Well, here we are at the end of the month… again. The amazing thing about being pretty laid up (as I was in April, after start-of-the month surgery, is that you think you’re going to be able to stuff while you’re sitting on your ass recovering, but in fact… Not so much. Concentration flags because of lack of energy (devoted to healing), dealing with (thankfully minor) pain, etc. And then somehow, you’ve got your list full of movies & shows that you watched, but very little written about them — even when you kept watching things at a rate many consider prodigious.
The stuff that occupied me while not recuperating (or watching partial reruns of Doctor Who on Amazon’s 24/7 Doctor Who Channel), included the finale of my favorite new show from last fall, Rescue Hi-Surf, which sadly we know now that Fox (in its infinite wisdom) has cancelled. Too bad. I was really enjoying my weekly dose of sand, surf, and hot bodies in Hawaii. The characters & actors were great. I hope some other network may pick them up — but you know how that goes.
The Big Thing this April was that TCM (Turner Classic Movies — the best channel on TV/cable/streaming) made Red Skelton their Star of the Month, which means they played a lot of his films. And because I like Red, I also watched a lot of those films. (The “Whistling” films, which are faves of mine, I did not rewatch this go-round.) Expect some “leftovers” from that binge in May and even June. I also started watching my Ray Dennis Steckler box set, and even supplemented that by sampling some of the low-budget director’s adult films. Expect more of that in coming months, too.
There’s plenty more! Let’s get to it!
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.
Rescue: Hi Surf (S1 – 2025) **** This series about lifeguards in Hawaii, their very challenging job & sometimes chaotic personal lives has gorgeous scenery, a lot of very physical acting in challenging water conditions, & I guess in some ways is similar to Baywatch, but with much better & more modern production. I really like it. I find the characters interesting & engaging, though there’s a lot of soap-opera type stuff going on. The exciting and compelling rescue work really makes it all worthwhile. I also like that the 2 lead characters, one male one female, are not twenty-something years old. They’ve had some life experience, which really helps deepen the show. I hope it’ll be coming back for more seasons. (But sadly, since I wrote that last line, it appears to have been cancelled. I hope some other network picks it up!)
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) **** Steve Martin & Rachel Ward star in this Carl Reiner comedy-noir-mystery mash-up that brilliantly blends new footage of the stars with clips from classic B&W noir movies starring people like Humphrey Bogart (playing a down-on-his luck Marlow), Ingrid Bergman (Notorious) & many, many more. Martin’s detective tries to help Ward’s femme fatal investigate the suspsicious death of her father & how that connects to “Carlotta.” Current HD tech sometimes makes the cuts between new & old footage more obvious than I remember it being in the theater, but it’s all still great fun. Historic note, I first saw this film in Ohio after my (now) wife graduated from college. Because there was no room in my in-laws car with her & all her college gearr, I stayed with friends until I could catch a train home the next day. So, a bunch of us got blitzed out of our minds & went to the movies, which was a double feature of this & a sneak preview of what turned out to be a little movie called E.T. I have to not that both very good films are much easier to get into & follow when not high as a kite. 😀
One Piece Film: Gold (2016) *** Luffy, Nami, & the regular One Piece “Straw Hat” pirate crew sail to Grand Tesoro. a golden island combination of gambling paradise & amusement park. There, they seem to be able to fulfill their every desire — until they discover the steep price at the hands of the island’s evil owner. Films like this are clearly made for fans of the series, as they don’t spend much, if any, time introducing the characters or their relationships. Despite that, this is a pretty fun little anime, though I can’t recommend it for series newbies, except maybe those who are anime fans.
One Piece: Stampede (2019) ** Luffy, Nami, & the Straw Hat pirates visit an island where a treasure hunt competition is held, I guess to determine who’s the best crew or something like that. Sounds like an interesting premise, but my memory is that this anime quickly degenerated into what seemed like an never-ending series of escalating fights bettween characters with powers & abilities that seemed to grow and change to ramp up so the punch-outs can continue. But for me, the stakes seemed only to be “who can fight best,” & I didn’t care. This is a pretty well made anime, which is why it’s getting 2 stars, but… I didn’t like it. Maybe huge fans of the series will dig it, but for me it seemed just an endless series of pointless Boss Battles. A real let down after what could have been a good setup.
