BobO'Link

I watched Return of the Giant Majin a couple of nights ago. While the plot is almost identical to the first film (bad guys take over a town and Majin comes to the rescue) it's still very different. In this one there are a couple of villages who control a lake and are very prosperous. The evil overload in the mountain area is jealous because the lake peoples have it better so he takes over the towns. Lots of samurai action (like the first) and a bit of Kaiju thrown in for good measure.

The edited/dubbed AIP US versions are pretty good films. But I *will* be picking up the new BR set from Mill Creek that has all 3 Damajin films in OAR and original language.

Last night I watched Zontar: The Thing from Venus (1966) and The Eye Creatures (1965). Both were good campy fun and provided quite a few laughs. I noticed quite a few sets being shared by the films as well as actors. Are the original films, It Conquered the World and Invasion of the Saucer Men available on DVD?

Ash Ketchum

I'm sure you know this already, but ZONTAR and EYE CREATURES were part of a package of films that AIP paid Larry Buchanan a ridiculously small amount of money to make in Dallas for release directly to TV. All but one were remakes of 1950s AIP monster/sci-fi movies. The one that wasn't was MARS NEEDS WOMEN. The fees paid to import Hollywood stars (John Agar and John Ashley in the ones Bob saw and Tommy Kirk and Yvonne Craig in MARS) took up most of the budgets.

There used to be a fanzine called Zontar devoted to a presumed cult based on the movie. Arguably the best fanzine I ever read. (In the days before home computers when blogs were typed up and printed on paper they were called fanzines.)

BobO'Link

^Yep! Zontar had a budget of ~$22,000 and Eye Creatures even less at ~$16,000. It would be interesting to know how much Agar and Ashley made for their work in these. I'm sure that's why lots of the interior sets were reused.

I really enjoyed Agar's performance in Zontar. There's a scene where he's fighting off a flying lobster (at least that's what it looks like) with a fireplace poker and holding a cigarette. He *never* drops the lit cigarette. The scenes where he's riding off on a bicycle because cars won't work are priceless! While I don't recall ever seeing either of these before they are the type of films I grew up watching on TV on Saturday matinees and late night horror host programs.

One of the soldiers used for comic effect reminded so much of Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy) in both looks and voice that I had to look up his credits to see if it was really him. While it's not on his credits at IMDB he would have been ~20 at the time and the guy in the film looks to be about that age... Hmmm...

Spiderbite

This is not a criticism at all, just a question: Why do Three Stooges shorts count in this challenge?

I read thru the first page so I may have overlooked it. This is my first time to try this challenge so it may have been discussed before. I was just curious as it could help me when looking at similar items.

Again, not a criticism. I don't care. I was just wondering. Thanks.

BobO'Link

Those short subject divisions were pretty much run by the "B" units and not given much money to create their films. The Three Stooges made Columbia *millions* but the Stooges didn't know this (how is anyone's guess) and were payed almost nothing for their work. They actually went year-to-year wondering if their contracts would be renewed.

shadokitty

Watched a movie on Epix Drive In this afternoon, that I'm not sure if it was a first time view or not, Eat My Dust!, starring Ron Howard. It seems like I watched a very similar movie last year for the challenge that starred Ron Howard as well, but the movie didn't seem quite the same at the same time. They were both about a teen and his girlfriend going for a drive in a stolen car.

wayoutjunk

If the one you saw also had Ron Howard in it was probably Grand Theft Auto. I believe the story was that Howard originally turned down the part in Eat My Dust, but later agreed to do it when Corman offered him the chance to direct his own movie. That turned out to be Grand Theft Auto (which I believe Howard also co-wrote with his father).

shadokitty

That's the movie I was thinking of that I saw last year, Grand Theft Auto. Thanks.

wayoutjunk

I was off today, so I got quite a few movies done today. I started off with Mondo Magic, which was the only "Mondo" film on Amazon Instant Video. This was my first film of this type, and I didn't care for it at all. It just looked like an excuse to follow African natives and film the most violent and sexually explicit rituals that they perform (sometimes even in slow motion). I actually had to do this one in two sittings, because it was difficult for me to get through. Oh well, I at least got the Mondo and X-rated movies off my checklist!

I needed a good palate cleanser after that, so where better to turn than to Elvis? I caught Paradise, Hawaiian Style and thought it was fun, especially during the first half or so when it seemed like he had a song for every topic of conversation. (Didn't Eddie Murphy do a routine about that?)

