Twisted Lead Singer

DEE SNIDER’S STRANGELAND-1998-Ok, I know Rob Zombie has made a few movies and will probably make a few more but this is really not a good excuse to let the former lead singer of Twisted Sister write and star in a horror movie of his own.

Dee Snider plays “Captain Howdy” a chat serial killer who lures unsuspecting victims to his house and then tortures and murders them while spouting philosophical nonsense. A cop (Kevin Gage) whose daughter is abducted twice captures Howdy but he escapes any real punishment by pleading insanity and is “rehabilitated”. Some vigilantes (led by Robert Englund) hang him but instead of dying he reverts to his old self and seeks revenge.

Hopefully this will be Snider’s last foray into celluloid (unless he does a video commemorating Twisted Sister’s 50th anniversary…)

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Jungle Jim Jumps In

JUNGLE JIM-Columbia-1948-After winning 5 Olympic gold medals as a swimmer Johnny Weissmuller played Tarzan in movies from 1932-1948.

Later in '48 he began the Jungle Jim series. It would mark his only other film appearances (not counting a cameo in 1976's WON TON TON: THE DOG THAT SAVED HOLLYWOOD). This one is the first and I'd say the best but basicly all Jungle Jim adventures were the same: Mystery surrounds some ancient tribe or temple. A woman photographer or reporter comes to investigate. Jim leads an expedition and saves the party two or three times. He also usually manages to expose a party member with an ulterior motive.

This one is also noteworthy as it features future TV "Superman" George Reeves as the party member with the ulterior motive. It also stars Virgina Grey as the female investigator. Grey had a pretty prolific and diverse acting career. She was in THE BIG STORE with The Marx Bros., HOUSE OF HORRORS with Rondo Hatton, MEXICAN HAYRIDE with Abbott and Costello, UNKNOWN ISLAND and TARGET EARTH among others! Later on in the series Jim had a chimp companion named Tama or Kama or something like that. Here however he has a smart but mischievous crow who is only a little less annoying...

Oh yeah, and I don't know where this African jungle is that Jim prowls around in but all the natives are white or Asian!

But then JJ was produced by Sam Katzman who was responsible for hundreds of Columbia cheapies, some good...some not so good...

Director William Berke made lots of B-movies including the first DICK TRACY feature. His last was THE LOST MISSILE in 1958.

For the last 3 movies the Jungle Jim persona was dropped and Weissmuller played himself! There was also a short lived TV series in 1955 but this may have only been a pilot.

Grant Withers starred in a 1936 serial also entitled Jungle Jim but I'm not sure if it was actually the same character.

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Late Night Quickies

DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL-2008-This is an American made ALIEN inspired horror animation that tries very hard to be like a Japanese anime. It kind of succeeds but it’s not for everyone. I think it’s based on a video game.

A space ship from Earth picks up a supposedly religious relic but it unleashes ALIEN/THE THING like creatures that drink blood and kills. Bruce Boxleitner, Kelly Hu and Keith Szarabajka provide the lead voices. Director Chuck Patton had previously done work on GI JOE, DINOSAUCERS and SPAWN.

SHUTTER-2008- A newlywed couple (Joshua Jackson from TV’s FRINGE and TRANSFORMER's Rachael Taylor) arrive in Japan where the husband works as a photographer. While enjoying a short honeymoon they seem to run down a (RING look) girl while driving. No victim is found but later on mysterious images begin to appear in all the husband’s photographic work. While highly derivative in spots (part of the story is reminiscent of the ‘80’s film GHOST STORY) director Masayuki Ochiai makes some good spooky scenes and a great final scene!

LET’S ROCK-1958-“To rock or not to rock”. In his only real movie appearance singer Julius LaRosa plays Tommy Adane, singer of ballads who’s finding it hard to have a hit because Rock and Roll is more popular and he refuses to have anything to do with it. Danny and The Juniors (who do “At The Hop”), Roy Hamilton, The Royal Teens, Paul Anka and Della Reese all perform. Even future TV game show host Wink Martindale does the rocking “All Love Broke Loose”. Conrad Janis is Adane’s manager who wants him to record a rock tune.

