skjam

Getting to be a fairly impressive list on its own.

Previous Challenge movies:

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) dir. Nathan H. Juran
The 13th Warrior (1999) dir. John McTiernan
20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (2008) dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi
48 Hours (1982) dir. Walter Hill
984: Prisoner of the Future ((1982) dir. Tibor Takacs
1917 (2019) dir. Sam Mendes

Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990) dir. Damian Lee
Absolution (1978) dir. Anthony Page
Act of Love (1980) dir. Jud Taylor
Adventures of Gallant Bess (1948) dir. Lew Landers
The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935) dir. Ford Beebe
The Adventures of Tartu (1943) dir. Harold S. Bucquet
An Affair to Remember (1957) dir. Leo McCarey
Airplane! (1980) dir. Jim Abrahams
Alexander the Great (1963) dir. Phil Karlson
The Amazing Mr. X (1948) Bernard Vorhaus
The Amazing Transparent Man (1960) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Anatomy of a Psycho (1961) dir. Boris Petroff
Angel and the Badman (1947) dir. James Edward Grant
The Ape (1940) dir. William Nigh
The Ape Man (1943) dir. William Beaudine
The Armour of God (1986) dir. Jackie Chan
Assassin of Youth (1938) dir. Elmer Clifton
Atom Age Vampire (1960) dir. Anton Giuilo Majano
The Avenging Eagle (1978) dir. Chung Sun

The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969) dir. George McCowan
Bangkok Dangerous (2008) dir. Oxide Chun Pang
Bangkok Haunted (2001) dir. Oxide Chun Pang
The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest (1997) dir. Toshihiko Masuda
Batman Vs. Two-Face (2017) dir. Rick Morales
Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) dir. Monte Hellman
Beast of the Yellow Night (1971) dir. Eddie Romero
Beauty and the Beast (1991) dir. Gary Trousdale
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) dir. William Beaudine
Better Off Dead (1985) dir. Savage Steve Holland
Beverly Hills Cop (1984) dir. Martin Brest
Beyond Obsession (1982) dir. Liliana Cavani
The Big Boss (1971) dir. Wei Lo
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) dir. John Carpenter
The Bishop Murder Case (1929) dir. David Burton
The Black Book (1949) dir. Anthony Mann
The Black Cat (1934) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Black Hooker (1974) dir. Arthur Roberson
Black Jack: The Movie (1996) dir. Osamu Dezaki
Blackmail (1929) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Black Room (1935) dir. Roy William Neill
Blade Runner (1982) dir. Ridley Scott
Blood Brothers (1973) dir. Chang Cheh
Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) dir. Massimo Pupillo
Boys of the City (1940) dir. Joseph H. Lewis
The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1962) dir. Joseph Green
Braveheart (1995) dir. Mel Gibson
The Breed (2001) dir. Michael Oblowitz
Broadway Limited (1941) dir. Gordon Douglas
The Broadway Melody (1929) dir. Harry Beaumont
A Bucket of Blood (1959) dir. Roger Corman
Bullitt (1968) dir. Peter Yates
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) dir. George Roy Hill

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) dir. Robert Wiene
Captain Blood (1935) dir. Michael Curtiz
Carnival of Souls (1962) dir. Herk Harvey
Casablanca (1942) dir. Michael Curtiz
The Case of the Curious Bride (1935) dir. Michael Curtiz
The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) dir. Alan Crosland
The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935) dir. Archie Mayo
The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936) dir. William Clemens
The Casino Murder Case (1935) dir. Edwin L. Marin
The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969) dir. Jesus Franco
Cat People (1942) dir. Jacques Tourneur
Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment (2010) dir. Michael Watt
Chained for Life (1951) dir. Harry L. Fraser
Chamber of Horrors (1940) dir. Norman Lee
Champagne (1928) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Chocolate (2008) dir. Prachya Pinkaew
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) dir. Steven Spielberg
Clueless (1995) dir. Amy Heckerling
The Comancheros (1961) dir. Michael Curtiz
Conquest (1983) dir. Lucio Fulci
Coogan's Bluff (1968) dir. Don Siegel
Creature (1985) dir. William Malone
Creatures the World Forgot (1971) dir. Don Chaffey
Crypt of the Vampire (1964) dir. Camillo Mastrocinque
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2006) dir. Russell Mulcahy
The Curse of the Cat People (1944) dir. Gunther V. Fritsch

The Damned Don't Cry (1950) dir. Vincent Sherman
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) dir. Robert Wise
Dead-Alive (1992) dir. Peter Jackson
Death Wish (1974) dir. Michael Winner
Dementia 13 (1963) dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Desk Set (1957) dir. Walter Lang
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) dir. Guy Hamilton
Dirty Harry (1971) dir. Don Siegel
Doctor Strange (2007) dir. Patrick Archibald
Doctor X (1932) dir. Michael Curtiz
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (1991) dir. Mitsuo Hashimoto
Dragon Lord (1982) dir. Jackie Chan
The Dragon Murder Case (1934) dir. H. Bruce Humberstone
Dressed to Kill (1946) dir. Roy William Neill
Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) dir. Norman Taurog
Drive Angry (2011} dir. Patrick Lussier
Drunken Monkey (2003) dir. Chia-Liang Liu

Earthquake (1974) dir. Mark Robson
Easy Virtue (1926) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Egg and I (1947) dir. Chester Erskine
Electric Dragon 80,000 V (2001) dir. Gakuryu Ishii
The Enforcer (1976) dir. James Fargo
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) dir. Steven Spielberg
Evil Dead II (1987) dir. Sam Raimi
Excalibur (1981) dir. John Boorman
eXistenZ (1999) dir. David Cronenburg

