Rüzgar (2018)

38:24, 57, 1:09:26, 

Young thief Rüzgar spends his days picking pockets and stealing anything that isn't nailed down, all for the boss Robin, a gangster who controls a group of orphans to rob people blind. It's never enough though, and the kids in Robin's 'care' are always suffering. One day after breaking into a home and recognising the woman who lives there as an actress from a big commercial, he feels like he's found the perfect mother, and tries nesting. The woman, Ece, is naturally inclined to toss him out the first chance she gets, but once he keeps coming she gets to know him, and discovers where he's fled from. With the help of her longtime boyfriend Alper, the two begin raising Rüzgar, and plotting a scheme to rescue the other kids...

Rüzgar is a relatively new Turkish comedy that starts off strongly, introducing us well right away to the characters, what they're going through, as well as giving us a sign of what they want and =. It handles this very well, not flooding us with information.

The story mixes a few different things. We've got a romance, a career woman wanting to settle down, and being ignored by the company that wants more of her regardless of what she [wants], then you've got the Fagin figure and how this army of kids will escape his 'care'. We get some comedy here, drama there, and none ever overtakes the movie. Some of the later moments could hit one pretty hard, but they never lose sight of the levity, with 'pineapples' stopping the movie form becoming dismally depressing, to =.

The movie's a little over-the-top, though never ridiculously unbelievable, and even when you chuckle a bit at some of the crazier stuff happening, you never doubt that any of these characters would do such things
as well as a positive message for those/couples who are potentially unable to conceive.

The characters here are all great. The titular Rüzgar (or Hound as he's also known) is mischievous and likeable. He's the right balance of naughty and charming, and never comes across as obnoxious. He has a lot of heart too. Ece and Alper are nice adult leads, with plenty of good interactions. They don't look like people you'd expect to be a couple, so it's neat that ]they are].

The group of kids here are a nice bunch. Some might be worried going in that they'd be onbocious, cloying, or otherwise annoying, but they're anything but. They're nice enough, never bothered me, and are helpful too! The main girl Boncuk is adorable (and reminded me of Minik Cadı's Çiçek Dilligil), while the others =, loyal, and the segment where they turn on Ruzgar briefly feels natural, and not like they've all become assholes out of nowhere.

The villains are another high point. They're varied and funny. The best is of course Robin. He looks visually distinct/interesting with his dishevelled bikie look, and we get to see a lot of angles from him, from a stern and bully-ish master, to a panicking and nervous subordinate/flunkie when facing the tougher mobster Osman. The uncouth and overdramatic woman is amusing in her own way, while the aptly named Concrete is more of a = dope, tough but slow on the uptake. Then there's the grumpy mobster Osman, who doesn't take No for an answer, and is fond of [increasingly] gruesome ways of disposing of underlings who don't do their jobs right.

And lastly but not leastly, Ateş the dog! He's adorable, even if he is an absolutely/utterly useless guard dog

The acting in Rüzgar is all very good. The child actors all do their jobs well, especially Ata Berk Mutlu, who's a great lead with a charismatic grin and jovial demeanour. Belçim Bilgin handles the comedy and drama material with equal success, as does Halil Sezai Paracıkoğlu. Nebil Sayın, Hülya Duyar, and Seymen Aydın are great villains, with Cesmi Baskın being a fun supporting baddie.

The coastal Istanbul location is lovely! It's so blue and pretty, feeling like a nice beachside village. It's perfectly complemented by the nice music too, which is always fitting to whichever scene.

Rüzgar is a lovely little film. Funny, emotional, and thrilling, as well as a little unbelievable, all wrapped up in a nice 90 minute package. It just goes to show how Turkish cinema is continuing to stay great to the modern day, regardless of how many lesser films there might be...

