Monday 19 February 2024

Planet of the Vampires (1965) (Terrore nello spazio)


A stylish, innovative, well-paced and entertaining mid-1960s sci-fi film with strong tone and atmosphere along with earnest performances.



Directed by Mario Bava
Screenplay by Alberto Bevilacqua, Callisto Cosulich, Mario Bava, Antonio Román, Rafael J. Salvia
English version: Ib Melchior, Louis M. Heyward
Based on "One Night of 21 Hours" by Renato Pestriniero
Produced by,Fulvio Lucisano
Cinematography: Antonio Rinaldi
Edited by Antonio Gimeno, Romana Fortini
Music by Gino Marinuzzi Jr.
Production companies: Italian International Film, Castilla Cooperativa Cinematográfica, American International Pictures
Distributed by Società Italiana di Distribuzione (SIDIS) (Italy), C.B. Films (Spain)
Running time: 88 minutes
Budget: $200,000
Box office: £90 million (Italy), 38.2 million ESP (Spain), $251,000 (United States)


Cast

Barry Sullivan as Captain Mark Markary
Norma Bengell as Sanya
Ángel Aranda as Wess Wescant
Evi Marandi as Tiona
Franco Andrei as Bert
Federico Boido as Harry Gash
Stelio Candelli as Brad )
Alberto Cevenini as Toby Markary
Mario Morales as Eldon
Ivan Rassimov as Carter
Massimo Righi as Captain Sallis
Fernando Villeña as Dr. Karan



A strange transmission of a distress signal is received.

The spaceships Argos and Galliot travel to the mysterious planet Aura to investigate.

Automatic controls malfunction and the Galliot crashes on the surface of Aura.

Upon landing, crew-members in Argos briefly lose control and attack each other.

Why?

Casualties are soon found but the Argos’ Captain and his surviving crew discover that the dead do not stay dead.

How can this be?

Did they respond to a distress signal or have they fallen into a trap?

If the latter, then who set the trap and for what purpose?


Trailer

Read on for more....

Saturday 27 January 2024

Alien (1979)

 

A landmark film with an excellent combination of the sci-fi and horror genres along with a great deal to think about


Directed by Ridley Scott
Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon
Story by Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Produced by Gordon Carroll, David Giler, Walter Hill
Cinematography: Derek Vanlint
Edited by Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Production companies: 20th Century-Fox, Brandywine Productions
Distributed by: 20th Century-Fox
Running time: 116 minutes
Budget: $11 million[a][5]
Box office: $184.7 million


Cast


Tom Skerritt: Dallas
Sigourney Weaver: Ripley
Veronica Cartwright:Lambert
Harry Dean Stanton: Brett
John Hurt: Kane
Ian Holm: Ash
Yaphet Kotto: Parker
Bolaji Badejo: Alien
Helen Horton: Mother (voice)
Eddie Powell: Alien (uncredited)



Trailer

The crew of the commercial towing vessel, "Nostromo" is on its way home to Earth when they are prematurely awakened from cryosleep when a transmission of unknown origin is detected by “Mother,” the ship’s AI super-computer.

Is the signal a desperate SOS, or……. a warning?

Obliged to investigate, the crew descend on a small inhospitable planetoid.

Their ship sustains damage in the rough landing.

While repairs are carried out, three crew members leave the spaceship to investigate the source of the transmission.

The party of three discover a crashed but relatively intact derelict extraterrestrial spacecraft.

What they discover within the alien vessel manages to find its way into the “Nostromo.”

The seven crew members will have to fight for their very lives against a deadly eighth passenger.

Nor is the danger to their existence solely from a terrifying alien intruder…..


Read on for more........

