The Healing - 2012 - Philippines

The Healing - 2012 - 6/10 

 
Seth takes her dying father to a tiny village where a miraculous “healer” lives.
The results are astounding.
So much so, that ailing friends and neighbors demand she take them. 
The next time, something is different.  The healer is tired, but they insist.
Back home, miracles.  Then … a dark reckoning.
Philippines supernatural, with a whiff of earlier Hong Kong horrors.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3372672

The Witchunt - 2012 - USA

The Witchunt - 2012 - 5/10

First guy straddles two worlds: drugs and danger, and white collar.  Until consequences of Greed.
Next character, blue collar, and the temptations of Lust.
Got it?  Yes, the Seven Deadlies.

 
Wordless, experimental Horror, jammed with blistering editing and abrasive music.
In many ways, this reminds of an art installation.  Excessive, at that.
Draining in its way, overtly suggestive without anything explicit.
Still … track this down.  Beware swine.

Berthe Morisot - 2012 - France

Berthe Morisot - 2012 - 6/10

 
Biopic of the French Impressionist painter.
Family life, especially with sister Edma, friendship with Manet, inclusion with the Impressionists.
Narrative drops one in cold, and I had trouble differentiating the sisters at first.
Afterward, I researched Morisot and gathered the broad strokes are fairly accurate.
Her being included among the first Impressionist Exhibition is barely touched, yet was a staggering honor.

Dark Tide - 2012 - USA

Dark Tide - 2012 - 4/10

 
Supposedly a “shark film”, although Carcharodon sightings seem sparse, and waters are murky.
They needed a better agent.
Speaking of agents, Halle Berry is ostensibly the star, and she is shrill and whiny throughout.
This role makes her look like a fool.
Anyway, after a shark attack, Berry’s character gives up research and lets her business go to hell.
Until a rich tycoon appears with 100,000 if she will let him go swimming with sharks.
Almost immediately, one despises him almost as much as Berry and her husband.
Grief … the waters are dark much of the time.  Sharks have to be punched in the nose to attack.
Very disappointing, unless martial bickering and squabbling is your thing.

In Love With Alma Cogan - 2012 - UK

In Love With Alma Cogan - 2012 - 6/10

 
Despite the title, there ain’t no Alma, unless you count a brief flashback and lingering memory.
No, this is a traditional “theatre in trouble” trope, with the saving “let’s put on a show, gang!”
Typical of local theatre-goers, audiences are oldsters.
There is a clash of new accountancy, and a manager trying to make theatre affordable to everyday Joes.
The film is backstage and backstories.  Grudges, rivalries, loyalties, and the pressure of change.
Really, this is for theatre fans, especially Rep or Regional.

Starship Troopers: Invasion - 2012 - Japan

Starship Troopers: Invasion - 2012 - 6/10

 
The rescue on asteroid base Fort Casey turns out to be an ambush, with an onslaught of Klendathu bugs.
Suddenly, their ship powers away, stranding the combat teams.
Once sorted, aboard a smaller vessel, they are contacted by General Rico.
Something has gone terribly wrong with the ship that abandoned them.
Their new mission?  You got it.  
Half decent script here, and this is canon, so perhaps worth a watch to fans of this franchise.
Dated CGI, yet ought to be fine for those who tolerate retro.

John Carter - 2012 - USA

John Carter - 2012 - 5/10

 
By any other name, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “A Princess Of Mars”.
Civil War captain is teleported to the angry red planet.
Once there, and once he grasps his situation, Carter finds himself amid a forever war, and finds a princess.
Fairly standard plot here (can you say Star Wars?), yet this launches from 1912.
Despite an enthusiastic cast, this feels like leftovers.
The plot, alien creatures that seem from Lucas casting, a poor grip on pacing,
Result is overlong, old-fashioned, and just flat lacking sizzle.
At least one faneditor has tackled this, trimming 20”.  Helps, but the flaws are merely lessened.

The Mystery Of Room 327 - 2012 - France

The Mystery Of Room 327 - 2012 - 6/10
AKA - Chambre 327

 
Eve of his wedding, the young groom is found murdered in room 327 with a hooker.
Security cameras show the bride outside, and her handgun is found nearby.
Mom runs the hotel, erases the footage, hides the gun, lies to the police or evades answering.
French mystery is low on characterization (in fact, I disliked most of them).
That said, the writers have packed this with enough plotting and narrative for three films!
Rivals are trying to acquire the hotel, witnesses keep perishing, families argue.
Tight mystery that keeps one guessing until it plays a loose hand late in the proceedings.

