The behemoth stomps through London |
The behemoth dwarfs a bus |
Monster hunters: Evans and Morrell |
The behemoth stomps through London |
The behemoth dwarfs a bus |
Monster hunters: Evans and Morrell |
Chris Avram |
Rosanna Schiaffino |
Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel |
After an accident, Helen (Carroll Baker), a race car driver, is invited by (whom she thinks is) her ex-husband, Maurice (Jean Sorel), to his estate, where he now lives with his wealthy wife, Constance (Anna Proclemer). Helen discovers that Constance actually issued the invitation, and there are early hints -- later discarded -- that she has a yen for her. Maurice is an unapologetic gigolo who left Helen when her money ran out. Constance has good reason to hate Maurice -- one revelation is kept towards the end of the film -- and offers Helen $10,000 if she'll help her kill him. But as usual in these kind of movies, things don't go as expected.
Proclemer with Sorel |
Verdict: The picture pulls one along but there's no pay-off. **.
Dainton, Bentley and Arthur Hill |
Scotland Yard man turned mystery writer Paul Temple (John Bentley of Calling Paul Temple) and his wife, Steve (Patricia Dainton of The Third Alibi), get embroiled in the case of a mysterious figure known only as the Marquis, who has committed multiple murders for unknown reasons. Steve comes to suspect Inspector Ross (Ronald Leigh-Hunt) to the incredulity of his boss, while Paul is highly suspicious of the strange Sir Felix Raybourne (Christopher Lee of Alias John Preston) whose beautiful home is full of incense and other weird accoutrements. Others involved in the case include Storey (Grey Blake), whose fiancee was one of the victims, and Slater (Robert Urquhart), an actor who once appeared in one of Temple's plays and is now in the employ of the villain.
Patricia Dainton with Christopher Lee |
Verdict: Satisfying if unspectacular Paul Temple adventure. **3/4.
Peter Coe and Nan Peterson |
THE LOUISIANA HUSSY (1959). Director: Lee Sholem. A Bon-Air Production.
In a stretch of the bayou called The Pit, brothers Jacques (Peter Coe) and Pierre (Robert Richards) love the same woman, Lili (Betty Lynn), but she prefers Pierre. On their wedding day a stranger who calls herself Minette (Nan Peterson of The Hideous Sun Demon) shows up in town, and is taken in by the newlyweds. Right away Minette is making passes at Pierre -- which he initially does little to reject -- and then moves in on -- and with -- Jacques. Pierre and Lili are convinced that Minette is bad news so they decide to investigate her past, bringing them to an estate and a drunk, grieving widower named Clay Lanier (Harry Lauter of It Came from Beneath the Sea).
Betty Lynn, Robert Richards, Harry Lauter |
Like many movies from this period and after, the film is hypocritical when it comes to the question of marital affairs. This is one of those films in which the trampy gal who goes after married men is seen as being much, much worse than the husbands who simply don't abstain, and get all moralistic about the mistress while ignoring and justifying their own behavior. Lee Sholem also directed Pharaoh's Curse.
Verdict: Sizzles but never quite boils. **1/4.
George Hilton and Edwige Fenech |
THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDJ (aka Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh/1971). Director: Sergio Martino.
In order to get away from her abusive lover, Jean (Ivan Rassimov), Julie (Edwige Fenech) married her more pliable husband, Neil Wardh (Alberto de Mendoza), first secretary at the American embassy. Jean is still pursuing her when she meets the cousin, George (George Hilton), of her friend Carol (Conchita Airoldi), and with some initial reluctance begins an affair with him. Meanwhile a mad razor slasher is running around the city of Venice where they all live, brutally murdering young women. The latest victim, who went to a park to confront a man blackmailing Julie over her affair, is Carol. Unable to deal with it all, Julie runs off to Spain with George, where her final fate awaits her ...
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardj is better-known in shortened versions under the titles Next! or Next Victim! or Blade of the Ripper. Although listed on imdb.com as being 81 minutes long, Strange Vice actually runs 97 minutes (and could have used a little trimming frankly). Still, it's an intriguing giallo film under any title. There is a terrific sequence in an underground parking garage where the killer pursues Julie, and another suspenseful sequence in the gardens of the Schonbrunn Palace. And, of course, the umpteenth shower murder sequence, although this is not done with much elan. Sergio Martino's direction is adequate but not exactly stylish. the underground garage sequence
Ivan Rassimov |
Verdict: A twisty and unpredictable script will keep you guessing. ***.
Devil's deal: George Hilton; Antoine Saint-John |
Giorgio (George Hilton) has started to realize that it is getting more difficult to control his wealthy, suspicious wife, Norma (Terre Velazquez). One evening Giorgio happens upon a strange man (Antoine Saint-John) as the latter is disposing of the body of his latest blond victim. Giorgio offers the stranger a large of sum of money if he will make Norma the man's next victim. The stranger accepts the offer, but after he puts Norma's body in the trunk of his car, he discovers a young couple, Luca (Alessio Orano) and Laura (Cristina Galbo), have driven off in his mercedes!
The Dark is Death's Friend begins so well, with an excellent initial premise, but then pretty much collapses into tedium. Most of the film is actually taken up with the uninteresting antics of Luca and Laura as they make their way in the stolen car to the seashore and break into an empty villa. The stranger follows them to this house. A blond that Luca picks up when he goes to get food is savagely stabbed to death by the stranger, a brief spurt of action. The picture simply has no urgency and very little suspense. One plus is that the dubbing is not only very well done, but the voices have been chosen with great appropriateness, aside from Laura, whose nattering becomes very annoying. Nando de Luca has written effective credit music, but the rest of the score is very uneven. French actor Antoine Saint-John has a very distinctive presence and gives the best performance. Alessio Orano and Cristina Galbo
Verdict: Starts well, then becomes routine. **.
