The Green Slime (1968)

A fun-filled, amateurish, juvenile but colourful sci-fi horror mixing astronauts, space monsters, laser guns and he-man rivalry.

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Screenplay by William Finger, Tom Rowe, Charles Sinclair
Story by Ivan Reiner
Produced by Walter Manley, Ivan Reineri
Cinematography: Yoshikazu Yamasawa
Edited by Osamu Tanaka
Music by Toshiaki Tsushima
Production companies: Toei Ram Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by Toei Company (Japan), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (United States)
Running time: 90 minutes

Cast

Robert Horton as Commander Jack Rankin
Richard Jaeckel as Commander Vince Elliott
Luciana Paluzzi as Dr. Lisa Benson
Bud Widom as General Jonathan B. Thompson
Ted Gunther as Dr. Hans Halversen
Robert Dunham as Captain Martin
David Yorston as Lieutenant Curtis
William Ross as Ferguson
Gary Randolf as Cordier
Japanese dub
Gorō Naya as Jack Rankin
Ichirō Murakoshi as Vince Elliott
Haruko Kitahama as Lisa Benson
Kōsei Tomita as Johnathon B. Thompson

Trailer

A giant asteroid heads toward Earth.

A group of astronauts from a space station on a mission to blow it up.

The mission succeeds.

BUT!!!!

A strange slimy green substance is unknowingly brought back by the astronauts.

The alien substance mutates into one-eyed tentacled monsters that feed off electricity.

The station is soon infested with these alien life forms.

How will this new threat be dealt with?

Can these alien monsters be stopped before they kill all the humans on the station and go on to threaten humanity on earth itself?

Image generated by Chatgpt

Read on for more.....

Mission Mars (1968)

A rather plodding, dull and amateurish sci-fi film that eventually is redeemed by an unusual alien encounter

Directed by Nick Webster
Screenplay by Mike St. Clair
Story by Aubrey Wisberg
Produced by Everett Rosenthal
Cinematography: Cliff Poland
Edited by Paul Jordon
Music by Berge Kalajian, Gus Pardalis, The Forum Quorum
Poduction company: Red Ram Productions
Distributed by Allied Artists Pictures
Running time: 90 minutes

Cast

Darren McGavin: Col. Mike Blaiswick
Nick Adams: Nick Grant
George De Vries: Duncan
Michael DeBeausset: Cliff Lawson
Heather Hewitt: Edith Blaiswick
Shirley Parker: Alice Grant


In the last post, Night Caller From Outer Space (1965), I alluded to the fact that the British seemed to have the knack of constructing good quality films (including science fiction films) despite budgetary constraints and questionable plot lines. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many sci-films that have come out of the US and the film, Mission Mars is just one example of a film that is on the whole rather dull, pedestrian and plainly amateurish.

When the film was made in the 1967- 68, Apollo 8 was set to herald humanity’s first breakaway from its earthly bonds on a journey to orbit another heavenly body. This mission provided the human race with a view of our beautiful but fragile planet suspended in the void of space and offered us a glimpse of our place in the scheme of things. From that mission, we then set our sights for mankind’s first physical presence on the surface of another world – our moon.

As a 12 year old at the time, I envisioned human beings establishing bases or colonies on the moon sometime in the 1970s. From this, I believed that human beings would probably set foot on Mars sometime during the 1980s. How wrong I was! Nearly 60 years later, we are possibly about to somewhat replicate Apollo 8s achievement and many in the space industry are (over?) confidently anticipating that we will have a human (American) presence on the moon’s surface by 2027. That is if the Chinese don’t get there first in the new ‘race’ to the moon. From this it is projected that we will use the moon as a springboard to having a human presence on Mars and of course – beyond. As to when? Well, pick a number, any number!

Let’s now go back to the late 60s to the film, Mission Mars as the United States prepares to launch three astronauts on a mission to land on the planet, Mars….

Traile

Read on for more.....

The Bamboo Saucer (1968)

 

A well-paced Cold War sci-fi action parable of geo-political mutual suspicion and cooperation with a lesson to be learned.

Directed by Frank Telford
Screenplay by Frank Telford
Story by Alford Van Ronkle, John P. Fulton
Produced by Charles E. Burns, Jerry Fairbanks
Cinematography: Hal Mohr
Edited by Richard A. Harris
Music by Edward Paul
Production companies: National Telefilm Associates, Jerry Fairbanks Productions
Distributed by World Entertainment Corp.
Running time: 103 minutes

Cast

Dan Duryea as Hank Peters
John Ericson as Test Pilot Fred Norwood
Lois Nettleton as Anna Karachev
Robert Hastings as Garson
Vincent Beck as Zagorsky
Bernard Fox as Ephram
Robert Dane as Miller
Rico Cattani as Dubovsky
James Hong as Sam Archibald
Bartlett Robinson as Rhodes
Nick Katurich as Gadyakoff
William Mims as Joe Vetry
Nan Leslie as Dorothy Vetry
Andy Romano as Blanchard
Frank Gerstle as control room technician

The 1960s Cold War….

