Mask Of The Evil Apparition - 2021 - Australia

Mask Of The Evil Apparition - 2021 - 6/10 

 
After two bombs, director Alex Proyas fell to working short films.
Perhaps hoping to claw back to the big leagues.
Barefoot and confused, the young girl finds herself in the wet city.
She decides to trust one of the brothers inside a bar, just as pursuit begins.
A great looking short, steeped in shadows and powerful visuals.
The story itself is unresolved, and may have been a pitch for the Dark City TV series.

The Shawl - 1989 - UK

The Shawl - 1989 - 6/10

An exploratory interview.  Miss A consults psychic John for advice.
She is careful, knowing that there is a strong chance he is a charlatan.
Next scene, glibly boasting to his protégé / lover, Charles, we realize he is a money seeking fraud.
Female intuition notwithstanding, the séance is arranged.

 
David Mamet chamber play of mystery and deception.
Multiple deceptions, since, human nature being as it is, lies are common.
Unlike many Mamet plays, the language is fairly clean.

Street Law - 1974 - Italy

Street Law - 1974 - 6/10
AKA - Il Cittadino si Ribella

 
Wrong place, wrong time.  Carlo is in a bank during an armed holdup.
He tires to retain his own money, but is kidnapped and beaten for interfering.
Manly pride wounded, he vows revenge.  Murder.
Trying to infiltrate the Underworld gives him nothing but more danger.
Euro-Crime is bookended with adrenaline and violence.
Mid-section more leisurely as Carlo plans, fails, inches closer to retribution.
Franco Nero connects as the highly strung vigilante, Barbara Bach underutilized.

Soapdish - 1991 - USA

Soapdish - 1991 - 6/10

 
Ratings are bad, the “star” suffers a relationship crisis, supporting players joust for the throne.
Hit and miss comedy set in the realm of soap opera.
Very much a parody of the genre, with particularly good comic casting.
Downey, droll and wry, Field with emotional outbursts, Kline a master of timing, Moriarty the caustic femme.
Their strengths, however, don’t always mesh.
Earlier sections play like theatre, gears sometimes slipping until the final act, sheer farce.
Nostalgia for some, as soaps have declined in viewership.

The Last Ten Days - 1955 - Germany

The Last Ten Days - 1955 - 6/10  
AKA - Der Letzte Akt

 
Berlin is encircled by the Soviets and Americans.
Hitler berates generals, studies maps that he thinks hold hundreds of thousands of fresh troops.
For most down in his bunker, carpe diem.  Drink, sing, boff, await annihilation.
Based on diaries and interviews, this may or may not accurately portray events.
Albin Skoda memorable as a conflicted Hitler, half mad, scarred after the 20 July Plot.
A late Pabst film, shot as an elevated docu-drama, worthwhile for fans of this director.

Murdercise - 2023 - USA

Murdercise - 2023 - 3/10

 
Pretty poor, even for my taste for bad cinema.
Masquerading as cops, the Skid Row Strangler targets high end hotties.
Meanwhile, a bevy of lovelies films an exercise workout video.
Stripper, dancer, wrestler, Goth, and others squat, spread, and flex their plex.
All vie to be the cover girl – and one by one, killings commence.
Spoof of 1980’s Slasher flicks has atrocious directing, and some whoopsie acting.
Not as funny as it aspires.
Bored, I examined complexions.  Several of the ladies need a dermatologist.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358738

Crime Story - 1993 - Hong Kong

Crime Story - 1993 - 6/10
AKA - Zhōng Àn Zǔ  // 重案組

If you can’t beat ’em – then kidnap and ransom them.
So, a crooked cabal decides, before snatching an unscrupulous property developer.
Midway investigations, Detective Chan suspects his partner might be crooked.

 
Blistering Jackie Chan actioner dispenses completely with comedy.
This is bullets and bare bones, wild stunts across Hong Kong and Taipei.
The influence of John Woo can be seen, although lacking the bloodshed.
For Jackie fans, still one for your to-view list, and edge-of-the-seat good.

