I came up one short, if my count is right — 29 movies in a 30-day month, November 2018. Sigh!
Now, given that we had some serious family stuff going on (and still do), it’s actually pretty amazing that I got that close. In fact, I’ll be lucky to hit a movie a day from now on, until things either change somehow or settle in a lot more than they have so far.
But, despite that — and an upper-plus-lower GI scan for me (all is fine, thanks!) — I still managed to get in more viewing than most mortals. 😉
So, wish me luck in ramping up my viewing in December, and send good thoughts and prayers for the ongoing health issues for our moms!
Ratings are out of five stars. Here’s what those stars mean to me…
* – This film is not good. Avoid it unless you tolerate dreck well.
** – A flawed film. You may enjoy it if you like this genre or the folks in it.
*** – A good solid film. If you like this genre, you’ll probably like this film.
**** – A superior film within its genre. Thoroughly enjoyable.
***** – An outstanding film on many levels. A great example of its genre.
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb *** Stoker story of dead Egyptian sorceress trying to collect her totems & return to life. Stylish but disjointed at times.
Man Who Could Work Miracles, The ** Wells’ comic fable about man who gains the power to do anything & what he could (or should) do with that power.
Panic in the Streets **** Jack Palance’s 1st role pits him in film noir against Richard Widmark as a health inspector trying to stop a plague.
Follow Me Quietly *** Cops & reporters try to track down The Judge, a serial killer who striked during rainstorms but is never seen.
Delirious ** John Candy is a writer trapped in his own soap opera world where he must heroically outscheme his characters.
Dead Men Walk ** George Zucco’s evil twin brother returns from the grave as a vampire to menace him. Interesting Poverty Row.
Lawnmower Man ** Pierce Brosnan replaces chimp with human in government sponsored VR weapons experiment. CGI very dated.
Laserblast (MST3K) *** Stop-motion aliens (quite good) vs. 80s-hair humans in scifi mishmash. Mike & the bots make it bearable.
Cry Wildreness (MST3K – rewatch) **** Jonah & the bots take on a terrible bigfoot movie & make it really fun.
Secret Bride, The *** Barbara Stanwyck marries Warren Williams in secret, only to find he must prosecute her father for corruption.
Devil’s Partner, The *** Youth inherits shack from Satanist uncle & tries to make a go of living in rural town — or does he…? Quite good.
Lady Street Fighter ** Cheap, badly dubbed exploitation flick about a Latina (?) lady martial artist fighting against assassins & bad guys.
Night of the Blood Beast *** The more I see this cheapie, the more I admire how much it manages to do with so little & a rubber monster.
Singing in the Rain ***** Probably the greatest musical comedy of all time & best film industry send-up, too. Nina Hagen steals her scenes.
Fistful of Dollars, A **** Eastwood isn’t as good as Yojimbo, but this is still a fine western adapation of the samurai classic. Great score.
It Came from the Desert *** A desert party is threatened by giant killer ants from a subterranean lab. Based on video game, quite good in spots.
Knights of the Round Table *** Great technicolor & score overlay a pretty standard “clean” take on the Arthurian myths. Worth it for the visuals.
King Solomon’s Mines *** Granger’s Quartermain takes Deborah Kerr to search for her husband & lost mine. Ends with with a bit of a thud.
Bride of Frankenstein, The ***** Superior as both a monster/horror film & as a satire with great sets, actors, makeup. Karloff & his bride rule!
Mr. Wong In Chinatown *** Karloff in yellow-face is back solving the mystery of a “princess” murdered in his house. Good standard mystery.
Ralph Wrecks the Internet **** Raph & Vanellope are back trying to rescue her broken game by buying parts on the internet. Much fun ensues.
Bram Stoker’s (Dan Curtis’) Dracula **** Jack Palance is powerful in the title role. Curtis direction is muscular & lean. Matheson’s script is much copied.
Sniper, The **** After trying to get help without success, a mysogynist goes on a shooting rampage. Disturbing, surprisingly good.
Alien Terror (aka The Incredible Invasion) ** Victorians being body snatched by aliens with Karloff as scientist with deadly ray machine. Boris, at least, is good.
Gorilla Man *** Wounded commando vs. Nazi spies in WWII British hospital. Sadly, no actual gorilla, despite spooky titles. Basic.
Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery, The ** Weird 70s stream-of-consciousness/parody of hard-boiled detective mysteries is wacky enough to be a bit fun.
Fantastic Voyage **** It was “hard science” at the time, aside from the premise & still holds up. Good performances, beautiful cinema.
Experiment Alcatraz *** A doctor’s experiment in radiation therapy on prisoners is derailed when one is murdered. Noir-type science.
Night of Terror *** Bela Lugosi’s turbaned “servant” character is mysterious in murder mystery with man being “resurrected” in coffin.
Next Month: Hitting 500 this year seems unlikely, but the real question is whether I can manage to get at least 30 films done in the month — which may be the “new normal” with our current living situation.
Remember, you can support this and all my other writing work, including Dr. Cushing’s Chamber of Horrors and Frost Harrow and more, by joining my Patreon for a buck or two a month. Thanks!