I then saw the Andy Milligan "classic" The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! It was pretty disjointed, but that was probably because he originally filmed a werewolf movie, and then added a second plot about rats to cash in on the Willard craze at the time. The most uncomfortable part was when a young lady played mumbledy-peg using what must have been an actual sedated mouse. She finally stuck the knife pretty close into it, and was about to nail it to a board with the scene (mercifully) cut away. The acting in this movie wasn't too great, but I liked the low-rent Dark Shadows feel it had to it.

Next I hit it hard again with The Defilers. I read this was one of the first "roughies", and it did get pretty bad, although not as bad as I thought it would. I'm finding if I find a movie that's the first or what's said to be the most representative of a certain genre, it doesn't turn out to be as explicit as I think it'll be, and I'm OK with that.

I ended this evening with The Immoral Mr. Teas, one of the first "nudie cuties". It was about a guy that imagined beautiful women he encountered without their clothes on, and it was odd because it was just this polka-like music and crazy narration. It was almost like a randier Mr. Hulot's Holiday. This isn't really my thing, but I appreciated the humor and lighter tone of it.

One thing I've discovered is that an awful lot of these movies are on YouTube, which is good for me because I wouldn't have been able to find them otherwise!

wayoutjunk

For anybody who wanted to see Rock N Roll High School, Epix Drive-In is showing it a couple more times this Sunday the 20th. I've got my DVR ready for it this time!

mrcellophane

Yesterday, I watched The Big Cube in which Lana Turner is drugged by her stepdaughter and the stepdaughter's conniving boyfriend. I won't say that it's a good movie ('cause it's really not), but I really enjoyed it. Lana Turner is one of my favorite actresses, and this film gave her some good opportunities to act melodramatic, including a very satisfying slap. Unfortunately, a lot of attention is given to the young couple and their plan, and this is were the film drags on and on.

After that, a friend came over and we watched Gamera: Guardian of the Universe which was awesome! This is the first Gamera film I've seen, and I will definitely seek out others. Despite having a half day at work, I had a very bad day and picked up the Mill Creek Gamera trilogy from Target as a bit of retail therapy. It ended cheering up both me and my friend immensely. Great flick!

shadokitty

The entire trilogy is great. I hope you enjoy the others.

pacaway

Well, now I feel bad for you wayoutjunk! Not only had I set my DVR to record Disco Godfather as I had hoped, but it also turned out to be blaxploitation, cheesy, b-movie greatness! It's like it was 1979, producers thought, 'you know, we've gotta cash in on this disco thing. Let's do a blaxploitation movie about it! Ya! What else can we throw on there? Hmmm, how about this new drug, PCP, that we clearly know nothing about? Ya! Better get some basketball in there, and a few crooked cops! Of course! Some psychedelic hallucinations for good measure... Oh! Throw the word Godfather in there and I'm sure a few more people will think this is a good movie! Now, should we teach the actors how to look like they know how to fight? No, no more room in the budget for that, but at least we can get some amateur disco dancers to fill in extended minutes of running time real cheap!' All I can say after that is "put your weight on it, people!"

Alright! You've convinced me! I bought that 3 pack of Gamera Blu-ray's last year. I better watch them now... Way too many people loving them to be ignored any longer! Bring on the giant monsters!

By the way, I'm going to a panel discussion next weekend at the Calgary Comic Expo featuring most of the cast of Aliens including Sigourney Weaver and Bill Paxton. Clearly I must watch Aliens this week. Is there any way I can count it this month? It is clearly NOT a bad sequel of a good movie, but is there any other way?

Speaking of Aliens, I picked up the Blue Underground Blu-ray of Dead and Buried, which says "The Creators of Alien bring a new terror to Earth" on the cover. Is anyone familiar with this movie? Is it any good, and is it appropriate for this challenge?

nezumi

You do have wild cards available to you for the challenge...

Not to call out anybody in specific, but it always astounds me the lengths that some people will go to rationalize why something they want to watch should "count" for these challenges. I watch tons of things outside of the challenge's scope. Sometimes the line is clear, other times it's not so clear. When it's unclear whether something should count, I use a wild card. If I've used them up, then I don't count it. In the end, all that matters is whether or not I've enjoyed what I've seen. Watching movies shouldn't be regarded as a means to an end like filling up some sort of tally. That should be more incidental than anything.

shadokitty

I watch tons of things that don't count for the challenge. Maybe that's why I'm only sitting at 34. But my goal in the end is have fun, and I enjoy watching my sports and documentaries as well as B movies.

