DARK PHOENIX

Sophie Turner as Jean Grey

DARK PHOENIX (2019). Written and directed by Simon Kinberg. 

Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) sends a team of X-Men out into space on a rescue mission, and telepathic Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is irradiated by what everyone thinks is a solar flare but is actually a powerful energy source. While this energy affects Jean's mind, some hostile shape-shifting aliens led by one Vuk (Jessica Chastain) come to earth to take this power away from Jean and use it for their own evil purposes. Angered that Prof X has kept secrets from her -- she thinks both of her parents were killed in a car accident but her father, who blames her, is still alive --  Jean lashes out and accidentally kills one of her colleagues, leading Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to declare war on her. But the aliens may prove a bigger threat and the mutants may find themselves in an alliance ...

James McAvoy as Professor X

Dark Phoenix was apparently excoriated by fans and critics alike, even though it is by no means a terrible movie. Unlike other recent X-sagas, Dark Phoenix at least has some well-choreographed battle scenes, and there's an eye-popping sequence on a train that is vivid and exciting. McAvoy and Fassbender offer the most memorable performances, and Turner is professional enough. Nicholas Hoult also makes an impression as the hairy Hank McCoy (better known as the Beast). Jessica Chastain really only has to show up and affect an attitude but she's still a striking presence in the movie. 

Jean Grey turning into "dark phoenix" was one of the best and most beloved storylines in the X-Men comic books, and this is the second time it has been sort of adapted -- and very much changed -- as a movie. (The first was in X-Men: The Last Stand.) In the original stories, Jean is manipulated by a bunch of evil characters called the Hellfire Club. She becomes so drunk with power that she wipes out an entire solar system of living beings, and then is taken to task by extraterrestrials and dies during battle via suicide. (It later developed that the Phoenix was a separate being from Jean, and she returned intact, more or less, in the comic books.) Many X-fans wondered why Fox bothered to do another version of this story if they weren't going to use more elements from the original tales?  

Michael Fassbender as Magneto

Dark Phoenix also creates some continuity problems if you are to take the X-films as being part of the same series of stories, which they obviously can't be. The events in this movie reignite anti-mutant feelings in society, bringing us full circle to the very first X-Men movie, but Jean Grey is very much alive in that film whereas in this she sort of goes off into the ether at the end. In any case, I found Dark Phoenix to be entertaining and better than the last couple of X-Movies, if not as good as the best films in the series. 

Verdict: Colorful X-fun if not all it could have been. ***. 

MATANGO / ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE

A tense moment in Matango

ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE (aka Matango/1963). Director: Ishiro Honda. In Tohoscope. 

A businessman, Kasai (Yoshio Tsuchiya), sets sail on his yacht with his skipper Sakuta (Hiroshi Koizumi) and five friends, including the self-absorbed entertainer Mani (Kumi Mizuno) and the sweet and shy Akiko (Miki Ashiro). The others include the writer Yoshida (Hiroshi Tachikawa), the sailor Koyana (Kenji Sahara), and Professor Murai (Akira Kubo). The yacht nearly goes down during a very bad and frightening storm, but the group in the crippled ship mercifully sights land not too much later. On this deserted island they find a derelict research ship on the beach, which they make their home as they repair the yacht, which, unfortunately, drifts off to sea. Everything in the derelict is covered with fungi, and they decide it might be better not to eat the mushrooms that grow everywhere on the island. But some of them succumb ... 

Mami and Akiko

The interesting thing about Matango is how effective it is for much of its length. Well-photographed and directed, with an evocative score, it has a great deal of creepy atmosphere and suspense as we watch this assortment of characters, faced with starvation or a lifetime of isolation, start to unbend, each reacting differently to the crisis they find themselves in. It develops that the island is a ship's graveyard, adding to the ominous quality of the picture, as does the fact that experiments of an unknown nature were being conducted on the derelict ship. 

Where the picture falls down is in its monsters, people who have been turned into mostly mindless mushroom creatures that resemble something you might have seen on sillier episodes of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV show. The mushrooms also cause hallucinations and flashbacks, so things become a little strange in the final quarter of the film. The English dubbing of this Japanese film is excellent, however, and the performances of both the original actors and the dubbing cast all seem to be quite good.  One comical moment occurs when the group try the radio to see if anyone knows of their disappearance, and the very second they turn on the set their names are mentioned! Some people feel this is an uncredited version of "The Voice in the Night" by horror author William Hope Hodgson. Honda also directed the classic original Gojira (Godzilla).

Verdict: Oddly, this is an absorbing and ultimately depressing horror flick. ***. 

