(youtube)THE INVADERS-1912-Ancient western about a broken treaty between ranchers and the Sioux. Sometimes considered the “first great western”, its typical cowboys vs. Indians plot was probably pretty new in 1912. Star Francis Ford (younger brother John) co-directed it with Thomas Ince. Ford directed many short silent films and also acted into the 1950's.
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(imdb)THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE-1933-A counterfeit calls Capt. Lohman (Jim Gerald) to tell him he knows who's behind the ring but he goes insane before he can say who the leader is. Then a college professor gives a lecture on the history of the evil mastermind Dr. Mabuse, who's now in an insane asylum scribbling incoherent notes.
Lehman investigates. At the asylum the man in charge sees an apparition while visiting Mabuse (Rudolph Klein-Rogge). Later, his assistant suggests that the doctor may not be crazy and using hypnotism to commit crimes. On his way to the police, he's killed. There's also Lilli (Monique Rolland) & Tom (Gustav Diessl) who are lovers. But ex-con Tom is torn between his love for Lilli and his criminal activities. When Mabuse dies, it seems his plans are still being carried out. Is he really dead?
This followed Lang's first Mabuse movie DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER (1922), a gigantic 4 hour epic that had to be shown in 2 parts! It wouldn't be until 1960, 27 years later, that Lang would return with another sequel. The Mabuse character was created by German author Norbert Jacques in 1921.
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(imdb)THE CRAWLING HAND-1963-Mel Lockhart (Ashley Cowan), an astronaut coming back from the moon, seems to crack up and turns ghoul like. Steve Curan (Peter Breck) is in charge of the project and Allison Hayes (in her last movie role) is his kind of secretary.
After the ship is deliberately blown up, Doc Weitzberg (Kent Taylor) thinks there's some kind of new organism being created. While rollicking on the beach with his gf, Marta (former Miss Iceland, Sirry Steffen), a guy named Paul (Rod Lauren) finds the severed arm of the astronaut. He wraps it up and takes it to his rooming house where it kills his landlady Mrs. Hotchkiss (Arline Judge in her last role). The sheriff (Alan Hale) and deputy (Ross Elliot) investigate. Paul is attacked by the hand but he doesn't killed. The hand seems to possess him. He acts strange and almost kills a restaurant owner (Syd Saylor in his last role). The hand slithers around. Occasionally, “The Bird's The Word” by The Rivingtons is heard. Also with Tristram Coffin and Richard Arlen.
This cheapy sf horror was produced by Joe Robertson who served the same capacity on THE SLIME PEOPLE (1963) and AGENT FROM HARM (1964). He later got into porno films and wrote and directed 2 movies featuring Ed Wood,Jr., LOVE FEAST (1969) and MRS. STONE'S THING (1970).
Noted “film doctor” Herbert L. Strock (HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER (1958)) directed. One of the screenwriters Joe Cranston, who later wrote THE CORPSE GRINDERS for Ted V. Mikels, was the father of actor Bryan Cranston. Co-star Rod Lauren had a brief musical career, made a few movie and TV appearances and later married a Philippine singing star. He in 2001 he was suspected of her stabbing murder. He fled to the US and committed suicide in 2007.
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(imdb)FROZEN ALIVE-1964-2 scientists Dr. Frank Overton (American actor Mark Stevens; once a contract actor at Warner Bros.) and Dr. Helen Wieland (German actress Marianne Koch; also in FISTFUL OF DOLLARS the same year) are doing research on suspended animation. After they win a special scientist award, the director Sir Keith (Walter Rilla; Dr. Mabuse' in several movies around this time) wants to break them up. When Frank wants his floozy, cheating wife, Joan (Delphi Lawrence) to retire and raise a family she refuses. Later, she gets drunk and insults Helen. Frank decides he'll use himself as a human experiment. While Frank and Helen are making preparations, elsewhere, Joan accidentally kills herself with a gun she stole from her lover. A police detective (Wolfgang Lukschy) thinks her death and hubby's experiments are related. Sir Keith agrees, thinking it's Frank's attempt at an elaborate suicide. Believing Frank will be arrested for murder when he wakes up, Helen decides to let him die. But then word arrives that Frank is innocent! She manages to correct her mistake and saves him. Everyone lives happily ever after.
This low budget, un-thrilling West German/UK production was directed by Bernard Knowles who worked on several different UK television shows (“Col. March of Scotland Yard”, “Ivanhoe”). He made a few other feature films like SPACEFLIGHT IC-1(1965). He was also a cinematographer shooting many of Alfred Hitchcock's English films.
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(imdb)DOWN MISSOURI WAY-1946-Innocuous, low budget musical about a professor of agriculture (Martha O'Driscoll; HOUSE OF DRACULA the year before) and her educated mule (Shirley playing herself) and a film company using her land for a production. Mostly forgettable except for John Carradine as Thorny Dunning, the movie within a movie's director giving a deliberately hammy performance (he seems to be channeling John Barrymore). The professor and the movie's producer Burton (William Wright) fall in love. Singing star Gloria (Renee Godfrey) is jealous.
The songs seem abnormally long in PRC production directed by Josef Berne and produced by Sam Sherman. Also with Roscoe Karns, Will Wright and Eddie Craven. Now forgotten leading man Wright was once touted as “World War 2's answer to Clark Gable”.
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(themoviedatabase)I'M STILL ALIVE-1940-Self-assured stuntman Steve Bennett (Kent Taylor) insults stuck up actress Laura Marley (Linda Hayes) and it's love at first sight. They get married and everything's fine until Laura gets upset at his stunt work. He decides to quit. Unfortunately, he has a hard time getting on without doing stunts. After a young stuntman is killed, Steve hits the skids and then barnstorms the country. Film producer Walter Blake (Ralph Morgan) tries to help. Eventually, his best friend Red (Howard DeSilva) helps him straighten out his life. Dick Elliot, Selmer Jackson, Sam McDaniels, Herb Vigran and retired silent film director Fred Niblo (as a film director) have unbilled roles.
Harmless little B-movie directed by Irving Reis (THE GAY FALCON (1941)).
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(imdb)SEASON OF THE WITCH-2011-During the Black Plague, two former Crusaders Bemant (Nicholas Cage) and Felson (Ron Perlman) are dispatched by a dying, scarred cardinal (Christopher Lee) to deliver a witch (really a demon) to a group of monks who can destroy her power and break the plague. Good luck, I mean to the viewer, not them.
Despite Nicholas Cage's deadpan performance, many of the characters dialogue seems modern and out of place. The CGI sfx are pretty LORD OF THE RINGS inspired. With the line: “We're going to need more holy water”. Director Dominic Sena had made GONE IN 60 SECONDS (2000), also with Cage.
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