The Condemned ( 2007 )


A choice selection of convicted death row inmates are offered the opportunity to compete in a deadly game on an abandoned island where the winner will win his or her freedom and there sentences dropped.

Becoming part of a reality TV show the 10 condemned killers from all over the world are pitted against each other and ultimately fight to the death to gain there release. Unknown to the prisoners until later on, hidden cameras are placed in obscure places all over the island and there fights filmed and realyed back to the TV team which are camped on the other side of the island.

The condemned is one exceedingly violent film as one might expect. About several leaps ahead of anything Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwartznegger appeared in. Unlike those stars however there's no one in this that comes remotely as close. Former WWE wrestler Stone cold Steve Austin as he's known stars as Jack Conrad , yes he's grim and cold and really mean yet not as much so as Vinnie Jones, who here goes way overboard at being overly obnoxious.

What we have here is an an overly preachy tone and a nastiness which is taken to the utmost levels. Having said all this i don't think it's quite as bad as most other reviewers have said it is. There's plenty of action to be had , if somewhat grisly and it,s almost fiendishly enjoyable to see the TV crew get there comeuppance at the hands of McStarley - Vinnie Jones with guns blazing.


HARD BOILED

Captivity ( 2007 )

Can't say anything good about this deplorable movie.It doesn't make any real sense; is totally unconvincing ; is voyeristic and grubby in the worst sense and is so predictable and horridly cold it's a very unpleasant and nasty view all round. Alright ...it's slickly directed by Roland Joffe' but it's almost totally devoid of any suspense and character.

If watching a beautifull woman ( Elisha Cuthbert ) being trapped in a room and having mind games played on her is your bag you will probably enjoy this.

Unfortunately in this day and age there seems to be a growing demand for films like this, which is very sad. Definitely a bad and rotten egg!

BAD EGG

RESCUE DAWN (2007)

RESCUE DAWN ( 2007 )

Based on a true story ' Rescue Dawn ' depicts the plight of real life german - american vietnam war survivor Dieter Dengler.Director Werner Herzog here creates a very real and gripping experience who earlier made an excellent documentary on the same topic called 'Little Dieter Needs To Fly', with Dengler reliving his traumatic experence while in the clutches of the enemy.

Unlike most war films Rescue Dawn is a sincere and focused portrait of not only a soldier but also the bonding between fellow prisoners. Cutting out any obligatory love story, flash backs or any political statements which have spoiled many other war movies Rescue Dawn gets right to the point without any extraneous clutter. What we have here is a genuinely moving film which certainly ranks as one of Herzogs finest achievements who remains still one of the most unique directors around. One can't help but feel had this been made by one of hollywoods big guns it would have turned out a lot different.

Dengler is played by Christian Bale who having crashed must try to survive and look out for any means of rescue, which is cut short when captured by a group of Vietnamese. Staying true to his morals he refuses to sign a paper discrediting his fellow americans and is therefore abused, tortured and psychlogically victimized.

Eventually Dengler is sent to a makeshift camp where he meets four other prisoners and forms a close relationship with POW Duane Martin played by 'Steve Zahn'.Conditions in the camp are horrific but Hertzog treats them matter of factly and they are not overdone, as in most other peoples hands they would have been.With there feet Manacled to boards and hands handcuffed the prisoners can only roam the guarded camp by day; at night it is impossible, and this is where Dieter finds a way to pick the handcuffs with a nail he secretly procures.

With food being scarce for not only the prisoners but the guards also, conditions get worse and Dieter hatches a plot to escape.The escape is a success and Dieter finally manages to escape by waving down a passing helicopter but his buddy Duane is unfortanately killed.These final secenes are very moving!

Excellent performances here by the two main leads 'Christian Bale ' and ' Steve Zahn '
makes for a must see film.Hertzog turns in a fantastic movie here and it gets my highest accolade the CRYSTAL EGG award.

ACTRESS OF THE MONTH - GENE TIERNEY

Room 1408 ( 2007 )

"Room 1408" is an adaptation of Stephen's Kings short novel and take us on a strange phenomenal journey of hallucinations,and terror.Like Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller "Psycho", and Nimrod Antul's "Vacancy" director, Mikeal Hafstrom directs our attention to a hotel room where the unexpected happen, in this movie adaption of a short story by Steven King of the same name."