The Ghost That Walks Alone (1944)

Eddie Grant is a newly married soundman, clumsy at his job but managing to hold onto it by the skin of his teeth. Unfortunately his boss still needs him despite wanting to go on a honeymoon, and the whole cast and crew turn up at the holiday inn the happy couple were relaxing at. They're exasperated but resigned to this intrusion, but things soon take a turn for the disastrous when the show's producer is dead, and Eddie ends up caught in a big rigmarole that results in the police thinking he's the killer...

The Ghost That Walks Alone gets off to a fun start, with its radio show trappings. The show we're being treated to might be the worst on/in the western hemisphere/states, but it's amusing/entertaining watching the team fumble their way through to the end. It's a shame it has to come to an end, but thankfully the plot and setting we do get is still neat, and involves all these characters.

The mystery is a pretty basic one. The film is more concerned with the comedy and hijinx that ensue from these [dopes trying to get themselves out of a situation of their own making. Here's a tip for anyone reading. If you discover a dead body, call the police/cops. Don't just take the initiative to dispose of it on the off chance the fuzz think you did it. Otherwise they'll bust in while you're trying to stick it down the drain, going "I swear this isn't what it looks like! I only found the body!".

Getting to the negatives, I didn't like how much of this movie was devoted to covering the mystery up rather than investigating it.

My biggest complaint was the identity of the killer. There aren't many suspects to begin with, nor do we get much in the way of clues or =, and the only reason the = wanted = dead is just because he generally didn't like him, same as everyone else. The biggest = though is that we find out ! It's not that the movie straight  up tells us early, but you know how in mysteries, you'll see a suspicious character [suspiciously] = or eavesdropping, but they're just an obvious red herring, and the real killer is the one who you never expected! Not so here, I'm afraid.

It is also a bit cringy how Eddie and the guys hide the body, as well as sleeping in the bed the victim was murdered to ferret out the killer, but that's also part of the fun, so while some people might dislike those scenes more than others, I wouldn't call it a negative   It gets plain hilarious in the last act, too! Once Sue knows Eddie's not philandering, she  plays along with the =, and we get a hilarious scene where she exaggerates her previous fears to trick some police officers seeking to arrest him.
The characters here are an amusing bunch. Eddie is a likeable lead, and you really feel his mounting frustration as the movie goes on, and things get worse and worse for the poor guy. I like is how much credit is given to him by others, who don't just assume he's a dope and don't believe him, but take him at his word and =! How refreshing!...Of course they immediately get him embroiled in a murder =, but no-one's perfect.

Sue is a sweet and understanding wife (with any moments of frustration on her part being [understandable] and short lived), and it's sweet that this doofy sound man has managed to land himself such a hot spouse!

The rest of the cast range from nice (Eddie's businesswoman sister), spooky (the perpetually grumpy servant), crazy but sweet (the old 'Lady Guinevere'), and catty or quick to conclusions (the radio crew). None feel superfluous, and make the most of short roles.

One thing I didn't understand though was the title. There's no ghost anywhere to be seen! Never even mentioned, let alone anything about them being alone or partial to walks. And the ending confused me too.

The acting here is all good. Arthur Lake is a fine lead. He gets a little annoying in some spots, like near the end, but for the most part he's fine. He can really run, too! Lynne Roberts and Barbara Brown are nice additions to the cast, while Ida Turner is fun as the somewhat batty 'Lady Guinevere' Cornelia, and everyone else do well as either rapacious scoundrels, or =.

The Ghost That Walks Alone isn't perfect, but its flaws don't drag it down much/too badly, and I still had a fun time watching it. It's worth checking out if you like these kinds of movies, and especially if you're a fan of the Blondie series!...

The Ghost Walks (1934)

Theatre producer Herman Wood and his nervous assistant Erskine journey through a sudden rainstorm to meet with playwright Prescott Ames, to listen to a pitch for his new production. Together they all stumble into an old mansion to seek refuge from the rain, where they're slap-bang in the middle of a mystery. The insane owner Beatrice is determined to find the killer of her husband, and knows someone at the table did it, but is murdered before she can say anymore. Now everyone is locked in with a madman, and must find out who it is before they die next...