I’M CYBORG BUT THAT’S OK-2006-In this Korea lensed comedy-drama a young woman (Su-jeong Lim) thinks she’s a cyborg, When she almost kills herself at work she’s put in a mental hospital with other eccentric crazy people. Eventually a male patient (Rain) tries to help her eat. This was too long and weird for me to enjoy (and has an all too typical confused ending) but it probably has the makings of a cult film courtesy of director Chan wook-Park (OLD BOY).

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Forbidden Warrior

FORBIDDEN WARRIOR-2004-This fantasy action drama (inspired by THE PRINCESS BRIDE and a few others) involves a couple who are going to have a child that according to prophesy will be able to read a secret book that holds the key to the universe. Well, something like that. An evil warlord has the mother killed but the baby is born anyway and taken to live with a blind wise man (WISH MASTER’s Andrew Divoff). Two brothers (one evil, one passive) set out to find “the chosen one”. The script is terrible and the actors say a lot of stupid things but there are some good fights.

Marie Matiko plays the grown up baby. The weirdest part for me was that it was the last role for actor Kay E. Kuter (who plays the Lord of The Rings inspired character Yawn) who had once had a reoccurring role (Newt Kiley) on the ’60’s TV sit-com GREEN ACRES! Also with Sung Kang, Tony Amendola and James Hong. The director Jimmy Nickerson was mostly a stunt coordinator and actor.

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He's Not Vincent Price..but Who Is?

I AM LEGEND-2007-Will Smith returns in this new adaptation of Richard Matheson’s story that was filmed twice before. After a “cure for cancer” vaccine goes wrong the world’s inhabitants are turned into weird bald-headed monsters that like to kill. They are very fast and have mutant attack dogs too! Smith is Robert Neville, a government scientist and last man alive (well at least in NYC where it’s suppose to take place) . When not roaming around the decaying city, talking to his dog and some mannikins and avoiding the fast moving mutants he’s working on a cure. Flashbacks tell his story.

Brazilian actress Alice Braga shows up near the end and her son watches SHREK. It’s well done but once again as with modern “zombie” type films the creatures move so fast no one could possibly outrun them.

The director Francis Lawrence made CONSTANTINE with Keanu Reeves and rock videos. Emma Thompson has a pre-credit cameo as a doctor interviewed on TV.

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On The Road

I just read that a guy named Martin Nallan died on Jan. 14th at the age of 78. He was Key Grip on the classic film THE HUSTLER. He was also the Key Grip on a classic film of another kind, SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS! RIP...





THE ROAD TO RUIN-1934-Innocent Ann Dixon (Helen Foster) is introduced to the wild world of smoking, drinking, staying out late, strip poker and sex in this mortality tale co-directed by Mrs. Wallace Reid.

Ann winds up “getting in trouble” with a married older guy after having sex with her boyfriend Tommy. The older guy takes her for an abortion and she dies.

This is a remake of a 1928 silent film that also starred Foster. Mrs. Wallace Reid was actress Dorothy Davenport, the widow of silent film star Reid who died of morphine addiction in 1923. After his death she co-produced HUMAN WRECKAGE about the dangers of drug addiction. She later directed several other exploitive films like THE RED KIMONO, LINDA and THIS WOMAN CONDEMNED.

It’s pretty racy for the time although the characters never mention the words pregnancy and abortion!

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Silent From Sweden

THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE-1921-This haunting silent film from Sweden involves a legend that if the last person to die at the end of the year is a great sinner he will have to drive the title vehicle and pick up the souls of the dead.

An alcoholic named David (the director Victor Sjostrum) becomes the driver and later his “sinful” life is examined. The direction, photography and acting make this one of the best silent movies ever made and I’m sure influenced Ingamar Bergman and other Euro-directors.

Director Sjostrum was a highly respected director in his homeland and came to Hollywood (using the name Seastrom) soon after he made TPC, directing around 10 movies including THE SCARLET LETTER and THE WIND (both starring Lillian Gish) and Lon Chaney in HE WHO GETS SLAPPED. He returned to Sweden in the early 30’s to act and stage and in film and gave his last performance in 1959 as the aging doctor looking back on his life in Bergman’s WILD STRAWBERRIES. He died in 1960.

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