SUZAN FARMER ENLIGHTENS 'DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGmLHlIu5IgOyJMskcsbqewIf84vKlBZnYgVePVYLZsLmy1acPIgkYma8DIC1e_CRbPmRyUGPjtpStwaelgQypOm68RmT7vxD5IapYoV07eMXGo_xadVjQBuoctV8fNeI6KsovzYazROwOqlrxU-YDYcQg5bsvCm-AxIG3ovaM3mcrPgqB6Cmv05OO_g=s1712" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1712" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGmLHlIu5IgOyJMskcsbqewIf84vKlBZnYgVePVYLZsLmy1acPIgkYma8DIC1e_CRbPmRyUGPjtpStwaelgQypOm68RmT7vxD5IapYoV07eMXGo_xadVjQBuoctV8fNeI6KsovzYazROwOqlrxU-YDYcQg5bsvCm-AxIG3ovaM3mcrPgqB6Cmv05OO_g=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Suzan Farmer & Barbara Shelley in DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS Year: 1966 Rates: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Another suitable name for DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS would be HAMMER HOTEL since the basic premise is the luring of two couples into Dracula's castle and featuring two gorgeous women, one in her experienced-hot thirties the other her lithe-naive-twenties... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But the <i>luring</i> isn't really a temptation but rather, like most Hammer Films, tons of expository dialogue (mostly uttered by intensely bearded Andrew Kier) that, halfway through, finally gets this lost stranded foursome into the murky manor where of course, DRACULA will inevitably rise in the form of the iconic Christopher Lee...</p><p><span></span></p>

barbara shelley, body count, christopher lee, dracula, hammer films, horror, philip latham, sixties, suzan farmer

SUZAN FARMER ENLIGHTENS 'DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS'

Suzan Farmer & Barbara Shelley in DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS Year: 1966 Rates: *** Another suitable name for DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS...

HAMMER'S 'STOP ME BEFORE I KILL' AKA 'THE FULL TREATMENT'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo7ZuzJwwtQWo9V1CvjRWVhbmY9hCRGGSg_EaDBx7ORSOF3_B_Fgrjp17ZHs34Dty-3C4HT0fU7blVxbtxnIJQzPlFwNMXHJKdpmH98b8xQR5Bhw3JNw_JA7zSvbN9j9B7fhyX1j_LlLPYi9nzPI-BlSago96MKQuVWRmf8tFkctYXm6YcucSZfF48Jw=s1006" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1006" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo7ZuzJwwtQWo9V1CvjRWVhbmY9hCRGGSg_EaDBx7ORSOF3_B_Fgrjp17ZHs34Dty-3C4HT0fU7blVxbtxnIJQzPlFwNMXHJKdpmH98b8xQR5Bhw3JNw_JA7zSvbN9j9B7fhyX1j_LlLPYi9nzPI-BlSago96MKQuVWRmf8tFkctYXm6YcucSZfF48Jw=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Claude Dauphin and Ronald Lewis in THE FULL TREATMENT Year: 1960 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For a lovely, talented Australian actress (who worked mostly in England), Diane Cilento made a horribly annoying French girl in an otherwise edgy, deliberately nervewracking film by director Val Guest working again for Hammer...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And THE FULL TREATMENT was retitled STOP ME BEFORE I KILL probably because it didn't sound... Hammery enough... but like Guest's HELL IS A CITY, it's not horror but neo noir... </p><p><span></span></p>

bernard braden, claude dauphin, diane cilento, hammer films, jack hedley, neo noir, race car, ronald lewis, sixties, thriller, val guest

HAMMER'S 'STOP ME BEFORE I KILL' AKA 'THE FULL TREATMENT'

Claude Dauphin and Ronald Lewis in THE FULL TREATMENT Year: 1960 Rates: ***1/2 For a lovely, talented Australian actress (who worked mostly ...

ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN 'ASH WEDNESDAY' WITH KEITH BAXTER

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6U5bGdzo32rjbIOuU6-TYhTwYtooqn0IaRZp-8V0p-nL6_kerKZFd3F5WKtV-7lAMtbIh-qo3s30wUcGoT482QeGPCFnnULeqHy5d-Quh0S9fIa0jlNJn0ufMYqUXHBRAF-b3PibYO0UmllV4hfzn4VCjyn_5nslxC3ffVL9nulgHaIzOWpjLYSTzDg=s1391" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6U5bGdzo32rjbIOuU6-TYhTwYtooqn0IaRZp-8V0p-nL6_kerKZFd3F5WKtV-7lAMtbIh-qo3s30wUcGoT482QeGPCFnnULeqHy5d-Quh0S9fIa0jlNJn0ufMYqUXHBRAF-b3PibYO0UmllV4hfzn4VCjyn_5nslxC3ffVL9nulgHaIzOWpjLYSTzDg=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Elizabeth Taylor in ASH WEDNESDAY Year: 1973 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A brilliant plot-device for any forty-year-old actress who was once an ingenue, ASH WEDNESDAY has a middle-aged Elizabeth Taylor circa 1973 playing a character well over sixty...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Beginning at a Swiss resort for plastic surgery far ahead of its time, ASH combines wistful melodrama and a touch of science-fiction since, when the procedure is finished... after being shown in uncomfortable detail from what seems a training film for med students... she winds up the real Elizabeth Taylor at that age... her age, then... thus looking comparably better than ever...</p><p><span></span></p>

drama, elizabeth taylor, helmut berger, import, keith baxter, margaret blye, melodrama, romance, seventies

ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN 'ASH WEDNESDAY' WITH KEITH BAXTER

Elizabeth Taylor in ASH WEDNESDAY Year: 1973 Rating: **** A brilliant plot-device for any forty-year-old actress who was once an ingenue, AS...

