THE UNKNOWN TERROR

Powers, Grey, Howard, Richards, Milton

THE UNKNOWN TERROR (1957). Director: Charles Marquis Warren. NOTE: Some plot points are given away.

Wealthy Dan Matthews (John Howard) has been searching for his brother-in-law, who disappeared while trying to find the infamous "Cave of the Dead" in Mexico. On one such jaunt seasoned spelunker Peter Morgan (Paul Richards) was badly injured but managed to save Matthews' life. Morgan also has some sort of history with Matthews' wife, Gina (Mala Powers of Man on the Prowl), and she insists on going with them to Mexico, where they stay with Dr. Ramsey (Gerald Milton) and his gorgeous native wife, Concha (May Wynn). Ramsey experiments with different species of fungi, although he claims absolutely no knowledge of the Cave of the Dead. However, an offer of $10,000 may get someone in the village -- perhaps Ramsey's sinister servant, Lino (Duane Grey of Female Jungle) -- to take them to the cave where dread horror awaits them. 

fungus on the move!

The Unknown Terror was one of several Cinemascope/black and white movies made by Regal Films and released by 20th Century-Fox. I have seen the film several times over the years but this is the first time I've seen it in the full widescreen version. Besides that, one of the film's assets is the excellent cinematography of Joseph F. Biroc, who manages to light cave sequences so that you can see what's going on without ever over-lighting them. The cavern sets in the movie are fairly elaborate. The suspenseful picture takes a bit of a dip when certain monsters are introduced -- these are wisely kept in the shadows -- but the dripping fungus, although an effect produced rather cheaply, is fun and effective enough. 

Paul Richards and Mala Powers

The acting in the flick is very uneven. John Howard and Gerald Milton actually come off as amateurish during their more dramatic moments, but the ladies Wynn and Powers fare better. Paul Richards is fine, as are Duane Grey as Lino and Richard Gilden as another frightened native who comes to a bad end. The influences on this film seem to be everything from H. G. Wells' Morlocks to the Boogie Men from Laurel and Hardy's Babes in Toyland. Whatever its obvious flaws and moments of sheer illogic, The Unknown Terror is fun. It may seem bizarre that the Cave of the Dead, whose entrance is miles away, is right below the doctor's house, but the characters spend hours -- and quite a few miles -- getting there through various underground passages. A highlight of the film is when Calypso singer Sir Lancelot offers his rendition of the strange and snappy "You Got to Suffer to Be Born Again," which supposedly relates to the Cave of Death. 

Verdict: Best seen in widescreen, this is a hoot! ***. 

DEATH AND DIAMONDS

George Nader as Jerry Cotton

DEATH AND DIAMONDS (aka Dynamit in grune Seide/1968). Director: Harald Reinl. 

The FBI has been after a hoodlum named Stone for a long time, and learns that he has come up with a master plan that will employ a career criminal and safecracker named Trevor (Claus Tinney). It is decided to have top agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) replace Trevor and infiltrate the gang. Cotton, who deals primarily with Charles Bloom (Carl Mohner), Stone's good right hand, discovers that Stone's plan is to use paralyzing gas in a plot to steal millions of dollars worth of diamonds. Cotton's problem is to maintain his false identity while doing everything he can to foil this plot -- and keep himself from being murdered. 

Carl Mohner (right) as Bloom

Death and Diamonds is another fast-paced and entertaining Jerry Cotton thriller from Germany, with Nader and the rest of the cast in good form. In one suspenseful bit Jerry is nearly incinerated when he's locked in a kind of furnace, and there's an incredible scene when he simply launches himself at an approaching car and smashes through the windshield with his feet! Silvia Solar plays a blonde associate of Bloom's who winds up kidnapped by him, and there's a wild scene when a nasty brunette named Mabel (Marlies Drager) takes a slashing whip to the woman. Heinz Weiss is back as Jerry's associate Phil Decker and Claus Holm plays his boss "Butt" Lancaster. The finale of the film has Jerry trying to capture Stone while Bloom and the others try to outwit Cotton, Stone and each other over 12 million dollars in diamonds. Followed by Death in a Red Jaguar. 

Verdict: Fun and often exciting German thriller. ***.   

WOMEN ARE TROUBLE

WOMEN ARE TROUBLE (1936). Director: Errol Taggart. 

