THE BEST OF STING 2014 (WWE)

The WWE finally put out a 3 disc DVD set of this very popular and talented wrestler.

I have watched Sting's career since the very beginning and while some of these are hardly "the best", they are all entertaining and should please any wrestling fan.

Steve Borden started his career in the mid 80's and found a home in the NWA and then in WCW, in which he stayed for his entire career until the WCW went out of business in 2001. His loyalty is what endured him to many. His persona of "Sting" developed and he became a superstar.

Some of the matches include his classic confrontations with Vader and Ric Flair as well as The Great Muta and Ron Simmons. The last disc of this three disc set includes many matches when Sting was battling the NWO an when he joined the "Black and Red Wolfpack".

This is classic stuff not to be missed by any fan. When this was released it came in under my radar and I actually found this by accident. I am surprised the WWE didn't trumpet this out loudly.

QUICK LOOKS....

A few days ago I had some free time which isn't too common and decided to watch a few films I really love.

I have reviewed them all here before a few times, but they just are so damned good in my opinion.

CALTIKI THE IMMORTAL MONSTER (1959)..Riccardo Freida classic about a giant blob monster that comes to life and starts to destroy everything in it's path. Excellent wide screen print from Sinister Cinema.

I followed that up with DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (1970) with the incredibly sexy Erica Blanc as a succubus who kills people off in a castle. The people represent the seven deadly sins. Co-starring in this classic euro horror are Shirley Corrigan who was always so damn sexy in her films and luscious Ivana Novak.

THE BLOB (1958) was the final one I watched. That is the film that I first saw when I was 4 years old and it scared the hell out of me. it is the film that started my long love of anything horror from the 20's thru the 80's. Steve McQueen stars as a young teenager who sees a meteor land. Out from the meteor pops a shapeless mass that threatens to devour an entire small town. I LOVE this film an will always cherish it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Dorothy Malone is 90.

THUNDER OVER THE PLAINS 1953 (SONY)

Randolph Scott returns in another great western.

Scott is Capt. David Porter who lives with his very frustrated wife Norah, played by Phyllis Kirk. She is frustrated because they live on an army base where she has no friends and no hope of meeting any.

Porter is a Texan who must arrest his own people who have been at a constant war with carpetbaggers. He is to arrest a man he knows is innocent and by refusing to do so he becomes a wanted man himself.

Lex Barker is Capt. Bill Hodges, a man Norah has known since childhood. When he is assigned to the base Porter finds he has even more trouble, but that is taken care of when Norah resists his advances and Porter beats the crap out of him.

Again, this is a great western. It is full of action and adventure, plus Scott makes every film he is in interesting. Charles McGraw is Ben Westman, the leader of the Texans who are against carpetbaggers. He does his usual fine job as well. The rest of the cast includes Henry Hull, Elisha Cook, Jr., Fess Parker and Mark Dana.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Tom Selleck is 70, Heather Graham is 45, and Marc Singer is 67.

MAN BEHIND THE GUN 1953 (WARNER)

Another fine Randolph Scott western.

Scott is Major Ransome Callicut, an undercover Government agent who is sent in to find a group of insurrectionists who want California to secede and become a slave state.

Posing as a school teacher, he arrives in California and discover a huge cache of weapons as well as several plots of assassination. His two aides are "Monk" Walker" played by Dick Wesson and Olaf Swenson played by Alan Hale, Jr.

These two provide the comic relief and it blends in well. There are plenty of gunfights an intrigue to keep every western fans attention. Scott does his usual good job in bringing this film to life.

Felix Feist directed from a John Twist screenplay. Recommended!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Barbi Benton is 65, and Jack Hill is 82.

CURSE OF BIGFOOT 1972 (TREELINE)

What can I possibly say about this film?

Originally made in 1958 as "Teenagers Battle The Thing", this unreleased film had new scenes shot around it in the 1970's by Dave Flocker, and then released in1972 as Curse of Bigfoot.

In the mid 70's thru the 80's this little gem appeared on TV many times, especially on "Nightmare Theater" on KCPX TV from Salt lake City.

As a child I just couldn't get thru this film even though I found it very bizarre. As an adult and former low budget filmmaker, I can appreciate it much more.

The basic plot concerns a group of students who unearth a mummy from a tomb in the mountains. It actually comes alive and breaks out of it's rock like covering and escapes into a grove.

It kills several people before being killed itself by the students who set it on fire. The monster itself looks pretty cool as far as low budget monsters go. The acting isn't much, but that really has never bothered me in the least.

