Warren Oates

 

CHINA 9, LIBERTY 37-1978-Weird western (made in Italy) with Warren Oates as Matthew, a miner with a young wife Catherine (Jenny Agutter) who's visited by Clayton (Fabio Testi), a condemned man hired by the railroad to kill Matthew. Of course, Catherine and Clayton have an affair. She stabs Matthew and the two run away. Matthew and his brothers go looking for them. The couple visit a circus where Sidney Lassick works. Sam Peckinpah shows up too as well as Helga Line (HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1973))! 

A modern song during a sex scene seems out of place. Cult director Monte Hellman was no stranger to unusual westerns having made THE SHOOTING and RIDE THE WILD WIND (both 1966) earlier.

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Film Noir Robbery

 (imdb)

ARMORED CAR ROBBERY-1950-Dave Purvis (William Talman) masterminds a hold up at LA's Wrigley Field with Al (Steve Brodie), Ace (uncredited Gene Evans) and Benny (Douglas Fowley) who hopes the money from the job will help him win back his ex-wife Yvonne (Adele Jurgens), a stripper now with Purvis. They botch it up and a policeman is killed. The slain officer's partner Lt. Cordell (Charles McGraw) vows to get the killers. 

Fast paced, cool little film noir directed by Richard Fleischer (son of animator Max). Also with Don Haggerty, James Flavin, Paul Bryar, Frank Scannell and Anne Nagel.

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Dialogue of a Dead Man

 

 (imdb)

THE FINAL COMEDOWN-1972-Rats terrorize children. Cops shoot black people. A white pawnbroker charges 2 dollars for everything. Jimmy Johnson (Billy Dee Williams) is a black militant racist who hates whites and believes violence is the only solution. One character says “Your blood brother is losing blood” and there's a pretty hysterical drug induced Vietnam flashback. Apparently all the white cops have to annihilate the blacks. Some white hippies try to help but everyone gets killed including Jimmy's mother (Maide Norman). D'Urville Martin plays his friend, Billy Joe. 

This was released by Corman's New World company and was written, produced and directed by Oscar Williams (DEATH DRUG (1978)). Corman had Allan Arkush add some new scenes and re-leased as BLAST. Williams was in LADY SINGS THE BLUES the same year.

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In Your Pants

 

 (imdb)

EMPIRE OF THE ANTS-1977-Con woman Joan Collins tries to interest a boat load of prospective suckers into buying Florida swamp land. 

Unfortunately for the party, giant ants (contaminated by radioactive waste) decided to invade and munch on the cast. The phony insects superimposed on the screen is a riot. They're too big. “Oh my God, they're herding us like cattle!” says one disgruntled character. Robert Lansing holds things together as the grizzled boat captain (with an earring). John David Carson (THE SAVAGE IS LOOSE) helps out. Brooke (daughter of Jack) Palance gets killed. When Albert Salmi (also in THE COMING for the same director) shows up as a sheriff it develops into a conspiracy story involving a sugar factory and slavery lead by the queen ant. 

Bert I. Gordon (who died in 2023 at the age of 100) made this giant bug movie which seems influenced by his earlier projects, FOOD OF THE GODS and VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS. Gordon from Wisconsin made TV commercials before making his first feature KING DINOSAUR in 1955.

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You Go, Streetfighter

 

 (themoviedb.com)

SISTER STREETFIGHTER-1974-When her undercover cop brother (Lee Long) is exposed and captured by gangsters, the police enlist his sister Tina (Etsuko Shihomi), a cute but dangerous Kung-Fu fighter to help get him back. The head gangster has lots of henchmen (one is called Hammerhead) and Tina gets to fight them all. She also gets help from the original streetfighter (Shin'Ichi “Sonny” Chiba) who seems to have a little problem with women as streetfighters. 

Shihomi made 2 sequels and is also in MESSAGE FROM SPACE (1978). She and Chiba also starred in LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI (1978). Director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi also directed the two SISTER sequels and KARATE BEAR FIGHTER (1975) and KARATE FOR LIFE (1977) with Chiba.

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No Arrvial

 

 (themoviedb.org)

SECOND ARRIVAL-(aka ARRIVAL II)-1998-Slack ass computer dork Jack (Patrick Muldoon from “The Days of Our Lives” soap opera) stumbles upon a alien invasion plan after his brother is killed. The aliens can assume human form and have collapsable knees. Michael Sarrazin is a helpful professor. TV actress Jane Sibbett is an investigative reporter. It's pretty dull. 

Director Kevin Tenney made the entertaining NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1987) and WITCHTRAP (1989) both with Linnea Quigley but his recent efforts have been pretty boring.

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Not Really Horror

 

 (imdb)

FACE OF FIRE-1959-In a small town, a good old boy named Monk (James Whitmore) saves his employer's son from a fire. The kid is ok but Monk severely disfigured. A judge (Robert F. Simon) suggests he should be killed but his employer (Cameron Mitchell) wants to help him. Monk tries to act normal but no one wants anything to do with him. After a lot of conflict there's a happy ending. Also with Royal Dano, Bettye Ackerman, Richard Erdman and Lois Maxwell (a few years later she was “Miss Moneypenny” in the James Bond series). 

Albert Band directed and co-wrote the screenplay which was adapted from the Stephen Crane story “The Monster”. This is not a horror movie although it was sometimes advertised as one.

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