The Ghost Walks gets off to a great start! While a lot of the male characters did blend together at first (if only some of them shaved!), there are still distinctive members of the cast, who introduce us well to the proceedings. The plot is intriguing, while also being relatively simple. Not everything needs to be overcomplicated. Then, however, there comes a sudden twist that turns everything up on its head. I was really/very amused by this reveal, and looking forward to the wholly/totally unexpected places it could take the plot!

Gradually though, The Ghost Walks (itself a lie of a title) ends up failing to deliver. It doesn't do anything unexpected, instead feeling like the typical old 'dark house film' Ames is writing about. This I don't mind as much, as despite the lack of a really unique story, it's still classical fun.

There are two problems I had with The Ghost Walks as it went on. The first is that the plot begins to become too complicated for its own good, but the other problem is that long stretches are devoted just to comedy. Things are happening, and much is even fun to watch, but the story and mystery isn't being furthered at all, and with zero investigation present, and little clues given/to be had, it's hard to care.

The cast is the best thing about the film. Ames is supposedly the handsome lead character, but doesn't really do anything, with the real stars also being the comic relief. Wood and Erskine are a great pair, and enliven every scene they're in. Beatrice went from being an intriguingly demented character for me to barely a blip on the radar, since barely a word is spoken about her character once she dies, and her dying doesn't seem to actually involve her at all. She was just nearest to the killer I guess.

The biggest problem for The Ghost Walks is the ultimate unimportance of the mystery. We know nothing about the murder victim, why anyone would want her dead, and there's very little = even as the bodies seem to rack up. This all ends up being explained in a truly bizarre climax. I won't say it's bad at all, because it's still fun in a way, and it's certainly off-the-wall, but man does it make for an unsatisfying mystery.

Perhaps the most damning indictment I have against The Ghost Walks is that the fictional play within the film seemed more interesting than the actual movie we got.

The Ghost Walks' humour is on point. The film is consistently funny, even when the lack of story was getting on my nerves. The characters interact amusingly, there are neat physical moments, and funny dialogue ("You've got the mind of an oyster and the nerve of an acrobat."). There's even an unintentionally amusing moment when Ames is intent on waking everyone up, declaring "I'll arouse everyone!". I understand what he means, but that still makes me laugh like a schoolgirl!

The acting here is all good. Some of it is over the top, but never bad for me. The performances range from funny, to perfectly average, to amusingly creepy. Richard Carle and Johnny Arthur are the standouts! They share great chemistry, and they alone make it worth watching.

Coming to the score, there's not really much music to speak of here (if any), but it's a credit/testament to the movie's good quality that I didn't really notice until near/close to the end.

The Ghost Walks is a strange movie, and while its equal parts irksome, I still found it to be a very entertaining picture. It's not the best of the old dark house cycle, but I still recommend it for its great sense of humour, and distinct characters...

For Your Height Only (1981) and The Impossible Kid (1982)

The Philippines were a fun place for cinema back in the day! You'd get all sorts of movies in all sorts of genres, from action, to horror, comedy, and God knows what else! As with all countries, no matter how strange their mainstream can get, there's always weirder stuff to be found under the surface, and that's where the Weng Weng films lie. A diminutive 2'9 lead, he acted in many films, including the spy comedy For Your Height Only, and its sequel The Impossible Kid.

A ruthless crime syndicate has kidnapped a prominent scientist, and intends on using his research to create a superweapon that will help them take over the world.The Filipino government sends out their toughest operative, Agent 00, after these terrorists. A formidable opponent, and armed with a variety of gadgets, Agent 00 is going to make this group wish they'd never met him...

I was really looking forward to For Your Height Only and all it had to offer, but as I realised pretty early on, it was a rather disappointing affair! My big issue with it is that visually it feels like it's trying to be fun and over-the-top, with its diminutive secret agent/hero, spy capers, and cool action, but the story itself is not only totally serious, it's the most basic espionage story imaginable. There's nothing really that interesting at play here besides the lead.

