Recommend a movie

[Vultural]

The Great Beauty - 2013 - 8/10
AKA - La Grande Bellezza

Visually striking film of the compromised soul.
Forty years previous, Jep wrote a well received book.
That was his entry to the high life, free pass to the In-Crowd.
He never wrote again, becoming a dilettante and coasting on his laurels.
Dizzying array of sybaritic pleasures, contrast with the sheer futility of living.
Point, all shall die.  So why struggle to be heard, seen, appreciated?
Jep, the gracious, ever-smiling wastrel, is repeatedly paired against creative stragglers, or humans falling into despair, or the frail and elderly, coming face to face with the summation.
Tour de force, though overlong and not always enjoyable.

[Vultural]

Summer Of Love - 2003 - 6/10

Indifferent use of period sights and sounds from San Francisco, circa 1967.
Interviews with still-surviving, oldish spokesmen from the era.
Music soundtrack a mix of San Francisco and Los Angeles groups.  In some cases, cover groups.
Some clips from the Human Be-In, next to nothing from Monterey Pop.
At the end, speakers confessed how very sour it all became, as tens of thousands flooded in.
PBS aired a couple superior docs of that period with Coyote - worth seeking out.
The “summer of love” turns 50 this year.  I predict a lot of rosy memories are queued up.

[Vultural]

Last Exorcism - 2010 - 5/10

Rural Southern horror, better than I anticipated.
Small time exorcist tries to help possessed girl, among a disturbed family.
Dark, moody flick set in one of the dank, swamp corners.  Atmospheric score.
Creative use of miniscule budget and limited sets.

[Vultural]

Gun Crazy - 1949 - 8/10

After a stint in reform school, then a hitch in the Army, local man goes home.
Bit aimless, only talent he possesses is marksmanship.  His love, guns.
Until the Brit cowgirl arrives with the carnival.  And man, can she shoot.
Their eyes lock, and from there on they ride the Noir highway into darkness.

There is the belief that a good person can redeem a borderline soul.
By extension, a bad individual can corrupt a weak one.
In Gun Crazy, the smoldering Peggy Cummins is not pure evil, but she is bad
She truly loves her man, but she has a big empty inside, as well as a murderous streak.
Guns and sex propel this offbeat Noir, one of the absolute best.

[Vultural]

The Windmill Massacre - 2016 - 5/10

Visitors hop the tour bus to see Holland countryside and picturesque windmills.
Save for a father/son, all are solo passengers.
Deeper into wildwood they go, not noticing the darkening sky until their phones don’t work.
Acceptable Slasher,  well photographed and the cast has a couple recognizable faces
Predictable storylines, with a moral underbelly and limited invention.
Nice use of Dutch folklore and an injection of Japanese superstition.
Not top shelf, but good late night watch.

[Vultural]

Bettie Page Reveals All - 2012 - 7/10

I was still active on FBook when Bettie Page died, and I posted a news blurb.
Some of my friends asked,  “Who’s she?”
I uploaded a photo.
They may not have known her name, but they recognized her immediately.
Arguably the greatest pinup model of all time.

Loving documentary succeeds despite flaws.
First problem, the editing of the first half is below amateur level.
Brief scene or story plays out for a minute or two with accompanying music.
Quick wipe, then another vignette unspools with totally different music.
This buggy bouncing tone mars the fame period, her “glory” years.
There is a well known group of film “faneditors” out there.
At least twelve among them could have produced a more polished, more fluid, result.
Ain’t no use crying, however.  Jumpy is what it is.
Better by far, Page provides most of the narration herself, in a hoarse Southern drawl that bears witness to decades of hard road.
Covering her later years, the director grows more cohesive, and that half is better composed.

Another problem is less tangible, more subjective.
I have been buying Bettie Page “stuff" since the 70s.
When she resurrected in the 80s, collectors gradually learned which photographers peddled her photos,  yet never paid her a dime in royalties, knowing of her poverty.
Some were among the doc interviewees.  Sorta stuck a craw in my throat.
Page’s image is iconic.  Regarding icons, there is an uneasy line between appreciation and appropriation.
Early on, you see individuals borrowing the Bettie look.
Ordinary souls in search of an identity are one thing.  Celebrities out for an extra dollar, though ...
Takes all sorts in this world.