Fatal Attraction (1987) dir. Adrian Lyne
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) dir. Norman Jewison
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) dir. Hironobu Sakaguchi
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) dir. Sergio Leone
Fist of Fury (1972) dir. Wei Lo
Five Deadly Venoms (1978) dir. Cheh Chang
The Fly (1958) dir. Kurt Neumann
For a Few Dollars More (1965) dir. Sergio Leone
Fort Apache (1948) dir. John Ford
For Your Eyes Only (1981) dir. John Glen
Freaks (1932) dir. Tod Browning
From Russia With Love (1963) dir. Terence Young

Gaslight (1940) dir. Thorold Dickinson
The General (1926) dir. Clyde Bruckman
Ghostbusters (1984) dir. Ivan Reitman
Ghostbusters 2 (1989) dir. Ivan Reitman
The Giant of Marathon (1959) dir. Jacques Tourneur
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) dir. Ana Lily Amirpour
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) dir. Mamoru Hosoda
Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) dir. Hajime Sato
Golden Swallow (1968) dir. Cheh Chang
Goldfinger (1964) dir. Guy Hamilton
Gone With the Wind (1939) dir. Victor Fleming
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) dir. Sergio Leone
The Gorgon (1964) dir. Terence Fisher
The Gorilla (1939) dir. Allan Dwan
Grand Hotel (1932) dir. Edmund Goulding
The Great Escape (1963) dir. John Sturges
The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1940) dir. Ford Beebe
Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Dir. Lauren Montgomery

Hang 'Em High (1968) dir. Ted Post
Hanna (2011) dir. Joe Wright
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) dir. Chris Columbus
The Hasty Heart (1949) dir. Vincent Sherman
Hellbinders (2009) dir. Mitch Gould
He Walked By Night (1948) dir. Alfred Werker
High Plains Drifter (1973) dir. Clint Eastwood
Hollywood Safari (1997) dir. Henri Charr
Horror Hotel (1960) dir. John Llewellyn Moxey
House on Haunted Hill (1959) dir. William Castle
The Hunter (1980) dir. Buzz Kulik

The Incredibles (2004) dir. Brad Bird
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) dir. Steven Spielberg
Inglourious Basterds (2009) dir. Quentin Tarantino
I Walked With a Zombie (1943) dir. Jacques Tourneur

The Jade Mask (1945) dir. Phil Rosen
Jailhouse Rock (1957) dir. Richard Thorpe
Jaws 2 (1978) dir. Jeannot Szwarc
Joe (2013) dir. David Gordon Green
Juggernaut (1936) dir. Henry Edwards

The Kennel Murder Case (1933) dir. Michael Curtiz
Key Largo (1948) dir. John Huston
Killer Clans (1976) dir. Chor Yuen
Kitaro (2007) dir. Katsuhide Motoki
Knowing (2009) dir. Alex Proyas
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) dir. Robert Benton

Lady Snowblood (1973) dir. Toshiya Fujita
Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974) dir. Toshiya Fujita
Larceny in Her Heart (1946) dir. Sam Newfield
The Last Man on Earth (1960) dir. Sidney Saikow
The Last Stand (2013) dir. Jee-Woon Kim
The Last Tycoon (2012) dir. Jing Wong
Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983) dir. Kinji Fukasaku
Legend of the Red Dragon (1994) dir. Jing Wong
Lethal Weapon (1987) dir. Richard Donner
Let the Right One In (2008) dir. Tomas Alfredson
The Life of Emile Zola (1937) dir. William Dieterle
The Living Daylights (1987) dir. John Glen
The Living Skeleton (1968) dir. Hiroki Matsuno
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) dir. Peter Jackson
Lord of War (2005) dir. Andrew Niccol
The Lost Boys (1987) dir. Joel Schumacher

Ma Barker's Killer Brood (1960) dir. Bill Karn
Mad Max (1979) dir. George Miller
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) dir. George Miller
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) dir. George Miller
Magnum Force (1973) dir. Ted Post
Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case (1959) dir. Jean Delannoy
Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) dir. Phyllida Lloyd
Maniac (1963) dir. Michael Carreras
The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) dir. Nick Grinde
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) dir. RZA
Mark of the Vampire (1935) dir. Tod Browning
Martial Angels (2001) dir. Clarence Ford
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) dir. Charles Brabin
Meeting at Midnight (1944) dir. Phil Rosen
Metropolis (1927) dir. Fritz Lang
Metropolis (2001) dir. Rintaro
Militant Eagle (1978) dir. Chia Chih Li
Monster from Green Hell (1957) dir. Kenneth G. Crane
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) dir. Terry Gilliam
Moonlight Sword and Jade Dragon (1977) dir. Karl Liao
Mr. Nice Guy (1997) dir. Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) dir. Frank Lloyd

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004) dir. Tensai Okamura
Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006) dir. Toshiyuki Tsuru
Negadon: The Monster from Mars (2005) dir. Jun Awazu
Nevada Smith (1966) dir. Henry Hathaway
Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960) dir. Cyril Frankel
Night and the City (1950) dir. Jules Dassin
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) dir. Henry Selick
Nightmare Castle (1965) dir. Mario Caiano
Night of the Living Dead (1968) dir. George A. Romero

Oldboy (2003) dir. Park Chan-wook
One-Eyed Jacks (1961) dir. Marlon Brando
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) dir. Prachya Pinkaew
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) dir. Peter R. Hunt
Operation Condor (1991) dir. Jackie Chan
The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) dir. Jean Yarbrough

