Thursday, July 31, 2008

The Devil Thumbs A Review



THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE-1947 –Excellent, if far-fetched film noir (so what else is new?) featuring Lawrence Tierney as a smooth talking, murderous forger. He convinces innocent newlywed James North to pick up two stranded women (Nan Leslie and Betty Crawford) and hide out for the night at an absent friend’s house. Things go from bad to worse for North and Tierney nearly gets away by stealing his identity!

As in BORN TO KILL Tierney just about carries the whole thing as the lead character despite being the bad guy!

Director Felix E. Feist does a good job with the low budget setting. He later wrote and directed DONOVAN’S BRAIN (the second version Curt Siodmak’s novel) and then when into TV. Good guy North had been in CHARLIE CHAN IN RIO, MARGIN FOR ERROR, THE OX-BOW INCIDENT and a few other films but after DEVIL he made only one more.

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Monday, July 28, 2008

I Like Things In Threes Apparently...




BORN TO KILL-1947-Interesting low budget film noir with Lawrence Tierney in a standout performance as a psycho killer. He becomes involved with a divorced socialite (Claire Trevor) after he murders his girlfriend and her new lover.

Tierney winds up marrying her rich half sister (Audrey Long) and no one ends up happy. Elisha Cook Jr. is his friend who unsuccessfully tries to keep him in check. Walter Slezak is a private detective investigating the double murders. Also with Phillip Terry and Esther Howard.

This was the 6th feature by director Robert Wise (who died 2005) and it’s violent and dark but Tierney really carries the film despite the fact that he’s not the hero. It’s based on the novel “Deadlier Than The Male” by James Gunn. Tierney, who made THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE the same year later had headline making clashes with law and wound up in many Z movie productions before having a mini-comeback in RESERVOIR DOGS.



ROUJIN Z-1991-Scientists create an experimental robotic bed designed to take care of sickly bed-ridden old people. Their human guinea pig test run goes awry however and the robot bed goes on an uncontrollable rampage. A young nurse recruits several “dirty old men” patients to help stop the mayhem. This anime from AKIRA creator Katsuhiro Otomo is a funny (and sometimes deranged) satire on aging and care of the aged. Satoshi Kon who later directed PERFECT BLUE did work on it too.



DICK TRACY-1937-This is the first film adaptation of Chester Gould’s famous comic strip detective. It’s actually a 15-chapter serial that was later condensed and re-released as a feature in the early ‘40’s. Ralph Byrd isn’t bad as the square jawed detective, trying to find out who’s behind “The Spider Murders” but most of the “classic” supporting characters from the strip are left out. He’s assisted by Fred Hamilton as Steve Lockwood, Smiley Burnette as Mike McGurk, Kay Hughes as Gwen Andrews and Lee Van Atta as Junior.



The villainous Spider (who’s identity is kept secret till the final chapter) keeps Dick busy trying kill him, blow up bridges and even turning Tracy’s own brother against him and into a hypnotized slave! Like most serials it’s very far fetched and some of the acting is very bad. Former silent matinee idol Francis X Bushman appears as Chief Anderson. John Picorri is the hunchbacked mad scientist Moloch and Byron Foulger, Ray Bancroft and William Hopper also have roles.

Two more serials followed: DICK TRACY RETURNS and DICK TRACY’S G-MEN (both with Byrd, a busy character actor in other films until is untimely death in 1951 after filming a Dick Tracy TV series).

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Saturday, July 26, 2008

HG Lewis



Blood Feast is arugably the first gore film ever. I say arguably because when I say "it is the first gore film" some egghead usually knows of some other movie made in someplace like Japan which is "really the first" and we get into a big argument and I wonder why I am having a fight over a low budget gore movie when I could be watching it instead of fighting over it and I get depressed and my day is ruined.....

Anyway, Blood Feast is director Herschell Gordon Lewis' first gore film (Ha! Can't disagree with me there!). It's crazy, very funny (mostly unintentional but I'm sure Lewis had his tongue in his cheek for many of the scenes) and very very bloody. Some of the SFX are bad but at least Lewis delivers what the ads promised! It's one of my favorite movies of all time but it's not for everyone....It's usually called part one of his "Blood Trilogy" which continued with 2000 MANIACS and COLOR ME BLOOD RED.

Oh yeah...and then there's this:

THE BLOOD TRILOGY- Something Weird-1996-WARNING: The video you are about to see is for BLOOD FEAST completists only! If you are a fan of H.G. Lewis' first gore film (I am; it’s one of my favorites!), then you may find this little oddity interesting. It’s made up almost entirely of outtakes and unused footage from FEAST as well as COLOR ME BLOOD RED and TWO THOUSAND MANIACS. It begins with the well-known BLOOD FEAST trailer. Then segues into the all silent and not as entertaining as it sounds scenes although there are some highlights. You get to see BF star Thomas Wood/William Kerwin working as one of the crew and lots of lingering close-ups of Mal Arnold/Fuhad Ramses’ handiwork. The girl in the bubble bath who has her eye gouged out is more revealing in her outtakes than in the actual finished scene! And there’s really no rhyme or reason to the whole thing. It’s just a big ball of raw footage that sometimes plays like a bad nightmare!

Added to this at the end of the main footage is a bizarre short called "The Art Of Carving" starring Wood/Kerwin and Harvey Korman (who had been in Lewis’ LUCKY PIERRE) in an educational lesson on the proper way to carve a turkey and other meat! I’m not sure if Lewis had anything to do with this but it certainly is a mind boggler coming right after all those gory outtakes!

The tape ends with a Kerwin trailer warning (in b/w) for THE GRUESOME TWOSOME, followed by the original trailer and Mal Arnold’s weird warning for THE WIZARD OF GORE, also followed by the trailer. It’s an interesting artifact but as I said before this is definitely for completists only.