SERIOUS MEL BROOKS PRESENTS 'SOLARBABIES' WITH JAMI GERTZ

<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcXCkYrVbRsME4HXpndDAOtwKIAXjgxPUEqHbeV1APKqniW9Lmf-C5cJ6-CDC7cKLxVatWtrR5areskWDCpFvnHDLLFSm15_cYulsP9Shh6HcITqKRrgxNSN-e5dZiXXVIe7SZKo0CRyxWA7YU62PDUI1pPMLgG9xrk2UF1_iMBXl2cn7sJyz9p5CSkA=s1433" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcXCkYrVbRsME4HXpndDAOtwKIAXjgxPUEqHbeV1APKqniW9Lmf-C5cJ6-CDC7cKLxVatWtrR5areskWDCpFvnHDLLFSm15_cYulsP9Shh6HcITqKRrgxNSN-e5dZiXXVIe7SZKo0CRyxWA7YU62PDUI1pPMLgG9xrk2UF1_iMBXl2cn7sJyz9p5CSkA=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: SOLARBABIES Cast: Jami Gertz, Jason Patric Year: 1986 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 1980's post-apocalyptic SOLARBABIES seems inspired by MAD MAX (especially BEYOND THUNDERDOME) by the scorched-earth setting and ROLLERBALL for a skating game the titular kids play to relieve tension...</p><p></p><p>But it's actually an unspecified remake of Hammer Films' 1962 nuclear-cautionary thriller <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2021/12/jami-gertz-as-one-of-damned-from.html">THESE ARE THE DAMNED </a>as a group of futuristic orphans are politely held captive (where captivity is commonplace) while, <i>completely</i> monitored by grim adult superiors, they only THINK they're breaking the roles by going slightly outside allowed perimeters...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBjapgOGAWvto5yUN9EJMFd4E0ygqsk7BosDftDklcUt15F8RErhzGQ_1bqSeTKMYuMBkkoiU4oJoWwa8tbZU0Ma-nPus6YTuvawK-CGKOu2f8fK87ZENQONX7nyPA8W-a2j1o7WDWTLt8mOgaXKMfIltAxwxmCzvFduhaQSBNtBFBGeUEitvnpTnW1g=s1891" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1891" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBjapgOGAWvto5yUN9EJMFd4E0ygqsk7BosDftDklcUt15F8RErhzGQ_1bqSeTKMYuMBkkoiU4oJoWwa8tbZU0Ma-nPus6YTuvawK-CGKOu2f8fK87ZENQONX7nyPA8W-a2j1o7WDWTLt8mOgaXKMfIltAxwxmCzvFduhaQSBNtBFBGeUEitvnpTnW1g=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Claude Brooks and Peter Deluise in SOLARBABIES with Jami Gertz and Lucas Haas</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For warden Charles Durning (like Alexander Knox in THE DAMNED), the minor rebellions are to boost morale while evil henchman Richard Jordan's Grock (ala Walter Gotell) wants all freedom gone, contrived or otherwise...</p><p></p><p></p><p>So when the kids <i>do</i> escape, rollerskating off into the desert/canyon terrain of unlimited limitations within various sand-dilapidated villages, Grock (with the aid of nefarious SUPERMAN villain Sarah Douglas) hires a pair of grungy assassins to rid the <i>youth problem,</i> once and for all...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, charles durning, eighties, jami gertz, jason patric, mel brooks, peter deluise, post-apocalyptic, richard jordan, sarah douglas, science-fiction

SERIOUS MEL BROOKS PRESENTS 'SOLARBABIES' WITH JAMI GERTZ

Title: SOLARBABIES Cast: Jami Gertz, Jason Patric Year: 1986 Rating: **1/2 The 1980's post-apocalyptic SOLARBABIES seems inspired by MAD...

