derek-duerden Reviews

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974)

Not the "Classic" I Expected

[6/10 · 8 May 2024]

Firstly, I must say that I am generally much more interested in 1970s horror (euro- and otherwise) than I am in the more recent stuff, despite the ongoing contribution to the genre of better technical special effects. Therefore, I was really quite disappointed by this... "OK" story, "OK" acting (mostly), "OK" effects, etc.... but nothing that seemed deserving of the reputation. The gory bits are indeed gory, but the zombies themselves didn't seem that scary.

Coming a couple of years after "The Flesh and Blood Show", "The Blood on Satan's Claw" and others, I don't think this earns its place in that kind of canon.

Darling (II) (2015)

Lowest of Low Budgets

[5/10 · 8 May 2024]

Small cast, not much dialogue, black and white, ideas stolen from many other films - they certainly didn't push the boat out on this one.

I must say though that it looks pretty stylish and the woman in the central performance gives it her all. Hopefully it will help her with the CV - although I'm not sure that the Director will benefit likewise.

I'm not really up on the state of horror these days (and if the abomination that was 2018's "The Nun" is anything to go by, I may be doing myself a favour...) but the real issue here IMHO is that, despite the enhanced technology that allows gory dismemberments (for example) to be more convincingly rendered than in earlier decades, I very rarely got rid of the "I've seen this all before" feeling.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Great Stuff

[8/10 · 20 April 2024]

This is the kind of mash-up film that, until you see it, you didn't know how much you needed. With similarities to Underworld, The Musketeers, Versailles and other more recent fare, I did start to wonder who-influenced-whom and/or whether I just like this kind of well-made hokum?

Basically, the cinematography is great, the fight scenes are impressive and even the creature is well done (and revealed gradually, as befits the genre...). The acting is also well above expectations. I'm already thinking of giving it a second viewing, despite the 500+ other things in my watchlist.

Very much recommended.

Black Cobra (1976)

Be Warned...

[3/10 · 20 April 2024]

... this contains real footage of a snake being skinned, chopped up and then cooked, plus live mice being fed to the snakes that form the centre of the plot (by the seemingly unconcerned lead actress). While this is set in Hong Kong and thus pretty normal for the time and the context, this left a nasty aftertaste.

Sadly, to compound the issue, the rest of the film is not that great either. Sleazy characters and an unsatisfying plot add a general by-the-numbers air to the proceedings and (for me) it didn't have any erotic frission either - not that that would have made up for the animal cruelty.

One of those films I am regretting having seen...

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

Well, at Least I Finished It...

[6/10 · 20 April 2024]

... which is more than I can say for my attempts at "Citizen Kane", which this has recently replaced as the "greatest film of all time" in the latest Sight & Sound 10-year poll.

At one level, I can see why it's rated by so many critics and directors, and the voyeur-level intensity of focus on some of Jeanne's mundane daily tasks does get to a mood that might otherwise be out of reach. It did verge on the boring at times though.

Another (contemporary?) issue I had with it was the attitude of the son. Whilst not explicitly "ungrateful", he does seem basically useless round the house and not really to be contributing anything. Maybe because he looked about 30, rather than the 17-ish I guess he's supposed to be, I found this a bit of a problem. Was this deliberately overplayed as a contributing factor to the denouement? Or not? I'm not sure.

Sort-of glad I've now seen it - but I won't be recommending it to anyone.

Air Doll (2009)

Surprisingly Sweet and Philosophical

[8/10 · 20 April 2024]

I think I recall this film being released and not being sure about it (given the topic), but as it has recently shown up on BFI Subscription I thought it worth a look - and I'm pleased I tried it.

Once past the initial premiss, I found the main character's commitment to the role and (particularly) the handling of the various emotional highs and lows to be very impressive. Her "owner" and "boyfriend" were also nicely played and fully along for the quietly wild ride. By turns sweet, funny and sad, and ending up profoundly philosophical this went to some surprising places.

Very much recommended.

Zombeavers (2014)

Mostly, You Get What You Expect...

[6/10 · 20 April 2024]

... if you decide to watch a film called "zombeavers"!

Although personally I was disappointed to have the guys turn up so soon, and for the neighbours not to feature more strongly, the balance of action to filler was not bad. The quality of the actors of course varies but some are clearly having a lot of fun with the ridiculous dialogue (the neighbour husband in particular).

