FLIGHT TO MARS

Huston, Franz and Mitchell

FLIGHT TO MARS (1951). Director: Lesley Selander. 

Five people travel on a spaceship to Mars: scientists Professor Jackson (Richard Gaines), Dr. Lane (John Litel of Runaway Daughters), and Dr. Barker (Arthur Franz); along with Barker's apparent fiancee and assistant, Carol (Virginia Huston); and reporter Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell of The Silent Scream). During the journey triangle tension develops between Barker, Carol and Steve, but they are in more danger from passing meteorites. Arriving on Mars they discover an advanced underground civilization. Although the leader, Ikron (Morris Ankrum of Beginning of the End), seems friendly to the earthlings and offers to help them repair their rocket ship, in reality he is scheming to steal their technology so they can leave their dying planet and take over the earth. 

The latest in Martian fashions!

Flight to Mars begins well, with some interesting discussions aboard the ship en route to Mars, and sincere attempts at characterization. One of the scientists puts forth the interesting theory that the universe is one enormous living being. Unfortunately, once the group reaches Mars, the film turns into a dreary and rather dull and cliche-ridden story of dying planets and alien treachery. Fortunately, some of the Martians are on the side of the visitors and help them, and there is some minor suspense as the earthlings make their getaway from Mars. The acting is good enough for this Monogram production. Marguerite Chapman is cast as Alita, a fetching Martian lady who falls for Barker even as his cast-off girlfriend begins falling for the persistent Abbott -- the soap opera aspects of the story are not compelling. 

Verdict: Begins well, becomes a bore. **. 

MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie

MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie. (1936). William Morrow trade paperback edition. 

Agatha Christie accompanied her second husband, Max Mallowan, on his archeological expeditions, and on occasion used these digs as the location for one of her mysteries. In this suspenseful story, an attractive middle-aged woman, who brought out strong emotions in the people around her, the wife of the dig's leader, is found murdered, and famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot determines that it had to be an inside job. The victim had been receiving threatening letters, but it is not so certain that they were genuine. There are numerous suspects, various motives and strange psychological attributes that Poirot and the narrator, a young nurse, must sort through to arrive at the solution. The book is very well-written with excellent characterizations, as well as Christie's colorful view of the location, circa 1930's. While one aspect to the solution is quite clever, Christie is at her most audacious when she finally unveils the murderer. When I first read this novel decades ago,. I thought this was so far-fetched as to be laughable -- and it would have been a relatively simple matter for the author to clear up one or two points that would have made it more believable -- but now that I take the character flaws of the victim into stronger consideration, I wonder if the book is quite as improbable as I thought. In any case, whatever you think of the denouement, this is a fascinating mystery. This story was featured on an episode of the series Poirot with the wonderful David Suchet. 

Verdict: Christie doesn't kid around! ***

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA

Godzilla and Kong duke it out by the seaside

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (aka Kingu Kongu tai Gojira/1962). Director: Ishiro Honda. NOTE: This is the original Japanese version of the film with English sub-titles. 

A submarine has an unfortunate encounter with Godzilla even as Mr. Tako (Ichiro Arishima), the hysterical head of a pharmaceutical firm, wishes he had something fantastic to help advertise his products. He orders two employees to Faro island to investigate stories of a berry with amazing qualities as well as of the supposed God that lords it over the natives, Kong. Kong turns out to actually exist, and the berries help put the big gorilla to sleep. Kong is captured and taken by boat to Japan, but he breaks free and engages Godzilla -- also on the loose on the mainland -- although their first encounter ends in a draw. Which of the legendary monsters will win in their second epic slugfest? 

Godzilla is ready for his close up

Godzilla/Gojira had already appeared in several Japanese films since Gojira when the idea came to pit the big lizard against the famous Kong, with not very felicitous results. For one thing, although the movie gets a bit more "dramatic" towards the end, it comes off like a parody for most of its length. The "suitmation" FX for the two title characters are pretty pitiful (Kong has a kind of tortured expression under his comical mask, but that may be the angst of the actor in the headgear), and the process work is also poor for the most part. The best sequence actually has to do with a gigantic octopus -- this appears to be the real thing -- that slithers around the native huts and gets driven off by Kong.

Sahara and Takashima

The human characters -- aside from that low comedy bumbler, Tako -- consist of Tako's employee Osamu Sakurai (Tadao Takashima), his sister Fumiko (Mie Hama), Fumiko's boyfriend, Kazuo (Kenji Sahara), and Osamu's colleague, Kinsaburo (Yu Fujiki). At one point Fumiko is picked off a train by Kong and carried around in his humongous paw (everyone else seems to fall from the train to their deaths but there's no reaction to this). The film is shot in widescreen "Tohoscope" and the score by Akira Ifukube is better than the film deserves. Gotta love the chorus sung by the natives as Kong falls asleep!

