MICHAEL GOUGH CONTROLS 'KONGA' FEATURING CLAIRE GORDON

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkYtWGeayns/XiRN8Q9OlUI/AAAAAAABNfo/ey36kosP_jkKH2kTgiCFNAf9GFP8uDsWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-01-18%252Bat%252B4.02.09%252BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="1382" height="311" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkYtWGeayns/XiRN8Q9OlUI/AAAAAAABNfo/ey36kosP_jkKH2kTgiCFNAf9GFP8uDsWACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-01-18%252Bat%252B4.02.09%252BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Claire Gordon and Michael Gough in KORGA Year: 1961</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> A movie that finally proves dumb things can sound smart when spoken in an English accent as Michael Gough explains his growth serum, starting out on neat looking Venus Flytraps and then pet chimp KONGA, who eventually grows to the size of KING KONG. By that point, when the superimposed giant ape reaches half as tall as the Big Ben Clock Tower, no one's speaking in any accent so everything falls apart slowly, and stupidly...<br> <br> But most of the film has a tall man in a tall gorilla suit, taking out particular strategic enemies of Gough's mad scientist/professor named Dr. Charles Decker in a body count fashion both intriguing and fun. From the snippy dean of the college he works for, after having returned from Africa with a wealth of expository knowledge taking up the first five minutes via media interview, to a handsome male student rightfully smitten with young voluptuous Claire Gordon (as cute Kim Tracy waits in the wings), this movie's bombshell blonde Fay Wray, bitterly jealous of the time and attention teacher spends on his teacher's pet, especially on an outdoor field trip...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMr0k3MdnKw/XiJpt_XgA5I/AAAAAAABNdA/nqo8FB92IkE-maGWB29rBQ6Civnjm9a0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BMr0k3MdnKw/XiJpt_XgA5I/AAAAAAABNdA/nqo8FB92IkE-maGWB29rBQ6Civnjm9a0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/24.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Michael Gough and Claire Gordon in KONGA Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> As an audience member you'll root for each and every murder, before, during and after they occur, since each victim threatens to end our mad doctor's climb... that <i>almost reaches</i> somewhere... <br> <br> It's a shame they had to inevitably shadow KING KONG at all. As the human-sized ape, KONGA made a perfect killer backed by a menacing yet polite, sophisticated doctor, who, along with his clingy, intellectual female assistant (Margo Johns), blackmailing him into a future engagement, seem part of a semi-decent Hammer Film, which is Gough's usual forte and why he's absolutely perfect in an infamously bad movie that's shockingly worthwhile... for a while, anyway.  <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z0TXlA0-23E/XiJD1pU0-MI/AAAAAAABNcU/VBbelz3VvUc5Z8LBt8mYGC1B_OVRQ90HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z0TXlA0-23E/XiJD1pU0-MI/AAAAAAABNcU/VBbelz3VvUc5Z8LBt8mYGC1B_OVRQ90HwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Michael Gough and Paul Stockman as KONGA </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

body count, british, claire gordon, creature feature, horror, jess conrad, kim tracy, margo johns, michael gough, monster, rupert osborne, waveney lee

MICHAEL GOUGH CONTROLS 'KONGA' FEATURING CLAIRE GORDON

Claire Gordon and Michael Gough in KORGA Year: 1961 A movie that finally proves dumb things can sound smart when spoken in an English ac...

ARCHIVE REVIEW OF LARRY COHEN'S 'GOD TOLD ME TO'

<div style="text-align: right;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgQTMg-bXSk/XiKiTrrrLJI/AAAAAAABNeM/e-KJxt0Q_qY5_vuEaKBJC6D484_KXqfUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/god-told-me-to-french-movie-poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="461" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DgQTMg-bXSk/XiKiTrrrLJI/AAAAAAABNeM/e-KJxt0Q_qY5_vuEaKBJC6D484_KXqfUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/god-told-me-to-french-movie-poster.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div> title: GOD TOLD ME TO<br /> year: 1976<br /> cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Sandy Dennis, Andy Kaufman, Dan Resin, Richard Lynch, Sylvia Sidney<br /> writer/director: Larry Cohen<br /> rating: **<br /> <br /> The first half... as a dedicated Catholic cop played by Tony Lo Bianco (the smooth "kissy devil" patsy in THE FRENCH CONNECTION) investigates random public killings... including Andy Kaufman as a police officer going berserk at the St. Patrick's Day Parade... and each assassin mutters, "God told me to" as their last words... is mysterious and interesting. The last half, as the murders cease and the "God" in question is revealed, is absolutely banal. Larry Cohen's camerawork has its usual artistic grace, with a collection of creative zooms and all that other seventies' stuff, but after the good parts even the cool shots are all dressed up with nothing to show.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bjSSRIQaMUY/XiHfCJ3SdnI/AAAAAAABNaQ/MIBORnXACVIG9GVGVfFGzt3vTMTwqThJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9e75fa313855b13a1eb381f684080caa.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1302" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bjSSRIQaMUY/XiHfCJ3SdnI/AAAAAAABNaQ/MIBORnXACVIG9GVGVfFGzt3vTMTwqThJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/9e75fa313855b13a1eb381f684080caa.jpeg" /></a></div> <br />

andy kaufman, horror, larry cohen, seventies, suspense, tony lo bianco

ARCHIVE REVIEW OF LARRY COHEN'S 'GOD TOLD ME TO'

title: GOD TOLD ME TO year: 1976 cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Sandy Dennis, Andy Kaufman, Dan Resin, Richard Lynch, Sylvia Sidney writer/direc...