MICKEY ROONEY CAUGHT IN 'QUICKSAND' WITH JEANNE CAGNEY

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_PiOvnpXYL2_iRPGNu_xmACAHUDcwbZXLOm7QqM_0lq6IEQ49e3BdB6gd-c1sEHKeuMA0L-RGwVgXsdwvFB5Qpy-YMAkWUfch9Tbs9ohI6OCJ95Qlnk0NSefrKE9Dd6RjG5kjg1tZFa1N7OK8ij-1ckhW-loHzZ1jstq7A04lGJwI3cCywLyXVYh6Ng=s1732" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_PiOvnpXYL2_iRPGNu_xmACAHUDcwbZXLOm7QqM_0lq6IEQ49e3BdB6gd-c1sEHKeuMA0L-RGwVgXsdwvFB5Qpy-YMAkWUfch9Tbs9ohI6OCJ95Qlnk0NSefrKE9Dd6RjG5kjg1tZFa1N7OK8ij-1ckhW-loHzZ1jstq7A04lGJwI3cCywLyXVYh6Ng=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: QUICKSAND Cast: Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lorre Year: 1950 Rates: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>An epitomizing trait of film noir is... if you take a short cut you'll get in lots more trouble than you started out with, and for that QUICKSAND completely epitomizes noir cinema when a young and cocky, girl-loving mechanic played by Mickey Rooney finds the girl of his... immediate dreams...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And quickly winds up landing a date with this sexy blonde waitress Jeanne Cagney as Vera... but back at the garage he realizes two things: not only does he have no money, but his cohorts... including both workmates and those on the phone who owe him... are all equally broke...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, barbara bates, fifties, film noir or melodrama, jack elam, jeanne cagney, mickey rooney, peter lorre

MICKEY ROONEY CAUGHT IN 'QUICKSAND' WITH JEANNE CAGNEY

Title: QUICKSAND Cast: Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lorre Year: 1950 Rates: **** An epitomizing trait of film noir is... if you take ...

ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN AN ARTHOUSE RIDE FOR 'THE DRIVER'S SEAT'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_SCnYcip5Lz2hcUlLFy2ac2SaXfmW-C6Y_HvtkjVxvlpX4OzbvgjwrGtcNdtXQIizY6ZyYOK6xbWqRsxLI85KfjXtpmzGV3ET6Gh8FJpktHngru3cwBCGcAgt_U7LE94WlDrPt40vJ5-WjnAY2FaqkTUWud44aO0hKPqctO6E6WY5lT4r37Q9EF04Aw=s1918" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1918" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_SCnYcip5Lz2hcUlLFy2ac2SaXfmW-C6Y_HvtkjVxvlpX4OzbvgjwrGtcNdtXQIizY6ZyYOK6xbWqRsxLI85KfjXtpmzGV3ET6Gh8FJpktHngru3cwBCGcAgt_U7LE94WlDrPt40vJ5-WjnAY2FaqkTUWud44aO0hKPqctO6E6WY5lT4r37Q9EF04Aw=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE DRIVER'S SEAT aka IDENTIKIT Year: 1974 Rating: ***1/2 </u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Since this Italian-shot art film... looking science-fiction futuristic with hypnotic phosphorescent interiors from an ominous airport to a vibrant shopping mall... stars screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, it's considered an utter travesty...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yet THE DRIVER'S SEAT is actually a unique, sparse yet hallucinatory neo noir in which the central plot's completely spoiled from the online description all the way back to the back of the VHS tapes: <i>A woman travels through Italy to find someone to kill her</i>... But are we really supposed to know that?</p><p><span></span></p>

arthouse, dino mele, elizabeth taylor, ian bannen, import, italian, mona washburn, neo noir, seventies

ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN AN ARTHOUSE RIDE FOR 'THE DRIVER'S SEAT'

Title: THE DRIVER'S SEAT aka IDENTIKIT Year: 1974 Rating: ***1/2 Since this Italian-shot art film... looking science-fiction futuristic ...

ORSON WELLES ANSWERS A LAST-MINUTE DICK CAVETT QUESTION

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW3E6qrHmRb6u_k7QC2mK8Lt0qgd-ubWQueiJaOX52luq9mB-8RDV6Fv1HdqOqCHek0UPc7w8W4_YK7fml5az26w1xP2h1dcrwnvJi8WdRue4q4Mxkk8do3fpryAs7vKvuCl-LhxCEcK9rWdkYJcixmg1Fr4JVAo7s-UL27M67oneVhFu82vJEfY6oTQ=s2048" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW3E6qrHmRb6u_k7QC2mK8Lt0qgd-ubWQueiJaOX52luq9mB-8RDV6Fv1HdqOqCHek0UPc7w8W4_YK7fml5az26w1xP2h1dcrwnvJi8WdRue4q4Mxkk8do3fpryAs7vKvuCl-LhxCEcK9rWdkYJcixmg1Fr4JVAo7s-UL27M67oneVhFu82vJEfY6oTQ=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Orson Welles's companion/actress Oja Koder in THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In a 1970 interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Orson Welles was asked a final question after an hour discussing subjects ranging from Adolf Hitler to Winston Churchill, and with literally <i>two minutes left</i> Dick threw a bizarre, risque, avant-garde "left field pitch" that Orson QUICKLY hit out of the park...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And while the question/subject has NOTHING to do with these accompanied screen-captures from Welles's risque/avant-garde labor-of-love THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, his gorgeous girlfriend/collaborator Oda Kodar is the perfect representation of timeless, stimulating beauty, so, here goes...<br></p><span></span>

dick cavett, interview, norman foster, oja kodar, orson welles, seventies

ORSON WELLES ANSWERS A LAST-MINUTE DICK CAVETT QUESTION

Orson Welles's companion/actress Oja Koder in THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND In a 1970 interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Orson Welles was a...

