MASTER STROKE 1967 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Very interesting caper film that also plays like a spy film.

An actor in Madrid named Arthur Lang (Richard Harrison) is hired by a group of men to impersonate another man named Owen for a short time. Owen, it seems, is a diamond pickup controller.

The men who hired him are thieves who have a very complicated scheme to steal the diamonds. Their leader is Mr. Bernard (Adolfo Celi) and he is a very evil man who lusts for diamonds more than anything else.

Lang also gets involved with a beautiful young woman named Evelyn (Margaret Lee) who is also good at killing people. The first 45 minutes of the film detail the diamond heist and it's quite a good scene.

It's a rare little film that hasn't been seen much and I am surprised by that. Celi makes a perfect villain and has appeared in hundreds of films. This performance is one of his best.

Gerard Tichy also stars as well as Antonio Casas, Ennio Balbo and Andrea Bosic. The print quality is very good and I found myself getting really wrapped up in this little film. As I said, it goes from being a clever heist movie to spies and espionage and the transition is almost seemless.

A RECOMMENDED gem that you should try and find.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Monique Gabrielle is 57, and Vivica A. Fox is 56.

DOUBLE CONFESSION 1950 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Rare film noir starring Peter Lorre.

A man named Jim Medway (Derek Farr) discovers that his wife has been murdered and tries to uncover who did it.

He tries to turn suspicion on someone who actually had an affair with her and finds himself mixed up with actual murderers. That is the basic plot, and yes it does get confusing as this movie tries to bring out to many different plot lines.

Lorre's character of Paynter is extremely bizarre, and he always seems like he wants to kill someone no matter who it is. His friend Charlie Durham (William Hartnell) is the very rich and powerful man Medway tries to frame for the killing of his wife.

Paynter will do anything for him and it all comes to a very good final 12 minutes involving Medway, Paynter and Durham. This was once thought to be a lost film and to this day many people have not seen it, which is a shame.

The print is excellent and the black and white photography is beautiful. The rest of the cast includes Joan Hopkins, Naunton Wayne, Leslie Dwyer and Mona Washbourne.

If you feel so inclined check it out. You might like it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Roz Kelly is 78, Robert Fuller is 87, Tina Krause is 50, Delia Sheppard is 60, and Scott Steiner is 58.

NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH 1948 (SINISTER CINEMA)

One of the darkest film noirs ever made.

This film receives a LOT of bad reviews and criticism I just don't understand.

It's a very simple story. John Blandish is a very wealthy man worth about 100 million dollars and his lovely daughter, the Miss Blandish of the title (Linden Travers) is all set to marry a man named Foster Harvey.

A small time crook robs her of 100,000 dollars worth of jewelry, but a criminal female named Ma Grisson (Lilli Molnar) decides to have Miss Blandish kidnapped figuring that they will get a million dollars in ransom from her father.

Ma has no intention of letting Blandish live after the ransom is paid, but her son Slim Grisson (Jack La Rue) who knew Blandish from way back when they were kids decides to turn tables on his mother and he helps her escape.

This puts both their lives in danger and they go on the run. Blandish falls in love with Slim, but in typical noir fashion, it simply cannot be. Slim kills his mother and is hunted by the police who kill him in a gun battle. His love, Miss Blandish kills herself soon after.

This is a very dark and moody film that really captures the noir feeling. When it was released it caused quite a stir and it still holds up well as one of the finest British noir films ever made.

There are a lot of brutal set pieces that are unforgettable and some great, snappy dialogue which is never forgotten. The print from Sinister is very good and it was a pleasure to see this for the first time since I had heard so much about it.

Leading lady Linden Travers does a very good turn as the doomed lover of a man she can never have and of a life she hates. Jack La Rue gives an excellent performance as Slim and both actors work very well together.

If you get a chance you might want to check this one out. I call it a "hidden gem" that really has yet to be discovered by a mass audience of noir lovers. RECOMMENDED.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Elizabeth Berkley is 48, Nina Axelrod is 65, and Lisa Gastoni is 85.

RIP OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND 1916-2020

A screen legend has died.

In a career that spanned over 50 years, de Havilland was one of the last actresses from the "Golden Era" of film making.

