DEADLY IMPACT 1984 (VIDTAPE)

Strange movie that really doesn't go anywhere.

This movie starts with a young couple that have the technology to rip off slot machines in Las Vegas. They attract the attention of two goons who what it for themselves.

The two crooks leave a bloody trail of murder in seeking the whereabouts of the couple and this attracts the attention of a cop named George Ryan (Bo Svenson) and his friend Lou (Fred Williamson).

The chase scenes go on forever and the buddy relationship with Williamson and Svenson is just not too developed, and it really should be.

This is an Italian production filmed in Arizona and Nevada and things never seem to gel. The ending is a downbeat one and not what I expected at all.

This film works as a good time waster, but it isn't anything special. The rest of the cast includes Marcia Clingan, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Vincent Conte and Karen de Witt.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Debbie Gibson is 55, Mickie James is 46, and Ashley Hartman is 40.

HUMAN FACTOR 1975 (DARK SKY FILMS)

Not too bad of a revenge thriller.

This was the last film directed by Edward Dmytryk whose career goes way back to the glorious 40's.

George Kennedy stars as John Kinsdale, a Government employee with a very good family life living in Italy. One day while he is at work his entire family is killed by an army of unknown terrorists.

John is devastated and vows revenge. He enlists the aid of a co-worker named Mike McAllister (John Mills) to help him using a computer and a data tracking system. This is used in conjunction with some evidence John has obtained from police inspector Dr. Lupo (Raf Vallone).

Slowly Mike pieces everything together and then goes on a small rampage thru Rome in order to kill everyone involved with the murder of his family.

The climax is somewhat contrived, but it is an attention holder and does get a little bloody. If you like action movies, you might want to give this a try.

The rest of the cast includes Barry Sulllivan, Rita Tushingham, Shane Rimmer, Thomas Hunter, Arthur Franz, Haydee Politoff, and Frank Avianca.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Cameron Diaz is 53.

RED SONJA 1985 (STUDIO CANAL) BLU-RAY

This was an entertaining movie and I liked it better than I thought I would.

Brigitte Nielsen stars as the tite character Red Sonja. She is a chosen one who must take down an evil ruler named Gedren (Sandahl Bergman).

Gedren is determined to rule the entire world at any cost and she has an ancient talisman to help her do just that. Sonja is joined on her journey by a child Prince named Tarn (Ernie Reyes, Jr.), his friend Falkon (Paul L. Smith) and a great warrior called Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

There is plenty of action and adventure that reminded me of many films I have seen before. That's not a bad thing however. It's a throwback to the good old days of movies without tons of CGI crap and ILM.

Nielsen looks great as a warrior on a mission and director Richard Fleischer actually lets the characters develope and work as a team to destroy Gedren.

Sandahl Bergman does a great turn as a baddie here, and I think she looks great in her outfit. She and Nielsen have a great final battle which is well handled.

If you're looking for brainless action that you can just sit back and enjoy, this is a movie for you. Check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Frank Henenlotter is 75.

SCARS OF DRACULA 1970 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

Roy Ward Baker directed this entry in the Hammer Dracula series.

Christopher Lee plays the evil count for the fifth time. I haven't read too many good things about this movie from horror fans, but I found it to be very entertaining.

The movie opens with an angry crowd from a small village attempting to burn down the counts castle. They fail and now live in fear. Before long a young man named Paul Carlson (Christopher Matthews) is on the run from the police of a small village and ends up at the castle.

He is welcomed in by a beautiful woman called Tania (Anouska Hempel) and Dracula (Christopher Lee) himself. Paul is invited to stay the night and soon finds he has more trouble than he can deal with.

Paul's brother Simon (Dennis Waterman) and his lovely girlfriend Sarah (Jenny Hanley) go searching for him after he fails to return. Simon and Sarah are treated like crap by the local citizens and soon also end up at the castle.

It's here that Simon must try and save Jenny from Dracula's evil clutches. There is plenty to like in this movie if you're a horror fan. There are gruesome scenes of bats attacking people, Dracula stabbing a woman to death and torturing his helper named Klove (Patrick Troughton) with a red hot sword.

It's a fast paced movie and I was kept very entertained thru the entire run time. It may not be the best Dracula film from Hammer, but it certainly isn't the worst.

I can't help but recommend this to any horror fan that hasn't yet seen it.

The rest of the cast includes Michael Ripper, Michael Gwynn, Delia Lindsay, and Margo Boht.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Bach is 79, and Hugo Stiglitz is 85.

SOUTH OF PANAMA 1941 (ALPHA)

Standard but entertaining PRC crime film directed by Jean Yarbrough.