Dredd - 2012 - UK

Dredd - 2012 - 6/10

 
Our dystopian future, the herd packed in squalid cities.
Crime is dealt with harshly by “Judges” who also act as jury and executioner.
A brutal slaying occurs in Peach Trees highrise.
Judge Dredd is dispatched with a rookie, one with psychic abilities.
The movie proves to be an extended, glorified shooter game.
Dredd ascends, killing a multitude of baddies.
Pretty good for what it is (far superior to the Stallone effort).
Producers let the DP go wild and it shows; this is a stylish actioner.
Expect blood.

The Viral Factor - 2012 - Hong Kong

The Viral Factor - 2012 - 6/10  
AKA - Jik Zin // 逆戰

 
A strain of smallpox has been stolen, then the scientist who stole it is snatched by a business cartel.
Why?  Release a new variant globally, then charge ka-zillions for the vaccine.
Wait a minute!  What year was this?  OK, OK, just a coincidence.
Film swiftly shifts into a high octane button, button, who’s got what?
Thieves, cops, crooked cops, scientists, an off-duty, out of his jurisdiction detective.
Action?  Holy moly, Moses, this is wall to wall gunfights, street chases, martial arts.
How many bullets can a body take and keep plugging along?  Think more.
Much was shot in Kuala Lumpur, nice change from Hong Kong.
Otherwise, mindless hoopla.

A Touch Of Cloth - 2012 - UK

A Touch Of Cloth - 2012 - 7/10  

 
“What’s that you say, old man?
“Ah, yes, the police procedural, buddy cops, the whole genre, ripe for parody.
‘True, the more one knows those clichés, the more one will catch the jokes.
“Murders, yes.  People will do anything to get themselves noticed nowadays.
“Refreshing to finally see a thick-skulled detective.  Reminds me of the cop who came after the birdbath was stolen.
“Three seasons, but only seven episodes?  How much do those writers get paid, anyway?”

Mrs. Biggs - 2012 - UK

Mrs. Biggs - 2012 -  6/10

 
Mrs. Ronnie Biggs, longest refugee from justice for the 1963 Great Train Robbery.
Powerful acting by Sheridan Smith and Daniel Mays boost this greatly.
Ronnie, cheap crook, petty soul, gets into a whirlwind affair with Charmian.
Marriage, children, and the desire for “nice things” which they can ill afford.
The heist is well thought out and meticulously shown.
There are too many men in the heist, though.  More men, greater chance of a weak link.
Caper is just one episode, followed by years on the run, evading, separate lives.
Aside from seeing clips of Biggs rollicking on the Rio beaches over the years, I knew little about this.
The real Charmian Biggs assisted in the script, so one hopes this is somewhat accurate.

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop And Gangster Films That Ruled The '70s - 2012 - USA

Eurocrime! The Italian Cop And Gangster Films That Ruled The '70s - 2012 - 7/10

 
Thorough documentary on Italian film subgenre that followed Spaghetti Westerns, concurrent with Giallo.
The Poliziotteschi.
Influences for these films were Bullitt, Dirty Harry, French Connection.
Italian style.  More gunplay, bloody violence, crazy chase sequences, nudity, and corruption.
Key interviewees include John Saxon, Franco Nero, Henry Silva, Antonio Sabato, Fred Williamson, Leonard Mann, Joe Dallesandro, along with writers, producers, directors.
Methods explained.  As with Hong Kong, no sound during shooting.  Stunts real, guns loaded, jumping from speeding cars – yes, the actors did that.
Reasons why these were wildly popular in Italy and much of the world, yet flopped Stateside.
Fast paced, funny, informative, this is an outstanding overview, although not necessarily an introduction.
Filmed just in time, as many of the subjects are now gone.

The Green Marker Scare - 2012 - Ireland

The Green Marker Scare - 2012 - 6/10

Teenage, private-eye Noreen helps her detective dad.
Until the car accident.  On his deathbed, he tells her his was no accident, but murder.
Whereupon she starts her own investigation.

