Blood & Gold

Blood & Gold (2023)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Peter Thorwarth

Starring: Robert Maaser, Marie Hacke, Alexander Scheer, Roy McCrery, Jordis Triebel

From: Netflix

This was much preferable to Sisu to me. Earlier in the year, someone on a messageboard discussed the German Netflix film and noted the same opinion that I did. It was a relief that Blood & Gold wasn’t a massive letdown like Sisu was. An actual story was present, the hero (heroes in this case) weren’t superhuman like they were part of the MCU, the dark humor actually landed, and Nazi scum were still killed.

As a deserter of the German Army is captured and hung from the neck until dead, Heinrich isn’t dead due to rescue from Elsa, a woman who lives on a remote farm w/ Paule, her brother that has Down Syndrome. Heinrich would really like to see his young daughter again. Meanwhile, the same Nazi scum are looking for a cache of gold belonging to some Jewish people.

Some minor nitpicks could be made; instead, I’ll focus on the positives. Heinrich is an enjoyable hero, while Elsa was competent in facing off against the villains without being OOT unstoppable. The action wasn’t a must-see yet was still enjoyable, especially the gory moments. The characters were fun, whether the heroes or the hissable villains. Paule was the most memorable role-& not just because the character wasn’t a lame stereotype. Of course, the highlight was seeing Nazi Scum Get Wrecked ™

Adding personality to the mix was that this had the flavor of a Western (including the score) and featured several songs, including one from Marlene Dietrich during a key scene. My negative opinion of Sisu puts me in the minority; regardless of your opinion, re: that motion picture, Blood & Gold is one I recommend for those that have their interests piqued by the premise.

Cat City

This is quite the animated feature film from behind the Iron Curtain: 

This sure was a 1986 Hungarian animated movie featuring anthropomorphic cats & mice where the former are the villains & portrayed as gangsters. Instead of watching the Oscars last night (they haven’t been viewed by me in at least the past few years), my time was better spent on the Eternal Family streaming platform; I went to one of their 24/7 streaming channels, and a movie was ending. This played next-as this was on my watchlist anyhow, the channel wasn’t changed.

There’s a Star Wars crawl and the movie was announced as taking place “80 Years After Mickey Mouse”… no, I don’t know why either.

Cats and mice live on Planet X but it’s not harmonious. A badass mouse named Grabowsky is tasked to grab plans from a city called “Pokio” (i.e. Tokyo. Expect to see mice that some will describe as “racially insensitive”… but there’s an even worse example of that I’ll mention in a moment) to built a weapon that will protect the mice for good. The cats attempt to stop this, although that is done via bumbling henchmen.

A subplot is present involving someone called LAZY DICK who is a police officer & becomes involved w/ crude Mexican stereotypes; that did not age well. Otherwise, I had a pretty good time with this adult cartoon (which was never graphic or OOT) and had a silly sense of humor that typically did make me laugh. The animation was nice, as was the score. Oh, and Cat City randomly had several musical numbers.

From other reviews, evidently not all the Hungarian humor and situations will translate well for those like me that are ignorant of the culture, either 40 years ago or now. Even so, I was still happy to have tackled an interesting animated feature film like Cat City last night. Thankfully, Deaf Crocodile released it on Blu in the West. One day, the similar Felidae (a German animated movie featuring only cats)-which I’ve known of for far longer-will finally be viewed then reviewed here.

The Pledge

The Pledge (2001)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: Sean Penn

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Tom Noonan (RIP), many others

From: Morgan Creek/Franchise Pictures

A belated RIP to Tom Noonan. While many-myself included-will remember him best as Francis Dollarhyde in the incredible Manhunter, I was always delighted to see him pop up in a film… even ones I didn’t care for like RoboCop 2 or The House of the Devil. The reason why I selected The Pledge: the impressive cast, the plot, and hearing a recommendation from-of all things-a Patreon episode of a true crime podcast that did something different one time and discussed underrated crime dramas rather than actual crimes & mysteries.

Police chief Jack Nicholson is on his last day before retirement but pledges to the mother of a slain girl (Ginny) he will find her murderer. Ginny was brutally assaulted then killed-the viewer sees some graphic images of her; that was more than enough motivation for him to work this case despite now being retired. The Pledge is the sort of film I should gravitate towards more frequently. A crime drama, character-driven, takes its time, full of famous faces.

As Nicholson will turn 90 next year, I should give my props to a legendary actor while he’s still alive. He was as magnetic here as ever; the role wasn’t flashy or bold yet his Jerry Black was still convincing as the determined officer who the viewer believes would be the honorable type that would keep such a promise… yet becomes consumed by obsession. The other famous faces seen throughout (no matter how small or large their parts were) included Patrick Clarkson, Mickey Rourke, Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart as-naturally-a police officer-Benicio Del Toro, Sam Shepard, Robin Wright, and Harry Dean Stanton. It was a treat to see all those actors.

The movie was made w/ Franchise Pictures; I won’t go down the rabbit hole of discussing who they were or their brief troubled history. I will note that I wasn’t surprised to read afterwards of money problems and scenes that weren’t filmed. This included scenes w/ Noonan-his screentime was limited yet effective.