HORROR HOUSE

Pitiful victim of Horror House

HORROR HOUSE (aka Haunted House of Horror/1969). Written and directed by Michael Armstrong.

Although Chris (Frankie Avalon) generally gives swingin' parties in London, everyone is bored at his latest soiree, until somebody gets the idea of the group going to investigate a haunted house. One of the group, Sylvia (Gina Warwick), is followed by her married lover, a creepy guy named Bob (George Sewell), who is stalking her. At the house one of the young men is attacked and slashed to death. Chris gets the not-very-bright idea of hiding the body and covering up the crime so that none of them will be forever branded a psychopath, even though one of them is undoubtedly guilty of the murder. But things will eventually come out as more murders occur ...

Frankie Avalon and Julian Barnes

Horror House holds the attention, but for most of its length it's completely devoid of any style or real excitement. The film is nearly half over before the first murder occurs. (This consists of quick shots of a slashing knife, a screaming man, and lots of fake blood thrown about.) But the final quarter is altogether different, almost as if it were directed by another person. There's an excellent and very suspenseful climax when two men are confronting each other, and a knife -- clearly being held by one of the men -- is seen between the two of them, only you can't tell which man is holding the knife as their hands are out of frame. 

Jill Haworth and Frankie Avalon

Beach Party movie alumnus Avalon is okay in the film, but two other actors make more of an impression: Julian Barnes as a haunted young man who had a bad experience in his youth; and Mark Wynter, who was introduced in the film (although he had at least one previous starring role), and seems to have the biggest part in this as a ladies man until he's suddenly sliced and diced.  Jill Haworth [Horror on Snape Island] plays Avalon's girlfriend, Sheila, as a tough, rather unlikable wench who is easily bored. Dennis Price [The Horror of It All] has little to do as a police inspector. Reg Tilsley's score can best be described as uneven, although when it's good it's quite effective. Michael Armstrong also directed Mark of the Devil. 

Verdict: Half-baked horror flick that has some rewards it you sit through it all. **1/2. 

UNCLE: THE SORT-OF-DO-IT-YOURSELF-DREADFUL AFFAIR

Model A-77 (Willi Koopman) goes on the rampage 

THE SORT-OF-DO-IT-YOURSELF-DREADFUL AFFAIR (1966). The Man from Uncle; season three; episode two. Teleplay by Harlan Ellison. Director: E. Darrell. Hallenbeck. 

Trying to get at some files from the evil organization Thrush, UNCLE agent Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) encounters a strange guardian of the files: a beautiful woman who is impervious to bullets and seems super-strong. She turns out to be a cyborg, mostly artificial but with some human parts. The cyborg's face is modeled on a young lady who was the roommate of "Andy" Francis (Jeannine Riley), who gets involved with Solo and Illya (David McCallum) on their investigation. 

David McCallum and Robert Vaughn

Thrush, which is already a very wealthy organization, wants a billion dollar loan and Napoleon poses as a representative of the bank. Thrush's goal is to build a great many of these cyborgs "to help mankind," although their true purpose will be to act as unexpected soldiers. The scientist behind this is the unwitting Dr. Pertwee (Woodrow Parfrey), while his Thrush liaison is the sensual Margo Hayward (Pamela Curran). Eventually our heroes, along with Andy, manage to get into Thrush's New York headquarters, where they find themselves up against not only the forces of Thrush, but a whole bevy of beautiful and deadly killer cyborgs. 

She-Cyborgs on the loose! 

By the third season of the show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. had become increasingly absurd and campy, trying too hard to imitate Batman or Get Smart. Nevertheless, some of the third season episodes at least had some amusing entertainment value. While one could argue that "The Sort-of-Do-It-Yourself-Dreadful Affair" is an example of why TV was called the "boob tube," the episode still has several points of interest. It is one of only a couple of episodes scripted by speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison, for one thing. Underneath the bizarre aspects, there is something unsettling about the premise, as well as the fate of the innocent woman whose face and fabric is stolen after her accidental death. 

Pamela Curran

Both Vaughn [Solo] and McCallum hold on to their dignity despite the far-out quality of the story, and with her mature sex kitten and sinister persona Pamela Curran makes her mark as Margo. Veteran actor Fritz Feld [The Catman of Paris] is a delight as a representative of the bank, who is nearly apoplectic at all the goings-on, and Naomi Stevens has a funny bit as a phony fortune teller with a bad case of heartburn. The music when the cyborgs go on the rampage is wild. The A-77 cyborgs are played by Willi Koopman (whose first name is misspelled "Willy" in the closing credits), a very attractive actress who had only a few credits, mostly in decorative roles. This episode may well have been inspired by Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, which came out the previous year, and its 1966 follow-up, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, both of which were much, much worse than "Do-It-Yourself Dreadful." 

