FATAL CONFLICT 2000 (TUBI)

Ultra low budget sci-fi film that sometimes entertains and sometimes does not.

Sexy Kari Wuhrer stars as Sasha Burns, an undercover Government agent who must stop a madman from destroying what life there is left on Earth in the distant future.

The film borrows a lot of footage from another film, whose title I don't remember of scantily clad female prisoners working on a prison colony in order to set up the story. I have to admit I never imagined a prison where all of the female inmates look like payboy bunnies in chains...hmmmm, not a bad thought, but anyway, back to the film.

Sasha works her way from pretending to escape from the prison planet and soon is docking on a ship run by a psychpath named Conrad Nash (Leo Rossi) and his sexy sister Carla (Jennifer Rubin).

There is a lot of talk and very little action on this ship, but it does pick up towards the end when Sasha sets her plan in motion. I won't say I recommend this movie, but if you want to see it, it streams for free on Tubi.

Wuhrer looks fantastic as always and so does Rubin, so that makes the film tolerable anyway. Filmed in the Czech Republic as were many films of this type in the late 1990's and 2000's.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Chuck Norris is 80, Shannon Tweed is 65, Ron Starr is 78, Venetia Stevenson is 82, and Cynthia Brimhall is 57.

RAT FINK 1965 (RETROMEDIA)

This film was lost for 50 years, and recently rediscovered.

According to Retromedia the original print was destroyed in a fire and an old print was discovered in a warehouse. It has been very well restored by Fred Olen Ray and company.

This savage film was directed by James Landis who also directed the bleak "The Sadist" starring Arch Hall, Jr. The beautiful photography is by none other than Vilmos Zsigmond.

The story centers around a young man named Lonnie Price (Schuyler Hayden) who will do WHATEVER it takes to become famous. The film opens with Lonnie being chased off a train by detectives and then he stumbles onto a middle aged woman hanging her laundry outside.

She is extremely lonely and Lonnie takes advantage of her. He steals her money and disappears. Lonnie buys a guitar and travels to Los Angeles. He watches a very successful rock singer named Tommy Loomis (Don Snyder). Lonnie wants to be like Loomis so bad he sets him of fire after a concert and Loomis dies.

Lonnie then goes to Loomis' former manager and gets a contract to become a top singer. However, Lonnie isn't done yet. He tries to seduce his managers young wife and she ends up dying after they fight and he pushes her down the stairs. Later he gets a young teenage fan pregnant and he takes her to a veterinarian for an abortion.

She doesn't get the operation and so Lonnie drowns her in the ocean. When his manager discovers what Lonnie really is Lonnie races off in his sportscar and smacks a speeding train broadside...end of movie.

This film is a great little thriller and Schuyler Hayden is perfect for this role. He made only one more film before his untimely death at the age of 37 in a plane crash in 1978.

This little regional shocker really delivers the goods and it's a great thing this film was rediscovered. Films like this NEVER seem to get enough attention, and most of them I have seen are quite good.

If you enjoyed "The Sadist" you'll enjoy this as well. One of the best of it's kind.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Sue Ane Langdon is 86.

MUTANT X SEASON 2 2001-2004 (LIONSGATE)

The second season of Mutant X was as good as the first, and here is a rundown of episodes. Some are simply outstanding.

PAST AS PROLOGUE 10/5/02...An evil mutant named Ashlocke revives an ancient Egyptian alchemist who tries to destroy the Mutant X team.

POWER PLAY 10/12/02...The team tries to stop an insane Colonel from starting a nuclear war.

TIME SQUARED 10/19/02...Ashlocke returns and travels back in time to give the younger version of himself even more power. Brennen (Victor Webster) and Shalimar (Victoria Pratt) follow him.

WHOSE WOODS ARE THESE 10/26/02...The team heads into the wilderness to search for a mysterious monster that is killing hikers. This is one of my favorite episodes.

THE FUTURE REVEALED 11/2/02...Ashlocke infiltrates the headquaters of Mutant X in order to blackmail Adam (John Shea) into curing him of his fatal illness.

NO MAN LEFT BEHIND 11/9/02...The team must get to a place crash behind enemy lines and recover a secret Government weapon. This is a very tense episode.

CROSSROADS OF THE SOUL 11/16/02...Brennen uis trapped in an invisible town and the rest of the team must get him out.

SIGN FROM ABOVE 11/23/02...Shalimar is kidnapped by 3 aliens who want to find out what makes her a mutant. Another very good episode.

BODY AND SOUL 11/30/02...A disembodied mutant inhabits other bodies in an effort to get revenge on those who have put him in this condition.

UNDERSTUDY 1/13/03...Shalimar is injured on a case and is helped by another ferel mutant. But is there something behind this act of kindness?

THE GRIFT 1/20/03...Brennen's ex-girlfriend asks for his help when another of her scams goes deadly.

AT DESTINY'S END 1/27/03...The group takes on their most challenging assignment yet when they encounter an eco-terrorist group that will stop at nothing.