John Cusack portrays a famed occult writer who is highly sceptical about the very thing he writes about....ghosts. Samuel L. Jackson plays the sinister owner of the Dolphin Hotel who introduces this movie's antics of horror, and the unexpected in this psychological/ horror thriller.

Famed occult writer Mike Enslin (John Cusack) makes a visit to New York's Dolphin Hotel. The Dolphin Hotel is an interesting place for Mike Enslin because of its legacy of horror that have affected every tenant that checked into its isolated room, numbered 1408. The residents check in, but they don't check out having either been murdered or driven impossibly insane. Wanting to check into room 1408 Enslin decides to investigate these ghostly findings, and eventually write another successful story for his newest occult book.

When meeting the hotel manager portrayed by Samuel Jackson, Enslin is warned not to check into room 1408 because of its hideous legacy.So adamant is he not to let Enslin enter this room he tries to bribe him with unreleased material in a folder of other unknown cases in room 1408. Enslin insists though, and checks into room 1408. Upon checking in his nightmares start to begin.. He encounters a radio that won't turn off, and its digital numbers spins out of control; he sees a woman jump from a window, a hideous looking person lunges at him with an ax, bleeding walls, a decomposed corpse that chase him while he attempts to escape, and a host of strange noises that echo his room. Encompassed with the torments of room 1408 Enslin comes to grips with himself and goes on a pathology of hallucinations of his past and future that seemingly never ends his dilemma in room 1408.

Personally I thought this movie was a bit confusing at times, especially as it seemed to shift into a different gear after his trials in the room and didn't really seem to make any sense.Horror fans will no doubt enjoy this film though which certainly has many fine moments despite a lack of coherence.

PAR BOILED

TARANTULA ( 1955)

Another splendid science fiction come horror film by film director Jack Arnold.My prevoius review of ' THEM ' was released a year earlier and has a similar beginning , being part of the popular 'Giant Insect ' cycle of the period. Rather than having the little girl fleeing from the unseen THEM Arnold has a strangely distorted man with head and hands twisted into bestiality, jump out into the desertr and collapse as the title credits appear.

Performances are much better than average in TARANTULA. Leo G Carroll ( remember him in ' The Man From U.N.C.L.E ) plays a biochemist experimenting with artificial nutrients which consequently have devastating abnormal effects not only on man but also a huge TARANTULA which escapes from the laboratory.

John Agar and Mara Corday, are also smoothly effective with some touches of humor.Look out near the end for a fleeting glimpse of a young and uncredited Clint Eastwood as the fighter pilot who drops some napalm.

Universals desert town standing set is used to great advantage as it did in THE MONOLITH MONSTERS. Used here as a focus of action and a bridge to the rather more threatening world which lurks just beyond the lamplight. Arnolds feel for the desert is once again perfectly realised.

Obviously the special effects are not up to todays standards but what we have here is all atmosphere throughout and not like todays CGI perfectly rendered mostly lifeless FX. Travelling mattes and giant sets were mainly used making the spider appear enormous. I think we can forgive tha fact that the spiders legs don't seem to touch the ground.

GOOD EGG

28 Weeks Later ( 2007 )

Zombies are once again wreaking havoc in england in this sequel to 28 days Later. This as another great attempt at rejuvenating the zombie film and injecting it with new life. I found this film even more disturbing and scarier than the previous.

Directed this time around by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo with Danny Boyle ( director of 28 Days Later ) as co producer. He certainly piles on the non stop action in this one with numerous chase scenes and out and out gut wrenching zombie rage.

After the initial outbreak of the rage virus , 28 Weeks Later takes place in a post plague London. Thousands of people begin to rebuild there lives in a quarantined section of Canary Warf where the majority of the action takes place.One can probably fore guess what's going to happen .... red alert is announced as the viral infestation begins to take hold and overcome everyone except most of the american soldiers, and whats left of a small group which tries to escape via helicopter from Wembley satdium.

Great sequel to the original then. If you like more action you will probably enjoy this one more. Personally i found 28 Days Later the better of the two.

