Amazingly, it’s the first day of October as I write this, and I’ve finished all my September reviews. Mostly, this is because my concentration level for real work is very low, because my mom died (after a long illness) less than 2 weeks ago. lt also helped that there’s a debate tonight, and that gave me time where the TV was on but — for my blood pressure — I didn’t want to pay full attention to it, and could concentrate on other things, like finishing up reviews.
September was a mix of things, including the entire Tad the Lost Explorer series of films, which I like, to the very edge of Halloween Season (October.) I also ended up watching quite a few silent films, some classic Marlena Detrich, and more. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Here’s the usual ratings system:
* – 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.
Note that some shows I’ve given a parenthetical star rating, usually adding (occasionally subtracting) stars, depending on how your amusement may differ from mine. I’ve explained the meaning in the reviews themselves. Mostly.
Tad the Lost Explorer (2012) *** A goofy construction worker dreams of being an archaeologist & by circumstance ends up going to South America & pretending to be more than he is. He falls in with a beautiful archeologist & falls out with a charming but ruthless famous archeologist (& secret criminal). This animated film from Spain may not be as sophisticated as something from Pixar or Dreamworks, but that gives it a kind of adventurous charm sometimes missing in Big Budget productions. I enjoyed this “little” film a lot & it’s sequels may be even better.
Tad the Lost Explorer: The Secret of King Midas (2017) **** Tad & his lady love are back. He’s still a construction worker, not an archaeologist, & she’s still a world-renowned archeologist & teacher. This time, the two of them (& returnign characters from the first film) get wrapped up in a quest to find the secret of King Midas, whom you may remember had the power to turn things to gold. Fun & funny animated globe-trotting ensues in this strong sequel to the original Tad (known as Tad Jones abroad and Tad Stones in the US) movie.
Freak Brothers, The (S1) **** The burnout underground comics Freak Brothers get really fried and wake up not in the 1970s, but 50 years later — in our modern day. I didn’t read the comics much, but this show seems to fall into the raunchy, outrageous fun that I remember. The first episode is great & some other stotally rock, too — though the series is inconsistent. Voiced by Woody Harrelson & John Goodman, among others, I found this worth the couple of bucks to watch. I hope the second season is as amusing.
Ghost Chasers (1951) *** The Bowery Boys get mixed up with fake spiritualist mediums, debunking the frauds, & investigating a haunted house with Sach being helped by a real ghost (from Colonial times). Pretty standard fun Bowery Boys stuff.
Mr. Peabody & the Mermaid (1948) **** William Powell goes on vacation with his wife but becomes infatuated with a mermaid that nobody save himself ever really sees. The story is framed with his visits to a shrink & the possibility that his wife may divorce him over the fishy “affair.” Well produced & acted, this film is a fantasy examination of a mid-life crisis.
Blue Angel, The (1930) ***** A professor falls in love for Marlena Deitrich’s nightclub performer at the Blue Angel & ends up giving up his job to woo her, eventually becoming part of the act as a clown. Great film well made on every level. We watched the German version.
Crawling Hand, The (1963) *** You wouldn’t think that a film about an astronaut’s disembodied, undead hand could sustain a whole film, but this low-budget shocker makes a good go of it. Much better than I remembered it being. Enjoyable.
Scalphunters, The (1968) **** Burt Lancaster is a trapper whose furs are taken by Indians who are then massacred by the titular scalphunters. Thus begins a quest to regain his goods while accompanied by Ossie Davis, an escaped slave who wants to get to Mexico & find freedom. Really good western. Lancaster & Davis are great.
Tad the Lost Explorer & the Emerald Tablet (2022) **** Tad returns with his usual cast of characters plus a new mummy, too, as he & his friends try to outwit both the bad guys & a group of frienemy archaeologists to recover the titular emerald tablets which contain vast supernatural power. Another fun entry in the Spanish-multi-national animation series, which I hope won’t be the last.
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) *** Godzilla teams up with Jet Jaguar, a size-changing robot, to defeat Megalon, yet another monster controlled by evil forces bent on taking over the world. This much-maligned entry in the Godzilla series is better in Japanese & best if you’re willing to go with the fact that the G-series is now being made for kids.