THE GORE GORE GIRLS-For his last movie Herschel Gordon Lewis returned to the gore genre (after making two “hillbilly” movies). It’s his most brutal and sick and features Henny Youngman as a strip club owner who’s dancers are murdered in various horrible (but of course phony looking) ways. The killer plucks out eyes, mutilates a face, shoves a head into boiling oil and pounds one stripper’s buttocks with a tenderizing mallet!

A cocky private detective (Frank Kress who looks like Alan Arbus) investigates and occasionally talks to the camera. He’s assisted by a female reporter(Amy Farrell)who gets drunk several times and winds up winning a strip contest. One suspect sits at a bar and mashes melons with a hammer. Most of the jokes fall flat but there are some good unintentional laughs. The story is interspersed with some tame strip teases but some of the victims die topless. Ray Sager, the star of Lewis’ previous gore film THE WIZARD OF GORE is in there someplace too. Screenwriter Alan Dactman never seemed to work again! Producer/director Lewis (who also composed the jazz score) stopped making movies after this and got into other businesses. However in 2002 he directed a sequel to BLOOD FEAST entitled BLOOD FEAST 2: ALL YOU CAN EAT!! Thanks H.G.!!!!

Thanks for reading!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Daniel Boone Was a Man...





DANIEL BOONE TRAIL BLAZER-1956-Low budget, color western from Republic Pictures features Bruce Bennett (who was in LOVE ME TENDER the same year) as the famous "trail blazer" trying to convince The Indians (lead by Lon Chaney as Blackfish) that the white man means no harm and just wants to live in peace with them. Trouble is started by a renegade French soldier. Many settlers get scalped.

It's rather violent and graphic for the time but beware! This film includes characters singing!!! Country Western singer Faron Young co-stars. Two directors are credited. One, Ismael Rodriguez directed THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN the same year.

In fact, 1956 was a busy year for Chaney (who would co-star in the TV show LAST OF THE MOHICANS the next year). He also made THE BLACK SLEEP, MANFISH and THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN. Bruce Bennett, a silver medal winner in the 1928 Olympics, was once known as Herman Brix and played the lead role in the Edgar Rice Bourroughs backed THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN. He and Chaney would meet again in THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE in '59.

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Does This Kind of Review Look Interesting To You?







200 MOTELS-1971-Chaotic eclectic psychedelic musical from the brain of Frank Zappa that purports to show how “touring can make you crazy”.

Ringo Starr headlines as Larry the Dwarf who spends most of the movie disguised as Zappa (did Dylan see this before making RENALDO & CLARA?). Theodore Bikel is Rance Mohammed, a devil type character who tries to buy several souls. All the scenery and props are deliberately phony looking and it was originally shot on video then transferred to film. Howard Kaylan & Mark Volman (the future Flo & Eddie, formerly of The Turtles) at the time front men for the reconstituted Mothers band are the other nominal stars but the other then current members (Ian Underwood, George Duke, Anysley Dunbar) also participate. The biggest role goes to the unknown bassist Martin Lippert, Starr’s real life chauffeur who got the role by default when original bass player Jeff Simmons quit the group right before filming began. Three original ex-Mothers (Motorhead Sherwood, Don Preston and Jimmy Carl Black who sings “Lonesome Cowboy Burt”) are also featured. Keith Moon is a harp-playing nun. Other characters include some real groupies, a newt and a vacuum cleaner. The story concerns wrecking hotel rooms, stealing towels, smoking dope, getting laid and selling out. The Mothers are constantly referred to as playing “Comedy Music”. Zappa (who’s barely seen at all) is viewed as the guy who is controlling everything and making serious musicians do things they wouldn’t normally do (much as it was in real life!). There’s a lot of strange video FX and a crude cartoon segment (The Dental Hygiene Dilemma) is fairly humorous. The Mothers play enough music but to be honest, and this is coming from a fan, Zappa has produced better music. Stuff like “Penis Dimension”, “She Painted Up Her Face” and “20 Provocative Squats” are some of his weakest ever. The finale of “Strictly Genteel” starts off ok but lapses into a mess as the film ends. He has more success with the neo-classical soundtrack.

Credited director Tony Palmer had made CREAM’S FAREWELL CONCERT in 1969 and later worked on several BBC specials.





Not content to rest on his laurels Frank Zappa returned to the big screen in 1979 with BABY SNAKES, a three hour opus he refused to edit in order to get a distributor. Undaunted he rented out movie theaters in LA and NYC and showed it himself (George C. Scott did a similar move with his THE SAVAGE IS LOOSE). He also made the documentary THE REAL STORY OF 200 MOTELS in 1981.

Weird personal footnote: The day after I watch 200 MOTELS (only the second time in 12 years) I learned of the passing of the aforementioned Martin Lickett. His 15 minutes of fame long gone, he died in London after many years as a barrister. He was believed to be in his late 50’s.

Another personal note: Zappa appeared on TV to promote the film. He performed two songs with the band on THE DICK CAVETT SHOW, which is the only time "the Flo & Eddie" The Mothers appeared on TV in The US!!

"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read"-Frank Zappa

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Crazy, Man, Crazy



THE CRAZIES-1973-This amazing film by George Romero was ignored when originally released. It’s a cool follow up to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (although he directed the never released THERE’S ALWAYS VANILLA and the quasi-supernatural JACK'S WIFE in between) but here the monsters are all human.

A plane crash unleashes a deadly virus (called Trixie) into the water supply of a small town. The military comes in to contain it and all hell breaks loose. No one (including the viewer) is sure who is infected and who is not. The white contamination suited military round up the population and many resist resulting in mayhem and bloodshed. Frightening stuff!

With Richard Liberty (later DAY OF THE DEAD), Lynn Lowry (who starred in the cult film SUGAR COOKIES the same year),Richard France (later in DAWN OF THE DEAD) and Harold Wayne Jones (later in KNIGHTRIDERS). Romero made MARTIN next.

