Five Minutes to Live

Director - Bill Karn (Gang Busters, Ma Barker's Killer Brood)

Starring - Johnny Cash (The Johnny Cash Show, The Pride of Jesse Hallam), Donald Woods (The Felony Squad, True Grit), and Cay Forester (Queen of the Amazons, Mike Hammer)

Release Date - 1961

Genre - Crime/Thriller

Tagline - "A woman's price drops fast as the time limit ticks away!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in high school Johnny Cash releases his American IV: The Man Comes Around album and that was the first time that I actually listened to his music on my own.  My dad was an avid country fan so I was very familiar with his earlier songs but that album was the turning point for me.  It's been sometime since then but it wasn't long after the release of that album that he passed away.  Over the years I learned that he had not only appeared in several television shows and hosted his own, but he had starred in several films over the years.  A friend of mine actually picked up the soundtrack and DVD for The Pride of Jesse Hallam not long after his death and we checked it out.  My knowledge of Cash's films is very limited but I've always been open to checking them out.  A few weeks back Film Masters sent over a review copy of 1961's Five Minutes to Live under it's alternate title Door to Door Maniac.  I was looking forward to checking out this crime thriller and I want to take a moment to thank Film Masters for sending this one my way!

   The film follows a career criminal who partners with another like minded criminal to rob a bank.  Their plan is for one of them to hold a bank employee's wife hostage and use that as leverage so the bank employee will happily hand over the money without calling the police right away.  However, their plan has a few flaws.  The first is that the man responsible for taking care of the wife is a bit unhinged.  He forces her to listen to his songs and is sexually forceful with her.  Also, the bank employee informs them that he wants to leave his wife for his mistress and killing her would be doing him a favor.  Now, the partner is arrested at the bank and the man with a hostage is forced to fight for his life when the police arrive at the home.

     I went into this one thinking it was going to be a crime thriller but what I actually watched was a an odd crime drama that was more enjoyable than it would have been if it was as advertised.  The movie takes an odd approach and actually uses Cash for his talents which is awkward at times but purely enjoyable.  The acting in this one is pure entertainment.  This was clearly when Cash was popping pills as his attention in some of the scenes is very short lived.  His eyes are frantically darting around the scene as if he's bored or forgot what he was doing.  However, during the scenes that rely on his performance, he absolutely kills it.  The supporting cast delivers fantastic performances but be honest with yourself.  When you see a movie starring the legendary Man in Black you don't pick it up for anyone else.  The story for this one is a pretty solid crime flick that fumbles on the thriller aspect.  The crime aspect with the bank employee with his mistress, the wife at home living the cookie cutter life, the criminal who randomly plays songs to his hostage, and the foiled bank robbery actually works.  It's not predictable for the most part and the character dynamic is very well written.  While the musical numbers are a bit out of place, they are still fun and makes great use of Cash's talents.  Finally, this is not a bloody film.  Hell, it's not even a thrilling film.  However, it is different and doesn't require a body count to hold your attention.  Overall, Door to Door Maniac is much more enjoyable than I was expecting.  Cash is absolutely amazing in this especially when you know his history and how he was during this time.  I highly recommend snagging this one on blu from Film Masters.  You will not be disappointed.  

Hercules and the Captive Women

Director - Vittorio Cottafavi (100 Horsemen, Amazons of Rome)

Starring - Reg Park (Hercules in the Haunted World, Hercules the Avenger), Fay Spain (The Godfather: Part II, Night Gallery), and Ettore Manni (War of the Zombies, The Devil is a Woman)

Release Date - 1961

Genre - Adventure/Fantasy

Tagline - "What weird sadistic ritual was the secret of these women?"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Movie collectors and champions of physical media are always screaming praises for the same companies.  I know I'm guilty of jumping on the Blue Underground and Vinegar Syndrome bandwagon but there is so many other great companies giving movie fans some seriously underrated releases.  For sometime now I've been reviewing the blu releases from The Film Detective for sometime yet they never really come up in conversation which is a shame.  They've released some fun films.  A few weeks ago I received the press release for Hercules and the Captive Women which was originally released as Hercules Conquers Atlantis.  It looked fun so I requested a review copy.  When it showed up with Doctor X I figured it was going to be a fun double feature.

