Recommend a movie

[Vultural]

C B G B - 2013 - 6/10

Alan Rickman as Hilly Kristal, founder and manager of New York’s CBGB club.
Groups in movie include Television, Blondie, Dead Boys, Ramones.
Cartoon panels used throughout.  Mirrors the secondary narrative of PUNK magazine.
Narrative and characters pounce around faster than a Ramones song.
Just keep up, damnit.
Packed with songs and history.
Accurate?  No idea
Rickman shines in one of his last head-lining roles.

[Vultural]

Vanishing Point - 1971 - 7/10

Cult drive-in favorite of cross country car chase.
Car delivery driver (repo maybe?) wagers he can get supercharged Dodge Challenger R/T (pure muscle) from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours.
Highway patrols in Colorado - Nevada - California soon in pursuit.
Sparse dialogue, diverse music selection, roaring V-8s.
While on surface a “chase” film, it is actually a sly character study, and observations of “freedom."
The driver’s (Kowalski) story is gradually revealed in flashbacks, newspaper clippings, and police dispatches.
Memorable side characters include a blind DJ, grizzled prospector, nude motorcyclist.
Hypnotic ride - Pointless remake in 1997 for spoonfed types.

[Vultural]

Red Rock West - 1993 - 7/10

Choose Life!
Drifter Nicholas Cage rolls into Red Rock, Wyoming, looking for any sort of work.
He is mistaken for hitman, Lyle from Dallas, and paid to whack someone.
Payouts - double crosses - then the real Lyle appears.
Dennis Hopper unforgettable as Lyle.  Cage, a reminder, once upon a time was a great actor.
Dark, moody neo noir.

[Vultural]

Crouching Dragon - The Tiger Lily Cut - 2000/2012 - 7/10

When the original Crouching Tiger released in 2000, thousands of hardcore Asia film fanboys plunged into a tailspin tizzy.
“This is going to ruin our cherished Hong Kong and Japanese exploitation fun!”
Apologists for the film and peddlers of imports did their best to mollify all those nervous Nellies.
And yet - - the mainstream Western world, exposed to “artistic” Asian action cinema, got excited.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon made a sh!tload of money, and, as doomsayers predicted, future Asian fare became easier for world digestion.  Wackiness went on the fade.

Thankfully, faneditor “ssj” mangled this talky bi-polar film back to the crazy roots of Shaw Brothers!
By jettisoning mounds of talky exposition and utterly - totally - subverting the subtitles.
Plot now revolves around a stolen Iron Chef blade, and all the bickering and backstabbing that go on behind the scenes.  And of course, battles to regain the mighty kitchen cleaver.
Should I mention additional, juicy double entendre dialogue?  Perhaps best not.

Great antidote to the borefest that the original was.  Energy level diminishes in the final act, and jokes start to fall flat.  The story tumbles into a confused mess, but what the hey, this is still brilliant for what is it.

[Vultural]

The Big Short - 2015 - 7/10

Fun times for those who want to relive the financial meltdown of 2008.
Where tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, lost their homes, their jobs.
Film follows a disparate, unconnected group of traders and brokers who realized the US housing market was built upon crappy loans.  If the loans are shoddy, so are the bonds.  And the banks who hold those bonds?
At times, the structure is a bit too cute for its own good, with oddball cameos explaining happenings.
Clever, extremely well executed from start to finish - if a shade overlong.
Might be stomach churning for those who suffered through this time - probably most of us.

[Vultural]

Two For The Seesaw - 1962 - 6/10

Unusual pairing of Robert Mitchum and Shirley MacLaine in film version of popular Broadway play.
Nebraska lawyer, going through mid-life crisis, relocates to New York City (where old chum now lives).
He arrives in the middle of a swinging Greenwich Village apartment party.
Intellectuals, artists, be****iks, big-talkers and hangers-on.
Shirley is ditzy dancer (getting old at 29).
Despite age difference, they give the relationship thing a whirl.
Talky, rather dated, almost completely shot on a handful of interior sets.  Screams stagebound.
Interesting curio, nonetheless.  Glimpse of topical Broadway, circa 1960.

[Vultural]

Razortooth - 2007 - 3/10

Why do schlock studios keep making these monster craptaculars?
Because muffin brains like me spy them on the shelf and squeal with mindless glee.
A giant killer eel is loose in the southern swamps.
The eel is killing and eating unwashed, dumber than fencepost rednecks (not to be confused with articulate, well manicured rednecks).
Movie absurd beyond belief.  Fellow hutong viewers began heckling me for finding this gem.
At the risk of getting a ban for this -
Wait for the moment when one of the "intelligent science students" declares the best to deal with this creature is to find its Achilles eel.