A reporter, Mark Lawrence (Roger Pryor) gets off of a plane in Panama and is suddenly run up to and kissed by a beautiful woman whose name he doesn't know.

Unknown to him her name is Jan Martin (Virginia Vale) and she is trying to protect her brother who has come to Panama to meet with members of the British Government about a protective paint he has developed that makes planes hard to see, and during WW2 this would be a great device to use.

Mark gets involved with a murder as German agents believe he is the inventor of the paint and they want him dead. The movie moves along quickly as it is barely over an hour.

The cast is very good, but Vale steals the show as Jan Martin who disguises herself as a Spanish singer. She does great in a dual role.The rest of the cast includes Hugh Beaumont, Lionel Royce, Duncan Renaldo, Sam McDaniel and Jack Ingram.

If you have an hour to kill you might want to check this out..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Tuesday Weld is 82.

EMPIRE OF THE DARK 1991 (VCI) BLU-RAY

Now, this is an odd movie co-produced by Fred Olen Ray.

Steve Barkett directed and stars in this weird horror/action film. Barkett stars as Richard Flynn, a retired policeman now turned private bounty hunter.

Flynn retired from police work after the woman he loved was killed by satanists and before you know it, he is pulled back into a case involving the very same Satanists he killed 20 years earlier.

Barkett's real life som Christopher plays his son Terry in this movie. Flynn joins with his son and a former co-worker, policeman named Eddie Green (Jay Richardson) to defeat the cult and bring an end to their reign of terror and killing.

There is an interesting combination of stop motion animation involving a giant demon from Hell and action as Flynn is always fighting an endless army of hooded ninja demons. Richard Harrison is the leader of the demonic cult who sacrifices women in order to rule the world.

A very low budget effort and even though most of the fight scenes are poorly done, you can tell that the filmmakers were at least trying and did put the best effort they could into the film.

There are a lot of what I call insert shots of various buildings, and they do use a lot of old style backdrop shots in this film. Hey, you do what you gotta do with no money.

The rest of the cast includes Dawn Wildsmith, Joe Pilato, Tera Hendrikson, Jan Bryant and Trisha Drake. It's an odd movie, but you might like it. I did.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joan Freeman is 84, Jane Merrow is 84, and Akiko Wakabayashi is 84.

DELUSION 1981 (VINEGAR SYNDROME) BLU-RAY

This is also known as "The House Where Death Lives".

This murder mystery.slasher film has been widely neglected for some reason. It's not the greatest movie of the genre, but it's much better than most.

A nurse named Merideth Stone (Patricia Pearcy) moves into a mansion to care for a crippled man named Ivar Langrock (Joseph Cotton) and while everything starts out ok, it soon goes very wrong.

There seems to be several skeltons in the family closet and people start to die in various gruesome ways. There are some interesting scenes in here and the twist ending is a kicker.

Cotton made one more movie after this before retiring and it's always a pleasure to see him in anything. It's a good gothic horror film that really slow burns, but, as I said, the climax is worth it.

The presentation from VS is excellent and I do recommend this obscure thriller for fans of the slasher genre.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Tom Skerritt is 92, and Claudia Schiffer is 55.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Connie Mason is 88.

SUBTERFUGE 1968 (TUBI)

This was an interesting movie.

Gene Barry stars as a C.I.A. agent named Michael Donovan.

Donovan is sent to London to assist A British Intelligence agent named Peter Langly (Tom Adams) in finding a mole and stopping a large security leak.

He must also destroy a foreign spy network, and there are a lot of twists and turns. The movie is well done with a great cast of actors and actresses.

Donovan starts having an affair with Anne Langly (Joan Collins) because she and her husband are on the verge of separation. As Donovan works to find the mole, he gets a most shocking answer as to who it is, and so does the viewer.

I had never heard of this movie before and was glad to have found it on TUBI. The rest of the cast includes Richard Todd, Suzanna Leigh, Michael Rennie and Gary Clifford.

When I saw the cast I knew I had to see this, and it was great to see Collins and Leigh in the same film. If you are a fan of spy thrillers, then this is for you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Raven De La Croix is 78, Holly Hallstrom is 73, and Pia Degermark is 76.

RIP REX HOLMAN 1935-2025

Another very well known character actor has died.

Rex Holman made his movie debut as a psycho killer in the crime film "Ma Barker's Killer Brood".

Because of his sinister looks he was often cast as a bad guy and he gave it his all in every role. When he was on screen you knew he was looking for trouble.

Some of his many film roles wer in movies such as "Panic In Year Zero", "The Outlaws Is Coming", and "The Savage Land".