     The film follows Hercules who finds himself shipwrecked on an island where a beautiful woman is being sacrificed to a powerful being.  He kills him and rescues the woman where she takes him to her home in Atlantis.  The sacrifice is actually the daughter of the queen who was sacrificing her in order to use magic to keep the island hidden behind a fog from the outside world.  Hercules saving her doesn't stop them from trying to sacrifice her again in order to hide the island forcing Hercules to put a stop to them for good.

     I didn't go into Hercules and the Captive Women expecting a movie that will leave a lasting impression but I was looking forward to seeing an older fantasy film that was fun and cheesy.  The film was far from perfect but I enjoyed it as it was.  However, if you don't like the movie as it is you have the option of watching the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episode riffing it in the special features!  The acting in this one is pretty campy.  The film is dubbed, obviously, but audio aside the cast hams up the screen.  They do get into their characters but the acting is laughable at times.  These performances were great and their high energy, for everyone except Reg, made the fun a blast to watch.  The story for this one fits in perfectly with the films of the 60s and 70s especially for a fantasy film.  The legend of Atlantis has mesmerized movie goers for decades and seeing the legendary Hercules find his way into this story is fun.  With that being said, the story is painfully predictable and rather repetitive.  The formula for the story is one you've seen countless times especially from this era in cinema.  Finally, the film has some fun effects.  We get a horrible creature costume, some fun "strength" gags, and a small drip of blood.  Overall, Hercules and the Captive Women is a cheesy good time.  It's pretty rough but fans of old fantasy films will relaly enjoy this one.  The blu looks great as well making it a must own for cult movie fans.  Check it out.  

Mothra

Director - Ishiro Honda (Godzilla, King Kong vs. Godzilla)
Starring - Furanki Sakai (The Ghostly Trip, Blood), Hiroshi Koizumi (Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., The Return of Godzilla), and Kyoko Kagawa (After Life, Deep River)
Release Date - 1961
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Mightiest monster in all creation! Ravishing a universe for love!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I stayed a lot with my grandmother when I was growing up.  My dad went to auto auctions out of town several days a week so I would stay with her and watch horror and sci-fi flicks.  We would watch a lot sci-fi shows on Sci-Fi Channel but on rare occasions the channel would air movies.  One random day it aired a Godzilla flick and my grandmother turned it into a big deal.  She made me some popcorn and let me drink soda which is something she was against.  When the movie played I found myself enthralled with it.  I needed more so I rented as many as the local video store had.  Over the years I've seen pretty much the entire Godzilla series and a few of the tie in films like Mothra.  Several months back Mill Creek Entertainment announced a steelbook blu release for the 1961 kaiju film Mothra.  This was something I was not expecting but it was exciting news to say the least.  I reached out to Mill Creek and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.
     The film follows a scientific expedition to a once thought deserted island where it is reported that a group of people are living in a heavily radiated region that was once the site of atomic testing.  What they find there is a giant egg worshipped by the locals and a pair of tiny twins that are then kidnapped and brought back to the mainland.  Their disappearance and turmoil awakens the creature in the egg and Mothra heads to the mainland to rescue the tiny twins from their captor.
     Godzilla has stomped into the hearts of millions but I always find myself partial to the off shoot monsters from the series.  Movies like Mothra, Rodan, Varan, and so on.  Godzilla is amazing so don't take that the wrong way but I love the tone of these films.  Especially Mothra and how light hearted it is compared to the others.  I was wanting to introduce my kids to the Godzilla series and thought that Mothra would be the perfect film to get their toes wet.  I can't say that they enjoyed themselves but I had a lot of fun revisiting this one.  The acting in this one is what you expect from the Godzilla series.  The Japanese cast gives the roles their all but the dubbing has almost made it feel like a parody.  If you can watch the scenes with subtitles you can really enjoy their performances but if you watch the dubbed version it does comes off as comical at times.  The story for this one is giant monster mayhem but not as maniacal as Godzilla.  We don't get the unapologetic city destruction.  Instead, Mothra's small rampage was justifiable and the people are the villians this time around and not the giant monsters.  I wouldn't say this is a departure from the other films in the series but it is very appearent that Mothra is established as a creature of good and not your typical monster.  Finally, if you want foam monsters destroying miniature cities then you are in look.  It doesn't have the amount of buildings being destroyed as other kaiju movies of the time but it still delivers on the cardboard carnage.  Overall, Mothra may not redifine the sub-genre but it definately improves upon it.  The blu from Mill Creek doesn't deliver the best quality of the film available but the steelbook is an extremely nice addition to the collection.

