Rockne

 

 

 (imdb)

BLACK SAMSON-1974-Samson (Rockne Tarkington) is a righteous dude who owns a bar and a pet lion. White mobster Johnny Nappa (William Smith) wants to take over the turf despite opposition from his uncle (Titos Vandis). Samson's main squeeze is played by Carol Speed and John Alderman and Marilyn Joi have small roles, There's a lot of stupid fights and way too much talk. Gene LeBelle gets beat up. 

This interesting time capsule of a movie was directed by Charles Bail (also an actor) who went on to make CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975) and THE GUMBALL RALLY (1976). Star Tarkington was well known to some for his role in “Danger Island”, a segment of TV's “The Banana Splits Show (1968-69).

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Not Relevant

 

 (imdb)

AGENT REVELATION-2021-This amateurish sci-fi film is actually a sequel. A sinister alien dust called "Ash" threatens Earth. A rich guy (Michael Dorn) runs an institute to combat the invasion. An Asian American dude named Jim Yung (Director/writer Derek Ting) seems to have some powers but this is just some stupid video game influenced junk.

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It!

 

 (imdb)

IT! -1967-An assistant museum curator Pimm (Roddy McDowall) who lives with his "Mrs. Bates" like mom, is disappointed when he's passed over for head curator after the mysterious death of his boss who was left alone with an ancient statue. When the statue is brought to the museum it falls on an electrician and kills him. Pym is sweet on his dead boss's daughter, Ellen (Jill Haworth; THE MUTATIONS). An American museum guy Perkins (Paul Maxwell) deduces that the statue might be the original "Golem of Prague". Pimm gains control of the statue and uses it to kill and destroy. Later he has second thoughts and decides to do away with the monster but all his attempts fail. When the army gets involved their attempts fail too. They even nuke it. The ending is dumb. 

This is a fairly cheap and boring British horror movie written and directed by Herbert J. Leder, who'd made THE FROZEN DEAD the year before. Roddy McDowall would star in THE PLANET OF THE APES in 1968.

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Bank Robbery

 

 (imdb)

BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW-1976-Reckless self-assured car thief Lyle Wheeler (Marjoe Gortner) hooks up with waitress Bobbie Joe (Lynda Carter) and her friend Essie (Belinda Balaski). He and Billie Jo become lovers and do a lot of nonsense until they meet up with BJ's sister Pearl (Merrie Lynn Ross) and her boyfriend Slick (Jesse Vint) and Lyle kills a factory guard. They all go on the run. During a police shootout, which they escape, Essie is killed. They decide to become bank robbers and killers. The tobacco chewing sheriff (Gene Drew) chases them and kills the wrong people at one point. 

This misguided "Bonnie & Clyde" influenced drama from AIP is OK to a point but just goes on too long. Director Mark L. Lester went on to make several high-profile movies like ROLLER BOOGIE (1979), CLASS OF 1984 (1982) and FIRESTARTER (1984) culminating with Arnold Schwarzenegger in COMMANDO. Screenwriter Vernon Zimmerman went on to direct FADE TO BLACK in 1980.

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Plant Man

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THE MUTATIONS-1974-After a lengthy lecture by a German college professor Dr. Nolter (Donald Pleasence with an accent), we learn he's a mad scientist working in genetics with plants and humans. He gets help from an angry deformed man Lynch (Tom Baker) who hangs out at a freak show run by Burns (Michael Dunn). Others in the show include The Alligator girl, the frog man, pincushion man, bearded lady, human skeleton, human pretzel and Popeye (Willie Ingram who could actually make his eyes pop out an inch from their sockets). Students Tony (Scott Anthony), Heidi (Julie Ege; LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES) and Lauren (Jill Haworth; HORROR HOUSE) welcome American scientist Brian (Brad Harris; THE FURY OF HERCULES). Tony discovers Nolter's secret. He's crossing plants with animals and plans to use Tony as his human experiment. Tony is turned into a plant man and terrorizes his girlfriend Lauren. Later, Heidi is kidnapped by Lynch for the Nolter's next victim. When Brian goes to rescue her, he's nearly killed by Lynch but Burns convinces "the freaks" into killing Lynch and feeding his body to guard dogs. Tony, now a full-grown plant man breaks into Nolter's lab and kills his creator. The place is set on fire and Brian saves Heidi but… 

THE MUTATIONS is a low budget sleazy little film with a crazy plant monster that's fairly ludicrous but considering Academy Award winning cinematographer Jack Cardiff directed it, it could have been better. He was no stranger to directing as this was his fiftheeth outing (but also his last). Co-star Tom Baker started his memorable run as TV's Dr. Who the same year. Donald Pleasence was also in the horror anthology FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE in '74. Sadly, this was the last film for Michael Dunn, who died in London shortly after completing his scenes.

