Late Night With The Devil - 2023 - USA

Late Night With The Devil - 2023 - 7/10

 
“You okay, Jack?  He, he, he.”
Of course late night host Jack Delroy is not okay.
His beloved wife recently died, show ratings are slipping, cancellation seems nigh.
Halloween night, the guests are a bizarre assortment of intense types.
A psychic, a debunker, a medium, and one possessed?
Set has the feel of a Carson knockoff.  Think Geraldo or Springer, minus the staged fights.
Entertaining, and well directed.
Helps if you recall the Satanic Panic, although that peaked in the 80’s.

A Kiss From Beyond The Grave - 1963 - Mexico

A Kiss From Beyond The Grave - 1963 - 5/10
AKA - El Beso de Ultratumba

 
Wannabe writer Emilio has been sponging off friends for years.
Someday, he may actually write a sentence.
Visiting his doctor, to borrow money from him, he notices the pretty new receptionist.
He asks her out – then – “You’re the daughter of the rich industrialist?” / “Yes.” / “Will you marry me?” / “Sure, I guess.”
Yes, it really does go that fast.  Just as fast, the potential wealth vanishes.
Except new bride Laura has an immense insurance policy.
If only she would die.
Dark thriller has scary moments, but naïve and gullible Laura defies belief.

JeruZalem - 2015 - Israel

JeruZalem - 2015 - 5/10
AKA - ג'רוזלם

 
Film opens strong with five minutes of ominous backstory, setting the tone.
Which is shattered by two vacationing American girls.  Squealing in the air, on the ground, detouring to Jerusalem.
Both highly annoying, I kept hoping for the Horror element to kick in and for them to get killed.
After some forty minutes in, the narrative darkens, although our girls still sound like a bag of cats.

 
Every scene is shot, point-of-view, from one female’s smart glasses.
Tolerated for a bit, grows staler than travel underwear.
Despite intriguing potential, this is a bungled job all around.
Writer / director brothers Paz clearly view females as stupid, and portray them as such.

Harry Wild - 2022 - Ireland

Harry Wild - 2022 - 6/10

 
Professor Wild faces retirement with her usual accessory.  Alcohol.
After being robbed, she turns into something of a sleuth.
Cozy mystery series builds the entourage by the end of episode 1.
Set and filmed in Dublin, which will appeal to many.
One might envision Hallmark salivating over this, except our star is foul mouthed, and sleeps around.
Jane Seymour demonstrates a nice flair for comedy.
More seasons followed.

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold - 2017 - USA

Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold - 2017 - 7/10

 
Imaginative biography of the writer’s life, influences, and works.
The first hour staggers through the Sixties, into the mendacious 80’s.
Vogue fashions, California sunshine, peaceful hippies and the corroded underbelly.
Marriage to John Dunne struck me as hothouse, tightly bound, not to the exclusion of friends and colleagues, yet few are in the closest zone.
This is both informative to newcomers, and perceptive for fans of her books.
Talking heads in this are well known, to say the least.

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 1912 - USA

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 1912 - 6/10

 
Jekyll experiments with drugs to separate his good and evil sides.
Within seconds, the brutish Hyde emerges.
A quick change back, “Thank God it’s me again!”
Except Hyde is not so easily contained.
Edison film distills the story down to 12 minute thriller.  Likely very suspenseful back in the day.

The Bride Wore Black - 1968 - France

The Bride Wore Black - 1968 - 6/10
AKA - La Mariée était en Noir

 
Wedding day, Julie’s husband is killed.
Grief and temporary madness are soon swept aside by thoughts of vengeance.
Narrative now becomes “track n whack”, with ingenious demises.
While the template may seem Noir, the color photography is not.
Jeanne Moreau excels as the remorseless, yet aloof, huntress.
Probably inspired Franco’s She Killed In Ecstasy, Tarentino’s Kill Bill, among others.

