A few reviews

[Zaharoff]

Killer-K - 2011 - 7/10
AKA: Little Girl K // 소 녀 K



Echoes of grindhouse. High voltage Korean actioner.
Young girl is in the wrong place, wrong time with friends. All are slain.
Except her. She’s given the “join us or die” offer.
Next she is trained as a corporate assassin.
Story plays out over three episodes, each more violent than the last.
This aired late night in Korea, and had nudity and rivers of blood.
Episode three has the highest bullets - body count, but to my thinking, the highlight was episode two.
“K” had discovered who had killed her friends and exacted revenge.
No firearms for that one. Her favored weapons, long knives.
Blood drenched action with machetes, knives, swords.

At three episodes, an easy entry into K-dramas. The violent ones.

Spoiler

www.youtube.com/embed/EhjHRbnqfds

[Zaharoff]

The Great War - 1964 - 9/10



Grandfather of war documentaries and one of the greatest documentaries ever made.
At a whopping 26 episodes, this is thorough, well researched, and fair minded.
In 1964 many veterans of World War I still survived and they spoke throughout.
Officer aides, footsoldiers, villagers. English, French, Germans, Austrians, Australians, Turks . . .
Minor shortcoming is that few of the interviewees are identified.
Mountains of newsreel footage, campaign maps and strategies. Surprise victories, bitter defeats.
Initial episodes are not even battle related, but background history and events leading up to conflict.



We are still in the 100 year anniversary of WWI; this documentary shows how easy it is to slip into wars, all flag waving and shouting, and how difficult it becomes to get out of them.
Resentments, alliances, race hatred. Realities true during Caesar’s and Napoleon’s era, resonate today.
Several years in, World War I becomes one of attrition, deprivation and endurance.
On both sides, on-leave soldiers grasp how civilians, far removed behind the lines, no longer care about the war nor the soldiers bleeding and dying in miserable trenches, who stand forgotten. Much as today.

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

Quote Originally Posted by Zaharoff

The press, as well as the documentary, goes downhill at this point. There was a well publicized strike by, as Rosset called them, women libbers. A bomb went off. He lost his business, he lost his property. Everyone soft pedaled the latter years. Last twenty minutes feels like a whitewash.

Saw this years ago. What do you mean by "whitewash"?

[Zaharoff]

Venturing into the 2¢ opinion here.

I am as interested in the decline as I am the rise. Be it individuals, corporations, or nations.
Mr Rosset’s fall was poorly covered - in my opinion - especially compared with the time given the heyday of Grove Press, the constant legal wrangles with, and victories over, numerous censorship boards.
As the 60s ended, other presses jumped onto chancy books and authors. Make no mistake, Rosset cleared that path. Credit due. Profits started going to rival publishers.
Rosset’s focus shifted to cinema, adult oriented at the time, tame today. Also printed pornography, which Rosset preferred to term erotica.
The women’s movement targeted his press and rightly so. He dismissed them as women’s libbers, revealing a chauvinistic streak behind the free speech, liberal facade.
The tide of history went against him.
My belief is that interviewees were uncomfortable discussing this period and their answers struck me as glossed over. I longed for one honest, trenchant individual.

More details about the later years can be found here -
One Touch of Venus (Library): Odyssey of an Imprint, Part II - The Fine Books Blog

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

Quote Originally Posted by Zaharoff

The women’s movement targeted his press and rightly so. He dismissed them as women’s libbers, revealing a chauvinistic streak behind the free speech, liberal façade.

If I remember correctly the controversy was about some of the inappropriate covers? Didn't they go a bit over the top attacking the offices? Weren't some of those attacks just about publishing pornography at all?

[Zaharoff]

From what I read online and gathered from the documentary, Rosset always suffered financial woes of one sort or another.
There was also a controversial unionizing attempt and strike.
Followed by firings.
I probably sound like Siskel here, wanting more from a film when what there is will suffice for the majority who actually seek it out.
Plus, the subject, a publisher, was an attractive one to me, and may be to others, as well.

[Zaharoff]

Bukowski At Bellevue - 1970 - 6/10



One hour film of Charles Bukowski giving an early poetry reading.
Audio quality is a tad muffled, but understandable throughout.
Video is black n white, often out of focus, dirty, and freezes frequently.
For Bukowski fans, this is must-see as he is fairly relaxed and steady the whole time.
The audience is quiet and attentive. Poetry buffs, perhaps? 1970 would be considered the late 60s.
Contrast with There's Gonna Be A God Damn Riot In Here from 1979.
By then, his growing acclaim drew audiences not into poetry, often disrespectful.
This earlier film catches him younger, just before “Post Office” and the fame thing.

[Zaharoff]

Rakka - 2017 - 6/10



Terrific short, something between a pitch and a pilot.
Alien bipeds enslave humanity, torture and experiment, and start major terra-forming.
Resistance is small, and tiny victories result in harsh reprisals.
At barely 20 minutes, this alien invasion genre packs in a lot of images, action, storylines and proto-characters.
One element I did not care for smacked of tinfoil, that is a quibble.
Sigourney Weaver leads a solid cast, directed by Neil Blomkamp for new studio.
If there is interest ($$), they will craft more, and I would watch.
For what it is, Rakka is outstanding, though it is quite brief.

Best - This is on YouTube, at 1080p, with subs, for free viewing!

[Zaharoff]

Screaming Mimi - 1958 - 3/10

Bad movie alert >>> “Starring Anita Ekberg.”
Despite awful reviews, what the hey, I loaded this up.
Early on, voluptuous Ekberg emerges from the surf and hurries to take a shower outside the shack.
Nearby is a mental institution, along with a handy escapee clutching a big ole knife.
Two screams later, she’s in the nuthouse herself, traumatized outta her unnecessary mind.
Inside, she falls under the analytical spell of a possessive psychiatrist.
Next thing, they’re both gone, and she’s gyrating her assets, along with chains and ropes, as an exotic dancer.



Anyway, murder and attempted murder bolster this trashy Noir.
Swear, I’m not making this up.
Still undecided? The Red Norvo combo is the nightclub band, Gypsy Rose Lee is the owner.
Oh yeah, Miss Ekberg has a vicious Great Dane watchdog, but anyone can get past him if they softly recite the Gettysburg Address.

[Zaharoff]

Lidice - 2011 - 7/10



Companion to 2016‘s Anthropoid shows the Czech village of Lidace before - and after - the assassination of SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich.
There is a mirror narrative of one of the villagers, in prison for murder.
Two murders, different punishments: incarceration versus liquidation.
The massacre of Lidice became legendary.
Staging and cinematography is excellent, and enough time is allotted to many characters so one gets a feel for them as individuals.