Vampires vs. the Bronx

Vampires vs. the Bronx is a 2020 kid-friendly comedy horror film. Charming. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site calls it "peppy" and "charismatic" and concludes "When a horror-comedy is as agile, charming, and funny as this, everybody wins." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics rating consensus of 95%.

The Distraction

The Distraction is a short film about living with anxiety and depression.

"and sometimes the monster under the bed crawls out."

The Other End of Time

The Other End of Time is a science fiction novel by Frederick Pohl. This is another of the books I was given by a friend whose science fiction-loving husband recently died. I was touched that she thought of me and have been thoroughly enjoying these books. I hadn't realized this one was the first book in a trilogy until I got to the last page, and the experience was less satisfying than if I had known that going in. The book is interesting with fascinating philosophical elements, but it doesn't work well for me as a stand-alone novel

from the back of the book:

INTERSTELLAR WAR

Signals are received: a crude depiction of creatures pantomiming the cataclysmic destruction of the universe.

Soon after, scientists note unusual radiation emanating from the abandoned Earth-orbital observatory. When a group of scientists and astronauts board the observatory to investigate, they are taken prisoner. An unsuspecting Earth has just become part of a vast interstellar war.

For the human prisoners, this minor skirmish in a vast war becomes a fantastic adventure. The hunters become the hunted the prey the predators, and nothing is as it seems. The only sure thing is that the winners will rule eternity at... The Other End of Time.

*******

Kirkus Reviews concludes a positive review with this: "An impeccably crafted, absorbing, and enjoyable reworking of mostly familiar material that, while satisfyingly self-contained, seems perfectly poised for sequels." Publishers Weekly closes, "The ending is oddly unresolved, unless this is the first volume of a series--which would not be bad news."

Munafik

Munafik is a 2016 award-winning Malaysian supernatural horror film. Malevolent spirits cause trauma in the community.

The Sicilian Method

The Sicilian Method is the 26th book in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series by Andrea Camilleri. I read these as I get them for presents after they've been released in paperback, and they are better read in order as the characters develop through the series. 

from the back of the book:

IN THE NEW NOVEL IN THE TRANSPORTING

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING

INSPECTOR MONTALBANO MYSTERY SERIES,

MONTALBANO FINDS HIS ANSWERS TO

A MURDER IN A THEATRICAL PLAY.

Mimi Augello is visiting his lover when the woman's husband unexpectedly returns to the apartment; he climbs out the window and into the downstairs apartment, but one danger leads to another. In the dark he sees a body lying on the bed. Shortly after, another body is found, and the victim is Carmelo Catalanotti, a director with a cruel reputation.

Are the two deaths connected? Catalanotti scrupulously kept notes on all the actors he worked with, as well as strange notebooks filled with dates and names. Inspector Montalbano finds all of Catalanotti's dossiers and plays, and the notes on his last drama, Dangerous Corner. It is in the theater that the answer lies.

Kirkus Reviews says the author "again combines divinely deadpan drollery with a clever puzzle." Publishers Weekly says, "The blend of farce, sexual shenanigans, and strangely intense community theater intrigues as it amuses."

Shutter (2004)

Shutter is a 2004 Thai horror film. It was a hit and was remade both in English and Hindi. This one has a vengeful ghost. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Bloody Good Horror says, "The film does a great job of creating some very memorable set-pieces that are sure to stick with you and maybe even have you looking over your shoulder or checking dark corners when you walk into a room." HorrorNews.net says, "“Shutter” remains a favorite ghost story and has been entered into my top scary films of all time." Classic Horror says, "a chilling and spooky ghost story that is presented very well. It has an intriguing idea, a very good cast, and two directors who pull no punches. This film is, as has been noted, one of the best films in the recent flowering of Asian horror cinema, and it is a harrowing and disturbing experience. "

The Virginian (1929)

The Virginian is a 1929 pre-code Western starring Gary Cooper and Walter Huston. I enjoyed seeing Eugene Pallette. Randolph Scott has an uncredited role.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Here's a screenshot from early in the film:

for the weekly T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd is a 1952 comedy film also starring Charles Laughton and Leif Erickson. You can watch it online here. Sheer silliness, but it's Abbott and Costello so we knew that going in.

trailer:

The Outposter

The Outposter is a science fiction novel by award-winning author Gordon R. Dickson. It's part swashbuckler and part space opera and is certainly one I'd've read long ago if I'd come across it. Great fun, with a satisfying conclusion.

from the back of the book:

FORMULA FOR REVENGE

Take one high-spirited little boy.

Kill his family before his eyes.

Allow him to escape.

Give him time to grow up.