The new scenes involving a high school class and sightings of bigfoot are used to expand the running time from 59 minutes to 88 minutes. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, and I may be crazy for saying I do enjoy this film, but I confess I do and have no shame in it.

Could it be a better film? Yes. Watch it anyway and you might like it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO......

Bridget Fonda is 51.

BLOOD THIRST 1971 (SOMETHING WEIRD)

Thanks to the late Mike Vraney for putting this little gem out on DVD.

This nifty little Philippine made thriller concerns a mysterious killer of young women on the streets of Manilla.

Vic Diaz is a police chief who calls in a good friend from the US to help solve the growing number of murders in his city. It seems women are being killed and drained of blood.

Robert Winston is Adam Rourke, a US investigator who is on the case an ends up stumbling onto something he has trouble believing. A beautiful dancer in a small club is actually an ageless witch who uses the blood to stay young. Her assistant is a monster who looks like he has a melted face. I rally liked this monster.

Made in 1964 and not released here until 1971, this little black an white chiller is a film every horror fan should see. It is obscure, but cam be found. It originally played on a double bill with "Bloodsuckers" starring Peter Cushing.

SCARED TO DEATH 1947 (TREELINE)

The only film Bela Lugosi ever made that was in color.

Very strange film that is told from the viewpoint of a young female corpse on a slab in the morgue. She tells the tale of how she got there.

There are plenty of weird elements that include a mysterious floating head, a man in a cape accompanied by a midget an several unexplained murders.

Lugosi co-stars with George Zucco. Zucco plays a doctor who has a questionable past. The rest of the cast of this oddity includes Nat Pendleton, Molly Lamont, Joyce Compton, Douglas Fowley and Angelo Rositto.

This is available from many, many sources and in many different qualities as well. If you're in the mood for something different, check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Kathryn Leigh Scott is 72, Anne Jeffreys is 92, and Marissa Mathers is 75.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Nastassja Kinski is 54.

RANDOLPH SCOTT....

Today is the day Randolph Scott was born in 1898.

Scott is, and always will be one of my favorite actors. I have NEVER seen a movie of his that I didn't like, and to me he set the standard for leading men in movies.

it's a shame we don't have any real men like Scott making movies anymore, but at least we have his movies to watch and enjoy.

Long live the legacy of Randolph Scott.

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT 1958 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is the original six part serial from the BBC.

Andre Morell stars as Prof. Quatermass in this excellent adaptation of the Nigel Kneal story about ancient aliens being discovered in a London subway digging.

This is a damn near perfect serial that the movie was inspired from. There are other small plot elements that weren't included in the film, but the characters are basically the same.

Anthony Bushell is Col. Breen, the strictly by the book military man who refuses to believe in aliens and who is always upsetting the plan of Quatermass. Morell does a great turn as the scientist and he plays the role much softer than Brian Donlevy id in the US films and much closer to Andrew Keir, who was the good prof. in the film version.

If you've seen the movie version of this I highly recommend this version. It is both suspenseful and frightening and moves at a very brisk pace with a very fine cast. Kudos to Greg Luce at Sinister Cinema for releasing this.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Mariska Hargitay is 51, and Gil Gerard is 72.

TNT JACKSON 1974 (SHOUT FACTORY)

I just had to re-visit one of my favorite films. >br />

Actor Dick Miller co-wrote this action classic from director Cirio Santiago. This Roger Corman production was shot entirely in the Philippines, and it makes for grand entertainment.

Sexy Jeanna Bell stars as a young woman who travels to the most dangerous parts of Chinatown to find out who murdered her brother. She is a Karate expert and takes no crap from anyone. Ken Metcalf is Sid, a white drug dealer and his bitchy girlfriend Elaine, played by Pat Anderson.

There is plenty of action in this film and the highlight is a karate fight Jeanne has with several thugs. She does it topless and in the dark. I have to admit I have never seen this done before or since.

It turns out that Elaine is an undercover agent for the US Government and she dies a most horrible death. The movie ends immediately after Diane "TNT" Jackson has gained her revenge for her brothers death. The movie ends as abruptly as any I have ever seen, and for this film that works just fine.

If you like blaxploitation films and action films you'll love this movie. I can't recommend it enough.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

John Hurt is 75, and Linda Blair is 56.

BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA 1973 (MGM)

This is an excellent example of action film making on a minimal budget.

Pam Grier and Margaret Markov are two female prisoners who are chained together at the wrists for causing so much trouble. They soon escape from their captors and each wants to go a separate way.

Markov is a revolutionary fighting the oppressive government and Grier is a former prostitute who just wants to get back to America.

