Recommend a movie

[Vultural]

Class Of ‘92 - 2013 - 6/10

You probably had to be there.
Documentary of the young players who graduated from the junior team, then propelled Manchester United into the football juggernaut of the 90s.
90% interviews (back slapping, feel-good sort), with stray news footage of Cool Britannia.  Soundtrack features well known Manchester groups - Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, Oasis.
Culminates in the ‘99 European Cup.
I guarantee you, my British friends will rate this much, much higher.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Jeune et Jolie - 2013 - 6/10
AKA - Young And Beautiful

Oft told tale of young, pretty student turning tricks for money.
- Never overweight girls with buck teeth and furry legs -
Girl earns €300 - €500 per handjob, bj, bareback, etc ... and peddles her wares on Internet sites.
- No mention of AIDS, scuttling crabs, or bright, open, leaky sores on weenies -
Nevertheless, this is a François Ozon film, and I always watch his releases.
Girl is younger than most.  17, not college aged.  Her family is affluent, in fact, she doesn’t spend the money on anything.  She seems to drift into the game after a boring initiation with German visitor.  Subsequent encounters seem little more than ways to kill an afternoon.
She shows business savvy and a sense of her own worth, understanding that youthful flesh is fleeting and valuable.
Luminous Charlotte Rampling has key role near the end.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

The Game - 1997 - 5/10

Was unimpressed by this when it originally screened.  Rewatched this critical darling and I
still don’t buy the premise, no matter how polished looking, how breathless the pace.
Douglas’ character, as shown early on, would never have gotten into the situation in the first place.
One example:  Would he have spent several hours in the application process?  No way in hell.
The running without analyzing?
And “the game” itself?  The sheer organized structure of it defies logic.
Preposterous.  Though had Douglas’ character been different, the premise might have seemed more plausible.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

The Devil’s Rock - 2011 - 6/10

World War II, just before D-Day, two New Zealand commandos kayak to Forau, in the Channel Islands, to take out Nazi gun emplacements.
They hear female wailing and whimpering, and drop the mission to investigate.
After tiptoeing through endless corridors, they encounter blood splattered walls, gory entrails, slain German soldiers.
Naturally, they proceed.  After all, some damsel needs rescuing.
Pocket thriller that, despite low budget, looks fine.  Solid acting by all, as well.
Film is of two halves, however.
First part, clues lead to mystery, tension approaches dread.
Second part was stagey.  Seriously, it felt like an off-Broadway or outer London play.  Lot of dialogue.
Cerebral rather than gut piercing.  Still, a nice little flick, especially for indie buffs.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Cargo - 2009 - 5/10

Space SciFi from the Switzerland.
The exhausted planet Earth has been mostly abandoned.
Folks are saving coins and heading for Rhea, a great new world.
Travel takes eight years in massive cryogenic / cargo ships.
After three years, our heroine is roused to be bulky suited, glorified patrol guard, prowling the vast emptiness of dim corridors.
Why?  There is a stowaway loose, endangering lives and the ship.
Gradually, darker discoveries emerge.
Several CGI shots, luckily kept to a minimum.  Unoriginal plot.  Decent, post industrial “wet” sets (just curious, why doesn’t leaking water freeze in space?  heating a massive vessel so that water puddles about strikes me as a colossal waste of energy.  sorry).
Not a bad film, but not a good one, either.  Predictable, derivative.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

The Bukowski Tapes - 1987 - 5/10

Accurate rating if you are going Buko -- wha?
If you are a hardcore Bukowski fan, however, then bump this to a 7.
Long series of interviews by director Barbet Schroder done around the time he filmed Barfly, ostensibly by and about the skid row poet of Los Angeles.
Bukowski rambles at length on varying topics:  inferior peers, smog, alcohol versus marijuana, the horses, crazy women, his gradual fame, the meaningless of life, ugly people, shallow people, futility.  At times insightful, other times nonsense, drunkard warbling.
Favorite bit was watching him drive about the old neighborhood in an open convertible, pointing out landmarks, telling stories.
Most infamous bit was him getting physically violent with girlfriend (later wife), Linda, and cameras turning off.