Besides being basic, the story is also interminable boring, and this is all the fault of the writer. It seems like they wrote themselves into a corner when they had Weng Weng free himself. We were all set up for the climax (albeit way too early). He gets captured and taken to Mr. Giant's island headquarters, and gets loose to wage one last battle against the terrorists. Instead he frees himself before they can take him there, and the movie aimlessly [ambles] about as Weng Weng kills more and more goons, even the main onscreen baddie, which really leaves the film rudderless! With such a distinct personality and major adversary dead, and also the only one who knew the way to Mr. Giant's secret headquarters, the film is unable to proceed. It's like a video game level where you messed up and did the objectives in the wrong order. You can technically keep playing, but with no real point, or way of furthering your progress.

The last act sadly not any better. It felt like a culmination of everything bad that had come before, and as dozens of baddies were being mowed/gunned down by the heroes, I couldn't bring myself to care even a little. Then there's the oddly downbeat ending, which kills any hope of this being a fun popcorn movie.

Described as an invincible monster by his enemies, and 'very petite, like a potato' by women, Weng Weng is a great protagonist. Softly spoken, and unassuming, but he's one tough agent, and would no doubt give 007 a run for his money! He's also a friggin' death machine! After about the 50th person he kills, you begin to view him as less of a loveable scamp and more of a psychopath. His body count just keeps on growing and growing as the movie goes on/progresses.

Along his journey, Secret Agent 00 meets lots of pretty young women, all of whom are immediately smitten with him, and all of whom he constantly introduces himself as 'Secret Agent 00', because confidentiality apparently isn't a thing. It starts getting a bit silly by the hour mark, and really more of an excuse to pad the film out rather than humour. But at least Weng Weng one-ups James Bond and doesn't get most of them killed!

The villains are a pretty dull bunch. Just routine gangsters, no two any different. The only distinctive ones are =, and Mr. Giant. The former is a burly Chicago style mobster, while the sinister Giant is unseen until the final minutes. The twist about what he is is pretty easy to see coming, though I was looking forward to its reveal. It was handled pretty anticlimactically though. It's a theoretically funny reveal, but nothing is done with it, and he dies very [anticlimactically] after a brief fight.

I imagine For Your Height Only was always intended to be at least a little humourous, but it's the English dubbing that really takes that ball and runs with it. We get loads of over-the-top dialogue, silly voices and accents, and an all-round tone of irreverence. Examples include "With curiosity like that you're liable to wake up one morning and find yourself dead", and "They must be exterminated, and I mean lethally!", not to mention prodigious use of the words Dame and Broad, which I approve.

The effects here are decent for the most part, though often very low budget. For a film with as high a bodycount as this, it's not very violent. The occasional bullet wound will bleed, but most actors just flail around unconvincingly, and whenever Weng Weng impales someone with a sword, it's completely clean. Where it really impresses is in the crazy stunts!

The acting here is alright, with Weng Weng making for an amusing and kinda charismatic lead. The main villains are fun, and the women pretty, but pretty much everyone else is dull.

There's an alright score, with some original tunes, including the main theme. It's mostly comprised of lifted music though. The use of the James Bond theme goes beyond parody and into outright theft, and it's pretty annoying too. It just plays the same opening bars again and again, with no consideration for the rest of the tune, or the audience's patience.

For Your Height Only has got some funny stuff in it, and a great lead, but I found it to be too boring as a feature length movie. If only the writing had been better I would've enjoyed myself more.

The Impossible Kid

Several high-ranking businessmen have been kidnapped and held for ransom by a mysterious terror group, led by the evil Mr. X. Some have paid the money, some have refused and been killed, while others have been rescued by Agent 00, now working for Interpol. He searches for the culprits behind these attacks, and seeks to destroy the mastermind before his evil plans succeed...

As if listening to my complaints of the previous film, The Impossible Kid (also known as The Impossible Kid of Kung Fu) improves many of the faults at play with/in For Your Height Only, and is a much more entertaining time! It's paced well, the action is fun, there's a good balance of comedy, and most importantly the story actually works!

