Bullitt (1968)

"You believe what you want. You work your side of the street, and I'll work mine.", 25 November 2015

As my rating indicates, I love Bullitt. I think it's mostly a brilliant movie. Other reviewers have mentioned more eloquently than I can everything I love about the movie - the uber-cool Steve McQueen; the editing, cinematography, and direction; Lalo Schifrin's score - particularly the title sequence; the car chase; the acting; Robert Vaughn (an actor who usually annoys the pants off me); and the brilliant San Frnacisco locations. I'm not going to go into detail on most of this other than a bit about McQueen. I think a lot of people (including me) remember McQueen for being the larger-than-life badass. But watching Bullitt the other night, I was reminded of just what an outstanding actor he was. There are scenes and moments in Bulllitt where McQueen is able to do more with just a nod or a look than most actors could with a dozen pages of dialogue. McQueen was often the center of attention on a screen-full of actors without ever opening his mouth. He had a real presence. He was a real actor.

There are three other things I want to mention in this comment: First, there is one plot point that really gets under my skin and I consider it a real weakness in the script. Looking at the apartment selected to keep the informant, Bullitt immediately notices the windows and the security weaknesses they provide. Why doesn't he demand a new location? Or, better yet, being Bullitt, why doesn't he just take it upon himself to find a new location? Leaving things to chance is a contradiction to Bullitt's character.

Second, I will admit there are some pacing problems in Bullitt. I don't agree with other commnetors who say the film is "boring". It may not have an unrealistic explosion every 10 seconds, but that doesn't make it boring. What you call boring, I call realistic. I get a kick out of most of the scenes where Bullitt is just standing and watching what's going on around him. I find McQueen that watchable. What I'm talking about are a few scenes that are completely unnecessary to the script. A slightly tighter script, with 10 or so minutes cut, might have made a good movie a great movie.

Third, Jacqueline Bisset really has no point in the movie. She's in some of those scenes I mentioned in the last paragraph that I felt unnecessary to the plot. She doesn't add a thing to McQueen's character or our feelings toward him. I would normally praise any movie just for casting Bisset, but here, she's wasted.

Despite the weaknesses, a strong 8/10 from me.

8/10

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. "The Mother Muffin Affair" #1.3 (1966) (TV)

It's okay, but it should have been so much better, 21 February 2010

The one episode of The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. that should work, The Mother Muffin Affair, is disappointingly just barely better than average. How could it have missed? Stefanie Powers' April Dancer (and isn't that about the coolest name ever – April Dancer) teaming with Robert Vaughn's Napoleon Solo (okay, this is also a very cool name) and matching wits with Boris Karloff in drag as Mother Muffin. Sounds like a good set-up, huh? Well, it never works as good on screen as it does on paper. Why? The plot – or more accurately, the lack of a plot. You see, the plot revolves around Mother Muffin capturing April and Napoleon, their escape, followed by Mother Muffing capturing April and Napoleon, their escape, and on and on it goes. Nothing much else happens. I admit, it was real treat to see Karloff in the role of Mother Muffin. He's (or should that be "she's") a hoot! Other highlights for me include a very fine supporting performance from the very funny Bernard Fox and the always enjoyable Stefanie Powers (not much of a fan of Robert Vaughn if truth be known). Anyway, as I stated in the beginning of my rambling, The Mother Muffin Affair is better than average and, as a result, I'll give it a 6/10.

6/10

Charlie's Angels "Night of the Strangler" #1.3 (1976) (TV)

"If he had been Robert Redford, I might have said 'defile away'.", 19 February 2010

