Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Rev. Powell]

A bunch from the North Bend Film Festival (not available to the general public yet):

CODE NAME: NAGASAKI (2021): Marius, a Eurasian actor searches for his Japanese mother, who abandoned him when he was a child to return to her Nagasaki home, illustrating the search by recreating scenes in various cinema styles (samurai epic, film noir, horror). The search is ultimately moving, but the homages don't really work in conjunction with the film's emotional core, feeling like filler (and calling cards for Marius and director Fredrik Hana). 2.5/5.

NINJABABY (2021): Despite taking precautions, aimless party girl and aspiring cartoonist Rakel finds herself knocked up, dubbing the fetus who's snuck its way inside her womb "ninjababy" thanks to its preternatural ability to evade contraception. Very polished work by rising Norwegian director Yngvild Sve Flikke, it's a low-key winner that's a little bit reminiscent of American indie dramas like "Juno." I could see this having some small level of art-house success. 3.5/5.

AYAR (2021): Ayar abandons her entertainment career and returns home, but her mother forbids her to see her child because of the Covid pandemic. Initially playing like a drama using horror movie tropes, it evolves into a drama using metamovie tropes; mid-film, there's a twist/gimmick/stylistic choice that simultaneously deepens and takes you out of the story, and your reaction to it will determine whether you love or hate this. 3/5.   

And this one is available for rental:

MOBY DOC (2021): A wandering, essay-style autobiographical documentary by musician Moby, who discusses his career, alcoholism, and veganism in a series of sketches that range from comic to philosophical to music-video-surreal. This self-portrait is playful, witty and earnest enough to overcome the occasional nagging feelings of narcissism. 3.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Fear Street Part 2: 1978" (2021)
In part 2 of the Netflix horror trilogy, the sibling survivors of the previous film learn about a similar murder spree that took place at a local summer camp in 1978, from the only person who lived to tell the tale.
"Part 1" was heavy on the "Scream" vibes, but "1978" is essentially an homage to old school slasher flicks ala "Friday the 13th" or "Sleepaway Camp," with a supernatural edge. This one took a little while to get into gear, but the mayhem was impressive in the last half.
I think I preferred the first movie over this one, but I'm invested enough now to check out the third and final (?) chapter, "1666," which hits Netflix this weekend.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Special Mission Lady Chaplin" (1967)
Third and final film in the series of James Bond knockoffs starring Ken Clark as CIA agent Dick Malloy, aka "077." This time he's sent to Europe to find a payload of nuclear missiles stolen from a sunken U.S. submarine. The "Lady Chaplin" of the title is a fashion designer who also happens to dabble in international arms dealing, played by former Bond girl mega-babe Daniela Bianchi of "From Russia With Love" fame. "Lady Chaplin" is the best of the three "Malloy" flicks, with lots of cool European scenery, two fisted action, and lots of pretty girls. It's one of the few "Eurospy" movies that I've bothered to see more than once.

[indianasmith]

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

I said it when I saw this the first time, and I will say it again: this isn't the worst entry in the franchise.  No, it's not as iconic as RAIDERS, nor as emotionally satisfying as LAST CRUSADE, but it's a solid action/adventure film and no more silly or improbable than any of the other Indiana Jones flicks.  And I still believe it quite superior to the eminently forgettable TEMPLE OF DOOM.   I especially liked the fact that CRYSTAL SKULL made a couple of allusions to the regrettably short-lived "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" TV show.   I give this one a 4 out of 5.

[indianasmith]

THE EMPTY MAN (2020) - In 1995, a hiker in Bhutan fell through a crevice into a cave with a bizarre ancient skeleton.  His friends find him in a trance, and have to carry him to a nearby cabin.  Over the next few days, the other three hikers die in a bizarre murder/suicide, leaving him alone in the snowy waste, still unable to speak.

Fast forward 25 years.  A teenage girl disappears after performing on odd ritual to summon a boogeyman figure known as "The Empty Man."  Five of her friends hang themselves in the next week; the sixth stabs herself to death with a pair of scissors.  A former cop turned PI goes looking for the missing girl, and discovers she was involved with some new age group called the "Pontifex Institute."  But as he delves into this strange cult, he finds that nothing is as it seems - especially not the girl's disappearance.  Or his own life, for that matter.

Creepy, with some Lovecraftian overtones and a plot that leaves you guessing, THE EMPTY MAN is a masterpiece of suspenseful storytelling.  5/5

[RCMerchant]

VAMPIRA AND ME (2012)

Fascinating look at the life of Maila Nurmi, aka Vampira!

With rare filmed interviews with her before she died. She was waaaaay before her time, and a very sharp lady.
Lots of thought lost archive footage, including being on the Red Skeleton Show with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr!
This was fantastic.


http://youtu.be/CrW9Mm8JGDw

[FatFreddysCat]

"Jennifer's Body" (2009)
The unlikely friendship between a nerdy high school girl (Amanda Seyfried) and her gorgeous cheerleader BFF (Megan Fox) gets complicated when Fox is possessed by a demonic "Succubus" spirit and begins snacking on her fellow students. A gory, snarky, tongue in cheek horror comedy in the vein of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series, with great performances by the two leading ladies. This movie wasn't well received when it first came out, but it's developed a well deserved cult following over the years.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Lady Bloodfight" (2016)
A lady martial artist travels from the U.S.A. to Hong Kong to search for her long lost father. In the process, she crosses paths with a Ms. Miyagi type who trains her for the "Kumite," a no-holds-barred tournament where she ends up fighting against some of the world's best female martial artists. Much butt is kicked.

