In this cryptozoological snoozefest, an expedition heads into the Himalayas to find a woman’s brother, who had disappeared on a previous attempt to locate the yeti, and the new group encounters the unexpected and plenty of unlooked-for danger. Unfortunately, it’s all rather slow going, and none of the characters is particularly interesting. Not recommended. Otto …
Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules (1961)
Dwellers in an underground city who cannot survive in sunlight are the bad guys in this sword and sandal movie, originally titled Maciste, l’uomo più forte del mondo, and Mark Forest portrays the titular muscleman. The plot includes slave raids, a battle with a ferocious ape, a scheme to end at least one family’s vulnerability …
Read the full post →“<em>Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules</em> (1961)”
Lost Continent (1951)
A plane searching for a missing atomic rocket crashes on a remote island, and its crew — including scientists accompanying the search — soon learn that there is something strange about the place where they’ve down. They set off to learn the explanation, and perhaps to find the missing rocket, but they soon find ample …
Hercules against the Barbarians (1964)
Hercules (Mark Forest) is in love with a village maiden who is actually the rightful princess of Poland, hidden away years before by her father to protect her in the face of the Mongol invasion, but she unfortunately is captured by the nomads. Infighting among the sons of Genghis Khan provides an opportunity for the …
Read the full post →“<em>Hercules against the Barbarians</em> (1964)”
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 …
Leng yue gu xing jian wu qing (1977)
Plenty of good fights and a challenging arena competition among noted fighters make for an entertaining tale filled with vengeance, love, and humor, in this movie also known as Invincible Swordswoman. Fans of the genre will want to take a look. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great. Movie 481 …
Read the full post →“<em>Leng yue gu xing jian wu qing</em> (1977)”
The Vengeance of Ursus (1961)
The mighty warrior Ursus (Samson Burke) has retired to his farm, where he lives a peaceful life with his young brother. But things change when Princess Sira (Wandisa Guida), whom Ursus loves, is kidnapped, and when the evil King Zagro (Livio Lorenzon) plans to marry her. A less-than-charismatic lead undermines this fairly standard sword-and-sandal flick. …
Read the full post →“<em>The Vengeance of Ursus</em> (1961)”
Zoku Zatôichi monogatari (1962)
A year has passed since the events of Zatôichi monogatari, and the blind masseur/swordsman (Shintarô Katsu) is on a journey back to the locale to pay his respects at the grave of a friend. First, however, he learns of a yakuza leader’s secret and is pursued by the man’s minions to silence him, though he …
Read the full post →“<em>Zoku Zatôichi monogatari</em> (1962)”
The Delta Factor (1970)
Pedestrian pacing and a poor script, together with a less-than-likeable main character, sink this 1970 action movie, based on the novel by Mickey Spillane and starring Christopher George as Morgan, the freelancer forced into helping out the government in a plan to rescue an imprisoned scientist. Yvette Mimieux is the agent assigned to work with …