Well, February was a busy month — filled halfway up with the 2026 Winter Olympics games — and March has been busy with Gary Con and aftermath/recovery from that (though a great time), BUT… Here I am with the February reviews finished before the start of March, and that’s good!
Being fairly light on the films (with 2 weeks eaten up with the games — including Curling, the bacon of sports), I still found some new gems, including the first film of the month (which my wife and I watched with our son) before diving into the Evil Dead series and the films of Mothra. So, without further adieu, let’s go!
* – 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.
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) **** Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, and Al Pacino are hard-working but sleezy real estate salesmen, selling investment land deals that are probably not good investments. They’re struggling even before execs send Alec Baldwin, a top salesman, down to tell the office that only two of them will be keeping their jobs at the end of this sales month, which is almost here. Not only that, but the salesmen will not be given the best leads (prospective customers) to sell to. The resulting scramble to save their jobs, make alliances, and make sales leads to a very entertaining watch, especially when one of the men suggests a break in to steal the newer, better leads. Not only an amusing watch but also a virtual class on great acting.
Wonder Man S1 (2026) ***** Yahya Abdul-Mateen plays Simon Williams, a struggling actor obsessed with the old superhero movie Wonder Man. When a remake is being made, Simon will do anything to get the lead role — anything, that is, except get out of his own head enough to land the part. Fortunately, he runs into Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the actor who unwittingly played terroris the Mandarin in the Iron Man movie series. Trevor, trying to rehabilitate his own reputation, takes Simon under his wing, and the two have peripatetic and often funny adventures in acting. But Simon has super powers, and if anyone finds out, he’ll be blacklisted as an actor, and Trevor… Ah, but that would be telling. Great Marvel mini-series on Disney.
Blind Spot (1947) *** Chester Morris is a struggling writer, once revered, he’s now on what seems like an endless bender. When he meets a mystery writer in his unsympathetic publisher’s office, he claims anyone can write mistery and cooks up a locked-room murder on the spot. Then he continues drinking with the boss’ harassed secretary. But when the publisher turns up dead in a locked room, Morrs’ character can’t remember the solution to the murder he may have committed. A minor but amusing noir with a good locked room solution and some nice twists, if a somewhat predictable murderer.
Forty Naughty Girls (1937) **(*) School teacher and amateur sleuth Hildegarde Withers and her policeman beau Inspector Oscar Piper are attending a Broadway-style show, when the show’s press agent is shot backstage. But the show must go on, and our heroes attempt to solve the death of the notorious ladies’ man as the on-stage performance continues, with Hildegarde even ending up accidenally riding a mid-stage elevator into the performance. Despite that bit and the follies-like moments, I find this flick unmemorable, and ZaSu Pitts is far less charming in the role than Edna May Oliver, which doesn’t help, either. Though James Gleason remains reliable as the inspector, I’m not surprised that this was the last of the Withers-Piper films. Third star only if you’re a series completist, like me.
Unnamable, The (1992) *** Randolph Carter and his university buddies debate whether there’s anything supernatural in the abandoned Winthrop house. When one ventures in and doen’t come out, Randolph and buddy Damon asume it’s just a prank. But when he doesn’t return, in a day, they venture inside. Also inside are two frat boys and new pledge girls checking out the place as for hazing (and makeout) possibilities. Of course, there is a now full grown demon-child inside waiting for them. Adapated from an H.P. Lovecraft story, this has an 80s horror-gore atmosphere with good production and a great-looking monsters, but the horor and comedy never get beyond entertaining.
Ski Party (1965) ** Two college boys, portrayed by Franie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman, are having romantic problems with their girlfriends, Deborah Walley and Yvonne Craig, and decide to pursue the girls from the beach to the slopes when the college wolf organizes a ski party trip. Avalon and Hickman can’t ski, which means they stand little chance competing for the girls, so they decide to do a Some Like it Hot switch, and take lessons as women, and also hang out with the girls to figure out what women like. It’s never a good idea to steal plot points from a classic film with a mediocre cast and story, so even the lovely Craig, Walley, and friends barely make this beach-party-on-skis riff worth watching.
Shetland (S10) ***** DIs Calder & “Tosh” are back in the new season of Shetland, investigating the ritual murder of an old lady found strangled and tied outside facing the ocean. The woman was a social worker with deep connections in the community, including with Sgt. Billy McCabe in the station, beause her husband used to be a cop. She also lost a son in a storm that tore the heart out of the community. This season has a variety of good subplots involving various phases of the victim’s life, and the chemistery between Tosh (my fave) and Calder is much stronger in their 2nd season together. I saw one of the bad guys a mile off, but the solution to the murder still surprised me. Back to excellent for Shetland.
Tarzan’s Peril (1951) *** Lex Barker is back as Tarzan, this time facing off against an old enemy, Radijeck, returned for revenge. Radijeck (who reminds me of Rokoff from the early Tarzan books) is running guns and stirring up trouble between two local tribes, one of whom wants to kidnap the queen of the other to be their king’s bride. A bit grittier than the usual jungle chaos, because of the ruthless villain. Byron Haskin (War of the Worlds) directs.
