The Lady Lies - 1929 - USA

The Lady Lies - 1929 - 6/10

 
Sales girl Joyce at the 5th Avenue store helps Walter pick out a gift for his 14-year-old daughter.
A fur coat (this must be pre-Depression).
Later, they form a friendship, then relationship.
Walter, corporate attorney, is widowed and upper class.
Their affair is quasi-scandalous, ruffling the genteel, as well as his blue-nosed children.
Walter Huston and Claudette Colbert fine as the ill-starred romantics in the early talkie.
Ruggles memorable as inebriated  chum.  Betty Garde steals every scene she is in.

Muriel’s Wedding - 1994 - Australia

Muriel’s Wedding - 1994 - 7/10

 
Muriel is a loser, perceived by the cool clique as overweight and dumb.
Not only that, her own philandering father bullies her.
What to do?  How about steal a packet of family savings and head to the beach?
Biting Australian comedy skews middle-class wannabees, shines the underdogs.
Feel-good story provides a lot of big laughs.
Despite those, there is a quiet stream of unhappiness.
Muriel may be reliant and plucky enough to find her way, other are less able.
And Fate, as ever, can be capricious and cruel.

Separate Lies - 2005 - UK

Separate Lies - 2005 - 6/10

 
The uncomfortable ménage à trois.
Laissez faire, indifferent lover, older high-powered corporate attorney, insecure wife.
Between them, they share knowledge of a manslaughter.
Straight off, I could not buy the attraction between any of the characters for a second.
Whether lovers or spouses, nothing clicked.  The casting was poor.
Julian Fellowes moral whodunit chugs along in jaded ennui.

Backstroke - 2017 - USA

Backstroke - 2017 - 6/10

 
Amber and Jake blow off some steam and head out to the woods.
They find a revolver in the Buick’s glove compartment
Into the woods, then into a lake.  Trees flaring red, yellow and orange of autumn.
Perfect.  Until the stranger appears.  Ever so polite.
Aren’t they all?  At first.

In The Dust Of The Stars (Im Staub der Sterne) - 1976 - Germany

In The Dust Of The Stars - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - Im Staub der Sterne

An exploratory mission from planet Cynro responds to a distress code from Tem 4.
Descending, their ship malfunctions mysteriously.
Tem rulers deny the distress signal, then invite the Cynro crew to a big party.

 
Where they are doped and brainwashed into thinking, problem, what problem?
Along with, let’s go back home as soon as possible!

 
SciFi from East Germany has lots of costumes, great sets, terrific villains, tons of extras.
Also, for me, a surprising amount of nudity (where were the Stasi censors?).
Plot seems Trekkish, although it is enlightening to see the majority of ship officers helmed by females.
If you have the right frame of mind, this is great, especially for all the wtf moments.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subscene/97365

Door With Seven Locks, The - 1940 - UK

The Door With Seven Locks - 1940 - 6/10

 
The dying lord is to be buried in the family vault – with his jewels.
A faithful friend is entrusted with the seven keys.
Ten years later, a distant relative is summoned, a retired detective takes an interest.
While the seven keys are, of course, gone!
Edgar Wallace chamber thriller dashes from the gate and rarely slows down.
Duplicitous servants, hidden panels, death pact, even a monkey.
Leslie Banks, ever flamboyant, with Lillie Palmer, as the distant heir.

Sugar Mill - 2025 - Indonesia

Sugar Mill - 2025 - 6/10
AKA - Pabrik Gula

 
Many of the village youth ride the truck to the sugar mill in the countryside.
The factory bears a tainted history.  Years before, there was a fire and workers perished.
At night, restless spirits haunt the area.
Yellow hour, seasonal workers must be near their residence.  Red hour, they must be inside.
Try enforcing that with young, surging hormones.
Despite annoying, intermittent comic relief, this is rife with superstition and presences.
As Horror, this grows progressively more Indonesian throughout.
Disjointed narrative is both problematic and a big boost.