Return to the Planet of the Apes "Attack from the Clouds" #1.8 (1975) (TV)

One of the weakest I've seen so far, 2 July 2008

As Urko plans his latest campaign to wipe-out the humanoids, Ape City is terrorized by a flying, prehistoric beast. The apes are not alone as the creature sees fit to frighten the humanoids and actually steals one of their cow-like creatures. Once again, Jeff, Bill, and Judy must save the human race.

"Attack from the Clouds" has to be one of the very weakest installments I've seen so far in the Return to the Planet of the Apes series. The poor animation really hurts this one. The high flying scenes of creature and plane should be exciting. But not the way they're handled here. It's dull all the way through. And it doesn't help that much of the existing story line is pushed to the background. Oh well, there's always the next episode.

4/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Trail to the Unknown" #1.7 (1975) (TV)

A new friend, 18 June 2008

In "Trail to the Unknown", it's finally time for Bill, Jeff, and Judy to move the humanoids to a more secure location. First by raft and then across the burning desert, the plan is to get as far away from Urko as possible. But along the way, our heroes run into an unexpected surprise - they meet another astronaut named Brent. With Brent's help, they manage to get the humanoids to safety and defeat Urko's latest attack.

While "Trail to the Unknown" has some nice moments, overall it's too inconsistent to rate much higher than a 6/10. Brent's introduction is the highlight. My reaction was similar in astonishment to that of Jeff and Bill. Another astronaut! - How cool is that? But the rest of the episode is pretty much by the numbers. Urko's attack feels uninspired and is there just to kill some time. It's not the full scale invasion he's been promising. The attack is probably there because the writers didn't know what else to do. Still, I'm looking forward to the rest of Return to the Planet of the Apes.

6/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Screaming Wings" #1.6 (1975) (TV)

An ape with wings?, 14 April 2008

As far as the story is concerned, "Screaming Wings" is one of the best episodes I've seen so far. In this episode, Urko has acquired an operational, vintage, WWII airplane. Jeff, Bill, and Judy realize that with an airplane, the humanoids do not stand a chance. They've got to steal Urko's plane and do so before his big unveiling.

This is a really interesting episode. It includes lots of action (that the animation is unfortunately unable to keep up with), some suspense, and a nice bit of comedy at the end. "Screaming Wings" is also a very PC episode in that Judy finally gets the chance to shine. My only complaint (beside the ever worsening animation) is how readily Urko is to accept the plane and his willingness to use it. What I mean is that the plane obviously came from an advanced civilization that existed prior to the apes. Such a notion in the ape world would be considered heresy. I don't care what military advantage the plane might have given the apes – they would have destroyed it for going against their beliefs.

7/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "River of Flames" #1.13 (1975) (TV)

Thanks, Urko, 14 April 2008

I guess I'll begin this with the now standard episode number disclaimer. What IMDb lists as Episode 13 is actually Episode 7. I'm not sure why the episodes originally aired out of order, but the series' story arc makes more sense if you follow the episode order of the DVD set.

Anyway, in "River of Flames", a hologram of Judy makes an unexpected appearance. Judy asks Jeff and Bill to bring her the laser they salvaged form the spaceship. The Underdwellers need it to create holes in the side of their mountain hideout to vent the rising lava. But before Jeff and Bill can do this, General Urko finds their laser and takes it. Now Jeff and Bill will have to figure out a way to get their laser back if they are to save Judy and the Underdwellers.

Overall, "River of Flames" is pretty much an average episode. The highlights include Urko getting the laser and Jeff and Bill's plan to get it back. It was also really cool how Urko accidentally provided the venting of the volcano when he shelled the mountain. One thing that bugged me was Jeff and Bill's reaction to seeing Judy. They've gone several episodes without even mentioning her name and now all of a sudden they're hell-bent on getting her out alive. Finally, I'm interested in seeing how Jeff and Bill's relationship with Krador changes now that they've done something good for him and his people.

