fiendz666

It looks like Andy Warhol and pals are just joking around having a good time, riffing on the idea of Tarzan and Jane in Hollywood (and in Tarzana, California -- which was named after Tarzan). Some scenes are endless and some are in poor taste. But amidst the mess are some amazingly beautiful images, some very brilliant transitions, great use of sound (not sync) and a lot of witty, funny moments. At the screening I went to (at the American Cinematheque), a lot of people walked out -- I think that's because there's no audience used to experimental films any more. I found the whole thing fascinating and fun, even if it was occasionally infuriating because there's way too much footage of Taylor Mead's butt. Worth seeing but be prepared for something you haven't experienced before.

One of horror-meister Mario Bava's better films. The only drawbacks are the over-use of the smash-zoom and the fairly unclimactic ending. Otherwise, just about every shot is a masterpiece -- flawlessly shot. The acting's all fine; and it's a very scary horror film, with an angelic little girl as the epitome of evil. Very creepy, very good. Maybe it's not BLACK SUNDAY, but it's close.

This is a brutal, compelling, fascinating study of Nazi Adolf Eichmann (played brilliantly by Werner Klemperer) who had the reprehensible idea of killing Jews in gas chambers and later burning them in ovens. It's done so matter-of-factly that it's more horrifying than if the emotions had been punched home (as most filmmakers would do). Some scenes do pack a wallop: like the Jewish singing over the newsreel footage of the camps being liberated. I like this a heck of a lot more than some of the famous anti-Nazi movies out there. What makes it even more interesting is that they don't feel the need (till the end) to put in a 'nice' character to offset Eichmann's (and the other Nazi's) evil. That makes it more powerful than ever. Sure, there are a few flubs (actors blow lines, etc.) but who cares? It's a great film and deserves to be on DVD.

This is a British, early Hammer rip-off of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE starring Barbara Payton. It's very dull and slow, even though Payton, Sid James and others try hard. One of the worst things in it is an over-the-top, scenery-chewing, story-stopping performance by Frederick Valk. He plays the cuckolded husband and does it with more Italian cliches and stereotypes than anyone could think possible.

I'm a fan of Hammer films, but this one's unwatchable. Reginald LeBorg has done far better work elsewhere.

Fun, fast-paced imitation of DOUBLE INDEMNITY, with Hugh Beaumont in the Fred MacMurray role and Ann Savage in the Barbara Stanwyck part. Savage does as good a job at being nasty as she did in DETOUR and Beaumont is fine, too. Prolific PRC director Sam Newfield keeps it moving and keeps it very entertaining. This is very hard to see, but highly worthwhile. Supposedly Paramount sued PRC to keep this out of theaters because it was far too similar to DOUBLE INDEMNITY. Too bad because it's good in its own right.

Although the main character planed by Dane Clark is the odd combination of artist/boxer, the movie is fairly involving and exciting. As he gets swept up by bad girl Alexis Smith -- and with bad guy Zachary Scott (one of the best in the business)luring him to destruction -- his story has some unpredictable ups and downs. A great cast in a fast-paced tale.

This is an amusing, efficient, well-acted British comedy about a secretary whose country cousin starts stealing everyone's men. So the secretary and her pals hire an actor (Fox) who pretends to be a millionaire and woo her. Complications ensue. Sweet little film directed by the omnipresent Godfrey Grayson, with especially good work from Fox and Balfour.