JONATHAN DEMME'S QUIRKY ROAD PICTURE 'SOMETHING WILD'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQYDcAXZ2FE/XhyEfFRnJVI/AAAAAAABNMw/adownIsj93QUPo-QBTOnoTSp4-62fov4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-01-12%252Bat%252B8.28.53%252BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQYDcAXZ2FE/XhyEfFRnJVI/AAAAAAABNMw/adownIsj93QUPo-QBTOnoTSp4-62fov4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-01-12%252Bat%252B8.28.53%252BPM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ray Liotta's groupie Kristin Olsen as Tracy running the motel in SOMETHING WILD Year: 1986</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Director Jonathan Demme's sexy road-flick SOMETHING WILD plays around with its title threefold, beginning with stiff-suited yuppie Jeff Daniels skipping out on a humble New York cafe's lunch check...<br> <br> And after being spotted and then picked-up by an extremely loose and experienced Melanie Griffith, taken down the departing highway to a rural motel for some ultra-R-rated sex, the audience (and Daniels) only <i>think</i> they know who's truly WILD here...<br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hCr3AXuze98/Xhxtb2v5riI/AAAAAAABNMk/KYMp8PXsNush4T2UdD670XRu7fogiw2UwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/81907172_882584578837386_4802701733979488256_o.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hCr3AXuze98/Xhxtb2v5riI/AAAAAAABNMk/KYMp8PXsNush4T2UdD670XRu7fogiw2UwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/81907172_882584578837386_4802701733979488256_o.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ray Liotta flicks his slow-motion Marlboro pack during a robbery in SOMETHING WILD </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> Until the 45-minute "Kong-mark" when, after the romance hits a peak at Griffith's ten-year high school reunion, purposefully bordering on endearing small town cinema saccharine, Ray Liotta as Ray — Griffith's freshly sprung ex-con/ex-husband — shows up, and the breezy vehicle veers from fun-wild to wildly-dangerous: A quirky romantic comedy now sharing a Neo Noir/thriller template... <br> <br> During the best scene in another, more dark and shabby motel, Daniels is stuck between Liotta and Griffith in what's been natural to them all along... having nothing to do with sex, only facts. Daniels's initially polite cat-and-mouse wordplay with Liotta makes one forget his prior risque physicality and odd couple banter with Griffith the film once seemed entirely built around: <i>the boys</i> wield the truly daring anti-chemistry, and at this point even <i>she</i> knows it. <br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4UIpBV4P5RY/XhwWon5WxtI/AAAAAAABNLM/2xAPcPVnvpczxlW_znx_Qf8UDs6MLp-QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-12%2Bat%2B9.30.34%2BPM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4UIpBV4P5RY/XhwWon5WxtI/AAAAAAABNLM/2xAPcPVnvpczxlW_znx_Qf8UDs6MLp-QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-12%2Bat%2B9.30.34%2BPM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jeff Daniels and Ray Liotta in SOMETHING WILD with Melanie Griffith</u></td></tr> </tbody></table>

eighties, indie, jeff daniels, jonathan demme, kristin olsen, margaret colin, melanie griffith, quirky, ray liotta, road movie, romantic comedy, thriller

JONATHAN DEMME'S QUIRKY ROAD PICTURE 'SOMETHING WILD'

Ray Liotta's groupie Kristin Olsen as Tracy running the motel in SOMETHING WILD Year: 1986 Director Jonathan Demme's sexy road-f...

JIM BROWN & FRED WILLIAMSON 'TAKE A HARD RIDE' W/ JIM KELLY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbo3gFnfOLc/Xhe01vWL83I/AAAAAAABNCA/Z52oNdb0oh4Rh0-ct4M0AmLSpMM_f2ikACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-09%2Bat%2B3.16.36%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gbo3gFnfOLc/Xhe01vWL83I/AAAAAAABNCA/Z52oNdb0oh4Rh0-ct4M0AmLSpMM_f2ikACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-09%2Bat%2B3.16.36%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: Take A Hard Ride Year: 1975 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Expectations for a Blaxploitation-Western, being that Jim Brown and Fred Williamson play the heroes and/or anti-heroes, or a Spaghetti Western, since Lee Van Cleef is the bad guy, will be disappointed. While it does have some of the (very intentional) Spaghetti elements in style and music, and slick action sequences for Blaxploitation fans...<br> <br> TAKE A HARD RIDE is actually an old-fashioned cowboy flick involving honest man Jim Brown and dishonest gambler Fred Williamson, on a quest to deliver money (that Brown made with late boss Dana Andrews) to a small town with cunning and deadly bounty hunter Van Cleef on their trail...<br> <br> For eye candy there's Catherine Spaak with her very own sidekick Jim Kelly is a mute Indian scout (Williamson said to yours truly that it was because of his pal Kelly's limited vocal-acting abilities), sporadically wielding his signature karate moves. And Williamson's ambiguous nature adds suspenseful distrust for Brown, also adding to their chemistry in what's more a fun ride than a hard one, but a cool flick nonethless. With all the money involved, and an ensemble of non-trusting cowboys, you can say it's a mobile TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.<br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxRIoYy9-Zc/XhhKdQrvvLI/AAAAAAABNFU/OJtCBsoYiBku8cc4NgIp9KbOH7U_CBcWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-09%2Bat%2B2.45.28%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="759" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxRIoYy9-Zc/XhhKdQrvvLI/AAAAAAABNFU/OJtCBsoYiBku8cc4NgIp9KbOH7U_CBcWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-09%2Bat%2B2.45.28%2BPM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Groovy Poster art for TAKE A HARD ROAD</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzJ5Tsm7rPs/XhfxXytvGvI/AAAAAAABNEA/EViscdLFUzUdXr4lzEiYa1oLvOe7uORWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/11%2B2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="906" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TzJ5Tsm7rPs/XhfxXytvGvI/AAAAAAABNEA/EViscdLFUzUdXr4lzEiYa1oLvOe7uORWACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/11%2B2.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jim Kelly in TAKE A HARD RIDE </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

action, catherine spaak, dana andrews, fred williamson, jim brown, jim kelly, karate, lee van cleef, road movie, seventies, western

JIM BROWN & FRED WILLIAMSON 'TAKE A HARD RIDE' W/ JIM KELLY

Title: Take A Hard Ride Year: 1975 Rating: ***1/2 Expectations for a Blaxploitation-Western, being that Jim Brown and Fred Williamson p...

