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Reviews
Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961)
I Usually Defend Such Films....
...but the few reviews here are mostly positive, so I don't have to this time. I liked this film, but I'm a 50's sci-fi nut. Interesting cast, yes, and I agree with most of the other comments...
However, the film would have been more sci-fi-ish, and more interesting, if they had done something with the guy other than rub a little dirt on his face and tossle his hair. All we get is a crushed cigarette case, lightweight Supermanesque bullet shots, and apparently (though it's not explicit) some extra strength. And, yes, he survives a shock. It just needed more....something....anything.
A very good B-/C+ light sci-fi film that mostly reaches its owns limited goals, and is fun to watch. Probably was born as a script for a straight gangster film, and then adapted to sci-fi (just guessing).
Rocket Attack U.S.A. (1960)
Attempt at Plot Synopsis
I can't disagree with the comments made by other contributors, so I will instead try to give you an outline of the plot.
First, there are sort of two movies here; the initial rocket espionage and then, the atomic readiness material at the end.
In the first story, and erstwhile American agent is sent to Russia after the Sputnik launch to find out if it was just a publicity stunt, and if not, what data & science could the Russians get from a satellite that orbited Earth and crossed the USA.
In Russia, he hooks up with an underground woman, posing as a belly dancer who has hooked up with a Russian rocket program minister. She allows the agent to live with her and spy on her sessions with the minister to get critical information.
Later, the girl heads for a final rocket test, then summons the agent - through, I think, a member of British intelligence. After some skullduggery and stock footage, the girl is shot by a soldier guarding the rocket, but manages to shoot him to save the agent. The agent gets caught attaching a bomb to the rocket, but escapes in a gun battle. The soldiers get the bomb off the rocket and it explodes safely (?) nearby. The American agent hears the explosion and thinks he has destroyed the rocket. He returns to the girl (now dead) and is, himself, strafed by machine fire and killed. END PART ONE.
In Part Two, we see some very short vignettes about a husband & wife discussing duty and air raids, Russian generals plotting, blue collar guys discussing buying a tie, and etc. Soon, the Russian ICBM is launched, America is on alert, sirens go off, and the radio announcer keeps us posted and eventually says goodbye to his wife & kid. It is determined that New York is the target, and Nike missiles are sent up to shoot down the ICBM, but to no avail.
During this part of the film, a single lower-ranking general has been manning a telephone (stenographer at his side), making all calls and decisions. Too late, he finally calls the president.
We see the ICBM up in space, then coming down, and finally mushrooming over Manhattan.
Final scene: "We can not let this be.......THE END".
A very weird little film, but unique!
The Fall of the House of Usher (1950)
Early British Usher
This "nearly lost" film represents an earnest attempt at telling the ghost story, more or less, found in Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. It has none of the camp and insanity of the Vincent Price version.
The print I watched was fairly poor, probably from television somewhere, and likely missing 7 of the original 70 minutes. Some of the scenes are really boring, but I liked the kookiness of it all, the lightning, and the overall atmosphere. I'm not making excuses for the film, as it's old & creaky, but I found it fairly interesting.
The plot tracks Poe's story fairly well, however, several aspects have been added. Credited as "The Hag" (and referred to in other reviews here as such), I actually believe the character is referred to early in the film as "Roderick's mother". Regardless, you get the old hag, the head of the headless lover (looking demonic), the scary temple where the lovers met, and some good coffin/crypt scenes involving the sister.
Near the end, the old hag watches as Roderick is driven up flights of stairs by his sister's (seemingly?) walking corpse, until he falls or is pushed from the parapet. The "head" then seems to cause the House of Usher to burn, with only the narrator escaping.
One scene clearly suggests that the sister is slowly poisoned, with someone giving her glasses of milk. Also, as she is clearly shot by Roderick (twice) as she chases him - to no effect, suggesting she really is dead.
The ending is left to the imagination, as it returns to the men's club from the beginning of the film, where the story is being read from Poe's book.
Der Unsichtbare (1963)
Obscure German Invisible Man
I would have to agree with the gentleman from Germany on most of his comments. I viewed a dubbed-in-English DVD (probably from TV), and while the special effects are few and a little dated, the movie is fun to watch for buffs. The overall plot is relatively familiar, but not ineffective. There are several red herrings, and the movie is more a detective story that contains an invisibility aspect than an invisibility movie, per se. I'm not familiar with the German actors, but each seemed more or less suited to their roles. The film is a little hard to follow, and you do need to keep up with all the various characters for the ending to payoff. I thought that the notion that even an invisible man would cast a shadow on a photograph was novel, and the use of a paint sprayer to find him was interesting - though not fully exploited.