Paint Your Wagon (1969) dir. Joshua Logan
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) dir. Guillermo del Toro
Papillon (1973) dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Paradise Canyon (1935) dir. Carl Pierson
Parasite (2019) dir. Bong Joon-ho
Ponyo (2008) dir. Hayao Miyazaki
Princess Mononoke (1997) dir. Hayao Miyazaki
Project A (1983) dir. Jackie Chan
Project A 2 (1987) dir. Jackie Chan

The Raven (1935) dir. Lew Landers
Raw Deal (1948) dir. Anthony Mann
Ready Player One (2018) dir. Steven Spielberg
The Return of Dracula (1958) dir. Paul Landres
Return of the Evil Fox (1991) dir. George Leung
The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms (1978) dir. Cheh Chang
Return of the Fly (1959) dir. Edward Bernds
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) dir. Terence Fisher
Rio Bravo (1959) dir. Howard Hawks
Risky Business (1983) dir. Paul Brickman
The Road Warrior (1981) dir. George Miller

Samurai Rebellion (1967) dir. Masaki Kobayashi
Sansho the Bailiff (1954) dir. Kenji Mizoguchi
Scared to Death (1947) dir. Christy Cabanne
Scarlet Street (1945) dir. Fritz Lang
Scream of Fear (1961) dir. Seth Holt
The Searchers (1956) dir. John Ford
Serenity (2005) dir. Joss Whedon
The Seven Samurai (1954) dir. Akira Kurosawa
Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990) dir. Michael Herz
Shampoo (1975) dir. Hal Ashby
The Shanghai Cobra (1945) dir. Phil Karlson
Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) dir. Terence Fisher
The Shooting (1966) dir. Monte Hellman
Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (1968) dir. Noriaki Yuasa
The Snorkel (1958) dir. Guy Green
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) dir. William Cottrell
Spider-Man (2002) dir. Sam Raimi
Spring and Chaos (1996) dir. Shouji Kawamori
Star Trek (2009) dir. J.J. Abrams
Sudden Impact (1983) dir. Clint Eastwood
Suddenly (1954) dir. Lewis Allen
Summer Wars (2009) dir. Mamoru Hosoda
Supercop (1992) dir. Stanley Tong
Sword of the Beast (1965) dir. Hideo Gosha

T2: Judgement Day (1991) dir. James Cameron
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) dir. Isao Takahata
Tales from Earthsea (2006) dir. Goro Miyazaki
Tales of Terror (1962) dir. Roger Corman
Tampopo (1985) dir. Juzo Itami
Tarzan the Fearless (1933) dir. Robert F. Hill
The Terror (1963) dir. Roger Corman
Terror by Night (1946) dir. Roy William Neill
Three On a Ticket (1947) dir. Sam Newfield
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) dir. Hideo Gosha
T-Men (1947) dir. Anthony Mann
Total Recall (1990) dir. Paul Verhoeven
Twice-Told Tales (1963) dir. Sidney Salkow
Twin Dragons (1992) dir. Ringo Lam
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) dir. Terence Fisher
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) dir. Don Siegel

Universal Squadrons (2011) dir. Mark Millhone
The Vampire (1957) dir. Paul Landre
Vengeance Valley (1951) dir. Richard Thorpe
Volcano High (2001) dir. Tae-gyun Kim
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

The War of the Worlds (1953) dir. Byron Haskin
Weird Woman (1944) dir. Reginald Le Borg
The Whisperer in Darkness (2011) dir. Sean Branney
White Zombie (1932) dir. Victor Halperin
Wildfire (1945) dir. Robert Emmett Tansey
Woman on the Run (1950) dir. Norman Foster
Wonder Woman (2009) dir. Lauren Montgomery

Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966) dir. Tokuzo Tanaka
Zebraman (2009) dir. Takashi Miike
Zootopia (2016) dir. Byron Howard


























































































Last updated: 06/29/25

For Your Eyes Only (1981) dir. John Glen

James Bond (Roger Moore) is visiting his wife Tracy's grave when he's informed that a helicopter has come to take him to "the office." This turns out to be a trap, as the pilot is murdered by his own headphones so that a man who is clearly Blofeld (John Hollis), having survived the end of Diamonds Are Forever though with severe permanent injuries. The villain flies the helicopter by remote control, taunting Bond with almost-death, but gloats too long and 007 is able to disable the remote and turns the tables. Blofeld is probably really dead this time.

Meanwhile, the St. Georges, a British Navy surveillance ship disguised as a fishing trawler, is sunk in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece. It happened to have on board the ATAC, a device for controlling Britain's ballistic missiles. The Soviet Union in the person of General Gogol (Walter Gotell) would be very interested in obtaining the device, and commission "our Greek friend" to pick it up. Marine archaeologist and crossbow champion Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) witnesses her parents being assassinated by Cuban hitman Hector Gonzales (Stefan Kalipha). She does not know that this is because they were helping the British locate the sunken ship.

Bond is called in to investigate the murder of the Havelocks and find the ATAC. While he's surveilling the pool party Gonzales is hosting in Spain, he witnesses someone hand the killer a suitcase full of money. He then allows himself to be captured, but before he can learn more, Melina in disguise murders Gonzales and they're forced to escape together.

James and Melina argue about her revenge plans, as her bloodthirst has temporarily left Bond without solid leads. She's focused on her personal loss, while 007 sees a slightly larger picture, but won't at this moment tell her about it.

