Rugs Movie Reviews

First, the wizard, brought back to life by a group of conspirators to try and take the throne was freely lifted from "Hour of the Dragon".

And the crucifiction scene was also lifted from another Howard story, " A Witch Shall be Born".

Still, unless you had read those stories as I did, you'd never know they were not original. One of the better movies of it's kind though. ...

The early 1980s saw the emergence of a slew of barbarian genre films flood the market, due largely to the success of Schwarzenegger's 'Conan the Barbarian.' 'The Sword and the Sorcerer' is probably one of the better ones to roll down the pike. It's definitely better than 'Red Sonja,' or Miles O'Keefe's 'Ator.' Even better is the television talent that populates 'The Sword and the Sorcerer.' In the starring role of Talon is none other than 'Matt Houston' star Lee Horsley. Simon MacCorkindale, who worked on 'Falcon Crest,' plays rebel leader Prince Mikah. Then there is Kathleen Beller who did a stint on 'Dynasty,' seen here as Princess Alana. Throw in Richard Moll ('Night Court') as the evil and ugly sorcerer Xusia along with B movie favorite Reb Brown and Joe Regalbuto (Frank Fontana from 'Murphy Brown'), and you have a cast packed with familiar faces. You can almost track the course of 1980s pop culture by watching this film.

The plotline here isn't all that different from your typical barbarian movie. Evil King Titus Cromwell, played with smoldering intensity by Richard Lynch, resurrects the wizard Xusia in order to use his magic to conquer the kingdom in which Talon is a potential heir. Cromwell always deals off the bottom of the deck in his foreign relations, first double crossing Xusia and then rampaging through Talon's kingdom, killing his father, his mother, and spiriting off any potential heirs he finds. Talon escapes with his father's special sword, a rather pathetic looking thing with three blades, two of which can shoot through the air with cheesy accuracy. This background section of the film offers the viewer some narration by a guy my girlfriend thought sounded like Sidney Poitier, Xusia emerging from a mud bath, a witch who hilariously over emotes before her internal organs fly out of her chest, and a bunch of battles we never see.

Flash forward a few years. Talon is now a tough looking guy who wears a lot of furs and has head of hair that rivals Paul Atreides's coif in David Lynch's 'Dune.' Talon spends his days riding the countryside as a Robin Hood, rescuing damsels and restoring kingdoms. It isn't too long before Talon and his gang of dirty mercenaries meet up with Princess Alana and Prince Mikah. Mikah is ready to launch an insurrection against Cromwell when he is double crossed by the evil king's wily advisor Machelli, a man who has his own ideas about who should hold the throne. Talon finds himself trying to rescue Mikah while trading risqué quips with Alana. There are a whole slew of fights, some swordplay, a few mild gore scenes, and even some nudity thrown in for good measure. Talon gets his showdown with King Cromwell in an ending that has a few twists that aren't really surprises. As the credits roll, Pyun promises us a sequel about Talon's further adventures, a film that never materialized for some reason.

I think the best thing going for 'The Sword and the Sorcerer' is that it never takes itself too seriously. All the actors, especially Horsley, ham it up with relish. It is difficult not to see some humor in a script full of this many innuendos. Sure, this endless barrage of quips grates after awhile, but when the dialogue starts to get you down there are other things you notice. For example, there are plenty of implausible events occurring every few minutes. You gotta love it when Talon, during his crucifixion, pulls his hands out of the wood through sheer strength and then manages to wield a three bladed sword in an epic battle. And what's with that weird battle ballet sequence? Laughing at this scene alone is worth shelling out a few bucks for the movie.

Alas, the DVD has only two theatrical trailers and a television spot as extras, although one of the trailers contains a scene that doesn't appear in the film. I guess Pyun doesn't do commentaries for his movies; he is probably too busy lining up financing for his next bomb. As for picture and sound quality, they aren't great. As far as the picture goes, the smoky, dank sets probably meant the original print wasn't that great to start with. If you like low budget films with lots of action, occasional overacting, and scantily clad women, 'The Sword and the Sorcerer' is right up your alley. I went out of my way to see this because when it came out in the theaters I was too young to get in and too naïve to sneak in. A few years later, I finally snuck in to Dudikoff's 'American Ninja.' Yes, I know, I know; I should have stuck with this one instead.

Shame on Fox.

