Colossus and the Headhunters (1963)

American International Pictures
Directed by Guido Malatesta
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Muscleman Kirk Morris is Maciste. He rescues a lucky few survivors from a volcanic eruption which destroys their city. They sail across the sea on a raft, ending up on an island where headhunters are terrorizing a rival tribe. The power hungry king of the tribe kidnaps a queen and enslaves her people. Maciste helps them defeat the king, and falls in love with the queen along the way. Ridiculous peplum costume drama with exotic dancing, beheadings and lots and lots of hand-to-hand fighting. 

The Demon (1963)

Titanus (Italy)
Directed by Brunello Rondi
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Poor Daliah Lavi is obsessively in love with neighbor Frank Wolff. He sometimes returns her affection, but when he becomes engaged to someone else she becomes psychotic. Her friends and family think she is possessed so send her to a convent. She escapes and is hunted down by a lynch mob who believes she is a witch. Moody black and white photography by Carlo Bellero and eerie soundtrack by Piero Piccioni combine to create an atmosphere of horror and dread. However, it's really just a tragic love story; only the antics of the superstitious peasants give it any other meaning. The ravishing Lavi gives a good performance, though we really don't get to know much about her character, one of the major shortcomings of the film. 

Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World (1961)

American International Pictures
Directed by Riccardo Freda
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb 
(YouTube)

Ex-Tarzan muscleman Gordon Scott here plays Maciste/Samson, who helps out the repressed peasants in 13th century China. He rescues their princess from an impending marriage to an evil warlord. He rings the "bell of freedom", literally, which works them into a revolutionary frenzy. He is killed in the action, but is resurrected by a Buddhist priest as one of the seven miracles (I only counted two or three), causing an earthquake in the process. Shot on leftover sets from Marco Polo, which give it a lavish exotic setting, but Scott still fights a stuffed tiger at one point. 

Assignment: Outer Space (1960)

American International Pictures
Directed by Antonio Margheriti
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A news reporter in the distant future is assigned to write a story on a space station. He clashes with the commander and falls in love with the only female crew member. Things become more serious when they have to intercept an out of control rocket with the capability to destroy the Earth.  I don't know if Stanley Kubrick ever saw it, but 2001: A Space Odyssey does echo many scenes: such as the silent spacewalks, the runaway computer that must be disconnected and the overall attention to scientific accuracy. However, Margheriti only had a fraction of Kubrick's budget, and without convincing special effects it all falls apart. 

Why Must I Die? (1960)

American International Pictures
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
My rating: 2 stars  out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Lounge singer Terry Moore is framed for the murder of her manager-boyfriend when he is killed during a robbery at a nightclub by gangsters from her past. While they go on the lam, she is arrested and sentenced to death. The real killer also ends up in the same prison, where she is harassed by the other prisoners until she confesses. Full of plot twists and action worthy of an old Monogram picture, but Moore's overwrought performance reduces it to so much melodrama. 

Battle Beyond the Sun (1959)

American International Pictures

Directed by Mikhail Karzhukov and Alexsandr Kozyr (original Russian),

                    Francis Ford Coppola (Americanized version)

My rating: 2 stars out of 4

IMDb

(YouTube)

In the post nuclear future of 1997, the two remaining countries on Earth compete to become the first to reach Mars. One unexpectedly launches a rocket from the international space station, prompting the other to follow shortly after with their own. Complications arise in route forcing them to cooperate in order to survive. Some good special effects, especially the miniature models, but cold and aloof. Francis Ford Coppola supervised this Americanized version by re-editing and dubbing a Russian film made a few years earlier. 

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957)

American International Pictures
Directed by Herbert L. Strock
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A descendant of the original Dr. Frankenstein is testing out the same old theories. He stitches together a teenager pulled out of an automobile accident with body parts from the cemetery. One day the monster escapes and kills a girl when she screams after seeing his deformed face. So, the doctor takes him to lovers lane to pick out a new face. However, when he plans to take him apart and ship him to England, he turns on the doctor. There is an alligator pit and the last scene is in color. 

I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)

American International Pictures
Directed  by Gene Fowler, Jr.
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

High school teen Michael Landon terrorizes his fellow students with his uncontrollable temper, leading to frequent fights with friends and even his sympathetic girlfriend. He is sent to a psychiatrist who seizes the opportunity to test out his theory on hypnotic regression. Landon becomes a werewolf and is unable to control his emotions, killing the first pretty girl he sees. Other murders follow and the police, at first baffled, eventually hunt him down. One of the better AIP films of the late 50s with some interesting touches, such as an upside down point-of-view shot for the first glimpse of the werewolf. 

