April Films Round Up 1

Ten films I watched in 2024. This does not complete my notes on last year, however the end is in sight.

****

1. The Batman

Watched this again in the wake of The Penguin (my notes forthcoming). What new is there to say?

This Batman is more careful to avoid killing than some in recent times, certainly more so than Affleck, Keaton et al, probably more than Bale, on a par with West and less careless than him.

The Riddler, having uncovered corruption, realises that it reaches so far, so deep into the city, that it’s in no one’s interest to reveal it. Anyone important is already bought, and anyone honest is unimportant*. Hence his two-pronged attack, to murder those most responsible, and to attract the attention of another, incorruptible vigilante.

What is the film about? About corruption, yes, and about fanaticism. This is a Batman who cares nothing for Bruce Wayne, he does not pretend to be a playboy or act as a philanthropist. He has poured his entire self into his vigilante campaign. And in the course of it learns that there are other things, that he can fall in love, maybe, and indeed he does still have family and something to lose, in Alfred.

A Batman who is growing up, and also a Batman who fails to save the city. But not one who gives up. Something in common with The Penguin there, about people who don’t give up.

Watch This: Still a good bat-thriller
Don’t Watch This: Just weirdos in masks working out their problems while a city rots

* This comes back in The Penguin in slightly diluted form; Carmine Falcone murdered anyone who was on his trail, including an investigative journalist, and blackmailed everyone else.

2. Who Is Killing The Great Chefs Of Europe?

Max Vandeveer (Robert Morley) publishes Epicurious, the foremost magazine of gourmet food. He recently published a story of the perfect meal, made up of four dishes of different chefs that he cannot resist. This is unfortunate; he is, as the film puts it, calamitously fat. His assistant (Madge Ryan) forces him to go to his doctor (John Le Mesurier) who tells him he will die in months unless he goes on a diet. He promptly goes to lunch at the Royal Grill, where Louis Kohner makes the baked pigeon in a crust that is one of the perfect dishes. They are confronted by Jean-Claude Mollineau, another French chef, furious that he is not on the perfect meal with his entrecote.

Meanwhile Nat O’Brien (Jacquline Bisset), American chef whose bombe is the dessert of the perfect meal, arrives in London; Max has a variety of tasks for her. She’s intercepted by her ex-husband Robby Ross. He creates fast food restaurants and sells them on; he wants her to endorse his latest venture, an omelette franchise. She refuse, heads into London where she and Louis have been recruited by Max to cook at Buckingham Palace for the Queen. This is a great success and Louis and Nat celebrate by returning to his place, above the Royal Grill, eating, drinking, and having sex (briefly interrupted by Robby calling asking her to get Louis to endorse his omelette chain).

The next morning Louis is discovered dead, baked in his own oven. Nat has a schedule to keep though; she’s interviewing Fausto Zoppi in Venice. Zoppi’s lobster was one of the dishes in Max’s article and he ends up dead, drowned in his own lobster tank.

This is a comedy, despite the gruesome murders, or perhaps because of them. So everyone is larger than life; Nat the most normal seeming, is constantly bouncing between fascination with cooking, her difficult relationship with her ex, and investigating murders. The film uses it’s locations well, kitchens and restaurants and the market and dining terrace in Venice. The solution to the mystery – the question – remains in play and in sight at all times, even as the film diverts to another comic and/or culinary setpiece.

Watch This: Funny, breezy murder mystery, with some amusing looks into a heightened culinary world
Don’t Watch This: Chefs are horribly murdered, a woman dragged all over Europe by selfish men

3. Atragon

It’s Japan in the 1960s and some photographers shooting a model in a bikini at night see strange men coming out the sea in silvery suits, and a car drive into the ocean. After talking to a detective about this they spot Makoto Jinguji, daughter of missing submarine Captain Jinguji, being followed. Meanwhile Captain Jinguji’s old boss, and now Makoto’s current boss, retired Admiral Kusumi, is confronted by a reporter. The reporter claims that Captain Jinguji is still alive, and working on the top secret submarine project he was sent on at the end of the war.

Makoto and the Admiral are kidnapped in a taxi, the driver claiming to be an agent for the underwater empire of Mu. The photographers intervene, rescuing them, and the driver flees into the sea. They receive a package which shows the empire of Mu is highly advanced despite being drowned thousands of years ago, and demand the world submit, and also turn over Captain Jinguji and his Atragon submarine.

