.

.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

In Old Caliente (1939)

An American western musical directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers.
A singing cowboy is accused of wrongdoing that he did not do and is imprisoned in the basement of a wealthy landowner. The landowner is about to let him out to hear his story when the landowner is shot. Thinking that the cowboy is now a murderer, the landowner's son chases him as harriers seek a golden orb.
The plot was extremely vague and not communicated clearly. The main characters were identifiable, but everyone else got lost in the shuffle. The musical numbers were dispersed tastefully throughout the film and other characters sang with the cowboy. The style was very much of the times, video had some underexposures and the audio was a little scratchy in places. I rate it poor.

Born to the West A.K.A. Hell Town (1937)

An American western directed by Charles Barton, starring John Wayne, Marsha Hunt and Johnny Mack Brown.
A pair of cowboys get caught up in a gunfight and end up meeting the cousin of one of them. The cousin gives him money and sends him to lead a cattle drive. He also meets a woman who bandages his eye after a fist fight. During the cattle drive, the main character saves this woman when her horse runs away with her on it. When the drive is over, the main character is getting robbed by playing a rigged game of poker. The rich cousin steps in, wins back the money and catches the other players and the bartender cheating. Another gunfight ensues.
There was some fast paced action with the chases and fights. The plot was not as clearly communicated as I would like and the characters were a little too shallow. There were some good camera angles, the best one showing the bartended switching decks of cards when he served drinks. The style was very much of the time, but the audio and video were pretty clear. I rate this tolerable because it was alright, but didn't really catch my interest.

Exposing the Illuminati From Within

An American Prophecy Club documentary by Bill Schnoebelen.
Bill talks about his involvement in the Illuminati/freemasonic orders and their ideas as it pertains to Christianity.
This was all repeated stories from other talks. He did a slightly more extended "Cathedral of Pain", but it was nothing compared to his Interview with an Ex-Vampire version of the story. There were some talking points that got me thinking and the 5 hour duration definitely gave him time to explain some things. Prophecy Club style audio and video with slides, but some of the slides were not on time. I'll rate this good because of amount of information and duration. I with an XV is still the best for this speaker.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Gunfight at Red Sands A.K.A. Duello nel Texas, Gringo (1963)

An Italian western directed by Mario Caiano and Ricardo Blasco, starring Richard Harrison.
The drunken son of a gold mining family brags about his family's gold at a saloon. The next day, three harriers arrive at their home to kill the father, wound the son and take the gold. Another son, who is adopted, returns from a conflict in Mexico and works to find the harriers who stole his family's gold.
This film is the king of video artifacts. There were white things flying around and black vertical lines constantly on the screen. The plot was easy to follow and the characters identifiable. The pacing was about right and the style marked it as a product of 1960s Italy. The soundtrack was one of the worst I have ever heard, with a herky-jerky vocal number at the beginning and end and some treble-heavy saloon piano playing. I really think they could have done a better job because the story was alright, but the presentation sucked. I rate it poor.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

The Strong Delusion and Fallen Angels

An American Prophecy Club documentary by Bill Schnoebelen.
Bill compares fallen angels, demons and aliens. He also talks about alien abduction and contact between humans and angels.
This does include a shortened version of the "Cathedral of Pain" story, as well as many of Bill's other tales. He mentions David "eye-kee" at one point, referencing Icke's views on reptilians and saying that Dave hates Christendom as a whole. This is one of those instances where two people with an enormous amount of puzzle pieces do not communicate because of minor disagreements. If Icke and Schoebelen worked together, they would be a force to be reckoned with! Anyway, two and a half hours of repeated stories with some new material thrown in. Prophecy Club quality video and audio. Judging by beard length, I would say this was recorded between 2010 and 2012. I rate it adequate. If you really want to hear Billy S. cut loose, get Interview with an Ex-Vampire. Almost everything else that he has made is repeating that core material.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Vampires and Werewolves Fact or Fiction (2011)

An American Prophecy Club documentary by Bill Schnoebelen.
Bill relates information about vampires and werewolves from his own experiences and the media. The main talking point is whether it is good to partake in occult media.
This was pretty good. I had heard all of these stories before, but didn't mind a repeat. As with all Prophecy Club videos, it looked and sounded fine. They even showed his slides at the correct times. My main beef with the information is this: If drinking blood is supposed to be so bad, why are we told to drink Jesus's blood? The other thing that bothered me was that Bill was getting close to telling his "Cathedral of Pain" story towards the end, but did not do so. That's my favorite story to the point where I wrote a song about it! Bill is an entertaining speaker and I like watching his talks. However, most of the information was repeats from his other talks. I rate this adequate.