The Angels go undercover in the world of fashion to ferret out a murderer known as the "Rag Doll Strangler". It may sound like pretty standard stuff for a Charlie's Angels episode, but for some reason, it doesn't work as well for me as most. It's okay – just nowhere near my favorite episode of the first season. This may be a lame explanation for my opinions on Night of the Strangler, but it's just not as much "fun" as many of the other episodes. It's one of the darker, more serious episodes you'll run across. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I watch Charlie's Angels for the fluff. Another thing that bothers me about Night of the Strangler is the killer's choice of weapons – a rag doll. How stupid is that? Using a rag doll looks like it would make a very awkward means of murder. And how hard must it have been to hide something so obvious and obtrusive as a rag doll? It's not as if a rag doll would be a common thing for a grown man to have in his possession. I'd have thought the police could have wrapped this one up in record time. Finally, I don't care for the casting of Richard Mulligan. He's an okay sort of actor, but I can't see him in the role of suspect to murder – at least unless it's all being played for laughs. Having said all that, I'm still rating this episode a 6/10. It's well made, features some real suspenseful moments, and, as always, the Angels are on hand to make it at least worth checking out.

As I re-watched Night of the Strangler last night, something occurred to me. I'm a huge fan of the Italian Gialli films so popular in the late 60s and early 70s. Night of the Strangler plays much like a Giallo. Many of the distinctive elements you'll find in those films are present in this episode – a twisted plot, suspects galore, red herrings at every corner, sexual perversions, a mysterious black-gloved killer, beautiful women, and unusual deaths. I wouldn't be overly surprised to learn that writers of Night of the Strangler had seen a few Gialli themselves.

6/10

Honey West "An Eerie, Airy, Thing" #1.30 (1966) (TV)

Honey West ends on a high note, 19 February 2010

Nearing the end of my trip through the Honey West series, I had pretty much given up hope of seeing another "good" episode. After watching Honey and Sam battle a gorilla, chase a Robin Hood wannabe, fight a ridiculous looking robot, and see Honey in the worst gypsy disguise imaginable, Honey West had long since "jumped the shark" in my mind. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover the final episode, An Eerie, Airy, Thing, is one of the best of the entire series. First, the episode features real suspense. There is a real mystery here for Honey to get to the bottom of. There are unexpected twists and turns thrown at Honey and Sam. It's a very nicely written episode. Second, An Eerie, Airy, Thing has a much more serious (and welcome) tone than the episodes that immediately preceded it. Don't misunderstand, I love the campy feel, gadgets, and overall grooviness of some of the early episodes. However, toward the end, things had gone way too far. An Eerie, Airy, Thing brings it back to Earth for the series finale. A fitting end to a one of a kind series. I'll give An Eerie, Airy, Thing an 8/10.

8/10

Honey West "The Fun-Fun Killer" #1.25 (1966) (TV)

Is this the worst of Honey West? So far, the answer is "yes"., 5 February 2010

Up to this point, all of my comments on Honey West have been positive. How about an episode that's not so good? How about an episode that scraps the bottom of the barrel? How about an episode so stupid I can't think of another word to describe it other than "stupid"? With only a handful of episodes left to got, my vote for the worst goes to The Fun-Fun Killer (surely, none of the remaining five are as bad as this one). Lame with a capital "L". The plot is beyond ridiculous – a toymaker is killed in Honey's office by a robot gone wild. Honey and Sam check out the toy factor to try to unmask a killer. The biggest fault in The Fun-Fun Killer is with the robots. I don't see how anyone could get past how moronic these things look. They're the kind of robots you might see in a 1930s Flash Gordon serial – you know, square heads, square bodies, impossibly stiff legs and arms, and a slow, shuffling gate. The average garden snail is faster and more nimble than these things. Yet we're supposed to think these silver behemoths are capable of killing anyone? They'd have trouble catching a fire hydrant. Sam and Honey look silly "running" from these soup cans. The finale, complete with giant magnet labeled "Super Magnet", really puts this thing over-the-top and is really the last straw. A 3/10 from me.