Patricia Dainton and John Bentley |
John Robinson with Bentley |
"IT" on the rampage |
Bice, Doran, Greer and Spalding |
David Sumner |
David Sumner and Susan Travers |
Jean-Louis Trintignant and Carroll Baker |
Jean Reynard (Jean-Louis Trintignant) lives with his wife, Danielle (Erika Blanc), in a Paris apartment. Danielle has stopped sleeping with Jean, which necessitates his having affairs. Jean becomes intrigued with the woman, Nicole (Carroll Baker of The Fourth Victim), who has moved into the apartment upstairs, and learns that she is being dominated by a lover named Klaus (Horst Frank). It isn't long before one of these people is murdered, while the other three accuse the others of pretending this victim is still alive -- which may even be true ...
Jean-Louis Trintignant and Erika Blanc |
Tony Shalhoub and James Purefoy |
Tony Shalhoub and Caitlin McGee |
Maxwell Reed and Natasha Parry |
Yvette Vickers and Michael Emmet |
Ken Clark and Jan Shepard |
Verdict: You know it isn't especially wonderful but there's just something about it ... **1/2.
Mark Damon and Eleonora Brown |
NAKED YOU DIE (aka Nude ... si muore/1968), Director: Antonio Margheriti (Anthony Dawson).
In the exclusive girls' school, St. Hilda College, students and faculty are either going missing or being murdered. Meanwhile student Lucille (Eleonora Brown) is having an affair with teacher Richard Barrett (Mark Damon), something of which headmistress Miss Transfield (Vivian Stapleton) would certainly disapprove. Other potential victims and assailants include the strange Mrs. Clay (Ludmila Lvova); physical education instructor Di Brazzi (Giovanni di Benedetto); the gardener (Luciano Pigozzi), who spies on the young ladies in the shower; mystery-loving Jill (Sally Smith), who proves to be quite courageous; elderly Professor Andre (Aldo De Carellis); Betty Ann (Caterina Trentini); and others.
The headmistress with her girls |
Verdict: Okay Italian time-passer. **1/2.
Liz Fraser and Tony Wickert |
Arthur Hill, John Bentley, Peter Gawthorne |
John Bentley as the Toff |
Tarantula on the rampage! |
Get out of town! Look what's coming! |
Edwin Rand, Corday, Agar, Paiva |
bare bones 16,
The robot "monster" |
George Macready consults with gunsels |
Brian Murphy and his wife Emma are trying to build clientele for their new security firm, but the Covid pandemic is getting in the way. During a vacation with their little daughter, Juliette, Emma is bitten by a mosquito and develops EEE (eastern equine encephalitis) and winds up in the hospital, then is sent home. While trying to care for his wife and daughter, who also has strange symptoms, Murphy has to deal with a staggering emergency room bill and the insurance company's denial of coverage. He comes to the conclusion that both the head of the hospital and the head of the insurance firm are greedy heartless bastards who live like kings while patients are sued, their homes taken, and some even driven to suicide. Murphy and a woman who lost her husband devise a scheme to get even and to make sure the horrendous greed of the American health care system becomes a top story in the news.
Cook has written some good books and some bad ones, but Viral is just plain weird. The author is totally correct that our health care system is a mess, although it's bizarre that the book's protagonist would be surprised by any of this. Cook does reveal how hospitals jack up the prices to a ridiculous degree, and that not enough people bother to protest, and other things that may or may not be new to the reader. However, some developments are just contrived, and it's hard to believe that it would never occur to the hero to investigate Medicaid or bankruptcy protection. Instead his solution to the problem is criminal and immoral.
The book details Murphy's problems with billing department clerks, hospital administrations, and insurance companies who collect premiums but do little for their customers. All of this is somewhat interesting, but little of it is thrilling. The book finally turns into a suspense novel of sorts in the final pages, but even these events seem a bit improbable -- everything goes without a single hitch. It's as if Cook just wanted to get the damn book over -- the ending is almost laughably flat. In order to make his point, Cook overstates things, stacks the deck, and compiles it all in undistinguished prose, with barely- dimensional characters, and very stilted dialogue.
Verdict: Read the fine print in your health insurance, but this is not an especially good read. However, without any hesitation I recommend Cook's Cell, a thrilling and suspenseful look at what goes wrong when smartphones are used as primary care doctors. **.
Godzilla |
SHIN GODZILLA (2016). Directors: Hideaki Anno; Shinji Higuchi.
"There is no danger of the creature coming ashore."
A sea monster that walks around on all fours and looks rather silly metamorphoses into the familiar creature we know as Godzilla in a film that pretty much ignores all of the earlier Godzilla movies, be they American or Japanese, as this one is. Eventually the big guy develops the ability to shoot lasers from its back, dorsal fins, and tail in addition to its fiery breath after it consumes radioactive material. In time the United States military is called in, but Japanese authorities aren't thrilled when they suggest dropping a nuclear bomb on Tokyo. Meanwhile everyone talks, deciding exactly what the creature is, what to do with it, and so on and so on ad nauseam, talk, talk and more talk with a few moments of the monster doing its thing.
In a word, Shin Godzilla talks itself to death, and while the FX work is superior to that of previous Japanese Godzilla films, the movie is still quite dull. The actors do the best they can.
Verdict: Could be the most tedious Godzilla movie ever made. *1/2.
The voracious black scorpion |
The Black Scorpion downs a copter! |
Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Richard Denning |