Vultural

Winchester ‘73 - 1950 - 7/10

Outstanding Noir, cloaked in Western settings.
Two journeys:
Bent on revenge, cowboy Lin searches for outlaw Dutch Brown.
Parallel narrative tracks the Winchester rifle as it passes from hand to hand.
Violent film altered Jimmy Stewart’s usual comedy / drama personas into harder edged.
Classic Hollywood, with impressive casting (Shelley Winters, Dam Duryea, Will Geer, and newcomers).
The DVD features an interesting, if rambling, commentary from Stewart, recorded in 1989 for LD.
He never stays on-topic, but listening is akin to sitting on a sofa beside him, hearing one story after another.

44 - 2024 - 6/10

The Mumbai heist never even went as planned: the cops had been tipped off.
Stu evades arrest by dashing inside a 50 story building, unfinished for decades for reasons unknown.
She ascends to floor 44, before realizing that level is an Escher trap.
Horror short, filmed in rubble, loaded with shadows and jump scares.
Closing credits hold aural interest. Ought to be 5.1.

Queen Of Hearts - 2019 - 7/10
AKA - Dronningen

Husband is a successful doctor, wife an attorney for victims.
Two young daughters, solid marriage –
Until the husband decides to bring his 17 year old son from a previous marriage into the home.
Yes, the kid has problems, and the adjustment is rocky.
But the small daughters take a shine to him, and he grows into the family.
Bringing girlfriends home, however, triggers something.

His stepmother suddenly feels old. Akin to a midlife crisis.
The incomprehensible affair she starts runs hypocritically parallel to teen victims she defends.
Unpleasant slow burn drama, one knows will end badly.

Firefly - 2002 - 6/10

Small ship Firefly flits across the galaxy, smuggling, transporting cargo, embroiled in conflicts.
The look and adventures are Space Western.
Crew is ex-military, idealists, convicts, a troubled girl.
Credit for many things done right: grub food, language a mix of English, Spanish, Mandarin.
Stories are character and plot driven, effects not so much.
Joss Whedon’s dialogue is twee and arch, however, and I suspect that puts off casual viewers.
All the outposts they visit are primitive, low tech, causing one to wonder: what’s the point of the future?

Assignment Terror - 1970 - 5/10
AKA - Los Monstruos del Terror

Lo, advance agents from planet Ummo, 14 lights years distant.
Mission, make Earth suitable for colonization after obliterating humankind.
Easy, correct? They can impersonate humans, have mastered interstellar travel, plus, check out all that cool gear behind the pair. Lights, SciFi equipment, tube amplifiers, other gadgets.
So, their master plan?
Resurrect a vampire, a werewolf, mummy, and the Frankenstein monster.
Next, unleash the beasts!
If you can accept that premise, you probably watch a lot of similar junk.

Wicked Little Letters - 2023 - 6/10

As is often the case, they started out as friends.
Enjoying each others company, sharing laughs.
Before the misunderstandings, the spats, then the letters.
Filthy obscenities, heinous libels, shocking to decent citizens.
And decent citizens across the village began receiving the posted filth.
Marked as a comedy, this is an ugly, mean-spirited thing.
Jane Marple would recognize the setting and the characters.
The petty harshness of the cozy confines.

Please Don’t Touch Me - 1963 - 5/10

“Oh, honey, I just love this special outfit!”
“Yeah, I was going to make the car payment, but saw this in the window and bought it instead.”
“Just so long as you don’t try – No, please don’t touch me!”
The story of the young wife, raped at 15, now frigid, entering regressive hypnosis therapy.
Wildly uneven claptrap is crazier, and more fun, in the initial scenes.
Once Lash La Rue starts hypnotizing, blathering talk dominates.
Of course, for many, Viki Caron as the overripe, milk fed Vicky, will be the main attraction.

The Crusader - 1932 - 5/10

Namesake being the new District Attorney, cleaning up the troubled burg.
How troubled? Who knows!
He talks a lot to self-righteous citizens, while a muck raking, guttersnipe reporter rolls in dirt.
Our reporter is an annoying caricature, and it seems perplexing that he has not been killed.
Lew Cody fine as the reformed nightclub owner.
Most will view for Evelyn Brent, but she is underutilized.
Often tagged as Pre-Code, it is a stagey, early talkie – and too talky at that.

Basbanes, Nicholas - A Gentle Madness

Gentle? Perhaps. Expensive, almost certainly.
The disease of book collecting which many here can possibly relate to.
On the other hand, those discussed are mega-players.

Starting out in Egypt, then Greece and Rome, eventually charting the dynasties of England.
Bibliophiles on the order of sovereigns or deep-pocketed aristocrats.
Much later, Stateside, there is the House Of Morgan as well as Huntington.

A chapter on Texas oil gushers building the massive Texas University library, balanced by the rising wealth and predominance of California.

This is entertaining reading, if from a distance. These folks have money; they spend more in a year than most can earn in a lifetime.