Ruth Nolan (Florence Rice) wants a job as reporter on a city newspaper, but the editor, Bill Blaine (Paul Kelly of The Secret Code), is against the idea of hiring a woman. The last woman he hired became his wife -- now ex-wife -- and Ruth is much too attractive as far as he is concerned. However, with the help of reporter Matt Casey (Stuart Erwin), Ruth manages to get a juicy assignment: investigating the people behind a protection racket that rose from the ashes after the end of prohibition. Plucky as Ruth may be, she may find herself in pretty hot water when she and her boss are kidnapped by the bad guys. Can Casey come to the rescue?

Rice, Irwin, Kelly

Generally well-played, Women are Trouble is a standard crime comedy that at least moves at a brisk pace. Margaret Irving is snappy as Bill's ex-wife, Frances, who has schemes of her own, and Cy Kendall (of The Tiger Woman) is a bit better than usual as Inspector Matson. John Harrington and Raymond Hatton  [Invasion of the Saucer Men] are the villains of the piece, and Kitty McHugh is vivid as Della, the widow of a murder victim. One mildly interesting bit has a thug dressing up in Chinese drag at a party and trying to murder Ruth. 

Verdict: A mediocre crime meller you can miss. **. 

HER LAST WILL

Most of the cast of Her Last Will

HER LAST WILL (aka Beneficiary/2016). Director: Anthony DiBlasi. 

Dina Cotton (Harriet Samson Harris) is a wealthy widow who keeps strict control over the lives of her three children -- or else. When she announces that she's leaving millions -- annually -- to the Philharmonic, her daughter Iona (Fiona Dourif of Cult of Chucky) exclaims that it's their (her children's) money, to which Dina replies that it's actually hers. Dina won't tolerate that one son, Harold (Michael Grazeidei), is gay, so he has to meet up with boyfriends in secret. The other son, Gil (Patrick Fischier), is a creep who constantly cheats on his wife; his latest conquest is his mother's lawyer, Leslie (Lauren Bowles). Dina may be an unsympathetic harridan, but her three children are spineless losers who allow her to dictate their every action. Together they decide to hire Maggie (Rya Kihlstedt) -- a woman with a past (both in the Army and in the penitentiary) -- to rig their mother's mansion in order to drive her crazy. Then her will can be declared invalid.

Samson and Grazeidei

Her Last Will is well-acted and suspenseful, with some very interesting twists. Harriet Samson Harris made her mark in sitcoms as a brash and sarcastic character but while the plot certainly contains occasions for comedy, the movie is basically played straight. In spite of this, Samson gives a very good performance. Patrick Fischier, who plays Gil, wrote the story for the film. Her Last Will was apparently released in theaters, but it comes off more like an above-average made-for-cable movie. In any case, it's quite entertaining. 

Verdict: Nasty people doing nasty things -- and loving it! ***. 

PAPER MAN

Powers, Street, Stacy

PAPER MAN (1971 telefilm). Director: Walter Grauman. NOTE: This is a review of the 90 minute theatrical version.

Four graduate students -- Karen (Stephanie Powers), Jerry (James Stacy), Lisa (Tina Chen) and Joel (Elliott Street) -- take advantage of a computer glitch to create a fake identity and credit card, which they intend to use but promise to pay off. When things get a little more complicated and the bank tells them it requires more information, they enlist the aid of computer whiz Avery Jensen (Dean Stockwell), who uses his skills to create a nearly complete background for "Henry Norman." But things take a dark turn when the computer begins to make mistakes, giving one character insulin that kills him and causing an elevator car to crush another of the participants. Is the computer developing its own mind, and is the paper effigy of Henry Norman coming to life? Karen and Avery come to the conclusion that there's a human agent behind their troubles and the others' deaths, but Karen learns that Avery has a deeply problematic psychiatric history. Is she allying herself with the wrong person?

Paper Man was briefly released in theaters with fifteen minutes added to the running time. The computers referred to are not the PCs that we are familiar with today, but those huge computer banks that added data on long white cards with holes punched out. It's interesting to see what computers were like way, way back in the day. As for the movie, it is a minor but suspenseful affair with some intriguing notions and good performances from the entire cast, which also includes James Olson as a concerned computer technician and Ross Elliott as the sheriff.  A clever and creepy sequence has a character pursued down a basement corridor while the lights keep switching off behind her section by section, making it look as if the very dark is chasing her. 

