My next-to-last word on the Halloween franchise, alongside the next step in my kung fu education:
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978), in which Jackie Chan’s first experiment in kung fu comedy goes over like a lead flying guillotine until the prospect of easy money changes its producer’s mind…
Halloween Kills (2021), in which a temporarily incapacitated Laurie Strode gets a little help from her neighbors in the fight against Michael Myers…
The Hunt (2010), which is not only a riff on The Most Dangerous Game that I never knew existed, but also one with a gimmick that I’ve never seen before…
Murder Weapon (1989), which calls itself an erotic thriller, but is really more of an erotic slasher movie…
and…
The Ship of Monsters (1960), in which smoking-hot space girls on an interplanetary mission to recruit breeding stock to replace their extinct menfolk enjoy a much warmer reception in Mexico than others of their sort received in Britain some years earlier.
El Santo rules the wasteland-- and also 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting.
#1 by Blake on January 30, 2023 - 6:18 pm
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Ching Kan, who plays the surprise villain in HALF A LOAF OF KUNG FU, is better known to fans as Kam Kong. He was the Master of Flying Guillotine himself, and played the villain in several early Jackie films, including SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN and SNAKE AND CRANE ARTS OF SHAOLIN.
#2 by Blake on January 30, 2023 - 6:26 pm
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And yes, Dean Shek is what I refer to as a “comic vortex.” Once in a while, he will be reasonably amusing, like in DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE’S SHADOW. But usually the movie stops in its tracks for him to do his shtick and the result is akin to being stabbed multiple times in the stomach.
#3 by The Rev. on February 2, 2023 - 12:37 pm
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Several years ago we tried to watch Ship of Monsters at T-Fest, only to discover both Ken’s and Sandy’s copies had some sort of defect that stopped it from playing after about half the movie was one. It was a huge blow to us because, to a one, we were having an absolute ball with it. A couple years later we found a subtitled copy on YouTube during B-Fest weekend, so some of us could finish it. It has become one of those movies, like Super Inframan and Who Killed Captain Alex? that I inflict on everyone I know with pride. It exemplifies everything I love about Mexican kids’ movies, and then adds super-gorgeous women and genuinely funny (and sometimes surprisingly dirty) jokes for flavor. Best of all, it’s now available on DVD from Monsters in Motion.
#4 by Alaric on February 3, 2023 - 12:51 am
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Sometimes, I wish there was a website that existed solely to keep track of all the “Most Dangerous Game” variants, adaptations, riffs, etc.
I’ve been wanting the see Ship of Monsters for years, just based on stills I’ve seen. I actually downloaded a version a few years ago, but have been afraid to actually watch it, in case it doesn’t live up to my hopes (I realize it’s silly, but in this case, I really want it to be the movie promised by the stills I’ve seen, if that makes any sense). Thanks to this review, I’m thinking the only question I still need to ask is whether I should watch the version I downloaded or find a possibly higher-quality version.
#5 by El Santo on February 3, 2023 - 11:30 am
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“I’m thinking the only question I still need to ask is whether I should watch the version I downloaded or find a possibly higher-quality version.”
Believe it or not, one of the subtitled prints up on YouTube right now is just superb. That’s how I watched it for my review.