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Hugo Your Way

 

 (imdb)

DEVIL DOLL-1964-Strange seemingly evil hypnotist/ventriloquist The Great Vorelli (Bryant Haliday) makes subjects react to imagined bad situations. He also has an act with Hugo, a scary dummy that talks and walks. Investigative reporter Mark English (William Sylvester) has his friend Marianne (Yvonne Romain) volunteer for one of the hypnotism acts. He makes her twist on stage. Marianne is very rich and when her aunt gives a charity benefit Mark convinces Marianne to invite Vorelli so he might examine Hugo. Meanwhile Vorelli puts Mary under his thrall and makes her his lover. Later Hugo goes to Mark's room and drops some hints about his origin. Before Mark can act, Mary's doctor says he should see her as she's acting strange. Vorelli's long suffering assistant Magda (Sandra Dorne) stirs up trouble. Enter Dr. Heller (Karel Stepanak) who says Vorelli is not to blame. Later after Vorelli and Magda have sex, Vorelli orders Hugo to kill Magda. Mark hires idiot Bob Garrett (Alan Gifford) to find out about Vorelli's past which he does. It seems Hugo was once a real person but through hypnotism he learned in Tibet, Vorelli made Hugo into his puppet-slave. It seems Vorelli wants to marry Mary, kill her to inherit her fortune and make her a companion for Hugo. In the finale the tables are turned. 

This is a kooky but creepy little horror film and was the directorial debut of Canadian Lindsey Shonteff, who went on to director another horror movie CURSE OF THE VOODOO (1965), also starring Haliday. American co-star Sylvester had been in GORGO (1961) and would play Heywood Floyd in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). Romain had been the mute servant girl in Hammer's CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF in 1961.

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Werewolves In Love

 

 (imdb)

LA LOBA-(THE SHE-WOLF)-1965-In this enjoyable Mexican black & white horror film, a young woman (Kitty de Hoyos) is cursed and turns into a wolf. The doctor (Joaquin Cordero) she goes to for help turns out to be a werewolf himself! They go on a killing spree. 

Despite its low budget restraints, this has great gloomy atmosphere and two fairly scary werewolves. Director Rafael Baledon also made THE HELL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1960) and CURSE OF THE CRYING WOMAN (1963).

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It's a Fireball!

 

 

 (imdb)

FIREBALL JUNGLE-1968-After some guy (Tiny Kennedy) trying to sound like Screaming Jay Hawkins sings the theme, we are introduced to the world of stock car racing. A committee is investigating several deaths that have occurred on the track which seem to be connected to a fucking asshole driver named Cat Eye Mears (Allan Mixon). The real boss villain is Mr. Nero (John Russell; TV's “Lawman”) but the real crime of this stupid washed-out color nonsense is it features Lon Chaney in the last movie he was able to talk in, as Sam, a grubby junk dealer. This is full of crappy fights and stupid dialogue. The group Mercy lip syncs their hit "Love Can Make You Happy” (but it didn't become a hit till a year after this). I wouldn't even recommend this low budget bomb to Chaney completists. Directed by Joseph G. Prieto (SHANTY TRAMP (1967)) and written by pulp novelist Harry Whittington.

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Vampire in Africa

 

 (imdb)

THE VAMPIRE'S GHOST-1945-In deepest Africa, the natives are restless and practicing voodoo (?). On a plantation owned by Mr. Vance (Emmett Vogan), he, his daughter Julie (Peggy Stewart) and her husband Roy (Charles Gordon) seek the advice of local white guy Webb Fallon (John Abbott), who saves Roy during a bar brawl. Fallon seems nice enough but suffers a spell when Father Gilchrist (Grant Withers) touches him. He also casts no reflection in the mirror and when shot at, the bullet goes right through him. 

The natives don't like it because there have been several "vampire killings" around the village. Two natives plan on killing Fallon and fail but Roy learns Fallon's secret! He's a 400-year-old vampire who drinks blood and preys on young people. He puts a spell on Roy and makes him his slave and sets his sights on Julie much to the annoyance of Lisa (Adele Mara), a dancer at the local gin mill. After killing her and a sea captain (Roy Barcroft), Fallon plans to run away with Julie. At the temple of death, he plans to make her un-dead but jungle drums, a cross and a spear spell his doom. 

Quirky horror quickie from Republic directed by Lesley Selander, usually more at home with westerns, who also later directed CATMAN OF PARIS (1946) and FLIGHT TO MARS (1951). Olympic medal winner Jim Thorpe appears unbilled as a sailor. 