I've heard a terrifiying rumor this is going to be remade!

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Mischief In Germany


MISCHIEF IN WONDERLAND-1957-This German made fairy tale concerns the residents of a poor kingdom. The stupid King receives a magic button from the daughter of a fairy that grants him some wishes. He uses the wishes to give his starving populace lots of cake and candy. Soon everyone (including the children) is too fat and lazy to do any work. A turbaned king from another village wants to marry the king’s daughter but she refuses and plots to get rid of the candy oriented Wonderland. A doctor also helps out. This is more dumb but enjoyable kid oriented nonsense from Saturday matinee entrepreneur K. Gordon Murray who released this on an ignorant general public in the 1960’s. It also features Werner Kruger, the star of RUMPELSTITSKIN as “the genius” but the song he sings is cut out!!

The DVD version I saw (from Something Video) also featured two shorts. The first, SANTA’S MAGIC KINGDOM features a weird Santa Claus who gets helps from Merlin The Magician to fight an evil ogre (who is never seen). The Ferocious Wolf, Puss’N” Boots and Stinky The Skunk are also featured. It looks like someone’s holiday home movie. The second SANTA CLAUS AND HIS HELPERS has most of the same characters but also incorporates scenes from the Mexican made SANTA CLAUS (which Murray had released in the US). The stateside scenes were filmed at several Santa related playlands (“Santa’s Village”) in the US. (They are probably malls now!)



Thanks to my pal Tony for getting me a copy of this and thanks to everyone who read this!

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Saint



THE SAINT IN NEW YORK-1938-Louis Hayward portrays Simon Templar, in the first adaptation of Leslie Charteris’ Saint character. The globe trotting crime fighter is summoned to NYC by a special committee who want him to “take care” of some crime bosses who keep eluding justice thanks to their corrupt lawyers (some things never change I guess…).

Templar is quite ruthless in dispatching his targets and at one point disguises himself as a nun! Usual comic villain Sig Ruman appears in a straight role as one of mob bosses. Ben Weldon plays his assistant. Haywood would become a big star a few years later with roles in THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK and MY SON! MY SON!. Kay Sutton, Jonathan Hale, Jack Carson and Paul Guilfoyle also star. Familiar character actors Paul Fix and George Irving have un-credited roles.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Early Kubrick, Later Price and Anime!



KILLER’S KISS-1955-Before KILLER’S KISS Stanley Kubrick had made only one other feature (his other efforts were all shorts). His first film FEAR & DESIRE in 1953 is never seen. Some say Kubrick destroyed the negative because he hated it. Bootleg copies do exist however. KK was also rarely shown until the 1990’s when it played in revival theaters and now can even be seen on TCM (the greatest TV movie station in the world!) occasionally.

Jamie Smith (a TV actor with very few film credits) is Davy Gordon, a washed up boxer who gets involved with Gloria (Irene Kane who also used the name Chris Chase), a dancer and kind of mistress to her sleazy thug boss (top billed Frank Silvera; also in FEAR & DESIRE). The acting and script aren’t that great and the sound and editing are kind of choppy but Kubrick puts his mark on several scenes including a flashback featuring a ballerina and a finale that takes place in a warehouse full of mannequins.

Frank Silvera had an interesting career. He was a black actor born in Jamaica but raised in New York. He occasionally played Latinos and even white characters in movies and TV. He was also a producer and director and was once nominated for a Tony. He died in 1970, a victim of a freak electrocution accident.

A year later Kubrick would make THE KILLING, then PATHS OF GLORY. In 1960 Kirk Douglas would hire him to complete SPARTACUS (replacing Anthony Mann) and well, you know the rest of the story!



DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE-1965-This dated and dumb take-off is kind of like an off-shoot of AIP’s long running “Beach Movies” but is really only worth watching because of Vincent Price’s fun performance as the top billed villain. He’s invented an army of bikini-clad robots and sends one (Susan Hart) to seduce and marry a rich dork (Dwayne Hickman). His stupid assistant Igor (familiar and annoying 60’s character actor Jack Mullaney) ruins many of his other plans (and scenes!). Frankie Avalon is a secret agent who tries to help. Fred Clark plays his grouchy boss/uncle. Despite a lot of silliness and car chases Price, in smoking jacket and Abdullah The Butcher type slippers manages to be entertaining enough to save the whole thing. The Supremes do the theme song!

Director Norman Taurog’s career started in 1920! He directed most of Elvis’ ‘60’s movies. Price made WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP (also with Hart) the same year and starred in a worse sequel in 1966 DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (directed by Mario Bava!




ESCAFLOWNE-(2000)-This is a feature version of the popular Japanese TV anime. It’s actually more of a retelling with much darker overtones. Hitomi, an average high school student is transported to the fantasy world of Gaea where she helps survivors of “The Black Dragon” prepare for the final battle to save their world. There’s the usual love story, a lot of action but not much story. Still the animation is excellent as well as the music.

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I'm Back!

SECRET WINDOW-2004-Yet another Stephen King adaptation saved mostly by Johnny Depp's performance in the lead. He plays writer Mort Rainey who six months after catching his wife (Maria Bello)with her lover (Timothy Hutton) in a hotel bedroom, lives alone in a small New England town. An Amish like farmer (John Turturro) accuses him of plagiarism. After that Rainey's life begins to unravel and some deaths occur. It's very reminiscent of another King story THE DARK HALF (which George Romero made into a movie in 1993 that starred Hutton) and the whole thing is very predictable. The director David Koepp also made STIR OF ECHOES and wrote several major screen plays including JURASSIC PARK, CARLITO'S WAY, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, SPIDER-MAN and WAR OF THE WORLDS.

SLASHER-(2004)-Despite it’s title this is not a horror movie. In fact it’s actually a documentary directed by John Landis about a super car salesman named Michael Bennett who’s brought in by local car dealers to get rid of their over stocked cars. The guy knows his craft and talks the talk really working hard to sell the unwanted cars. He drinks a lot of beer when not working but does seem to be doing it all to support his family. The customers however don’t need much convincing. They all think they are getting something for nothing!

