Robert Duvall turned 91 on Jan. 5th.
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, HELGA LINE, CAROLINE MUNRO, JOHN FREDRIKSEN, JOHN ZACHERLE, CLEO MOORE , ROSALBA NERI, ERIKA BLANC, FEMI BENUSSI, SHIRLEY CORRIGAN, ROSANNA YANNI, MIRTA MILLER, KARIN DOR, BARBARA BOUCHET, MAMIE VAN DOREN, BARBARA STEELE and, of course, CASEY KASEM.
Friday, January 7, 2022
RIP SIDNEY POITIER 1927-2022
A screen legend has died.
Poitier didn't make any genre films, but his screen credits are very imprtessive none the less.
Poitier will always be remembered for such movie classics as "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner", "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs", "The Defiant Ones" and many, many others.
I, like many I am sure, was introduced to him in the classic 1955 film "Blackboard Jungle" in which he played Gregory Miller, a troubled student in a New York high school. It's a classic film that will never be forgotten.
Poitier passed away on Jan. 7th, 2022 at the age of 94.
Thursday, January 6, 2022
RIP PETER BOGDANOVICH 1939-2022
One of the most famous film directors has died.
Peter Bogdanovich will forever be known for such films as "Paper Moon", "The Last Picture Show", "Mask" and many others.
However my movie life was influenced by some of his early works with Roger Corman. Films such as "Voyage To The Planet Of Prehistoric Women", and "Battle Beyond The Stars" are two of my favprite films.
Movie fans also know Bogdanovich directed the final film for Boris Karloff entitled "Targets". He also directed some of the classic "The Wild Angels" which was a huge hit for AIP.
Bogdanovich also acted in several films including "Targets" and "The Wild Angels". He was also a huge fan of classic Hollywood and gave a lot of time and money to film preservation.
The man of many talents passed away on Jan. 6th, 2022 at the age of 82 from natural causes.
GUNG HO 1943 (PLATINUM)
Not a bad film at all.
Randolph Scott stars as Col. Thorwald who is in charge of training a group of me they called Carlson's Makin Island Raiders during WW2.
Their job is to raid Japanese held islands and destroy them, along with every soldier on the island as well. The group is put together 7 weeks after Pearl Harbor.
The men are trained in every possible form of combat and soon the day comes when they are loaded onto a submarine and head for Makin Island. It's a very long battle sequence and very well done. This film served it's purpose as a way to bolster spirits of fighting men during WW2.
It's propaganda at it's best and it works well. The movie is very brutal for the time period, but war is hell as they say. The rest of the cast includes Noah Beery, Jr., Walter Sande, Rod Cameron, Robert Mitchum, Peter Coe, Milburn Stone and David Bruce.
Universal would make a lot of WW2 movies over the years, but this is by far one of the best ever. Check it out!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Nai Bonet is 83, Hiromi Oshima is 42, Liana Orfei is 84, Mark Forest is 89, and Jacqueline Moore is 58.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
FRIEND OF THE FAMILY 2 1996 (TUBI)
I caught this on Tubi with the title "Passionate Revenge" and really enjoyed it.
Fred Olen Ray directed this erotic thriller that really has noting to do with the first film at all. In this movie you have Alex (Paul Michael Robinson) who is gone a lot on his job and is currently in New Orleans.
While at a bar with a co-worker he meets a gorgeous woman named Linda (Shauna O' Brien) who has just broken up with her boyfriend. The two have a very torrid affair for a couple of days and then Alex returns to California and his wife Maddy (Jenna Bodnar) and their infant son.
Things are fine for a while until Maddy wants to return to work and wants to hire a nanny. Guess who gets the job? Linda, much to the shock of Alex. This sets up what I consider to be a very good movie more like the Shannon Tweed film "Scorned" than anything else.
O' Brien is totally nuts as the psycho who blackmails Alex into having a relationship with her while in his own home. The ending is a most bizarre one and very bleak if you pay attention.