You're in trouble.

from the publisher Baen:

The Earth is overcrowded. Chosen by lottery, people are shunted off to the far-flung planetary colonies. But winning this lottery is no prize, for the colonist are largely ignored by the people of Earth, considered disposable. Left to defend for themselves, the colonist are plagued by low supplies and are forced to eke out a hardscrabble existence. Worse, they face an ever-looming threat from without: the alien Meda V'Dans, who routinely attack without provocation.

Fortunately, the colonists have the Outposters to protect them. One such Outposter is Mark Ten Roos, a young man with a score to settle against the Meda V'Dans . . . and the will to bring a corrupt system to its knees.

The Endless

The Endless is a 2017 science fiction horror film that tells the story of two brothers who return to visit a cult they belonged to when they were teens.

I watched it on Netflix. Here's a trailer:

The Guardian gives it 4 out of 5 stars and opens, "A mind-bending Möbius strip of a movie, this indie sci-fi makes up for what it lacks in budget with a wealth of playful ideas." Wired calls it "masterful"

Roger Ebert's site opens a positive review with this: "If you have a good idea, a strong cast, a smart script, and directorial chops, you don't need a lot of money to make a compelling movie. "The Endless" is proof." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 93%.

Delicious 42

I saw this on the corner across from our favorite Mexican restaurant Las Delicias.

Eyes in the Night

Eyes in the Night is a 1942 crime/mystery film starring Edward Arnold, Ann Harding and Donna Reed.

Don't you love that hat?

Late Phases

Late Phases is a 2014 werewolf horror film. Nick Damici does a great job as the protagonist. Tina Louise is also in this one, and it saddened me to see that she's not aged well. I watched it on Amazon Prime but didn't finish it.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site has a mostly negative review. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 63% so well over half the critics gave it a good review. 

7 Women

7 Women is a 1966 film, the last film directed by John Ford. It stars Anne Bancroft, Sue Lyon, Margaret Leighton, Flora Robson, Mildred Dunnock, Betty Field, Anna Lee, with Eddie Albert, Mike Mazurki and Woody Strode. I watched it here.

trailer:

For T Stands for Tuesday I share this screenshot of the doctor's first meal at this mission post:

She's being instructed by the head of the community not to smoke as they consider it inappropriate for ladies dedicated to Christian endeavor. You can tell by her expression how unimpressed she is by this reprimand.

Please join us at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog party.

Sweet Thang

Sweet Thang:

by Memphis musician Jack Oblivian, born on this day in 1967.

Bear Story

Bear Story is a 2014 Chilean award-winning animated short film.

Listen! The Stars!

Listen! The Stars! is a 1963 science fiction novella by John Brunner. This was a quick easy read and brought back nostalgic feelings.

DANCE TO THE TUNES FROM ETERNITY 

What was this thing called a stradropper whose use was the rage all around the world?

Ostensibly a simple device made from an amplifier, a magnet, a vacuum, a power source and an earpiece. Add it up and you got nonsense -in the form of strange sounds, unintelligible to the human race.

But was it "nonsense" that drove people mad, creating an addition similar to dope? Was it "nonsense" that caused people to disappear off the face of the earth without a trace?

Stardropper -a menace to an insane world, or a warning from the stars?

In the Tall Grass

In the Tall Grass is 2019 horror film about a pregnant woman and her brother who head off into the tall grass to find a child calling for help only to discover they can't find their way back to the road. It's based on a novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill and probably wasn't enough to warrant a feature-length film. It's perfect if you want horror without gore, slowly building tension, and a satisfying resolution; but it isn't fast-paced. I found it interesting.I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Roger Ebert's site closes with this:

Horror has a long history of using the natural world as its enemy. “In the Tall Grass” is at its best when it follows this tradition. We all know what it’s like to be lost, far from home and safety, but what if even the traditional rules of direction were completely haphazard? As it gets less relatable, it gets less interesting, but there’s still Wilson’s all-in performance and Natali’s craftsmanship to keep us engaged, stuck in the grass, praying for a way out.

The Merry Misogynist

The Merry Misogynist is the 6th book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery series by Colin Cotterill. I'm reading these in order, but I'll admit this one is my least favorite by far. There was also one mis-used word -"fair" instead of "fare". Annoying. I have the next one, and I trust it'll be back up to the quality I had come to expect.

from the back of the book:

When the corpse of a rural beauty turns up in Dr. Siri's morgue, his curiosity is piqued. The victim was tied to a tree and strangled, but she had not, as the doctor had expected, been raped. On a trip to the hinterlands, Siri leaarns that many women have been killed this way, and he soon discovers that not only pretty maidens are at risk. Seventy-three-year-old coroners can be victims, too.