Verdict: Frankly there have been much better episodes of this series, but this one is oddly engaging. ***.

LOVE'S DEADLY TRIANGLE: THE TEXAS CADET MURDER

Holly Marie Combs and David Lipper

LOVE'S DEADLY TRIANGLE: THE TEXAS CADET MURDER (aka Swearing Allegiance/1997 telefilm). Director: Richard A. Colla. 

In the late nineties in Texas, two young sociopaths -- Diane Zamora (Holly Marie Combs) and David Graham (David Lipper), high school students with plans for the military and marriage -- decide to do away with another young lady, Adrianne Jones (Cassidy Rae), in order to wash out the sin of her sleeping with David, an event that may never have even occurred. Love's Deadly Triangle is a telefilm that was rushed out even before Zamora and Graham were put on trial (both received life sentences.)

David Lipper as Cadet David 

Frankly, Love's Deadly Triangle, although absorbing enough, is another example of a true crime movie that is sort of pasted together in a hurry and lacks any kind of depth of characterization or much else. True, there isn't much to Zamora or Graham aside from severe pathology. In spite of this Combs gives a good performance as the jealous Diane, while Lipper is effective, although a cut or two below his co-star in acting ability. Dee Wallace is fine as Adrianne's heartbroken mother. True crime shows, such as American Justice, that have focused on this tragic case and present the real participants are generally more interesting than this TV movie. Graham at first denied that he murdered Jones, then later not only admitted that he had killed her but that he and Adrienne had never even slept together. Zamora had a brief jailhouse marriage to another man that ended in divorce, and essentially failed a lie detector test on Dateline. Apparently both of these creeps are right where they belong. 

Verdict: Sad case, interesting story, so-so telefilm. **1/2. 

HOLD THAT GHOST

Joan Davis and Lou Costello

HOLD THAT GHOST (1941). Director: Arthur Lubin. Colorized. 

Chuck (Bud Abbott) and Ferdy (Lou Costello) discover that a dead gangster has left them all of his loot, if they can only find it in the crumbling old mansion where it is hidden. The two fellows travel by auto to the place, whereupon other passengers in the car are stranded along with them due to a storm. These passengers include professional radio screamer, Camille (Joan Davis), pretty Norma (Evelyn Ankers of Captive Wild Woman), Dr. Jackson (Richard Carlson of Tormented), and some uninvited ghosts -- or guests. Some of the gangster's associates want the dough for themselves and won't stop at murder to get it!

Those teeth! Patti Andews sings "Aurora"

A cut below the Abbott and Costello classic, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, this is still an amusing if often very silly movie. Some of the gags -- such as a bit with a bedroom transforming into a mini-casino  and vice versa -- go on ad nauseam, but there are also funny scenes such as a dance routine between Davis and Costello, who make an amusing team. Others in the cast include Mischa Auer as a dyspeptic club manager, Ted Lewis as a singer and master of ceremonies, Marc Lawrence as a hood, and the Andrews Sisters doing a couple of snappy numbers, including "Aurora."  

Verdict: Amiable nonsense with the lovable comedy team -- and the Andrews Sisters! **3/4. 

DANGERS OF THE CANADIAN MOUNTED

Does Ethan Hunt get in these situations? Yes!

DANGERS OF THE CANADIAN MOUNTED (12-chapter Republic serial/1948). Directors: Fred C. Brannon; Yakima Canutt. Colorized. 

At the border of Canada and Alaska, Mort Fowler (Anthony Warde), who reports to an unseen "chief," is out to do anything he can to stop the completion of a highway. He is afraid homesteaders will rush in en masse and prevent him from finding a treasure somehow left behind by Genghis Kahn! Kahn's ship is hidden in the forest, but the treasure itself is secreted in the Cave of a Thousand Tunnels. Out to stop Fowler and his associates from their nefarious schemes are Sgt. Chris Royal (Jim Bannon) of the Mounties, his partner Corporal George Hale (Phil Warren), pilot Bobbie Page (Virginia Belmont), and others. 

Anthony Warde faces the smiling Buddha

Dangers of the Canadian Mounted is another thrilling, fast-paced Republic serial with lots of action and exciting cliffhangers. Royal clings to a plane in pursuit of Fowler at one point before said plane goes into a dive, deals with an out-of-control forest fire, is nearly fried by an electrical trap in a doorway in an abandoned hotel, and rescues Bobbi from a runaway station wagon careening towards a cliff. In the climax in the caves, Royal nearly succumbs to a flood of poison gas coming from a smiling buddha. Anthony Warde gives the best performance as the persistent bad guy, the identity of the chief comes as a minor surprise, there's a great final  sequence in a saloon, and the whole enterprise is lots of fun. One can't help but think of Tom Cruise decades later getting involved in the same outlandish kind of derring do. (At one point Royal throws himself on top of a speeding train, but manages not to break his legs or neck.)