Death Rides a Horse A.K.A. Da uomo a uomo, As Man to Man (1967)

An Italian spaghetti western directed by Giulio Petroni, starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law.
When his home is attacked by harriers, a boy is the only survivor. The harrier who showed up late to the attack gets out of jail for an unrelated matter and meets up with the boy who is now a man. They compete to see who will get revenge first.
You can always tell which movies Quentin Tarantino likes because he copies from them mercilessly. In this case, it was Ennio Morricone's soundtrack that was used in Kill Bill 1. The two main characters were memorable, but everyone else was extras. The plot was a little vague in some areas, but could be followed. The camera-work was hit and miss, with some scenes being amazingly better than the rest. I really liked the pan of faces in one scene. The soundtrack was indeed awesome and I can see why Tarantino would like it. Most of the film seemed a little rushed in pacing and mostly shoddy in style. I'm rating this o.k. because it had good elements, but was mostly crappy.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Deadwood '76 (1965)

An American western directed by James Landis.
A young gunslinger named Billy encounters a gold miner and saves him from indians. They form a partnership, buy land and strike gold. Billy reunites with his father, who is living with the indians and obtains a squaw girlfriend. Back in town, Wild Bill Hickok believes that Billy is Billy The Kid and wants to have a gun duel with him.
I'm Billy Mays, here to share with you the most important product I have ever endorsed, access to affordable health insurance for everyone. This was actually pretty good. The plot was a little complex, but clearly presented and the characters were memorable. The pacing was just right: slow enough to enjoy the film, but speeding up during action sequences. The narrative music was tastefully dispersed through the film at appropriate times. The video was atrocious, being not only pan-and-scanned, but stretched vertically (picture) and extremely grainy. That is an actual screenshot. The audio was decent. It wasn't anything super-fantastic, but I liked this movie. I rate it adequate.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Perfection or Perversion of the Holy Bible

An American documentary by Gail Riplinger.
Gail speaks on the subject of Bible versions. Again.
This was JUST LIKE Gail's other speech. It even included the same erroneous Styx reference to parties in Hades. If you've seen one, you don't need to watch the other. Granted there are some minor anecdotes that differ between the videos, but the main idea is the same. She says King James version because it was the first English translation and contains text that other versions do not contain. She speaks clearly, the video is decent, but the sound is a little low on volume. I rate this o.k.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Dead Aim (1975)

A Mexican western directed by Jose Bolanos, starring James Westerfield.
An orphan who is raised by a gravedigger falls in love with a prostitute who is in a relationship with an outlaw. The outlaw robs a bank stagecoach full of money, but cannot open it. The prostitute leaves him and is picked up in the desert by an escaped slave.
The plot was not clearly communicated and did not make sense. Individual scenes made some sense and were shot well, but did not form a coherent whole. The audio and video were good and it had that gritty '70s western style. I'm rating it tolerable because it was a very well-made hunk of junk.

