PREHISTORIC WOMEN 1950 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is the best print of this film I have ever seen!

This is a pretty standard addition on many PD sets since DVD came into being and all of the prints have been very, very dark. This one is beautiful from a 35mm print.

The gorgeous Laurette Luez stars as Tigri, a woman in prehistoric times who lives with a tribe of other women. It has come time for the women to find mates. They run across several cavemen on a hunting trip and they capture them.

One man named Engor (Allen Nixon) escapes and heads back home to heal from his wounds. Later he decides to find his friends and he does after discovering fire which he uses to subdue the women of the tribe as well as fight a giant flying monster.

The men, while taking the women back to their home run into a giant called Guadi (Johann Petursson) and he traps them in a cave. They use fire to burn and kill the giant and the women decide to stay with the men, but they all decide to return to the women's camp and start new lives as man and wife.

This is a pretty simple plot, and I always find this movie as an enjoyable little effort. The rest of the cast in this Gregg Tallas film includes Joan Shawlee, Judy Landon, Mara Lynn and Kerry Vaughn.

The Sinister print is really beautiful and I recommend it to any fan of the film. Yes, again I like this movie and my God Laurette Luez is simply gorgeous.

TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA 1975 (CRITERION) BLU-RAY

This is the final Showa Era Godzilla movie.

The big guy wouldn't make another screen appearance for 9 years. I have seen the standard edition DVD of this film, but the Criterion version makes that pale by comparison.

The ape-like aliens are back once again trying to take over Earth and they now have a scientist/traitor helping them. Dr. Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata) has turned on the human race after his scientific theories got him laughed at and fired.

Mafune also has discovered a huge sea monster named Titanosaurus and the aliens use this monster as well as their Mechagodzilla to terrorize the world.

Mafune's daughter Katsura (Tomoko Ai) is very aloof and won't help anyone who is trying to stop the aliens. We soon discover that the aliens saved her life and implanted a control device for Mechagodzilla inside of her. She slowly starts to fall in love with a young biologist named Akira (Katsuhiko Sasaki).

The alien's plans start to falls apart with the arrival of Godzilla and soon there is a three monster battle for the world. Ishiro Honda returned to the directing chair for this final epic and you can tell.

This is the only Godzilla movie with a slight bit of nudity in it as we see Katsura's breasts during a surgery scene, but it's downlayed so much as to be obsolete.

This version is simply beautiful looking and it's not too bad for the final Godzilla film. He took a hiatus from movies until he returned in the film Godzilla 1984 which is better known as Return Of Godzilla.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this set from Criterion is a MUST for and Godzilla fan. VERY, VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Terry Funk is 76, and Victoria Crawford is 34.

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND 1964-1967 SEASON 1 (WARNER)

I don't know if there is anyone I know that hasn't seen this show at one point or another.

The show ran for 3 years on CBS and was a huge hit. Over the years it was syndicated on TV continuously and I think I have seen every episode hundreds of times. I love this show, and it was a huge part of my childhood. It starred Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale as The Skipper, Jim Backus as Mr. Howell, Natalie Schafer as Mrs. Howell, Tina Louise as Ginger, Dawn Wells as Mary Ann and Russell Johnson as The Professor.

TWO ON A RAFT 9/26/64...The pilot episode finds the SS Minnow wrecked on a deserted island so the Skipper (Alan Hale) and Gilligan (Bob Denver) decide to take a raft and get help. The shark attack scene is a classic!

HOME SWEET HUT 10/3/64...The castaways decide to build their own huts instead of a communal one. Will they be hurricane and Gilligan proof?

VOODOO SOMETHING TO ME...10/10/64...The Skipper is convinced that Gilligan has been turned into a chimp via a voodoo curse.

GOODNIGHT SWEET SKIPPER 10/17/64...The Skipper dreams about fixing the transmitter, but cannot remember what he dreamed. The Professor (Russell Johnson) tries to induce sleep so rescue might be at hand.

WRONGWAY FELDMAN 10/24/64... The Castaways discover a once famous pilot named "Wrong Way" Feldman (Hans Conried) is on the island and might provide their rescue.

PRESIDENT GILLIGAN 10/31/64...Gilligan is voted president of the island but nobody listens to him anyway.

THE SOUND OF QUACKING 11/7/64...A duck discovered by the castaways is used as a way of carrying a message back for rescue. When that fails they decide the duck might make a good meal.

GOODBYE ISLAND 11/21/64...Gilligan discovers a tree sap that might be able to hold the SS Minnow together and enable the castaways to sail away.

THE BIG GOLD STRIKE 11/28/654...Mr. Howell (Jim Backus) and Gilligan (Bob Denver) discover a huge gold mine and Howell wants to keep it a secret.

