Friday May 17, 2013 at 6:51
Happy to announce I’m partnering with entrepreneurs/producers Jeremy Frommer and Rick Schwartz of Jerrick Ventures to produce, basically, all things STEAM WARS: action figures, graphic novels, trading cards, games, and more.… To kick things off we’ve created three trading cards, one to be given away, signed by me, at each of the next three Wizard World/Comic Cons (Philadelphia, New York and Chicago) with a different one in each city. If you’re in the Philly area at the end of this month (5/30—6/2, see link below), please say hi to me, get your free card signed (plus anything else) and—what the heck—say hi again. PS: still moving forward with LS3, please bear with us. This has been a hand-typed announcement.
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-pa.html
Friday May 10, 2013 at 10:58
Written by Richard Blackburn and Robert Fern Directed by Richard Blackburn
Thursday April 18, 2013 at 11:16
HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1970)
Written by Santiago Moncada Directed by Mario Bava
John Harrington (Stephen Forsythe), a Paris-based designer of high fashion bridal gowns, is tormented by fragmented memories of the murder of his mother. Each time he murders a new bride, he recovers another piece of his memory. For a 1970’s European movie about a serial killer, HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON is remarkably restrained, with little gore and no nudity. The script by Moncada, a respected Spanish author of psychological thrillers, is much better than most co-productions of this kind (although a number of plot holes exist because of last minute re-writes, which I’ll go into later), and Bava’s direction, aided by his own cinematography, is stylish and subtly humorous. Forsythe was an experienced and talented Canadian actor who is quite believable as the trendy fashion designer with a secret life, while Laura Betti, with her round face and large eyes, is perfect as his wife, a sympathetic harridan who torments him because he is not the man she thought she was marrying. It was the sudden availability of the award-winning Betti that caused the quick re-writes; her presence added respectability to the project (she had worked with Fellini, Pasolini and De Sica, and would later work with Bertolucci and the Taviani Bros), and she adds a physical eccentricity that compliments Forsythe’s restraint. Though not Bava’s best film, it is a good thriller with some wonderful set pieces and creative photography, expressing as much through its imagery and editing as through its dialog or actions. It’s Italian title, Il rosso segno della follia (THE RED SIGN OF MADNESS), makes more sense than it’s U.S. title, if only because the killer uses a cleaver, not a hatchet, and the color red figures prominently. While it is available on a number of PD sources, Redemption’s DVD is from a beautiful 35mm print, which not only does justice to Bava’s cinematography but also has occasional slight noise on its soundtrack that makes it feel like you’re watching a film, not a digital image.
- Robert Deveau
Friday April 12, 2013 at 12:18
THE SNOW DEVILS (1967)
Written by Renato Rossetti and Ivan Reiner, from a story by “Audrey” (Aubrey) Wisberg
Directed by “Anthony Dawson” (Antonio Margheriti)
When a remote weather station is destroyed and the Earth’s climate goes haywire, Commander Rod Jackson (“Jack Stewart”/Giocomo Rossi-Stuart) of the United Democracies Space Command (referred to as “Udsco” long before we ever know what that means) is called in to investigate. He is assisted in his trek into the Himalayas by Capt. Frank Pulasky (Goffredo “Freddy” Unger), Lisa Nielson (“Amber Collins”/Ombretta Colli) and Sherpa guide Sharu (Wilbert Bradley - who I’d just seen in SANDOKAN THE GREAT). The final film in Margheriti’s loosely joined Gamma One trilogy (after WAR OF THE PLANETS and WILD WILD PLANET) is mostly earthbound and has a rather relaxed pace, but the wacky costumes and hairdos (Rossi-Stuart’s coif is quite amazing, as is that of the titular characters), the primitive yet effective spfx, the comically absurd race of hirsute blue alien “snow devils” and the final third when the Gamma One takes off for Jupiter’s moon Callisto make it a fun 90 minutes. Alberto Lavagnini’s score is early 60’s guitar-centric and unlike anything he did for sword and sandal epics. Not as wild and wooly a space adventure as the previous two, but fun none the less. (Viewed on Warner Archives widescreen DVD which loses color balance during dissolves but is otherwise nice looking.)
- Robert Deveau
Wednesday April 03, 2013 at 11:46
Friday March 22, 2013 at 12:13
Friday March 15, 2013 at 11:32
Monday March 04, 2013 at 11:04
Tuesday February 05, 2013 at 9:47
Written by Art Arthur and Arthur Weiss Directed by Ivan Tors
Zoologist jim Harmon (Robert Culp) hires poacher Alec Burnett (Harry Guardino) as a guide to assist him in researching the endangered animals of Africa. They are both especially interested in the rare white rhino, although each has very different reasons. This movie can’t decide if it wants to be a travelogue about animals, an Ivan Tors-style family-friendly entertainment (ala FLIPPER or “Daktari”), or a tense safari adventure (like KING SOLOMON’S MINES) so it suffers on all counts. The characters are seriously underwritten, and though Culp, Guardino and Shirley Eaton (as a doctor) do their best, they don’t have a lot to work with. When Guardino’s men steal Culp’s truck loaded with his notes and equipment and Culp tracks them down, the pace finally picks up, but by that time the film has been running for 50 minutes and it’s too late. The final sequence involving the capture of two white rhinos is well filmed, with the two leads obviously interacting with the dangerous wild animals. Gorgeously filmed on location in Zululand, but the movie’s versimilitude can’t rescue it from its poor writing, direction and pacing. (Viewed on TCM, whose print looks fine.)
Friday January 18, 2013 at 11:13
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