Christopher-Lee Movie Reviews

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VHS movie reviews for "Christopher-Lee" sorted by average review score:
100 Years of Horror
Released in VHS Tape by Passport Video (19 January, 1998)
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Starring: One Hundred Years of Horror and Christopher Lee
"What frightens me is not so much the obvious monster. What frightens me is the unknown, the fear that my mind is not in control, that there is something out there that nobody knows about." So says Roger Corman, king of the B picture, helping to set the tone for this richly detailed survey of the horror film. Introduced and hosted by veteran horror actor Christopher Lee, and written and directed by Ted Newsom (the director of Ed Wood--Look Back in Angora), this documentary is clearly a labor of love. There is on view a "blood feast" of film clips and sometimes priceless interviews with filmmakers. As our host, Christopher Lee offers up funny anecdotes about his days at Hammer Studios; you might be interested in knowing why being The Mummy was a literal pain. Exploitation film director Herschell G. Lewis is hilarious on why you shouldn't worry about opening gory films in Peoria, and how the censor board was stymied by the bloodiest of films. And John Carpenter tells how Suspiria director Dario Argento worked from his dreams like Luis Bunuel. Notably missing is any mention of Stephen King, Brian De Palma, or Sam Raimi. Raimi alone could have been the focus of a whole section devoted to the influence of H.P. Lovecraft on modern horror films. Also, the filmmakers seem less interested in the sections on science fiction for some reason, despite critics' estimates that half of all science fiction films fall clearly in the horror genre. Nevertheless, the interviews and film clips make this disc worth the price of admission. --Jim Gay
Average review score:

Only for The Most Desperate of "Horror" Fans
Unfortunately, the folks who put this "documentary" together seem to think horror is confined to cheezy Grade Z movies full of excessive "knife across the eyeball" style gore. A somewhat comatose Christopher Lee seems ashamed to be hosting this mess.

Great documentary (saw the DVD version)!
I saw the DVD version of this video and, being a horror film buff, found it very entertaining. The problem with documentaries like these, however, is that they do tend to get sort of dated in just a few years (e.g. although fairly recent films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jurrasic Park and Wolf were discussed, more recent films such as the Mummy remake were not) especially in this genre wherein advances in make-up and special effects play an important role. Still, I would recommend this series to any serious horror film afficionado. Unlike many documentaries which seem to be made up of 90% interviews and 10% (movie) scenes, this is composed primarily of scenes with Christopher Lee's voice-over, interspersed with a few interviews. Notable highlights include hilarious outtakes from the film Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein as well as footage from obscure movies such as the 1960 version of Lost World. There are also interviews with John Carpenter, Peter Cushing and Claude Rains. I found this very enjoyable, although I'm giving just 4 stars for the DVD version since the sound quality was not very good for this medium (for VHS I'd probably let it off with 5 stars).

Bad Beginning but the middle and the end are really good.
Don't turn it off! But first you need to watch at least five of these movies to enjoy it. With Christopher Lee being your host this makes the movie very fun. It talks about little trivia and cool things to know.

1.Halloween
2.Frankenstein, 1931
3.Dracula, 1931
4.The Mummy, 1959
5.Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
6.Psycho, 1960
7.Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
8.Mummy's Hand
9.Nightmare On Elm Street
10.The Bride of Frankenstein
11.House of Frankenstein
12.House of Dracula
13.The Lost World, 1925
14.The Mummy's Tomb
15.Tales of Tomorrow: Frankenstein
16.Phantom of The Opera
17.Mystery of The Wax Museum
18.Curse of Frankenstein
19.Werewolf of London
20.1,000,000 Years B.C.

Movie You Do Not Need To See

1.Creature From The Black Lagoon
2.Poltergeist
3.The Birds
4.Hunchback of Notre Dame
5.King Kong
6.Bram Stoker's Dracula

100 Years of Horror
Released in VHS Tape by Passport Video (19 September, 1997)
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Director: Ted Newsom
"What frightens me is not so much the obvious monster. What frightens me is the unknown, the fear that my mind is not in control, that there is something out there that nobody knows about." So says Roger Corman, king of the B picture, helping to set the tone for this richly detailed survey of the horror film. Introduced and hosted by veteran horror actor Christopher Lee, and written and directed by Ted Newsom (the director of Ed Wood--Look Back in Angora), this documentary is clearly a labor of love. There is on view a "blood feast" of film clips and sometimes priceless interviews with filmmakers. As our host, Christopher Lee offers up funny anecdotes about his days at Hammer Studios; you might be interested in knowing why being The Mummy was a literal pain. Exploitation film director Herschell G. Lewis is hilarious on why you shouldn't worry about opening gory films in Peoria, and how the censor board was stymied by the bloodiest of films. And John Carpenter tells how Suspiria director Dario Argento worked from his dreams like Luis Bunuel. Notably missing is any mention of Stephen King, Brian De Palma, or Sam Raimi. Raimi alone could have been the focus of a whole section devoted to the influence of H.P. Lovecraft on modern horror films. Also, the filmmakers seem less interested in the sections on science fiction for some reason, despite critics' estimates that half of all science fiction films fall clearly in the horror genre. Nevertheless, the interviews and film clips make this disc worth the price of admission. --Jim Gay
Average review score:

Only for The Most Desperate of "Horror" Fans
Unfortunately, the folks who put this "documentary" together seem to think horror is confined to cheezy Grade Z movies full of excessive "knife across the eyeball" style gore. A somewhat comatose Christopher Lee seems ashamed to be hosting this mess.

Great documentary (saw the DVD version)!
I saw the DVD version of this video and, being a horror film buff, found it very entertaining. The problem with documentaries like these, however, is that they do tend to get sort of dated in just a few years (e.g. although fairly recent films such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jurrasic Park and Wolf were discussed, more recent films such as the Mummy remake were not) especially in this genre wherein advances in make-up and special effects play an important role. Still, I would recommend this series to any serious horror film afficionado. Unlike many documentaries which seem to be made up of 90% interviews and 10% (movie) scenes, this is composed primarily of scenes with Christopher Lee's voice-over, interspersed with a few interviews. Notable highlights include hilarious outtakes from the film Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein as well as footage from obscure movies such as the 1960 version of Lost World. There are also interviews with John Carpenter, Peter Cushing and Claude Rains. I found this very enjoyable, although I'm giving just 4 stars for the DVD version since the sound quality was not very good for this medium (for VHS I'd probably let it off with 5 stars).

Bad Beginning but the middle and the end are really good.
Don't turn it off! But first you need to watch at least five of these movies to enjoy it. With Christopher Lee being your host this makes the movie very fun. It talks about little trivia and cool things to know.

1.Halloween
2.Frankenstein, 1931
3.Dracula, 1931
4.The Mummy, 1959
5.Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
6.Psycho, 1960
7.Mary Shelly's Frankenstein
8.Mummy's Hand
9.Nightmare On Elm Street
10.The Bride of Frankenstein
11.House of Frankenstein
12.House of Dracula
13.The Lost World, 1925
14.The Mummy's Tomb
15.Tales of Tomorrow: Frankenstein
16.Phantom of The Opera
17.Mystery of The Wax Museum
18.Curse of Frankenstein
19.Werewolf of London
20.1,000,000 Years B.C.

Movie You Do Not Need To See

1.Creature From The Black Lagoon
2.Poltergeist
3.The Birds
4.Hunchback of Notre Dame
5.King Kong
6.Bram Stoker's Dracula

Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (08 January, 2002)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Charles Bail
Average review score:

Good, Enjoyable Bubblegum Nonsense Action Sequel
The sequel to "Cleopatra Jones" benefits from the authentic location of Hong Kong and its good production design. The story is almost the same as the original one, showing us Cleo fight against drug syndicate, of which mastermind, this time Stella Stevens, lives in a gorgeous casino.

You might remember Warner Brothers once produced "Enter the Dragon" featuring Bruce Lee, which became a worldwide hit, and probably this fact influenced the studio's judgment to shoot the film in Hong Kong. The film is full of shoot-outs and kung-hu fights, but unfortunately, not as good as Lee's deadly fighting style, but still it is mildly entertaining. The final action sequence, chain of good stunts using motorcycles running in a casino, with its riders shooting machineguns (!), is the showdown of the film, and though the film nearly gets so close to ludicurousness, still remains enjoyable as a whole. And check out Stella Steven's outrageous costume.

It's cool, baby!
"Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold" was my initiation into the "Blaxploitation" film genre. In this film, Tamara Dobson stars as a statuesque African-American secret agent woman. She teams up with an Asian woman named Mi Ling (played by Tanny) in order to rescue two undercover agents from the clutches of the Dragon Lady (Stella Stevens), a casino-owning drug pusher. Written by William Tennant, the film is directed by Chuck Bail.

"Cleo" is full of outrageous costumes, hip dialogue, action, and funky music composed by Dominic Frontiere (starting with the opening credits song, "Playing with Fire"). There is a fair amount of graphic violence. Cleo is a fun character; she's sort of like an African-American female James Bond (in fact, I found the tone and pacing of this film to be similar to that of the Bond flicks of this time period). The film makes good use of its Far East setting.