Anatomy of a Psycho



Director - Boris Petroff (Shotgun Wedding, The Unearthly)
Starring - Ronnie Burns (the Honeymooners, Shotgun Slade), Pamela Lincoln (The Tingler, One Step Beyond), Darrell Howe (The Felony Squad, Teenage Idol)
Release Date - 1961
Genre - Crime
Tagline - "A terrifying searching expose"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

          I've been on a huge exploitation kick lately.  I started out by reviewing movies in the 80s a few weeks ago and that became a slippery slope to some bad exploitation flicks that are just too much fun.  I started working my way through my back log of AFGA releases when I got to The Violent Years which was written by the late and great Ed Wood Jr.  A bonus film on the blu was the 1961 crime thriller Anatomy of a Psycho which was supposedly written by Wood.  I had heard of this film beforehand but never had an opportunity to check it out.  Hell, I have two different releases of the film on DVD already.  One was from Something Weird and the other is a double feature from Vinegar Syndrome.  Thank you MVD for sending this one my way!

     The film follows Chet who is a bit of a rough one and is struggling with the fact that his brother was put to death for the murder of a man he tried to rob.  He vows to kill those responsible for convicting his brother and starts with the DA, the judge, before learning that his sister is about to marry the son of the eye witness that testified against him.  A series of unfortunate events leads to the murder of Chet's friend Moe and he pins the murder on the witness' son.  A rogue cop knows something is wrong and investigates the further and uncovers Chet's responsible for the murder and will stop at nothing to bring him to justice. 

     I went into this one with a bad taste in my mouth from The Violent Years but I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.  The movie was goofy as hell but I actually really enjoyed it.  In fact, I'm curious why this movie was the bonus feature on the release and not the main attraction.  The acting in this one is honestly not that bad but there was several scenes that left me scratching my head.  Especially the fight scenes.  I laughed at how bad they were and how awkward the cast was in them.  No choreography and you can tell the cast was afraid to touch each other.  The story for this one could be a pre-dated slasher in a way where someone wronged slowly stalks and extracts revenge on those responsible one by one.  It is not a horror movie, however, but it does work for the crime thriller angle.  Finally, there is one death scene but it is extremely boring and lackluster.  In fact, you will forget it before the movie is even over.  The effects are non-existent.  Overall, Anatomy of a Psycho is a flawed film but still well worth the watch.  It is definitely the highlight of The Violent Years release. 





Mr. Sardonicus

Director - William Castle (House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts)
Starring - Audrey Dalton (Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color), Guy Rolfe (Snow White and the Three Stooges), and Ronald Lewis (Warship)
Release Date - 1961
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "A man of evil...with a face that could stop your heart"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was looking forward to this film but deep down I was not looking forward to it.  I had heard so much about this film and really looked forward to it.  Sadly, I knew that this film would be the last of my four film streak of William Castle flicks.  For years people have told me to check out Mr. Sardonicus because they knew how much I loved Castle.  Sadly, I never did.  Lucky for me, my friends over at Mill Creek Entertainment added as the second film in a double feature with Homicidal.  Once again, thanks for sending this one my way!