Verdict: Another highly entertaining Republic serial. ***1/4. 

THE KILLING HOUR

Norman Parker and Perry King

THE KILLING HOUR (aka The Clairvoyant/1982). Director: Armand Mastroianni. 

The corpse of a handcuffed prostitute is found in the Hudson river, and then a series of men, also handcuffed, are murdered in various ways. Detective Larry Weeks (Norman Parker) and his causal friend, TV journalist Paul "Mac" McCormack (Perry King), both try to unveil the killer using different methods. Each man gets involved professionally and romantically with an artist and psychic named Verna (Elizabeth Kemp), who has visions of the murders which she transposes into artwork. But once the killer finds out about this ability, will she become a target?

Elizabeth Kemp with Perry King

Although The Killing Hour can be slow-paced, it does have an interesting storyline and works up some suspense towards the end. One could argue, however, that the revelation of the killer's identity makes this person's actions a little inexplicable. Parker and King both give very good performances -- the detective is also an aspiring stand-up comic and there are scenes at New York's Comic Strip nightclub  (which is still open today). Kemp and other cast members, including Kenneth McMillan as a grumpy chief detective, give okay performances. The murder sequences are bloodless and tasteful (almost too much so), and one especially diabolical trap has a man handcuffed by the ankle to a ladder in a swimming pool, causing him to drown. 

Verdict: Passable suspense thriller with some good performances. **3/4.  

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025)

The cast of I Know

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025). Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. 

A group of young people are involved in a deadly car accident, cover it up, and discover that someone is stalking and killing them. When they discover that something very similar happened nearly thirty years ago, they get in touch with a survivor of the original I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) -- Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) -- for help. 

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Billy Campbell, Brandy Norwood (from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) Sarah Michelle Gellar (of The Grudge) and Freddie Prinze Jr. also appear in the film, the last two reprising their roles from the original. This combination of sequel and remake is entertaining, the action sequences well-done, although I have to say I simply did not believe the ending, the revelation of the killer's identity, for a minute. Still, as slasher films go, I Know What You Did Last Summer is fun enough, and while it's bloody, it isn't bloody disgusting.

Verdict: If you like slashers and don't worry too much about motives. ***. 

QUIET PLEASE: MURDER

George Sanders

QUIET PLEASE: MURDER (1942). Director: John Francis Larkin. 

"We're really a couple of walking horror stories." -- Myra. 

Jim Fleg (George Sanders of Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons) is a murderous and completely immoral reprobate who steals a priceless manuscript from the public library and tries to sell off copies of it to unsuspecting and unscrupulous collectors. His partner is the equally reprehensible and dangerous Myra (Gail Patrick). Private eye Hal McByrne (Richard Denning of The Black Scorpion) romances Myra to try to get to the ringleader of this illicit operation. Everyone winds up at the library, where Fleg pretends to be a phony detective so he can rip off the place some more, placing Hal and librarian Kay (Lynne Roberts) in danger. Will the real police get there in time? Quiet Please: Murder is a minor crime meller with an expectedly notable lead performance from Sanders, who is always fun to watch, although others in the cast -- including Sidney Blackmer, Byron Foulger [The Magnetic Monster], Arthur Space and the ones already mentioned -- are all on top of things. 

Verdict: Stay out of the library! **3/4. 

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN

Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943). Director: Roy William Neill. Colorized.

Awakened in his tomb, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) seeks the help of the gypsy woman Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) to finally rid himself of the curse of werewolf-ism. The pair initially wind up in the town of Frankenstein, where Talbot attempts to find the doctor's diary, inexplicably believing that he can learn the secret of ending his immortality in there. Instead he finds the monster (Bela Lugosi). A doctor, Mannering (Patric Knowles), follows Talbot's trail, and discovers he has reached out to Frankenstein's granddaughter, Elsa (Ilona Massey) to ask her aid in finding the diary. As Elsa and Mannering bond, eventually the two monsters engage in a brief battle that seems to finish both of them off. 

