HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Lisa Boyle is 51, and Sarah Lawson is 87.

BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE 1959 (MILL CREEK)

Very well made Toho film about alien invaders.

Invaders from space make a base on the Moon an attempt to take over the Earth. After some destruction, Earth sends two spaceships to the moon to investigate and stop the aliens.

There are some pretty cool battle in space while on the way to the moon, but the ships land anyway. The aliens take over the mind of one of the astronauts and forces him to sabotage the trip, which doesn't work.

After a few small battles on the Moon and an encounter with the aliens one of the ships is destroyed so all must return to Earth in one craft. The astronauts learn a way to defeat the aliens, so back on Earth all nations of the world work together to do just that.

The aliens attack earth and a spectacular battle ensues. After a while Earth defeats the aliens. The special effects are top notch for the time this was made, and director Ishiro Honda handles it all with his usual skill.

A very well made film that stands the test of time, I highly recommend this for any sci-fi fan. This has been reviewed here before when it was released by Columbia but now Mill Creek has included it in a set with five other features. The set is called "Vintage Sci-Fi". Check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Maureen McCormick is 59, John Saxon is 80, Loni Anderson is 70, Tawny Kitaen is 54, Wanda Ventham is 80, Natalie Trundy is 75, and Joan Weldon is 82.

RIP COLEEN GRAY 1922-2015

One of my favorite actresses has passed away.

Coleen Gray starred in such wonderful films as "NIGHTMARE ALLEY", "THE KILLING", "THE VAMPIRE", "LEECH WOMAN", "KISS OF DEATH" and "RED RIVER" among many others.

Her screen debut came in 1945 in the film "STATE FAIR" and her final appearance was in a 1986 episode of "TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE".

Coleen was always a very welcome face in anything she was in. She was 92.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Margaret Lee is 72, and Vera Day is 80.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

John Landis is 65.

COMING ATTRACTIONS AND RAMBLINGS............

Things have been very chaotic where I am at due to problems I have been having which I stated a few posts back, but I am still able to do this blog every so often.

Kino will be releasing "THE INCREDIBLE TWO HEADED TRANSPLANT" starring Bruce Dern in Blu-ray on Sept. 22nd along with "BLACK CAESAR" starring Fred Williamson and "SLAUGHTER" starring Jim Brown. These have a street date of Sept. 22nd.

Kino is also releasing "PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT" starring Patrick Wayne and "THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE" starring Jodie Foster, but no street date has yet been given. It looks like Kino is one of the leading companies for these kinds of films, second only to Shout Factory.

Twilight Time will be releasing "COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE" AND "SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN" on Blu-ray just in time for Halloween. The street date will be announced soon.

12 TO THE MOON 1960 (MILL CREEK)

I have reviewed this here before when it was available as an MOD, but now the film has been released on Mill Creek.

An international crew of 12 astronauts are sent on an expedition to the moon. Once on the moon the discover various dangers including a "lunar quicksand" that one of the crew sinks into and dies. Then towards the end of the film, the moon race decides to freeze the entire earth.

Two other members disappear and are being used for study by the unseen race on the moon. This is pretty cool stuff in my opinion. Yes, the film is a bit talky at times, but it just entertainment and it fills the bill really well.

The cast is quite a large one for such a low budget undertaking. The cast includes Ken Clark, Michi Kobi, Tom Conway, Anthony Dexter, John Wengraf, Francis X. Bushman and Anna-Lisa.

This is included on a set with five other films and the print quality is excellent. I am glad these have come to DVD in official form, and it is good the Mill Creek has chosen to release these Columbia classics. Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Joanna Cassidy is 70, Wes Craven is 76, Butch Patrick is 62, Appolonia Kotero is 56, and Susan Denberg is 71.

RIP RODDY PIPER 1954-2015

One of the most talented wrestlers in history has passed away from cardiac arrest.

Piper was named one of the top fifty villains in wrestling history an will be sorely missed. Piper was born Roderick Toombs and is survived by his wife and four children.

In all the world of pro wrestling, which I hold near and dear to my heart, I have never met anyone like him. Piper also starred in several films, and two of the are unforgettable and they are "Hell Comes To Frogtown" and John Carpenter's "They Live" which was his greatest movie role.

They don't make them like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper anymore. He was 61.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

France Nuyen is 76, and Don Murray is 86.

CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES 1972 (FOX)

The fourth and most brutal of the Apes saga.

In a future world about 20 years after the ending of the "Escape" film, the US is under a totalitarian government that condones ape slavery after a plague wipes out all cats and dogs.

Ricardo Mantalban is Armando, a circus owner who has control of an ape named Caesar. Caesar has the ability to speak since his parents were Zira and Cornelius. When this is discovered the government takes any steps necessary to find him and kill him because they now he will eventually lead a revolution that will end mankind.

Armando is taken into custody and eventually killed which enrages Caesar. Slowly over time he organizes the apes into an unstoppable army that proceeds to destroy a city and slowly take over.

This is definitely the most violent of the movies and yet it still appeals to families which is what Fox was afraid of when it was released. they thought families wouldn't enjoy it as much as the previous three films, but alas, they were wrong.

The stellar cast includes Roddy McDowell as Caesar, Don Murray, Natalie Trundy, Hari Rhodes, Severn Darden, John Randpolph, H. M. Wynant and the very sexy Asa Maynor.

If you enjoy the Apes series, then you'll love this one. Recommended.

RAMBLINGS.......

Every once in a while life throws you some curves, and it has thrown a few my way lately.

I am currently looking for a new place to live as well as some medical problems, which makes for a bad combination. Due to this the blog will be somewhat sporadic for a while.

I haven't had a lot of time to watch movies as of late, but will still try and post reviews here and coming attractions when I can.

I very much appreciate everyone who stops by, comments and enjoy what I do. This blog is simply a labor of love and nothing more.

When things settle down a bit, I will be back full blast, but I have no idea when that will be. One other thing I wanted to mention is that today, July 30th marks the one year anniversary of the passing of one of the best friends I ever had. John Conrad Fredriksen passed away from brain cancer on this date last year.

John was a contributor to this blog and an author who penned many books on war history as well as two books on the entertainment field. Those books were "Honey West" and "Man Into Space." he was working on the "Bible" of 50's sci-fi when he was diagnosed and it was never completed.

John's memory will always be with me, and that is another reason I do this blog, and will continue to.

THE H MAN 1959 (MILL CREEK)

This has been reviewed here before when it was available from Columbia. But now Mill Creek has put this out on a pretty cool set of six sci-fi films.

People have been turned into green blob monsters due to fall out from radioactivity, and now they are looking for new victims in Tokyo.

There are some pretty graphic scenes of people dissolving after coming in contact with the green goop, an those are not soon forgotten. Neither are the scenes on the thought to be abandoned boat.

There is also a pretty heavy gangster subplot which makes the movie even more interesting, at least in my opinion. This film obviously inspired by "The Blob", but of course done in a very different style. The print looks fantastic and is in the correct aspect ratio. If you get a chance I highly recommend you see this Japanese sci-fi gem.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Jamie Pressly is 38, Vivica A. Fox is 51, Edd Byrnes is 82, and Monique Gabrielle is 52.