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Friday, September 8, 2017

THE MANSTER 1959 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

One of my favorite 50's horror films comes to Blu-ray thanks to Shout Factory.

An American reporter (Peter Dyneley)meets a Japanese scientist named Robert Suzuki (Tetsu Nakamura) and before you can blink an eye the scientist has drugged the reporter and injected him with a mysterious serum.

The reporter, Larry Stanford soon changes from a mild mannered man into a raging maniac who kills a few people. He becomes more and more violent and his boss grows concerned. His wife flies in from the USA and is rejected by Stanford in favor of Suzuki's gorgeous assistant, Tara (Teri Zimmern).

Larry soon grows another head and becomes a two headed killer stalking the streets of Tokyo. Now, this is one entertaining and bizarre film.

There are many scenes which I have never forgotten since I first saw this as a child back in the good old days. The opening scene of a gorilla-like killer attacking a group of beautiful Japanese women and the credits roll as the blood splatters everywhere, the scene where Larry's hand changes into a hairy claw and when he discovers he has an eye growing on his shoulder. These are just some of the images in this wonderful little film.

This Japanese/American co-production looks fantastic on Blu-ray and although it has long been available on public domain budget labels, I cannot see any horror fan not having this disc in their collection.

The backstory of the cast would also make an interesting film. Peter Dyneley stars in this film with his wife Jane Hylton, both who died at very early ages. The stunning Teri Zimmern seems to have only made this film and disappeared from the film scene, which is our loss.

Anyway, this is easily a top release for the year and one that comes highly recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Heather Thomas is 60.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

GUN BROTHERS 1956 (TCM VIEWING)

This was the first feature film for star Buster Crabbe in six years.

I had never heard of this film before I saw it on TCM. Crabbe is Chad Santee, a man who has just come out of serving six years in the Cavalry. He is heading west to meet up with his brother Jubal.

On the stage he meets Blackjack Silk (James Seay) and Rose Fargo (Ann Robinson). The stage is held up by a notorious gang of outlaws.

Santee decides to investigate the robbery as well as making time with Rose. He finally meets his brother Jubal (Neville Brand) and finds out to his shock that it's Jubal who is heading the criminal gang. This western has many different twists and turns and it's greatest asset is that it works the morality tale perfectly.

When Jubal and Chad decide to work together it becomes the glue that holds the entire movie together. Sidney Salkow directed this little obscure western gem. The movie giva me a warm fuzzy feeling because the supporting cast is made up of many great actors and actresses whom I am familiar with and really like.

They include Walter Sands, Slim Pickens, Michael Ansara, Lita Milan, Roy Barcroft and Dorothy Ford. If you're a western fan you might want to check this one out. I highly recommend it!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Dario Argento is 77, Angie Everhart is 48, and Luigi Cozzi is 70.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

THE MARQUIS DE SADE'S JUSTINE 2017 (VERMEERWORKS)

A few years ago the people behind this film made "Maleficarum" and it was and will always be a masterpiece. When this film was announced and in production it seemed to cause a backlash, for reasons unknown to me.

Amy Hesketh produced and stars in this fine adaptation of the novel by the Marquis de Sade. The story has been filmed many times before, but not with such power.

Hesketh is Justine, a woman whose life has always lead her to trouble. The film opens with Justine being whipped and locked in stocks, and thus begins a flashback to tell what got her in this position.

She later falls into the hands of Rodin (Jac Avila) who has a lover Omphale (Beatriz Rivera) and a daughter Rosalie ( Mila Joya). Rodin spends his time subjecting all three women to tortures. All three women are beautiful, of course with Beatriz being the new woman in the circle of film makers.

The film is a stunning one to look at, and the fact that Amy's character of Justine addresses the audience as the story progresses is a very good idea which works well.

The backlash I spoke about earlier is simply that the fans of Maleficarum seemed to want a similar film and didn't get one. The backlash was something I couldn't understand, but that is how the public is, sadly.

I found this film to be very entertaining, well made and probably the best version of De Sade's story I have ever seen. Hesketh has done a magnificent job with the film and I would recommend it if you haven't seen it already. Granted it's not for everyone, but it's still a hell of a movie.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

TOXIC SHARK 2017 (SYFY VIEWING)

Yeah ok.

Another in a LLLOOOONNNNGGG line of shark movies produced for SYFY. This film actually makes "Gamera Vs. Viras" seem like a European Art Film!!

This disaster centers around a singles resort that is populated with young people who are only concerned with fitness, cell phones, selfies and the usual shit.

The "terror" starts when it's discovered that a strange poisonous shark is looking fir food in the nearby waters. This shark also has a horn on top of it's head that spews out green slime which is highly dangerous.

So dangerous is this green goop that it actually changes it's victims into shark zombies!!! I kid you not. This is the second shark movie I have watched on SYFY that failed to hold my interest.

It seems that modern low budget filmmakers have no concept how to tell a good story and they always use lousy CGI effects that look worse than anything made before it. I can only surmise that people who watch this turgid junk with regularity have no idea what real film making is.

Another in a long line of boring, inept modern horror films churned out for the masses without regard to quality or style. Thank god for films of the 20's thru the 80's so a film fan like me can have something to enjoy. Avoid this at all costs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Rose McGowan is 44, Raquel Welch is 77, and Scott Reiniger is 69.

Monday, September 4, 2017

SHEENA 1984 (MILL CREEK)

Gorgeous Tanya Roberts stars in this epic film that a lot of people hated when it first came out.