Dennis Hoey and Patric Knowles

Right away you can see the slapdash quality of the picture when according to the opening credits the main stars of the picture are not Chaney and Lugosi, but Knowles and Massey! Everything in the movie seems thrown together in great haste to bring the thing quickly into theaters. Chaney repeats his Wolfman role and is adequate, the great Lugosi is better, Knowles is professional, and Massey is vaguely attractive. Dennis Hoey as Inspector Owen, Lionel Atwill as the Mayor, Rex Evans as bar owner Vazec, and the wonderful Ouspenskaya are more on the mark. But even back in the day the meeting of these two great monsters must have been a big disappointment to the fans. 

Verdict: Not one of the better Franky movies. **1/2. 

THE CAR

THE CAR (1977). Director: Elliot Silverstein.  

A small California town has its complacency shattered by a series of murderous attacks on its citizens by an automobile that seems to have no driver. Sheriff Wade Parent (James Brolin) is at his wit's end after one of the victims is his boss, Everett Peck (John Marley). It quickly becomes apparent that there is something almost supernatural about this car and its abilities, and the incidents become more vicious and outlandish. Parent may have to accept that this may be something that it will be awfully hard to fight ... 

James Brolin and Ronny Cox

While I would have preferred that there be a human antagonist behind the actions of the car -- James Bond films have already shown that some autos can do amazing things and remote control cars have been featured in such shows as Science Fiction Theater -- but The Car has a more demonic slant, which, fortunately, doesn't decrease its suspenseful and entertaining quotient in the least, although some might find it way too farfetched. The screenplay presents fully realized characters, mostly decent people up against a formidable and inexplicable enemy. The acting is generally good, with Kathleen Lloyd as Wade's ill-fated girlfriend, Elizabeth Thompson as her co-worker, Doris Dowling (of The Crimson Key) as a victim of spousal abuse, and John Rubinstein as an early victim of the car. Leonard Rosenman has contributed a chilling score, and there is top-notch widescreen photography from Gerald Hirschfield. Director Silverstein was mostly a television director, but his other theatrical films include Cat Ballou. He knocked one out of the ballpark with The Car. 

Verdict: Quite memorable and unusual horror film. ***1/4. 

CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN*JUNGLE WOMAN*JUNGLE CAPTIVE

Paula Dupree, the Ape Woman

CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (1943). Director: Edward Dmytryck.

JUNGLE WOMAN (1944). Director: Reginald Le Borg.

THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE (1945). Director: Harold Young. 

In Captive Wild Woman, the first in the Paula the Ape Woman trilogy, Beth Colman (Evelyn Ankers) puts her neurotic sister Dorothy (Martha Vickers) in the care of glandular expert Dr. Sigmund Walters (John Carradine). Walkers turns out to be a deranged murderer who hits upon the utterly insane idea of using Dorothy's glandular extracts to inject into the big female gorilla Cheela (Ray Corrigan) in order to change her species! Before long, Cheela is looking like a rather attractive if exotic human female. But she retains her animal instincts. She is able to assist Beth's boyfriend, Fred (Milburn Stone), a lion tamer, when one of his feline charges gets out of line, and also develops an intense jealousy over his relationship with Beth. 

Acquanetta as Paula

Captive Wild Woman is a completely absurd horror film with enough holes in it to sink an ocean liner. Nobody ever wonders why Paula never utters a word, for instance. (The film is only an hour long, but even so!) Director Dmytryck keeps things moving, the film is well edited -- with Clyde Beatty (from The Big Cage) standing in for Stone in the long shots -- and there's plenty of animal action, if not quite enough of the murderous ape woman. This was Acquanetta's third film (out of only eleven), and she was not Hispanic as suggested but probably African-American, born Mildred Davenport of Philadelphia. 

Richard Davis and Acquanetta

Paula returned in the first sequel, Jungle Woman, which also featured Acquanetta in the title role. Dr. Fletcher (J. Carrol Naish), intrigued by the ape Cheela, who apparently died saving Fred at the end of the last film, claims her body and discovers a spark of life in her. Before too long Cheela disappears, and Paula returns, fuzzy-headed and initially incommunicative, although she begins to speak when she catches sight of Bob (Richard Davis), the attractive fiance of Fletcher's daughter, Joan (Lois Collier). Joan ignites Paula's jealousy and the gorilla girl begins to stalk her, attacking her when she's out on the lake in a canoe and trying to break into her cabin. Paula claims the good doctor is abusing her and wants Bob to take her away, and she isn't pleased when he refuses. Jungle Woman is the rare sequel that is better than the original, with a more interesting storyline, much more action, and much more of our delightfully dangerous title character. Evelyn Ankers and Milburn Stone reprise their roles but don't have much to do with the main plot this time. Douglass Dumbrille and Pierre Watkin have small supporting roles. Richard Davis was a handsome, adept actor but he only appeared in two films, this and Hat Check Honey. An intriguing aspect of the movie is when it is suggested that Paula was originally a human being who was turned into an ape (then back again), along the lines of "The Island of Dr. Moreau," but although this is mentioned by Fred it isn't followed up on. 

