JIM O'CONNOLLY DIRECTS JACQUELINE ELLIS IN 'THE HI-JACKERS'

<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/-B1sGI_sptsQ/XdYN8AeoJ_I/AAAAAAABLMg/gP6W3d14D204QApOPjGukxS1MxccubozQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1sGI_sptsQ/XdYN8AeoJ_I/AAAAAAABLMg/gP6W3d14D204QApOPjGukxS1MxccubozQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Opening title sequence for THE HI-JACKERS circa 1963</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Writer/director Jim O'Connolly should be well known for two films where the cult status went to someone else: In BERSERK, Joan Crawford gets credit while stop-motion guru Ray Harryhausen and his dinosaurs ruled THE VALLEY OF GWANGI. But O'Connolly's by himself in creating two neat, tight and entertaining B&W post-noir crime flicks derived from the British b-picture company, Butcher's, in the early/mid 1960's...<br> <br> The first being THE HI-JACKERS starring Anthony Booth as an independent truck/lorry driver: victim of the titular gang faking accident scenes on the rural roadside and then stealing the cargo: in his case, cases of Johnnie Walker Red...<br>

anthony booth, british, british neo noir, crime, david gregory, derek francis, glynn edwards, jacqueline ellis, jazz score, jim o'connolly, sixties

JIM O'CONNOLLY DIRECTS JACQUELINE ELLIS IN 'THE HI-JACKERS'

Opening title sequence for THE HI-JACKERS circa 1963 Writer/director Jim O'Connolly should be well known for two films where the cul...

LISA LANGLOIS IN THE ROGER CORMAN JAWS-CLONE 'THE NEST'

<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/-fHwdrbHuIec/XdB6uw4WoTI/AAAAAAABK6U/W19YnVmwbnwiotcFfsrs7B5bd3AfecgXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHwdrbHuIec/XdB6uw4WoTI/AAAAAAABK6U/W19YnVmwbnwiotcFfsrs7B5bd3AfecgXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/0.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lisa Langlois as Elizabeth Johnson getting an unhelping hand in THE NEST Year: 1988</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The same year Roger Corman's former New World Pictures put out the slug infestation Jaws-Clone <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/11/slugs.html">SLUGS</a>, his new company New Horizons, led by daughter Julie Corman, made a killer cockroach flick titled THE NEST...<br> <br> Which is almost as effective, and with a higher grade of actors including legendary Robert Lansing as a real estate developer who, a cross between the greedy mayor in JAWS and a similar developer in another Steven Spielberg thriller, POLTERGEIST, is covering up not an Indian burial ground but some kind of waste that harbors mutant cockroaches that do tons of local damage...<br>

body count, creature, eighties, exploitation, horror, jaws-clone, lisa langlois, robert lansing, roger corman, terri treas

LISA LANGLOIS IN THE ROGER CORMAN JAWS-CLONE 'THE NEST'

Lisa Langlois as Elizabeth Johnson getting an unhelping hand in THE NEST Year: 1988 The same year Roger Corman's former New World Pi...

TRACKING THE JAWS-CLONE OF NEW WORLD PICTURES 'SLUGS'

<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/-Y8hPrVHexC4/XdB7d_qxisI/AAAAAAABK6o/uxq55H-3MbASIMWvSDfsYEFshv7k--KugCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8hPrVHexC4/XdB7d_qxisI/AAAAAAABK6o/uxq55H-3MbASIMWvSDfsYEFshv7k--KugCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/7.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tammy Reger as Pam in SLUGS Year: 1988</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Roger Corman's New World Pictures sans Roger Corman made a surprisingly decent Jaws-Clone, taking its time for the body count deaths with pretty good actors spouting pretty good dialogue between gross-out sequences that outshine the suspenseful horror aspect, overall more catered to the drive-in exploitation crowd...<br> <br> Beginning with a bikini-clad blonde on a boat with her boyfriend, the JAWS connection is contrived right up front since SLUGS aren't known for being water/lake creatures. But soon we're at a small town that, within its cozy confides, has a nice guy health inspector (named Mike Brady of all things) who, along with his pretty wife and working class buddy, investigates what could be killing (and skinning bare) various townspeople...<br>

body count, creature, eighties, exploitation, horror, jaws-clone, suspense, thriller

TRACKING THE JAWS-CLONE OF NEW WORLD PICTURES 'SLUGS'

Tammy Reger as Pam in SLUGS Year: 1988 Roger Corman's New World Pictures sans Roger Corman made a surprisingly decent Jaws-Clone, ta...

MERRY ANDERS IN 'THE TIME TRAVELERS' WITH PRESTON FOSTER

<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/-LPKELxqGIFw/XcaMmdC4ezI/AAAAAAABKoA/65fEkMILuSAqb5c4vVWAG9wwpa16DpBsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-06%2Bat%2B7.31.31%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; 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/-LPKELxqGIFw/XcaMmdC4ezI/AAAAAAABKoA/65fEkMILuSAqb5c4vVWAG9wwpa16DpBsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-06%2Bat%2B7.31.31%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dennis Patrick scowls in The Time Travelers Year: 1964 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Takes place mainly within a technically-streamlined underground cavern where a relatively sparse number of survivors keep a horde of radiated mutants from gaining entry, and then playing host to our four time-trapped heroes, who had opened a portal in their university lab a hundred years ago but only ten minutes earlier... <br> <br> Initially set in 2001 and led by "modern day" scientist Preston Foster; his younger, handsome sidekick Philip Carey; Carey's beautiful girlfriend Merry Anders; and scene-stealing comic relief (and everybody's sidekick) Steve Franken, THE TIME TRAVELERS is unfairly deemed bad campy schlock, and yet writer/director Ib Melchior created a <i>true</i> science-fiction story in which the viewer and visitors are continuously <i>presented</i> the inner-workings of this self-contained new world, from a wide range of monitors to a wondrously creative android factory: elaborate and highly impressive, labor-of-love sets that would simply be computer-generated today... <br>

delores wells, dennis patrick, forrest j. ackerman, ib melchior, john hoyt, merry anders, philip carey, post-apocalyptic, preston foster, race against time, science-fiction, steve franken, thriller, time travel

MERRY ANDERS IN 'THE TIME TRAVELERS' WITH PRESTON FOSTER

Dennis Patrick scowls in The Time Travelers Year: 1964 Rating: ***1/2 Takes place mainly within a technically-streamlined underground ca...

