They spent all their money on the cast, who basically reprise previous roles but their characters are all surface mannerisms. Every frame is a,lame homage/copy of better mafia films but it looks like a student production... the videography is amateurish and the direction, self-consciously awkward. These high ratings have got to be from the crew and their families, real cinephiles wouldn't award an amateurish movie with high ratings.
Reviews
10 Reviews
Latitude Zero
(1969)
Wrong screen ratio and technical issues
21 August 2020
The print is zoomed in and squeezed to fit into the 16 x 9 ratio. Just look at any circular object, they look like eggs. Furthermore it looks like a drop frame transfer which gives a stuttery look due to decreased frames. It's very hard to relive and enjoy a nostalgic childhood favorite with two MAJOR distractions.
Planet of Dinosaurs
(1977)
FX make it worthwhile
2 August 2020
Planet of the Dinosaurs contains some terrific animation, all performed on a budget that would make Harryhausen blush -- and he worked under some very tight restrictions. The plot and the acting are not exactly gripping, but the filmmakers themselves agree that it was basically an exercise to exert some early filmmaking chops and possibly make a modest profit. Their primary motivation was love for stop-motion. It shows!
Ctomvelu1 -- Jim Danforth painted mattes but the animation was performed by the others listed in the credits, Steve Cerzkas and Doug Beswick. I invite anyone who enjoys stop motion to visit the Facebook group Stop Motion Monsterland, where pros and fans both hang out to discuss this unique art form. Also on FB are The Ray Harryhausen Appreciation Society, The Fantastic World of Ray Harryhausen and When Jim Danforth Ruled the Earth. The same people cross over these groups with daily frequency.
Ctomvelu1 -- Jim Danforth painted mattes but the animation was performed by the others listed in the credits, Steve Cerzkas and Doug Beswick. I invite anyone who enjoys stop motion to visit the Facebook group Stop Motion Monsterland, where pros and fans both hang out to discuss this unique art form. Also on FB are The Ray Harryhausen Appreciation Society, The Fantastic World of Ray Harryhausen and When Jim Danforth Ruled the Earth. The same people cross over these groups with daily frequency.
Visually distracting but pretty engaging.
23 July 2020
Having just come off a long love affair with Yakuza cinema I needed a break. Crime films have aleays interested me with their ethical conundrums so I was eager to learn more about the Italian take on the genre.
Having a decent documentary act as an introduction seemed like a good entre. Eurocrime provides a good measure of basic information. What made it difficult to absorb in one sitting was the editing, which heavily relied on a style of constantly moving images (picture within picture). This technique is imitative of trailers from the 60s/70s but it becomes tedious and distracting after just a few minutes.
Furthermore the quality of the film clips reflect a disinterest of the filmmaker in tracki ng down the proper film ratios and deinterlaced codecs. Same can be said for the interviews, which have that soap opera look of 30fps footage. Furthermore the subjects looked like they were just plunked down in front of a dirty grey curtain (or, alternately a distracting faux-scratchy film effect).
Frankly it gave me a headache but in the lobg run I appreciate the information more than the style so give it a look if the genre appeals to you.
Having a decent documentary act as an introduction seemed like a good entre. Eurocrime provides a good measure of basic information. What made it difficult to absorb in one sitting was the editing, which heavily relied on a style of constantly moving images (picture within picture). This technique is imitative of trailers from the 60s/70s but it becomes tedious and distracting after just a few minutes.
Furthermore the quality of the film clips reflect a disinterest of the filmmaker in tracki ng down the proper film ratios and deinterlaced codecs. Same can be said for the interviews, which have that soap opera look of 30fps footage. Furthermore the subjects looked like they were just plunked down in front of a dirty grey curtain (or, alternately a distracting faux-scratchy film effect).
Frankly it gave me a headache but in the lobg run I appreciate the information more than the style so give it a look if the genre appeals to you.
'Cat and Mouse' at the Home
(1983)
Itchy & Scratchy's inspiration
5 February 2020
Itchy and Scratchy of The Simpsons are hilarious, of course... but they are not the original version of Tom & Jerry in Hell. First, National Lampoon ran a five page comic book called Kit 'n Kaboodle in their June 1973 "Violence" issue. Ten years later, animator/director Kirk Henderson put his spin on the theme in this side splitting, skull splitting satire which really deserves an HD release.
Scream and Scream Again
(1970)
Scream "I am confused!" Again
20 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this in 1970 at the age of 11 and was very confused. Having just rewatched it 49 years later, I'm still confused. But amused.
SPOILERS. !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!
SSA is just as weird as I remembered. Milton Subotsky produced. It feels like a major section was just lifted out for the sake of trimming the running time, but it left the plot almost incomprehensible.
Soooo.... an unnamed European country has become a fascist state. Most of the inhabitants sound German but Cushing plays the Chancellor. He has a brief, meaningless scene of exposition about torture going too far.
England is secretly making Frankenstein-ish super beings -- called "Composites" -- with American Price as the master surgeon, out in a country mansion painted Pepto Bismol pink on the inside.