3/10

Honey West "Like Visions and Omens... and All That Jazz" #1.21 (1966) (TV)

I never expected to run across Mimsy Farmer in a Honey West episode, 5 February 2010

There are a number of things I could point to that make Like Visions and Omens...and All That Jazz one of my favorite Honey West episodes. First, I really dug the plot. While some people might say it's pretty standard stuff (a rich woman is blackmailed for a gun that she thinks her daughter used to kill an old flame), it's handled so nicely here. The writing is as good as I've seen in a Honey West episode. Second, Like Visions and Omens...and All That Jazz features some of the best imagery of the entire series. I've read comparisons between Honey West and The Avengers, and for the most part, I've only noticed some surface similarities – but that's it. But in this episode, some of the scenes look like they could have come straight out of The Avengers. Two examples – there's one great scene looking up past a skull to the contorted face of Faustini, The Predictor. It's beyond cool! The other example is a scene shot from outside a curtained window with only Faustini's silhouette visible. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but with his cape raised, the outline is very Lugosi-like. I loved it! The third thing I enjoyed about this episode is the cast. Ann Francis and John Ericson as good as ever. Nehemiah Persoff (another of the actors whose name you may not recognize, but I guarantee you'd know the face) is terrific as Faustini. But the highlight for me was the casting of Euro-genre favorite Mimsy Farmer as the girl who's life is in danger. Farmer appeared in a number of wonderful Italian films like Dario Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet and Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat. It's a treat to unexpectedly run across her in Honey West.

So overall, Like Visions and Omens...and All That Jazz is a very entertaining Honey West episode. If I have one complaint, it's with the rushed feeling of some of the scenes. If any Honey West episode screamed-out for a longer runtime, it's this one. There just so much here that it could have easily filled an hour.

8/10

Honey West "A Neat Little Package" #1.10 (1965) (TV)

"Fights, knives, guns, hoods - boy, what a life!", 27 January 2010

A man with amnesia discovers he has a package containing $175,000 dollars in his possession and no idea where it came from. With a hotel key as their only real clue, Honey and Sam set out to solve the mystery.

What a fun episode! A Neat Little Package might not be perfect and it might not be my favorite episode, but there's no denying how entertaining it is. What's not to love – Honey goes undercover in an Asian restaurant (complete with long, dark hair), Sam has some great scenes while running the client's newsstand, and there's a final fight scene with Honey, Sam, and all the bad guys in knee deep water. It's a lot to pack into 25 minutes, but director Murray Golden makes it work. As I've written before, one of the cool things about Honey West is spotting all the familiar faces. A Neat Little Package features J. Pat O'Malley as amnesia victim Francis Grady. Who's J. Pat O'Malley I can hear you ask? I promise – if you're a fan of 60s/70s TV, you'd know him in a heartbeat if you saw his face. Just look up his credits – he was in everything. Overall, a solid effort that's worth at least the 7/10 I've given it.

7/10

Honey West "The Princess and the Paupers" #1.7 (1965) (TV)

"Hey look, man, you go to your barber and I'll stay away from mine.", 22 January 2010

One of the cool things about watching Honey West is all of the familiar faces that pop-up in almost every episode. Whether it's Ray Danton or Leon Askin or Herb Edelman (you might not know the name, but trust me, you'd recognize the face), I have fun with each episode playing "Name the Character Actor". In The Princess and the Paupers, there's not one, but two faces that jumped out at me. Michael J. Pollard, who would go on to appear in a number of "bigger" things including Bonnie and Clyde, and Bobby Sherman, who would go on to be a teen heart throb, make appearances in this Honey West Episode. Pretty cool casting if you ask me. They play two thirds of a rock trio. Sherman, as Nicky Van, is kidnapped and his wealthy father is sent a ransom note. Honey and Company are hired to make the drop. But the kidnappers get greedy and ask for a second, larger amount of money. In addition to the two recognizable "faces" in the cast, The Princess and the Paupers features a fairly interesting plot with a couple of twists along the way. It's amazing how much you can pack into 25 minutes if you don't' worry about things like character development. Unfortunately, though, the final twist is too predictable and the end doesn't come as much of a surprise as I'm sure it was probably intended. Still, it's a fun episode with some circa 1965 pop music, the mod fashions, and that groovy hair. It's a real hoot. And the final scene with Honey gently dancing in her chair as Nicky Van plays some loopy pop song is a scream.

