Title: Minamata

Director: Andrew Levitas

Released: February 21, 2020 (Berlin International Film Festival), December 15, 2021 (United States)

Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes

Available to stream on: Hulu and Kanopy

Photojournalist W. Eugene Smith (Johnny Depp) was revered as the best in the game during World War II. Flashforward to 1971 and Eugene is now a shell of his former self, living his life as a recluse and never meeting the bottom of a bottle that he didn’t like.

A Japanese translator by the name of Aileen (Minami), while working with Eugene on a separate assignment, tries to convince him to come to Minamata and document what is happening there. The town is ravaged by mercury poisoning which in turn is causing Minamata Disease, all at the hands of the Chisso Corporation. Fortunately for Eugene, the editor at Life Magazine, Robert Hayes (Bill Nighy), decides to throw him a bone and offers him the opportunity to capture what is happening.

Upon arriving in Japan, Eugene does all he can to befriend the locals and get what he needs to blow this story wide open. However, not everyone is glad that Eugene is in town. He is quick to learn that not only members of the Chisso Corporation, but even local politicians and law enforcement are in on the cover up.

Armed with nothing other than his camera, W. Eugene Smith is determined to let truth be the prejudice.

But, with so many in the government willingly turning a blind eye to, and help to cover up, what is happening in Minamata, will the rest of the world ever know about the tragedy?

Can one man expose and end both the corruption and devastation to a community while taking on corporate greed all on his own?

Prior to going into Minamata (2020), I had no clue about the story, only that it was in fact a true story. After finishing the film, I feel bad that it was released when it was.

The cinematography was impressive. The story is one that grabs your attention early on and keeps you engaged throughout. For what it is worth, Johnny Depp delivers one of his best performances in recent memory. But most importantly, stories like this deserve to be heard. And Andrew Levitas delivers a heartfelt and emotional drama that will appeal to history buffs and cinema buffs alike.

However, I feel as though Minamata (2020) was a victim of circumstances totally outside of its control. Unfortunately, as a result, it was not seen by as many people as it deserved. For one, the film both debuted at Berlin and had a limited release in the United States at the height of the pandemic. If that wasn’t enough, it also released during the height of the soap opera separation between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Both of these events overshadowed the movie itself.

Now, with that being said, if you have not seen Minamata (2020), or you are unfamiliar with the story, consider this your recommendation to go watch it.

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It might not even land on any of your “best of” lists. But don’t take that as a knock on the film. It is a strong and solid drama that shines the light on a tragedy that many may be completely oblivious to.

And there you have it. We started back on January 1st with All the Right Moves and made it through the alphabet twice.

But before we look ahead to what’s next, what did you think of Minamata (2020)? If you’ve seen it, let me hear your thoughts in the comments below or on social media!

As always, you can keep tabs on everything I’m watching over on my Letterboxd account.

I’m taking next week off but will be back on January 8th to kick-off a year of Mubi Monday! If you aren’t sure if Mubi is for you, try a month for free on me!

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Title: No Tears for the Dead

Director: Lee Jeong-beom

Released: June 4th, 2014 (South Korea)

Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes

Available to stream on: Prime Video

Gon (Jang Dong-Gun) is a hitman who finds himself sitting in a restaurant on his latest mission. While biding time, Gon notices a little girl sitting alone at a table across from him. He entertains the girl by making an origami swan and leaving it on the table.

Making his way towards the warehouse in back of the restaurant, Gon is prepared for his mission. What is the mission, exactly? To retrieve the laptop belonging to Ha Yun-Guk and eliminate both Yun-Guk and the Russian thugs in the room with him.

Well, Gon is a professional, so of course he is successful in killing everyone in the room while retrieving the laptop. However, in the aftermath, he hears noise coming from back in the restaurant. Out of instinct, he turns and fires multiple shots. As he opens the door, he realizes his mistake. While acting on instinct, he has tragically shot and killed the little girl who was at the table across from him.

After those events, he no longer wants anything to do with the life of a hitman. Unfortunately for Gon, the Triads have one last job for him. He now has to clean up the remaining loose end from his last job. But what all does that entail? Well, Gon must fly to South Korea and “take care” of Mo-kyeong (Kim Min-hee), a South Korean risk manager. The catch? Mo-kyeong just happens to also be the mother of Yoo-mi (Kang Ji-woo), the little girl that Gon killed in the restaurant.