ROB LOWE W/ ANDREW MCCARTHY & JACQUELINE BISSET IN 'CLASS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf3KEGHZwiRf1hlS08RqPeR5JuNtq2Qc4qduC5J9psRy4SocNtqH2tscSU9ltbK3Wo9N8pSHfEFqZpwf0HQl5AwvWOo9LBJpyRrdQDv5vs6oWX1cYBTyuitmc5cglhDR207quZjYUI7LZ5YJgzEFxoSoQi-TCRVRVzLYJ1VaIxRKjMhKKnIHD3LtttZL0/s2246/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-12%20at%209.51.07%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="2246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf3KEGHZwiRf1hlS08RqPeR5JuNtq2Qc4qduC5J9psRy4SocNtqH2tscSU9ltbK3Wo9N8pSHfEFqZpwf0HQl5AwvWOo9LBJpyRrdQDv5vs6oWX1cYBTyuitmc5cglhDR207quZjYUI7LZ5YJgzEFxoSoQi-TCRVRVzLYJ1VaIxRKjMhKKnIHD3LtttZL0/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-12%20at%209.51.07%20PM.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Opening credit for CLASS from 1983 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>While CLASS stars future <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/brat%20pack">Brat Packers</a> Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy before <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/05/rob-lowe-films.html">ST. ELMO'S FIRE</a> made them both 11th hour qualifiers after SIXTEEN CANDLES and THE BREAKFAST CLUB (then cemented with ABOUT LAST NIGHT and PRETTY IN PINK), it relies on the two previous decades while epitomizing the eighties Sex Comedy template including a hapless virgin, a partying rich kid and a sexy older woman straight out of THE GRADUATE...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Leading to the inevitable (and at the time heavily promoted) May/December romance between McCarthy and Jacqueline Bissit is a sort of devil-may-care prep school ANIMAL HOUSE with students smoking and drinking, and where Lowe's cocky practical joker character recalls Tim Matheson's HOUSE chief Otter Stratton... </p><p><span></span></p>

alan ruck, andrew mccarthy, brat pack, eighties, jacqueline bisset, john cusack, rob lowe, romantic comedy, sex comedy, stuart margolin

ROB LOWE W/ ANDREW MCCARTHY & JACQUELINE BISSET IN 'CLASS'

Opening credit for CLASS from 1983 Rating: *** While CLASS stars future Brat Packers Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy before ST. ELMO'S FIR...

RICHARD HARRIS IN LINDSAY ANDERSON'S 'THIS SPORTING LIFE'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj35Crnyo-L5y7h2Z-myHWz26dA2T_McgUG6L8nIzDlkseevj4zZfHyz_7qC53mKG7Ia-0H7x9RwSQeM8VevAD03bNgn-EEPdRHmshAsjWIHFIqxwQOenOjklUtTbQBtjrUSO_pSOuU7Kk3UdjDri_HM1m7-68848r0LjS_q4SOSMbiGshmhIYsrIl8ig=s1759" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1759" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj35Crnyo-L5y7h2Z-myHWz26dA2T_McgUG6L8nIzDlkseevj4zZfHyz_7qC53mKG7Ia-0H7x9RwSQeM8VevAD03bNgn-EEPdRHmshAsjWIHFIqxwQOenOjklUtTbQBtjrUSO_pSOuU7Kk3UdjDri_HM1m7-68848r0LjS_q4SOSMbiGshmhIYsrIl8ig=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THIS SPORTING LIFE Year: 1963 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the British New Wave/Kitchen Sink Drama THE SPORTING LIFE, non-famous extra Glenda Jackson can be seen singing at a crowded party... funny since, years before her macho co-stars Oliver Reed and Alan Bates wrestled naked in WOMEN IN LOVE, so did coal mining rugby player Richard Harris and teammate Colin Blakely... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Not for very long, and they're not fighting but celebrating a victory; yet the title sport's not seen enough given that everything centers on Harris, as Frank Machin, gifted with a prowess on the field that piques the interest of bigwig Alan Badel and his flirtatious wife Vanda Godsell, who can change the poor lug's life overnight...<br></p><p><span></span></p>

alan badel, anne cunningham, british new wave, colin blakely, lindsay anderson, rachel roberts, richard harris, sixties, sport, vanda godsell

RICHARD HARRIS IN LINDSAY ANDERSON'S 'THIS SPORTING LIFE'

Title: THIS SPORTING LIFE Year: 1963 Rating: ***1/2 In the British New Wave/Kitchen Sink Drama THE SPORTING LIFE, non-famous extra Glenda Ja...

GLORIA SWANSON DECOMPRESSES SUNSET IN '3 FOR BEDROOM C'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZA2CDZBpJmeJ4oipfa2OUEXhHwvwy35C17CH3qbs1aXym6gSBUJeEVtdfn3OL9-E3KyuUpbKwtLvZcfn5MT-qtN5I_t0ykp8ZsKmfVlUTXe5eSjdIiJGY9SDt086xqJMClx_eJxVX8og8sBsCDkzLl0a61K2YpAzsMnomMalJWhwGMLYlvIP_1Kxog=s1159" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="1159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZA2CDZBpJmeJ4oipfa2OUEXhHwvwy35C17CH3qbs1aXym6gSBUJeEVtdfn3OL9-E3KyuUpbKwtLvZcfn5MT-qtN5I_t0ykp8ZsKmfVlUTXe5eSjdIiJGY9SDt086xqJMClx_eJxVX8og8sBsCDkzLl0a61K2YpAzsMnomMalJWhwGMLYlvIP_1Kxog=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Warren and Gloria Swanson in 3 FOR BEDROOM C Year: 1952 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One of the most bizarre career choices perhaps in the history of cinema was when the once has-been silent film star Gloria Swanson, after playing has-been silent film star Norma Desmond in the beloved smash hit SUNSET BOULEVARD, turned down script after script attempting to turn her into what she easily could have become... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Something like, say, a female Vincent Price since, while deemed a Film Noir/Drama, SUNSET is nothing short of a terrifying claustrophobic Horror that inspired the likes of PLAY MISTY FOR ME that inspired FATAL ATTRACTION, both involving obsessive women desperately clinging to a man by slitting their wrists, and even MISERY... </p><p><span></span></p>