PAR BOILED

28 Days Later ( 2002 )

Directed by Danny Boyle 28 Days later is a post - apocalyptic sci fi come horror film.

As such this is a pretty good film and compares rather favoroubly to the more famous horror films made by George A. Romero. Emphasis here however seems to be much more focused on the small group of people escaping from the diseased ridden zombies as they travel across country to find refuge with like minded survivors and eventually wind up at an army blockade led by none other than Christopher Eccleston. Yes folks this is a british film and starts out being centered around London when Jim ( Cillian Murphy ) awakens from a coma and finds himself alone in a deserted hospital where he is recovering from some accident.One scene i found a complete rip off though from George A Romeros Dawn of the Dead was the very similar supermarket sequence, but much less effectively done here where they raid a store picking up items willy nilly from the shelves.

Definitely worth a look see this one although it doesn't come across as scarey when compared to similar more greater films. Another odd thing is that unlike the slow moving zombies in the classic Romero films , these are extremely agile and fast moving.

GOOD EGG

    Recommended Casino Movies

When thinking of Casinos one obviously thinks of Las Vegas which has inspired many filmakers. 'Oceans eleven ' is one film which springs to mind, and sees the original members of the Rat Pack planning to rob no less than five casinos in Las Vegas in one night.Remade in 2001 Steven Sondeheim presents a successful and updated version.

Nocolas Cage also appeared in Honeymoon in Vegas, again revolving around casinos with much black humor.Cage loses his job due to drinking and heads for Vegas to have one final fling at the tables while drinking himself into oblivion. The tables unexpectedly turn however. James Caan as the suave and sinister gambler is outstandingly good here.

Rounders starring Matt Damon as Mike Mcdermott is another fine casino / gambling film. Mcdermott is one of the worlds best poker players who gives up gambling but inevitably returns to it when persuaded by an old friend who has just been released from prison , to pay off some debts he owes.The ever increasing stakes along the way make this a very exciting and entertaining film.

Get the most out of your time in Paris!

Why not include a show at the Moulin Rouge, or a dinner cruise down the Seine? How about some unusual Paris sights, the ones most tourists never get to see? Or a day trip to the Normandy D-Day beaches, or the Loire Castles? Include a day at Versailles Castle and Monet's Gardens at Giverny - your choices are really endless. Don't forget to take in some movies along the way too!

Wining and dining can be a luxurious treat for the senses in Paris.French Wine Explorers can open the doors for you to the best wineries, from the most exclusive to the lesser-known gems of each region. Cooking classes on how to learn and create dishes reflecting the authentic cuisine of France and Italy are at yoyr fingertips. Shopping? - then here are open-air food markets . You'll have a great wine and food adventure in France for sure!

QUATERMASS 2 ( 1957 )

Brian Donlevy reprises his role in this Nigel Kneale TV adaption sequel.

Somewhat ponderous and less effective than the earlier film Quatermass 2 is nevertheless a splendid slice of british SF cinema. It is also much darker than the other two.

Director Val Guest maintains and conveys a nice sense of mystery and threat throughout as we find out just exactly what is being manufactured at the secret plant and about it's monstrous occupants.

Best scenes are the ones at the plant ,especially where one of the touring crew, a minister, accidentally falls into one of the domes and stumbles screaming down the steel steps covered in a corrosive black sludge. A very impressive scene.

Only minor complaint, performance wise is Sid James in a cameo role as the drunken press reporter Jimmy. Definitely the worst performance in the film!

If you enjoyed either of the other Quatermass films you will most certainly enjoy this one. I know i did!

GOOD EGG

THEM! [1954]


Giant mutant creatures featured prominently in many science fiction films of the 50's and 60's , especially ones involving atomic explosions. Films such as "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" This time around we have giant ants. "THEM" is a classic of the sub genre and is without equal, especially as it's the only giant mutation movie of any coherance and genuine dramatic tension.

Right from the introduction of the giant ants to the final showdown in the storm drains beneath Los Angeles " THEM " comes across as genuine and really scary of what we could unleash if we carry on testing atomic bombs.

Over 50 years on and "THEM" is as powerful today as it was then.The images portrayed still frighten and the sense of mystery and then threat still pack a punch. In less capable hands "THEM" would have been a failure but Director Gordon Douglas turns this into a classic.