He also did many TV shows including "Land Of The Giants", "Have Gun Will Travel", "Mod Squad", "Streets Of San Francisco", "Twilight Zone", "Outer Limits" and "Daniel Boone".

His death has just been reported but he passed away on January 9, 2025 at the age of 89.

RIP DAVID KETCHUM 1928-2025

The famous character actor has passed away.

Ketchum was a very familiar face if you grew up watching TV in the 60's and 70's.

He appeared in many comedy shows including "The Jim Backus Show", "Petticoat Junction", Mayberry RFD", and many, many more.

He was best known for his recurring role as Agent 13 on "Get Smart". His character was always in the most cramped places such as dryers, small boxes and such.

His comedic timing was perfect and he always brought laughter to everyone. David ketchum passed away on August 10, 2025 at the age of 97.

CAPTAIN VIDEO: MASTER OF THE STRATOSPHERE 1951 (VCI ENTERTAINMENT)

A Columbia 15 chapter serial.

The serial era was coming to an end in the 50's, but Columbia was cranking them out faster than most.

Judd Holdren stars as Captain Video and Larry Stewart is his partner known only as Ranger.

Captain Video and his crew fight evil invaders from the planet Atoma led by Vultura (Gene Roth). The scenes of Atoma are in Red while shots of another planet are Green, all thanks to Cinecolor.

I liked this serial, but it really wasn't anything new and some of it is forgettable. If you are a serial fan as I am, then watch it, but otherwise just ship this and find something better.

Trivia: Not one single female appears in the entire run of 15 chapters.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Vera Miles is 95, and Barbara Eden is 94.

FLESH MERCHANT 1956 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Strange movie from the dying days of the "nudie cutie" films.

W. Merle Connell directed this movie about a young woman who visits her sister in Hollywood at a modeling agency and soon becomes involved in a protitution racket.

The version I saw years ago was cut, but this one has all the naughty parts back in it. It's just some random shots of topless women and is very tame today.

The movie runs under an hours and even then it plods along in spots. The ending is well done, but the movie ends abruptly and if you blink, you miss it.

If you like these kinds of movies I can recommend it as a time killer, but that's about all.

ATTACK OF THE 60 FOOT CENTERFOLDS 1995 (CONCORD)

I saw this many years ago and got a chance to see it again.

I admit I still love the heck out of it.

Fred Olen Ray directed this wonderful little movie which is, of course, a take off of 50's sci-fi films, but with nudity and goofy comedy.

A beautiful model named Angel Grace (J.J. North) takes a beauty enhansing drug and grows to 60 feet tall. Her problems are just starting as she is challenged by a rival model, Betty (Tammy Parks) who also takes the drug and grows in size.

There is a sub-plot concerning a giant rat that has gotten loose in a medical building where Angel's doctor, Dr. Lindstrom (John LaZar) does his experiments. His two assistants, Dr. Eric Cramer (George Stover) and Dr. Joyce Mann (Michelle Bauer) steal every scene they are in withgood comic timing.

The final battle between Angel and Betty takes place in Los Angeles. Lindstrom comes to the rescue as he uses a drug that makes the women normal size again.

The films moves along at a good pace and is never boring. The women are great eye candy and the comedy, in my opinion is spot on.

The rest of the cast includes Nikki Fritz, Raelyn Saalman, Tim Abell, Ted Monta, Jay Richardson, Russ Tamblyn, Stanley Livingston, Ross Hagen, Tommy Kirk, Peter Spellos and Debra Dutch.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Patty McCormack is 80, and Eve Torres is 41.

HIT LIST 1989 (TUBI)

Not too bad of a film from director William Lustig.

The movie has a great premis. In order to keep a top man in his organization from appearing in court, a crime boss named Vic Luca (Rip Torn) arranges to have his top killer, Chris Kaleek (Lance Henriksen) bump him off.

This does not go as planned when Kaleek breaks into the wrong house and kills the wrong man as well as kidnap the wrong child from the home. The planned target, Frank DeSalvo (Leo Rossi) decides to help out the father of the kidnapped child, Jack Collins (Jan Michael Vincent).

There are some interesting set pieces here including one where a pizza restaraunt owner has his face burned in an oven and the ending makes you think you're watching a horror film with a killer that seems to be unstoppable.

Acting kudos go to Henriksen as the completely over the top killer. Lustig really pulls out all the stops on a crime film that, like I just stated, turns into horror, or so we think, during the climax.

If you're a fan of thses kinds of movies, I think you'll like it. The rest of the cast includes Harold Sylvester, Jere Burns, Ken Lerner, and the one and onlly Charles Napier whose role is fantastic, and the opening scene in the movie is owned by him. You won't believe it!!

