Hold On! - 1966 - USA

Hold On! - 1966 - 6/10

 
Fun little romp of Herman’s Hermits hitting the States, Herman wooing Shelley Fabares.
Shelley sings one, on the beach with backing musicians.  Herman and mates sing around ten.
The plot, tissue thin, involves a popular vote wanting the next rocket named after the group.
NASA sends an agent to investigate, while a fading starlet tries to gloom her way into the circle.
While more entertaining than DC5’s Having A Wild Weekend, this feels corny and dated.
In 1966, the British Invasion was over, “Revolver” came out, as did “Pet Sounds”, “Aftermath”, “Freak Out”, “East-West”, “Blonde On Blonde”, way too many.

Bad Channels - 1992 - USA

Bad Channels - 1992 - 3/10 

 
Extraterrestrials take over radio KDUL (dull, get it) and begin broadcasting “capture” signals.
Meaning, listeners (young, attractive female listeners) are lured, shrunk, stuffed in glass tubes.
How long until all gorgeous girls are gone?  Who will be Earth’s savior?  
El cheapo crap from Full Moon is a poster child for terrible.
What was I thinking?  Music by Blue Öyster Cult; I couldn’t help myself.

The Crimson Pirate - 1952 - USA

The Crimson Pirate - 1952 - 7/10 

 
Pirate captain Vallo plies the Caribbean with his lusty crew.
Menacing and looting both representatives of the Crown as well as rebel groups.
Meantime, finding channels for a dash of romance her and there.
Being a pirate movie, one should not trust outlaws, nor government types.
High adventure with terrific stunts, Lancaster virile and athletic.
Those who pigeonhole him into drama and Noir ought to check his adventuresome roots.
Fans of Flynn, Fairbanks, this is glorious.

Where The Devil Roams - 2023 - USA

Where The Devil Roams - 2023 - 7/10

 
The family work the carnival sideshow, although their efforts are poorly received.
Supplementing their existence, they rob and murder as they travel along.
The father suffers trauma from the Great War, which his wife responds to with homicidal intent.
Shot in midwinter, out in small towns and wastelands.
References to the Devil and Abaddon, likewise scripture, plus nods to the Carnivale series.
The Adams family are auteurs, their style distinctive, plots original.  I am a fan.

Backrooms - 2026 - USA

Backrooms - 2026 - 6/10

 
Clark, owner of a dying furniture emporium, sees a psychiatrist for his anger and loneliness.
Late night, in the basement of the store (where he has been sleeping), he chances upon a gateway.
Into a vast space of unlimited floors, rooms, hallways, and poorly configured echoes of reality.
Once the psychiatrist arrives, the pace and weirdness ramps up.
Slow boil horror, will crawl under the skin of those who suffer anxiety about liminal areas.
Based on a web series (I never saw), and an ongoing trend for “liminal” anything.
(Note: I speculate young generations, comfortable with devices, less with physical, may enjoy more.)

The Case Of The Curious Bride - 1935 - USA

The Case Of The Curious Bride - 1935 - 6/10 

 
Ex-flame seeks free legal advice from Perry Mason for her “friend”.
The lawyer refuses, advising her to be more truthful.
Skip a scene and Rhoda is up to her neck in murder, blackmail and bigamy.
Flirts with violations throughout, yet this manages to squeak past the Production Code. 
Warren, as ever, is suave, humorous, at ease in murky legal areas.
Mason’s private eye, “Spudsy” Drake, has a decent role and contributes.
Wini Shaw, underutilized, sings a Berkeleyish number.  Flynn fans, he arrives late. 
Excellent film to study director Curtiz’s methods for brisk narrative and camerawork.

The Mummy - 1932 - USA

The Mummy - 1932 - 7/10 

 
Modern tomb raiders, excuse me, archeologists, unearth the wrong crypt.
After a brief, ineffectual argument about ethics, one rouses that which was never really dead.
A curse invoked, a claim from beyond time ensues.
Sadly, far too pokey for impatient audiences, although this is steeped in atmosphere.
Acting, depending on performers, ranges from captivating to uninspired.
Commentary tracks (2) enjoyable and illuminating.

Alien³ - 1992 - USA

Alien³ - 1992 - 6/10 

 
Pity the unloved child.
Escaping the annihilation of the xenomorph colony, Ripley’s vessel crash lands on a prison planet.
Convicts are a mix of sociopaths, psychopaths, average murderers.  Staff is more of the same.
Unfortunately for Ripley, and for the male population, her ship had carried a stowaway.
This is a hard watch for fans of the xenomorph.  Endless scriptwriters, rewrites, studio meddling.
For the faithful, the extended “Assembly Cut” will provide a richer experience.
Those familiar with the fanedit world, seek out “Alien3: Third Cut” by 15MaF.  That is the one.

The Moneychangers - 1976 - USA

The Moneychangers - 1976 - 6/10

 
The king is dead, or at least dying, and the prime heirs apparent pull out their knives.
Chicanery and devious maneuverings at the at a financial institution.
High gloss sleaze might well have inspired Dallas and foretold Enron and Salomon Brothers.
Powerhouse cast (for TV) includes Kirk Douglas, Christopher Plummer, Lorne Greene, Jean Peters.
Deliciously nasty, although this is still expensive soap.
Speaking of soap, a prison sequence is unforgettable.  How it aired on TV is unfathomable.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 1991 - USA

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - 1991 - 6/10

 
After the loss of a mineral rich moon, the Klingon Empire enters peace negotiations with the Federation.
Ordered, against his will, to shepherd the diplomats is a reluctant Kirk.
Lust for conflict being what is it, expect treachery and misdeeds from both sides.
The last hurrah from the original cast is an acceptable outing.
Plus, with a Shakespeare quoting Plummer, they finally found someone who could ham with Shatner.
For a production that had budget limits, this still looks pretty good.