Friday 15 December 2023

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

The film that gave Star Trek back to the world


Directed by Robert Wise
Screenplay by Harold Livingston
Story by Alan Dean Foster
Based on Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
Produced by Gene Roddenberry
Cinematography: Richard H. Kline
Edited by Todd C. Ramsay
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Production company: Paramount Pictures
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date: December 7, 1979
Running time: 132 minutes
Budget: $44 million]
Box office: $139 million


Cast 

William Shatner: Captain Kirk
Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimo: Spock
DeForest Kelley DeForest Kelley: Dr. McCoy
James Doohan James Doohan: Scotty
George Takei George Takei: Sulu
Majel Barrett Majel Barrett: Dr. Chapel
Walter Koenig Walter Koenig: Chekov
Nichelle Nichols: Uhura
Persis Khambatta: Ilia
Stephen Collins: Decker
Grace Lee Whitney: Janice Rand
Mark Lenard: Klingon Captain
Billy Van Zandt: Alien Boy
Roger Aaron Brown: Epsilon Technician
Gary Faga Gary Fag: Airlock Technician
David Gautreaux: Commander Branch
John Gowans:  Assistant to Rand (as John D. Gowans)
Howard Itzkowitz: Cargo Deck Ensign
Jon Rashad Kamal: Lt. Commander Sonak
Marcy Lafferty: Chief DiFalco
Michele Billy Povill: Lieutenant (as Michele Ameen Billy)
Jeri McBride: Technician
Terrence O'Connor: Chief Ross
Michael Rougas: Lt. Cleary
Susan O'Sullivan: Woman (as Susan J. Sullivan)
Ralph Brannen: Crew Member
Ralph Byers: Crew Member
Paula Crist: Crew Member
Iva Lane:  Crew Member
Franklyn Seales: Crew Member
Momo Yashima:  Crew Member
Jimmie Booth: Klingon Crewman
Joel Kramer: Klingon Crewman
Bill McIntosh: Klingon Crewman
Dave Moordigian: Klingon Crewman
Tom Morga: Klingon Crewman
Tony Rocco: Klingon Crewman
Joel Shultz: Klingon Crewman
Craig Thomas Craig Thomas: Klingon Crewman
Edna Glover Edna Glover: Vulcan Master
Norman Stuart Norman Stuart: Vulcan Master
Paul Weber Paul Weber: Vulcan Master
Joshua Gallegos: Security Officer
Lisa Chess Lisa Chess: Yeoman
Leslie C. Howard: Yeoman
Sayra Hummel: Technical Assistant
Junero Jennings: Technical Assistant



Trailer


(Spoilers follow below.....)


“Who are they fighting?”
“Unknown, sir.”

A cloud-like ominous entity moves through deep space, having long traversed its bejewelled beauty festooned with supernova, nebulae and innumerable star systems. This mysterious luminescence is of a size that can barely be comprehended by human or extraterrestrial intelligence. It seems to defy all known concepts of size and distance.


The interstellar intruder is about to be confronted by one such extraterrestrial intelligence in the form of three Klingon heavy cruisers. On the Klingon command cruiser bridge ‘battle stations’ is sounded. From the point of view on the tactical grid, the main viewer and from the external perspective, the three diminutive ships closing on the steadily growing luminescent cloud-like entity appear puny and inadequate in comparison to the enormity of the unwelcome trespasser.


Undaunted, the ships sweep further into the mysterious cloud as if under the influence of some unknown beckoning force together with an impelling innate force located deep within the Klingon psyche and genetic makeup. The cruisers are soon dominated by the sheer immensity of the cloud that seems to dominate and consume all the available surrounding space.


The hatches of the photon torpedo launch tubes slowly slide open to reveal red-hued harbingers of death within. The order is then given to fire and the brilliant orbs of the photon torpedoes burst forth from the tubes.

On the Klingon bridge, the tactical grid displays the three torpedoes heading directly toward the Cloud and then suddenly and unexpectedly winking out of existence before reaching their intended target.

An external shot reveals the same course of action with the same result as the other ships launch their torpedoes toward the cloud. This time, however, there is a response in the form of an orb of power emanating from within the luminescence and heading directly toward the Klingon ships.

Despite evasive maneuvers, the orb strikes one of the cruisers with a bolt of energy which engulfs the vessel causing it to dematerialize. Raising defensive shields, executing evasive turns and discharging rear torpedoes at the approaching energy orbs do nothing to forestall the fate of the remaining two cruisers. The Klingons achieve an honourable death - their passage and entrance to Sto'Vo'Kor' assured.

