Madmen of Mandoras/The Devil's Hand (1956) Review

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(More customer reviews)"They Saved Hitler's Brain" is a cinematic travesty made over a decade or so by two different sets of people, starring two different sets of actors. What could possibly go wrong? The basis for the film is the very short 1963 feature "The Madmen of Mandoras", which was apparently shot years earlier and shelved for a while. In the late 1960s (1968 seems the most agreed upon date), some television brain trust wanted to broadcast "The Madmen of Mandoras", but it was too short to fit in a traditional movie time slot. They hired some film school students to shoot additional wraparound footage to boost the running time. The result is one of the most jarring viewing experiences in cinema history, and ranks up there with the very best of Ed Wood or Ray Dennis Steckler for enjoyable camp viewing.
The film opens with the newly shot footage of a smarmy male and a voluptuous female CID agent arguing and engaging in possibly the worst banter in film history. The acting and writing will both make you cringe; the good news is you frequently can't hear what's being said over the loud background music. It seems that the CID is investigating the death of a scientist who was working of the G-Gas project. The dead scientist knew of the antidote, and they discover that Dr. John Coleman, another brilliant scientist, has been kidnapped and taken to the South American country of Mandoras.
The G-Gas plot sort of devolves into a "Wild, Wild World of Batwoman" pursuit of evildoers, with the movie going on to feature crazy Nazis planning to take over the world, Hitler's head in a jar (who the cast refers to as "Mr. H") yelling orders in German, a brain dead kidnapping and murder subplot, lots of stock footage, a supremely annoying and pathetic romance subplot, ridiculously inept car chases, doublecrosses, gunplay, explosions, a fire, and Hitler's head melting. Everything is here but the kitchen sink, and that may be here too, just too grainy and out of focus to see.
For someone who adores nonsensical B-movies, "They Saved Hitler's Brain" is a film to marvel at, and I particularly recommend it as a double feature with "The Thing With Two Heads".

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Madmen of Mandoras (1963 74 mins.)Less than an hour after famed American neurobiologist John Coleman addresses a conference on the deadliest nerve gas ever developed he vanishes. Meanwhile on a small island called Mandoras in the Caribbean a group of fanatics from Nazi Germany have developed their own deadly nerve gas and intend to use it to take over the en of the world. The group carried out a secret experiment after WWII to give eternal life to the brain of Adolf Hitler. In the meantime the professor's daughter and his son-in-law in possession of a clue find their way to Mandoras. Can they find her father and stop these madmen before they take over the world? Now released under it's original film title this new edition has been mastered from the original negative and it has never looked so good!The Devil's Hand (1962 71 mins.)Rick Turner is haunted by strange dreams of a beautiful woman. When he and his fiancvisit a local doll shop he is surprised to encounter a doll that looks just like the woman that haunts him. He is also surprised to discover that not only does the owner of the shop have a doll that looks like his mystery woman but there is also a doll that looks just like his fianc . He soon finds himself involved with a satanic cult and the life of his fiancis slowly fading.System Requirements:Run Time:145 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:HORROR Rating:NR UPC:787364718894

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Theatre of Death (1967) Review

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(More customer reviews)Theatre Of Death (1967) is really a horror film that's also a murder mystery. First off, let me say that the DVD transfer is outstanding. This 89 minute movie is 44 years old, but it looks like it was made yesterday. Basically this movie is about a theatre in Paris called the Theatre Of Death, a place where horror plays are the norm. These plays are directed by Phillipe Darvas (Christopher Lee). While these plays are going on, murders start occurring all over town and the bodies show signs of vampirism. It is thought that the murders could be linked to the theatre in some way. Darvas is an early suspect. I'll leave it there. Watch to find out what happens.
This movie also stars Lelia Goldoni, Julian Glover, Evelyn Laye, and Jenny Till. This movie looks and feels like a Hammer film to a certain degree, except that its atmosphere and mood are darker and spookier. The cinematography is great. The sets and props are top notch. This movie has some dull parts and can be confusing, but you just have to give it a chance. After all, it's a murder mystery that needs to be solved.
The widescreen DVD comes with some pretty good extras, such as the theatrical trailer, radio spots, poster and still gallery, a Christopher Lee bio, and a feature called Sinister Theatrics, which is an 11 minute interview with Christopher Lee. I found it very interesting.
I recommend this movie.