No really notable actors, except Edmund Gwenn who plays the part of the old and wise entomologist ; as always he's excellent as is James Whitmore who is among the first to discover the ants. Much lesser known actor James Arness plays the lead who first appeared disguised as the carrot creature in "THE THING ".

"THEM" in some respects recalls " IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE " with it's desert locations and atmosphere. A girl stumbles out of the desert and is only able to utter "THEM" "THEM" which makes for a very powerful introduction. From then on we discover smashed buildings and twisted cars which in each case has a trail of sugar leading from the site.Eventually when the nest is found poison gas is pumped in and a party with flamethrowers try to wipe out any of the survivors. It's soon discovered that two of the queen ants have flown from the nest and as so the search continues.This time leading to the storm drains of LA and finally James Whitmores final battle as he tries to save not only his own life but also that of some children which become trapped.

So many remarkable scenes in "THEM" which are played excellently throughout and for me it's all the better for being in black and white. " THEM " is definitely a film you should see.

GOOD EGG

TWENTY MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)


Various creature and insect films thrived during the latter 1950's as did dinosaur pictures. One of the most impressive of the latter is Nathan Juran's Twenty Million Miles to Earth where an earth to venus space expedition crashes into the sea off Italy and loses it's specimen of Venusian life. A jelly like rubbery egg which apparently contains some sort of weird embryonic creature which eventually hatches.

Looking like some alien Tyrannosaurus Rex ( one of Ray Harryhausens liveliest and memorable creations ) the baby begins to grow rapidly and although seems harmless enough at first soon goes on the rampage and is eventually shot down.

Best scenes here are the early ones where the rescue party board the crashed ship and struggle through the wreck to reach the injured crew. Smoke and angled shots are used to very good effect as are the sound effects. All cleverly done to disguise the fact that the sets were those left over from ' The Caine Mutiny '.Another is where the US military helicopters chase the beast across the Sicilian (though actually mainly Californian) countryside. Here the animated Ymir ( as it is called ) appears in a variety of surroundings including, sulphur pits and rocky outcrops, with detailed miniatures almost seamlessly with front and rear projections of real locations. The scene ends with the Venusian covered in an electrically charged net dropped from a helicopter.

What really lets the film down badly though is the acting which is laughable at times as is the script. It will probably be more enjoyed by children, especially these days, and for fans of Harryhausens work , which is without doubt splendid here and is enough of a reason to view it in my opinion. Nice film but badly flawed!


Alternate Titles: TWENTY MILLION MILES TO EARTH; THE GIANT YMIR; THE BEAST FROM SPACE.

HARD BOILED

THEY LIVE ( 1988)

John Carpenter is back with a very cool concept here based on a pulp fiction sci-fi story.

A tough loner ( Roddy Piper ) loses his job and takes to the road. Becoming involved with a bunch of squatters he stumbles upon the terrifying discovery of ghoulish aliens masquerading as humans.Only seen it seems through a certain type of dark glasses which he unwittingly comes across in one of the buildings.

The film certainly recalls the likes of his 'Assault on Precint 13' , again with his own dark menacing electro score bringing out nicely the underlying terror and violence which is about to ensue. A very cool tongue in cheek attitude permeates too which works well. I can't help but think of Kurt Russel in the place of hunky lead Roddy Prior .....although he's not bad at all. It all moves along nicely and there's plenty of action along the way. Keith David makes an excellent sidekick as they eventually penetrate the nerve centre of the aliens and ultmately cause chaos in their plans to take over.

A back on form JC !

GOOD EGG

The Descent ( 2006 )

A cool tempting premise upon seeing and reading the DVD case /trailer.

A group of young women go cave exploring and wished they hadn't on this occasion when they discover malevolent creatures in the subterranean darkness.

What initially is a fun trip soon turns into one of terror. After a cave in and the entrance becomes blocked the group of women are forced to find another way out and venture deeper into the cave system to find that other way out, if any !