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Three Again Rambling



I've always liked the ZATOICHI series featuring Shintaro Katsu as the blind swordsman- gambler-masseur who always finds trouble while helping the down trodden in Feudal Jaoan. Many of the storylines are essentially the same: Z comes to town and runs afoul of the local crime boss and his gang, he meets someone (usually a woman) in need and helps them, exposes crooked gambling, slaughters all the bad guys, leaves alone and disillusioned. It's Katsu's performance in the lead that makes the series however. He is gentle, soft spoken, humble and extremely deadly.






I'm not a fan of Robert Rodriguez. It's hard to like ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (2003) with it's meandering story, over the top violence and self indulgent "Tarantino inspired" direction. It completes the trilogy started with the far superior EL MARIACHI and is partially saved by Johnny Depp as the weird "3 armed" CIA agent but Antonio Banderas is laughable as the legendary hitman who whispers a lot and rarely shows any emotion. The interesting, wasted cast includes Reuben Blades, Wilhem Defoe, Mickey Rourke, Ceech Marin, Salma Hayek and Danny Trejo. Pedro Armendariz Jr. plays the corrupt "El Presidente".



BUFFALO STAMPEDE from 1933 is an early western effort from Henry Hathaway (his third movie) about the troubles brewing over the hunting of buffalo and the trading of their pelts. Randolph Scott, Buster Crabbe (who was the lead in TARZAN THE FEARLESS the same year) and Harry Carey are the bickering leads. Also with Raymond Hatton, Noah Berry, Judith Allen, Barton McLane and Monte Blue. It's based on a story by Zane Grey and also known as THE THUNDERING HERD.

Scott was in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MURDERS IN THE ZOO and SUPERNATURAL the same year. Hathaway would make THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (the first Technicolor film shot outside of a studio) in 1936 (the same year Buster Crabbe debuted as Flash Gordon )and then better bigger budgeted Hollywood films.

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Made Hairy By Science


THE WEREWOLF-1956-An amnesic man turns into a werewolf when he gets excited. He terrorizes a small town where actor/stuntman Don Megowan is the sheriff. Unlike most "wolf man" movies the monster is actually a product of science rather than a curse or legend. Two nutty scientists (S. John Launer and George Lynn) were working with radioactive wolf's blood and used the guy as a guinea pig after he was in an automobile accident. The experiment had to do with some kind of vaccine that would help them survive a nuclear war (well something like that...Hey! This was the '50's. That's all they thought about back then!).

This poses a problem for the sheriff who gets caught between trying to catch a killer and helping an innocent victim. The werewolf make-up is pretty effective when shown in the night time scenes, less so in the day. Considering Sam Katzman was the producer the production values aren't bad either. Steve Ritch the actor who portrays the doomed wolfman is very good. Joyce Holdren (later in THE TERROR FROM 5000 AD) is on hand as Megowan's kind of girlfriend and TV character actor Harry Lauter is his deputy. Gerald Mohr is the uncredited narrator. Unfortunately there's lots of talk but it moves along quickly thanks to the workman-like direction of Fred Sears.

Director Sears was a kind of '50's dynamo turning out 8 other movies (most of them also for Katzman) in 1956 including the far superior EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS and ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK. He also found time to act in over 50 movies! The same year he was hunting hirsute killers Don Megowan also played "The Gill Man" (only on land) in THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US. He appeared in around 40 films (and on TV) and was later in the very strange CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS!
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"Whoever cares to learn will always find a teacher"…German proverb

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Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


THE FURY OF THE DRAGON-1976-This is a theatrical version of the short lived 1966 TV show that debuted the same year as the more popular “Batman”. It was released 10 years after it’s lone TV season to cash in on Bruce Lee’s “last film” THE GAME OF DEATH. Though the new credits made it seem like a Bruce Lee feature it’s just 4 TV episodes strung together featuring Van Williams as the masked crime fighter that everyone thinks is a villain. His sidekick and chauffeur is the Kung-Fu kicking Kato who tries to spice up the mundane action. The Hornet's real identity is newspaper publisher Bret Reid whose sideline is known only to the DA (Walter Barry) and his secretary.

The excitement challenged storylines include a kidnapping/blackmail plot on a visiting diplomat, crooked cops and a death ray. It’s not the corny tongue in cheek “take off” Batman was (there was a crossover episode) and lacked the villainous guests stars, which may be the reason it wasn’t a hit. The version I saw had Chinese sub-titles and featured trailers for Lee’s other movies at the beginning and his black and white screen test at the end. Van Williams appeared in other TV shows but made very few movies.

However in the 1993 Bruce Lee biopic DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY he portrayed the TV director of THE GREEN HORNET.

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Friday, July 18, 2008

Women In The Moon



MISSLE TO THE MOON-1958-This crazy nonsense is actually a remake of the earlier CATWOMEN ON THE MOON!

A grouchy looking scientist named Dirk Green (Michael Whalen) builds a rocket ship and plans to take it to the moon. The government won’t let him work independently and plan to take over his project in the morning. He decides to go up that night. He recruits two escaped convicts to aid him. Gene (Tommy Cook from TEENAGE CRIME WAVE) is the troublemaker and Lon (Gary Clarke, the teenage werewolf in HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER) is the nice one. Somehow Green’s partner Dayton (Richard Travis, also in MESA OF LOST WOMEN)) and Dayton’s fiancée June (Cathy Downs, also in THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN around this time) get trapped in the rocket with them. Everything goes ok in outer space until Gene decides to put the moves on June (unsuccessfully).

After they hit a meteor shower, Green has a heart attack and dies after spouting some mysterious mumbo jumbo about “my lido”. Eventually they do land on the moon, put on cumbersome spacesuits and meet the local welcoming committee: a bunch of slow moving rock men. The group easily out runs them and hides in a cave. Fortunately for them the caves contain oxygen!