By the way it is not true that Kong wins the fight in the U.S. version and Godzilla in the original. In both versions they fall into the sea, Kong swims back to his island, and Godzilla is presumed still alive under the ocean. 

Verdict: Kong deserves so much better. Hell, so does Godzilla.  **. 

PARTY FROM HELL

Jackie Moore as Molly

PARTY FROM HELL (2021). Director: Jared Cohn. 

Denise (April Martucci) is planning to launch a new interface for her company with her sister-in-law, Ashley (Veronika Issa) -- bolstered by seven million from entrepreneur Peter (Eric Roberts) -- and a major party is planned for the event. Denise literally bumps into a party planner named Molly (Jackie Moore) and hires her to put the launch party together. At the tasting session, things don't go so well when Peter's allergy to peanuts sends him to the hospital -- no peanut products were supposed to be in the appetizers -- and things get worse from there. Ashley disappears as a vengeful Molly starts a campaign to not only destroy Denise but everyone around her, including her daughter Grace (Nicolette Langley) and husband, Josh (Matthew Pohlkamp). Molly takes no prisoners, even framing the nice black employee, Liam (DeShaude Barner) for theft of a corporate credit card. 

April Martucci

To be frank, Party from Hell isn't very good but it is entertaining, which counts for something. The actors are competent, although none of the performances stand out. Molly is the latest in a long line of sociopaths with a grudge -- in this case she hates a group of girls who tormented her in school and has already disposed of several of them. The story proceeds at a good pace, but is devoid of style or real tension. There's no elan to the murder sequences. As for primary victim Denise she fires Liam without doing any investigating, and gets absolutely hysterical because Josh has some lipstick on his collar after a party in a bar -- she's not too tightly wrapped, either. 

Verdict: Plan your next party yourself! **1/4.

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FEMALE JUNGLE

Burt Kaiser and Lawrence Tierney

FEMALE JUNGLE (1955). Director: Bruno VeSota.

An actress is strangled to death and a heavy-drinking cop, Jack Stevens (Lawrence Tierney), fears he may have had something to do with the murder in a black out. Suspects also include columnist Claude Almstead (John Carradine of Death at Love House), who was in love with the actress, and caricaturist Alex Voe (Burt Kaiser), who is married to waitress Peggy (Kathleen Crowley of The Flame Barrier) but is carrying on with Candy (Jayne Mansfield). As the night proceeds Almstead takes Peggy out for a ride and Stevens and Sgt. Duane (Duane Grey) interrogate Almstead; Duane is convinced that the columnist is guilty. But on this he may be fatally mistaken.

John Carradine

Female Jungle has only been remembered, if at all, because future brief star Jayne Mansfield has a small role. She has a credible death scene but otherwise her performance is undistinguished; leading lady Crowley is much, much better. Tierny and Carradine are solid, but the most impressive performance is given by Burt Kaiser, who also co-wrote the screenplay and produced. Despite his good looks and acting ability, Kaiser only made one film and had a very few TV credits. Connie Cezon, who plays another club employee, was receptionist Gertie on Perry Mason. Director Bruno VeSota gives himself a small role -- Cezon's husband -- but his direction is nothing to rave about and even in a clear print the film is criminally under-lit. Dull in spots, the picture goes on too long after the climax.

Verdict: Some good acting and a decent plot, but the execution is mediocre. **.   

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (2004). Director/writer: Kerry Conran.

This is an unfortunate attempt to recreate the excitement and craziness of the old Republic serials with some high-tech effects and computer imagery (so much of it that the movie almost resembles a cartoon). The movie takes place not in the future but circa World War Two, and features a battle between the heroic Sky Captain (Jude Law), a Blackhawk-type mercenary, and the evil Dr. Totenkopf, who attacks New York City with giant robots, and forces scientists to create strange animals (including, inexplicably, an elephant shrunken to the size of a stuffed toy). Totenkopf's plan is to build a space ark that will take his animals off into the cosmos while the Earth itself is vaporized. Helping Sky Captain is the intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) and – in what amounts to a bit – female pilot Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie). Giovanni Ribisi is the captain's pal and associate Dex, who is kidnapped at one point. Although there are some fine FX and interesting scenic design and a few exciting moments (including the climax on the space ark) Sky Captain is never as entertaining as any of those old Republic serials, and both continuity and story are stilted, to say the least. Law is better in the heroic part than one would imagine, and Paltrow is also good as his partner-in-peril. The tongue-in-cheek script has some amusing moments, but after awhile its cliches become wearisome. In an improbable bit of stunt casting “Sir Laurence Olivier” is billed as Dr. Totenkopf, although the character turns out to be dead and is only seen as a withered corpse. Did the producers use Lord Olivier's voice? Who cares? Nothing could make this production particularly memorable.

Verdict: As expected, there were no sequels. *1/2.