She started her career in 1935 in the film "Alibi Ike" and was soon on her way to superstardom. She starred in the 1936 production of "Charge Of The Light Brigade" and I first saw her as Maid Marian in "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

She was also the last surviving cast member of "Gone With The Wind" which is an iconic film from 1939. Her performance is one of the best I have ever seen in a film. Her list of films in an impressive one and also includes "The Dark Mirror", "The Snake Pit", "Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte", and "The Swarm" for Irwin Allen in 1977.

Her film career will never be equaled by any other actress. She passed away in Paris, France on July 25th, 2020 at the age of 104 from natural causes. She was the older sister of Joan Fontaine who passed in 2013 at the age of 96.

The legacy of films this woman leaves behind is and forever unmatched. RIP to a truly talented and beautiful woman.

RAMBLINGS....

There has been so much going on personally with me it's been hard to keep up with this blog.

I have heard and mentioned here before that "Curse Of The Undead" was coming out from Kino, but I have no date as of yet. I have also heard rumblings that Kino is going to release one of my all time favorite films which is Frank Perry's "Ladybug Ladybug" from 1962.

I hope this is true, it is one of the greatest and bleakest American films ever made. I have written about this film before and I am a HUGE fan of it, and if you've never seen it you should try and find it somewhere, although I can't tell you where as it is so rare.

There will probably be less written here in the coming months as I am changing my life in a major way. I have an upcoming marriage and life change. This is definitely for the better and I look forward to it, but it will be taking time out of my writing here and my movie watching.

However I will still be here and keeping things up to date when I can. It won't be for a while yet and I will still continue to post as much as I can. Thanks for your support.

THE RAT PATROL 1966-1967 SEASON 1 (SHOUT FACTORY)

This is a great little series created by Tom Gries which ran for 2 years on ABC.

The show stars Christopher George as Sgt. Sam Troy, Gary Raymond as Sgt. Jack Moffitt, Lawrence Casey as Pvt. Mark Hitchcock, Justin Tarr as Pvt. Tulley Pettigrew and Hans Gudegast as Capt. Hans Dietrich. Gudegast would later change his name to Eric Braeden and go on to even greater stardom.

This is a very well made series that for some reason is often overlooked by many TV action fans.

THE CHASE OF FIRE RAID 9/12/66... The first episode introduces the cast as Sgt. Jack Moffitt joins the Rat Patrol in their war against Rommell in the North African Desert.

THE LIFE AGAINST DEATH RAID 9/19/66... Hitchcock is critically wounded and the Rat Patrol has to take him to a German army medical camp for treatment.

THE WILDEST RAID OF ALL 9/26/66...Troy lets himself be captured in order to get a African Korps General as a hostage. Things go smoothly until Troy is rescued and then the Rat Patrol finds themselves surrounded by the forces of Capt. Dietrich.

THE KILL OR BE KILLED RAID 10/3/66...Moffitt impersonates a German archaeologist to find the location to a desert water supply. Milton Selzer stars.

THE CHAIN OF DEATH RAID 10/10/66...Dietrich and Troy are captured by Arab slave traders. Frank Silvera stars in this very interesting episode which is a little different than most.

THE DO OR DIE RAID 10/17/66...The Rat Patrol must rescue an expert lock picker from a seaside Nazi compound where he has been sent to obtain secret documents.

THE BLIND MAN'S BLUFF RAID 10/24/66...Sgt. Troy is blinded by the sun for a short time and becomes a pawn in a scheme by Dietrich to stop the Partol.

THE FATAL CHASE RAID 10/31/66...The Rat Patrol liberates some POW's and two of the three former prisoners begin plotting to kill the other for being a coward. One of the best episodes of the first season.

THE BLOW SKY HIGH RAID 11/7/66...The Patrol tries to find a shot cut thru thru the desert in order to destroy an Afrika Korps radar station.

THE MOMENT OF TRUCE RAID 11/14/66...Troy and Dietrich declare a short truce when both parties find themselves under attack from a band of Bedouines. Another great episode.

THE DEADLY DOUBLE RAID 11/21/66...Moffitt and Tully infiltrate a German POW camp seeking a soldier who has memorized Rommel's secret plans for an invasion, only to find him dead.

THE GUN RUNNER RAID 11/28/66...An American soldier turned traitor tries to force the Rat Patrol to join him.

THE LIGHTHOUSE RAID 12/5/66...The Rat Patrol must rescue a French Resistance leader and then smuggle him out via a small harbor by a lighthouse.

