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Monday, February 28, 2011

RIP

Movie queen and pinup goddess Jane Russell has passed away at the age of 89. She is best known for her roles in such films as gentleman Prefer Blondes and The Outlaw. She died of respiratory causes in Santa Maria California. A true screen legend discovered by Howard Hughes, and she will be missed, but has left us a wonderful legacy of films to watch.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

On March 22nd Mill Creek will release a three disc set of Andy Sidaris films entitled Girls, Guns  and G-Strings. This is the most inclusive set of Andy's films released to date and will sell for the very low price of  $9.98 or lower!! A must see collection!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Mimsy Farmer turns 65, Ali Larter is 35, Charles Durning turns 88, and Stephanie Beacham is 64.



Sunday, February 27, 2011

SQUIRM (MGM)

In the summer of 1976, American International released this gooey and repulsive movie that really caught my attention. Don Scardino stars as a young man who visits a small town in Georgia to see his girlfriend and gets caught up in a terror filled night after a storm knocks down power lines and the electricity from the lines causes all the worms to go crazy and become blood drinking and flesh eating monsters. Director Jeff Lieberman was also responsible for the remarkable film entitled Blue Sunshine, and he doesn't fail to produce the shocks here as well.
There are several scenes with millions of huge worms slithering around and Rick Baker is credited for these gruesome effects. A good film with plenty of shocks and thrills. Recommended!! 



RIP

Baseball great Duke Snider passed away on Feb. 27th from complications from diabetes. He was 84. With his passing the entire all star Brooklyn Dodgers lineup from the 1950's , known as the "Boys of Summer" are gone.It was a time in baseball when players gave to the game, unlike nowadays when the players are ONLY concerned with how much they will get FROM the game.

THE LOST MISSILE (SINISTER CINEMA)

I always found this to be a very well made but somewhat neglected film from the 1950's. Robert Loggia stars as a scientist who tries to stop a huge atomic missile from outer space that is circling the globe from destroying New York City.
It's pretty cool that no real explanation is given as to why the missile is here, but the scenes of mass destruction are pretty cool. I like this film a lot and watch it as often as I can. Recommended!!


EL CHARRO DE LAS CALAVERAS (LIONSGATE)

This roughly translates to Rider Of The Skulls and is a well made Mexican film about a masked rider who travels around fighting evil. In this film it's broken into three separate adventures. In the first he finds himself fighting a bizarre looking werewolf who is stalking the countryside. In the second a masked vampire flies around sucking the blood of innocent people. I am always amazed at the size of vampire bats in these Mexican films. The third and final adventure finds out hero fighting a headless corpse who rides around the countryside terrorizing people. it's head is kept in a box much like the 1958 film The Thing that Couldn't Die.
This is an excellent movie and the quality is perfect. This just came out on a double feature with another Mexican film called Masked Murderer, but I have yet to review it. it flew in under my radar and I had no idea it was out until I read it was available for sale!! Lionsgate releases these with little or no fanfare and that is a shame. Recommended!! No subtitles but who cares.



ROBOT MONSTER (IMAGE)

Well if you're reading this blog you know this movie is practically a God among movies!! This landmark film was made in 1953 by Phil Tucker. This movie involves an invasion of Earth by a race of aliens known as Ro-Man, which are gorilla's wearing diving helmets on their heads and who use radio equipment and a bubble machine to conquer the earth.
George Nadar and Claudia Barrett star and it seems everyone wants to tie Claudia up in this movie!! This is a MUST see movie which has bad acting and some simply priceless dialogue. Ok, all you pooped out pinwheels get on the ball and see this film. I rate it 100 our of 4!!


WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (CLASSIC MEDIA)

One of my favorite Japanese monster movies stars Russ Tamblyn and the always sexy Kumi Mizuno in a tale about two giant ape-like monsters fighting and destroying most of Tokyo. The brown giant is friendly and the green one eats people and spits out their clothes like cherry pits!!
Kipp Hamilton, an American singer sings the world famous song "The Words Get Stuck In My Throat" which the punk group Devo did a cover of sometime back. What a song!!
The special effects are top notch and the action never stops in this classic from Toho pictures. This is presented in both it's  US and Japanese versions. Highly recommended!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Elizabeth Taylor turns 79, Joanne Woodward is 81, and Van Williams turns 77.



Saturday, February 26, 2011

RODAN (CLASSIC MEDIA)

This movie has both the Japanese version and the US version on the disc and I am reviewing the US version here. It opens with the tests of several Hydrogen bombs and the narrator telling us that some believe the Japanese islands are already paying the price for these explosions.
Japanese miners are attacked by what appear to be giant caterpillars in a mine and then are faced with ever more danger when two giant prehistoric birds hatch from eggs and go one a rampage across the globe.
These monster are very impressive and the destruction is very well done as a lot of cities are literally destroyed by wind and fire from these monsters.
Great special effects make this a true winner all around. Recommended!!



HALF HUMAN (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is director Ishiro Honda's second movie, his first being Godzilla. This is a mixture of US footage and Japanese footage and it isn't half bad. The story concerns itself with the discovery of a primitive people and the snowmen they worship and believe in. All is well until a couple of circus men shoot the young son of one of the snowmen and it goes on a killing spree.
The US footage involves such actors as John Carradine and Morris Ankrum but the Japanese footage is great. I wish we could see the entire Japanese version of the movie, but that will never happen as the Japanese people have said the film is not PC now. Sad that the Japanese culture has been contaminated with Western idiocy.
A great movie nonetheless, Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Fats Domino turns 83, and Marta Kristen turns 66.
One of my favorite people in movies passed away a few years ago, but if alive today actor Michael Pate would be celebrating a birthday as well. 


Friday, February 25, 2011

BUDDY HOLLY, RITCHIE VALENS AND JAY P. RICHARDSON

On the 3rd of this month it was exactly 52 years ago that Buddy Holly, Jay P. Richardson (Big Bopper) and Ritchie Valens died in a tragic plane crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sg9XI7bYrA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6j5HJ-Cok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b-by5e4saI


ELVIRA'S MOVIE MACABRE

This weekend Elvira will be running The Manster, a great Japanese/American co-production about a two headed monster!!! Groovy!!!





RAMBLINGS..

Well we are being buried in snow again this weekend and it will be impossible to get out much it might be time to watch a few movies. I am trying to finish up the first season of V from last year and I will have to check Elvira out this weekend and maybe a few other things as well.
Most of my movies and such have been sent to Ohio as I am relocating there in about 9 days. During the time I relocate this blog will be moving awful slow, but I will keep it running.
I have to relocate after a divorce from 10 years of marriage, and I included that just in case anyone asks. Sometimes you just have to give up the battle and look ahead, and that is what I have to do. I think Ohio will open up a few new doors for me and all I can do is pull myself up by the boot straps and go forward.
So again, if you notice that starting the 7th of march this blog is moving slow for a while it isn't because I have lost interest in movies, music or anything else, I am just busy relocating and settling in. But please, keep your comments and emails coming, I appreciate the support very much.