Using a fancy identikit-type program guided by Q (Desmond Llewellyn), Bond is able to determine that the payoff man is Belgian mercenary Locque (Michael Gothard). He jets off to Italy and the former Winter Olympics site of Cortina. There he meets with his local contact Luigi Ferrara (John Moreno), who introduces him to wealthy Greek businessman and informant Aris Kristatos (Julian Glover). James is also introduced to Bibi Dahl (Lynn-Holly Johnson), an aspiring figure skater sponsored by Kristatos, and her exacting coach Ms. Brink (Jill Bennett). Kristatos suspects his former partner in the Greek resistance, now his business rival and smuggler, Milos Columbo (Topol) of employing Locque.

The baddies have figured out who Melina is, and lured her to Cortina with a faked telegram from James. This sparks several winter sports-themed assassination attempts by Locque and his associates, including Eric Kriegler (John Wyman) East German bi-athlete and KGB agent. Bond and Melina survive, but Luigi does not, and that man's body has a dove pin on it, symbol of Columbo's organization.

So it's off to Corfu, Greece, where Columbo owns a casino. Columbo's mistress, Countess Lisl von Schlaf (Cassandra Harris) and Bond seduce each other for information. As they walk along the beach afterwards, the "Countess" (she's actually from Liverpool) is assassinated by Locque, and then Bond is captured by Columbo's men. The smuggler claims that Kristatos, not him, is Locque's employer!

Now James Bond must figure out who's telling the truth, recover the ATAC, and make sure that Malina's revenge doesn't kill the wrong people.

Roger Moore plays 007 with more humor than his two predecessors, not just hardboiled one-liners, but as aware of how silly some of the situations he gets in to are. By this point, his fifth or so Bond movie, he was beginning to feel his age, and James very pointedly does not sleep with Bibi, who's depicted as too young for his tastes.

After a couple of very flashy films, including outright science fiction in Moonraker, it was decided to dial back the stakes and the use of gadgets in this movie. The tricked-out car is blown up very quickly, and the climax involves Bond using standard climbing gear and improvisation to get up a mountainside. We're back to the Cold War with the Soviet Union as the larger scale villains, but they're not planning to destroy the world, even if they do get the Macguffin of the plot.

The opening song is cool, sung by Sheena Easton, who actually appears in the opening credits.

As always with the Eon series of James Bond movies, excellent action and chase scenes, with a good variety of locations. The hockey assassins are very silly, but make Luigi's death just afterwards more of a gut punch.

Oh, and there's also a silly bit with (unnamed) Margaret Thatcher, who is depicted as a housewife who just so happens also to be Prime Minister. Your mileage may vary on just how much of a mis-portrayal this is.

Content notes: Women in skimpy outfits, implied nudity. Bond and several other characters have extramarital sex. Bibi mentions she's not a virgin, but specifically doesn't do it with Bond or Kristatos. Lots of murder and violence, as per usual, some bloody. Sex trafficking is mentioned.

This isn't one of the great James Bond movies, or the most memorable. But it's still plenty interesting and

Killer Clans (1976) dir. Chor Yuen, (Chinese title "Liu xing hu die jian")

(Not picked for me, I had a "free space" and decided to close out a box set.)

Meng Hsin-Wan (Tsung Wa) is a top assassin of the Chinese underworld, working out of a brothel the madam of which is his boss. There's another assassin on the premises, but he's become an alcoholic since a certain incident three years ago and is considered unreliable. And reliability is needed for Meng's next assignment, taking down Master Sun (Ku Feng), "Uncle" of the powerful Jung Society. His job is made both easier and more complicated by the Jung Society being in a power struggle with the upstart Roc Society. This being the underworld, both societies have spies in the other camp...and elsewhere. Meng will have to tread carefully if he is to accomplish his mission and stay alive!

This relatively complex Shaw Brothers movie is loosely based on a novel by Gu Long, and then was even more loosely remade as Butterfly and Sword in the 1990s.

Meng's emotional journey becomes more complex when he falls in love with the beautiful hermit of Butterfly Forest, who turns out to be Master Sun's estranged daughter.

Good: Lush production values, spectacular fight scenes that don't go on too long, plenty of plot twists. We're reminded several times that there are spies everywhere, and that Master Sun is prepared for almost any contingency. The real villain of the story comes almost as a surprise.

Less good: Master Sun's daughter Hsiao Tieh is treated by the story as a prize to be won.

Odd: This is one of those gangster films that avoids having the gangsters having the criminals depicted as committing crime to make money. Outside some of the Roc Society men committing rape early in the movie, all their on-screen activity is killing other underworld gangsters. You might even think Master Sun was a good guy except for people committing murder and suicide out of loyalty to him.

Content note: Lots of martial arts violence, most lethal, usually not overboard with the gore. Suicide. Death of children. Rape. A closeup of a needle being removed from a wound. Female toplessness. Onscreen sex (covered.) Alcohol abuse. Between all that and a complex plot that might confuse younger viewers, I'd say late teens at minimum.

Overall: A movie for kung fu fans that rewards people who pay attention during the non-fight scenes. Some of the content might make it rough going for some viewers, but very enjoyable for those who can handle it.

Who's ready for more movie reviews?

This month, the Crud Buddies chose me two Jackie Chan films, and two anime movies. Hope you're ready for the ride!

Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (1968) dir. Noriaki Yuasa

Sayuri (Yachie Matsui) has mostly been okay with living at the Catholic orphanage with the Director nun (Kuniko Miyake) and handsome "big brother" Tatsuya (Sei Hiraizumi). But now she's been adopted by the Nanjo family, and she's determined to be a good daughter to her new parents. Perhaps the overnight death of one of the maids by heart attack is a bad omen, but it could have been a coincidence.