PAUL LEMAT CRUISES DIANNE HULL IN 'ALOHA BOBBY AND ROSE'

<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/-q4ORFKnrLxY/XcjdYI-P8sI/AAAAAAABKxQ/GobOQBs6CmwzSCv8haUyfGyPDuZHIkzFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-10%2Bat%2B6.09.53%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="898" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q4ORFKnrLxY/XcjdYI-P8sI/AAAAAAABKxQ/GobOQBs6CmwzSCv8haUyfGyPDuZHIkzFACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-10%2Bat%2B6.09.53%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Aloha Bobby and Rose vehicle cruising Graffiti style in 1974</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> When we learn at the close of AMERICAN GRAFFITI that a drunk driver would kill John Milner, the cocky motorhead played by Paul LeMat, a deep pang of depression occurs…<br> <br> After all, Milner’s the type of guy you’d want cruising the boulevard forever, and this was his chance to return, in some form...<br> <br> And might be back in the <i>specific</i> form of Bobby, a freespirited mechanic who drives a ’68 Camaro, drag racing the L.A. streets and even crashes a bonafide drag race, wherein the first fifteen minutes of ALOHA BOBBY AND ROSE are fully-loaded with rip-roaring potential: Bobby hangs with his pal Moxey (Robert Carradine) and the night is their own frolicking playground...<br>

dianne hull, drama, drug culture, edward james olmos, hangout, melodrama, paul lemat, robert carradine, rolling stones, romance, seventies, tim mcintire

PAUL LEMAT CRUISES DIANNE HULL IN 'ALOHA BOBBY AND ROSE'

The Aloha Bobby and Rose vehicle cruising Graffiti style in 1974 When we learn at the close of AMERICAN GRAFFITI that a drunk driver w...

STOMPING THROUGH THE LEGENDARY ORIGINAL 'KING KONG'

<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/-3ApLfbecaYQ/XckHQ7DhamI/AAAAAAABKxc/P-XW_D4K6ng1iEgtf81y9NJOYXLcYzbkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/33%252B1.06.07%252BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="813" height="331" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ApLfbecaYQ/XckHQ7DhamI/AAAAAAABKxc/P-XW_D4K6ng1iEgtf81y9NJOYXLcYzbkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/33%252B1.06.07%252BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Fay Wray as Ann Darrow in KING KONG Year: 1933</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> If you discovered prehistoric/extremely instinct dinosaurs roaming on an uncharted island, would a giant gorilla really matter? Well in this case it’s personal as the legendary simian is ticked off with brutal fists flying, razor-sharp teeth, and he’s captured Ann Darrow, the street girl turned makeshift actress hired by maverick cinema auteur Carl Denham to star in his next picture shot entirely at Skull Island, a location that doesn’t even appear on the map and, shrouded by a wall of thick, ominous, forboding fog, it's place you don’t want to spend your vacation…<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <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/-8Frud26JJHc/XckIOBgDzBI/AAAAAAABKxw/FW2CYkv7M3MkUTqmJTRRTzDlk7rvxJKvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/MPW-28028.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Frud26JJHc/XckIOBgDzBI/AAAAAAABKxw/FW2CYkv7M3MkUTqmJTRRTzDlk7rvxJKvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MPW-28028.jpeg" width="152"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>King Kong Rates: *****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Natives dot the shoreline and reside mostly behind a giant fortress protected from the unseen god they live to fear… And King Kong Kong might not be impressively aesthetic to today’s standards. His hair moves with each movement, but we can suspend cinema disbelief by blaming wind. In reality, Willis O’Brien moved Kong by hand, and those are their very own imprints.<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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XtdwE_XW7K8/XchZUpdOj0I/AAAAAAABKrw/esJLEllCOA88FPgbr8q19YvIHFzlQi7vACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/35705343540_fa13e7375b_b.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XtdwE_XW7K8/XchZUpdOj0I/AAAAAAABKrw/esJLEllCOA88FPgbr8q19YvIHFzlQi7vACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/35705343540_fa13e7375b_b.jpeg" width="254"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Timeless beauty Fay Wray as Ann</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> As later on, the famously fake looking shark in JAWS didn’t matter or distract from the well-told story, either does a model-clay gorilla... There's enough build-up to get to know the characters, beginning with a middleman telling Robert Armstrong’s headstrong director no studio will allow an actress to risk such a venture: So Denhman hits the New York Depression-era streets and finds his dame in the form of Faye Wray’s Darrow…<br> <br> With pale skin, longing eyes, a windswept countenance and an almost primal, haunting beauty, Wray, who even at the time was no stranger to horror film roles, was given her big break – she's the perfectly suited scream queen and boy can she holler… After the forty-five minute mark, when she’s kidnapped by the natives and sacrificed to a giddy Kong, her wailing never really ceases and, unlike the two remakes, the human ingénue doesn’t fall in subliminal love with her giant captor… It’s an unrequited, one-sided obsession, and that makes the titular ape even more formidable and sinister. <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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS9ZSLwBLeQ/VfG_AaWREJI/AAAAAAAApAM/6dgVzaeL2tQ/s1600/6.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS9ZSLwBLeQ/VfG_AaWREJI/AAAAAAAApAM/6dgVzaeL2tQ/s320/6.jpg" width="228"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Terrific Pulpy Artwork</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> As Kong battles a giant snake, a menacing pterodactyl and a  romping and raging, tail-wagging T-Rex to protect his new discovery, he becomes a savior/bodyguard, but most likely for territorial reasons...<br> <br> Although, Bruce Cabot’s John Driscoll is perpetually shadowing Kong to get his lady back... One great camera-gliding visual has Driscoll and a weary Darrow running for safety as an unseen Kong approaches... And although Cabot is the heroic lead, Armstrong’s Denham is the main male character...<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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-luW58ikOElk/XchayO8Jd8I/AAAAAAABKr4/e4c9QDxvv8g-6sx33ycx-RR8kXtljG6fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/king-kong-poster-1933-granger.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="380" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-luW58ikOElk/XchayO8Jd8I/AAAAAAABKr4/e4c9QDxvv8g-6sx33ycx-RR8kXtljG6fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/king-kong-poster-1933-granger.jpeg" width="246"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Original King Kong Poster Art </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In the modern era, never would a man responsible for capturing and exploiting an extremely rare species be considered a hero of any kind… In fact, Charles Grodin and Jack Black, basically playing the same guy in both sequels, were villains and/or jerks. Either way, “It was beauty that killed the beast" lends more cruel irony than anything else. But perhaps this line can be explained when, on the Island, Kong breaks down the native's wall that, most likely, couldn't be penetrated under normal circumstances...<br> <br> It took Darrow to give him the extra strength to fulfill his tragic destiny. And despite ravaging the native village and following the Americans to shore with loathsome vengeance, Kong is no match against gas bombs being hurled at his feet, cutting quickly from Skull Island back to New York, where Kong’s on display for a theater of impatient sophisticates, resulting in a barrage of the city leading to the famous Empire State Building standoff where Kong battles airplanes with machine guns, the unfair slaying of an iconic creature beloved by audiences, still, even though, in the original movie and in his original form, KING KONG was a lethal monster to both respect and fear.<br>

