Villain, thou know’st nor law of God nor man.
No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity.

The quote above is spoken by Lady Anne to Richard, accusing him of cruelty. He cleverly turns it into a syllogism to argue that his lack of pity therefore proves he is not a beast, but in so declaring, he exposes his uniquely evil nature.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, this film is a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Richard III. It takes place in today’s Berlin. Original title: “Kein Tier. So Wild.” In this iteration of the story, Wicked Dicky Three has now been awarded good posture and transgendered from Richard to Rashida.

As the feud between the powerful Arab families, York and Lancaster, shifts from Berlin’s streets to the courtroom. Rashida, a lawyer from the House of York, ends the gang conflict with a violent strike against the Lancasters. Despite her efforts, she remains marginalized as a woman in a patriarchal world, denied the title of queen. Determined to claim power, she manipulates, seduces, and destroys her adversaries. However, as she ascends to authority, Rashida faces the trauma of her war-torn childhood. Her rise to power ultimately leaves her ruling over a desolate kingdom, reflecting her inner devastation.

To quote another famous English author, “Bah, humbug.”

Video

She has done some nudity in the past, but it has been modest. I don’t think Verena has done a scene even vaguely comparable to this.

All videos

What can I say? She has a large … er … following.

Bang is a Thai action picture from the director/cinematographer known as Kaos (Wych Kaosayananda). It is a routine shoot-’em-up (hitman develops a conscience), but there are some interesting positives, so I’ll focus on those:

Kaos has never made a respected movie, but I swear the man has talent. This film looks great. The location shots are well-chosen and gorgeous, the action scenes are always comprehensible, and the technical quality of the photography is superb.

Kaos must drive his investors crazy. I respect the lush production values, but he’s like the Johnny Larue of real directors. He filmed a nighttime shot of Bang and his girlfriend making love in a transparent cabin on the very top of the Asiatique ferris wheel in Bangkok, as shot FROM ABOVE. I assume that he had to pay the ride operators to assure that the actors would be in the right cabin at the right time for a long enough time, and filmed the shot from a helicopter. (One commenter noted that the shot was probably filmed by a drone. That seems to make sense.) The scene lasts only a few seconds, the actors are barely visible, and the scene is totally unnecessary to the plot. It’s just there because he thought it would be cool. Remember when Johnny Larue just had to have his expensive crane shot in Polynesiantown? Well, Kaos did him one better. (And he was right. It is cool. It’s an impressive scene, with the ride lit up like a Christmas tree at night, and all of nighttime Bangkok as a backdrop! See below.)

The co-star of the film is Robocop. You could argue that he’s the star because he has the most dialogue – and in two different languages. (Robo, or should I say Professor Robo, is not Italian, but has studied the language and speaks it fluently. He has a Ph.D., and his areas of focus are the history and art of Rome and the Italian Renaissance.) Man, does he look old, but his voice still sounds the same, and he did a good job in an over-the-top part.

There is one clever, albeit totally preposterous, plot twist in the middle of the film. SPOILER FOLLOWS – hide your eyes until the next paragraph if you want to watch the film (or, of course, if you are one of those whiny snowflakes who feel obligated to complain about spoilers when they have no intention of watching the film). After the hitman develops a conscience, he keeps killing, or so his boss thinks, and so we think until the twist is revealed. He has faked all the killings and hidden the “victims” and their families in an abandoned pseudo-Venice theme park outside of Bangkok. (Such an attraction actually exists, but is not as pictured here.)

There is nudity in three scenes (seen below under “videos”), but Alisa Arunahiran is the only actress credited.

Anastasia Maslova is not listed in the film’s credits, but IMDb does list her as “prostitute.” Assuming that to be correct, she must be the one on your right in the pic below.

Videos

Micro-budget horror from the USA.

A madman known as Coffintooth stalks victims on Halloween Eve

… as horror film madmen are wont to do.

A lot of these would-be horror icons come out every year, especially at Halloween. Every horror producer dreams of cashing in on the next Freddie Kruger and buying that second house in the south of France. Based on the fact that this film has only 17 votes on IMDb, I don’t think Coffintooth costumes and action figures are likely to make it onto the shelves at Walmart, or even Spirit Halloween, any time soon.

Videos

The entire movie is online for free here.

There’s not much nudity, but the scene is entertaining thanks to Jennifer and Bruce Campbell.

Aesthete’s video

Italian horror thriller filmed in the Philippines. Original title: Senza via di uscita. There are only a few votes on IMDb, and those who voted didn’t care for it (3.9/10).

Carol and her partner Roberta are looking forward to their long-awaited, romantic vacation in Southeast Asia. They book a dive on a charter yacht. What they don’t know is that the captain is a psychopath and has dark plans.

The title “No Way Out” has been done to death by better movies. I much prefer “The Captain is a Psychopath” or even “Dark Plans.”

Aesthete’s videos

New Polish-language mystery/melodrama series on HBO MAX, or whatever that service is currently called. Original title: Scheda.

In the seaside town of Hel, the death of a prominent local naval captain threatens to expose the web of lies tying his family together.

Attractive woman. Resembles a younger Kate Beckinsale.

Video

Meghan Trainor flaunted a dramatic body transformation at the premiere of The Paper in Los Angeles on Wednesday. She has admitted to using a weight-loss drug and undergoing a breast augmentation.