This rather slow-moving sword and sorcery movie, originally titled Sangraal, la spada di fuoco, suffers in part because of its storyline, which involves the destruction of not one, but two different tribes. Though the repetition makes sense, it drags things down, and the subsequent developments seem a bit far-fetched even in the context of the …
Read the full post →“<em>The Sword of the Barbarians</em> (1982)”
A jealous husband (Lionel Atwill) who captures wild animals for a zoo makes use of the creatures to punish his wife’s lover and others…can he be stopped? Atmospheric thriller with a creepy opening and a suitably menacing villain, with Charlie Ruggles on hand to provide comic relief as the zoo’s new public relations man. Recommended. …
Read the full post →“<em>Murders in the Zoo</em> (Paramount, 1933)”
Santo squares off against a group of witches to protect a friend and his fiancée, with plenty of action that will appeal to fans of the wrestler and his films. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 228 for 2021.
Merry mix-ups as a daughter (Joan Barclay) tries to keep crooks from stealing a diamond pledged by her father for a loan. She is hampered and aided by an artist (Herman Brix, better known as Bruce Bennett) who thinks that she is a crook herself. There’s not a lot here, but the leads are personable …
Read the full post →“<em>Amateur Crook</em> (Victory, 1937)”
Moderately interesting but fairly standard spaghetti western (original title: Ehi amigo… sei morto!) stars Wayde Preston as a postal official in pursuit of crooks who have robbed a stagecoach. There’s a fair amount of violence, with the protagonist tackling an outlaw gang in their lair, and some twists in the tale. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously …
Read the full post →“<em>Hey, Amigo…Rest in Peace!</em> (1970)”
A doctor and his daughter move into a castle where a young woman — a dead ringer for the daughter — disappeared some 20 years before. The daughter is plagued by nightmares involving a dungeon, and sure enough the castle has one. A creepy opening sequence gets the viewer ready, but much of the movie, …
Entertaining low-budget thriller features a strange society of black-robed figures whose secret ceremonies include an officiating priestess … the object of the protagonist’s affections! There’s a lot going on here to maintain the viewer’s interest. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 224 for 2021.
The Rough Riders — Marshals Buck Roberts (Buck Jones), Tim McCall (Tim McCoy), and Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton) investigate the killing of two marshals, Tim’s friends, who were seeking a crook in the vicinity of a ghost town. The efficient programmer makes decent use of the setting, with tunnels connecting parts of the town and …
Read the full post →“<em>Ghost Town Law</em> (Monogram, 1942)”
Hildegarde Withers (Zasu Pitts) and Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) investigate murders during a Broadway play they are attending. This is a weak entry in the series, with lots of comedy; Gleason is fine as always, but Pitts again fails to impress as the schoolteacher detective. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, …
Read the full post →“<em>Forty Naughty Girls</em> (RKO, 1937)”
A bride traumatized by her husband falls under the sway of a mysterious woman who may be a vampire. The movie, original titled La novia ensangrentada, takes its inspiration in part from Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, but slow pacing and unappealing characters make this one a less than completely successful horror flick, despite some …
Read the full post →“<em>The Blood Spattered Bride</em> (1972)”