Kirkus Reviews has a positive review.

Wavelength

Wavelength is a 1967 short film. Wikipedia describes it:

Wavelength is a 45 minute film by Canadian experimental filmmaker and artist Michael Snow, known for building his reputation upon publicity of the film. Considered a landmark of avant-garde cinema, it was filmed over one week in December 1966 and edited in 1967, and is an example of what film theorist P. Adams Sitney describes as "structural film", calling Snow "the dean of structural filmmakers."

Wavelength is often listed as one of the greatest underground, art house and Canadian films ever made. It was named #85 in the 2001 Village Voice critics' list of the 100 Best Films of the 20th Century. The film has been designated and preserved as a masterwork by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.

You can watch it online at Vimeo:

Wavelength (1967) from Baboon Nation on Vimeo.

Brink of Life

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the death of Max Von Sydow, and I'm sharing Brink of Life in his memory. This 1958 Swedish film -directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Andersson, and Max Von Sydow- won several awards.

This screenshot:

shows the nurse leaving a glass of water and a buzzer for the woman. The woman is in her 3rd month of pregnancy and was told to come to the hospital right away if she experienced bleeding. Her husband is in the waiting room.

When the film was released in the U.S. the NYT said,

a tribute to director Ingmar Bergman's versatility. Heretofore largely identified with elliptical and allegorical themes, Mr. Bergman, certainly one of the most vigorously creative film talents of our day, has confined himself here to an austerely straight story set in one ward of a modern hospital and involving several women and the psychological and physical traumas attendant on childbirth. Although it evolves as a basically somber, constricted, almost wholly distaff picture, "Brink of Life" is, nevertheless, a strikingly realistic, saccharine-free, clinical slice of life.

*******

Please share a post with a drink in it and join us at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

The Fourth Man

The Fourth Man is a 1983 Dutch suspense film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Violent and with full nudity, keep those things in mind as you decide whether or not to watch it, but in the U.S. this was the highest-grossing Dutch film of all-time. You can watch it online here.


trailer:

Empire Online concludes with this: "The darkly comic sexual obsession is complemented by Verhoeven's stylish eroticism, wild religious iconography and plentiful nudity." Time Out calls it "a deliciously overripe male melodrama based on a novel by Gerard Reve and packed with ostentatious, tongue-in-cheek symbolism". Moria gives it a positive review and calls it "an amusing homo-erotic take on Don’t Look Now (1973)". DVD Talk recommends it for anyone who likes suspense films.

Empire Magazine includes it on their list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensus critics rating of 100%.

Memphis (song)

Memphis:

by The Milk Carton Kids

Touki Bouki

Touki Bouki is a 1973 award-winning Senegalese drama film. I watched it on Youtube, but it's not there right now. You can watch it on HBO Max and on Hulu.

trailer:

Criterion says, "With a stunning mix of the surreal and the naturalistic, Djibril Diop Mambéty paints a vivid, fractured portrait of Senegal in the early 1970s." BBC says it may be the greatest African movie ever.

Primary Inversion

Primary Inversion is the debut novel of Catherine Asaro. She went on to fulfill the promise shown in this work, winning numerous awards since then.

from the back of the book:

The Skolian Empire rules a third of the civilized galaxy through its mastery of faster-than-light communication. But war with the rival empire of the Traders seems imminent, a war that can only lead to slavery for the Skolians or the destruction of both sides. Destructive skirmishes have already occurred. A desperate attempt must be made to avert total disaster.

Publishers Weekly concludes with this:

Though Asaro, a physicist, provides more than enough esoteric detail on faster-than-light inversion drives, cybernetic enhancements and computer networks, she manages to anchor her story with thoughtful, engaging characters and an intriguing vision of the future

Kirkus Reviews calls it "An imaginative debut".

El Topo

El Topo is a 1970 acid western directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. An acid western is a western film sub-genre "that combines the metaphorical ambitions of critically acclaimed Westerns, such as Shane and The Searchers, with the excesses of the Spaghetti Westerns and the outlook of the counterculture of the 1960s". People who say they don't like "westerns" confuse me. I'm not sure what it is they're saying they don't like. There are so many different kinds of western films.

This film, according to Wikipedia, "is about the eponymous character – a violent, black-clad gunfighter – and his quest for enlightenment."

trailer:

watch it here:

Roger Ebert put it on his list of Great Movies. He says,

John Lennon and Yoko Ono saw it, loved it, and convinced Beatles manager Allen Klein to buy and release it. The film went on to play all over the world and engender countless interpretations. Jodorowsky encourages such speculation by titling sections of the film after books of the Bible ("Psalms"), and making El Topo perhaps a Christ figure.