Dinoshark (2010 Sven Squad) **(*) A long-frozen pliosaur (aquatic dinosaur-like reptile) is released from a melting ice cap and makes its way to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to menace the locals a la Jaws 2 (more crazy kills than the original Jaws). Arrayed against the monster are a charming rogue captain, Eric Balfour (Haven) and his once and future heroic girlfriend (Iva Hasperger). The decent cast (including co-producer Roger Corman as a scientist/politician) and production make this SyFy made-for-TV flick watchable for those who like this kind of low-budget monster stuff (the extra star).
Killdozer (1974) *** Clint Walker leads a crew of heavy equipment construction workers including Robert Urich and Neville Brand working on an isolated island. When one of the buldozers crashes into a strange rock (meteor), accidents begin happening, and soon Walker is convinced that the dozer is out to kill them all. What none of them realize at first is that the Killdozer has been inhabited by a malevolent intelligence that can run the machine wihtout any human help. This TV-movie adaptation of the classic Theodore Sturgeon (who co-wrote the screenplay) story is good for what it is, but lacks the spark of the original’s WWII stetting. Sadly, the electronica score by Gil Mellé doesn’t give any extra zing. Still, with all practical FX, it’s worth seeing.
Mist, The (2007 Sven Squad) ***(*) Frank Darabont directs Stephen King’s tale of an apocalypse that comes in with a mysterious fog. The mist contains and conceals a wide variety of strange, mutant bugs and tentacle creatures, though nobody knows from where. The characters are all trapped in a local grocery story that includes a wide swath of humanity, including a man, his daughter, and their feuding neighbor, and an “End is Nigh” religious fanatic. It’s well put togher, but seeing it on the Sven Squad means there were cuts and of course annoying commercials. Give this bleak horror show another star if you can see it uncut.
Postmark for Danger (1955) *** An artist gets swept up in the investigation of his murdered brother, a missing person, a lost picture that many seem interested in, a mysterious woman, and the police (of course) in this amusing but fairly standard film noir. Naturally, all is not as it seems, and there are echoes of Laura, which is obviously a better flick. Not bad, though.
Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, A (2026) **** When his mentor dies on the way to a tourney, Ser Duncan the Tall decides to enter himself, though he needs a sponsor even to get it. Along the way, he picks up a young bald squire, Egg, and a few benefactors as well as making enemies of a current Targaryen prince. This Game of Thrones spin-off is lighter in tone than the others — at least at the start — but gets deadly serious by the end. But my wife and I really enjoyed it.
Adventure Girl (1934) ***(*) Actress Joan Lowell stars in this pseudo-documentary recreation based on her own novel detailing her adventures sailing to Central and South America looking for treasure. Of course, the book was entirely fake, but it’s a good story — despite colonial moments — and Lowell herself narrates the footage. In all, it’s a serial-style (think female Indiana Jones) adventure, with a refreshing amount of heroics for a woman of the time to do. I like it enough to watch again, though you may want to dock it that last star.
Murder She Wrote (S1) **** What’s surprising about Murder She Wrote is not how good it is, because with Angela Lansbury in the lead, it had plenty going for it from the start, but how wide ranging the travels of her Jessica Fletcher are in the first season. Very few of the stories take place in Cabot Cove, Maine. Instead, the author travels around the country, with people dropping like flies wherever Jessica sets foot. I’m not sure exactly when the series became “town bound,” but I look forward to finding out. Great start.
Deliverance (1972) ***** Burt Reynolds is the survivalist-type bow hunter that leads his friends, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox on a canoe trip down a rushing river that soon will be dammed to make a reservoir-lake. It’s all good fun until the quartet runs afoul of backwoods locals, who may or may not be bootleggers, and who don’t like strangers trespassing in these hills. The brutality that follows, and the quartet’s attempts to escape the doomed waterway alive remains as disturbing a study of human nature and what men will do to survive as when it first came out. Great.
Dunwich Horror, The (1970) ***(*) Dean Stockwell is Wilbur Whateley, heir to an otherworldly heritage in this flick based on the classic tale by H.P. Lovecraft. The film mixes it’s Cthulhu-mythos roots with the 1970s burgeoning Satanism fad a bit, but mostly the original story comes through fairly intact. Sandra Dee, in an adult-style role with even some brief nudity, is the object of Wilbur’s desires — or is that the desires of the Old Ones he worships? Lovecraftian monsters are famously indescribable, but the filmmakers make a fair attempt at it, with solarizing filters and an unnamable thing with many arms/eyes/etc. While not perfect, I really enjoy the attempt, but to you it might just be a B-movie.