JOE PATRIDGE STARRING IN THE B-WESTERN 'CONVICT STAGE'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wFu5PKomVXk/XhfjzIf9ruI/AAAAAAABNCU/fBxWd7dZhYwB0mXewTQ4IRdRmocbei6PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-08%2Bat%2B6.50.43%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="741" height="313" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wFu5PKomVXk/XhfjzIf9ruI/AAAAAAABNCU/fBxWd7dZhYwB0mXewTQ4IRdRmocbei6PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-08%2Bat%2B6.50.43%2BPM.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year of capture and release: 1965</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Most Westerns rely on the glorious good guy or the even more glorious, teeth-grinding heavy – this does the latter, and he's a she: Like James Cagney's Ma Jarrett in WHITE HEAT, Hungarian-born actress Hanna Herfelendy, then using the much easier to remember and pronounce name of Hanna Landy, may be a rotten soul but she's sure a faithful and determined mother: Her two sons held up a stage coach and the youngest killed a young women trying to escape and, thoroughly guilt-ridden, the kid provides a sort of "Spur Noir" ambiguity, especially against his coldblooded older sibling...<br> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eBPPxQWwQAc/W7m40znbRQI/AAAAAAAA6T8/IFsSkEqt0_sc-HvYU798kZcz173P7LWHQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-07%2Bat%2B12.40.17%2BAM.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eBPPxQWwQAc/W7m40znbRQI/AAAAAAAA6T8/IFsSkEqt0_sc-HvYU798kZcz173P7LWHQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-07%2Bat%2B12.40.17%2BAM.jpg" width="225"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hanna Herfelendy aka Hanna Landy</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Enter <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/07/anders1-HYP-EYE.html">HYPNOTIC EYE</a> b-actor Joe Patridge with a plan that's nothing without ol' Ma. In fact it's mostly her own.. Going undercover, acting the prissy puritan, riding in (or rather, on top of) the same titular CONVICT STAGE her boys are handcuffed inside of, gun-hidden ready to set them free. Along the way we cut back and forth to several characters, including a beautiful stock ingenue who wants revenge for her sister and her brother wants... uh... more revenge, and so on.<br> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-swTxZZe9J78/XKiWS8bGPtI/AAAAAAABCXw/2zPxhVDOSFo0WexZG4cy2nF6WcL6MAezgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-06%2Bat%2B4.58.05%2BAM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1062" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-swTxZZe9J78/XKiWS8bGPtI/AAAAAAABCXw/2zPxhVDOSFo0WexZG4cy2nF6WcL6MAezgCLcBGAs/s200/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-04-06%2Bat%2B4.58.05%2BAM.jpeg" width="175"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Convict Stage Rates ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Details matter little in this sparse, tight Western relying on contained, suspenseful atmosphere over wide-lens landscapes that the genre revels in and often relies upon – but only if that kind of exterior is in the budget, or is necessary to the plot. Instead, the hemmed-in canyon walls keep the locale dark and shadowy even in the daylight – leading to a two-story spread where the characters all wind up:<br> <br> Ma comes alive, showing her nefarious zest and is no stranger to a pistol, while her boys have other loaded guns to tangle with – making it a rather complicated job for the lawman caught in-between in this slightly above-average Western that will pass the time fine, preferably after midnight, where b-movies (no matter the genre) make the most sense.<br>

action, don red barry, hanna landy, harry lauter, heist, joe patridge, sixties, thriller, western

JOE PATRIDGE STARRING IN THE B-WESTERN 'CONVICT STAGE'

year of capture and release: 1965 Most Westerns rely on the glorious good guy or the even more glorious, teeth-grinding heavy – this d...

KUNG FU ESCAPISM OF 'MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ba7UDnoAyg8/XhelT3iYPvI/AAAAAAABNBQ/JRSmDjmtk4oeF8Xv2BloIRPL8Ou-VxVbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MV5BZWI5YzljNTktODUxMC00NjkwLTg2MDYtNjIxYzdiMzY1MGI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzc2MDEwOTY%2540._V1_UY1200_CR81%252C0%252C630%252C1200_AL_.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="630" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ba7UDnoAyg8/XhelT3iYPvI/AAAAAAABNBQ/JRSmDjmtk4oeF8Xv2BloIRPL8Ou-VxVbACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MV5BZWI5YzljNTktODUxMC00NjkwLTg2MDYtNjIxYzdiMzY1MGI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzc2MDEwOTY%2540._V1_UY1200_CR81%252C0%252C630%252C1200_AL_.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Master of the Flying Guillotine Year: 1976 Rating: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> About the only downside is there's not enough of that radical red beanie taking off heads, but in its place is tons of Kung Fu in a Kung Fu contest: one-on-one bouts much like ENTER THE DRAGON, only here more lethal and mystical, including a scene-stealing villain with elongated arms... <br> <br> And the plot centers on a <i>one-armed </i>karate teacher being sought out by an old blind bearded assassin —the Master of the Flying Guillotine — who wants him dead for killing two of his friends, and he twirls his blade-cap at anyone else with a single limb. There's an uneven, sporadic mix between English subtitles and the classic mismatched dubbing, flickery lighting and other such technical "flaws" that only add to the overall cult appeal. The music is pretty fantastic, revving-up the ultra-violent exploitation, and a pretty nifty plot making this one of the coolest martial arts fantasies ever produced, directed, choreographed.  <br>

action, cult, exploitation, fantasy, jimmy yang wu, karate, kung fu, seventies

KUNG FU ESCAPISM OF 'MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE'

Master of the Flying Guillotine Year: 1976 Rating: **** About the only downside is there's not enough of that radical red beanie tak...