WITHIN THESE WALLS 2/3/03...Adam sends the team on a mission to follow a prisoner in a van. When the prisoner escapes the van that's when the real trouble starts to unfold.

HARD TIME 2/10/03...The team goes undercover in a prison to uncover the reasons for several mysterious deaths.

UNDER THE CLOAK OF WAR 2/17/03...Someone tries to kill Adam so he sends Shalimar into the group to find out who it is. A very well made episode.

ONCE AROUND 2/24/93...The team steps in to protect a count witness whose life has been threatened.

FINAL JUDGEMENT 4/7/03...The excellent episode finds Adam on trial by a nameless tribunal trying to dominate the world with super-mutants who sentance him to death.

INFERNO 4/14/03...A pyromaniac mutant forces Shalimar to beat her fear of fire in order to save Emma.

ONE STEP CLOSER 4/21/03...Brennen's powers get out of control and almost cost the life of a woman the team is trying to protect.

REALITY CHECK 4/28/03...Shalimar has her life in jeopardy when the team encounters a cold war mutant who can alter and destroy people's minds.

REAWAKENING 5/3/03...Great episode find the team helping the crew of a research station under attack from a prehistoric creature.

LEST HE BECOME 5/12/03...Shalimar agrees to contact her estranged father when the team learns that his company is involved in genetic testing. This was the final episode of season 2 and ended on a cliffhanger.

Season 2 was a good season for this show and it clearly was a ratings winner. The 3rd season had a few surprises and unforgettable episodes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Cynthia Rothrock is 65, Kathy Shower is 69, Silvia Tortosa is 75, and Carole Bayer Sager is 75.

TREASURE OF RUBY HILLS 1955 (TUBI)

Very good western I stumbled on.

This is based on a Louis L'Amour short story, and it packs a hell of a punch.

The plot is very simple. A group of big business men and ranchers are all fighting each other for control of a very beautiful valley called Ruby Hills.

Their fighting is brought to a sudden stop when they discover that a stranger in town named Ross Haney (Zachary Scott) owns all the water rights. This was a legal issue they had all overlooked.

It's also soon discovered that a man named Robert Vernon (Rick Vallin) and his sister Sherry (Carole Mathews) are also entered into the battle. Sherry falls for Ross and he decides to help the two win the small war that is developing.

Now this is entertainment! This movie is very fast paced and it's sometimes hard to keep up with all the slimy characters running around. All of the baddies try and get rid of Ross, but none of them have any success.

The rest of the cast is a dream. It includes Barton MacLane, Dick Foran, Gordon Jones, Raymond Hatton, Lee Van Cleef, Gordon Jones and the always gorgeous Lola Albright.

I really can't see any westerns fan wouldn't love this film. Scott is at his best here. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Martin Kove is 76, and Eddie Deezen is 65.

THE SILVER WHIP 1953 (TUBI)

A great cast and a great western adventure.

Robert Wagner stars as Jess Harker, a young man who is frustrated with his life in a small town. He decides to leave but the stagecoach owner gives him a chance to run the coach on a very important ride.

Also on the coach is a huge shipment of gold as well as his best friend, a guard named Race (Dale Robertson). At the first stop a group of robbers hold the coach up. Jess refuses to leave Race behind and this costs them the gold as well as the life of a woman passenger named Waco (Lola Albright).

Jess vows to get the money back with the help of Sheriff Tom Davisson (Rory Calhoun). They round up most of the bandits, but Race seeks the leader, Slater (John Kellogg) by himself against the advice of the sheriff.

All of this culminates in a terrific climax that almost costs Race his life. The actors are on top of their game in this well made film. The rest of the cast includes Kathleen Crowley, J. M. Kerrigan, Ian McDonald and John Douchette.

If you're a Westerns fan you will want to check this out. It's fast paced, well acted and directed and who could resist a movie with both Kathleen Crowley and Lola Albright? HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Fred Williamson is 83.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Femi Benussi is 77.

ADAM AND EVE VS. THE CANNIBALS 1983 (INC)

One of the oddest titles I have ever seen!

This starts with Adam (Mark Gregory) coming into creation of thge world and getting lonely. One night while sleeping on the beach a woman comes to him and her name is Eve (Andrea Goldman).

They are both very happy with each other until a serpent convinces Eve to eat of a forbidden fruit. She convinces Adam to eat as well and both are cast out of paradise.

They both find themselves battling the elements as well as hunting food for survival. In their travels they come across several tribes of men and one group just happens to be cannibals.

This is actually a prtty tame film that plays more like a "Blue Lagoon" rip off than anything horror related. It will hold your interest, and it does have a good pace to it, but don't expect to usual Italian gore film.

I did enjoy this film and as I said, it was one of the oddest I have ever seen. Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Gloria Hendry is 73, and Hope Marie Carlton is 56.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Luna is 85, Ziva Rodann is 89, and Debra McMichael is 62.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Ron Howard is 68, Catherine Bach is 68, Lana Wood is 76, Vitina Marcus is 85,and Marki Bey is 75.