A flying saucer…..

American and Soviet Russian teams in Communist China!

What on earth (if not from Earth) connects these seemingly disparate elements?

Read on for more

The Power (1968)

Certainly not a classic sci-fi film, but it is an entertaining oddity with an impressive supporting cast and good production values.

Directed by Byron Haskin
Written by John Gay
Based on “The Power” by Frank M. Robinson
Produced by George Pal
Cinematography: Ellsworth Fredericks
Edited by Thomas J. McCarthy
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-May

Cast

George Hamilton: Jim Tanner
Suzanne Pleshette: Margery Lansing
Richard Carlson: N. E. Van Zandt
Yvonne De Carlo: Sally Hallson
Earl Holliman: Talbot Scott
Gary Merrill: Mark Corlane
Ken Murray: Grover
Barbara Nichols: Flora
Arthur O'Connell: Henry Hallson
Nehemiah Persoff: Carl Melnicker
Aldo Ray: Bruce
Michael Rennie: Arthur Nordlund
Miiko Taka: Mrs. Van Zandt
Celia Lovsky: Mrs. Hallson
Vaughn Taylor: Mr. Hallson
Lawrence Montaigne: Briggs
Beverly Powers: Sylvia
Forrest J. Ackerman: Delegate A.C. Fogbottom
Daniel Elam: Scientist
William Burnside: Fun House Onlooker
Ken DuMain: Fun House Onlooker
Frieda Rentie: Fun House Onlooker
Boyd 'Red' Morgan: Merry-Go-Round Operator
Robert Deman: Young Man
Party Guests:
David Armstrong
Minta Durfee
Ed Haskett
George Holmes
Kenner G. Kemp
Joseph La Cava
John Pedrini
Anthony Redondo
Hank Robinson
Arthur Tovey

Chalky Williams

Key Scene

The power of telekinesis used not only to move just objects!

Members of a special project team being killed off one by one by means of telekinesis!

Who has the mind power to commit murder?

How can he or she be stopped?

Biologist Dr. Jim Tanner is chairman of a committee of scientists (The Committee on Human Endurance), based at the laboratory of the Space Research Commission in San Marino, CA. Tanner and the committee is tasked with tasked with;

1. Determining the limits of human endurance involving the human body's ability to survive pain.
2. Ascertaining the factors that would enable a human being to survive extreme physically stressful situations and make instant life-saving decisions in an emergency.

Little does Tanner realize, that he will soon find himself being pushed to the very limits of his own endurance…….

Read on for more....

Planet of the Apes (1968)

An imaginative ground breaking sci-fi film with biting cultural commentary

Happy New Year to everyone! I thought that I might begin the year with another Charlton Heston post-apocalypse sci-fi film, The Planet of the Apes (1968), the first of the three films that also features, The Omega Man and Soylent Green.

Trailer

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
Screenplay by Michael Wilson, Rod Serling
Based on “Planet of the Apes" by Pierre Boulle
Produced by Arthur P. Jacobs
Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Edited by Hugh S. Fowler
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Production company: APJAC Productions
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Running time: 112 minutes
Budget: $5.8 million[2]
Box office: $33.4 million

Cast

Charlton Heston as George Taylor
Roddy McDowall as Cornelius
Kim Hunter as Zira
Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius
James Whitmore as President of the Assembly
James Daly as Honorious
Linda Harrison as Nova
Robert Gunner as Landon
Lou Wagner as Lucius
Woodrow Parfrey as Maximus
Jeff Burton as Dodge
Buck Kartalian as Julius
Norman Burton as Hunt Leader
Wright King as Dr. Galen
Paul Lambert as Minister
Dianne Stanley as Stewart

Thrust into the year A.D. 3978!

Three astronauts emerge from deep hibernation…

Their vessel crash-lands on a mysterious planet!!

One of the crew has accidentally died in space!

The space craft sinks under the waters of a lake.

The three survivors head off to explore their new home:

With limited rations

&

A hostile arid desert plain,

They trek in search of food, water and evidence of life,

Only to discover that they are not alone,

and that their troubles have only just begun…….

Read on for more......