“Sir, it's on a precise heading for Earth!”

Meanwhile at Starfleet Monitoring Station Epsilon IX, from the outside there appears to be an air of sedate almost complacent serenity surrounding this small outpost as astronaut workers lazily and quietly waft about servicing the station’s equipment. This atmosphere is about to be shattered within the installation where a report of the battle scene has come through to the monitor room.

A text translation of the Klingon commander’s voice appears on a monitor screen:

“Intruder unidentified.
Believe luminescent cloud to be enormous
Power field surrounding alien vessel.
Our sensor scans unable to penetrate.
Imperial Klingon Cruiser Amar, continuing to attack.”

The crew of Epsilon IX know that the battle has taken place “within Klingon boundaries” but not who or what the Klingon’s were fighting. After the shock of witnessing the complete annihilation of the Klingon vessel on the viewer, their minds now turn to the realisation that the cloud will pass into Federation Space fairly close to them “on a precise heading for Earth.”

Read on for more……..

Saturday 21 October 2023

Runaway (1984)


A lesser-known 1980s sci-fi gem that deserves far greater recognition


Directed by Michael Crichton
Written by Michael Crichton
Produced by Michael I. Rachmil, Lisa Faversham, Kurt Villadsen
Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Edited by Glenn Farr, James Coblentz
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Production company: Delphi III Productions
Distributed by Tri-Star Pictures
Release date: December 14, 1984
Running time: 99 minutes
Budget: $8 million
Box office: $6,770,587 (USA)


Cast

Tom Selleck as Sergeant Jack R. Ramsay
Cynthia Rhodes as Officer Karen Thompson
Gene Simmons as Dr. Charles Luther
Kirstie Alley as Jackie Rogers
Stan Shaw as Sergeant Marvin James
G.W. Bailey as Chief of Police
Joey Cramer as Bobby Ramsay
Chris Mulkey as David Johnson
Sullivan Walker as K.C.
Anne-Marie Martin as Hooker At Bar
Michael Paul Chan as Wilson, Vectrocon Security Guard
Babz Chula as Construction Foreperson
Marilyn Schreffler as Voice of Lois
Elizabeth Norment as Miss Shields
Carol Teesdale as Sally
Paul Batten as Harry
Betty Phillips as Linda
Stephen Thorne as Tommy
Stephen E. Miller as Rudy
Cec Verrell as Hooker
Amber Borycki as Baby (uncredited)



Sometime in a future which we have almost caught up with, robots perform domestic house-hold, agricultural, construction and many other services. The police have a specialized department tasked with investigating and resolving cases involving malfunctioning robots that pose a danger to humans. Such robots are known as "Runaways"

Trailer

Read on for more......

Wednesday 20 September 2023

Atragon (1963)


( 海底軍艦, Kaitei Gunkan )
'The Undersea Warship'

A fairly entertaining Japanese science fiction film with impressive-looking sets and battle sequences together with a rousing music score. However, this is probably one of Toho’s and Ishiro Honda’s lesser efforts


Directed by Ishirō Honda
Screenplay by Shinichi Sekizawa[1]
Based on The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure by Shunrō Oshikawa, The Undersea Kingdom by Shigeru Komatsuzaki
Produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
Cinematography: Hajime Koizumi
Edited by Ryohei Fujii
Music by Akira Ifukube
Production company: Toho
Distributed by Toho
Release date: December 22, 1963 (Japan)
Running time: 94 minutes[2]
Box office: ¥175 million


Cast

Jun Tazaki as Captain Hachiro Jinguji
Tadao Takashima as Susumu Hatanaka
Yōko Fujiyama as Makoto Jinguji
Ken Uehara as Rear Admiral Kusumi
Yū Fujiki as Yoshito Nishibe
Kenji Sahara as Umino
Hiroshi Koizumi as Detective Ito
Akihiko Hirata as Mu Agent #23
Hideyo Amamoto as High Priest of Mu
Tetsuko Kobayashi as Empress of Mu



Strange occurrences are taking place all over the world, including disappearances and kidnappings.

