BOMBAY WATERFRONT 1952 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Good little English mystery.

John Bently stars as detective Paul Temple and Patricia Dainton is Steve, his wife.

A serial killer known as "The Marquis" is terrorizing London and the police are having a time solving the case. Scotland Yard warns Temple to stay out of the case, but he and his wife get involved anyway.

This was originally known as "Paul Temple Returns" but the title was changed as Americans had no idea who Paul Temple was. It is a standard mystery film with all of the usual trappings, but it does move along well, and the actors know their roles.

Christopher Lee has a role in the film as Sir Felix Raybourne, and one could tell in this early role he was going to be a huge star. I liked the flavor of the British scenery and I always find film noir from England to be very entertaining, albiet different.

It's a rare film and if you like mysteries I think you'll enjoy this.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Debbir Gibson is 51, Mickie James is 42, and Adrienne Reese is 33.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Frank Henenlotter is 71.

SHARK ATTACK 1999 (ECHO BRIDGE)

More low budget shark terror.

Casper Van Dien stars as Steven McKray, a marine biologist who is called upon to help with a very dangerous situation.

It seems his best friend was killed in a bizarre shark attack in Africa at a place called Port Amanzi. He discovers that his friend, Marc DeSantis (Cordell McQueen) had been working on some experiments involving shark attacks when he died.

Steve does not think it was an accident and he is aided by Marc's sister Corine (Jenny McShane). As both dig deeper into the mystery they discover that all of the sharks in the area are becoming very hostile and ravel in packs.

Soon both are fighting for their lives from shark attacks and human criminals.

It's not as bad of a movie as people make it out to be, but it does indeed have it's rough edges. McShane spends a lot of time in a bikini, so that is a veery good thing and the shark attacks for the most part are well handled.

It might hold your attention if you're not looking for something too deep. It held mine and I found myself liking the film probably more than I should have. Two sequels follwed this film, of which I am very surprised by.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

David Soul is 78 and Hugo Stiglitz is 81.

KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL 1952 (SINISTER CINEMA)

One of the best film noir ever made!!

Phil Karlson directed this tight tale about murder and double cross.

A man named Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is an ex-con who now works for a floral delivery company. Each day he stops by a shop for a delivery which is located next to a bank.

Unknown to him a man is planning a heist of the armored car which stops at the bank every morning. Hia name is Tim Foster (Preston Foster) and he secretly hires three other to help him. They all have their identities hidden from each other.

The robbery is pulled off and Joe is accused of the crime and arrested. This is because he was driving a floral truck, which the criminals also drove. The cops find that they cannot hold Joe, and he tsakes it upon himself to travel to Mexico and find the men who set him up.

This is excellent story telling and the film moves at a brisk pace. Payne is perfect as the would be fall guy. The rets of the excellent cast includes Neville Brand, Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam as the three men whom Foster hires for the robbery. Also Coleen Greyis Tim's daughter Helen.

The print from Sinister is crisp and clear and widescreen. I could rave on about this film for days. It's one of the most perfect films ever made and if you're a noir fan you shouldn't miss it.

Elam really steals every scene he is in. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Tuesday Weld is 78, Barbara Bach is 74, and Robert Remus is 73.

SHARK ZONE 2003 (ECHO BRIDGE)

Oh my....another shark movie.

This is not too good of a film, but it does have some good scenes in it.

Dean Cochran stars as Jim Wagner, a man whose father was killed 10 years before by a school of huge killer sharks. He is resisting people who want to look for a sunken ship and a treasure due to the death of his father who tried the same thing.

Beautiful Brandi Sherwood stars as Jim's wife Carrie. A sudden outbreak of violent shark attacks leads Jim to demand that the beaches be closed, but the Mayor doesn't listen to him. Does this sound familiar?

I found it interesting that the movie was filmed in Bulgaria and they tried like hell to make it look like southern california, but failed. The scenes of the shark attacks work well, but they use the same footage for every single attack and that gets old fast.

If you have to see every shark horror film ever made, you might want to see this. Not much else to say but have at it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Akiko Wakabayashi is 80, and Kirk Morris is 79.

MAD EXECUTIONERS 1963 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting Bryan Edgar Wallace film.

The German police are investigating a series of murders in which a group of masked men hold a kangaroo court and hang those they say escaped justice in the courts.

As the bodies start to pile up the police struggle to capture the killers. They steal a rope from a Scotland Yard museum to do the hangings and despite their best efforts the police cannot stop them.

During the investigation they also stumble on a case where an elderly gentleman is kidnapping women to find the perfect head to place on his creation of an artificial body!!

It's very bizarre how the movie instantly changes course midway thru from being a crime drama to a sci-fi film, but it works. One must pay attention however or you'll wonder if you're watching another movie.

The cast includes Hansjorg Felmy, Wolfgang Preiss and the gorgeous Maria Perschy. Horror and mystery fans should enjoy this little effort.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Tom Skerritt is 88.