Rear Window (1954)

An American mystery thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart.
A disabled photographer lives in a city tenament building that has a window facing other buildings full of apartments like his own. He watches the neighbors through this window and suspects that one of them has committed murder.
The camera-work was spectacular! We have panning and zooming working together to look into other windows and then the camera pulls back to reveal that it has been in the main character's window all along. He gets out his binoculars and the viewer sees his view through them, as well as his telephoto lens camera. The plot and characters were clearly communicated and easy to keep track of. The style was very much of the times, but still good. The pacing really speeds up toward the climax when multiple things are happenning in a short amount of time and we get lots of short and action-packed camera shots. I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in photography (still or video). I rate it good.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Days of Jesse James (1939)

An American western directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers.
A train is held up by the infamous outlaw, but he lets an old man and young woman get away with their money. The old man puts his large sum of money in a bank, which is subsequently robbed. The old man gets excited and goes out to look for the thieves.
The plot was rather vague and murky in most sections and I had trouble distinguishing between the many cowboys. There was a single musical number, which was repeated. I thought this was pretty stereotypical of westerns from that time. I rate it tolerable.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Cancer Wars (2014)

An American documentary by Bill Schnoebelen and Cory Black.
Schnoebelen details his research and opinions on cancer. He provides information on nutrition and treatments.
I think I may have watched too much Vampire Santa. He's a truly gifted speaker and interesting to listen to, but he is not wowing me quite as much as he used to. Maybe because he is not relating tales of witchcraft and black magic in a humorous manner. This documentary is well-made and full of useful information presented in a clear manner. In fact, I felt like I should have been taking notes. Billy S. does get excitey about the almighty. Otherwise, he wouldn't have changed his pronunciation. In older videos, we hear God referred to as (phonetic) "Yah Way" and Jesus as "Yuh Shoo Uh". In this more recent film, we hear (not joking, watch it) "Yahoo uh" and "Yahoo Shoo Uh" as in "Yahoo! Isn't this fun?!". All word-play aside, this is a good documentary and I recommend it if you are interested in learning how to prevent cancer. However, I have been watching too much Bill and am a little tired of him. I rate it adequate.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Mormonism's Temple of Doom

An American documentary by William Schnoebelen.
Billy S. goes into detail on the history and beliefs of Mormonism. He also explains his opinion on the flaws of this religion.
Schnoebelen is good, but not infallible. Most of his videos are interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking, but sometimes there are dull moments. This is two hours and 27 minutes of those dull moments. I did chuckle at some points when he drove home a powerful statement, but overall, I was unimpressed. Maybe this is because I have very little interest in Mormonism. Also, he forgot to mention the primary and intrinsic flaw of the religion, it's name. Mormo is a bad guy from Greek mythology who was Hecate's buddy and is listed in the Satanic Bible as a name for the devil. Even if you like Schnoebelen's work, you may want to skip this snoozer. I rate it o.k. and considering the presenter, that is an insultingly low rating.

The Enochian Chronicles (1997)

An American documentary by Bill Schnoebelen.
Schnoebelen talks about angels and UFOs.
This was great! Bill hits the nail on the head with a jackhammer! Unfortunately, his slideshow is not in the video. The only other flaw was the audio being a little bit low. The subject matter is clearly presented with some referencing of sources. He gets into an amazing amount of material in an hour and 14 minutes, from TV shows about angels to H.P. Lovecraft's writings. Also included are different types of aliens, Mormon secrets and Deep Underground Military Bases (dumb). All of this is presented by the blessed orator with a sense of humor. I rate this awesome and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter.

Friday, March 20, 2015

Cry Blood, Apache (1970)

An American western directed by Jack Starrett.
A man revisits locations and has flashbacks of what happened there. He was part of a gang that destroyed an indian village and left with the last remainiing woman. A man from the village was away and returns to find the destruction. He chases down the gang in an effort to exact his revenge.
This was actually not too bad. The plot was conveyed clearly and the characters were identifiable. The video was a little grainy and there were audio problems. The audio was muffled and out of synch as if it were dubbed badly. What made the biggest impression on me was the cruelty and violence depicted. The gang was completely sadistic in their treatment of the villagers and the revenging indian devised torturous methods to kill the white men. Overall, I would recommend this to those who are looking for on-screen violence. I rate it adequate.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Gail Riplinger: New Age Bible Versions