Yes, Sean Penn is another guy I put in the “separate the art from the artist” category. However, as a director he did a swell job even w/ that story handicap. The music, the cinematography, the setting-much of this is rural British Columbia substituting for rural Nevada, my interest never wavered.

Some viewers have their issues w/ The Pledge, either feeling disappointed or downright disliking the movie, for reasons that obviously can’t be revealed without massive spoilers. That is understandable-what I recall from that podcast episode, hints were given that prepared me for certain things. Patient viewers and those accepting what the story was about after its final resolution… hopefully you’ll find the journey rewarding. Soon, the film won’t be on Netflix any longer but The Pledge has the rare distinction of also streaming on Peacock AND Hulu.

Kate

Kate (2021)

Runtime: 106 minutes

Directed by: Cedric Nicolan-Troyan

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau, Tadanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura, Woody Harrelson

From: Netflix

After a rare but needed night off from watching film, last night I returned to that world by checking out something that easily could have been Netflix gruel yet the idea was to see more Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Even now, hardly anything’s been seen from her; I’m not interested in The Farting Corpse Movie given my loathing of Everything Everywhere All at Once & Scott Pilgrim has always seem equally as repellant to my tastes. One day I’ll get to 10 Cloverfield Lane but my desire for an action flick, the basic plot description, the Japan setting, and Woody Harrelson (his political leanings aside) intrigued.

Yes, Kate is rather improbable, predictable, and quite silly. That doesn’t mean I was not entertained by the film. Kate-the lady-is a badass, mentored since childhood by Harrelson’s Varrick… presumably a nod to the quality 70’s film Charley Varrick. She wants to retire, and that goes exactly as well as that proclamation does in films… she is poisoned and looking for revenge during a very long night in Tokyo.

As flawed as the movie can be, several aspects are assets. The Japan setting was neat-Tokyo at night will always be exotic to my eyes. The cast is fine, including the Japanese talent-some of whom I of course instantly recognized; even newcomer Miku Martineau was not bad… although Winstead was of course the highlight and pulled off this vulnerable badass character. The action was from 87North Productions; the John Wick-flavored house style hasn’t grown tiresome with me quite yet. Those action beats were fun-a further asset in my enjoyment of the film.

The other half of the Spiderman pointing meme (of course, I’m referring to Gunpowder Milkshake) stands a stronger chance of rubbing me the wrong way-don’t expect a review from me, even to compare the two. I was thankful that Kate wasn’t a waste of time and did not turn me off—even if I wish there would have been less of the “overly explanatory moments” that I should refer to as “Netflix’s house style” no matter who makes their original movies.

Soup to Nuts

Soup to Nuts (1930)

Runtime: 70 minutes 

Directed by: Benjamin Stoloff

Starring: Ted Healy and the men to be later known as The Three Stooges

From: Fox

This was a good movie to watch last night to celebrate the 131st birthday of Shemp Howard. Those not familiar w/ the early lore of The Three Stooges, at this time they were a vaudeville act of Moe, Larry, & Shemp but led by their leader/manager, a dude named Ted Healy. This was their debut on film. A few years later, Shemp left the act, Moe & Larry dumped the allegedly abusive alcoholic Healy, and added Curly. This was also of interest to me as a co-writer of the script was Rube Goldberg. Yes, the guy who the phrase “Rube Goldberg Machines”-an idea I’ve referenced more than once in reviews. He even has a cameo as himself.

To copy and past from his Wiki article:

“Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways.”

As for the movie… it made me realize that Ted Healy and his Stooges would never have been beloved even in 2026 like The Three Stooges are. I don’t know if people back then were supposed to like a loudmouth verbally abusive jerk that was Healy’s lead character, but I certainly didn’t last night.

The plot: Healy works at a costume shop, ran by a guy obsessed with Rube Goldberg Machines; this is why the business is bankrupt and taken over by creditors. Healy also enjoys hanging out at the fire station where Moe (billed in the credits as HARRY HOWARD, no lie), Larry, & Shemp work at… just because. A mute fireman named Freddie also is a fireman; there’s always a risk in injecting a political reference in a review but saying that “Freddie has Ben Shapiro’s eyebrows as they appeared in a recent viral Photoshopped image” is an accurate statement!

The Stooges are only shown in a few scenes before the final act; Healy is in many more… my belief that the movie is “fine” is DESPITE Healy and his odious presence. The other characters and scenarios thankfully gave me enough entertainment to counteract Ol Ted. This includes child actor Billy Barty (who in the 60’s had a TV show on KTLA in Los Angeles that would air Three Stooges shorts), Mack Swain of The Gold Rush fame and Heinie Conklin, who would appear in a few dozen Stooge shorts.

As a fan, it was fascinating to see routines and lines of dialogue that would appear when they were on their own. Most people, there likely is little need to check out Soup to Nuts & its threadbare plot unless you’re a huge Stooge fan and/or had the foreknowledge that there was a person named Rube Goldberg.