I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF 1957 (MYSTICAL POPCORN)

I finally managed to obtain a great looking DVD of one of my favorite films.

I have written about this movie before, but since it has been a while, I figured I'd do it again.

I am sure you all know the plot anyway. Michael Landon stars as Tony Rivers, a young man with a violent temper and who is always on the verge of snapping.

One night at a party he goes too far by beating up a friend and he is sent to see Dr. Brandon (Whit Bissell). Thie doctor is conducting experiments and one of them, which he hides from everyone, is regression of people to their primative beginnings.

His experiments make Tony change into a werewolf that begins a series of killings in the small town. This is an all time classic film from American International Pictures and one that made a huge impression on me when I first saw it as a very young lad.

It was the most sucessful film AIP had during the 50's and that is siimply because it's a great movie. If you get a chance, check it out, and if you've already seen this gem, maybe you should watch it again.

The rest of the cast includes Yvonne Lime, Barney Phillips, Guy Williams, Robert Griffin, Malcolm Atterbury, Louise Lewis, Ken Miller and Vladimir Sokoloff.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Diana Muldaur is 87, Jill St. John is 85, Debra Paget is 92, and Darby Hinton is 68.

MIND OVER MURDER 1979 (PARAMOUNT)

A well made TV movie.

Lovely Deborah Raffin stars as Suzy, a fashion model who suddenly developes strange powers.

Those powers include watching events that haven't happend yet, and seeing a mysterious bald man (Andrew Prine) who is somehow connected to her.

Her boyfriend Jason (Bruce Davison) is too self absorbed to really care about Suzy, but Ben Kushing (David Ackroyd) from the ATSB takes notice of Suzy, especially when she recites the entire dialogue of pilots that were in a plane that was bombed.

Yes, it's a bizarre tale, but it works very well indeed. Raffin brings great life to her character and her final showdown with the bald man, whose name we never find out, is very well done and you find yourself rooting for her to kill the weird dude.

I don't really know why this film is so obscure except that it's made for TV and a lot of those have fallen thru the cracks of the entertainment world.

I really recommend this little thriller and hope you get a chance to see it. The rest of the cast includes Chris Cary, Robert Egland, Penelope Willis, Wayne Heffley and Paul Lukather.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Carole Bouquet is 68, and Julie K. Smith is 58.

HEATSTROKE 2008 (GOLDHILL)

Another SYFY channel made for TV movie.

The plot is simple enough. Alien dinosaur creatures are stationed in Hawaii and slowly trying to heat up the Earth so they can invade and take over.

D.B. Sweeney stars as Steve O' Bannon, a man who works for a government agency that is investigating aliens. In the opening scene he crashes his one man plane into a photoshoot and he meets a model named Caroline (Danica McKellar).

They both soon finds themselves fighting for their lives against hundreds of alien monsters. Now as far as the movie goes, I didn't mind it too much, but the effects leave a lot to be desired.

CGI effects are, in my opinion, the worst since the development of film effects. They will never look as good as effects in movies from the 1920's thru the early 90's. I think movie makers depend on CGI way too much, and it still, even in 2025 has not reached the stage of looking good.

The creatures look a little too cartoonish and the killings are just not too convincing. These CGI effects have replaced make-up departments in the movie business and puppet and miniture creators.

The movie is ok as a time waster, but man do I wish the effects were better. The rest of the cast includes the lovely Kelly Rice, Chris Cleveland, Parker Benton, Kimberly Nault and Jessica Warfield.

As usual, the women are the main attraction of this movie. See it, and decide for yourself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Belinda Carlisle is 67.

SANTO AND THE BLUE DEMON IN THE WORLD OF THE DEAD 1970 (LIONSGATE)

Another wild Mexican wrestling movie, and this one is not dubbed nor does it have subtitles.

The movie spends the first 30 minutes in old Mexico during the Inquisition and we see a silver masked man fighting evil back in the day.

Flash forward to modern times and Santo must fight and evil witch from the past who inhabits the body of the woman he loves and brings an army of the dead back to once again terrorize the world...well Mexico anyway.

There are some impressive scenes in this movie and you gotta love it when Santo ends up fighting a few dead men during a wrestling match and then gets stabbed in the heart and is rushed to the hospital.

We are then treated to scenes of real open heart surgery and before you know it Santo is fully recovered and again fighting evil. The Blue Demon has very little to do in this film, but hey, when you have two huge legends in one film you make the most of it.

All in all not a bad film to kill time with. But, as I said, it has no subtitles and it not dubbed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Julie Newmar is 92, Ann Blyth is 98, George Eastman is 83, Gary Clarke is 92, and Mirta Miller is 77.