THE MAD GHOUL (1943) Lobby Cards and Poster Art

Podcast on the way!

 

Wild, Wild Podcast Bonus Episode - The Last Hunter & Treasured Films

It's time for another special bonus episode, and this time Adrian chats with Graeme Lloyd and Tom Lee Rutter at Treasured Films, the new UK Blu-ray label responsible for releasing a fantastic uncut and restored edition of the spaghetti combat classic THE LAST HUNTER (1980, Antonio Margheriti). We also cover their distribution site Film Treasures, some upcoming releases, the trials of establishing a new label in a crowded field, and why the BBFC seem to be going out of their way to make life difficult.

You can order this superb release direct from TreasuredFilms, and if you do they will send you a double-sided poster! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. Their sister company Film Treasures is the go to place for importing international releases, which you can find HERE.

What I Watched in April 2023

Someone online (I can’t remember who) recently called JOHN WICK 4 (2023) the Citizen Kane of action movies and that is a fine way of describing it. We’ll discover over the next few decades if this film stands the test of time to function as a reference point for its genre but it certainly is trying to be the best version of this kind of film that it can be. It helps that the strange hidden world of crime families and code restricted crime syndicates that has unfolded over the three sequels has become fascinating enough to beg for further exploration. But whether this film will be lumped in with the current vouge of larger-than-life comic book adventures or be seen as something apart from them will be interesting to note. I’m not sure the easy acceptance of the ever-expanding Wick-i-verse would have been possible without the years long MCU series that built to a crescendo in the last Avengers film. Action film fans have usually resisted incorporating more fantastical elements in their preferred R rated entertainment but maybe the slow introduction of those details over the first and second sequel allowed the writers to bypass the stereotypical reluctance to roll with the crazy. Of course, the Fast & Furious films have been destroying the rules of the physical universe for a decade and a half at this point so maybe it was more than just the superhero phenomenon that contributed to John Wick finding a wide audience without losing the hardcore action fanbase.

This fourth film works very well as a kind of uber action film blending a straightforward scenario with multiple oddball characters who provide hurdles that Wick has to overcome to reach his goal. The new characters have distinct roles in the narrative that allow for both a well-rounded standalone tale in this one film but that also serve to allow a capstone to the entire quartet of films. The viewer is never in doubt about motives or goals but methods and outcomes are often in question. The series continues to be wonderfully directed serving as an excellent example of how action cinema can also be cinema art. Beautiful to the eye and jarring to the sensibilities JOHN WICK 4 is almost its own argument against a fifth instalment chronicling Wick’s life. What could top this film’s elegantly staged violence? What could push beyond the story’s perfect dovetailing of loss, vengeance, love and hope? How better could the iron will of a man on a righteous mission be demonstrated? And how much more satisfying a tale could be told using these elements? If it is possible, I hope I’m there to see it. But for now, this film can stand as one of the best versions of this kind of movie. Let future filmmakers take their notes.

The List 

THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (1972) – 7 (Shaw Brothers historical action)

DEATH SPA (1989) – 6

INQUISITION (1976) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4 (2023) – 8

THE WITCHES MOUNTAIN (1973) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

MURDER BY CONTRACT (1958) – 8 (Vince Edwards as a smart contract killer)

ENDGAME (1983) – 6

BEGINNING OF THE END (1957) – 5 (rewatch – second half falls down)

COSMIC MONSTERS (1958) – 4 (rewatch – still too dull)

THE DEADLY MANTIS (1957) – 6 (rewatch – pretty effective)

THE BLACK SCORPION (1957) – 7 (rewatch – solid)

MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL (1957) – 3 (rewatch – pretty terrible)

TARANTULA! (1955) – 7 (rewatch)

EARTH VS THE SPIDER (1958) – 5 (rewatch)

THEM! (1954) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

CODE OF THE SECRET SERVICE (1939) – 5 (OK crime film with Ronald Reagan)

CHINA PASSAGE (1937) – 5 (interesting murder/diamond theft mystery)

EVIL DEAD RISE (2023) – 8

SPACE AMOEBA (1970) – 7 (non-Big G Toho monster epic)

Poster Art for THE BEGINNING OF THE END (1957)

Sometimes I marvel at the films that haven't yet made the leap to high definition disc. While I find a number of things in this Bert I. Gordon effort to be ineffective and even silly it is still a fun big bug tale with much to recommend it. Yes, the final few minutes are not as exciting as you might hope for and the bug footage in Chicago is less than stellar, but I hope that one day it gets a Blu-Ray release and the attendant attention it deserves. 

 

The Bloody Pit #171 - Big Bug Movies of the 1950's!

Author Mark Clark returns to the show for a discussion of the giant bug movies of the 1950’s!

I have always lumped the giant bug movies in with the other giant monster films of the decade but that is a sloppy way to think about these films. The big surprise is that when you separate out the films with various kinds of bugs it turns out there were only eight. Eight! The always ambitious Mark suggested doing a single show about all of them, and I thought it was a great idea. So, even though we might have bitten off more than we can comfortably chew, that is what we did. For those playing along at home here is the list –

 

Them! (1954)

Tarantula (1955)

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

The Black Scorpion (1957)

Beginning of the End (1957)

Monster from Green Hell (1957)

Cosmic Monsters (1958)

Earth vs the Spider (1958)

 

As you can see, we spend a lot of time in 1957 but rest assured that we talk about all eight films in some detail. We dig into the things about each that we enjoy and the places where they fall down with Mark using some interesting classic rock comparisons along the way. He’s a little odd. As we started the discussion we decided to rank them from least to most favorite and we were shocked to see that there isn’t much difference in our opinions. What is the world coming to?

 If you want to rank the Big Bug movies of the 1950’s thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send your list. We’d be glad to hear from you. Thanks for listening! 

Trailer - THE OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK (2023)

I cannot wait to get to see this one! If it's half as much fun as BLACK DYNAMITE (2009) it will be great. 

THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH (1964) Poster and Lobby cards