Wild movie from the Philippines, originally titled Lumaban ka, Satanas, features a man who is chosen by his dead uncle to battle the powers of evil, in the form, first, of “the Prince of Magic,” but eventually Old Nick himself. Fans of film oddities may enjoy it, but it isn’t very good. Not recommended. Otto …
Month: August 2021
Ore ni sawaru to abunaize (1966)
A photographer investigates when his date, a stewardess, is kidnapped. Bad guys are after gold that her father had smuggled during the war, and among those interested are killer women who wear black tights and use an assortment of odd weapons, including records as throwing stars and measuring tapes as swords. Lots of fun, with …
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Shadows of the Orient (1935)
Lackluster tale of the smuggling of illegal aliens into the United States by air has Regis Toomey as the main investigator, the reliable J. Farrell MacDonald as another lawman, Esther Ralston as a bored young rich woman caught up with the gang behind the crimes, and Sidney Blackmer as a slick crook fascinated by the …
The Superbug Rally (1971)
The success of Disney’s The Love Bug appears to have inspired writer-director Rudolf Zehetgruber in the creation of a German competitor (fittingly, given the Beetle’s origin), and through the 1970s he directed five films starring Dudu, the extraordinary Beetle (or Käfer) and himself as the car’s owner/customizer/builder, with his wife (Kathrin Oginski) appearing in a …
Phantom Valley (Columbia, 1948)
Someone is setting homesteaders and ranchers against each other to start a range war. Marshal Steve Collins, aka the Durango Kid (Charles Starrett), investigates and finds clues pointing to more than one suspect. Some evidence implicates the local attorney, though his daughter blames the banker instead. Steve is also aided by Smiley (Smiley Burnette), who …
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The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
A blind masseur who happens to be a marvelously skilled swordsman is hired by a crooked official for a battle against a rival gang. Zatôichi monogatari, the first of more than two dozen movies about the character, is a character-driven drama in which the viewer comes to know not only the title character, who is …
Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge (Paramount, 1937)
Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond (John Howard) and his fiancée Phyllis Clavering (Louise Campbell) will soon be heading to Switzerland to be married, but the murder of an inventor and the theft of his new explosive — which inadvertently ends up, at least temporarily, in Drummond’s possession, makes for a delay while the criminal plotters are …
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Blazing Bullets (Monogram, 1951)
In Blazing Bullets, which premiered 70 years ago, in May 1951, a U.S. marshal (Johnny Mack Brown) investigating the theft of gold bullion gets involved with star-crossed lovers, a kidnapped rancher, a “haunted” ranch, an oddball prospector, and a crooked sheriff. The young couple are played sympathetically by Lois Hall and House Peters, Jr., with …
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She (Hammer / MGM, 1965)
H. Rider Haggard’s grand fantasy-adventure novel She has been interpreted for film multiple times, with varying degrees of faithfulness, and in the mid-1960s Hammer Films produced this appealing version, released in the U.S. by MGM. Screen siren Ursula Andress plays the title character, and she is a fine choice for the beautiful Ayesha, “She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.” John …
She Done Him Wrong (Paramount, 1933)
A nightclub singer (Mae West) is pursued by several suitors, including rival crooks, but is herself attracted to a temperance worker (Cary Grant) with a secret. There’s a plot here, but the movie is really a star vehicle for West, who dominates the movie with her smoldering, saucy, and strong personality, even opposite folks such …
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