Morally conflicted with now having to kill the girls’ mother, Gon agrees and flies to South Korea. He is able to locate Mo-kyeong and begins observing he and familiarizing himself with her routine.

Gon has multiple opportunities to complete his mission and become a free man, but he can’t stop his conscious from eating away at him.

Although, Gon knows all too well that if he doesn’t finish the job, the Triads will finish the job and him.

With action movies, it is often pretty rare to be able to pull off a layered story while also delivering on the action. Luckily No Tears for the Dead (2014) delivers on both fronts.

Within the first twenty minutes of the story not only have we had one intense action sequence in the restaurant, but we’re also thrown a curveball with the tragic death of Yoo-mi. From then on, the hits just keep on coming. There wasn’t a single instance where I found myself bored or wanting more from an action scene. Being that the majority of the film takes place at night, I loved the playfulness with light and shadows. Both during action sequences and, in some cases, with character emotions.

The cast as a whole was quite enjoyable. However, Jang Dong-gun stood out and was absolutely incredible as Gon. He’s believable as one of the most ruthless contract killers on the market, while also flexing his acting muscles in making us sympathize with Gon and the internal emotional turmoil that he is dealing with.

I know I’m saying a lot without really saying anything at all, but between the action sequences and the overall story itself, No Tears for the Dead (2014) deserves to be experienced and enjoyed with as few spoilers as possible.

The next time you find yourself in the mood for an action flick, do yourself a favor and cozy on up with No Tears for the Dead (2014).

So those are my thoughts, but what are yours?

If you’ve seen No Tears for the Dead (2014), tell me what you thought of it in the comments below or on social media!

Curious to know who/what I’ll be covering for the letter “Z” next week? Keep an eye on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram this Wednesday for a sneak peek.

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Title: The Informer

Director: Andrea Di Stefano

Released: August 30, 2019 (United Kingdom)

Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes

Available to stream on: Kanopy and Netflix

Peter Koslow (Joel Kinnaman) has cut himself a deal with the FBI’s New York City field office to work as an informant in order to get released early from prison. Since working as an informant, Koslow has worked his way up the ladder of the Polish mafia and is now their go-to drug runner.

His handler, Agent Wilcox (Rosamund Pike), has equipped him with a wire for his latest run. Koslow is set to smuggle six kilos of fentanyl through the Polish consulate and into the hands of his boss, The General (Eugene Lipinski). This will finally provide Wilcox with enough evidence to bring down The General. If all goes according to plan, Koslow’s duties as an informant will be considered fulfilled.

But of course, the plan goes sideways as soon as Koslow is in the car with the product. One of his associates believes he’s found a buyer for the fentanyl. This throws off the entire plan. How can Koslow push back on a potential sale without revealing himself? Simple, he can’t. He plays along but in talking to the potential buyer, Koslow can tell the buyer is an undercover NYPD officer.

To the surprise of no one, things go south rather quickly. Officer Gomez (Arturo Castro) draws his weapon on Koslow and identifies himself as NYPD. Meanwhile, Stazek (Mateusz Kosciukiewicz), the same associate who set up this buy, shoots and kills Officer Gomez from behind, saving Koslow’s life in the process. Because of this, The General informs Koslow that to repay the debt, he must go back into prison to control the flow of drugs from the inside. After five years, his debt will be considered forgiven.

His handler, having abandoned him when the shooting went down, calls to meet and discuss the next steps. But this time, it isn’t just Agent Wilcox there to meet Koslow, Wilcox’s superior, Agent Montgomery (Clive Owen) is there as well. They inform him that the old deal is no longer valid, he does this and then he goes free. Because Koslow cares so deeply for his wife and daughter, he reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile, the NYPD is looking for who killed one of their own. Detective Grens (Common) in doing some solid policework, has discovered that Koslow isn’t what he appears. After collecting his own evidence, Grens is convinced that Koslow is working with the feds. He approaches Wilcox and Montgomery, but both vehemently deny any involvement. This doesn’t stop Grens though as he now has eyes on Koslow back in prison.

