Master Minds (1949) / Z-View

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Master Minds (1949)

Director: Jean Yarbrough

Screenplay: Charles R. Marion and Bert Lawrence (additional dialogue)

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Garbriel Dell, Alan Napier and Glenn Strange.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in with a mad scientist and a monster!”

Tagline: THE CHILLS WILL ELECTRIFY YOU When The Bowery Boys Meet The Monster.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Bowery Boys find themselves in another creepy, old house when a mad scientist kidnaps Satch [Hall] because of his extraordinary brain!  Wha- what?

When a bad tooth gives Satch the power to predict the future, Slip [Gorcey] puts him in a sideshow in order to make some fast cash.  Mad scientist, Dr. Druzik [Napier] sees first-hand Satch’s ability and decides that Satch’s brain would be perfect for a transplant into his monster [Strange].   The usual hi-jinks ensue when the Boys set out to rescue Satch.

Master Minds is a cut above the previously reviewed East End Kids/Bowery Boys movies!

Rating:

Ghosts on the Loose (1943) / Z-View

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Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

Director: William Beaudine

Screenplay:  Kenneth Higgins

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Bela Lugosi and Ava Gardner.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in a creepy deserted mansion with a killer ghosts on the loose.”

Tagline: You’ll yell with glee when these happy-go-lucky hooligans invade the shivery domain of the Man of a Thousand Horrors! It’s Chill-arious!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The East Side Kids (who would later grow into The Bowery Boys) find themselves in another creepy, old house with strange things going on.  When the boys decide to surprise newlywed friends by fixing up their new house, they get confused on the address and end up in a haunted house.

If you’ve seen Spooks Run Wild you’re in for more of the same.  I expected more from a horror comedy with Bela Lugosi, a spooky old house, Ava Gardner and the East Side Kids.  Perhaps because I’ve seen the same gags done better with The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, my sights were set too high.

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Edison Rex by Chris Roberson & Dennis Culver

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Edison Rex is a free web comic that looks to be a lot of fun.  Created by Chris Roberson & Dennis Culver, Edison Rex…

… is the smartest man in the world, a criminal genius, and the arch nemesis of the world’s greatest protector, Valiant. Having dedicated his life to defeating Valiant and proving once and for all that he is a menace to humanity and not a hero, what will Edison do once he finally succeeds? And with Valiant out of the way, who will be left to protect the Earth?

Some Like It Hot (1959) / Z-View

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Some Like It Hot (1959)

Director: Billy Wilder

Screenplay: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond

Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O’Brien and Joe E. Brown.

The Pitch: “Hey, Billy Wilder has an idea for a Marilyn Monroe comedy with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon!”

Tagline: The movie too HOT for words!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When musicians Joe [Curtis] and Jerry [Lemmon] witness a gangland execution and are seen by the killers, they know their days are numbered.  The mob has placed a price on their heads and they have to get out of town.  So Joe becomes Josephine, Jerry becomes Daphne and they join an all girl band headed for Florida by train.

Things become even more complicated when Joe falls for Sugar [Monroe] and millionaire Osgood Fielding the third, goes ga-ga for Daphne.  The only way things could get worse is if the gangsters find them and guess what?  Yep.  The gangsters find them.

Monroe looks great. This is my favorite Jack Lemmon role.  You won’t be disappointed.

Rating:

Spooks Run Wild (1941) / Z-View

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Spooks Run Wild (1941)

Director: Phil Rosen

Screenplay: Carl Foreman & Charles R. Marion …  Jack Henley (additional dialogue)

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall and Angelo Rossitto.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in a creepy deserted mansion with a killer on the loose.”

No Tagline

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The East Side Kids (who would later grow into The Bowery Boys) find themselves sent to a rural summer camp.  When the boys sneak out one night looking for some fun they find themselves in a creepy old house where the sinister looking Nardo (Lugosi) and his diminutive servant Luigi [Rossitto] live.  They will soon learn that a killer is on the loose and closer than they can imagine.

I expected more from a horror comedy with Bela Lugosi, a spooky old house and the East Side Kids.  Perhaps because I’ve seen the same gags done better with The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, my sights were set too high.

Rating:

George Romero, the NOTLD Restoration and His Thoughts on The Walking Dead, World War Z and More!

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Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter posted Aaron Couch’s interview with George Romero.  Here’s a taste then click over and read the whole thing…

  • Night of the Living Dead is getting a restoration by the Museum of Modern Art and Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, which brings it back to pristine condition!
  • When asked about the future of his Living Dead franchise, Romero said: “I think really Brad Pitt killed it. The Walking Dead and Brad Pitt just sort of killed it all. The remake of Dawn of the Dead made money. I think pretty big money. Then Zombieland made money, and then all of a sudden, along comes Brad Pitt and he spends $400 million or whatever the hell to do World War Z.”
  • Romero:  “It’s not about the gore, it’s not about the horror element that are in them. It’s more about the message, for me. That’s what it is, and I’m using this platform to be able to show my feelings of what I think.”

 

I’m looking forward to seeing the restored Night of the Living Dead.  I hope that the restoration doesn’t take away from the film’s horror.  If it is too clean looking it may feel more like a movie.

While I can see where Romero is coming from, I don’t think that the bigger budget zombie movies are a bad thing… as long as they’re done well.  ; )

10 Less Than Heroic Stories Of Survival From The Titanic

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Mark Oliver and Listverse present 10 Less Than Heroic Stories Of Survival From The Titanic.

While it is hard to predict how we’d act in a life or death situation, if you check out the piece above you’ll learn about…

  • the man who said he accidentally tripped and fell into a lifeboat…
  • the man who dressed up as a woman to get into a lifeboat…
  • the millionaires who bribed crew to get their own lifeboat…
  • the man who told his wife the boat was sinking and to gather up the children and then left before they got topside on a lifeboat…
  • the baker who got drunk and went down with the ship but survived!

All of the Universal Classic Monsters Ranked!

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Spencer Perry and ComingSoon.net present All of the Universal Classic Monsters Ranked!

Some thoughts about Perry’s rankings…

  • I agree the Mummy movies are the weakest in the series.
  • While it’s hard to argue the greatness of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, I sometimes feel that The Creature from the Black Lagoon should be #1.
  • It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized how good The Invisible Man is.
  • While I love the idea of The Wolf Man, the movies always fell a bit short for me.
  • I’d rank Dracula closer to #1 on the list.
  • I love that Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein made the top 10.