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Stone (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)STONE is dubbed a "psychological duel", and it is. Robert Deniro plays Jack, a parole officer who holds all the cards in the life of Stone (Edward Norton) a convicted arsonist who is pleading his case to be released from prison, back into society. Stone will stop at nothing, including using his wife to manipulate Jack.
The movie leads you to believe that you know and understand all the characters involved but they go different directions as the movie goes along. It does a pheonominal job of progressing its characters and revealing more and more about who they were and who they are becoming.
With guys like Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton and a superbly underated and fearless actress Milla Jovovich, STONE is an outstanding character study and may hit home with a lot of people who could be going through life in an unhappy marriage or living life without hope. It is impossible to give too much insight without giving away important elements to the story. The story elements and plots changes are so subtle they don't actually hit you until the afterfact, which is brilliant.
I'm afraid that STONE has a lot of machinery and mechanics going on, only to drive to nowhere. Or maybe that's the whole point. Maybe it is supposed to go to nowhere because that's the whole message that looms over the movie from the opening sequence to the finale. Jack lives a soulless existence and he can't escape. Unfortunately, that message also leaves an empty feeling with the audience and makes STONE just an average movie experience.

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Academy Award winner Robert De Niro and Oscar nominee Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined in this 'gritty and engrossing thriller" (Steve O'Brien, WCBS-FM).Jack Mabry (De Niro), a parole officer days away from retirement, is asked to review the case of Gerald 'Stone" Creeson (Norton), in prison for arson. Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to influence the older man's decision with his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) have profound and unexpected effects on them both.This tale of passion, betrayal and corruption skillfully weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin.

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The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 10 (Godzilla vs. Megalon / Swamp Diamonds / Teen-Age Strangler / The Giant Spider Invasion) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)The latest MST3K 4-disc set contains a good variety of episodes from seasons 2, 5 and 8. Two episodes feature Joel Hodgson as host and two have Mike Nelson as host. Three episodes are from the Comedy Central years while one is from the first season on the Sci-Fi Channel. Here is a synopsis of each episode:
212- GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
This extremely silly Toho picture from 1973 is a blast whether you love or loathe Godzilla movies. Its original Japanese title is Gojira tai Megaro. It is simply goofy beyond belief! The people of Seatopia, who live under the ocean, decide that it's time they controlled the surface world as well, launching an all out assault on surface dwelling humans. Their main instrument of destruction is Megalon, a large monster with big spike-like arms and a star-shaped projection on his head. Godzilla comes to the rescue, assisted by a man-made robot named Jet Jaguar that can change its size to become gigantic. Together, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar teach Megalon and the Seatopians a lesson they'll not soon forget.
This is a GREAT episode and includes some of the BEST host segments ever, including the "Rex Dart, Eskimo Spy" sketch, the `Bots get new arms sketch, the `Bots argue over whose monster is the "coolest" sketch, and the HILARIOUS translation of the Jet Jaguar fight song during the final host segment. The scene of Godzilla dropkicking as if flying through the air during the opening titles in later seasons of the show comes from this episode. This is a must-see episode!
503- SWAMP DIAMONDS (plus short: WHAT TO DO ON A DATE)
This is a 1955 Roger Corman "classic" starring Beverly Garland and Mike "Touch" Connors before his fame with Mannix. Beverly Garland leads a gang of escaped female convicts to a cache of diamonds and they kidnap the innocent Mr. Connors and his girlfriend along the way. A policewoman goes undercover inside the gang hoping to recover the stolen diamonds. Beverly Garland turns in the usual good performance and looks great doing it in spite of the mediocre film quality.
Host segments in this episode focus on the dating short as Servo tries to get up the nerve to ask Gypsy for a date. There's also a hilarious bit based on the "This Side of Paradise" episode of the original Star Trek series.
514- TEEN-AGE STRANGLER (plus short: IS THIS LOVE?)
This is the second episode of MST3K to be hosted by Mike Nelson after the departure of show creator Joel Hodgson. The main feature is a small independent film made in 1968 West Virginia about a serial killer in a small town and it looks every bit the amateur film. Highlights in this episode include Mike Nelson transforming into Mikey from the movie and the hilarious "The Janitor Song." The short is also a winner with some of the oldest looking "young people" you're likely to see on film; this is really funny stuff!
810- THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION
This movie is a 1975 monster flick from Bill Rebane, the same man who brought you Monster A-Go Go! This film is ever so slightly more competently made than Monster A-Go Go and actually features a couple of well-known actors: Barbara Hale of Perry Mason fame and Alan Hale, Jr. who was The Skipper on Gilligan's Island and also the sheriff in the film The Crawling Hand which was featured in MST3K episode # 106. The movie is really goofy fun, with large spiders everywhere, sleazy and gross yokel-type characters less appealing than the spiders, and a small car dressed up as the biggest and cheesiest looking spider of them all. The scene where Barbara Hale's character does an odd tumble down a hill is worth seeing all by itself and there's plenty of other good material here as well for the MST3K writers. This is certainly one of the more fun episodes done after the show moved to the Sci-Fi Channel. The amusing host segments are based loosely on the classic SF film Invasion of the Body Snatchers rather than on the film featured in the episode.
This DVD set also contains the following extra features:
-MST3K Video Jukebox with 15 songs from the series
-Photo Gallery
-Outtakes consisting of about 15 minutes of the best moments from "Poopie 2"
This is a great set any MST3K fan, film buff or comedy aficionado would enjoy, with a wide variety of film genres and seasons of the show represented here. Join Us! Movie Sign!