Sayuri's new father, Goro Nanjo (Yoshiro Kitahara), is a noted herpetologist, and is called away to an urgent find in Africa on the very night she arrives, leaving the new daughter in the care of her new mother, Yuko Nanjo (Yuko Hamada) and head servant Shige Kito (Sachiko Meguro). It soon becomes evident that there's another person living in the house, and Sayuri is introduced to her new sister Tamami (Mayumi Takahashi). This person was not mentioned to Sayuri during the adoption process, but she's willing to be a good sister as well.

Tamami is...odd, and is hostile to Sayuri. She may or may not be a snake person, but her behavior is explained away as selfishness or jealousy, and any physical evidence vanishes whenever Sayuri tries to show it.

Sayuri tells her woes to Tatsuya, who is not convinced anything supernatural is going on (some of Sayuri's experiences are obvious dream sequences) but does suspect that all is not on the up and up. He consults with the Director, who tells Tatsuya that Tamami wasn't mentioned as living in the Nanjo home, because she isn't supposed to be. She was institutionalized two years ago after a mental breakdown where she started thinking she was a snake. Yuko must secretly have sprung Tamami and hid her in the house without Goro's knowledge.

Tamami's getting more and more openly hostile to Sayuri, but there may be a more sinister force lurking in the shadows.

This movie was loosely adapted from the horror manga of Kazuo Umezu ("Cat-Eyed Boy") and includes some of his trademark bizarre imagery. It uses its dark house with darker secrets setting well, and is just vague enough about the supernatural bits that you're kept guessing through most of the film whether they are actually happening, faked, or Sayuri's just hallucinating.

The big twist towards the end you may have seen coming, but doesn't answer the question of why that person went to such elaborate lengths when the only people that needed fooling was the audience.

Content notes: bullying, many scenes with snakes, and one very vivid multiple spider scene.

The film is fairly rare, and you might have trouble tracking down a good print, but if you like an old-fashioned spooky movie, this one has its charms.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) dir. Robert Wise

The humans of Earth are a fractious lot. Why, just six years ago, they had an entire World War, as a result of which they created and used atomic weapons. You'd think they would have learned their lesson, but instead they went right into a Cold War, turning hot in places like Korea. And they're building rockets to explore beyond their atmosphere! If the Earthlings got off their own planet while still maintaining their warlike ways, other worlds might be threatened. Someone should really go and have a word with them.

And so Klaatu has come to Earth with his mighty robot companion Gort. They land their saucer in a Washington, D.C. park near the Mall. Klaatu speaks words of peace, but when he pulls out a device that looks a teensy bit like a ray gun, a nervous soldier shoots him. Gort raises his visor and reduces multiple pieces of military hardware to ash before Klaatu gets his breath back enough to ask Gort to stop.

Klaatu recovers in a nearby hospital, but the governments of Earth refuse to meet together to hear his message, even at the United Nations. Realizing he needs to learn more about the Earthlings before taking his next step, Klaatu escapes from the hospital and assumes the identity of Mr. Carpenter, a traveler who takes a room at a boarding house.

There he meets widow Helen Benson and her son Bobby, who Mr. Carpenter makes a good impression on. So much so, that when Helen steps out with her new boyfriend Tom, an insurance salesman, she allows Mr. Carpenter to babysit Bobby by having the boy guide him around town. Bobby enables Klaatu to see that Earth people do have some capacity for goodness and growth, and enables Mr. Carpenter to get in contact with Earth's greatest scientist, Professor Barnhardt.

Professor Barnhardt is willing to assemble an international conference of scientists to hear Klaatu's message, and asks for a non-lethal demonstration of the alien's power to back up his words. Klaatu does so, halting most electrical activity on Earth (except where that would kill people) and making the Earth Stand Still. The military does not respond well, and this sets up the spine-tingling conclusion.

This 1951 film is deservedly considered one of the all-time classic science fiction films, far above the schlock treatment the genre usually received at the time. The acting is decent, the effects very well done given technological limitations (there were two Gort costumes with zippers in different places, depending on whether Gort is facing towards or away from the camera.) The theremin music is spooky, and the writing is also good. Even though all of the action is confined to the Washington area, the international nature of the crisis is frequently shown, and even in American crowds we see some diversity.

A hilarious moment for later audiences is when two doctors are baffled by the fact that Klaatu's people live twice the lifespan of Earth humans, and wonder how this is accomplished--then light up cigarettes.

There is one clunker of a line late in the film, put in at the insistence of the censors, about how raising the dead permanently is reserved for "The Almighty." And there's that moment at the beginning where Klaatu stupidly makes a sudden move in front of a nervous and highly armed crowd.

Highly recommended for any science fiction fan who has somehow not seen it before, or only seen the much less well done remake.

This is a list of movies I've had lying around for ages and never got around to watching, so I am participating in the CHUD Challenge. A member of the CHUD Buddies community will be picking four of these movies for me to watch during July, and post reviews of same.

20th Century Boys 1: Beginning of the End (2008) dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi
20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope (2009) dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi
20th Century Boys 3: Redemption (2009) dir. Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Absolution (1978) dir. Anthony Page
Adventures of Gallant Bess (1948) dir. Lew Landers
The Adventures of Rex and Rinty (1935) dir. Ford Beebe
Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls (2008) dir. Mark Atkins
All-Star Superman (2011) dir. Sam Liu
The Amazing Mr. X (1948) Bernard Vorhaus
The Amazing Transparent Man (1960) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Angel and the Badman (1947) dir. James Edward Grant
Anna Karenina (1948) dir. Julien Duvivier
The Ape (1940) dir. William Nigh
Apocalypse (1997) dir. Hubert de la Bouillerie
The Armour of God (1986) dir. Jackie Chan
Assassin of Youth (1938) dir. Elmer Clifton
Atom Age Vampire (1960) dir. Anton Giuilo Majano
Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) dir. Bernard L. Kowalski
Attack of the Moon Zombies (2011) dir. Christopher R. Mihm
The Avenging Eagle (1978) dir. Chung Sun
Azumi 2 (2005) dir. Shusuke Kaneko

