Murders In Pyla - 2014 - France

Murders In Pyla - 2014 - 6/10 
AKA - La Disparue du Pyla

 
When a skeletal corpse is unearthed in her old hometown, Elise immediately thinks it is her lost sister.
She was there that night a decade ago, when Laura disappeared.
Turns out, she was correct.  The remains are her sister’s.
Followed by a half dozen theories, suspects, accusations, lies.
Elise finds Laura’s diaries and begins investigating on her own.
Better than many French tele-mysteries, in that there is no romance, and the police are secondary.
Suspect #1 is easily guessed early on, however, which is unfortunate.

The Fare - 2014 - USA

The Fare - 2014 - 7/10

Car driver Harris rolls down a deserted stretch of nowhere.
Seems like a prank, but no, the fare is waiting along the road.
Attractive, a little sad, Penny climbs in, gives her destination.
Both talk freely, swap quips, enter an easy camaraderie.
Until the cab nears a storm, then Penny vanishes.

 
Next scene, Harris heads towards the fare, Penny … into the storm.
Small film with a tremendous heart.
Timeslip, classic mythology, well realized story.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3370772

Ceux de 14 - 2014 - France

Ceux de 14 - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Men Of ‘14

 
Men of 1914, onset of the Great War, soldiers of the French 106 Regiment.
Pretty much all told from the soldier’s point of view.
March here, wait, go there.  Attack, retreat, no – go back, wait, wait.
Husbands, boyfriends, sons, an illiterate, a cook, scavenger, intellectual.
In keeping with the mass carnage of that war, each installment brings losses.
Not as much as those in 1914, Verdun, but familiar faces will be buried.
History types will be on surer footing, yet the lack of details may disappoint them.

The Vicious Dead - 2014 - UK

The Vicious Dead - 2014 - 5/10

 
Busted.  Computer “ace” Chase has been caught peeping.
Inside a secret laboratory where experiments are ongoing.
Recall “Alien Autopsy” and you’re halfway there.
Henchmen locate Chase within minutes, just before zombie apocalypse.
Too many ideas, not enough running time.
Lengthy credits of outtakes.

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.

Lake Nowhere - 2014 - USA

Lake Nowhere - 2014 - 5/10

 
Three couples and a spare disembark at the cabin by the forlorn lake.
Where they are observed … by a guy who appears to be auditioning for Sasquatch.
Alcohol, weed, implied canoodling, and a little barking dog.
Homage / pastiche to 80’s Slashers suffers from a trope of “airing on late nite TV.”
Nudity, awkwardly excised, seconds of commercials, tape offtrack.
Part Slasher, part zombie.  Males, to a soul, overact.
Good concept, missteps during execution.

Nectar - 2014 - France

Nectar - 2014 - 6/10

 
Attendants stimulate the queen, who exudes honey, or nectar.
Which is collected, stored, eventually making its way to the outside humankind hive.
Health of depends on the queen, otherwise the community perishes.
Arthouse allegory with an evocative sound field (should be boosted substantially).
Mirroring the cityscape with the honeycomb subtly done.

Mysterious Disappearance - 2014 - France

Mysterious Disappearance - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Monsieur Max et la Rumeur  (Mr. Max and the Rumor)

 
Village butcher Max is, what, 20 years older than live-in girlfriend, Caroline?
Tongues wag.  She is a dish, and she flaunts it, strutting and sashaying.
Consequently, when there is a raucous argument, and she vanishes, and there is blood.
Rumors swirl.  People love to talk.  Gossip.  Embellish.  Vent.
Max is isolated, save for the busybody neighbor, a Jane Marple type, with motives.
About midway, I said out loud, “This is pretty hammy.”
Ah, not so fast youngling, as the final third shuffles the plot deck, changing everything.
Christie fans, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

A Taste Of Honey - 2014 - UK

A Taste Of Honey - 2014 - 7/10  

 
Jo tags after Helen to the latest dismal digs.
No heat, dirty rooms, an undesirable neighborhood.
They probably owe money to the previous landlord, and Helen is not one for steady work.
As far as mothers go, she’d rather have a drink.  Or the whole bottle.
She does have a fancy man, however, who has followed her to the hovel.
Speaking of fancy men, young Jo has caught herself a sailor – who says he loves her.
Groundbreaking play (alcoholism, unwed mother, inter-racial, homosexuality) less risqué today.
One watches today for the caliber of acting which is high in this, and fierce.
Compare this with the 1961 film adaptation and this version bristles.

Murder In Rouen - 2014 - France

Murder In Rouen - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Meurtres à l'Abbaye de Rouen

 
The body tumbled from one of the tall spires.
Suicide, accident, or homicide?
Previously disgraced Inspector Mège arrives; who is as ill-tempered as they come.
Dislikes journalists, treats colleagues like staff.
This one is all urban, all the time, with dizzying aerial shots inside and outside the abbey.
Mystery is well designed, although as corpses mount you’ll will zero in on the guilty.

Brokenwood Mysteries - 2014 - New Zealand

Brokenwood Mysteries - 2014 - 6/10

 
Amiable mystery with eccentric city inspector Shepherd assigned to a rural backwater.
And like all TV hinterlands, there are murders and nefarious doings aplenty.
By the end of S01, the ensemble team has been assembled (although none display much personality).
The mysteries range from pretty good (a wine competition) to predictable (a revenge).
Well written, passable entertainment, spawning 10+ seasons.
One season was OK for me, doubt I will watch more.