Vicky Lane as the unfortunate Paula

The Jungle Captive is the last film in the trilogy. This time the scientist who brings Paula the Ape Woman back to life is Mr. Stendahl (Otto Kruger), an evil son-of-a-gun who even uses his pretty assistant Ann's (Amelita Ward) blood to help revive the hairy Paula Dupree. Rondo Hatton, with his sad, sensitive face, plays a brutal assistant of Stendahl's, Moloch, who develops a soft spot for Ann. Vicky Lane replaces Acquanetta as Paula Dupree (Lane appeared in one TV episode after this and then left show biz). In her Ape Woman make up Lane looks more like a wolf woman. The script gives her very little to do. Jerome Cowan plays Inspector Harrigan, who is investigating the theft of the Ape Woman's body from the morgue and the murder of one of the attendants, while Phil Brown is Ann's co-worker and fiance. This is the last and least of the Ape Woman films, only proving that Universal had no clue as to how to handle the character, completely failing to exploit any of the Ape Woman's distinct possibilities. The actors do their best with fifth-rate material.

Verdict: Captive Wild Woman: Farfetched but fun enough. **1/2.

              Jungle Woman: Some real suspense in this. ***. 

              The Jungle Captive: Disappointing to say the least. *1/2.  

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING

Ethan Hunt may have bit off more than he can chew

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE -- THE FINAL RECKONING (2025). Director: Christopher McQuarrie.

The sequel to Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning has Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) dealing with a malicious entity that has taken over the Internet and is well on the way to taking over the world. They need to find the original source code and a special key to destroy the entity, but killing it may also destroy cyberspace -- therefore the cabinet isn't crazy about Hunt's idea, although the president (Angela Bassett) eventually agrees. In the meantime Hunt and his team fly to various locations, deal with enemy agents in the employ of villain Gabriel (Esai Morales), and manage to wiggle their way out of assorted death traps, including a tense sequence on a submarine. Everyone winds up in an underground repository that is known as the Doomsday Chamber. 

Esai Morales makes a splendid antagonist for Hunt

While not quite as good as Part One -- the whole thing is almost exhausting and one has to take it all with a large grain of salt -- Final Reckoning is nevertheless exciting and entertaining, with the entire cast giving it their all. The stunt work is, as usual, excellent. I have often said that these MI movies remind me in many ways of old cliffhanger serials, and like those old flicks, Dead Reckoning may have you scratching your head in disbelief in certain sequences (such as Hunt being somehow gotten through yards of solid ice, but no matter.) Bassett and Morales and Tramell Tillman as sub captain Bledsoe give particular arresting performances.

Verdict: Typically absurd but fun. ***. 

COVER UP

Dennis O'Keefe and William Bendix

COVER UP (1949). Director: Alfred E. Green. Colorized.  

Insurance investigator Sam Donovan (Dennis O'Keefe) comes to a small town to look into a certain man's alleged suicide. Sheriff Larry Best (William Bendix) isn't too helpful, and other townspeople are downright hostile. Sam is befriended by Anita Weatherby (Barbara Britton), who takes him home to meet her father, Stuart (Art Baker). But even Mr. Weatherby tries to persuade Sam to forget the whole business. Virginia Christine plays the dead man's niece, and she also makes Sam suspicious. Then the town doctor is found dead ... 

Barbara Britton with O'Keefe

Cover Up is a respectable enough little B mystery with good performances, especially from Bendix, and a nice turn from the ever-delightful and taciturn Doro Merande as the Weatherby maid, Hilda, who always speaks her mind whether you want to hear it or not. Prolific director Alfred E. Green directed several films with Bette Davis as well as Paris Model. The year before this O'Keefe starred in Raw Deal, which was a better showcase for him. Barbara Britton co-starred with Charles Laughton in Captain Kidd. Doro Merande also plays a comical maid in The Gazebo.

Verdict: Reasonably intriguing mystery film with a good cast. **1/2. 

THEM!

Joan Weldon about to face a humongous man-eating ant!

THEM! (1954). Director: Gordon Douglas. Colorized. 

Gigantic mutant ants, due to radiation from the first atomic test, have come into being in the deserts of New Mexico. These creatures are not only humongous, but are man-eaters. Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore), who came across a traumatized little girl (Sandy Drescher), and FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness), team up with two professors from the Department of Agriculture: Dr. Medford (Edmund Gwenn); and his daughter, Pat (Joan Weldon). They find the nest in New Mexico but then discover that two flying queens have escaped and may have started new nests -- but where? Humankind is facing extinction if they don't find out -- and soon!