Bangkok Haunted (2001) dir. Oxide Chun Pang
The Bat (1926) dir. Roland West
Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) dir. Monte Hellman
Beauty and the Beast (1991) dir. Gary Trousdale
The Big Boss (1971) dir. Wei Lo
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) dir. John Carpenter
Black Jack: The Movie (1996) dir. Osamu Dezaki
The Black Room (1935) dir. Roy William Neill
Blood Brothers (?) dir. Chang Cheh
The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1962) dir. Joseph Green
Braveheart (1995) dir. Mel Gibson
Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937) dir. James P. Hogan

Captain Kidd (1945) dir. Rowland V. Lee
The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969) dir. Jesus Franco
Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment (2010) dir. Michael Watt
Chained for Life (1951) dir. Harry L. Fraser
Champagne (1928) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944) dir. Phil Rosen
Child Bride (1938) dir. Harry Revier
Chocolate (2008) dir. Prachya Pinkaew
Creature (1985) dir. William Malone
Crypt of the Vampire (1964) dir. Camillo Mastrocinque

Dead-Alive (1992) dir. Peter Jackson
The Dead Matter (2010) dir. Edward Douglas
Death Wish (1974) dir. Michael Winner
Devil Girl from Mars (1954) dir. David MacDonald
Doctor Strange (2007) dir. Patrick Archibald
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (1991) dir. Mitsuo Hashimoto
Drunken Monkey (2003) dir. Chia-Liang Liu

Earthquake (1974) dir. Mark Robson
Easy Virtue (1926) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Egg and I (1947) Chester Erskine
Electric Dragon 80,000 V (2001) dir. Gakuryu Ishii (4)
Excalibur (1981) dir. John Boorman (3)
Existenz (1999) dir. David Cronenburg

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) dir. Hironobu Sakaguchi
Fist of Fury (1972) dir. Wei Lo
Five Deadly Venoms (1978) dir. Cheh Chang
Flash Gordon: Rocketship (1936) dir. Ford Beebe
The Fly (1958) dir. Kurt Neumann
The Flying Deuces (1939) dir. A. Edward Sutherland
The Flying Scotsman (1929) dir. Castleton Knight
Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks (1974) dir. Dick Randall

Gaslight (1940) dir. Thorold Dickinson
The General (1936) dir. Clyde Bruckman
The Giant of Marathon (1959) dir. Jacques Tourneur
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) dir. Mamoru Hosoda
Great American West (1973) dir. Denis Sanders
Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) Dir. Lauren Montgomery

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) dir. Chris Columbus
The Hasty Heart (1949) dir. Vincent Sherman
Hollywood Safari (1997) dir. Henri Charr
Horror Hotel (1960) dir. John Llewellyn Moxey
House on Haunted Hill (1959) dir. William Castle

The Incredibles (2004) dir. Brad Bird
Inuyasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (2002) dir. Toshiya Shinohara

The Jade Mask (1945) dir. Phil Rosen
Jodhaa Akbar (2008) dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
Juggernaut (1936) dir. Henry Edwards
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) dir. Sam Liu
Justice League Doom (2012) dir. Lauren Montgomery
Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019) dir. Wes Gleason

The Kennel Murder Case (1933) dir. Michael Curtiz
Key Largo (1948) dir. John Huston
Kitaro (2007) dir. Katsuhide Motoki
Kunpan: Legend of the Warlord (2002) dir. Tanit Jitnukul

The Land that Time Forgot (2009) dir. C. Thomas Howell
The Last Tycoon (2012) dir. Jing Wong
Law of the Wild (1934) dir. B. Reeves Eason
Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983) dir. Kinji Fukasaku
Legend of the Red Dragon (1994) dir. Jing Wong
Let the Right One In (2008) dir. Tomas Alfredson
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) dir. Peter Jackson

Ma and Pa Kettle (1949) dir. Charles Lamont
Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987) dir. Jim Monaco
Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) dir. Phyllida Lloyd
The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) dir. Nick Grinde
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) dir. RZA
Martial Angels (2001) dir. Clarence Ford
Maze (1996) dir. Atsushi Aono
Meera (1992) dir. P.C. Sreeram
Meeting at Midnight (1944) dir. Phil Rosen
Metropolis (1927) dir. Fritz Lang
Metropolis (2001) dir. Rintaro
Militant Eagle (1978) dir. Chia Chih Li
The Milky Way (1936) dir. Leo McCarey
Monster from Green Hell (1957) dir. Kenneth G. Crane
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) dir. Terry Gilliam

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004) dir. Tensai Okamura
Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006) dir. Toshiyuki Tsuru

One-Eyed Jacks (1961) dir. Marlon Brando
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) dir. Prachya Pinkaew
The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969) dir. Jean Yarbrough

Paradise Canyon (1935) dir. Carl Pierson
The Plague of the Zombies (1966) dir. John Gilling
Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns (2000) dir. Matsamitsu Hidaka
Ponyo (2008) dir. Hayao Miyazaki
Princess Mononoke (1997) dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1)
Prodigal Boxer (?) dir. Unknown, stars Fei Meng
Project A (1983) dir. Jackie Chan

Rage at Dawn (1955) dir. Tim Whelan
Return of the Evil Fox (1991) dir. George Leung
The Return of the Five Deadly Venoms (1978) dir. Cheh Chang
Return of the Fly (1959) dir. Edward Bernds

Samurai Princess (2009) dir. Kengo Kaji
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) dir. Allan Dwan
The Scarlet Clue (1945) dir. Phil Rosen
Secret of the Andes (1998) dir. Alejandro Azzano
Serenity (2005) dir. Joss Whedon
The Seven Samurai (1954) dir. Akira Kurosawa
Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990) dir. Michael Herz
The Shanghai Cobra (1945) dir. Phil Karlson
The Shooting (1966) dir. Monte Hellman
Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch (1968) dir. Noriaki Yuasa
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) dir. Henry King
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) dir. William Cottrell
Spy Smasher (1942) dir. William Witney
Summer Wars (2009) dir. Mamoru Hosoda
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) dir. Terence Fisher

Tales from the East (unknown) dir. Manfred Wong
Tales of Terror (1962) dir. Roger Corman
Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) dir. Charles F. Haas
Tears of the Black Tiger (2000) dir. Wisit Sasanatieng
Tulsa (1949) dir. Stuart Heisler
Twice-Told Tales (1963) dir. Sidney Salkow (2)

Volcano High (2001) dir. Tae-gyun Kim
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

The War of the Worlds (1953) dir. Byron Haskin
Weird Woman (1944) dir. Reginald Le Borg
When Worlds Collide (1951) dir. Rudolph Mate
White Comanche (1967) dir. Gilbert Kay
White Zombie (1932) dir. Victor Halperin
Wildfire (1945) dir. Robert Emmett Tansey
Winds of the Wasteland (1936) dir. Mack Wright
Wonder Woman (2009) dir. Lauren Montgomery
Zebraman (2009) dir. Takashi Miike

Why, yes, most of these are from discount bins, why do you ask?

Previous Challenge movies:
Blackmail (1929) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Carnival of Souls (1962) dir. Herk Harvey
Chamber of Horrors (1940) dir. Norman Lee
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2006) dir. Russell Mulcahy
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) dir. Robert Wise
The Last Man on Earth (1960) dir. Sidney Saikow
Operation Condor (1991) dir. Jackie Chan
Star Trek (2009) dir. J.J. Abrams
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) dir. Isao Takahata
Tales from Earthsea (2006) dir. Goro Miyazaki
Tarzan the Fearless (1933) dir. Robert F. Hill
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) dir. Hideo Gosha

Hi Folks!

This is a list of movies I've had lying around for ages and never got around to watching, so I am participating in the CHUD Challenge. A member of the CHUD Buddies community will be picking four of these movies for me to watch during June, and post reviews of same.

Absolution (1978) dir. Anthony Page
Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls (2008) dir. Mark Atkins
The Amazing Transparent Man (1960) dir. Edgar G. Ulmer
Angel and the Badman (1947) dir. James Edward Grant
Anna Karenina (1948) dir. Julien Duvivier
The Ape (1940) dir. William Nigh
Apocalypse (1997) dir. Hubert de la Bouillerie
Assassin of Youth (1938) dir. Elmer Clifton
Atom Age Vampire (1960) dir. Anton Giuilo Majano
Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) dir. Bernard L. Kowalski
Attack of the Moon Zombies (2011) dir. Christopher R. Mihm
Azumi 2 (2005) dir. Shusuke Kaneko

Bangkok Haunted (2001) dir. Oxide Chun Pang
The Bat (1926) dir. Roland West
Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) dir. Monte Hellman
The Big Boss (1971) dir. Wei Lo
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) dir. John Carpenter
Black Jack: The Movie (1996) dir. Osamu Dezaki
The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1962) dir. Joseph Green

Captain Kidd (1945) dir. Rowland V. Lee
The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969) dir. Jesus Franco
Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment (2010) dir. Michael Watt
Champagne (1928) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944) dir. Phil Rosen
Creature (1985) dir. William Malone

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) dir. Robert Wise (4)
Dead-Alive (1992) dir. Peter Jackson
The Dead Matter (2010) dir. Edward Douglas
Death Wish (1974) dir. Michael Winner
Devil Girl from Mars (1954) dir. David MacDonald
Doctor Strange (2007) dir. Patrick Archibald
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (1991) dir. Mitsuo Hashimoto
Drunken Monkey (2003) dir. Chia-Liang Liu

Earthquake (1974) dir. Mark Robson
Easy Virtue (1926) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Egg and I (1947) Chester Erskine
Electric Dragon 80,000 V (2001) dir. Gakuryu Ishii
Existenz (1999) dir. David Cronenburg

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) dir. Hironobu Sakaguchi
Fist of Fury (1972) dir. Wei Lo
Flash Gordon: Rocketship (1936) dir. Ford Beebe
The Flying Deuces (1939) dir. A. Edward Sutherland
The Flying Scotsman (1929) dir. Castleton Knight

Gaslight (1940) dir. Thorold Dickinson
The General (1936) dir. Clyde Bruckman
Great American West (1973) dir. Denis Sanders

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) dir. Chris Columbus
The Hasty Heart (1949) dir. Vincent Sherman
Hollywood Safari (1997) dir. Henri Charr

The Jade Mask (1945) dir. Phil Rosen
Jodhaa Akbar (2008) dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
Juggernaut (1936) dir. Henry Edwards
Justice League Doom (2012) dir. Lauren Montgomery
Justice League vs. the Fatal Five (2019) dir. Wes Gleason

Key Largo (1948) dir. John Huston
The Land that Time Forgot (2009) dir. C. Thomas Howell
Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983) dir. Kinji Fukasaku
Legend of the Red Dragon (1994) dir. Jing Wong
Let the Right One In (2008) dir. Tomas Alfredson
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) dir. Peter Jackson