This seminal western proves two things: Director Raoul Walsh knew exactly where to put his camera, and - John Wayne was a STAR from the word GO. Incredibly, this film flopped and Wayne was relegated to run-of-the-mill cowboy movies for 9 years, until re-discovered by John Ford. Wayne's delivery and acting is flawless in the Big trail, he nearly puts the other actors to shame with his easy swagger and grace. He was also incredibly handsome, looking like a Californian surfer crossed with a Versace model in this. The hard-bitten look of his later westerns is not visible (well, he was 23!)

As for the rest: If you consider the mileage on the Big trail, it stands up very well. It's entertaining for a movie this old, and the easy humor is very attractive. There is a plot; you've seen it before, but probably in films made much later. In some ways, it follows in the steps of the Covered wagon, (1923). The scenes where the pioneers cross the river and the mountain plateau are excitingly edited; it looks like Walsh put his extras in real physical danger! There are also beautiful natural wonders and vistas in this movie, originally filmed in a 70mm process called Grandeur. (my disc was full-screen, I guess the widescreen version is lost).

The dialogue is sometimes memorable: A great line delivered by Wayne to rouse the spirits of the party stuck in my memory: "YOU KEEP FIGHTING -THAT'S LIFE! YOU STOP FIGHTING - THAT'S DEATH!" Old Abe Lincoln couldn't have said it better...

On the down side: The love story is not well developed, (Wayne's character would never have settled down with this girl!) and Tyrone Power sr. as Flack overacts to the nth degree. Ian Keith (mr. Thorpe) is a cardboard villain. The ending is a bit wet, but on the whole not too bad.

You can safely buy if you find the Fox budget DVD of the Big trail. The mono sound is good, the picture-quality reasonable. No extras here, but I didn't miss them. I've got my American history books.

Two initial points of observation:

a. This movie did have a couple of fine chicks

b. The dork playing Dracula was the worst Dracula EVER. The guy looks like King Diamond. I kept waiting to hear him sing like Abigail or go into some kinda, "Let me help you out of the chair, G,G,G, Grandma..." He's got this whole grease paint mime thing going on, and when he talks he's the only guy in the movie with a built-in echo. Udo Kier made a better Dracula. T.J. Hooker would make a better Dracula, or Matt Houston, or Mary Tyler Moore.

Anyhoo, the plot of this movie, such as it is, involves King Diamond, I mean Dracula, going to find some descendent of Dr. Frankenstein because he wants some kind of formula or something. Now, for no other reason than to serve the movie title, he wants to dig up Frankenstein's horrying creation, the Monster---which fortunately, and conveniently, just happens to be buried down the road in the local graveyard. But the wheelchair-ridden latter-day Frankenstein decides he doesn't want to take orders from Count Diamond, I mean Dracula, so Dracula whips out this big plastic-looking silver ring the size of a Cracker Jack box and shoots a poorly-animated lightning bolt at the wall. Yeah, that's what I thought, Frankenstein, now straighten up.

The Monster looks like a rotten baked potato (with chives) with a mullet. Cheap, extra-small jacket, block shoes (Frankenstein cliche meter: 9.6). So, in desultory fashion, much like the storyline, the Monster goes around attacking people, just kind of pushing and slapping them to death. Anyway, as this is going on, throw in some random hippie scenes, bikers, bad acting, bell bottoms, and a couple of cute chicks.

So, full circle, the movie takes you on a ride that leads you to a church at the end of the movie, where King Diamond settles in to bite his victim with his big fat hinged plastic white fangs. But the Monster decides to crowd in, so, the fight is on, baby! The Thrilla in Salmonella. Tickets by the Boardwalk, just look for the little guy with the hat. Dracula, at approximately 6 minutes until sunrise, backs out of the church and fifty yards into the adjoining woods. He stands there trying to give his best onstage magician performance scary face while the Monster pushes and slaps at him. Finally, he rips off the Monster's arms and head, like something very cheaply stuffed, and then he's like, "uh, wait a minute, the sun..." He runs back to the church (the chosen sanctuary for all vampires) and just makes it to the steps when the sun hits him. Man---he was so close. Boy, I tell ya, if he had just made it another two or three steps, we coulda had a sequel. Dracula vs Milo, or Dracula vs the Blind Dead, or Dracula vs Xanadu.