THE DESCENT

THE DESCENT (2006). Written and directed by Neil Marshall.

A group of athletic women friends come together a year after a shattering tragedy – one of their number lost her husband and daughter in a terrible accident – and decide to explore a nearby cave for an adventure. Unfortunately, the most experienced spelunker among them, fearing that this particular cave is merely a tourist trap, leads them into a different unexplored cave instead without telling them. This really becomes a problem when a rock slide traps them in the cavern, as not only does no one know where they are, but they have no maps to show them another way out of the cave. 

one of the creatures

This claustrophobic nightmare only gets worse when the women slowly realize that there are horrid, carnivorous, humanoid creatures living down in the caverns, and the women have become their latest food supply. Although these slimy rodent men aren't exactly original – they remind one a bit of the cannibalistic Morlocks in H. G. Wells' novel "The Time Machine" – they are fearsome, fast-moving and shuddery creations nonetheless, and they jump out at the women and the viewer in some very creepy sequences. The acting is generally convincing, and the picture is very well-directed and briskly edited for maximum scares and impact. Wisely, scenes are never over-lit, which only increases the dread and the claustrophobia. While the idea of women becoming warrior-like after winding up in a kill-or-be-killed situation is not new, this is a highly interesting variation. Although there is probably not as much sub-text as some critics have seen – and the all-female cast (or victim) business is probably not misogynous in intent – the movie does have a more “serious” tone than similar pictures. Atmospheric, chilling, and undeniably poignant.

Verdict: A notable if imperfect horror film. ***1/4.

THE DEMON'S DEN

 

THE DEMON'S DEN. The Hardy Boys # 81 (1984). Franklin W. Dixon (house pseudonym). 

When a boy who is tall for his age is kidnapped from a camp, the chief suspects are members of a cult who fear the oncoming apocalypse. Frank and Joe, however, think the head of the camp may be involved. The cultists believe the boy was taken by the “devil,” whose minions are as “tall as trees.” Meanwhile Fenton Hardy, our heroes' private eye dad, is trying to find a scientist who was involved in dangerous genetic experiments. The fellows wind up deep in the Canadian wilderness, where some of the frightened loggers actually believe in the stories of Paul Bunyan, and his equally large son is supposedly ruling over the territory. Undeterred, Frank and Joe proceed in finding Bunyan’s – or “the devil’s” HQ – coming across outsized footprints and the like. As usual, there is a more realistic explanation for things involving a race of supermen. This is an above-average latter-day Hardy Boys adventure. Gary Lang’s cover illustration depicts Frank and Joe the way they would actually look, like handsome young men who are mature-enough looking to not only be taken seriously by those they question during their investigation but who certainly look as if they can acquit themselves nicely in a fight with desperadoes. 

Verdict: This has its silly aspects, but it's an exciting adventure story for kids of all ages. ***. 

LADY GANGSTER

LADY GANGSTER (1942). Director: Robert Florey. 

A failed actress, Dot Burton ( Faye Emerson), gets in with a gang of hoods and becomes embroiled in a bank robbery scheme. She winds up doing time with an interesting bunch of lady inmates, and then things get really complicated. This fast-paced, lively and very entertaining "B" movie is so unpredictable for the most part that it would be criminal to give away any more of the plot elements. It has the very casual immorality of most of these kind of movies. Emerson gives a vivid and adept performance as Dot, as does Ruth Ford as "stool pigeon" Lucy, Julie Bishop as inmate Myrtle, Dorothy Adams as "Deaf Annie," and Virginia Brissac as the warden Mrs. Stoner. Hedda Hopper's son William, herein billed as "DeWolf Hopper," has a small role, as does "The Great One" -- Jackie Gleason (billed as Jackie C. Gleason). Hopper is as stiff as ever (except when he was on Perry Mason), but Gleason makes a nice impression as a pleasant member of the robbery gang who has a soft touch for Dot. Roland Drew as gang leader Carey looks surprisingly good in drag. Frank Wilcox is only adequate as Kenneth, the old friend of Dot's who turns her in and then tries to help her. Robert Florey also directed The Beast with Five Fingers. Bishop, Ford, Drew, and Wilcox were all in The Hidden Hand. 

Verdict: A pleasant surprise. ***.

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (1961)

Robert Sterling and Walter Pidgeon

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (1961). Produced and directed by Irwin Allen.

Admiral Nelson (Walter Pidgeon) has come up with an amazing nuclear submarine, the Seaview, with features that "Jules Verne never thought of." When the Van Allen radiation belt catches fire and the world seems doomed by rising heat and fire, Nelson comes up with a scheme to prevent catastrophe by shooting a missile at it, thrusting the fiery belt into space. His scientific colleagues think he's crazy, and he also meets opposition from Captain Crane (Robert Sterling) and Dr. Susan Hiller (Joan Fontaine), a headshrinker come to study the men who thinks the admiral is off his rocker. With armed subs chasing the Seaview, a saboteur on board, the rising possibility of mutiny, and other assorted dangers including floating mines and a huge octopus that grabs the sub, Nelson may never get the chance to fire his missile. 

the sky is on fire!