Then there is the wonderful Stephen Blumberg. Lacking unlimited resources, he built his multi-million dollar collection the old-fashioned way – – stealing.
Excuse me, Blumberg declared that he viewed his activities as an indefinitely extended inter-library loan.
This chapter delves at length into his resourcefulness and ingenuity, getting past high security of universities and major city libraries.

Remember, rare books are out there. Keep checking Thrift Town, some steamer trunk might contain a Gutenberg.

From Beijing With Love - 1994 - 6/10
AKA - Gwok Chaan Ling Ling Chat // 國產凌凌漆

A Tyrannosaurus fossil is stolen from China.
Their “best” agent is assigned to retrieve it from the villain “Golden Gun”.
Operative 007, long-retired, had been working as a kitchen butcher.
Fast moving Stephen Chow vehicle is one of his friendlier ones.
Packed with jokes and parodies of the Bond franchise, as well as in-jokes of Hong Kong hits.
Lots of physical humor, although so much of Chow’s skill is verbal humor.
Wordplay, pratfalls, sexual innuendo. Know thyself.

Arcadia: S01 - 2023 - 6/10

Dystopian future finds citizens of high merit living in the Dome.
Merit is calculated by a score-keeping implant that tracks skills, IQ, work ethic, attitude.
Higher score members have perks, lower orders scramble to avoid the dread “2” and expulsion.
Of course, everyone is monitored night and day in this utopian police state.
Inspired work done with architecture, and making the most of costumes.
Nonetheless, the script has drawn the main family (all females) as utter dolts.
They are wide-eyed, trusting, gullible fools, repeatedly committing illogical and stupid decisions.
By E05, with more narrative track being laid down, I knew this series would not conclude.
A second season is announced, and this has the skeleton of a great yarn, if characters wise up.
Producers need to fire every single writer, however, and hire intelligent ones.

Cast A Giant Shadow - 1966 - 5/10

Ex-US officer Mickey Marcus is enticed to organize the fledgling Israeli Army in 1948.
Soldiers are untrained and ill-equipped, surrounded on all sides by hostile nations.
From the onset, a series of clichés, head-scratching decisions, distracting cameos.
Kirk Douglas fine as Marcus, yet he leaves his pregnant wife (Angie Dickenson),
Extended cameos include John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Yul Brynner (after while I quit looking).
Film is overlong, short on action, bloated with romance, and in general a muddle.

Joan Baez: I An A Noise - 2023 - 6/10

Perplexing documentary of the legendary folk singer will be for dedicated and knowledgeable audiences.
Mind you, it touches the bases, if briefly. Childhood, early fame, Dylan, marriage, endless touring.
The whole folkie scene of the 60’s? What was that?
Rolling Thunder? Mentioned, unexplained. Renaldo And Clara, what’s that?
Over and over, the focus is of Baez as victim, as insecure, as neurotic.
Much is given to her hypnosis therapy sessions and the unearthing of buried memories.
Even she admits many of those may be false memories, which diminishes the factuality of the doc.
Unless you are a snoopy voyeur, stick with her Wiki page. This is a missed opportunity.

The Rose - 1979 - 6/10

By any other name, this rose is a watered down version of Janis Joplin.
Sex, drugs and rock n roll, of a burned out singer, who needs a break, but loves adulation.
Some good music numbers amidst narcissistic and self destructive behavior.
Midler has real chops in this, and yet the film seems to wallow in the depressive business.
Speaking of business, Alan Bates terrific as the manager, smart, calculating, relentless.
Photography has a sleazy look, which seems completely appropriate.
Those familiar with Joplin’s story will see how much was lifted wholesale.
I cannot praise Midler enough in this, probably her finest role.

Funny Face - 1957 - 7/10

The fashion magazine arrives in a trendy bookshop (Greenwich Village).
Models amidst “intellect” (books). Recall Playmates wanting to be engineers or rocket scientists.
Afterward, the photographer stays behind to assist employee Jo repair the shambles.
Sparks generate, then a song, then off to fashion center of the world – Paris.
Gershwin numbers, dancing by a superlative Audrey Hepburn, amidst haute couture.
Splashy Hollywood romance is an enjoyable spectacle.
If – IF – you can overlook the Fred Astaire / Audrey Hepburn age discrepancy.

The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers - 1946 - 7/10

Martha, Walter, and Sam clutched a secret from childhood.
Martha and Walter married, became power brokers in their town. Sam drifted.
Until Sam quietly returns, and blackmail, which had been an undercurrent, grows stronger.
Film bears more Melodrama than Noir, although the mystery and suspense hold up.
Van Heflin lacks the oomph for his part, Stanwyck is spot on and outstanding as usual.
Judith Anderson steals the early film as the domineering, terrifying Mrs. Ivers.
Kirk Douglas screen debut, and a rare chance to see him play a wuss.