Fall Guy, The (Extended – 2024) **** Ryan Gosling is a stuntman who comes out of retirement to work on a movie being directed by his lost love, Emily Blunt, though he soon gets sucked into off-screen action to try to rescue the film’s star & save Blund’s budding career from the merciless money-making machine that is the Hollywood movie business. This version, at least, is overly long, but we still enjoyed it a lot.
Tarzan & the Mermaids (1948) *** Spoiler in that there are no real mermaids in this film, just women (& men) who like swimming a lot because they live on a remote set of islands, one of which is ruled by a “living idol” who rules with an iron (bronze? stone?) hand. Weismuller gets to swim a lot, & there are some amusing moments along with the expected Tarzan action.
Man Called Flintstone, The (1966) **(*) The nostalgia factor for me is high (extra star) on this movie which attempted to meld the Flintstones craze with the James Bond craze. The plot is pretty threadbear, though, & the songs often seem shoehorned in. Plus, it’s NOT the spy-based Flintstones story that I remember, which I suspect must be an actual episode of the show, though I don’t know which one.
Street Fighter Alpha (2000) **(*) If you’re a big fan of this fighting series, you may like this anime film more than it maybe deserves, because it’a a pretty paint-by-numbers action manga-anime flick with our heroes teaming up to defeat a seemingly unbeatable bad guy in an island “tournament” setting reminiscent of Enter the Dragon, but not nearly as good. Not bad, but not really memorable.
This Time for Keeps (1947) ***(*) A returning wounded WWII soldier singer falls for swimming star/performer Esther Williams, despite what his family, her family, & her bossy manager/piano player (Jimmy Durante) seem to want. This fairly standard musical romance is set apart for me (extra star) by having portions of it set on Michigan’s Mackinac Island (Somewhere In Time), which is a lovely backdrop & a family favorite place to visit. For reasons known only to my aging brain/fumble-mind, this film has become known to us as “A Kick in the Head.” LOL
Ghost in the Shell (2017) **** Scarlet Johannsen is Major Motoko in this fairly faithful adaptation of the original manga & anime. There’s a “hidden past” subplot that I think was invented for this, but that doesn’t really harm the thrust of the story & the conflict between humans, cyborgs, machines, & those looking to exploit all three. Good production & SPFX, too.
Murder, He Says (1945) **** Fred MacMurray is an insurance investigator sent to investigate the disappearance of a colleague in a rural area. He ends up held “hostage” by a band of hicks greedy for inheritance & teams up with a “convict” member of their family determined to recover stolen loot. The players in this elevate the story above the standard inheritance/old dark house mystery & make it a comedy gem with moments of suspense & action.
Death in Paradise (S11) **** The Caribbean light comedic mystery series rolls along with some new characters & some returning crew puzzling out a variety of mostly clever murder mysteries. Standouts include a multi-part undercover series with a returning character who has romantic tensions with fish-out-of-water Inspector Neville. Good.
Death in Paradise – Christmas Special (S11) **** This is a prequel to the actual season, though I didn’t know about it or watch it until after watching S11. It sets up Neville’s ongoing romantic tensions & features a rich man found dead whose murder seems to have been predicted by a card sent to a random cab driver in London. It’s a lot for Neville & crew to unravel, fortunately the old sarge returns for Christmas & to help them out.
Blood Alley (1955) *** John Wayne is trying to escape from the Chinese Communist revolution. Lauren Bacall is searching for her missing father who may still be alive. Both of them team up for a series of adventures based on a riverboat trying to make it to Hong Kong before the communist forces catch up with them & either kill them or put them all in jail. Oh, there are refugees, too. Good but standard.
White Cockatoo, The (1935) *** Suspense mystery thriller with heirs, including long-lost siblings, vying to claim a fortune in an “old windy inn” with the titular bird. Is the attractive would-be heiress in danger, or is she part of the problem. Standard 1930s mystery. Fairly engaging.
Beau Geste (1939) ***** Three brothers are accused of stealing a fabulous jewel & join the foreign legion to either escape the long arm of the law or prove their innocence, depending on whom you believe. What results is one of the great adventure films of all time. (Assuming you can deal with the colonialism.) Brian Donelvy is great as the strict/evil military commander, & stars Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, & Robert Preston really shine. A gem of a film with both mystery & a satisfying conclusion.
Beast in Heat, The (1977) *(*) Evil woman Nazi doctor snatches innocent victims up for her depraved experiments, some of which involve a naked beast-man in a cage. Whether you give this movie the extra star depens on how well you stand gore, male & female nudity, & depraved Nazi exploitation. Some war scenes lifted from other films. Very bleak outlook.