Edmund Gwenn and James Whitmore

Despite the fact that their previous monster movie, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, was a tremendous hit, Warner Brothers was nervous about Them! and canceled plans to have it released in color and 3-D. It is still an extremely effective picture, and nowadays it's easy to forget that this was a completely fresh idea back in the day -- Them! ushered in a flood of movies about outsized insects and arachnids of varying quality. The film is bolstered by the performances of James Whitmore and Edmund Gwenn, and Arness and Weldon are professional enough, if a cut below. Other cast members include Onslow Stevens [The Couch], Ann Doran [It, The Terror from Beyond Space], Leonard Nimoy (in a bit), Olin Howland [The Blob], and Sean McClory [Valley of the Dragons]. 

Stevens, Gwenn, Weldon, Arness

When Whitmore notes at the opening that the walls of both a trailer and general store were not pushed inward, a viewer might wonder how the giant ants could get inside these places to push the walls outward. But Whitmore says that the walls were pulled out -- by the giant ants' pincers. However, it's less easy to explain why it's made clear in New Mexico that the ants leave the nest at night to forage, but are inside the storm drains of Los Angeles at night during the climax. One could explain the inconsistencies away by saying these big bugs are mutations, so who knows what they may be up to. One has to assume there were lots of missing persons in L.A. after the ants moved in. The citizenry of Los Angeles certainly take it comparatively calmly -- and accept much too readily -- that the ants exist and are on the loose. No mass exodus? In any case, the Internet Archive has a beautifully  colorized print of Them! As usual, the color adds a new and exciting dimension to the picture. The second half of the film seems a little dragged out, but the climax is eerie and suspenseful. NOTE: You can read more about this movie and others in my book Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: Excellent big bug movie is chilling and very effective as both horror and science fiction. ***1/2. 

THE SURVIVOR

Peter Sumner and Robert Powell

THE SURVIVOR (1981). Director: David Hemmings.  

A pilot named Keller (Robert Powell of Asylum) is the only survivor of a devastating airline disaster that kills over 300 people. As Keller tries to find out what the investigators know about what caused the tragedy, he is contacted by a lady psychic named Hobbs (Jenny Agutter of Child's Play 2), who claims he is the only one who can help the souls of the dead passengers find peace. Keller also asks for the help of a priest (Joseph Cotten). Meanwhile there are odd incidents in the town near the airfield where the remains of the plane are scattered. Eventually Keller will have a confrontation with the man responsible for the crash and the deaths of so many innocent people.

Powell with Jenny Agutter

The Survivor is based on an excellent, pulpy horror novel by prolific British author James Herbert. David Ambrose's screenplay throws out most of the book aside from the basic premise. In the novel Keller was the co-pilot, his girlfriend was a stewardess on the plane, and he had a one-night-stand with the pilot's wife, which he fears might have led to something bad happening on the plane before the crash. There is a lot of suspense worked up over who might have destroyed the plane, suspense that is entirely lacking in the film adaptation. Hobbs is not a young female in the novel but a middle-aged man. Most of the horrifying incidents that Herbert describes so well in the book are completely scrapped in the screenplay. The neo-Nazi who was on the plane in the novel and influences some of the passengers to do evil is abandoned. Even director Hemmings -- one of the actor's few directorial assignments -- felt it was a mistake to go for subtle tension instead of the out and out horror of Herbert's book. Reportedly Herbert claimed the film put him to sleep.

Powell with Joseph Cotten

No wonder. Because The Survivor is confusing and slow, and poorly directed with few exceptions. There is a disquieting scene on railroad tracks where a photographer who made a killing taking photos of the accident encounters the ghost of a dead little girl, and there is a well-staged finale where the perpetrator is revealed. But otherwise, The Survivor is a major disappointment. Powell acts throughout the film as if he's merely perturbed, Agutter seems confused, and the audience gets bored long before the conclusion. Joseph Cotten is completely wasted.

Verdict: Read the book instead. **.

ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail

Jock Mahoney and Rick Vallin

ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail (15-chapter Columbia serial/1951). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Thomas Carr. Colorized.

In 1867 there are forces who are opposing the building of a transcontinental railroad. On one side is railroad agent (and secret Deputy  Marshall) Jim Grant (Jock Mahoney) and his allies -- including crusty old Rocky (William Fawcett) and brother and sister Carol and Tom Lane (Virginia Herrick and Harold Landon) -- and on the other side is a man called the Baron (George Eldredge), and his allies, including Homer Lathrop (Jack Ingram), who runs the railroad but is working against it, and the nasty Scully (Rusty Westcoatt). The baron also has many Indians on his side, with the exception of White Eagle (Rick Vallin). 