Earth Dies Screaming, The ***(*) A group of people in a rural British countryside discover one day that communications have failed & they’ve been cut off from most of the world. The cause? Apparently an invasion by weird robots, who may be some kind of enemy force, or might even be… aliens. The rag-tag group of survivors must then battle to outwit these strange creatures (who don’t look as cool as the advertising art) & stay alive. Despite some fairly standarde elements, this good-looking film is well made enough to be a minor genre classic. If you’re like me & like this kind of thing, give it that extra star.
First Man Into Space (1959) ***(*) In the early days of the Space Race, an astronaut is set up only to vanish & be presumed killed on reentry. His ship is found in ruins, with a strange coating of meteor dust (or something like that). Soon, people start dying, mysteriously cut to pieces. Our heroes, including Marshal Thompson, deduce that the wounds are caused by the strange meteor dust & figure out that the astronaut is not dead, but has been turned into a deadly monster. This low-budget effort, made by the same folks as Fiend Without a Face, is well made & much better than you might expect it to be. I really like it & if you’re like me, give it that extra star. Personal Note: As a child I saw this film in the recovery room after my 2nd set of lung operations, which gives it an extra level of fondness for me. Monster movies have always been chicken soup for me.
Lost Continent (1951) **(*) When an atomic-powered rocket goes awry & lands on an uncharted tropical island, military a team, including Caesar Romero, is sent to retrieve of destroy it. This results in a lot of walking & then a lot of climbing through hazardous jungle mountains/plateaus. However, this leads to the titular “lost continent” — which is really a Lost World scenario, that is… A jungle land filled with (stop motion) dinosaurs! And if you’ve read this far, you now know why the film gets an extra star from me. Sure, the dinos aren’t the quality of Harryhausen, O’Brien, or Danforth, but they are stop-mo, not lizards with fins glued on (Ugh!) or even men in suits (can be good). And that’s what makes what is otherwise a pretty boring flick kinda fun.
Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (1958) *** Allison Hayes is the titular character, a put-upon rich wife with a cheating husband & a drinking problem. So, naturally, she’s the one who first sees the space ship (satellite — in the quaint terms of the time) & its weird alien inhabitant. Of course, nobody believes her, & her evil husband tries to take advantage of her hysterics to try to get rid of her. But instead, she runs into the giant-sized alien again & gets turne into the titanic iconic charater who inspired the “50-Foot Femme Fatal” of my ATOMIC TALES stories. This movie is cheap & the special effects cheaply made (you can sometimes see through the giant characters), but it’s also a genre classic I love. I’m not giving it a parenthetical rating, but your mileage may vary.
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1951) *** Based on a Jules Verne story this Irwin Allen family-friendly flick looks great & has a good cast including Barbara Eden & Barbara Luna, heartthrob actresses from my youth. Professor Fergusson & his crew (Red Buttons & Fabian) are commissioned by the British government to fly their balloon into Africa & claim some remote land for the British — thereby heading off the slavers who intend to claim the land for their own. Yes, both colonial aspirations AND anti-slavery in one swipe. Along the way, they pick up Eden & Luna and, of course, have numerous adventures. This is fun, more fun than I expected it to be & I was surprised that I had never seen it before. Peter Lorre appears, too, as a shifty slave trader who alternates helping & hindering our heroes. Good.
Captain Sindbad (1963) ****(*) The legendary titular hero (Guy Williams) returns home from one of his voyages with hopes of marrying his princess (Heidi Brühl). But, since this is a Sindbad story, naturally, the country has been taken over by an evil Hun-like conqueror, El Kerim, whom black magic has made virtually immortal. After capture, a battle with an invisible monster, & some narrow escapes, Sinbad leads his crew on a quest into deadly landscapes in hopes of destroying El Karim’s magical advantage. Directed by Byron Haskin (War of the Worlds) & with lush fantasy production & good SPFX, this film is a treat for kids of all ages. Thrills include a deadly swamp, giant alligators, a hydra-like dragon, an deadly giant fist, & more. It gets an extra star from me for bing highly influential in my fantasy work (including my prize-winning D&D module “The Pit of the Oracle”). I first saw it as part of the summer TV (film) series OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD as a child & it still delights me today.
Vera 3-4 Prodigal Son **** A man leaves the woman he’s with in a bar & steps out for just a moment. When she follows him out, she finds his body in the alley next to the bar. Turns out he was more than just a ladies man, he used to work for the police force, & this was no random mugging. He currently worked as a security guard for a brewery whose owner has an attractive daughter, whom he may be having a fling with. Plus, he has an ex with an abusive husband — who may have suspected the former cop’s affair — living nearby. As usual, plenty of twists & turns for Vera, our heroine, & her team to work out.
