SONNY BOY 1989 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

One of the most bizarre films I have ever seen!!

Ever since I was 4 years old I have been watching movies and I have seen some pretty weird stuff, but this just might take the cake.

Paul Smith is Slue, a very cruel man whose wife Pearl (David Carradine) finds a baby in a car that a friend has stolen. Both demented people raise the child to be an animal that is trained to steal and kill.

When a grown Sonny Boy escapes he finds the entire town is out to kill him.

There are some truly bizarre moments in this film. Sonny Boy is both a sympathetic and hated character and yet he seems entirely sane compared to those around him.

David Carradine has the strangest role I have ever seen him in as Pearl, the wife of Slue. It just boggles my mind, and Carradine plays it as straight as an arrow. Brad Dourif and Sydney Lassick are both in top form here. Dourif plays Weasel and that is a very apt description of his character.

If you haven;t seen this film you are missing a true modern original. I won't give too much away here, but this film has to be seen to be believed.

It has a VERY short theatrical run back in the late 80's and then disappeared. Thanks to Shout Factory it can be enjoyed again. The Blu-ray is excellent and I cannot recommend it enough.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Debbis Gibson is 46, and Mickie James is 37.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Peggy Lipton is 70, and Don Pedro Colley is 78.

RIP GENE WILDER 1933-2016

The legendary actor has passed away.

Wilder began his career in 1961 but made his movie debut in the 1967 classic "Bonnie & Clyde".

He then went on to do some classic movie comedy that probably will never be topped. Those films include "The Producers", "Young Frankenstein" and the very bizarre "Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory".

The latter two films are the ones he will be most remembered for. He also starred in "Blazing Saddles", "Silver Streak" and "Stir Crazy".

Wilder was known for deadpan comedy and he could also do in your face schtick. A true comedy genius has left us, but we have a great legacy to remember him by.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 1981 (PARAMOUNT)

The very successful followup to the horror classic.

A new summer camp is opening up next to the now closed Camp Crystal Lake and all is not well.

Once again a killer is stalking and killing the counselors one by one. Adrienne King returns in a small part reprising her role as Alice from the first film.

Amy Steel is Ginny in this film and she must fight for her life against a masked maniac that turns out to be Jason Vorhees whom everyone had thought drowned almost 30 years ago.

The body count piles up in this well made sequel. This film earned millions as well as the first film and it too spawned a sequel which was done in 3-D, and it is my favorite of the series, and the last one I actually watched.

But, back to this film. It's not too bad as far as films like this go. Sean Cunningham didn't return to direct this one, those chores fell to Steve Miner, who does a good job with the material. I remember waiting anxiously for this film to be released and I was there on opening day of course.

It didn't kick me in the pants like the first one did, but I went to see it a few times anyway. The real fun was to come with the next sequel.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Frank Henenlotter is 66.

RIP HARRY FUJIWARA 1935-2016

A wrestling legend has passed away.

His ring name was Mr. Fuji and during the 80's was a very high profile manager for many pro wrestlers. His claim too fame was throwing salt in the eyes of his wrestlers opponents.

He spent many years inside the ring, but after he retired he managed some of the most infamous wrestlers in history including Don Muraco, George "The Animal" Steele, and Yokozuna.

He will be greatly missed by fans. He was 82.

SHOOT OUT AT MEDICINE BEND 1957 (TCM VIEWING)

A great little western with Randolph Scott.

Scott plays Capt. Buck Devlin, a man whose brother was killed in an Indian attack after using faulty ammunition. Buck and his two friends, Sgt. John Maitland (James Garner) and Pvt. Wilbur Clegg (Gordon Jones) have all their belongings and money stolen while bathing and this leads them to Medicine Bend.

Buck begins to put the puzzle of his brothers death together when he finds that the thieves are also the one responsible for the ammo that didn't work.

James Craig is Ep Clark, the crooked man who runs the town and is actually behind all the nasty things going on. This film is a rather bizarre western that actually has some great comedic moments as well.

The film wrapped in 1955 but sat on the shelf for two years as Warner Brothers didn't exactly know what to do with it. It has a great revenge storyline and then suddenly flips to comedy involving Scott and his two friends dressed as Quakers and swearing off whiskey and women for a while.

This is a Scott western I had never seen until this airing. If you are a westerns fan or a Scott fan I highly suggest you watch this film, it is indeed one of a kind. The rest of the cast includes Angie Dickinson, Trevor Bardette, Myron Healey, Ann Doran, Michael Forest and the very sexy Dani Janssen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

David Soul is 73, and Hugo Stiglitz is 76.