7/10

Honey West "The Swingin' Mrs. Jones" #1.1 (1965) (TV)

"We've already done our worst.", 22 January 2010

The Swingin' Mrs. Jones provides a wonderful opening to the Honey West series. Other than Honey's sweet ride, everything else that made the series so watchable and so fun is here. In The Swingin' Mrs. Jones, Honey is hired by a wealthy widow who's being blackmailed over some indiscreet photos taken of her at a vacation resort. This being 1965, it all sounds so innocent – like maybe someone has something as scandalous as photos of the woman holding hands with a gentleman caller. Anyway, Honey goes undercover as a rich woman on the make in order to find the blackmailer. Highlights of this episode include – some pretty cool fight scenes, the old lady disguise, smoke bomb earrings, a microphone hidden in a martini olive (some of the gadgets in Honey West would make even James Bond envious), Sam's ridiculous cover as an obnoxious playboy named Touch, and the recurring theme of Honey getting conked on the head and knocked out. Another big highlight for me in The Swingin' Mrs. Jones is Ray Danton in the supporting cast. The man was as cool as a glass of iced tea in Antarctica. The man had a sense of style and a presence about him that few could match. Finally, while some may complain that Honey West's half-hour format kept things like plot and character development to a minimum, I really like the fast-paced, never-a-dull-moment feel to all of the episodes. It works for me.

8/10

Honey West "A Matter of Wife and Death" #1.4 (1965) (TV)

I've only seen four episodes so far, but this is my favorite, 20 January 2010

Somewhere on the web (if I could remember where, I would give due credit), I read Honey West described as the "coolest show you've never seen". A more apt description I couldn't come up with no matter how hard I tried. Every thing from the gadgets to Bruce the ocelot to the hidden panel in Honey's office to the far-out spy plots is about as cool as you could find on this side of the Atlantic in 1965. But the best part of Honey West is easily Anne Francis. Instead of gushing on for several sentences, I'll just say "WOW"! I bought the Honey West DVD set when it first came out, but only got around to busting it open this week. I had originally planned to write a short review of each episode, but at 24 or so minutes, there's not a lot of ground to cover. That is until I watched A Matter of Wife and Death. Of the first four episodes in the series, this is by far the best.

Honey and Sam are hired to protect a woman named Maggie Lynch. It seems that someone wants her dead and, unfortunately, there are no shortage of suspects. I'm not going to give it away – instead, I'll just say that I had no idea where the plot was headed. There's some real mystery and suspense in A Matter of Wife and Death – no mean feat for a 24 minute television program. It's solid writing from Tony Barret that makes this episode work. Well, the writing and some well choreographed (well choreographed for Honey West, that is) fight scenes, a few funny moments from Aunt Meg, and Anne Francis anytime she's on screen. For anyone new to the series, A Matter of Wife and Death would make a good jumping-off point. I'll be generous and give it an 8/10.

8/10

The Girl in Lovers Lane (1960)

"Pa doesn't know much about girls' clothes.", 11 September 2009

The Girl in Lovers Lane is one strange little low-budget film. On its surface, the movie tells the story of a tough drifter named Bix (Brett Halsey) who spends his time looking out for a young kid named Danny (Lowell Brown) and the girl, Carrie (Joyce Meadows), that Bix meets who would like to look out for him. Nothing overly interesting happens (Bix goes out with Carrie, Bix gets Danny out of trouble, Carrie's father drinks a lot, etc.) until about 10 minutes to go in the movie when Carrie is murdered. Her father blames Bix, pulls him out of a jail cell, and just about beats him to death. Now their roles are reversed and Danny has to save Bix.

Until I read the reviews on IMDb, I thought that maybe it was just me reading more into Bix and Danny's relationship than was really there, but I see now that I'm not alone. It was quite obvious to me early on that Bix and Danny had more of a relationship than you usually see in a movie from 1959. The homosexual nature of their relationship, while never openly expressed, is still quite obvious. Their living and sleeping arrangements, Bix's reaction to finding Danny in bed with a prostitute, Bix's inability to commit to Carrie, and that phone call at the end when Danny tells his parents he's "brining home a friend are a few examples of moments that lead to the inevitable conclusion that there's more to their relationship than initially meets the eye. I'm sure they exist, but I can't think of any movies I've seen from the 50s that scream homosexual quite as loudly as this one.

As for the movie, I don't know any other way to put this – it's boring. As I wrote earlier, nothing much at all happens for 90% of the run time. The characters are dull and the actors aren't good enough to give The Girl in Lovers Lane much of a spark. The lone exception is Jack Elam. His crazy Jesse is the one character interesting enough to be worth watching. Elam had creepy down pat! But I guess the biggest problem I had with the movie was with character motivation and logic. Carrie is killed and Bix is immediately blamed? What about crazy Jesse who has been stalking Carrie for probably her whole life? Anyone think to ask Jesse where he was that night? Her father has seen him bother Carrie at the diner, yet he never considers that the leering Jesse might have something to do with his daughter's death? Not a lot of logic there. And what about Jesse's confession? Danny grabs Jesse by the lapel and this is all it takes to force a confession out of Jesse? Real tough guy, huh? Why would he confess so easily? And after he confesses, no one thinks to grab him? It's awfully nice of Jesse just to stay put and not run off. In any other reality, he would have never spilled his guts and would have run like a rabbit if he had been fingered for the murder. The fact that The Girl in Lovers Lane asks me to accept these ridiculous actions on the part of the characters is something I'm not willing to do. Overall, I'm giving The Girl in Lovers Lane a 4/10.

4/10

Redneck (1973)

- Senza ragione
A real disappointment, 7 September 2009

Definitely not your typical Polizia, Redneck just never worked for me. The movie tells the story of a jewel heist gone wrong and a young boy who is inadvertently kidnapped in the process. In their attempt to get away, the robbers leave a bloody trail of death in their wake as they hatch a plan to ransom the boy. The plan is never carried off as the robbers are more intent on getting to France and the boy is intent on staying with them. While I could cite a number of problems I had with the movie, I'll focus on the most obvious – the character Memphis played by Telly Savalas. From his work in The Dirty Dozen and Kelley's Heroes to other Italian films like Crime Boss to his most remembered role as Kojak, Savalas was a winner. I've always thought of him as one uber-cool customer. Unfortunately, Savalas is almost unwatchable in Redneck. Did the director turn on the camera and instruct him to act as psychotic as possible? It might not have been too bad had his actions been done within the context of a plot I cared about, but here he seems to be acting bizarre for sake of being bizarre. It's appears to be random lunacy. And what's with that accent? Savalas might have been a lot of things, but Southern isn't one of them. He sounds completely ridiculous even attempting the accent. Beyond that, I found little of interest in the rest of the movie. As I indicated, the plot never drew me in. I just didn't care about what was going on. And the notion that the boy is so quickly attracted to the criminal lifestyle doesn't ring true. As for the other actors, Mark Lester is almost as bad as Savalas and the usually reliable Franco Nero isn't a whole lot better. Three "name" actors and not a good performance between them. To make matters worse, I believe the director filmed many of the night scenes with nothing more than the glow from his watch to light the shots. I couldn't tell what was going on. Characters I hate, a plot I don't care about, and a production values that failed – little wonder I've given Redneck a 3/10.

3/10

The Fiction Makers (1968) (TV)

Good writing and some nice acting, 22 August 2009

To be fair to The Fiction Makers, it's important to remember that it's really a two-part episode of The Saint that was cobbled together and released as a movie. I'm not an expert on The Saint, but this might be the best I've seen. The plot involves a crazed criminal, known only as Warlock (Kenneth J. Warren), who has taken the ideas from a series of spy novels and used them as an instruction manual for his entire criminal organization. Warlock kidnaps Simon Templar (Roger Moore), believing him to be the author known as Amos Klein, and Joyce Darling (Sylvia Syms), the real novelist. Warlock wants Klein to "write" a plan to rob a heavily guarded bank vault.

