Rock On Fire - 1994 - Hong Kong

Rock On Fire - 1994 - 6/10
AKA - Girl On Fire // Ji mi zhong an zhi zhi ming you huo // 机密重案组之致命诱惑

 
Strap in, or strap on, this Hong Kong Cat III is one nasty piece of work.
A gun deal has blown up, owing to an impulsive cop.
Arms went with one middleman, money with the other.
Police want them, so do the top gangsters involved.
As do a brother / sister hit team from Japan.
That’s the bare bones of an almost incoherent story.
In between, there is a ton of sex.  Consensual, misogynist, brutish.
The female hitwoman is a black widow.  Mounting, mating, murdering.
Some jaw dropping fights, including one between backhoes,
Still, cops or no cops, the hit team own the film.  Mikie Ng Miu Yee should have had a career.

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery - 1939 - UK

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery - 1939 - 6/10

 
Enroute to the big match, an argument in the car.  Bombshell and the striker.
Lovers tiff?  Hardly.  She’s met someone … with money.
Hour later, in the second half, look who drops dead on the pitch.
Heart failure?  Broken heart?  Or was it murder?
Scotland Yard arrives (a breezy Leslie Banks), while teammates evade answers.
Yes, female trouble lies at the root of this quick paced mystery.
Interspersed with football shenanigans.
Wet Saturday film.

Agatha And The Limitless Readings - 1981 - France

Agatha And The Limitless Readings - 1981 - 7/10
AKA - Agatha et Les Lectures Illimitées

 
Sister and brother, both early 30’s, rendezvous at an empty seaside hotel for, perhaps, the last time.
The site where, in their teens, they first “saw” the other, and developed passionate feelings.
Feelings seem mixed.  Neither guilt, nor regret, simply sorrow at the imminent parting.
Dialogue propels the narrative.  Theatrical, arch, stilted, akin to poetry.
The siblings are rarely shown.  Photography lingers on waves, skies, horizons, the beach.
I imagine we ought to consider the tide of memory, surging, shifting, receding.
Not for all tastes, but if one is patient, quite patient, and able to listen, this is deeply rewarding.

The Avengers: S04 - 1966 - UK

The Avengers: S04 - 1966 - 6/10

First season after the departure of Cathy Gale (the formidable Honor Blackman).
This marks the beginning of the Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) era, but is likely NOT the Emma fans think of.
Peel is less intimidating than Gale, more kittenish, more deferential to Steed.
In most episodes, she requires manly rescuing.
Late, very late in the season, Rigg must have asserted herself, and by “The House That Jack Built”, Peel is the cool, calculating partner fans think of.

 
The series, however, is becoming campy, playful.  Not silly, but clearly heading that way.
“A Sense Of History” makes an interesting example.  Robin Hood, arrows, murders, yet a late chance to see vintage Steed, ruthless and a brawler.

Supervixens - 1975 - USA

Supervixens - 1975 - 5/10

 
Russ Meyer nonsense / followup to Vixen (1969), lacks the former’s bite.
Clint works at the gas station, where he probably reeks of gasoline and oil.
No matter, he is ab-so-lutely irresistible to local ladies.
His sexually demanding and insatiable wife, Super Angel.
Persistent customer, Super Lorna, of the pendulous orbs.
In due course, the gasboy meets Super Soul, Super Cherry, I forget who else, all “Super”.
Copious nudity, unrestrained sex, barely a plot as Meyer edged ever closer to hardcore porn.
Trivia: This is where Meyer lured Charles Napier out of retirement and into a long Hollywood career.

Come Blow Your Horn - 1963 - USA

Come Blow Your Horn - 1963 - 6/10

 
Fun artifact of the Rat Pack, of the Chairman, Sinatra.
Sinatra (who was pushing 50 at this time) welcomes his young brother (Bill, 22) into his swinging pad.
The older brother, a ladies man, decides to expose the younger one to soft temptations.
Fast-paced romantic comedy has beautiful women, a Sinatra song, boisterous innuendo.
Has the feel of a play (script by Neil Simon and Norman Lear), along with the winking sensibility of Playboy.
Shallow fun, more for my father’s generation, still entertaining.