THE DAREDEVIL RESCUE RAID 12/12/66...Moffitt disobeys direct orders from Troy and goes to seek his father who was in a plane crash.

THE LAST HARBOR RAID PART 1 12/19/66...The Patrol is given orders to rescue prisoners being used to keep a secret dock open for the German army.

THE LAST HARBOR RAID PART 2 12/26/66...Troy meets with a capture officer while Moffitt and Hitch seek the help of a young woman suspected of being a Nazi spy.

THE LAST HARBOR RAID 1/2/67...Moffitt ans Hitch are helped by the young woman who is actually not a spy. The concluding battle destroys the harbor and rescues many of the POW's. This three part episode is a real gem.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY RAID 1/9/67...The Rat Petrol rescues a top French soldier who has possession of secret German codes.

TWO FOR ONE RAID 1/16/67...Troy and his patrol must prevent a supply drop to German soldiers and have an unexpected complication.

THE LAST CHANCE RAID 1/23/67...The patrol find themselves trapped in a German radio station after trying to contact British forces with some vital information. Very tense episode.

THE B NEGATIVE RAID 1/30/67...Moffitt is wounded in an attack on a German convoy and needs immediate medical attention. The patrol enters Dietrich's camp and try to get a doctor to help them.

THE EXHIBIT RAID 2/6/67...Troy is framed for a murder by a notorious German commander he has in custody.

THE HOLY WAR RAID 2/13/67...Capt. Dietrich plots to "kidnap" a Holy Man and then rescue him in order to get his tribe to side with the German Army.

THE TWO AGAINST TIME RAID 2/20/67...Capt. Dietrich thwarts the Rat Patrols mission to destroy a German munitions camp. He and Tryo suddenly finds themselves trapped in the dump after a landslide.

THE WILD GOOSE RAID 2/27/67...The Rat Patrol is assigned to oversee security at a top secret meeting.

THE BRING EM BACK ALIVE RAID 3/13/67...Sgt. Troy kidnaps a German scientist but doesn't know the scientist is carrying a vile of radioactive Radium.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER RAID 3/20/67...Capt. Dietrich plots to have a German soldier impersonate Major Lansing in order to assassinate an Allied general.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING RAID 3/27/67...Sgt. Moffitt is wounded and taken prisoner. As he is about to be executed the Rats attempt a rescue that fails, then they discover it has all been a ploy to capture the entire squadron.

THE HOUR GLASS RAID 4/3/67...Dietrich kidnaps a doctor to aid a wounded German soldier and the Rats are in hot pursuit.

MASK-A-RAID 4/10/67...Sgt. Troy smuggles a heavily bandaged Moffitt into a German military hospital as an injured Luftwaffe pilot. A truly tense and well made episode. One of the best.

THE FIRE AND BRIMSTONE RAID 4/27/67...The Rat Patrol is trapped in a munitions depot by Dietrich and a very tense standoff ensues. Michael Pate stars.

THE DELILAH RAID 5/1/67...Troy and his men encounter a young woman who claims to be a resistance fighter on a mission, but she may not be what she seems.

That concludes season one of this great action series. The Rat Patrol would be back for season 2 and more great drama set in the North African Desert.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Susan George is 70, and Linda Harrison is 75.

RIP JOHN SAXON 1935-2020

One of the greatest actors ever to appear in films has passed away.

John Saxon appeared in over 200 films during his long career in Hollywood. He began in 1954 in a small uncredited role in the film "It Should Happen To You" and several other films before he landed a role in the movie "Running Wild"from 1955.

Saxon is a name any film fan would know and he appeared in almost every genre of film I love such as sci-fi, horror, film noir and JD. Some of his most memorable movies for readers of the blog include "Rock Pretty Baby", "The Evil Eye", "Can Ellen Be Saved", "Queen Of Blood", "Cannibals In The Streets", "Battle Beyond The Stars", "Nightmare On Elm Street", "Blood Beach", "Black Christmas" and so many, many more.

For films fans like me this is a huge loss, but John Saxon leaves behind a legacy of films that will never be forgotten. He dies on July 25th, 2020 at the age of 84, just a few days shy of his 85th birthday.

HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND 1959 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY

One of my favorite horror films finally comes to Blu-ray.

Alex D'Arcy stars in this German oddity that is really something to see.

He plays Gary Webster, a talent manager who is hiring young women to be dancers in a show he is producing in Singapore. He gets his cast together after auditioning many beautiful women and they take a plane to their destination.

