We borrowed this week’s Saturday night pizza and bad movie offering from the library. Plot: This 1958 color horror film is based on a short story by George Langelaan, first published in June 1957 in Playboy—yes, that Playboy. I guess someone read the articles. The movie opens with Gaston (an uncredited Torben Meyer), night watchmanContinue reading “Review of “The Fly” (1958)”
Author Archives: 9siduri
Review of “Tension” (1949)
This is a slightly different take on our Saturday pizza and bad movie night, a noir from 1949. Plot: Lt. Collier Bonnabel (Barry Sullivan), standing outside the door to the homicide (“a fancy word for murder”) division, introduces himself to the viewer. He says the only way he knows to break homicide cases is tension.Continue reading “Review of “Tension” (1949)”
Review of “The Devil’s Rain” (1975)
This is this week’s Saturday night pizza and bad movie offering. And, oh, brother, was this puppy a stinker. Plot: The opening credits roll over various shots of the weirder scenes from Hieronymus Bosch’s triptych altarpiece, The Garden of Earthly Delights. Bosch even gets a mention in those credits. The viewer is treated to aContinue reading “Review of “The Devil’s Rain” (1975)”
Review of “Perpetua’s Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman” by Joyce E. Salisbury
The use of the word “passion” in the title reflects an old meaning, that is, “suffering.” It’s often used religious terms, as in the present book. Vibia Perpetua (c. 182- 203 CE) was a young noblewoman of Carthage (present-day Tunisia) in the Roman province of Africa, executed in the Carthage amphitheater after converting to Christianity.Continue reading “Review of “Perpetua’s Passion: The Death and Memory of a Young Roman Woman” by Joyce E. Salisbury”
Review of “Indestructible Man” (1956)
This is this week’s Saturday night pizza and bad movie offering. Plot: Told in flashback by the investigating detective, Lt. Dick Chasen (Max Showalter billed as Casey Adams), this depicts the last days of convicted criminal Charles “Butcher” Benton (Lon Chaney Jr.). Benton’s *cough* lawyer, Paul Lowe (Ross Elliott), breaks the news to him inContinue reading “Review of “Indestructible Man” (1956)”
Review of “The Third Man” (1949)
This is this week’s Saturday night pizza and bad movie offering. The pizza and wine were good, and so was the movie, which we borrowed from the library. Plot: American writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) arrives in post-war Vienna at the invitation of an old friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Lime has promised Martins aContinue reading “Review of “The Third Man” (1949)”
Review of “The Ancient Mesopotamian City” by Marc Van De Mieroop
According to received wisdom, ancient Mesopotamia gave rise to not only the city as we know it but a specific type of city, one that lasted from approximately 3000 to 300 BCE in the Middle East. While cities appeared in places such as the Nile River Valley, nowhere does urbanism seem to play such anContinue reading “Review of “The Ancient Mesopotamian City” by Marc Van De Mieroop”
Review of “Alien Species” (1996)
Plot: This opens with a white blob approaching earth from space and a voiceover about a prophecy about a mighty armada dominating the earth in the year 1999. A whole lot of trouble happens. The destruction of all mankind, blah, blah, blah… Max Poindexter (Aaron Jettleson) (good character name) and Holly Capers (Barbara Fierentino) areContinue reading “Review of “Alien Species” (1996)”
Review of “Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster” (1965)
This is this week’s Saturday night pizza and bad movie offering. Good thing the pizza and cabernet were good. Plot:Bald Dr. Nadir (Lou Cutell) informs Princess Marcuzan (Marilyn Hanold) that they continue to hear “a modulated hydrogen frequency signal of twenty-one centimeters.” When the Princess asks what that means, Dr. Nadir replies he’s not sure,Continue reading “Review of “Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster” (1965)”
Review of “House of Frankenstein” (1944)
This is this week’s Saturday pizza and bad movie offering. We watched it with Svengoolie and just about every frigging Universal monster. Plot: From the slot in his jail cell in Neustadt Prison, Doctor Gustav Niemann (Boris Karloff) grabs the throat of a jailer (an uncredited Charles Wagenheim) and demands chalk. From inside, the viewerContinue reading “Review of “House of Frankenstein” (1944)”