Irwin Allen may have been inspired by the success of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as well as Fox's Journey to the Center of the Earth, but he came up with a winner with this fast-paced and very entertaining fantasy-adventure. Pidgeon gives one of his best performances, and the others -- including Barbara Eden as his secretary and the Captain's fiancee, and Peter Lorre [The Beast with Five Fingers] as Nelson's friend and associate Commander Lucius Emery -- are all on target throughout. The picture has a very good script by Charles Bennett and Allen that maximizes the potential of the storyline and adds suspense and tension at every opportunity. 

Sterling, Fontaine and Eden

Not everything is perfect. A scene with a big prop and unconvincing squid attacking Crane as he tries to tap into an underwater cable seems to go on forever and is not that well done to begin with (at least the octopus that shows up later is real). But the business with deadly floating mines that jeopardize the ship is quite tense and there are other exciting sequences as well. It's also fun watching Pidgeon slapping disrespectful seaman Frankie Avalon [Horror House] in the face and a certain lady falling into the shark pool. Winton Hoch photographed the film -- the splendid Seaview looks terrific -- and Sawtell and Shefter contributed an effective score. The whole business with Nelson having to fire the missile at an exact day and moment from the Mariannas is gobbledygook but who cares? The movie was successful enough to engender a TV series that lasted for four years.

Verdict: One of Allen's very best. ***1/4. 

THE MAN FROM PLANET X

Margaret Field and Robert Clarke

THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951). Director: Edgar G. Ulmer. 

A cosmic body known only as "Planet X" is approaching the earth. Reporter John Lawrence (Robert Clarke) travels to an isolated Scottish island to consult with Professor Elliot (Raymond Bond) and the sinister Dr. Mears (William Schallert), while romancing Elliot's daughter, Enid (Margaret Field). One late evening Enid comes across a strange vehicle out on the moors, and gets a shock when she sees its inhabitant, a grotesque-looking alien in a helmet. The question for our cast is if this alien is friendly or not, and if his attitude toward us will be changed by the selfish motivations of Dr. Mears. Before long, people are being mind-controlled even as Planet X comes closer and closer to Earth. 

The alien appears to earthlings

The science of The Man from Planet X is about on a 1950's comic book level, so the viewer has to suspend disbelief to get into the movie, which has its eerie moments on the moors and is modestly entertaining. The acting is solid, with the normally genial William Schallert essaying a distinctly negative character and doing it very well. Roy Engel is also effective as the constable, who is up against something he never thought he'd have to face in his career. The production makes the most of its low budget. This is one of director Ulmer's [Daughter of Dr. Jekyll] better-regarded pictures, possibly because one can never be sure about how the alien feels about earthlings, and the pace of the film is reasonably swift. Clarke, Field and Schallert all appeared together in the bizarre Captive Women. 

Verdict: Has a certain minor charm. **3/4. 

FANTASTIC VOYAGE

The Proteus in a capillary

FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966). Director: Richard Fleischer.  

After an important scientist is attacked and nearly killed by "the other side," his bodyguard, Grant (Stephen Boyd), is called in to the HQ of CMDF (Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces). There he learns to his horror that an operation on the scientist's brain must be performed from the inside. That's right -- the entire medical team, along with a queasy Grant, will be shrunk to microscopic size, inserted into a blood vessel, and sent via submarine, the Proteus, on a "fantastic voyage" to save the man's life. But is it possible the lead surgeon, Dr. Duval (Arthur Kennedy of Impulse), is a traitor? Or is it one of the others -- the pilot, Owens (William Redfield), Dr. Michaels (Donald Pleasence of Circus of Horrors), or Duval's shapely assistant, Cora (Raquel Welch)? 

Pleasence, Kennedy, Boyd, Welch

With its totally absurd premise and situations -- surely the scientist's brain could be operated on in the normal way? -- one has to suspend disbelief from start to finish when it comes to Fantastic Voyage. Once you accept that, you're in for an unparalleled thrill ride, with one startling emergency situation after another: a tear in a vessel's tissue causes a whirlpool that nearly shakes the sub apart; Grant is nearly lost in a wind-blown lung cavity; a noise in the operating theater when the Proteus must proceed through the inner ear causes anti-bodies to attack Cora; and so on. The special effects for the movie, combined with impressive and well-dressed sets, done in the days before CGI, still hold up all of these years later. The film is a visual knock-out -- especially in widescreen -- and although the pace is on the deliberate side, the suspense and tension is continuously sustained.

