THE AMUSEMENT PARK 1975 (SHUDDER) BLU-RAY

Lost for 47 years, this film is finally out for people to see, and see it they must!!

The late George Romero made this short film as a PSA for the Lutheran Church about aging in America. It turned out to be too much for the church, so it was shelved and never seen until a print was discovered in 2017.

Lincoln Maazel, who also starred in Romero's "Martin" in 1977, is an elderly man who goes for a seemingly fun day at an amusement park, but finds a hellish nightmare of modern America.

Thru various rides and sideshows he sees how elderly people are treated by businesses and the world at large. He himself becomes a victim of liars, swindlers, uncaring law enforcement and much more.

At the end of the film he is just an empty shell of a man. Although made back in the mid 70's this film is really timely today. With the current crop of stupid people in the White House and the young "progressive communists" running around, elderly people are treated like trash. I know, I have been there.

I recommend everyone see this that really cares about elderly people. As Maazel says at the end of the film, "You'll all be elderly one day." Typical thought provoking film from Romero.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Carrera is 77.

RIP RUGGERO DEODATO 1939-2022

One of the great Italian directors has died.

Deodato started his career working as a second unit director for such men as Mario Bava and Antonio Margarhetti and his first directors credit was the 1964 fabtasy film "Hercules, Prisoner Of Evil".

He was also director for such films as "Fenomenal and the Treasures of Tutankamen", and "Gungala The Black Panther Girl" (which I just watched a few weeks ago).

His genre career really took off in the late 70's with such fair as "Jungle Holocaust", "Cannibal Holocaust", "House At The Edge Of The Park" and so many more.

His film "Cut And Run" from 1984 was distributed in the US by Roger Corman's New World Pictures and I will be posting a review of that film very soon.

Deodato's career was a good run and I know he didn't like all the films he made, but you gotta eat. His films have always been a big influence in my life because of my love for Italian cinema. A true one of a kind, he will be missed.

Ruggero Deodato passed away on December 29th, 2022 at the age of 83.

I MONSTER 1971 (SINISTER CINEMA)

I reviewed this a couple of years froma bad quality and cut print.

This print from Sinister Cinema is a huge improvement over their last release of this title.

I need not write too much about this as it is a re-telling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, except Christopher Lee stars as Charles Marlowe, a kindly doctor doing research on a new drug he hopes will revolutionize medicine.

After testing it on several patients he tries it on himself and becomes and evil man named Mr. Blake. His attorney, Fred Utterson (Peter Cushng) suspects something is terribly wrong with Marlowe. He believes that Blake is a killer who is blackmailing Marlowe.

In the end he finally discovers that they are one and the same. I found this to be a good version of the Robert Louis Stevenson story, and that is in large part because of the teaming of Cushing and Lee.

The print is a good 35mm version and uncut. The rest of the cast of this Amicus film includes Mike Raven, Kenneth J. Warren, Susan Jameson and Richard Hurndall. RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Steele is 85, and Yvonne Elliman is 71.

SECRET OF THE TELEGIAN 1960 (BETAMAX TV)

Very rare Japanese science fiction.

Jun Fukuda directed this little gem that for some reason has fallen thru the cracks of Japanese sci-fi films.

The story is very simple. Detectives try and stop a madman who calls himself "Telegian" from killing all those he claims wronged him during World War 2.

The unique thing about this film is that the killer uses a mind transmitting machine to stalk his "enemies"and kill them. The movie moves along well, but it isn't like any other Japanese sci-fi film in that there is not a lot of monster action. It's a blend of sci-fi and crime drama which isn't a bad thing.

The print is a black and white pan and scan version, but that's fine as it's about the only way I'll probably ever be able to see the movie. I saw this was on streaming and just had to check it out.

All in all a fun film if you're in the right frame of mind. I liked it a lot.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Bill Goldberg is 56, Barbara Crampton is 64, Melissa Moore is 59, and Thea Trinidad is 32.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Trina Parks is 75.

WOLFMAN 1979 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Yet another film it took over 4 decades for me to see again.

This is a very cool, low key horror film shot in North Carolina.

