FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
Chaos ensues when a power-hungry alien princess (Terry Liu) arrives on earth with a crew of two-legged mutant monsters; it’s up to a scientist (Wang Shieh) and Infra-Man (Li Hsia-Hsien) to save the day!

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aliens
• Martial Arts
• Science Fiction
• Superheroes
• World Domination

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary recommends watching this ultra campy flick in a theater, noting that it’s “dull” on T.V. — which I have to admit was the case for me. Despite an intriguing first ten minutes (the opening titles are clever), a mercifully fast pace, and amusing monster-costumes (which reminded me of the 1970s T.V. series “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost”), I was often distracted. This one is only a must-see film for kung fu/silly monster fans.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fun, colorful costumes
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a look if you’re curious about its cult appeal.

Links:

• IMDB entry
• NY Times Review
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
Flesh Gordon (Jason Williams) and Dale Ardor (Suzanne Fields) join Dr. Flexi Jerkoff (Joseph Hudgins) in an attempt to save the earth from Sex Rays sent by Planet Porno’s insane emperor, Wang the Perverted (William Hunt).

• Adult Films
• Satires and Spoofs
• Science Fiction

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary refers to this “X-rated parody of Flash Gordon” as “too dreadful, too boring to be consider true comedy or camp”. He argues that the “acting is terrible” and the direction “inept”, but he does acknowledge that the “special effects (inspired by Ray Harryhausen) are pretty good, certainly suitable for the comic-book material”. I’m not quite in agreement with Peary’s negative assessment here: I was surprisingly entertained by both the silliness of the story and the ineptitude of the acting, and enjoyed the cleverly conceived “creatures”. Not for all tastes, but not as bad as Peary would lead you to believe.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fun, “Harryhausen-esque” special-effects
  
• Candy Samples as the Dyke Queen, leader of the Secret Lesbian Underground
  

Must See?
No, but I think it’s worth a look.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• Bad Movies Review

Synopsis:
A group of astronauts (Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, John Archer, and Dick Wesson) defy the American government by flying their rocketship to the moon.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Science Fiction
• Space Exploration

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this 1950s classic is a “slow, dated, but influential science-fiction film”. The filmmakers focus primarily on portraying space travel (as-of-yet unachieved) in a realistic manner — in addition to providing a healthy dose of red-baiting, which is the weakest element of the plot by far. Nonetheless, once the astronauts actually get out in space, you’ll be enchanted by their amazement as they experience zero-gravity for the first time. Especially exciting — if a bit contrived — is the finale of the film, in which the four astronauts must figure out how to make their ship light enough for a successful return. It’s a trip watching this movie so many years after it was released, when travelling to the moon — and beyond — is accepted as commonplace; this would make a great double bill with The Right Stuff (1983) — with Destination Moon shown first, of course.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Excellent early special effects
  
• Good focus on the science behind space travel
  
• A humorous Woody Woodpecker cartoon which explains to laypeople how rocket science works
  

Must See?
Yes, simply for its place in film history.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• DVD Savant Review
• SciFilm Review

Synopsis:
Police Captain Jim Fitzpatrick (Walter Huston) is determined to nab crime boss Sam Belmonte (Jean Hersholt), but finds his loyalties tested when his detective brother (Wallace Ford) betrays the force for a beautiful moll (Jean Harlow).

• Corruption
• Gangsters
• Jean Harlow Films
• Mickey Rooney Films
• Police
• Walter Huston Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary points out, this “tribute to the honest cop” — a “super early crime drama” — is “sharply written”, “forcefully directed”, “briskly paced”, and contains a truly “startling finale”. It’s an excellent example of pre-Hays-Code filmmaking, with Harlow and Ford sitting on a (full-sized!) bed together, and much of Harlow’s dialogue highly suggestive. While the ending is melodramatic and rather unrealistic, it neatly wraps up what is essentially a morality tale in noir clothing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jean Harlow’s sexy, strong performance as wise-cracking Daisy
  
• Exciting action sequences
  
• Mickey Rooney in an early role as Fitzpatrick’s son, “Mickey”
  
• Edward Brophy’s over-the-top courtroom performance
  
• Smart dialogue

Must See?
Yes. This early crime drama deserves wider recognition.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry

Synopsis:
Talent scouts Steve (Johnny Johnston) and Corny (Henry Slate) sign on with small-town band Bill Haley and the Comets, as well as dancing duo siblings Lisa (Lisa Gaye) and Jimmy (Earl Barton) — but big-time music agent Corinne Talbot (Alix Talton) is jealous of Steve’s romantic interest in Lisa, and tries her best to foil the band’s success.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Love Triangle
• Musical
• Rivalry
• Rock ‘n Roll

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, “rock ‘n roll triumphs” in this otherwise dated, weakly plotted, poorly acted musical about “talent scouts… looking for a new sound that will get the people dancing again”.

