God bless those pagans…
May 14
A report of a missing girl sends an upright (and uptight) police officer to an island off the coast of Scotland, where he finds his Christian beliefs challenged, not by the emergence of a new counter-culture, but the re-emergence of a very old one. Celtic paganism holds sway on Summerisle, and as Sergeant Neil Howie pursues his investigation, he grows increasingly certain of just why that girl is missing…
[Warning: some screenshots definitely NSFW!]
The White Gorilla (1945) isn’t an allegory for race, despite having a black gorilla and a white gorilla displaying hatred for each other against an African backdrop. No, it’s just a chance for Hollywood apeman extraordinaire Ray Corrigan to reuse the white-furred gorilla suit he’d already worn in the same year’s White Pongo. And as long as we’re reusing things, let’s cobble together half of this hour-long feature from footage from the silent serial Perils of the Jungle (1927), which the producer just had lying around. Is that quality entertainment, or what?
Happy birthday to me!
May 13
This just in (courtesy DVD Drive-In): on 18th August (squeee!), Sony will be releasing an ICONS OF SCI-FI: TOHO COLLECTION, which will comprise Mothra, The H-Man, and Battle In Outer Space. All three will be in widescreen, and the set will include the Japanese and English-language versions of each.
As with their previous Hammer set, Sony are asking the public to vote for their favourite cover art at Amazon.
I should also mention that (with very little warning) Mondo Macabro will be releasing The Bollywood Horror Collection Volume 3 on 19th May. This will contain Mahakaal, the Bollywood version of A Nightmare On Elm Street, and Tahkhana, about “Two sisters, separated as children, who share the secret of a hidden treasure. Years later, their secret falls into the hands of a bunch of sleazy adventurers. What none of them know is that the treasure is guarded by a hideous monster, animated by the blood of a vengeful black magician.”
In other important news, Criterion have secured the rights to Roman Polanski’s Repulsion; they will be releasing both DVD and BluRay versions, containing a new, restored 1.85 HD digital transfer, a commentary by Polanski and Catherine Deneuve, and documentaries on the film’s production. Release date is 28th July.
The Mild Ones
May 13
Urlatori alla sbarra (1960)
You might expect something a little edgier from the man who directed Don’t Torture a Duckling. But this energetic musical, Lucio Fulci’s third film as a director, is probably the tamest entry in the Roundtable.
Raising the curtain on the latest B-Masters roundtable, I give you…
Class of 1984 (1982), in which both juvenile delinquents and the music they listen to have become a hell of a lot scarier since Vic Morrow’s day.
And on a totally unrelated note, we have…
The Black Hole (1979), in which Disney decides to grow a pair– to markedly mixed results…
Jaws 2 (1978), in which people who should certainly know better still refuse to listen to Martin Brody…
Jaws 3-D (1983), in which yet more sharks follow Brody’s kids to Florida for the summer…
and…
Jaws: The Revenge (1987), in which the studio finally just comes right out and admits to what we’ve all been suspecting since about two movies ago.
Since Original Crew Month is over, what should I review? How about another shot-in-Romania fantasy kidvid? That’s the ticket!
Sort of a Quasi-update
May 6
I have nothing intelligent to say about Kabrastan, but I felt like saying it anyhow.
I had been hoping to see the movie ever since I read about it in “Mondo Macabro” years ago; so when I found out it was available to watch on-line, I was so delighted — and pleasantly surprised by the movie itself — that I felt like sharing the experience.
It's that time again…
Apr 30
Time for another B-Masters Cabal roundtable! This time, we delve into the relatively little-explored world of counterculture exploitation– movies about hippies, bikers, beatniks, punk rockers, neo-pagans, and anybody else in youthful rebellion against whatever you’ve got… to say nothing of the squares and finger-waggers trying to put them down! We’ll be turning on, tuning in, shooting up, and rocking out all throughout the month of May.
One from the Vault
Apr 30
Leonor (1975)
So what happens when you bring together a world-class cast and crew, and make a vampire film that has no blood… no fake fangs… no rubber masks… and a tragic love story for grown-ups?
The movie sinks without trace, that’s what.