Earl Owensby stars as Colin Glasgow, a man returnng to his family estate for the funeral of his father. Little does he know that a couple of family members as well as a minister want him there so he can be next in line for a family curse.

During the cycle of the full moon Colin becomes a werewolf that rips people apart in the town. The werewolf makeup reminds me of Paul naschy films, and it is very good.

I have read a lot of negative things about this movie, but personally I enjoyed it a lot. No, there isn't a lot of action but there is a very good story with pathos and feeling.

Owensby made a srting of low budget action and horror films in North Caroline during the late 70's and early 80's and I believe he did very well considering he had hardly any money to work with.

The cast does a good job with the material and that includes Kristina Reynolds, Sid Rancer, Ed Grady and Maggis Lauterer. The print is very good and if you like regional horror you must check this one out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Mandrell is 74.

TARKEN VS. THE VIKINGS 1975 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is the second in the long line of Turkish Tarken films.

One of the most enjoyable films I have seen in a long time! There is non stop action for almost 90 minutes, colorful costumes, beautiful women, monsters and lots of swordfights.

A lone hero, Tarken (Kartal Tibet) and his two faithful dogs are attacked by a band of vicious vikings led by Toro (Bilal Inci). One of Tarken's dogs is killed and he is seriously injured.

His other dog nurses him back tp health and Tarken vows vengeance on Toro and his army as well as any other vikings he encounters. The vikings meanwhile have kidnapped all of the beautiful women of the village and plan on using them as sacrifices to a God which just happens to be a giant octopus!

The evil vikings subject the women to many tortures. At first Toro is assisted in his evil ways by a beautiful Chinese woman named Lotus (Seher Seniz) but she also turns on him for her own reasons.

Soon Tarken catches up with Toro and we get a very unforgettable climax. Man oh man, they simply do not make movies like this anymore, and that is very sad. In 90 minutes, this movie packs more action and adventure into that time frame than any American movie that runs twicw as long.

Granted, Turkish cinema isn't for everyone, but I wish more people would give them a try, but sadly American filmgoers only want Marvel superhero slop. Tis film has it all including some suprising nudity. There isn;t a bad looking female in the cast and most of them are fully involved in all the violence when not being tortured by the evil men.

I can't recommend this enough and Eva Bender is a total knockout as a viking woman named Ursula. SEE THIS FILM!! Tghe print from Sinister is beautiful and subtitled.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Edwige Fenech is 74, and Donna Martel is 95.

FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOON 1976 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Now this was a bizarre film.

Florinda Bolkan stars as Alice, a woman who works as a translator. One day upon her arrival at work she discovers that it's isn't Tuesday as her calander says. It's Thursday and everyone has been trying to get ahold of her.

In the meantime she has been having bizarre dreams about as astronaut being left on the moon. She sets out to find her missing days and what really happened. The investigation takes her to a small town and a beautiful hotel, where everyone seems to know her, but she doesn't know anyone at all.

A little girl staying at the hotel with her parents insists that Alice is really named Nicole. Meanwhile the astronaut on the moon is slowly dying and a professor named Blackman (Klaus Kinski) who is watcing the proceedings on the moon wants another test subject.

Yes, this is getting very bizarre as Alice gets no answers to her questions, but only more confusion.

This movie is probably one of the most original Italian gialli I have ever seen. It was shot in beautiful Turkey and the acting is top notch all the way. I tried to watch this on two streaming services, but they both cut the movie off after 75 minutes!! I have never run across that before.

I won't give away anything about the ending of the film, but if you follow the entire film you should be able to figure it out. There is a key bit of dialogue Alice gives when she picks up a friend at the airport at the early stages of the movie.

Needless to say, I highly recommend this gem and it has more going for it than and American film of the last 20 years or more. The rest of the cast includes Nicoletta Elmi, John Karlsen and Lila Kedrova.

Sinister has done a great service bringing this movie out in it's complete version and if you want to see something completely different seek a copy of the DVD out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joan Severance is 64.

RIP DANIELA GIORDANO

Another stunningly beautiful Italian actress has passed away.