Dobson gets solid support from the rest of the cast, but I especially loved Norman Fell (an actor best known as TV's Mr. Roper from "Three's Company") as Cleo's grouchy but likeable boss. Fell and Dobson have a really enjoyable chemistry in their scenes together.

"Cleo" is a fascinating film that could, I imagine, inspire some lively analyses grounded in race, gender, economics, post-colonial politics, criminology, and other fields of inquiry. Or you could just enjoy it as a fun, slightly campy adventure flick with a kick-...heroine.

Better than the original!
This sequel is that rare bird... one that is better than the original movie (CLEOPATRA JONES). Largely because of the exotic setting (Hong Kong and Macao are more fun than East L.A., after all), and certainly because of the villainess, Stella Stevens.

Cleopatra Jones tends to find herself up against Evil White Lesbian dope queens, and Stella Stevens is certainly nicer to look at than Shelly Winters (in the original). Her climatic fight scene ... with the foxy black Cleo is OVER THE TOP! The ladies must have been covered with bruises after shooting this (NO stand-ins apparent!).

As for Stella's "wild" outfits, they are conservative compared to the title heroine's!

A "must see" for Blaxploitation fans!

The Fat Spy
Released in VHS Tape by Parade (25 September, 1997)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Director: Joseph Cates
Average review score:

For Camp Fun: The Fat Spy
Unbelievable bad movie. However, movie is so unintentionally funny it is a must for people to see. The funniest member of the cast is not Jack Leonard, Jayne Mansfield or Phyllis Diller but Lauree Berger as one of the miscast teenagers with her awful singing and smerky dancing. Jayne Mansfield is cute as a modern day Daisy Mae trying to get Jack Leonard to marry her. Phyllis Diller is also amusing as Camille Salamander. Jack Leonard does well in dual roles. So, if you appreciate bad movies then see this one. Everyone do the Turtle.

So bad that it's good!
This is one of those low-budget movies that is so bad that it actually is good. It's in the usual '60s teen-beach-bikini-party genre of old Elvis movies, but with much less taste and quality. I love it, though, because it's obscure and pure '60s in style, the music is good and pure '60s, it has Jayne Mansfield & some decent gags, and there is some passable Florida scenery. What a pity: with a few changes in scenery and story and camera angles it could've been a classic.

My new favorite movie
Describing this movie is like describing the love of a child or incense smoke rising, but I will do my best. The Fat Spy is a story as old as time itself, the ongoing search for the Fountain of Youth. Only this time our heroes discover that the Fountain is not actually a fountain of water, but two black twin roses growing from the same stem.

Well I'm sure everyone buys or sees this movie for one reason, Jayne Mansfield, so let's talk about her. I've never seen her as heavy as she did in this movie. Granted she is still beautiful and stunning, but the hourglass figure is gone as she is a bit thick in the middle. By modern spaghetti-thin model standards, she could even be described as fat, but to me who can appreciate a fine woman, she looked great. One scene has her wrapped in only what can be described as the happiest towel in Hollywood. You get some great cleavage and chest shots as she dries herself. She also sings a number to her love interest 'Irving'. Unfortunately, this film will not cement Jayne's acting abilities for immortality. Let's face it, she was what she was. A great body and a rival (ha ha) to Marilyn Monroe. Jayne seems to go out of her way to act just like her with the dreamy, whispery voice and dumb blonde routine that Marilyn found inescapable as her career went on. In one scene where Jayne is tied to an AC unit she screams for help. She suddenly pauses and turns to the camera and pathetically starts doing the Marilyn pout and blowing kisses.

This film which was probably filmed on a budget that couldn't drive a car across the country was shot on a lake which was supposed to be a beach. This film is actually a musical and any excuse possible is used to throw in bad singing and worse dancing. Take for instance the song sang before the opening credits even start. "When people got money, they sure act funny". One scene has the teenage group on the beach deciding they need to go to Cape Coral after 'discovering' a sign posted by a Florida Tourist attraction. All the girls swim out to the boat to start it up, while the guys all make their way to the dock, where quite handily, drums and guitars are found. They sing a number while waiting for the girls to pull up with the boat. Another song is sung by Phyllis Diller. She mostly talks words to music rather than singing, so there is some mercy here. However the drop on the floor and laugh until you cry scene is the 'Everybody do the Turtle' song. The song is so terrible, it will linger in your head for days.