The sets are decent; outside scenes are just okay, but do reveal an early 1960's industrial Germany. Black & white lends itself to this film, as it does seem more like a 1940's Universal picture.
The film itself is obscure; the plot is obscure; and the title character a bit obscure. Not for the casual viewer.
Densô ningen (1960)
Interesting, But Not Great, Sci-Fi Noir
Like the other two reviewers (so far), I liked this film. Like is not love, however. I had some questions about a train explosion, and the specifics of his teleportation (sometimes he runs away, sometimes he climbs in a machine) - but these items of continuity may be from watching the English-dubbed, black & white TV version. The sci-fi elements are sparse, mostly well done, and the film functions fairly well as a detective thriller. I wish they had beefed up the teleport sequences, as it would have really helped. Also, I cannot call this film "scary" - just a little dark. Of definite interest for fans of the genre, and a little bit hard to find these days. I, too, long for the full-length color version.
Onna kyûketsuki (1959)
Watched for the second time...
I picked up a subtitled copy of this film a few years back, and had forgotten ever watching it. I just watched it again (August 2008), and maybe it was somewhat forgettable after all. I know little or nothing about the history of Japanese horror, I just watch whatever old films become available.
I enjoyed the black & white photography, and the modern setting. There just wasn't enough story, and not quite enough classic horror trappings. I didn't mind that this particular vampire borrowed elements of both The Mummy and The Wolfman. The ending was yet another hokey fight scene, with a somewhat unsatisfying death sequence. Also, I did not understand why the moonlight aged the vampire at the end, but I think it had to do with him defiling the family curse.
Worth a look for hardcore classic horror fans, and most interesting due to its 1959 release.
Dan in Real Life (2007)
This is a poor movie
I know it's politically correct to like Steve Carell and movies of his ilk, but I actually cringed through portions of this very unfunny comedy. It fails the best test of most movies...are the characters likable? In this film, no. "Dan" is whiny, annoying, and though supposedly a sad, low-ego guy, is actually quite conceited. Juliette Binoche has two different (unintended, unexplained) personalities, and comes off to me as a crazy, older chick who will jump for any man. The kids are the highlight of an otherwise drab film - and the only characters with any sense at all (also a major warning signal to filmgoers). Lastly, this is just the latest in a long line of slightly eccentric, totally unrealsitic family gathers for the holidays films, and to that extent, is very unoriginal. Add to that the one-joke plot (soooo common in today's inferior films), and you got nothing much. There were several 15-year-old's in the theater, and they laughed at many of the non-jokes. Not sure what this says about such a film. Avoid this film.
Der Chef wünscht keine Zeugen (1964)
No Survivors
Any film that deals with international relations and the future of the planet has merit these days. This is an extremely hard film to find, but is available at Horror Theatre online. I have always liked the spare black & white treatment of such international science fiction. This one involves the old "alien taking over human bodies" storyline, but it's handling here is well done and unique. I was particularly struck with how ruthless some the "death" scenes were. The aliens' lack of emotion seemed appropriate to me. The film runs a little long, and some of the scenes talk too much, but if you stick with it, I think you will find its overall appeal. Good ending.
The Strange World of Planet X (1958)
Big Bugs
I enjoyed Cosmic Monsters on DVD recently, and Forrest Tucker has never disappointed in such films (The Crawling Eye; Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas). It has those British science aspects that I really, really like in black & white films from the 1950's (Professor Quatermass comes to mind). The science of the plot is believable to a point, and the UFO Planet X elements work for me. Special effects are limited, and I did not care for the insects near the end, nor was I impressed with the numerous scenes of soldiers shooting bugs. However, the titular "spider in the web" scene is quite effective. Simplistic, well-paced, and enjoyable. Two points off for special effects & ending.
Devil Bat's Daughter (1946)
Not Bad
Okay, unless you're a fan of mystery and horror films, you likely find all the stuff from the 1930's and 1940's intolerable, but what's the point of putting that in a review? I AM a fan, and I liked this sequel (of sorts) to The Devil Bat. It has classic 1940's styling and 1941's Miss America in the lead role. I thought the flashbacks to the first film were handled well, and the storyline is plausible. The whodunit aspects and ending are relatively predictable, but not unsatisfying. Miss LaPlanche and Mr. Leary starred in the same year in The Strangler of the Swamp, which I liked a little more. I also liked the use of the newspaper's vampire headlines which provided a link to Bela Lugosi and a theme of the previous film.