...if this plot sounds familiar, it's probably because this is pretty much a gender swapped retread of the Jean Claude Van Damme oldie "Bloodsport" (apparently the film's working title was even "Lady Bloodsport"). So while it may not be the most original thing I've ever seen, it's certainly entertaining ultra-violent junk, with brutal martial arts sequences full of bone crunching and blood splashing. Better than expected.

[Trevor]

THE EMPTY MAN (2020) - In 1995, a hiker in Bhutan fell through a crevice into a cave with a bizarre ancient skeleton.  His friends find him in a trance, and have to carry him to a nearby cabin.  Over the next few days, the other three hikers die in a bizarre murder/suicide, leaving him alone in the snowy waste, still unable to speak.

Fast forward 25 years.  A teenage girl disappears after performing on odd ritual to summon a boogeyman figure known as "The Empty Man."  Five of her friends hang themselves in the next week; the sixth stabs herself to death with a pair of scissors.  A former cop turned PI goes looking for the missing girl, and discovers she was involved with some new age group called the "Pontifex Institute."  But as he delves into this strange cult, he finds that nothing is as it seems - especially not the girl's disappearance.  Or his own life, for that matter.

Creepy, with some Lovecraftian overtones and a plot that leaves you guessing, THE EMPTY MAN is a masterpiece of suspenseful storytelling.  5/5

The IMDB tells me that parts of the film were shot in Cape Town: nice 

[indianasmith]

THE HIKE (2021)  Not the British film of the same title that I watched last month; this direct-to-video American film was SO much worse . . . a guy named Vinnie and his girlfriend go for an extended hike in the Appalachians and wind up  running afoul of three "mountain man" types who blame them for a series of murders occurring along the trail.  Cheaply shot, with bad fight effects and fuzzy video quality, this one was a real chore to get through. 2/5

[zelmo73]

"Jennifer's Body" (2009)
The unlikely friendship between a nerdy high school girl (Amanda Seyfried) and her gorgeous cheerleader BFF (Megan Fox) gets complicated when Fox is possessed by a demonic "Succubus" spirit and begins snacking on her fellow students. A gory, snarky, tongue in cheek horror comedy in the vein of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series, with great performances by the two leading ladies. This movie wasn't well received when it first came out, but it's developed a well deserved cult following over the years.

Oddly enough, the uglier that the filmmakers tried to portray Amanda Seyfried, the hotter that she ended up looking in this movie. They were aiming for "ugly nerd" but ended up with "sexy librarian" instead. 

[FatFreddysCat]

"Gunpowder Milkshake" (2021)
A female assassin-for-hire (Karen Gillan of "Dr. Who" and "Jumanji") becomes a target herself when she fails to complete an assignment in order to save a little girl.
This cartoonish Netflix shoot'em up is pretty much a girl-power "John Wick," with a slightly more tongue-in-cheek feel. The stunt work and non stop ultra-violence are impressive; Gillan's got decent action heroine moves and the supporting cast includes fellow female bad-asses Lena Headley, Angela Bassett, and Carla Gugino.
Like a real milkshake, this flick was fun while it lasted, but ultimately it's just a bunch of empty calories.

[lester1/2jr]

10 x 10 - I didn't expect much from this one but it was relatively good. 10 x 10 are the dimensions of a specially made room where a guy keeps a lady who he kidnaps for some reason. Can you see why I didn't expect much from it?

The woman is a redhead who looks like Christina Hendricks minus about a dozen cup sizes. We initially assume he is some psycho, but what if what we think we know is backward and SHE is the evil one! Yeah not exactly David Fincher level stuff here, but it's simple and well thought out enough to get you through the night.

except when/ where did she go to the bathroom?????

4/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (2016)
Set in the early 2000s, Tina Fey is a low-level journalist whose job is in a rut. She volunteers to go to Afghanistan and be "embedded" with the U.S. military, thinking it will be just the jump start her career needs. Once she arrives "in country" and overcomes the initial awkwardness of being so far from home, she becomes part of the so called "bubble" that reporters occupy, deals with the natives, navigates various perils and experiences love and loss. An engrossing dramedy, based on a true story. Fey is excellent and so is the supporting cast, which includes Margot Robbie, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alfred Molina.

[lester1/2jr]

All Ages: Boston hardcore -  I was an avid attendee of Boston hardcore shows long after this (81-83) era. Well maybe not so long, 1987 or so, but I never saw any of these bands in their prime here. SSD, DYS, and co took their cues from Black Flag and Minor Threat: mainly playing as fast as possible which enabled the crowd to go nuts, which is what everyone wanted to do. After the initial wave, the bands tried to transition to more accessible styles of music like metal and hard rock, but it didn't work out. The most prominent legacy of these groups is the compilation album "This is Boston, Not LA" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v0bqZsoIOw

Imagine being able to go see the Misfits and Gang Green in some room in the 8th floor of a building for like 3 dollars. or maybe that sounds terrible to you

5/5 obviously depends on your interest in the general subject matter, if not Boston in particular