RIP MARILYN EASTMAN 1933-2021

Helen Cooper has died.

The actress who played Helen Cooper in the film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD has passed away at the age of 87.

Eastman will always be known for that role and she worked closely with George Romero on numerous projects including TV commercials for Romero's Latent Image.

A nice woman and always happy to hear from the legions of NOTLD fans from around the world. She died on August 22 of natural causes.

GODZILLA VS. KONG 2020 (WARNER) BLU-RAY

Well I had to see this one.

I do have some mixed feelings about this one. It open with Kong living ina virtual jungle world and not liking it one bit. He has a soft spot in hie heart for a young female child and they actually communicate.

A scheme is hatched to get Kong to lead a search party to a world inside the Earth. This seems to be ok until Godzilla shows up and the two wage war on each other with the mighty lizard winning the first battle.

After another battle an evil corporate CEO unleashes Mecha Godzilla on the world and both Kong and Godzilla fight to save the Earth.

The presentation of the movie on a whole is perfect, but I didn;t really like the human interaction in the movie. It seemed too forced and was only there to keep the monster scenes afloat.

The battles were great and yes, the CGI always bugs me. The film was escapist fun, but I do think they miss a lot of potential with the muddled stories.

I know a lot of people liked this movie so I am in a minority. I still prefer my Godzilla movies made in Japan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Ronee Blakley is 76, and Connie Mason is 84.

RIDERS OF THE TIMBERLINE 1941 (PLATINUM)

A different kind of Hopalong Cassidy western.

Lesley Selander directed this film in which Hoppy (William Boyd) and his sidekicks California Carlson (Andy Clyde) and John Nelson (Brad King) decide to help out a lumber camp that is known for strange accidents.

The camp is run by Jim Kerrigan (J. Farrell MacDonald) and he believes these accidents are intentional and an effort to put him out of business. The leader of the workers is Baptiste Deschamp (Victor Jory).

Hoppy and the boys decide to become workers at the camp and investigate. Preston Yates (Edward Keane) is out to destroy Kerrigan and hires an evil henchman named Bill Slade (Tom Tyler) to make sure this gets done quickly.

It's odd to see Hopalong not dressed in his usual western gear, but the story does move along nicely with an interesting climax. A lot of fans didn't seem to like this change pf pace movie, but to each his own.

If you're a Hoppy fan, this should entertain just fine. The rest of the cast includes Eleanor Stewart, Anna Q. Nilsson and Mickey Eissa.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Eden is 90, and Vera Miles is 92.

THE SHOWDOWN 1940 (PLATINUM)

William Boyd stars as Hopalong Cassidy in this fun western.

Cassidy and his sidekicks Lucky Jenkins (Russell Hayden) and Speedy McGinnis (Britt Wood) find themselves involved with a horse thief.

A man named Baron Rendor (Morris Ankrum) arrives from Europe with plans to steal race horses, then change their names and race them to get top dollar.

Hoppy arrives in town at the same time as the Baron and is suspicious right off the bat. Later he is robbed of money, but he has marked all of the bills.

Hoppy sets a trap and finds that Baron has the same money that was stolen from him. This sets things in motion to bring doen the gang of theives and save the day.

This is a pretty simple plot, but it's well done and very entertaining. The rest of the cast includes Roy Barcroft, Jan Clayton, Kermit Maynard and Wright Kramer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Patty McCormack is 76, Eve Torres is 37, and Barbara Moore is 53.

FLIGHT TO MARS 1951 (FILM DETECTIVE ) BLU-RAY

This early sci-fi film has always been a favorite, and now it comes in a beautiful 4K transfer onto Blu-ray.

Lesley Selander directed the Monogram effort about the first flight to Mars and it all plays out very well. Cameron Mitchell, Arthur Franz, Virginia Huston, John Litel and Richard Gaines star as the first five people selected for a spaceflight to another planet.

Mitchell is a news reporter who sends back messages as the flight takes them deeper and deeper into space. The flight is filled with wonder and some terror as they encounter a meteor shower which damages the ship and they are forced to make an emergency landin on Mars.

Once there they are met by a race of people lead by Ikron (Morris Ankrum). They are taken to and underground world which isumlike anything they have ever seen. The astronauts get help from the Martians in rebuilding their ship. but unknown to them Ikron and other Martians plan to kill tyhe earthlings, steal their ship and begin an invasion of the Earth.

A beautiful woman from Mars named Alita (Marguerite Chapman) helps the earthlings and she and Franz' character of Dr. Jim Barker slowly fall in love.

When the scientists learn of the Martians plans they plot to get off the planet quicker than tey want to. This is a fun little movie that never fails to entertain. It's always good to see sexy Martian women in super short skirts and high heels, and this film has a good bit of that.

