Thursday, March 31, 2011

THE RAVEN (MGM)

This Roger Corman gem stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and Jack Nicholson plus lovely Hazel Court.
This is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen thanks to Price and Lorre doing improvise dialogue which is very funny. Lorre steals the show and the entire 93 minutes moves along briskly. This is part of the Midnight Movies series from MGM and I have been told it is OOP, but you can still find it very easily. The other movie on the disc is Comedy Of Terrors, and it makes for the funniest DVD release in the Midnight Movies series.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

COMING ATTRACTIONS......

Shout Factory brings us more great movies from the Roger Corman collection on April 5th with the Action Pack Triple Feature of Georgie Peaches, Great Texas Dynamite Chase and Smokey Bites The Dust.
April 19th sees the Cheezy Flicks release of Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies which is a title i used to own on VHS many years ago.
April 26th in the date for Roger Corman's Dinoshark to finally come to DVD.
June 21st in Shout factory's date for the Roger Corman Women In Cages Triple Feature which has such films as Big Bird Cage, Big Doll House and Women In Cages. Good fun for all.


RAMBLINGS

Well first off I want to thank everyone who has left their comments and I appreciate it very much. I have been somewhat struggling to keep everything running since my divorce, which has left me a little less time to do the things I really want to do.
I have many, many reviews to get to but just haven't had time, however I promise they will be here.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

THE SHINING (WARNER BROTHERS)

This is the 1997 TV version of the classic Stephen King story about the evil Overlook Hotel and the three people who go there and stay. Jack Torrence is the man who is hired as caretaker and Steven Weber does an excellent job of playing the role. Rebecca DeMorney is his long suffering wife and Courtland mead is their son, who has very strong psychic abilities.
Jack slowly enters a world of demons and madness from the past and this movie does have some very good shocks including the scene with wasps, the living bushes and the woman in the bathtub...all very unsettling images.
This has been called much better than the version for the big screen which starred Jack Nicholson, but I think both are good and have merits all their own. This version is about 4 and 1/2 hours and covers much of which the movie couldn't.

RIP...

One of the greatest American actors to ever grace the silver screen has passed away. Farley Granger dies at the age of 85 on March 28th. He is best known to movie fans who visit this site for such great film noir classics as Strangers On A Train, and Edge Of Doom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Lucy Lawless turns 53, Elle Macpherson turns 48, Terence Hill is 72.


Sunday, March 27, 2011

NIGHT TIDE (IMAGE)

Great film starring Dennis Hopper as a young sailor who falls in love with a woman who might actually belong to a long lost race of sea people who murder men they fall in love with.
Crisp black and white photography, and a great cast including Hopper, Linda Lawson and Luana Anders only add class. Curtis harrington directed and Roger Corman's Filmgroup released this in 1963 after is sat on a shelf for three years.
Highly recommended and atmospheric.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO......

Quentin Tarantino turns 48, Mariah Carey turns 42, Julian Glover is 76, and Talisa Soto turns 44.



Saturday, March 26, 2011

SANTO AND THE BLUE DEMON VS. DRACULA AND THE WOLFMAN (RISE ABOVE)

The two most popular Mexican wrestlers in history team up to defeat two monsters and their army of demons. This is a very colorful film full of action, monsters, gorgeous women and, of course, wrestling. The movie is presented in Spanish with English subtitles. Highly recommended fun!!!

RAMBLINGS

Well, from Rueters comes the story of a new "El Santo" film, that is not really new to people who are familiar with his movies. Go to the link listed and read something rather interesting.http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/24/us-santo-sex-idUSTRE72N4VQ20110324?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=76

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

James Caan turns 71, Leonard Nimoy turns 80, Sara Jean Underwood turns 27, Diana Ross is 67, and Johnny Crawford turns 67.



CURSE OF THE STONE HAND (DVD-R)

This is a Jerry Warren movie made from a 1959 Mexican film entitled Suicide Club and a 1946 Chilean horror film with new footage starring Lloyd Nelson, Katherine Victor and John Carradine. The results are a little confusing but I still have to admit I like this movie, especally the Suicide Club.
I first saw this movie back in 1981 on WTCG (now TBS) and Creature Features and maybe it hit me at the right time.
I may be the only person in the world who likes this film, but so be it. Recommended.

CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON (IMAGE)

Very low budegt film about 5 people who travel to the moon and find a race of cat women living there who plan on stealing the spaceship and heading back to earth to take it over. Sonny Tufts, Marie Windsor, Douglas Fowley, Bill Phipps and Victor Jory star in this delightful fun film from 1953.
I love this film for it's sheer innocence and fun approach to the subject. Don't take it too serious and just have a good time with it.