Even though I am kicking parts of this documentary around, I enjoyed it tremendously.
Of all the Bettie Page shorts, reels, and that godawful movie, this is the best.
Honest, unflinching, packed with sexy images, as well as bitterness.
Not always a fun documentary, but altogether satisfying.
One gets the feeling Bettie departed this world, touched with grace.

[Vultural]

The Girl From Monaco - 2008 - 4/10

The main character, a high powered defense attorney is miswritten as a Woody Allen nebbish type.
He made relationship mistakes (personal and sexual) over and over.
An alibi presented itself, yet he made a decision that no actual lawyer would have made.
The ending was incompetent.
Pathetic writing, weak directing, over acting sink this dud quicker than an ice cube in boiling water.
Pass, unless you are French film completest.

[Vultural]

Rats - 2016 - 6/10

Rodentmentary by fluff documentarian Morgan Spurlock.
Rat infestations in New York, New Orleans, Cambodia, the English countryside ...
There’s more and more and more.  How come?
More Humans + More Garbage = Billions More Rats!
Couple of nice tidbits when the biologist extracts tapeworms and botfly larvae from rodents.
Oodles more pathogens that easily jump from rat to human.
Speaking of jumping, wait for the peaceful white toilet moment.
Squeamish alert!  Spurlock borrows a page from Michael Moore when he travels to an Asian bistro.

Note - I’m a city kinda guy.  Our neighborhood has all sorts of midnight varmints.
I have cats.  Usually between 2-4.  Squealers in this show oughta befriend felines.

[Vultural]

The Devil’s Hand - 1961 - 4/10

Guy keeps having nightmare of leggy blonde flouncing around in sheer nightgown in clouds.
By chance (ha!) he walks into a doll shop and sees a doll that looks just like that blonde!
The shopkeeper says it belongs to Bianca, and the guy can deliver it if he wants.
Curvy Bianca, still wearing sheer fabric, greets him at the door then flows against our man.
Before he can say he’s got a mousy girlfriend, his mind goes soft and his trousers go stiff.
For devotees of the great devil god, Gamba, this is a must!
Anyone else, this is crap - see through crap - though it is fun for about an hour.

[Vultural]

Prevenge - 2016 - 5/10

Eight months preggers widow starts hearing voices.
Voices urging revenge against a seemingly disparate group of individuals.
Motives play out, as does the notion of escaped punishment.
Long patches of dull, interrupted by episodes wildly inappropriate, cringe inducing, tasteless.
There it is.  Too much dull, not enough black humour.
BUT - If you’re in the mood for pregnant slasher films, this is a good first choice.

[Vultural]

The Naked City - 1948 - 6/10

Acclaimed Noir, shown in documentary fashion, of a police investigation.
Realism is helped by location shooting across New York.
Open windows and street filming also mean the audio leaves much to be desired.
Story itself is a dry procedural of cops tracking the murderer of a model.
As for Noir camera flourishes and characters, The Naked City is fairly light.
The villains are the most memorable, cops bland.
I was not disappointed, though this reminded me of an OTR show.

[Vultural]

The Wing Or Thigh? - 1976 - 6/10
AKA - L'aile ou la cuisse

Gourmet cuisine clashes with fast food and elephants in French farce.
Editor publisher of annual dining guide intends to retire and leave ratings guide business to his son.
The son, however, prefers being a clown in a childrens circus.
Meanwhile, greedy entrepreneur is snapping up regional cafes and turning into his fast food franchise.
Can the gourmet editor save France from going the American diet route?
Fast, funny, best of all, not oversubbed.

Great sequence finds our critic undercover as an American cowboy, wearing pink rodeo garb.

[Vultural]

Thundering Sword - 1967 - 5/10
AKA - Shen Jian Zhen Jiang Hu // 神劍震江湖

To bring balance to the martial arts world, mystical sword must be found and destroyed.
Two rival clans seek.  One righteous, one wicked.  One handsome male, and one attractive female.
Do they fall in  love?  Can love conquer all?
Quite theatrical looking story features only a handful of swordfights.
Instead there are three songs, some sweeping musical cascades, and moral lessons.
Not a bad film, but less action than expected from a Shaw Brothers production.