DAVID CARRADINE DIRECTS 'AMERICANA' AKA 'AROUND'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqvvipZifr0/XhOZMqu7iXI/AAAAAAABM6M/ve055oCGl10egwDBIhKyalBn97FINeDkACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-06%2Bat%2B12.23.48%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1245" height="325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqvvipZifr0/XhOZMqu7iXI/AAAAAAABM6M/ve055oCGl10egwDBIhKyalBn97FINeDkACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-01-06%2Bat%2B12.23.48%2BPM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>David Carradine's AMERICANA Filmed: 1973 Released: 1983</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Started in 1973 and released a decade later, AMERICANA is a nice-looking low-budget film about an ex military drifter played by famous KUNG FU drifter David Carradine who happens upon a small town with an abandoned merry-go-round (originally with a more aptly title AROUND) in an empty field, and how he goes about fixing it up and, most importantly, and quite symbolically, getting it working again. But it's no easy feat as he has to overcome more than manual labor, like the town sheriff and local bullies.<br /> <br /> Along with his then-girlfriend (in the seventies, during the BOXCAR BERTHA era) Barbara Hershey, the movie flows in a spontaneous nature. And while some of the intentionally realistic-for-realism non-actor side-characters can be distracting at first, it's eventually overcome by the purposefully laidback aura: everything fitting into an non-contrived organic template about real life and real people... back then. Or in this case, back, back then. 

barbara hershey, counter-culture, cult, david carradine, drama, eighties, indie, seventies

DAVID CARRADINE DIRECTS 'AMERICANA' AKA 'AROUND'

David Carradine's AMERICANA Filmed: 1973 Released: 1983 Started in 1973 and released a decade later, AMERICANA is a nice-looking low...

PERRY KING FIGHTS IN 'SEARCH AND DESTORY' WITH DON STROUD

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlR232FF7h4/XhGDe6-uw7I/AAAAAAABM6A/osR1Wj30erEs9CQHYAgnGFIYMGtqNnzMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/search-and-destroy-original-movie-poster-15x21-in-1979-william-fruet-perry-king.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1020" height="340" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlR232FF7h4/XhGDe6-uw7I/AAAAAAABM6A/osR1Wj30erEs9CQHYAgnGFIYMGtqNnzMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/search-and-destroy-original-movie-poster-15x21-in-1979-william-fruet-perry-king.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1979 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In Vietnam a company of American soldiers try saving a South Vietnamese man from "Charlie" and fail. He is captured by the enemy and now we cut five years later and the Vietnamese man is back in the States for revenge...<br> <br> He kills one of the vets and this peaks the attention of Perry King, an auto shop worker, as he is next in line...<br> <br> Along with fellow vet Don Stroud, a happy-go-unlucky drunkard boat captain in Niagara Falls inspired by Hemingway Noir tales, they try first finding who the killer is, and then stopping him. But he's trained in killing and is almost unstoppable. Great action scenes all set in the gorgeous Niagara Falls area, and lots of violence makes this a real treat: a fun ride that never derails. George Kennedy adds a little something as a small town cop who winds up allowing Perry King to take care of matters his own way.<br>

actopm. don stroud, george kennedy, neo noir, perry king, seventies, vigilante

PERRY KING FIGHTS IN 'SEARCH AND DESTORY' WITH DON STROUD

Year: 1979 Rates: ***1/2 In Vietnam a company of American soldiers try saving a South Vietnamese man from "Charlie" and fail....

ROBERT BLAKE 'RIPPED-OFF' AS 'THE BOXER' IN 'COUNTER PUNCH'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U5_ZMKlc5Sk/XgwdCELQqPI/AAAAAAABM5I/WYVVe10GEWIdHUVenoLqOBEVAiC92Tc7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/91dFwZFbSgL._SL1500_.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="749" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U5_ZMKlc5Sk/XgwdCELQqPI/AAAAAAABM5I/WYVVe10GEWIdHUVenoLqOBEVAiC92Tc7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/91dFwZFbSgL._SL1500_.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Robert Blake in Ripped-Off YEAR: 1972 Released: 1975</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In RIPPED-OFF, originally titled THE BOXER and also going by COUNTER PUNCH, MURDER IN THE RING, CHAMP CHEROKEE and TOUGH GUY, Robert Blake is a drifting Vietnam Vet boxer named Cherokee...<br> <br> After a come-back and then being set-up to lose an important match, is accused of slaying his manager and, in the usual Noir fashion, is desperate to find the real killer.<br> <br> Most of the movie feels pasted together with dubbed dialogue and a myriad of awkward, often hilarious close-up/inserts, one in particular involving a brawling Blake blinded by a spiked rag: making his eyes blink like a frantic cartoon character. Also includes an evil hippie, a stone-faced love-interest Catherine Spaak, an overly obvious surprise villain, wah-wah peddle music (with sporadic symbols sounding like the bridge of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love) and Ernest Borgnine's sporadic "guest appearance" scenes as a growling cop out to nab our troubled bruiser... whose performance is more BARETTA than IN COLD BLOOD... makes this corny, campy, obscure import a thoroughly addictive guilty pleasure.<br>

action, boxing, catherine spaak, crime, ernest borgnine, import, italian import, neo noir, robert blake, seventies, sport

ROBERT BLAKE 'RIPPED-OFF' AS 'THE BOXER' IN 'COUNTER PUNCH'

Robert Blake in Ripped-Off YEAR: 1972 Released: 1975 In RIPPED-OFF, originally titled THE BOXER and also going by COUNTER PUNCH, MURDE...