The Film Detective has restored this classic to top notch form. The color in beautiful, the picture is fantastic and it makes for an all new viewing experience for fans of the film.

If you get a chance you should check this out. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

DUNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM 1982 (MIDNIGHT PULP)

OH MY GOD!!!

The English translation for this is "The Man Who Saved The World". It's called "Turkish Star Wars" because of all the scenes lifted from that movie and many others.

The plot, if you can call it that, revolves around two astronauts who are stranded on a planet run by a madman intent on taking over the universe. There are endless martial arts fights and bad dialogue. Oh yes, there are very badly made monster costumes and some of the actors are wearing rubber halloween masks and fight to keep them on during some scenes!! A three year old could have done better.

This movie was edited in a blender. It's the worst editing job I have ever seen!! It's a tough movie to sit through as it makes no sense whatsoever. There are plenty of stolen scenes from movies and the music is also stolen from John Barry's score for "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" and many more.

Easily this is the most mind numbing experience I have had watching a movie in many years, and that is saying something considering how many movies I have seen in my entire life.

I cannot believe this even got made and it amazes me that they stole so much footage from very, very well known American films as well as their soundtracks. There are also many scenes I suspect were ripped off from many 60's Italian action films.

I have now wasted 90 minutes of my life I will never get back, but at least I am still upright. Watch at your own risk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Diana Muldaur is 83, Jill St. John is 81, Debra Paget is 88, L.Q. Jones is 94, Darby Hinton is 64, Lilian Garcia is 55, and Rosita Arenas is 88.

JURASSIC CITY 2016 (TUBI)

I actually enjoyed this goofy movie.

The movie starts off with a secret lab that has been breached and several raptor have escaped, and the owner sends a black ops crew in to clean up the mess.

We then get some gorgeous sorority girls that are pulled over by the police for drinking and driving. They are takeen to a jail at about the very same time a truck with three raptors arrives. They have been instructed to keep them in a huge underground bunker until the breach at the lab is contained.

Well as usual things don't go as planned and the creatures escape from the truck and raise havoc in the jail. Most of the police are killed and the girls must attempt to escape or die. Joining them is a convicted rapist killer, a prison guard and a few other prisoners.

Getting out of the infested area proves to be more difficult than one could ever suspect. I loved the ending of the film as two of the sorority women escape only to find the entire city is overrun with prehistoric monsters.

No, the acting isn't the best and the CGI is cheap as hell, but if you just watch it for escapist entertainment then you'll be fine. There is plenty of eye candy however.

The cast includes Kevin Gage, Ray Wise, Dana Melanie, Sofia Mattsson, Kayla Carlyle, and Vanessa Johnston.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Julie K. Smith is 54.

BLOOD 1973 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY

I first caught this on TUBI a few months ago.

I reviewed it then and I'm doing it again as it is the final film I'll be talking about from "The Dungeon Of Andy Milligan" collection from Severin.

It's one of my favorite Milligan films. The story is very simple. A man named Lawrence Orlovsky (Allan Berendt) and his wife Regina (Hope Stansbury) move into a Staten Island mansion.

Unknown to anyone he is a werewolf and she is a vampire. Their servants take care of therm as well as tending to their basement full of blood drinking plants.

Regina is incapable of controlling her blood lust and she kills several people whose murders must be covered up. Things spiral out of control and everyone finds their lives threatened. Soon all ends in disaster and they are killed in a housefire that destroys only part of the house.

The ending has another couple moving in named Frankenstein. This is an entertaining film from start to finish and it moves at a quick pace in its 69 minute running time. The print from Severin is simply gorgeous. Easily one of the best releases of 2021, I believe everyone should get this set of Milligan films and delve into one of the most bizarre minds ever to make movies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Saraya-Jade Bevis is 29.

STONE TAPES 1975 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is a very well made British TV horror film.

Beautiful Jane Asher stars in this unique thriller about a research team going into a haunted house.

They get much more than they ever bargained for. When Asher's character of Jill sees a ghost that nobody else can see or even hear, her producer comes to the conclusion that the ghost is a product of the room itself.

The team keeps pressing on and on and it finally gets to the point where they all have different reactions to ghosts and sounds.

Eventually they decide to exorcise the room, and then the real terror is unleashed. The ending of the film is dark and somewhat disturbing. I don't want to give too much away, but this is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED film for any horror fan.

Peter Sasdy directed this Nigel Kneal story and it has all the Kneal touches. Parts of it reminded me of "Quatermass And The Pit". It was first shown on the BBC on December 25th, 1972.

The outstanding cast also includes Michael Bryant, Michael Bates, Iain Cuthbertson and Reginald Marsh. Check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Ann Blyth is 94, Gary Clarke is 88, George Eastman is 79, and Mirta Miller is 73.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Bouchet is 78, Natasha Henstridge is 47, Pat Priest is 85, and Gaylen Ross is 71.