Here's Joe Dante talking a bit about the odd timeline of the Mummy movies made by Universal Studios in the 1940's. Short form version - somehow the 1940's last for about sixty years in this series! I love it!
Of course, our podcast on this movie will be dropping very soon.
New films have started hitting theaters again so we ventured out to the drive-in to see A QUIET PLACE PART 2 (2021). I am happy to report that this sequel is at least as good as the original and might have even found ways to be slightly better. In fact, there is one brilliantly edited sequence that is easily one of the most impressive horror moments in recent memory. It brings three separated groups’ tales to their peak of tension simultaneously, intercutting between them in a way that builds their effectiveness perfectly. This is masterful filmmaking and might have been the highpoint of the story except that several interesting things happen in the final act to make this apocalyptic tale bigger and more intriguing. I sincerely hope that a third movie gets made to expand this world again. Plus, I want to see which of my guesses about the monsters turns out to be correct! 
This Greek thriller is very much in the vein of the giallo in
some ways while veering from those films in significant ways. There is no
black-gloved mystery murderer in THE WIFE KILLER (1976) so that trope is absent.
Outside of one early sequence on a yacht the movie doesn’t seem very interested
in showing off stylish clothing or homes in near fetishistic fashion either. The
missing ‘lifestyles of the rich’ element seems a choice born of budgetary
restrictions but the film plays into that absence well by ramping up the
sleaze. In fact, the nastier sections of the film’s story are pretty rough as
evidenced by the alternate title THE RAPE KILLER. That isn’t as accurate a
descriptor as the one Mondo Macabro has chosen to release this under but it can
serve as a warning (or enticement) to potential viewers.
I quite enjoyed this filthy little crime tale. It moves at a pretty good pace most of the time and plays its cards close to the vest on several occasions allowing some of the surprises to keep curiosity high. The violence is fairly bloody with the slapping and sexual assaulting of women making for some tough viewing. The plot has some well-done twists with its central idea seemingly pulled from STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951). It looks to be a smart, devious plan to get a lot of money without the problem of living with the person who actually owns it. But such secret plans have many trust points that criminals rarely seem willing to honestly negotiate so trouble is inevitable. THE WIFE KILLER is an entertaining 90 minutes and the film’s satisfying finale pushes this into the category of a solid, recommendable effort. Glad I finally pulled this disc off the shelf!
Walter Mirisch: From Bomba to Body Snatchers - A new
documentary short from Ballyhoo Motion Pictures
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Can't wait for July 20th!
Your next assignment is to travel across the galaxy in
search of the greatest scoop of your career. As a journalist with apparently
nothing else to do for the next few years, why not accept and join Rod and
Adrian as they travel into the farthest reaches of Outer Space?
Officially designated as Italy's first science fiction film,
Assignment Outer Space has a lot to offer, but will Rod have changed his mind
since his somewhat negative blog review fifteen years ago? Listen and find
out...
If you want to check out the film before we spoil it completely, it can be seen here on YouTube - LINK!