A tense moment on board the Proteus

On the debit side, all of the characters are one-dimensional, although in general the acting is solid. Welch never seems quite real, however, almost like a walking Barbie doll. Monitoring the sub via a tiny radioactive particle are Edmond O'Brien and Arthur O'Connell as General Carter and Colonel Reid, respectively. These two manage to get across the stress they are undergoing while the actors on the Proteus may, at times, seem a little too cool under pressure. But none of that really matters: Fantastic Voyage is a fun and eye-popping ride and one of the most original movies ever made. 

Verdict: Excellent sci-fi/fantasy -- a remake is not in order. ***1/2. 

BILL AND COO

 

BILL AND COO (1948). Director: Dean Reisner.

A monstrous winged creature swoops down to earth periodically to bring death and terror to earth's inhabitants. No, it isn't the monster bird of The Giant Claw, but rather a big black crow known as "the Black Menace." In the town of Chirpendale, a cabbie named Bill loves a pretty bird named Coo and life might be idyllic for them and their neighbors were it not for the Black Menace. In this oddball one-of-a-kind movie all of the characters are played by actual birds -- some wearing little outfits -- on a tiny set. Once the novelty wears off -- after about five minutes -- what's left is a vaguely "cute" but generally tedious time-waster that might amuse very young children -- or not. The problem is that compared to dogs, cats, and chimps, the birds in this don't have a hell of a lot of personality. It gets points for originality, certainly. But it doesn't compare favorable to such all-animal (and animatronics) movies like Babe.

Verdict: For bird lovers -- or bird-brains -- only. **.

JIGSAW

 

JIGSAW (aka GUN MOLL/1949). Director: Fletcher Markle.

Howard Malloy (Franchot Tone) investigates a secret organization that appeals to people's racism in order to sell uniforms and other materials for profit. Charles Riggs (Myron McCormick) is a crusading reporter who detests racism and is out to expose the group no matter what. Angelo aka "The Angel" Agostini (Marc Lawrence of Inside Job) is a hood who gets sexy model Barbara Whitfield (Jean Wallace) to romance Malloy. Grace Hartley (Winnifred Lenihan) is a political widow and one of Malloy's mentors. There are interesting elements to the movie, but it never quite jells, and the most notable thing about the production is seeing famous guest stars doing cameos -- Marlene Dietrich walks out of a nightclub called The Blue Angel where Henry Fonda is a waiter! Seeing these two in such a cheapie production as this is a little bit surreal. Another plus: the ending is quite unexpected. The actors are at least professional.

Verdict: Okay but no cigar. **.

THE LOST WORLD

Yehudi, the fire monster, pops in for supper

THE LOST WORLD (1960). Produced and directed by Irwin Allen. 

"This is the greatest moment of your lives." -- Professor Challenger. 

The peppery Professor Challenger (Claude Rains) insists that he saw dinosaurs on a South American plateau from the air and wants to mount an expedition right away. Against his better wishes and despite skepticism, he assembles a team consisting of explorer Lord Roxton (Michael Rennie), reporter Ed Ames (David Hedison), the doubting and persnickety Professor Summerlee (Richard Haydn), and late arrivals Jennifer Holmes (Jill St. John ) and her brother David (Ray Stricklyn). Rounding out the motley crew are pilot Manual (Fernando Lamas) and his pal and helpmate, Costa (Jay Novello). The group do find the expected dinosaurs, as well as a race of decidedly unfriendly cannibals. It's not only a question of how they will get off the plateau but which will kill them first -- the monsters or the natives?

The explorers get their first look at a dinosaur

Very loosely based on the novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the movie is fun and colorful as long as you don't take it too seriously. The monsters are genuine lizards who are placed into process shots of varying effectiveness with the actors -- there's a marvelous scene with a monster's huge tail nearly sweeping Hedison and St. John off of a cliff as two dinosaurs have a battle nearby. The climax, greatly embellished and extended from Doyle's novel, features a cavern with a giant skeleton, angry pursuing natives, and a fire monster that makes a tasty snack out of poor Costa. It's ironic that he is so terrified of being sacrificed to cannibals but winds up eaten by a monster instead. 

Hedison, Stricklyn, St. John

Novello is probably the best actor in the bunch aside from Rains, who appears to be having fun if nothing else. The others all perform with a certain stalwart dignity, although many critics noted that St. John in her "shocking pink knee boots" seems out of her element. The film is well photographed in CinemaScope and Technicolor by Winton C. Hoch, and the score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter is quite effective. 

Verdict: The biggest star is the Fire Monster. ***. 

CAPTAIN SINDBAD

Guy Williams as Sindbad

CAPTAIN SINDBAD (1963). Director: Byron Haskins. 