[Vultural]

The Legend of Barney Thomson - 2015 - 6/10

50 year old barber with anger issues escalates into homicide.
Hmm, the body.  What to do?  I know, ask Mum!
Mum, an acerbic, spiteful soul bails him out.  From frying pan into fire.
Now, police suspect him of being a notorious serial killer!
Very black comedy of murder, treachery, dismemberment.
Robert Carlyle - Emma Thompson - Ray Winstone, all must had a field day in this.

Alert!  My DVD has no SUBS, and the Glasgow dialect is thick and actors slur lines.

[Vultural]

As Above, So Below - 2014 - 7/10

I’m normally as patient with “found footage” genre fare as I am with “dead teenager” flicks.
Still - - when those with subterranean settings beckon, I often cast aside misgivings.
Young archaeologist and historian/translator join with explorers and descend into Parisian catacombs.
Holy relics for one group, treasure for the other.
Above ground proceedings slow.  Characters irritating, voicing reluctance then buckling.
Once into the depths, though, hold on!
For viewers who have done unguided caving, especially in wet ones, this captures the claustrophobic exhilaration and disorientation.  Narrow, twisting tunnels, watery passages, surprise chambers, and the mud.
Excellent midnight movie.

Layered meanings and symbolism throughout, though frequently convoluted.
I recommend the Sapirstein version, slightly cut and rearranged.

[Vultural]

Last Cab To Darwin - 2015 - 7/10

Taxi driver, Rex, listens as his doctor reads his fate.
Cancer.  Three months, tops.  Death in a hospital bed.
Resisting the sterile white room, Rex embarks on a road trip to Darwin and the promise of death with dignity.
Euthanasia.
As in many road trip films, he encounters lost souls along the way.
Forthright, deceptive, and of course, appearance is often illusion.
The journey toward death, this trip is rather inconceivably uplifting.

[Vultural]

Shoot To Kill - 1947 - 5/10

Wife threatens blackmail to her crooked District Attorney husband, who is in thick with three rival gangs, after hurling a fourth leader into the slammer on falsified testimony.  Only then, the jailbird escapes and . . .
Whew!  At 63 minutes, this B-film percolates briskly.
While it has Noir photography, the plot is straight gangster flick.
Wooden acting, decent score, OK twists.
Selected this when I wanted something quick and brief.  Enjoyable time waster.

[Vultural]

Berkeley In The Sixties - 1990 - 7/10

Caveat.  Documentary is about Berkeley political protest and unrest.
Not the “Summer Of Love” city, San Francisco.
Released in 1990, aging participants recall the rise and demise of campus activity 25 years earlier.
Genesis was in demonstrations against HUAC, police over-response, escalating confrontations.
Well arranged materials deliver an organized history from campus speakers to People’s Park to Panthers.
Enthusiasm for heady, early days is contagious.
Likewise, regrets and brutal honesty about mistakes that led to the collapse.
25 years seems a good time to look back.  No telling how many of those interviewees are around or have their mental faculties, now 50 years on.

[Vultural]

Paterson - 2016 - 5/10

Paterson, the bus driver, scribbles poetry on the side.
Snatches of conversation, visual snapshots of images, memories recalled through the lens.
Wife Laura is a free spirit artist, obsessed with black n white visuals and cupcakes.
He seems to have no dreams, her wild ambitions are boundless.
Movie strings out for seven days, with very little happening.
Though to Paterson and Laura, the week is quietly momentous.

Jim Jarmusch film sorely tried my patience.
I don’t particularly care for this director, but I do watch every new release of his.

[Vultural]

I Bury The Living - 1958 - 4/10

Thriller without thrills, Horror without horrors.
Man assigned to run local cemetery finds he might have the power of life and death!
Office has a big map layout of plots and stickpins.
White pins for reservations,  black pins for planted residents.
When he mixes up pins on the map, folks start dying!
Hopeful premise ruined by the man”s (Richard Boone) dismal guilt complex.
Plods along, too talky, stagebound.  Feels like rejected “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” episode.