Ash Ketchum

Last night I went to the theater to see a modern B-movie in a niche genre, the "dancical" (i.e., a musical focused solely on dancing). It was MAKE YOUR MOVE and it starred Derek Hough from "Dancing with the Stars" and Korean pop star BoA. I went because of BoA, a performer I followed briefly in the mid-2000s.



I liked it a lot. Granted, I've never seen any of the STEP UP movies or SAVE THE LAST DANCE, all of which feature the writer-director of MAKE YOUR MOVE in their writing credits, so I'm not too familiar with the formula in this genre. But I had a good time. The two leads may not have much acting experience, but they're good-looking, charming and sincere and they dance well. And there is a lot of dancing in it. What more could you want in a musical? There's a significant Asian presence in the multicultural cast, not something we usually see in these movies. BoA and Will Yun Lee play Koreans who were raised in Japan, so Korean and Japanese are both spoken at different times in the film.

It was pretty low-budget, shot mostly in Toronto, even though it's set primarily in Brooklyn. There are plenty of establishing shots with the lead actor framed against Brooklyn landmarks, so they evidently did at least a day or two of production in Brooklyn.

wayoutjunk

Aww, thanks for rubbing it in, pacaway! I might see if I can get it through Interlibrary Loan. It probably wouldn't come until after the Challenge, but it sounds like it would be worth it anyway!

And I believe you mean "Put your weight on it!"

ntnon

Death Wishes I, II, III and IV... interesting, similar but different enough. The first one was easily the strongest - by the time various semi-family members of Kersey are dying in III I started to wonder if he's possibly the most unlucky man in film... Perhaps the only surprise was that his love interest in II didn't die..!

Death Wish III is probably the most ludicrous (although IV is arguably a completely different type of film), with it's theme of not only crazy gang violence running rampant on the streets, but also blocks full of old people ready and willing to kill the gang members without hesitation. I appreciated the early mugging victims' reluctance to turn Paul in (and provide false descriptions, reminding me of my earlier-in-the-month watching of The Sex Thief), but the streets full of carnage - and throughout it all, the willingness of various people to brazenly carry money and shopping alone through the streets! - were just too over-the-top unbelievable. The police being such useless shots for instance...

From the start, the title seemed off... alright, he has a bit of a death wish, but surely "The Vigilante" would be a much more accurate title, wouldn't it?

Death Wish IV, from it's dream sequence opening and gun-for-hire plotline is a very different film, and also a very different TYPE of film (despite the similarities), as he finally - albeit at someone else's behest - starts going up the chain; rather than focus on muggers, he's after the moneymen, druglords and gangsters at the top of the heap. Which makes a bit more sense, really.

Possibly the best line from the fourth film: "I don't even know the girl!" "...I do." (Bang)

BobO'Link

Last night I watched Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot (1977), a movie filmed like a documentary. That is, it looks and sounds like a documentary but is a total construct. I can't even call it a "mocumentary" because it plays it all straight as if it's the real deal. It's also horrible, full of cliche' characters, dialog, "action", and bad narration with some incredibly lame attempts at humor thrown in just for good measure. The music sounds like it's from a 60s travelogue type film. The *only* reason I gave it 1 star (out of 10) is the scenery. Occasionally there are some great shots of mountains and lakes. If you purchase the "Beast Collection" or the single disc "Sasquatch Horror Triple Feature" you've been warned!

I watched the other 2 films on that disc this morning:

Snow Beast (1977) is a made-for-TV affair. It, too, is very lame and typical of such TV films in that decade. Pretty much one of those types that if you don't like the actors you'll not like the film. This one has Bo Svenson, Clint Walker, and Yvette Mimieux. Ms. Mimieux is in ski garb pretty much the entire film so there's not even a shapely figure to help this one. Walker was OK but I'd rather watch him in some of his earlier work. I can't say I've ever heard of Bo Svenson and he got top billing. (*EDIT* I looked him up on IMDB - he'd done lots of "bit parts" in TV shows prior to this film but nothing I saw should have given him billing over either Mimieux or Walker. It turns out I *have* seen a few films he's done but I can't say his face or roles really stood out. What I've seen him in are pretty much supporting roles.)

The Snow Creature (1954) was a bit better (the best of the three) but honesly nothing to write home about. An American botanical expedition in the Himalayas stumbles across a Yeti den, captures one, and transports it back to Los Angeles, where it escapes while customs officials are debating whether it is animal or human. It looks like a very tall hairy guy wearing a Russian Ushanka hat. They chase it through the sewers after it "terrorizes" the town a bit. The plot reminds me a bit of King Kong although the expedition wasn't explicitly looking for a Yeti. It was interesting simply because it's the first SF film to feature a Yeti as the monster. It, too, suffers from bad acting, dialog and directing.