Chelsea Detective 1-3 The Gentle Giant **** When a local hero — famed for having run drug dealers out of the neighborhood and taking care of his critically ill wife — is found stabbed to death, it seems a tragedy. But a stash of drugs found near his body, and him being missing from his security guard work at odd hours of the night, seem to pake a darker picture of his private life. Was he killed in retaliation? Was the place he worked involved in some kind of shady business? Or is it somehow connected to his wife’s illness. Fortunately, DI Max Arnold, the title character who lives in a houseboat, & his crew are up to unravelling the dead hero’s messy life.
Atomic Submarine, The ***(*) An underwater UFO is wreaking havoc in the shipping lanes near the North Pole. So the Atomic Submarine of the title and its crew are sent to find & stop this alien menace. When they finally manage to catch the invader, they ram their sub into it & then board the UFO, not reailizing the wierd menaces they’ll discover inside. A minor SF classic, this film makes up for its low budget by getting wonderfully weird & surreal once our heroes are inside the alien craft. The monster is both cheap & creepy & cool. If you like this kind of thing, as I do, give it that extra star.
Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972) **(*) This is one of those low budget monster films with a story muddled enough that it’s hard to remember. Dracula is killed by Dr. Seward, here doing the Van Helsing bit, which turns the count into a (normal sized) bat. Frankenstein revives Dracula in order to help him take control of the world, I guess. Dr. Fraknk of course, has his classic monster to help him kidnap girls to revive the count with their blood. Seward gathers a mob, including a werewolf (beause why not), to storm the castle to slay Drac, Frank, & the monster. In the end, I guess 2 out of the 3 ain’t bad. You want this Jesus “Jess” Franco film to be better than it is. And it almost gets there with some cool scenes & elements, but… Unless you’re fanatic about cheesy monster films, dock it that 3rd star.
Wild Guitar (1962) *** This Ray Dennis Steckler film felt to me like a low-budget remake of Elvis’ Jailhouse Rock, but of course, it’s not as good. Arch Hall gives a pretty good performance as a wannabe rock star on the rise. He falls in love with Vicki, a waitress & aspiring dancer. Along the way, he pickes up a crooked manager & his thug, played by Cash Flagg (Steckler’s acting alter-ego). The manager is good at promoting Hall through less-than-honest means while stealing the star’s money. Eventually, Hall’s character helps plan his own kidnapping to get back at the manager & settle the score. Because this is one of those films, it pretty much works out, despite the fact that all the characters except Vickie should probalby wind up in jail. Still… as Steckler/Cash Flagg & Hall films go, this is pretty entertaining.
Chelsea Detective 1-4 A Chelsea Education **** The popular Professor Cowie turns up dead in his study, a fact that his wife, a yoga teacher, doesn’t discover until she wakes up the next morning. The man had caused some turmoil in his family by, among other things, planning to move them all to Japan next semester — which would have denied his daughter her senior year with her friends. The family’s longtime housekeeper is also distressed that she’ll lose her job. The only apparent clue is a bicycle seen outside the house the prevoius night. Soon, DI Max Arnold & DS Priya Shamsie turn up evidence that not everyone at the school loved him. In fact, a painted rooster grafffiti on the school grounds contains an anagram of, “Drop Dead Cowie.” Those are just the opening twists & turns for our heroes to figure out in another solid episode of this series.
War of the Rohirrim (2024) *** In this anime prequel to Lord of the Rings, the filmmakers fill in the history of Helm Hammerhand (of Helm’s Deep) & the main character, his daughter, Hera. She fancies herself heir to the traditions of the Shield Maidens, but her father would rather she solidify the horse lords’ politics through marriage to a childhood friend, Wulf. But when Wulf’s father is killed challenging the king, Wulf teams up with orcs & dark forces to get his revenge and destroy the Rohirrim, burning down their Viking-like villages & cities, and chasing them into what would later be called Helm’s Deep. This is a good looking flick & it doesn’t bother me that Hera is not mentioned in the original material (those were more sexist times), though it does bug me that they chose a name for her that seems more Greek than Norse. The real problem with this film, and the reason it’s only getting 3 stars, is that it has some serious errors in combat, tactics, & especially medieval warfare. These errors serve to up the suspense, but had us calling at the screen, “Why don’t you just…!” with numerous suggestions that would have spelled early doom for the villains.