Now all of this may sound great entertainment value and up to a point it is but unfortunately what is really lacking here is characterisation. Without which we just do not really relate to any particular person and are insensative to anyones demise. A shame really , because this film would certainly have benefitted from much more emotionally involving characters and more rounded likable people. As a result, When the group comes across creatures which resemble albino dwarf mutants bent on devouring there prey, we really do'nt give a damn what happens to anyone of them , as heads are severed and we witness various scenes full of blood and guts. I at least didn't! The script is also very poor and really doesn't help matters at all.

PAR BOILED

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN ( 1957 )

Scott Carey ( Grant Williams ) falls victim to a cloud of radioactive gas which causes him to gradually shrink in size.

Although the acting is unfortanately wooden this is a fine blend of science fiction and horror which one will for sure remember after the first viewing.

What begins as a figure of academic medical interest in Scotts predicament soon gives way to ridicule as he becomes more of an object of fascination , which cuts all the more deeper as Scott is just an ordinary Joe and doesn't understand at all what's happening him as he becomes smaller and smaller. Objects and pets such as his friendly cat soon become things of terror as he becomes no more to the cat than a mouse to be played with. More frightening still is the spider in the cellar as he becomes trapped there . Searching for food he finds a piece of cheese and winds up prey of the spider as he tries to attain a meal.

Director Jack Arnold made many fine films in this genre and this is one of his best.Excellent special effects throughout and the giant sets are really good. Incidentally the spider which is supposedly a trained one also appeared in Arnolds ' Tarantula '

Some may find the ending i a little cornball but all in all TISM a very highly recommended movie. Arachnophobes beware!!

CRYSTAL EGG

PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES ( 1965 )


Planet of The Vampires or TERRORE NELLO SPAZIO was made in 1965 by revered italian film director Mario Bava. A director whose love for visuals were a major aspect of all his films. No less so here which is a splendid mix of science fiction and horror.

First off for or a more detailed synopsis of the storyline please go to http://members.tripod.com/mariobava/planet.htm Briefly though this is about two space ships in deep uncharted space who respond to a distress call from an uncharted planet.Upon landing there ship the Argos is damaged and the crew succumb to being posessed by strange phenomenon and wind up for no apparant reason attacking one another. They soon find out that during these spells of madness they are to keep guard over each other.They soon find the wreck of the other ship Gaillo and the dead occupants who died violent deaths.Later they are found to be alive! Mario Bava paints a vivid picture here of a malevolent planet with its swirling cloud mass and ominous atmosphere which is the key to the whole film.

Dramatically Planet Of The Vampires will not have you on the edge of your seat and the dialogue ( dubbed ) is very monosyllabic. However what it lacks in this department is more than made up for with the splendid visuals throughout.Amazingly there's even a sequence which recalls Alien where they stumble across an alien ship and its huge gruesome occupants. Again excellent visuals here as they enter a cylindrical passageway to the control room.

To watch a preview of this film click play button on top right Veoh video . To download this film for free go to : http://www.veoh.com/channels/solaris

HARD BOILED

THE KILLING ( 1956 )

I've always been a huge fan of film noir and those great black and white detective films of the 40's. I havn,t reviewed many of these on my pages so here goes with one of the best! ' The Killing ' is an exceptional earlier film from Stanley Kubrick and is certainly not one of your usual run of the mill caper films. It involves the robbery at a horse racetrack. Superbly photographed in B/W with a dovetailed scrambling of time sequences..........plot , planning and robbery ;which works surprisingly well throughout. Like anything Kubrick did......very masterfulll!! ....Some of it is done in semi documentary style. The technical aspects of the film too are outstanding with many very memorable exterior shots , close ups, and angles.

The Killing was a major success for Kubrick in the film industry even though it was produced for as little as 320,000 dollars....which does reveal itself in some of the cardboard looking sets. Sterling Hayden is once again excellent as' Johny Clay ' .....the tough but intelligent ring leader. Those who enjoyed him in Huston;s ' The asphalt Jungle ' will surely enjoy him here too. He is admirably supported by a host of character actors..........of particular note here is ' Elisha cook jnr ' as ' George Peatty ' the ticket seller at the racetrack who finally agrees to help out in the robbery ........A quiet man who loves his wife dearly and will do aything to please her ( played by Mary Windsor ) who is nothing more than a liar , cheat and go getter who eventually upsets the whole of the plans when letting on to her lover ( played by Vince Edwards )....... These have to be my favourite scenes ......the dialogue really crackles between these two. Then there's ' Ted de Corsia ' as the rather corrupt policeman who owes money. and ' Joe Sawyer , whose wife is sick and needs special attention. The backstage scenes of the robbery are expertly handled. We really become involved with all of the characters ......who for want or reason need money fast.........great pace from start to finish with plenty of excitement and thrills along the way........ i won't let on about the ending in case you havn't seen it........if you havn't you MUST!!!! ......Highly recommended as they say!!!