fifties, fred clark, gloria swanson, hans conried, import, james warren, janine perreau, romantic comedy, steve brodie, train

GLORIA SWANSON DECOMPRESSES SUNSET IN '3 FOR BEDROOM C'

James Warren and Gloria Swanson in 3 FOR BEDROOM C Year: 1952 Rating: ***1/2 One of the most bizarre career choices perhaps in the history o...

WILLIAM CONRAD'S 'BRAINSTORM' AND 'MY BLOOD RUNS COLD'

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zoZfSRNjZ8SnbFfH0rJ3ERA99wBxdz2qYCL8S0HOgWS-HaZ4F6kORKShSo2lA9KzC1f_9RKrsfVkmBBpcUDPQ4lCNKA6IuqpSbGrmh1KxonLs4fYWVc699wcJbjwtnP43PxuAXCOtdNqoTJe_6C8jr9Y0XJTNvJFsrEX5_RYWBESnuHsCbclyJtV-g/s1362/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-27%20at%207.59.03%20PM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1362" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zoZfSRNjZ8SnbFfH0rJ3ERA99wBxdz2qYCL8S0HOgWS-HaZ4F6kORKShSo2lA9KzC1f_9RKrsfVkmBBpcUDPQ4lCNKA6IuqpSbGrmh1KxonLs4fYWVc699wcJbjwtnP43PxuAXCOtdNqoTJe_6C8jr9Y0XJTNvJFsrEX5_RYWBESnuHsCbclyJtV-g/w400-h269/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-27%20at%207.59.03%20PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>William Conrad Directorial Double Feature from 1965</u></td></tr></tbody></table>From his sinister beginnings as one of the two title hitmen who cast an ominous shadow across a small<i> </i>town diner in THE KILLERS, taken from an Ernest Hemingway short story that only involves a single act of what became a three-act classic Film Noir: While igniting the career of Burt Lancaster, William Conrad was recognized as one of the two titular baddies in the beginning and end...<br> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br> A flipside to Orson Welles, including the rich, deep voice; overweight. And few people know that Conrad was also a director, and while not one of the greats, the big man was good, and efficiant given the b-movie scripts for a pair of low-budget thrillers, BRAINSTORM and MY BLOOD RUNS COLD, both made in 1965 and for director Conrad it was a busy year (especially given the fact he also directed the haunted house horror TWO ON A GUILLOTINE, not reviewed here, not very good)...  </div>

anne francis, dana andrews, drama, drive-in, jazz-score, jeffrey hunter, kathie browne, neo noir, nicolas coster, richard kiel, sixties, strother martin, thriller, troy donahue, viveca lindfors, william conrad

WILLIAM CONRAD'S 'BRAINSTORM' AND 'MY BLOOD RUNS COLD'

William Conrad Directorial Double Feature from 1965 From his sinister beginnings as one of the two title hitmen who cast an ominous shadow ...

JEAN GABIN IN 'PORT OF SHADOWS' AKA 'LE QUAI DES BRUMES'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKaepC0KaGQRJfTM7ZF8JNYf_1yi-1ASefdCaEH0s_DAI79dU8OBhJ9FYyLCU9YCUThjiqUUMUU1xvugYRu1W4ZO_-jkkMvXEZVC-M8OLP9jBlHqnOJE6mP_iX-yMF_PXGa--lgKX99QVLmg2dDQrZd9BEJ8k2m-1uoVG8nn47fNEgcnxnOQ332G6XvQ=s1484" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKaepC0KaGQRJfTM7ZF8JNYf_1yi-1ASefdCaEH0s_DAI79dU8OBhJ9FYyLCU9YCUThjiqUUMUU1xvugYRu1W4ZO_-jkkMvXEZVC-M8OLP9jBlHqnOJE6mP_iX-yMF_PXGa--lgKX99QVLmg2dDQrZd9BEJ8k2m-1uoVG8nn47fNEgcnxnOQ332G6XvQ=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Michèle Morgan and Jean Gabin in PORT OF SHADOWS Year: 1938 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Jean Gabin stars in a <i>French Old Wave</i> late-1930's crime thriller with one of those plots you still see where a group of desperate people wind up in the same small interior locale while danger lurks outside: in this case a fog-shrouded shack in a fog-shrouded town where a big ship's on the verge of leaving... soon...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Perfect for our enigmatic hero, a soldier played by Gabin who, for whatever reasons beyond strength and temper neither we nor his far-too-easily-matched love interest Michèle Morgan has any idea of (like <i>her own</i> wild past is clouded to him)... And then Gabin's Jean quickly gets a new identity, and in most features the story would be just beginning....</p><p><span></span></p>

crime, film noir or melodrama, french, gangster, jean gabin, michel simon, michèle morgan, pierre brasseur, romance, thirties

JEAN GABIN IN 'PORT OF SHADOWS' AKA 'LE QUAI DES BRUMES'

Michèle Morgan and Jean Gabin in PORT OF SHADOWS Year: 1938 Rating: ***1/2 Jean Gabin stars in a French Old Wave late-1930's crime thri...