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Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Talladega Nights is a very, very funny movie that spoofs Nascar without actually making fun of it and its fans. In fact, this movie can actually appeal to people who don't even care for Nascar.
Will Ferrel teamed back up with Adam McKay (the duo who produced/made the great Anchorman) to make this story that plays a lot like if Days of Thunder had been approached as a comedy instead of a dead serious (and unintentionally funny) film.
While other people are focusing on the film itself, I would like to focus on the this whole mess of the PG-13 theatrical cut being released in wide and full screen along with (what is unfortunately a common practice) a "UNRATED/UNCUT" versions that boasts "13 additional minutes of footage".
Now, for one thing, the theatrical cut was 108 minutes and actually could have used some more tightening. This is a 100 minute movie at most. I don't have a problem with people putting footage back into a DVD version of a movie if it's stuff that belongs and actually makes the movie better.
This is a case, in which it doesn't. The additional 13 minutes cause some scenes that were funny in the theatrical cut to drag on until they're at an interminable length in some cases. The added footage actually dilutes the humor in places.
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But the alarming thing about this so called "UNCUT" version is that the movie actually ELIMINATES A FEW MEMORABLE SCENES THAT WERE PRESENT IN THE THEATRICAL CUT.The scene in which a young Ricky steals his mom's car while she's in a convenience store is gone, which totally destroys the whole part in which Ricky volunteers to drive his team's car by saying "I wanna to go fast".
Also, the scene in which Ricky calls Lucious at Lucios' car wash to tell him he's racing again at Talladega is gone as well. This scene showed just what Lucious and his pit crew had been up to during Ricky's hiatus from racing.
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If they had left everything in the theatrical cut and just added footage, I maybe could have lived with it. But the fact that they cut footage out is a travesty and false advertising to people who loved the movie in theaters.
Most of the added footage just grinds the movie to a halt and like I mentioned before, as funny as the movie is, it was still about 8 minutes too long even in the theatrical cut.
There are very few cases in which I feel that an extended version of a movie was superior (lord of the rings trilogy, 40 year old virgin) and in most cases it's just a case of DVD producers putting out an early cut or something of a movie that was tweaked after the fact during test screenings.This is how the unrated cut of Talladega Nights comes across.
So, if you loved the movie in theaters, just stick with the PG-13 theatrical widescreen cut. If you haven't seen the movie before, I would see this cut first before testing out the unrated cut. Many will share the same opinion that I have about this.
I'm really sick of pointless "unrated" cuts coming out that just shoe horn back in footage that was taken out for a good reason to begin with.

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TALLADEGA NIGHTS:BALLAD OF RICKY BOBB - DVD Movie