Montgomery tells Wilcox to burn Koslow. With the NYPD sniffing around, burning Koslow is the only way the FBI avoids any blowback.

Who can Koslow trust while in prison?

Does he have anyone left to trust on the outside?

Every moment on the inside could be his last.

Ever since seeing him in The Killing, I’ve enjoyed just about every role I’ve seen Joel Kinnaman in. That trend continues here with his portrayal of Peter Koslow. However, for as much as I enjoyed him, along with Rosamund, Clive, and Common, The Informer (2019) is definitely a tale of two halves.

The first half of this movie had me in the palm of its hand. We get sprinkles of backstory to get us up to speed while we’re being drawn into the action unfolding in front of us. I like Koslow working as an informant, especially for Wilcox who we can tell has a bit of a soft side from the jump.

When Common comes onto the scene, I am fully onboard. Him playing a cop who refuses to back down, going up against the entire FBI? Yes, please. In fact, I think we could have actually had more Detective Grens in this story.

Everything is going great…and then Koslow goes back into prison. From this point on, it became a sprint to the finish. Nothing had a chance to breathe. That’s not to say that the second half wasn’t enjoyable. There were a few scenes in particular that I quite enjoyed. However, the two halves didn’t come together to form a complete picture.

If you happen to be a fan of Common, Clive Owen, Rosamund Pike, and/or Joel Kinnaman, The Informer (2019) is worth a watch. The same can be said if you find yourself aimlessly scrolling and looking for something to settle on.

If you’ve seen The Informer (2019), tell me what you thought of it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

See what else I’ve been watching over on my Letterboxd account.

Stay tuned across Bluesky, Instagram, and Threads this Wednesday to see what’s in store next Sunday!

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Title: Slow Burn

Director: Wayne Beach

Released: September 13, 2005 (Toronto International Film Festival), released in the United States on April 13, 2007

Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes

Available to stream on: Prime Video and Tubi

Ford Cole (Ray Liotta) is a District Attorney who has his eyes on becoming the next mayor. He feels that as long as he is able to bring down local gang leader Danny Luden, the mayor’s office is all but his. What Ford doesn’t know is that the next twenty-four hours could bring his carefully crafted political life collapsing like a house of cards. While giving an interview to a reporter by the name of Ty Trippin (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Ford receives a call informing him that he should get down to the police station as soon as possible.

Nora Timmer (Jolene Blalock) is Ford’s Assistant District Attorney and has confessed to murdering a man. She claims that Isaac Duperde (Mekhi Phifer) raped her at which point she shot him in the head in self-defense. Ford begins looking into one Isaac Duperde. Who was he? Was he connected to Danny?

Unfortunately for Ford, he gets another curveball thrown his way in the form of Luther Pinks (James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J). Luther walks into the police station and says he will only speak with Ford Cole. Ford agrees and Luther immediately starts poking holes in Nora’s story. He claims that Isaac and Nora had known each other for months and that Isaac confessed he was obsessed with her. Ford tries to call Luther’s bluff however when Luther mentions a tattoo on Nora, Ford knows he’s telling the truth? How? Well, Ford and Nora happen to be an item themselves.

So, what is Ford’s next move? Does he believe his ADA and romantic partner? Or is it possible that Luther, who just waltzed in off the streets, knows more than he’s leading on?

One thing is for certain, tonight, Ford Cole should believe no one.

One of the things I enjoy the most about doing this blog is when I stumble upon a movie that catches me by surprise. Slow Burn (2005) is the latest example of this.

Going into this one, I knew nothing of it other than Ray Liotta was in it. When it starts and I see it is going to be Ray Liotta trying to bring down a gangster, I’m in. I am admittedly a sucker for any movie that has Liotta in that type of role. In fact, everyone here, regardless of their amount of screentime, gave solid performances. Both Ray Liotta and LL Cool J commanded your attention whenever they appeared.

The story drew me in and kept me hooked and on my toes all throughout. However, had this been a limited run series rather than a movie, I may have enjoyed it even more. I needed just a bit more in order to be truly invested in each character and to have a better understanding of their motives.

Now, that being said, I still had fun with Slow Burn (2005). I’d much rather have a movie that gets in and out in just over an hour and a half and leaves you wanting more than one that runs over two hours and leaves you wanting much less.