The Empire of Mu attacks shipping, closing the world’s sealanes. The various characters all get together to go and try and find Captain Jinguji and get him to use his submarine as the only weapon that can defeat Mu. Jinguji is not so easily convinced; he and his crew have been isolated since 1945 and Mu is not their enemy.

Played fairly straight this science fiction thriller jumps from idea to idea lightly. Is this a cultural difference, the gap widened by translation? Or is it just a bunch of cool scenes loosely stitched together. In fairly late stages of the film, some of the characters are taken prisoner and meet the High Priest and Empress Of Mu, who then hang about not doing very much until the end of the film. Some fun to be had as each side reveals new abilities in the final sequences.

Watch This: Fun Japanese adventure film
Don’t Watch This: Doesn’t make much sense, doesn’t explain or prepare anything, very silly

4. Red Sun

In the Old West of the United States a gang of thieves rob a train. On board is $400,000 and a US Army escort, also the Japanese ambassador and his party. The gang are equipped for dealing with the army and the safe to get the money*. Confronting the ambassador, one of the leaders of the gang, Gauche, takes the sword they are sending to the President as a gift. He then betrays another leader, Link Stuart (Charles Bronson), throwing dynamite into the wagon he’s in.

Link survives, is forced to guide the samurai Kuroda Jubei (Toshire Mifune) after Gauche, wanting to get the sword back. The ambassador gives him seven days; if he fails the two of them will commit suicide from shame. Link reluctantly guides Kuroda, trying and failing to escape.

Gauche has buried the money and killed the men who were with him so it can’t be found. Kuroda and Link encounter a ranch where some of the gang are and act together to defeat the men and rescue the survivors. As is inevitable they begin to respect each other. Link has a plan; he takes them to a brothel where Christine (Ursula Andress) Gauche’s lover is. When Gauche’s men come to collect her they kill most of them and offer to swap her for the sword. On their way to the swap, an abandoned mission, Christine escapes to be captured by Comanche; she kills one and they leave her to die, allowing Link and Kuroda to recapture her. This sets up the complex multi-sided final fight, with burning fields, Comanche attacks and ambushes.

An early east-meets-western, with ideas of that genre already fairly fully formed. Link assumes Kuroda doesn’t know about guns (probably not true and he certainly knows how to fight gunmen when he’s armed with a sword) and, bizarrely, horses. Kuroda fears the old ways are vanishing in Japan and so clings tightly to his honour.

Watch This: Great fun action buddy western with a bit of comedy
Don’t Watch This: Just a bunch of guys cross-culturally murdering each other

* Are the army escorting the money or the ambassador? The gang don’t seem to expect the ambassador and some of the dialogue suggests the officer is there because of the ambassador. In which case why not wait a month and attack a train with less troops on board? Not the last thing that doesn’t make sense.

5. Benedetta

In 17^th century Italy Benedetta joins an abbey, becomes a nun. While playing the Virgin Mary in a play she has visions of Jesus. She continues to have visions, including Jesus saving her from attackers, and killing snakes with a sword.

Bartolomea, a young peasant woman, seeks sanctuary in the abbey; Benedetta intervenes when she is going to be turned away, having her family pay for her upkeep and to pay off her father. Bartolomea is outspoken and boisterous, causes a little upset, and kisses Benedetta.

Benedetta collapses after a vision and Bartolomea is assigned to care for her. She has another vision and afterwards stigmata, mysterious wounds resembling those of Jesus, appear on her hands and feet. The Abbess dismissed these as they do not match recorded instances; they appeared in her sleep, not at prayer, and there is no wound to her head, for the crown of thorns. Then Benedetta falls, a wound appears on her head, and she speaks in a strong, deep, commanding voice.

There is an investigation. Christina, a nun who is the daughter of the Abbess doubts Benedetta. However Benedetta’s visions and fear of the plague, from which the town has been unusually immune so far, lead the church authorities to elevate her to the position of Abbess. When Christina accuses Benedetta of causing the wounds, she is humiliated and throws herself off the tower.

Benedetta and Bartolomea begin a sexual relationship. However there is a spyhole and news leaks out, leading to Benedetta being put on trial. The townspeople still support her and when the church authorities intend to execute her the plague comes to the town fulfilling the prophecy.

A rich, sensuous, sexual film about religion and faith and about plotting and lies as well. In the end the question is one of belief, though less what Benedetta believes – whether she is deliberately faking miracles or not it is out of her own faith. And of course her own love.

