For lovers of movies from the silent era to modern day with an emphasis on horror, sci-fi, exploitation, WIP, westerns and anything of the fantastic and bizarre. THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO BOB WILKINS, GEORGE ROMERO, ALAN FREED ,ROGER CORMAN, CARMEN ELECTRA, VELVET SKY, CAROLINE MUNRO, JOHN FREDRIKSEN, JOHN ZACHERLE, DONNA SUMMER, JUDY PACE, CLEO MOORE and, of course, CASEY KASEM.
Thursday, August 31, 2023
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
RIP SARAH LAWSON 1928-2023
The noted British actress has passed away.
Sarah was an actress on both stage and screen in a career spanning 35 years.
She appeared in such TV shows as "The Saint" and "Journey To The Unknown" and a few genre films like "Night Of The Big Heat" and "The Devil Rides Out".
Sarah Lawson passed away on Aug. 18th, 2023 at the age of 95.
Monday, August 28, 2023
Sunday, August 27, 2023
RIP BOB BARKER 1923-2023
The single greatest game show host in history is gone.
I grew up watching Bob host Truth Or Consequences and the The Price Is Right.
He was a huge part of my childhood and was always nice to see on any program he was on or hosted. Barker died on Aug. 26th, 2023 at the age of 99.
RIP TERRY FUNK 1944-2023
One of, if not the greatest pro wrestlers in the world has passed away.
The name Terry Funk is so widely known even people who are not wrestling fans know how he was. I grew up watching the wild and insane antics of this guy in the pro wrestling world, and to this day I have never seen anyone like him.
Funk had a wild and out of control style that made pre wrestling what it was...fun. You knew if Terry was on the card you were in for a wild time indeed.
Terry passed away on August 23, 2023 at the age of 79. His legacy will live on forever and there will never be another like him.
YOUR JEWELER'S SHOWCASE: OPERATION ESP 1952 (MILLCREEK)
Simple little TV comedy show.
Hardwick Harris (Sheldon Leonard) and his pal Horsey Miller (Bob Sweeney) arrive in a small toen to pick up two pieces of mail containing money for each of them.
They are arrested on suspicion of mail fraud when the postmaster finds out the men don't even know the name of the town they picked up their mail in.
At the police statiomn they tell the sheriff what is going on. They met a man named Charlie (Don Beddoe) running a small diner with his daughter Alice (Barbara Whiting) and they discover he can predict the future and this leads to all kinds of complications.
This is a well intended and light hearted piece of TV history and it's pretty obscure. I haven't found too much written on it, but what I have seen is not too good.
Just ignore all these bad comments and watch this with an open mind and Ill bet you enjoy it for what it is. Good, clean fun.
Saturday, August 26, 2023
INVISIBLE AVENGER 1958 (MILL CREEK)
Strange but good little film.
This is a somewhat obscure little gem that was first intended to be a pilot for a proposed TV series about "The Shadow", but it was turned into a feature film instead.
Richard Derr stars as Lamont Cranston aka "The Shadow". He is called in to investigate the murder of a band leader in New Orleans. He soon finds himself in the middle of a government take over in a banana republic.
Yes, it's all very odd but I thought it was done well. Derr is good in the role and so is his co-star Mark Daniels who plays Jogendra, a mystic who teaches Lamont to will himself invisible.
To set this is New Orleans was a good bit of thinking as we do get some great jazz music out of the movie as well. If you're looking for something light weight check this out.
You could do a lot worse.
Friday, August 25, 2023
CLIMAX MYSTERY THEATER: DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE 1955 (MILL CREEK)
This is a classic Television presentation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel.
William Lundigan is your host for the show and I did get a kick out of the vintage car commercials during the broadcast.
While this show offers nothing new from the other tellings of the story, Michael Rennie does a fine job as Dr. Jekyll and the ugly and evil Mr. Hyde, his alter ego.
Allan Reisner directed this episode and it comes off very well with a great supporting cast which includes John Hoyt, Cedric Hardwick, Mary Sinclair, and Barbara Morrison.
This was a very nice surprise to find it included on a DVD set, and if you get the chance to see it please do so. I think any horror fan will enjoy it.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Monday, August 21, 2023
Sunday, August 20, 2023
MAN AFRAID 1957 (KINO) BLU-RAY
I gotta admit I had never heard of this film noir.
George Nader stars as Rev. David Collins. He his happily married to a wife named Lisa (Phyllis Thaxter) and they have a child, Michael (Tim Hovey). One night they hear someone break into their home and both David and Lisa rush to their son's room.
The teir tries to get away and after hitting Lisa in the eyes with a thick rope, David accidentally kills him, and this changes his life in many ways.
David lives with the guilt of having taken another life while the press hails him as a hero. The dead man's father, Carl Simmons (Eduard Frans) has vowed to get revenge on David and he makes many attempts.
It becomes a battle of wits between David and Carl until Carl kidnaps Michael. This is a very grim film with the typical downbeat ending. The entire cast does a great job with the subject matter and the film noves along well.
The Kino presentation is up to their usual high standards and I do recommend this for film noir fans. I have to admit it's a little strange seeing George Nadar as a priest, but he does an excellent job.
The rest of the cast includes Harold J. Stone, Judson Pratt and Martin Milner.
Saturday, August 19, 2023
MONGOLIAN DEATH WORMS 2010 (TUBI)
Not too great of a film.
An American drilling plant releases a horde of giant killer worms while drilling for oil. That pretty much sums up the entire plot.
I admit I only watched this because of Victoria Pratt and that is the honest truth. I wasn't expecting much and that is really how you have to think when watching the film.
The plot is really bad as it leaves the viewer wondering what the hell they are watching. I guess I could say it's very predictable and therefore boring.