[Vultural]

The Human Face Of Big Data - 2014 - 5/10

One of those docs that arouses my skepticism.
52 minutes of earnest, very very idealistic souls talking of the miracles of data mining.
We can track diseases.  Governments will be better able to serve citizens.
Neighborhoods will be more efficient and cleaner.
Society will grow closer, we shall be so happy.
Good thing, too, for the 1,000,000,000 additional planet dwellers we expect in another generation.
At the 40 minute mark, there are a few remarks about the downsize of correlating and exploiting.
But, hey, that only lasts for 6 minutes, then back to smiling utopia!
Majority of speakers are affluent, privileged elites.  Few would permit the lower orders into their community.
Nor would they allow the children of dirt to attend the same schools as they own offspring.
No dictators, totalitarian leaders, or government spy agencies were interviewed, either.
Dark souls who apply data information to ... well ... you know where I’m going with this.

[Vultural]

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery Of The Toynbee Tiles - 2011 - 8/10

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Strange documentary of tiles, placed in asphalt streets of dozens of cities, with cryptic message.
Who placed them?
Who was Toynbee?
What did they have to do with 2001 or Jupiter?
Narrator begins the global hunt for more tiles and tries to penetrate the mystery.
Fascinating story that quickly draws you in and retains interest throughout.
This very reminiscent of In the Realms Of The Unreal, also worth hunting down.

[Vultural]

Suffragette - 2015 - 7/10

Working class laundress gradually gets drawn into the Suffragette movement of pre-WWI England.
She goes from passing by rallies, to listening, to becoming an activist.
Radicalized, if you will, because of heavy handed government (male) crackdowns and retribution.
Politicians who speak from both sides of their mouth are another root.
Drab set design and costumes - yeah, we get it, a drab existence.
Felt rather like history class, though film does its best not to preach nor get strident.
Fairly successful, too, though if you believe in your heart of hearts that women are not truly equal to men, then you ain’t gonna like this one.
Once the “Ascot” phrase is mentioned, most will know where this is going.
Film does its best not to be preachy or strident.
Fairly successful, too, though if you don’t believe in your heart of hearts that women are not truly equal to men, then you ain’t gonna like this one.

[Vultural]

Third Reich - Rise & Fall - 2010 - 4/10

Embarrassing, amateurish, so-called World War II documentary.  Two parts:  “Rise" - “Fall"
Purported to be told from the German point of view using letters, journals, and never before seen film footage.
The letters were from footsoldiers, citizens, ordinary souls.  After almost every passage, however, the omniscient, voice of doom narrator rebukes or reinterprets.  Editorializes.
Half of the found footage is compelling, though one grows suspicious of its authenticity.
The other half is of picnics, birthday parties, beach outings.  Nothing related to the Third Reich or WWII.

There is a memorable howler in “Fall” at the onset of Operation Barbarossa.
(Barbarossa was not mentioned, by the way.  Nor were any battles, operations, generals, politicians, Krupps, the SA, Gestapo  ...  Next to zero pesky historical details are in this program).
Anyway, the  Wehrmacht prepares to invade.

Footage cross-cuts between cannon fire, growling Panzers, dive-bombing Stukas ... and ...
an adorable kitten playing on a ladder.  That’s correct, a genuine WWII kitty.
What the F?

Throughout, the video work of this “documentary” is inept.
The editor could not resist inserting old timey and damaged effects.
Sprocket holes, scratches, surface debris.  Transitions are jam-packed with those.
Editor seems like a 6th grade kid with an effects kit.
Makes one wonder how much of the actual footage was tampered with.
Like colourized?  Or using stock from another era and aging it?
Once tampering begins, doubts about authenticity, accuracy and integrity creep in.
Very disappointing.  Think “Third Reich For Dummies” only shallower and less focused.

[Vultural]

Face - 1997 - 6/10

Ex-"rights" activist Robert Carlyle now sticks it to the man by robbing banks.
The caper goes off, only the haul was not as expected.
Events turn sour.
Basically a character study of an idealist coming to terms with the realities of getting old.
With Ray Winstone, and an outta control Philip Davis.

[Vultural]

Effie Gray - 2014 - 6/10

Period biography of Euphemia Chalmers Ruskin (and later, Millais)
Follows her marriage to critic/writer John Ruskin, their marital “problems,” Venice sojourn, Scottish trip.
An understanding of the Victorian era, perhaps the Pre-Raphaelite movement, or Ruskin’s works may be necessary.
The film highlights Ruskin’s oppressive home - rather his parents’ home (first cousins, not mentioned) and how over-protective parents still were of their 29 year old little boy.
Film looks quite good for what was a modest budget, and boasts a fine cast.
Colour palette less restrained here, as opposed to many Victorian period films.
Pacing is a problem, though, as the story paddles sluggishly.  Characters are unsympathetic and humorless, which also hurts.
Essentially a “woman’s film,” and Ruskin here remains somewhat of a cipher, especially his “actions.”
Script, as with real story, does not speculate, titillate, cast blame, or toss theories for the final arc.
I suspect casual viewers unfamiliar with PRB or Ruskin will fall asleep or switch off.