Woman in the Moon (1929) **** Genius director Fritz Lang brings us another SciFi saga. The story starts with scientists disputing the best way to reach the lunar surface & whether the moon’s far side can support life. There’s family & other politics here, and competition for the heart of a scientist’s assistant, Friede, and evil forces wanting the moon’s mineral resources, etc. Much of this still rings true today, but I though the early soap opera went on too long. Once the moon stuff starts, though, the drama picks up, and we find forces of greed vs. forces of love, with great sets & landscapes which (although this moon has air) remain compelling & interesting to this day. Friede is among the crew, and it’s probably obvious the title character. I won’t give away the twists & turns that get us to the end, but I liked the whole a lot.
Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965) *** Roger Corman bought the rights to Planeta Bur, a great Soviet SF film, and created two movies out of it. This is the first, & aside from some added “star power” scenes of a control room, with Basil Rathbone & Faith Domergue, the film is a fairly straightforward dubbing of the original. A space mission to Venus ends up in two groups exploring, with one having to rescue the other. They face lizard men, killer plants, flying reptiles, illness, & even hot lava, as well as the presence of what might be an alien civilization. Add a cool mid-mod cruiser/hovercraft/sub & one of the best movie robots since Robbie, Robot John, this is fun viewing, though with some color & grain degradation from the recutting, not as good as the original.
Battle Beyond the Sun (1962) ** A few years before Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet, Roger Corman’s production company re-cut a different Soviet film, Nebo Zovyot (The Sky Beckons), for US audiences. Corman protege Francis Ford Coppola was in charge of this, making sure USSR wasn’t seen on the spaceships & filming a very murky battle between 2 very cheesy monsters to add some action & ensure the drive-in set had something to draw them in. In the future, the northern & southern hemispheres compete to reach Mars. Amid political intrigue, one of the Mars shots goes wrong & lands on an asteroid. (Here be the monsters.) The other ship decides to rescue them, but both must wait for a refueling mission before returing home. Somehow, this film always fails to hold my interest & stick in my memory, despite numerous viewings. I should try the original.
Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Woman (1968) *** The second movie Roger Corman & co. made from Planeta Bur, this version got extra scenes written & directed by Peter Bogdanovich, one of Corman’s many protégés. In this one, we get most everything we got in Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet — reptiles, adventure, hot lava, etc. — but lose the “is there life here?” angle. In its place, we get a group of busty neo-cavewomen who comunicate telepathically & plot — in their rocky seashore lair — how to repel the strange invaders from Earth while serving their pteranodon-like reptile god. Believe it or not, this all works pretty well, and retains much of the charm of the original film as well. Two films cut from the same film confused me as a kid, but now I like both US versions AND the original (which remains the best).
Johnny O’Clock (1947) ***(*) Dick Powell doing another noir/detective-type film made me want to see this, as I enjoy him in Murder My Sweet. Johnny is a tough guy working at a casino, who’s constantly being eyed by the boss’ girl. He rejects her & gives a hat check girl a not to that effect. But when the girl tirns up dead, Johnny teams up with the girl’s sister to clear himself & solve the girl’s murder. This noir crime-murder picture has a good cast & preformances. I came into it blind but really enjoyed it. We’ll see if that’s a permanent 4th star when I see it again. For now, it scratched the itch I hoped it might.
Daredevil: Born Again (S1) ***** The cast of Netflix’s Daredevil series returns to this new Disney Plus incarnation, which features similar bone-crunching, hero bruising battles, & even darker politics as the Kingpin decides to run for mayor of New York City. The cast turn in top-notch performances here, & the story & politics are eerily relevant to politics to the US right now. Even if they weren’t though, this would be strong superhero-based drama. I’m not sure if the second half of this story will still be considered Season 1, or if they’ll dub it Season 2. Either way, you’ll want to see how Matt Murdoch pulls his life back together after tragedy & nearly crossing over the line, and whether the Kingpin & his wife Vanessa — who’s been running his criminal empire during his convalescence — can really go straight, even if they want to. Top notch.
Blackmail (1929 Silent version) **** It’s interesting that Hitchcock made both a silent version & a sound version of this film, and while they’re mostly the same, there are enough differences — subtle ones and acting ones — that make them different films. I’m not sure which I prefer. When I saw the sound one, I preferred that; when I saw the silent, I thought I liked that better. A flapper decides to go home with an attractive artist, but when he tries to rape her, she kills him. Traumatized, she tries to carry on & not let her policeman boyfriend know about either her flirtation or the killing. But she was spotted by a skeevy vagrant, who decides to blackmail both her and the cop. Again, the ending is not as happy as you might expect.
