The three big stars in Don’t Turn The Other Cheek! help to make it a fun comic spaghetti western.
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The greatest compliment you could pay an exploitation film is to say it looks like they designed the poster first and then recreated it on screen. This formulation describes Inframan perfectly. Every one of its scenes could be bullet-pointed with the word “SEE!” in front of it (“SEE! Hong Kong engulfed in flames! SEE! The evil sorceress with an army of kung fu monsters!”) It is, in many ways, a perfect film, in that it is resoundingly successful in achieving what it sets out to do—which is transport its audience into a hyperbolic comic book world and entertain them beyond their wildest dreams. Its production values are high enough that it never seems to be striving beyond its means–its art direction, set and costume design all combining to create a seamless alternate reality. As such, it never once betrays its commitment to being a nonstop celebration of color, speed, style, violence and the joyous suspension of disbelief. In short, it is cinematic escapism in its absolute purest form.
Keith Allison is the chief Bacchanologist at Teleport City.
Invasion (2005)
If you have some experience with B-movies, chances are you’ve run into something by Albert Pyun. If I told you this Pyun sci-fi film had a shop-worn plot, minimal special effects, repetitious dialog and a ridiculously inflated running time, you’d probably think you knew what to expect. You’d also probably figure I didn’t like the movie very much.
You’d be wrong on both counts.
I have to admit, though… Pyun’s $35,000 movie had me asking a question I normally only ask while I’m watching a multi-million dollar Hollywood production: Where did all that money go?
Will Laughlin is the Braineater.
Although Fighting Mad is not about Cracked’s pathetic efforts over the decades, it is all the same pathetic.
Master of penny-pinching…
Aug 28
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Well! We can hardly have a low-budget Roundtable without a visit from Uncle Roger, so I have transferred over two reviews: Monster From The Ocean Floor ($12,000 – $18,000, depending on who you ask), and The Beast With A Million Eyes ($23,000).
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Meanwhile, I have also transferred a handful of silent films:
A Trip To The Moon (1902)
Frankenstein (1910)
She (1911)
Conquest Of The Pole (1912)
Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde (1912)
Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde (1913)
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Et al. has been updated—again mostly midday and midnight movies, but I also continue my quest to catch up with the year 2007:
– recommended from this batch: Pink Strings And Sealing Wax (1945), The Overlanders (1946)
– anti-recommended from this batch: Premonition (2007)
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And finally, our very own The Rev has contributed a book review, taking a look at Les Simon’s rampaging-giant-lizard novel, Gila!
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<Kent Brockman> “That oughta hold the little SOBs!” </Kent Brockman>
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Liz Kingsley is the insane genius behind And You Call Yourself a Scientist!
I wonder what J. D. Salinger though of his son Matt not only embarrassing himself in the Albert Pyun Captain America movie, but also in the feeble romantic comedy Options.
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…in which we discover that if a paranormal entity has been following you around since your childhood, it’s best to have a boyfriend who isn’t a complete jerk…
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Liz Kingsley is the insane genius behind And You Call Yourself a Scientist!
The science fiction movie Manborg overcomes its ludicrously low budget – and its Canadian origins – and becomes very entertaining.
Look at me, all caught up like I was a responsible member of the cabal or something…
Black Narcissus (1947), in which Respected Artists can get a Condemned rating from the Legion of Decency, too…
Danger: Diabolik (1967), in which it’s expected for once that we’re all rooting for the bad guys…
Dune (1984), in which the “YOU TRIED!” star genuinely is something to be halfway proud of…
The Human Tornado (1976), which eats easily 30% less rat soup than the original Dolemite…
Infra-Man (1975), in which we can all have such a thing…
Multiple Maniacs (1970), in which John Waters is forced reluctantly to concede that not even Divine can upstage Charles Manson…
Water Power (1976), in which there really is a mafia-financed porno movie loosely based on the case of the Illinois Enema Bandit, and I apologize to you all for bringing that to your attention…
and…
The White Buffalo (1977), in which all of Dino De Laurentiis’s mid-70’s obsessions come together in a single picture at last.
They didn’t learn their lesson with Hugo The Hippo. Brady’s Escape further proves that co-productions with communist Hungary were a bad idea.