Jayne Loves Hercules

 

 (imdb)

THE LOVES OF HERCULES-1960-When Hercules (Mickey Hargitay) finds out his wife has been killed, he crashes the castle of Queen Deianira (Jayne Mansfield), the daughter of the king who ordered Mrs. Hercules's murder. After a bizarre ritual where Herc has to throw axes at the bound queen, they become friends. Later, Herc is accused of a killing and has to fight the three headed dragon, Hydra (bad effect). He's rescued by some Amazons whose queen turns men into trees. 

This movie, obviously inspired by HERCULES (1958), is the worst with the leads pretty pathetic and Mansfield in two roles, bad dubbing and terrible sfx. Filmed in Italy, (where it was a big hit) by director Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia who died in 1998 at the age of 103. It's said Mansfield would only accept the role if her bodybuilder husband Hargitay was cast as Hercules.

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Anime Japan

 

 (imdb)

THE LITTLE PRINCE AND THE EIGHT HEADED DRAGON-1964-A strong, bullying little brat named Sasano beats up a tiger. He's very close to his mom. When she dies, he goes on a crying jag. His mom's spirit comes back briefly and gives him a red medallion. When his father won't give him a boat, he builds his own and sets out across the ocean to find his mother. Only a rabbit will go with him. After beating up a giant fish, the lord of the ocean helps him visit The Land of Night where his brother lives. After fighting and defeating The Fire God, a giant named Akahana joins them and they go to The Land of Light. They make a mess of things there and plunge the land into darkness. After being thrown out, he goes to The Land of The Morning Sun and meets The Little Princess, who Sasano thinks resembles his mom, and her pet mouse. He eventually fights and defeats the dragon, gets a message from mom and lives happily ever after. 

Great early '60's anime that's not only entertaining but influential. Director Yugo Serikawa later made other Anime features including CYBORG 009 and MAZINGER Z. 

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Russia Legend

 

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THE SWORD AND THE DRAGON-1956-This tale is based on a legend. Ivan (Boris Andreyev), a man crippled since birth watches helplessly as the Tugars, a barbarian horde rape, pillage and burn. Some travelers give Ivan a magic elixir that restores him and he becomes a mighty warrior dedicating his life to defending his homeland and defeating the Tugars. After battling and capturing a wind demon and assembling a group of fighting friends, his pregnant wife is kidnapped. Tugar leader Kalin (Shukur Burkhanov) wants to make her his bride but she rebuffs him. 

Instead, he takes her son Little Falcon and raises him as a Tugar. Later Ivan and his son meet on the battlefield and Ivan shows his son what's going down. They join forces and have to battle a three headed dragon in the finale. 

The Russian color fantasy is based on poems about the knight Iiya Muromets. Roger Corman got a hold of it a few years after it was made and had it re-edited, changing some names and having news journalist Mike Wallace do some new narration and Paul Frees dub some voices. The director Aleksandr Ptushko also made another fantasy adventure around this time, THE DAY THE EARTH FROZE.

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7 For One

 

RAGE WAR-(aka THE DUNGEON-MASTER)-1984-In this low budget anthology from Empire Pictures, a running guy Paul (Jeffery Byron) is obsessed with his talking computer Cal. His fiance Gwen (Leslie Wing) doesn't like it. After a weird dream, Paul is transported to some kind of cave where Gwen is chained to a rock with fire all around. A strange wizard/sorcerer Mestema (Richard Moll) likes Paul's "magic" (his computer is on his watch) and says he will make a worthy opponent. 

Later Paul and Gwen find a cave full of frozen people from the past including Einstein and Bloody Mary. They are attacked by Jack the Ripper, a mummy, a wolf man & some other creatures but an ice crystal destroys the bad guys. After Gwen disappears Paul meets the troll Ratspit (John Carl Buechler) then some cartoon dragons fight. When Mestema plays some of his music Paul counters with his own (the movie's theme). Paul is then transported to a heavy metal concert where a comical Ozzy clone sings. Gwen is a victim of their S & M show but Cal destroys them.

 In another land some dwarfs steal his computer watch. Then a giant stone statue comes to life and shoots a laser from its head. Paul destroys it and winds up in an alley with a dead woman, victim of a serial killer. Gwen is his next victim and Paul has to save her. Two dumb cops arrest him but he escapes. They elude the killer and are then menaced by a flaming devil head. Next in another cave a monster throws exploding rocks at Paul. Before it dies it turns into an angel like woman. In a graveyard of airplanes the pair are threatened by some hooded soldiers and a little guy who talks like Cousin Itt. At the end Paul and Mestema fight it out and somehow Paul wins. They are freed. 

Like most Empire junk it's imaginative but makes no sense, the acting (especially by Byron as Paul) is bad, the sfx so so and the script is dumb. It's in seven parts with each directed by a different person (including Buechler, David Allen, Charles Band, Peter Manoogian, Ted Nicolaou).