MANFISH 1956 (ALPHA)

W. Lee Wilder directed this pretty interesting adventure film.

John Bromfield and Victor Jory are two divers who hate each other, but form a bizarre partnership in order to obtain a very large treasure.

Each man has a half of a treasure map until Jory burns it after he has memorized it. The two men continue to fight until Jory finally manages to kill Bromfield. The best part of the film is a desperate and crazed Jory trying to dispose of the body.

Lon Chaney, Jr. is Swede a man whose only hopes that the Manfish will become his someday. Manfish by the way is the name of the boat Bromfield owns.

I really didn't mind this film too much and although it is slow in spots, it still held my interest. It combines two Edgar Allan Poe tales which are "The Gold Bug" and "Tell Tale Heart".

Alpha has a really good print of this film and if you care to you might want to check it out sometime. The rest of the cast includes Barbara Nichols in her film debut, Jack Lewis and the lovely Tessa Prendergrast who was also responsible for the sexy bikini worn by Ursula Andress in Dr. No.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Tuesday Weld is 73, Barbara Bach is 69, and Robert Remus is 68.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO......

Akiko Wakabayashi is 75, and Francine York is 78.

FRIDAY THE 13TH 1980 (PARAMOUNT)

Everyone knows this film set the standards for slasher films.

This is more of a personal little story I wanted to pass on to anyone who is interested. Everyone who reads this knows the plot, so a review is somewhat pointless.

back in the spring of 1980 I was turning 18 in a few months, out of school and working with United Artists.

I had seen in Fangoria magazine many pics and articles on a little film coming to theaters soon called "Friday The 13th" and it looked mighty interesting to me.

Well, when May 9th arrived I went to check out this film with my mother (yes I actually had her with me as she raised me on horror films). We both we blown away by it, but it really struck a chord with me. I returned to the theater every night during the film's 2 week run in Livingston, Montana.

I was mesmerized by the Harry Manfredini score and I wanted to watch audience reaction to everything. The manager at the theater, a young man named Steve finally started letting me in for free after about the 5th night, and I truly appreciated that.

This little film was made for a mere $550,000 and made over 37 million, a huge hit and it deserved it. The film is a very simple tale of murder but spiced with gore killing and great effects by Tom Savini.

This film spawned literally hundreds of slasher films including many sequels. I only liked this and parts 2 and 3, then gave up on the series.

However, as a teenager and aspiring filmmaker, this was one of the best summers of my life what with working for a studio and then watching others make their magic on the screen. It was an experience I will NEVER forget, and I even got the poster from the theater when the film ended it's run.

Movies had a certain magic about them back in the time which includes the silent era up until the 1990's. Now the magic is gone and new films just don't have that allure for me that they used to, but I can sure get a buzz from films like this via DVD, and I will never lose that feeling about this film.

I am sure anyone reading this has seen this film, but if you haven't, check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Sean Connery is 86, Tom Skerritt is 83, and Claudia Schiffer is 46.

LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE 1974 (ANCHOR BAY)

One of the best zombie movies ever.

It has been a long time since I talked about this little gem of a film. Directed by Jorge Grau, this excellent tale starts with a man leaving his shop in London to enjoy the weekend in the country.

Ray Lovelock is George Meaning, a young man who hates pollution and cannot wait to get out of the city. On his trip his motorcycle is damaged by a young woman named Edna (beautiful Cristina Galbo). The two become involved in a murder investigation after the death of Edna's brother in law.

Her sister is suspected of the crime by a police inspector played by Arthur Kennedy. To digress a bit Edna is attacked by a strange loking man while George has stopped the car to find directions to Edna's sisters home. They both discover that the man Edna describes is already dead.

Now that brings us to Edna's brother in law who was killed, since he was killed by the same dead man. The police refuse to believe such a tale. George and Edna are detained in a small town and they do their own investigation. Soon they find even more dead corpses are starting to walk around and eat human beings.

It seems the corpses are being brought back to life via a new device used to kill parasites on nearby farms. It also affects the nervous system of young babies and they are turning violent in the Manchester hospital.

Soon the action shifts to same said hospital as the dead increase in number and George frantically tries to save Edna.

There are scenes in this film that still make me cringe, but that is the sign of a well made horror film. The zombie attacks on the police officer in the cemetery and the hospital are unforgettable.

The ending is something that, when I first saw the film I wasn't expecting at all. If you haven't seen this film, I really think you should. It's a hell of a film and easily one of the best zombie films ever made.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Ronee Blakley is 71, and Vince McMahon is 71.