Mahoney visits with a U.S. Marshall (uncredited)

Throughout the serial's fifteen chapters Jim and his allies are nearly burned at the stake, trapped in a box canyon with explosives being lobbed at them; caught in a variety of gun battles; and Carol nearly goes over a cliff in a runaway wagon. Mahoney -- billed as Jock O'Mahoney -- handles all of this with aplomb, and the rest of the cast, including Fawcett and Myron Healey as Ace, provide good support. A rousing musical score by John Leipold helps a lot. 

Verdict: If you like western cliffhanger serials, this one is a good bet. ***. 

THE BLACK PHONE / BLACK PHONE 2

The Grabber (Ethan Hawke)

THE BLACK PHONE (2021). Director: Scott Derrickson.

BLACK PHONE 2 (2025). Director: Derrickson.

In a small town in the 70's a series of high school boys have been abducted by an unknown creep known as the "Grabber" (Ethan Hawke). The latest victim is 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames). Finney finds himself in a  locked sound-proofed basement where the Grabber -- wearing a hideous mask (modeled, I suspect, on Batman's Joker) -- visits him from time to time. Things turn especially strange when a disconnected phone in the basement begins to ring -- and Finney finds himself talking to the ghosts of the previous victims. Can one of these dead boys tell him how to escape, and will it be in time? In the meantime Finney's psychic and potty-mouthed sister, (Madeleine McGraw), tries to find him.

Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke

I had mixed emotions while watching The Black Phone. I admit I'm not overly fond of stories in which children are in danger and are physically or psychologically tortured. At least Phone is not overly graphic and can not be considered "torture porn." If the Grabber has a sexual interest in the boys it is not explored, although one imagines he does. The storyline borders on the pretentious at times and actually gets a little silly. But after awhile the efforts of Finney to escape and of the police, Gwen and others to find him, become compelling. Thames and Hawke give excellent performances, and there are also notable supporting performances from the victims and others. 

Verdict: A bit overlong but creepy. **3/4. 

BLACK PHONE 2 shows us Finn and Gwen four years later, where they decide to try to get jobs as counselors at a Christian winter camp where their late mother had worked. Snowbound, they come across another phone that is disconnected but somehow rings, and both brother and sister have conversations with people from the afterlife, including their mother and the Grabber. Seems the maniac killed three young boys but their bodies have never been found, and until they are, for some reason, the Grabber will have power in the real world -- he does his best to kill the teens and others. Black Phone 2 is a mostly unoriginal combination of a grainy found footage movie, the Blair Witch, and especially the Nightmare on Elm Street films with its surfeit of dream sequences. The Grabber is revealed to have been "Wild Bill," a maintenance worker at the camp. The acting is generally good -- Miguel Mora gets major points for his versatility by playing both the shy Ernesto in this film and his brash, rough brother Robin in the first movie -- but the picture is too tricky for its own good. There are some well-handled and moderately exciting sequences, but after awhile I just wanted the damn thing to be over. There's more gore in this film than in the first but nothing over the top. Way too long! 

Verdict: Where's Freddy Krueger when you need him? **. 

SMOOTH AS SILK

Milburn Stone, Kent Taylor, Virginia Grey

SMOOTH AS SILK (1946). Director: Charles Barton. Colorized.

Defense attorney Mark Fenton (Kent Taylor) and prosecutor John Kimble (Milburn Stone) have been friendly enemies for years, but there are complications when Fenton becomes engaged to actress Paula Marlowe (Virginia Grey). She desperately hopes that producer Stephen Elliott (John Litel) will star her in his next production, which seems a given after Fenton successfully defends Elliott's nephew, Don (Danny Morton), in a vehicular manslaughter case; Don is guilty as sin. However, Elliott has other plans for the role until Paula begins to work her wiles on him, igniting intense jealousy in Fenton. He concocts a scheme to take out his rival, but will he get away with it ...?

John Litel and Danny Morton

Smooth as Silk is a short, fast-paced crime melodrama that boasts some fine performances, with Taylor [The Crimson Key] on top of things as the reptilian lawyer; Litel [Runaway Daughters] effective as the lustful producer; Milburn Stone [Swing It Professor] lending solid support; and Grey [Black Zoo] practically stealing the show as the bitch Paula who uses men right and left in one career move after another. Danny Morton was also in The Mysterious Mr. M. 

Verdict: Absorbing if minor meller. **1/2.