Best known as the first “rock ‘n roll film”, Rock Around the Clock was — amazingly enough — highly controversial upon its release. Today, it’s primarily enjoyable for music acts by Bill Haley and the Comets, the Platters, and others.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Many fine performances by Bill Haley and the Comets
  
• The Platters crooning “Only You”
  
• Gaye and Barton swinging together on the dance floor
  

Must See?
Yes, simply as part of music (and film) history.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• All Movie Guide Review

Synopsis:
A lonely stripper (Lola Albright) seduces a teenager (Scott Marlowe) in her apartment building, then finds herself unexpectedly falling in love.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Coming-of-Age
• May-December Romance
• New York City
• Strippers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, “Lola Albright… had her one strong movie role in this erotic, honest little sleeper”, playing a “past-her-prime stripper who, to show herself she still has what it takes, seduces a seventeen year-old”, and “is surprised to discover that he provides her with the love and sex that have been missing from her life”. Most effective is the way Burton Wohl’s screenplay (based upon his own novel) presents us with two characters in flux: Albright’s Iris is finally learning what it’s like to be in love, while Marlowe’s Vito is simply responding to his awakening sexual urges. It’s inevitable that such a pairing won’t last, but it’s still painful to watch Vito pulling away, and Iris suffering as a result. Made six years before The Graduate (1967), Cold Wind is the superior film simply in terms of showing the “older woman’s” perspective.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Lola Albright’s mature, natural performance as Iris (Peary nominates her for an Alternate Oscar)
  
• The rapport between Vito and his understanding father (Joe De Santis)
  
• Unusual camera angles and editing
  
• Striking graphics in the opening titles
  
• Smart dialogue

Must See?
No, but it’s highly recommended for Albright’s wonderful performance.

Links:

• IMDb entry

Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Rynn (Jodie Foster) tries to keep her father’s recent death a secret from her nosy landlady (Alexis Smith), her landlady’s lecherous son (Martin Sheen), and a local cop (Mort Shuman). Eventually she enlists the help of an unusual teenage boy with a limp (Scott Jacoby), and the two fall in love.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alexis Smith Films
• First Love
• Hiding Dead Bodies
• Jodie Foster Films
• Martin Sheen Films
• Orphans
• Psychological Horror
• Survival

Response to Peary’s Review:
This “uncomfortable but interesting film” deals with one of my favorite cinematic tropes: independent kids who must survive on their own in an adult-centric world (see, for instance, Our Mother’s House). As Peary notes, the movie’s “preposterous storyline” sometimes “overwhelms its unique ‘child liberation’ theme”, but the film nonetheless builds to a genuinely suspenseful conclusion, and “Foster’s terrific performance still comes through.” Despite the fact that she’s killed at least one person and may kill more if necessary, Rynn is a remarkably sympathetic protagonist, and we root for her until the very end.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jodie Foster’s commanding, intelligent performance
  

Must See?
No, but it’s definitely recommended for Jodie Foster fans.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
A platoon of young women undergo basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Documentary
• Military
• Soldiers

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this fascinating, disturbing documentary by Nick Broomfield and Joan Churchill “should be shown in all high schools before army recruiters start handing out brochures about computer jobs and expenses-paid Hawaiian vacation.” Indeed, basic training is shown to be such bleak torture that it’s hard to imagine anyone choosing a life in the army after watching this film. The most disturbing sequences show certain “uncooperative” recruits being mercilessly hazed by their superiors — though it’s hard to feel sorry for one woman who fakes incompetence in order to get herself kicked out.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• A no-holds-barred look at the harsh reality of boot camp
  
  
• The “mini-lesson” on biting off the heads of chickens
  
• The female soldiers hanging loose in their barracks together
  
  

Must See?
Yes, for its revealing inside look at bootcamp.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry

Synopsis:
A young British woman (Jean Simmons) attends the 1889 Paris Exposition with her brother (David Tomlinson), only to find him mysteriously missing the morning after their arrival. When the hotel staff insists that neither her brother nor his hotel room ever existed, Simmons must investigate the mystery on her own, with the assistance of a helpful young stranger (Dirk Bogarde).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Carnivals and Circuses
• Dirk Bogarde Films
• Gaslighting
• Historical Drama
• Jean Simmons Films
• Mysterious Disappearance
• “No One Believes Me!”

Response to Peary’s Review:
This “very enjoyable and suspenseful” historical thriller — based on an urban legend, or perhaps a true story — is well-acted (particularly by “sweet, pretty Simmons and handsome Bogarde”, who “make an appealing romantic team”), genuinely gripping, and possesses a “clever, satisfying conclusion.” As Peary notes, Alfred Hitchcock “admired the film”, and fans of his thrillers — especially his similarly themed The Lady Vanishes — will undoubtedly enjoy it as well.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jean Simmons as Vicky Barton
  
• Dirk Bogarde as George Hathaway
  
• Cathleen Nesbitt as the duplicitous hotel manager
  
• A highly suspenseful story of “gaslighting”
  
• Effective period sets and costumes
  

Must See?
Yes. This one is definitely worth seeking out.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
An aspiring model (Michelle Daw) comes to New York in hopes of making it big, but finds that things aren’t as easy as she anticipated.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aspiring Stars
• Models
• New York City

Response to Peary’s Review:
After warning us that “your reputation’s on the line if you admit to having seen a film with” a title like this, Peary notes that “this R-rated exploitation film” is “relatively tame as far as the sex goes”, and adds that “most of the memorable moments are comedic, featuring an array of funny actresses auditioning or making stupid commercials”.

He points out that “Daw is sympathetic” as a “young model-actress… who must play the ‘game’ in order to get ahead in New York”, and that while the film is “nothing special” it “could have been worse”.

However, it will surely be hard for modern viewers to stomach the rampant sexual harassment and manipulation Daw must endure (one date actually tells her angrily that she “shouldn’t have eaten the hamburger” he foisted on her if she wasn’t willing to sleep with him later); and the endless clips of brainless beauties fumbling their lines simply adds insult to injury.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Not much.

Must See?
No; feel free to skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Cannon Films Video Review