Simon Magus - 1999 - UK

Simon Magus - 1999 - 7/10

 
More and more families depart the shtetl.
To reverse the exodus, Dovid has a plan: build a station for the approaching railway line.
Squire Albrecht agrees to sell him the land – if – Dovid will read his poetry.
(The squire lacks intelligent neighbors to discuss culture.)
Meanwhile, a mendacious businessman wants the land at any price.
Then there is Simon, the village simpleton.
Some view him sympathetically, others view him as crop blight.

 
Simon frequently meets the Devil, who gives him advice, or treacherous instructions.
Not horror, not folk-horror, this runs closer to fable.
For Rutger Hauer fans, this would make a nice twofer with The Mill And The Cross.

Cunk On Earth - 2022 - UK

Cunk On Earth - 2022 - 6/10

 
From cavemen to what will replace us, AI.
Iron Age conflicts to nuclear annihilation.
Philomena Cunk attempts to track humankind’s origins to possible extinction.
Five-part series is hit or miss.  Wildly funny, to belaboring a stale joke.
Technotronic?  Why, why, why?
The comedy is pretty flat.  Blame bad writing (all males).
For fans of Ms Cunk, who, I perceive, is being written as ever dumber.

Vampire In Venice - 1988 - Italy

Vampire In Venice - 1988 - 5/10  
AKA - Nosferatu a Venezia

200 years earlier, the last known sighting of Nosferatu was in Venice.
Where he supposedly boarded a ship, disappeared, possibly drowned.
Such is Professor Catalano’s theory, and yet he is investigating.
Even to the point of taking part in an ill-advised séance.
Which ends up as a summons of sorts, and Nosferatu responds.

 
Frustrating film is steeped in atmosphere.
Venice, shrouded in mist and fog, makes a suitable location.
The mansion, locus of activities, is a rambling home, well-appointed, yet better days far behind.

 
Kinski, returning as Nosferatu, is an exhausted creature.
Unable to die, weary of the world, yet still answering a beckoning siren.
The narrative is messy (3-4 directors), money ran out, the result is a patchy affair.
If outtakes survive, one hopes a reedit might improve this.
Otherwise, worth a look.

The L-Shaped Room - 1962 - UK

The L-Shaped Room - 1962 - 6/10

 
Jane, 27-years-old, finally escapes her provincial and conservative French family.
In England, she has a brief dalliance, and, first timeout, hits Baby Jackpot.
Unsure of what to do, she rents the top room in a cheap flophouse.
Starts meetings fellow tenants, sharing stories, listening, opening her heart.
Themes and characters and backstories seem well-advanced for cinema in 1962.
This is an adult drama of souls whose worlds and choices seem to constrict tighter every year.
Marvelous peek at the nightclub scene just at the cusp between the Beatnik and Swinging.

King Eagle - 1971 - Hong Kong

King Eagle - 1971 - 6/10
AKA - Ying Wang  //  鷹王

Reclusive Kung Fu master Jin Fei, known as King Eagle, disdains worldly matters.
Ignoring intra-clan rivalries and assassinations.
Even when blood stained culprits try to eliminate him, he remains aloof.
Yet, when an especially attractive chief nurses a open wound, his reserve thaws.
Plenty of fights in this Shaw Brothers production (too many, for me).
Best by far is Li Ching in a dual role: the sweet sister and the wicked beauty.
Plot is the usual conflict for dominance of the guild – region – world – galaxy.

Hotel Coolgardie - 2016 - Australia

Hotel Coolgardie - 2016 - 7/10

Vacationing Finns, Lina and Stephanie had their credit cards stolen in Bali, their travel funds drained.
They make it to Australia where, hoping to rebuild their finances, they accept bartending jobs in the Outback.
Girls seem to come and go every few months.  Fresh meat, the locals call them.
Coolgardie is a mining town, the bar fills with miners, lonely men, quietly aggressive men.
While sexism is paramount, social skills on display are low.

 
What is surprising is how participants knew cameras were rolling, comments recorded.
Lina and Steph are besieged throughout by eager faces.
And encouraged repeatedly to drink up, get wasted.
Unsettling documentary, often reminded me of Wake In Fright (1971).

Bullets Over Broadway - 1994 - USA

Bullets Over Broadway - 1994 - 7/10

Roaring 20’s finds a young, aspiring playwright.
His script is a dud, yet he lands financing from a gangster, if he casts his girlfriend.
Along with the moll, Olive, tags a thug bodyguard, who watches rehearsals with increasing interest.
So much so, that he soon begins kibitzing, offering suggesting how to improve lines, scenes, narratives.
Excellent mix of crime and comedy, backstage antics and flawed ambitions.
Terrific ensemble cast garnered multiple award nominations.
One of Woody’s best films, although theatre goers may catch more jokes.

Nosferatu The Vampyre - 1979 - Germany

Nosferatu The Vampyre - 1979 - 7/10
AKA - Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht

 
Mr, Harker travels to Transylvania to sell real estate to County Dracula.
The lifeless ship arrives, large rats sweep into the town.
As townsfolk die, the frightened whisper, “Plague”.
You know the tale as well as anyone.
Herzog has made this a mash of Stoker and Murnau.
A slow film, lacking the usual visceral thrills, focusing instead on the creeping malignance.
Kinski gives a layered, nuanced performance as the doomed, driven creature.

Greed - 1924 - USA

Greed - 1924 - 7/10

 
Post Gold Rush, McTeague works one of the mines, still trickling ore.
He decides to become a dentist, sets up practice.
When a friends brings his betrothed, McTeague soon desires her.
The girlfriend, Trina, marries our poor dentist, then wins a lottery.
The winnings, she refuses to share, even to spend, but clutches tight to the money.
Greed, in various forms, plays out over and over.
Watching this, as I have numerous times over the years, requires tremendous commitment.
The 1999 Turner restoration is the best print, although running time is 4 hours.

The Bloody Judge - 1970 - Italy

The Bloody Judge - 1970 - 5/10
AKA - Il Trono di Fuoco

 
The original Hanging Judge, highly active during the time of James II, the Monmouth Rebellion and Bloody Assizes.
Judge Jeffreys tries, sentences and executes witches, and those suspected of being witches.
Along with those implicated in the Monmouth Rebellion, or suspected of being involved.
Or those accused, rightly or wrongly.
Period costume drama looks fine (except cheap battle sequences).  Courtroom theatrics overblown.
Director Jess Franco adds nudity, bloody torture, sex and cannibalism to liven up things.
Christopher Lee delivers a hammy performance (during one scene, stunt hands are used).