Based on the famous comic strip, Roberts looks fantastic in very little clothing and in some scenes totally naked, but that is getting away from the story.

Sheena's adoptive mother is accused of an assassination and Sheena must prove her innocence. A reporter Vic Casey (Ted Wass) decides to help Sheena and finds himself hunted as well.

Too many people dumped on this film and let's face it, it wasn't made to win any awards. it's just damn good fun for two hours. Roberts is perfect for the role and handles the acting chores just fine. The action sequences are very well done and fast paced.

I know people in the PC era cannot understand why a film that has two brief nude scenes can be rated PG, but believe it or not kiddies, there was a time in American history when men LIKED a beautiful, naked woman on the screen. Toay you couldn't make a film like this because men seem to not like beautiful actresses anymore.

This film is on DVD from Mill Creek along with 5 episodes of the 50's TV show also entitled "Sheena" and starring the beautiful Irish McCalla and the entire two season run of the syndicated show "Sheena Queen Of the Jungle" starring Gena Lee Nolin.

I will be reviewing these later, but you cannot go wrong with this set. Tanya Roberts, Irish McCalla and Gena Lee Nolin are three of the most beautiful women to ever put on a loin cloth.

The rest of the cast for this great action/adventure film includes Donovan Scott, Elizabeth Of Toro, France Zobda (whose death scene is unforgettable), and Clifton James. RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Michael Berryman is 69, Patricia Tallman is 60, and Jennifer Salt is 73.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

CHALLENGE THE DEVIL 1965 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is probably Christopher Lee's most obscure horror film.

Several young punks break into an old mansion after running a man over with one of their cars. Once inside the castle they get a surprise.

An old man in the castle promises them riches if they help him locate a young woman's body in the castle and help him bury it. They accept and soon find that the castle is a huge maze and leaving is nearly impossible.

The old man, played by Lee turns out to be the Devil and the young people have way more than they bargained for. This film does have a lot of memorable scenes involving ghosts, spiders and a strange room of mirrors.

While not the most coherent movie ever made, this one does hold your attention and as I mentioned, there are a few memorable scenes and they will indeed stick with you. The ending is also kind of a neat little twist.

I am glad Sinister has made this available, and even though it should be in widescreen, the picture quality is very, very good. It's rare and I think any horror fan or Chris Lee fan should see this film.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Amber Lynn is 53.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

ATOMIC SHARK 2016 (SYFY VIEWING)

Oh my, what can I possibly add to this title?

This is a SYFY production, so you pretty much know what to expect.

A shark that is contaminated with radiation eats people and gives off a deadly radiation that may wipe out the entire west coast.

A beautiful female lifeguard fights tremendous odds to try and stop this mutant killer. Now I know this might sound good, but it really isn't.

I very rarely watch any SYFY movie these days, but I caught this early morning on a day off at a friends house and I may never be the same again. I know I tore apart "Gamera Vs. Viras" a few weeks ago and even that dreadful film was better than this.

The sad thing is this film failed to keep my attention and the story was boring. Some of the dialogue was eye popping including the such gems as "You look fat when you condescend". to which the heroine replies "Bitch".

Jeff Fahey and David Faustino star, but the highlight is the lead actress, Rachele Brooke Smith who is simply lovely and should be making better horror films.

If you happen to see this film, I am sorry. A $500,000 budget wasted in my opinion.

Friday, September 1, 2017

RIP RICHARD ANDERSON 1926-2017

The actor best known as Oscar Goldman on the "Six Million Dollar Man" has passed away.

Richard Anderson will forever be associated with the role he made famous along side Lee Majors in the hit ABC series of the 70's, but his career involved a lot more.

Anderson started his career in 1947 with minor parts in films. Some of those parts were in such films as "Cause For Alarm", and "Go For Broke".

He landed roles in other films such as "The People Against O' Hara" and "Across The Wide Missouri", but my introduction to Anderson was in the 1958 sci-fi film "Curse Of The Faceless Man" and his small but pivotal role in "Forbidden Planet". I also loved him as the ages old killer in the "Night Strangler".

He would go on to appear in many, many TV shows such as "Land Of The Giants", "Mod Squad" "Hawaii Five-O" until he landed the of Oscar Goldman in "The Six Million Dollar Man" in which he appeared in 99 episodes.

A good, solid actor whose face was instantly recognizable he will be missed, but he has left one hell of a legacy behind. He turned 91 on Aug. 8th and died on Aug. 31st.

THE BRAIN 1962 (SINISTER CINEMA)

A nifty remake of Donovan's Brain.

Freddie Francis directed this classic about a ruthless multimillionaire businessman who is killed in a plane explosion. A doctor, Peter Corrie (Peter Van Eyck)keeps the man's brain alive as part of a scientific experiment.

His assistant Dr. Frank Shears (Bernard Lee) is against the idea, but slowly comes to realize the medical implications. Before too long the brain begins to take over Corrie's mind and he starts acting like the millionaire and is soon investigating people to find out who set the bomb on the plane.

There is no limit to suspects and the "possessed" Corrie even commits murder to find the killer. The names have been changed a bit and the story isn't set in the USA, but the plot is still the same as the previous film.

This German/English co-production is well worth a look and has a very interesting ending if you pay close attention. A simple straightforward story well done. I hadn't seen this film since I owned the VHS tape from Thriller Video back in the 80's.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jada Fire is 41.