Chester Brown the artist writer of the comic book Yummy Fur is shown here at the start of a panel about his latest comic novel- He is holding an Inkpot Award for his work in comics which was given to him just before the panel started.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
San Diego Comic Con 2011
I have been going to the Comic Con in San Diego every year since 1975. I only went one day this year but I enjoyed myself and I took a lot of photos which I will post over the next few days.
Chester Brown the artist writer of the comic book Yummy Fur is shown here at the start of a panel about his latest comic novel- He is holding an Inkpot Award for his work in comics which was given to him just before the panel started.
Chester Brown the artist writer of the comic book Yummy Fur is shown here at the start of a panel about his latest comic novel- He is holding an Inkpot Award for his work in comics which was given to him just before the panel started.
Monday, July 18, 2011
RED ZONE CUBA aka NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE
Director Coleman Francis is best known for THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS which is I believe the worst film ever released to movie theaters. He also directed THE SKYDIVERS which is a fairly well shot B movie that you can't believe was made by the same people who made THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS.
Francis made one other movie an adventure film/ crime drama / war picture called RED ZONE CUBA and is also known as NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE (MUNDO FINE means the the end of the world) I have never seen a print of the film under the title NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE so it may have been a production title before release. I have never seen a poster for the film so it must of had a very limited release or went straight to television for the local late night market of the era.
The production values to RED ZONE CUBA are not as low as THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS but they fall way below the B movie production values of THE SKYDIVERS.
The screenplay for the movie plays like the first draft of a badly written novel. It tells the story of a mean escape convict named Griffin who joins up with a pair of loser ex cons and the three of them join a group of soldiers who go to take part in the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Their group is wiped out but they escape Cuba and return to the U.S.A. and go on a crime spree. That the film's end Griffin is shot down by the police and the ex cons are arrested.
The film has a horrible atmosphere of of doom about it. John Carradine appears at the film's begin and tells a reporter that Griffin ran all the way to Hell which for tells his death. The ex cons Cook and Lanis who wanted to keep out of trouble and jail end up arrested. They take part in the doom Bay of Pigs invasion. Griffin and Lanis encounter a man who's business is going down the drain and his daughter is a war widow who gone blind. There is a happy reunion between a wounded soldier and his wife who was shot by Griffin. I always thought that scene was an last minute rewrite. The death of both would have been more in the tone of this movie.
RED ZONE CUBA is a crudely made productions in a kind of blurry black and white that gives the film an accidental arty look. It's as if this was an art house movie gone bad. The title NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE sounds like an art house movie title.
Coleman Francis aside from directing and writing the screenplay also plays Griffin. He is not bad in the role. A better screenplay and production values would have helped.
But if low budget filmmakers waited till they had money for good production values a lot of movies would have never been made.
Francis made one other movie an adventure film/ crime drama / war picture called RED ZONE CUBA and is also known as NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE (MUNDO FINE means the the end of the world) I have never seen a print of the film under the title NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE so it may have been a production title before release. I have never seen a poster for the film so it must of had a very limited release or went straight to television for the local late night market of the era.
The production values to RED ZONE CUBA are not as low as THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS but they fall way below the B movie production values of THE SKYDIVERS.
The screenplay for the movie plays like the first draft of a badly written novel. It tells the story of a mean escape convict named Griffin who joins up with a pair of loser ex cons and the three of them join a group of soldiers who go to take part in the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Their group is wiped out but they escape Cuba and return to the U.S.A. and go on a crime spree. That the film's end Griffin is shot down by the police and the ex cons are arrested.
The film has a horrible atmosphere of of doom about it. John Carradine appears at the film's begin and tells a reporter that Griffin ran all the way to Hell which for tells his death. The ex cons Cook and Lanis who wanted to keep out of trouble and jail end up arrested. They take part in the doom Bay of Pigs invasion. Griffin and Lanis encounter a man who's business is going down the drain and his daughter is a war widow who gone blind. There is a happy reunion between a wounded soldier and his wife who was shot by Griffin. I always thought that scene was an last minute rewrite. The death of both would have been more in the tone of this movie.
RED ZONE CUBA is a crudely made productions in a kind of blurry black and white that gives the film an accidental arty look. It's as if this was an art house movie gone bad. The title NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNDO FINE sounds like an art house movie title.
Coleman Francis aside from directing and writing the screenplay also plays Griffin. He is not bad in the role. A better screenplay and production values would have helped.
But if low budget filmmakers waited till they had money for good production values a lot of movies would have never been made.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
WORST THAN PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE has been called the worst movie ever made and it is a bad 3rd rate film. In fact I would call it the GONE WITH THE WIND of bad movies. But I do not think it is the very worst film made. I will give two examples of worst movies...
ROBOT MONSTER was shot in 4 four days without sets for 16 thousand dollars. The monster is a man in a gorilla suit and space helmet. It was cheaper for the productions to use that suit than rent a robot suit.
THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS. This was the last movie that Tor Johnson would have a feature role in. He plays a scientist who is caught in an atomic blast and becomes a mad killer. That film had no production values. It is a 55 minute black and white movie of Tor Johnson wandering around the desert killing people. The film was shot without sound and voices are cheaply dubbed in would the actors backs are to the camera or off screen.
Other films to consider for worst movies include: THE CREEPING TERROR, GLEN OR GLENDA and the STARMAN / SUPERGIANT movies from Japan.
ROBOT MONSTER was shot in 4 four days without sets for 16 thousand dollars. The monster is a man in a gorilla suit and space helmet. It was cheaper for the productions to use that suit than rent a robot suit.
THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS. This was the last movie that Tor Johnson would have a feature role in. He plays a scientist who is caught in an atomic blast and becomes a mad killer. That film had no production values. It is a 55 minute black and white movie of Tor Johnson wandering around the desert killing people. The film was shot without sound and voices are cheaply dubbed in would the actors backs are to the camera or off screen.
Other films to consider for worst movies include: THE CREEPING TERROR, GLEN OR GLENDA and the STARMAN / SUPERGIANT movies from Japan.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
COMMANDER USA
Years ago when the USA CABLE channel was new they use to show old time B movies in the afternoon on Saturdays as I recall. These movies were hosted by a comic dressed as a superhero who called himself Commander USA.
Commander USA was a blue collar type of man who was also a superhero as well as a TV host. It was a rather funny act between scenes of old bad movies. They use to run a lot old Mexican dubbed movies before they disappeared when the copyright laws changed.
I had the feeling that Commander USA was a has been superhero just trying to pay the rent. The kind of old has beens that appear at conventions and sell old pictures of themselves and their autograph.
Friday, July 1, 2011
HARPO CAN TALK
Over the years when I would see a Marx Brothers movie I would wonder if there was any recordings of Harpo Marx speaking since he always played his roles mute. He even done a TV drama once in which he played a mute man.
I found this news reel clip on You Tube and have re posted it here. Harpo does say a few words.
For you younger readers who don't know who the Marx Brothers are go out and find a copy of the movie DUCK SOUP or NIGHT AT THE OPERA.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
SCHLOCK MOVIES ONLINE...AND SOME CLASSICS TOO.
For those of you who collect movies but are on a budget or don't feel like paying more than 25 cents for that classic THE APE MAN there is an online digital library known as THE INTERNET ARCHIVES and you can find it at: www.archive.org/
The archive features digital books, audio of old music and many old public domain feature movies going back to the silent film age and also the old time 16mm class room films of the 60-70's.
Most of the stuff in the archives can be downloaded to your computer and burned to a disk if you wish. If you don't have a DVD burner and software you can download software to make VCD disks.They got a few to choose from in the software section and there is also editing software.
Video CD disks are CDs that can play on most DVD players like a DVD or can play them in your computer CD player. The image is not as good as DVD, It's at a VHS level. There is also Super Video CD that is almost as good as DVD disks. I suggest looking up the subject on Wikipedia.
There is a lot good movies at the Archives. But since I collect schlock and assume my readers do too I will list a few that you can find and download:
THE EYE CREATURES.
ZONTAR THE THING FROM VENUS.
SON OF INGAGI.
CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE.
CONFESSIONS OF A VICE BARON.
MANIAC (Dwain Esper)
REEFTER MADNESS.
SEX MADNESS (1930's VD horror movie)
RETURN OF THE APE MAN
THE APE MAN
ASSIGNEMENT TERROR
ROBOT VS THE AZTEC MUMMY
FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF
TEENAGE ZOMBIES and many many more movies that you can down load. Check it out.
The archive features digital books, audio of old music and many old public domain feature movies going back to the silent film age and also the old time 16mm class room films of the 60-70's.
Most of the stuff in the archives can be downloaded to your computer and burned to a disk if you wish. If you don't have a DVD burner and software you can download software to make VCD disks.They got a few to choose from in the software section and there is also editing software.
Video CD disks are CDs that can play on most DVD players like a DVD or can play them in your computer CD player. The image is not as good as DVD, It's at a VHS level. There is also Super Video CD that is almost as good as DVD disks. I suggest looking up the subject on Wikipedia.
There is a lot good movies at the Archives. But since I collect schlock and assume my readers do too I will list a few that you can find and download:
THE EYE CREATURES.
ZONTAR THE THING FROM VENUS.
SON OF INGAGI.
CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE.
CONFESSIONS OF A VICE BARON.
MANIAC (Dwain Esper)
REEFTER MADNESS.
SEX MADNESS (1930's VD horror movie)
RETURN OF THE APE MAN
THE APE MAN
ASSIGNEMENT TERROR
ROBOT VS THE AZTEC MUMMY
FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF
TEENAGE ZOMBIES and many many more movies that you can down load. Check it out.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
THE ORGY OF THE LIVING DEAD
The movie grindhouse were on the way out with the drive ins when I was a teenager. But I still got to go to a few grindhouses and see good old fashion exploitation schlock movies.
I went to see the ORGY OF THE LIVING DEAD triple feature at the Plaza Theater in Downtown San Diego. The Theater is gone now. They replaced it with a big classy shopping mall.
The three features were re named horror movies from Europe. They were already old movies. THE CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD aka KILL! BABY. KILL!; THE REVENGE OF THE LIVING DEAD aka THE MURDER CLINIC and FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD aka THE VAMPIRE'S NIECE. I don't think this last film was released to the U.S. till that triple feature.
The film had a gread sleazy looking poster. As I said before an exploitation movie needs a great poster.
I went to see the ORGY OF THE LIVING DEAD triple feature at the Plaza Theater in Downtown San Diego. The Theater is gone now. They replaced it with a big classy shopping mall.
The three features were re named horror movies from Europe. They were already old movies. THE CURSE OF THE LIVING DEAD aka KILL! BABY. KILL!; THE REVENGE OF THE LIVING DEAD aka THE MURDER CLINIC and FANGS OF THE LIVING DEAD aka THE VAMPIRE'S NIECE. I don't think this last film was released to the U.S. till that triple feature.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)