Moderately entertaining but unmemorable British thriller gets its start when a body is found floating on the Thames. A reporter is tasked with getting the story behind the killing and Scotland Yard is on the case as well, with the trail soon leading to a foreign embassy, whose inmates may be beyond the reach of …
Month: October 2021
King Kong Escapes (1967)
The giant ape battles his robotic counterpart in this science-fiction tale, originally titled Kingu Kongu no gyakushû, in which a mad scientist first plans to use the robot to excavate for the dangerous and powerful Element X but must turn to the real thing when the manmade ape is unable to withstand the radioactive element. …
Wild and Woolly (Artcraft, 1917)
A wealthy young man (Douglas Fairbanks) who is mad about the “Wild West” gets a chance to experience it when a delegation from a western town approach his father, a noted financier, in hopes of a loan, and he in turn sends his son out to inspect conditions. Of course, the days of the frontier …
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Riders of the Whistling Skull (Republic, 1937)
This Western has some of the appeal of an Egyptological adventure, as the Three Mesquiteers — Stony (Robert Livingston), Tucson (Ray Corrigan), and Lullaby (Max Terhune) — become involved with solving the murder of a scientist who had escaped from a cult that had captured him and a colleague while they were looking for a …
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The Curse of the Doll People (1961)
Four men and their families face the vengeance of a voodoo priest and his “doll people” after the men steal an idol. A nice touch is that the ranks of the killers are recruited from the previous victims, now in doll form. Worth a look. Original title: Muñecos infernales. Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing …
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Tao hua san niang zi (1975)
Supernatural tale of love and betrayal, vengeance and conflict, with some interesting sequences, though the movie, also known as The Phantom Madame Peach Blossom, suffered in the print I watched from poor lighting and difficult-to-read subtitles. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 495 for 2021.
Son of Superbug (1979)
The Dudu series draws to a close with this movie, originally titled Zwei tolle Käfer räumen auf, and a disappointing close it is, with the fun little Beetle destroyed at the beginning of the movie and the rest of the film devoted to El Guancho (Rudolph Zehetgruber) contending against assorted bad guys for a hidden …
Texas City (Monogram, 1952)
Enjoyable Johnny Mack Brown movie has him teaming up with an ex-Army officer (James Ellison) cashiered because a gold shipment he was escorting was stolen. It’s up to the two of them to expose the inside man providing information to the bandits and put an end to the depredations, A ghost town hotel and some …
Mang gwai hok tong (1988)
The guys from The Haunted Cop Shop are back in this movie, also known as The Haunted Cop Shop II. This time around, the misfit policemen are assigned to a special unit tasked with battling supernatural entities plaguing the city. The laughs are rather fewer, and the movie seems rather choppy, too. It’s really only …
Buck Benny Rides Again (Paramount, 1940)
Nearly everyone from his radio show gets a chance to contribute in this Jack Benny movie — Phil Harris is key to setting Jack up to go west (though surprisingly he doesn’t lead his band), Andy Devine has a ranch Jack pretends to own, Dennis Day gets to sing, Mary Livingston contributes her voice, announcer …
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