Conjuring Spirit - 2014 - Vietnam

Conjuring Spirit - 2014 - 5/10
AKA - Chung Cu Ma

 
The adulterous landlord fixes up the apartment for his girlfriend, then murders her.
Thereafter, tenants of that apartment are killed, commit suicide, or flee in terror.
Enter writer Lan and her five-year-old son, Bi.
Strange occurrences begin almost immediately.
Low-level Vietnamese horror is fairly predictable, with a range of acting.
The lack of sophistication is the handicap and attraction here.
Bizarre plotholes, and also an interesting twist.

Line Walker - 2014 - Hong Kong

Line Walker - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Si Tou Hang Jeh // 使徒行者

 
Excess in every sense of the word.
Just before he is killed, the police handler deletes all files of his UCs (undercover agents).
The new handler has to find out who they are, what their assignments are.
Lengthy (30 episodes) HK-drama is long on action and melodrama.
Narratives build, partially conclude while gliding into a deadlier level.
Yes, and in many ways, this resembles a shooter game.
Cringe worthy comic relief, sexual frustration jokes, embarrassing romance elements, songs.
That’s why the remote has a fast-forward button.
Overlong, yet it does conclude.  No never-to-resolve cliffhanger.

You’re Sleeping Nicole - 2014 - Canada

You’re Sleeping Nicole - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Tu Dors Nicole

 
Summer break, parents away on a vacation, Nicole has the house to herself.
Both she and best friend, Véronique, hang out, drift about, bounce the random male.
They wonder aloud, “Is this what our summer is going to be?”
Then Nicole’s brother arrives, band in tow, and begin rehearsing.
The males are older, not especially talented, likewise going nowhere.
Film does a good job of catching the stagnant lethargy of summer, broken here and there.
The closer one is in age to the characters (19-20) the more one may identify and sympathize.
English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3348255

Alex Hugo - 2014 - France

Alex Hugo - 2014 - 6/10

 
Ex-Marseille police detective Hugo, fed up with city violence, moves to the tranquil countryside.
Alas, the bucolic setting turns out to be another Cabot Cove (sans JB Fletcher), and just as lethal.
Cult suicides, runaways killed, axe murders.
Bears more than a passing resemblance to Midsomer Murders.
By the end of 3 episodes, an ensemble has been built around the burly Hugo.
Rugged mountain scenery is the attraction here.
Mysteries themselves are routine, and series seems low on energy.

Skylight - 2014 - UK

Skylight - 2014 - 7/10  

 
Three years after she walked out of her second family, Kyra receives two visitors.
Wayward son Edward, starting his gap year, asking why she left those years before.
“Think,”  Kyra says.  “Just think.”
Then, after Edward departs, the father, Tom, attempting, awkwardly, a pained reconciliation.
Searing performances from Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan of a broken relationship.
Funny, excruciating, contrasting spiraling greed and self-reformation.
Restaurateur Tom made his pile when Kyra was his right hand.
Now, both older, wisdom is a bitter tonic.
Main quibble for me, in an otherwise exceptional play, is the age discrepancy.
Supposedly 15 years apart, they look 30, perhaps 40, years apart.
English subtitles = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3331454

Mexican Vampire Cinema: A Brief History - 2014 - USA

Mexican Vampire Cinema: A Brief History - 2014 - 6/10

 
OK, so this neglects the 1931 Drácula, and starts in the 1950‘s.
A lot of films, players and background are included in roughly an hour.
Presented by David Witt, who is an authority here.
The look for most of these is Expressionistic / Gothic, the acting vigorous.

 
While the second half focuses heavily on Santo, there are several gems.
Such as, did you know international cuts featured nudity?
Another variation on this series is Mummies In Mexican Cinema.
Just what I need, more questionable viewing.

Next Goal Wins - 2014 - UK

Next Goal Wins - 2014 - 7/10

 
Bottom ranked football club from American Samoa has yet to score a goal, let alone win a match.
While in FIFA, the players are not professionals, they have day jobs, some are students.
Other clubs are better equipped and boast world class talent.
Seeking help, FIFA sends them a Dutch coach prior to the next qualifiers.
He is demanding, is an outsider, does not altogether understand the culture
Nevertheless, they begin to improve.
Big hearted documentary of teammates striving for a little respect.
Beware the Hollywood adaptation, reducing originals to stereotypes and caricatures.
English subtitles = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3286581

ThirTEEN Terrors - 2014 - Thailand

ThirTEEN Terrors - 2014 - 6/10  
AKA - Phuean Hian.. Rongrian Lon

 
When she drops a book, the student looks into her desk and sees the head.
Seeing the head means she is cursed to die!
Thirteen stories set in the high school realm.
Pranks gone bad, casual curses that turn deadly, bullying.
Actors are youthful, most are OK with primal emotions.
Jump scares predominate, sometimes the director belabors a point.

 
A favorite episode is set in Dance class, where the girls are anxious about the mannequin.
The doll does seem to get around a bit.
And why, oh why, oh why, do students break into school at night?
Viewers with long memories will recognize the sly nod to classic Twilight Zone.

Over Your Dead Body - 2014 - Japan

Over Your Dead Body - 2014 - 7/10
AKA - Kuime // 鬼門食女

 
Frictions emerge during rehearsals of “Yotsuya Kaidan”, a classic ghost story.
As the leading man / lady start to drift apart, the new ingenue becomes a love rival.
Roles begin to bleed into reality, to the point some see apparitions.
Highly stylized film mixes theatrical with cinematic with physical obsession.
Viewing The Ghost Of Yotsuya (1959) a few years earlier, prepared me for the bones of the story.
While visually arresting throughout, this may be too leisurely, too stagey, for restless types.