[Vultural]

A Little Chaos - 2014 - 6/10

Labour of love from Alan Rickman follows 17th century Versailles landscape designers.
****e Winslet plays utterly fictional Sabine De Barra who handles the “water element” section.
The hunky head designer has a loveless marriage and De Barra is fetching.
Will they have a romance?  Will Versailles get completed?  Will there be wigs and sumptuous costumes?
Not completely predictable, since fresh characters surface throughout.
One might ask,  “I wonder what their story is?”
Who knows?  Most you never see again.
Likeable fluff, no substance.

[Vultural]

The Bank Job - 2008 - 6/10

Solid caper / heist flick starring Jason Statham.
Tucked in the cast were David Suchet and Mick Jagger (!! I had to go back and look for him).
Government types use a group of motley crooks to retrieve incriminating photos.
Double crosses, S & M, crooked cops, all make for a fast paced actioner.
Statham is good in this, not merely some running prop for explosives.

[Vultural]

The Happy Ending - 1969 - 7/10

Surprisingly biting woman’s film follows stifled wife (Jean Simmons) of successful attorney (John Forsythe).
Opportunities that are opening for young females are unavailable to her generation.
Work is not an option.  Shopping is, as is bitching at the salon or spa.  And numbing house parties.
Sixteen years into marriage, she drinks, pops pills, loses herself.
Multiple timelines interweave flashbacks, present, future.  Deliberately confusing to mirror the character.
Great cast, especially in Nassau, includes Shirley Jones, Lloyd Bridges, Bobby Darin.
Song “What Are You Doing With The Rest Of Your Life?"  is evocative.
Opening sequence of Simmons & Forsythe as 20 somethings - completely false.
Simmons also looks older than Jones, though they were supposedly classmates.

Despite this being a woman’s story, I know numerous souls like her.
Most are retired or laid off (permanently).  They have become adrift.
Boredom, narcotics.

[Vultural]

Apocalypse Now Redux - 1979/2001 - 8/10

For some reason I never got around to viewing the longer version (3+ hours).
In many ways, this is more coherent than the 1979 edition.
Restored sequences often add to narrative, though at other times it gets preachy.
First half of the film terrifically exciting, sound mix, cinematography all gung-ho.
Second half of the narrative bogs in the muck, likely by design.
The 1st Air Cav attack always good demo if you have new screen or sound system to show off.

[Vultural]

Shaun The Sheep Movie - 2015 - 7/10

I’ll try to be careful here.  Shaun is perhaps best viewed as still a juvenile.
The farm has become routine.  Tedious and predictable.
When Shaun spies the banner on a passing bus, “Take A Day Off!” he devises a scheme.
And, as with so many plans concocted by man and livestock alike, events swiftly go awry.
Shaun, fellow flock friends, and loyal dog Bitzer, accidentally unleash havoc.
While the party-popping pigs drag  the house into a breezy bachelor pad, the others skedaddle to Big City.
Danger and disaster darken their path, yet persevere they must, for family must be rescued.
An inventive claymation romp, with barely any dialogue, this is one of those gems parents can safely share with young children.  Studded with jokes and gags, with an irresistibly catchy theme song, “Feels Like Summer.“

[Vultural]

Blood Relatives - 1978 - 5/10

Somewhat overlooked Claude Chabrol potboiler of gruesome murder.
Cast is French, Canadian and English, setting is Montreal.
Female cousins, returning home from late night party, are assaulted, one murdered.
Detective (Donald Sutherland) starts investigating, focusing on family and coworkers.
Perhaps more sensational in its day, the story thuds slowly, spiced with sleazy sidetracks.
Hairstyles and clothes scream Late 70s, though no other cultural references.
Chances are, early on alert viewers will guess the slasher’s identity.
Might even guess the motivation.
Not that it matters.

[Vultural]

Bridesmaids - 2011 - 3/10

I like chick flicks, the more razor honed, the better.
This was a monster smash. So much for expectations.
Bridesmaids featured a slate of 40ish year old actors, playing roles better suited to teens.
Apologies, I'm insulting teenagers. Few would be as dim as the characters in this shrill fest.
The lead was a whiny loser, who somehow still had friends ... friend.
Still she was blonde, and dumb is funny.
Guys trapped watching this, beware.