Watch This: Powerful story of faith, love, lies and forbidden secrets
Don’t Watch This: Some nuns have weird visions and lesbian sex

6. The American Society Of Magical Negroes

Aren (Justice Smith), a black man in America, is a struggling artist. His yarn sculpture showing goes poorly, the patron he’s trying to impress mistaking him for a waiter. The bartender, Roger (David Allan Grier) commiserates. When a complex and farcical series of events leads to Aren being accused of theft and threatened on the way home, Roger rescues him using inexplicable coincidence and a lot of bluff charm.

Roger then initiates Aren into the American Society Of Magical Negroes. In literary (and other media) criticism a “Magical Negro” is a black character who exists to aid a white character with their insight, advice, or possibly supernatural powers. This, Roger explains, is actually a job. Aren is shown some historical events where black people encourage their white counterparts. It is a necessary task, as when white people feel uncomfortable around black people that tends to make bad things happen (see: race relations in America). There are some limitations for the job; you should only use your powers to help the client, using them for yourself causes them to stop working. As an example Roger and Aren help a white police officer who is feeling stress and frustration, getting him into a nightclub and giving him confidence.

Aren is sent to Meetbox, a social media firm, his job being to assist Jason, a white male designer, who is feeling depressed. Meetbox has nautical ranks and a nautical theme. This film is a comedy and a satire so there’s fun foods and games and things in the office which is convenient for the awkward conversations that will make up the majority of the rest of the film. Lizzie, a woman he previously met in the coffee shop and had some flirtatious banter with also works there. Despite having feelings for Lizzie, and Jason revealing himself as oblivious and mediocre, Aren helps Jason, leading to him being given the big opportunity for the relaunch (Meetbox is embroiled in scandal after a fix to let it recognise black faces has it delete Ghana from it’s system – a fix Jason worked on).

Inevitably Aren falls for Lizzie, and also calls out Jason, live on stage at the Meetbox re-launch, when Jason self-centredly and defensively talks over Aren’s self-realisation that he doesn’t have to apologise for being himself. I’m a white guy from England so I’m not exactly an expert on the multi-dimensional ways race exerts influence on American society, so on that aspect will simply note that I didn’t find the film introduced anything very novel to me on that score. Some of the jokes were good. Sadly the film finished at the moment when it introduced the ideas that there might be other ways forward than simply assisting and making white people comfortable.

Watch This: Entertaining romantic satirical comedy that calls out well known stereotypes
Don’t Watch This: Very lukewarm in it’s satire, most of the good jokes have been done better elsewhere

7. Gorgo

A British salvage ship off the coast of Ireland is rocked by an underwater volcanic eruption and heads for the nearby island of Nara to undertake repairs. The locals are moderately unfriendly sending them to the harbourmaster. He has a fine collection of Viking treasures brought up from the sea bed, including a relic with Ogra the sea spirit. The harbourmaster also has gold relics, which are probably illegal, which the captain uses to coerce his cooperation.

A diver emerges, dies of fright. A beast attacks the fishermen and they request help from the captain and the harbourmaster. The capture the creature which is a giant bipedal lizard. Scientists try to get hold of it but the captain has already sold it to a circus, ignoring their complaints and the warnings of an orphan boy who keeps trying to tell them it’s a mistake.

They take the creature to Battersea Park where it’s put on display under the name “Gorgo,” for gorgon. The pit it’s kept in is inescapable, so there’s no danger. The only curiosity is that when scientists examine the creature it turns out to be a very young specimen. So where are the adults?

It’s a bit Godzilla, it’s a bit King Kong! All within the British Isles (there’s a brief moment when the British government controversially tells the Irish they have no right to the creature). The creature is marginally more scary before it appears on screen, though frankly even that part of the film only manages a baseline level of tension.

Watch This: British Godzilla! British King Kong!
Don’t Watch This: The whole thing is rather dated

8. The Case Of The Mukkinese Battle-horn

Peter Sellars and Spike Milligan make an anarchic absurd comedy film in the style of their Goon Show radio programs. (Harry Secombe, the third Goon, was not available, also commanded too much of a fee at this time). The Mukkinese Battlehorn, a ludicrous 8^th century artefact, is stolen from the Metropolitan Museum and two bumbling policemen try to solve the crime. This is made difficult due to the literal-minded nature of things, so that, for example, the police photographer comes and takes pictures of the police.

