THE WHITE WARRIOR 1959 (MILL CREEK)

Steve Reeves epic from Warner Brothers.

Reeves is Hadji Murad, a 19th century Chechen chieftain. In this film he is leading his people in a fight against the Russian Czar.

Riccardo Freda brings great direction skills to this film that is a really lavish production full of great battle scenes, dancing and costumes.

Reeves handles the role perfectly and his character finds himself in many battles, especially to save his love during the exciting climax. Cinematography was handled by Mario Bava and it shows even though this film has never had a very good release. I wish I could get to see a pristine print.

This film is based on a book by Leo Tolstoy and that book is his real life adventures when he fought with the Russian army in Chechnya to suppress Chechen guerillas.

A fine piece of film making that should please the fans of the genre.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Clint Eastwood is 86, Brooke Shields is 51, and Kevin Brodie is 64.

BARN OF THE NAKED DEAD 1974 (LEGEND HOUSE)

Wow! What a bizarre film.

Andrew Prine stars as Andre, a man with some serious problems.

Three young women on their way to Las Vegas experience car trouble and must sleep at the side of the road for the night. In the morning they are awakened by Andre. He offers to help them an they agree so he drives them to his home and before you know it they become captives of a very deranged man.

Andre has a collection of women in his barn at his desert home. He keeps them chained and treats them like animals. He tortures and abuses them, and if the women misbehave he smears them with calves blood and send his pet mountain lion after them.

Besides all of this fun going on it also appears Andre's father is still around as well. He has been contaminated by nuclear radiation due to the farm being so close to a testing ground. He is now a mutated monster who stalks the desert looking for victims.

Andre believes one of the women is his mother and so he treats her a little better than the others, but that isn't saying much. The girls' agent is desperately looking for them but has little luck until he meets a sheriff that helps him out.

All does not end well in this twisted little film. I know much has been written about this film over the last many years and none of it is good. But I actually enjoyed this film. Most people get too wound up about this.

Yes there are women abused in this film, some of it is not pleasant to watch, but I know it's just a movie, and an exploitation movie at that. I like it and I will defend it. The print from Legend House is simply the best version I have ever seen of this film, and now it's up to you to decide if you want to see it. I cannot see any exploitation fan missing it, and hey Andrew Prine is one of the best.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Stephen Tobolowsky is 65, Michael J. Pollard is 77, Ruta Lee is 81, Jennifer Ellison is 33, and Deanna Lund is 79.

TRIUMPH OF THE SON OF HERCULES 1962 (MILL CREEK)

Kirk Morris stars in this outing.

Morris is Maciste, one of the many sons of Hercules. An evil Queen named Tenefi has taken over the throne in Memphis and now demands sacrifices of virgins to the Gods of fire.

Maciste finds out about this and comes to the aid of the people. The Queen, played by beautiful Liuba Bodina, uses evil magic to erase Macistes' mind and make him a total slave to her every whim.

A woman who truly loves Maciste finds a way to rescue him and bring him back to his right mind. During the course of the film Maciste is put thru several trials including having horses attempting to pull him apart.

The scenes where he fights a group of cavemen called "Yuri-Men" is a highlight. This is is wide screen and not too bad of a film. Morris isn't the best leading man, but I have seen much worse. Recommended.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Clifton James is 95.

KINDAR THE INVULNERABLE 1963 (MILL CREEK)

Mark Forest stars in this very well made sword and sandal film.

Forest is Kindar a man, who when he was born was struck by lightening. The strike killed his mother but has made him invulnerable to anything.

Kindar is kidnapped when a child and raised by an evil Sultan who uses him as a weapon to conquer a small desert city. Kindar, thru many adventures learns that the woman he has fallen in love with is actually his long lost brothers fiance, and that the city he is being groomed to conquer is actually the city ruled by his real father.

It sounds more complex than it really is. I liked this film a lot and found the story to be somewhat different from the standard fair.

This is easily one of my favorites of the genre and it is given an incredible boost by the co-starring of the incredibly sexy Rosalba Neri as Kira.

I can highly recommend this fun little film to anyone, and if you get the chance check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Carroll Baker is 85, Shane Rimmer is 84, Gladys Knight is 72, and Kevin Van Hentenryck is 63.

HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS 1963 (MILL CREEK)

My look at sword and sandal film continues with this little gem.

Mark Forest is Maciste in this effort. After the death of Genghis Khan, his three sons do not want to follow the peace treaties he has signed with various tribes.

The three sons unite many armies and begin taking over as much country as they can. Maciste comes to the aide of some people being oppressed and winds up fighting the three brothers.

There is plenty of action in this film, and it shouldn't disappoint fans of the genre. Jose Greci co-stars as Bianca, the woman Maciste loves and American actor Ken Clark makes one of his several appearances in films like this as one of the sons named Sayan.

