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Review: Man Hunt

Ethan Wayne plays The Stranger, who gets on the wrong side of a local rancher (Ernest Borgnine) and wrongly accused of stealing his horses. Sent to a harsh prison run by Henry Silva, who tries to break the young man. Wayne is hell-bent on escaping and clearing his name (Does ‘The Stranger’ even count as a name though?). Bo Svenson plays a lawman, with Terry Lynch playing Borgnine’s daughter who sympathises with Wayne.   So far as the sons of John Wayne go, Patrick Wayne is probably the most recognisable having appeared alongside his dad in films like “The Searchers” before trying to branch out on his own in the likes of “The People That Time Forgot” and playing Pat Garrett in the first “Young Guns” movie. Then there’s Ethan Wayne, you might’ve seen him on TV’s “Pawn Stars” as an ‘expert’ on his dad’s memorabilia. Yeah OK, he also played Storm Logan on “The Bold and the Beautiful” , and an early role with his dad in the underrated “Big Jake” , but that “Pawn Stars” gig is o...
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Review: Four-Sided Triangle

Childhood friends Stephen Murray, John Van Eyssen, and Barbara Payton are working on a scientific project – a duplication device. Murray has long harboured feelings for Payton, but the latter becomes engaged to Van Eyssen. What is a scientist with a duplication device and a love triangle to do? James Hayter plays the resident doctor in the small town the characters live in.   You won’t find too many films that director Terence Fisher ( “Stolen Face” , “The Curse of Frankenstein” , “Horror of Dracula” ) also worked on the screenplay for. In fact, there’s only two, the mediocre 1953 “Mantrap” and this 1953 sci-fi/drama, both for Hammer Studios. To be honest, it’s pretty clear that Fisher’s strengths aren’t in screenwriting, but this is by far the better of the two films. James Hayter and his narration are terrific, the film has a cosy, small village family movie vibe, at least at first. Imagine “The Fly” done by Frank Capra but set in England, and you’ll have some idea. There’s...
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Review: Aftersun

**** SPOILERS AHEAD, SAVE THE REVIEW FOR LATER. **** My take on this 2022 drama from Charlotte Wells is so greatly antithetical from 99.5% of the viewership of this film that, when combined with the seriousness of the subject matter, made me contemplate not even writing this review let alone publishing it. It just seemed to be asking for trouble that I genuinely don’t want. I certainly wouldn’t want to seem like I was trampling on or invalidating the greatly emotional response many had to the film. Your take on the film is no doubt absolutely valid and widely held. Y’know what, though? I think I owe it to the 0.5% to post this one and hope that maybe my view’s as valid as the majority view because I really do have a firm view on this one. It seems like cowardice to refrain from posting. Perhaps it’s a view a few of you will share, or at least one that you’ll understand.   This will be an entirely spoiler-filled review, because it’s impossible for me to talk about this particu...
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Review: Mitchell

Joe Don Baker plays the sleepy-eyed but dogged cop of the title who thinks there’s a criminal connection between sleazy lawyer John Saxon and crooked businessman (AKA drug kingpin) Martin Balsam. Harold J. Stone plays a criminal higher up on the chain than Saxon and Balsam. Robert Phillips plays the superior officer, Jerry Hardin is a desk sergeant, and Linda Evans plays a hooker/love interest for our leading man.   As shabby as its lead character and performance, this 1975 husky cop movie from director Andrew V. McLaglen (who later made the underrated actioner “The Wild Geese” ) and screenwriter Ian Kennedy Martin (creator of TV’s “The Sweeney” ) is an uneven experience. Lead actor Joe Don Baker’s performance is far from his best work. In fact, it’s proof that he’s a much better support player than lead. However, the bleary-eyed, yet determined cop character he plays here is not without some interest. His often lack of giveashit is amusing at times. Baker’s Mitchell actually ...
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Review: The Changeling

After witnessing the shocking deaths of his wife and child, composer George C. Scott moves from New York to Seattle to accept a teaching position. He rents an old house and it’s not long before strange and unsettling things appear to be occurring. He investigates with the help of the woman who found him the house in the first place (Trish Van Devere). Ruth Springford plays Van Devere’s co-worker, Jean Marsh briefly plays Scott’s ill-fated wife, and Melvyn Douglas plays an elderly senator who is somehow connected to everything, going all the way back to the early 1900s.   Well-paced, emotional, occasionally terrifying 1980 film from director Peter Medak ( “The Ruling Class” , “The Krays” ) is one of the best ghost/haunting films you’ll ever see. If you’ve seen the “Insidious” films, this was clearly one of the inspirations. George C. Scott, normally a tower of strength and full of power and bluster, is heartbreaking and sympathetic here. You’re so engaged in his personal loss a...
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Review: The Undead

Val Dufour plays a researcher for the American Institute of Psychical Research. He picks up a prostitute (Pamela Duncan) to take to psychiatrist/professor Maurice Manson for a unique psychological experiment. He wants to prove a point to Manson by putting Duncan under hypnosis for a 48 hour period so that she can travel back in time to a past life. That time appears to be vaguely Medieval, where Duncan is now an accused witch. Richard Garland plays her Medieval love interest, whilst Allison Hayes and Billy Barty play a witch and an imp respectively, who want to sell Garland’s soul to The Devil (Richard Devon). Dick Miller plays a leper, Mel Welles a verbose gravedigger.   Mixing Medieval trappings with an eerie Bridey Murphy-esque psychological story involving hypnotism and past lives, this curious 1957 Roger Corman ( “A Bucket of Blood” , “The Intruder” , “Tomb of Ligeia” ) film sure is one of his more ambitious films. That ambition won out for me over some of the lumps and bu...
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Review: Black Mask 2: City of Masks

An operative named Dr. Lang (Scott Adkins) is tasked with rubbing out Han Fung, AKA The Black Mask (Andy On). Meanwhile, a scientist named Moloch (Tobin Bell) is conducting genetic experiments on a group of professional wrestlers (Rob Van Dam, Andrew Bryniarski, Traci Lords, Tyler Mane, and Michael Bailey Smith among them) to create animal-human hybrids. Teresa Maria Herrerra plays one of Moloch’s scientists whom Black Mask tries to turn against Moloch. Jon Polito plays the requisite sleazy wrestling promoter.   A Tsui Hark film featuring martial arts, genetically altered professional wrestlers, Traci Lords, Rob Van Dam, Scott Adkins, and Tobin Bell. This has to be a classic, right? Not even close, it’s terrible. I guess I need to remember that while he gave us the fun “Zu: Warriors From the Magic Mountain” , Tsui Hark is also the man who gave us green explosions and Rob Schneider teaming with Van Damme in the pathetic “Knock Off” . This 2002 follow-up to the Jet Li masked supe...
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Review: The Long Swift Sword of Siegfried

The title character is essentially a German version of Hercules, a virile warrior (played by Raimund Harmstorf) who wants to marry the comely Kriemhild (Sybil Danning). However, her brother the King first demands a favour from Siegfried. He’s got marriage on the mind too, but it’s complicated. You see, the King has a little problem. A little problem that can be solved by Siegfried’s titular…er, long sword. So in true Cyrano fashion (albeit kinkier) the King asks Siegfried to stand in for him in the boudoir and pleasure the very demanding Queen Brunhild in the dark so she agrees to marry The King.   Also known as “The Erotic Adventures of Siegfried” , this somewhat obscure 1971 softcore romp from director/actor Adrian Hoven (who produced “Mark of the Devil” of all things) is light-hearted, naughty fun. With so many boring softcore films out there I like to commend films that do it right like this, “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” , and “Emmanuelle II” . So if this is your thin...
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