WAITING FOR WATUBI 12/5/64...This is one of my all time favorite episodes. The Skipper (Alan Hale) believes he is cursed by an ancient Tiki God, and the only one that can save him is Watubi, and ancient south seas island God.

ANGEL ON THE ISLAND 12/12/64... Ginger (Tina Louise) has a very off, off broadway play produced by Mr. Howell.

BIRDS GOTTA FLY, FISH GOTTA TALK 12/19/64...After reports of a possible rescue turn out to be false, the castaways holiday spirit is brought down.

THREE MILLION DOLLARS MORE OR LESS 12/26/64... A small bet between Gilligan and Howell turns into a 3 million dollar gain for Gilligan.

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE 1/2/65... With their fresh water supply dwindling, the castaway must look for a new supply...but where?

SO SORRY, MY ISLAND NOW 1/9/65...A Japanese sailor (Vito Scotti) captures the castaways because he thinks WW2 is still being fought.

PLANT YOU NOW, DIG YOU LATER 1/16/65...The castaways have a court hearing to determine who owns a treasure chest Gilligan found while digging a pit for Mr. Howell.

LITTLE ISLAND, BIG GUN 1/23/65...A bank robber (Larry Storch) comes to the island to hide out.

X MARKS THE SPOT 1/30/65... An unarmed US warhead lands on the island and the castaways think their days are numbered.

GILLIGAN MEETS JUNGLE BOT 2/6/65... A jungle boy (Kurt Russell) is discovered to be living on the island.

ST. GILLIGAN AND THE DRAGON 2/13/65... The men and women have an argument and decide to live in separate camps, but when a scary monster appears, they discover how much they really need one another.

BIG MAN ON A LITTLE STICK 2/20/65...A surfer (Denny Miller) lands on the island after riding a freak tsunami wave.

DIAMONDS ARE AN APES BEST FRIEND 2/27/65... A gorilla kidnaps Mrs. Howell (Natalie Schaefer) after also stealing some of her jewelry. How to rescue her?

HOW TO BE A HERO 3/6/65... The castaways attempt to make a depressed Gilligan a hero.

THE RETURN OF WRONG WAY FELDMAN 3/13/65... The pilot returns and decides to stay on the island forever. The castaways have other plans however.

THE MATCHMAKER 3/20/65... Mrs. Howell tries to play matchmaker between Gilligan and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells).

MUSIC HATH CHARMS 3/27/65...The castaways form a symphonic group and the music attracts headhunters to the island who believe the music to be war drums.

NEW NEIGHBOR SAM 4/3/65...A parrot tells the castaways about missing jewels and a boat. Now they have to find them.

THEY'RE OFF AND RUNNING 4/10/65...The Skipper loses everything including Gilligan in turtle racing against Mr. Howell.

THREE TO GET READY 4/17/65...Gilligan finds a magic stone that grants it's owner 3 wishes. Will this finally be the rescue the castaways have been waiting for?

FORGET ME NOT...The Professor (Russell Johnson) hypnotizes the Skipper to cure amnesia, but the skipper comes to believe they are all Japanese soldiers.

DIOGENES WONT YOU PLEASE GO HOME 5/1/65...The castaways begin writing their diaries about their adventures on the island.

PHYSICAL FATNESS 5/8/65...The Professor creates a glowing dye that might get the group rescued which means the Skipper will have to lose weight if he wants to rejoin the Navy.

IT'S MAGIC 5/15/65...A magicians crate washes ashore and the castaways decide to practice magic acts. Meanwhile a rift makes Gilligan disappear.

GOODBYE OLD PAIN 5/22/65...Harold J. Stone stars as Dubov, an artist who is also on the island. He refuses to leave since he hates people and the castaways decide to make his life miserable so he will get them rescued.

MY FAIR GILLIGAN 6/5/65...Gilligan saves the life of Mrs. Howell and Mr.Howell decides to adopt him as their son.

A NOSE BY ANY OTHER NAME 6/12/65...Gilligan gets a swollen nose from a fall and has a lot of trouble believing that it will go away soon. This was the final episode of season 1.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Gary Busey is 76.

RIP LINDA CRISTAL 1934-2020

One of the most beautiful actresses in the world has passed away.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1934 she began her acting career in 1952 with several uncredited and very small roles. The film that first brought her to the attention of the public was "Comanche" in 1956.

Just two years later in 1958 she starred in two more western films that have become classics..."The Last Of The Fast Guns" and "The Fiend That Walked The West".

After appearing in several more film her greatest success came on the small screen as she starred in "The High Chaparral" as Victoria Cannon. This is what first brought her to my attention.

Linda was absolutely beautiful on the show and even in my youth I knew there was something very special about her. She retied from acting in 1985, but nobody that watched "The High Chaparral" will ever forget her. She won 2 Emmy Awards for her performance on the show which ran for four years.

