Starring Patrick Wayne, John Ashley, Leigh Christian, Sid Haig, Lenore Stevens
Directed by Eddie Romero
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A band of men and a lady archaeologist visit a Greek island seeking a fortune in pearls, and find evidence the bug-eyed natives may be descendants of the residents of Atlantis.
Like a number of Filipino filmmaker Romero's productions with American stars, this isn't a good film, and those interested in the Atlantis angle won't find much to satisfy them here. The movie is largely made up of lengthy underwater sequences featuring the skimpily attired Christian leading Wayne and Ashley in searches for the pearls. Although there are hints of more fascinating story elements, such as the natives' ability to survive underwater without oxygen, a temple containing Atlantean artifacts which is kept off limits by the natives, and a pressing need for Christian's princess to become pregnant by one of the outsiders, those elements are mentioned but frustratingly never explained. It was good to see Sid Haig have a meaty role as the cruel leader of the men, but few others in the cast stood out, although Ashley had a way different appearance than his clean-cut appearance in the 50s, with a mop of curly hair and a grizzled unshaven face for most of the film. George Nader, best known for his part in the ridiculed 1950s film Robot Monster, plays the leader of the island, but not memorably so. The story culminates in a violent confrontation between the natives and the outsiders but rather than providing a satisfying payoff for the film, I found it rather lackluster.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Friday, October 18, 2019
Earth Vs. The Spider (1958)
Starring Ed Kemmer, June Kenney, Gene Persson, Gene Roth, Hal Torey
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young woman and her boyfriend go in search of her missing father, and find his remains in a cavern inhabited by a giant spider, which soon threatens their small town.
Although it's not quite the equal of the other giant spider film of the 1950s, Tarantula, this is a fun outing by Gordon and crew, with an appealing cast, and a convincing portrait of small-town America. Not all of the special effects hold up well, but the spider scenes that probably come off best are the sequences filmed in Carlsbad Caverns, with its eerie craggy scenery making a proper home for the giant insect, where it can easily trap its human prey. Kemmer, the likable protagonist of Edward Cunha's Giant From The Unknown, who also brings along his love interest Sally Fraser from that film, is again likable, and fills a perfect need in the story as the believable scientific expert who devises the spider's downfall. Familiar '50s character actor Gene Roth is welcome as the local sheriff who laughs at the notion of a giant spider at first, but soon receives his comeuppance. Albert Glasser provides the proper notes of menace in his music score, according to IMDB, including the decade's ubiquitous theremin instrument among his orchestra. As for Gordon's direction, it keeps things moving along well enough, making this I think one of his better films.
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young woman and her boyfriend go in search of her missing father, and find his remains in a cavern inhabited by a giant spider, which soon threatens their small town.
Although it's not quite the equal of the other giant spider film of the 1950s, Tarantula, this is a fun outing by Gordon and crew, with an appealing cast, and a convincing portrait of small-town America. Not all of the special effects hold up well, but the spider scenes that probably come off best are the sequences filmed in Carlsbad Caverns, with its eerie craggy scenery making a proper home for the giant insect, where it can easily trap its human prey. Kemmer, the likable protagonist of Edward Cunha's Giant From The Unknown, who also brings along his love interest Sally Fraser from that film, is again likable, and fills a perfect need in the story as the believable scientific expert who devises the spider's downfall. Familiar '50s character actor Gene Roth is welcome as the local sheriff who laughs at the notion of a giant spider at first, but soon receives his comeuppance. Albert Glasser provides the proper notes of menace in his music score, according to IMDB, including the decade's ubiquitous theremin instrument among his orchestra. As for Gordon's direction, it keeps things moving along well enough, making this I think one of his better films.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Dressed To Kill (1946)
Starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Patricia Morison, Edmund Breon, Frederick Worlock
Directed by Roy William Neill
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Sherlock Holmes becomes fascinated by the theft of a musical box from a friend of Watson's, and discovers it ties in with a top secret crime that has stymied Scotland Yard.