She Gods of Shark Reef (1958)

American International Pictures
Directed by Roger Corman
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Two American GI's, brothers on the run, wash ashore on an isolated Hawaiian island during a hurricane. Its only inhabitants are girls who run a lucrative pearl diving operation. While one brother falls in love with one of the girls, the other plots to steal their loot. Typical good brother-bad brother scenario with laughable plot, even the Hawaiian locations are wasted. 

Tank Battalion (1958)

American International Pictures
Directed by Sherman A. Rose
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

The American crew of a tank in Korea catches a break when they are called from the battlefield for repairs. They spent their time chasing nurses and drinking at the local club. After several days, they are sent out to fight again when they tank promptly breaks down leaving them in a deadly situation. Some mild excitement in the latter half, but not enough to make up for the awful first half, or make us care about any of them. 

High School Hellcats (1958)

American International Pictures
Directed by Edward Bernds
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

New girl Joyce gives in to peer pressure and agrees to join the all-girl gang at her high school. Their leader puts her through a series of tests before being accepted, such as shoplifting and stealing another girl's boyfriend for a date to a party. However, the party turns tragic when a girl is killed during a game. Despite their vows of silence, the police eventually discover the truth. More tired juvenile melodrama for the drive-in from the good folks at AIP.

Sorority Girl (1957)

American International Pictures
Directed by Roger Corman
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Spoiled rich girl Sabra manipulates her sorority sisters when her allowance is cut off by her mother. She spanks a pledge then gets out of it by blackmailing another girl. However, she saves her best for a pregnant girl whom she convinces to blackmail the father for money. The usual melodrama follows in this hilariously awful AIP flick. 

The Seventh Grave (1965)

F.G.S. International Pictures
Directed by Garibaldi Serra Caracciolo
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Family members gather in a castle for the reading of a will. They hold a seance to contact the dead man but when they go down to the crypt his body is missing and the groundskeeper is hanging from the rafters. A police inspector is called in to investigate as more strange things happen. A rather typical "will reading" scenario that is more mystery than horror, with a ludicrous plot twist at the end. 

Shaolin Devil, Shaolin Angel (1978)

Directed by Hao-han Chang
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(VHS, Unicorn Video)

Unexplained murders in a Chinese village lead surviving family members on a quest for revenge. The youngest of them learns kung fu from a Yoda-like master, another poses as a government agent to uncover clues about the killer and a young woman uses her position in a brothel for more information. The three of them team up for a final showdown with the masked killer who uses "supernatural" kung fu. An entertaining and colorful kung fu flick with all the expected cliches of the genre. 

Dragstrip Riot (1958)

American International Pictures
Directed by David Bradley
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Southern California teenagers hang out at the beach singing songs and the local drug store dancing to rock and roll on the juke box. A leather-clad motorcycle gang interrupts their idyllic life, picking out one of them in particular because of his cute girlfriend. At first, he resists their ploy to get him to fight, but eventually is pushed to the edge and surprisingly beats the gang member. Later, he is challenged to a game of chicken on a railroad track and harassed on the highway. He gets charged with manslaughter when one of the motorcycle gang is killed in an accident and must defend himself in court. Fay Wray is his mother in this overwrought melodrama, which by the way has no dragstrip and certainly no dragstrip riot. 

Zen (2009)

Kadokawa Pictures (Japan)
Directed by Banmei Takahashi
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

The story of Dogen Zenji, a young Buddhist monk in search of a teacher and the truth. He finds both in China, and decides to introduce it in his native Japan. He builds a simple zendo in the mountains and find a few devoted students. They have trouble with the local established religious hierarchy who try to burn them out. Meanwhile, Dogen accepts new students, including an important politician who may be more trouble than he is worth, and an ex-prostitute looking for meaning in her life. More than just a biography, this epic tale conveys the spirit of Zen very effectively. Occasionally loses its way with some ill-advised CGI scenes, but overall quite engrossing, especially for those interested in Zen and its history.

Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)

American International Pictures
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Teenagers on lovers lane see a flying saucer crash in the nearby woods. One couple accidentally runs over one of the aliens, but the police don't believe them. They go back for evidence but only end up with a disembodied hand in a stolen police car. Meanwhile, other aliens are preying on helpless teens by injecting them with alcohol through needles which come out of their fingers. The teens band together to fight them with bright lights, the same weakness of ET and Gremlins. It all takes place on one long night which leads to some occasional atmospheric moments, but also makes things rather hard to see.

Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956)

American International Pictures
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Reformed teenagers fight to save their television dance show from being cancelled by a group of civic minded elderly folks who think rock and roll will ruin the country. Touch Connors is the deejay who comes up with the idea of a televised trial to decide who is right. A gangster named Bugsy also tries to persuade them to return to their old ways. Ridiculous cliches saved only by performances by Fats Domino and Joe Turner, though Elvis clone Tommy Charles also makes an appearance.

Flesh and the Spur (1956)

American International Pictures
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

John Agar sets out to find the gang responsible for killing his brother. He meets gunslinger Touch Connors (later just Mike), who is after the same gang for undisclosed reasons. Together, they wander the dusty west, eventually befriending a traveling medicine doctor and his pretty daughter and a native American girl. Agar and Connors never really trust each other, and the girls further aggravates their friendship. The final shootout with the gang reveals hidden identities and  motivations, none of which are very surprising.

The Doll of Satan (1969)

Paris-Etoile Film
Directed by Ferruccio Casapinta
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Pretty Erna Schürer travels to France with her boyfriend for the reading of her uncle's will. She inherits everything, including his vast castle and grounds. However, her nights are spent in a half dream state where she is bound and tortured in the castle dungeon. There is also a gloved killer on the loose. However, that plot element doesn't really go anywhere, as the nightly torture scenes seem to be the film's main emphasis, making it hardly worth the effort to track down.

The Cocaine Fiends (1935)

Willis Kent Productions

Directed by William A. O'Connor

My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4

IMDb

(VHS, Meda Home Entertainment)

Innocent girl working in a roadside cafe falls for a gangster on the run. He seduces her with "headache powder", actually cocaine, to which she becomes addicted. In the city, she falls further into  decadence as his moll while he gets other customers hooked. Melodrama avoids being preachy, but still not very believable. As it is, might be ok as "so bad it's good" entertainment, especially if paired with the better known Reefer Madness. 

It Conquered the World (1956)

American International Pictures

Directed by Roger Corman

My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4

IMDb

(YouTube)

Scientist Lee Van Cleef communicates with aliens from Venus on a shortwave radio stashed in a living room closet. He provides them with the names of other scientists, military leaders and politicians that they take control of by sending out flying bats to implant radio devices in their necks. Peter Graves is a friend and fellow scientist who resists, but also must take care of his bitten friends, including his wife, with a gun. Talky and at times violent, but never credible, including one of the most laughable monsters in film history: sort of a walking ice cream cone with teeth.

Uncle Was a Vampire (1959)

Embassy Pictures
Directed by Steno
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Renato Rascel is a Baron forced to sell his family castle but stays on as a doorman. Christopher Lee is a long-lost uncle who shows up hoping to claim it as his own. As the title states, Lee is actually a vampire, who later bites Rascel. He indulges in a night of neck-biting with all of the beautiful hotel guests, leading to the expected complications with husbands and boyfriends. Lee plays the vampire role completely straight and is still quite imposing in this dubbed Italian sex comedy.

The Power and the Glory (1933)

Fox Film
Directed by William K. Howard
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

An illiterate railroad employee marries his teacher, who pushes him to not only learn to read and write but eventually own the railroad. However, he misuses his power in both his professional and personal relationships, leading to tragedy. This early Preston Sturges screenplay misses the mark with its non-chronological framework, poor child acting, silly narration and melodramatics. Often cited as a precursor to Citizen Kane, but William K. Howard is no Orson Welles.

A Taste of Honey (1961)

Bryanston Films (UK)
Directed by Tony Richardson
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Bored teenager Rita Tushingham is dragged to the big city by her alcoholic mother. They bicker and fight constantly, particularly when she takes up with a new man. Meanwhile, Rita falls for a young black sailor and discovers she is pregnant after he sails away. She gets her own apartment and befriends fellow outcast Murray Melvin. The odd couple develops a close friendship, until her mother gets back in the picture. Dated but emotionally raw performances by all, particularly Tushingham in her screen debut.