The Decline Of The American Empire - 1986 - Canada

The Decline Of The American Empire - 1986 - 6/10

 
“The concept of personal happiness permeates the literature of a nation or civilization as its influence wanes.
"Personal happiness means the expectation of receiving instant gratification in daily life.”
Thus begins a witty, philosophical opening act.
Followed by a quartet of women at the exercise arena, while at home menfolk prepare dinner.
The ladies gossip, confess affairs, analyze male insecurities, while the males boast of prowess.
This whole section is terribly funny, yet once the dinner party commences, the easy cheer evaporates.
As in life situations, innuendo and snarky competitiveness burdens the table.
A Canadian film, this should appeal to fans of dialogue driven French fare.

Human Centipede - 2009 - Netherlands

Human Centipede - 2009 - 5/10

 
Straight off, the doctor is deranged.  Even his premise is pointless.
Explain that to his drugged and imprisoned guinea pigs.
Three sections: front, middle, caboose.  Head to rear.
All dining on unhappy meals.  Dog food, or leftovers.
The Horror is offset by the grotesque repulsiveness of the premise.
The comedy, and yes, that is pitch black, is again overwhelmed.
Body horror buffs will have no trouble watching with popcorn.
Although you might eye others around you, wondering what part of the chain you would be in.

Non-Stop New York - 1937 - UK

Non-Stop New York - 1937 - 6/10

 
Jennie is partial witness to a New York murder.
She did not see who did it, but she did see the convicted man depart before the homicide.
Yet, she is now back in London, penniless chorus girl.
How to return to the States to save the fall guy from the noose.
Wait!  The sky clipper!  A wet dream of an aeroplane, and where the film gets fun.
Passenger rooms as big as your bedroom.  Gourmet dining.  A stocked bar.  An outside observation deck!
The dialogue is witty, carried by several smooth rogues, along with the absurdity of the airship.

Draug - 2018 - Sweden

Draug - 2018 - 6/10

 
The missionary had ridden into the far north wilderness of Sweden.
Bringing Christianity to the pagans,  Circa 1000 AD.
After he and his party disappear, a team of warriors hit the search trail.
Into the woods of superstition and curses, blood feuds and possession.
Along with slumbering memory, and buried atrocities reawakening.
The narrative is too opaque for its own good.
We are thrown into a brightly lit landscape, seething with resentment.
A few reviews categorize this into a zombie film – it is not.
Nonetheless, I needed a review to clarify the ending for me.

The Secret Glory - 2001 - UK

The Secret Glory - 2001 - 5/10

During the battle in Heaven, Lucifer lost the war and his crown.
The latter was recast into a cup, The Grail.  Last custodians of which were the Cathars.
The Grail vanished when they were slaughtered.
In the 1920’s, secret agencies sought for it: White Eagle, Polaires Brotherhood, Thule Society.
Among them, one Otto Rahn, German fantasist, dreamer, who would soon catch the eye of Heinrich Himmler.

 
Documentary about the history of the Grail is absorbing, although film fans will be distracted trying to identity all the Silent film clips used in this section.
This is a biography Of Otto Rahn, however, and his story is simply not compelling.
He was, at best, a tiny historical footnote.  His niece dominates talking heads.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358739

Medusa Deluxe - 2022 - UK

Medusa Deluxe - 2022 - 6/10

 
Eve of the competition, one of the stylists, predicted to win, is murdered.
Backstage, contestants and models begin to speculate.
Muddying theories is the fact that the victim, a male, had his hair scalped off.
Dialogue driven mystery, listen and keep up!  Broadly drawn characters ease identifying.
Tour de force camerawork appears to be one-take.
Engaging while underway (although I could have dispensed with the final dance video).
Might pair pretty well with Blow Dry (2001).
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358740

Leap Of Faith - 1992 - USA

Leap Of Faith - 1992 - 6/10

 
Religious hucksters, suffering a breakdown in Kansas, set up the tents.
Well, have to pay for the repairs and parts somehow,
The region is in the midst of drought and eagerly donates money for a miracle.
Even when the town sheriff exposes chicanery, townsfolk don’t care.
Last third sees a slow shift in direction, with the cynical edge being glossed.
No unswerving Elmer Gantry tone here.
Steve Martin good as heel (always enjoyed his dramatic turns over his comedy schtick).