A Little Princess - 1995 - USA

A Little Princess - 1995 - 7/10

 
Sara, rich yet unspoilt, lives in India with her widowed father.
With the onset of the Great War, dad is dispatched to the trenches, Sara to a post New York boarding school.
All’s well, until dad is reported killed, and the money seized by the bank.
Expect no sympathy from a harsh headmistress (a sinister Eleanor Bron).
Very good family film for children, girls and boys – especially since this values girls.
Minor bullying, nothing upsetting, the tone is generally positive.
One of those rare films that, I think, received a second theatrical release.

Dr. Cyclops - 1940 - USA

Dr. Cyclops - 1940 - 6/10

 
Decades ahead of his time, the “mad” doctor decides humankind is bad for the planet.
His solution?  Shrink everyone.  Thus, our impact on the planet and resources will be diminished.
Per his request, other scientists arrive to confirm his findings, and end up … you guessed it.
Despite the potential, the result is a silly B-flick, saddled with an uninspired script.
Implications ignored, this becomes a survival narrative.
Early 3 color release boosts the curiosity factor.

Puppet Master - 1989 - USA

Puppet Master - 1989 - 5/10

 
Yeah, first appearance of those slower-than-slugs, deadly puppets.
The dolls had lain dormant, hidden, for decades, until curious psychics arrive.
And then, the killing starts.
Depending on your taste for D-movies, or how wasted you are, this initial Full Moon outing is either goofy fun or a dull disappointment.
The puppets are ridiculous.  Cheap, not particularly scary, and downright laughable.
However – the terrors have a certain weird, innocent charm that should appeal to anyone who still nurses a twisted, eight-year-old spirit inside them.
For rational types, for 99% of females, this is a mindless 90 minutes.
Wildly popular, over a dozen films followed.

Murder In Chartreuse - 2021 - France

Murder In Chartreuse - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Les Bois Maudits

 
The first victim hangs suspended like a marionette.
He was a big man, a bully, more feared than disliked.
Come the next body, likewise hanging, puppet positioned.
Near both, wooden plaques with dates and Latin scripture.
Soon, detectives realize this is a trilogy, with a third murder to come.
This is not one for characterizations or chemistry, but a serpentine plot.
Fairly well written, although landscape not used as heavily as others of this sort.

A Touch Of Cloth - 2012 - UK

A Touch Of Cloth - 2012 - 7/10  

 
“What’s that you say, old man?
“Ah, yes, the police procedural, buddy cops, the whole genre, ripe for parody.
‘True, the more one knows those clichés, the more one will catch the jokes.
“Murders, yes.  People will do anything to get themselves noticed nowadays.
“Refreshing to finally see a thick-skulled detective.  Reminds me of the cop who came after the birdbath was stolen.
“Three seasons, but only seven episodes?  How much do those writers get paid, anyway?”

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory - 1995 - USA

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory - 1995 - 5/10     

 
Pointless sequel to Seagal’s best film.  (pointless? – money)
Chief Ryback boards a Los Angeles bound train.
Just before mercenaries and terrorists arrive.
Their Plan?  Gain control of a weaponized satellite and ransom or dominate the globe.
As with the original, expect Ryback to be unstoppable and unkillable.
Techno terror element far-fetched; Busey and Jones sorely missed.

Daughters Of Darkness - 1971 - Belgium

Daughters Of Darkness - 1971 - 7/10
AKA - Les Lèvres Rouges

 
Mid-winter, the young lord and his new wife arrive at an empty Belgium hotel.
The plan is the catch a ferry back to England.  Until a Hungarian countess arrives.
Despite his bride growing moodier by the moment, despite learning the Countess’s name is Báthory (!), the husband decides to linger.  Well, the noble’s secretary is sexy, if feral.
Countess Báthory, meanwhile, has designs, and is a subtle gamester.
Arthouse Horror rewards multiple viewings.  (Warning, languid pace.)
A moody, chilly film, essentially an updated spin on “Carmilla”.
Delphine Seyrig is perfectly cast: thoughtful, intellectual, weary, dangerous.
Do not overlooks John Karlen’s commentary, which is funny and affectionate.