Lee is some kind of civil servant who knows about the plan, and has an uneasy alliance with the fascists. He spends a lot of time on the phone.
When one of the Composites gets loose in England, it goes on a rape and murder spree. But first he spends a lot of time checking out babes in swinging night clubs. Every Composite needs a hobby, I guess. ;) There is a "Scream & Scream Again" rock theme song played at the club.
Most of the film is devoted to local police superintendent and a doctor from the city morgue who are trying to piece the puzzle together. Mostly, they yell at each other.
There's a long car chase around 30 minutes in that eats up a lot of screen time buy never pays off.
Price turns out to not only be a mad scientist, but also one of the Composites. (How he performed an operation on himself is left unexplored.) Lee shows up at the country lab. With almost Dracula like powers, he stares Price down -- into a vat of acid. The end. Actually "it's just the beginning," Lee intones.
Scream is sort of like an Avengers episode, though not nearly as stylish. Had Robert Feust had directed, maybe Scream would be a bizarre masterpiece like Phibes. But it's just bizarre.
SPOILERS. !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!
SSA is just as weird as I remembered. Milton Subotsky produced. It feels like a major section was just lifted out for the sake of trimming the running time, but it left the plot almost incomprehensible.
Soooo.... an unnamed European country has become a fascist state. Most of the inhabitants sound German but Cushing plays the Chancellor. He has a brief, meaningless scene of exposition about torture going too far.
England is secretly making Frankenstein-ish super beings -- called "Composites" -- with American Price as the master surgeon, out in a country mansion painted Pepto Bismol pink on the inside.
Lee is some kind of civil servant who knows about the plan, and has an uneasy alliance with the fascists. He spends a lot of time on the phone.
When one of the Composites gets loose in England, it goes on a rape and murder spree. But first he spends a lot of time checking out babes in swinging night clubs. Every Composite needs a hobby, I guess. ;) There is a "Scream & Scream Again" rock theme song played at the club.
Most of the film is devoted to local police superintendent and a doctor from the city morgue who are trying to piece the puzzle together. Mostly, they yell at each other.
There's a long car chase around 30 minutes in that eats up a lot of screen time buy never pays off.
Price turns out to not only be a mad scientist, but also one of the Composites. (How he performed an operation on himself is left unexplored.) Lee shows up at the country lab. With almost Dracula like powers, he stares Price down -- into a vat of acid. The end. Actually "it's just the beginning," Lee intones.
Scream is sort of like an Avengers episode, though not nearly as stylish. Had Robert Feust had directed, maybe Scream would be a bizarre masterpiece like Phibes. But it's just bizarre.
41
(I) (2012)
Beware of good reviews
17 May 2019
Everything that DesertBeagler said is true. The only reason I rated it higher is the sincerety factor. I truly believed that the filmmakers went in with good intentions. This doesn't alter the fact that 41 is essentially a student short film excercise, lugubriously padded to feature length. Anyone who's read a handful of time travel stories will have it figured out when the inciting incident occurs. I simply refuse to believe that 41 drew higher ratings without the filmmaker's family and friends trying to bump it up. Even a cliched C+ movie like The Time Travelers (1964) has more going for it.
The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre
(1964 TV Movie)
The restoration is coming.
3 August 2018
Kino Lorber have announced that they will release on Blu-ray Joseph Stefano and Robert Stevens' film The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964), starring Judith Anderson, Martin Landau, Diane Baker, Nellie Burt, and Tom Simcox. The release will be available for purchase on October 16, 2018
Please note that supplemental features for this upcoming release have not yet been finalized.
Please note that supplemental features for this upcoming release have not yet been finalized.
Police Story
(1973–1980)
Unique anthology cop show -- ???
18 August 2014
"John Frank Williams, 899!"
My memories of Police Story (I was 14 when it debuted in 1973) had convinced me that it was groundbreaking, realistic and documentary-like in its execution.
Having just bought the DVD, I can state assuredly that it *was* groundbreaking. However, one must keep in mind that it didn't take much to shatter the ubiquitous, cliché-ridden terrain of prime time TV dramas from the 50 to the 70s!
As far as realism goes, I'll have to take it on faith that Wambaugh's involvement assured that Police Story's plots hewed more closely to actual police-work. There's more internal politics at play than, say, a straight-laced show like Dragnet or Adam 12... but nothing particularly controversial to my eyes.
The plots and dialogue (replete with hilarious, antiquated 70s jargon!) are still very much "on the nose," lacking in the kind of subtextual elements regularly enjoyed by Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The Shield and The Wire. But I never expected it to live up to those shows; they were made possible by Police Story. I was just surprised that the non-procedural, family/home elements were more FAR melodramatic than I remembered.
I'm not putting the show down by any means! I'd love to see more seasons released. (If for nothing else, it's a fascinating time capsule for 70s TV actors & production technique.) Recommended!
My memories of Police Story (I was 14 when it debuted in 1973) had convinced me that it was groundbreaking, realistic and documentary-like in its execution.