Friday, March 25, 2011

CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW (DVD-R)

Tony Franciosa stars as a private detective investigating several bizarre murders in this great little Dan Curtis movie directed by Curtis for ABC TV in 1977. Vic Morrow is the police detective who doesn't believe that a giant black widow spider is running loose in LA and killing people.
Good creepy fun and why is this not availabable on DVD?? If you get a chance and find the VHS tape check it out.

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK (SONY)

Excellent film about the rise of Bill Haily & The Comets and if features great music by Bill Haily, The Platters, and many more. Alan Freed also appears as himself and that makes the movie a winner in my book. I love all the music here and this is for anyone who loves fifties music and Alan Freed.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

THE WALKING DEAD (ANCHOR BAY)

Season one was only six episodes, but it was well done and highly watchable. A cop wakes up from a coma and finds himself one of the last survivors after a plague of zombies has taken over the world. This show is based on the series of graphic novels.
I highly recommend this show and look forward to the next season which should be more than 6 episodes. Check it out.

RIP

Screen legend Elizabeth taylor passed away on Mar. 23rd at the age of 79. Everyone who is reading this knows who Taylor was anf some of the classic films she starred in. I think my favorites include Cleopatra and National Velvet.
Taylor will always be remembered as a screen icon and one of the worlds most recognized stars.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

WEASELS RIP MY FLESH (IMAGE)

Filmmaker Nathan Schiff made this classic film in 1980 and it came to DVD in 2003 and what a treat it is. Shot on Super 8 film, this shocker involves a mysterious substance brought from space that causes a weasel to grow into a giant mutant.
Meanwhile a mad scientist experiments woth people and uses a kidnapped detective as a teast subject and he turns into what I can only describe as a zucchini monster who eventuallt fights the giant weasel. Throw into the mix some ultra cool detectives, man eating sharks and gore and you have a wonderful amateur film from one of the best filmmakers around.
Schiff used to be a customer of mine when I ran a mail order business for VHS tapes in the 80's and he was always a pleasure to talk to.
Check out this movie if you can find it as well as other Schiff wonders like Long Island Cannibal Massacre and They Don't Cut The Grass Anymore. Great films all!!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

SHARKTOPUS (ANCHOR BAY)

When this first aired on the SYFY channel in August of 2010 I hailed this Roger Corman production one of the best films I had ever seen, and after seeing it uninterrupted on DVD I still feel the same way.
Eric Roberts is a scientist who has created a hybrid shark-octopus monster who is nothing but a killing machine. When it breaks free it must be hunted down.
The monster looks very cool and terrorizes the Mexican coast until it is finally killed. Roger Corman has an amusing scene in the early part of the film. Highly Recommended!!!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

PANIC IN YEAR ZERO (MGM)

Ray Milland directed and stars in this film with Frankie Avalon and Jean hagen as a family who is trying to survive after an atomic attack on the USA. Milland does a fine acting job as the caring but stern father who fights to keep his family together as civilization begins to fall apart. This is on the same MGM disc as Last Man On Earth and makes for a terrific double feature. Highly Recommended!!

LAST MAN ON EARTH (MGM)

Great classic horror film starring Vincent Price as the last man left alive after a plague has wiped out most of mankind and turned the survivors into vampire zombies. I don't care what anyone else says, I love this film and find it very haunting and the music is scary as hell. My girlfriend Liza says Vincent Price is one handsome dude....in other words..the "shit".
I recommend this and it is best to see the MGM Midnight Movie edition as it is the best looking print and in widescreen.

Friday, March 18, 2011

RIP

Country music singer and actor Ferlin Husky dies. He was 85. Husky was best known to genre fans as the star of such classics as Hillbilly's In A Haunted House and Las Vegas Hillbilly's.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

RIP

Michael Gough, well known actor in such films as Konga, Horrors Of The Black Museum and Batman has passed away at the age of 95. Gough had a very long and extensive career and will be missed by many monster movie lovers like me.

I AM BACK!!!!!!!!

Well it has been 10 long days since I was able to get back to business as usual here. I am here and will make entries as often as I can, which I hope will be a daily basis again

Monday, March 7, 2011

THE LORELEY'S GRASP (SINISTER CINEMA)

Great little Spanish horror film starring Helga Line as a young woman who is also an ancient monster called a Loreley which is a reptilian monster that must rip out human heats and eat them to stay young. This was directed by Amando De' Ossorio and does have some pretty gory scenes.
The monster is very cool looking and if you like Spanish horror you won't be disappointed. Recommended!!
The print Sinister has is the one where the film goes red just before a very brutal killing. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Tylene Buck, former WCW Nitro Girl turns 39.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

BEHEMOTH THE SEA MONSTER (SINISTER CINEMA)

excellent wide screen presentation of the classic British film about a rampaging giant monster that destroys London. Gene Evans stars as an American scientist who helps try and destroy the highly radioactive monster. Scenes of people being burned to death are pretty gruesome for the time.
Good special effects and good acting make this a very groovy winner for monster movie fans.