I kept trying, but it felt so slow. I eventually gave up on it, great film or no.

Billy the Kid vs. Dracula

Billy the Kid vs. Dracula is a 1966 horror western starring John Carradine as the Dracula figure.

TCM has information.

The Far Country

The Far Country is a 1954 Western starring James Stewart and Walter Brennan. Anthony Mann directs. I watched it on Daily Motion, but it has been removed. Strike while the iron is hot, that's my motto. You can't count on these staying available.

trailer:

Senses of Cinema

By situating the drama of The Far Country upon the boundaries of the United States and the nineteenth century – ‘Seattle, 1896’ – Mann obviously has no interest in perpetuating the kind of golden pioneering myths so prevalent in early examples of the western genre. For the late 1890s was an interesting yet sad time in American history; a time when the glorious West and the notions of ‘wilderness’ and ‘heroes’ became severely tarnished.

Variety says, "Pic marks the fifth successful combination of James Stewart, as star, Aaron Rosenberg as producer, and Anthony Mann as director.". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Here's Brennan's character complaining that the coffee is cold:

Please share your own drink reference at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places is a Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery by Donna Leon. This is 9th in the series. I am still enjoying this series.

from the back of the book:

In Donna Leon's ninth novel featuring her celebrated protagonist, Commissario Guido Brunneti finds himself caught up in a typically Venetian problem: red tape over renovations. Visited by a young bureaucrat, Brunetti learns that, officially, his apartment does not exist. The extra floor that was added years before was never approved. But what begins as a troublesome headache ends with the bureaucrat found dead after a mysterious fall from a scaffold. Brunetti starts an investigation that takes him into unfamiliar and dangerous areas of Venetian life, and shows him, once again, what a difference it makes to have friends in high places.

Moonlight

Moonlight is a 2016 award-winning coming-of-age film. I watched it on Netflix.

Reviews are glowing. Roger Ebert's site gives it a full 4 stars and calls it "masterful". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensus critics score of 98%.

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Trick 'r Treat is a 2007 award-winning anthology horror film where the stories are connected in an interesting way. I could've sworn I'd written a blog post on this but can't find it now. It's definitely re-watchable. I have the DVD.

trailer:

Paste Magazine calls it "the Ultimate "Halloween Night" Movie". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensu critics rating of 84%.

Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog is a 1997 political satire film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Woody Harrelson, and Kirsten Dunst. You can watch it at the Internet Archive.

trailer:

Roger Ebert has a positive review. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 85%.

Cadillac Man

Cadillac Man:

by The Jesters, a 1960s-era Memphis garage rock band

Iron Sky: The Coming Race

Iron Sky: The Coming Race is a 2019 science fiction film with the perfect amount of humor. It's a sequel to the 2012 Iron Sky, but you don't have to have seen that one to enjoy this one. What a hoot! It's great fun, with Nazis on the Moon and a hollow Earth with dinosaurs. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Three on a Match

Three on a Match is a 1932 pre-code crime drama with Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. You can watch it online here. Blondell's publicity photo was later banned:

Here's a trailer:

I'd enjoy the outing:

but not the cigarettes.

Pre-Code.com says, "Denounced by critics and ignored at the box office, it’s become a cornerstone for serious cinema students when exploring the movies of the early 1930s. It embodies the Warner Bros. style while showcasing strong women characters all with irrepressible momentum." TCM has an overview.

Please join me at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Coriolanus (2011)

Coriolanus is a 2011 film based on the Shakespeare play. Directed by Ralph Fiennes, it stars Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, and Brian Cox. You can read the play from a link in one of my previous posts. You can watch this one at Tubi at this link and at Amazon Prime with ads through Imdb.

trailer:

The Guardian calls it "a vivid, intelligent Coriolanus with powerful political relevance" and "magnificently filmed" and says, "At once visceral and intelligent, this beautifully acted, vividly staged film brings a powerful, challenging honesty to bear on class, political life and the demands we make on our leaders." IndieWire says, "it also has the hallmarks of an assured film from an actor who nonetheless clearly demonstrates he knows that it takes more than just the art of acting to create a work of cinematic art."

Empire Online concludes a positive review with this: "Exciting, ironic, with assured direction, accomplished performances and the tension of topical themes, this is Shakespeare as relevant as you like it." Roger Ebert admires it and says, "One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan ... makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 92%.

Hands of the Ripper

Hands of the Ripper is a 1971 Hammer horror film. It has atmosphere. It also has all the 1970s-era blood you would expect from Hammer.

TCM has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 86%.

