Saturday, October 18, 2025

Doctor

 


THE CAREY TREATMENT-1972-Dr. Peter Carey (James Colburn) investigates when his friend David Tao (James Hong) is accused of killing a young girl during an abortion. The victim is the daughter of the head of the hospital (Dan O'Herlihy). A too sure police detective (Pat Hingle) also noses around, while Carey romances another doctor (Jennifer O'Neil). His snooping leads him to a weird massage guy (Michael Blodgett; BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970)). Also with Regis Toomey, Elizabeth Allen, Alex Drier and John Hillerman. 

Drawn out mystery which director Blake Edwards says was cut without his knowledge. It's based on a novel by Michael Crichton.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Kicks, Baby, Kicks

 

 (imdb)


THE WILD REBELS-1967-Rod Tillman (Steve Alaimo) quits his race car driving and hooks up with the dumb motorcycle gang Satan's Angels led by goofball Jeeter (John Vella). The gang is made up of biker chick Linda (Bobbie Byers), Fats (Jeff Gillen) and Banjo (Willie Pastrano). They want Rod to drive the getaway car for crime they are plotting. He turns them down but then is approached by police Lt. Dorn (Walter R. Philbin) to infiltrate the gang. He agrees and winds up driving their getaway car when they rob a bank. There's a big shoot out with the police in some kind of tower where Rod is cornered by Jeeter until Linda shoots him. 

Stupid cliche nonsense from writer/director William Grefe' who'd made more entertaining films like DEATH CURSE OF TARTU and THE STING OF DEATH (both 1966) and would go on to make a spat of oddball productions like THE HOOKED GENERATION (also with Alaimo), THE NAKED ZOO with Rita Hayworth, STANLEY, IMPULSE with William Shatner and Bacardi rum commercials.

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Silent Star Prince

 

 (moviessliently.com)

THE STAR PRINCE-1918-A baby falls from the stars and is found by a woodcutter. He takes it home and he and his wife raise him with their other children. He (played by Zoe Rae, a young girl) grows into a deceitful, arrogant little brat who bullies his step-siblings and beats a bigger woman who turns out to be his mother who he shuns and insults when he finds out. A fairy sees his foul behavior and turns him into an ugly beggar. He wanders around looking for mom so he can apologize to her. Meanwhile, a fairy godmother tells a young princess (Dorphia Brown) she will marry the Star Prince. He saves a trapped squirrel and the fairy turns him back. Later, he meets The Dwarf (John Dorland) who imprisons the prince in a cave and asks the king to let the princess marry him instead. When the prince escapes, the dwarf's mom sends some imps to bring him back. He gets help from the squirrel he helped and arrives in time to break up the bogus marriage, see the dwarf turned into a pig and meet with both of his parents before marrying the princess. All the roles were played by kids. 

This silent production is the only film directed by Madeline Brandeis (she also wrote it), who was also a popular children's author. She distributed other films and planned to make more but died from injuries received in an automobile accident in 1937. She was 39 years old. Star Zoe Rae was also in a lost Lon Chaney film THE KAISER, THE BEAST OF BERLIN the same year.

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Saturday, October 11, 2025

Impact Zone

 

 (themoviedatabase.org)

IMPACT-1949-Irene (Helen Walker), the wife of industrialist Walter Williams (Brian Donlevy) plots with her boyfriend to murder her husband. Things go wrong. The boyfriend clouts Williams with a jack and throws his body into a ravine. He's promptly killed in a fiery crash. Now everyone (including Irene)) thinks he's dead. The boyfriend hinted that he and Irene were in cahoots and after a phone call Williams knows she is behind it. A police officer Quincey (Charles Colburn) investigates and suspects Irene of murder. Meanwhile, in Idaho, Williams meets female mechanic Marsha (Ella Raines). He fixes cars while Irene is arrested for his murder. Later he goes back to San Francisco and admits he is still alive. Bad move. He winds up on trial for murder. His housekeeper is Anna May Wong and her uncle is Phillips Ahn. Also with Art Baker, William Wright, Mae Marsh, Jason Robards Sr., Erskine Sanford, Ben Welden, Joe Kirk, Thomas B. Henry and gossip columnist Sheilah Graham as herself. 

The story is good up to a point but when Williams returns and reveals himself it kind of goes downhill to a unsatisfying conclusion. Director Arthur Lubin had directed Abbott & Costello's first 5 movies, then the big color remake of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943) and later THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES (1946). After IMPACT, he directed most of the “Francis, The Talking Mule” series.

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It Wasn't Final

 

 (imdb)

 

THE FINAL TERROR-1983-After a couple is killed a forest, a bunch of camp ranger jerks (including Adrian Zmed) go off on a trip with a few women (including Daryl Hannah and Rachel Ward) to clear a river. Although, the bus driver Egger (Joe Pantoliano) is an idiot who they all make fun of, he the only one who shows any concern for their safety but he has a reason…

Typically, dumb ‘80's slasher stuff, made in 81 but not released till 83, when some of the stars became more well known. Director Andrew Davis later made CODE OF SILENCE (1988) with Chuck Norris and two Steven Segal movies. In 1993, he made the big-budgeted Hollywood production THE FUGITIVE.

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Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Magically Murderous

 

 (themoviedatabase.org)

RED CLOVER-2012-Karen (Courtney Halverson) is attacked by something while hunting with her grandfather (William Devane). It seems Karen thinks she's under the curse of red clover and the Keening Leprechaun is responsible for some random deaths. The leprechaun was kidnapped by some Irish immigrants who used his pot of gold to be successful. Karen's father is an asshole policeman (Billy Zane) who looks like a total ditz wearing an Ed Norton-like hat and doesn't get along with granddad. The leprechaun causes pandemonium during a St. Patrick's Day parade and it kills nearly all of the main cast (most of them are jerks anyway). Nothing new. Directed by Drew Daywalt.

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Saturday, October 4, 2025

Truffaut

 


THE BRIDE WORE BLACK-1968-A mysterious, alluring woman (Jeanne Moreau) kills several men seemingly at random. As the story progresses we learn her reasons why. Thanks to one guy's lying kid, the police arrest the wrong person but she clears her. Unusual suspense revenge tale with an interesting ending, co-written and directed by Francois Truffaut and based on a story by Cornell Woolrich (Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW was also based on one of his stories).

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