A documentary by The Prophecy Club and Gail Riplinger.
Gail details the difference between the King James bible and other versions.
This was recommended by a friend at school who is into the King James bible. The presenter does a decent job of speaking clearly and stating her point. She uses a transparency display to show related images and text with some charts and graphs. I did not go in depth on checking her sources, but I did check her reference to Styx lyrics containing "party in Hades" and she is wrong there. The band never mentioned Hades and there was only one occurrence of "party" in their lyrics. Another issue that there is much debate over is whether Lucifer or Jesus is the morning star. I did some quick research and was unable to successfully resolve the question. Lucifer IS identified as the morning star once, with Jesus being IDed in this way multiple times. Make what you will of that. Overall, the video of Gail's lecture was interesting and easy to understand, but probably not entirely "right". I rate it o.k.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Cowboy and the Senorita (1944)

An American western musical directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers.
A pair of cowboys are mistaken for kidnappers when they find the bracelet of a runaway girl on the trail. They eventually meet the girl and find that she is searching for her late father's buried treasure in his worthless mine. A businessman is in the process of buying the mine and the cowboys must decipher whether the girl's story about her father's treasure is true.
The plot was clearly communicated and characters easy to keep track of. The musical numbers were tastefully sprinkled through the film, so they did not wear out their welcome. I thought that the style seemed a little bland and hokey. The filmmakers were definitely not trying anything new and creative on this one. It always throws me for a loop when I see cars in a western. This one seemed to be set near a city for some strange reason that I cannot fathom. Overall, it's a standard, old, hokey singing cowboy flick. I rate it o.k. because there are many things that are much worse than that.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Colorado (1940)

An American western drama directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers.
An official comes to town in order to enforce law and order.
Even after viewing the film and reading Wikipedia's plot summary, I still don't understand what's going on. Was it poor directorial choices, poor acting or lack of style that condemned this film? I vote for lack of style, which includes all the rest. Style is when people are doing stuff right and their own way. Style is good camera-work that shows what's going on. Style is good script-writing that translates into good delivery by actors. I'm learning about making videos at a community college and they say you have to make a plan. Every step in the process is important. This film lacks the definitive style that community college students can lend to a film that says whose film it is. Totally standard and boring with only one crooning cowboy country song, I rate this bad. It lacked all qualities that would make it good.

Monday, March 16, 2015

China 9, Liberty 37 A.K.A. Amore, piombo e furore (1978)

An Italian Spanish western directed by Monte Hellman, starring Warren Oates, Jenny Agutter and Sam Peckinpah.
A man who is about to be hanged is pardoned when he agrees to kill another man who is in the way of a railroad. They meet and become friends, but the mark's wife falls in love with the assassin. The married couple get in a fight and the wife leaves the husband for dead to run away with the assassin. When the husband recovers, all hell breaks loose because not only is he after the couple, but the railroad people are after all of them.
I liked the plot, although it became a little muddy at times. The characters were good, but the main character's accent changed a few times. The pacing was right, with fast fights and slow time between them. I thought the scene with the main character removing a bullet from his own leg was good. Another amusing aspect was the bottles of booze and cocaine medicine that were omnipresent. Apparently, there is a director's cut edition of this somewhere with some nudity and maybe extra violence. Those things would have really helped to make this film great. It has that gritty western style and if we add a naked Jenny Agutter (of Walkabout (1971) fame), it would be just grand. As is, I'm rating it adequate, but I am going to search for the director's cut as soon as I finish this post.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Bulldog Courage (1935)

An American western directed by Sam Newfield, starring Tim McCoy.
A very polite outlaw holds people up along a roadway and makes them drop their guns before robbing them. He then pretends to be people whom he is not when the destruction of a mine with dynamite is being planned.
There was almost nothing to review here. It was very standard and regular, but the plot was a little too vague or murky. What stood out most to me was the haunting visage of Tim McCoy. He has a very long face. During the dynamite to mine plan, Tim mimics the exact words and speech style of the nerdy explosives expert, which I found funny. There were a few editing mistakes and audio/video artifacts, but it wasn't poorly made. Overall, not good, but not painful. I rate it tolerable.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Broadway to Cheyenne A.K.A. From Broadway to Cheyenne (1932)

An American western directed by Harry L. Fraser.
A detective in New York is trying to catch a gang of criminals when he is shot. The doctor sends him home to Wyoming to rest at his father's ranch. When he gets there, he finds that the gangsters are also there and he must face them again.
The plot almost got my interest enough to follow what was going on and I think I recognized the main character reappearing a few times. The editing was pretty sloppy. There was one cool scene in which the cowboys had a quick meeting before giving their city slicker visitor a forced makeover. There were also a few fist-fight brawls that caught my attention for a moment. Other than that, it was a whole lot of nothing. I rate it poor. Not recommended.

