Jungle Girl Movie Poster Art

Lorna, The Jungle Girl Cover Gallery

 I've never read any of the Lorna comic books but I think it might be time to try them out. In a way, its research for the eventual Wild Wild Podcast mini-season on Jungle Girl films. Yeah! That's the ticket!

Wild, Wild Podcast S5: E10 - WARRIORS OF THE YEAR 2072 (1984)

Strap your motorcycle helmet on, rev your engines, grab your weapons and head into Rome's New Colosseum where violent death is just seconds away! Yes, Adrian and I are once again dressing up in leather to face the nightmarish futures of Italian cinema, and in this episode it's a future brought to you by none other than the Godfather of Gore himself, Lucio Fulci. Many aspects of the film are discussed, including when is a post-apocalypse not a post-apocalypse, and Adrian gets sidetracked by the brief pop career of its female lead and Playmen cover model, Eleonora Brigliadori. Once you've heard Balla Il Tip Tap you may find yourself wishing for the apocalypse or wanting to compete in Kill Bike.

We would love to hear what your favorite post-apocalypse films are even if they're ones we haven't touched on in this series. You can contact us on Twitter and Instagram or by email at wildwildpodcast@gmail.com. Please also remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice!

World Wide Weirdies Art Gallery

The World Wide Weirdies were a creation of British artist/cartoonist Ken Reed and I can't believe I have only now discovered them. These are amazing images and each one tells a story all on their own. 

The Bloody Pit #176 - KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968)

Bob Sargent joins Troy and I to discuss KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968). Or is it just KONG ISLAND? And what connection to King Kong does this movie actually have? Spoiler alert – none!

Because Mr. Sargent has a soft spot in his heart (and head) for this bizarre Italian production we examine it for signs of sanity. None were found, but along the way we learned a little about ourselves. Sort of. And for some reason we also talked about 70’s rock group StoneGround. I can’t understand why.

For the curious, KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968) is a movie of many parts. It is roughly 20% jungle mercenary movie; 20% mad scientist tale; 20% revenge story; 20% jungle girl adventure and 20% family melodrama. It is also 100% nuts! While much of the advertising for the film centers around the jungle girl sections of the story we come to the conclusion that Eva (or the Sacred Monkey as she is referred to most often) could be removed from the film with little detriment to the story. Of course, this would have eliminated the film’s nudity so I don’t think anyone involved would have agreed to do this. But the film has so much going on that it is difficult to stop watching as the madness unfolds. We see stuntman turned actor Brad Harris beefcake up the place with his exciting dance moves and flinty abs. We see veteran Hollywood tough guy Marc Lawrence play a mad scientist/Bond villain using surgically altered gorillas to control a jungle cave. We witness plenty of animal stock footage. It all adds up to a featue length movie. Really.

Even if you haven’t seen this cinematic epic there are things in the episode to entertain you. Troy’s alternate title suggestions are inventive and arguably better than any of the ones actually used. Bob’s attempts to explain his lifelong fascination with this whacky film lead us from a sweaty apartment in the 1980’s to modern 21^st century life – pity his poor wife! And bonus points to the listeners that can pinpoint the moment when I gave up on presenting a plot synopsis. Eventually you have to accept that things have gotten away from you.

If you have seen KING OF KONG ISLAND and have something to add to our discussion thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your thoughts. Thank you for listening!

Video - KING OF KONG ISLAND (1968)

Podcast on the way!

Video - DC Superhero Theme Songs

I warn you now - these can become earworms if you aren't careful!

Trailer - GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023)

I can hardly wait for December to get to see this on the big screen! 

What I Watched in June 2023

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. In fact, I loved it. Using the comic book story The Flashpoint Paradox as inspiration the creators have crafted an incredibly entertaining film that takes the now in vogue ‘multiple realities’ idea and (sorry) runs with it. Following on from the Justice League film Barry Allen realizes he can run so fast that he can travel back in time with his connection to the Speed Force as a tool. Seeing his mother’s death when he was a child as the point at which his life changed for the worse, he decides to travel to the past to save her, but doing so accidentally creates a different timeline with an alternative Barry Allen. This version of himself is an unfocused doofus and Barry quickly realizes that he has to find a way to get reality back on track. But when the events surrounding Kryptonian General Zod invading Earth begin to play out without a Kal-El in this reality it becomes clear that his change to the timeline might destroy the planet. Seeking help, he looks up Bruce Wayne and discovers a very different Batman who is older, retired and played by Michael Keaton. Convinced they need Kryptonian help the two Barrys and Batman travel to a Russian black site where they think Superman might be held in captivity. Much to their shock they instead find Supergirl (Sasha Calle, who should get her own chance at a DC film) and things escalate as stopping Zod becomes necessary no matter the cost. This is a fast paced and highly entertaining superhero adventure. It probably requires more awareness of past movie’s events than usual to enjoy all the geeky fun but the payoffs are great.

The List 

THE NIGHT WALKER (1964) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

A FEATHER IN HER HAT (1935) – 7 (well played drama)

THE SPIDER WOMAN (1944) – 7 (rewatch)

DARKER THAN NIGHT (1975) – 7 (excellent Mexican ghost story)

LOLA COLT (a.k.a. THE BLACK TIGRESS) ( 1967) – 4 (mediocre spaghetti western with Lola Falana)

ROBBERS ON THE RANGE (1941) – 5 (fast, fun Tim Holt B-western)

NEW ORLEANS UNCENSORED (1955) – 5 (slightly stilted crime tale directed by William Castle)

THE FLASH (2023) – 9

HORROR OF PARTY BEACH (1964) – 4 (silly low budget monster tale)

TARZAN’S GREATEST ADVENTURE (1959) – 8 (rewatch)

MADAME X (1966) - 7 (excellent melodrama)

FEAR NO EVIL (1969) – 6 (solid TV movie)

RITUAL OF EVIL (1970) – 6 (strong sequel to Fear No Evil)

EXTERMINATORS OF THE YEAR 3000 (1983) – 6 (well done Italian post-apocalypse tale)

MR. WONG, DETECTIVE (1938) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

THE MYSTERY OF MR. WONG (1939) – 7

CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1963) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

MR. WONG IN CHINATOWN (1939) – 5

 

The Bloody Pit #175 - Buggy Emails!

This episode allows Troy and I answer a few emails and dart down a couple of rabbit holes that they bring to mind. We talk about giant bug movies, Brian Trenchard-Smith’s career and post apocalyptic movies. A past guest on the show writes in to point out a missed opportunity to discuss MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME! I take the chance to offer a mea culpa about not discussing an important connection between two of the cast members of THE SPIDER WOMAN. I was aware the pair’s previous work together but I skipped that part of my notes during our recording session. My only excuse is that I’m a major fan of the film in question and if you think the conversation in this episode ranges far and wide – whew. Talking about one of the greatest adventure films of all time just in passing would have been very difficult!

Thank you for listening and we’ll be back on track with a normal episode soon. If you want to contribute to the email-bag thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to write. 

Marvel's Godzilla Comic Book Covers

I still hope that one day Marvel will be able to reprint (in color!) this fun series from the late 1970's.