Captain Sindbad (Guy Williams) returns to Baristan from a long ocean voyage and discovers that the kingdom has been taken over by the vile dictator, El Kerim (Pedro Armendariz). El Kerim is invulnerable to death and injury because his heart is hidden away in a high tower inside a swamp filled with deadly creatures. As El Kerim prepares to put Sindbad's beloved Princess Jana (Heidi Bruhl) to death for refusing to marry him, Sindbad and his men attempt to get through the swamp and destroy his large beating heart. But with the unwilling aid of magician Gagol (Abraham Sofaer), El Kerim is not going to make it easy for him ... 

Amendariz and Bruhl

This highly entertaining, fast-paced fantasy film lacks only one thing, some wonderful Ray Harryhausen effects. But you almost don't miss them because this picture has the usual MGM gloss complete with gorgeous technicolor. The production makes the most of that with some stunning art direction and beautiful costuming that is borderline garish but effective. Besides that the film is well-directed by Byron Haskin, who also helmed The War of the Worlds. You do miss the Harryhausen effects when a many-headed hydra shows up late in the picture. Although it is well-designed, it simply can't compare to the stop-motion hydra crafted by Harryhausen in the same year's Jason and the Argonauts. Almost as fake are a bunch of gators who sort of glide over the ground instead of actually walking.

dueling swords

One of the movie's best scenes takes place in an arena, when Sindbad must face a gigantic but invisible creature that leaves huge footprints in the ground -- this has real suspense and excitement. The dangerous trek through the swamp when Sindbad and his men face a dozen perils is also notable, as is the climax in the tower and a climactic sword fight between Sindbad and El Kerim. Williams is heroic enough as Sindbad, Amendariz makes an excellent villain, Bruhl is an attractive and competent heroine, and we also have Abraham Sofaer as the riotous Gagol, Henry Brandon as El Kerim's good right hand, Bernie Hamilton as a mute sailor, and others. The best one can say of Michel Michelet's musical score -- Bernard Herrmann is sorely missed -- is that it is highly derivative. For a kid's film, the movie is pretty intense at times.

Verdict: MGM presents a colorful and even glamorous fantasy picture. ***. 

TRUE BELIEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF STAN LEE

TRUE BELIEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF STAN LEE. Abraham Riesman. Crown; 2021. 

This very interesting and readable biography of the man most associated with Marvel comics examines the life of author and entrepreneur Stan Lee. Lee gets deserved credit for being the man who took a second or third-rate comic book company and put it on the map, competing with, and becoming, one of the Big Boys. Lee, however, often took more credit than he deserved, although it may be true that other people simply jumped to conclusions. Many people believe that Lee was the sole creator of such characters as Spider-Man, the Hulk, X-Men etc. - there is still debate today as to who contributed what -- but it is clear that people such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko had as big a hand in this, (although they, too, especially Kirby, may also have taken too much credit). The book reveals that it was never Lee's (Stanley Lieber)  goal in life to become associated with comic books, although -- perhaps for his own purposes -- he did much to make them respectable. He and others made the Marvel heroes flawed human beings as opposed to the perfect almost god-like characters of DC Comics such as Superman and Wonder Woman. 

True Believer looks at the attempts Lee made to create different companies in his later years and to produce films, often with people who turned out to be utterly disreputable or downright criminal. The bio also looks at Lee's relationships with his wife and daughter -- who is depicted as being a bit crazy -- and his brother, Larry Lieber. Although there are no great surprises in the earlier chapters of the book -- much has been rehashed-- the later chapters detailing numerous lawsuits, charges of elder abuse, and the like, are fascinating and page-turning. It's amazing that so many Marvel characters who were created back in the sixties (Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America, who was in no way a creation of Stan Lee, debuted in the 1940s!), are now the stars of mega-billion dollar Hollywood films. 

Verdict: Intriguing look at the late Stan Lee. ***. 
 

DINOSAURUS!

Ward Ramsey and Paul Lukather

DINOSAURUS! (1960). Director: Irwin S. Yeaworth, Jr. 

On a tropical island two engineers, Bart Thompson (Ward Ramsey) and his partner Chuck (Paul Lukather), come across two frozen dinosaurs -- and a caveman -- inadvertently freed by their blasting. When the monsters and the caveman thaw out, havoc ensues. Not only do the men have to worry about Bart's girlfriend, Betty (Kristina Hanson), but also a little orphaned kid named Julio (Alan Roberts), who is in danger from both a hungry tyrannosaur and the kid's nasty ward, Hacker (Fred Engleberg), who hopes to sell the caveman for a profit. 