The Point!

The Point! is a 1970 animated film, an adaptation that accompanied the release of Harry Nilsson's album by the same name. You can watch it at tubi tv or embedded below from DailyMotion:

Angel and the Badman

Angel and the Badman is a 1947 Western starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, and Harry Carey. I'm not a John Wayne fan, but this is a well-respected traditional western with a great cast. I watched it on Tubi at this link. It's also available on Pluto and the Internet Archive. Youtube has it:

TCM has an overview.

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain is a 1919 silent short. Giant monsters of the past brought to life on the big screen. Thoroughly enjoyable.

from Wikipedia: Author and explorer Jack Holmes tells his two young nephews about an adventure he had in the woodlands around Slumber Mountain, near the Valley of Dreams.

Ferengi 42

According to this website, which claims to list The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition, the 42nd rule is this:

Only negotiate when you are certain to profit

On the other hand, several sites list this one as Rule 42:

What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too.

Other websites disagree, not listing a Rule 42, as they aren't fully disclosed within the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine canon. The Rules of Acquisition have their own dedicated Wikipedia entry.

Here's video of the rules which are stated during the TV series episodes:

Alas, Rule 42 isn't among them.

End of the Line

End of the Line is a short live action film by Jessica Sanders.

Brilliant. Shall we ponder the issue of abuse of power?

Here's a screenshot:

See the cup on the floor? Please join me for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering.

The Birds (1963)

The Birds is a 1963 Alfred Hitchcock horror film. It stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright. A classic, I have this on DVD and re-watch it every year or so.

trailer:

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 95%.

The Best Is Yet to Come

The Best Is Yet to Come:

by Frank Sinatra. lyrics excerpt:

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything's startin' to hum
Still, it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come

Best is yet to come and babe, won't that be fine?
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine

a-Wait till the warm-up's underway
Wait till our lips have met
And wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet

The best is yet to come and babe, won't it be fine?
Best is yet to come, come the day you're mine

Happy Valentines Day

Tesseract

Tesseract is a science fiction novel by Joseph Addison, another one of the books a friend gave me when her husband died last year. She knew we shared a love of science fiction in common. Information on this book and its author is hard to come by, as this was his only novel. It's cheaply available through Amazon if you'd like to try it out.

from the back of the book:

OCCUPATION: WORLD SAVER 

Tyson's Folly, Manhattan's newest building, was a windowless cube, an impenetrable fortress dwarfed by the taller structures of midtown. Even preoccupied by thr frightening news of escalating world tensions, people took the time to speculate about the purpose behind Tyson's Folly. But wealthy recluse Jonathan Tyson wasn't talking.

Until Mark Johnson, a young executive in Tyson's financial empire, was summoned to Tyson's Folly, the first outsider ever to glimpse the interior.

Deep inside the bizarre fortress, Mark learned of his new -and unusual promotion and the impossible assignment he was expected to carry out. Somehow he had to bring peace to one planet, and discord to another, to save two civilizations from destruction. His journey would span time and space and future and light-years of space. But he had Time itself on his side...

Draug

Draug is a 2018 Swedish horror film about a missionary who goes missing in the forest. It takes place in the 11th century. You can watch it online here. I liked this one. It was simple and straightforward without irrelevant subplots, and there was tension without gratuitous gore. It's based on the old Norse creature. from Wikipedia: "Draugar live in their graves, often guarding treasure buried with them in their burial mound. They are animated corpses with a corporeal body, unlike ghosts, with similar physical abilities as in life." They sound similar to the Tolkien barrow-wight.

trailer:

Touch Me, Lord

Touch Me, Lord:

Gospel music by the Mighty Kings of Harmony.

Paperman

Paperman is a 2012 black and white animated romantic comedy short film.

The Addams Family (2019)

The Addams Family is a 2019 animated adaptation of this remarkable family story. Delightful. If you enjoyed the Addams Family films or the 60s tv series, I'd highly recommend this. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

trailer:

Here's my pourover coffee:

for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering. Join me?

Dead for a Dollar

Dead for a Dollar is a 1968 spaghetti western starring George Hilton, John Ireland, and Gordon Mitchell. It has a light tone, a fine cast, and a fun plot but is much too long. The minor subplots should have been cut entirely, and many of the individual scenes should have been a third as long as they were. A good edit would bring this one in at just over an hour and make it an enjoyable movie. As it is I can't recommend it. The Younger Son picked this one up for a quarter at a used media shop that has since closed.