Boot Hill A.K.A. La collina degli stivali, Trinity Rides Again (1969)

An Italian spaghetti western directed by Guiseppe Colizzi, starring Terence Hill and Bud Spencer.
Gunfighters, brawlers and gamblers clash while a circus is in town. Something about a deed to a mining claim.
This was totally incoherent. I usually like Terence Hill and Bud Spencer films, but this one was so poorly made as to destroy it's own plot. The camera-work was the worst part because everything was shot in extreme close-up and literally all of the film was underexposed. It is hard to convey a story using only single characters peering out of inky and nebulous blackness. The audio was a little better than the video, but still far from good. This is definitely in the running for "Worst Film Ever Made". I rate it shit.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Blue Steel A.K.A. An Innocent Man, Stolen Goods (1934)

An American western directed by Robert N. Bradbury, starring John Wayne.
An undercover marshall teams up with the local sheriff to stop a gang of thieves and save the woman whom they have kidnapped.
This was really bad. The audio was the worst and sounded like it was recorded inside a tiny plastic box. Much of the film was accompanied by the muted sound of horses running. The video was shoddy, but there were no editing mistakes and the camera-work looked decent. The plot was not clearly communicated, partially because of inability to hear what the actors were saying. Speaking of actors, the acting was terrible. Long scenes of horse riding slowed the pace to a crawl. Put all of this together and you've got shit. No wonder the initials of the title are BS for bullshit. I turned it off at about 40 minutes of the 54 minute duration. Now that's bad! I rate it shit. DO NOT WATCH!

Billy the Kid Trapped (1942)

An American western directed by Sam Newfield, starring Buster Crabbe and Anne Jeffreys.
A trio of noble and honest cowboys are mistaken for a trio of look-alike outlaws. After saving the sheriff from a bullet wound, they endeavor to clear their names.
This was pretty standard, but a fine way to spend 54 minutes. Despite the series-indicative title, it has nothing to do with Roy Rogers' Returns film, except the similar premise. The production wasn't stellar and I noticed some lack of wind-screen on the audio. The video had some artifacts as well. The plot kept my interest and the characters were few and easily identifiable. Relatively quick pacing paired with that good old western setting definitely helped. I rate it o.k. because it's just a regular western flick.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Billy the Kid Returns (1938)

An American western musical directed by Joseph Kane, starring Roy Rogers.
A singing cowboy is mistaken for Billy the Kid, who has just been killed. He defends settlers from ranchers with the help of a musical instrument salesman.
This wasn't really worth watching. Very stereotypical of the singing cowboy western and at only 53 minutes duration, you're better off just skipping it. Lame and standard in every aspect. The music was alright, but lame and standard too. I rate it poor.

Bells of San Angelo (1947)

An American western musical comedy directed by William Witney, starring Roy Rogers and Andy Devine.
An author of cowboy novels visits a rural town where a border inspector is looking for silver smugglers and their mine. An English gentleman from Scotland Yard also visits, looking for a man who has changed his name.
This was actually a great movie. I think what stood out to me was good acting by well-portrayed characters. Speaking of characters, I've heard the sheriff's voice before. He's Andy Devine, Friar Tuck from Disney's Robin Hood (1973). The plot was a little on the complex side and because of time restraints, I had to restart 3 times to get through the whole duration. The video looked good in primitive color and the audio was alright. The musical numbers were few and far between, adding some extra style without wearing out their welcome. This is a keeper. I may be biased because of my preference for westerns and cartoon voice actors, but I rate this good. Recommended for those who want a good, clean western set in modern times.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Arizona Stage Coach (1942)