The plot here is pretty basic, but it's organised well. Everything you expect to happen happens, but in the proper order this time, and you're never feeling bored or annoyed.

This isn't really a comedy per se, with the only comedy coming from Weng Weng's stature. These moments are amusing, and the whole movie has an air of good-natured fun even if it's not a Ha ha comedy.

Weng Weng/Agent 00 continues to be a fun lead in The Impossible Kid, truly making the film live up to its title! He seduces more women at the drop of a hat (most of them half naked), and is the most badass person in any scene he's in. He kills a lot less people here too! He's an all-round great hero.

The villain here is pretty fun. Mr. X is a neat Bond-style baddie, though he's more of a fictitious persona for the true villain, and is kinda phased out after the first half, which is a shame. The baddie we get though is strong enough to make up for this. He's a very jovial antagonist, cackling at everything, while exercising the power of red tape. He knows the real way to strike fear into Weng Weng's heart! Not to blow up a building, shoot him, or stick him in a snake pit. No, it's filing a complaint with HR!

On that note, I love how all the authorities in the film pretend to listen to Cervantes's complaints, yet are always on Weng Weng's side, and encourage him to pursue his investigation. It's nice seeing higher-ups who aren't corrupt!

While not as plentiful as the last film, there are a few neat gadgets here for Agent 00. I like how accommodating the gadgets, weapons, and vehicles are in these films for Weng Weng's stature. It's sweet.

There's not as much fighting in The Impossible Kid when compared with its predecessor, which is very much a good thing. There's just the right amount. The stunt work also continues to be bloody impressive! The low budget and country in question make them all the more notable too!

The effects are on par with the previous film, with characters getting bloodlessly shot, or blown up by grenades that somehow don't disturb their clothes. The gadgets looks great though, especially the flying motorbike.

The acting here is mixed. The original actors are a mix of lively or wooden, being either over-the-top as they laugh maniacally, while others react with all the emotion of a robot. As for the dub acting, it's pretty decent. Cheesy of course, but never that bad  American, with what sounds like genuine Filipinos, as well as real Australians and fake ones "Lyets go to the boah!"

The soundtrack here is mostly quite good. There's this one alright track that gets repeated  but there's another track that's much better, comprised of a Pink Panther soundalike, and the 007 theme. This gets used way too much too, to the point where the climax feels nothing special musically, because it's just the same tune again. There are other nice tracks too, which thankfully see less repetition. The crowning achievement is by far the dynamic main theme, sung in English all about how awesome Weng Weng is. It's just the right mix of ironic parody and sincere ballad.

The Impossible Kid isn't great or anything, but it's a fun time to be had that never once bored me. I may not recommend watching For Your Height only in its entirety, but this definitely comes recommended  ...

Yekeh Bezan (1967)

An unfair assertion about/regarding Iranian cinema before the cultural revolution is that it was all bland or low-brow stuff aping the west. Farsi takes on common American movies. To which I say Phooey!...They ape stuff from Turkish and Indian films!...Kidding aside, I'm sure Iranian films took plenty of inspiration from the West, as they did from other countries, but I find it pretty annoying when an entire era of cinema is swept under the rug like it's nothing, in favour of the artsy material that came afterwards. I'm sure a lot of people enjoy films like The Cow or =, but most people just enjoy a fun adventure film. That's why today I'll be looking at Yekeh Bezan, or Little Heroes, the exact kind of film] that [film] snobs hate!...

Reza and Behrouz are two hapless adventurers who stumble onto a jewelry theft. Young lady Maryam has been repeatedly attacked by a band of crooks seeking her prized necklace, ad it's up to the duo to step in and lend her a hand. Together they manage to find a magic wand that can turn them into superheroes, and turn their enemies into =. But if they want to put a permanent stop to this gang, they'll have to think of something really out of the box...