Kristina Hanson and Gregg Martell

Dinosaurus! is one of the least memorable dino-on-the-loose films ever made. The premise is fine, but the monster models and stop-motion FX -- this is definitely not the work of Ray Harryhausen -- are mediocre at best. Far too much of the running time is given over to the silly antics of the caveman (Gregg Martell), who is meant to be comic relief but is only irritating. A scene when the T-Rex attacks a bus and apparently crushes the screaming passengers inside is out of sync with the rest of the childish movie. Julio is meant to be just a cute, likable kid, but he acts more like a five-year-old than someone twice as old, and he becomes tiresome very quickly. 

steam shovel vs. T-Rex

This was the first film for Ward Ramsey, who had just a few undistinguished credits afterwards. Paul Lukather had a great many credits, mostly on television. Kristina Hanson, who was more decorative than anything else, only had five credits, and Alan Roberts had a few more as a child actor. A hilarious scene has Betty coming across the T Rex and fainting -- while underwater! The somber score by Ronald Stein is better than the picture deserves. Widescreen photography and color don't add that much to the proceedings.

Verdict: Watch The Land Unknown or The Lost World instead. *1/2.  

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON

Lionel Jeffries and Edward Judd

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1965). Director: Nathan Juran. 

In 1899 a scientist named Cavor (Lionel Jeffries) creates a substance that cancels out gravity, to which purpose he decides to fly in a sphere to the moon. His companions are greedy, bankrupt playwright, Bedford (Edward Judd), and his fiancee, Kate (Martha Hyer) who is only dragged along to save her life when she comes to confront Bedford over his nefarious financial dealings. On the moon they discover an insect-like civilization of "selenites," but while Cavor approaches these creatures with respect and scientific curiosity, Bedford is more like a bull in a china shop, creating dangerous complications. 

a gigantic moon calf attacks

First Men in the Moon is a very loose adaptation of the novel by H. G. Wells. It takes nearly an hour for our trio to actually reach the moon and the first half of the film is full of supposedly comical incident largely centered on Cavor, who is riotously overplayed in very tiresome fashion by a normally dependable Jeffries. Just when you think the film can't get any sillier, our voyagers literally hit the moon and the film becomes much more interesting. A highlight is the appearance of unpleasant and bad-tempered moon calves -- like gigantic caterpillars -- who go on the attack thanks to the stop-motion artistry of Ray Harryhausen. In general the FX of the film are very, very good. 

Jeffries and Hyer inside the moon

There is a sub-text of Cavor's intellectual approach versus the macho meat-headedness of Bedford, but the film, determined to be as stupid as possible, sort of throws this away, dismissing the destruction of an entire civilization with a quip at the end. (Bedford was just as unlikable in Wells' novel as he is in the film). Judd plays his distasteful character adroitly, Hyer is fine as the throwaway gal who never appeared in the book, and the score -- especially the stunning theme music -- by Laurie Johnson is exceptional. Wilkie Cooper's widescreen cinematography is another plus. The story is bookended by a modern-day sequence with sixties astronauts arriving on the moon only to find a Union Jack implanted in the ground! Peter Finch has a cameo as a process server. 

Verdict: The moon sequences are generally quite well done, but the rest is hash. **3.4, 

HERCULES UNCHAINED

Reeves, Koscina, Antonini

HERCULES UNCHAINED (Ercole e la regina di Lidia/1959). Director: Pietro Francisci.

After the events of Hercules, Hercules (Steve Reeves) has returned to his homeland of Greece with his new bride, Iole (Sylva Koscina), and several of his friends, including Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini). The three of them decide to return to Thebes, but Hercules learns that there have been many changes in his absence. Oedipus the King has given his throne to his two sons with the understanding that they each rule a year and trade off, but Etocles (Sergio Fantoni) refuses to leave Thebes while his brother Polinices (Mimmo Palmara) has gathered together an army of ruthless foreigners to help him take over the city. Hercules agrees  to mediate a peace between the two men, but before he can do so he is kidnapped to the island of Lidia after accidentally partaking of the "waters of forgetfulness."

Evil queen: Reeves with Lopez

On Lidia Queen Omphale (Sylvia Lopez) tries to turn Hercules into the latest in her long line of lovers, all of whom have been preserved, quite dead, in a special underground gallery (this reminds one of developments in Jayne Mansfield's Loves of Hercules). The climax of the film actually brings us back to Thebes, where total war has broken out, but in one of the film's best sequences, the two brothers fight a vivid dual to the literal death with swords. 

Sergio Fantoni with Reeves

Hercules Unchained is a notch above Hercules, with a better story and more action. The dubbed performances all seem adept enough, and cinematographer Mario Bava's often garish color schemes -- reminding one more of neon-lit Las Vegas than ancient Greece --  are as wild as ever. Hercules also has an interesting fight with a creep named Anteo, played by boxer-actor-strongman Primo Carnera. The film includes a ballet, and if that weren't enough, a ditty is sung by Iole as Hercules takes a nap in the back of their wagon. Aside from the waters of forgetfulness, the film has no fantastic elements to speak of. 

Verdict: Surprisingly entertaining bit of "peplum." ***. 

THE LAND UNKNOWN

Henry Brandon vs plesiosaur

THE LAND UNKNOWN (1957). Director: Virgil Vogel. 