I hope the last disk of that set has something a bit better. Still, it's been worth the purchase for the two Majin films as well as Zontar... and The Eye Creatures.

wayoutjunk

I'll be honest. I've pretty much focused all my movie watching this month toward the Challenge, probably because this is my first one to do. I check the links on each of the genres, see what movies are listed there, and look for them that way. If I'm still in doubt, I ask you guys if a specific movie is permissible. I'm also trying to throw an additional personal challenge to make as many of these movies I see ones that I haven't seen before.

I admit that I haven't enjoyed every movie I've seen this month (I never want to see another "Mondo" movie again as long as I live), but that's OK. My B-Movie watching is mostly confined to 50s-60s horror and sci-fi, but this is giving me a chance to expand my movie viewing horizons, and even taking me out of my comfort zone sometimes. Then again, isn't that what movies should do?

malazar

I watched this one earlier in the month. I must have been in a bad mood for this kind of movie because the first third or so I hated it. Then the scene with the animals in the helicopter and the song about the animals happened and it broke my bad mood and then I embraced the movie for the fun that it had to offer.

I have had a pretty varied day so far. I started out with Cheech and Chong's Next Movie which was available on Netflix and I hadn't seen before. It was pretty hit and miss, especially since I don't partake of weed since I am pretty sure I am allergic to it. There were some hilarious moments. It was also good to see early turns from Pee Wee Herman and one of my favorite comedic actors, Michael Winslow. Why doesn't he show up in anything these days? His schtick never gets old to me.

Then I watched Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey since I was in the mood for some Bruce and wanted to see the actual Game of Death footage again that makes up 34 minutes or so of the runtime of this film. Obviously, the documentary counts for the challenge, but would this count for the actual checklist item for a Bruce Lee film since it includes more footage from the intended Game of Death than the actual movie of that title itself had? Either way, it's not like I will complain if I have to rewatch another Bruce Lee film.

Then, I broke open my new blu-ray of The Jekyll and Hyde Portfolio. Yeah, this one was pretty bad. It was also surprisingly gross with lots of graphic scenes of live dissections of frogs. Rene Bond was cute though as always so that was worth the price of admission.

Does anyone have any recommendations for the Eurospy and sword and sandal categories? I have to admit these two categories are pretty much blind spots for me. I have looked up the category suggestions and see big list of movies, but would appreciate any recommendations especially of stuff that might be available streaming somewhere. I have Netflix/Prime/Hulu Plus. I have to agree with what wayoutjunk said above. While I haven't enjoyed every movie I watched so far this month, I have enjoyed most of them and it is always fun to step outside one's comfort zone and explore different types of movies. That being said, I am sorta expecting to have the same reaction as him when I watch my first "Mondo" movie later this month especially since it will probably be the same film.

wayoutjunk

Don't forget to check YouTube as a source for movies. I was amazed at how many I've found there! That's where I got my Eurospy movie called Some Girls Do. It was fun, plus it starred Richard Johnson, one of the actors on the Safe List. Also, for some reason I can't explain, I found it funny that the big villain in the film was named Carl Petersen. (It just doesn't have the ring of Dr. No or Goldfinger does it?) You can also find Neil Connery in OK Connery, a film that MST3K tackled under its other name Operation Double 007 (released on DVD as Operation Kid Brother). Was that about as clear as mud?

For my Sword and Sandal flick I watched Sinbad of the Seven Seas, which I had on DVD (but is also on YouTube). If you like wonderfully cheesy movies, you'll enjoy this one too. It also takes care of two items from your safe list, director Enzo G. Castellari and actor Lou Ferrigno (who is dubbed in this film). This rates high marks from me, but of course your mileage may vary. Hope that helped!

coyoteblue

Eurospy:
Two OSS 117 movies are available on netflix. A better option would be the two Bulldog Drummond movies available on youtube, Deadlier Than the Male (1967) and Some Girls do (1969).

malazar

Thanks! Those look like good suggestions to me. I'll check them out on Youtube and let you know what I think.

shadokitty

Just watched Have Rocket, Will Travel, the first movie in my Three Stooges movie set. I might have seen it as a kid, but not really sure, but I counted it as a first time view anyways. It was a great movie. But then, I'm biased, because I love the Three Stooges.