My goodness, another gorgeous actress I loved watching in movies is gone. Giordano appeared in such classic films as "Inquisition", "Death Walks In High Heels", "Your Vice Is A Locked Room and Only I Have The Key", "Girl In Room 2A", "Case Of The Bloody Iris" and so many more Italian Giallo.

I thought she was so damned sexy I bought and watched her movies JUST for her. She passed away on Dec. 16th, 2022 at the age of 76 after a short illness. She will indeed be missed.

RIP DIANE MCBAIN 1941-2022

One of my all time fave actresses had died.

McBain was a VERY talented actress who appeared in hundreds of TV shows and movies of every different kind.

I grew up watching this blonde beauty in such films as "The Mini Skirt Mob", "Thunder Alley", "Five The Hard Way", "Wicked Wicked", "Deathshead Virgin" and so many more.

Besides making movies more enjoyable with the roles she also did a lot of TV including "Batman", "Mannix", "Land Of the Giants", "Dallas", "Matt Houston" and much more.

A beautiful and talented woman, she will remain in my movie and TV memories until I am no longer here. She passed away on Dec. 21st, 2022 at the age of 81.

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS 1956 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting quasi-documentary.

This film uses actual UFO footage and re-enactments to try and determine if all the UFO sightings from 1946 to 1956 are real.

The United States Airforce had been investigating UFO's and found that the files of sightings was tremendous and that something must be afoot for so many sighting to come in.

The best scenes in the film are the ones involving many saucers sighted over Washington D.C. and how radar experts keep things cool during the 6 hour report.

Les Treymayne narrates this film, and his voice always adds a certain aura to and film. If you're a UFO believer and think aliens are among us, you'll no doubt like this film.

It is fun in it's own way. The last five or six minutes of the film are comprised of actual UFO footage for the viewer to study and make their own assumptions.

THE SNIPER 1952 (MOVIESTV)

I hadn't seen this film noir classic for about 25 years and when it was on recently, I watched it, and paid for it the next day at work with very little sleep.

It's a simple story actually. Arthur Franz stars as Ed Miller, a man with some real problems. It seems Eddie has been rejected by women all of his life and it's about to explode.

He is an ex-con and he works at a dry cleaner delivery service, which is where he picks some of his victims.

The random killings begin and there seems to be no clue as to who it is or why. The police are baffled until a police psychologist starts to unravel the mystery.

Franz turns in a wonderful performance as the mentally disturbed man who compulsion to kill grows until he can npo longer stop himself. The police led by Lt. Frank Kafka (Adolphe Menjou) and Sgt. Joe Ferris (Gerald Mohr) get some leads and then the hunt is on.

The ending is downbeat and a little sad as we see what Eddie is really like. It is a great ending however, and it fits perfectly. The rest of the cast for this gem includes Marie Windsor, Frank Faylen, Richard Kiley, Marlo Dwyer and Mabel Paige.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Angel Tompkins is 80, and Pamela Austin is 81.

FACE OF THE FROG 1959 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Fun film based on "The Fellowship Of The Frog" by Edgar Wallace.

This was the first in a very long line of movies based on Edgar Wallace novels. This movie was shot in England, Denmark and Germany by director Harald Reinl.

A master criminal known as The Frog who dresses in a bizarre costume is robbing private homes and businesses all over London. Joachim Fuchsberger stars as Richard Gordon, a US playboy who helps Inspektor Elk (Siegfried Lowitz) try and solve the crimes as well as the brutal murders which the Frog also is involved with.

The plot moves along quickly and includes a few cabaret shows, violent gunfights and much more that would get even better as these kinds of films moved forward.

There are a few brutal, blood soaked killings and the ending is very sadistic for it's time, but that is what sets these apart from others in the genre. The German "krimi" films are a genre all to themselves.

The print is very nice and I won't say anymore about the film as I don;t want to give too much away. It's a good one and you shouldn't miss it. The rest of the cast includes Elfie von Kalckreuth, Dieter Eppler and Eva Pflug.

This is highly recommended fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Kristy Swanson is 53, and Marlene Clark is 73.

DEVIL'S AGENT 1962 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Well made German crime film.

