WEST OF THE LAW 1942 (ALPHA)

This is a fun little Monogram western.

This is one of the long line of Rough Rider movies to come out from Monogram. The riders are called in to investigate a gang of outlaws who are taking over cattle ranches and mines.

Marshal Buck Roberts (Buck Jones), Marshal Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) and Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton) arrive undercover in a small Nevada town and seek to put an end to the terror the town is living in.

It seems a man named Jim Rand (Harry Woods) is in charge of a gang of hoodlums who are determined to take over the town.

There is a lot of action in this hour long western drama and it was the final Rough Riders oater from Monogram. The leads are all in top form as usual.

If you're a fan of the Rough Riders then you know what a treat it is to see them on screen and fighting the baddies. By the way, there are a couple of very well done fight scenes in this film.

It's a fun way to kill an hour and I recommend it highly. The rest of the cast includes Jack Daley, Malcolm McTaggert, Evelyn Cook, and Roy Barcroft.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jeannie Bell is 81.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE 2023 (TOHO) BLU-RAY

I know everyone has probably seen this already.

Going into this film I didn't feel like I do when I see American movies made in this day and age. I knew it would be entertaining and I wasn't wrong.

The basic premise is that in very early post World War 2 Japan, a giant radioactive monster appears and starts to wipe out people by the thousands.

Around this story is wrapped another one about a man who was a kamakazi pilot and lived thru the war because he is afraid to die. After the war he must deal with the inner torment of being a coward to his fellow soldiers and himself.

All of this works very well and bringing both stories together and blending them together is done seemlessly. The effects in the film and I believe they are CGI, but it looks much better than anything America can do.

The scenes involving Godzilla, especially when he spits out his radioactive breath are amazing and it really hits home. These are probably the most destructive scenes in the movie. This Godzilla is so different from all the others we have ever seen. This creature is nothing but a killing machine.

The Blu-ray presentation is gorgeous and comes with two discs. One is the movie, the other is all of the bonus material, which I have yet to get thru. You can watch this in subtitled or dubbed versions.

I highly recommend this classic monster movie for two reasons. Number One it's great to see a Japanese made Godzilla movie again, and number Two, the human story is very, very compelling. The end will have an effect on you, I guarantee it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Scarlett Johansson is 40, and Margaret Markov is 76.

HIS BROTHERS GHOST 1946 (ALPHA)

It has been over 30 years sine I had a chance to watch this.

This little PRC western stars Buster Crabbe as Bill Carson, an undercover agent investigating a gang that is slowly wiping out the ranches in the area.

When Andy Jones (Al "Fuzzy" St. John) is killed, Bill gets the idea to use Andy's twin brother to make the gang believe they are seeing a ghost.

The plan works very well and the gang begins to fall apart. The movie runs little under an hour and so it moves very swiftly. I remember I first saw this on a Goodtimes VHS tape I bought from K Mart.

I like this low budget cheapie, and if you like "weird" westerns I would recommend this very much. The rest of the cast includes Charles King, Arch Hall Sr., Roy Brent and Ken Osborne.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Nicollette Sheridan is 62, Deborah Shelton is 76, Nikki Garcia is 41, and Brie Garcia is 41.

THE RESTLESS BREED 1957 (01 DISTRIBUTION)

It's sad that this very well done western is available only from Italian or british import DVDs.

Allen Dwan directed this Edward L. Alperson production. Scott Brady stars as Mitch, a young man who arrives in a small town called Mission, Texas in order to find the men who killed his father who was a secret service man.

Mitch meets the reverend Simmons (Rhys Williams) and is offered a room to stay in. He meets a lovely young woman named Angelita (Anne Bancroft).

Mitch does not let on as to who he really is and what is reasons are for being in town, but he does gun down a few baddies including Cherokee (Leo Gordon). Cherokee vows revenge.

This is a fast paced western that has a great cast and everyone involved in the film takes their roles and does the best they can with them.

The ending of the film is not a surprise, but the way it's handled is perfect. I really enjoyed this and the way it feels different from other westerns at the time.

The rest of the cast includes Jay C. Flippen, Jim Davis, Scott Marlowe, Myron Healey, Gerald Milton, Eddy Waller and Marilyn Winston.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Mie Hama is 81.

SAN ANTONIO KID 1944 (VCI)

This is a very entertaining western.

Bill Elliot again stars as Red Ryder.

In this outing Ryder is trying to stop Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange) from buying all the ranches in the valley after having the former residents either burned or shot out.

Hanlon and his partner Walter Garfield (LeRoy Mason) have discovered that the valley is very rich in oil and want all of it to themselves.

Running about one hour this movie is very fast paced and it's all good fun. Of course for me it really helps that beautiful Linda Stirling is in it. What a woman!!

The rest of the cast includes Robert Blake, Alice Fleming, Duncan Renaldo, Tom London, Robert J. Wilke and Jack Kirk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lorna Maitland is 81.

BEHIND GREEN LIGHTS 1942 (ALPHA)

Very well made film noir.

20th Century Fox distrubuted this little and obscure thriller.

A police lieutenant named Sam Carson (William Gargan) is thrust into a case of political murder when a dead body is dumped onto the steps of a police station one rainy night.

Since this tale takes place in one night the action never seems to stop as there are plenty of suspects. One of the main suspects is Janet Bradley (Carole Landis) who was trying to pay the victim off in a blackmailing scheme.

Carson beings to see too many holes in the case and soon suspects someone else of the killing and not Janet. Who the killer is might surprise you, so I won't give it away.

If you're a mystery or film noir fan you'll want to see this fine little film. As I said, it's somewhat obscure but well worth checking out.

The rest of the cast includes Richard Crane, Mary Anderson, John Ireland, Charles Russell, Charles Tannen, Don Beddoe and Mabel Paige. I've always had a crush on gorgeous Landis and both she and Mary Anderson are very sexy in this movie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Peta Wilson is 54, Shari Shattuck is 64, Ian McCulloch is 85, and Monica Randall 82.

MAYA 1989 (VINEGAR SYNDROME) BLU-RAY

Weird and confusing horror from Italy.

Director Marcello Avallone directed only two horror films, and this is the second. The other is "Specters" which I have already talked about here.

This film concerns an evil powr taking over a small Mexican village which kills many people in gruesome ways. A mystical doctor and a young man must try and stop the evil.

There are too many loose ends in this movie, and it seems like a bunch of short stories woven into one film. There are really no likable characters in this film except for the luscious Mariella Valentini as a young woman named Lisa who has arrived in the village after the death of her father played by William Berger.

It's not a well constructed film but there are a few interesting set pieces. However, this does not make for a good film. This movie kind of shows me that the Italian fim industry was really, really waning in this time.

It's an interesting film if you're not a crazed horror fan like I am. I LOVE Italian cinema and I expected so much more than this.

CHECKMATE 1935 (RENOWN)

Run of the mill crime caper.

Maurice Evans stars as Phillip Allen, a man boarding with another man and his daughters. Nobody is aware that Phillip is an undercover agent working for Scotland Yard.

He is trying to get the goods on diamond smugglers. The two daughters Jean Nicholls (Sally Gray) and Mary (Evelyn Foster) don't suspect that their father is also involved with the smuggling ring.

I was hoping for a little more from this film, but it was pedestrian as best. The acting is fine but they never do anything with the story but let it run its course.

The rest of the cast includes Donald Wolfit, Felix Aylmer, Wilfred Caithness and Ernest Jay. I was sorry they didn't make a better film out of this...it could have been so much more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joanna Pettet is 82, Gemma Atkinson is 40, Steve Railsback is 79, and Barbara Leigh is 78.