Becomes A Woman - 2023 - USA

Becomes A Woman - 2023 - 7/10  

Francie works at Kress, in the music department.
1920’s, this means sheet music, and she sings, on-request, for customers inquiring about a given song.
Francie is a goody two-shoes, does not date, gives her earning to Ma.
Coworker Florry is a cynical Flapper, knows what boys want, likes to party, and knows how to avoid 9 month consequences.
Enter Mr. Kress’s son, rich swell, who sweeps Francie off her feet, and leaves her a gift – 9 months later.

 
That is Act One of three distinct acts.
One set in the sheet music section, the second in Francie’s blue collar, noisy home, the third in Francie’s room.
This is an early female empowerment tale, terribly risqué for its time
Originally written by Betty (A Tree Grows In Brooklyn) Smith in 1931.
Enjoyable, if something of a play of parts, Francie’s journey of experience.

The Secrets Of Finistère - 2023 - France

The Secrets Of Finistère - 2023 - 6/10  
AKA - Les Secrets du Finistère

 
The murder happened years before, and would have gone unnoticed except that the sacred tree fell in a howling storm, exposing the skeletal remains.
The body was laid out in accordance with Druidic rites.  There is a Druid community in the area.
Questions, chief being was this murder or sacrifice?
French mystery combines investigation, apparitions, Druid lore, familial conflicts.
As always with these particular French productions, superb outdoor photography.
This outing, the steep cliffs of Brittany.

Jurassic World - 2015 - USA

Jurassic World - 2015 - 5/10

 
Reboot of Jurassic Park into a giant theme park (20,000+ guests).
There is the money-making park, and there the research InGen, crafting new dinosaurs for military use.
Inside massive containment walls so there is no possibility of escape into –
Wait!  What just happened?
Romance angle does not work, nor do kids in danger.
Dinosaurs are impressive, except they are given anthromorphic personalities.
Please, no matter the size, lizards have lizard brains.
Predictable, family friendly, depending on how much carnage you expose your children to.
Sad that this was beneath derivative.  As is, popcorn for bubbleheads.

Pulp - 1972 - UK

Pulp - 1972 - 6/10

 
The writer of lurid paperbacks is commissioned to ghost write the famous mystery man’s memoirs.
Ex-movie star (played with glee by Mickey Rooney) who starred in 1930’s gangster films.
Now, he lives in isolated retirement on a Mediterranean island.
Nonetheless, the book promises to tell-all, and is already ruffling feathers.
Lighthearted spoof delivers laughs and jokes, in accordance with how knowledgeable the viewer is.
Michael Caine is sardonic and caustic.  Surprise guests include Lizabeth Scott, Lionel Standler, Robert Sacchi.
Location filming on sunny Malta.  Lewis Carroll, red herrings, deadly priests, a romp for enthusiasts.

The Hateful Beast - 1970 - Japan

The Hateful Beast - 1970 - 6/10
AKA - Nihon Bôkô Ankokushi: Onjû  // 日本暴行暗黒史 怨獣

 
Two vagabond criminals arrive in the village from Edo.
One seeks dishonest coin, the other murderous revenge.
First things first, the angry one murders a prostitute and tries to frame an old adversary.
Here, events are interesting: as the two foes tell the same tale – differently.  And it is never clarified.
Heady amount of sex throughout, fitting since sex and female betrayal permeate the history.
Brooding tale, borrows from Noir with characters doomed by Fate, personal wounds, flawed assumptions.

Grim Reaper - 1976 - USA

Grim Reaper - 1976 - 4/10

 
Salvation takes but a moment, yet damnation is eternal.
Ma and son Tim are dedicated church goers, while Pa and son Frankie drink and watch football.
Frankie races stock cars, a deadly sport filled with horrific crashes; and one afternoon …
And since Frankie ain’t saved, Hell claims his soul.
Rest of the film is Pa wrestling with faith.
Guest evangelists include Jerry Falwell and Jack Van Impe.  The proselytizing is numbing.
Stock car pileups are a highlight, as are the bizarre Biblical reenactments.
Actors in headgear, robes, Roman Centurions, etc … talking with Southern drawls.
I can only knock this so much.  It was earnestly made, if incompetent.