If you haven’t seen it, consider this your recommendation to seek out and settle in for Slow Burn (2005).

So, if you’ve seen Slow Burn (2005), what did you think of it?

Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below or on social media!

See what else I’ve been watching on Letterboxd.

Want to know what I’ll be reviewing next Sunday for the letter “X”? Keep an eye on Bluesky and Threads/Instagram this Wednesday!

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Title: Arctic

Director: Joe Penna

Released: May 10, 2018 (premiere at Cannes), February 1, 2019 (released in theaters)

Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Available to stream on: Kanopy and Netflix

Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen) is doing everything he can to survive. His plane has crashed in the Arctic Circle and he’s living in the fuselage awaiting rescue. His days are spent ice fishing for food, trying to keep said fish out of the grasp of polar bears, and running a distress beacon hoping a search and rescue team will locate him.

A helicopter appears to be responding to Overgård’s distress beacon one day but falls victim to the weather and crashes when attempting to land. The pilot is killed in the crash, but the other passenger (Maria Thelma) is alive, unconscious and severely injured but alive.

Overgård tends to her wound and gets her situated in his plane while he goes to explore the helicopter wreckage. While there he finds supplies, the woman’s ID, and a picture of her family that he brings back for her. He continues to feed and tend to her, but her condition is not improving. Overgård makes the difficult decision to embark on a trek to a refuge, with the wounded passenger in tow, that is a few days away.

With limited resources, will Overgård be able to get the passenger to medical assistance?

Will Overgård himself be able to survive the trek?

Well, another week brings with it another movie with a very straightforward and lean plot. This is not a complaint by any means, I love a movie that doesn’t waste a lot of time with fluff. Instead, you know exactly what you’re in for and you buckle up for the ride.

After finishing Arctic (2018), it’s confirmed that I could watch Mads Mikkelsen watch the grass grow and be entertained. With there being so little dialogue, it fell on Mads to carry this movie through facial expressions and movements. Spoiler alert, he passed that test with flying colors. Much like Tom Hanks did in Cast Away, Mads had me captivated the entire time despite barely saying anything. You can see and feel the pain, anguish, and hopelessness that Overgård is going through. So much so, that you become emotionally invested in his outcome and well-being.

The beautiful cinematography from Tómas Örn Tómasson drives home just how alone Overgård and the passenger are in the Arctic Circle. Meanwhile, the music from Joseph Trapanese wonderfully twists that emotional knife a little deeper into you each time you hear it.

If you are a fan of Mads Mikkelsen, go watch this movie.

If you are a fan of survival movies, go watch this movie.

Shoot, even if you’ve already seen it, here’s your recommendation to go and watch Arctic (2018) again.

So, there are my thoughts, but what are yours?

Tell me what you thought of Arctic (2018) in the comments below or on social media!

Keep an eye on Bluesky and Threads/Instagram this Wednesday for a preview of what’s coming next Sunday for the letter “W”.

As always, you can see what else I’ve been watching over on Letterboxd.

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Title: Café Express

Director: Nanni Loy

Released: February 16, 1980 (Italy)

Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

Available to stream on: Prime & Youtube

Michele Abbagnano (Nino Manfredi) spends his nights on the trains that run from Vallo della Lucania and Naples. No, he doesn’t work on the train, at least not legally. You see, Michele aggressively sells coffee to the passengers from flasks he hides in a basket. A basket that also includes stolen sugar packets.

One might think that the passengers would grow annoyed with Michele and his nightly shenanigans, however, quite the opposite is true. Turns out that Michele is quite the salesman. He doesn’t go car to car with the same pitch for coffee. Instead, he frames each conversation specifically to each passenger, winning them over individually.

But if the act of selling coffee on the train is illegal, why is Michele going through all the trouble night after night? Well, his son unfortunately suffers from a heart condition and Michele is doing this to hopefully afford surgery to provide his son with a normal and healthy life.

Things seem to be trending in the right direction for Michele when all of a sudden, the Ministry of Transports decides to step in. They have ordered local conductors to end Michele’s coffee sales once and for all.

Will the conductors be successful in their bid to take down Michele?

Or will Michele succeed in earning enough to pay for his son’s surgery?