Yeke Bezan is a fun popcorn film if you leave your brain at the door. Comprised largely of comedic interactions and fight scenes, it's a pretty decent and entertaining picture. Granted, speaking Persian is probably a must, and since I only know how to order a Chai, and a round of Bamieh, I was pretty lost as far as the deeper story was concerned.

The story is thankfully pretty basic, and accommodating-ish to foreigners. The leads are introduced quickly, as is the dilemma, and the colourful band of villains, led by a sinister man in an eyepatch! Where this simple nature bites in in the behind though is how much of the movie is comprised of random dust-ups between the heroes and villains. Nothing ever seems to be changed, and the less patient are likely to go "Oh goodie, another fight scene!".

When not busy with action, this is a pretty dialogue heavy movie, so there's probably a ton of comedy I missed. Whether or not it hit the mark I don't know, but I guess for now I can just give it the benefit of the doubt and say it was hilarious! Funniest Persian film I've seen yet!

Yekeh Bezan is mostly pretty grounded, but this changes after the halfway point, when the leads suddenly get their hands on a magic wand, and turn themselves into a Superman trio! This touch of fantasy is fun, and aids the movie significantly ,although I was a little confused by how it all came about.


I'm not sure if maybe the scene that explained how they got this wand was missing, or what. Even if this is a case, it's still a problem though, as I feel any movie that takes only half a minute to introduce a magical wand out of nowhere, halfway through the movie, is still bad writing. I suppose this is all forgiven if it turned out the characters spent the first 45 minutes constantly referring to a magic wand in Farsi, although judging by how everything looks, that doesn't seem likely? Who knows (the Persians, that's who!).

Yekeh Bezan feels like it takes inspiration from Turkish and Indian cinema (as well as Arabic, if they were fans of Ismail Yassin and co.), but it doesn't feel like it's just ripping them off, but rather like Persia's own take on these tropes, with a little of its own = sprinkled in.

Onto the characters. I was actually a little confused on how many leads there were-Three or four? There's Maryam of course, the hero Reza, then one or two comic relief characters? It's a little hard to tell, because it seems like the film allowed Reza to be both the handsome protagonist, and a goofy =! Pretty neat =.

Reza is your typical handsome lead, livened by the aforementioned sense of humour, while Maryam is pretty proactive! Rather than just hiding in the corner, she actively helps the others fight back against the baddies. As for Behrouz, he's mostly bearable. When it comes to comedy, the two leads could easily become annoying, but thankfully that mostly wasn't the case for me. The only time they are genuinely annoying is in their musical numbers. More on that below.

The villains are an amusing bunch, simultaneously tough bad guys, and whimpering kittens whenever the magic wand turns the tables on them. I was a little confused why they kept coming back given how thoroughly they get trounced each time. I suppose they're really just that determined to get this lady's necklace!

The other villain of note is the seductive belly dancer =, who's in league with the villains. Despite disappearing in the last half hour, she delivers some amusing moments as she plays her charm on the leads

Overall, how much you enjoy this movie depends on how much you like the characters. It could be a fun time, or it could be torture.

The effects here can verge on the primitive, but mostly get the job done. Even though they may look cheap or unconvincing, it never looks out-of-place or ill-fitting for the film. The costumes are all well designed too! From Superman, to Tarzan, and the cowboy cycle, the designers here really gave it their all.

There are a few songs sprinkled throughout here, and they aren't half bad. The only one that sounded like nails on a chalkboard was when the = dressed Behrouz began singing. I understand he was meant to be intentionally bad here, but boy that doesn't help the audience's ears!

As for the score, it seems to be mostly original, although we do have/get some lifted material here and there, such as James Bond, and others. Some of these are used for parodies, which works, while others are =.

Overall, I didn't find Yekeh Bezan to be the best of films, but it's not terrible, and it's a fascinating cultural artifact. Now if only I could find a better print of it! I suppose my only course of action is to look for one in Iran! Oh well, with any luck it won't be like finding a needle in a haystack!...