The legendary empire of the lost continent of Mu which disappeared 12,000 years earlier has reappeared.

The Muans and their giant snakelike guardian, Manda are set to reclaim their supposed colonies and threaten the surface world with domination.

The world’s countries unite to resist.

Embittered World War ll Captain Jinguji has created the greatest warship ever seen, that may be the surface world’s only defence.

Despite appeals for assistance from the rest of the world and even from his own daughter, Jinguji is reluctant to help.

But why?

What will it take for Jinguji (still bitter about Japan’s defeat in World War II) to decide to help save civilization?

Trailer


Read on for more....

Sunday 20 August 2023

Island of Terror (1966)


A competently directed British sci-fi / horror gem with a stirring and eerie musical score, colorful and crisp cinematography and an entertaining combination of suspense, humor and horror.


Directed by Terence Fisher
Written by Edward Mann Al Ramsen
Based on an original story by Mann and Ramsen
Produced by Tom Blakely
Cinematography: Reg Wyer
Edited by Thelma Connell
Music by Malcolm Lockyer
Barry Gray (electronic effects)
Production company: Planet Film Productions
Distributed by Planet Film Distributors, Universal Studios (US)
Running time: 89 minutes
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: £70,000



Cast

Peter Cushing as Dr Brian Stanley
Edward Judd as Dr David West
Carole Gray as Toni Merrill
Eddie Byrne as Dr Reginald Landers
Sam Kydd as Constable John Harris
Niall MacGinnis as Roger Campbell
James Caffrey as Peter Argyle
Liam Gaffney as Ian Bellows
Roger Heathcote as Dunley
Keith Bell as Halsey
Margaret Lacey as Old Woman
Shay Gorman as Morton
Peter Forbes-Robertson as Dr Lawrence Phillips
Richard Bidlake as Carson
Joyce Hemson as Mrs. Bellows



An isolated remote island community is threatened by an attack from something unimaginable!

Will this small community be able to fight back against the encroaching deadly horror?


Trailer

Read on for more.....

Tuesday 25 July 2023

Night of the Big Heat (1968)

ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED
ISLAND OF THE BURNING DOOMED

A low budget but eerie, tense, gripping and effective sci-fi / horror film that let its characters tell the story


Directed by Terence Fisher
Written by Jane Baker, Pip Baker, Ronald Liles
Based on “Night of the Big Heat” 1959 novel by John Lymington
Produced by Tom Blakeley, Ronald Liles
Cinematography: Reginald H. Wyer
Edited by Rod Nelson-Keys
Music by Malcolm Lockyer
Production company: Planet Film Productions
Distributed by Planet Film Distributors
Running time: 94 minutes


Cast

Christopher Lee as Professor Godfrey Hanson
Patrick Allen as Jeff Callum
Peter Cushing as Dr. Vernon Stone
Sarah Lawson as Frankie Callum
Jane Merrow as Angela Roberts
William Lucas as Ken Stanley
Percy Herbert as Gerald Foster
Kenneth Cope as Tinker Mason
Thomas Heathcote as Bob Hayward
Anna Turner as Stella Hayward
Jack Bligh as Ben Siddle
Sydney Bromley as Old Tramp



Trailer


In the middle of winter the island of Fara off the English coast is experiencing an oppressive, stifling and inexplicable heat wave, as if this little isolated heavily cloud-shrouded speck of terrestrial real estate was being deliberately subjected to the burning focused beam of a celestial magnifying glass.

Jeff and Frankie Callum run an inn called, The Swan. Jeff is a professional novelist who has supposedly hired a secretary, Angela Roberts who is in fact a younger woman with whom he had an affair. Angela has come to the island with the intention of re-kindling the affair, perhaps ending Jeff’s marriage with his wife and having him all to herself.

Also from the mainland is a strange and mysterious scientist, Godfrey Hanson who has rented a room at The Swan. This intense-looking, stern-faced individual with an abrupt, pompous and rude manner spends his time setting up motion-sensitive cameras and taking soil samples. For what purpose? Who knows?

As the temperature rises along with the mounting tension pervading the little island community, let’s see how the mystery unfolds…..


Read on for more.....