EISENHOWER ON ACID: BLUE BOY VS JOE FRIDAY ON 'DRAGNET 1967'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinJJzOalxyoGMx7xsB0yQsfnVQufX-V2pza4NoPM6gPhLdcXi33E0Slh6qYwb9BzLcCruRa1AheGerEoRUjkE0oHQdhXkDQ7SgCc--M7O45h3_zbQH0Y7l4Z67i4Snf6_6ry8JCDpQTNssaBZ_nWXde1cYwpyHzldpPxVpg6PVcn2CeG_QSciwi-FCjw=s2014" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="2014" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinJJzOalxyoGMx7xsB0yQsfnVQufX-V2pza4NoPM6gPhLdcXi33E0Slh6qYwb9BzLcCruRa1AheGerEoRUjkE0oHQdhXkDQ7SgCc--M7O45h3_zbQH0Y7l4Z67i4Snf6_6ry8JCDpQTNssaBZ_nWXde1cYwpyHzldpPxVpg6PVcn2CeG_QSciwi-FCjw=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on DRAGNET 1967: The LSD Story Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 1950's crime-series DRAGNET epitomized the 1950's more in the 1960's revival than it did originally. The title alone represents the Eisenhower-era B&W  noir aesthetic with deadpan narration when bad guys were bad and good guys were usually cops: Thus making <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/06/daFACTS.html">DRAGNET</a> 1967-1970 (each season titled after the year) that much more of a bizarre and entertaining time-capsule treat... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It's basically two 1950's cops suddenly thrust into the psychedelic 1960's, no longer dealing with the simple days of edgy armed robbers but pampered young drug dealers, drug takers... or in the case of THE LSD STORY, both in one person, the first villain in the first episode, and his nickname is Blue Boy...</p><p><span></span></p>

cop, counter-culture, cult, harry morgan, heather menzies, jack webb, jerry douglas, michael burns, psychedellic, sixties, tv series

EISENHOWER ON ACID: BLUE BOY VS JOE FRIDAY ON 'DRAGNET 1967'

Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on DRAGNET 1967: The LSD Story Rating: **** The 1950's crime-series DRAGNET epitomized the 1950's more ...

CHARLTON HESTON & NICOLE MAUREY IN 'SECRET OF THE INCAS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaXnZhmlvK4jWqs3DeajjCltVwRC40yeSeU_M-79C47dcQiTyuddaSIFKAsUsNMWdhFweyUITVWUC2TLLi4L8Rgi9OCUHB-Y4N97yZ1LTelKaE6McQspiaUR5rrxstJC5XC50SR2qJYp68KwublmZUSP9q8G0X0THCluQwwIR9_MthoPUOPfhvSQMI-w=s1111" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaXnZhmlvK4jWqs3DeajjCltVwRC40yeSeU_M-79C47dcQiTyuddaSIFKAsUsNMWdhFweyUITVWUC2TLLi4L8Rgi9OCUHB-Y4N97yZ1LTelKaE6McQspiaUR5rrxstJC5XC50SR2qJYp68KwublmZUSP9q8G0X0THCluQwwIR9_MthoPUOPfhvSQMI-w=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1953 Rates: **1/2</u><br></td></tr></tbody></table>Jerry Hopper's cult film <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2012/06/secret-of-incas_17.html">SECRET OF THE INCAS</a> is already established to have inspired not only the iconic Harrison Ford as <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2018/05/raiders-of-lost-ark.html">Indiana Jones</a> outfit including leather jacket and fedora, but both get reminded how attractive they are... girl student eyelids there and smitten lady tourists Marion Ross and Glenda Farrell here... </p><p></p><p></p><p>More importantly, each adventurous hero... paired with an equally rogue dame... piece together an incomplete curio to find out exactly where the archeological treasure is, and <i>that's</i> the SECRET...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, adventure, charlton heston, glenda farrell, jerry hopper, nicole maurey, thomas mitchell, treasure, yma sumec

CHARLTON HESTON & NICOLE MAUREY IN 'SECRET OF THE INCAS'

Year: 1953 Rates: **1/2 Jerry Hopper's cult film SECRET OF THE INCAS is already established to have inspired not only the iconic Harris...