CRYSTAL EGG

PSYCHO ( 1998 )

One undoubtedly has to compare Gus Van Sant's version with Hitchcocks orignal and as such falls flat on it's face. Maybe this would have been a far better movie if wasn't so hell bent on copying the original shot for shot, which ultimately makes for a decidedly less interesting viewing experience. Shot in colour it is much less atmospheric too and only lessens the visual impact, including the famous shower scene.

Anne Heche fairs pretty well in place of Janet Leigh but is really no substitute. As i found almost every other actor to be. The exception on the other hand would be Viggo Mortenson as Sam Loomis , who in the original was played by John Gavin who i believe Hitchcock branded stiff. He was! He is far better characterised here by the lord of the rings man himself .........who is much more animated and believable, if a little less unlikeable!

The beginning i found pretty good, but once Anne Heche arrived at the motel and Vince Vaughn appeared on the scene it all seemed to fall apart even more. Nothing new here . A retread which plodded along until the conclusion.

Just like music .....live performances which try to recreate the studo recording are seldom of interest!

PAR BOLIED

Gambling Movies

Here's a few of my favourite gambling movies which feature Casinos and other forms of gambling. Obvious films which spring to mind are ' Casino Royale' ( 1967) ' The Sting '( 1973 ) and ' The Hustler' which is not a gambling movie in the purest sense but definetly one of the greatest and far superior to Scorsese's remake ' The Color Of Money '
(1986) .

A personal favourite of mine would be ' The Cincinatti Kid ' starring Steve Mcqueen and the ever great Edward G Robinson. If you enjoy poker this will be right up your alley for sure. Mcqueen is splendidly cast as the ' Kid ' fresh to the game and over eager to battle it out with old wizened pro Robinson.The climactic scenes are great and you'll be delighted with the twist in the tail.Well worth checking out though sadly seldom screened these days !

Footnote: For Mac users check out the following great sites to play on-line poker which have an established and trusted reputation.

http://www.macpokeronline.com/mac/online/poker/ Pacific Poker http://www.macpokeronline.com/review/online/poker/pacificpoker/ http://www.macpokeronline.com/bonus/casino/

HAWAII

Hawaii - Americas original tropical paradise. With its six major islands and wide range of activities to enjoy, people who stay in Hawaii condo rentals will never be at a loss to see or experience new things. Rent a car while your there too!

Maui offers secluded beaches and breathtaking views—from Haleakala National Park to one of the most beautiful drives in the world on the road to Hana.

Surfers can enjoy all that Oahu offers, a slice of heaven at its world famous North Shore.Nightlife and party atmosphere draws guests of Hawaii Condo who enjoy an exciting night on the town.

If you’re a guest of Hawaii beach condo and enjoy nature, you’ll want to return time and again to Kauai—the eldest island— for its lush and unrivaled botanic beauty. And for those seeking to truly escape the stresses of modern life the islands of Molokai and Lanai offer a peaceful, easy-going vacation without the highways, stoplights and trappings of city life.

Horrorscopes and Movies

Horrorscopes! Ah yes! Most people love to pick up there daily newspaper and read what's in store for them on that particular day! We hope it's all good news at least and anticipate the events to unfold before us true to the printed word! Some may think it's all rubbish but there are those among us which take them very seriously and are almost religeously guided by the prophecies of future events . Personally I think there is definitely something in the mere act of believing which somehow makes things happen. A mystery for sure but in most cases an uncanny fact!

Two of my favourite films which have a psychic theme are ' The Gift ' starring Kate Blanchett and ' The Dead Zone' with Christopher Walken. Well worth checking out these two , especially The Dead Zone! What would you do if you could foresee the president pressing the red button and letting the missiles fly!!

