Undersea City

 

 (wikipedia)

WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS-1978-A British exploring vessel sponsored by an English prof. Aitkin (Donald Bisset) and his son Charles (Peter Gilmore) and commanded by Capt. Daniels (Shane Rimmer) get more than they bargain for when they go exploring in a special diving belt designed by American Greg Collins (Doug McClure). When a gold statue is found, the crew decides to mutiny and strand Charles and Greg underwater. But before that can happen the ship is attacked by a giant octopus. The duo, Daniels and a few others are "rescued" by Atmir (Michael Gothard) and his troops. They are taken to "the fourth city" where many English speaking people reside. No sooner do they get there when Greg starts a fight after meeting Delphine (Lea Brodie). Later, after they are put in prison, Charles is introduced to Atsil (Cyd Charrisse), who shows him the real hidden Atlantis because she admires his intellect. She explains how her race came from another planet (Mars). Delphine's father Briggs (Robert Brown) explains that he and everyone else are from other missing ships (his was the Mary Celeste) and they are controlled because of an operation performed on them. King Atraxon (Daniel Massey) says "the ruling class must always survive" while everyone else battles giant lizard-like creatures. He wants to create a utopia on Earth using science and force. 

Not the greatest sfx but overall, it's good. Director Kevin Connor was an old hand at this kind of production having already made THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974), AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1976) and THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT (1977) (all three featuring McClure).

Thanks for reading!

Santo Against Mars

 

(IMDB)

SANTO VS. THE MARTIAN INVASION-1966-Martians hi-jack TV broadcasts in Mexico and their leader Argos (Wolf Ruvinskis) issues a warning that if Earth doesn't stop making nuclear power and can't live peacefully with one another they will be destroyed! Everyone thinks it's a joke. The Martians are dressed funny with big helmets on their heads. At a large outdoor sports arena where our hero El Santo (himself) is teaching some boys wrestling moves the aliens land a spaceship. A hench-Martian kills a bunch of spectators (including children) and he has a fight with Santo until he disappears and returns to the ship. Argos goes on TV again to announce that the reason they chose Mexico to land is that country doesn't have nuclear weapons. Yet Mexico has to suffer pointless deaths because they are already in compliance with the aliens demands? These Martians are loonies! 

Argos shows up at a professor's lab where Santo happens to be. Argos fails to convince them that his goals have merit. He and Santo have a brief fight but Argos weakens and disappears. He drops a pill he tried to shallow and later the Prof. discovers it allows the invaders to breath our air. The Martians kidnap some scientists but also random people (including kids). Some Mars maidens mesmerize some men and make two luchadors attack Santo. 

Mostly it's the Martians abducting people and the saint of lucha libre having various fights. A little too long for me. Wolf Ruvinskis came from Latvia to be a pro wrestling in Mexico and stayed on after his career ended. He created a wrestling super guy of his own, Neutron who appeared in a series of films. Veteran director Alfredo B. Crevana later made more El Santo adventures and other S.F. and horror films.

 (IMDB)

Muchos Gracias for reading!

Calling Prof. Quatermass!

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT-1958-This is the third Professor Quatermass serial produced by the BBC. Despite a lot of talk and non-action it's very well done. In a London district, an archeological dig led by Prof. Roney (Cec Linder; Felix Leiter in GOLDFINGER) find evidence of a new hominid and later discover a huge metallic object. 

Roney brings in his friend Prof. Quatermass (Andre Morell) to investigate. Quatermass' war department nemesis the pompous Colonel Breen (Joseph Bushell who later directed TERROR OF THE TONGS for Hammer) gets involved as well. 

When an air tight compartment in the object is finally opened a bunch of dead insect like creatures are found. This leads Quatermass to the theory that the creatures are from Mars and 5 million year ago they came to Earth and experimented on early man! Of course the government will have none of it. A haunted house, telekinesis, ancient myths and a weird machine that can record “visual impressions inside the brain” all figure into this ambitious ahead of it's time story which if it sounds familiar was later re-made by Hammer as the full length film 20 MILLION YEARS TO EARTH. The final speech by Quatermass really rings true!

