Norman Conquests: Round And Round The Garden - 1977 - UK

The Norman Conquests: Round And Round The Garden - 1977 - 7/10

 
Final part of the trilogy, this one set in the back garden.
This opens earliest, with Tom arriving for an injured cat, then Norman, then Reg and Sarah.
One ought NOT watch this first, however, as subsequent proceedings stem from indoor incidents.
Any sympathy for Norman collapses in this outing.
Norman is an emotional huckster with a smooth lie, “I can make you happy.”

 
He comes off as a pathetic sleaze.  One wonders at the desperation quotient of females drawn to him.
Norman is a charade, miserable himself, with radar for similar sufferers.
Ayckbourn comedy mixed with poignancy may rouse your ire.

Norman Conquests: Living Together - 1977 - UK

The Norman Conquests: Living Together - 1977 - 7/10

 
Concurrent with events in the dining room are those within the living room.
Norman seems more subdued here, perhaps guilty over his treatment of veterinarian Tom.
Reg has devised a new board game that no one is interested in.
Less explosive than the dining room, yet one senses undercurrents of quiet despair and ennui.
These are sad people, perhaps depressed, perhaps in denial.
Save for Tom, poor thing, who simply possesses no social skills, no radar for negativity.

Norman Conquests: Table Manners - 1977 - UK

The Norman Conquests: Table Manners - 1977 - 7/10

 
Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy of manners of strained marriages.
Disappointed wives, a “kept” husband, a spinster sister who seems destined for a dullard.
Norman may be “kept” but he makes lecherous advances.
He is obnoxiously juvenile, gratingly so.
Still, never overlook the female prerogative to get soppy for fools.
This looks very much like British telly of the era. (eg: Are You Being Served?, Good Neighbors.
I found it amusingly odd to see Margo and Tom as a couple.

The Locked Door - 1929 - USA

The Locked Door - 1929 - 6/10

 
Ann accompanies Frank to one of those offshore, floating casinos.
A classic masher, Frank attempts to get her drunk and disrobe her.
Yet an unexpected police raid catches all in the net.
Within a year Ann, married to the stuffy Lawrence, sees Frank seduce her sister-in-law.
Stodgy Talkie melodrama bogs down once we leave the casino.
Menzies sets are worth studying, and the sweeping bar seems a precursor to Shanghai Lil.
Barbara Stanwyck, barely in her twenties, is captivating.

Fatal Termination - 1990 - Hong Kong

Fatal Termination - 1990 - 6/10
AKA - Chi se da Feng Bao  //  赤 色 大 風 暴

 
The insanity of Hong Kong cinema.
Moon Lee clutching tight to the hood of a speeding car, while a stuntman holds a kicking, screaming, terrified child by the hair!
A Lebanese terrorist needs to smuggle a crate of guns, over 1000, with a stopover in Hong Kong.
Most of the Customs agents have been bribed, save for a few righteous souls.
Police know something is afoot, but they keep getting outflanked.
Confusing plot, characters who muddle about, interspersed with action sequences.
Until the last third of the film.  Then, buckle up.
The crazed car sequence above, a fight through towering shipping crates, combat between cars, helicopters, grenades, rockets.

Companion - 2025 - USA

Companion - 2025 - 6/10

 
Strolling the grocers, heading toward the clichéd Produce section, Iris is about to meet-cute.
With Josh, who has the charisma of a never washed gym sock.
All ain’t fair in love, however, as Iris is being set up by greedy would-be criminals.
Despite being the ultimate innocent, Iris learns right quick.
This has the workings of a good, fun thriller, but the writing is clumsy.
Way too many sections of explanations and expositions.
Scriptwriting 101 – Show, don’t tell.

Linda - 1973 - USA

Linda - 1973 - 6/10

 
Oh, she has her claws in him, dug in tight.
Not only did Linda murder Jeff's rich wife, but she also framed her own husband, Paul.
Paul either does the time or hangs, while Linda and Jeff live happy.
Pretty good TV Noir, over reliant on Ed Nelson.
John McIntire almost steals the film as the crafty defense attorney.
The real draw, however, is Stella Stevens, who was simply born too late for classic Noir.
Vixen Stella makes a coaxing femme fatale.

In a Nutshell - 2025 - USA

In a Nutshell - 2025 - 6/10

 
The commission is to recreate a horrific murder site in a dollhouse.
Emma has been working at it, a perfectionist.  Right down to the tiniest details.
The tiniest being a creepy sigil painted on the wall.  Is that blood?
Effective Horror short builds to a brutal release.

Murder In Sarlat - 2017 - France

Murder In Sarlat - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à Sarlat

 
Clues include references to ancient feuds between peasants and aristocrats.
Oh, and a big clue jutting from the chest.
The paired investigators apparently had an anonymous fling a few years earlier.
So he, a wad of insecurities, starts whining, wondering if he was unmemorable.
This was unnecessary, as the mystery, the history, the suspects, are all fine.
Ignore the forced romance, and focus on the slithering heels.