CATHY LEE CROSBY AS THE FIRST/ORIGINAL 'WONDER WOMAN'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoaKP950bDWjis9zDA-gGSQWrrxLPk2Um_Y5lJAcK8U2NsQCdC3zz2y8hDF_c3mtPFdtFZcC3NQyGtmgF3EDLjeTjMlDWcywqk7KyBdBerykLBWPOcRFSF2IxllPmhsL1_7TbKwebgAcBIXZQvjVwBy0vejDlLF0CtKovaUcJlth0NUDW1na-kqZrEeQ=s988" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="988" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoaKP950bDWjis9zDA-gGSQWrrxLPk2Um_Y5lJAcK8U2NsQCdC3zz2y8hDF_c3mtPFdtFZcC3NQyGtmgF3EDLjeTjMlDWcywqk7KyBdBerykLBWPOcRFSF2IxllPmhsL1_7TbKwebgAcBIXZQvjVwBy0vejDlLF0CtKovaUcJlth0NUDW1na-kqZrEeQ=w400-h293" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1973 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Young Gal Gadot fans don't want to know anyone else played WONDER WOMAN and older Lynda Carter fans are no different...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Even Google, if you type "the very first Wonder Woman" will provide Carter's name... but it's Cathy Lee Crosby, an athletic BLONDE, who was the first Diana "Supposed to be Dark-Haired" Prince and donned the outfit albeit resembling patriotic Olympics garb instead of the DC Comics suit Carter wore in the following years' series... </p><p></p><p>A shame because this TV-movie isn't too shabby; but it's no Superhero story... Instead, during the Spy Genre/James Bond era, this WONDER WOMAN seems as if a resilient Bond girl took over the 007 mantle. And instead of powers she has karate skills and can catch a high flying spear... thrown by one of her former island dames played by Anitra Ford, a leggy model who, gorgeous and BRUNETTE, while killing it as an underused nemesis (exceeding a slow-speaking money-stealing Ricardo Montalbán or a flirtatiously lethal Andrew Prine) would've aesthetically made a better WONDER WOMAN. But Crosby does a pretty decent job for a decent-enough time-filling/action-packed curio: So she alone deserves credit for initially laying out the iconic character's groundwork... even if what ended up working went completely against her portrayal. <br></p><p><span></span></p>

action, andrew prine, anitra ford, cathy lee crosby, espionage, pilot, ricardo montalban, robert porter, seventies, spy, superhero, tv movie

CATHY LEE CROSBY AS THE FIRST/ORIGINAL 'WONDER WOMAN'

Year: 1973 Rating: *** Young Gal Gadot fans don't want to know anyone else played WONDER WOMAN and older Lynda Carter fans are no differ...

PATRICK WAYNE AND LEIGH CHRISTIAN REACH 'BEYOND ATLANTIS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqszcaqdY3RP8-GeUAOyGNrqdkXGzwZqZfA5AozJx_g_bhATpVyvX83aWV_9ubAqUL08Eiy679zWmkAt0daRpmKpkPzy2X1caFMVEd3oT-c6b9ro6ctTNo55e94GqZlz_L41SitJfVHVxJZElszsTuYvzcFl9dxaqExHvIN9ZNcX25VwkaJ-p82Zor7w=s1082" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="1082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqszcaqdY3RP8-GeUAOyGNrqdkXGzwZqZfA5AozJx_g_bhATpVyvX83aWV_9ubAqUL08Eiy679zWmkAt0daRpmKpkPzy2X1caFMVEd3oT-c6b9ro6ctTNo55e94GqZlz_L41SitJfVHVxJZElszsTuYvzcFl9dxaqExHvIN9ZNcX25VwkaJ-p82Zor7w=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title BEYOND ATLANTIS Year: 1973 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table>About the only thing remembered about BEYOND ATLANTIS by fans of Philippines-shot exploitation flicks of the early/mid 1970's is that the PG-rating doomed it from succeeding grindhouse-style like THE BIG DOLL HOUSE, WOMEN IN CAGES and THE BIG BIRD CAGE... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And that star Patrick Wayne, son of John Wayne, wanted this to be a "family-oriented" feature instead of the usual ultra-violent chicks-with-guns R-rated stuff...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6prO8387kweR80wFA9T4pWeux5G4ldrd3hSZQ0tL4qBb5ezficWxbPb07HRUS0RKgFSBgxQ6NFfiLxVT0Fod0MQQ4kh_G0ojZ2FBcxkSWrN22kVGmk_QgJgSBAiOek_LieIiFth3ZDE18CQgsc2y1HGVwTgAv3fAa8ndxq80SpDbChsBxZRjVs5eRpg=s2340" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="2340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6prO8387kweR80wFA9T4pWeux5G4ldrd3hSZQ0tL4qBb5ezficWxbPb07HRUS0RKgFSBgxQ6NFfiLxVT0Fod0MQQ4kh_G0ojZ2FBcxkSWrN22kVGmk_QgJgSBAiOek_LieIiFth3ZDE18CQgsc2y1HGVwTgAv3fAa8ndxq80SpDbChsBxZRjVs5eRpg=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Leigh Christian swimming sexy in BEYOND ATLANTIS</u><br></td></tr></tbody></table><p>That said, ATLANTIS is one of the most bizarre of the lot, and features a prolonged scene of bikini girls swimming underwater led by island queen Leigh Christian, whose sublime blonde beauty is its very own exploitation... </p><p></p><p>Meanwhile her native followers wear cheaply-placed bulging bug eyes since they were in-bred from having distant relatives from Atlantis, or something...</p><p><span></span></p>

exploitation, john ashley, leigh christian, lenore stevens, patrick wayne, seventies, sid haig, treasure, vic diaz

PATRICK WAYNE AND LEIGH CHRISTIAN REACH 'BEYOND ATLANTIS'

Title BEYOND ATLANTIS Year: 1973 Rating: ***1/2 About the only thing remembered about BEYOND ATLANTIS by fans of Philippines-shot exploitati...

