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A documentary film crew, in the South American jungle hoping to film cannibals are reported missing and a New York anthropologist, undertakes to find them. Professor Monroe returns with several reels of their undeveloped film, which he views when back in the US. They reveal the crew staging their footage by terrorizing and torturing the tribes people and their subsequent fate.
Ruggero Deodato's infamous 'video nasty' was banned in several countries, due to its graphic depiction of gore, sexual violence, and gratuitous animal killings. Shockingly it manages to looks good and is well made, but it betrays it's exploitation roots with the slaughter, sexual torture and news footage of actual executions. Some see this film as a social commentary, but I see better targets for social commentary than South American cannibals! To me it tries to shock for shocks sake, hiding under a vaneer of being something better than it is. What does the prolonged scene of the killing and dismemberment of a turtle actually add to the film? Is the director trying to make a point about the inhumanity of man, or just adding shocking footage just to shock? To me it's the latter. A truly shocking film, sometimes for the right reasons, but mostly for all the wrong reasons.
aka Invasion of the Triffids. Revolt of the Triffids.
Based on the John Wyndham novel, this is a tale of apocalypse. An impressive meteorite shower produces a once in a lifetime spectacle, that everyone watches. Unfortunately the shower results in blindness for anyone that watched it. The shower also introduces a new plant life to earth, the triffids, a carnivorous life form, which quickly exploits the blind as a food source. Into this scenario we are introduced to a couple who are quickly disintegrating due to his alcoholism, surrounded and trapped in a lighthouse, and a sailor who searches for other survivors, firstly in Britain, then France. None of them watched the meteors, and all wake to a world full of blind people and triffids.
Many liberties have been taken with Wyndham's novel, which annoys some, but when wasn't a novel adapted and butchered by the film version? What we have here is a low budget film, that does what it can with the material. Whilst not a classic, it's still enjoyable, as we watch Howard Keel wander Europe as it disintegrates into chaos and anarchy. But through it all a shred of decency remains, with Keel protecting and leading a young girl hopefully to a sanctuary somewhere.
aka City of the Dead.
College student Nan (Venetia Stephenson) is studying witch burnings in the 17th Century. She decides she needs to visit the site of one such burning, to soak up the atmosphere. Her professor (Christopher Lee) suggests she visit Whitewood, where such events occurred. When Nan subsequently doesn't return, her brother and her boyfriend decide to find her. Once in New England, they stumble into a coven of witches based in Whitewood and uncover a tale of curses, sacrifices and revenge.
A surprisingly good chiller, for an obviously low budget and studio-bound film. Based on a story by Milton Subotsky, slowly builds the suspense, using intelligent scripting, and moody, atmosphere drenched sets, to unsettle and gradually bring on the claustrophobia and tension. The whole thing is more reminiscent of a Val Lewton 40's horror, rather than the more overt 60's horrors.
Derek Flint (James Coburn), that all round man about town and genius, is back. This time to foil the plans of a group of women, who plan on ridding the world of men and their irrational, frustrating ways, to let women run the world. Through their beauty salons they are brainwashing women to follow them and also replace the US President with a look-a-like. Lloyd C Cramden (Lee J Cobb) realises something is going on and quickly calls on the help of the only man who can help. So again Derek gets to save the world and surround himself with yet more beautiful woman.
This is a suitable follow up to Our Man Flint and continues its send-up of spy movies with added digs at the war between the sexes and women's lib. A light comedy parody of the spy genre, with some nice action, the fact that this was Austin Powers favourite movie should give you an indictation of where it's coming from.
The world's government's are being blackmailed by a devious group that has demonstrated that they can control the weather, and create disasters whenever and wherever they want. With all the greatest spies already dead or occupied on the hunt, the governments have no choice but turn to the one man who can help: enter Derek Flint (James Coburn), a true renaissance man. The world's greatest at everything, who surrounds himself with a harem of beautiful women.
The ultimate spy spoof, has everything, great performances, wonderful script, fantastic soundtrack, beautiful women and over the top sets.
A meteor shower falls to earth, attracting attention as they fall in perfect formation! Dr Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton), and his team set out to investigate. Due to a recent accident Arden doesn't travel with them to the site itself. Which is very good, as those that do are taken over by the aliens to act as slaves to repair their ship. It turns out that Temple is immune to their brainwashing, and is the earth's only hope!