Two initial points of observation:

a. This movie did have a couple of fine chicks

b. The dork playing Dracula was the worst Dracula EVER. The guy looks like King Diamond. I kept waiting to hear him sing like Abigail or go into some kinda, "Let me help you out of the chair, G,G,G, Grandma..." He's got this whole grease paint mime thing going on, and when he talks he's the only guy in the movie with a built-in echo. Udo Kier made a better Dracula. T.J. Hooker would make a better Dracula, or Matt Houston, or Mary Tyler Moore.

Anyhoo, the plot of this movie, such as it is, involves King Diamond, I mean Dracula, going to find some descendent of Dr. Frankenstein because he wants some kind of formula or something. Now, for no other reason than to serve the movie title, he wants to dig up Frankenstein's horrying creation, the Monster---which fortunately, and conveniently, just happens to be buried down the road in the local graveyard. But the wheelchair-ridden latter-day Frankenstein decides he doesn't want to take orders from Count Diamond, I mean Dracula, so Dracula whips out this big plastic-looking silver ring the size of a Cracker Jack box and shoots a poorly-animated lightning bolt at the wall. Yeah, that's what I thought, Frankenstein, now straighten up.

The Monster looks like a rotten baked potato (with chives) with a mullet. Cheap, extra-small jacket, block shoes (Frankenstein cliche meter: 9.6). So, in desultory fashion, much like the storyline, the Monster goes around attacking people, just kind of pushing and slapping them to death. Anyway, as this is going on, throw in some random hippie scenes, bikers, bad acting, bell bottoms, and a couple of cute chicks.

So, full circle, the movie takes you on a ride that leads you to a church at the end of the movie, where King Diamond settles in to bite his victim with his big fat hinged plastic white fangs. But the Monster decides to crowd in, so, the fight is on, baby! The Thrilla in Salmonella. Tickets by the Boardwalk, just look for the little guy with the hat. Dracula, at approximately 6 minutes until sunrise, backs out of the church and fifty yards into the adjoining woods. He stands there trying to give his best onstage magician performance scary face while the Monster pushes and slaps at him. Finally, he rips off the Monster's arms and head, like something very cheaply stuffed, and then he's like, "uh, wait a minute, the sun..." He runs back to the church (the chosen sanctuary for all vampires) and just makes it to the steps when the sun hits him. Man---he was so close. Boy, I tell ya, if he had just made it another two or three steps, we coulda had a sequel. Dracula vs Milo, or Dracula vs the Blind Dead, or Dracula vs Xanadu.

The first rocket of exploration launched by the United States decides to bypass the moon and head straight for Mars (the reasoning for this curious choice is clearly cinematic; we know there is nothing on the moon in 1951 but who knows what we might find on Mars). The crew for this monumental expedition consists of Dr. Jim Barker (Arthur Franz), who created the rocket, his assistant Carol Stafford (Virginia Huston), a pair of older scientists, Dr. Lane (John Litel) and Professor Jackson (Richard Gaines), and a war reporter, Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell). At first I was wondering why these were letting too older guys go on this dangerous mission and I thought it might be because they were old and wise, but it turns out to be because this way only Jim and Steve join Carol in the film's love triangle.

Once they arrive on Mars they discover a complex underground civilization. There are delights to be seen and offers of help from the ruling council, but it turns out to be a sham. The Martians want to use the rocket to get off their dying planet and colonize earth. But that is okay. The Martians might want to take over the earth but Jim gets them back: he teaches the natives how to play bridge ("They will never forgive you," warns one of the professors). Meanwhile, Steve is interested in Carol, but Carol has been pining for Jim for three years. Jim has been too busy being a scientist to notice Carol, but he falls for local gal Alita once they get on Mars. When Carol finally adds up the score she dissolves into tears while Steve spends an hour playing solitaire waiting for her to wise up. Amazingly enough when the rocket was sabotaged and they were all going to die in space or on Mars Carol never shed a tear.

"Flight to Mars" is directed by Lesley Selander, who primarily made Westerns and directed eight other films in 1951. The film is made in color, which matters little except for the red costumes of the Martian's ruling council, which are kind of neat looking. Made during the Cold War there is an inclination to see an appropriate sub-text to "Flight to Mars," especially with those red outfits, but that seems to be a bit of a reach in this case. Again, this film ultimately reminds me more of a Flash Gordon serial than anything else. Besides, it proves once again that not even an advanced civilization on a distant planet can stand up to a small group of Americans with a plan and a strong right hook.