Species - 1995 - 6/10

OK … so … everyone has their guilty pleasures.
Know-it-all scientists make interstellar contact!
Our friendly aliens (think “Zanti Misfits”) share their DNA code, persuade gullible humans to splice with human DNA.
What could go wrong?
The hybrid escapes and, driven by reproductive urges, steers towards the big city.
Empty-headed film, with pretensions toward depth, is for fans of Giger and Natasha Henstridge.
As believable as crafting a Human + A I hybrid. You read that here first.

The Flight Of The Phoenix - 1965 - 6/10

Sturdy yarn of desert survival.
A sandstorm knocks down a plane over the Sahara carrying oil workers: riggers, scientists, engineers.
Miles from civilization, off traffic routes, food and water running low.
Most of these are alpha males so there are plenty of pissing contests.
Eventually, the immortal phrase, “the gods help those who help themselves,” and the men rally themselves.
Akin to other big cast ensembles {The Magnificent Seven (1960) or The Great Escape (1963)}, although this suffers from poor momentum.
Although book-ended by action, much of the film observes the men sweat, suffer and argue.

Snafu - 2023 - 6/10

Two enforcers are primed to enter the thief’s lair.
The culprit stole large, and the boss ordered the men to retrieve it.
As always, the guy says he don’t know nuthin from nuthin.
Short of a classic screwup and a guy who’s in the wrong place.
Dark comedy is full Noir, laced with profanity and obscenity.

Good - 2022 - 7/10

1933, Hitler is elected Reich Chancellor
Professor Halder is easing the concerns of his Jewish friend, Maurice.
The Nazis will never last, the capitalists will never see to it, citizens will turn.
Meanwhile, Halder deals with his mother, recently blind, helpless.
There is his idle wife, and an alluring young student.
A writer, critic, Halder’s works have caught the eye of Dr. Goebbels, and his boss.
His path soon becomes one of self preservation, self justification, persecution, complicity.
Concludes with Kristallnacht.
Powerful three person show, resonate in any era where citizens anoint a messiah to solve problems.

Illicit Desire - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Feng Liu Yun Shi // 風流韻事

Stories of greed and possessiveness.
Below, a spy for the emperor arrives at the monastery.
The ruler covets a legendary scroll, the monk pleads it does not exist.
Gamesmanship ensues, amidst false smiles and quiet boasts.

In the second story, the manor lord frequently sends his retainers on lengthy travels.
Invariably, he dispatches those with attractive wives or girlfriends
Most alluring are those with the smallest feet.
The lord has a fetish for tiny feet, along with bedroom ropes and marking tools.

The next story mixes crafty fortune tellers, cow rustling and laxatives (!!).
Last, and the most risqué, boasts topless beauties, hiding men, bathing, peeping.
Nonetheless, all seem meandering bores, albeit beautiful period dramas.

Abigail - 2024 - 6/10

The heist goes off without a hitch; that’s kinda the last thing that goes right.
Cause the heist, well more of kidnapping actually, of a little girl worth …
$50 million in ransom, right? Until the crew learn who the father is.
Crime flick capers about between ballet moves and bloody deaths.
Buckets of gore in black humor comedy.
Horror with pointe choreography. Chose your weapons carefully.

Mirage - 1965 - 6/10

The building suffers a blackout, and David is trying to make his way out.
Down the stairs, he meets a woman who seems to know him, then runs.
He loses her, loses his way, wanders to his New York apartment.
A thug tires to kill him, then another.
Before long, David realizes he doesn’t know who he is, or what he had been doing for two years.
Yes, the dread disease of Noir and Mystery – amnesia!
Fine thriller, well paced, laced with conspiracy.
Peck gives his usual stone faced performance, many of the sets seem flat and cheap looking.

The Nickel-Hopper - 1926 - 6/10

Mabel tries to fend off a pushy masher (Boris Karloff).
She’s a 2 1/2 ¢ a dance hostess (not a dime a dance) in a feverish club.
Oliver Hardy plays a raucous Jazz drummer, and the club is a peek into the Roaring 20’s.
Awash with money, speculation, giddy with dreams, America on the cusp of Depression.
Charming film. Mabel had one more year of movies in her tank, followed by the reckoning.
Plagued by scandals, misfortune, and ill health, she would die in 1930.

Ackroyd, Peter - London: The Biography

Sprawling, 801 page, history of London. Not UK, not Britain, not England.
London.
From prehistoric times to 2000 (publication date of my copy).
There is a lot here, too much, in fact, to comment on.
While very readable, this is not a book to slog through.
My strategy was to read 100 pages, end at a chapter, then put it away for a month.
Target readers would be those who “know” London, have traipsed around the city plenty of times, and like being there.
Believe it or not, I have met several individuals who have been to London and disliked it.
It was too expensive, overcrowded, noisy, confusing, overwhelming.
Yes, all true. Whatever.
Like I said, this if for those who love cities, and possess a fondness for London.