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma - 2026 - USA

Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma - 2026 - 6/10 

The small indie director has been offered a big deal.
Helm the reboot of the Camp Miasma slasher franchise and make it less misogynist.
One participant she desires, however, is the old star, now a recluse.

 
So, Kris travels north, into snow and ice, to try and persuade a reluctant icon.
As satire, this is spot on.  The killer, “Little Death”, ridiculous name, matched by its ventilator bucket headgear.
Much time is given to given to discussing / analyzing the trans world and sexual identity.
Slasher fans, ain’t much red meat here, instead tofu and red sauce.

Idiocracy - 2006 - USA

Idiocracy - 2006 - 5/10 

 
The future ain’t what it’s cracked up to be.  Pessimists, it might / could be worse!
Volunteers for cryo-sleep awaken 500 years into future dystopia.
A world where intelligent couples stopped breeding for generations.
While the LCD multiplied and stupidified.
Resulting in a world where electrolytes rule!
Well conceived satire lacks bite, playing the future for laughs, rather than ripping the jugular.

Godfather: Part III - 1990 - USA

The Godfather: Part III - 1990 - 6/10   

 
Michael Corleone attempts to legitimize the family business, but old allies and rivals keep pulling him back.
Michael, now in his sixties, is troubled by guilt (??) amidst other concerns.
While this lacks the punch of the first two films, it does a fair job concluding.
Michael’s sister Connie reveals a tiger, while dead brother Sonny’s son, Vincent, is a piece of work.
Throughout, a fatalistic sense hangs over everyone, and the tone is elegiac.
The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone is the edit preferred by Coppola.

Foreign Correspondent - 1940 - USA

Foreign Correspondent - 1940 - 7/10

 
New York newspaper sends “Huntley Haverstock” to investigate the goings-on in Europe.
In Amsterdam, he finds intrigue and murder, and mouthpieces jockeying for influence.
As Europe begins to burn, our reporter flees to England, steps ahead of assassins.
Rousing flag-waver aimed at US audiences, still clutching the “we’re neutral” stance.
Joel McCrea fine as the everyman reporter.
Goebbels, of all people, admired this, declaring it excellent propaganda.

Strictly Dynamite - 1934 - USA

Strictly Dynamite - 1934 - 6/10 

 
Radio personality Moxie exists on stale jokes and gags.
So, he hires a serious, high brow writer, to class up his act.
Screwball comedy, fast-paced, forced, silly, kinda typical.
Moxie’s dame, a delicious Lupe Vélez, ticks plenty of Pre-Code boxes.
Her staccato delivery masks the steam and blatant innuendo.
Not to mention she intoxicates the gag writer - in front of his wife - then  sweeps him off to Atlantic City for the weekend and has her way with him.
Only wish I liked Durante better.

096 - 2020 - USA

096 - 2020 - 6/10 

 
Debriefing of the head researcher following an escape and subsequent deaths.
How had the subject, #096, breached containment?
How had safety protocols failed?
Mix of interrogation room and outside conflicts, mostly in night.
Limited explanations will be fine for those with imaginations.
Others might ask Chat or ask their mom for help.  γνῶθι σεαυτόν

Axanar: The Gathering Storm - 2026 - USA

Axanar: The Gathering Storm - 2026 - 5/10 

 
Twelve years on, a mid-sequel to Prelude To Axanar sporadically pops online.
Technically, this is a faint echo of Prelude – NOT the cinema everyone longed for.
Lead players Hatch and Graham are RIP; their screen time is scant.
Kate Vernon has been replaced by a cheap wig.  Klingon K’omak evokes an elderly hippie.
Reluctant to kick this too much, as what they have accomplished on a budget is impressive.
The spark is gone, however, and people I trust say there is something rotten with this.

The Rapture - 1991 - USA

The Rapture - 1991 - 6/10 

 
Sharon works a numbing phone line job, yet come night she is a hedonistic swinger.
Drugs, alcohol, empty sex.  Diverting in your teens and twenties, less so as Life turns into reruns.
All changes when she listens to and joins a holy roller sect who believe the Apocalypse is nigh.
Well, there is man time, and there is God time.
Powerful drama, often quite muddy logic wise, but with plenty for atheists and the devout to ponder.
Not the least of which is suffering, obedience, redemption, and free will.

The Unfaithful - 1948 - USA

The Unfaithful - 1948 - 6/10

 
The prowler forced his way into the house.
Chris, whose husband was away, feared for her life.
The dagger found its way into her hand, then into him.
Open and shut, self-defense, right?
First third of this is Noir, dominated by John Hoyt as the detective.
Middle is the not-so-fast mystery angle, slowly revealed.
Last third is ladies melodrama, peppered with Eve Arden as the barb tongued viper.

Everyone Is Lying To You For Money - 2025 - USA

Everyone Is Lying To You For Money - 2025 - 7/10 

 
“Hey, sucker, step right up!  I am going to make to rich!”
Documentary on the repeated rise and fall of various crypto currencies.
Folks launching them reap a windfall before the crash, leaving “investors” with nothing.
Sad to watch folks lose, then keep trying, because they believe.
Equally annoying to see Hollywood A-listers whore themselves for loose change.
Those who obediently watch influencers: Were you really born to follow?
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3373833