A few reviews

[Zaharoff]

Zygote - 2017 - 6/10



Firebase - 2017 - 6/10



Regrettably, I have cooled on these “episodes” from Oats Studios.
In the first slice, an experiment has gone terribly wrong in a polar laboratory.
Two wounded survivors flee from the murderous mutation.
In the second slice, a grieving Vietnam war father unleashes the water god.
Carnage ensues.
Neither short, like the earlier Rakka, resolves, both trail off as cliffhangers.
While production values and casting are excellent, the lingering impression is of a glorified movie pitch.
I will watch further releases, although my expectations have dropped.

[waffles]

Quote Originally Posted by Robert Adam Gilmour

Wasn't that based on a Colin Wilson novel?

Yes, The Space Vampires

[Zaharoff]

Things To Come - 2016 - 6/10
AKA - L'avenir



Isabelle Huppert as philosophy professor whose well-ordered routine unravels.
Campus demonstrations, older favored students who embrace new ideologies, a difficult mother.
Trifling annoyances, to be sure, yet the cascade quietly grows.
The professor navigates course shifts and endings.
She tries to repair or adapt as once-dependable threads unspool.
On the upside, more freedom opens up for her, and she is not a blind soul.

[Zaharoff]

Drive-In Massacre - 1976 - 3/10



Grindhouse slasher that will kill you with boredom.
Couples at the drive-in start getting killed dead by a swordsman.
Piercings, beheadings, general dismemberment.
Killings are speedy and barely shown.
Frisky behaviour inside cars is PG, meaning nothing that would disturb a nun.
Though set in California, the acting corps have heavy East coast accents.
Which you will hear plenty of because everyone talks and talks and talks and talks.

[Zaharoff]

Testament Of Dr Mabuse - 1933 - 7/10
AKA - Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse



A disgraced ex-policeman infiltrates the nest of thieves.
Discovered, he barely escapes in time to phone his old inspector.
Nevertheless, the ex-cop is driven insane by something unseen.
He only had moments to scrawl one word on a windowpane - Mabuse.
Yet, criminal mastermind Dr Mabuse was committed to the lunatic asylum eleven years earlier.
Fritz Lang resurrects one of his greatest characters, though this story follows the Inspector.
Fast paced mystery, not as ground breaking as the 1922 original, but an excellent sequel.

[njhorror]

This and the 1922 version are available on youtube.

[Zaharoff]

Operation Valkyrie: Stauffenberg’s Plot To Kill Hitler - 2008 - 6/10



Documentary on botched 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler.
Sections on Stauffenberg”s childhood, personal life, military career are fine.
Background on the conspirators, failed attempts, and the historical perspective during the latter years of the war are clear and well presented.
Some reenactments, but not too much. Likewise for the CGI, primitive, limited, yet not excessive.
“Talking heads,” by and large, are poorly miked throughout.
At 76 minutes, this feels a bit long, and the first third is too slow.

[Zaharoff]

Play It Again, Sam - 1972 - 7/10

Early Woody Allen film, overflowing with gags.
Allen’s friends arrange dates for him, but he is nervous, overexcited, and the dates fail spectacularly.
Even when he seeks advice from Bogart, he botches that.



Nice of cinematography of San Francisco, and a light directorial hand help make this an early gem.
This remains funny throughout, with many film references that buffs will recognize.

[Zaharoff]

Jiu: Special Investigation Team - 2011 - 5/10
AKA - Jiu: Keishichou Tokushuhan Sousakei // ジウ　警視庁特殊犯捜査係



Small children are kidnapped for high ransoms.
The loot is not squandered, however. Something “big” is planned.
Cop J-drama follows two female officers.
Izaki is the hardass, physically combative type, Kadokura is quieter and idealistic.
Not a buddy movie, though, as one female transfers to SIT, the other to SAT.
Both investigate the blonde serial killer, Jiu, as corpses stack high.
Corny, clichéd, shallow, juvenile. NWO plotline.
Style flares in the final two episodes. if you stay around long enough.

[Zaharoff]

Paris - 2008 - 5/10



Text on the box referenced Woody Allen's Manhattan.
Not even close. This was more like one of Altman's lesser, ensemble works.
I wanted to like this, but it was an unsatisfying meal.
Multiple plots, many characters, scant narrative advancement, limited resolutions.
As always with these type of films, certain stories vanish. Others (including the less interesting tales) unfold.
Excellent photography of Paris.
Perhaps a date flick. Over two hours.