Soon after they meet The Lido (the conveniently blind leader who wears what looks like a candelabra on her head) and her colony of moon maidens (who wear roman type outfits). Lon takes time to fall in love with one of them (Marjorie Helen) but Gene is only interested in their diamonds. To add to their predicament, The Lido plans to marry Dayton off to Alpha (Nina Bara who laughably overacts), the kind of second in command. Ya see, Green was actually from the moon and was returning to help the ladies escape before the planet self-destructs. Of course Dayton won’t comply so Alpha kills The Lido and takes over, hypnotizing Dayton to her will in the process. It’s pretty funny when he talks in the trance. June almost gets sacrificed to a dilapidated spider but the crew escapes after all the pretty maidens (and the ugly ones too) die in a earthquake. Gene gets caught between the rock men and the sun’s deadly rays. He won’t drop the bags diamonds he horded and the sun burns him up. The others return to the ship.





Are you still with me?

MTTM is bad but entertaining. A lot happens in a short time. Bad SFX and acting rule the day. The opening scene sets it all up as the local sheriff stops in the desert to talk on his radio. It’s clear to see he’s standing in front of a painting! You can even see creases in it at the top!

It was directed by Richard E. Cunha , a TV cinematographer and director who decided to form his own company and produce horror films. His other efforts like GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN, SHE DEMONS and FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER are in the same vein but MISSLE is the most laughable. Still Cunha always manages to add a little sleaze or gore to his story.

Whalen and Downs were both in THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES. KT Stevens who portrays The Lido was once a child actress named Baby Gloria. “International Beauty Contest Winners” played many of the moon maids or so it says in the credits….



Thanks for reading!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Have To Keep Them Short Tonight...



ROCK REVOLUTION-1986-This strange compilation brings together several videos and live concert footage of bands circa the late ‘70’s –earlier ‘80’s. The live footage has The Clash doing “I’m So Bored With The USA” and “London’s Burning”, Ian Dury (“Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll” and “What A Waste”), The Jam (“In The City”) and The Sex Pistols (“Anarchy In The UK). There are also some videos thrown in by The Talking Heads (“Once In A Lifetime”), Hello Sailor (“Son Of Sam”), Lena Lovich (“Number One”), Graham Parker (“Protection”) and The Ramones with the uncensored version of “Psychotherapy”. I got this way back when for like 7 dollars at a now defunct bargain store. It’s only around 30 mins. but it’s a great time capsule.




PSYCHO DIVER-1995-Kuroiwa is the title character a guy who can "dive" into a person's brain. After another Diver is killed trying to help a mysterious woman it's up to Kuroiwa to figure out what's going on. A great but violently graphic story that's based on a novel.

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Mad Dog -No Bite



MAD DOG COLL-1961-I've read that this low budget bio of the infamous gangster with the really cool name is inaccurate but what isn't?

It opens with scenes from the movie shown in negative over the credits after Coll (John Chandler in his film debut) machine guns the headstone on his father's grave! A stripper named Cleo (Kay Doubleday) narrates the story. Coll is an abused mamma's boy beaten up by other kids. He becomes a punk in a gang (with an "equalizer" monkey wrench). When a gang member says "You didn't have to hit him so hard", he replies "I'm practising to be a father". He organizes a real gang (with a young Jerry Orbach) and horns in on Dutch Schutz (Vincent Gardenia). Brooke Hayward plays his nominal love interest. Coll is a ruthless kill crazy thug who's trail is dogged by a Shakespeare reading detective (Telly Savalas). He kills some kids and a cop and during a kidnapping caper he rants about killing his father. He never really becomes the kingpin he dreams of being and at 23 he's gunned down in a drugstore. His last words are "...hate...I hate..."!

Director Burt Balaban also made MURDER INC and the seldom seen DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL rip-off STRANGER FROM VENUS.

Star Chandler had supporting roles in many films later on including PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, CHESTY ANDERSON,USN and PHANTASM 3. Hayward (the daughter of actress Margaret Sullavan) was married to Dennis Hopper at the time and late wrote the book "Haywire".



The real Mad Dog!

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

3 More!



COUNSELOR AT LAW-1933-This is often considered the legendary John Barrymore’s last great performance and he does live up to that claim. It’s also ahead of it’s time in it’s view on lawyers and the way they interpret the law.

“The Great Profile” plays a successful Jewish lawyer up to his neck in controversy. One case may get him disbarred and he tries defend a self proclaimed Communist who declares the US is “worst than Russia was under the Czar”. Although Barrymore would act another 7 years, good roles would be few a far between (20th CENTURY, ROMEO & JULIET and THE GREAT MAN VOTES would be exceptions). In an ironic twist his character says “I don’t even know how to get drunk”! Also with Bebe Daniels, Melvyn Douglas (he was in THE VAMPIRE BAT the same year), Onslow Stevens, Doris Kenyon, Thelma Todd, Mayo Methot and John Qualen. This would also put director William Wyler on the map.




UFO: THE TRUE STORY OF FLYING SAUCERS-1956 –Wow! This pseudo-documentary must have really shook up 1950’s moviegoers. It’s nothing like the stuff AIP was churning out at the time. It uses actually amateur shot color films (though the rest of the movie is black & white) and has interviews with real UFO (called “unknowns” here) eyewitnesses though the lead reporter is played by an actor (Tom Powers who a small roles in many Hollywood productions and died soon after this was made). There’s a lot of talk and some unintentionally funny parts but most for it remains serious and effective. Actors Harry Morgan and Les Tremayne provide the voices of the pilots who have a “close encounter”.