The Vampire Doll

The Vampire Doll is a 1970 Japanese horror film. This is the first film in the Bloodthirsty trilogy. I watched it on Amazon Prime. I can't find a trailer with subtitles, but you can get an idea of what to expect as far as atmosphere goes in the original trailer:

Testament (1983)

Testament is a 1983 film about the collapse of civilization after a nuclear apocalypse. It focuses specifically on one family in California.

Roger Ebert opens with this: ""Testament" may be the first movie in a long time that will make you cry. It made me cry. And seeing it again for the second time, knowing everything that would happen, anticipating each scene before it came, I was affected just as deeply."

To the Land of Long Lost Friends

image from the author's site

To the Land of Long Lost Friends is the 20th book in the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I read these as I'm able after they're released in paperback. They are easy reads with delightful characters.

from the back of the book:

When Mma Ramotswe reconnects with an old friend who's having problems with her daughter, she can't help but lend a hand. The young woman appears to be involved with a charismatic preacher -but are his ministrations entirely of a godly nature?

Elsewhere, Charlie is also dealing with a tricky matter of the heart. He wishes to propose to his girlfriend, Queenie-Quennie, but he needs to impress her father. When Queenie-Queenie's brother offers to help by giving him a job, it may not be quite what Charlie expected. As always, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will share wise counsel, Mma Makutsi will weigh in with her opinions, and Mma Potokwane will be there with her welcome fruitcake. But in the end it will be up to Mma Ramotswe to reflect on love, family, and the nature of men and women in order to resolve familial dramas and remind everyone about all the good things they have in life -so many, in fact, that it would take far too long to count them.

Kirkus Reviews has a review. Publishers Weekly concludes, "As usual, the warm, humorous interactions among the characters count more than the detecting. Smith’s humanity shines throughout."

Voodoo Man

Voodoo Man is a 1944 horror movie starring Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and George Zucco. It's not breaking any new ground, but it's only an hour long, so...

DVD Talk concludes with this:

Voodoo Man isn't good in the sense of...well, anything, really, but part of me kind of loves it anyway. If nothing else, maybe you'll get a few solid riffs out of it. (RiffTrax and the earliest incarnation of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have both skewered it over the years.) If you've somehow managed to make it this far into the review, chances are that you'll find Voodoo Man well-worth seeking out on Blu-ray. Recommended as long as you know what you're getting into here.

Bloody Disgusting calls it "40’s Schlock With a Bit of Charm". DVD Drive-In calls it "Dreamy silliness" and says "As for Lugosi, he isn't asked to do anything out of the ordinary from his usual B efforts at that time, but he has one or two nice moments, such as his breakdown when his wife "dies" again, that remind you how his valid dramatic talents were often underutilized." The Spinning Image says it "paradoxically moves briskly under the prolific William Beaudine's functional direction, yet feels oddly leisurely." 1000 Misspent Hours has a review. Time Out calls it "pleasantly tacky".

Blood on the Moon

Blood on the Moon is a 1948 Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Preston. Walter Brennan is also in this one. I watched it at this link.

trailer:

50 Westerns from the 50s opens with this:

In a strict chronological sense, Blood On The Moon (1948) isn’t a 50s Western. But in other ways — look, themes, etc., it fits right in with the best the 50s came up with. It also stands as maybe the finest example of film noir creeping into a cowboy movie.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Spider the Artist

Spider the Artist is a science fiction short story by Nnedi Okorafor. You can read it online here. It begins,

My husband used to beat me. That was how I ended up out there that evening behind our house, just past the bushes, through the tall grass, in front of the pipelines. Our small house was the last in the village, practically in the forest itself. So nobody ever saw or heard him beating me.

Going out there was the best way to put space between me and him without sending him into further rage. When I went behind the house, he knew where I was and he knew I was alone. But he was too full of himself to realize I was thinking about killing myself.

The main character plays this song on her late father's guitar:

It's cold here in Memphis, but nothing like the Big Storm they're having in the northeast! I'm drinking a hot cup of coffee while I visit with the Tea Stands for Tuesday folks:

Then I'll keep an eye out on my notifications so I don't miss the press briefings. It's been so delightful to not have any insults, demeaning name-calling, or wild lies. As I watch what's going on in Myanmar, I'm so grateful the January 6 insurrection here was unsuccessful.

A Hard Act to Follow

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1966 of Buster Keaton. He was a comic genius with a career beginning in 1898 and lasting until the year of his death.

Here's an 8-minute short appreciation of his style, The Art of the Gag:

Here he is in his final film role, the priceless A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum:

Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (below) is a 3-part documentary TV miniseries.

part 1:

part 2:

part 3:

Salem's Lot (1979)

Salem's Lot is a 2-part miniseries adaptation of the Stephen King novel. It features vampires and an old house with an evil reputation. David Soul stars. Also you get James Mason and Elisha Cook, Jr.