6/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Terror on Ice Mountain" #1.12 (1975) (TV)

A lot of fuss over a book, 8 April 2008

The problem with the episode numbering gets a bit ridiculous with "Terror on Ice Mountain". IMDb lists it as Episode 12 when, in fact, it should be Episode 6.

Anyway, in this episode, Cornelius has found 2,000 year-old book written by humans about a trip to the zoo where apes are kept in cages. Fearing what would happen if Urko were to get wind of this discovery, Cornelius decides the best thing to do is hide the book. He goes to Jeff and Bill for help in building a hot air balloon to take the book to a mountain top hiding place. In route, Cornelius and Bill are blown off course and crash in the mountains. They are rescued by the wise mountain apes. Unfortunately, one of Urko's ski patrols has also spotted Cornelius and Bill and try to capture them. The mountain apes summon their god, a giant ape named Kygoor, to help Cornelius and Bill escape.

The plot description may sound interesting, but "Terror on Ice Mountain" isn't nearly as good as it should have been. The problem – padding. I would guess that half of the episode consists of poorly drawn scenes of a balloon flying, Cornelius and Bill walking through the snow, or gorillas skiing. The actual action (and I hesitate to use the word "action" when describing anything in Return to the Planet of the Apes) is limited to just a few minutes. The mountain apes are an interesting touch. Similar to Tibetan monks, they offer a new twist to the whole Planet of the Apes mythos. However, I'm not sure how Kygoor is supposed to fit into things. Ape history, as presented by Dr. Zaius, doesn't have room for a giant, primitive ape-god like Kygoor.

6/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Lagoon of Peril" #1.3 (1975) (TV)

This is Episode 5 - not 3, 4 April 2008

Once again, the episode number listed on IMDb does not agree with the numbers on the DVD. And since the DVD set presents the episode in the correct order, I'm going with it and calling "Lagoon of Peril" Episode 5 – not Episode 3 as stated on IMDb.

Regardless of the number, "Lagoon of Peril" finds Ape City is in an uproar because of the rumors that the planet is being invaded by talking humanoids. It is decided that General Urko will lead an expedition into the Forbidden Zone to look for signs of intelligent humanoids and their spacecraft. Zira and Cornelius warn Jeff and Bill of Urko's intentions. Jeff and Bill set off for the lagoon they landed in to retrieve some supplies before destroying their space capsule. With the apes hot on their trail, there's no time to lose. But the mission gets even more difficult when they find a gigantic creature living in the lagoon.

This is a fairly nice, interesting episode. The race to the lagoon is about as suspenseful as you might hope for from an animated series like Return to the Planet of the Apes. An interesting touch is that Nova is now able to speak. That effectively means that the ape prophecies and fears are coming to fruition. The creature in the lagoon is something of a letdown because of the poor state of the animation. A fully animated creature would have made this one really special. Finally, one thing I don't understand is the help that Jeff and Bill get from the Underdwellers in holding up the apes' progress to the lagoon. Why? It's not as if they parted on good terms. Maybe I'll get an answer in a future episode.

6/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Tunnel of Fear" #1.4 (1975) (TV)

"I'm Going Humanoid Over You", 27 March 2008

In "Tunnel of Fear", Jeff and Bill put their lives on the line as they sneak back into Ape City to find Cornelius and Zira. They hope the pair of simian scientists will help them locate an isolated spot to move the humanoids to so they won't be such sitting ducks for Urko's army. Cornelius gives them a map showing the location of a secluded valley. He also leads Jeff and Bill to an underground river they can use for their escape.

Although I admit that it probably helps that I'm getting more and more accustomed to the style of animation, overall, the Return to the Planet of the Apes episodes kept getting better and better. There's a lot to like about "Tunnel of Fear". Beyond the giant spider in the drainage tunnel and the wild ride over the waterfall, "Tunnel of Fear" features the most original bit I've so far run across. And reading other comments across the internet I see that most people agree with me. Is there anyone who has seen this episode that doesn't remember the song "I'm Going Humanoid Over You"? It's awesome! I'd love to have a copy of the song – or at least the lyrics. It's just too bad the rest of the series couldn't have been this clever.

6/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "The Unearthly Prophecy" #1.5 (1975) (TV)

Oosa, Oosa, Oosa, 26 March 2008

I need to begin this by pointing out that the order of the episodes listed on IMDb does not match the order they appear on the DVD. IMDb lists them in the order they originally aired on television - even though the episodes aired out of order. Otherwise, the whole Return to the Planet of the Apes story arc gets all messed up. So, while IMDb lists the third episode as "Lagoon of Peril", I'll be calling "The Unearthly Prophecy" the third episode. Clear?

Anyway, in "The Unearthly Prophecy" Jeff and Bill are on the run from the apes when they find an underground passage. It takes them to the Underdwellers – a strange mutated race of humans. The Underdwellers have their lost comrade, Judy (who Bill and Jeff have inexplicable not mentioned since she vanished half way through the first episode), and worship her as a God. Jeff and Bill are imprisoned but Judy comes to their rescue. They escape, but Judy must remain behind.

"The Unearthly Prophecy" is easily the best, most creative episode so far. The underground race may be similar to the humans found in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, but there are enough differences to spice things up. For example, these mutants have the ability to shoot lasers with their eyes. Cool, huh? It makes the escape that much more difficult. One thing I really found clever in "The Unearthly Prophecy" was the Underdwellers name for Judy – Oosa. They took the letters U.S.A. and came up with the pronunciation Oosa.

6/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Escape from Ape City" #1.2 (1975) (TV)

Run Bill, Run, 26 March 2008

The second episode in Return to the Planet of the Apes, "Escape from Ape City", primarily follows the plight of Bill as he is taken to Cornelius and Zira's lab for experimentation. Bill quite naturally proves to be brighter than the average human. But when brain surgery is suggested, Bill blows his cover and the apes discover he can speak. Not wanting to see him put to death, Cornelius and Zira agree to help Bill escape.

As with the first episode, "Escape from Ape City" doesn't provide many surprises for those familiar with the basic storyline found in Planet of the Apes. The plot closely mirrors Taylor's ordeal from the movie. One interesting change is that ape city and the civilization presented in this episode more closely resembles Pierre Boulle's original book. It's a more advanced culture with transportation, communication, and other "modern" infrastructure. Also, I feel I should mention that I do enjoy the way the story arc continues from one episode to the next. It gives the overall series a more natural flow.

5/10

Return to the Planet of the Apes "Flames of Doom" #1.1 (1975) (TV)

A very familiar plot, 25 March 2008

"Flames of Doom" is the first episode in the animated Return to the Planet of the Apes. If you are at all familiar with the basic Planet of the Apes storyline, not much in the first episode will surprise you. It features the basic set-up – three astronauts (one female named Judy and two males named Jeff and Bill) crash on a mysterious planet that at first seems uninhabited. While searching for food and water, they run into a group of primitive humans. But the humans are not the dominate species on the planet. Instead, apes are in charge. By the end of the episode, Judy has disappeared in an earthquake fissure, Bill has been captured by the apes, and Jeff escaped with a primitive female named Nova.

Other than setting up the rest of the series and the uncertain future of all three human characters, there's really not a lot I got out of "Flames of Doom". It's just not terribly exciting. So instead of discussing "Flames of Doom", I'll take this opportunity to write about a couple of my initial impressions of the series. First, it's really difficult to get used to Henry Corden doing the voice of General Urko. Whether he's giving orders to an underling or makes speeches to the ape council, Corden's Fred Flinstone voice is hard to take serious. Second, while I hope to get comfortable with Corden in a few episodes, I doubt I'll ever feel the same way about the animation. I wasn't expecting computer generated type images, but I do expect something more than what you'll find in this series. I'm not sure what you call this style of animation, but to me most of it looks like little more than a static background over which a camera moves attempting (in vain) to create the allusion of motion. There's nothing fluid or "animated" about any of it.