There's also a couple of instances (no spoilers) where it gets nastier than expected, which added to the novelty. After a while, though, I did start to feel that it had overstayed its welcome - but the ending was OK.

The beavers are fun though.

O Lucky Man! (1973)

Hasn't Aged Well

[6/10 · 3 April 2024]

I recall a schoolfriend of mine - also a graduate of an underage viewing of A Clockwork Orange and The Exorcist - going to see this when it came out, and quite enjoying it. However, it's never really been a priority for me and even now it was a bit of a whim to catch it, prompted by the appearance on BFI Player - i.e. Currently free to subscribers.

It would be rather boring - and probably a bit unfair - to list the ways in which this 50-odd years old film veers into "unacceptability" but, for me, it oscillated between engaging, boring and excruciating a bit too often. I watch a lot of 1970s films and, unlike the best of the Italian Poliziotteschi (for example), the unfocused ire at the state of society on display here seems dated and obvious. And at nearly three hours long it does go on a bit... on topics that Monty Python covered in minutes.

Interesting to see some good actors in action, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Calvaire (2004)

Creepy

[7/10 · 21 March 2024]

I'm not a big aficionado of "psycho hillbilly" fare (e.g. Deliverance I just found boring, mainly) but this I felt used the context really well. An initially jaunty atmosphere turned fairly quickly into one of mounting unease as our hapless singer gets further into this nightmare scenario. The tone however was kept in balance by Bartel - whose actor was clearly having a great time playing this seemingly-helpful and comforting presence, and adding touches of humour to the proceedings. There's also a great scene in the local bar which updates a classic trope whereby the whole place falls silent on the entry of the stranger/outsider - this is very nicely done. It doesn't overdo the gore either.

Recommended, if you like weird.

Far from the Apple Tree (2019)

Nicely Maintained Mood of Unease

[7/10 · 20 March 2024]

Although there is very little in terms of actual violence and threat, this film has an effectively unnerving mood throughout, enhanced by the various video effects, the soundtrack, and the unclear motivations of several key characters.

Sorcha Groundsell in particular is very good in the central performance - at times gawky and uncertain, and at others seemingly measured and in command of herself and her emotions, although often heavily influenced by the last person she spoke to.

This is the kind of film that (IMHO) makes you keep watching although ultimately there's not a huge amount of plot as such.

Interesting - and signs of an interesting director.

A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (2019)

Great Central Performance

[8/10 · 19 March 2024]

Sarah Bolger is really compelling in this, ranging across a variety of emotions and situations - both domestic and societal.

As she battles to keep things together for her children after the (unexplained and, she suspects, inadequately investigated) murder of their father, and grudging support of her own mother, she gradually gets to discover more about what happened and ultimately herself.

There's a nice supporting cast also and even within the constraints of what was presumably a modest budget they deliver a proper thriller with some admirably gory scenes, lovely touches of humour and an overall just-about-plausible plot and denouement.

Recommended.

The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance (1975)

How Bad is This?

[4/10 · 19 March 2024]

Genuine question - because I'm not really sure...

Firstly, I must say that I saw the softcore original dubbed into English (on Arrow) without the hardcore inserts that transformed it into "L'Insatiable Samantha". Whether they make it "better" or "worse" I can't therefore say.

However, as others have noted, the voice cast for the dub are the *worst* I have ever heard. Emotions (where present at all) are all over the place - not to mention the accents. Trying to get beyond that to judge the dialogue itself is really quite difficult - but I ended up concluding that the script (in any language) would be classed as "pretty poor". Looking beyond the script and dialogue into the acting itself, I also concluded that this was often quite bad also - for example, the occasional histrionics on show.

Assuming that the mild lesbianism won't be enough for you, the main impressive aspect of all this is in the cinematography, sets and costumes. It really does *look* like the kind of gothic horror/melodrama that one used to get from Hammer and their european equivalents. However, the plot feels like a "let's make this up as we go along" type, with the ultimate clue being the absurdly long expositionary confession at the end, which was presumably intended to explain everything, tie up all the loose ends and (probably) tell the cast what they'd been doing for the previous few weeks.

Bizarre.

A Good Lawyer's Wife (2003)

More Complex Than Expected

[8/10 · 7 March 2024]

Apart from the interlocking network of relationships (which is complex enough), this film raises and deals with some interesting themes around grief, marital dissatisfaction, mental illness, modern parenting and others.