CHANDU THE MAGICIAN-1932-Edmund Lowe stars as Chandu, a yogi who uses hypnotism to battle the evil would ruler of the world named Roxor (Bela Lugosi, really hamming it up). Roxor wants the death ray a scientist has invented. It has great sets (Willaim Cameron Menzies was one of the directors) and some crude but fun SFX including stone statues coming to life and Chandu turning rifles into snakes. Like many ‘30’s movies a comic relief assistant bogs down the story. It was based on a radio show. Strangely, the sequel starred Lugosi in the Chandu role! Also with Irene Ware (who was later in THE RAVEN with Lugosi and Karloff).



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Monday, July 14, 2008

Silent and Not So...



PHANTOMS-1922-FW Murnau made this moody expressionistic examination of human suffering the same year he made his classic NOSFERATU. It’s not as startling or even as interesting as his later silent masterpieces FAUST and SUNRISE but it’s still well done.

Alfred Abel (the industrialist in Lang’s METROPOLIS) is excellent as a timid book reading city clerk who’s life is turned inside out by a chance encounter with a mysterious woman in white who rides a horse drawn coach (portrayed by Lili Dangover from THE CABINET OF DR. CALAGARI). The running time is a little long but most of Murnau’s work before this isn’t available so it’s a nice find.



THE CABINET OF CALIGARI-1962 –This is a talky psychological melodrama that’s not really a remake of the German expressionistic silent classic but borrows some sets and a “things aren’t what they seem” plot.

Glynis Johns stars as stranded traveler who seeks help at the home of Dr. Caligari, a strange but seemingly helpful fellow. She eventually is held against her will at his home (or so she thinks). Dan O’Herihy is a friendly pipe smoking houseguest with a secret. English actress Estelle Winwood (was this woman ever young?) is talkative guest. She was in Bert I. Gordon’s THE MAGIC SWORD the year before. Familiar TV character actor J. Pat O’Malley is there too. Robert Bloch wrote the screenplay. The film has it’s moments but I found it disappointing. It reminded me of a William Castle movie without any of his gimmicks or black humor! Director Roger Kay worked mostly on TV series including an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE (“99 Years Without Slumbering”).

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Different Stuff



IKINAI-1998-11 men agree to commit group suicide by staging a bus accident so the insurance money can go to their families. Aragaki (Screenwriter Dankan from GETTING ANY?) is their unsmiling leader. A young girl accidentally winds up on the doomed bus and complicates things. This is an unusual black comedy from Japan that’s serious, funny and poignant. Director Hiroshi Shimizu was an assistant director to Beat Takeshi on several films.



GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON-1960-Strongman Goliath (American Mark Forest) fights a variety of creatures (a giant bat, 3 headed fire breathing dragon, etc) in his quest to rid his land of the evil King Eurystheus (Academy Award Winner Broderick Crawford with dubbed voice). There’s a lot of sub-plot in this mostly involving Goliath’s younger brother who’s in love with a woman who Goliath thinks killed his parents (or something like that). The dialogue is very funny and the effects very cheesy but the Alpha Video DVD letterboxed print I saw looked terrific. Laughable but great for “the sword & isandal “ fans!

(Thanks to my friend Mike for lending me this)



THE CHINESE GODS-1980-Very strange animated fantasy from Hong Kong. Ancient gods of legend battle evil demons. When the going gets tough they enlist Bruce Lee (with a third eye) to help! He turns into a dinosaur at one point and makes a lot of Bruce Lee like noises when he fights but sounds more like Curly Howard! It’s goofy but kind of entertaining. Strangely the animation itself seems geared toward kids yet it features much violence and a little nudity.

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Sunday, July 13, 2008

Yokai

THE GREAT YOKAI WAR-2005-This is a great serio-comedic fantasy from director Takashi Miike. At small town local festival a young boy named Tadashi (Ryunosuke Kamiki who's great) is chosen to be the Kirin Rider, a protector of good. Eventually while weilding a legendary sword he leads the horde of Yokai, ancient Japanese spirits in a battle against the half human Lord Kato, his white haired servant Agi and their metal army.

This film draws a lot on the Yokai legends of Japan. (Also used in Anime) Spirits of all kinds (good and bad) that inhabit everything like umbrellas and walls. I liked the Kappa (a frog like water spirit) and Bean Washer the best! Miike really goes over the top but it's great for children as well as adults! Bunta Sugawara the star of THE YAKUZA PAPERS series is in it too!

Kool stuff!





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ramblin' on...

If you ever see it listed on TCM or some other cable movie channel check out the Buster Keaton bio SO FUNNY IT HURTS. It's concerned with his years after he made his classic silent films and signed a contract with MGM just before the advent of talkies. It was a bad career move but he had little choice due to a rocky marriage, piling debts and alcoholism. It's not very long but it covers a lot of ground (maybe too much for the 35 minutes alloted). It was made by Kevin Brownlow who produced many other fine documentaries including ones on Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille and The Slient Era.

I also watched DRAGONS TIGERS AND HEROES about a group of commandos from Beijing and Taipei team up to rescue 2 genetic scientists in this violent but routine action drama with some martial arts fighting thrown in as well. Couldn't find much other info about it.




No, it's not a picture of me after hanging out Saturday night! It's the one and only BUSTER KEATON!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

This Price is Right!




HOUSE OF WAX-1953-This is one of the best horror films of the ‘50’s and not only is it in Technicolor but it was originally filmed in 3-D! Vincent Price is in top form as Prof. Henry Jarrod, gifted if eccentric wax sculptor obsessed with Marie Antoinette. When his greedy partner (Roy Roberts) burns down their museum for the insurance money Jarrod is presumed dead. He re-emerges as a scarred killer with a wax facemask, He pretends to be wheelchair bound and opens up a new museum with the help of Igor, a mute sculptor played by Charles (Bronson) Buchinsky. He covers his murdered victims with wax and uses them as exhibits. He takes a liking to Phyllis Kirk and decides to make her his new “Marie”. Paul Picerni plays her boyfriend, a sculptor who briefly works with Jarrod. A Police Lieutenant (square jawed Frank Lovejoy) investigates. Strange that an actor with such a last name would have neither love nor joy in his performance. The wax figures have more expressions! Familiar character actor Dabbs Greer is his assistant.


