Jack London

TO BUILD A FIRE-1969-Very good but depressing UK adaptation of Jack London's short story of the same name. A doomed man (Ian Hogg) tries to cross snow bound mountain in -70 degree weather with only his dog. It doesn't turn out the way he expected. Orson Welles narrates. Writer/director David Cobham made many documentary shorts before this.

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The Yeti

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS-1957-Dr. John Rawlinson (Peter Cushing) a botanist doing research in the the Himalayas joins up with a boisterous American climber Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker) to find the legendary Yeti. Friend wants to capture one alive and show it on US TV. Rawlinson just wants to prove it exists. There's a lot of climbing and soul searching and Friend turns out to be a cutthroat swindler. After a little Yeti they capture escapes (actually rescued) the group finds some large footprints. Later a big clawed hand appears sticking in their tent. Their guide goes mad when he sees one and runs away (but somehow makes it back to the village) and the head Lama there acts very mysterious. The Yetis seem to have some kind of mental power over the group who hear voices and do crazy things. After Friend is killed in an avalanche Rawlinson meets the snowmen and we get our only view of them too. Rawlinson's wife leads her own expedition and finds hubby nearly frozen to death. Nursed back to health the doctor now admits he was wrong. There is no Yeti waiting for man to die off.

When I was a kid my friends and I were always disappointed by the brief glimpse of the Yeti but today THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN holds up well despite this. The acting is great. Director Val Guest probably took a big chance in not showing too much of the creature in the monster laden age of the late '50's but he still does a good job of story telling. He also made ENEMY FROM SPACE the same year which was also penned by SNOWMAN's screenwriter Nigel Kneale. 

This Hammer production is based on a BBC TV drama entitled THE CREATURE (also written by Kneale).

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Snow!

SNOWMAGEDDON-2011-Killer ice storms reek havoc in the small town of Normal, Alaska (or Canada). A pilot (Laura Harris) and her daughter (Magda Apanowicz; they seem more like sisters) are trapped on a snowy mountain after their helicopter crashes. 

They are rescued by their husband/dad (David Cubitt) but then get caught in an avalanche. The strange happenings seem to be related the a cursed snow globe in the possession of the couple's young son. The usual derivative nonsense this time from director Sheldon Wilson who also made KAW and KILLER MOUNTIAN. 

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No Funny Animated Animals!

2012: ICE AGE-2011-The Asylum strikes again! A giant glacier threatens North America! Maine is wiped out! 

A scientist (Patrick Laborteaux), his wife (Julie McCullough) and their son (Nick AfanasIev) try to reunite with their daughter(Katie Wilson) who's in NYC. People freeze instantly and in the tradition of THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (and EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS) famous landmarks are destroyed. The family trio winds up flying a Cessna through a twister. Meanwhile the daughter and her boyfriend walk to New Jersey. The government plants bombs but they don't seem to work. The stupid climax involves The Statue of Liberty. 

The acting, SFX and script are all sub-par in this disaster of a disaster movie! 

As of this writing 2012: ICE AGE is the only film directed by Travis Fort. (Keep praying!)

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