I'm not really sure I'd describe it as a "comedy" although perhaps some of the gross-out scenes with the grandfather and postman are supposed to be read that way? In any case, the acting is mostly pretty good and the central performance from Moon So-ri is excellent.

As others have noted, the dialogue and content is very frank but if you are ready for that you'll find some interesting depth here also. Recommended.

Klokkenluider (2022)

Great Cast, and Impressive Directoral Debut

[8/10 · 6 March 2024]

IMHO this shows that Neil Maskell has been watching closely in his acting roles for other directors - particularly Ben Wheatley, where he delivered a great performance in Kill List.

Although a "small film", this combines an intriguing premiss with a great cast and delivers tonally with a nice balance between comedy and threat. I'm on board with pretty much anything that Tom Burke does (apart from The Souvenir) and he's great as usual here - as is Jenna Coleman, who is having a blast as a *very* sweary reporter (?).

The script enables some nice interactions between the cast and keeps the tension going pretty much throughout, as befits a nice little thriller.

Recommended.

Pacifiction (2022)

Moody

[7/10 · 5 March 2024]

Having seen Liberte, I was somewhat ready for the longeurs in this, and the prioritisation of mood over drama and plot.

However, there is a plot of sorts (and even several groups of "plotters" if you go along with the nuclear context and the local determinists) and even a conclusion - no matter how much one might be hoping for something more dramatic. Whether the improvisation-heavy dialogue helps is a moot point.

I've never been to the island in question, but can easily visualise the it's-always-cocktail-time mood and surfeit of ennui that comes across here, making me sorry for everyone trapped in this environment.

Not recommended, as such, but interesting.

Cemetery Man (1994)

Very Entertaining

[8/10 · 29 February 2024]

Were it not for a spot of apparent aimlessness about three-quarters of the way through, I'd put this in the same class as Shaun of the Dead.

As it is, the blend of horror, gore, comedy and eroticism is mostly beautifully balanced, with a great central performance from (a pretty young-looking) Rupert Everett. There's also a liberal dose of appropriate philosophising, with most of the cast fully on board with the tone.

I'm surprised and a bit disappointed that I didn't come across this years ago - but that would have robbed me of the pleasure of seeing it for the first time now :)

It's definitely going on my "worth a rewatch" list.

Face (I) (1997)

It's OK

[6/10 · 26 February 2024]

IMHO it's not really fair comparing this to The Long Good Friday and Get Carter (two of the best films ever, in any genre), but it's not bad.

As others have noted, the casting is excellent and mostly the performances are too. I wasn't so sure about the story in places, though, as - for example - the police station shoot-out stretched credibility, along with some of the character motivations. Headey's character in particular was making some very salient points about the pointlessness and risk of Ray's life all the way through the film which, for me, undermined the conclusion of the film - for both of them.

What *was* somewhat convincing to me was the implied effect of his early activism - particularly his experiences around the miners' strike demonstrations. One could easily see his idealism being finessed into a straight hatred of and contempt for the police as a result, which perhaps becomes a key underpinning of his subsequent life of crime? There's some nice complexity here.

Worth a look.

Thelma (2017)

Subtle and Stunning

[8/10 · 22 February 2024]

This film very beautifully creeps up on you with its initially-hidden depths.

Clearly, if you've read the blurb before seeing the film then you will be expecting something "not normal", so you'll probably be ready for the slow pace and the initially-unexplained scenes which gradually become understandable within the context of the evolving story. Ellie Harboe is just amazing in the central role and believable both as the religious ingenue and as the newly-powerful force becoming aware of her capabilities and of her parents' roles in all of this.

As a complex mixture of coming-out story, psychological horror story and parental micro-management this is hard to beat.

Unreservedly recommended.

She's Lost Control (I) (2014)

Complex

[6/10 · 19 February 2024]

This prompted quite a number of questions for me.

Firstly, how much due diligence and safeguarding was involved in the screening and monitoring of the clients? Long before she was indeed hurt by one of them, I was thinking that he looked rather scary and dangerous - i.e. Not just a man with "intimacy issues".

Secondly, was she really emotionally robust enough to be doing this in the first place? Maybe it was a "natural" step on from her PhD and financial situation but that doesn't mean it was a good idea and/or right for her...

Having said that, there was some good stuff here in the establishment of mood and the pacing, although I did wonder about some of the continuity (e.g. What happened to the downstairs neighbour?)

Unsettling.

