Goodbye Star

THE EVIL BRAIN FROM OUTER SPACE-1964/1957-58-The Brain of Balazar from an alien planet plans to take over the Earth. Once again the strange inhabitants of The Emerald Planet decided that if Earth is destroyed it might have an adverse effect on them so they send Starman (Ken Utsui, of course) into the fray. It begins when a evil scientist in a wheelchair with a bird on his shoulder is in league with the brain. He has a sinister one legged henchman. His assistant Kawada steals the brain intent on destroying it. Unfortunately the police think he's a bank robber and in the scuffle to arrest him, a briefcase containing the brain is thrown into the river. He has a hard time convincing police detective Okamoto this is true but is later released and goes to a famous doctor for help. After Starman intervenes and vows to stop the aliens, Kawada returns to his former employer's house to try and find the brain (the evil doctor regained it but I'm not sure how Tawada found out). The detective follows him and after Kawada is knocked out by the henchman he sees the doc (who can actually walk) and one leg escape underground. The aliens send a weird monster with long claws to kill the famous doctor who's working on a formula to destroy the brain. Star saves him. Meanwhile the invaders commit many robberies to get money to pay for their food and clothes (?) and stab a woman in the neck to get some diamonds. 

Despite aliens running rampant, a scientist takes some important papers home to study and walks down a dark alley unescorted while two children return home from a party at night also unaccompanied! The scientist is killed but the children hide when confronted by an insidious alien woman. Star vows to save the Earth and then disguises himself as a “political dignitary” and stops and assassination attempt by the evil doc and his gang. Later the doc's scar faced brother releases a bunch of mutants to destroy mankind. They are weird guys in sunglasses and trench coats. Fortunately Starman invades their headquarters throws the aliens around, kills two mutants and finds the evil brain which is destroyed by the famous doctor's formula! Starman waves goodbye forever....

This was the fourth of the US edited series taken and combined from 7^th and 8^th episodes of Super Giant. A ninth film was made but that was in color and couldn't be used with the black and white footage. Both of these film had 2 separate plots (for instance the scarred brother in the original story was disfigured by the H-bomb) and editing it all together makes it a fast paced confused jumble of fighting, talking, scientific explanations and kids getting into trouble! A classic!

Thanks for reading and much thanks to Shintoho, the studio (a branch of Toho) who made the movies and to Ken Utsui who portrayed the superhero!

Mixed Up...

MIXED BLOOD-1984-This movie is a hoot! It's about Brazilian street gangs fighting over the drug trade on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Most of the gang members are underage kids. If it sounds similar to the Brazilian drama PIXOTE (made in 1981) the female lead in that film Marilia Pera plays Rita La Punta, the leader of one of the gangs ("They cannot go to jail. Too young").

The story involves violence,drugs,prostitution,shootouts, racism and police corruption. All the characters talk in exaggerated accents and the dialogue is very dramatic and over the top. With lines like "I'm the one who tells you how to piss". Cheesy salsa music plays in the background.

It was filmed on location in Alphabet City by Paul Morrissey (ANDY WARHOL'S DRACULA). There are some good scenes but most of the shootouts are inept and there are some awkward reaction shots.

Some reviews cite the realism of the whole thing but to me it seems to take place on another planet! Also with Geraldine Smith who had been in BAD and FLESH  by Morrissey, Linda Kerridge (SURF ll) and John Leguizamo in his film debut.

Thanks for reading!

80 Steps To Newton

80 STEPS TO JONAH-1969-Chubby Wayne Newton plays Mark Winters, an itinerant worker involved in a car chase with police that ends in a crash. He's ok but the guy with him (Sal Mineo) dies. He's arrested but on his way to the hospital he jumps out of the ambulance and escapes into the Utah desert with his guitar in tow. After sleeping in a haystack he stumbles upon a special summer camp for blind children (including future TV kid stars Erin Moran and Brandon Cruz). The school is run by Tracey (Diana Ewing ) and Nonna (Jo Van Fleet, EAST OF EDEN). Using the name Jonah he becomes the resident handyman. R.G. Armstrong and Slim Pickens are the local police looking for him. Keenan Wynn is Barney Glover a gambling plainclothes detective. Nonna is just about the only person at the place who can see so she knows Jonah's secret. Butch Patrick (THE MUNSTERS) is a kid neighbor who can see.

Wayne and the kids sing "Tender Loving Care" while planting a garden. Meanwhile Tracey does a sculpture of Jonah and falls in love with him. She gets so excited she kisses the clay head! Newton croons several other songs (a couple which he co-wrote). Jonah does a lot of chores and the kids really like him but when he's shooting at a marauding mountain lion Kim (Moran) is accidentally shot in the leg. He fixes her and croons a song on the guitar. (Kim mentions something about strange noises right after this) From the weird bust Tracey made Glover deduces that Jonah is Mark and arrests him. A flashback which features Mickey Rooney as a drunk shows how Mark/Jonah/Newt was held up by knife toting Jerry (Mineo) and caused the car crash. Fortunately Mickey shows up in the present to exonerate Jonah so he can return to Tracey and the kids and build a merry go round.

This tearjerker, feel good movie was directed by busy TV director Gerd Oswald between making episodes of GENTLE BEN and IT TAKES A THIEF after working on THE OUTER LIMITS and movies like A KISS BEFORE DYING and AGENT FOR H.A.R.M.

Thanks for reading!