Peter Van Eyck stars as Georg Droste, a man who is met by a friend named Baron Ferdi von Staub (Christopher Lee) and invited to a fishing vacation at Staub's mansion.

Georg accepts and soon finds himself wrapped in an espionage ring as a messenger. He is arrested by a Mr. Smith (Macdonald Carey) who is working for the USA and wants to stop the Russians from getting the documents. His department starts using Georg as an agent, and things soon spiral out of control.

He falls for a beautiful woman named Nora (Marianne Koch) who is also trying to escape the communists. There is a lot of crosses and double crosses in this fine little film.

Van Eyck is best know to genre fans as the doctor who was taken over by a disembodied brain the the remake of "Donovan's Brain" entitled "The Brain which was made the same year as this one.

There is a great twist at the end which makes this film very bleak. I won't give it away, but I really didn't expect it at all. John Paddy Carstairs directed and he handl;es the chores very well.

The black and white photography is beautiful and the print from Sinister is excellent as well. If you enjoy spy films with a lot of twists and turns, check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Trish Stratus is 47, Steve Austin is 58, Victoria Pratt is 52, and Rob Van Dam is 52.

GUNGALA THE VIRGIN OF THE JUNGLE 1967 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Very rare Italian made adventure film.

This was a treat to see and since I love Italian made films of any kind this realy fit the bill for entertainment.

Two theives steal a precious jewel from a statue belonging to the Basoko tribe in Africa. One of the men shoots his partner in the back and takes the jewel himself.

Flash forward 10 years later and the man who was shot in the back has survived. His name is Wolf (Poldo Bendandi) and he is now leading expeditions into the jungle. He happens upon a couple Chamder (Conrad Loth) and the beautiful Fleur (Linda Veras) who want to see if they can find a rare element somewhere in the jungle.

Wolf uses this as an excuse to start looking for the missing jewel again. We learn that his partner who shot him crashed a small plane in another part of the jungle. He and his wife were killed, but their little girl has grown up in the jungle and has possession of the jewel. Her name is Gungala, a miniker the natives gave her.

Kitty Swan is the mysterious woman of the jungle who seems to control panthers and leopards and they in turn protect her. The highlight of the film is Swan, who has no lines, but is naked for and 3/4 of the movie.

The story does slow down a bit in spots, but hey what do you want? While I found Swan to be beautiful it is Linda Veras who really stole the show for me. Like most Italian productions, there are no unattractive women and the presentation is well done.

The print from Sinister is very, very nice and it's also subtitled. RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Milla Jovovich is 47.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Gail Thackray is 58.

SWORN TO JUSTICE 1996 (TUBI)

Interesting little 90's crime film.

Cynthia Rothrock stars as Janna, a young woman who nephew and sister were killed by unknown attackers.

Janna is a psychologist and defense witness for courts during the day, but at night she secretly hunts for clues to the mysterious killings and then meats out her own style of justice.

Tony Lo Bianco is a police inspector named Briggs who keeps hounding Janna and suspects her of killing off the attackers one by one, but he has no proof.

Janna also has ESP and is trained in that by Dr. Breitenheim (Walter Koenig). This helps her to identify the killers even more quickly. In an interesting twist we later learn that Briggs is a crooked cop and the head of a huge crime ring in the city.

Janna's final battle with Briggs and his men is very well done, and this makes for a good 90 minute time killer. It's interesting to note that in an interview Rothrock claimed Koenig was a monster who treated the director like crap. This does not surprise me at all.

The rest of the cst includes Kurt McKinney, Brad Dourif, Mako and Mary-Margaret Humes. Not too bad of a film and if you're a Rothrock fan, you'll enjoy it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Helen Slater is 59, and Lorena Velazquez is 85.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Dee Wallace is 74, Janette Scott is 84, and Alan Ormsby is 78.

Wings Hauser is 75, and Sarah Douglas is 70.

SHUTTER SPEED 2000 (TUBI)

A very good TV movie from TNT productions.

Steve Borden stars as Riley Davis, a cop working in narcotics. His brother, Cliff (David Lovgren) is promoted into the detective wing, and this brings comflict as the brothers are estranged because of a fumbled bust that caused their father to be killed a few years earlier.