The Bat Woman (1968)

Kudos for Having a Sinister Assistant Called "Igor"...

[6/10 · 14 February 2024]

...Otherwise, this is a pretty direct rip-off of Batman, with a "Creature from the Black Lagoon" monster and plot device.

It's not particularly directly funny, but if you are a fan of camp then there's some quite entertaining stuff going on and some surprisingly good underwater action scenes - not in the same league as "Thunderball", but clearly more-than-zero budget stuff. The wrestling itself is pretty laughable but not for comic reasons and the "car chase" is pathetic - although the plot occasionally makes some sort of sense in its own way.

If you are in the right mood, it's quite fun - and worth a look.

La Cérémonie (1995)

Underwhelming

[6/10 · 13 February 2024]

There's some good actors here, and some good acting, but to what end?

For the first half, I thought it was setting up some interesting character conflicts, with hints of something darker (in particular, the father's quasi-incestuous interactions with the daughter), but eventually did nothing with any of that. Just a "normal" bourgeois family - albeit one with a lot more money than is usual, clearly.

Instead, we have the maid and the postmistress as the grit in this bland oyster but even there, the "culture clash" denouement is silly rather than shocking. With the hot-chocolate-on-the-bed I was reminded of the Czech film Daisies (1966) where a food fight was (I guess) supposed to stand in for real revolution. As for the actual finale, this was so predictable (after the father's early scene of "don't mind me, I'm just cleaning the guns") that there was little suspense or shock. As someone else has noted, if the postmistress had been shot by the maid rather than rammed by the priest (easy to mistake this given the way the scene is handled) then that would have been slightly more interesting as an outcome, but no.

Watch it for the acting, by all means, but don't expect anything new, would be my summary.

Azor (2021)

Soporific

[5/10 · 5 February 2024]

This has been on my MUBI watchlist for such a long time that I've forgotten why it intrigued me in the first place. Perhaps a glowing review in Sight and Sound? Who knows?

In any case, I suggest that you don't waste your time, unless slow-moving, talky, atmospheric drama is your thing. Sure, there are nasty themes bubbling under but I never quite worked out what the director was trying to say about all of this, beyond the obvious. (Different country and industry, but for me the TV series "Magnifica 70" handled the compromises inherent in living with a junta much more eloquently...)

For a debut feature, it's quite nicely shot but I'd definitely put it in the "mood piece" category rather than anything else.

Dead Pigs (2018)

Why Does Zazie Beetz Get First Billing for This Here?

[7/10 · 1 February 2024]

As far as I can tell, she plays an inconsequential role, briefly shoehorned in and without much connection to the plot. Bizarre.

Anyway, as to the main core cast, there's quite a variety of mood and styles in this cautionary tale of ultra-capitalism; I suspect I was supposed to find more of it funny than I did (e.g. The father?) but Vivian Wu pulls it together as Candy with quite a nuanced performance in the (fairly ridiculous) circumstances. The young romance is OK also.

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to make of the ending though - "loose ends" doesn't even begin to cover it!

Worth a look nevertheless.

Enter the Void (2009)

Frequently Boring

[5/10 · 31 January 2024]

I'm all for different and experimental filmmaking - and this is certainly that!

For me, though, there are two major problems with this film... one is that it's very long, and contains many sequences which are just boring. There are very active interludes also - some quite shocking - but the surfeit of boredom was just too much for me. Perhaps a tighter edit would fix that, but (along with the "improvised dialogue", which I usually hate also) I suspect that Gaspar intended this as a key aspect of the film? The second issue is that I tend to find (films about) druggies very boring also, just as I suspect that they are in real life, as any self-absorbed person tends to be. Many of the characters therefore elicited zero sympathy or even empathy for their fates, even if some of the events were interesting.

Good for cinematography students, I guess!

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972)

Don't be Fooled by the English Title

[6/10 · 30 January 2024]

Overall, this is a pretty good Wuxia story, with a brothel context and revenge story at its centre. The original Hong Kong title is more honest - if less salacious-sounding - and, apart from some appropriate toplessness towards the beginning and end, there's not much titillation. It is of course wildly patriarchal and sexist but presumably that's supposed to be a historical given?

Meanwhile, I'm not an expert in the genre but, for me, the action scenes aren't really a patch on fare such as House of Flying Daggers or (my favourite) Hero. This predates both by quite a while, of course.

Worth a watch if you like this kind of thing, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it.