The Fiction Makers comes across as something of a mix of James Bond and a heist movie – both very popular in the 60s. It's not great example of either, but it is entertaining. Roger Moore is good, but is generally upstaged by both Warren and Syms. Warren's crazed Warlock is a treat – threatening and funny all at the same time. He appears to be having a blast with the role. Syms can best be described as a delight. I really must track down more of her work. While it's obvious that The Fiction Makers is a television production with the staged-bound look and television style lighting and editing, veteran director Roy Ward Baker brings a wealth of experience to the film. He keeps things moving and interesting. The witty writing is also a winner. Warlock, his gang known as S.W.O.R.D., and the almost religious-like adherence to the books Warlock bases his organization on might be a bit silly, but it is fun. Other than the exceptionally cheap looking bank sets (especially those really lame looking red lasers) that demonstrate the true nature of the budget Baker was working with, I've got few complaints. A 7/10 from me.

7/10

The Great Diamond Robbery (1967)

- Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà britannica
This movie defines "undiscovered gem", 20 August 2009

I watched The Great Diamond Robbery last night and don't think I could have enjoyed it much more than I did. What a wonderfully entertaining, relatively unknown gem of a movie! I call it unknown because I can't find much at all on the internet on the film. In fact, even though my copy (and apparently several others who have seen the film) goes by the name The Great Diamond Robbery, you won't find that name listed on IMDb. Instead, you'll find it listed under either the name Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà Britannica or Master Stroke (to those of us more fluent in English). Whatever you call it, it's one very fun heist-type film that deserves a much wider audience.

As for the plot . . . well, I can't really go into the plot very much without giving away the movie's many surprises. Very briefly, Richard Harrison (in one of the most ironic roles ever) plays an actor in Spaghetti Westerns who is one day approached by a group of men offering him an acting job. He agrees to listen and discovers that this is no ordinary role. It seems that the actor bears a remarkable resemblance to Arthur Land, a top executive at the diamond exchange. These men want him to pose as Lang and help them steal a fortune in diamonds. I'll stop my plot description here as anymore would be too much. I'll just add that The Great Diamond Robbery features one of the most clever plots imaginable. There are more twists and turns, more red herrings, and more slight of hand than you'll see in a dozen other movies combined. Every time you think you've got things figured out, the plot throws you another curve. It's really an amazing piece of writing.

Beyond the plot, the cast is another big highlight. Richard Harrison was never better. I've seen him in Spaghetti Westerns, peplums, and other genre films, but I don't remember enjoying a performance from him as much as this one. Harrison is joined by a wonderful cast that includes genre regulars Adolfo Celi and Margaret Lee. Both are also excellent in their roles. Most of the rest of the cast, with the notable exception of Luciano Pigozzi, weren't as familiar to me, but all were very good. I have no complaints with the acting in The Great Diamond Robbery.

I could keep going and going with the superlatives. Solid direction from Michele Lupo, excellent locations and sets, real tension and suspense, terrific cinematography, and wonderful pacing – everything about The Great Diamond Robbery is perfect. One final highlight is the music. Francesco De Masi's score fits the film perfectly. The main theme is one of those pieces of music that will be in your head long after the film is over. I'd actually like to track down a copy – it's that good.

Overall, The Great Diamond Robbery (or Master Stroke or Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà Britannica) is one of those movies I always love to discover. I'm so glad I had the chance to watch it. I know it's wishful thinking, but I would love to see a good, legit R1 release. I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.

9/10

The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen (1966)

- Il ladro della Gioconda
Hard to watch, 15 August 2009

Before watching The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen, all I knew about the movie was based on what little I had read on the internet. I knew that it was supposed to be a period heist film made in France in the mid-60s. I knew that the film was intended to be a mix of intrigue and comedy. And, I knew that Margaret Lee was in the movie. A heist film with comedic touches and Margaret Lee - it just had to be a winner! After watching, all I can say is what a disappointment. On reviewer called the movie, "Forgettable". Well, I can't forget The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen fast enough. First, there is no real heist. Sure, the Mona Lisa is stolen, but it takes just minutes and there's no suspense surrounding the theft at all. Second, the comedy just didn't work at all for me. Maybe I'm not in tune with what was considered comedy in France in 1966. Or maybe (and this is what I suspect) it's just not funny at all. I can't remember cracking a smile the entire runtime. Finally, while I'm happy to report that Margaret Lee is in the movie, her screen-time is limited to about five minutes and her character has no real impact on the film's plot. By the time you get settled in with your popcorn, she's gone. How disappointing! Her performance and character hardly warrant being listed third in the credits. Add to what I've already written a dull screenplay, extremely distracting and annoying music, and characters I didn't care about, and it's little wonder I can't rate The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen any higher.