RAMBLINGS....

I am sorry for the lack of reviews here lately.

Life has been very hectic has not left me much time for anything. I will have more reviews coming soon. Some will be films I have talked about before and some will be new releases as well.

I appreciate your patience and all of the comments that I get. Thanks again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Barbara Eden is 85, and Vera Miles is 87.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Honor Blackman is 91.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Eve Torres is 32, Clarence Williams III is 77, and Patty McCormack is 71.

RIP JACK RILEY 1935-2016

A true funny man has passed on at the age of 80.

Riley appeared in hundreds of TV shows and made some movies as well, but will always be remembered for one role that never be forgotten.

That role was of Elliot Carlin on the Bob Newhart Show. He appeared on the show 49 time as Carlin, a very odd and very strange patient of Newhart.

I also remember Riley from one of my favorite films, "ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES" which is a film he fits perfectly into. A comedic genius with perfect timing and deadpan delivery. RIP Jack.

COMING ATTRACTIONS....

Olive Films has announced that it will be releasing the 1957 horror gem "RETURN OF DRACULA" on Blu-ray on Oct.18th.

Along with the above mentioned title they are also releasing Larry Cohen's "SPECIAL EFFECTS" and Roger Corman's "GASSSSSS".

Vinegar Syndrome announced that they are releasing the 1972 Paul Naschy gem "COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE" on Blu-ray. The release date is Sept 27th. This promises to be one of the best releases of the year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Jill St. John is 76, Debra Paget is 83, Diana Muldaur is 78, L. Q. Jones is 89, and Darby Hinton is 59.

THE WHITE BUFFALO 1977 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

Largely forgotten western starring Charles Bronson.

Very odd film with Bronson as Wild Bill Hickcock, a haunted and dying man who has come to kill a mysterious creature he knows exists as it lives in his dreams.

He is joined by Charlie Zane (Jack Warden) and a grieving Indian named Crazy Horse (Will Sampson). The creature they all seek is a legendary white buffalo. A huge beast that Hickcock wants to kill to end his nightmares and Crazy Horse needs to kill and wrap the body of his dead son in it's pelt so his soul can rest in peace.

This is one bizarre film, but it is excellent in it's presentation as an allegorical western. I saw this twice a night for a week when it came out in 1977 and loved it and hadn't seen it until just a few day ago on Blu-ray. I had forgotten most of it and enjoyed seeing it again.

This is a hard film to slap into any category.I call it a western, but it is much more than that. There are some great scenes in this movie and all the leads are very good. Although I was, like I am now, a huge movie fan,this was my first real introduction to Kim Novak. I knew of her, but since we didn't have TV I never got to see her movies until much later. She is simply stunning in this film.

I can recommend this film but must warn you it fits into no genre very well. The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens, John Carradine, Stuart Whitman, Clint Walker, Douglas Fowley and Martin Kove.

The Blu-ray is a welcome addition to my collection, and if you get to see it I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Robert De Niro is 73, Saraya-Jade Bevis is 24, Ashlie Rhey is 55, Belinda Carlisle is 58, and Shane Briant is 70.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Julie Newmar is 83, and Ann Blyth is 88.

SHARKNADO 4: THE FOURTH AWAKENS 2016 (ASYLUM)

The latest installment of the highly successful franchise.

This time we find a company called Astro-X has created a device which stops the Sharknados before they even have a chance to begin. It has been five years and the world has pretty much been at peace.

In Las Vegas for a little relaxation, Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering) and his son and daughter barely get to start having fun before a new sharknado pops up and is unstoppable.

It seems that because this one started in the sand it is not like the usual sharknados. This film throws everything possible at the viewer including such things as bouldernados, electricnados, cownadoes and finally nuclearnados.

Yes the franchise gets more and more bizarre as things go on. Also the cast list is again impressive and it includes Tara Reid, David Hasselhoff, Cheryl Tiegs, Imani Hakim, Gary Busey, Susan Anton, Tommy Davidson, Donna Mills and Kenya Moore. There are many others too many to mention here.

These films always seem to set ratings records on the Sci-Fi channel, but I have to admit it is hard to watch two of these in a row.

If you're so inclined you might like this film. The ending suggest that the series is going to Europe next as well as having Nova return. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Natasha Henstridge is 42, Pat Priest is 80, Barbara Rouchet is 73, Mike Conners is 91, Mike Henry is 80, Abby Dalton is 84, Uschi Digard is 68, Lori Nelson is 83, and Gaylen Ross is 66.