Commander Roberts (Jock Mahoney), reporter Maggie Hathaway (Shawn Smith/Shirley Patterson), pilot Lt. Carmen (William Reynolds of Cult of the Cobra), and Steve Miller (Phil Harvey) take off in a copter from a Naval ship in the hopes of finding a reported area of warmer temperatures, and find it they do. Only this valley, far below sea level, is full of prehistoric animals and one crazed survivor (Henry Brandon) of an earlier plane crash. He can help get the others out of the valley before the ship strands them near the South Pole, but in return he wants the woman ... 

Mahoney, Reynolds, Smith and Harvey

The Land Unknown was supposed to be a major release from Universal, and there are still signs of this in the finished production, which is a CinemaScope feature with an elaborate sound stage set employing large matte paintings and classy Jurassic art direction. The film betrays its "B" status from the studio with its cast -- no major names although Mahoney did star in several low-budget films and Brandon was a well-known character actor -- and black and white filming. 

Shawn Smith and Henry Brandon

The dinosaurs consist of blown-up real-life lizards as well as one mechanical T-Rex which is serviceable but extremely fake-looking next to the lizards. There is also a well-designed sea serpent or plesiosaur that bedevils Brandon in the lake near his cavern home -- it has limited mobility but looks a lot better than the tyrannosaur. The picture is fast-paced and works up some suspense, both in the scene when the copter descends into a thick fog and the passengers have no idea what they're getting into, and the exciting climax. The effective musical score is taken from several sources. The actors all give professional performances -- Brandon underplays as a man driven mad by loneliness -- although it's amazing that the script doesn't have anyone astonished  by the presence of living dinosaurs -- they all react as if finding them is an everyday occurrence! 

Verdict: Fun lost world-dino movie must be seen in widescreen. ***. 

NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF

NIGHT OF THE WEREWOLF. The Hardy Boys # 59.(1979). Franklin W. Dixon (house pseudonym). 

In this excellent adventure story for kids of all ages with many interesting facets, the boys investigate a supposed werewolf curse affecting the son of a construction contractor. At the same time some of the man’s buildings have been sabotaged, meaning he could go out of business. One of the fellow's employees is a native American who is hoping to find a missing bejeweled axe that belonged to his ancestor. A phosphorescent wolf – shades of Hound of the Baskervilles  -- appears at different times to menace assorted characters. There are many suspenseful and exciting sequences that range from dark forests to isolated mansions to high beams on skyscraper frames. In addition to Frank and Joe Hardy, we have lovable, chubby Chet Morton, who develops a crush on the contractor's pleasingly plump daughter. 

The first 58 books in the Hardy Boys series were published by Grosset and Dunlap, who lost the contract to the Wanderer books division of Simon and Schuster. The series continued in both paperback and hardback format for quite a few years. It was then replaced with The Hardy Boys Case Files, a somewhat edgier series for older readers. When that series wrapped up its run, we had The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers, where they became agents and the stories often were turned into trilogies. Currently Frank and Joe still have their own series in "The Hardy Boys Adventures" (as well as a new television program). The cover of Night of the Werewolf is typical for the time as if portrays the boys as looking a little too young and much less tougher and competent than they actually are in the stories. 

Verdict: One of the better of the post-58 books in the series. ***.  

KING SOLOMON'S TREASURE

Macnee, Colicos, McCallum 

KING SOLOMON'S TREASURE (1979). Director: Alvin Rakoff. 

Allan Quatermaine (John Colicos), Henry Curtis (David McCallum), and Captain Good (Patrick Macnee) travel through Africa to try and find King Solomon's lost treasure. Along the way they pick up a portly French chef, Alphonse (Yvon Dufour), and a handsome, noble African named Umpslopogas (Ken Gampu). They also encounter -- oddly enough -- a variety of dinosaurs, but don't seem all that befuddled by their presence. Finally they come upon the lost kingdom of Zuvenda ruled over by -- you guessed it -- a beautiful blond queen (Britt Ekland). Then there's warfare and an erupting volcano for good measure.

Britt Ekland

If ever there were a picture made strictly for tax loss purposes, King Solomon's Treasure is it. It is chockful of absurdities. Things seem headed in the right direction when African natives are actually played by African natives  -- this was filmed in Swaziland as well as in Montreal -- but when Britt Ekland shows up you know you're back in fantasy land. The presence of dinosaurs -- all of which look pretty terrible and are mock-ups of limited movement -- doesn't make any sense at all. There are a couple of giant crabs as well. McCallum and Macnee -- both of whom had starred in successful TV series in the sixties (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Avengers, respectively) must have thought this was the absolute nadir of their careers. Macnee dispenses his usual suavity and charm, and McCallum portrays the comic relief until he starts necking with Ekland. Any similarity to H. Rider Haggard is strictly coincidental.

Verdict: Terrible. Just terrible! *.