Also with Christine Finn (the voice of “Tin-Tin” on THE THUNDERBIRDS) & John Stratton. Michael Ripper portrays a army sergeant in the first five segments. Morrell was in THE GIANT BEHEMOTH around this time and played Dr. Watson to Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes in Hammer's THE HOUND OF THE BASERVILLES in 1959. 

 

Screenwriter Nigel Kneale had written the feature length film ENEMY FROM SPACE (where American actor Brian Donlevy was the professor) in 1957 and later did screenplays for movies like LOOK BACK IN ANGER, THE ENTERTAINER and FIRST MEN IN THE MOON. Director Rudolph Cartier had a long career in BBC TV.

 

Good night and thanks for reading!

Wisconsin Weirdness

Whew! I had to blow the dust off this blog!

THEY-1974-This crazy hodgepodge of a movie starts in the Wisconsin mountains where 4 scientists (?) hold up in a cabin with a woman named Sarah. They hear strange news reports of a mysterious disease killing off humans. A robotic sinister voice talks to them over their short wave and a ominous red light appears. The (non) action is suddenly interrupted by a late night talk show where 2 comical guests relate their UFO encounters but the station's transmission goes haywire. 

The main characters talk, walk in the snow and try to figure out what's going on. One of the group steals their plane but the red light blows it up. Then some red smoke sort of terrorizes some patrons at a bar. Another guy (who I think is the woman's brother) takes a snow mobile for help but the red light makes him disappear. Then people run in panic while the aforementioned red smoke (and some white and green too) attacks them. A shaky “Plan 9” saucer appears briefly. The three remaining people decide to hike back to civilization and while camping one guy gives his theory that the invaders are Martians dwelling inside the Earth. The trio gets lost in the snow and there's a cut to a DJ who says he's the last person alive. Sarah runs in slow-mo meets the last surviving guy, they turn into children and become... well...um...the new Adam & Eve? I'm confused! 

This used to play on very late night TV as INVASION FROM INNER EARTH. 

It's also the only movie I've ever seen that used the phrase: "Motherin' up a family"...

THEY was the first full feature movie directed by Bill Rebane, who based in Wisconsin went on to make many no budget projects (he was actually born in Latvia). Previously, Rebane had previously started something called TERROR AT HALFWAY but he never finished it. He wound up selling the footage to Herschel Gordon Lewis who turned it into MONSTER A GO-GO!

The last man on Earth and I say: Thanks for reading!

Tennis and Menace

HARD FAST AND BEAUTIFUL-1951-An unscrupulous mother (Claire Trevor) goes to all lengths to promote her daughter (Sally Forrest) in the sport of Tennis. She hooks up with a sleazy promoter (Carlton Young Jr.) and tries to break up a romance between her daughter and the man she loves (Robert Clarke, soon to be THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON). This is a great over looked low budget gem directed by actress Ida Lupino. She made six other films between 1949 and 1953 including OUTRAGE (also with Clarke) and doesn't get the credit she deserves. Later she directed many diverse TV shows including episodes of THRILLER, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL and THE DONNA REED SHOW.



WAR OF THE WORLDS-2005-This plays more like some disaster film than an adaptation of a classic HG Wells novel even though they get The Tripods and their mission correct. Tom Cruise is very miscast as an estranged father trying to save his two kids from the Martian invaders. (He and his son look more like brothers!) As his daughter Dakota Fanning screams a lot. Tim Robbins shows up inexplicitly as a loony living underground with a shotgun. There’s lots of SFX and humans are either vaporized or eaten. If you sit through it look for the cameo at the end by Gene Barry & Ann Robinson, stars of the 1953 version. Morgan Freeman does some narration. Steven Spielberg doesn’t do it again.

Thanks for reading!