ARCHIVE REVIEW OF THE CLASSIC JAPANESE MONSTER 'GAMERA'

<p><u></u></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0J9hSLZxo5a69Q6qtjfGYghnc2e7RgDQIvr3N5Wml_3gHSql1XPCmw4Sml5pDlG9vdRLdqPjxV7n0iY1PIPR0tzQ9e0Gl1x8PzH2vrbpWTeDq4P0aL-udjNVWRQs-dasAdcoVulfEQHBL5JcPa2IhH9XazPiEk5exjzqhknVbmFFPt8l4t4Z9IHdFEw=s1822" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1822" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0J9hSLZxo5a69Q6qtjfGYghnc2e7RgDQIvr3N5Wml_3gHSql1XPCmw4Sml5pDlG9vdRLdqPjxV7n0iY1PIPR0tzQ9e0Gl1x8PzH2vrbpWTeDq4P0aL-udjNVWRQs-dasAdcoVulfEQHBL5JcPa2IhH9XazPiEk5exjzqhknVbmFFPt8l4t4Z9IHdFEw=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1965 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are so many versions of this giant turtle epic that it's hard to find the actual source: the real thing is obviously the version without the Americans thrown in, but what's patch-worked together is an intensely terrific man-in-monster-costume ride... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>A side-story involving a kid who loves turtles provides more color than the rambling dialog of the scientists figuring a way to destroy a beast: who ferociously thrives on whatever weapon's thrown its way. But it's the savory battles, and the last ten minutes providing the much-mentioned "Plan" to finally rid of "Gammera" (the actual spelling) that makes the whole romp worthwhile. </p>

creature feature, japanese, monster, sixties

ARCHIVE REVIEW OF THE CLASSIC JAPANESE MONSTER 'GAMERA'

Year: 1965 Rating: ***1/2 There are so many versions of this giant turtle epic that it's hard to find the actual source: the real thi...

SUSAN HOGAN & LISA LANGLOIS SUFFER JOHN HUSTON'S 'PHOBIA'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuDLpXx117oUJH0rMXm29I9Fq9odXphgBaViDtL3qr-pFRZ0z4sKhCxKxjbMK19bWpYDNsr69IQyTz2flgjgFclnluS2lWjufvIMhiPZAhC363KJMaIfHXWz2E7iE1T8v1jc-oZwkIDExbgNnbYwOIixTMSEubpaR8Ymml3X_kd5VXEiuJUmTxeAHUlw=s1468" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="1468" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuDLpXx117oUJH0rMXm29I9Fq9odXphgBaViDtL3qr-pFRZ0z4sKhCxKxjbMK19bWpYDNsr69IQyTz2flgjgFclnluS2lWjufvIMhiPZAhC363KJMaIfHXWz2E7iE1T8v1jc-oZwkIDExbgNnbYwOIixTMSEubpaR8Ymml3X_kd5VXEiuJUmTxeAHUlw=w400-h301" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>John Colicos & Susan Hogan in Phobia 1980 Rates: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>There's something <i>different</i> about Canadian-shot b-horrors and how they look, and feel... kind of sparsely enigmatic, lonesome and hollow, Noirish in tone... ranging from native <i>canook</i> David Cronenberg and sometimes imported Americans — in this case the legendary and still hard-working John Huston, directing what resembles a violent TV-movie fitfully titled PHOBIA wherein the body count aspect flows strategically with the plot...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Starring Paul Michael Glaser <i>right after</i> STARSKY AND HUTCH and when partner David Soul moved to <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/10/SLot.html">SALEM'S LOT</a>, he's a seemingly helpful psychologist using a face-your-fear approach on his hospitalized patients as each of the eclectic group suffers from the same intense, specified fears that — during the best parts within an otherwise talky, by-the-numbers exploitation-horror — ultimately seals their fate: from heights to drowning to snakes while providing good roles for two lovely Canadian actresses, and is the first for 1980's scream queen <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/11/nest.html">Lisa Langlois</a> (pulling a Janet Leigh but in a tub) and Glaser's love-interest, <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/10/cronenbrood.html">THE BROOD</a> ingenue Susan Hogan. John Huston's PHOBIA is a mystery-thriller curbed by token investigative cop John Colicos that pays off in predictable yet twisty, entertaining death scenes and that, if it <i>really were </i>made for television and with a less famous/legendary director, just might've gotten the attention it deserved... or any at all.  </p><p><span></span></p>

body count, eighties, exploitation, horror, john colicos, john huston, lisa langlois, mystery, paul michael glaser, susan hogan, suspense

SUSAN HOGAN & LISA LANGLOIS SUFFER JOHN HUSTON'S 'PHOBIA'

John Colicos & Susan Hogan in Phobia 1980 Rates: *** There's something different about Canadian-shot b-horrors and how they look, a...