RUSS TAMBLYN IN JACK ARNOLD'S 'HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UqXrF3ikO14/XgqGgCGdqbI/AAAAAAABM4Y/2qddu0fkbj0cbmOAottAtr4F5ehrnB8bwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/519ZQD6I24L._SY450_.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UqXrF3ikO14/XgqGgCGdqbI/AAAAAAABM4Y/2qddu0fkbj0cbmOAottAtr4F5ehrnB8bwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/519ZQD6I24L._SY450_.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1958 Rating: ***1/2 Director: Jack Arnold</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Russ Tamblyn is so good in this, so self-assurred and natural and villainously awesome it doesn't seem possible what anyone else watching would figure upon the first ten minutes, and what the entire movie turns into: A Warning Sign for the 1950's youth that includes a teenage girl addicted to pot as if it were morphine... <br> <br> But all the dated elements aside, and the somewhat forced special guest casting of Mamie Van Doren as Tamblyn's sexy "aunt" (product placement for testosterone) this cult classic, about our confidently rebellious new kid in high school, builds suspense with perfection and includes a terrific car race. And the great directorial flow shouldn't be a shock to fans of Jack Arnold: one of the all time great b-moviemakers ranging from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON to TARANTULA to THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN. He turns what many call camp into a perfect outing.<br> <br>

action, cult, exploitation, fifties, jack arnold, mamie van doren, russ tamblyn, teen

RUSS TAMBLYN IN JACK ARNOLD'S 'HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL'

Year: 1958 Rating: ***1/2 Director: Jack Arnold Russ Tamblyn is so good in this, so self-assurred and natural and villainously awesome ...

LOVELY, LYRICAL, LILTING SUE LYON FANTASY MEMORIAL TRIBUTE

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n7JZf5aQvVk/XgcpqJhaR7I/AAAAAAABM1o/LuoBUPcYyXYXoa2Q_e3Zrjidmrhvdh1hQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-28%2Bat%2B1.25.21%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n7JZf5aQvVk/XgcpqJhaR7I/AAAAAAABM1o/LuoBUPcYyXYXoa2Q_e3Zrjidmrhvdh1hQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-28%2Bat%2B1.25.21%2BAM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Michele Lee, Sue Lyon and Hilarie Thompson on FANTASY ISLAND Year: 1978</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> We learned about the death of this site's patron starlet SUE LYON only minutes ago: She's an actress featured quite extensively here on Cult Film Freak, and unlike most sites, her later, more obscure drive-in exploitation flicks are what's mostly covered here...<br> <br> As of the tail-end of 2019 (she died December 26th), there isn't even a LOLITA review, the titular role that made her famous, or her other temptress turn in THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, flirting with another iconic British actor, Richard Burton, after having pretty much killed her faithfully perverse step-dad James Mason in the Stanley Kubrick classic... <br>

drama, fantasy, hilarie thompson, michele lee, pamela franklin, seventies, sue lyon, tribute, TV

LOVELY, LYRICAL, LILTING SUE LYON FANTASY MEMORIAL TRIBUTE

Michele Lee, Sue Lyon and Hilarie Thompson on FANTASY ISLAND Year: 1978 We learned about the death of this site's patron starlet SUE...

ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR' REBECCA STAAB

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRBWhllv0k4/Xgbe3ciHfMI/AAAAAAABMyo/XG3WqP5yIQQTx8T7ReaAc2KPw5ZdZI1lACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MV5BM2IzYjAxYWItNGVmMi00NTRjLThiNjktNjM3ZjhhNTU1MDgxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQ4MTI1NTc%2540._V1_.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1331" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRBWhllv0k4/Xgbe3ciHfMI/AAAAAAABMyo/XG3WqP5yIQQTx8T7ReaAc2KPw5ZdZI1lACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/MV5BM2IzYjAxYWItNGVmMi00NTRjLThiNjktNjM3ZjhhNTU1MDgxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQ4MTI1NTc%2540._V1_.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Roger Corman Presented The Fantastic Four from 1994</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The unaired Roger <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Corman</span> FANTASTIC FOUR television-movie stars Alex Hyde-White as the brainy and ambitious Dr. Reed Richards, who, along with fellow collegiate Victor Von Doom, attempt an experiment scarring Victor while sparing Richards... <br> <br> A decade later, scientist-astronaut Richards is joined by Johnny Storm, an over-the-top Jay Underwood, and the gorgeous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rebecca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Staab</span> as his sister, Susan, whose childhood crush on Richards becomes instantly mutual. Ben Grimm aka Thing is portrayed with brawny charm by Michael Baily Smith. And once in space they're pummeled with cosmic rays, crash land on earth, and have thus acquired <i>superpowers</i>: Richards is a human rubber band; Johnny flings fireballs; Susan can become invisible; and Grimm’s turned into that super-cool brick-layered Thing. <br>

action, adventure, alex hyde-white, cult, fantasy, import, jay underwood, marvel, nineties, rebecca staab, roger corman, science-fiction, stan lee, superhero, tv movie

ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR' REBECCA STAAB

Roger Corman Presented The Fantastic Four from 1994 The unaired Roger Corman FANTASTIC FOUR television-movie stars Alex Hyde-White as t...

CHRISTMAS GLANCE AT THE BIBLICAL SATIRE 'WHOLLY MOSES!'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8AR47VCzoLg/XgRxgtGTrRI/AAAAAAABMww/jx8wrfFSFIgyst5LbF8MHnFamq7-VSqYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/275930.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="769" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8AR47VCzoLg/XgRxgtGTrRI/AAAAAAABMww/jx8wrfFSFIgyst5LbF8MHnFamq7-VSqYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/275930.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>John Ritter temping Dudley Moore on a WHOLLY MOSES! Lobby Card circa 1980 AD</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Similar to the following years' Mel Brooks Old Testament spoof, HISTORY OF THE WORLD, Gary Weis's underrated WHOLLY MOSES! has more likable, involving characters led by Dudley Moore as a regular guy on a modern day Israeli tour bus that breaks down long enough for the alternative Biblical backstory to be revealed...<br> <br> He and Laraine Newman (the director's SNL alumni) discover a cave with a lost, unknown scroll, and Moore reads about an orphan who, floating downstream, is pushed aside by <i>the </i>legendary basket-floating infant, much like Graham Chapman's title character in this film's muse/inspiration, LIFE OF BRIAN, born in the manger next-door to Christ... <br>

dudley moore, eighties, james coco, john ritter, laraine newman, parody, paul sand, religion, richard pryor, road movie, satire

CHRISTMAS GLANCE AT THE BIBLICAL SATIRE 'WHOLLY MOSES!'

John Ritter temping Dudley Moore on a WHOLLY MOSES! Lobby Card circa 1980 AD Similar to the following years' Mel Brooks Old Testamen...

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019 FROM CULT FILM FREAKS DOT COM

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-45zw96J2Cgo/XgMt7FTdHwI/AAAAAAABMvw/7CmWZenSnqsXWvRhVc85Qj7y3jhsp6UBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/80989547_2830598653651063_8551601003860852736_o.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-45zw96J2Cgo/XgMt7FTdHwI/AAAAAAABMvw/7CmWZenSnqsXWvRhVc85Qj7y3jhsp6UBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/80989547_2830598653651063_8551601003860852736_o.jpeg"></a></div> Personally, on a personal basis, this year, 2019, especially the last month, has been the very, very worst Holiday season in ages, maybe forever, but movies keep things moving, always on the run, so, despite being too damn lazy to review a Christmas-based vehicle or to even think of one, don't pick your feet, and Merry Christmas from Cult Film Freak...<br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hxEqGXv2ko/XgMpONNwTYI/AAAAAAABMvg/gHgNCCV1-ZkVszquyIoCxtyg02YIX36XACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-25%2Bat%2B1.15.02%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hxEqGXv2ko/XgMpONNwTYI/AAAAAAABMvg/gHgNCCV1-ZkVszquyIoCxtyg02YIX36XACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-25%2Bat%2B1.15.02%2BAM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Alan Weeks pursued by Roy Scheider and Gene Hackman dressed as Santa Clause in THE FRENCH CONNECTION</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

2019, christmas, holiday, tribute

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019 FROM CULT FILM FREAKS DOT COM

Personally, on a personal basis, this year, 2019, especially the last month, has been the very, very worst Holiday season in ages, maybe f...

CHARLES BRONSON IN 'COLD SWEAT' W/ LIV ULLMANN & JILL IRELAND

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hE6Mx9AQzWg/XfvN0Dz9v0I/AAAAAAABMpY/p3HJYFabz2onPsnzCh2nEY5uc8VfnaQ5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1097" data-original-width="1600" height="273" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hE6Mx9AQzWg/XfvN0Dz9v0I/AAAAAAABMpY/p3HJYFabz2onPsnzCh2nEY5uc8VfnaQ5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/5.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Charles Bronson starring in COLD SWEAT Year: 1970</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In-between Charles Bronson appearing in Film Noir and his mid-70's vigilante game-changer, he took the "Reign in Hell or Serve in Heaven" approach that Quentin Tarantino's cowboy actor struggled with in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. And like Rick Dalton, Chuck's resume was an eclectic hit, miss... or both, like the pulpy thriller COLD SWEAT, based on a novel by Richard Matheson titled RIDE THE NIGHTMARE...<br> <br> Which doesn't fit this picture as it occurs mostly in daylight; is too controlled for a bad dream; and like many a Neo Noir... usually ones set in the Florida Keys but here taking place in France... the main character's a charter boat captain who, returning home after work, gets a phone call from the past followed by a visitor from the present, attempting to use that past to his extortion-plotting advantage, which Bronson puts a wrestling lethal end to...<br>

action, import, james mason, jean topart, jill ireland, liv ullmann, neo noir, race against time, seventies, terence young, yannick delulle

CHARLES BRONSON IN 'COLD SWEAT' W/ LIV ULLMANN & JILL IRELAND

Charles Bronson starring in COLD SWEAT Year: 1970 In-between Charles Bronson appearing in Film Noir and his mid-70's vigilante game-...

