fiction – Page 6 – Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old

Review of “The Thing with Two Heads” (1972)

This was our Saturday pizza and bad movie offering. Garlic pizza. Yum. But, aside from that, I remembered watching this flick on something called broadcast television back in the day. It’s one of those movies that’s so bad it’s almost good. Plot:Brilliant surgeon and icky racist Maxwell Kirshner (Ray Milland) is dying but wants hisContinue reading “Review of “The Thing with Two Heads” (1972)”

Review of “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy” (1955)

Some weeks ago, Svengoolie disappeared without explanation when the masterpiece discussed below was scheduled. We were looking forward to it as something silly, so the dearly beloved found it at the library. Silly is what we got. Plot: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are for some unexplained reason in Cairo and looking for a wayContinue reading “Review of “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy” (1955)”

Review of “The Old Dark House” (1932)

This is our latest Saturday night pizza and bad movie offering. Last week, Svengoolie was unavailable. The cable channel has not explained. Oh, well. The dearly beloved found the film scheduled for then, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, through the library. It should arrive shortly. This week’s film is a bit less cheery. Plot:Continue reading “Review of “The Old Dark House” (1932)”

Review of “Island of Lost Souls” (1932)

This is our Saturday pizza and bad movie offering, a flick that got banned, censored, and clipped back in the day. While there’s no sex or nudity, there is some violence. Mostly, it’s heavy and depicts cruelty. It’s not one for the kiddies. We watched it with Svengoolie. Plot: While traveling to meet his fiancée,Continue reading “Review of “Island of Lost Souls” (1932)”

Review of “A Simple Ad” (2019)

Thoughts:This is a very short film inspired by a six-word micro-short story attributed to Ernest Hemingway. The opening credits roll over shots of a bookcase with family pictures—a baby, a little boy, and a wedding, among others. The viewer hears “Suo Gan,” a lovely traditional Welsh lullaby sung by the Choir of King’s College. ItContinue reading “Review of “A Simple Ad” (2019)”

Review of “At the Earth’s Core” (1977)

Svengoolie was a rerun once again, so we went to Mystery Science Theater for this gem, an adaptation of an Edgar Rice Burroughs work. Plot: Against a backdrop of Victorian Great Britain, scientist Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) oversees the building of a giant earth-boring machine, “the iron mole.” Accompanying him on its test run throughContinue reading “Review of “At the Earth’s Core” (1977)”

Review of “Romancing the Stone” (1984)

Our Saturday night pizza and bad movie movie was in color for a change. And our usual place for pizza procurement changed hands, which included a big jump in prices. I asked if that meant a pay raise for the worker bees, not realizing I was talking to one of the new owners. He laughed.Continue reading “Review of “Romancing the Stone” (1984)”

Review of “Earth vs. The Flying Saucers” (1956)

This is another of our Saturday pizza and bad movie offerings. We watched the flick with Svengoolie. This flick was a super serious, if a bit improbable, good ol’ rendition of those horrible critters from Outer Space who want our earth, donchya know. Plot: Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) is riding back to work atContinue reading “Review of “Earth vs. The Flying Saucers” (1956)”

Review “Frogs” (1972)

This is an “eco-horror” film from 1972 with a message: the critters of the world have had their fill of pollutin’ humans, and it’s payback time. The dearly beloved and I watched it as our Saturday bad movie and pizza offering. The $7.99 bottle of cab from Costco grew on me. Plot: The movie opensContinue reading “Review “Frogs” (1972)”

Review of “The Fly” (1958)

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)”