PLANET OF THE APES Series Artwork

I'm feeling like it's time for a run through the first five films again. 

Wild, Wild Podcast - Season One: Episode 1!

Join your hosts Adrian Smith and Rod Barnett as they blast off on an atomic rocket, with little thought for the potential consequences, to discuss The Day the Sky Exploded (La morte viene dallo spazio, 1958, Paolo Heusch/ Mario Bava), the first film in the Italiani nello spazio season.

The podcast can be found HERE! 

If you want to play along, the film can be seen online in several places including on YouTube HERE. 

Or Vimeo HERE. 

Songs from THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE (1966)

Although I have never been a fan of The Flintstones TV series I was curious about the feature film Hanna-Barbera produced at the height of the show's popularity. In 1966 I'm sure a cartoon spy spoof seemed like a sure-fire hit and it seems to have been well received upon release. Strange how it's become so little discussed or seen these days. 

For me the biggest surprise was the six or seven songs that pepper the soundtrack turning this fun little adventure into a bit of a musical. And the songs are quite fun, too! 

Trailers From Hell - THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974)

Director Karyn Kusama briefly discusses her love of this classic thriller and reminds me that I haven't seen it in decades. Time for a re-watch pretty soon. 

Zorro Movie Poster Art

Various Zorro movies have been on my mind lately as I contemplate yet another odd project. 

 

What I Watched in April

Legendary’s MonsterVerse films have been a lot of fun and GODZILLA VS KONG (2021) is no exception. In fact, it was good to see the film stick to its predecessor’s crazed intentions and just go for broke. Crammed with as much action as possible the battles feel viscerally violent and exciting. This is the knock-down-drag-out fight I was wanting to see! After hearing the usual fanboy whining I have come to expect about this series, it was great to just revel in the sheer giant monster spectacle of this story and feel like my every kaiju wish was being fulfilled. There are so many mad visions onscreen the movie often felt like watching a painted comic/graphic novel come to life. It is stuffed with so many wild ideas it will be left to the individual viewer to pick a favorite with mine being the entire Hollow Earth sequence. Never so wondrously realized before, the film takes this classic science fiction concept and presents it in a way that makes me long for a movie that happens just in that location. Maybe with hints of Skartaris and Pellicidar thrown in as nods to great long-form tales set in similar places. I hope they get to make more films in this world but I don’t see how they can really go much bigger than this incredible entry.

The List  

CLASS OF 1999 (1990) – 7 (fun, low budget SF action) 

DEADLINE (1980) – 7 (interesting Canadian horror) 

THE FINAL PROGRAMME (1973) – 8 (rewatch on Blu) 

HOPALONG CASSIDY (1935) – 6 (the first in the series) 

KENTUCKY KERNALS (19634) – 6 (fun Wheeler & Woolsey comedy with Spanky) 

GODZILLA VS. KONG (2021) – 8 

WAR OF THE GOD MONSTERS (1985) – 3 (Korean kaiju mess) 

TARZAN’S PERIL (1951) – 6 (rewatch) (solid Lex Barker outing) 

HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) 

TARZAN’S SAVAGE FURY (1952) – 7 

WHIRLPOOL (1970) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) 

OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945) – 9 (wonderful drama with excellent cast) 

ALL THE SCREAMS OF SILENCE (1975) – 6 (twisty murder mystery with Naschy) 

SEVEN DEATHS IN A CAT’S EYE (1973) – 7 (rewatch on Blu) 

TARZAN AND THE SLAVE GIRL (1950) – 7 (rewatch) (well done adventure) 

THE COMING OF SIN (1978) – 7 

MORTAL KOMBAT (2021) – 6 (actually not bad) 

FANGS OF THE ARTIC (1953) – 6 (Chinook only gets to attack one bad guy!)

THE FACE AT THE WONDOW (1939) – 6 (creaky Tod Slaughter stage melodrama) 

CEMETERY OF TERROR (1985) – 4 (clumsy Mexican horror mess) 

THE FANTASIST (1986) – 4 (confused, disjointed Irish thriller) 

UNKNOWN ORIGINS (2020) – 7 (well done Spanish cop/superhero story) 

THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD AND HIS MERRIE MEN (1952) – 7 (Disney version is quite good) 

THE KING’S THIEF (1955) – 8 (excellent swashbuckler with great cast) 

BULLET FOR A BADMAN (1964) – 7 (Audie Murphy vs. Darren McGavin) 

 

Horror Novel Cover Gallery

It's summertime and I feel the need to read a horror novel or three! 

Skywald Magazine Cover Gallery - Psycho

Once again I am obsessing over the cover art of these magazines.