3/10

Charlie's Angels "Angels in Chains" #1.4 (1976) (TV)

"I'm allergic to working in potato fields.", 26 June 2009

With the passing of Farrah Fawcett, I thought it was high time I revisited an episode or two from the first season of Charlie's Angels. I decided to skip around and take a look at some of my favorites. What better place to start than "Angels in Chains"? What an episode! The Angels are sent into a women's prison to investigate the disappearance of their client's sister. Once there, the girls are treated to a strip search, a delousing, potato digging, and the opportunity to turn a few quick tricks at a party. It seems the women in the prison who cooperate at the warden's little parties get special treatment. The whole thing plays like watered down Pam Grier WIP film. Farrah, Kate, and Jaclyn are all quite fabulous. They're joined by one of the better supporting casts that I can remember – featuring David Huddleston (you might not know the name, but if you're a fan of all things 70s, you'd recognize the face), Anthony James (who could play a whacko with the best of 'em), Kim Basinger, and Mary Woronov. Some of the moments that I really love are the low speed potato truck chase, watching Farrah roll around on the floor with her all too obvious fake stomach ache, Anthony James' unsubtle remarks and creepy leering at Jaclyn, and Kate's wisecrack to the guard that gets her a punch in the kidney for her effort. Fun stuff! Watching 33 years after the fact, it's hard to believe that this was scandalous back in the day. Today, it seems oddly quaint – entertaining, but quaint. I much prefer things like "Angels in Chains" to what gets past off as entertainment on television today.

8/10

The Return of Mr. Moto (1965)

Henry Silva as Mr. Moto?, 16 May 2009

The Return of Mr. Moto is a Mr. Moto film in name only. There's no resemblance between this movie and the wonderfully entertaining films that Peter Lorre made almost 30 years prior. To begin with, the plot of The Return of Mr. Moto is pretty much a muddled mess. It has something to do with sabotaged oil wells in the Middle East and a meeting of world leaders to discuss oil and oil contracts. But really, none of it mattered much to me as I lost interest after about 20 minutes. A well-written post-WWII, "modern" Moto film might have been fun, but this one fails miserably. In addition to the lifeless plot, the movie is saddled with cheap looking sets, a ridiculous plot device involving Moto in disguise (there's no way putting on glasses and a goatee would have fooled anyone), and some less than stellar acting on the part of many in the supporting cast. To sum it up, The Return of Mr. Moto is one sad, drab, lifeless affair.

And what's with Henry Silva playing Moto? By 1965, surely they could've come up with someone of Japanese descent to play the character. Don't get me wrong, I like Silva. He made some really cool movies in the 70s – particularly some of his Italian films. But Silva as Moto? I'm sorry but he's about as Japanese as I am – and that's not at all.

3/10

Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939)

"You go and fetch the bobbies.", 15 May 2009

A team of archaeologists uncover a real treasure – the Crown of the Queen of Sheeba. From Egypt, the crown is to be transferred via steamship to San Francisco. But it won't be an easy journey. There are plenty of would-be thieves who would love to get their hands on the priceless jewels contained in the crown. Fortunately for all involved, Mr. Moto is on hand to guard the crown on its journey. However, that doesn't mean someone won't try to get their hands on the treasure.