Vic Diaz is a rug lord who wants both women dead and Lynn Borden shows up as the prison warden who likes other women. Her character is killed early in the film, but it is always nice to see her. One must also keep in mind that this is a low budget remake of "The Defiant Ones", but with women instead of men.

Everything about this movie is fun and it moves along at a a very quick pace. The rest of the cast includes Sig Haig and Eddie Garcia. Eddie Romero directed. Highly Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Maryse Ouellet is 32.

SHE BEAST 1966 (DARK SKY)

Director Michael Reeves first feature and an odd one to boot.

There is plenty of comedy in this strange horror film about a young couple traveling thru Romania have an automobile accident and the car plunges into a lake. The woman is rescued as well as her husband.

It is soon discovered that her body has been taken over by an evil witch from the 18th century. Ian Ogilvy is Phillip and his wife Veronica is played by Barbara Steele. Steele is only in the film for about 20 minutes, but she makes the film enjoyable and a must for horror fans.

The witch is about the ugliest I have ever seen in a film an the comedy about communism is classic. Mel Wells is a hotel keeper named Ladislav Groper! It was interesting to see Lucretia Love as Gropers niece whom he attempts to rape without much success.

The print from Dark Sky is the best this film has ever looked. I used to watch this film on KCPX TV's Nightmare Theater and every print was edited and scratched, not that there is anything wrong with the scratches, but I have always hated editing. I would recommend this film to any horror fan if you're looking for something a little unusual.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Tom Baker is 81.

ROBOT MONSTER 1953 (TREELINE)

One of my personal favorites for various reasons.

Everyone reading this knows the plot. Alien invaders looking like gorillas in diving helmets invade the Earth and the last eight people on earth try and survive.

This is legendary in it's ineptitude yet is has a very simple charm to it. When I first saw it I fell in love with it and it has been a staple of my life ever since. I have used a business logo back in the 80's and 90's with a gorilla in a diving helmet and this movie helped me bond a great friendship.

As I watched this film I thought of my friend, the late John Conrad Fredriksen who passed away last July from brain cancer. We used to have a lot of fun discussing this film. Every time I talked with John we would discuss this 50's classic and have so many good laughs. John is still the only person I have ever met that really knew the merits of this film.

I love this film and everything about it. It is by no means the best, but it IS entertaining an well worth spending an hour to watch. I miss John terribly, but when I watch this film I feel as if he is right there watching it with me. LONG LIVE RO-MAN!!

BEST OF RAW 15TH ANNIVERSARY 1993-2008 (WWE)

This three disc set is considered a "must have" for wrestling fans.

The discs are broken down into specific dates. The first disc covers 1993-1997 which encompasses the very first episode up until the beginning of the attitude era in 1997. It includes such things as the infamous Brian Pillman/Stone Cold Steve Austin Gun episode, Stone Cold stunning Mr. McMahon an much more. This disc is by far the most entertaining of the three.

Disc two covers from 1998-2002 and includes DX invading WCW, the "This is Your Life" episode featuring The Rock and the Stone Cold Steve Austin Beer truck, plus a lot more.

Disc three covers 2003-2008 and it includes the live sex celebration between Lita and Edge, Kane being unmasked, the Monday Night Football Spoof and more.

It's very easy to see in this set how the company started off and actually built itself into a wrestling giant an then how it has slacked off over the last decade or so. The first two discs are far more entertaining than the last one. However, no wrestling fan should miss this set.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Tippi Hedren is 85, Shelley Fabares is 71, Fritz Weaver is 89, John Richardson is 81, and Linda Hayden is 62.

PHANTOM PLANET 1961 (TREELINE)

Underrated and almost forgotten sci-fi from the early 60's

I've talked about this film before on this blog, but it has been a while and this film is almost a forgotten one.

Dean Fredericks stars as Capt. Frank Chapman, an astronaut that crashes on an asteroid and shrinks to 6 inches in height. All of the inhabitants are small and they try to get the reluctant astronaut to join their society.

Chapman wants to get back to his world even though the leaders tempt him with such lovely women as Liara (Coleen Gray) and Zetha (Dolores Faith). The tiny aliens also fight off a race of what they call Solarites, a violent race of monsters who attack with fire.

One of the aliens has been help captive on the asteroid but it escapes and attacks the leader Sessom (Francis X. Bushman). Chapman finally gets to return to his world in a somewhat bittersweet ending. Richard Kiel plays the Solarite monster.

The rest of the cast is rounded out by Anthony Dexter, Al Jarvis, Dick Haynes and Mike Marshall. This isn't a bad film at all and makes for great Saturday morning viewing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Ted DiBiase is 61.