One of my regrets was never having trekked to Bukowski’s East Los Angeles home while I lived in LA during the late 70s.  I certainly went to other writers, and I prowled east Hollywood Blvd a couple times a month.
Too busy chasing leg and getting high.  Stupid stoner.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Unfinished Song - 2012 - 5/10

Sappy, feel-good, old people movie.
Buncha old coots and fossils meets Glee.
Sound awful, Bob?
Terence Stamp plays angry curmudgeon married to Vanessa Redgrave.
Will his character thaw?  Warm, or even sing?
Songs were either frivolous, or cynically chosen to yank heartstrings.
One of the films that begs the question,  “Are we dead yet?”

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Open Grave - 2013 - 6/10

Excellent thriller, with one of those “must-not-disclose” plots.
I will just jot the opening five minutes.
Man wakes up deep down in a pit.
Climbs out, goes to a house filled with five others.
No one knows why they are there.  Or who they are.  Or what they are supposed to do.
From there, film sets off into several rabbit holes.
Viewer only gets clues as the characters discover them.
Definitely worth a look.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Snaked Fear - 2011 - 3/10

Yeah, looked awful, grabbed it anyway.  Muffin head.
Film opens with a drug or gangsta betrayal at copter crash site.
Fake fire and fake smoke were tipoff alerts to production values.
Main plot follows blonde and daughter as they veer off the main road into Arizona desert.
She runs over a snake, which causes dozens of snakes to start hunting her.
An old desert man tells her that.  Snakes will come for a 100 miles.
Echoey sound mix.  Like the boom was too far or the automatic gain picked up wind.
Everyone sounded like they were inside a steel drum.  Couldn’t hear half the whining dialogue.
Snake POV shots were low on ground, through a purple or violet piece of plastic.
Movie budget must have matched my IQ for watching this spuge.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Wish You Were Here - 2012 - 6/10

Two Australian couples head to Cambodia for partying and heavy drinking.
One couple returns, one person remains behind, one disappears without a trace.
The story gets teased out during ninety some minutes.
No great revelations.  I predicted one of the twists early on.
Strength was in how characters found themselves bound to secrecy.
For most souls, however, keeping secrets proves next to impossible.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Disconnect - 2013 - 8/10

Several ongoing stories, sometimes interconnecting, showing souls more plugged into devices than relationships.
Identity theft, online gambling, chat rooms, sexting, bullying, underage porn, exposure, spying.
Most reflect the Zeitgeist of the times, but to be fair, the writing seldom stoops to cliché or “happy.”
Similar to Crash, (the 2004 film, not the 1996 carwreck), Short Cuts, and numerous others.
Finale overused the slo-mo to distracting effect.
Also, found it hard to believe people are still so gullible and trusting.
PT Barnum would love this era.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Versus - 2000 - 7/10

Third film by Ryûhei Kitamura placed him on the radar of Asian fanboys worldwide.
Samurai, yakuza, escaped convicts, bounty hunters, zombies, damsel in distress.
Swords, knives, handguns, machine guns, heavy weapons, plenty of fistfights.
In a nutshell, within ten minutes, protagonists arrive in an accursed forest, place where yakuza had dumped whack jobs for years.
The dead begin to revive, most clutching still-lethal handguns.
Kickazz actioner looks like a million bucks, and appears very low-budget.
Clinic for young filmmakers on how to film brilliance on a shoestring.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

World’s End - 2013 -  6/10

Yet another quasi apocalyptic comedy from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
High school mates reunite to try and finish hometown pub crawl they attempted and failed 20 years earlier.
Pegg’s character annoying at first, but struck me better as the tone and tempo of the plot intensified.
As with all this duo’s films, the last act loaded stale action and a lazy finale.
Good premise, wish these guys could finish as well as they start.
(Hmm, sounds like a common female dating lament.)

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

California Dreamin’:  Songs Of The Mamas & The Papas - 2005 - 6/10

Fun, though quite shallow overview, capturing the 60s pop group during their peak.
Packed with clips of group lip syncing on a variety of TV programs.
Interviews were positive.  In-group infidelities were referenced, though not Michelle’s temporary firing from the group.
Watching Cass dancing in her white go-go boots, Denny with his head tossed back, both soaring like the free spirits they were.  The moment was so brief.
Easy stroll down nostalgia lane, and Phillips’ songs remain buoyant, irresistibly catchy.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life - 2010 - 7/10

Challenging French film about artist, singer songwriter, personality, Serge Gainsbourg.
No time dates, names, or other signposts as viewer is dumped into Vichy France where Serge still goes by Lucien Ginsberg.  Young Gainsbourg very precocious and very annoying.  Accurate?  I dunno.
Great masked alter-ego trails throughout film.
Parade of female performers and conquests follow, including Juliette Greco, France Gall, Jane Birken.
Some steamy scenes with Bardot, probably the most recognizable person to the uninitiated.