An American western directed by S. Roy Luby, starring Ray Corrigan. Part of the Range Busters series.
A stagecoach is repeatedly being robbed. A team of cowboys on the case find that the bank employees are involved.
Can you say mass-produced Hollywood bullshit? I know I'm dredging up the term from way back when I was watching new movies, but it applies here just the same. The editors had no respect for the final product, as evidenced by their bountiful and obvious mistakes. The plot was as shallow and stereotypical as the characters. You get the idea. NOW... How about them swastikas? (picture) And this was in 1942, DURING WWII!!!! The honky tonk songs were awesomely hokey as well. Hmmm, piece of shit with swastika doll and good music? Tolerable. At least it was only 52 minutes long.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Arizona Days (1937)

An American western directed by John English, starring Tex Ritter.
A cowboy in a music show extracts payment from men who have entered without paying. He is given a job as tax collector and runs into conflict with some outlaws who have not paid their taxes.
The plot was really lame and stupid. Characters were stereotypical, audio was a nightmare, video looked horrid and there were editing mistakes galore. Looks like someone doesn't know how to make a movie. The hokey honky tonk songs were the only good part. Since I like westerns and tend to give them more wiggle room, I will rate this poor.

American Empire A.K.A. My Son Alone (1942)

An American western directed by William C. McGann, starring Richard Dix and Leo Carrillo.
A man on a boat overhears another's business plan and acts on it. The plan is to buy land and harvest the cattle that come with it. The original orator of the idea then begins stealing cattle from the businessman. The businessman falls in love with a woman and they have a son. Eventually, the whole thing turns into a dispute over land usage.
I was reminded of There Will Be Blood (2007). The whole businessman with a son buying land deal is similar. The plot was relatively clear and the characters were identifiable and easy to keep track of. Audio and video were primitive, but not too bad. There was a lot of incorrectly exposed film involved. Overall, I thought it was just short of alright. I rate it tolerable.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Abilene Town (1946)

An American western directed by Edwin L. Marin, starring Randolph Scott and Ann Dvorak.
A town marshall helps the county sheriff when a feud over land and town erupts. Settlers have arrived in a town at the end of a cattle trail and are at odds with the cowboys. The marshall and sheriff stand with the settlers to drive out the cowboys.
This was alright, I guess. The audio and video were primitive, but there were no editing mistakes. The pace was relatively quick, although the hour and a half duration would indicate otherwise. I think I may have seen some scenes that were speeded up during the cattle stampede. The plot and characters were pretty standard for a western of this time. Style was basic and standard, but not really lacking too much. The sheriff was very attached to a card game called fantan which he played with an older woman and the marshall. It might be a little boring to some folks. I rate it tolerable.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

What Becomes of the Children? (1936)

An American drama directed by Walter Shumway.
A brother and sister are separated when their parents get a divorce. The parents and children are reunited later in life.
This was like watching nothing. The editing mistakes, video artifacts and muffled audio full of crackles and pops were just peachy. Simple plots are alright, but this went to the point of nearly lacking a plot. There was some character development, but that was overshadowed by the film's flaws. The high point was the sister's friend being hotter than fire (picture). I rate this bad. Not worth watching.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Scarlet Letter (1934)

An American drama directed by Robert G. Vignola, starring Colleen Moore.
A woman whose husband has gone away has a child by the preacher of the town and is labeled an adultress. The husband returns and the priest confesses.
The plot was simplistic and was drawn out by using filler scenes. The audio and video were nightmarish, but not totally trashy. I cannot blame this on the early date of the film because I have seen better films that were made earlier in history. This did not hold my interest and had crappy production. Hence, I rate it bad.

The Medicine Man (1930)

An American drama directed by Scott Pembroke, starring Jack Benny.
The son and daughter of an abusive shopkeeper escape his clutches with the help of a man from a travelling show.
This sounded like it was recorded inside a metal trash can and looked worse. There were editing mistakes, video artifacts, dead air hiss and crackling pops. The plot was extremely simplistic with minimal characters of very little depth. Although a technical disaster, it did not hurt to watch quite as much as some films with better production. The card game trickery, boy looking for busted boxes of candy and happy ending were high points if there were any. I'll be really nice and rate it poor.