The print from Mill Creek is acceptable but I have never let a bad print stop me from enjoying these types of things. I have a few more of these film to review and I appreciate you people bearing with me while I indulge in my S&S addiction.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Lee Meriwether is 81, Linnea Quigley is 58, Kip Niven is 71, Natalie Neidhart is 34, and Eric Bischoff is 59

THE AVENGER 1962 (MILL CREEK)

Good action film starring Steve Reeves.

Reeves is Aeneas the leader of a group of escapees from the Trojan War who want nothing but to live in peace.

However these thoughts are soon vanquished because of the evil empire that owns the lands they wish to live on. Aeneas faces many challenges, many of which are battles he easily wins.

Reeves carries the role very well in this black and white sword and sandal effort. American Albert Band is given sole directorial credit in the film, which is somewhat bizarre, but oh well.

If you like Reeves other films in this genre you may find this a little slow, but it is interesting. One of the very few of these I have seen that isn't in color. I do believe it was released in color, but I haven't seen such a print. Giacomo Rossi Stuart co-stars.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Pam Grier is 67, Stevie Nicks is 68, Ingrid Goude is 79.

GOLIATH AND THE SINS OF BABYLON 1963 (MILL CREEK)

For the last week or so I am sure everyone has noticed that I have been reviewing a lot of sword and sandal films. I continue that trend with this little gem.

Mark Forest stars as Goliath. n this story he helps the kingdom of Nephyr fight an evil tyrant that demands many virgins for sacrifice every year in order to keep peace.

Jose Greci is Regia, the woman Goliath falls for and fights for. This is all pretty standard fair, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining.

There are some great battle scenes and the scene involving Goliath threatened with spears is also a classic. The print from Mill Creek is actually a widescreen print and although it needs proper framing it looks much better than most I have seen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Leslie Uggams is 73, and Ann Robinson is 87.

RIP BURT KWOUK 1930-2016

A very fine actor has passed away.

Kwpouk is best remembered for his appearance in 8 Pink Panther films as Insp. Clouseau's karate chopping servant, but I remember him best from such films as GOLDFINGER, FIENDISH PLOT OF. DR. FU MANCHU, and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.

The first film I ever saw him in was CURSE OF THE FLY followed by BRIDES OF FU MANCHU. Kwouk was a very versatile actor and also appeared in hundreds of TV shows both here in the US and in England.

He passed away on May 24th at the age of 85.

FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES 1962 (MILL CREEK)

Now this is a fun movie.

This film is also known as "Colossus of the Stone Age" but was released to TV here with the moniker under which this is reviewed.

Reg Lewis is Maxxus, a wondering strongman who comes to the aid of a man and saves him from a monster living in a lake. Later he defends the mans Sun worshiping tribe from an attack by a tribe of Moon worshipers.

The Moon tribe kidnap all the women and Maxxus leads a revolt. He succeeds but is himself captured. A young woman who is found on Maxxus tries to help him and she is caught as well. Both are buried up to their necks in the dirt and tortured until an earthquake opens the ground and saves them.

They escape and run into prehistoric monsters before finding their way back to the tribe of the Sun people. Then another war starts as the Moon people attack once more.

This is an action packed 78 minutes with warring tribes, several different monsters as well as the screen debut of Margaret Lee as Moah, the stunning woman who falls for Maxxus. Lee, of course would go on to star in lots and lots of movies, and every time she is on screen it is sheer pleasure for me.

This is one of the best films of this genre as far as I am concerned, and I think every fan should at least see it once.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Sybil Danning is 64.

ATLAS IN THE LAND OF THE CYCLOPS 1961 (MILL CREEK)

A fun film I haven't seen for a while.

Gordon Mitchell stars as "Maciste" who finds himself hiding a small baby from an evil kings army.

They want the baby so they can sacrifice it and the mother to a giant cyclops that lives in a cave. Gorgeous Chelo Alonso is on hand as the evil Queen Capys, who falls for Maciste in a big way.

Paul Wynter, a familiar face in several sword and sandal productions is also on hand as the bodyguard of Capys who gets a chance to throw Maciste around a while.

The Cyclops is an impressive monster and the climax has Maciste fighting to destroy him. This is a fun little film that has been released by many PD companies. The print from Mill Creek is acceptable.

I would recommend this to any sword and sandal fan. Good rainy Saturday afternoon viewing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Joan Collins is 83.

VENGEANCE OF URSUS 1961 (MILL CREEK)

Very good muscle popper.

Samson Burke stars as Ursus a very quiet man who farms and refuses to speak about his past. One day he is summoned by a beautiful Princess so she may say goodbye to him.

This starts a chain of events that eventually has Ursus protecting the Princess as she travels to marry a king and unite two countries. The King actually has other plans and soon Ursus is thrown in jail as well as the Princess.

