Once more into the breach, dear friends, as our renovations and reclamation of the old website moves forward with yet another batch of rehashed reviews for your reading or rereading pleasure. This time, we've got a triple-shot of Bert I. Gordon and his trusty traveling matte, a double dip with Ed Wood, and a stellar bout with Kay Kyser vs. Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Bela Lugosi.
Beginning of the End :: See a biblical plague of giant locusts obliterate a collection of scenic postcards of Chicago!
King Dinosaur :: Proves that perhaps a feature film that barely breaks an hour might still be too long. And can anyone tell me how it actually ends? That's right -- conspiracy theory time, as we try to unravel what sinister forces are preventing me from seeing the end of this film.
Queen of Outer Space :: An intergalactic Battle of the Sexes awash in high heels, mini-skirts and day-glo colors that proves that even though we have a long way to go to reach true gender equality, judging by what we see on screen, one cannot deny that we have come a far piece already.
Bride of the Monster :: Ed Wood's most coherent movie, where we're not sure whose blowing the most noxious swamp gas out of Lake Marsh, the monster or his maker. (My money's on Tor Johnson.)
You'll Find Out :: Where the Ol' Professor, Kay Kyser, and The Kollege of Musical Knowledge goes toe to toe with a trio of cool ghouls -- Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Bela Lugosi -- while trying to survive the night in a secluded haunted mansion and put the kibosh on a nefarious murder plot.
And we've updated and unleashed another marathon :: J.D.'s and Rocketbras. Five jolting tales of very good girls doing some very bad things.
High School Hellcats :: Lured in by the siren call of an all girl gang of hooligans, instead we get American International's dry take on the dysfunctional atomic family of the 1950's. Sadly, the causes and effects are still the same some fifty years later.
Hot-Rod Girl :: Seems more concerned with some dope struggling to come to grips with the death of his speed-freak brother than any hot-rodding femme fatale. Yes. *gasp* The movie title lied.
Village of the Giants :: Bert I. Gordon gets his groove on with some giant go-go dancing malcontents in mash-up of H.G. Wells and George Orwell. I'm serious!
The Violent Years :: Another Ed Wood fueled romp that features debutante delinquents, co-ed pajama parties, thrill-killers, communists, girls in prison, illegitimate babies, and perhaps the strangest sexual molestation ever committed on film.
Teenage Devil Dolls :: Where they don't even bother to change the name of the innocent because everybody's guilty in this scathing indictment written and directed by B. Lawrence Price Jr.
And we'll wrap this edition up with a feature spotlight on The Sadist, where Arch Hall Jr. turns in the performance of a lifetime in a film that will leave you flummoxed as to how damn good it is once you see who's involved. That's right, from the same folks that gave us EEGAH! and Wild Guitar comes one of the most brutal and downbeat flicks you'll ever lay your eyes on.
2 comments:
Wow, I'm so glad you reviewed Village of the Giants! What an awesome movie--I remember buying this at a 99 cent sale at a Hollywood video in Southfield and boy am I glad I picked it up. Makes you wish for the days when hippies hung out in dance clubs, took pills, and grew to enormous sizes.
Amen, sister!
Exploitation films were so much better when they were born, not ready made.
Thanks for commenting, and stay tuned. More oddball reviews to come.
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