War of the Satellites.

Review #1042: War of the Satellites.

Cast: 
Dick Miller (Dave Boyer), Susan Cabot (Sybil Carrington), Richard Devon (Dr. Pol Van Ponder), Eric Sinclair (Dr. Howard Lazar), Michael Fox (Jason ibn Akad), Robert Shayne (Cole Hotchkiss), and Jered Barclay (John Compo) Directed by Roger Corman (#368 - The Little Shop of Horrors, #684 - It Conquered the World, #852 - The Terror, #931 - Not of This Earth, #1007 - Attack of the Crab Monsters, and #1039 - Five Guns West)

Review: 
Today happens to be the 60th Anniversary of the launch of Explorer 1, the first satellite launched by the United States. As such, I figured that it would make sense to a science fiction film involving space from that year, and thus this came up for viewing. Enjoy!

It is interesting to see how many space films one can encounter that attempted to benefit from the Space Age, with this one being an independent film (distributed by Allied Artist) from Roger Corman (who also has a small part in the film as a Ground Control member), who certainly makes films worth talking about, for better or worse. This was released on May 18, 1958, four months after the launch of Explorer 1 and seven months after the launch of Sputnik 1. This time around, the plot revolves around a mysterious group of aliens trying to stop humans from exploring space through exploding their satellites by some sort of space barrier. The title of the film is a bit strange considering that the film doesn't have any sort of war between satellites, but I digress. As a science fiction film, it isn't anything too special for the genre, but it isn't anything too patronizing nor anything too ridiculous, with a villain that has a few interesting moments. The characters aren't anything too developed, although the actors at least make them see fairly passable and useful to watch. Miller and Cabot make for a decent pairing, but a good part of the film utilizes Devon to a satisfactory effect. There isn't too much with the special effects, but they are fairly passable when on screen, such as the effect that is utilized for the healing of a hand wound that seems fairly clever. The sets (such as the ship's interior) are also fairly serviceable, making for something that doesn't come off as anything too cheap. The film doesn't go for anything too ridiculous or too schlocky, having a concentrated feel that is somewhat intriguing. It may have some of the cliches you might see in other sci-fi movies, but it at least makes an effort to gel those together to make something worth watching at least once. At 66 minutes, this is a fairly quick movie that will certainly satisfy anyone with tastes for some science fiction or something with a bit of entertainment to it, which this one does fairly well. If you're a fan of Roger Corman movies, or a fan of sci-fi in any kind of form (low budget or not), this one will fit fairly well for your standards.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

The Threat.

Review #723: The Threat.

Cast
Michael O'Shea (Detective Ray Williams), Virginia Grey (Carol), Charles McGraw (Arnold "Red" Kluger), Julie Bishop (Ann Williams), Frank Conroy (District Attorney Barker MacDonald), Robert Shayne (Inspector Murphy), Anthony Caruso (Nick Damon), Don McGuire (Joe Turner), and Frank Richards (Lefty) Directed by Felix E. Feist.

Review
It's a cheap little quickie of a b-movie that runs 66 minutes, made in the heyday of film noirs, with this being released at the turn of the decade. Yeah, that's a boring way to describe the movie, but at least the movie isn't as boring, so there's that. The movie is at least quick with its approach, and it also manages to make McGraw a main focus, and he does an excellent job as the villain, mainly because of his voice, which rings well with his chemistry with Grey and O'Shea. It's a rough and tough kind of movie, with the kind of hostage formula style you'd see from old movies, but it at least is entertaining enough if you're in the mood for it. If you'd like a movie from the 40's that will be short, to the point, and decent enough, this is for you. Is it great? No, but it is at least something to not be embarrassed by. You won't remember much from it after a while, but it is passable enough.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Experiment Alcatraz.

Review #560: Experiment Alcatraz.

Cast
John Howard (Dr. Ross Williams), Joan Dixon (Lt. Joan McKenna), Walter Kingsford (Dr. J.P. Finley), Lynne Carter (Ethel Ganz), Robert Shayne (Barry Morgan), Kim Spalding (Duke Shaw), Sam Scar (Eddie Ganz), and Kenneth MacDonald (Col. Harris) Directed by Edward L. Cahn (#331 - It! The Terror From Beyond Space)

Review
Experiment Alcatraz was one of the many B-movies made by Edward L. Cahn, also notable for directing Our Gang shorts in the late 1930s. So how is this B-movie? For all of its limitations, this is a pretty okay film. My expectations weren't high, it's a b-movie about injecting radiation into prisoners that turns into a mystery. The actors are alright, they keep the movie going without much flaws. The action is okay, not too bad, typical, but you get what you want. The plot is not that bad, it has a few twists along the way, and the movie runs okay, it runs about an hour, so it's a real easy breeze, a mostly typical b-movie good enough to pass the time.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Christmas in Connecticut.

Review #504: Christmas in Connecticut.

Cast
Barbara Stanwyck (Elizabeth Lane), Dennis Morgan (Jefferson Jones), Sydney Greenstreet (Alexander Yardley), Reginald Gardiner (John Sloan), S.Z. Sakall (Felix Bassenak), Robert Shayne (Dudley Beecham), Una O'Connor (Norah), Frank Jenks (Sinkewicz), Joyce Compton (Mary Lee), and Dick Elliott (Judge Crothers) Directed by Peter Godfrey.

Review
Ah yes, another Christmas film, but this time not involving Santa or Scrooge, but with Barbara Stanwyck (and Connecticut to a similar extent) instead. This is my first foray into a film with Stanwyck in it, and she does a pretty fine job, she has her share of dramatic moments, but she also has her share of laughs, helped with the pairing of her and Dennis Morgan, along with Sydney Greenstreet, whose mannerisms and way of speaking help make his lines fun to listen to. The Christmas spirit is certainly present here, with loads of warmth and happy cheer...and good looking food. The film is certainly welcome in a Christmas season like this, snow and all.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Giant Claw.

Review #255: The Giant Claw.

Cast
Jeff Morrow (Mitch MacAfee), Mara Corday (Sally Caldwell), Morris Ankrum (Lieutenant General Edward Considine), Lou Merrill (Pierre Broussard), Edgar Barrier (Dr. Karol Noymann), and Robert Shayne (General Van Buskirk) Directed by Fred F. Sears.

Review
Whoo, I get to review a 50's film with a "giant claw" and in a limited length of 75 minutes. So how is it? My feelings after the movie? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...To begin with, the film starts out decently, until the giant claw appears, looking...pretty silly. With a mohawk for feathers and a constant yelp, the claw actually rivals another film reviewed here with birds for silliest one ever. Which one? Birdemic: Shock and Terror (#184) Okay, maybe not that silly. The film slowly develops towards its predictable end with "meh" dialogue. How did I hear of this film? I saw a video made by James Rolfe (of Cinemassacre fame) on Monster Madness, which talked about this film. So I decided to watch the film to see all of its madness. And there we go. Although this film did inspire me to think of a new story idea: Gojira vs. The Giant Claw... On second thought, maybe not.

Overall, I give it 3 out of 10 stars.