A spoof of police TV shows of the time, it moves swiftly through a variety of jokes, many good, some tiresome or perplexing. Perhaps fortunately it is a short film of 27 minutes; by not outstaying it’s welcome I found it a pleasant and amusing curiosity.

Watch This: Film version of some classic British comedy
Don’t Watch This: Funny voices, over-acting and wild swings in tone do not entertain 

9.  The Sweet Scent Of Death

Hammer House Of Mystery And Suspense

Ten years ago Ann (Shirley Knight) was a lawyer and successfully defended an accused murderer whose victim was left under a rose bush. Now married to Greg Denver (Dean Stockwell) an American diplomat in London, they buy a country house. But arriving there strange things happen, including someone leaving roses.

Someone watches the house. Ann discovers it’s the florist with the roses, and learns about his past and how it links back to the old case. When Greg has to go back to London things start to get out of hand.

This is full of twists and turns, betrayal and mystery. As usual in these the police are not much use, and rightly so.

Watch This: Creepy story of a woman stalked in an isolated house
Don’t Watch This: Full of frustrating red herrings and dead ends
This Review Dropped Off My Schedule: So although not the last in the running order, this does complete my reviews of the series. A full list here:

1.   Mark Of The Devil
2.   Last Video And Testament
3.   Child's Play
4.   The Corvini Inheritance
5.   In Possession
6.   Paint Me A Murder
7.   A Distant Scream
8.   Black Carrion
9.   The Late Nancy Irving
10. Czech Mate
11. The Sweet Scent Of Death
12. And The Walls Come Tumbling Down
13. Tennis Court

10. Shin Ultraman

In Japan, kaiju (giant monster) attacks have caused the government to create a special taskforce the SSSP (S-Class Species Suppression Protocol). When a monster attacks, one of them, Kaminaga, a former policeman is injured saving a child. A giant silver humanoid comes down from space and defeats the monster.

A new analyst, Asami is sent to the team; a former intelligence analyst she works on a report on the silver humanoid, calling him Ultraman. When the next monster attacks, the SSSP realise it is heading for a nuclear waste facility which would be a disaster. Ultraman stops it; we the audience discover that Kaminaga can transform into Ultraman.

An alien named Zarab contacts the SSSP, wishing to negotiate with the Japanese government. Kaminaga discovers Zarab intends to trigger conflict between countries so they will destroy each other. Zarab kidnaps him, disguises itself as Ultraman and attacks Japan and leaks footage of Kaminaga transforming. Kaminaga has sent the Beta-Capsule he uses to transform to Asami; she’s able to rescue Kaminaga, is captured herself, so Kaminaga transforms and defeats Zarab.

Kaminaga is in hiding when another alien Mefilas arrives, mind-controls Asami and makes her gigantic. Mefilas tells the government that he will give them the transforming Beta-Box for deterrence if they will grant him rulership. Kaminaga contacts the SSSP and they prevent the handover. Mefilas warns them of a greater threat before leaving with the Beta-Box. The last threat involves a danger from Ultraman’s own planet and Ultraman having to decide if he will stay on Earth or leave.

Shin Godzilla took the idea of a kaiju attack and asked how would a bureaucracy deal with this (poorly). I’ve not seen any Ultraman before so can’t comment on how it relates to the original. This also has a certain amount of bureaucracy – the SSSP spend a lot of time in their office, their boss liaising with other parts of the government and when they’re deployed it’s to a headquarters where they work on their laptops surrounded by military and emergency personnel also working on their laptops. Still, there’s a comic, comicbook edge to it, this is analysing data and sending reports, not working through the paperwork to decide if the resources are appropriate, or being more careful of what’s in the minutes than dealing with the situation.

More comicbook? By keeping Ultraman’s classic, smooth shape there’s something heightened about it. Despite several meetings in dark car parks etc. Asami, the spy, is resolutely high-spirited and optimistic, with her characteristic good luck gesture being a slap on the bum, either to herself or to others. It’s somewhat episodic, with an introduction then three aliens coming and creating threats. In general though it’s great fun, combining wit, farce, a great variety of designs of the aliens (especially the hollow Zarab) and a little bit of intrigue. How would governments respond to giant monsters or alien superheroes appearing? It would be mixed.

Watch This: Fast-paced and enjoyable Japanese monster and superhero film with some great imagery
Don’t Watch This: Paper-thin characterisation and aliens just appearing from nowhere to do weird things