Verdict: Absorbing mystery telefilm with very intriguing elements. ***. 

DEATH IS A WOMAN

Mark Burns

DEATH IS A WOMAN (aka Love is a Woman/1966.) Director: Frederic Goode.

British Agent Dennis Parbury ( Mark Burns) is sent to Malta to investigate casino owners Blake (Jim Brady) and Malo (William Dexter), who may be in the heroin trade. Blake is murdered at the outset, and then Malo -- who loaned Dennis money as part of his cover as a losing gambler -- is also killed, creating a locked room mystery; Dennis becomes a suspect in the eyes of Police Chief Costello (Mark Singleton). A female agent named Priscilla (Wanda Ventham) arrives to portray Dennis' fiance, but of much more interest is deadly Francesca (Trisha/Patsy Ann Noble), a lascivious brunette who has her boyfriend, Joe (Shaun Curry), do her killing for her. She has plans to get away with loads of heroin and loot and she has no intention of sharing the booty with anyone. 

Trisha Noble and Shaun Curry

Death is a Woman is a fair-to-middling British spy flick with a handsome lead, a title tune, and some decent acting. Wanda Ventham, however, is more like a freckle-faced girl next door than a sexy femme agent, but Trisha Noble is more on the mark as the murderous femme fatale. Terence de Marnay also makes an impression as the weird, toothless Jacomini, who may know more than he's saying, and William Dexter is suitably oily as casino owner Malo. Arguably the most memorable and charismatic performance is given by Shaun Curry as Joe, who makes the mistake of trusting Francesca while he's secretly dallying with sexy blonde Mary (Caron Gardner). The picture has some exciting moments and fight scenes, but is too leisurely-paced to amount to much more than a mediocre time passer. Lead Mark Burns appeared in a great many films and TV shows in succeeding years, as did Curry. 

Verdict: The Malta scenery is often attractive. **1/2. 

SLEUTH (2007)

Michael Caine and Jude Law

SLEUTH (2007). Director: Kenneth Branagh.

Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine of Jack the Ripper), a best-selling mystery author, greets an unusual guest at his front door: Milo Tindle (Jude Law of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), who happens to be his wife's lover. Milo hopes that Andrew will grant his wife a divorce and make things easier for everyone, but Andrew has a different plan. He wants Milo to steal his wife's jewels, get the cash so he can finance his girlfriend's expensive tastes, while Andrew will win a big cash pay-out from the insurance company. Milo goes along with this but could discover that Andrew's plans for him are much more sinister than he imagines. Then Inspector Doppler rings the doorbell ... 

Jude Law, not Helmut Berger

This remake of the 1972 Sleuth casts Michael Caine in the role originally played by Lawrence Olivier. While Caine can't quite compare to Olivier, he is still excellent, as is Law as Milo, who in this version is an actor (which makes more sense than his being a hairdresser as in the original). This version has a screenplay by Harold Pinter, who discards Andrew's obsession with games and curious memorabilia, and makes significant changes to the third act. Pinter adds a psychosexual element, a homoerotic tension between the two men, that may be completely faked by both parties or have some underlying truth to it. (The role of Milo would have been perfect for a young Helmut Berger.) In the long run, it doesn't matter, as this whole business just comes off as contrived, phony and unconvincing. As in the first version, the wife never appears, although she does arrive at the door, unseen, in the remake. Considering Pinter's touches -- that is the supposed, somewhat silly, bisexual twists in this -- you half expect RuPaul to walk through the front door (wouldn't that have been a trip!) Yes, the remake might as well have gone all the way and made the unseen lover a man. Sleuth should best be viewed as a splendid acting exercise for two very talented thespians. Jude Law also reprised a role originally played by Caine when he starred in the superior remake of Alfie. 

Verdict: Very well-acted, edgier than the original and less comical, but still not as good. **1/2. 

M3GAN

M3gan the robotic doll

M3GAN (2023). Director: Gerard Johnstone.

After young Cady (Violet McGraw) loses her parents in a car accident, she comes to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams). Gemma is a near-genius who comes up with ideas for expensive new toys, and her latest idea is M3gan (Amie Donald), which stands for Model 3 Generative Android. Gemma brings the life-size "doll" home to bond with Cady and see if there are any flaws before putting it to market, even as her boss David (Ronny Chieng) excitedly prepares for a massive launch. M3gan is far more than a mere doll, as she can think and reason and carry on real conversations, as well as move about whenever and wherever she wants to. A boy's death at a camp attended by both Cady and M3gan creates some suspicions in Gemma, and then her annoying neighbor is also found dead. Is M3gan taking her job to protect Cady a little too seriously?

