Jack And The Movies
Even though it is hot here in the MidWest, fall is peaking its colorful head around the corner. I look forward to the fall because a mantle of peace and cooler temperatures descends on this small town of mine. This…
Diners, The Movies and Genuine Experience
Diners, THe Movies And I love east coast diners. There is a sense of wonder whenever you enter one. Usually the waiters and waitresses have spent decades working there and even upon first viewing they drip with a sense of…
Community, The Movies and 9/11
A community is a group of people who share something in common. You can define a community by the shared attributes of the people in it and/or by the strength of the connections among them. You need a bunch of…
Hollywood and The Theaters, Irreconcilable Differences?
I do not know if I am the only one, but the world is changing fast. I see all the prognosticators exclaim that movie going is back to where it was in 2019. To be frank I kind of don’t…
The Headless Eyes (1971)
My eyes! AAOOOAAAUUUGGHH! My eyes! That’s what I screamed myself after watching this atrocity of a film. No gore, no effects, no acting, no sense. The movie opens with a guy robbing a woman’s apartment while she sleeps, and when…
Cult of the Cobra (1955)
Set in 1945, six American GIs crash a cult that worships snakes, and are threatened to be killed, one by one, for their misdeeds. Back home in New York City, their fates start to unravel. Faith Domergue is amazingly beautiful,…
Corridors of Blood (1958)
This is a deceptive little film. First off, because it was made and sat for four years before release, you might be inclined to think it is a dud–but that’s far from true. The film is very good–good enough to…
Space Master X-7 (1958)
Behind this bland, forgettable and indescriptive title is one of that decade’s more interesting low budget items. “Blood Rust” was probably the script’s original name, and this refers to the red coloring of Mars which, as is found out on…
Blood Freak (1972)
I get so emotional whenever I attempt to write a review about “Blood Freak”. The last review I wrote was not accepted by IMDB as I got too out of line and my review degenerated into uncontrolled bantering. Just know…
Hell’s Belles (1969)
Hells Belles started off pretty adequately, and as it went along it turned out to be one of the better biker pictures I’ve seen from AIP. It probably wont be remembered much years from now, and one reviewer who said…
The Movies, Rising Out Of Covid
It’s hot out there. The heat has descended on the MidWest in an all-consuming way. What is interesting is that people are making deep efforts to counter COVID and insisting on normalcy. The problem is, I think, as a whole…
Theater of Blood (1973)
Vincent Price, the star of countless B-Movies from the fifties to the seventies, in his perhaps best role ever. This movie is wicked fun; a failed Shakespeare-actor brutally settles the score with all his critics – but they all meet…
The Black Scorpion (1957)
Another stop motion classic from the atomic age. Giant scorpions awakened by volcanoes menace Mexico. You think a swarm of giant scorpions is bad, wait until you see the biggest and baddest of the bunch…The Black Scorpion!! Willis O’Brien (the…
Robot Monster (1953)
If you could pick one single movie which fueled the bad sf/horror movie cult popularized by The Golden Turkey Awards and ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ then ‘Robot Monster’ would be it. Ed Wood’s ‘Plan Nine From Outer Space’ is probably…
Circus of Horrors (1960)
I recall seeing this film as a child in 1960. My mother was quite angry at dad for taking us to a movie that was “definitely not for children”. This is a grim story of a doctor fleeing some botched…
Two on a Guillotine (1965)
This is one of those films from 1965 that my friends and I went to in our small-town movie theater. I remember it as being full of those jump-out-at-you moments with people in the theater screaming. Connie Stevens is the…
The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1962)
Upon first seeing this film as a youngster, I was frankly disappointed at the lack of a “bear” (to borrow the term used to describe the weekly monster featured in vintage Outer Limits episodes). What kind of monster movie is…
Horrors of Spider Island (1960)
It doesn’t take you long to suspect that this movie was made quickly and cheaply, and the opening scenes with the ‘dance girl’ auditions is definitely a large signpost which says “Bad Movie Buffs Only”. As you might expect from…
The Ballad of Tam Lin (1970)
That’s the tag-line American International Pictures used to exploit this fantasy/horror film. Based on the ancient Scottish ballad “Tam Lin” (one of it’s many titles), the plot concerns an aging, beautiful woman Ava Gardner) who uses her wealth (and occasionally,…
Conspirator (1949)
In her first adult role Elizabeth Taylor was all of 17 years old, but her co-star Robert Taylor who was a most discreet man when talking about his leading ladies, couldn’t help but remark about how mature Liz was when…