Share , Download & Make Movies

The internet is a goldmine for sharing, downloading and making your own movies.

With the massive global interest in such sites as Itunes and Youtube, never before has there been seen such
an explosion in video sources on the web. Whether you want to download movies or venture into making your own, create music slideshows and share them, there are a vast array of sources out there to suit your needs. Be aware though , it can be quite mind boggling and you could easily get lost with so many sites offering videos to choose from, but a good honest no frills ( faster speeds included ) is the way to go and there are many to be recommended.

THE THING (1951)

Produced by Howard Hawks and directed by ( in all but name ) Christian Nyby 'The Thing From Another World ' ( which it is also known as ) still remains a classic film,whose imagary has stood the test of time extremely well. OK No big special effects here by todays standards but this film
more than makes up for that with it's rich atmosphere.

Based on J W Cambells story 'Who Goes There ' TTFAW deviates somewhat from the original concept, with the monster resembling more of a kind of ' Intellectual Carrot' ; whereas John Carpenters remake is much closer with it's shape changing monster and its ability to take on human form, however this is far more gory and gruesome horror fare compared to Hawks's version.

Considering TTFAW was made on a budget the arctic wastes and mounting paranoia are beautifully realised. With a cast of B actors headed by ' Kenneth Toby ' TTFAW has most definitely an 'Hawksian' stamp to it with his use of typically overlapping dialogue and characters. Not your usual Sci fi/ horror fare at all here.

Favourite scenes has to be when the group set out by plane to track down what is apparently thought to be a meteorite and come across a spaceship frozen under the ice which has seemingly crashlanded. It's more of what one doesn't see here, which make these scenes so powerfull. In fact all that's glimpsed is a tail fin of the craft protruding from the ice and the vague shadowy figure of it's occupant.

The 8 foot tall monster, which somehow lost it's ability to mimic others along the way is played by ' James Arness , he of ' Gunsmoke ' fame, although you would never recognize him here! In fact he supposedly was so embarassed by the role he refused to eat with the rest of the cast.


The climax in which the creature becomes trapped on the wire and electrocuted where he gradually decreases in size was by all accounts achieved by using different proportioned actors ( height ) until in the final scene a midget in costume was used. However ridiculous this all may sound it is very effectively done and in my opinion adds more realism.

Definitely worth a watch then this one if you havn't seen it! Even if you have, another screening is highly recommended. One of those films i guess which just seems to get better each time it's viewed!

CRYSTAL EGG

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Search The Web:

I've never actually read Jules Verne's original story but this film has always been a favourite of mine. It was made when Disney, in the 50's, were branching out into more live - action films rather than animation.The combination of adventure and science fiction are splendidly realised here and James Mason makes for an excellent Captain Nemo.Production costs were very high for the time and no expense spared to give the tale a very lavish cinematic treatment.Disney hired Richard Fliescher as director, who has made several excellent films such as ' The Armoured Car Robbery ' and ' The Narrow Margin ' etc. Under his reins Fleischer mounts ' 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ' as a really spectacular film. Cinemascope and the Technicolor process with beautiful underwater photography are a sight to behold and the special effects stand up very well by todays standards.As i mentioned earlier ' James Mason ' makes for an excellent brooding ' Captain Nemo ' and ' Kirk Douglas ' too as just an ordinary seaman who is full of charm and charisma, bringing some wonderfully entertaining humor and even one or two
songs.....that IS him singing by the way! Whereas ' Paul Lukas ' as Professor Aronax and Peter Lorre as his apprentice seem just a little miscast.Minor quibbles here though! One blooper to look out for by the way is in the scene near the end when water is filling up the submarine, Kirk Douglas begins fighting with a member of the crew to escape. As Douglas hits him his false sideburn falls off and flies across the screen.

So Climb aboard the Nautilus ... and plunge into a strange undersea world of spellbinding adventure . Join shipwrecked survivors taken captive by the mysterious Captain Nemo ,who wavers between genius and madness, as he launches a deadly crusade across the seven seas while exposing his evil plan to destroy the whole world? Believe me you won't be dissapointed!

GOOD EGG