 
Should you stick with this, the story tightens into an ugly, uncomfortable tale of murder, abuse, coverups.
Noreen and partner Cian are soon over their head, against agencies they do not comprehend.
Akin to Nancy Drew in a real world Hell.

 
Animators were ages 9-10-11, and never given a shooting script, thus unaware of the sinister, very adult narrative.
The crude, dayglow animation may put some off, yet the story of mystery and horror will haunt you for awhile.

Architecture 101 - 2012 - S Korea

Architecture 101 - 2012 - 7/10
AKA - Geonchukhakgaeron // 건축학개론

She waits in his office, his old flame, who he pretends not to remember.
Yet, how could he forget?  She was his first love, perhaps his only love.
Until she broke his heart.
Now she wants him to renovate her father’s home.

 
Bittersweet romance of the couple who drifted apart 15 years earlier.
Cross-cutting with them during their freshmen year in the university.
Hopeful, naïve, an aspiring pianist, an architecture student.

 
Encouraged by the professor to explore their neighborhood, examine it.
They share the bus, share dreams, only their envisioned futures differ.
Story will resonate with those who had “everything” with their first love, until they didn’t.

Still Mine - 2012 - Canada

Still Mine - 2012 - 7/10

 
Both are old, elderly, but Craig notices his wife has slight dementia.
Their two-story Canadian house is too much for her, especially the stairs.
Consequently, he decides to build a smaller home for them.
Build, as in DIY, using his own trees, his own blueprints, just as he had done decades earlier.
Of course, there were no building codes back then.  And no “rules is rules” inspectors.
Enthralling film of the fiercely independent soul clashing with the bureaucratic machine.
James Cromwell’s character will linger with you for weeks, and all scenes with Geneviève Bujold are the definition of “growing old together”.

The Bullet Vanishes - 2012 - Hong Kong

The Bullet Vanishes - 2012 - 6/10
AKA - Xiao shi de zi dan // 消失的子弹

 
Recently transferred investigative detective aligns with a local cop and his partner.
A series of odd deaths plagues a munitions factory, and workers say it is a curse.
Their methods mix cerebral and gunplay, each man respecting the others abilities.
Mystery angles and deductions will please classic fans.
1900 era Shanghai street scenes are heavily populated and bustling.
Nicholas Tse and Ching Wan Lau have an understated rapport.

The Revisionaries - 2012 - USA

The Revisionaries - 2012 - 6/10

 
Texas School Board hearings and elections.
What this small group decides is what goes into or is purged from textbooks.
Science textbooks.  “Creation” equates to evolution or intelligent design.
History textbooks, renaming slaves as “workers”.
One board member is up for reelection, and we follow him.  One does not even reside in Texas.
The impact is that what goes in Texas becomes the norm for the US.
Docked a point because this has dated.
I would like to impact is now diminished, since texts can now be pod (print on demand).
Yet, day after day, societies stumble into a new LCD.

The Last Of The Haussmans - 2012 - UK

The Last Of The Haussmans - 2012 - 6/10

 
Mother abandoned her two children early to live in an ashram.
Grandma took care of the youngsters and promised them her home when she died.
After she died, however, Mother appeared and took possession of the home, cutting the children out.
She could not afford to maintain the property and allowed it to descend into shambles.
So the play opens.  Mom, half-senile, one tumor removed, living amidst her sixties hippie delusions.  The adult children, failures each, watch any sort of security ebb away.
The hippie stereotype wears thin, and no one seems capable of becoming “adult”.
Not particularly funny, nor tragic.  Talking, not conversation.

Cheerful Weather For The Wedding - 2012 - UK

Cheerful Weather For The Wedding - 2012 - 6/10

Unexpected guest arrives at the bride’s family house the day of her wedding.
Her old flame.  Invited by the bride.
Love story of the girl who waited, and the boyfriend who waited possibly too long.
Story is laced with regret, longing, errors recognized, and unconfessed feelings.
Large family with identifiable types:  those who adore nuptials, those who would rather drink.
Set in 1932 over what seems like less than a year.

 

The “lovers’” history is told in flashbacks and is shown in golden hour.
Plot never unrolls as expected.  One is also left with a question or two.

Not necessarily a chick flick, but enjoyment may depend on one’s tolerance for:
1) It’s my prerogative to change my mind
2) I don’t make a decision until the last minute -- sometimes after.
I live with both types and have been trained to shift gears in an instant.