I really hope things get better as I go along. After one episode, I'm not very impressed. So far, it's not difficult to understand why Return to the Planet of the Apes lasted only 13 episodes.

4/10

Las Vegas Lady (1975)

A waste of some perfectly good cleavage, 20 February 2008

There's really not a lot to say about Las Vegas Lady. It's harmless enough, but it is little more than a dull heist film from the 70s. The movie is neither as clever nor as sexy as it strives to be. The plot is a retread of the tired old casino robbery storyline that's been done to death. Except in the case of Las Vegas Lady, I think the robbery plot was designed by a 3 year-old. The plan involves three women – one to unnecessarily and in plain view scale the outside of the Circus Cicus building, one to pose as a waitress only to blow her cover at the first opportunity, and one to stand around exposing her cleavage. That's pretty much it. Intricate, huh? Other than Stella Stevens and her aforementioned breasts, the other women involved in the plot aren't particularly memorable. Las Vegas Lady co-stars Stuart Whitman. When not pawing Stevens, his involvement in the movie is highlighted by one of the most idiotic gun fights ever put on film.

I really wanted to like this movie. It does have that 70s feel to it that I always enjoy and some nice shots of Las Vegas circa 1975. But the movie itself is too dull to rate any higher than a 4/10 – and that's probably overstating it. In the end, Las Vegas Lady is a waste of some perfectly good cleavage.

4/10

Bucktown (1975)

Fred Williamson & Pam Grier - Together!, 16 February 2008

Duke Johnson (Fred Williamson) comes to Bucktown to bury his brother and settle his business. A few locals talk Duke into staying on and re-opening his brother's bar. The locals, however, don't tell Duke how his brother really died or about the racists that run Bucktown. Duke enlists some out-of-town friends to help him deal with his problems. With his black friends in power, things should be looking up for Duke. But he soon realizes that regardless of skin color, power corrupts. Once again, Duke must fight for what he believes in.

I suppose the biggest reason to see Bucktown is the chance to catch Fred Williamson and Pam Grier in the same movie. They're dynamite together and exhibit some real chemistry. I was impressed with Williamson in particular. I've seen too many movies from later in his career where he sleepwalks his way to a paycheck. Not here. He really seems to be into it. As for Grier, she's terrific. The supporting cast is exceptionally strong for this kind of movie. Thalmus Rasulala is an actor who has always impressed me and he does nothing to change my opinion in Bucktown. Carl Weathers and Tony King also give nice performances. But nobody goes into a movie like this for the acting. The action and fight scenes in Bucktown are wonderful. Fists, knives, guns – this movie has it all and does it all very well. The fight choreography and staging is about the best I've seen in a Blaxploitation movie. Very nicely done!

But as much as I enjoyed the actors and the action, I still can't rate Bucktown higher than a 5/10. Why? The movie makes no sense. Maybe I should just suspend logic and go with it, but I can't. In my way of thinking, you just can't kill a bunch of people without some sort of reprisal. A whole load of lawmen are killed and no one seems to take notice? I don't care if they were good-for-nothing racists, someone (State officials, family members, concerned citizens,, etc.) would surely take notice and come to town to do something about it. And if the State or whoever isn't going to do anything about all the killing, don't you think the Army would take notice of someone stealing one of their vehicles? I'm sorry, but there's no logic to any of it.

5/10

Blood Waters of Dr. Z (1975)

"The formula they all laughed at -- Z sub A, A sub T... ZaAt!", 29 August 2007

Even though I watch a lot of bad movies, it's been awhile since I've seen a plot that made less sense than the one found in Blood Waters of Dr. Z. For reasons known only to him, Dr. Kurt Leopold decides the planet would be a better place if fish were to take over. After a rather lengthy voice-over soliloquy on the subject, he dunks himself into a tank and comes out transformed into some sort of poorly designed would-be fish-creature. With his handy spray bottle filled with I'm not sure what, he sets out on his mission to lead the catfish in a takeover of the Earth. Before you can say "carp", Dr. Leopold's plan seems to be forgotten in favor of finding a mate he can transform into a would-be fish-creature. (Actually, I'm of the opinion that getting laid was Dr. Leopold's goal the whole time. Forget about the nonsense of a master race of fish.) As the bodies start to pile up, old fish-boy soon has some scientists and the local sheriff on his tail. Can they put a stop to Dr. Leopold and his plans for world domination?

Whether you call the movie Blood Waters of Dr. Z or Zaat or ZaAt or Attack of the Swamp Creatures, it really doesn't matter. Crap by any name is still crap. The movie is Grade A bottom-of-the-barrel film-making. As I pointed out, the plot is ridiculous. The technical aspects of the films like lighting, sound, special effects, editing, etc. are beyond bad. The direction is amateurish at best. And as for the acting, I'm not in the least surprised to discover that no one involved ever did anything other than appear in this monstrosity (okay, one guy does have one other credit, but that's it). Quite honestly, my rating of a 2/10 is incredibly generous. I'm sure there's a reason I didn't give Blood Waters of Dr. Z the dreaded 1/10, but sitting here 12 hours after watching the movie, I can't come up with a valid explanation.

One of the comments on IMDb bemoans the fact that the majority of people rating and reviewing Blood Waters of Dr. Z have only seen the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version (that's how I saw it also). The comment states that the real movie has 30 or so minutes edited out by the MST3K crew and the movie shouldn't be judged unless someone has seen the whole thing. Well why in God's name would I want to see 30 more minutes of this trash! The time I've already devoted to Blood Waters of Dr. Z is above and beyond what it deserves. Just be glad more people haven't seen that additional footage as I'm guessing the rating would be even lower if they had.

2/10

The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)

"You're so dumb you wouldn't know rabbit turds from Rice Krispies.", 30 May 2007

Realistically, I can see the same problems in The Giant Spider Invasion as most anyone else. But what I see in the movie that some people appear to be missing is a whole lot of fun. A VW Beatle doubling as a giant spider, spider puppets jumping out of dresser drawers, Wisconsin rednecks with buckets of diamonds, Alan Hale Jr's take on being a sheriff, Barbara Hale and Steve Brodie spouting some incredibly ridiculous scientific nonsense, mutilated cattle, pantsuits, and a farmer wearing a girdle – what's not to like? Some people (and I'm often guilty of this) take movies too seriously. I mean if you have fun with it and find yourself entertained, what more do you really expect from a movie? Call it a guilty pleasure of mine or a sentimental remembrance of my youth, but I'm rating this one a 6/10.

Alan Hale, Jr. really cracks me up in The Giant Spider Invasion. For starters, the first line he utters is to call someone "Little Buddy". How original? Next, his character is never at a loss for a bad joke. Whether it's a concerned citizen on the phone, cutting up with a bartender, or discussing the grave situation his town faces, he's full of lame one-liners. Where else are you going to hear someone say, "I used to take physics, but I find prunes do a better job for me" to a NASA scientist? Finally, and as I alluded to earlier, I like Hale's take on being a sheriff. The Giant Spider Invasion would have you believe that sheriffs in Middle-of-Nowhere, Wisconsin, spend their days either sitting at their desks or eating in a local diner regardless of the carnage and destruction going on around them. Hale seems particular suited for the job!

6/10

Legend of the Werewolf (1975)

Not all Peter Cushing performances were created equal., 20 July 2006

I'll keep this brief as there is really not much to say about this movie. The Legend of the Werewolf is a fairly enjoyable, although predictable, Hammeresque werewolf movie. The story is decent, just not overly original. There's very little in the way of new ground covered here. It's all "been there, done that" type stuff. The werewolf makeup is the real strong point to this movie. One of the best I've ever seen, which is surprising considering Legend of the Werewolf's relative obscurity. Other than that, I don't have much positive to say. Peter Cushing made several bad movies in his carrier, but he usually was able to rise above it and give terrific performances. Not here. In my opinion, this is one of the only movies I can think of where Cushing appears to be just going through the motions.

5/10

Switchblade Sisters (1975)

"Get your hands off me, you fat pig dyke!", 26 April 2006

For whatever reason, Quentin Tarantino feels that Switchblade Sisters is Jack Hill's best film. And while I found a lot to enjoy in the movie, it doesn't come close in my mind to equaling some of Hill's other films like Spider Baby or the movies he made with Pam Grier. Not that any of Hill's films are set in reality as most of us understand it, but Switchblade Sisters is just too unrealistic for me rate among his best. The problem is with the casting decisions. The girl gang members aren't threatening. Why would anyone be threatened by Robbie Lee's Lace? She comes off more as a Girl Scout on her way to sell cookies than a vicious would-be killer. The other girls, from the too soft Donut to the too pretty Maggie, were no more convincing. The guys fair no better. Being stupid is not the same as being tough.

I did, however, enjoy the over-the-top plot and action sequences. The final battle between the two gangs, the skating rink scene, and Maggie stealing Crabs' medallion were all cheesy highlights of the film for me. But my absolute favorite moment comes at the very end of the film. That speech Maggie makes to the cops as they are dragging her off to jail is incredible. Yeah, sure, it's as unrealistic as the cast, but it's a lot of fun. You don't hear dialogue like this just every day – "No, let me give you some advice, cop. You can beat us, chain us, lock us up. But we're gonna be back, understand? And when we do, cop, you better keep your ass off our turf, or we'll BLOW IT OFF! Ya dig? We're Jezebels, cop - remember that name. We'll be back!" Awesome stuff!

6/10

Sheba, Baby (1975)

Pam Grier Lite, 17 December 2005

Sheba Shayne (Pam Grier) receives a telegram informing her that her father may be in trouble. Sheba, a private investigator and former cop, goes to her father's aid. But someone will stop at nothing to run her father out of business. An attempt to show their muscle goes awry and Sheba's father is gunned down in cold blood. These guys have messed with the wrong woman.

If I had to describe Sheba Baby, the best I can come up with is Pam Grier Lite with some really bad acting. For a Pam Grier film, Sheba Baby is incredibly tame. It's nowhere near as violent as some of her earlier films. Gone are the over-the-top images of Pam placing a small revolver or razor blades in her afro. Pilot (D'Urville Martin) and his crew can't hold a candle to some of the real villains Pam faced in her previous movies. It's strictly by-the-numbers and almost has a made-for-TV feel. As for the bad acting, the baddies that Pam faces off with are as unnatural sounding in their delivery as I've seen. As a result, characters like Pilot don't come across as threatening as they should or need to for the movie to work.

That's not to say there aren't moments or elements in Sheba Baby that I didn't enjoy (Pam in a wetsuit and Pam brandishing a spear gun), it's just that when compared with Pam's other films like Coffy, Foxy Brown, and even Friday Foster that the movie fails.

One final observation - maybe I'm just more sensitive to these things post-9/11, but I don't remember a time, even in the security lax 70s, when you could take a suitcase full of guns on an airplane. When Sheba flies to her father's aid, she's got an arsenal packed in her luggage!

4/10

Friday Foster (1975)

"Take my advice stay out of it. Get laid have a baby or something.", 23 November 2005

Friday Foster (Pam Grier) is a magazine photographer who is given the assignment of covering the airport arrival of the richest black man in America. But Friday gets more than she bargained for as this routine assignment turns into an assassination attempt. Because Friday was able to get some shots of the would be killers, her life is in danger. Soon, everywhere she goes, people end up dead. Friday's investigations lead her to corrupt government officials, a renowned preacher with an eye for more than the Bible, and something called The Black Widow.