Americana (1981)

Crown International Pictures
Directed by David Carradine
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Recently discharged veteran David Carradine gets off the bus in rural Kansas and randomly decides to start restoring a neglected carousel. Free-spirited Barbara Hershey shows up at unexpected times and watches mostly from a distance. He tangles with local high school drunks who don't understand him. Plotless vanity project from Carradine, with a couple of needless scenes of animal cruelty.

Birth (2004)

Fine Line Features
Directed by Jonathan Glazer
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, New Line)

A ten-year-old boy shows up at Nicole Kidman's house during her engagement party claiming to be her dead ex-hsuband. Since he knows private facts about their life she slowly begins to believe him while most everyone else around her is incredulous. This leads to some uncomfortable scenes between Kidman and the boy, such as taking baths together and an intimate kiss. However, when it is revealed the husband had a lover, which the boy did not know, it all falls apart. I got the feeling the producers tried to come up with a way to have Nicole Kidman fall in love and have sex with a ten-year-old and this was the result. To make matters worse, it unsuccessfully tries to imitate Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, with long hallway shots and a creepy kid.

Disorder (1962)

Titanus
Directed by Franco Brusati
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

While the patriarch of the family lies dying in bed, his son organizes a party downstairs with all of his friends. His sister is freaking out while his mom wonders if her husband really loves her. Mario, a hired catering assistant, picks up a girl after the party and brings her home while other revelers have their own problems. Mario visits his elderly mother in a hospital, where he meets a man claiming to be a priest. Homeless, Mario takes up his offer for shelter, where anything but priestly activities are taking place. Wildly uneven but not necessarily uninteresting attempt to recreate the social chaos of Fellini's La Dolce Vita, released just a couple of years earlier.

Crystal Voyager (1973)

Directed by David Elfick
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Documentary about surfing legend George Greenough. He drops out to spend all of his time surfing or building things to help him surf. He designs and builds a new fin for his surfboard based on a dolphin fin. He raids a scrap metal yard for materials to help him build a sailboat and then takes off in it with his surfing buddies. The film threatens to become another Endless Summer clone, when the final sequence of mesmerizing photography by Greenough set to the epic Pink Floyd song "Echoes" takes it to a completely different level.

From a Roman Balcony (1960)

Euro International Film
Directed by Mauro Bolognini
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A day in the life of Jean Sorel: he lives in poverty in the slums of Rome with a young wife and baby. He sets out to get a job supposedly to buy food, but instead roves around having sex with various women. He never does get that job, so steals from a corpse in order not to come home empty handed. The roving plot allows us to see the social strata that existed in 1960 Rome, but the central character is so unlikeable it's hard to care about anything he does. Crisply photographed in black and white by Aldo Scavarda, including an incredible and poetic opening shot that the rest of the movie just cannot live up to.

Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

Academy Awards, USA 2007

Nominated Oscar

Best Documentary, Features Amy Berg Frank Donner

Lions Gate Films
Directed by Amy Berg
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Lionsgate)

Powerhouse documentary that shows the long-lasting emotional damage done by one priest who sexually assaulted hundreds of children while a pastor in California. Survivors struggle to reconcile their feelings with a church that really doesn't seem to care. Its silence, and at times out right denial, of responsibility for not only the actions of this priest, but hundreds of others, makes the Catholic church hierarchy complicit in their crimes. Gut-wrenching.

Primer (2004)

THINKfilm
Directed by Shane Carruth
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, New Line)

Impenetrable account of two entrepreneurs who discover their "contraption" allows them to travel in time. Like any good venture capitalist, their first instinct is to come up with a daily routine that allows them to take advantage of the stock market to make money.... and that's about all this movie has to offer as far as plot or characterization. Sci-fi fans looking for a new angle on time travel will be disappointed, but if you like lots and lots of talking in stockbroker/scientist lingo this may be your thing.

Last of the Dogmen (1995)

Savoy Pictures
Directed by Tab Murphy
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, HBO Home Video)

Bounty hunter Tom Berenger is lured out of retirement and his drunken stupor to track down escaped convicts in the rugged mountain terrain of Montana. He finds more than he bargained for when he stumbles upon a lost tribe of Cheyenne Indians living in a valley hidden behind a waterfall. With help from friendly professor Barbara Hershey, they befriend the tribe and help them avoid confrontation with outsiders. Beautifully shot in Canada, but riddled with cliches and poor acting. The folksy narration by Wilford Brimley doesn't help.