Part 1:

part 2:

Bao (2018)

Bao is a 2018 animated short film. (on Vimeo)

The Uninvited (2009)

The Uninvited is the 2009 American remake of the 2003 South Korean horror film A Tale of Two Sisters. I watched it at Tubi, but it's not there now. It's on CBS All Access, which is a premium service we subscribe to for Star Trek: Discovery.

trailer:

Grave Reviews calls it, "an engaging psychological thriller that would engage viewers." Roger Ebert says, "When a movie like this is done well, it's uncommon. "The Uninvited" is done well."

Duet (2014)

Duet is a 2014 animated short film from former Disney animator Glen Keane.

The Nanny (1965)

The Nanny is a 1965 suspense film starring Bette Davis. I am not a Bette Davis fan but watched this because it appears on so many lists of recommended movies. You can watch it online at this link.

trailer:

The BBC calls it "easily one of the best British psycho-thrillers committed to celluloid". TCM has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a consensus critics score of 85%.

Unity

"Biden made his whole thing about bipartisanship and unity and Republicans are going to join him in precisely none of it then blame him for being unable to fulfill his promise and say that in fact he actually divided things worse. That about cover the next four years?" -Luke O'Neil. O'Neil has a Twitter account here.

And there it is. McConnell won't even allow the normal transfer of committee chairmanships to the majority party, but Trump cultists are complaining that Biden carrying forward in presenting plans towards accomplishing what we all knew his agenda was is a sign that he's not trying to unify us? Biden's overt willingness to compromise and work with Republicans isn't good enough because he won't just do what the right-wing Republicans wanted before they lost the presidency and both houses?

"Unity and healing must begin with understanding and truth." -President Joe Biden (link)

Reaching out requires someone reach back to accomplish anything. "Unity" has never meant everybody is going to agree on everything. "Unity" means we're agreeing to work together towards the common cause of making things better. Some Republicans seem to think it means, "We lost, but you said "unity" so you should do what we want anyway". To them I'd like to say, "F***k your feelings" and "You lost, get over it, move on" and "Elections have consequences" -you know, like they told me...

but I won't.

No, in the spirit of Biden's longing for unity I'll say, "Can we at least talk about our differences and try to work towards an understanding?" Give up the baseless conspiracy theories and the "We were robbed" plaint and the threats of secession and work with us, for Heaven's sake.

Or not. But don't then complain that Biden divided us.

P.S. This post is in no way intended as a response to anything said by any of my blogging buddies. If it had been I'd've just come right out and said so and quoted y'all and linked to your posts, like I've done in the past. 

No, this post is in response to statements I'm seeing from politicians. I'll include a few examples below, just so you can see what I'm seeing if you've quit tracking news reports.

Rand Paul said this of Biden's inauguration speech

"If you read his speech and listen to it carefully, much of it is thinly-veiled innuendo calling us white supremacists, calling us racists, calling us every name in the book."

Josh Hawley (insurrectionist cheerleader) said,

"Democrats in DC say they want unity. They don’t want unity. They want total control. Control of what we say, what we think, and who we support."

Marco Rubio tweeted:

"A radical leftist agenda in a divided country will not help unify our country..."

In the midst of these lies and insults, the ongoing inflammatory rhetoric, Republican refusal to reach back and take Biden's hand, and continuing reluctance of elected Republicans to admit the truth that Biden won a free and fair election, you can't say Biden's the one at fault for continuing division. Well, you can, but that'd be another lie.

Leaning Woman with Dog and Still Life

Leaning Woman with Dog and Still Life (1917)

by Pierre Bonnard, who died on January 23, 1947, at 79 years of age. You can see more of his work at WikiArt at this link.

Please join me in sharing a drink-related post and joining me at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering.

The Safety Net

The Safety Net by Andrea Camilleri is the 25th book in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series. I enjoy the characters, the plots, the food desctiptions... I always look forward to reading the next one.

from the back of the book:

Vigata is bustling as the new filming location for a Swedish television series set in 1950. In the production frenzy, the director asks the locals to track down movies and vintage photos to faithfully re-create the town's atmosphere at that time. While rummaging in the attic of his house, Ernesto Sabatello finds a collection of films shot by his father from 1958 to 1963, always on the same day, March 27, and always the same shot: the outside wall of a country house.

Montalbano hears the story and, intrigued, begins to investigate its meaning. Meanwhile, a middle school is threatened by a group of armed men, and a closer look at the situation finds Montalbano considering the students as suspects, forcing him to delve into the online world of social media for answers.