bruce cabot, classic, creature, ernest schoedsack, fay wray, franchise, king kong, merian cooper, robert armstrong, sequel, stop-motion, thirties

STOMPING THROUGH THE LEGENDARY ORIGINAL 'KING KONG'

Fay Wray as Ann Darrow in KING KONG Year: 1933 If you discovered prehistoric/extremely instinct dinosaurs roaming on an uncharted islan...

THOR MARVELS THE HULK IN 'THE INCREDIBLE HULK RETURNS'

<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/-h2Fg6bqeGxA/XcaF0--dyII/AAAAAAABKns/m7raJLrksoYCLvGBL4tMTCfbR76uDWhlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/30.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1176" data-original-width="1600" height="293" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h2Fg6bqeGxA/XcaF0--dyII/AAAAAAABKns/m7raJLrksoYCLvGBL4tMTCfbR76uDWhlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/30.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jack Colvin wouldn't like Eric Allan Kramer angry either YEAR: 1988</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The first and best of three post series Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno INCREDIBLE HULK television movies, and since Marvels' THE AVENGERS is such a hot commodity, this live-action Thor teaming with Hulk circa 1988 was decades ahead of its time...<br> <br> And comparably dated, but it's hard to deny the infectious charm of Eric Allan Kramer as the Norse god who, discovered from a backstory/flashback by his dweeby keeper played by dweeby actor Steve Levitt, is a scene-stealing stranger in a strange land, making THE INCREDIBLE HULK RETURNS more like a possible Thor pilot than a continuation of the titular green hero. After Thor (and Levitt's Donald Blake) parties at a local biker bar, he helps Lou Ferrigno's Hulk<i> after</i> fighting him inside a corporation laboratory where, once again, Bixby's David Banner surreptitiously works, trying to permanently cease his roaring alter ego... And what does every mobile lonely man need?<br>

bill bixby, charles napier, eighties, eric allan kramer, franchise, interview, jack colvin, lee purcell, lou ferrigno, marvel, steve levitt, tim thomerson, tv movie

THOR MARVELS THE HULK IN 'THE INCREDIBLE HULK RETURNS'

Jack Colvin wouldn't like Eric Allan Kramer angry either YEAR: 1988 The first and best of three post series Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno ...

ROBERT ARMSTRONG RETURNS IN 'SON OF KONG' WITH HELEN MACK

<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/-f83oSRcPtII/XcJ3pilm90I/AAAAAAABKbs/Yfzjze5RTE4MLycBGSt2A9vil2pDaLb2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/the-son-of-kong-affiche_158192_23698.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="413" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f83oSRcPtII/XcJ3pilm90I/AAAAAAABKbs/Yfzjze5RTE4MLycBGSt2A9vil2pDaLb2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/the-son-of-kong-affiche_158192_23698.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Artwork for SON OF KONG Year of Release and Capture: 1933</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Skull Island… But why return to a place full of carnivorous monstrosities? And you thought forced sequels were a new concept... yet SON is actually not that bad, and Carl Denham, again played by Merien Cooper doppelganger Robert Armstrong, had a lousy year… His giant attraction ruined most of New York City...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> From tossing a woman off a building to stepping on residents to damaging a subway car, the once great filmmaker is facing lawsuits that will put him in debt for centuries. Then he gets a shamelessly convenient second chance in the form of the original charter Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher along with Victor the Chinese Cook) to hitch a ride and become partners in the freight business… Denham sets out on the same boat for a far off location to seek new customers, and just happens to catch a low-rent stage show including an insanely adorable Helen Mack as Hilda, who's just as girl-next-girl cute as Fay Wray was bombshell-gorgeous.<br>

action, adventure, classic, creature, dinosaur, ernest schoedsack, fantasy, helen mack, king kong, merian cooper, monster, robert armstrong, sequel, thirties

ROBERT ARMSTRONG RETURNS IN 'SON OF KONG' WITH HELEN MACK

Artwork for SON OF KONG Year of Release and Capture: 1933 Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Skull Island… But why return t...

HELEN MACK BACK WITH SON OF KONG'S MERIAN COOPER FOR 'SHE'

<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/-OfiT9ZYGN7U/XcPVDFPuhOI/AAAAAAABKgw/FKNEnfQ0WmAwHkcyGq4AKYDbuD9MMo0nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/she-nigel-bruce-randolph-scott-helen-mack-1935%252C2408198.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="552" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfiT9ZYGN7U/XcPVDFPuhOI/AAAAAAABKgw/FKNEnfQ0WmAwHkcyGq4AKYDbuD9MMo0nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/she-nigel-bruce-randolph-scott-helen-mack-1935%252C2408198.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Nigel Bruce, Randolph Scott & Helen Mack in SHE Year: 1935</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> H. Rider Haggard's immortal book SHE was produced by RKO under the leadership of KING KONG creator Meriam Cooper and writer/adapter Ruth Rose, and the similarities go beyond the exact same massive wall and an even more immense cliff-side: It's basically an adventure story that, unlike the classic gorilla flick, lacks smaller adventures along the way...<br> <br> Known simply as SHE and played by Helen Gahagan, SHE isn't quite as fulfilling. Imagine if in KONG, instead of battling various prehistoric monsters leading up to the title character, the only adversaries were those natives, and that's what happens here. Actually, there is one creature they run into along the way: an immense sabertooth tiger, which would have been a terrific and timeless stop-motion visual...<br>

action, adventure, classic, fantasy, helen mack, merian cooper, nigel bruce, randolph scott, thirties

HELEN MACK BACK WITH SON OF KONG'S MERIAN COOPER FOR 'SHE'

Nigel Bruce, Randolph Scott & Helen Mack in SHE Year: 1935 H. Rider Haggard's immortal book SHE was produced by RKO under the le...

KING KONG'S SISTER PRODUCTION 'THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME'

<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/-x-13nFzi33E/XcxRfc1FmcI/AAAAAAABK00/l3Xsuy1WxVY30OHi2TWhQTiXC0Tm-jksQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-13%2Bat%2B10.50.14%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="768" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-13nFzi33E/XcxRfc1FmcI/AAAAAAABK00/l3Xsuy1WxVY30OHi2TWhQTiXC0Tm-jksQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-13%2Bat%2B10.50.14%2BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The opening credit doorknob in Most Dangerous Game Year: 1933</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Based a short story by Richard Connell, the GAME template has been used many times, but the best adaptation is the Cooper & Schoedsack production that proceeded the groundbreaking KING KONG, filmed mostly in the same island location and starring several familiar faces.<br> <br> We spend the first few minutes on a boat where a group of high class, cigar puffing gentleman talk about their favorite sport, highlighting their special guest Bob, played by Joel McCrea, a lanky chap famous for hunting wild tigers and never backing down… Right when Bob mentions how he’s glad to be the hunter and not the hunted, the boat hits a reef, goes down into shark-infested waters, and everyone dies except our hero, who winds up on a beach, making his way into a giant spooky castle inhabited by an obviously nefarious white man Zaroff, played by Leslie Banks. And there are guests left over by the last shipwreck…<br>

action, adventure, cult, ernest schoedsack, fay wray, joel mccrea, leslie banks, merian cooper, noble johnson, robert armstrong, thirties

KING KONG'S SISTER PRODUCTION 'THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME'

The opening credit doorknob in Most Dangerous Game Year: 1933 Based a short story by Richard Connell, the GAME template has been used m...

JOHN MILIUS PRESENTS 'MELVIN PURVIS G-MAN' W/ HARRIS YULIN

<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/-xZ788v95CUA/XcGLvLKvHII/AAAAAAABKWo/oOPMnIFq50EtbrN5xZNS50LlEA4_KFh_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-05%2Bat%2B6.41.56%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="973" height="286" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ788v95CUA/XcGLvLKvHII/AAAAAAABKWo/oOPMnIFq50EtbrN5xZNS50LlEA4_KFh_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-05%2Bat%2B6.41.56%2BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harris Yulin in MELVIN PURVIS G MAN Year: 1974 Grade: C+</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> John Milius's DILLINGER has everything you'll ever want in a gangster flick with a thousand bullets to spare. Warren Oates plays Dillinger and Ben Johnson plays Melvin Purvis, both to perfection. A year after the 1973 theatrical hit, Milius figured Purvis's story needed more coverage, and we get it here with this TV-movie written by Milius , directed by horror icon Dan Curtis, and starring Dale Robertson in the title role.<br> <br> But there's not enough Purvis and too much of the bad guys, who are Machine Gun Kelly and his gang of bickering villains. So this is more or less a prequel to DILLINGER, and being that it was made for TV, there are limitations to the kind of violence these movies need. While Harris Yulin is a dependable actor, his portrayal of Kelly borders on overboard. Although the climax before the climax: a shootout between the G-Men and the thugs, is fairly good, reminiscent of the Milius film, and, overall there's nothing gained/nothing lost here, except an hour fifteen minutes where you could have watched something better. <br>

action, crime, dale robertson, dan curtis, gangster, harris yulin, john milius, mobster, seventies, tv movie

JOHN MILIUS PRESENTS 'MELVIN PURVIS G-MAN' W/ HARRIS YULIN

Harris Yulin in MELVIN PURVIS G MAN Year: 1974 Grade: C+ John Milius's DILLINGER has everything you'll ever want in a gangster ...

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER RETURNS IN 'TERMINATOR: DARK FATE'

<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/-QU8WkSeHOs4/Xb9UzMPMoiI/AAAAAAABKTU/zUWr-3uecRs5sIHfQ1zVln0_LE_3uYP1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/darkfateimax.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="1053" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QU8WkSeHOs4/Xb9UzMPMoiI/AAAAAAABKTU/zUWr-3uecRs5sIHfQ1zVln0_LE_3uYP1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/darkfateimax.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in the YEAR: 2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> TERMINATOR: DARK FATE not only brings back beloved originals Linda Hamilton (who hasn't been around a while) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (part of two maligned followups), there's the liquid-morphing metallic CGI from the second movie, and now we know: despite all the technical innovations, special effects have not improved since the days of T2 and/or JURASSIC PARK... <br> <br> During one scene, as the new Terminator leaps into the air, he looks almost made of rubber. And the overall atmosphere and aesthetic fits the DARK title as many of the fight scenes happen either at night or inside someplace without much light, making it extremely difficult to see the action panning out or to keep score about what exactly's going on...<br>

2019, action, arnold schwarzenegger, franchise, linda hamilton, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction, sequel, time travel

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER RETURNS IN 'TERMINATOR: DARK FATE'

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in the YEAR: 2019 TERMINATOR: DARK FATE not only brings back beloved originals Linda Hamilton (...

WILLIAM LUSTIG & LARRY COHEN WANT YOU TO FEAR 'UNCLE SAM'

<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/-6scgdVIPvtM/Xb1op6mAhyI/AAAAAAABKP0/9cIdU2OMKnIgEYkua6WM-GxhCCYAHhnCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/0%2B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="1451" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6scgdVIPvtM/Xb1op6mAhyI/AAAAAAABKP0/9cIdU2OMKnIgEYkua6WM-GxhCCYAHhnCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/0%2B2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Christopher Ogden daydreaming of war in UNCLE SAM Year: 1996</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Never have two actresses looked so much like sisters who aren't playing sisters but sisters-in-law, and one was married to a really bad guy named Sam Harper who, having gone missing in Iraq during the 1990's Iraq War (that never actually began), his body's found dead... or... wait...<br> <br> The MANIAC COP franchise team of writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig open things with intentionally campy horror: a soldier corpse resembling an Iron Maiden album cover reanimates to kill actor William Smith, responding to what's infamously referred to as friendly fire: Smith whose anti-war rap-song ends the show, sounding like a 6th grade idealist. He's a better actor, but sadly, with a voice so scratchy he can hardly speak and still looking the intense and bulky badass, he has very little screen-time and is less than a guest star...<br>

bo hopkins, body count, christopher ogden, exploitation, horror, isaac hayes, larry cohen, leslie neale, morgan paull, nineties, pj soles, robert forster, war, william lustig, william smith

WILLIAM LUSTIG & LARRY COHEN WANT YOU TO FEAR 'UNCLE SAM'

Christopher Ogden daydreaming of war in UNCLE SAM Year: 1996 Never have two actresses looked so much like sisters who aren't playing...

OLIVER REED & ART HINGLE IN DAVID CRONENBERG'S 'THE BROOD'

<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/-xn3COdfgcxQ/Xbl2D4yoQaI/AAAAAAABKN0/QjGY1clplbc8lTSeCRrw0e3Yj2WrIeFPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/74209788_817515695344275_6922254092962103296_n.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="890" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xn3COdfgcxQ/Xbl2D4yoQaI/AAAAAAABKN0/QjGY1clplbc8lTSeCRrw0e3Yj2WrIeFPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/74209788_817515695344275_6922254092962103296_n.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Child Scream Queen Cindy Hinds attacked by THE BROOD Year: 1979</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The term “watch your temper” has never been so relevant and palpable than in THE BROOD, where Oliver Reed’s Dr. Hal Raglan, a psychiatrist in complete control of his mentally childlike subjects, has a favorite patient with serious issues...<br> <br> Enter Nola Caverth, played by THE COLLECTOR actress Samantha Eggar, intensely listening to the doctor’s advice… But who's really in charge?<br> <br> Well neither British actors are the main stars despite top billing: The investigative buried lead is third-billed INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS patient-x Art Hindle as Nola’s separated husband and father of a vulnerable little girl, Candace, played sublimely by Cindy Hinds, aesthetic precursor to Heather O’Rourke from POLTERGEIST. As dad pieces clues together, various characters are stalked by what look like psychotic school kids combined with the pint-sized literal little devil from DON'T LOOK NOW and/or a taller yet equally aggressive TRILOGY OF TERROR's Zuni Fetish Doll: shifting the aura from an intriguing psychological thriller to a genuinely frightening horror flick...<br>

art hindle, cindy hinds, david cronenberg, horror, nuala fitzgerald, oliver reed, samantha eggar, seventies, susan hogan

OLIVER REED & ART HINGLE IN DAVID CRONENBERG'S 'THE BROOD'

Child Scream Queen Cindy Hinds attacked by THE BROOD Year: 1979 The term “watch your temper” has never been so relevant and palpable th...

TOBE HOOPER DIRECTS THE TV VAMPIRE MOVIE OF 'SALEM'S LOT'

<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/-K_wK_PzTmq4/XbZrcKiIsYI/AAAAAAABKKE/sgf2NPvYGeUVekaUJlvb7JdZ9jVmgnx3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-27%2Bat%2B1.18.18%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="915" data-original-width="1368" height="267" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_wK_PzTmq4/XbZrcKiIsYI/AAAAAAABKKE/sgf2NPvYGeUVekaUJlvb7JdZ9jVmgnx3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-27%2Bat%2B1.18.18%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mr. Barlow fights Lance Kerwin from Salem's Lot YEAR: 1979</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Although groundbreaking horror/exploitation director Tobe Hooper is best known for and forever linked to the legendary low-budget slasher TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, his coolest, tightest and most accessible work is fulfilling and utterly frightful, unlike some other television movies/miniseries during the 1970's in which Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT rode the crest of... <br> <br> Involving an eclectic ensemble behind leading man David Soul as a second-rate author returned to the titular New England hometown, doing investigative research on the locally-infamous, spooky-looking haunted manor on a hill described to former English teacher/mentor Lew Ayres: "Can a house be evil in its stone foundations? In its wooden beams? In the glass of its windows?" <br>

body count, david soul, fred willard, geoffrey lewis, horror, james mason, julie cobb, kenneth mcmillan, lance kerwin, lew ayres, miniseries, seventies, stephen king, tobe hooper, tv movie, vampire

TOBE HOOPER DIRECTS THE TV VAMPIRE MOVIE OF 'SALEM'S LOT'

Mr. Barlow fights Lance Kerwin from Salem's Lot YEAR: 1979 Although groundbreaking horror/exploitation director Tobe Hooper is best ...

LON CHANEY TRIPLE FEATURE EXPLOITATION HORROR HOWLERS

<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/-Of6g_pf6M4o/XbSqH1AOwoI/AAAAAAABKBE/8D7bxUF4BkYWK0gksAxbKCNQHFdRxfVuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-26%2Bat%2B1.12.54%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="750" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Of6g_pf6M4o/XbSqH1AOwoI/AAAAAAABKBE/8D7bxUF4BkYWK0gksAxbKCNQHFdRxfVuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-26%2Bat%2B1.12.54%2BPM.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Unsung Scream Queen Connie Nelson circa 1971 Score: **</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN</u>: The worst thing about this Al Adamson doozy... involving monologue-driven mad scientist J. Carrol Naish working out of a carnival fun house with an axe-wielding idiot man-child, Lon Chaney, sent to kill women for experiments to give his other employee, a brooding Count Dracula, eternal life...<br> <br> All the while reanimating Frankenstein's monster who resembles a melted cabbage... is that it can be quite boring with tedious bouts of dialogue, spouted mostly by two love-struck heroes: a man helping his new girlfriend (after pictured beauty Connie Nelson's killed with Gary Kent) to find her lost sister and eventually happening upon... everything mentioned, plus Adamson's SATAN'S SADIST biker leader Russ Tamblyn returning on wheels. But, somehow, it can be surprisingly involving too. And really, really awful... but that's a given.<br>

al adamson, beverly garland, connie nelson, creature, cult, exploitation, fifties, horror, j. carrol naish, jack hill, lon chaney jr., monster, regina carrol, seventies, sid haig, thriller

LON CHANEY TRIPLE FEATURE EXPLOITATION HORROR HOWLERS

Unsung Scream Queen Connie Nelson circa 1971 Score: ** DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN : The worst thing about this Al Adamson doozy... invol...

WILLIAM LUSTIG & LARRY COHEN FIRST TWO 'MANIAC COP' 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/-18ZZU2zHwV4/XbLwo0BCKNI/AAAAAAABJ-U/x2yP1nH3gLUNm9kIv2hyBkQhOkdde9Q9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/maniac-cop-poster-robert-zdar-shapiro-glickenhaus.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="640" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-18ZZU2zHwV4/XbLwo0BCKNI/AAAAAAABJ-U/x2yP1nH3gLUNm9kIv2hyBkQhOkdde9Q9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/maniac-cop-poster-robert-zdar-shapiro-glickenhaus.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The first MANIAC COP Year: 1987 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>MANIAC COP</u>: Director William Lustig makes horror and action flicks with a murky Film Noir vibe where the night is a character in itself: and not too friendly, centering on a killer cop played by the unique Robert D'Zar, faceless through most of the film, the first half is a mystery/thriller, making every policeman, including tough and growling William Smith, a possible suspect.<br> <br> Tom Atkins investigates a rogue cop on the loose. Bruce Campbell is a beat cop and cheating husband both, making him a crooked kind of hero only writer/producer Larry Cohen could create. But most of the bloody fun is the Maniac Cop going from victim to victim. And he could be a zombie, or something otherworldly, because even bullets can’t do the trick. So once the killer's identity is revealed, followed by flashbacks and a b-story about his crippled lover (Sheree North), the action subsides into a much slower, less involving pace. Yet it’s all original throughout: leading to a somewhat overlong car chase, and then a battle with Campbell versus the Maniac Cop. And once his grotesque face is revealed, things rush to a predictable conclusion. And yet, despite the sporadic flaws, it's an action/horror that always keeps the beat.<br>

action, bruce campbell, claudia christian, eighties, horror, larry cohen, laurene landon, leo rossi, nineties, robert z'dar, sequel, william lustig, william smith

WILLIAM LUSTIG & LARRY COHEN FIRST TWO 'MANIAC COP' FILMS

The first MANIAC COP Year: 1987 Rates: ***1/2 MANIAC COP : Director William Lustig makes horror and action flicks with a murky Film Noir...

STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS A SPIDER JAWS 'ARACHNOPHOBIA'

<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/-7EzuYqSPFRw/XbGG-_s6NXI/AAAAAAABJ8o/6PDRwr_aXPUCxhdm1RSB5loqaX8qpmFCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-24%2Bat%2B1.28.30%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1277" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7EzuYqSPFRw/XbGG-_s6NXI/AAAAAAABJ8o/6PDRwr_aXPUCxhdm1RSB5loqaX8qpmFCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-24%2Bat%2B1.28.30%2BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>What a doll this spider is in ARACHNOPHOBIA Year: 1990</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Director Frank Marshall, a Steven Spielberg protégé, teams up with his mentor for this spider version of JAWS. But the first ten minutes provides a RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (that Marshall co-produced) déjà vu as renowned arachnid expert Julian Sands ventures into South America to discover a new form of creepy-crawlers...<br> <br> Along for the ride is whiny and reluctant photographer Mark L. Taylor, who’s so nervous and timid you know he’ll buy the farm. Not only that but one of the formidable spiders, that can paralyze and kill victims in one bite, hitches his coffin ride to a small town back in America, where Jeff Daniels and family have just moved in: Daniels a big city doctor with a fear of spiders (like Roy Schieder’s Chief Brody hated the water), and since the local doctor won’t retire, Daniels has only a few patients. And everyone he diagnoses, dies – a mystery to everyone but the audience, and providing a Noir like Wrong Man vibe, at least for a little while, and these are probably the film's best sequences, providing an infectious mystery vibe for the characters that the audience is in on. <br>

action, cori wellins, creature, frank marshall, harley jane kozak, horror, jeff daniels, john goodman, julian sands, nineties, peter jason, roy brocksmith, spiders, steven spielberg, stuart pankin, thriller

STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS A SPIDER JAWS 'ARACHNOPHOBIA'

What a doll this spider is in ARACHNOPHOBIA Year: 1990 Director Frank Marshall, a Steven Spielberg protégé, teams up with his mentor fo...

JOHN CARPENTER DIRECTS STEPHEN KING'S KILLER CAR 'CHRISTINE'

<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/-B-jH-Fz723Q/XaqVQMXaiXI/AAAAAAABJvE/TSY2KdxNmGQZj3hfXU0MFLio-jTu90ASQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-18%2Bat%2B12.21.19%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1600" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-jH-Fz723Q/XaqVQMXaiXI/AAAAAAABJvE/TSY2KdxNmGQZj3hfXU0MFLio-jTu90ASQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-18%2Bat%2B12.21.19%2BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Shot of Carpenter's Christine in her resting place YEAR: 1983</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> John Carpenter's most sparse and subtle horror film, and based on Stephen King's multi-perspective novel, CHRISTINE is to high school what THE SHINING is to hotel management courses as Keith Gordon plays an initially geeky character suitably named Arnie, who, best friends since childhood with popular yet humble jock John Stockwell as Dennis, the tables turn when the dork lands the prettiest girl on campus, new student Leigh played by meek ingenue Alexandria Paul..<br> <br> Well Kelly Preston's actually the hottest but that's an opinion, and as head cheerleader, football hero Stockwell has her in the bag yet still tries for/strikes out with Leigh before a cool Carpenter glide-cam sports scene where Dennis, running for a long bomb pass, sees Arnie kissing the tall beauty, leaning on an old, recently purchased Chevy he seemed possessed by from the moment he laid eyes on a the titular 1950's vehicle — and all to Dennis's distrust and chagrin. <br>

alexandra paul, body count, bully, harry dean stanton, horror, john carpenter, john stockwell, keith gordon, kelly preston, killer car, stephen king, teen

JOHN CARPENTER DIRECTS STEPHEN KING'S KILLER CAR 'CHRISTINE'

Shot of Carpenter's Christine in her resting place YEAR: 1983 John Carpenter's most sparse and subtle horror film, and based on ...

FROM 'MADMAN OF MANDORAS' TO 'THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN'

<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/-Vw9te1o7T4c/XalWY1MER8I/AAAAAAABJqo/mMgFhVR1lM4C48ChriiiKYvcQBN1vJ8eQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hqdefault.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="473" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vw9te1o7T4c/XalWY1MER8I/AAAAAAABJqo/mMgFhVR1lM4C48ChriiiKYvcQBN1vJ8eQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hqdefault.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Madman of Mandoras Years: 1963 into Hitler's Brain: 1968</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Well someone out there knew the title THEY SAVED SATAN'S BRAIN, a television movie in 1968, sounded much more campy and nafarious and downright awesome than the 1963 vehicle where most of the scenes were lifted, THE MADMEN OF MANDORAS... <br> <br> And the real shame is our first two heroes, tacked-on from the latter sixties and resembling that loose, shaggy, counter-culture era compared to the earlier clean-cut handsome/beautiful hero inspired by Eisenhower scientists from the early sixties, are fun to watch as porn-jazz music plays in the background, resulting in a banal argument about male chauvinism where eventually, the two polar opposites not only get along, but seem to have a future... in the story itself...<br>

audrey caire, cult, exploitation, horror, jazz score, nazi, sixties, suspense, thriller

FROM 'MADMAN OF MANDORAS' TO 'THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN'

The Madman of Mandoras Years: 1963 into Hitler's Brain: 1968 Well someone out there knew the title THEY SAVED SATAN'S BRAIN, a ...

ROBERT FORSTER TURNS 'VIGILANTE' WITH FRED WILLIAMSON

<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/-kNOrjp7XgSs/XaXrQ79XEII/AAAAAAABJhI/qY-Sw7bmlGQEe7a-nhoL4E-Az1kBst8JgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/72635888_804991683263343_6573479353840041984_n.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="957" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kNOrjp7XgSs/XaXrQ79XEII/AAAAAAABJhI/qY-Sw7bmlGQEe7a-nhoL4E-Az1kBst8JgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/72635888_804991683263343_6573479353840041984_n.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Fred Williamson in VIGILANTE aka STREET GANG Year: 1982</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> During the eighties, the decade-old DEATH WISH template was alive and kicking ass. Not like the Charles Bronson classic invented the revenge theme, but when it came to law without order and giving the streets back to the people, for VIGILANTE it was the more, the merrier...<br> <br> Robert Forster stars as, like Bronson, an average family man who winds up seeking revenge, but unlike Chuck he's far from alone. Fred Williamson leads a group of working class tough guys including THE GODFATHER bodyguard Richard Bright and SHORT EYES scene-stealer Joe Carberry, who were beating up muggers/rapists before our hero got into the swing of things....<br>

action, crime, don blakely, eighties, exploitation, frank pesce, fred williamson, joe carberry, joe spinell, revenge, richard bright, robert forster, rutanya alda, vigilante, william lustig, woody strode

ROBERT FORSTER TURNS 'VIGILANTE' WITH FRED WILLIAMSON

Fred Williamson in VIGILANTE aka STREET GANG Year: 1982 During the eighties, the decade-old DEATH WISH template was alive and kicking as...