Star Abbott, usually a memorable supporting actor, was also in the Sherlock Holmes entry PURSUIT TO ALGEIRS the same year. Co-star Grant Withers had been Captain Street in the "Mr. Wong" series with Boris Karloff. I couldn't find a death date for lead actor Charles Gordon. If he's still alive he would be 99 at the of this writing. 

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Go Back

 

 (imdb)

BACK FROM HELL-1993-Father Aaron Pike visits his old friend Jack to hear his confession. Jack is hold up in some attic. Two detectives who followed Pike enter the building one by one and are killed by Jack. Then Jack says they are going to talk to the devil. He says some pray and one of the dead detectives comes back to life and starts ranting in a weird voice. A hand comes out of a Bible and tries to kill the priest. Later the duo fights some hooded characters. It seems Jack sold his soul to the devil. 

While not unentertaining, BFH is very incompetent with terrible acting, bad lighting, direction and gratuitous scenes of gore and blood spurting. It's unintentionally funny most of the time but its real drawback is some of the scenes go on too long. This was the first movie for director Matt Jaissle (he's made a few more since) who also plays “maniac with an ax”.

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The Bowery Boys

 

 (imdb)

SPOOK BUSTERS-1946-In the fourth installment of "The Bowery Boys" series, Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the boys (Bobby Jordan,Bill Bendict and David Gorcey) are exterminators who get a job in a haunted house. They are joined by their old pal Gabe (Gabriel Dell) just out of the navy, and his fiance Minon (Tanis Chandler). The house is actually being used by mad doctor Coslow (Douglas Dumbrille), his assistant Stiles (Charles Middleton) and a muscle head (Richard Alexander}). He also has a Dr. Bender (Maurice Cass) as his assistant/captive. Coslow must really be mad 'cos he wants to put part of Sach's brain into that of a gorilla. There's a slow-motion fight and the gorilla (Art Miles) gets loose. Bernard Gorcey is Louie. 

Producer Jan Grippo was Leo Gorcey's agent while they made the series at Monogram. Busy William Beaudine must have taken a vacation in 1946 because he only director 5 movies! (Although he may have worked on 3 more...)

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Junk

 

 (imdb)

MANIACTS-2001-Junk about a serial killer named Joseph (Jeff Fahey) who's put in a mental hospital. The movie gives a lot of sympathy for him as the place is run by smug cruel doctors and sadistic guards. One African American doctor is sympathetic though. Joseph later meets a psycho woman and they kill everybody. I'm not much for movies giving sympathy to murderers even if it's supposed to be a comedy. Put it in the trash.

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Not Andy Milligan

 

 (imdb)

LEGACY OF BLOOD-1971-Relatives gather at the home of the recently deceased but still rich Preston Dean (John Carradine) for the reading of his will. They will all get a share of his estate, but they have to immediately stay overnight at his old house.

 They are all a bunch of neurotics with various hangups including Gregory Dean (Jeff Morrow) and wife Laura (Merry Anders; in her last film role), Veronica Dean (Faith Domgerue) and Frank Mantee (John Russell). The sheriff (Rodolfo Acosta; also in his last movie) is called when a dog is killed but he's the first victim when his bloody severed head winds up on a plate in the fridge. "This is getting to be like some kind of horror film" says one of them. All their problems seem to stem from Dean's verbal and physical abuse of his family. After death by electrocution, the weird masochistic butler/ handyman Igor (Buck Kartalian) seems a likely suspect. There's more deaths and it ends on a comical note. 

Andy Mulligan made a horror movie with the same title the same year. This LEGACY OF BLOOD resembles a Milligan production but less sleazy and shoddy. Also known as WILL TO DIE. Morrow and Domgerue, of course in better days had co-starred together in THIS ISLAND EARTH.

Director Carl Monson later made PLEASE DON'T EAT MY MOTHER! (1973), a soft-core porn version of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, which Kartalian starred in. 

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Three Way

 

 

 (wikipedia)

THREE THE HARD WAY-1974-Record producer Jimmy Lait (Jim Brown), PR man Jagger Daniels (Fred Williamson) and Kung Fu guy Mr. Keyes (Jim Kelly) team up to rescue Jimmy's wife (Sheila Frazier) from the clutches of the racist madman Monroe Feather (Jay Robinson) and his mad scientist pal (Richard Angarola) who's created a secret formula to destroy all our black brothers and sisters. There's lots of fights and shootouts. Keyes gets help from his Asian friend (David Chow). Later Feather has a party where his Aryan troops all wear Guardian Angels like red berets. Despite the overwhelming numbers the trio invades Feather's citadel and destroy everything and everybody. Alex Rocco, Jeanie Bell, Irene Tsu and Roberta Collins have small roles. The weirdest part is the three topless women Jagger hires to torture a hit man. 