There are some loose ends that don't quite tie up as the movie ends. One kid goes fishing in a rubber raft (he sings a song while fishing of course), and catches a mermaid. Well after going back to shore he decides he loves her and wants to go find her. He starts moping around and the last mention of him is his clothes are found on the shore. Reckon he swam out naked to find his love.

The film quality is terrible, even on DVD. The picture is grainy and the sound is horrible. At times you can't hear the lines because the surf is too loud. Then there are the cartoon balloons that try to move the movie along and attempt to assist the viewer in the progress of the film. Just before the ending credits there were promises of upcoming movies: The Return of Fat Spy, Bride of Fat Spy, and Son of Fat Spy. I'm still looking, but haven't found them yet.

All in all this movie rules. My wife's quote "Oh you owe me big for making me sit through this."

Morgan's Ferry
Released in VHS Tape by Ventura Distribution (27 November, 2001)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Sam Pillsbury
Average review score:

I spent how much on this? Damn.
If you want to admire Henry Rollins' bare behind, watch this movie. Everything else is a waste of time. "Morgan's Ferry" is painfully slow and dry, leaving its otherwise talented cast deficient of an engaging plot, believable character relationships or interesting dialogue. The dragging story makes the viewer wish for an explosion, or anything, to make it stop, instead of lumping along into the uneventful end.
Also, it is pointless to watch the DVD version, there are virtually no special features; there aren't even chapters, just one long run.

Jail Break
This was a surprisingly interesting film set in the 60's about 3 escapees, one of whom is dangerous (Rollins), one of whom is lovable (Zane) and the other who is annoying (guy from "Roseanne").

It's one of those gems that was overlooked by critics, but can easily be enjoyed by romance and drama fans.

Loved it!

A touching story
"Morgan's Ferry" - a touching story well told and well filmed. I enjoyed the film thoroughly and am going to buy the DVD. If you liked Fried Green Tomatoes and films about the American South, you will love "Morgan's Ferry". Kelly McGillis and Billy Zane have given good performances. When I've purchased the DVD, it's going to be in my collection of my all-time favorite movies.

Mutual Needs
Released in VHS Tape by Orion Home Video (30 March, 1999)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Robert Angelo
Average review score:

THis movie is great.
This movie is great because of, Rochelle Swanson, who is hot in all of her films.If you like this film I also recommend: Secret Games 3, Nightfire, Illict Dreams, Sorceress, Hard Bounty, and Indecent Behavior 2.

Great looking chick
I saw this movie on cable, and didn't realize it was X or R or whatever it was. So the sex scenes took me by surprise, and they were hot. The girl (Charlotte?) is a babe and hotter than hell. I got a kick out of the whole thing. Not every movie has to be Citizen Kane. A great movie to watch while your wife's out of town.

Mutual Needs
The film had a good plot and rochelle swanson looks great!

Goliath Awaits
Released in VHS Tape by Vidmark/Trimark (06 March, 1991)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Kevin Connor
Starring: Mark Harmon and Christopher Lee
Average review score:

Too Short
The movie was a very good undersea drama that was 3 hours and 20 minutes long. "Showtime" and "The Movie Channel" used to run this movie in it's full length with a break in the middle. The VHS and Laserdisc versions of this movie have been cut and edited so poorly it ruins the movie. This movie should be released in it's full length. (Maybe they will do it for DVD). Let's hope so. I rated it a two only because of the bad editing in the Video. The movie itself get's a Five!

Intriguing "Goliath Awaits" needs a complete DVD release
In 1939, luxury passenger liner Goliath was torpedoed and sank with presumably all hands lost. Discovered in 1981, the salvage crew was a bit startled to find some 337 survivors aboard. It turns out that the heroic crew took measures to "hold the water back" and special pumps were rigged to clean their remaining oxygen. Once aboard, the salvagers discover a quasi-utopian society run by Captain Christopher Lee - but his dicatatorship has more than a few dark secrets.

Engrossing undersea adventure stretches credibility paper-thin but certainly scores points for originality. I haven't seen the condensed video version, but try to catch the complete version on TV or cable.

great under sea drama
I seen most of this movie many years ago. On a tv mini series. It was great. lots of twists. Been waiting to get a copy for myself so I can see the few parts I have missed. This movie has kept me waiting to see the whole thing for over 15 years

Marlowe
Released in VHS Tape by Warner Studios (05 March, 2002)
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Director: Paul Bogart
Starring: James Garner and Gayle Hunnicutt
Average review score:

"Rockford Files"+ "Shaft" = "Marlowe" A terrible combonation
The title for this review says it all, it's exactly what "Marlowe" is. This is an atrocity.
Who could forget the performances that shaped Marlowe's film persona. Bogart, Mitchum, and even Powers Boothe. They knew how to do it. Garner on the other hand serves up a warmed over rehash of his "Rockford" role. As for the musical score and
overall tone of the film, it recalls movies like "Shaft" and too a lesser and unflattering extent "James Bond." More than anything else "Marlowe" is pathetic, it is pathetic because
it could have been well done, if anyone in the cast or crew had given any sort of consideration to the source material. Why did they have to ruin it? It isn't as if the public wouldn't have enjoyed a genuine effort. Yes, America was entering the seventies and movies of this sort were probably a big box office draw. But, just six years later Hollywood made "Farewell, My Lovely," and they made it well staying true to Chandler.
Now, that film is a modern classic among Chandler fans. "Marlowe" had the potential to do the same, but chose instead to drown itself in a cesspool of seventies sludge. That is truly sad.

2.5, maybe...
Raymond Chandler's wisecracking, star-crossed private eye Philip Marlowe is transplanted into the swinging '60s where hopheads, strippers and psychiatrists join the usual compliment of thugs and goons that make his life miserable. James Garner gets a nice dry run for the "Rockford Files" TV show, while Rita Moreno bares all in her climactic stripping scene. Honestly, the script is not that great -- for the life of me I couldn't actually figure out who did what, or why... But it's still a fun film, in a campy kinda way. The film's one truly great moment is a scene is with Caroll O'Connor as a police detective who, having wearied of playing Marlowe's schnook, bursts into a violent tirade about how lousy his job is, and nearly beats the handcuffed private eye to death. It's a scene that could stand tasteful recycling elsewhere and, I suspect, was only in the film because O'Connor improv-ed it and made *something* good happen in this otherwise somewhat addled production...

Garner as Private Eye as Tenatious as a Bobo Doll
Garner wins our sympathy as a battered P.I. who's client doesn't like him and neither do the thugs who cross his path. This movie will make you feel like laughing and crying at the some time. But you know that Marlowe is tough enough to come out on top at the end of the day. Sort of corny in a Seventies kind of way, Marlowe is definitely comforting mind candy so curl up with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy!

Spider-Man - The Return of the Green Goblin (Animated Series)
Released in VHS Tape by Buena Vista Home Vid (29 October, 2002)
MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Spider-Man fanatics that can't wait another two years for the sequel to the 2002 theatrical blockbuster are encouraged to check out Buena Vista Home Video's second DVD of the web-slinger's animated adventures, which provides enough action and cliffhanger suspense to satiate all but the most rabid of Spidey's supporters. The feature is actually a five-episode story arc culled from the 1994-'98 animated television series. True to Marvel Comics fashion, a multitude of plot threads and familiar characters (including the Punisher) are woven throughout the main story line, which finds Spider-Man struggling not only to defeat the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin, and the Kingpin, but also to clear the Daily Bugle's Robbie Robertson of criminal charges and rescue girlfriend Mary Jane Watson! It's a fast and furious 80 minutes, abetted by strong vocal performances and better-than-usual animation, though the occasional mix of computer and cel art clashes noticeably. --Paul Gaita
Average review score:

The Disney Video of this makes no sense.
What I really find annoying is that these episodes come from poor film prints with low quality sound and picture detail. It would have been better if 20th century Fox had released these on DVD because it was on the Fox stations that these shows aired on, and they make very good DVDs.

Great episodes that should not be missed!
This DVD is watched over and over by my 6 year old son. It is out of order - even within the DVD and the episode where Harry turns into the Green Goblin is under Bonus Materials. But it is still a great collection of episodes.

Spider-Man - The Return of the Green Goblin
This dvd was amazing. But why don't they put the whole series on dvds insead of just episodes with the green goblin or character that they have made a movie of. Like theres a new daredevil film so they made the deredevil vs spiderman dvd

Blood Hook
Released in VHS Tape by Troma (13 January, 1997)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Jim Mallon
Average review score:

Positively horrible....
...and that is what makes it a true b-movie....and memeber of MST3K working on the movie pre MST3K...WONDERFUL!

All the things that make a b-movie
We've got cheap sets, mediocre acting, bad music, and that's what makes a b-movie. If you're a fan of such things (as I am) you'll love it! If not, then don't bother. You'll never forget the Barca Lounger music. Oooh, it hurts the plate in my head!

Giant fish hooks????
This film was made by some of the same people who bring you Mystery Science Theater 3000, on the Sci-Fi channel. (The pot calling the kettle black, here.) But their sense of humor shows through.

Related Subjects: Christina-Ricci
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