Evil Dead, The (1981) **** Bruce Campbell plays Ash, one of a group of teens/twenty-somethings looking to spend a quiet vacation at an old cabin they’ve acquired, little suspecting that the place has previously been used for occult research and practices. Soon, everything in the place and even the surrounding forest has turned against them in this prototype of the Cabin in the Woods flick. Sam Rami’s story and direction remain shocking — especially the “tree scene” — and the current HD print/transfer look great. Harrowing and funny, a classic of its type. Followed by 2 sequels.
Mothra (1961) ***** Toho moved in a different direction from Godzilla and Rodan in this tale, with the giant monster Mothra being both a menace and a goddess to the people of Infant Island. The island itself suffered from atomic tests, leaving most of it scarred and unlivable, yet with the help of two tiny twin fairies (the Shobijin, played by the singing duo The Peanuts), the islanders are surviving. Until, that is, evil capitalist/imperialists come to the island, kidnap the girls, enslave them, and put them on TV. You can bet Mothra, a giant caterpillar (at least at first), isn’t going to take kindly to that! With a great story, superior special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, and solid direction from Ishiro Honda, this flick is a great bet for both fantasy and monster fans.
Evil Dead 2: Dead Before Dawn (1987) ***** How do you make a successful sequel to a movie that maybe a lot of people didn’t see on the cult cinema circuit? You strip the first movie down to its basics (only 2 characters), run through the original plot in about 10 minutes, and race on forward from there. It’s amazing that Sam Rami manages to pull that off, but he does, making this sequel pretty close to a stand-alone. After losing his girlfriend to demons, Ash (Bruce Campbell), continues to be tortured by the evil undead demons and powers of the forest. At one point, the evil even infests one of Ash’s hands. It’s more gory comedy horror putting our hapless (anti)hero through the ringer as he tries to battle the forces of darkness. Followed by another sequel. Great fun.
Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) **** Three decades after the original Mothra film (and its sequels), the moth-kaiju returns in the Heisei era Toho films to battle her old frenemy Godzilla and an evil moth-type kaiju called Battra, whose coming may herald the end of the world. The human characrers run around pretty helplessly, despite one being an Indiana Jones type, but the special effects and monster battles are a lot of fun and fun to look at. One of my favorite of the 1990s Godzilla series and well worth it for Mothra fans.
Rebirth of Mothra (1996) **** Mothra’s appearance in the Heisei (1990s) kaiju series led to the moth-goddess getting her own film, which turned into a (loosely connected) trilogy. Here, coroporate interested despoiling Japan’s ancient forests, break a mystical seal keeping the ancient monster Desghidorah (Death Ghidorah) trapped. With Desghidorah loose, it’s up to the twin fairies (Lora & Moll) — now called The Cosmos — and Mothra to set things right. Though pitted against them is a dark fairy, Belvera, and her dragonlike mount, Garugaru. With lovely production values and cool monsters, this is a treat for all ages.
War of the Worlds (1953) ***** The classic George Pal film directed by Byron Haskin based on the H.G. Wells story, War of the Worlds has everything you could wan tin a 1950s SF film. Martian fighting machines, disguised as meteors, land in California and across the world, rise fromm the craters, and beging their conquest of Earth. Pitted against them is a handsome scientist, a plucky librarian/teacher, and all the armed forces of the world. Yet, against the Martian machines, which look like manta rays with a cobra perched on top, and their death rays, the battle seems hopless. The story ends similarly to the book and previous famous radio play, but the flick gets their in high style with amazing special FX. My only qualm about my recent rewatch is that the 4k restoration lacks some of the technicolor verve I’m used to. The HD/blu-ray version may be a little more colorful. So, pick which you prefer and settle in for a great time.
Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1998) *** The Heisei-era Mothra returns in her many forms, with the Cosmos, the tiny Mothra (Fairy) that they ride, and Belvera on Garugaru tagging along. This time our imago heroine faces off against a sea monster prowling near a formerl sunken pyramid/temple complex, while the humans — both good and evil — squabble over the temple’s secrets, Mothra must protect the world from the monster Daghara and its starfish-like energy leech minions. Oh, and a mystical furby creature. It’s all kid-aimed colorful fun, though not as good as the first in my estimation.
Army of Darkness (1992) ***** Ash from the Evil Dead films returns, sucked through a vortex and dumped into the Middle Ages, where his chainsaw arm and his knowledge of modern technology are pitted against the titular army of the dead. In order to conquer them, Ash must complete a quest and deal with the occult book Necronomicon. But, not being too bright, he naturally screws things up. It all ends with a huge battle blending people and practical makeup monsters with stop-motion and other FX. It’s a blast — and very funny. Though I like the others, in the series, this is really the apex.
Which brings us to the end of February 2026! Our total for February was only 25 films, series, and notable shorts — not surprising, given we probably watched 160+ hours of the Olympics — and that brings our 2026 Total to 72.
NEXT MONTH: February was short and busy, and March pretty busy, too. Yet, I think we’ll end up with more flicks in March
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