A weak script and mediocre direction don't help this film, as it limps along. A cross between Quatermass 2 and It Came From Outer Space, but with none of spark that these had. Not one to seek out unless you are a Michael Gough completist.
Fathom Harvill (Raquel Welsh), is the title character in this enjoyable and light, breezy, and comic film. She's a skydiver, touring Europe, who is recruited by a British secret agency to recover the Firedragon, which she is told is a hydrogen bomb trigger. The only problem is that there are other agents also aiming to recover this item. There follows a whole lot of cross and double cross, where no-one is who they seem, and Raquel gets to wear a whole load of revealing outfits.
An entertainingly light spy spoof, with suitably breezy soundtrack. Great as long as you're not looking for anything too heavy, and you have an eye for a fine female form!
aka Wong Fei Hung ji saam: Si wong jaang ba. Huang Fei Hong zhi san: Shi wang zheng ba. The Invincible Shaolin.
Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li), sidekick Chung and Aunt Yee (Rosamond Kwan), are in Beijing when the Empress announces a Lion Dance martial arts contest. He meets up with a rival for Yee's affections and the lethal Club Foot, a martial arts expert who beats up Fei-Hungs father to stop him entering the Lion Dance contest.
The third instalment, brings together the main participants from the previous films, and continues the story of Fei-Hung. But this time with less of an emphasis on the politics of the day, and unfortunately the fight scenes are less punchy (if you pardon the pun). Nevertheless they produced an entertaining film, though not quite up to the standards of the previous two.
aka Wong Fei Hung II: Nam yi dong ji keung. Huang Fei Hong II: Nan er dang zi qiang.
In this sequel, we return to Canton and martial arts expert Wong Fei-Hung's (Jet Li), struggle to rid China of the unhealthy influence of foreign powers. But this time it is Westerners, and westernised Chinese that are in real danger, due to the fanatical Kung and White Lotus society. When the White Lotus attack a medical seminar, Fei-Hung is aided by Sun Yat-Den, a rebel leader who wants to set up a Chinese Republic, but Fei-Hung's friendship with Yat-Den sets him at odds with the Manchu government official General Nap Lan, (Donnie Yen).
This is essentially more of the same, taking up to story from where it left off, more spectacular set piece fight scenes, a comedy side-kick and unrequited love between Fei-Hung and Aunt Ye (Rosamund Kwan). The final showdown between Donnie Yen and Jet Li has been called "the greatest fight of Jet Li on screen". Unlike most sequels this actually maintains the quality, a must see for martial arts fans.
aka Lady of the Shadows. Roger Corman's The Terror. The Castle of Terror. The Haunting.
Lieutenant Duvalier (Jack Nicholson), is separated from his regiment, when he meets a young woman (Sandra Knight), who walks off into the sea. Some time later he meets her again, but again she disappears. He then learns that she is at the Baron's castle. The Baron (Boris Karloff), reluctantly lets Duvalier in, but denies that the woman is there, instead showing him a painting of a lady who looks just like the mystery woman, and was the Baron's wife, who died 20 years previously. Will Duvalier be able to get to the bottom of the mystery?
One of those Corman efforts where he shot first, as he had some sets and some actors, then tried to piece it together into a coherent story. So what we have is a Corman improvised Edgar Allan Poe style film which consequently is slightly disjointed at times, but it still manages to sustain interest, mainly due to the solid performance of Karloff and provide some thrills along the way.
aka Wong Fei Hung.
It's the late 19th century in Canton and the legendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung (Jet Li), dismayed at the influence foreign countries have over China and it's people, decides to counter them. Whilst fighting against the western forces he also tries to protect Aunt Yee (Rosamund Yang), who has returned from America full of western thoughts and ideals, as they are both subject to the unwanted attentions of a local gang.
A wonderfully shot and realised film about a sensitive time in Chinese history. It fills out the characters more than most Asian films, but doesn't neglect the martial arts, with some fantastic set piece fight sequences. It also manages to cram in some romance and comic characters within this historical epic. A landmark film, well worth watching even for those not into Hong Kong action films.
A documentary film crew, in the South American jungle hoping to film cannibals are reported missing and a New York anthropologist, undertakes to find them. Professor Monroe returns with several reels of their undeveloped film, which he views when back in the US. They reveal the crew staging their footage by terrorizing and torturing the tribes people and their subsequent fate.