The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)

An American romantic drama directed by Richard Brooks, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon and Donna Reed.
A couple who meet in Paris have various drama in their lives. The man is an ex-soldier who wants to be an author, but becomes an alcoholic. The woman comes from a family which lives a regal lifestyle, although being totally broke. They have a daughter together who adds to their problems.
I am in no way interested in the lives of these people. Their problems are not mine and I care not what becomes of them. Mostly a talking movie (besides writing, kissing and drinking), it held little to capture my attention. I sat through about an hour of the two hour duration before turning it off. The audio and video were fine and there were some creatively framed shots. The plot was clearly communicated and the characters were identifiable. Although technically sound, it did not interest me. In accordance with my turnoff rule, I rate it shit.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

The Great Dan Patch A.K.A. Ride a Reckless Mile, Dan Patch (1949)

An American drama directed by Joseph M. Newman.
A man marries a teacher and moves to a city. His racing horse is injured, but has a colt that grows up to be fast. The man does not get along with his wife and a farm girl is attached to the horse.
Lame, sappy and boring. I didn't like the plot or characters, although they were clearly presented. The style was very much of the time that it was made. It was nearly painful to watch such a long film that I was not interested in at all. I was tempted to turn it off much of the hour and 35 minute duration. I rate it bad because I just plain don't like it.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

The Giant of Marathon A.K.A. La battaglia di Maratona (1959)

A French Italian sword and sandal action directed by Jacques Tourneur and Mario Bava, starring Steve Reeves.
Phillippides is an Athenean military leader. He meets a young woman who turns out to be royalty and they fall in love, although another woman is trying to win his heart. There are also some political issues going on, which eventually start a war.
More sword and sandal. Oh boy. This was pretty standard for the genre, so I won't go into lots of detail. What I do want to mention is the epic sea battle at the end. It basically makes the film worth watching. The opposing naval forces use lots of different strategies and tools of war. So, standard and stupid peplum with a cool naval conflict scene? I rate it tolerable.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Slaves in Bondage (1937)

An American crime drama directed by Elmer Clifton.
A young woman works at a nail salon for men. Her boyfriend is trying to get a job as a newspaper reporter. Meanwhile, there is an organized crime syndicate working on counterfeit money and prostitution.
The plot was very, very vague. I believe that the Motion Picture Production Code may have had something to do with this, but there were women in lingerie, murder and a fight scene. The audio and video seemed about right for the date in that they were not too bad, but not too good either. Basically, it seemed like they were beating around the bush too much. I rate it poor.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger: Menace from Outer Space (1956)

An American science fiction directed by Hollingsworth Morse.
A rocket hits the Earth and is traced to a moon. Rocky and crew are sent to investigate. They find that the moon has been taken over by a villain who has lied to the inhabitants.
This was very much like the other Rocky Jones film, so I will just elaborate on my previous post. The plot was very clearly communicated in both of them. There was never any doubt who was who, where they were or what they were doing. The relatively high quality video definitely helped in this. Usually science fiction sound effects from this era tend to be harsh and screechy, but that was not the case here. I would recommend these films to anyone looking for decent science fiction from the '50s. Another o.k. rating.

Rocky Jones, Space Ranger: Crash of the Moons (1954)

An American science fiction directed by Hollingsworth Morse.
A set of moons attached by an atmospheric belt enter a solar system and cause problems for the people there. After the narrow escape of a space station, the moons begin their collision course with another moon. The leader of the 3rd moon is hostile and is unwilling to accept outside help.
This was pretty hokey. The science ideas involved were absurd. Such is the way with '50s science fiction. Being part of a television series, the characters were already known to the audience and not developed in this film. The plot was dependant upon the absurd science ignorance of the 1950s. Production value seemed alright to me. The spaceships looked a little bit small and the landing and takeoff scenes could easily have been recycled. Overall, it was mildly amusing. I rate it o.k.