Had it not been for Season 1 of The Video Archives Podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, I wouldn’t have known that Café Express (1980) even existed. Luckily, when trying to find a crew member for the letter “U”, I was able to kill two birds with one stone and cross this one off my watchlist.

Now if you haven’t seen Café Express (1980) before, you have two options currently available to stream it. On Prime Video, you have a VHS transfer that has been dubbed in English. Your other option is a Youtube stream from The Digital Archives, this version has better picture quality as well as original Italian audio, but no English subtitles. The choice is yours depending on how well you are able to understand the Italian language.

As for the movie itself, there isn’t too much to say. It’s a very simple story and if I go into too much of what happens after what I outlined in my synopsis, it’ll spoil everything.

However, I will say that it is an enjoyable experience. Nino Manfredi transitions seamlessly from lighthearted comedy to a few rather intense dramatic scenes. Overall, Café Express (1980) gets in and gets out without overstaying its welcome. If you’ve got some time to kill, this is one worth checking out.

So, what did you think? If you’ve seen Café Express (1980), tell me your thoughts in the comments below or on social media!

Keep track of everything else I’m watching over on Letterboxd.

Well, we only have five more installments left. This Wednesday on Bluesky and Threads/Instagram look for a preview of who and what we’ll be covering for the letter “V”.

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Title: Good Morning

Director: Yasujirô Ozu

Released: May 12, 1959 (Japan)

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi, Max, and The Criterion Channel

Isamu (Masahiko Shimazu) and Minoru (Kôji Shitara) Hayashi love their sumo wrestling. Unfortunately for them, their parents refuse to buy a television set for their home. So, Isamu and Minoru frequently visit their neighbor’s home in order to watch tv. There’s only one problem, their mother, Tamiko (Kuniko Miyake), forbids them from going over there again because she believes the mother is a cabaret dancer.

Meanwhile, all of the mothers in the neighborhood are a bit on edge. The money collected for their women’s club monthly dues is missing. Fingers are pointed as to who the culprit could be and relationships amongst the club members become strained.

While all of this is happening, Mr. Hayashi (Chishû Ryû) and Minoru have a quarrel that sees Mr. Hayashi tell Minoru that he talks too much. While in their room together, Minoru and Isamu agree that they will go on a silent strike and refuse to speak until their home has a television set. The first to feel the impact of the silent strike is Mrs. Haraguchi (Haruko Sugimura). She believes that Mrs. Hayashi is having her boys disrespect her as a result of a misunderstanding regarding the monthly dues.

How far will Minoru and Isamu take their silent strike?

Will it end the way they’re hoping?

Well, this was an interesting watch.

We are given a very simple plot that gives a glimpse into life in suburbia in this Japanese neighborhood. It’s also very easy to draw comparisons to life in suburbia just about anywhere else in the world. This allows the viewer to relate to and/or see themselves in at least one of the characters that we encounter.

The acting was good overall; however, Masahiko Shimazu as Isamu stole the show for me. His comedic timing was on-point in every scene that called for it.

Speaking of comedic timing, can we talk about the flatulence? The whole town needs to address whatever in their diet is causing them to be so gassy. Now I know, it’s easy to point to fart jokes and say that they’re used to capture a sense childhood innocence. But there was also a lesson learned: Never trust a fart.

Good Morning (1959) is cute, funny, and a brisk ninety-four minutes. This was the first movie of Yasujirô Ozu’s that I’ve seen but probably won’t be the last. If you’ve yet to see it, it gets a recommend from me.

Well, now it’s your turn. If you’ve seen Good Morning (1959), tell me what you thought of it in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Keep track of what else I’m watching on Letterboxd.

Wednesday on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram I’ll be posting who the crew member will be for the letter “U” and which movie they worked on that we’ll be reviewing next week.

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Title: Black Rain

Director: Ridley Scott

Released: September 22, 1989

Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

Available to stream on: MGM+ and Paramount+

Nick Conklin (Michael Douglas) is an NYPD detective who is having a rough go of things. He’s behind on his alimony payments and is under the microscope of Internal Affairs. IA believes that Conklin and his former partner had sticky fingers during a drug bust where all of the money wasn’t accounted for.