Director Gordon Parks, Jr. keeps the movie going at a fast pace despite the thin plot. It could have been better but seems the selling point were the three stars themselves. Parks' best-known film is SUPERFLY (1972). He made THOMASINA & BUSHROD the same year as THREE. He only completed one more film after this as he was killed in a plane crash over Kenya while making a film called “Revenge”. It was later finished by another director and re-titled THE BUSHWHACKERS. He was 44 years old.

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Bad-Pire

 

 (imdb)

PROJECT VAMPIRE-1993-The vengeful Dr. Klaus (Myron Natwick), a German vampire scientist and his assistant Heidi (Paula Randol-Smith) want to turn the whole world into vampires through a formula he says can stop aging. 

This low budget horror is pretty bad with atrocious acting, script and sfx. This is only movie (so far) directed by Peter Flynn who was usually assigned to the art department on TV shows. Character actor Natwick was also MISSION: KILL FAST (1991) and THE CORPSE GRINDERS 2 (2000), both by Ted V. Mikels.

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Trolling

 

 

 (imdb)

TROLL HUNTER-2010-Three college students doing a film on bear poaching in Norway get involved with a troll hunter who lets them film his nighttime activities. They get more than they bargain for but decide to stick with it. The trolls are hairy with big noses who roar, fart and wreak havoc. 

This Norwegian tongue in cheek found footage production doesn't try to be too real. The acting is good. Clever final scene features real life former Norwegian prime minister. The lead actor is a comedian who once burned an American flag on TV and made jokes about holocaust victims. The director Andre Ovredal later made SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK.

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The Big Thug

 

 (imdb)

AL CAPONE-1959-Al Capone (Rod Steiger) rises from small time bodyguard thug to the most powerful man in the crime ridden town of Chicago. He eliminates an older boss (Joe DeSantis) to help his friend Johnny (Nehemiah Persoff) become the new boss but he has trouble with fellow thug Bugs Moran (Murvyn Vye). He marries the widow (Fay Spain) of a man he killed. He's helped by a corrupt news reporter (Martin Balsam) and hounded by the only seemingly honest cop (James Gregory, who also narrates) in the city. Steiger, who occasionally talks while eating an apple, is OK in the role eventually killing anyone who stands in his way, being convicted of tax evasion and getting beaten up in jail. Sandy Kenyon and Raymond Bailey also have roles. 

Director Richard Wilson went on to make THREE IN AN ATTIC and SKULLDUGGERY but for many years was Orson Welles' chief assistant, working on many of his film projects including IT'S ALL TRUE.

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Amicus Strikes!

 

 (imdb)

AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS! -1973-Catherine (Stephanie Beacham) goes to live in castle Fenn Griffin with her newlywed husband Sir Charles (Ian Ogilvy) and almost immediately is terrorized by a severed hand that seems to come out of a painting of one of his ancestors. She also sees visions of an eyeless apparition missing a hand. She meets Silas (Geoffrey Whitehead), a woodsman. She asks the family lawyer (Guy Rolfe) for help but he's killed. Charles is apparently hiding something. Neither of them seems so happy when Doctor Whittle (Patrick Magee) tells them Catherine is pregnant. When their maid decides to spill the beans to Catherine, she's thrown down the stairs. When her aunt insists Catherine leaves, the hand strangles her. Everything seems to point to Silas but he seems to have done nothing. When Catherine really begins to act hysterical, Dr. Pope (Peter Cushing) is called in. It seems he shouldn't have bothered. No one will help him. When Whittle decides to tell Pope something he's strangled by the invisible hand. Eventually Charles tells all. A former lord (Herbert Lom) raped a bride and cut off the groom's hand (Silas' ancestor). The ancestor cursed him. 

This well-made but often forgotten Amicus production was more influenced by "Rosemary's Baby" than anything else. Director Roy Ward Baker made VAULT OF HORROR the same year.

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Early TV Horror

 

 (imdb)

AUTO-LITE PRESENTS "SUSPENSE": "THE YELLOW SCARF"-1949-Hettie (Felicia Montealegre), a street walker in 1876 London, is taken in by a mysterious and sinister doctor (Boris Karloff) who provides her with a room, clothes and food. Only two stipulations: she can't go out alone and she can never go into his lab. He has a hunchback assistant Tilson (character actor Russell Collins, unrecognizable in the makeup). Later to take attention away from his strange medical experiments, he marries her. She begins an affair with Tom (Douglas Watson), a mission worker. It doesn't end well.