Publishers Weekly has a positive review. Kirkus Reviews concludes, "Both darker and more absurd than previous romps, the latest Montalbano is a bracing cautionary tale."

Nosferatu the Vampyre

Nosferatu the Vampyre is a 1979 West German remake of the 1922 Nosferatu film. Directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski, how can you resist?

I watched it on TubiTV. Here's a trailer:

The British Film Institute closes an appreciative article with this:

Eerily beautiful and remarkable in many respects (not least for the acting – notably the expressionist performances of Kinski and Isabelle Adjani, but also that of Bruno Ganz), Nosferatu the Vampyre is at once a tribute to Murnau’s original and the golden age of German filmmaking and a musing on the vampire myth and the gothic tradition. In its various divergences from its hallowed predecessor, it is also – perhaps inevitably, I’d say, given that this is a Herzog film – a wry, haunting meditation on the human condition. Death, as Dracula reminds us, is not the worst thing that can befall us.

The Guardian gives it a full 5 stars and says, "Klaus Kinski is genuinely scary as the bloodthirsty Count in Werner Herzog's homage to the 1922 FW Murnau movie". Roger Ebert considered it a Great Movie. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 95%.

Tombstone (1993)

Tombstone is a 1993 Western film starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, with Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Charlton Heston, Billy Bob Thornton, and Dana Delany in supporting roles, as well as narration by Robert Mitchum. It's a traditional western, well told and well acted. And that cast! I watched it on Amazon Prime, free with ads. Or Daily Motion has it.

trailer:

Mr Hublot

Mr Hublot is a 2014 award-winning animated short film.

Just Walkin' in the Rain

Just Walkin' in the Rain (Sun Records in Memphis):

a 1952 popular song written when The Prisonaires were, well, in prison in Nashville, TN. Lead singer Johnny Bragg had his sentence commuted in 1956, but in 1960 he was arrested for "parole violation" for being found in the back of an automobile with a white women. It was his wife. He was returned to jail for six and a half years.

And you wonder why they protest. #BlackLivesMatter

A Single Life

A Single Life is a 2014 animated short film. And I do mean short.

Think About Your Troubles

Think About Your Troubles:

by Harry Nilsson. He was born with heart problems and died on 1/19/1994 of heart failure at the age of 52.

lyrics excerpt:

Sit beside the breakfast table
Think about your troubles
Pour yourself a cup of tea
Then think about the bubbles
You can take your teardrops
And drop them in a teacup
Take them down to the riverside
And throw them over the side

******* 

Please join me at the T Stand for Tuesday blogger gathering. Post a drink and share a link.

There's a Noose Waiting for You, Trinity!

There's a Noose Waiting for You, Trinity! (aka The Return of Clint the Stranger) is a 1972 spaghetti western starring Klaus Kinski (one of our favorites) and George Martin. The music is by the ever-masterful Ennio Morricone. You can watch it on Amazon Prime. Or via Youtube:

 

*******

Spaghetti-Western.net says,

The use of Trinity in the title may have created some false expectations: this is most certainly not a comedy. In spite of the traditional storyline it's a rather dark movie. Martin is still the archetypical western hero of the peaceful man who's forced to take up his gun again, but he's also a psychologically tormented, unstable person who is haunted by his violent past in a series of red-tinted flashbacks. The action scenes are rather sudden; they're well-handled...

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity is a 2007 supernatural found-footage horror movie. I had never seen this one before and watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

The Guardian begins with this: "Both hair-raising and chilling, this suburban drama skips genre cliches, to come up with a claustrophobic classic". Empire Online closes by saying, "An Amityville for the YouTube age: potent, primal and genuinely frightening."

Roger Ebert opens a positive review with this: ""Paranormal Activity" is an ingenious little horror film, so well made it's truly scary...". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 83%.

Into the Forest

Into the Forest is a 2015 post-apocalyptic film. The apocalypse is undefined but takes place in the near future. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

The Hollywood Reporter says, "Beautiful and sensitive to character but gripping when it needs to be, the pic is too grounded to be lumped into the apocalyptic genre bin". Roger Ebert's site closes by saying, "find a way to see "Into the Forest," for it is the kind of film that will not only stick with you, it will even make you think."

The Kumars at No. 42

The Kumars at No. 42 isn't a series I've watched, but the name makes me want to. The image at the top of the post is from Amazon.com, where they offer this show for $8.90.

I look for 42s as I go through my daily life.

God of War

God of War is a 2017 film based on general Qi Jiguang's suppression of the Japanese wokou pirates during the Ming dynasty. I enjoyed this one. The Younger Son had the DVD, so that's how I saw it. I don't see it free online.

trailer: