movie review – Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old

Review of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)

The past Saturday pizza and bad movie night was a return to the schlock of yesteryear. Plot:In the sixteenth-century, Englishman Francis Barnard (John Kerr) arrives at a foreboding castle seeking news about his sister Elizabeth’s (Barbara Steele) recent death. His sister’s widower, Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), and his younger sister, Catherine (Luana Anders), give himContinue reading “Review of “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961)”

Review of “Godzilla” (1954) and “Godzilla King of the Monsters” (1956)

I. Godzilla (1954) In 1954, a Japanese film appeared with a monster named Gojira—Angelized as Godzilla—that terrorized people near the (fictional) island of Odo near the Japanese coast, destroying ships before taking on Tokyo. Survivors describe their disasters: “It was like the sea exploded.” The people of Odo Island see their fishing nets come backContinue reading “Review of “Godzilla” (1954) and “Godzilla King of the Monsters” (1956)”

Review of “Three Amigos!” (1986)

Our latest Saturday night pizza and bad movie was one my dearly beloved had seen, but I hadn’t. It was a silly flick with a silly premise. Plot: I’ll preface this by saying that my Spanish is shaky on a good day, so those who speak it better than I do (and there are many),Continue reading “Review of “Three Amigos!” (1986)”

Review of “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie offering, a horror flick with a little bit of everything, including song and dance. Plot:The beginning is framed by a discussion among Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Elsa Lanchester), Lord Byron (Gavin Gordon), and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Douglas Walton) about the story this innocent young girl has justContinue reading “Review of “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)”

Review of “The Black Cat” (1941)

Our last pizza and bad movie night of the year! We watched the flick with a black cat snoozing on the couch on his bed between us—after we finished the pizza. Unfortunately, the little guy can’t be trusted around pizza. The Plot: Elderly, infirm Henrietta Winslow (Cecilia Loftus) has called her family together to letContinue reading “Review of “The Black Cat” (1941)”

Review of “Ring of Terror” (1961)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie entry, a black-and-white foray into college days. Uh-huh. Plot:The main story is framed by a graveyard keeper, R.J. Dobson (Joseph Conway), looking for his cat, Puma. He finds the feline by the headstone of one Lewis B. Moffitt (George E. Mather), with dates 1933-1955 and theContinue reading “Review of “Ring of Terror” (1961)”

Review of “Empire of the Ants” (1977)

Now that I can eat pizza again and stay awake for a while, we resumed our Saturday night pizza and bad movie fiesta. This one was silly. Plot:Somewhere off the Florida coast, figures in red hazard suits dump barrels marked “Danger Radioactive Waste” and “Do Not Open” into the water. At least one barrel washesContinue reading “Review of “Empire of the Ants” (1977)”

Review of “The Man in the White Suit” (1951)

Another departure from our usual monster/horror movie for Saturday night is this black-and-white satire of the idealistic individual who upsets everybody’s applecart. It brought to mind a bit of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Rush’s 2112, and the end of the original Frankenstein movie, but added a bit of humor. Plot:Hapless Sidney Stratton (a really young AlecContinue reading “Review of “The Man in the White Suit” (1951)”

Review of “Attack the Block” (2011)

This was our Saturday pizza and bad movie night movie, a little something different. I’m glad it came with subtitles. Plot:On Guy Fawkes Night in South London, nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker) walks home after work, on the phone to her mother, explaining that she got stuck at work. Young gang members— Pest (Alex Esmail), DennisContinue reading “Review of “Attack the Block” (2011)”

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)”