Rental only.

Since they couldn't get Jamie Lee Curtis to commit to the middle films, they tried to follow the story of Michael killing off members of his family. Halloween 4 is the best of the bunch, 5 is a step down, and the whole house collapsed with the appalling Curse of Michael Myers.

The redeeming features of 4 and 5 are clearly Donald Pleasance and Danielle Harris. Pleasance is totally game as the obsessed Dr. Loomis, and indeed, in this version he seems ready for the loony bin himself as Michael Myers once again returns from death to stalk the hapless citizens of Haddonfield. If you recall, Michael was hit by a truck and shot about 100 times at the end of 4, but nothing can stop Halloween financier Mustapha Akkad from resurrecting his favorite son for some more trick or treating. You'll also recall a bold move at the end of 4 to send the series on a different path and make Michael's niece Jamie take over the family business of butchering. Once again, the producers went safe and dropped that idea, preferring to let Mike do the slaughtering.

Danielle Harris once again plays Jamie (the daughter of Jamie Lee's character). She gives an impressive performance for a child actor in this one and is completely convincing as a terrorized 11 year-old that is now psychically linked with Michael. I also liked the completely inept and moronic cops who exist to, well, die. A shame they kill of Ellie Cornell, but the laws of slasherdom state that survivors of the previous film generally must die in the next installment just to show that like an elephant, Michael (or Jason, or Freddy) never forgets.

The ideas are definitely there, and people are game, but the execution is so-so. The look of the film is good--it has a real Halloween, autumn feel to it and was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah. There is a subplot involving a mysterious man who is following the action and makes for an ultra violent ending. (He and Michael share strange symbolic markings.) By the end of 5 we get the bizarre image of Michael in a jail cell (with the mask still on!) before we get the cliffhanger ending. Sad that it would take six years for a sequel to explain what happened. The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) is terrible, an example of trying to over engineer a slasher series to embarrassing ends. The score is by Alan Howarth and is not as good as the subtle soundscapes he contributed to 4, but he tries to inject some life into the famous themes and cues.

Part 5 is weaker than Part 4 and boils down to pretty much by-the-numbers slasher material, done with a bit more style and with some good acting. Once again, it seems that they can't get the Michael Myers mask right, and this version is terrible. Perhaps they try something different every time, but really, can they not just get a decent reproduction of the masks in Part I or II?

I like the approach they took on with H20 and Resurrection, but these middle parts have Loomis, whose obsession and pronouncements of 'pure evil' define Michael as much as the mask and the kitchen knife.

Definitely far from the series' finest hour, but recommended for die-hard fans, of course. The DVD now includes a short making of featurette as well.

Rental only.

Since they couldn't get Jamie Lee Curtis to commit to the middle films, they tried to follow the story of Michael killing off members of his family. Halloween 4 is the best of the bunch, 5 is a step down, and the whole house collapsed with the appalling Curse of Michael Myers.

The redeeming features of 4 and 5 are clearly Donald Pleasance and Danielle Harris. Pleasance is totally game as the obsessed Dr. Loomis, and indeed, in this version he seems ready for the loony bin himself as Michael Myers once again returns from death to stalk the hapless citizens of Haddonfield. If you recall, Michael was hit by a truck and shot about 100 times at the end of 4, but nothing can stop Halloween financier Mustapha Akkad from resurrecting his favorite son for some more trick or treating. You'll also recall a bold move at the end of 4 to send the series on a different path and make Michael's niece Jamie take over the family business of butchering. Once again, the producers went safe and dropped that idea, preferring to let Mike do the slaughtering.

Danielle Harris once again plays Jamie (the daughter of Jamie Lee's character). She gives an impressive performance for a child actor in this one and is completely convincing as a terrorized 11 year-old that is now psychically linked with Michael. I also liked the completely inept and moronic cops who exist to, well, die. A shame they kill of Ellie Cornell, but the laws of slasherdom state that survivors of the previous film generally must die in the next installment just to show that like an elephant, Michael (or Jason, or Freddy) never forgets.

