Starring Sammy Davis Jr., Christopher Lee, Jack Klugman, Adam West, Gino Conforti
Directed by Robert Scheerer
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Sammy, consigned to the lower levels of hell, tries to convince Lucifer to give him the chance to sign a disgruntled accountant's soul to a contract, in order to move up from his lowly position.
Per Wikipedia, this was a television movie intended as a pilot for a TV series, and it's easy to see why the network passed, as its humor is not sharp enough for a comedy, and there's too many absurdities in the film to succeed as a drama. Nonetheless, Davis is charming, and I liked the filmmakers' vision of hell as in the style of a 1970s discotheque, and the catchy theme music. The movie is amiable despite its failings, with a good performance by Klugman as the accountant convinced he's been passed over after a 25 year career. Lee plays Lucifer, the devil himself, in familiar casting for the Dracula veteran, clad in a turtleneck and sports jacket in a hip rendition of the dark lord. He's fun to watch but fans may be somewhat disappointed he's not more integrated into the storyline. Davis and Klugman keep things interesting if not amusing, so I enjoyed the film on that level, but it's still quite lacking.
Showing posts with label Adam West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam West. Show all posts
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Monday, April 22, 2013
Batman (1966)
Starring Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith
Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Costumed crimefighters Batman and Robin must face an alliance of their archvillains: The Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin, and The Riddler.
A huge hit on television in the 1960s, the Batman TV series, based on the hero's comic book adventures, and featuring amusing plots and big-name guest stars as the colorful villains, also launched this feature film, with nearly all the series regulars reprising their roles, except for the role of Catwoman, played by a capable and alluring replacement in Lee Meriwether here. It's been a favorite movie of mine for many years, with tongue in cheek humor that's not daring or groundbreaking but makes for a fun time nevertheless, and features a very good music score by composer Nelson Riddle and some nifty special effects by L.B. Abbott and his team.
Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Costumed crimefighters Batman and Robin must face an alliance of their archvillains: The Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin, and The Riddler.
A huge hit on television in the 1960s, the Batman TV series, based on the hero's comic book adventures, and featuring amusing plots and big-name guest stars as the colorful villains, also launched this feature film, with nearly all the series regulars reprising their roles, except for the role of Catwoman, played by a capable and alluring replacement in Lee Meriwether here. It's been a favorite movie of mine for many years, with tongue in cheek humor that's not daring or groundbreaking but makes for a fun time nevertheless, and features a very good music score by composer Nelson Riddle and some nifty special effects by L.B. Abbott and his team.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Robinson Crusoe On Mars (1964)
Starring Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, Adam West
Directed by Byron Haskin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An astronaut finds himself marooned on Mars, and as in the story of Robinson Crusoe, he tries to find a way to survive, and makes friends with an alien he dubs Friday.
I really like this film, an intelligent sci-fi updating of Daniel Defoe's well-known tale, with Mantee very likable in the lead role, and some excellent staging of the perils he faces. Mars is as inhospitable as you could ever imagine, with fireballs streaking across the landscape, air too thin to breathe for more than a short period, and the planet itself is continually besieged by attacking aliens in super-fast spaceships streaking across the sky. Science fiction movies are almost always dominated by exposition scenes and dialogue, so it was very refreshing to experience a minimum of exposition here. We start out as our Earth ship begins orbiting Mars, and nothing is explained of why it is there or what its mission is. We discover through the duration of the film along with Mantee's character, often seeing what he sees. This really brings us into the story, a nice touch by the filmmakers.
Directed by Byron Haskin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An astronaut finds himself marooned on Mars, and as in the story of Robinson Crusoe, he tries to find a way to survive, and makes friends with an alien he dubs Friday.
I really like this film, an intelligent sci-fi updating of Daniel Defoe's well-known tale, with Mantee very likable in the lead role, and some excellent staging of the perils he faces. Mars is as inhospitable as you could ever imagine, with fireballs streaking across the landscape, air too thin to breathe for more than a short period, and the planet itself is continually besieged by attacking aliens in super-fast spaceships streaking across the sky. Science fiction movies are almost always dominated by exposition scenes and dialogue, so it was very refreshing to experience a minimum of exposition here. We start out as our Earth ship begins orbiting Mars, and nothing is explained of why it is there or what its mission is. We discover through the duration of the film along with Mantee's character, often seeing what he sees. This really brings us into the story, a nice touch by the filmmakers.
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