Both are called in to investigate the murder of a model and a friend of Riley's. The only clue is a mysterious camera with only one picture taken. It seems som rather high up crime boss wants the camera asnd the picture.

Things spiral out of control when Riley's sexy as hell girlfriend Kenzie (Daisy Fuentes) is stalked by a killer who ends up killing Kenzie's housesitter.

Kenzie is later kidnapped and this sets up for a very good climax with both Riley and Cliff hunting the vicious killer. This was a TNT prduction produced by Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey. Both of these men were a driving force behind WCW wrestling.

Borden does an excellent job in the role of Riley and what can I say about Fuentes except WOW. This woman was one of the sexiest actresses/models going at the time, and her role is perfect for this film.

If you like action films or wrestling you might like this. Borden was also known as the wrestler "Sting" in WCW and TNA.

VIOLENT NAPLES 1976 (TUBI)

I've been streaming a lot lately, and this is just another great little film I discovered

Maurizio Merli stars as Commissario Betti, an uncompromising cop who is called into Naples since the crime rate is out of control. The city weants him there because his tactics are violent and no holds barred, and they feel he is perfect for the job.

He comes up against 'O' Generale (Barry Sullivan) who runs a crime empire inside the city as well as Francesco Capuano (John Saxon). Both of these men seem intent on killing each other.

While these two gangsters have their own problems there is a ton of robberies and rapes taking place and Betti manages to kill quite a few of these low lifes.

This is an excellent movie and moves along at a great pace. It is considered to be a rip off of the "Dirty Harry" movies, and, admittingly it steals a lot from them, but yet it remains very Italian in flavor.

Saxon and Sulliovan dubbed their own voices for this film andthat really helps the movie believe it or not. If you're a fan of ultra violent crime films that pull no punches and are not the PC garbage of todays American cinema, then this is for you.

This is, in my opinion, one of director Umberto Lenzi's best efforts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Donna Mills is 82, and Lynda Day George is 78.

ROBIN REDBREAST 1970 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This was a BBC broadcast of "Play For The Day" and damn, is it interesting.

Norah Palmer (Anne Cropper) is a middle aged woman who has just gotten a divorce and she is rather unhappy about it.

She buys a small home in the country to get away from everything and finds that at first the townpeople welcome her, but as time goes by they get stranger and stranger.

Her first meeting with a man named Fisher (Bernard Hepton) is bizarre indeed as he talks about things that nobody has ever really known or cares to know. Norah is polite however, but she does think he has some prblems.

In time she starts a small relationship with a young man named Rob (Andy Bradford). He himself is strange as he doesn't know his parents, has no friends and doesn't even know why people call him Rob.

Norah finds herself pregnant from Rob and then things really take a turn for the twisted. I won't put any spoilers here, but let us say that the story doesn't end the way a viewer thinks it will. It's bleak and dark, and I guess you'd call this a folk horror tale.

It was first broadcast on 12/10/70 and since there were power blackouts in parts of the UK during the showing and a lot of people didn't get to see the end, it was repeated in February of 1971. This was the only time this show was repeated.

If you like supernatural horror and dark endings, then this is for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

COCAINE WARS 1984 (TUBI)

During the video store boom of the 80's and 90's I saw this film box everywhere and even had the movie poster, but I never watched it until the other day.

Roger Corman co-produced this action film starring John Schneider as Cliff Adams, a DEA agent who is working for the largest cocaine dealer in the world.

Everything seems to be working ok and Cliff meets a lovely American reporter named Janet (Kathryn Witt). When the dealer Gonzalo Reyes (Federico Luppi) wants Cliff to kill a man who wronged him, Cliff has to make a decision. He decides to bring Reyes down once and for all.

Cliff's cover is blown by Janet when her paper release a story early and this puts both of them in grave danger. There is a LOT of action in this film as one would expect from the Corman stable.

The film was made in Argentina and director Hector Olivera handled the chores nicely. The film moves along quickly and Schneider does a very good job with his role.

The rest of the very good cast includes Royal Dano, Rodolfo Ranni and Edgardo Moreira.