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Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 4 (Girl in Gold Boots / Hamlet / Overdrawn at the Memory Bank / Space Mutiny) (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)This fourth collection of episodes from the classic TV comedy show, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" (which, if you don't already know, is the program where a silhouette of a man and his two robots sitting in theater seat provide running comedic commentary to rotten movies), contains four episodes from the later seasons that appeared on the Sci-Fi Channel. That means Mike Nelson is the host, Billy Corbett is doing Crow's voice instead of Trace Beaulieu, and Pearl Forrester is now the evil scientist holding the crew of the Satellite of Love hostage.
The early DVD collections were all focused on the Comedy Central years of MST3K, so this is a nice shift in Rhino's marketing. Some fans aren't fond of the host segments in these later years, but there are some occasional funny ones. The riffing, however, is as good as ever, and has changed to an angry, sarcastic style different than the Joel and early Mike years. I love both styles, but some fans prefer one or the other. Just be aware that in this package you're getting a full-assault of the later, Sci-Fi Channel episodes. (Rhino is about release another package of Sci-Fi Channel episodes, after which I hope they'll return to some of the early seasons to maintain balance.)
Of the four episodes on this collection, two are superb, while the others are entertaining but more average. Here's what you'll find:
GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS: A really sleazy `go-go' film from the late 60s with some disturbing similarities to "Showgirls" (except it's better). Sleazy `elf boy' picks up a girl in a greasy spoon restaurant with the promise of making her a dancer in Los Angeles at the club where his drug-addled sister works. Unfortunately, Elf Boy is a bit psychotic, the boss at the club is oily and sleazy, and a poetic spouting dude named Critter (or "Yak Boy") tries to lure our girl from her plunge into a life of...(gasp!)...SIN! Oh, and there's lots of cameras leering at girls in skimpy go-go outfits dancing to lousy music. The film is similar to early MST3K episodes like "Hellcats" and "Wild Rebels" in its greasy ugliness, but the film is mostly slow and boring. Mike and the `Bots do a decent job with it, but this is only an average episode. There is a funny host segment where Mike sings a syrupy guitar ballad while the ship burns.
HAMLET. A 60s German TV production of the play, horribly dubbed into English, and starring Maximilian Schell. It's bleak, drab, slow, and shot entirely on a single very uninteresting set of black curtains and granite furniture. The amusement of this episode is watching Mike and the `Bots take on a classic of literature, and riff off of famous lines, some of which is hysterical. But the production is so ponderous and slow that you'll be screaming along with the hosts for Hamlet to just shut up and die at the end ("Is there a word in English language he hasn't said?" one of them asks). There's a funny host segment called "Alas Poor Who?" set up as gameshow, where contestants must identify celebrities based on pieces of their bones. An intriguing, if not fantastic, episode.
SPACE MUTINY. Ah, here's the gravy! An awful South African-produced sci-fi stinker that rips off the plot of "Battlestar Galactica" - as well as all of its effects footage! (I'm not sure this was legally done.) The inhabitants of the giant space cruiser `The Southern Sun' - which is mostly a large basement and boiler room - face a mutiny by guys in marching band outfits. A chunky loser and his love interest (old enough to be his mother) must save the ship. There are loads of people flipping over railings as they get shot (railing kill!), mutineers who can't aim worthy a damn, a chase on vehicles that go slower than golf carts, and a hero who screeches like a woman at odd moments. Mike and the `Bots really let this film have it, and the result is one of the funniest episodes of the Sci-Fi Channel years.
OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK. Just as great an episode as "Space Mutiny" is this horrendous Public Television-produced film. Acutally, it isn't a film: it was shot on VIDEO! Cheap and flat looking, and filled with cheesy video toaster effects, the film blows any chance of succeeding it might have had. And it had potential. It has a real star, Raul Julia, and an early cyberpunk and proto-`Matrix' idea of a man whose mind is lost inside a giant corporate computer in a dystopian future. But none of it makes the least bit of sense, and it reaches hysterical levels of incomprehensibility by the end. Mike and the `Bots are in top form, and there's plenty to laugh at here. The end sequence, where they call the tech-support line for the movie to complain, is a classic!
In addition to the films, Mike Nelson makes brief introductions to each episode, describing a bit of the behind-the-scenes torture the writers went going through. It's a nice feature, and I hope Rhino continues it.
Unlike some earlier Rhino discs, there are no "un-cut, un-MST3K" versions of the films available. Frankly, I never watched the un-cut films on the discs where is WAS available, and I don't think anyone would want to watch any of these film without Mike and the `Bots. They change awful entertainment into great entertainment - and that's a magic feat all on it's own, and why "Mystery Science Theater 3000" will live forever as one of comedy greats.
Come on, JUST PUSH THE BUTTON, FRANK, and buy this collection!

