Girl in the Picture

I'm subscribed to Netflix, at least one documentary will be viewed.

This should be considered standard operating procedure by now. This was put by me in the site's queue awhile back; the specific reasons why are hazy by now. Certainly, there was no foreknowledge of this story; thus, what a surprise it was to witness a dark, dark tale involving:

Murders
Abductions
Abuse, including sexual
Aliases
Bad events happening to children

I'll be vague for those that want to check this out fresh like I did, somehow avoiding the hype when this released four years ago. The opening is a young woman named Tonya Hughes passing away in Oklahoma in 1990. There is much more to the story after that; all I'll reveal is that this blonde lady was smart and generous, making many friends along the way, and they were interviewed to express this opinion. She had an impact on a number of lives, making her ultimate fate all the more tragic. One man you'll despise-for good reason-as he committed vile acts for decades. Thankfully this monster is now deceased, passing away after the release of Girl in the Picture.

As harrowing as this journey is for the viewer and as many times as you'll say “WTF?” through the duration, nice people are interviewed throughout... from friends and family to law enforcement determined to solve the mysteries (yes, more than one) surrounding this sordid case. That helped make this a worthwhile trip to take, one which isn't punishing or seems like an endurance test.

Skye Borgman has made several popular documentaries for Netflix; I was delighted to have finally viewed one. Her niche is “WTF documentaries,” at least judged by the plot synopsis of the others.

The First Deadly Sin

The First Deadly Sin (1980)

Runtime: 112 minutes

Directed by: Brian G. Hutton

Starring: Frank Sinatra, Faye Dunaway, David Dukes, George Coe, Brenda Vaccaro

From: Artanis Productions, Inc./Filmways Productions

The First Deadly Sin is a Christmas movie.

I’ve known of this motion picture for years; when it recently played on Turner Classic Movies, a DVR recording was made. Frank Sinatra (in his final starring role) in a crime thriller where he is nearing retirement and investigates what he believes is a serial killer… “color me intrigued” was my opinion all those years.

Now, I can say the film is fine; it’s not the best police procedural of its era-and heck, Sinatra’s 1968 movie where he portrays a similar character (The Detective) is better yet was still interesting. He’s a Sergeant a few weeks from retirement, which usually portends doom in entertainment. The viewer knows who the killer is immediately-we get to see the lead do the standard groundwork to crack the case, despite the protests of his new A-hole boss. I know how some feel about cops in general-I’m sure you’ll question how Ol’ Blue Eyes doesn’t follow the rules, bribes Joe Spinell to enter a suspect’s apartment, & uses civilians instead of his colleagues to do the groundwork in determining the murder weapon (which is on the poster but I won’t reveal here as the ID of the weapon is a subplot) and whittling down the list of suspects.

Yet, it’s not a character you hate; no one believes there is a serial killer due to his moving around different boroughs in New York City-necessitating this lone wolf quest-he has a loving wife in Faye Dunaway, has a tuxedo cat named Rocky, and who doesn’t want to see a crazed serial killer be stopped? We don’t know much about David Dukes as the villain except that I was reminded of Patrick Bateman, only on a surface level as the bad guy has a nice job & nicer apartment but is mentally ill but can hide it or no one notices he is troubled.

Seeing Sinatra in a film like this-where the opening is straight out of a horror film-was wild. He was swell as the weary, weathered cop who wants to solve this case before he retires. Faye Dunaway as the wife… I won’t say the role is thankless as they do have a nice, caring relationship but she is bedridden w/ illness the entire picture. The cast is fine; Anthony Zerbe has a one scene cameo & other faces I knew (sometimes “That Guy” actors) included Brenda Vaccaro, Jeffrey DeMunn, George Coe, Martin Gabel and James Whitmore, he playing the typical coroner w/ a pitch-black sense of humor. 

Yes, I also knew for ages that Bruce Willis appeared for a second; it’s in the third act, as Frankie leaves a restaurant-Bruce is walking in but much of his face is obscured by a hat so you’ll miss him unless you know this detail.

This is another film featuring a methodical pace which naturally won’t appeal to everyone. However, I enjoyed this downbeat flick directed by Brian G. Hutton, his first film in 7 years. This project was in development for a long while. In fact, the original director was… Polanski. However, his legal problems and subsequent fleeing of the United States happened so that had to change. Only speaking of him as a director and not a person, who knows how different this movie would have been. As is, Hutton did a good job here.

Saw

Saw (2004)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: James Wan

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Tobin Bell

From: Twisted Pictures 

I don’t have to ask-everyone will be APPALLED I had never seen any Saw film until this last night on Netflix. Oh yeah, I’m subscribed again, just for the upcoming month—a few movies will be watched on that platform. This is leaving the platform two weekends from now and considering the recent news, it was nice to see Danny Glover in something. After finally checking out the OG, I don’t want to see any of the sequels (which from cultural osmosis I know double down on things I do NOT like in horror) but at least the original was a pretty good time, occasional goofy moments and gross details aside.

Even more so than elevated horror, what was pejoratively called “torture porn” at the time was way too off-putting for my tastes. No hate on people who love that gruesome form of entertainment-I know how popular this franchise has been since 2004. Props then to James Wan and Leigh Whannell, who were Australians that had a unique, bold idea, went to Hollywood, and worked hard to create an unexpected hit, launching both their careers.

By now, I’m sure I don’t need to explain how Whannell and Cary Elwes wake up trapped in a gross room, or how Glover investigates The Jigsaw Killer, or why Jigsaw plays his games. Some moments were hilariously dated to the early 2000’s; aside from that and some story quibbles, otherwise I had a pretty good time with Saw. The nonlinear story plus seeing two strangers attempt to escape that gross room despite all odds by working together despite their frequent squabbles, along with never having the surprise ending spoiled during the preceding 22 years… those were the highlights. There are nice suspense scenes, along with horror moments and a few gross-out bits.

It was also nice seeing a quality performance from Danny Glover as a police officer whose obsession burns ever-brighter due to events that occurred. Those that missed the news, several days ago he made it public that for awhile now, he’s suffered w/ Alzheimer’s. Many people have been touched by someone afflicted w/ that awful disease—unfortunately, my late grandfather was one of them. What a miserable last few years for him before passing away in ’09. 

On a lighter note, while I’m not interested in the subgenre it spawned-where the focus was on vile things happening to innocent people in traps apparently funded by Elon Musk, they were so elaborate & presumably expensive to build… this and Paranormal Activity were the most influential horror films in the first decade of the 2000’s, at least in the West. It was a relief then that Saw was a movie I did enjoy; as mentioned by me too often, a popular movie should have been tackled by me long ago. This picture is more than just a memorable villain and several clips that I knew from cultural osmosis for many years.

 

Independence

A short (from JOHN HUSTON!) made for the National Park Service to celebrate the Bicentennial featuring Eli Wallach as Benjamin Franklin is one way to celebrate America’s semiquincentennial. I did not know of Independence’s existence until a mutual reviewed it a few days ago. 

There was no film I wanted to visit or revisit; to be frank, July 4th does not seem like a big deal for me as such a momentous anniversary should. Is it me? Is it because of how the United States has been in recent years, or is it other factors? Heck if I know, but at least I can mention this curio, made for visitors of Philadelphia’s Independence National Historic Park, an area which hosts various landmarks from the beginning of the United States as a country, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. 

This is as dry and clinical as you’d expect given the platform it was meant for. Those that don’t care for history and/or know little if anything about the early days of the United States as a country, this likely won’t be of interest for you. However, as I am that sort of nerd, I was interested even if none of the information presented was new to me.

What a cast this has:

*William Atherton as Benjamin Rush
* The late James Tolkan-wearing a wig-as Thomas Paine
* Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson. While I’ve never seen 1776, it is known by me he played him in that as well
* Pat Hingle as John Adams
* Eli Wallach as Benjamin Franklin
* Wallach’s wife Anne Jackson is here too, as Abigail Adams
* And E.G. Marshall was the narrator

This was produced w/ the aid of 20th Century Fox! If that isn’t a surprise, knowing why the cinematography looked so good will. This was shot by none other than Owen Roizman-yes, the cinematographer for The Exorcist, Network, and The French Connection, among other famous films still known today. 

Today, nothing special will be done. Staying at home viewing the fireworks on TV is fine by me; nothing will compare to the memories of viewing them as a kid w/ my family anyhow.

One thing I could do is decide which John Huston movies I should check out in the future. Many of his most famous efforts have been tackled already but there should be some more worthy of checking out.

Obsessions

Obsessions (Bezeten-Het Gat in de Muur) (1969)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Pim de la Parra

Starring: Alexandra Stewart, Dieter Geissler, Tom van Beek, Donald Jones, Elisabeth Verslyus

From: Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion/Scorpio Film Productions

Where’s Inde Navarrette?

Actually, last night I discovered that this film was on the Eternal Family platform. The thought crossed my mind, “Why does this Dutch/West German movie sound familiar?” then after Google I realized why. This film was shot in English; I believe this only occurred because he was in Amsterdam for Who’s That Knocking at my Door, but one of the co-writers was… SCORSESE, no lie. He helped translate the script to English, as I only learned after viewing this motion picture.

His involvement makes it funnier that this was a cross between a Hitchcockian tale (wait ‘till you hear who provided the score) and late 60’s Euro-sleaze, complete with an onslaught of naked women. A dude named Nils studying for his doctorate-we don’t see him do much of that-discovers a peephole in his apartment. He plays Peeping Tom, happily spying on his neighbor having sex w/ multiple women to the point that he doesn’t hide this from his girl Marina, despite her rating high on the attractive scale, at least in my eyes. Nils is an unrepentant horndog, as the movie is happy to make clear. As he deals with a case involving tied-up women & LSD, Marina is a reporter investigating a case of a murdered man purported to be in the United States Army.

