What I Watched in January 2022

I enjoyed the first two Kingsmen films and went into this prequel expecting a similarly amusing but violent tone. Surprisingly, THE KING’S MAN (2021) has a very serious approach to the story of the genesis of the independent spy service and the film is quite effective for it. The style remains the same as the earlier films and in a few spots it teeters on the edge of going too far but it manages well as a visceral and oddly touching piece. Even the scenes that involve Rasputin and the various attempts on his life feels grounded because it is built on the back of the historical events. Likewise, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand rings true both as a fascinating historical replay and also as a dramatic occurrence within the film’s story. Of course, by the third act the mostly over-the-top action swings back into place for a satisfying finale. It feels as if they might have been better off staying a bit closer to a sense of realism and kept the more reality-based tone established early on, but it is exciting fun. And those goats are jerks!

 

The List

MALAYA (1949) – 7 (Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy as WWII rubber smugglers) 

PROBE (1972) – 6 (interesting spy-fi TV movie) 

THE KING’S MAN (2021) – 8 

MAN BEAST (1956) – 4 (typically clunky, inept Jerry Warren Abominable Snowman effort) 

THE DESIGNATED VICTIM (1971) – 7 (smart Italian take on Strangers on a Train - with a twist) 

BUSTING (1974) – 7 (Peter Hyams first film stars Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as buddy cops)

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu) 

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON (1942) – 6 (rewatch) 

OUTLAW GOLD (1950) – 6 (solid B-western with Johnny Mack Brown) 

QUATERMASS 2 (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu) 

MICHAEL SHAYNE, PRIVATE DETECTIVE (1940) – 7 (rewatch) (twisty mystery)

THE UNNATURALS (1969) – 7 (rewatch) 

HERE COME THE CO-EDS (1945) – 6 (standard Abbot & Costello/Lon Chaney as a heavy) 

THE TRIUMPH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1935) – 5 (very clunky unless Holmes is onscreen) 

BALLAD IN BLOOD (2016) – 4 (Ruggero Deodato - not much happens but the nudity helps) 

NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1980) – 5 (fairly silly low budget Bigfoot horror)

THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE (1942) – 6 (rewatch) (solid Michael Shayne mystery) 

MURDER ON A BRIDLE PATH (1936) – 6 (well done Hildegard Withers mystery) 

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS (1936) – 7 (rewatch) 

DANCE CHARLIE DANCE (1937) – 6 (fun comedy with Glenda Farrell - reminiscent of The Producers)

SEX HUNTER 1980 (1980) – 6 (erotic Suspiria influenced Japanese sex film) 

HUMAN MONSTER (1939) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) (Lugosi as a bad guy? What?) 

SILVER BLAZE (1937) – 7 (very well done Holmes tale even with the unnecessary addition of Moriarty)

SCHOOL OF DEATH (1975) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) (deliberately paced, excellent Spanish gothic) 

TRAIL OF THE MOUNTIES (1947) – 6 (short RCMP feature) 

VOICE OF THE WHISTLER (1954) – 6 (very bleak noir) 

PLANET EARTH (1974) – 6 (rewatch on Blu) (Roddenberry TV movie) 

FOES (1977) – 6 (interesting low budget UFO encounter tale) 

KING BOXER (1972) – 7 (a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death) 

LAND OF DOOM (1986) - 4 (rewatch on Blu) (post-apocalyptic tale) 

CALIBER 9 (1972) – 8 (rewatch) 

A STUDY IN SCARLET (1933) – 6 (creaky but good Sherlock film) 

THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021) – 8 

ROSE MARIE (1954) – 5 (beautiful but flat Mountie musical) 

THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1924) – 6 (silent madness!)