However the plane crashes and and they are stranded on a small island. Gary and the women discover a small house and when they enter it they see a dead man trapped in a huge spider web.

This sets the stage for the horror to come. The island is inhabited by weird spider-like monsters thanks to the dead man's experiments. One bites Gary and he transforms into a hideous monster that then tries to kill the women for their blood.

This is a fun film and Severin brings us the uncut Continental version with nudity and several cut scenes never dubbed into English. They have also included the print with the original title called "It's Hot In Paradise".

The movie never looked better than it does in this restored and re-mastered version. The cast also includes Helga Franck, Helga Neuner, and the gorgeous Barbara Valentin who is easily unforgettable. One of the best releases of the year!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

MONSTERS CRASH THE PAJAMA PARTY 1965 (SOMETHING WEIRD)

One of the best DVD releases ever.

This is a David Hewitt directed "spook show" in which monsters actually came out of the movie and into the audience to capture a young woman and take her back into the movie.

Theaters around the country used to have these kinds of shows all the time but especially around Halloween and they were quite fun to attend. This film is a fun 30 minutes and it stars Hewitt regular Vic McGee as a policeman named Lt. Hudson and as The Mad Doctor.

I cannot imagine anyone not liking this fun effort. This DVD is LOADED with so much fun!! In 3 and 1/2 hours you get to see the main attraction plus a 3D short called "Asylum Of The Insane", and yes, there are two pair of #D glasses included.

You also get to see 45 minutes of rare Spook Show previews which are priceless and Spooky Musical Soundies plus some great home movies such as "London After Midnight", "Dracula" and "The Mummy" made by young horror fans back in the day.

There is so much on this disc it's incredible and believe it or not it also features the 1960 Bert Gordon horror gem entitled "Tormented". If you ever wanted to see a disc that will really blow your mind this is it.

There is so much more than I have listed and it has always been one of my favorite releases from Something Weird and I just love the 4 plus minute opening in Hypnoscope. WOW!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lynda Carter is 69, and Torrie Wilson is 45.

STAR FORCE 1977 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is probably the rarest movie I have ever written about here.

There is simply no information on this film anywhere on the internet and I have not found it in any books either.

Wheeler Dixon directed this bizarre speculation film about UFO's and other mysterious things in our world. Narrated by Sidney Paul, this film is what I call a "mind blower".

There are some outrageous claims made in this film and those are usually followed by several minutes of images being shown while a very strange electronic music score plays.

Dixon made other films such as "The Amazing World Of Ghosts" and "UFO Top Secret" but this film isn't listed in his filmography or anywhere else.

If you want to see something very, very odd then you might want to check this out. Sinister offers it only on a "Drive-In Double Feature" with the Italian sci-fi film "The Humanoid". I have no idea where they got the print of this, but it is what I call a forgotten film.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Charisma Carpenter is 50, Ronny Cox is 82, Lydia Cornell is 67, Marianne Gordon is 74, and Erika Blanc is 78.

WAR OF THE WORLDS 1953 (CRITERION) BLU-RAY

The all time classic sci-fi film finally gets the 4K Blu-ray treatment from Criterion.

One of my all time favorite films looks like I have never seen it before after Criterion gets done with it. They hit it out of the ballpark on this release. Possibly the best release of 2020.

Martians invade the Earth with the intent of taking over and they mean business. I am sure everyone knows the plot so there is really no sense in going into a lot of detail over that.

The battle scene between the Army and the Martians is, in my opinion, the greatest battle scene ever in any science fiction film. Criterion has done an excellent job with this movie and it looks gorgeous. The beautiful 3 strip technicolor is a sight to see and it simply has never looked better.

There are several extras included a 2005 documentary about the film which is a must see. I cannot imagine any true fan of this film or any 50's sci-fi not having this excellent movie in their collection.

A VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BLU-RAY AND FILM.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Shawn Michaels is 55, Tisa Farrow is 69, Erica Gavin is 73, Mary Collinson is 68.

GIRL ON THE RUN 1953 (SOMETHING WEIRD)

This is a very odd movie with film noir touches.

This is part of the "Weird-Noir" set from Something Weird Video and it fits really well.

A man and his girlfriend are on the lam from a phony murder charge against the man. His name is Bill Martin (Richard Coogan) and she is Janet (Rosemary Pettit).