Even by my standards, the pacing could be incredibly methodical at times; that point noted, I was still entertained by this sleazy tale-I wasn’t too surprised these filmmakers would later release REALLY sleazy pictures in the 70’s, most infamously 1971’s softcore Blue Movie. The mysteries were enough to keep me captivated—are the two cases connected? I enjoyed the period décor and all but a huge asset: the score from… Bernard Herrmann. 

As an aside, I was amused that there was a minor character best described as DUTCH CHAPPELL ROAN; even better, there’s a more important character best described as GERMAN PETER BOYLE. 

Obsessions won’t be for everyone, & not just due to the slow plot progression. However, I was amused; Scorsese’s involvement was why I watched but wasn’t the reason why I had a fine time. It was a relief that the focus proved to be on Marina rather than horndog Nils. Alexandra Stewart thankfully delivered the best performance. One of the best moments of the first half of 2026 was discovering the Eternal Family platform (via an Instagram ad, of all things) as several interesting films have already been watched via Eternal the past 4 months plus.

 

Kantara

Kantara (2022)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: Rishab Shetty

Starring: Shetty, Sapthami Gowdy, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty

From: Hombale Films 

TIL, Indian demigods apparently loved going WOOAAAHHHH!

As I desire to have great variety this month, it was time to check out another film from India. As mentioned on several occasions by now, more than a few mutuals on Letterboxd are from that part of the world. This film-in the Kannada language-on Prime had a striking cover image plus the vague plot description did intrigue.

This tale was a little different in that part of the plot focused on folklore/mythology & demigods-yes, they constantly went WOOAAAHHHH! If that is part of lore, my apologies to those of South Asian descent. Hopefully you can understand why that’d be surprising to a dumb white guy like me. In any event, the residents of a rural village don’t want to leave due to the government’s plan to have the area become a national forest due to old lore that they are protected by a demigod. To greatly oversimplify the plot, a dude named Shiva and his pals wish to save the village despite the best efforts of some real heels, including a forest ranger.

This does have some hallmarks that could be stereotyped as being common in modern Indian cinema. Speed ramping, slow motion or sped-up footage, an unstoppable hero… it’s all here. At the same time, I had a lot of fun as the demigod angle did add extra flavor. The film was also shot quite well by star/director Rishab Shetty, featuring a propulsive score from B. Ajaneesh Loknath and wacky moments as LOG-FU during a great extended finale. The action beats did deliver.

Last year they made a prequel; one day-likely in the far-future-I’ll check it out.

Godzilla vs. Gigan

Godzilla vs. Gigan (Chikyû kôgeki meirei Gojira tai Gaigan) (1972)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Jun Fukuda

Starring: Hiroshi Ishikawa, Yuriko Hishimi, Minoru Takashima, Tomoko Umeda, Toshiaki Nishizawa

From: Toho

a.k.a. The One where Gojira & Anguirus talk to each other, their words appearing in cartoon bubbles.

It’s been awhile since seeing anything from this franchise; as there’s only a few left before all have been viewed—I feel there’s no rush to complete what’s been a fun journey. As I was struggling last night deciding what to check out-a struggle that sometimes occurs-suddenly the inspiration struck to view then review this.

There are other reasons why this entry is rather silly. Our hero is a manga artist who at one point draws an image best described as “suited for a Garbage Pail Kids card” and sometimes literally stumbles around like a buffoon. He’s hired by “Children’s Land”, an amusement park under construction who has a suspiciously young chairman. Yep, they’re aliens (cue meme image of that one dude w/ wacky hair) whose actual form is incredibly on-the-nose.

I can carp about that, how more than one character doesn’t change clothes all that often for days-I guess that saves on the wardrobe budget-or how a key dude is a chubby Japanese hippie. Yet, that chubby Japanese hippie was a hoot & the human story was fine; the fact that they did more to defeat the villains than some franchise entries was an asset. They were goofy without becoming irritants.

As juvenile as this could be and as obvious as it slides in another message concerning pollution-when that was the key theme in the last movie, Godzilla vs. Hedorah-I still had fun with the movie. As typical, the miniatures & effects were swell, and most important for kaiju fans, the monster battles were a blast. It was Godzilla & Anguirus vs. King Ghidorah and the titular Gigan, a bipedal creature with a buzzsaw on its belly. Wacky, yet certainly memorable. For the first time, Godzilla bled on camera.

The cost-cutting was unfortunate—stock footage from earlier efforts were used, and so was the score. At the same time, I was satisfied. Godzilla vs. Gigan was not total juvenile inanity like All Monsters Attack, after all.