Monster of Camp Sunshine, The **(*) Tongue-in-cheek combination of nudie cutie film & horror/monster flick. A mentally challenged caretaker at a nudist camp is accidentally transformed into a murderous killer. The nudity is tame by today’s standards & the whole seems quaint in comparison to today’s porn — or just films in general. Stil, they strove hard to please their audience-of-the-day & it made me smile (extra star).
Bend in the River (1952) **** Strong western with Jimmy Stuart leading settlers over the Oregon Trail to a land where they can set up an independent town. Troubles crop up when gold is found nearby & unscrupulous suppliers want to divert pre-paid supplies from the town to the miners for much higher prices. Stuart & a frienemy he’s picked up along the way try to get the supplies (& Julie Adams) where they belong, but… Complications! Really, really good.
Honeymoon of Terror aka Ecstasy on Lover’s Island (1961) **(*) Another nudie cutie combined with a horror/killer on the loose movie. The widescreen B&W photography set this apart from others of its kind for me, though it makes us wait a long time for the nudity & teases the honeymoon a lot without any real payoff. Still, the micro-cast works in its favor, and the newlywed wife is very cute. I liked it & if it sounds interesting, you might like it, too. Included as an extra in the MONSTER OF CAMP SUNSHINE blu-ray.
Queen Christina (1933) **** Greta Garbo is fabulous as the titular queen of Sweden who wears male clothes & gets involved in an adventure with the Spanish ambassador, which screws up everyone’s plans for her to wed a number of more “suitable” suitors. Production values are great, as is the cast, even if the story has very little to do with actual history. An iconic “lesbian” role.
All Men Are Apies (1965) * Virtually nothing to recommend in this low-budget film about a stripper — who never really gets naked –& hooker (who never really has sex) in a peripatetic trip through seedy locations with unlikable people, all of which leads to her being in a jail cell. A guy in a gorilla suit & a somewhat surprising ending can’t save this, even for me. Also an extra on the MONSTER OF CAMP SUNSHINE blu-ray.
Demon Seed (1977) ***(*) Julie Christie is the eh wife of a scientist obsessed with making a self-aware super computer, Anybody whose seen any super computer film from the era knows that won’t work out well. In this case, the computer traps Julie in the house, expriments on & eventually impregnates her — in a scene sure to induce even more cringes in modern audiences. (Take that 4th star off if rapey scenes really bug you.) Watching this now, with so many people letting AI run parts of their lives, is maybe more chlling than when it first came out. Prophetic?
Winchester ’73 (1950) ***** James Stewart in another fine western with his character competing to win the titular rifle — one of 1000 and one of the best ever made. Through happenstance, the gun ends up in numerous other hands & Stewart & his sidekick must pursue it throughout the rest of the film. Shelly Winters shows up in an engaging early role, & the whole thing is a real tour-de-force. Highly recommended.
Giant Spider Invasion, The (1975) ***(*) Bill Rebane’s classic low-budget SF movie has a meteor landing near a remote Wisconsin town & unleashing a plague of spiders which start small but soon grow to giant size, including my favorite one, which was built over the chassis of a Volkswagen Beetle. The chaos you might expect ensues. The cast is good & includes Alan Hale, Jr. (the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island) camping it up. Somehow both serious & campy, I really enjoy this film, though take that extra star off if you don’t like spiders or cheapo SF/Horror films trying to punch above their weight class.
Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1939) ***** Basil Rathbone is a perfect Sherlock Holms & Nigel Bruce a very good Watson in this fairly faithful adaptation of the classic Conan Doyle story. Holmes & Watson travel to a remote moorland to investigate the death of an aristocrat & protect his heir who maybe is being stalked by the monstrous hound of the title. Started the long, wonderful series of Rathbone Holmes films.
Bloody Mama (1970) **(*) Shelly Winters is Ma Barker in this low-budget, violent, sometimes creepily sexy exploitation film about the infamous lady & her gang of monther-loving boys. Some of the subject matter is very icky, but you’ll spot a young Rober Deniro & Bruce Dern in the cast, among notable others. Follows in the footsteps of the (much better) Bonnie & Clyde.
