A few reviews

[Zaharoff]

Boomerang - 1947 - 6/10



Part of 20th Century Fox Noir releases.
Popular minister is murdered on a busy sidewalk by man in coat and hat.
Police proceed to arrest every man who fills said description - poor or unemployed men, naturally.
They zero in on one and wear him down, refusing to let him sleep, until he signs a “confession.”
Case closed! Citizens can rest easy at nights as democracy triumphs again.
Well ... no ... cause this ain’t no Noir. It’s an early, preachy Elia Kazan film.
Corrupt small town America, themes that landed Kazan in a hotseat before HUAC.
There are better and more fun Noirs out there, as well as finer Kazan films, though I tend to shun this particular director.

[Zaharoff]

L'année Des Méduses - 1984 - 6/10
AKA - Year Of The Jellyfish



Beach story of young girl (from sixteen to eighteen) learning bedroom games.
She is attracted to an older male, something between a pimp and a gigolo.
To her annoyance, he finds her mother more alluring.
The girl hones her seduction technique on others, from cynical jades to unwary innocents.
When injuries occur, too bad.
Cynical narrative of souls lacking moral compass.
An unexpected and, for me, enjoyable surprise, is the score, which seems lifted from a period Slasher film.
Menacing, descending scales and staccato reveals! Out of place, yet rather amusing.

Viewer alert - Most of the proceedings transpire on a class conscious nude beach.
Brace for generous displays of full frontal nudity.

[Zaharoff]

5-Headed Shark Attack - 2017 - 4/10



Every time I think the girls have tired of shark flicks, another finned loser appears.
True love, I suppose, never dies.
Anyway, a multi-mouthed shark rears its heads off Puerto Rican shores (clearly before Hurricane Maria and the massive restoration projects launched by the Donald Administration).
Local cops seek guidance from folks who run the big aquarium that is foundering financially.
The insatiable shark chomps other sharks, tasty humans, even a whale!
Not as asinine or cynical as the Sharknado franchise, yet this is still crap.
Early in the story, when two-legged meals (aquarium staff) climbed onboard, I commented about a member.
"Back in 80s Slasher films, that person would be victim Numero Uno. By the PC mid-90s, that person would be untouched. Nowadays, no idea."
Thirty seconds later, that person was Unhappy Meal #1. No PC guidelines in this winner.

[Zaharoff]

Sex And The Swastika - 1999 - 5/10



Tenuous documentary lacks hard facts to be compelling.
British set up radio station airing music, German news, and scurrilous rumours.
Propaganda of sexual peculiarities or appetites of leaders.
Objective - ridicule command and undermine Wehrmacht morale.
Unfortunately, no tapes exist, only scripts.
Millions of slanderous, pornographic leaflets were created and distributed.
After the war - evidence was ordered destroyed.
Second thread - Americans assign a psychiatrist to profile Hitler.
He interviews ex-party officials with axes to grind, his conclusions are wide spectrum and outrageous.
Do Allies utilize his analysis? No.
Titillating title, little else.

[Zaharoff]

Almost Perfect Crimes - 2012 - 6/10
AKA - Des Crimes Presque Parfaits



Reenacted crimes from the 1700s to 1930s, analyzed and discussed by a variety of talking heads.
Something you might see on the Crime Channel (is there such a thing?) only this is French.
Everyone speaks in French (hard-subbed) save for the narrator.
Beware, most of the guilty climb the scaffold.
Moreover, some of those receiving the guillotine chop would be considered innocent in today’s eye.
Acceptable viewing - say you are stuck at the Wash-O-Rama.

[Zaharoff]

Bamboo House Of Dolls - 1973 - 6/10
AKA - Nu ji Zhong Ying // 女集中營



Wonderful exploitation sleaze from the Shaw Brothers.
Japanese troops attack a hospital, murder most of the patients, drag all the attractive nurses, kicking and screaming, to an internment camp.
Viewers familiar with the WiP genre can predict the following:
Rapes, beatings, tortures, a lesbian commandant, prison catfights, stoolies, and wardrobe limitations.
Indeed, all prisoners wear flimsy blue tops and skimpy blue panties.
Those outfits are shredded or ripped off every five minutes, exposing huge swathes of gratuitous nudity.
Subplots involve hidden gold and spies.
Compared with other WiP fare, this is on a par with the Ilsa series.

[Zaharoff]

My Life In The Air - 2005 - 7/10
AKA - Ma Vie en l'Air



Offbeat French romantic comedy.
At a party, a man meets his "soul mate."
Within a few months, however, she is off to Asia for at least a year.
He could visit any time, except he has a phobia of flying.
Oh yes, he works as an evaluator in a flight simulator.
His slob of a best friend moves in with him, and our man dates a dizzying array of females.
None are really right, they are just right now.
Predictable at times, with the unexpected striking from nowhere.

[Zaharoff]

The Falcon Takes Over - 1942 - 6/10

Escaped convict arrives in nightclub where he worked, pre-confinement.
“Where’s Velma?” followed by neck breaking. Only the beginning of neck snapping, it turns out.
The Falcon (George Sanders) gets involved - - for no real reason.
RKO entry came two years too early for Noir, but the components are there.



Ward Bond, the menacing murderer, is shot from low angles, in deep shadow.
Unresolved conspiracies, point to a mastermind at the top.
Story based on Chandler’s “Farewell, My Lovely,” awkwardly mixes light comedy with vengeance.
Entertaining, though Falcon fans and Noir buffs might be confused by this cocktail.

[Zaharoff]

The Miniaturist - 2017 - 6/10



Young bride moves into her wealthy husband's home in 17th century Amsterdam.
Along with queen of the household, his sister.
The home is a dark cavern of shadows and secrets, and the bride is out of her depth.
For a wedding gift, she receives a large doll house.
As miniature furnishings, dolls, accessories arrive - unordered - mysteries surface.
Stylish costumer that feels unfinished. Revelations lack punch.
Viewers with knowledge of The Eighty Years War (of which I am not) might appreciate the military and politician details that fill the story.

[Zaharoff]

Superstar - The Karen Carpenter Story - 1988 - 7/10



Loving, banned documentary/tribute to Karen Carpenter.
For multiple reasons, all too obvious, this is illegal to sell or distribute, yet easy enough to locate.
Todd Haynes short (45”) charts the rise, fame, and self destruction of the 70s singer.
Unfortunately, he failed to get any sort of rights at all - no doubt because denials would have been across the board.
The Carpenters estate launched an injunction against the film.
Most of the music is from The Carpenters, as well as label mates, so another cease order came from A&M Records.
Finally, there were no clearances from his troupe of actors - Barbie dolls - so Mattel sued.
For all that, a brilliant, inspired work, that has never vanished.

Note: Audio is fine, video has always been nth generation.