Sadly these kinds of movies is all Hollyweird has been churning out for years and it seems like the cycle will never end. I am very sorry Victoria got stuck in this kind of movie as I really enjoy her and know she can do much better.
The monsters are impressives upon first seeing them, but then that wears off and they too become boring. Well I am rambling, so I willend t with a warning to avoid.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Diana Muldaur is 85, Jill St. John is 83, Debra Paget is 90, Darby Hinton is 66, and Lilian Garcia is 57.
Friday, August 18, 2023
THE TATTERED DRESS 1957 (KINO) BLU-RAY
A tough and brutal film noir gem from Universal.
Jeff Chandler stars as James Gordon Blaine, a hot shot attorney from New York that is called in to defend a man who has killed another that was sexually abusing his trophy wife.
The suspect Michael Reston (Phillip Reed) is acquitted mainly because of the inept testimony of the Sheriff Nick Hoak (Jack Carson). This is simply something Hoak won't stand for so he plans to get even.
Hoak frames Blaine in a phony crime involving the bribe of a jury member during the trial. Blaine's life is turned upside down as he must prepare to go to court and clear his name.
Hoak controls the town with an iron fist and everyone is afraid of him. No one more so than Carol Morrow (Gail Russell) whom Hoak has instructed to say she was the one that was bribed.
This Jack Arnold directed film really moves along and as it does it gets bleaker by the minute. The ending of the film is a wonderful twist, but if you pay attention you can see it coming. The actors are all top notch and do a great job.
The presentation from Kino is beautiful and long overdue on the Blu-ray market. It is included in a 3 disc set that also includes "Girl In The Kremlin" and "Man Afraid".
The rest of the cast includes Elaine Stewart, Edward Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Edward Platt, Paul Birch, George Tobias and William Schallert. I have to say Jack Carson really stands out in this film. I have never seen him in a role like this.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Monday, August 14, 2023
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Halle Berry is 57, Lucinda Dickey is 63, Antonio Fargas is 77, Jim Wynorski is 73, Candace Hilligoss is 88, Michelle Lintel is 54, and Jaclyn Swedberg is 33.
Sunday, August 13, 2023
GIRL IN THE KREMLIN 1957 (KINO) BLU-RAY
It only took me 31 years from the time I first read about this in the Psychotronic Encyclopedia Of Film to actually seeing the movie.
Kino brings this to Blu-ray with a beautiful restored print. This Albert Zugsmith production stars Lex Barker as OSS agent Steve Anderson. He has been assigned a bizarre case.
It seems that Stalin faked his own death, has stolen half the Russian national treasury and has had plastic surgery to change his looks and is now hiding in Germany.
Anderson is approached by a beautiful woman named Lili Grisenko (Zsa Zsa Gabor) who wants his help in finding her missing sister in Russia. This leads him on a strange adventure indeed.
The opening scene is something that once you see it, you never forget it. The movie opens with Stalin (Maurice Manson) punishing a young, beautiful peasent woman by having her long beautiful hair cut off and shaving her head bald.
This is a very real scene as actress Natalie Daryll actually has her waist length hair cut off and head shaved. Boy, there isn't an actress alive today that has that kind of dedication.
The film moves along at a brisk pace and climaxes in a battle between Lili and her communist sister. This scene is well handled and is was shocking to see a bald Zsa Zsa in a quick scene. You have to see the film to understand that last comment of mine.
I liked this film and had a good time watching it. The rest of the cast includes Jeffrey Stone (who had a fantastic adventure filled life after he left the movie business), William Schallert, Michael Fox, Charles Horvath and Kurt Katch.
This is part of a 3 Blu-ray set of film noir and I really think you'd enjoy it. Thanks to Kino for finally getting this out to be seen once again.
Saturday, August 12, 2023
RIP LINDA HAYNES 1947-2023
One of my all time favorites has passed away.
I never saw Linda in a performance I didn't fully enjoy. She was a hell of an actress who could do just about anything.
I was introduced to her in the Japanese fantasy film "Latitude Zero" and what an impression she made in her skimpy outfit. WOW.
Linda went on to other films such as "The Nickel Ride", "Brubaker", "Rolling Thunder" and the Jack Hill classic "Coffy" which is her best film as far as I am concerned.
Linda Haynes passed asaw on July 17th, 2023 at the age of 75.
ROBOT MONSTER 1953 (BAYVIEW ENTERTAINMENT) BLU-RAY 3-D
ATTENTION HU-MANS......RO-MAN HAS ARRIVED!!!
There are only, maybe a handful of films I consider to be masterpieces of cinema. When I say this I mean a movie that is something I could watch over and over and never have the entertainment value diminish.
This is one of those films. I have seen it many times and even forged a great friendship with a man named John Fredriksen because of this film. Sadly John passed away a number of years ago and didn't live to see this come to DVD in it's original format of 3-D. If he were still with us I am sure we would be watching this on the phone together.
The 3-D Film Archive brings us a totally restored version of the film in its stunning 3-D and does it look fantastic. It's available on the disc in both 3-D that can only be watched on 3-D capable TV's as well as Anaglyph 3-D which is where you can wear 3-D glasses and see it on regular sets.
I have waited my entire movie watching life to see this and the day finally arrived. Despite it's $16.000 budget and 4 day shooting schedual, the 3-D that director Phil Tucker used is right up there with all the big budget efforts.
Now you can finally see Ro-Man coming out of the screen right at you and so much more. There are over 2 hours of bonus material included on this spectacular Blu-ray.
This is easily the TOP RELEASE of 2023 and I VERY, VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND this fantastic presentation. Robot Monster is one of my favorite films ever made, and this just makes it even better.
I believe this is where "must" and "cannot" meet on the graph. Get it fast and enjoy it.
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