Wandisa Guida plays Sira, the Princess and I must admit every movie I see her in she gets lovelier and lovelier. The movie is fun and well paced and is a sure bet for fans of the genre.

The only complaint I have is that the print from Mill Creek is very splicy at the beginning and some dialogue gets cut to shreds, but it does settle down and once it does you're in for a treat. The color isn't too hot either, but again, don't let that deter you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Barbara Parkins is 74, Ashley Renee is 52, and Marilyn Joi is 71.

RIP ALAN YOUNG 1919-2016

The star most known for the TV show Mr. Ed has passed away.

Alan Young had a long and distinguished career in movies and TV but will always be remembered for the role of Wilbur Post, the hapless owner of a horse named Ed, who just happened to talk.

Mr. Ed has always been a favorite of mine and there are several episodes I laugh until i cry watching it. Young fit the role perfectly and the show ran from 1961-1966 with 144 episodes.

People who read this blog probably also know that Young starred in the Time Machine in 1960 as a very good friend of the time traveler played by Rod Taylor. That was actually my first introduction to Alan Young.

Young has left us a lasting legacy of fun films and a TV show we will never forget. He died May 19th at the age of 96.

QUEEN OF THE AMAZONS 1947 (MILL CREEK)

I reviewed this about 4 years ago and decided it was time to give the film another look.

Patricia Morrison is a young woman who hires a search party to find her missing fiance.

The party discovers the man living with a tribe ruled by a white woman named Zita. It seems many years ago Zita and some of her other friends were lost at sea and washed ashore. They survived, and their mothers taught them to speak. Over the years the tribe of women has been living in a shroud of mystery.

Morrison finds her fiance is in love with Zita and has to accept the fact that he isn't interested in her anymore. This is a bad film, but it has a very limited running time of 59 minutes and it has a lot of stock footage.

Amira Moustafa is Zita, and this was her third and final screen appearance. I can only wonder what happened to her and not much is known. Well, a good time waster if you like low budget adventure films. I know I do.

ROMULUS AND THE SABINES (1961) MILL CREEK)

Early Roger Moore effort.

Moore is Romulus the founder of Rome. This is in the early days of the empire and there are no women, so Romulus gets the idea to obtain women from Sabina where there appears to be a lot of women.

This leads to trouble because, of course, the Sabina men fight to get their wives and daughters back. This is a bizarre and somewhat forgotten film in the history of sword and sandal movies.

Moore does ok in his role as Romulus and it was good that he apparently dubbed his own voice, at least in the print I saw from Mill Creek anyway.

Rosanna Schiaffino appears in several scenes as Venus, the Goddess of Love who give a sleeping Romulus some advice. All in all not too bad of a film, and very different from most I have seen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Joan Staley is 76, David Hedison is 89, and Constance Towers is 83.

THE VIKING QUEEN 1967 (ANCHOR BAY)

Finely crafted Hammer film.

I have always liked this film, and it is a hard one to see actually. Queen Salina (Carita) accepts her dying fathers with to live in peace with the Romans.

She becomes queen on his death and works with a fair and just leader of the Romans named Justinian (Don Murry). The two rule the empire fairly and also fall in love.

All seems to be going well until Octavian, a very malicious and cruel man (Andrew Keir) sets a plan in motion to destroy the happy union.

Carita is a very beautiful woman and this is the only film I believe I have seen her in as this was her last screen appearance. Don Murray is very good as Justinian but it is Andrew Keir who really steals the show. He is very capable as the evil Octavian, and some of his dialogue is priceless.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is a beautiful widescreen presentation and now it is very hard to find. Anchor Bay turned out a lot of Hammer films back in the early days of DVD and sadly none have been re-released here. I had all of them at one time, but a few got stolen and I have never been able to replace them.

Well anyway, this is an excellent film and a good non horror from Hammer. I cannot recommend it enough if this is your cup of tea. Hopefully you can find it and enjoy some good action/adventure from Hammer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Nancy Kwan is 77.

THE TEN GLADIATORS 1963 (MILL CREEK)

Decent sword and sandal film starring Dan Vadis.

Vadis is Roccia, who, along with 9 other fellow gladiators are taken into captivity by Nero.

They make their plans to overthrow him and his evil henchman, Tigelinus. There are many bloody confrontations and battle that are fought.

During one of the battles the men lose their mentor, Resius an then they also find they must rescue his beautiful daughter \who has been captured and taken to the dungeon for torture.

Vadis does an excellent job in this film, and the ending is one that I did not see coming at all. Not a bad film at all and one I can recommend for sword and sandal fans. The print from Mill Creek is ok, but as I always say, I wish these kinds of movies were presented in proper widescreen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Dwayne Hickman is 82, Diane McBain is 75, and Jimmy Snuka is 73.