ROBERT FORSTER VS THE JAWS OF 'ALLIGATOR' W/ ROBIN RIKER

<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/-w1UzTyhYzy0/Xcab0UUrByI/AAAAAAABKpU/91lr7XTFvw4EMvMebwYHjue0yPr8hr5LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/alligator-thai-movie-poster.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="379" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w1UzTyhYzy0/Xcab0UUrByI/AAAAAAABKpU/91lr7XTFvw4EMvMebwYHjue0yPr8hr5LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/alligator-thai-movie-poster.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Poster art for Lewis Teague's ALLIGATOR Year: 1980</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Of all JAWS-clones, ALLIGATOR is the most original, and, the second written by John Sayles after PIRANHA, there's an extremely memorable opening with a baby alligator getting flushed down a toilet...<br> <br> Well little "Ramon" grows up, and really, really big since a corporation's testing a growth-serum on dogs, and a pet store owner tosses the enlarged, steroid-filled corpses into the Los Angeles sewer that the gator feeds and grows on: The audience learning all this a step before Robert Forster's cop with a past, David, a kind of old school gumshoe detective type snooping around and ultimately believing what seems farfetched if impossible. Like JAWS, the mayor cares only about money, and there are enough edgy obstacles to make this creature-feature play like a legitimate thriller... <br>

bart braverman, body count, cop, creature, cult, eighties, exploitation, henry silva, horror, jaws-clone, leslie brown, lewis teague, perry lang, robert forster, robin riker, thriller

ROBERT FORSTER VS THE JAWS OF 'ALLIGATOR' W/ ROBIN RIKER

Poster art for Lewis Teague's ALLIGATOR Year: 1980 Of all JAWS-clones, ALLIGATOR is the most original, and, the second written by Jo...

AARON PAUL'S JESSE DRIVES 'EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE'

<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/-jgcJ34mk_LQ/XaGtrXPzKqI/AAAAAAABI7M/c9eWcBUlbPIahIhxs75FbvF6GjLkhsqLACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-12%2Bat%2B3.29.49%2BAM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="1458" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jgcJ34mk_LQ/XaGtrXPzKqI/AAAAAAABI7M/c9eWcBUlbPIahIhxs75FbvF6GjLkhsqLACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-12%2Bat%2B3.29.49%2BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in El Camino YEAR: 2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman suffered so much in BREAKING BAD, just working with Bryan Cranston's Walter White alone, it's easy to forget the particular hell he went through in the 11th hour <i>without</i> his mentor...<br> <br> Spending half of this sequel movie decompressing mentally, physically and emotionally from having been locked up by the Neo-Nazi uncle of mellow yet nefarious Todd, who has more screentime here than Pinkman's two living tweeker buddies, Skinny Pete and Badger: the latter with some of the most contrived, cringe-worthy dialogue ranging from quips about short buses to naming every brand of clothing and toiletry they own. It just doesn't seem very natural, or like <i>they would ever</i> say things like SKINNY PETE: "You couldn't drive a two-button elevator." BADGER: "You couldn't drive Miss Daisy!" <br>

2019, aaron paul, body count, bryan cranston, crime, jesse plemons, netflix, robert forster, sequel, thriller, tv movie

AARON PAUL'S JESSE DRIVES 'EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE'

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in El Camino YEAR: 2019 Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman suffered so much in BREAKING BAD, just working with B...

COMPARING 'CURSE OF THE DEMON' WITH 'NIGHT OF THE DEMON'

<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/-QqlUS-eOr7s/XaATjxNY3ZI/AAAAAAABI2k/yitEgGC5mgceg2hYpdOUdmW6bjcaSAIOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/night-of-the-demon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1315" height="321" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QqlUS-eOr7s/XaATjxNY3ZI/AAAAAAABI2k/yitEgGC5mgceg2hYpdOUdmW6bjcaSAIOACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/night-of-the-demon.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Art for NIGHT OF THE DEMON w/ Dana Andrews & Peggy Cummins</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> This won't be worthwhile reading unless you've seen and know all about both CURSE OF THE DEMON and NIGHT OF THE DEMON...<br> <br> The second, NIGHT, is the original British cut while CURSE was edited for American audiences. But that doesn't mean CURSE is just a chopped version of NIGHT as each film has its own order, aura, and fans who decide which one they prefer. So perhaps this reexamination rundown will help with that decision, or even change it...<br> <br> On the airplane, following the demon-killing intro that's the same in both versions, in NIGHT OF THE DEMON Peggy asks the stewardess is she can move seats because she bothered Dr. Holden. He's trying to sleep and she's writing a letter to the kids in her classroom. Also in NIGHT, Holden speaks longer to the professors greeting him into the airport baggage claim and then walking out the door. CURSE cuts from him going down the escalator to being right outside the airport...<br>

article, british, cult, dana andrews, fifties, horror, jacques tourneur, list, niall macginnis, occult, peggy cummins, thriller

COMPARING 'CURSE OF THE DEMON' WITH 'NIGHT OF THE DEMON'

Art for NIGHT OF THE DEMON w/ Dana Andrews & Peggy Cummins This won't be worthwhile reading unless you've seen and know all ...

PAMELA SUE MARTIN STARS IN 'BAY COVE' WITH TIM MATHESON

<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/-Pl9pg8pVA4s/XZ15V6qkV9I/AAAAAAABIu4/zBguAsP7Bbc1e85AFaIGDumH8U8yHXvbQ