Nick is out for a bite to eat with his new partner, Charlie Vincent (Andy Garcia), when they witness a Yakuza by the name of Koji Sato (Yûsaku Matsuda) walk in. After a few words with the Japanese men at a table, Sato kills them, takes a package, and takes off into the streets of New York.

Nick and Charlie are in hot pursuit and eventually apprehend Sato. While they’d both like to see Sato convicted and serve time in a United States prison before going back to Japan, unfortunately, that’s not what they get. Instead, they are to escort Sato back to Osaka, Japan by order of the Japanese Embassy.

Once they arrive in Japan, they are met by the local authorities who have Nick sign some paperwork before they take Sato into custody. Moments later, more local authorities come onboard the plane looking to take Sato into custody. Turns out that the first group weren’t police at all, they were Yakuza. That paperwork that Nick signed to turn over Sato, yeah that was nothing more than a bogus insurance policy.

Determined to bring Sato to justice, Nick and Charlie are paired with local Inspector Masahiro Matsumoto (Ken Takakura) and given strict instruction that they are there to observe, nothing more. Charlie seems to understand that while in Japan, he has to play by their rules. Nick, on the other hand, isn’t so quick to agree. Matsumoto does his best to try and get Nick to understand that his vigilante ways won’t get him far while he’s here. If he wants to see Sato brought to justice, Nick will have to play by the rules.

Can Charlie keep Nick out of too much trouble?

Will Nick fall in-line in order to bring down Sato?

Regardless, just be sure you watch your tail, cowboy.

Prior to this viewing, I had seen the title card for Black Rain (1989) when browsing but didn’t know anything about it. Honestly, I didn’t even know it was a Ridley Scott film. So, I was excited to be able to correct a Ridley Scott blind spot.

Yes, the argument could be made that Black Rain (1989) is just another ’80s buddy cop movie. I, for one, found it to be more enjoyable than most of the buddy cop offerings of the ’80s.

A big part of my enjoyment stemmed from the way that Director of Photography Jan de Bont shot this. It is vibrant in parts, uses darkness and shadows to its advantage in others, and has a gritty almost neo-noir feel to it throughout.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t buying Michael Douglas as Nick Conklin. It felt as though he was trying too hard to be the “plays by his own rules” NYPD cop. There wasn’t a natural feel to the way Conklin was portrayed and I don’t think that Douglas was the right person for that role.

Meanwhile, Andy Garcia stole the show for me. I found his portrayal as the lighthearted Charlie Vincent highly enjoyable. He provides the right amount of comic relief all while trying to get Nick and Masahiro to see eye-to-eye.

The action sequences, while nothing to write home about, serve their purpose and are still fun. We get a Hans Zimmer score that doesn’t heavily rely on percussion. And overall, Black Rain (1989) is a fun gem of an ’80s action flick that I don’t hear discussed enough.

By no means am I saying that you need to drop what you’re doing to run and go watch it. But the next time you aren’t sure what to watch, fire up Black Rain (1989).

Sometimes, you just got to go for it.

Well, those are my thoughts on Black Rain (1989), but what are yours? Let me hear what you thought of it in the comments below or on social media!

You can stay up to date on what else I’m watching by following my Letterboxd.

Next week we’ll have the letter “T”. Keep an eye on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram this Wednesday to see who the crew member is and what movie of theirs we’ll be reviewing.

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Title: The Ghoul

Director: T. Hayes Hunter

Released: August 7, 1933 (United Kingdom)

Runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi

Professor Henry Morlant (Boris Karloff) is an Egyptologist on his death bed who believes that an ancient jewel, dubbed the “Eternal Light”, will grant him eternal life once presented to Anubis. The doctor leaves the room after examining Professor Morlant and informs someone that Morlant does not have much time left. Shortly after this statement is made, we see Morlant’s solicitor, Broughton (Cedric Hardwicke), thumbing through the professor’s ledgers. Broughton sees where Morlant recently purchased the “Eternal Light” for £75,000. If this is true, it mean’s Henry Morlant has very little left to his name.

Morlant calls for his servant, Laing (Ernest Thesiger), and informs him that the jewel is to be buried with him upon his death. Morlant goes so far as to grip the “Eternal Light” in his hands and then proceeds to bind his hand. However, Morlant also asks for Laing to be careful as he doesn’t trust Broughton.

