The Big Racket - 1976 - Italy

The Big Racket - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - Il Grande Racket

 
A quartet of enforcers shake down small businesses for protection money.
No pay, the stores are trashed, burned.  Wives and daughters raped, murdered.
Cops hound them, but they hide behind the law.  If police get tough, lawyers cry foul.
Extremely violent Euro-Crime, heavy on beatings, misogyny, and ballistics.
Lead villains are particularly well cast, their smirking arrogance, sadistic satisfaction.
As with so many of these, even with blood vengeance, the aftertaste is bitter.

Samurai Vendetta - 1959 - Japan

Samurai Vendetta - 1959 - 7/10
AKA - Hakuōki  // 薄桜記

 
Intersecting paths of two swordsmen from different / rival schools.
One is a ronin, with a slightly upward trajectory.  The other still a samurai, yet Fate is unkind.
Mutual respect between the pair cause dissension in their clans, and later expulsion.
Classic chambara , steeped in honor, the samurai code, the breath of revenge.
Knowledge of the history of the 47 Ronin is essential.
Star-making roles for Raizo Ichikawa (Sleepy Eyes Of Death) and Shintaro Katsu (Zatoichi).
As with much Japanese cinema of this period, the composition throughout is peerless.

You Can Redo Your Life, But You Have To Die First - 2020 - UK

You Can Redo Your Life, But You Have To Die First - 2020 - 6/10

 
“You’re telling me, you invested that cube with bits and bobs and plutonium?”
“Yep.”
“And it’s a time displacemen –  It’s a reset button?”
“Yep.”
SciFi short mixes toxic comedy with lengthy dialogue.
Enjoyment may hinge on your tolerance for British self-absorption, self-loathing humor.
Think Extras or Camping.

Call Me Tonight - 1986 - Japan

Call Me Tonight - 1986 - 5/10
AKA - Kōru Mī Tunaito //トゥナイト

 
Ryo has a bit of a problem.
Anytime he gets “aroused” he turns into a destructive monster.
Teeth, claws, bloodlust.
So, does Ryo contact a doctor?  Priest?  Scientist?
Nope, he phones the local escort service.
Soon, he and his date are trailed by street toughs.
Watered down hentai, poor anime that simply resembles manga panels.
As a parody of the genre, however, not bad.

Inequality For All - 2013 - USA

Inequality For All - 2013 - 7/10

 
Robert Reich addresses the college auditorium, as well as a room filled with blue collar.
Trying to explain where the middle class went, how everyone is financially broke.
And how the very few, the 1% at the top have so much wealth, that they can buy or tilt elections.
Reich is thoughtful, reasonable, trying to explain in simple language.
The worrying thought is that wealth disparity is even greater today than it was in 2013.
Solutions require political will, which is impossible for politicians without backbones.
Of course, we, the electorate, keep reinstating failures again and again.

Midnight Clear - 2017 - USA

Midnight Clear - 2017 - 6/10

 
Dad loves Christmas.  He also exhibits simmering anger this year.
Add a wee bit of instability, and Dad frightens his wife and children.
Family traditions ain’t always what they’re cracked up to be.
Short film, stick for the twist.
Holiday fare for Grinch and Krampus celebrants.

Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey - 2019 - UK

Lucy Worsley's Christmas Carol Odyssey - 2019 - 6/10

 
Always sigh inducing when a presenter puts their own name first and foremost.
Historian Lucy Worsley sweeps the songs from pagan into Medieval into the Great War.
Admittedly, the earlier Wassail songs seem more fun, their stories not over-told.
Plenty of carols in this, also a fair bit of fill to pad the time length.
Good as atmosphere, purring in the background while revels are ongoing.
For the more adventurous, check out The Unthanks: A Very English Winter (2012).