Carolyn Jones is also featured as one of Jarrod’s early victims. She was in WAR OF THE WORLDS and Fritz Lang’s THE BIG HEAT the same year. The story goes that HOUSE’s director Andre De Toth had only one eye and therefore couldn’t even experience the 3-D effects. This makes sense considering how little it’s used. The most famous scene doesn’t even involve horror. It features the paddleball talents of one Reggie Rymal (who died in 2002). Still De Toth’s “flat” direction keeps the story moving.

HOUSE is a remake of the 1933 film MYSTERY IN THE WAX MUSEUM that was shot using an early 2-color process. Lionel Atwill had the Price role in that one. Both are based on a play by Charles Belden.

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves"-Confucius

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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Out of My Element



THE ELEMENT OF CRIME- (FORBRYDELSE ELEMENT)-1984- This was Lars Von Trier’s first film in English. I’m not much of a fan of his so for me he shouldn’t have bothered.

This pretentious, phony noir thriller features Michael Elphick as Fisher, a washed up police detective returning to Europe after spending 12 years in Cairo. He meets his old mentor (Shakespearean actor Esmond Knight, who died in ’87) author of the book “The Element of Crime”. He asks Fisher to investigate the murders of some lottery-selling children. From a police report Fisher traces the movements of the killer, one Harry Grey. Along the way he meets a prostitute (Me Me Lai from EATEN ALIVE BY CANNIBALS) who may not be all she appears to be (despite a full frontal nude scene….). Fisher actually narrates it all to a psychiatrist while under hypnosis. Dark, talky and self important, all the ingredients to make this a pseudo-arty cult hit!

Mr. Dogma himself (who also co-wrote this) went on to make THE KINGDOM 1 & 2 and the Cannes hit DANCER IN THE DARK (with singer Bjork) and other nonsense. Star Elphick was a popular British TV (“Boon”) and movie star who died in 2002 at age 55.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Quickies of all kinds!

Ha! I was just watching an episode of the old quiz show I'VE GOT A SECRET. It was on for many years begining in the early 50's. The episode I just saw was from the early '60's toward the end of it's run. Steve Allen was the host and the "celebrity" panel they had was usually the same four people. There was Bill Cullen, a well known TV game show host who emceed morning game shows into the 1980's, Bess Myerson, a former Miss America who later became pals with future NYC mayor Ed Koch and was prosecuted by NY state for some shady dealings I forget the details of (she was aquitted though), Henry Morgan, a mostly dead on humorist who seemed to take delight in making audiences not like him and a woman named Betsy Palmer who apparently was a very popular stage actress but who I only knew for one thing. She played Jason's mother in the original FRIDAY THE 13th and is on the receiving end of one of the most famous decapitations in film history! Freaky!

UNDISCOVERED TOMB-2002-Two mercenary type adventurers help a Professor (Yoko Shimada) hunt for the secret of some eternal life pills. Along the way they pick up two mysterious men and a young guide. They encounter a vicious but clownish local tribe, plant people, a giant snake and a living statue. There’s a lot of fighting and it seems to be influenced by Jackie Chan’s ARMOUR OF GOD.

AMSTERDAM CONNECTION-(1978)-This is a typical cheap matial arts movie from the late '70's. Much of the fighting is pretty lame and the dubbing is atrocious but the climax is done well. The plot involves drug running, a dealer posing as a movie producer and selling the would be actresses into prostitution and double crosses. It features Bolo Yeung (in bad sunglasses) and Yuen Biao. The music resembles the Rocky theme "Gotta Fly Now" and part of Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar" is used!

INUYASHU-SWORDS OF AN HONORABLE RULER-2003-In the third OVA of this popular Anime series the half demon Inuyashu must team up with his demon brother to battle a demon connected with their late father. All the regular supporting characters are featured as well. If you are a fan of the series (which I am) you’ll like this.

THE BIG NOISE-1944-A late period Laurel & Hardy comedy from Fox that’s not very good. The team plays a pair of phony detectives who are hired by an inventor (Arthur Space) to guard the super bomb he’s invented. Little Bobby Blake (the future TV star and murder suspect) is the little brat who causes much of the trouble. Director Mal St. Clair helmed many of the team’s later work.

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The Curse of Mr. Basilbone



DRESSED TO KILL-1946 –Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce played Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson respectively for the final time in the last of the series produced by Universal Pictures.

This time Holmes investigates the connection between some small music boxes and some stolen 5 pound minting plates. Patricia Morison (who later became a Broadway star) plays the ruthless and cunning villainess who manages to outwit Holmes at one point and nearly has him asphyxiated! Watson does his usual bumbling but it’s one of the weakest entries despite being helmed by producer/director William Roy Neill (who’d worked on the series since 1943). The famous duo discuss another Holmes case “A Scandal In Bohemia” throughout the film (although Universal never adapted that story) and one crucial scene is actually taken from it. Also featured are Holmes Herbert, Ian Wolfe and Mary Gordon once again as Mrs. Hudson, the housekeeper.

Conspicuously absent is Dennis Hoey as Inspector LeStrade.

After this Rathbone refused to sign another contract to appear in the Holmes role. Since he was so identified with the character (a major reason why he wouldn’t re-sign) Universal dropped the whole series entirely! Though he would continue to make other films and even win a Tony Award in 1948 (for THE HEIRESS) the role of Holmes would always dog Rathbone. However according to The Internet Movie Database he planned to re-create the role and reunite with Nigel Bruce for a stage play in the 1950’s but Bruce died before the plan was realized.