The ideas are definitely there, and people are game, but the execution is so-so. The look of the film is good--it has a real Halloween, autumn feel to it and was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah. There is a subplot involving a mysterious man who is following the action and makes for an ultra violent ending. (He and Michael share strange symbolic markings.) By the end of 5 we get the bizarre image of Michael in a jail cell (with the mask still on!) before we get the cliffhanger ending. Sad that it would take six years for a sequel to explain what happened. The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) is terrible, an example of trying to over engineer a slasher series to embarrassing ends. The score is by Alan Howarth and is not as good as the subtle soundscapes he contributed to 4, but he tries to inject some life into the famous themes and cues.

Part 5 is weaker than Part 4 and boils down to pretty much by-the-numbers slasher material, done with a bit more style and with some good acting. Once again, it seems that they can't get the Michael Myers mask right, and this version is terrible. Perhaps they try something different every time, but really, can they not just get a decent reproduction of the masks in Part I or II?

I like the approach they took on with H20 and Resurrection, but these middle parts have Loomis, whose obsession and pronouncements of 'pure evil' define Michael as much as the mask and the kitchen knife.

Definitely far from the series' finest hour, but recommended for die-hard fans, of course. The DVD now includes a short making of featurette as well.

THE DUNWICH HORROR is most notable for being Sandra Dee's last movie, as well as her only one with a nude scene. I'll admit that turned me on to it mainly, but being a latent horror movie fan, I thought I'd get to enjoy some great frights as well. While it may be the height of camp & seem rather creaky as opposed to today's more sophisticated thrillers, THE DUNWICH HORROR is still good for seeing what really may have been the stuff of nightmares back when.

Former teen idol Sandra Dee stars as Nancy Wagner, a pretty young college student, who is accosted in the university's library by a mild-mannered man interested in a rare book of the occult called "The Necronomicon". This man is Wilbur Whateley (played by Dean Stockwell) & is the great-grandson of a man who was hanged by the people of his town (Dunwich) for occult worship. The Whateley family have been pariahs in Dunwich ever since, so they reasonably think Wilbur is more than a bit creepy. Nancy agrees to give Wilbur a ride home back to his house in Dunwich & is then encouraged by him to stay the night after he dismantles her car. She then takes up Wilbur's request to stay for the weekend, much to her professor Henry Armitage (Ed Begley) & her friend Elizabeth's dismay. Little does Nancy know that Wilbur is the son of Satan, his mother having been impregnated by him & later going insane. Wilbur wants to continue the family name & with Nancy, he has his chance.

Just from this plot synopsis, it's clear that THE DUNWICH HORROR may be the granddaddy of just about every horror flick of the last 3 decades & while the plot may have been rehashed numerous times since, DUNWICH has something those others don't: a real fright factor. This being 1970 & with the rating system only 2 years old, what transpired in this movie was enough to warrant its R rating. But with the almost-total absence of any blood, guts or gore (and only flashes of the much-talked about nudity), it may come off with a PG-13 today. For that reason alone, DUNWICH is worth watching to see what might have scandalized audiences back in that new age of permissiveness.

Sandra Dee turns in a surprisingly good performance as cute co-ed Nancy, who comes across as overly naive & welcoming to Wilbur's advances. However, maybe that's what the role called for & had she not ended her movie career after this, Sandra could have made it as a serious actress. Her fate at the end of the movie certainly opened up the possibility for a sequel (I'm not divulging any secrets).

Dean Stockwell is also a creepy delight as Wilbur, looking genuinely scary as an all-too-gentle young man with a very strange pedigree. Those who've seen him in MARRIED TO THE MOB & the TV series QUANTUM LEAP in later years will realize he still looks almost the same, save for the mustache.

The mind may boggle at why a serious, Oscar-winning actor like Ed Begley agreed to star in a genre film like DUNWICH, but he nevertheless gets to shine as Professor Armitage, who won't allow Wilbur to borrow "The Necronomicon" (Wilbur will steal it instead) & as he will soon discover, he may have wished himself lucky.

No, THE DUNWICH HORROR is certainly no masterpiece of filmmaking, but for a Roger Corman production, it is definitely more high-quality than most of his other budget productions. Furthermore, it is truly a frightening journey, enhanced by the psychedelic camera trickery that was still at work in movies of the era (particularly in the scene where Elizabeth is literally raped by demons). I'll be the first to say that I'm no student of the occult like Wilbur, nor do I sacrifice small animals in the darkness of my room at night, but THE DUNWICH HORROR is still enough for me to recommend it as a great horror flick to see when one is tired of the gratuitous gore of FRIDAY THE 13TH or others of its ilk.