The last of the fourteen cinematic pairings of Rathbone and Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson certainly offers enough to entertain fans of the actors and their series. The story, though somewhat derivative of "The Dancing Men" as adapted in Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon, is a compelling tale, and welcomely ties in elements from a Holmes classic, "A Scandal In Bohemia." Morison is a lovely but skilled femme fatale, and there's plenty of flavorful atmosphere in the settings. Unfortunately the familiar Universal musical cues are curtailed a bit, but that allows us to focus on the unusual tune of the musical box. Rathbone is sharp as the great detective, and Bruce plays his typical comic relief, charming the audience, with Breon, Worlock, and Ian Wolfe also delivering distinguished portrayals. The picture's not one of the best of the series, but it is enjoyable, and although there's no closure for Rathbone and Bruce in the context of the script of this swan song, it gives us one last chance to appreciate the pair in their most famous roles.
Directed by Roy William Neill
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Sherlock Holmes becomes fascinated by the theft of a musical box from a friend of Watson's, and discovers it ties in with a top secret crime that has stymied Scotland Yard.
The last of the fourteen cinematic pairings of Rathbone and Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson certainly offers enough to entertain fans of the actors and their series. The story, though somewhat derivative of "The Dancing Men" as adapted in Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon, is a compelling tale, and welcomely ties in elements from a Holmes classic, "A Scandal In Bohemia." Morison is a lovely but skilled femme fatale, and there's plenty of flavorful atmosphere in the settings. Unfortunately the familiar Universal musical cues are curtailed a bit, but that allows us to focus on the unusual tune of the musical box. Rathbone is sharp as the great detective, and Bruce plays his typical comic relief, charming the audience, with Breon, Worlock, and Ian Wolfe also delivering distinguished portrayals. The picture's not one of the best of the series, but it is enjoyable, and although there's no closure for Rathbone and Bruce in the context of the script of this swan song, it gives us one last chance to appreciate the pair in their most famous roles.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Nightmare (1964)
Starring David Knight, Moira Redmond, Jennie Linden, Brenda Bruce, George A. Cooper
Directed by Freddie Francis
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After being shaken by dreams of her mother, imprisoned in an asylum for insanity and murder, a young girl returns home from her boarding school, where she's haunted by new dreams of violence.
Another of the psychological thrillers writer/producer Jimmy Sangster made for Hammer Films in the 1960s, the picture certainly looks great, with shadowy photography from John Wilcox well suited to the dark story. Instead of populating the film with familiar Hammer regulars, the cast was largely unknown to me, but were quite professional, and I thought acquitted themselves well for the most part. Linden, as the young girl who fears she may be inheriting her mother's insanity, was believable to me, whether screaming in anguished terror, or questioning whether insanity can explain her experiences. Redmond, very good as a supportive nurse comforting Linden's character in the early going, has the difficult task of taking her character in the complete opposite direction later in the film, and think she overplays it a bit. The film's finale is also rather drawn out after we experience what we thought was to be the picture's climax, and could have been edited down or more tightly paced. I'd say the film is competently assembled and directed, but could have benefitted from a more established actor or actress in the cast, as well as tightening up of the finale.
Directed by Freddie Francis
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After being shaken by dreams of her mother, imprisoned in an asylum for insanity and murder, a young girl returns home from her boarding school, where she's haunted by new dreams of violence.
Another of the psychological thrillers writer/producer Jimmy Sangster made for Hammer Films in the 1960s, the picture certainly looks great, with shadowy photography from John Wilcox well suited to the dark story. Instead of populating the film with familiar Hammer regulars, the cast was largely unknown to me, but were quite professional, and I thought acquitted themselves well for the most part. Linden, as the young girl who fears she may be inheriting her mother's insanity, was believable to me, whether screaming in anguished terror, or questioning whether insanity can explain her experiences. Redmond, very good as a supportive nurse comforting Linden's character in the early going, has the difficult task of taking her character in the complete opposite direction later in the film, and think she overplays it a bit. The film's finale is also rather drawn out after we experience what we thought was to be the picture's climax, and could have been edited down or more tightly paced. I'd say the film is competently assembled and directed, but could have benefitted from a more established actor or actress in the cast, as well as tightening up of the finale.
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