The rest of the cast includes Arthur Roberts, Jeff Rector, Don Scribner and Kevin Patrick Walls. If you check this out I hope you like it. I know I did.
Monday, January 3, 2022
THE SPHINX 1933 (SINISTER CINEMA)
Good little pre-code thriller.
Lionel Atwill stars in this mystery/horror film as Jerome Breen, a deaf mute who is accused of a murder. What makes this so unique is that a witness swears that Breen asked him for a light and the time right after the murder.
The police have a problem as they must try and determine if Breen is really the killer or what.
It comes a no surprise that he has a twin brother he keeps in hiding so he can do his evil killings. This is a well made film that the studio, Monogram of course, remade in 1942 as "Phantom Killer".
Atwill is at the top of his game in this film as are Sheila Terry and Ted Newton. In it's brief 64 minute running time this film packs in more fun than many modern film three times as long.
This is not a hard film to find, so you might want to give it a try.
Sunday, January 2, 2022
Saturday, January 1, 2022
TOP DVD AND BLU-RAY RELEASES FOR 2021 PART 3
This is the final part of the countdown and here are the top three releases of 2021.
These three are all from the same releasing company which has never happened before, but Severin was really on top of their game in 2021.
03...DUNGEON OF ANDY MILLIGAN (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY...This is a spectacular collection of films from Milligan, and while they are an acquired taste, they are required viewing in my opinion. This set contains 14 of his films, and once seen they are never forgotten.
The films are presented in top quality and look better than they probably deserve to. All are uncut, of course and there are hours of extras and a great book called ANDY MILLIGANS DUNGEON by Stephen Thrower.
I never thought I'd see the day when Andy Milligan films would be treated with respect. That day came in warly sping 2021 and it was a welcome time indeed.
02...THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY...Another excellent box set from Severin. This collection consists of 5 films starring Lee and 24 episodes of the rare TV series he hosted called THEATER MACABRE. All of the films are presented in beautiful quality.
As with Severin's Andy Milligan set there are tons of extras as well as a book entitled CHRISTOPHER LEE: THE CONTINENTAL CONNECTION by Jonathan Rigby. I cannot recommend this set enough. This came out in late May, just a few months after the Milligan set.
I am sure you have probably guessed my number one pick for the year, and it really isn't a surprise, but it was long overdue on Blu-ray, but Severin took care of that in Mid December.
01... BLOODY PIT OF HORROR 1965 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY...After having dozens of VHS tapes and DVD's of varying quality this film has finall come out in a gorgeous version. It looks better than it has a right to, and it is the definative version. This Italian horror classic is presented totally uncut running 87 minutes.
I have stated before that this is my favorite Italian horror film and when this came out I knew this would be my favorite release of the year. If you're a fan of Italian horror I suggest you check this out. It gets no betterthan this.
Well, that's it. Over the last three weeks I have given you my list of some of the best of 2021. It's now a new year, and we will see if it's better for great releases.
Friday, December 31, 2021
BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA 1971 (TUBI)
A great film indeed.
Every Giallo fan should see this film. A detective named Tellini (Giancarlo Giannini) investigates what he thinks are ordinary murders. He soon discovers that there is a serial killer loose that has a most unusual way of killing.
The killer uses a serum that paralyzes the victims so they are still alive when he cuts their stomachs open. This is exactly how black wasps kill tarantulas, and slowly but surely Tellini makes this connection as well as the fact that all of the victims are somehow connected to a spa.
This is a great film and moves along with lightening speed. I was never gored for one second watching this finely crafted little film. The cast includes three women who starred in James Bond films, and that is delicious eye candy.
Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet and Barbara Bach are all lovely here and Bouchet is the first victim we see of the deranged killer. That is disturbing enough to set up the rest of the film.
The score by Ennio Morricone is wonderful and adds much to the film. I saw it on streaming, but it is also available on Blu-ray and DVD. Recommended.
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