     The film follows Sir Robert Cargrave (Lewis) who receives a letter from an old flame.  Her father would not let her marry Robert and the two separated.  Now, she has taken the title baroness and he husband is a disfigured man who summoned Robert.  Robert is known the world over for his work with muscles and helping the crippled walking again.  When the Baron was younger his father won the lottery but was buried with the ticket.  He dig up his grave but once he opened the casket his saw his father's decayed face.  The site was so dreadful that it froze his facial muscles.  He wants Robert to help him regain his face or he will torture his former love.
     I had heard a lot of great things about Mr. Sardonicus but what I was told did not do this film justice.  House on Haunted Hill will always be my favorite William Castle film but this film is easily my second.  I was very surprised by what I saw.  The acting in this one is great.  Ronald Lewis was brilliant as Sir Robert Cargrave.  He was a very strong lead character that was very intelligent and caring.  Some careful thought was placed into bringing him onto the film.  Audrey Dalton did great as the baroness.  She was not overpowering and did not dominate her scenes.  She went along with the story and still gave the film's title character his space.  With that being said, I really enjoyed Guy Rolfe's performance.  He was great and brought a lot of personality to his character.  On top of that he had to redefine his character and portray him in a different manner.  In certain spots of the film he is able to interact with other characters in a more traditional sense with dialogue and conversation but once his character becomes disfigured he communicated with his body why the dialogue is voiceovered.  This is very tasking for an actor but he pulled it off.  The story for this one is a solid period piece that doesn't really offer up scares but does give us some great atmosphere and a story that we can not predict.  The film is slow paced but we get a lot of backstory and character development along the way.  This helps keep the viewer entertained without losing them.  Though the film is not chilling we still get some solid tension and a little suspense.  Finally, the film lacks on screen kills but has one of the best looking villains I have seen from this time period.  The effects are great and the Baron looks fantastic.  I can see people having nightmares after seeing this dude.  Overall, Mr. Sardonicus is an underappreciated masterpiece.  It may not be that embedded in horror but it still delivers.  Well worth the watch.

Homicidal

Director - William Castle (House on Haunted Hill, Zotz!)
Starring - Joan Marshall (Star Trek, The Munsters), Glenn Corbett (Fantasy Island, Night Gallery), and Patricia Breslin (I Saw What You Did, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour)
Release Date - 1961
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The story of a psychotic killer"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     After the Ivan Cordoso marathon I recently had it was great to follow that up with some movies that were actually good.  So I turned to two William Castle double features.  That is two double features from the king of gimmicks.  The first set, of "13" films, which consisted of 13 Ghosts and 13 Frightened Girls.  The second set of films consisted of Homicidal and Mr. Sardonicus.  Both of these films were new to me so I was a little excited to check them out.  They were sent my way from my friends at Mill Creek Entertainment and was released on blu.  Thanks guys for sending me a copy.

     The film begins with a beautiful young lady as she checks in to a hotel and then convinces the bellboy to marry her for a large sum of money.  They visit the county clerk late at night to quickly get married when she pulls out a knife and kills him before rushing off.  She rushed back to her home where she is the caretaker for an older woman who is mute and confined to a wheelchair.  She lives there with a heir for a fortune and the two are secretly married.  When his sister starts to suspect something is going on with her she unravels a deep, dark secret that has been running decades.

     When I shared that I was watching this film on social media I had several friends comment on it and tell me that this was their favorite William Castle flick.  I can see where the appeal is but it is far from my favorite Castle film.  The acting in this one is easily the best out of any Castle film.  Joan Marshall is great in her duel role.  Without giving away too much of the film she does a great job playing the unhinged female lead that is unstable.  She is creepy as fuck and great to watch.  Her supporting cast is solid but nowhere near her level.  She was by far the star of the show.  The story for this one starts out with some blood, slows down to a crawl, and then hits with a pretty racy twist ending for the time.  Sadly, I saw it coming a mile away but did shed some light on where Sleepaway Camp got the idea from.  The film uses suspense wisely and does one hell of a job building tension.  Finally, the film does have some blood but the gags we get are done poorly.  The film's first stab scene shows blood coming from one side of the body where the person was not stabbed.  A film like this could have delivered some better kills or at least some fun gags.  Overall, Homicidal is the working man's Psycho.  The film looks great and has some chills but I could see the ending coming a mile away.  Well worth a watch.