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Magic From Japan

MAGIC SERPENT-1966-This one starts off with a bang! Ninjas attack a castle and kill the master and everyone else except a small group that rescues the Master’s son. Unfortunately they are attacked by a dragon. Everyone is killed except for the son who is whisked away by a giant serpent. 10 years later, the young son Ichizuchi-Maru (HirokiMatsukata), is under the tutelage of an old man. While out in the forest, ninjas attack and one cuts off his head but he lives on and after interrogating one ninja his head rejoins his body. Then he meets Sunate (Tomoko Ogawa), a woman looking for her father.

 While this is happening the old man is visited by his former pupil, Orochi-Maru (Ryutaru Otomo) who killed Maru’s father. Although the old man is much more powerful than his pupil the pupil tricks his former teacher with a scroll that turns into a snake and kills him. We also learn during their conversation that the pupil can turn into a dragon. Maru and Sunate find the master dying. He gives Maru a scroll for “ninja invisibility” and clues him in on who killed his dad. Maru vows revenge! He and Sunate part ways. She continues the search for her father after her grandma gives her a pin with a spider on it. This fun fantasy from Japan has a little of everything. Underwater ninjas, a giant lizard, magic, sword fighting, a Kanju battle and a giant spider! And the monsters use Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan roars! It was directed by Tetsuya Yamaouchi.

The Magic of Mr. BIG

THE MAGIC SWORD-1962-A sorceress named Sibyl (Estelle Parsons) lives with a chimp and her two headed servant in an underground cave. Also there is her adopted son George (Gary Lockwood) who falls in love with princess Helene (Anne Helms) who's image he sees in a magic pond. When he sees her menaced by a spirit with green eyes he wants to help her. She's then kidnapped by evil sorcerer Lodac (Basil Rathbone) who plans to feed her to his dragon as revenge on her father, the king (Merrit Stone). George insists on helping her but Sibyl says he's too young to take on such a powerful foe. Foolishly, she shows him some gifts he will receive when he's 21: a magic horse, a suit of armor and a sword and 6 knights from different nations. Wickedly, he traps her in the cellar and takes the items. He and the six knights travel to the king and announce they will save the princess despite having to face Lodac's “seven curses” on the way. The king's man Brandon (Liam Sullivan) goes with them and it's clear from the start he is up to no good (of course he's in league with Lodac). 

The curses include a giant ogre (not a good effect), a deadly lake, a French pleasant woman who becomes a vampire like hag (Maila Nurmi aka Vampira), extreme heat and creepy green ghost heads. All the knights are killed and George has to enter Lodac's castle by himself encountering mean dwarfs and weird bald servants who eat little people. Thanks to Sybil's meddling, George loses all his magic power and is imprisoned. While the princess is readied for dragon food, the little people escape their cages and free George who gets his magic back and slays the two headed fire breathing dragon (that looks like Gorgo). Brandon's head winds up on a trophy wall and Sibyl turns into a panther and kills Lodac. Somehow all the deceased knights show up alive at George's wedding to the princess.

THE MAGIC SWORD was directed by Mr. BIG himself Burt I. Gordon who after overseeing such low budget but entertaining 50's drive-in “classics” like THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (and it's sequel) and ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE seems to have taken one giant leap with this technicolor sword and sorcery adventure tale. While the imaginative SFX (created by BIG and his wife Flora) aren't the greatest the inclusion of Rathbone, Lockwood, Winwood, Sullivan and Vampira make this seem like an all star cast! I think I saw Angelo Rossitto in one scene.

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Snore

SLEEPING BEAUTY-2014-Some genius at The Asylum decided to recreate the famous romantic fairy tale into a zombie gore film (Things like this are all the rage now). Unfortunately the makers failed on almost every count. The script and acting are terrible. The story is very drawn out and predictable but there are several zombie fights and a dragon like creature appears. It looks like something that will probably play on the SyFy channel with some of the gorier scenes cut out (maybe it already has!).

SLEEPING BEAUTY was directed by actor Casper Van Dien (who plays the king) and stars Finn Jones (GAME OF THRONES), Olivia d'Abo as the hammy evil sorceress and the director's daughter Grace as Princess Dawn, the sleeping title character. It was filmed in Bulgaria. Michael York narrates it.

Another film with the same name but having nothing to due with the famous fairy tale was released the same year.

Danny Glover Needs Beer Money?

AGE OF THE DRAGONS-2011-This nonsense is called a 're-imagining" of Melville's MOBY DICK. But instead of the crew searching for the great white whale they are looking for a white dragon. Over acting Danny Glover is Ahab, the whispering white dragon obsessed captain. New recruit Ishmael (Corey Sevier) learns about hunting with his pipe smoking companion Queequeg (Kepa Kruse). Rachel (Sofia Pernas) is Ahab's tough adopted daughter. For some reason Ahab kills the Starbuck character mid way through. Vinnie Jones (Juggernaut in X MEN: THE LAST STAND) is also in it. The dialogue and acting are outrageous! It almost seems like the actors are reading their lines off of cue cards! Filmed in Utah by director Ryan LIttle.

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