HERCULES AN THE CAPTIVE WOMEN 1961 (TREELINE)

One of the best muscle poppers.

Reg park stars as Hercules in this very well made sword and sandal film. Herc is somewhat sleepy, but her does fight off some enemies and then discovers that the Queen of Atlantis is plotting to take over the world.

There is a bit of humor in this entry, but it has some cool monsters and some interesting effects. Fay Spain is the Queen who wants to own the world an will stop at nothing to get it.

I wish the film was in the proper aspect ratio, but I cannot expect anyone to really care about these kinds of films, and it's good to be able to watch them in any form.

If you like these kinds of films, you'll enjoy this epic which as I said, throws in some comedy and monsters.

EYES BEHIND THE STARS 1978 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting and bizarre film worth a re-look.

A photographer and his model take some picture an discover that alien creatures are watching them. The photographer is abducted by the aliens and soon, so is the model.

There is plenty of espionage as the Government tries to hide the fact we have aliens among us. The aliens also show up quite a bit to clean up after themselves and keep their identity a secret.

Martin Balsam is an Inspector who tries to investigate the case and actually knows more than he lets on. This isn't a bad Italian sci-fi film, but it does rag in spots. However, it is a good film for people who like this kind of stuff.

I liked the pace of the film and the slow build up to a rather interesting conclusion. This is available on various sets, but I prefer the Sinister release.

OMG VOL 2: TOP 50 INCIDENTS IN WCW HISTORY 2014 (WWE)

I didn't buy vol. 1, but vol. 2 interested me as it concerns WCW.

This three disc set contains some of the most unbelievable moments in the history of the wrestling organization known as WCW. Some are great moments and others are just bad.

Inclued in this set are such things as "Junkyard Brawl" where wrestlers fought in a real junkyard full of rusted cars and broken glass, the "Fingerpoke Of Doom" which wrestling fans will easily remember.

There are other incidents such as the appearance of Robo Cop and the killer doll from Chucky 3. These are two moments that are sad in the history of the company, but there are some great ones such as the formation of the NWO, the scaffold match between The Midnight Express and the Road Warriors in 1987 and much, much more.

The highlight of the entire 7 hours has to be the entrance of "The Shockmaster" which is the funniest and yet saddest moment in WCW history. If you're a wrestling fan you'll want to get this set and relive the times, good and bad.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

John Carpenter is 67, and Caroline Munro is 66.

THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING 1964 (FOX)

I re-watched this very early on a Saturday morning and it makes a great way to start a day.

Willard Parker stars as one of a few survivors trapped in a small English town after aliens have wiped out the entire population.

The aliens themselves look rather bizarre and have a touch that can bring instant death to those they catch. The survivors hold up in an abandoned hotel and try and figure a way to escape. One of the women is killed and later comes back to life as an eyeless zombie who attempts to kill others until she is shot.

This is a very short but well made film that has been rediscovered and finally put on DVD. The cast is mostly unknown to audiences and includes Virginia Fields, Dennis Price, Thorley Walters, Vanda Godsell and David Spencer along with Anna Palk.

Thanks to Fox we now have it on DVD and no longer have to depend on sad looking bootlegs to get a good sci-fi fix. If you haven't seen this film you should.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Barbie Blank is 28, Phyllis Coates is 88, and Shane McMahon is 45.

CHOSEN SURVIVORS 1974 (FOX)

A rare film that I decided to re-watch the other day.

I had never heard of this film until Fox brought it out a few years ago on the "Midnight Movie" line. It turned out to be a genuine pleasure of movie discovery.

A group of people are taken from their homes and placed in a mysterious underground complex where they will live after a nuclear war has wiped out all of mankind. These people were drugged before they came here so they have no idea where they are, but they do know they are underground and they received prerecorded messages from the government about what has happened and how they must survive.

There is some tension within the group as is expected, but then the real terror starts when vampire bats start appearing inside the complex. Several people are attacked violently as they survivors try nd find a way of keeping the bats out.

The cast is comprised of Bradford Dillman, Jackie Cooper, Alex Cord, Richard Jaeckel, Diana Muldaur, Barbara Babcock, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Pedro Armendariz, Jr and the lovely Gwenn Mitchell. This is quite the cast and every one does a good job as a very frightened group who now must survive a nuclear war and bloodthirsty bats as well as themselves.

The midway point of the film reveals another surprise which I won't mention here, and there are several great scenes that will stay with you for a very long time. Good stuff here, and Fox deserves a huge hand for bringing this out to VD a few years ago. It is well worth checking out.