Ship Ahoy (1942) *** Red Skelton is a pulp author suffering from writer’s block. Eleanor Powell plays a dancer who believes that she has been hired by the US government to deliver secrets overseas, unaware that she’s not actually working for the US, but for Nazis. They’re using her for the exact opposite purpose. Skelton’s character happens to book passage on the same ship where Elanor’s character is travelling. Naturally, they get mixed up with each other as well as with the spies. Comedy and suspense ensues, with some funny scenes, including one where Red’s suitcase becomes magnetized while he tries to debark from the ship. Pretty standard, amusing Skelton stuff.
I Dood It (1943) **** Red Skelton’s famous catch phrase becomes the title in this film where he plays a clothes cleaner/tailor who borrows a rich man’s clothes to go to the theater and is mistaken for a rich man. This leads, through a complicated set of circumstances, to a woman marrying him because of his money, but then trying to dump him during their honeymoon. She tries to drun him & slip away, but accidentally gets dosed herself. This leads to a hilarious scene with Skelton trying to put her to bed in her dopped-up state that lasts maybe five minutes or more. The rest of this film is good — with the usual song and dance Skelton stuff and a Nazi plot thrown in (because it’s war time!) — but I’ll watch this flick again & a gain just for the bedroom scene. All in all, this one is a cut above many of the Skelton films I’ve seen during his time as TCM’s Star of the Month, though Red never fails to entertain.
Merton of the Movies (1947) ***(*) Red Skelton is Merton, a theater usher who aspires to be an action movie star in the mold of his screen hero, Lawrence Rupert (Leon Ames). When Merton foils a robbery attempt by acting like his hero, he’s given a trip to Hollywood as a reward. The studio hopes the publicity will bolster Rupert’s flagging career. Merton quickly discovers that people in films, including his hero, are not what they seem, but in the process he falls for a pretty stunt woman, Phyllis (Virginia O’Brien). In the process of trying to be a stunt man, Merton constantly screws up, but Phyllis is smart enough to see that he has a givt for comedy. Now she just has to convince everyone else — including Merton. Another charming Skelton film, mostly in line with his usual comedies, but I’m giving it an extra star because I find the romance between Merton & Phyllis really sweet.
Doctor Who – The Curse of Peladon **** The Doctor & Jo Grant travel to Peladon, a planet steeped in ancient tradition & superstition, where they are mistake for the ambassador’s from Earth at a conference to determine if Peladon can better itself by joining a planetary alliance. Though the young king wants to join, his more stodgy advisors are concerned about alien influence. And when things start going wrong, and people dying, there are plenty of suspects, including strange alien Alpha Centauri & the always sinister Ice Warriors from Mars. A really fun serial with memorable moments from Pertwee as the Doctor.
Young & Innocent (1937) **** A pre-US Hitchcock thriller. A young man is wrongfully accused of strangling a girl found on a beach with his raincoat belt around her neck. Unfortunately, he knew her & was seen fleeing the scene, so he quickly becomes the prime suspect & is hauled to jail. After a police grilling, he escapes during a moment of chaos in the courtroom. He then secretly hitches a ride in the car of the police chief’s daughter, who had been sympathetic to him during the interrogation. Eventually, she comes to believe him innocent & the two of them have numerous close scrapes as they try to find who stole his raincoat & really committed the murder. I’d thought I’d seen this film before, but I had it confused with something else. It turned out to be a real delight. Not among Hitch’s best, but very, very good.
Bad Fish **(*) A male marine biologist & his cute female assistant investigate fisheries problems in the Pacific Northwest. People have been disappearing, though parts of them reappear later. In the background, hints of a strange aquatic Lovecraft-type cult simmer. As the investigaton proceeds, a shocking murder threatens to derail everything — and honestly, this is where the film lost some of its steam & focus. There are POV effects & gore that is sometimes so muddled that it’s hard to tell what bodies or body parts we’re supposed to be seeing. I’m giving it an extra star for a cool looking monster & effort & good acting, espeically early on. But the too-obvious twists near the end were disappointing. Unless you like the genre, dock it that 3rd star.
Jurassic Triangle ** A diverse group of coworkers fly into a storm that ends up being like the Bermuda Triangle & making them vanish from the face of the earth into an unknown island. If you couldn’t guess from the title, the island has dinosaurs, which are sadly pretty standard CGI, as I remember. I say as I remember, because though it started with some promise, this flick soon degenerated into a standard SyFy type flick — with the expected “kills” every 10 minutes or so. Which mean they had to bring more characters in about halfway through, bedause they killed most of the ones we came in with. I bought this for about $2 & even for a dino fan like me, that’s about what ti’s worth. Unmemorable.