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Item Name: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 4 (Girl in Gold Boots / Hamlet [1961] / Overdrawn at the Memory Bank / Space Mutiny); Studio:Rhino Theatrical

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Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XIX Review

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(More customer reviews)This set features two shows with Joel Hodgson as host from the Comedy Central era and two with Mike Nelson from the Sci-Fi Channel era. MST3K always worked especially well when the films used were in the sci-fi/horror genre and this set is packed with four such episodes.
Episode 107- ROBOT MONSTER (with shorts: COMMANDO CODY Parts 4 and 5)
This 1953 black and white film is extremely low budget, so much so that the eponymous "robot monster" costume consists of a cheap gorilla suit topped off with an even cheaper deep-sea diving style helmet. It is one of those movies that is so incompetent it is fun all on its own and it's perfect fodder for MST3K. A family survives the destruction of most of humanity by the evil Ro-Man, who hunts them mercilessly yet has trouble finding them though he is living nearly next door! The family has managed to elude Ro-Man through the scientific genius of the older parents and their attractive adult daughter, Alice, and here fiance. Even their young, pre-adolescent children are mental giant compared to the incompetent Ro-Man. As if he didn't have enough difficulties, Ro-Man has a "thing" for Alice, which causes him problems with completing his murderous mission. The movie at times is incomprehensible in its editing, with inexplicable shots of lizards impersonating dinosaurs and other weirdness inserted to pad out the film. There's also lots of shots of George Barrows as Ro-Man stalking about Bronson Canyon. This is a strong Season One MST3K episode and the inclusion of the Commando Cody Radar Men From The Moon shorts just adds to the low budget fun. This one has been a favorite of mine for years and I'm quite pleased to see it in commercial release.
Episode 423- BRIDE OF THE MONSTER (with short: HIRED!, Part 1)
This 1955 Ed Wood film stars Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson, two of Wood's favorite actors. The pairing is great fun and the movie is everything fans have come to expect from Ed Wood, with cheap monsters, continuity issues, and Lugosi playing a mad scientist assisted by his lumbering, hulking side-kick, Lobo, played by Johnson. Johnson played essentially the same character with the same name in The Unearthly, a movie also used on MST3K. Bride Of The Monster is a quintessential Ed Wood film and belongs right up there next to Plan 9 From Outer Space. The jokes from the MST3K crew come fast and furious and it seems obvious that they had a great, almost too easy time writing jokes for this one. This movie also features Harvey B. Dunn who played "Grampa" in Teenagers From Outer Space. The short, Hired! Part One is also fun and inspires a whole host segment, "Hired, The Musical". Another episode highlight is the host segment where Joel and the 'Bots play out the end of the film with the help of Cambot.

Episode 818- DEVIL DOLL
A 1964 black and white film about a ventroliquist/hypnotist with an evil dummy named, Hugo. The ventroliquist is after the fortune of an heiress, which creates a love triangle since he already has a mistress. Tragedy of course, ensues, but it's all comedy for the viewers of this MST3K version. The movie is atmospheric to a degree, but is also slow and ponderous at times and the slowly pulsating soundtrack delivers as much monotony as it does tension. Nevertheless, there are some good highlights in this episode, most notably Mike Nelson impersonating Hugo and there are plenty of good "riffs" during the movie.

Episode 911- DEVIL FISH
Italy produces many "psychotronic" movies and this 1984 color production keeps that tradition alive. Directed by Lamberto Bava, son of the great Mario Bava, this is silly and fun B-grade monster movie stuff all the way. Years before the upcoming Roger Corman movie, "Sharktopus", this film features a marine biologist, a dolphin trainer, a research scientist, and a local sheriff attempting to hunt down a hybrid monster comprising shark and octopus traits. Filmed on location in Florida, it's another bad "don't go in the water" type follow on to the success of Jaws in 1976. Silly monster movies always worked well on MST3K and this one is no exception. Not one of the best episodes ever, but fairly consistent and enjoyable fun throughout.
Extra features include:
* This Limited Edition version of the set comes with a collectible Gypsy figurine similar to the Tom Servo and Crow figurines sold in earlier Shout! Factory sets.
* A new introduction to the film Robot Monster by J. Elvis Weinstein
* Joel Hodgson's Inventing the "Invention Exchange"
* The Puppet Master: Richard Gordon on Devil Doll
* MST3K: Origins and Beyond at CONvergence 2009
* Exclusive Mini-posters by artist Steve Vance
* Cult Filmmaker Larry Blamire Geeks Out on Robot Monster
* Citizen Wood: Making `The Bride,' Unmaking `The Legend'
* Original Theatrical Trailers

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