Ma and Pa Kettle (1949) dir. Charles Lamont
Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) dir. Phyllida Lloyd
Martial Angels (2001) dir. Clarence Ford
Maze (1996) dir. Atsushi Aono
Metropolis (1927) dir. Fritz Lang
Militant Eagle (1978) dir. Chia Chih Li
The Milky Way (1936) dir. Leo McCarey
Monster from Green Hell (1957) dir. Kenneth G. Crane
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) dir. Terry Gilliam

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004) dir. Tensai Okamura
Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006) dir. Toshiyuki Tsuru

One-Eyed Jacks (1961) dir. Marlon Brando
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) dir. Prachya Pinkaew
Operation Condor (1991) dir. Jackie Chan (1)

Pokemon: Mewtwo Returns (2000) dir. Matsamitsu Hidaka
Prodigal Boxer (?) dir. Unknown, stars Fei Meng
Project A (1983) dir. Jackie Chan

Rage at Dawn (1955) dir. Tim Whelan
Return of the Evil Fox (1991) dir. George Leung

Samurai Princess (2009) dir. Kengo Kaji
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) dir. Allan Dwan
The Scarlet Clue (1945) dir. Phil Rosen
Secret of the Andes (1998) dir. Alejandro Azzano
Serenity (2005) dir. Joss Whedon
The Seven Samurai (1954) dir. Akira Kurosawa
The Shanghai Cobra (1945) dir. Phil Karlson
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) dir. Henry King
Spy Smasher (1942) dir. William Witney
Star Trek (2009) dir. J.J. Abrams
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) dir. Terence Fisher

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) dir. Isao Takahata (2)
Tales from Earthsea (2006) dir. Goro Miyazaki
Tales from the East (unknown) dir. Manfred Wong
Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) dir. Charles F. Haas
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) dir. Hideo Gosha (3)

Volcano High (2001) dir. Tae-gyun Kim
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

Weird Woman (1944) dir. Reginald Le Borg
White Comanche (1967) dir. Gilbert Kay
White Zombie (1932) dir. Victor Halperin
Winds of the Wasteland (1936) dir. Mack Wright
Zebraman (2009) dir. Takashi Miike

Why, yes, most of these are from discount bins, why do you ask?

Previous Challenge movies:
Blackmail (1929) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Carnival of Souls (1962) dir. Herk Harvey
Chamber of Horrors (1940) dir. Norman Lee
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2006) dir. Russell Mulcahy
The Last Man on Earth (1960) dir. Sidney Saikow
Tarzan the Fearless (1933) dir. Robert F. Hill

Hi Folks!

This is a list of movies I've had lying around for ages and never got around to watching, so I am participating in the CHUD Challenge. A member of the CHUD Buddies community will be picking four of these movies for me to watch during May, and post reviews of same.

Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls (2008) dir. Mark Atkins
The Ape (1940) dir. William Nigh
Chamber of Horrors (1940) dir. Norman Lee (1)
Champagne (1928) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (2006) dir. Russell Mulcahy (2)
Easy Virtue (1926) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
The Flying Deuces (1939) dir. A. Edward Sutherland
The Flying Scotsman (1929) dir. Castleton Knight
Hollywood Safari (1997) dir. Henri Charr
The Last Man on Earth (1960) dir. Sidney Saikow (3)
Return of the Evil Fox (1991) dir. George Leung
Secret of the Andes (1998) dir. Alejandro Azzano
Tales from the East (unknown) dir. Manfred Wong
Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) dir. Charles F. Haas
Tarzan the Fearless (1933) dir. Robert F. Hill (4)

Why, yes, most of these are from discount bins, why do you ask?

Previous Challenge movies:
Carnival of Souls (1962) dir. Herk Harvey
Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) dir. Phyllida Lloyd (not completed due to defective DVD)
Blackmail (1929) dir. Alfred Hitchcock

Carnival of Souls (1962) directed by Herk Harvey!

The April challenge starts with this relatively obscure horror film, which I have to say provides some genuine creepy moments.

Recently graduated organ major Mary is the only survivor when the car she's in loses a drag race by careening off a bridge into a Kansas river. She's clearly traumatized, and doesn't remember how she got out alive. But no time for therapy or even checking in with her parents. Mary's been recruited straight out of college to serve as church organist for the second-biggest church in an Utah city. (The denomination is never said, but isn't Mormon.)

On the way, Mary begins having moments when she can't hear any sound, and a mysterious figure (played by Herk Harvey) starts showing up in reflective surfaces, and then in physical space. No one else sees this person, and when the silent moments happen, no one can hear or see Mary either. (Notably, she doesn't try just touching anyone during these sequences.) She also feels drawn to an abandoned carnival pavilion a few miles out of town.

The local doctor suggests that Mary's imagination is playing tricks on her, but the audience has seen the mysterious figure when Mary isn't looking at him, so there's some questions there.

I especially like the music direction--even when Mary's not playing the organ herself, creepy organ music dominates the soundtrack.

Mary appears to be on the aromantic/asexual side, though she cannot recall if this was always the case. This gets her some hassle from neighbor Mr. Lyman, who is not good at reading women's signals, and pushy when it comes to wooing Mary. Only "this chick be crazy" finally gets him to back off. More of an issue with her job is that Mary is areligious--she just likes playing the organ and the church will pay her.

This is not a movie for people who like explanations. We see what may be a partial explanation, but it just raises more questions.

The acting is wooden in places (with Mary this may be intentional.)

Overall, if you like movies that are confident in themselves enough to explain nothing, this would be a good match for you.