After the disappointment of Mr. Moto's Gamble, I went into Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation hoping for the best, but, admittedly, fearing the worst. But within the first 10 seconds of the film, I knew I would find it more enjoyable. I'm a sucker for a 1930s style mystery that features anything to do with archaeological digs in Egypt. And seeing Moto disguised as a German archaeologist (Imagine that, Peter Lorre playing a German?), the beginning scenes really drew me in. While the movie may have quickly shifted to the less exotic San Francisco, it remained just as enjoyable. Dark, sinister characters lurking in the rainy night; gunshots fired from open windows that narrowly miss the hero's head; sophisticated and supposed foolproof alarm systems just begging for someone to test them; and master criminals believed to be dead – these are the kind of elements found in a lot of the really good 1930s mysteries that I love. And Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation's got 'em all. A couple other bonuses for me included the always enjoyable Lionel Atwill in a nice little role, comic relief from G.P. Huntley that's actually funny, and a return to form for Mr. Moto. I've already mentioned his disguise in the movie's opening scenes, well the athletic Moto comes out near the film's finale. Moto is a like a Whirling Dervish of activity as he goes after his prey. All this and I haven't even mentioned the wonderful performance turned in by Lorre. Any way you look at it, Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation is a winner.

As much as I hate that the Mr. Moto series had to end after this installment, it's understandable when you think about it. WWII was just around the corner. And after Pearl Harbor, a movie with a Japanese hero wouldn't have gone over very well. At least the Mr. Moto series ended on a very positive note.

8/10

Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938)

"It's most unusual to shoot oneself in the back and without a gun.", 14 May 2009

Mr. Moto's Gamble has a fairly straight forward plot - when a boxer is murdered in the ring with a mysterious poison, it's up to the even more mysterious Mr. Moto to solve the case.

I'm shocked at the number of positive reviews for Mr. Moto's Gamble on IMDb. Because to me...well, I found it extremely disappointing. I enjoy Mr. Moto and I enjoy Charlie Chan, but I can't say I cared for this mish-mash of the two. For those unfamiliar with the story behind Mr. Moto's Gamble, it was originally intended to be a Charlie Chan film. But when Warner Oland backed-out, some of the scenes and action were rewritten for Peter Lorre and Mr. Moto. As I indicated, the end result left me underwhelmed. Mr. Moto is not Chan. He's more mysterious, he's more athletic, and he's more exotic. So trying to put Moto in a Chan film is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole - it doesn't work. And listening to Lorre/Moto try to deliver one of Chan's trademark euphemisms just ends up sounding silly. Add to that the fact that almost 10 minutes of the already brief 72 minute runtime is made up of boxing scenes (something that I never seem to enjoy) and you end up with a movie that I couldn't help but dislike. If I have to say something positive I would point to the performance of Keye Luke. But even he's not near enough to save Mr. Moto's Gamble in my eyes.

Sorry, but a 4/10 is about the best I can give this one.

4/10

Superdome (1978) (TV)

Charlie Jones, 23 March 2009

The championship game is only a couple of days away, but things in New Orleans aren't as they should be. From players with marital problems to drug overdoses to gambling problems to a killer on the loose, life is getting in the way of what should be a memorable, wonderful time. Can things be put back into order and a killer stopped before the big game is ruined?

Despite what you might think when you first read about Superdome, this is not a football movie. In fact football is nothing more than a plot device and an after thought. Instead, Superdome is another of those lousy soap opera-ish 70s made-for-TV movies populated with Hollywood has beens and those that never will be. The cast sleepwalks its way through the thing with no one really looking good. The best (or worst) example is Van Johnson in a very small role looking generally lost as to why he's there. The plot is dull, uninteresting, and unbelievable. Donna Mills as a hit"man"? Yeah, right! It's about as believable as the affair she has with the liquor soaked David Jansen. The movie also lacks any pace. Trying to get all four or five story lines into the film zaps whatever flow Superdome might have had. With no drama or suspense in sight, Superdome ends up being a very poor example of a 70s made-for-TV movie. The lone highlight for me was the voice-over work from the late Charlie Jones - a sportscaster I miss listening to. The eloquent way he overstates the intrigue and over-hypes the atmosphere in New Orleans is pure cheese at its finest.

Like most others who have seen Superdome, I also did so courtesy of Mystery Science Theater 3000. It may be one of the KTMA public access episodes, but it's one of the best examples of the shows early start. So even though I've only rated Superdome a 2/10, I'll give this episode a generous 3/5 on my MST3K rating scale.

2/10