McGraw, Donald, Williams

M3gan, possibly an attempt to create another horror franchise along the lines of Chucky, is basically an entertaining moron movie and nothing more. (It is also a bit reminiscent of Deadly Friend.) The acting is good, the pace fairly swift, and the violence -- including a nasty boy having his ear torn off and some sword slayings -- comes in just when you expect it to. Despite some interesting notions as regards the android, and even a discussion of the moral ramifications of same, the film has a familiar feel to it. You may think you've seen it all before and you basically have. 

Verdict: Fun enough for the undiscriminating, but it doesn't really resonate. **1/2. 

THE GLASS CAGE

John Hoyt

THE GLASS CAGE (1964) Writer-director: Antonio Santean.

The police are called when Ellen (Arlene Martel appearing as Arline Sax) shoots a burglar who has, according to her, burst into her apartment. Responding to the call are Lt. Max Westerman (John Hoyt) and Sgt. Jeff Bradley (Bob Kelljan). Jeff develops a romantic yet for Ellen, but has very different emotions towards Ellen's haughty and much more sophisticated twin sister, Ruth. Jeff finds out that Ruth was actually dating the victim, and fears that Ellen is covering up for her sister.  Jeff begins dating Ellen but may get an unpleasant surprise or two even as Ellen fends off advances from an overly amorous neighbor, artist Tox Milner (King Moody). 

Arlene Martel

The Glass Cage offered a rare starring role for actor John Hoyt -- who was also co-screenwriter and co-executive producer -- but his part still amounts to support for Martel and Kelljan. In this he is his fine and usual kind of dyspeptic self. Kelljan, who later became a director, overacts a bit as the love-smitten Jeff, but Martel -- best known for playing Spock's Vulcan bride on Star Trek -- successfully and effectively limns two separate characterizations as identical twin sisters. King Moody offers a terrific performance as the intense and menacing Milner, and Elisha Cook shows up for a few moments as the twins' abusive father. The low-budget and rather lurid production has a modicum of style but gets too artsy fartsy for its own good and there are some minor plot holes as well. The twist at the end will not surprise anyone. This was the only directorial credit for Santean, who did three other screenplays. 

Verdict: Oddball B movie with some very good performances. **1/2. 

GOD TOLD ME TO

Tony Lo Bianco

GOD TOLD ME TO (1976). Written, produced and directed by Larry Cohen.

In New York City a sniper crawls atop a water tower and starts picking off innocent pedestrians. Another man goes berserk with a knife. A uniformed cop (Andy Kaufman in a very early role) starts shooting people at the Irish parade. In each case the perpetrator says "God told me to" and then commits suicide. Detective Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) investigates the multitude of murders and discovers that one particular individual may link them all: Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch), a man whose mother (Sylvia Sidney of Death at Love House) was possibly taken aboard an extraterrestrial spaceship! Phillips is a hermaphrodite with strange mind control powers. Confronting the man, Nicholas realizes that he, too, may have an extraterrestrial origin. 

Richard Lynch as Phillips

God Told Me to has some interesting notions and a decidedly interesting cast: in addition to those named, we also have the ever-quirky Sandy Dennis as Nicholas' estranged wife; Deborah Raffin as his live-in girlfriend; Mike Kellin as the dyspeptic Deputy Commissioner; Sam Levene as businessman Everett Lukas; and John Heffernan as a man named Bramwell. Larry Cohen has assembled a great cast, but if only he had spent more time on his half-baked screenplay, which drops in some intriguing ideas but never develops them in any compelling fashion. This is especially a shame because the characterizations are well-delineated, Frankly the movie only works at all because of the score by Frank Cordell, which consistently imbues scenes with suspense and tension that would not have existed without it. (Ironically, the film is dedicated to the memory of Bernard Herrmann, who actually worked on one of Cohen's films, It's Alive.) Richard Lynch (of Miner's Massacre) probably has the most unusual role of his career. Tony Lo Bianco's performance is solid, but the script lets him down.

Verdict: A little too odd for its own good. **1/4.