Chime - 2024 - Japan

Chime - 2024 - 6/10
AKA - Chairmu  //  チャイム

 
Takuji teaches cooking skills.  Most, not all, want to learn to be better cooks.
One student is not there; he attends, but is distracted, removed, remote.
Takuji is also being interviewed to become head chef for a French restaurant.
Yet, his pupil’s remoteness seems to have infected him.
He has lost all interest … in everything.
Violence seems an outlet, while the malaise spreads to others.
Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has a history of moody dramas, tinged with the unexplained.

Immaculate - 2024 - USA

Immaculate - 2024 - 6/10

 
Novice Sister Cecilia, wide-eyed and innocent, arrives at the remote and exclusive convent.
She is assigned the usual duties, until priests and the doctor determine she is pregnant.
Nevertheless, Cecilia is still “intact”.
Clearly, God has chosen her.
Well, not so fast.
And fast is hardly what you would call this slow, simmering film.
Not exactly Horror (what’s here ain’t much); certainly not Nunsploitation.
Target audience might be lapsed Catholics or those suspicious of the Church.

Never Open That Door - 1952 - Argentina

Never Open That Door - 1952 - 7/10
AKA - No Abras Nunca Esa Puerta

Two Cornell Woolrich stories of greed and allegiance.
Louisa is in trouble, of her own making, and is being squeezed by dangerous creditors.

 
Who can help her?  Maybe her brother, Raúl.  Their relationship seems more than cozy.
She confides nothing, however, and he can only assume.
In the second half, blind mother Rosa has not heard from son Daniel in eight years.
Hopefully, he has done well in the big city.
When he shows up, pursued and hardened, she realizes he has not led a righteous life.

 
Stylish Noir from Argentina is saturated in blacks and carved in shadows.
Both stories deal in Fate and bad hands, which is what most of us receive.
You play as best as you can and pray for a break.

Destiny - 1921 - Germany

Destiny - 1921 - 6/10
AKA - Der Müde Tod

Enroute to the village, the coach picks up a black garbed man.
Also aboard are a young couple, engaged, and very much in love.
Inside the inn, the caped man follows, and the girl soon realizes her fiancé has disappeared.
The man is actually God’s messenger, Death, and her fiancé’s time had run out.

 
“Each candle is a life,”  he explains.  “Some longer than others.  His was short.”
He permits her to intervene in three fates:  Persia, Venice, Cathay.
Fritz Lang film is measured, perhaps sluggish, but has impressive sets and visuals.

The Serpent - 2021 - UK

The Serpent - 2021 - 7/10

 
Sometimes reality is just scarier than fiction.
Charles Sobhraj, murderer, gem dealer, stealer of identities - after murdering his victims.
Victims were the hippies in New Delhi, Nepal, Bangkok, seeking experience, releasing steam.
Trusting types, addled by drugs, flashing too much cash.
Series is part lengthy crime spree by Sobhraj, his partner Marie, and lethal sidekick Ajay.
Also Interpol procedural, as various agencies attempt to unearth the crimes.
And domestic / government dramas as most shrug off deaths of reckless young travelers.
Insidious problem with this is Sobhraj is coldly charismatic, while the Dutch aide who obsesses over him and his deeds is insufferable.
Wiki = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sobhraj

The Quick And The Dead - 1995 - USA

The Quick And The Dead - 1995 - 6/10

 
“Lady” rides into Redemption to participate in a death duel contest.
The Old West town is ruled by ruthless Mayor Herod, who organized the tournament of death.
Paper thin premise enlivened with plenty of gunpowder.
Powerhouse cast includes Sharon Stone (riding fame), Gene Hackman, Leo DeCaprio, Russell Crowe, Lance Henricksen.
One gets the feel they wanted to emulate Leone, but everything is overload.
Sharon Stone electric throughout, and this plays better the second time around.
Do not confuse this with Bad Girls (1994) from the previous year.

Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood - 1942 - USA

Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood - 1942 - 6/10  

 
Millionaire buddy Manleder asks Blackie to break into his Manhattan house safe and bring him $60 K.
Police apprehend him, then let him go.  Why?  There is a valuable diamond, gone missing.
Once in Los Angeles, Blackie realizes his buddy is in as much trouble as suspected.
With the New York cops in pursuit (jurisdiction in California?).
Breezy formula, too much comedy, Chester Morris effortless as the unflappable private eye.
Predictable, although perfect for lunch break.

The Last Wave - 2019 - France

The Last Wave - 2019 - 6/10
AKA - La Dernière Vague

 
Lovely day to go surfing, even with that overhead cloud doing a rotisserie turn.
Until the cloud suddenly descends to the waves and the surfers vanish.
Hours later, they stagger to the shore, and … we find out … are magically altered.
Some can breath underwater, some can heal, others can “see”.
Meantime, the village has its squabbles, betrayals, conflicts, and ecological disasters.
Ending is something of a head-scratcher, which those who watch wider fare are accustomed to.  
Big logical error is the omnipresent cloud attracts no crowds, no press, no internet egoists.

The Wasp Woman - 1959 - USA

The Wasp Woman - 1959 - 5/10

 
Everyone wants to stay young, or at least look young.
Including the owner of a cosmetics firm who decides to test a new youth serum derived from wasp enzymes.
Test on who?  Why herself, you silly innocent.
And will there be unexpected side-effects?
Silly film from Mr. Corman moves fast, and to be fair has its moments, but it is laughable.
Not being there, I suspect this played better in a 1959 drive-in, rather than from a living room couch.
Note: Star Susan Cabot’s story makes for an engrossing read.

A Trip Down Market Street - 1906 - USA

A Trip Down Market Street - 1906 - 6/10

 
Shot from a cable car heading toward San Francisco’s Embarcadero.
Lensed by the Miles Brothers, apparently days before the earthquake destroyed much of the city.
Several automobiles appear again and again, suggesting staging or contrivance.
Various prints of this are out there.
From black and white with no sound, to saturated colors and robust sound mixes.
For non-purists, a middle ground restoration of some audio effects and minimal color retouching might be best.
Mesmerizing time capsule.

Murders In Figeac - 2023 - France

Murders In Figeac - 2023 - 5/10
AKA - Meurtres à Figeac

 
Suspend disbelief immediately.
This opens in a cave, lit by pitch torches, where an ancient Egyptian mummification ritual is underway.
The soon-to-be corpse is the first kill.
In time, there is an Anubis mask wearing person, as well as scrolls of hieroglyphics posted in daylight.
Meantime, by chance, a prosecutor visits Figeac to attend her wayward husband’s funeral.
Please, who sells pitch torches?  Ebay?  Who sells lengthy scroll paper?  Arts & craft shop?  Go there!
Events in broad daylight.  No witnesses?  Not one?
Diverting  mystery while underway.  Afterward, wait a minute …

The Revenge Of Frankenstein - 1958 - UK

The Revenge Of Frankenstein - 1958 - 6/10

 
Not the “monster” but the scientist, Dr. Frankenstein.
Escaping justice, the medical man relocates and now goes by Dr. Stein.
Wealthy clientele pad the purse, and he does charity work among the poor (ready supply of spare parts).
With a new apprentice, experimentation into creating Life continues.
The plot moves in unexpected directions, and Peter Cushing and Francis Matthews make a strong team.
Solid Hammer film, glossy looking and intelligent.