing that wooden stake in his … oops … too late.
For a long time, I was utterly engaged in this followup.
The photography is superb, in many ways breathtaking.
Deep blacks, imaginative use of shadows.
German Robles, returning as the stylish Count Lavud, is a master of cape flourishing.
Unfortunately the romantic male lead has been rewritten as a skirt chasing lech who has had an IQ lobotomy.
Along with insufferable comic relief.

El Vampiro - 1957 - Mexico

El Vampiro - 1957 - 6/10

 
Marta arrives at the hacienda of her aunts and uncle.
It is near ruins, dust, cobwebs, seeping fog.
Most villagers and servants have fled following a series of inexplicable deaths.
Only the newcomer, the caped count chooses to remain.  Indeed, he want to buy the property.
Outstanding Mexican horror boasts great photography, great sets, a fine score.
Restrained direction helps, too.
Those who pine for the Golden Age of Universal horror, this is a wonderful homage.

Trapped - 2015 - Iceland

Trapped - 2015 - 7/10
AKA - Ófærð

 
A body is fished out of the harbor.  Actually a torso.
The body had been chopped up, while the cruise ship anchored nearby.
A vessel apparently engaged in human trafficking.
As for the harbor?  Chinese investors want to transform it into a mega port.
If enough locals are willing to sell their land, to their elected officials in charge.
Icelandic series follows numerous threads on a small island community.
Blizzard conditions mean the tiny police force is on their own.
Inspired plotting in this modern Noir.

Octopussy - 1983 - UK

Octopussy - 1983 - 6/10  

 
The traveling circus, a Soviet art thief, Fabergé, the cult of the octopus, and Bond.
This 007 outing tones down much of the silliness and camp associated with Moore’s version.
Still as light-hearted outing, this is sleek and very good James bond vehicle.
Louis Jourdan makes an elegant and formidable villain.
Maud Adams, cool and reserved as leader of a smuggling ring.
Comic relief moments, however, should be removed in any “director’s cut”.
With Bond, comedy belongs in dialogue and black humor situations.

Murders In Pont-Aven - 2022 - France

Murders In Pont-Aven - 2022 - 6/10  
AKA - Meurtres à Pont-Aven

 
The first death was a convicted art forger, dating the gallery owner.
Right after the exhibition of Émile Blot, featuring newly discovered paintings.
The local gendarme will be assisted, as always, by an outsider.
Who, it turns out, had investigated the death of the gendarme’s mother years earlier.
French mystery has art references, an intriguing backstory, side stories, and NO romance,
Better than the cutesy “will they, won’t they” biscuits.

Kiss Me Goodbye - 1982 - USA

Kiss Me Goodbye - 1982 - 6/10

 
Mild-mannered remake of Jorge Amado’s “Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands” (a very saucy novel).
Kay’s troublesome husband, Jolly, is dead, except he won’t stay dead.
Even while she prepares to remarry, Jolly keeps haunting her.
So much so, she is constantly confusing the two husbands, responding wrongly to questions.
Watching, this is often funny, especially if you view in a library or revival theater with an audience.
The spark is diminished at home, and this comes across as a bland sitcom.
James Caan steals the film, while Sally Field and Jeff Bridges lack chemistry.

Singapore Sue - 1931 - USA

Singapore Sue - 1931 - 5/10

 
Sailors enter the bar / cafe in the middle of the dance revue.
The showoff immediately hits on the girl selling dolls and souvenirs.
No matter how attractive, she ignores the pompous boor, no matter that he is Cary Grant.
Early Grant role, and his manner and delivery are straight out of music hall
Musical short, three songs.

Grenfell: In The Words Of Survivors - 2023 - UK

Grenfell: In The Words Of Survivors - 2023 - 7/10

 
“Most of our words come from interviews, and sometimes they'll come from the public inquiry, and, occasionally, we'll speak as ourselves.”
Raw theatre, piecing together memories of residents, complaints about the gradual deterioration of the estate.
Along with testimonies from parties responsible for maintenance and upkeep – who shirked.
Mitigating factors barely alluded to.  Cool Britannia was over and Britain’s budget woes were massive.
Also, the Grenfell Tower was in Chelsea Kensington, and was an extraordinarily valuable piece of real estate.
Diminished safety standards, a laissez faire attitude toward repairs, ill regard for the dwellers.
Gripping throughout.  Bear in mind, this is theatre – not a documentary
The anguish of survivors, along with the grief likely carried to their graves.
English subtitles = https://www.mediafire.com/file/rf4me8d3e7n3rqp/Grenfell_In_Words_Survivors-2023.srt/file

The Furies From Borås - 2017 - Sweden

The Furies From Borås - 2017 - 6/10

 
PG adaptation of Anders Fager’s brutal, sexually charged story.
Here, the blood, the semen, the alcohol, and other lubricants are minimized.
Nevertheless, a male sacrifice is sought out for the rites, and the “meat” is culled.
His chances?  One drug addled male and a fistful of sturdy, ravenous girls.
High school production shows budget limitations, and the graphic carnality is only hinted at.
The tone is correct and the furies seem accurate, rather than Hollywood kewpies.

Love Honour And Obey - 2000 - UK

Love Honour And Obey - 2000 - 7/10

 
Jonny, disgruntled courier, has ambitions.  Also a mate with underworld connections.
Jude, nephew to powerful crime boss Ray.
A quick word, Jonny is in, whereupon he soon … what’s the phrase … starts going postal.
Encroaches on rival territory, tries to initiate a full scale mob war.
Absolutely one of the funniest gangster movies ever!
Stellar cast, everyone having a romp, packed with catchy songs.

♪ No one gets to live too long. Where the soul of a man is easy to buy.
♪ Everybody's wheeling, everybody's stealing.  All the low are living high.
♪ On the avenues and alleyways. ♫

The Witches Attack - 1968 - Mexico

The Witches Attack - 1968 - 5/10
AKA - Atacan Las Brujas

 
The sexy leader of the witch guild accepts a ride from a masked wrestler in his Porsche.
To enslave all mortals, the witches need to sacrifice an innocent and a hero.
Music is brooding and thrilling, sets are high Gothic, passageways and chambers.
The women are unbelievably attractive, clad in short togas.
Fights are repetitive and overlong, and a few sequences appear to be reruns.
For me, it is always incongruous that people would consult a detective in his office, behind his desk, wearing a suit and tie, and a mask.
Then again, this is an early Santo flick.