Friday Foster is literally a Who's Who of 70s black actors. In addition to the always delightful Pam Grier, the movie features Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers, Carl Weathers, Ted Lange, Godfrey Cambridge, Thalmus Rasulala (what an awesome name), and more. While many members of this large cast have little more than cameo appearances, it was a fun to see them all together. I especially enjoyed seeing Kotto work with Grier. I wish the pair had made more films together. They have a good on screen chemistry. Plus, regardless of how silly the situation, Kotto brings an air of credibility to the proceedings.

Unlike some of Grier's other films, Friday Foster has a decided lighthearted tone in comparison. That's not to say there aren't plenty of killings, but it never feels as depressing, downbeat, or serious as something like Coffy. It's a nice change of pace to see Grier laughing and joking with Kotto in many of the film's scenes. The action scenes are also good. One of my personal favorites is the rooftop chase with Kotto and Weathers. Very nice.

I'm a fan of 70s Blaxplotation (and Pam Grier in particular) and Friday Foster is a welcome addition to my video library.

7/10

The Stepford Wives (1975)

Madienform Bonfire, 13 November 2005

Joanna Eberhart (Katharine Ross) has moved to Stepford with her husband and children. The place seems absolutely idyllic. But it's not long before Joanna and her new found friend Bobbie (Paula Prentiss), also new to Stepford, begin to realize not all is as wonderful as it seems. The women in town seem to have no interests other than cleaning their houses and pleasing their husbands. Is it something in the water? Joanna and Bobbie must discover the mystery of Stepford before they become its next victims.

While The Stepford Wives may be slow going, it never gets dull. The slow pace adds a lot to the mystery. I've often argued that for effective suspense, you can't rush it. It takes time to build. And even though I knew exactly where The Stepford Wives was going, it was a joy to watch the mystery unfold.

Two of the biggest things the movie has going for it are the cast and the script. As for the cast, Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss are outstanding. Ross plays her role in a very understated manner and isn't quick to jump to wild conclusions without adequate proof. Too often, characters in horror movies will jump to the wildest of conclusions without a shred of evidence. It makes things very unrealistic. As for Prentiss, she steals every scene in which she appears. And her character is one of the most intelligent, yet free-spirited characters I've seen recently in a movie. In fact, given the implausibility inherent in the story, the entire script is written intelligently. The characters speak and act as one would expect given the circumstances. Plus, any script with the phrase "Madienform Bonfire" is alright with me.

I suppose my biggest complaint would be the lack of time given to the mansion that houses the Stepford Men's Association. I kept waiting for Joanna and Bobbie to do some amateur sleuthing, but it never happened. And even when Joanna finally gets inside, it's over far too quickly.

7/10

Strip Nude for Your Killer (1975)

- Nude per l'assassino
I hate to rate anything with Edwige this low, 8 November 2005

You can pretty much guess my feelings of this movie when I say that the two best things about it are the movie's title and the presence of Edwige Fenech. Other than that, I can't find much to recommend. The killer isn't very interesting. The mystery elements of the film aren't engrossing. And the kill scenes are poorly done. There's just no tension that is necessary for a good Giallo. And the final reveal of the killer is anything but suspenseful. In the end there are only three people left alive. If two of the characters are being chased by the killer, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who is under the motorcycle helmet? Sure, there's plenty of sleaze, but it's not done in what I found to be a fun or entertaining way. Unfortunately, I found Strip Nude for Your Killer to be a boring watch. I found myself looking at the clock about half way through just wishing it would end.

As a group, Gialli are often criticized for their misogyny. Consider Strip Nude for Your Killer as the poster child of misogyny in this type of film. Not one woman is presented or treated as anything but a mindless object. Take our heroine Edwige – her boyfriend acts as if he is going to strangle her in one scene. Does she send him packing or show any sign that she objected to being treated in that manner? No!

3/10