After Morlant passes, he is buried in the mausoleum that is on the property’s grounds with the key to the tomb left in the door. Before shutting the door however, Laing made sure to swipe the jewel. Laing decides to hide the jewel and contact one of Professor Morlant’s heirs.

If an entire town’s worth of people trying to find the “Eternal Light” wasn’t enough, Professor Henry Morlant himself rises from the dead. Upon noticing that the jewel is missing from his hand, thus impacting his ability to present it to Anubis in the afterlife, he rises from the tomb and staggers out into the world in search of the “Eternal Light”.

How far will Professor Henry Morlant have to travel to find the jewel?

What will happen to those who get in his way?

Who winds up in possession of the “Eternal Light”?

The Ghoul (1933) does an excellent job of using darkness, shadows, and fog to create a gothic atmosphere. That atmosphere serves the brooding tone that is present throughout the film. Unfortunately, the subplots and numerous side characters ultimately take away from what could have been an impactful horror/thriller.

The beginning provides us with an interesting premise despite the obvious nods to Karloff’s The Mummy which was released a year prior. And the third act, where Morlant is on the hunt for the “Eternal Light” is a lot of fun. However, the second act, where we are basically playing a game of “whodunnit” is a bit of a bore. For a movie that heavily advertises Boris Karloff, we could have used a lot more of him. When he isn’t on the screen, The Ghoul (1933) suffers as a result.

That being said, with a runtime of under an hour and twenty minutes, this is still worth a watch, if nothing else, for the limited screen time occupied by the late great Boris Karloff.

Well, there we have it. Another letter in the books. But what did you think of The Ghoul (1933)?

Tell me what you thought in the comments below or by reaching out on social media!

Next up we’ve got the letter “S”. Keep your eyes on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram this Wednesday to see who and what movie we’ll be covering next Sunday.

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Title: A Writer’s Odyssey

Directors: Yang Lu and Zhuang Jie Qiong

Released: February 21, 2021

Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

Available to stream on: Tubi

Guan Ning (Jiayin Lei) has spent the last six years looking for his daughter after she was abducted by child traffickers. Unfortunately, because of his devotion to finding his daughter, Guan’s life has crumbled around him and left him a shell of his former self. When he sleeps, he can hear his daughter shouting out to him. After six long years, Guan believes he has tracked down the traffickers.

A misunderstanding lands Guan in police custody where he is saved by Tu (Mi Yang). Tu mysteriously knows everything about Guan and offers him the opportunity to reunite with his daughter. But of course, there is a catch. He must help the CEO of the company she works for. How difficult of a task could it possibly be?

Well, turns out that it’s not as straight forward as it sounds. Those dreams that have been haunting Guan…they aren’t exactly dreams. No, those dreams are actually a fantasy novel that is being live streamed as it is being written by the author Kongwen (Zijian Dong). The mysterious CEO is having visions of the novel as well and feels a connection to the antagonist evil overlord Redmane (Yi Yang).

Guan must navigate reality and the dream/fantasy novel world to assassinate Kongwen before Kongwen kills Redmane. If successful, Guan and his daughter will be reunited. But if he is unsuccessful…

Directors Yang Lu and Zhuang Jie Qiong, along with Director of Photography Qiming Han, gave us a feast for the eyes. A Writer’s Odyssey (2021) is big, bold, and colorful. A trio that is essential to any fun and engaging fantasy movie. In some scenes the CGI might not be as impactful as it could have been, but that didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

There were a lot of subplots and not all of them were wrapped up in a tidy manner nor did they all come together completely. Although my biggest issue wasn’t even the fault of the filmmakers. The version that is streaming on Tubi is an English dub and the dubbing is atrocious. It took me out of the moment numerous times throughout the film.

However, A Writer’s Odyssey (2021) still manages to be a captivating fantasy adventure. If you haven’t seen it yet and you enjoy the fantasy genre, I highly recommend seeking this out. Just do yourself a favor and try to find a version with original audio and subtitles.

If you’ve seen A Writer’s Odyssey (2021), let me hear your thoughts on it in the comments below or on social media!

Keep an eye on Threads, Instagram, and Bluesky this Wednesday for a preview of what’s coming next week for the letter “R”. And as always, see what else I’m currently watching on Letterboxd.

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