Dragon Lord (1982) *** Jackie Chan directed this strange story of a weird sports team (I can’t figure out the games they’re playing, which seem to change from scene to scene — though the Chinese audience seems to understand them). HIs character, Dragon, is the team leader, & gets into all sorts of trouble with his father & other oldsters, while trying to play sports, figure out dating (he doesn’t), & foil a gang of bandit smugglers. Sports action is good, if baffling, but the final battle starts to show some of the action fighting style Chan would become famous for.
Twisted Metal (S1) **** Anthony Mackie is a “Milkman” in a post-apocalyptic world in which people like him make supply runs between the walled cities that are left after everything goes boom. His life changes when he’s hired to make a run from the west coast to Chicago as he encounters all sorts of weird people — including a crazy clown/murderer (well played) — a religious cult, & a revenge-minded woman, among others. Based on a video game, this has plenty of physical & car action, & I’m looking forward to a second season.
Night Stalker, The (1972) ***** One of the greatest TV movies of all time brings us Darren McGavin as Kolchak, a reporter who discovers that a series of mysterious crimes & murders in modern Las Vegas may have been caused by a “real live vampire.” Great script by Richard Matheson enhanced by super acting by all involved & moody cinematography. This classic inspired a follow-up movie & cult TV series.
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (2016) **** Adam West, Burt Ward, & Julie Newmar reprise their roles of Batman, Robin, & Catwoman in this animated return to the Batman TV series. The Caped Crusaders must face off against their classic foes & then must solve the mystery of why Batman/Bruce Wayen seems to have gone bad himself. Some clever moments. I really enjoyed this & wish they’d done more in this style & series, but apparently they didn’t.
Murder She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle (2003) **** TV movie in which Jessica Fletcher goes ot Ireland after being named as an heir in the will of an old friend. Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with some of the man’s relatives & other heirs. And soon, there’s a murder (or more) for our stalwart heroine to sort out. Plays like a longer, more involved version of the TV show, but that’s fine for this Angela Lansbury fan. Not sure if any of it was actually shot in Ireland.
Bat, The (1927 Silent) **** One of the classic old-dark-house thrillers. A criminal known only as The Bat (with a great fright mask) commits crimes & sneaks into said house to try to recover loot stolen from a bank robbery. Also in the house are new renters & a plethora of other characters soon appear, including a detective & a doctor. There’s lots of sneaking around the great neo-expressionist sets & the great, moody photography really enhances the feeling of this mystery. I actually prefer the silent film to the talkie remake, but both are worth seeing.
Fraternity Mix-up, A (silent) *** Included with The Bat blu-ray, this silent short is about a pair of guys who, in trying to get dates, get wrapped up in a sorority house plagued by strange goings on. This made me laugh out loud several times & any film that includes a gorilla (or man in a gorilla suit) automatically piques my interest.
Battleship Potemkin (1925) ***** Classic Soviet (USSR) Russian film about a battle ship where conditions are so intolerable that the crew revolts and joins the Russian revolution. Features early film montage innovations including the powerful Odessa Steps sequence. Even though it’s probaby mostly propaganda, the film still has the power to move one emotionally. Interesting that today, it has a “the more things change, the more they stay the same” quality.
Secret of Loch Ness, The (1934) *** A scientist & reporters investigate whether there’s really a monster in Loch Ness in this first-ever Loch Ness Monster film. The scientist thinks its a diplodocus, which is absurd, but… Spoiler, yes, there is a monster, but sadly the film goes the standard lizard route. How that is supposed to be a diplodocus, I don’t know. Still, it gets points from me for being a first, despite slow moments. Pretty good ending.
Bat Whispers, The (1930) **** Talkie remake of THE BAT (qv) was made in an early widescreen process, which makes it striking today for a film of that time. It also features very good photography but somehow, maybe because it has no musical score, it plays slower than I’d want. And the annoying maid character’s screams are much more annoying when you can actually hear them. Still, it’s a classic old-dark-house suspense story & worth seeing. Though I think giving The Bat just a hood to wear rather than a fright mask was/is a mistake.
Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones & Harrison Ford (2023) **** Documentary chronicling the entire Indiana Jones cycle & Harrison Ford’s involvement with them. Most of the focus is on the first film & the last, touching on 2 & 3, but almost entirely avoiding 4 (…Crystal Skull). I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes stuff, the actor interviews, & Ford talking about how he thought itw as important to show Indy as an old man nearing the end of his life. Worked for me.