Linda Cristal passed away on June 27th, 2020 from natural causes at the age of 86.

RAMBLINGS...

A couple of interesting things happening in the next few days.

It seems that according to the widow of George Romero, his "lost" film entitled "The Amusement Park" is finally ready for distribution and hopefully we will all get to see it either at theaters or on Blu-ray.

It stars Lincoln Mazaal as an elderly man who becomes increasingly disoriented and isolated in an amusement park due to the pains, tragedies and humiliations of growing older.

I really want to see this film because it's not only a Romero film, but it's a strong commentary on what it's like to grow old in America, and let's face it, if you're over 50 in this country you are generally dis-liked and ignored and I deal with it every day. I'll keep my eye on this and let you know when it hits the big screen, if it does.

This coming Saturday, July 4th, 2020 is the 50th anniversary of American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. The show was great during the 70's and 80's when Kasem hosted it and it was a major part of my life. It's hard to believe that it's been 50 years since the first broadcast!! I know I'll be listening to the very first broadcast sometime this weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Bruce Davison is 74, Lalla Ward is 69, and Pamela Rodgers is 77.

RIP TARYN POWER 1953-2020

Dione is gone.

Taryn Power, best known to genre fans for her role as Dione in the classic "Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger" has passed away.

Power appeared on a few TV shows such as Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas and made a few movies such as "House Of Pleasure For Women", "The Sea Serpent" and the above mentioned film.

A very beautiful woman who made her mark in very few films. She passed away on June 26th, 2020 from leukemia at the age of 66.

DRUMS OF JEOPARDY 1931 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Very off beat but fun murder mystery.

Warner Oland stars as Dr. Boris Karlov. His daughter dies over a romantic relationship with an aristocrat, and Karlov vows vengeance on the entire family.

He forewarns them of their impending death by sending them a small part of a necklace called "Drums Of Jeopardy". Oland is cold and calculating thru the entire film, and he really knows how to take revenge.

His confrontation with Abbie Krantz (Clara Blandick) is priceless and it is ultimately her who brings about the madman's demise by causing him to fall into a river running underneath his laboratory. That is just one of many fun set pieces.

This is a very fast paced little thriller running a little over one hour so it really can't slow down. If you haven't ever seen this, I think you should. It's a great example of 30's horror/mystery and it proves that they didn't need a huge studio name to make a great film.

GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA 1974 (CRITERION) BLU-RAY

The next to last Godzilla film of the Showa Era.

This film took 3 years to reach the USA in 1977 and it was re-titled "Godzilla Vs. The Cosmic Monster". It is a standout of the 70's Godzilla movies.

Ape-like aliens from a distant galaxy plan on taking over the Earth by using a doppelganger of Godzilla. The monster starts a spree of destruction and suddenly he is confronted by Godzilla.

With it's phony skin ripped off we see that the other "Godzilla" is a huge robot capable of mass destruction from lasers to missiles in it's fingers. Godzilla has his hands full until he gets aid from an ancient God of Okinawa island called King Caesar, who is an interesting creation himself.

There are some great destruction in this film and the battle scenes are very well handled. They remind me of earlier Godzilla films. The actors handle their roles well and the interaction between humans and aliens is pretty cool as well.

The opening scenes of MechaGodzilla ripping Anguirus' jaw apart is really quite jarring in it's own right and there is a little bit of gore as Godzilla spews blood everywhere during one battle.

This is one from my pre-teen years that I really enjoyed. I enjoyed it as much this time around as well. It's a high mark in the Showa Era and should please any Godzilla fan. The presentation is beautiful thanks to Criterion.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Robert Davi is 69, Terri Nunn is 61, and Pamela Bellwood is 69.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

June Lockhart is 95, Brenda Sykes is 71, and Layla El is 43.

HOT MONEY GIRL 1959 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Good little thriller.

Eddie Constantine stars as Larry Brennan who, during WW2 has hidden a fortune in jewels in St. Teresa's Convent in Czechoslovakia.

The story then jumps ahead 14 years and Larry is back and is soon recruited to steal the jewels out of the convent. He runs across a young woman named Hedi (Dawn Addams) whom he promised he would return someday.

He meets her in a nightclub that is actually an upscale brothel that she works in. He takes her out of there and tries to kindle their romance as both of them join in the heist.

The head of the deal is Rudi Siebert (Marius Goring) who is actually interested in getting the jewels and running off with them himself. There is plenty of action in this fast moving thriller.

Constantine turns in his usual great performance and he and Addams make a good pair together. The on location filming helps add realism to the proceedings and if you like crime films from the late 50's this should be right up your ally.

This is also known as The Treasure of San Teresa, but the Sinister print is under the review title. It's a nice wide screen price and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The last 15 minutes is some of the best film making I have seen in a while. RECOMMENDED.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Michele Lee is 78.