Save the Children

This is a 1973 concert film that was resurrected in an edited form for a 2023 release,as I explain below: 

Despite some controversial moments in the past, it wouldn’t seem right for me not to say RIP to the recently-departed Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. I should be canceled if his impact as a critical civil rights leader for Black people starting in the 1960’s was not noted by me. I mention Reverend Jackson as this concert film (where the film crew was entirely composed of Black talent) was filmed at the PUSH Expo in 1972 Chicago-as in Jackson’s Operation PUSH.

A longer version of this was barely released by Paramount in 1973, then summarily vanished and could only be seen in bootlegs before the Reverend sought to have the movie restored starting in 2021. I say longer because the cut on Netflix-as Save the Children: A Concert for the Ages-is about 20 minutes shorter than what was released in 1973. The presumption is that non-concert scenes were excised although that’s a non-confident guess.

If the low amount of ratings on IMDb & Letterboxd are an accurate barometer, another presumption is that the film is hidden on Netflix-people not knowing of its presence on the platform. For those that have seen & loved 1973’s Wattstax and 2021’s Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), this is a must. What an astounding collection of Black talent, including:

Marvin Gaye
The Temptations
The Main Ingredient (led by Cuba Gooding, Sr.)
Cannonball Adderly
Reverend James Cleveland and his choir
Isaac Hayes
The O’Jays
Curtis Mayfield
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Quincy Jones
Roberta Flack
The Jackson 5, who wore some of the most incredible multicolored clothing my eyes have ever seen. A few songs from them are shown, as the crowd treated them as if they were a boy band, they were so over at the time.

Among many others; I don’t want this review to be too long. I was happy to see the collection of legends perform. Reverend Jackson is shown preaching, twice. This alone is a great artifact of his skill as a great orator.

In addition, during a few performances, footage is shown of Black people living their life in Chicago & the surrounding environs.

While it’s a shame that more people don’t know that Save the Children exists (especially in the high quality presentation that’s on Netflix), I was happy to publicize it via this review no matter who was involved with the production.

 

Undertone

Undertone (2025)

85% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 46 reviews)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Ian Tuason

Starring: Most of the film, it’s just Nina Kiri

From: A24

It presumably wasn’t the intent of the filmmakers to have large pockets of the audience uproariously laugh in disbelief AT their movie for more than 30 seconds straight once the end credits hit, nor have people still chuckle & make negative comments minutes later! They clearly found Undertone to be—underwhelming.

I couldn’t bury the lede here; last night, AMC played this movie on their Dolby Cinema screens before its wide release debut on Friday the 13th. The trailer intrigued despite my mixed opinions on the films A24 either produce themselves or pick up for release. The crowd was decent in size and thankfully weren’t the disruptive folks I feared going in, especially for a movie that proved to be a slow burn, to use modern vernacular.

They reacted appropriately to certain moments. However, they evidently felt the same way I did, re: the final act and did not feel the destination was worthy of the journey the viewer went on. Their reaction is what I’ll first remember, re: Undertone. My issues with the movie were not related to its style, the ambiguity or the style of scares that were presented. I’ll attempt to explain why without revealing too much for those interested… yes, it will be a characteristic long-winded review.

Be that as it may, even after sleeping on it, I struggle with rating the movie. There was plenty I enjoyed, including the conceit that the film was sound-driven. I knew that from the trailer—I did NOT know that only one character was shown speaking & the only setting was the house she lived in w/ her invalid mother.

Another detail unknown to me: her mother was bedridden, comatose, and in the last days of her life. That brought uncomfortable memories of what happened to my late mother. Apologies for those that already recall past discussions of this but she was ill for the entirety of 2020 & was in hospice for far longer than predicted before passing away in late July. I wasn’t “triggered” and that detail doesn’t impact my rating. I do understand why lead character Evy did not have mom in hospice-it’s not cheap.

The plot that I haven’t even alluded to yet: Evy plays the skeptic role on a “true horrors” podcast with a random American dude living in London named Justin that’s a believer. They are anonymously e-mailed 10 different scary audio files of something spooky.

What I was a fan of: the lore intrigued, the sound design was thankfully aces, the subtle images that were or weren’t in the background, the film was patient (the way it was shot… let’s just say I was NOT shocked to read that director Ian Tuason was just announced as the guy who will be the director of the next Paranormal Activity), and while the movie is more “experience” than “story” (to steal a line), I was intrigued. As the lead that dominated the screen due to the story’s structure, Nina Kiri did a swell job as Evy.

Regrettably, I wasn’t the only one who felt that the story fell apart in the final act; they did NOT stick the landing. Moments did not make logical sense & made me realize that earlier moments probably shouldn’t be scrutinized either. I didn’t laugh riotously at the end credits-I was & still am more conflicted in my thoughts.

Even by A24 standards, I surmise that Undertone will be polarizing, whether by Joe Q. Public or Letterboxd members. I saw more than one comparison w/ a movie avoided by me… Skinamarink, or to rip off a term I’m mad at myself for not inventing, STINKAMARINK. And here I thought The Bride would be the only divisive genre movie released in March. I’ll be fascinated in reading the reviews starting Thursday night; for some, Undertone will greatly resonate with you.