It Came from Outer Space (1953) **** A meteor impacts in the desert near a small community & soon people start acting strangely. Because it’s not really a meteor, it’s — as the local astronomer (Richard Carlson) insists, though no one will believe him — a crashed space ship. And key members of the townsfolk, he believes, are being replaced by aliens. This might sound like a fairly standard 1950s SciFi plot, but that could be because this is the story that invented it. And because the story is by the great Ray Bradbury & the director is SF (future) veteran Jack Arnold, you know it’ll all turn out right — and probably not the way you expect. Well deserving of its classic status.
DOA: Dead or Alive (2004) *** Sure, it’s based on a video game filled with sexy ladies fighting each other and muscular men, and… It’s a movie about pretty ladies fighting each other and muscular men. What’s not to get? And this film does really well with the fights, the crazy stunts, & pretty much everything you might expect in DOA. The plot is fairly standard — lifting Enter the Dragon’s fighting contest & some elements of Mortal Combat (also an EtD riff) — with an evil vilian gaining fighting powers from contestant add-on “take over the world” scheme. But, if you want something like this — and I did — it’s all goofy fun.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) ***(*) For years, people have been talking about this comedy, but — not being a comedy buff — I somehow managed to miss it. I’m glad it was in a film set I bought, because I really enjoyed it. Sure, it’s a stoner comedy (but I like Cheech & Chong), and some (?) of the antics & jokes are silly & juvenile, but… John Cho (Harold) & Kal Penn (Kumar) are charming & engaging & I wanted them to succeed in their quest to reach White Castle (& their romantic ambitions, too). So, if you’re up for that kind of silly stuff — including some wild hallucinations — you can give t that extra star. I’m looking forward to watching their 2 other films, too.
Doctor Who – Terror of the Zygons (1975) **** The Doctor (Tom Baker), Sara (Elisabeth Sladen), & Harry find them selves in modern (1975) Scotland. There, they run afoul of a the alien Zygons, who have designs on the quaint Scottish village near Loch Ness — oh, and the Earth. Naturally, the Zygons have control of the Loch Ness Monster — and if you know me, you know that’s one reason that I really like this Doctor Who serial. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Tom Baker remains the best version of Doctor Who & Sarah Jane Smith the best companion in all of time & space. In some ways, it’s not a cut above the usual Baker serial, but that’s a very high standard.
Silver Chalice, The (1954) *** This story about the cup of Christ (a.k.a. the Holy Grail) stars a young Paul Newman as a sculptor hired to make the cup something really special by creating a silver case carved with the faces of the Apostles. Naturally, there are people/Romans (etc.) hunting (Saint) Peter & the proto-Christians. Among them is Simon the Magician, who’s working on his own messiah complex. Did I mention that Simon is Jack Palance? Palance & the minimalist mid-mod set designs are what make this film for me. If I could find it in HD, I might even give it 4 stars. What does NOT make the film for me is Newman. He’s wooden, doesn’t seem to understand he’s in a historic melodrama, & just generally bad — aside from the blue eyes, of course. He once said this was his worst film — and for him, yeah, but I kinda love it.
Southern Yankee, A *** During the US Civil War, Red Skelton works as a bellhop & attends a romantic North vs. South play every night, longing to be an actor, or at least hook up with the leading lady. Through a variety of comic circumstances, Skelton ends up capturing & then replacing a Confederate spy. Which, being a Skelton film, then leads to more comedy, — as both sides decide he may be a traitor — & eventually brings us back to the theater. It’s fun, as all the Skelton movies I’ve seen have been.
Watch the Birdie (1951) *** Red Skelton works in his dad’s camera shop & aspires to photograph famous people & events for a living. But a mishap with an heiress ruins his expensive borrowed camera. Feeling responsible, the heiress hires Red to work for her family & photograph things such as her father’s new real estate development. Naturally, Red photographs something he shouldn’t & therein lies comedy, false accusations, & eventually the story’s climax. This is slighter than the other Skelton films I watched this month, but still an enjoyable time waster.
Jesus Christ Superstar (1971) **** When else but in the 70s would you shood a movie about Jesus in the actual Holy Land with a hippie cast? And while not all the cast of the original recording joined the movie, enough did — and the “replacements” (most from other stage productions of the show) are good enough — that this is a very worthy interpretation of the classic rock opera/concert album. In case you don’t know, the musical tells the story of the last days of the life of Jesus Christ, with a heavy emphasis on the friendship & conflicts between Jesus & Judas. (Both with super-powered vocal numbers.) The modern settings & trappings can sometimes be jarring, but at the same times, original period ruins bring some grounding & history, too. For the record, this is one of my favorite musicals ever & this interpretation brings an interesting modern edge.
Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoisie, The **** All the small group of friends wants to do is to have a relaxing dinner together, but life keeps getting in the way. Sometimes that life is real, as in when they arrive at a restauraunt where the proprietor has just died, & others are surreal, as when they suddenly seem to find themselves hosting dinner for an entire battalion of soldiers in the middle of maneuvers. Through in marital problems & affairs and some dream sequences — that may or may not be real — and you end up with a classic slice-of-life comedy… Or is it a drama? In any case, it’s good, worthy of the attention it’s gotten over the years.
Crocodylus: Mating Season **(*) The urban-legend-like crocodile-man creature returns to menace a lot of goofy characters in Florida (?), in this sequel to an original film that I’ve yet to see. An incompetent private detective is hired to find a woman’s brother. He soon falls for her, while the monster (a cheesy but kind of adorable suit) tears the place up. Naturally, the two have to be connected, & there is mating involved. This is intentionally funny, but it doesn’t always work, often trying too hard. But I still had quite a bit of fun with it, though nuidty would have upped the low-budget exploitation value. If you’re like me, a fan of “bad” films, you may enjoy it. Otherwise, it doesn’t get that extra star, though 2 for trying.
Candyman (1992) **** Tony Todd plays a mythical bogeyman called “Candyman” who will come & kill you if you call for him in a mirror. At least people outside of the decaying Cabrini -Green housing projects in Chicago think he’s mythical. Grad student Helen certainly doesn’t believe when she starts researching the myth & is foolish enough to invoke the Candyman. Of course, this makes her life a living hell — in interesting & creative ways. I expected this to just be another slasher flick, but it turned out to be so much more. Interesting twists & turns capped by a memorable finish.
Sinbad the Sailor (1947) **** Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., follows in the swashbuckling footsteps of his father — and he’s in fine form — as Sinbad the Sinbad the Sailor, prince of rogues & legendary seaman. He looks great, as does the rest of the cast, the sets, & everything else here, because the technicolor is glorious in this film. Sinbad & his friend find a beautiful ship adrift that may be from the legendary kingdom of Deryabar. When a tax collector tries to take the salvage rights from him, Sinbad gets mixed up with a beautiful princess (Maureen O’Hara) & must avoid her wicked fiance (Anthony Quinn) as al lof them seek the legendary isle & its treasure. All in all, a fine adventure flick, but without the monsters & magic one might expect.
Vera 4-1 On Harbour Street **** Returning home on a train, Vera’s right-hand man’s daughter tries to wake an old woman riding nearby, only to discover that she’s dead. This not only causes obvious family problems for the detective, but brings the rest of Vera’s squad in on the case, which leads to a kind of halfway house where the dead woman lived & a search for her missing husband. It also turns up old (& new) accusations of rape, prostitution, drug use, another missing possible killer, & even a glimpse of Vera’s past with her roguish father. All in all, another fine Vera outing. Though I spotted an early clue they didn’t.
Tomb, The (2004) ** A group of young student archaeologists goes to Mexico to find a lost tomb. There, they fun into a witch who seems to know the way. They pass through numerous jungle perils — including quicksand — before getting to a very deadly tomb. Seemingly inspired by The Mummy series then in vogue, this flick sometimes feels like a Mexican soap opera, though I guess it was Italian made. There’s a bit of semi-nudity, & some fun to be had with the ancient mummy coming back for sacrifices, but it never quite hung togeher for me. Again, more exploitation, nudity, & “quality kills” would have made it better.
Dogs of War (1922 – short) **** Hal Roach’s Our Gang “Rascals” go from staging their own (very funny) little war — a la WWI — to invading the nearby movie studio, where one of the gang works. Very funny chaos ensues, with studio people chasing them, the kids using film equipment left standing around, & even a brief cameo bu Roach Studio star Harold Lloyd, who helps them out. Extra points for having a multi-racial multi-gender cast of adorable tykes. My wife & I laughed a lot!