FINAL SKYWALKER SAGA 'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5SMzGElPR4/XfxtPk0FsWI/AAAAAAABMpo/_WhOflFyAqsElmivgO9rI5mCg9WRi8w6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-19%2Bat%2B10.35.57%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1180" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5SMzGElPR4/XfxtPk0FsWI/AAAAAAABMpo/_WhOflFyAqsElmivgO9rI5mCg9WRi8w6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-19%2Bat%2B10.35.57%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Retro artwork for Star Wars THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Year: 2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> There's a popular term in internet circles for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, calling it "fan service" i.e. providing fans what they'd want or expect from a STAR WARS movie. Imagine if The World Series was lambasted for the players using wooden bats to hit a white ball around a grassy field... <br> <br> So compared to Rian Johnson's understandably maligned THE LAST JEDI, director J.J. Abrams hits it out of his own safe ballpark in a hybrid/rehash of RETURN OF THE JEDI with similarities to another Lucasfilm classic, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: in particular, a Staff of Ra type device that, maneuvered strategically against an adjoined-perspective-backdrop, can pinpoint another, more important device (i.e. McGuffin) that will locate a lost Sith planet, where a resurrected Emperor Palpatine has poised more Star Destroyers than we've seen in all three trilogies combined...<br>

action, adam driver, adventure, billy dee williams, carrie fisher, daisy ridley, fantasy, harrison ford, mark hamill, oscar issac, science-fiction, star wars

FINAL SKYWALKER SAGA 'STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER'

Retro artwork for Star Wars THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Year: 2019 There's a popular term in internet circles for THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, c...

SIX NON-STEREOTYPICAL GAY CHARACTERS IN 1970'S CRIME FILMS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yB_4_tvARc/XfjjNTlBKXI/AAAAAAABMiY/lBgDQUrsRC0E958GU2L-PTWNWR3-xIk1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/roy1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1294" height="246" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0yB_4_tvARc/XfjjNTlBKXI/AAAAAAABMiY/lBgDQUrsRC0E958GU2L-PTWNWR3-xIk1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/roy1.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Roy Scheider facing Lawrence Olivier, Marathon Man, 1976</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>Roy Scheider, Marathon Man</u>: Gay characters from older movies... in this case when cinema became more gritty and realistic... usually acted like the stereotype of how homosexuals sometimes act in real life and simply <i>are </i>on screen...<br> <br> So here's a list of gay men who don't mess around like they usually do in cinema, to this day, and we'll begin with Roy Scheider as Dustin Hoffman's big brother, nicknamed Doc in MARATHON MAN, who is never actually "outed" but his preference is known from the William Goldman novel, <i>and </i>he pleads that his literal agent/partner William Devane's Janey get his "ass over here" to a hotel room, before being attacked the exact same way as Johnny Ola in THE GODFATHER PART II...<br>

al lettieri, al pacino, anthony james, crime, exploitation, homosexual, list, mafia, richard burton, robert deman, roy scheider, seventies, sixties, steve mcqueen

SIX NON-STEREOTYPICAL GAY CHARACTERS IN 1970'S CRIME FILMS

Roy Scheider facing Lawrence Olivier, Marathon Man, 1976 Roy Scheider, Marathon Man : Gay characters from older movies... in this case w...

LEE MARVIN & ERNEST BORGNINE IN 'EMPEROR OF THE NORTH'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99SgSDN_WAw/XfgT97PEYJI/AAAAAAABMhg/ORRUN0T_z_gr-a7hriCfLPM7d-Fe2861QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/emperor-of-the-north-pole-movie-poster-1973-1020464469.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="552" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99SgSDN_WAw/XfgT97PEYJI/AAAAAAABMhg/ORRUN0T_z_gr-a7hriCfLPM7d-Fe2861QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/emperor-of-the-north-pole-movie-poster-1973-1020464469.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Foreign Poster for EMPEROR OF THE NORTH Year: 1973</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> EMPEROR OF THE NORTH has us believe that, during the Depression when hobos made their way jumping trains, the railway workers were deadlier than Germany's Stormtroopers...<br> <br> Meanwhile, Hitler's American double, played by Ernest Borgnine, kills any and all vagrants with a big hammer, and when Lee Marvin successfully leaps a train, along with young, counter-culture representative Keith Carradine, Borgnine has to live up to his reputation and thus a battle between good and evil, Marvin and Borgnine, ensues in this Robert Aldrich venture directed and edited wonderfully, but is as far-fetched and convoluted as can be. The actors are good but much of the pulpy dialogue is downright embarrassing. Some terrific fight scenes occur even though the plot derails less than halfway through. A handsome wreck.<br>

action, adventure, depression-era, ernest borgnine, keith carradine, lee marvin, robert aldrich, seventies

LEE MARVIN & ERNEST BORGNINE IN 'EMPEROR OF THE NORTH'

Foreign Poster for EMPEROR OF THE NORTH Year: 1973 EMPEROR OF THE NORTH has us believe that, during the Depression when hobos made thei...

EIGHTIES 3D 'SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj6ig675kL4/XfZebpr_lvI/AAAAAAABMgk/6s4IQhDk3DwIbIWlLszJsJFecZuAZ6suwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/31.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj6ig675kL4/XfZebpr_lvI/AAAAAAABMgk/6s4IQhDk3DwIbIWlLszJsJFecZuAZ6suwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/31.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Molly Ringwald getting her mind sucked by the villain YEAR: 1983</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> One of those deliberate cult films without much of a following, shot in 3D in the early 1980's, and when formatted to 2D things zoom at the screen for what seems like no reason, which... like <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2013/10/jaws-3-sucks-greatly.html">JAWS 3D</a> and <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/04/friday-13th-3d.html">FRIDAY THE 13TH 3D</a> and other gems from this era... is half the campy fun...<br> <br> The sets, meanwhile, resemble a MAD MAX future combined with executive producer Ivan Reitman's nostalgically stylistic, homage-driven 1950's sci-fi b-movie aesthetic (with a Harold Ramis intercom voice-cameo). Then again, since Ivan's not exactly broke, there <i>are</i> gorgeous STAR WARS style matte paintings and theatrical-STAR TREK inspired ships, and the plot too is old school and pulpy, centering on a rogue bounty hunter, Peter Strauss as Wolff, sent to this not-so-desolate planet where three vixens have been kidnapped...<br>

3D, action, adventure, andrea marcovicci, eighties, ernie hudson, exploitation, fantasy, harold ramis, ivan reitman, michael ironside, molly ringwald, peter strauss, science-fiction

EIGHTIES 3D 'SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE'

Molly Ringwald getting her mind sucked by the villain YEAR: 1983 One of those deliberate cult films without much of a following, shot ...

