The Absent One - 2014 - Denmark

The Absent One - 2014 - 7/10
AKA - Fasandræberne (aka: Disgrace)

 
Before his suicide, a retired detective asks Mørck to look into the old murder of his children.
Mørck dismisses him, then, guilt-ridden, begins to dig though the old files.
Zeroing in on a prestigious boarding school for the rich and troubled.
As with The Keeper Of Lost Causes there are reams of plot and legwork.
The villains are wealthy, prone to Inflicting brutal injuries.
At the center is a witness from decades earlier, now sought by both sides.
Better for fans of police thrillers, rather than viewers who desire in-depth characterizations.

First A Girl - 1935 - UK

First A Girl - 1935 - 6/10

 
Aspiring performer Elizabeth is befriended by female impersonator Victor.
When misfortune strikes, she steps in and pretends to be a man, pretending to be a woman.
Continental acclaim ensues.
Music, romance, comedy in breezy remake of 1933’s Victor And Victoria.
Several gaudy musical numbers, over-the-top and weirdly irresistible.
Songs are not so catchy to me, but I was fascinated by the triple rhyming structure of many.
Jessie Matthews is adorably cute.
Like Joan Morgan before her, Hollywood made Matthews an offer (Damsel In Distress with Fred Astaire).
Her studio refused to let her go.  The indifferent hand of Fortune.

Giant - 1956 - USA

Giant - 1956 - 6/10

 
Overblown melodrama of rich man / poor man saga.
Powerful rancher Benedict gets hisself an East Coast bride and hauls her back to Texas.
Where Miss Leslie soon realizes how uppity the whole stinking sons of Benedict clan are.
A diversion, and solace, is neighbor Jett, a wildcatter and white trash.
The underlying theme is about breaking.  Breaking a filly, breaking the new wife, breaking the lower orders.
Characters and sideplots galore.  Few are compelling.
Three and a half hours of Texas bombast.  All hat, no cattle.

Tipping The Velvet - 2002 - UK

Tipping The Velvet - 2002 - 6/10

 
Young Nan takes up with an older female, a male impersonator, and heads to London.
Friendship glides into more taboo territory as they work closer as a team.
Adventures move across prostitution, cross-dressing, coming-of-age.
Overtly lesbian, and a feast for fashionistas.
If you watch enough BBC shows, you will recognize the superb casting in this.

Eerie - 2018 - Philippines

Eerie - 2018 - 6/10

 
Too many girls have been found dead at the Catholic girl’s school.
Murdered, suicide, misadventure.
Guidance counselor Patricia intervenes, butts heads with boss Sor Alice.
Interviews the unhappy girls, including the deceased.
Filipino horror mines guilt, persecution, mystery.
Religious overtones may deter many.

Toys In The Attic - 1963 - USA

Toys In The Attic - 1963 - 6/10

 
Julian and child bride Lily return to New Orleans on the sly.
The Chicago venture had been a failure.  Indeed, everything Julian attempted failed.
Well, his sisters would bail him out.  They always bailed him out.
I knew this was based a Lillian Hellman play; otherwise, I would have sworn Tennessee Williams.
Southern Gothic of betrayal, lust, class, race, control.
Award winner on Broadway, but definitely too steamy and provocative for Main Street.
Geraldine Page arresting as the bubbles and sunshine sister, with an agenda.
Dean Martin fine as the luckless, boastful, big-plans Julian.

The Ghost - 1963 - Italy

The Ghost - 1963 - 5/10
AKA - Lo Spettro

 
“Who’s there?”
Stupid man, he tricked me with that will.  After all I did for him.
“What’s that noise?”
I don’t care if the village is talking, if everyone suspects.
Everyone knew he took poison.  Trying to cure his paralysis.
Lavishly furnished Italian Gothic crawls like a snail in the icebox.
Poorly directed or incompetence, take your pick.

Stigma - 1977 - UK

Stigma - 1977 - 6/10

 
Workmen voice they would leave the stone undisturbed, but the new owner wants it shifted.
Katherine, standing nearby when it is lifted, feels an ill wind course through her.
Afterward, she is increasingly out of sorts, blood weeping from her pores.
The landscape casts a timeless aura, and explanations are vague guesses.
Katherine is able to keep the blood secret from her family, which I found surprising.
(Note: My bride said females keep secrets from men all the time.  Point.)

Confessions - 2010 - Japan

Confessions - 2010 - 7/10
AKA - Kokuhaku // 告白

 
The students are unruly, untamed, ungovernable.  Immune from consequences.
Teacher Yuko is leaving, but not before infecting two with HIV.
The unnamed pair who had murdered her four-year-old daughter.
Why?
Psychological thriller of confessions, explanations, half-baked rationale, denials.
Gripping throughout.  Horror or justification for those who believe the axiom “spare the rod”.

Chicken Town - 2025 - UK

Chicken Town - 2025 - 5/10

 
Lee causes the actual accident, but shifts blame to best mate Jayce.
Who receives ten months incarceration.  Upon release, he starts looking.
An old geezer discovers he has been growing reefer for years.
Local punks taunt school children.
Odd assorted premises and characters bounce at random.
This plays like a draft, a series of sketches, and desperately needs a rewrite to tighten the plot.

Never Hike Alone - 2017 - USA

Never Hike Alone - 2017 - 6/10

Hiker and podcaster Kyle notices the “No Trespassing” sign and steps over it.
He needs to make up time and decides on a shortcut by the lake.
Hey, there’s an abandoned campsite here!

 
Crystal Lake?  Didn’t something happen here back in the 80’s?
Jason somebody?  Sounds like a campfire myth.
Homage to a franchise builds slowly, but it gets there.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3369821