Solid period soundtrack, running from the 40s to the 70s, though not enough Gainsbourg tunes.
Two hours later, and I still didn’t have a feel for the guy

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Frances Ha - 2012 - 5/10

Say what?
Critical darling about deluded late 20s girl who comes off as a failure on every level.
Doesn’t really have a job, mooches apartment space, fails with relationships.
Yeah, join the club, princess.
How does she pay New York rent?  Eat out?  Airfares?
Oh - it’s a movie.  And not a New York film ala Woody Allen or Edward Burns.  This was fantasy island.
Frances strikes one as shallow, self centered, untalented, yet resolute in the belief of her innate specialness.
Could be a metaphor for every Me Generation.
After muddled speeches, foolish decisions, squandering of funds, the film rushes a tacked on, happy finale that was as satisfying as a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Female Agents - 2008 - 6/10
AKA - Les femmes de l'ombre

Squad of females dropped into German controlled France.
Part hit / part heist, just prior to the D-Day invasion.
Lot of familiar French faces in this one.
Germans were not clueless adversaries.  Each encounter leaves the Resistance bruised.
Decent action film with political intrigue.  Rare to see a WWII movie with females using carbines.
Based on actual persons.  Recap and vintage photos during closing credits.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Monsters Wanted - 2013 - 7/10

Entertaining behind the scenes documentary on Asylum Haunted Scream Park.
The site is a sprawling 40 acres outside Louisville, with four dedicated horror areas.

https://www.asylumhaunts.com/

Doc follows Rich and Janel, a well adjusted enough couple, and their labors to get everything in place before opening day.

Surprise visits by inspectors, backstabbing rival horror parks, rain and more rain, temperamental actors - including one who seems borderline certifiable, complaining business partners, equipment malfunctions, running out of money, as the opening deadline shrinks from months to weeks to days to hours.
You wonder how they can possibly get it done.
Will hold your interest from start to finish, might even plant the urge to get out Halloween night.
For anyone who is a repeat customer of haunted parks, for anyone who ever worked a Midnight Mansion, for anyone who took a stab creating their own Death House*, this film ought to be in your queue.

* Admittance - One Candy Bar

[HIDE]Yes, back when I was eight or nine I can up with this brilliant notion of creating our own haunted house.
We would charge one candy bar per admission.  No cause for us to rush all over the neighborhood Trick or Treating, our victims would do the legwork, then pay to stroll our horrors.
Candy for free!  Our bags were going to burst!
Alas, the best laid plans of nine year olds . . .
Few entered.  Those that did reported back that our haunted palace - an empty garage - sucked.
(An early lesson how dreary reviews can kill Broadway openings, new record releases, lemonade stands, or haunted houses.)
There were less than ten bars to share between the five of us.  Worse, we had missed Trick or Treat night, and all the other kids blamed me and my stupid idea!  Shunned me for days.
Over the years, there would be more stupid ideas where that came from.  Many more.[/HIDE]

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

Naked Alibi - 1954 - 6/10

Decent Noir with Sterling Hayden as no-nonsense police chief.
Drunk n disorderly baker brought in for questioning, provokes cops, gets smacked around.
Within days, three cops murdered and gruff chief suspects the family man, police brutality victim, the baker.
Plenty of false trails to keep viewer guessing.
Noir fatale, Gloria Grahame, plays cheap singer in low life Mexican cantina.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural

[Vultural]

The Serpent & The Rainbow - 1988 - 5/10

Bill Pullman, field worker / anthropologist for Big Pharma, digs around in voodoo Haiti for cures.
Instructions are to find the “zombie drug” which supposedly will suspend life for a month.
Yeah, boss, wait till Marketing tries to overcome - I ain’t gonna be no zombie - consumer resistance.
Of course, he never gets that far.  Instead he gets embroiled with the Bébé Doc Duvalier police state and growing insurrection.
Some curious dream sequences fueled by voodoo herbal cocktails, but the film mostly staggered around.
Director Wes Craven shot ten years out of date, circa 1975.
Bill Pullman’s hair stayed fluffy the whole movie.
Wasted opportunity.

Edited May 24, 2020 by Vultural