They hide in a carnival and she "becomes" a showgirl to hide from the police while Bill fights quickly to prove his innocence. Bill is almost killed many times while trying to find the real killer of his boss.

There is very little plot here and so many scenes are padding scenes involving burlesque acts and this does get annoying after a while. If they were not in the film it would only run about 35 minutes.

However, this isn't too bad of a film if you're not expecting much. This set from SWV is a great one and the other 5 movies will be included here soon. I believe this is the weakest film in the set, but we shall see.

The rest of the cast includes Frank Albertson, Harry Bannister and Edith King.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Adrienne King is 65.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Diana Rigg is 82, and Camille Keaton 73.

WARNING FROM SPACE 1956 (TUBI)

Well done Japanese Sci-fi that is often overlooked.

I finally was able to see this film again after so many years and found it very enjoyable.

A series of UFO's are seen all over Japan and authorities are baffled as to why. Starfish-like creatures from a far distant planet have come to Earth, but cannot approach us looking as they do. When they try they cause nothing but panic and fear.

After a few attempts, the aliens decide that one of them must look like a human in order to contact us. One takes on the form of a popular dancer/singer named Hikari (Toyomi Karita) and she slowly makes contact with several Earthlings including some scientists.

Why do they want to contact us? It seems that a meteor is going to crash into the Earth and destroy it unless something is done, and they have come to warn us.

As the meteor gets closer the temps rise around the world and there are many disasters including floods and much more. Earth scientists are unable to stop the meteor and the end seems near. However, the aliens intervene and the Earth is saved thru the combined efforts of mankind and the aliens.

This is a totally different kind of Japanese Sci-fi film than you might imagine. If you haven't seen the film, you might want to check it out as it does offer something very different from what you expect.

BLOOD SCARAB 2008 (TUBI)

A Don Glut T&A horror film.

Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Monique Parent) arrives in modern day Los Angeles with the intent of taking over and becoming even more powerful.

The Countess had made a pledge with Vlad Dracula so she can gain eternal life. Early in the film we see Dracula die as he is caught in the sun while watching two lesbians in action thru a window. Vlad (Tony Clay) is almost saved by his servant Renfield (Del Howison), but the sun is faster.

Bathory is not at all bothered by Vlad's death and she immediately demands that Renfield find a way she can live in the sunlight. This, we discover, is possible but only with help from an ancient Egyptian goddess named Hathor (Angelica Monro).

Bathory attempts to contact Hathor and does but only after she steals the ancient Mummy of Hathor from a pawn shop where it has been stashed after it was stolen by two men who found the body after the Mummy walked out of a museum!! Make sense?

This eventually brings about a final battle between Bathory and Hathor in Mummy form. This is a very low budget, but interesting film actually shot on video.

The women in the film are beautiful, but the standout is, of course, Monique Parent. She makes a most fetching Bathory. The rest of the cast includes Brinke Stevens, Natasha Diakove, Cindy Pucci and Christina Morris.

If you're a fan of very low budget horror and beautiful women, then you might like this little film.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

James Brolin is 80, Audrey Landers is 64, Amanda Saccomanno is 30, Susan Marie Snyder is 57, and Al Snow 57.

THE SLAYER 1982 (TUBI)

Somewhat interesting early 80's horror.

Two couples decide to take a vacation together and soon find themselves stranded on a small island with a powewrful hurricane headed their way. However, this isn't their only problem.

One of the women on the trip named Kay (Sarah Kendall) is haunted by dreams she has had since she was a child about a strange demon who stalks and kills people. Everytime she sleeps, people die.

This is a rather interesting film with some classic early 80's gore killings including a pretty good death by pitchfork scene. This has been compared to the classic "Nightmare On Elm Street" as it deals with a dream demon, and while there are a few similarities two are very different.

You don't see the monster until the final 3 minutes of the film, and it is an impressive creation, but I wish it had been seen a little more. The ending is what really surprised me. I think it's quite unique, and I still haven't seen anything like it in any other films.

The actors perform their roles well under the direction of J. S. Cardone and everything seems to jell well. If you haven't seen this, I do think it;s worth hunting down and at least look at once.

The rest of the cast includes Fred Flynn, Carol Kottenbrook and Alan McRae.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Donald Sutherland is 85, P. J. Soles is 70, David Hasselhoff is 68, Heather Langenkamp is.56, and Catherine Schell is 76.