SMOKING HOT MALE FANTASY CAITLIN CLARKE IN 'DRAGONSLAYER'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJmgmBBUWCg/XfWlq4QyBHI/AAAAAAABMb0/2r_JYxrpe-MuqUlf81ih2erhOO8WeQgpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-14%2Bat%2B7.01.06%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1083" height="267" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AJmgmBBUWCg/XfWlq4QyBHI/AAAAAAABMb0/2r_JYxrpe-MuqUlf81ih2erhOO8WeQgpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-14%2Bat%2B7.01.06%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Star Wars like Leia hair poster of DRAGONSLAYER Year: 1981 Rates: **</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> DRAGONSLAYER looks great but lacks overall magic — at the same time using way too much of it since the title character is/was a sorcerer's apprentice, providing an easy out and leaving the venture without much difficulty or hardship for the good guys, or suspense for the audience...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> The problem is the hero played by Peter MacNicol: an underdog was needed, not a feminine wimp. On the other hand, a tough and effective Caitlin Clarke, dressed as a man to dodge the town's fire-spouting virgin sacrifice, tricks everyone: quite a reach since Clarke's Valerian is downright gorgeous. Speaking of which: One cruel sequence has a young virgin princess eaten by baby dragons via Muppet-like puppets munching/crunching her feet — it's downright disturbing and sadistic, and not in a "cool" kinda way. So for an awesome flying-fiery creature that still holds up effects-wise, and the cutest damn tomboy ever filmed, DRAGONSLAYER might just do. But not much else is recommended beyond those two. <br>

action, adventure, caitlin clarke, cult, eighties, fantasy, peter macnichol

SMOKING HOT MALE FANTASY CAITLIN CLARKE IN 'DRAGONSLAYER'

Star Wars like Leia hair poster of DRAGONSLAYER Year: 1981 Rates: ** DRAGONSLAYER looks great but lacks overall magic — at the same time...

ROBIN WILLIAMS PLAYS RUSSIAN IN 'MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOFUFxPZMIA/XfO3VLweBKI/AAAAAAABMZE/mF-wVFXVB-UsXmSsYWMkbQJtx1Rx6PpKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/gOcBl644OuO7TOE2fi7WDWHeNG2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1053" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rOFUFxPZMIA/XfO3VLweBKI/AAAAAAABMZE/mF-wVFXVB-UsXmSsYWMkbQJtx1Rx6PpKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gOcBl644OuO7TOE2fi7WDWHeNG2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Clevon Derricks, Robin Williams and Maria Concheta Alonso 1984</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Plot centers on a Russian saxophonist, part of that dying country's circus troupe, who defects on a trip to New York in, of all places, Bloomingdale's: a scene that's a short film all it's own. Before that, the first thirty minutes center in the mid-eighties' Soviet Union where we experience the dreary hopelessness of living under communist rule...<br> <br> Then the last hour's all in America... New York City, to be exact, where poverty reigns as well. But unlike Russia, there's a glimmer of hope... especially with gorgeous Maria Concheta Alonso, whom the bearded everyman lands too quickly to be realistic. Black sidekick Clevon Derricks fills in the needed comedy that Williams would usually infuse had he not a semi-serious plot to carry. Alejandro Rey is also good as his Cuban lawyer, whose thirty-second backstory is perhaps the funniest thing going...  <br>

comedy, drama, eighties, elya baskin, maria concheta alonso, robin williams

ROBIN WILLIAMS PLAYS RUSSIAN IN 'MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON'

Clevon Derricks, Robin Williams and Maria Concheta Alonso 1984 Plot centers on a Russian saxophonist, part of that dying country's c...

KEVIN COSTNER & WOODY HARRELSON PLAY 'THE HIGHWAYMEN'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JH1oyAA3jnA/XeyOATgC6dI/AAAAAAABMRU/2OH6AC-I3EAXAXJE2s8JQ-g8C1JimhSfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-07%2Bat%2B6.23.07%2BPM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JH1oyAA3jnA/XeyOATgC6dI/AAAAAAABMRU/2OH6AC-I3EAXAXJE2s8JQ-g8C1JimhSfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-12-07%2Bat%2B6.23.07%2BPM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Kevin Costner as a straight-shooter in THE HIGHWAYMEN Year: 2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Arthur Penn's BONNIE AND CLYDE hasn't really aged all that well. Still entertaining, and reinstating Depression-set gangster films during the counter-culture, it's said to have borrowed the style of French New Wave... But all the phony-looking back-projected driving scenes resemble b-pictures from the time of the couple's reign.<br> <br> Well this isn't a review of <i>that</i> movie but a much better and more realistic one: THE HIGHWAYAMEN centers on <i>the guy</i> who took down that famous Depression-era bank-robbing couple, and Kevin Costner's Frank Hamer, unlike Denver Pyle in 1967, isn't an inept, vengeful dolt. How the former UNTOUCHABLES star portrays Hamer, you couldn't imagine him captured and humiliated by Warren Beatty's beanpole Barrow. Even the couple look more like they actually did...<br>

2019, action, adventure, depression-era, gangster, kevin costner, netflix, new, road movie, thriller, william sadler, woody harrelson

KEVIN COSTNER & WOODY HARRELSON PLAY 'THE HIGHWAYMEN'

Kevin Costner as a straight-shooter in THE HIGHWAYMEN Year: 2019 Arthur Penn's BONNIE AND CLYDE hasn't really aged all that well...