Jason Rising: Friday 13th Fan Film - 2021 - USA

Jason Rising: Friday 13th Fan Film - 2021 - 6/10

Three female convicts murder the guard and flee into the woods.
And into Camp Crystal Lake.
Reason?  “No one would be crazy enough to follow us here.”
Except for two federal agents and two local sheriffs.
Effective homage is fairly paced, wisely shot at night, has solid acting.
Wicked in-jokes to other infamous monsters.

Killer Shark - 2021 - China

Killer Shark - 2021 - 5/10
AKA - 夺命巨鲨

 
Happy-go-lucky shark has plenty to feel cheerful about.
The Pacific teems with screaming, squealing, tasty humans.
Once it starts chomping, it can’t stop at just one.  Or two, or four.
Six affluent (or wannabee affluent) youths crash their yacht and are stranded.
One bleeds heavily, attracting the voracious predator.
Borrows from The Reef, although most know this going in.
Laughably bad subtitles.  Meals are whiny beyond belief – root for the shark!

The Retreat - 2021 - USA

The Retreat - 2021 - 4/10

 
As in, a writers retreat in a vintage Cape Cod cabin.
Six of them, typing away on laptops, although Sasha gabs endlessly on her vlog.
Tired of them already?
Wait, they find a journal in the attic, with all sorts of sigils and runes drawn in it.
There are bad dreams, the dogs are on alert, hey, was there someone outside the window?
Have they never viewed a Horror flick?  Handheld docu-ish, like Blair Witch?
Oops, did I give the influence away?
Writers in danger, such a lame trope.

Everything Went Fine - 2021 - France

Everything Went Fine - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Tout s'est Bien Passé

 
Age 85, André suffers a stroke, a bad one, leaving him paralyzed on one side and incontinent.
Although he recovers somewhat, his original request to daughter Emmanuèle abides.
“Help me end it.”
While euthanasia is legal in nearby Switzerland, it is illegal in fiercely Catholic France.
André is not a feel-good individual.  Flashbacks show a faithless husband, and bullying father.
Film of conversations, memory, and journeys.
One’s age might inform their interest in this.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366592

Secrets Of The London Underground - 2021 - UK

Secrets Of The London Underground - 2021 - 6/10

 
Disused, forgotten stations.  Historic signage.  Modern retrofits sheltering the surprise underneath.
Two engaging hosts prowl the subterranean depths.
Enjoyable for all familiar with “mind the gap”.
Subsequent seasons will be unseen by me.
One season probably says it all.

The Last Socialist Artifact - 2021 - Croatia

The Last Socialist Artifact - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Podrucje Bez Signala

 
The factory used to make turbines.  Before the problems.  When the nations were Yugoslavia.
Two hustlers arrive from the city, and try to convince the locals.
The won’t divulge who the customer is.  Nor how many orders there are.
Still, work is good, correct?  Not in the Balkans, where grudges endure generations.  
Six-part series, each focusing on a specific character, advancing the story from their p.o.v.
Bitter throughout, with Fate vying with Hope.
Compelling and satisfying.

Boxing Day - 2021 - UK

Boxing Day - 2021 - 6/10

 
Georgia and Lisa meet and get along famously.
Until Georgia realizes Lisa is engaged to marry the old flame, for whom she still carries a torch.
There is also a boisterous, Jamaican / English family involved.
Everyone in everyone else’s business.
And the boyfriend / ex in question?  Hr fled two years ago to escape family.
While tagged with Christmas, this is straight up Rom-Com.
OK, depending on your tolerance for pushy families.

Asakusa Kid - 2021 - Japan

Asakusa Kid - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - Asakusa Kiddo // 浅草キッド

 
Early 1970’s, young Takeshi Kitano starts working at the failing France-Za club in Asakusa.
He’s there to learn from Fukami, one of comedy’s kings.
Time has moved away from his skits, however, replaced by manzai (straight man / funny man duos).
The closest I can categorize France-Za club is burlesque.  Striptease, skits, jokes, songs.
Fukami Senzaburo’s narrative is every bit as compelling as Kitano’s.
For Westerners, us who mostly know Kitano through his cinema, this is a revealing look at his comedy.
Also, a loving look back at the passing of an age.
Do yourself a favor, avoid dubbed, learn to read subs.

Love Gets A Room - 2021 - Spain

Love Gets A Room - 2021 - 7/10
AKA - El Amor en su Lugar

 
Theatre troupe, imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII, put on a play to raise spirits.
A musical comedy, weaving the play with personal choices.
Playwright Patryk plans to escape after the show and wants ex-flame Stefcia to accompany.
She, however, is in love with the caddish leading man.
The theatre is full, a stoic audience longing for a night to forget their desperate fears.
In the front row, an SS officer, theatre lover himself or something more sinister?
Outstanding camera work, easy to overlook if one is caught in the story.

Out Of Time: The Material Issue Story - 2021 - USA

Out Of Time: The Material Issue Story - 2021 - 6/10

 
Documentary of the fondly remembered, yet ill-fated Chicago group
Focus on singer, songwriter, frontman Jim Ellison throughout.
That is a bit light, however, as afterward, Ellison remains an enigma.
Chronology weaves with hit songs, along with studio labors.
Although the heads reflect on missed greatness, power pop has always struggled.
As do most groups in general.  There is “the moment”, brief and brilliant, then the fade.
Their debut album “International Pop Overthrow” was very popular and it was on heavy rotation in our record store.
The second fared less well, the third not at all.
Most groups break up at this point, a few slog on, Ellison chose a darker route.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3358863

Mask Of The Evil Apparition - 2021 - Australia

Mask Of The Evil Apparition - 2021 - 6/10 

 
After two bombs, director Alex Proyas fell to working short films.
Perhaps hoping to claw back to the big leagues.
Barefoot and confused, the young girl finds herself in the wet city.
She decides to trust one of the brothers inside a bar, just as pursuit begins.
A great looking short, steeped in shadows and powerful visuals.
The story itself is unresolved, and may have been a pitch for the Dark City TV series.

Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam - 2021 - Pakistan

Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam - 2021 - 6/10

 
Women and their relations with menfolk.
Domineering swine, gullible fools, doomed lovers, lying deceivers.
Yes, it’s a man’s world, this time in Pakistan.
While these are individual stories, an underlying arc links them.
Time and again, there are dark twists as the men underestimate angry or hungry females at their own risk.  
While this is modern (cars and cellphones) the Look is supernatural Gothic.
Ruins, shadows, bonfires, wastelands, layers of impressive visuals.

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror - 2021 - UK

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror - 2021 - 8/10

 
The term “folk horror” is now as overused as “Film Noir”.
Any eerie film with a tree, there you go.  Or sheep, my God!
Notwithstanding, this is a marvelous overview.
No idea how many films are referenced.  100+.
UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, the States (mostly the South and Appalachia).
Are there missing favorites?  Sure.  Overlook that.
At three plus hours, you might want to break this down piecemeal.
And make notes, lots of films for your to-view list.
Horror buffs, an essential primer and guide to help you wander the world.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357056

McCartney 3, 2,1 - 2021 - USA

McCartney 3, 2,1 - 2021 - 8/10

 
Documentary I had resisted for a long time.
Rick Rubin interviews Paul McCartney in a studio.
Thorny topics avoided, they discuss Beatles and Wings.
Predominantly, the songs, and the art of song craft.
How compositions came about, inspirations, learning curves.
Informative, with an easy tone, as Paul, growing comfortable, shares memories.
Those who worried about any sort of one-upsmanship, fear not.
Superb, inspired presentation of how an interview should be done.

Blitz Spirit - 2021 - UK

Blitz Spirit - 2021 - 7/10

 
Historian Lucy Worsley separates myths and fables from actual events.
She relies on diaries and journals of London participants, with actors voicing their words.
Also utilized are newsreel footage and official documents.
The Government initially declared the Underground off-limits as bomb shelters.
Ongoing news was scrutinized, rewritten, censored.
The Luftwaffe initially targeted the Docks and East End, sparing the ruling class.
The lower orders recognized the timeless slight.
Timeline is brief and accurate.  Declaration, Phony War, Blitz, Germany pivots toward Russia.
Worthwhile.  In a vein similar to Worsley’s  Suffragettes (2018).
English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3350451

Late Night Ride - 2021 - Singapore

Late Night Ride - 2021 - 6/10
AKA - Kai ye Che  //  开夜车

Three of the four web-hosts and influencers, head down the deserted road.
Legend says the road was constructed over an old cemetery and is now haunted.
Can’t say the girls weren’t warned.
Three stories of death and hauntings, all on the same midnight road.
A husband whose wife perished on it, and an over-worked taxi driver.
By the conclusion, the three interlink.
Grief and ghosts.

Vortex - 2021 - France

Vortex - 2021 - 7/10

 
Just before  married partners Lui and Elle awake, the film shifts to split screen.
It will stay separate for the duration, observing husband and wife go about their day.
Lui is a writer / philosopher working on a book about films and dreams.
He writes, types, reads, watches old cinema.
Elle clearly suffers cognition decline, lost in her own home.  Outdoors, even more muddled.
She had been a psychiatrist, still has a cabinet of prescriptions, and she is self-medicating.
A son makes suggestions, to which they are resistant.
Leave their home?  All their (many) books?  The neighborhood?
Lui is 80, Elle 76, and they are sleepwalking their own dream.
Powerful film, if very slow, with extremely long takes.

Jane By Charlotte - 2021 - France

Jane By Charlotte - 2021 - 7/10

 
Profile of Jane Birkin by daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Series of conversations about career, marriage, children, illness, shyness.
On being middle children, food and dietary restrictions, cities.
Not really a biography, although we hear details.
Not necessarily a documentary, but a stitched / edited flow of dialogue.
Viewers ought to know something about each woman, especially Birkin.
English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3349451

Artificial Existence - 2021 - USA

Artificial Existence - 2021 - 7/10

 
It’s just a tiny implant, connected to your cortex.  You won’t notice.
Evelyn is a virtual reality architect of near tomorrow.  She helped design our A I ruled world.
Day after day of perfectly scheduled, soulless monotony.
All citizens have implants or mods, upgrades are mandatory.
A society of passive sheep, save for those who recall a world before A I control.
For those, contentment is a quiet Hell.
I keep saying – befriend the machine, train the machine, empower the machine, at your peril.

English subs = https://subscene.cam/subtitle/3350842

Quant - 2021 - UK

Quant - 2021 - 7/10

 
For fashionistas, a must-see biography of the Sixties designer icon.
Who actually set up her own boutique shop in 1955.
Best remembered for the miniskirts, bright colors, free moving garments.
Plus, she was not designing for the affluent elite, but for everyday girls.
Numerous talking heads from models to historians to a few gushing cheerleaders.
While she rarely receives credit today, her influence still pervades fashion.
The Mary Quant Shops remain strong in Japan.