"A consultant is someone who saves his client almost enough money to pay his fee"-Arnold Glasgow

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Friday, July 4, 2008

Longer Bozo Post I Found



LOS ANGELES - Larry Harmon wasn't the original Bozo the Clown, but he was the real one. Harmon, who portrayed the wing-haired clown for more than half a century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure, said his publicist, Jerry Digney. He was 83.

As an entrepreneur, Harmon licensed the character to others, particularly dozens of television stations around the country. The stations in turn hired actors to be their local Bozos."Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us," Harmon told The Associated Press in a 1996 interview.Pinto Colvig, who provided the voice for Walt Disney's Goofy, was the first Bozo the Clown, a character created by writer-producer Alan W. Livingston for a series of children's records in 1946. Livingston said he came up with the name Bozo after polling several people at Capitol Records.Harmon would later meet his alter ego while answering a casting call to make personal appearances as a clown to promote the records.He got that job and eventually bought the rights to Bozo. Along the way, he embellished Bozo's distinctive look: the orange-tufted hair, the bulbous nose, the outlandish red, white and blue costume.

"You might say, in a way, I was cloning BTC (Bozo the Clown) before anybody else out there got around to cloning DNA," Harmon said in the 1996 interview. "I felt if I could plant my size 83AAA shoes on this planet, (people) would never be able to forget those footprints."Susan Harmon, his wife of 29 years, indicated Harmon was the perfect fit for Bozo."He was the most optimistic man I ever met. He always saw a bright side; he always had something good to say about everybody. He was the love of my life," she said Thursday.

The business — combining animation, licensing of the character and personal appearances — made millions, as Harmon trained more than 200 Bozos over the years to represent him in local markets."I'm looking for that sparkle in the eyes, that emotion, feeling, directness, warmth. That is so important," he said of his criteria for becoming a Bozo.

The Chicago version of Bozo ran on WGN-TV in Chicago for 40 years and was seen in many other cities after cable television transformed WGN into a superstation.Bozo — portrayed in Chicago for many years by Bob Bell — was so popular that the waiting list for tickets to a TV show eventually stretched to a decade, prompting the station to stop taking reservations for 10 years. On the day in 1990 when WGN started taking reservations again, it took just five hours to book the show for five more years. The phone company reported more than 27 million phone call attempts had been made.By the time the show bowed out in Chicago, in 2001, it was the last locally produced version. Harmon said at the time that he hoped to develop a new cable or network show, as well as a Bozo feature film.

He became caught up in a minor controversy in 2004 when the International Clown Hall of Fame in Milwaukee took down a plaque honoring him as Bozo and formally endorsed Colvig as the first. Harmon denied ever misrepresenting Bozo's history.He said he was claiming credit only for what he added to the character — "What I sound like, what I look like, what I walk like" — and what he did to popularize Bozo."Isn't it a shame the credit that was given to me for the work I have done, they arbitrarily take it down, like I didn't do anything for the last 52 years," he told the AP at the time. Harmon protected Bozo's reputation with a vengeance, while embracing those who poked good-natured fun at the clown. As Bozo's influence spread through popular culture, his very name became a synonym for clownish behavior. "It takes a lot of effort and energy to keep a character that old fresh so kids today still know about him and want to buy the products," Karen Raugust, executive editor of The Licensing Letter, a New York-based trade publication, said in 1996. A normal character runs its course in three to five years, Raugust said. "Harmon's is a classic character. It's been around 50 years." On New Year's Day 1996, Harmon dressed up as Bozo for the first time in 10 years, appearing in the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The crowd reaction, he recalled, "was deafening." "They kept yelling, `Bozo, Bozo, love you, love you.' I shed more crocodile tears for five miles in four hours than I realized I had," he said. "I still get goose bumps." Born in Toledo, Ohio, Harmon became interested in theater while studying at the University of Southern California. "Bozo is a star, an entertainer, bigger than life," Harmon once said. "People see him as Mr. Bozo, somebody you can relate to, touch and laugh with."

Happy Fourth of July!!!!!!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Night/Door



NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD-30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION-1999=The original NOTLD is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. Even today I think it stands up pretty well against most “modern horror”.

Anyway, the story of how the movie finally got made is amazing too. The 10 principle investors (including director George Romero & screenwriter John Russo) never made much money from it despite it bringing in a gazillion dollars over the years! This “new edition” was put together by Russo and two of the original cast members (also investors) Russell Streiner (Johnny) and Bill Hinzman (the first zombie who kills Johnny in the cemetery). It adds new music and sound effects and worse of all newly shot scenes designed to “enhance” the original!

So colorizing it years ago wasn’t enough! Remaking it wasn’t enough! No, they had to add new scenes!

It’s crazy too! Some of the scenes feature zombies and some gore but the main new scenes consist of a weird priest (he kind of looks like Anton LeFay) ranting and the revelation that that first zombie was actually a child killer. The disc also features the original version but it also has a new musical score.

There’s a “making of” feature too, a trailer for the new version and a scene from Hinzman’s FLESH EATER (but for some reason it’s in black & white; I could swear it was in color when I saw it years ago…).

Some NOTLD fans went nuts for this when it was released a few years back but I’ll take the dark grainy original that scared the hell out of me back in 1968!



SOMEONE BEHIND THE DOOR-1971-Weird psychological drama features Anthony Perkins as a brain sturgeon who takes an amnesia victim (Charles Bronson) into his home and tries to piece together his past. However Perkins has his own agenda that involves taking care of his unfaithful wife (Jill Ireland) and her lover. While Perkins is his usual cool calculating self, Bronson is out of character acting confused, befuddled and/or frustrated. It’s talky but short enough not to be too boring but the ending is a real letdown.

The print I saw was very worn and jumped in spots but several companies have released it on video. Bronson made THE VALACHI PAPERS the next year. It was made in France (but takes place in England) by Hungarian born director Nicolas Gessner who also made the original version of THE 12 CHAIRS, THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE and TENNESSEE NIGHTS.


"Spring makes everything young again except man"-Jean Paul Richter

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