 Very creepy and Karloff is especially sinister. Directed by Robert Stevens, the only person whoever won an Emmy for directing an episode of TV's “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”. Rex Marshall is the off-screen host/narrator.

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Hopping Mad

 

 (hkcinema.ru)

ZOMBIE ATTACK-2017-Hopping zombie tale with two guys Tang Shun and Ding Xing accidentally releasing a zombie while robbing a tomb. Later they both fall in love with Liu Mei, a bar hostess. To battle the zombie, they get help from an older Taoist and his assistant Ping. Director Fang Yin-Hua made a sequel soon after.

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Mala Powers

 

 (imdb)

FEAR NO MORE-1961-Sharon Carlin (Mala Powers; OUTRAGE), secretary to a rich guy named Seymour (John Harding), is framed for murder while on a train bound for San Francisco. She escapes the police officer who's arresting her and tries to make it back to LA. She meets an unhappy divorced French guy Paul Colbert (Jacques Bergerac; THE HYPNOTIC EYE) who's returning his son to his neurotic ex-wife. After having coffee with Paul, she discovers her friend Keith (John Baer) has been murdered by the same man who framed her. Paul comes to her rescue and she escapes. She later reveals to Paul that she was once in a mental institution. The next day she and Paul visit Seymour but he denies ever having sent her to San Francisco. Many more strange things pop up. Is Carol really a delusional insane woman? 

This interesting low budget black and white psychological mystery has a great performance by the underrated Mala Powers. It was the only feature length film directed by Bernard Weisen, who's other credits are all in TV.

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William Smith

 

 (imdb)

HOLLYWOOD MAN-1976-Rafe (William Smith, also in the TV mini-series RICH MAN, POOR MAN THE SAME YEAR)), a Hollywood stuntman/actor needs $375,000 to complete his biker movie but his producer won't give it to him, so he gets involved with mobster Mr. Russo (Angelo Farese) who's thug partner Tony (Carmine Caridi) wants to sabotage Rafe's efforts. Tony hires Harvey (Gene Griarden) and his goons to do the job but they are no match for Rafe. Later Harvey goes crazy and kills most of his gang including his gf (Jennifer Billingsley; THE THIRSTY DEAD). He tries to shoot Rafe but kills his stuntman friend (Don Stroud) instead. There's a surprise ending in store for Rafe and his girlfriend Julie (Mary Woronov) in this low budget, seldom seen action drama directed by Jack Starrett (CLEOPATRA JONES).

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Party in Canada

 

 (imdb)

KILLER PARTY-1986-A woman who gets cremated alive turns out to be a drive-in movie being watched by two teens. When one of the teens is terrorized after buying popcorn at an empty concession stand, it turns out to be a music video by some girly man phony metal band which is playing on a TV. Then a female frat house is going to use an old abandoned dorm for a party. Their house mother has some connection to the house as she talks to a headstone and is then killed inside. After a lot of nonsense, a professor (Paul Bartel) is electrocuted. They finally have the party but still nothing really happens until they all get trapped in the house but that's only a prank set up by one of the girls. Then someone in a Diver Dan suit starts killing everyone. It seems Jennifer, one of the frat girls is possessed by the vengeful spirit of a frat boy accidentally killed in a prank years before. 

William Fruet (FUNERAL HOME) directed this Canadian production with an idiotic ending.

A Bunch of Clowns Walk into a Blog...

 

 (imdb)

KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE-1988-In wacky sf comedy, alien clowns arrive on Earth (in a circus tent spaceship). Their first victim is an old hillbilly (Royal Dano). The grotesque sinister looking clowns have ray guns that shoot popcorn, balloon hunting dogs and store victims in cotton candy. Two air head college students Debbie (Suzanne Snyder; RETRIBUTION) & Mike (Grant Cramer; NEW YEAR'S EVIL) try to convince police officer Dave (John Allen Nelson) what's going on while his grouchy partner Mooney (John Vernon) wants to arrest all the students. The clowns go around terrorizing the town. One makes a hand shadow eat some people and have other inventive ways of killing. Fortunately, Dave discovers a way to kill them. Two brothers with an ice cream truck help out when Debbie is encased in a beach ball. Eventually a gigantic clown appears in the fun house like spaceship. Great title song by The Dickies.

 It was directed by Stephen Chiodo and written and produced with his brothers Charles and Edward. They all did SFX on other movies and have been working on a sequel for years.

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