Having just bought the DVD, I can state assuredly that it *was* groundbreaking. However, one must keep in mind that it didn't take much to shatter the ubiquitous, cliché-ridden terrain of prime time TV dramas from the 50 to the 70s!
As far as realism goes, I'll have to take it on faith that Wambaugh's involvement assured that Police Story's plots hewed more closely to actual police-work. There's more internal politics at play than, say, a straight-laced show like Dragnet or Adam 12... but nothing particularly controversial to my eyes.
The plots and dialogue (replete with hilarious, antiquated 70s jargon!) are still very much "on the nose," lacking in the kind of subtextual elements regularly enjoyed by Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The Shield and The Wire. But I never expected it to live up to those shows; they were made possible by Police Story. I was just surprised that the non-procedural, family/home elements were more FAR melodramatic than I remembered.
I'm not putting the show down by any means! I'd love to see more seasons released. (If for nothing else, it's a fascinating time capsule for 70s TV actors & production technique.) Recommended!
Star Trek Continues
(2013–2017)
Surprisingly entertaining & faithful tribute to TOS
16 April 2014
I decided to catch an episode of the fan-made series "Star Trek Continues," mainly because of guest star Lou Ferrigno, who starred in a movie I produced (Liberator). Frankly, I didn't have very high expectations; as most fan vehicles contain a sincerity-to-professionalism ratio of roughly 90 to 10.
Man, was I wrong! They NAILED every technical detail. Sets, costumes, cinematography, & VFX are all so close to TOS that the differences are virtually negligible, even on my 60 inch TV.
"Lolani" concerns the Orion slave trade, capturing the essence of TOS with heavily-laden metaphors. On a scriptwriting level, it falls somewhere between Season 3 episodes "Let That be Your Last Battlefield" (remember Frank Gorshin and his stark B&W makeup???) and "The Cloud Miners." Being that Miners dealt with capitalism and Battlefield dealt with race, for "Lolani" to compare favorably (both thematically and technically) this episode had a really high bar they had to climb.
Lou is formidable (and once again, GREEN!) He would've fit right in as a regular villain in TOS, had he been the right age for the role in 1969. He only has a handful of dramatic scenes, and his fight is not particularly convincing – but that's mainly due to the outcome, not the staging (which reflects TOS to a tee).
Vic Mignogna plays Kirk straight; minus Shatnerisms. He makes excellent dramatic choices that define classic Kirk. I just wish the register of his voice was lower.
Spock & McCoy don't fare as well. Spock has a highly reduced role in this episode, which is fine because Todd Haberkorn really doesn't have the gravitas to pull it off, especially a mind-meld. As Bones, Larry Nemecek also has very little to do, and could have been crankier. Should another episode prove to be heavily dependent on the classic "trio interaction," I think it might get uncomfortable to watch them struggle....
The rest of the acting is *meh.* Keeping in mind that the original supporting cast in TOS were not especially good actors to begin with, I guess I shouldn't be TOO disappointed. While these actors have a far way to go to, it's the OVERALL product I'm reviewing, so I'll give STC the benefit of the doubt and catch a few more. They can only get better!
All in all, STSC is a high quality effort that I enjoyed FAR MORE than the last Trek feature film. Give it a shot!
Man, was I wrong! They NAILED every technical detail. Sets, costumes, cinematography, & VFX are all so close to TOS that the differences are virtually negligible, even on my 60 inch TV.
"Lolani" concerns the Orion slave trade, capturing the essence of TOS with heavily-laden metaphors. On a scriptwriting level, it falls somewhere between Season 3 episodes "Let That be Your Last Battlefield" (remember Frank Gorshin and his stark B&W makeup???) and "The Cloud Miners." Being that Miners dealt with capitalism and Battlefield dealt with race, for "Lolani" to compare favorably (both thematically and technically) this episode had a really high bar they had to climb.
Lou is formidable (and once again, GREEN!) He would've fit right in as a regular villain in TOS, had he been the right age for the role in 1969. He only has a handful of dramatic scenes, and his fight is not particularly convincing – but that's mainly due to the outcome, not the staging (which reflects TOS to a tee).
Vic Mignogna plays Kirk straight; minus Shatnerisms. He makes excellent dramatic choices that define classic Kirk. I just wish the register of his voice was lower.
Spock & McCoy don't fare as well. Spock has a highly reduced role in this episode, which is fine because Todd Haberkorn really doesn't have the gravitas to pull it off, especially a mind-meld. As Bones, Larry Nemecek also has very little to do, and could have been crankier. Should another episode prove to be heavily dependent on the classic "trio interaction," I think it might get uncomfortable to watch them struggle....
The rest of the acting is *meh.* Keeping in mind that the original supporting cast in TOS were not especially good actors to begin with, I guess I shouldn't be TOO disappointed. While these actors have a far way to go to, it's the OVERALL product I'm reviewing, so I'll give STC the benefit of the doubt and catch a few more. They can only get better!
All in all, STSC is a high quality effort that I enjoyed FAR MORE than the last Trek feature film. Give it a shot!
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