Dungeons & Dragons (2000) *(**) The extra 2 stars on this one are for nostalgia (I saw this in Lake Geneva with Margaret Weis & other TSR friends), because the film itself is a hot mess on pretty much every level. The story is tangled & hard to follow while still being simplistic. The acting is below average, overall, with even most of the good actors either walking it in or hamming it up (Jeremy Irons). Foe me, the acting highlights are Richard O’Brien as the King of Thieves and Tom (Doctor Who) Baker as the Elf King. The blue-lipped villainous lieutenant is passable, but the queen/princess is downright awful, as are the CGI dragons, which looked below-par even for home 3D systems at the time. Bad guy wants dragon-controlling artifact; good guys want to stop him. The actual D&D trappings seem minimal to me. See if you can spot the place where Margaret & I turned to each other & simultaniously said: “To Grandmother’s house we go!” Watch the new D&D film instead.
Spirit Is Willing, The (1966) *** William Castle directed this spooky comedy about a trio of lovelorn ghosts who haunt a husband, wife, & their teenage son in a New England (California) vacation home. The comedy is camp & often over-the-top, but the ghosts are suprisingly horny & the innuendo fairly strong for what seems to me to be a family film. (I guess the more adult stuff would go over the heads of the kids.) It might be hammy, but I enjoyed it. I’d never heard of this film until I saw it for sale on a streaming service.
Deadly Bees (1967) *** An Amicus film that plays like a Hammer film, but with bees instead of the usual Gothic horror monster. It’s apparently basted on the same story as THE STING OF DEATH (a TV horror show with Borks Karloff). I was surprised by how well it played & how much I liked it.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ***** A really good adaptation of the classic game into an exciting & fun movie. A roguish bard & a barbarian bust out of jail & then look for his daughter, supposedly safe with a friend. Of course, things end up being a lot more complicated than that & the quest becomes a heist becomes a dungeon battle & more. Naturally, they need friends to help with this, so we get a struggling mage, a druid, & at one point, a paladin, too. I found all of the characters fun & engaging. The light-hearted action reminded me of many a good D&D game, & the production & special effects are great. I highly recommend this film. Easily the best D&D film.
McDonald & Dodds 3-3 Clouds Across the Moon ***** When a local businessman is found, numerous people become suspects, but a lot of the evidence keeps pointing toward… Sgt. Dodds. That twist keeps things interesting as our heroes try to sort out the truth — even if it implicates one of their own.
McDonald & Dodds 4-1 Jinxy Sings the Blues **** When a man is killed in broad daylight on a public bus, McDonald & Dodds must sort that out & how it connects to a local blues festival & a professor looking for the roots of seminal bluesman Robert Johnson. Good episode with some interesting twists.
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God ***(*) This made-for TV (SyFy channel, IIRC) TV film plays more like a D&D movie than the original theatrical film. A country is beset by Damodar, a returning character from the theatrical film, who plans to team up with the titular dragon god & take over. He’s opposed by a group of D&D style adventurers, including a knight, an elf mage, a thief, a barbarian, & a cleric, who end up battling monsters & even solving puzzles in a dungeon. It gets an extra star from me for mentioning D&D modules, including GHOST TOWER OF INVERNESS, written by Allen Hammack & edited by me.
Dungeons & Dragons: Book of Vile Darkness **(*) Third in the of pre-modern D&D movies, this one follows a fighter who infiltrates a party of evil anti-heroes looking to claim power through the titular Book of Vile Darkness. A grimdark tone & some nudity make this entry different than the rest, though the story plays out fairly predictably. An extra star from me for having an evil D&D feel & trying something different.
Dead of Night (1967) *** Dan Curtis produced this trilogy of weird suspense/horror stories. First is about a restored old car which takes a man to the past. Second contains a woman who fears she’s being attacked by a vampire, who may already be in her house. The third is about a woman who gets her dead son back. The tales get creepier as they go & it’s a good production overall in the tradition of Curtis’ Trilogy of Terror.
And that’s it for September 2024. The totals for the month are a big 53 for the month, bringing my yearly total to 426.
NEXT MONTH: October is Halloween month! And it’s just started, so I have no idea what will be in it — though at least one Dark Shadows movie (and the TV series) and I guess the end of S2 of Rings of Power. And of course, more monster & horror movies than you can shake a bat at. See you then!
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