Yellow Cab Man, The (1950) *** Red Skelton is an accident-prone inventor who has invented a super-unbreakable glass, which comes to the attention of some less that scrupulous people when insurance folks come to settle up for an accident he’s had with a cab. His test of the glass gets sabotaged by someone wanting to steal the formula, & that leads to Skelton getting hired to drive a Yellow Cab, somehow. As you might imagine, an accident prone man in a cab leads to destructive hilarity, including a kidnapped child & a watch in a mailbox being mistaken for a bomb. Meanwhile, the bad guys (including Walter Slezak from Sinbad the Sailor) are trying to hypnotice and/or drug Red to get the formula from him. Naturally there’s a girl involved, too, & it’s all pretty funny — but nothing you don’t expect from a Skelton picture. Good safe fun.
Excuse My Dust (1951) *** This time Red Skelton is a mechanic/inventor sold on gas-engine automobiles right at the start of the automotive age. He’s in love with a girl whose dad runs a horse-based business, so there’s conflict & frequent misunderstanding there. The film is a musical, but didn’t really seem to need to be one, as far as I was/am concerned. There are plenty of mishaps with Red’s proto-auto. A lot of fun being made of automobiles by horse fanciers. And the whole thing ends with an automotive race that predates The Great Race (personal fave), Those Magnificent Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies ,and Wacky Races, though you can see elements of all of them. (Though probably there are silent era comedy race films predating this that I don’t remember.) Again, as with most Skelton movies, it’s all in good fun, but not groundbreaking.
Muppets Wizard of Oz, The (2005) **** The Muppets star in this oddball & occasionally dark adaptation of the famous tale that, weirdly, in places is more accurate to the book than most other adaptations. But of course, Toto is played by Pepe the King Prawn, so… Maybe not, too. Here, Dorothy is a black teen (singer Ashanti) who’s Aunt & Uncle run a small diner & live in a trailer park in Kansas. Dorothy longs to be a big singing star, but misses the chance to auditon for the Muppets during a nationwide search for new talent. Then the tornado hits & our heroine is transported to Oz, where the munchkins are Rizzo & the rats, & Miss Piggy plays all 4 witches, both good & evil. Kermit is the scarecrow; Gonzo the tin wood-thing; Fozzy Bear the cowardly lion. It’s all silly Muppet fun, with a special appearance by Quentin Tarantino, as himself Thinking about it, I’m giving it an extra star, just for all the fun I had describing it.
Indian Lady (1981? – adult) **(*) Low budget filmmakers often took whatever jobs they could to keep their careers going. In the 70s and 80s this could mean working in adult films, from softcore to hardcore. Ray Dennis Steckler was one of those folks who found a second career in adult filmmaking, no matter what it may say on the film’s title card. I’ve managed to obtain a bunch of his “lesser known” works, and I’ll be reviewing them as I have time and the mood strikes me. Indian Lady is a hardcore film set in Las Vegas about a young woman (Debbie Truelove) who spends her time roller skating around the streets of Las vegas, spying on people making love. Mostly, this “plot” is just an excuse for porn scenes, which Debbie only participates in a bit at the start and the end of the picture. Other things of note is when she goes “home” to watch a B&D black & white film in her spare time. I also found it interesting that there was an erotic comic/picture book that appears in some shots. The artist seems familiar, but so far I haven’t been able to track it down. Tips welcome. If you like 70s-80s natural bodies, nudity, and this kind of film, give it that extra star. Date remains uncertain, as i seems to have a lot of scenes from one or more of Steckler’s 1976 films.
Half a Hero (1953) *** Red Skelton is a writer for a national magazine who’s wife, Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain), wants to have all the good life, including a house in the suburbs. Red gives in, despite the fact that his city-dwelling boss thinks the suburbs are future slums in the making — because people there are living beyond their means. When he gives Red the assignment of writing a story about that, Red must choose between his boss & his new neighbors & the town he lives in. While still, of course, living beyond his means. This ends up feeling like Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House — but not nearly as good, as the home improvement angle vs. the work angle never hit home for me. However, though another slight Skelton movie, I sitll enjoyed it.
And that’s all she wrote for April 2025. Total for the month is 51, bringing our TOTAL so far this year to 212 films, series, & notable other programs.
NEXT MONTH: What’s coming up? Well, my daughter’s semi-pro Women’s Tackle Football League – the Midwest Mountain Lions — got their first win of the season in May. (It’s a rebuilding year.) So, that was fun, and I also managed to watch quite a few films & wrap up a few shows, including catching up on some detective shows (Death in Paradise) and finding some new ones, Brokenwood Mysteries and more. Plus the first and last Mission Impossible movies — on my way to see the new one in June. Oh, and we saw Thunderbolts, too. So… Tune in and see what I thought of all that and more!
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