A few reviews

[TM2YC]

Sex And The Swastika - 1999 - 5/10

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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.

A spin-off like that was never going to work without Kim Cattrall.

[Vultural]

What We Do In The Shadows - 2014 - 7/10

Four older guys share a flat in Wellington.
They bicker about chores (dirty dishes a particular problem), have meetings, find activities.
For them, the day begins around 6:00 PM.  Oh yeah, they are vampires.



Hilarious documentary follows the gents as they go clubbing, heckle werewolves, invite humans to dinner.
All are chatty - well - Petyr, 8000 years old, is more reserved.
Inventive, droll, good-natured.   Reminded me of This Is Spinal Tap.
Though like Tap, tails a bit in the final twenty minutes.

[thecuddlyninja]

What We Do In The Shadows - 2014 - 7/10

Four older guys share a flat in Wellington.
They bicker about chores (dirty dishes a particular problem), have meetings, find activities.
For them, the day begins around 6:00 PM.  Oh yeah, they are vampires.

Just caught this one a couple weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just when I thought there wasn't much interesting left to do with vampires, this one surprised me. The interactions with the human friend (Nick, I think) were my favorite. The film made me immediately want to see Hunt for the Wilderpeople and very, very curious to see Taika Waititi's Thor 3.

[Vultural]

Sherpa - 2015 - 7/10



Revealing documentary on the Everest pack mules, the sherpas.
Unstated, but clearly evident, is the disparity between the privileged and the impoverished.
A staggering amount of tourists now insist on “conquering” Everest.
Most carry nothing.  Sherpas shoulder massive packs and set up ladders for them.
Tourists need WiFi, hot meals, and an ease unimaginable a generation earlier.
Of course, fees start at $100,000.
Good companion to 2015‘s Everest.
For those who have Everest on their bucket list, global warming is on the rise, as are climbing deaths.

[Vultural]

Bron Broen:  S01 - 2011 - 7/10
AKA:  The Bridge



Corpse is found on Øresund Bridge, midway between Denmark and Sweden.
Police from both countries arrive and they will decide jurisdiction when the identity is discovered.
Wait a minute -- The body is actually cut in half --  No, it’s two separate bodies put together.
The murders are the beginning of a series of well planned events and symbolic deaths.
Brief series starts slow, but accelerates to red-line quickly.
Not to be missed is the female Swedish detective, Saga.
She has virtually no social skills - in an extremely funny way - but her counterparts value her as a crack investigator.
Monster ratings across the Net, and for good reason.  Superb writing.

[Vultural]

Rich Hall’s Presidential Grudge Match - 2016 - 7/10



Sick of politics already?  Well, too bad.
Rich Hall is an American ex-pat living in Britain.
He hosts comedy specials, trying to explain the nuances of American life.
Such as, in this one, the glorious history of US presidential campaigns
This is a.topic ripe for skewering, slashing and bludgeoning.
Mercilessly funny, unless your are still gloating or raging.

[thecuddlyninja]

Manchester by the Sea - 9/10

Casey Affleck is otherworldly good in this. Best performance of the year that I've seen so far.
i don't know if I've ever seen a more emotionally trying and heartbreaking movie that also made me laugh this much. Lonergan is clearly a master of tone. He knows when to give us a release before going back to making us cry. I wasn't familiar with the actor who played the boy but he was excellent. I look forward to a long career. You don't often see teenagers play drama, humor and black humor so well in the same film.

For me, best film I've seen this year. It's so raw and honest.

[Vultural]

Ice Sharks - 2016 - 5/10

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Polar outpost, studying global warming, finds itself besieged by thawed out prehistoric Greenland Sharks.
Less campy than most SyFy shark chompers, though viewers can guess who will bite it.
Characters often chat in shorthand jargon, so you don’t always know what they are discussing.
Like you care - - sharks ahoy!
Hey, and why / how did the writers and director forget about pegleg Sammy?

[ssj]

What We Do In The Shadows - 2014 - 7/10

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enjoyed maself silly watching this. and i did so on caramelizedninja's recommendation, so tenkyu, you glorious werewolf.

[Vultural]

Conte d’hiver - 1992 - 6/10
AKA - The Winter’s Tale



Part of Eric Rohmer’s “four seasons” quartet.
Young couple enjoys idyllic summer romance.
End of vacation, she gives him her address with,  “Visit me as soon as you are in my town!”
Next scene = 5 years later.
Female is now a single mother with daughter who is almost 5. Hmmm.
She has two different suitors, neither of whom she is much interested in (still carries the torch).
Turns out she gave “summer fling” the wrong address.
She insists that was accidental, and has been settling for Mr Right-Now.
French fans, you know if this interests you.

Of the four “season” films (I have viewed all, and own two), I would recommend Conte d'Automne as the first title for adults to investigate, with Conte de Printemps second.