Paul-Anderson Movie Reviews

This is an accurate account of the famous (infamous, more likely)
Dreyfus affair, a scandal that nearly drove France to civil war at the
turn of the century. And it could have been a good movie too, if
director Ken Rusell hadn't overdone it miserably by pretending
"the whole thing was a comedy"!

The film manages to get
its facts right (a rare acomplishment for a Hollywood movie), features
an elaborate production, with fine costumes and sets (although its
'Paris' resembles London), and boasts a great cast led by Richard
Dreyfuss, who gives an above-his-usual performance as the officer
trying against all odds to save Dreyfus, while disliking him
personally for being a Jew.

Why, then, spoil it with all those
cartoonish "comic" details that serve no purpose whatsoever,
except to ruin the whole picture?: A French general, at work, dresses
as Zeus for a portrait (its painter complete with pointy moustaches
and a red beret!) later on display in his office. Another general (a
fat, grumpy, bearded lout who looks a lot like Bud Spencer, and sinks
every scene he's into) sings child-like racist songs with his junior
officers at an elegant military club that seems to accept all ranks
inside its halls, for one sees in one room the entire French army,
from maréchales to privates, getting drunk, pounding tables and
shouting at each other in their messed up uniforms. There's a War
Minister serving cake to his subordinates, a chanteuse lampooning 'La
Marsellaise' (the French applaud!), a German officer -pickelhaube and
all- dancing with a male spy in drag, and a sinister meeting inside a
church, with generals sniggering as they cross themselves. My, oh my!
Aren't these the bad guys!

Seems to me, the director tried so hard
to stress the point, he completely missed it. ....

Here we have dependable Randy Scott in a good railroad Western flick, well worth watching from time to time. The supporting cast is fine, and Columbia Studios did an excellent job in their production; good color print.

Now THIS is a real stinker of a movie. Everyone involved in this mess should be ashamed of themselves. And where did they find this cast? I've never seen such a pitiful collection of mouth-breathers assembled in one movie before. Poor Christopher Walken. Hopefully, this was a lucrative payday for this has-been. What a waste of talent!
One last comment.....is it just me or, does the female romantic lead (I believe her name is Christine Taylor) have the ugliest hands in show business? UGH!...she should wear gloves.

Is a "predictable mess" an oxymoron? If not, that is a perfect description of this script. There was not one surprise in the plot past the first scene. But the performances of Robert Forster and Christopher Walken diverted my attention enough so that it was a pleasant experience. Forster did a wonderful job considering the completely unbelievable character he was saddled with, although his accent needed improvement. Of all the gangsters I've seen Walken portray, this one was the most delightful. His boyish charm as a cold-blooded gangster made for hilarity every time he was given the spotlight. If the entire movie had been watching Chris, it would earn five stars. But whenever the focus is shifted to another character the film sank. Michael Rappaport and Christine Taylor were adequate, but only a thespian as gifted as Walken can get through so preposterous a script with dignity intact.

The film Kiss Toledo Goodbye is amazing fun. Set initially for major release and then sold to Starz! Premium Cable Network and marketed as a Starz Picture, the film is lighthearted and fun. Where the script falters or the continuity stalls, the viewer is left with hysterically right-on performances by Michael Rappaport, Nancy Allen, Christopher Walken, Christine Taylor and Robert Forster. This "mafia comes to Toledo" comedy is one that any organized crime enthusiast would enjoy. Regretably, the DVD format is basic and doesn't include extras (cast and director interviews would have been especially appealing)

This production is the bag jock, it is the flat humiliation of Verdi music. It is gloomy, no fantasy, completely boring performance. Thanks to Verdi music this goes somehow but honestly, this production perfectly explains why many reject to hear to opera.
Do not waste you money for that. Really French masterpiece: a lot of talk about and few to listen to.

Luisa Miller is a transition work. The first 2 acts are"early Verdi", but the third act is musically and dramatically more intense, previewing the maturity expressed in Rigoletto and subsequent works. It is an opera that is not frequently performed, so for those of you who do not live near a performing opera center, this may be the only chance to experience a very good performance of a really lovely opera. The performances of June Anderson (Luisa), Paul Plishka (Count Walter) and Romuald Tesarowicz (Wurm) are all first rate. Anderson portrays the emotional impact of the villanous Walter's and Wurm's machinations extremely well, and Tesarowicz is really effective both vocally and dramatically in his role. Plishka's resonant bass, with its ringing top notes make up for some lagging acting. Susanna Anselmi as Frederica makes you wish that her part was greater than it is. She is vocally talented and an extremely lovely woman to boot! Less exciting are Taro Ichihara as Rodolfo. His tenor voice is not warmed up at the beginning, and is tired at the end. Admittedly, the third act makes enormous demands on the tenor, but others (Bergonzi on RCA)sing it without showing fatigue. Even when not tired, his voice is OK, but not great. Baritone, Edouard Tumagian (Miller)also has vocal problems at the top, but is very believable in the role of Luisa's father. Maestro Arena conducts well, but his hair stylist should have been fired, because he is frequently seen with his too long hair plastered accross his face. The tape to disc transfer is good, and so is the recorded sound. Another DVD of this fine work is unlikely, so if you are, like me, a devotee of Verdi, it's a must have. If you haven't yet tried opera on DVD,you should buy this disc, because opera on DVD really is the next best thing to a live performance. The producer, Kultur, has a nice lineup of opera on tape, waiting to be released on DVD. I think that you will find Luisa Miller to be a satisfying operatic experience, as long as you recognize that the plot, with great emphasis on paternal authority, is dated. But the music! Ah! An entirely different matter, with the wealth of melody that one expects from Verdi.

"The Blood Beast Terror", is a very enjoyable and well constructed little horror tale which suffers because of the weakness in the appearance of the monster of the title which is a giant Death's Head moth that takes human form. The lack of imagination used in its construction detracts from what is otherwise a very atmospheric and beautifully filmed story which may not certainly be the most frightening tale ever filmed but still has alot to commend it. Peter Cushing one of England's foremost horror movie performers lends his usual dignified presence to the proceedings here and helps lift this 1967 Tigon productions feature at times almost up to the same level as his great accomplishments with the famed Hammer Studios horror efforts.

Despite this films quite sensational title, the storyline once you get past the idea of the Giant Moth Creature, is actually an evenly paced mystery drama that takes its time to reveal all the secrets of what is occuring. Along the way we are treated to a very handsomely constructed film set in Victorian times, the usual favourite time period for these British Horror efforts. Peter Cushing plays Inspector Quennell who is investigating a series of ghastly murders where the victims are found drained of their blood and savagely marked with horrific wounds that seem to have been inflicted by some strange undefinable animal. Finding at the site of the latest murder some strange scaley scraps off some type of insect or reptile Inspector Quennell begins to have his suspicions in particular of expert entomologist Dr. Mallinger (Robert Flemyng) who seems to be quite evasive when questioned about possible causes of death for the victims. Unbeknown to the Inspector Dr. Mallinger has been conducting some quite bizzare experiments with certain types of moths and has succeeded in creating a giant sized Death's Head Moth that can take human form. Masquerading as the Doctor's daughter Clare the creature is the one who has been committing the murders on young men attracted to her supposedly human charms. Dr. Mallinger in his attempts to create a mate for this moth creature however realises that for the experiment to work human blood is needed to aid in the mate's incubation. After being forced to change address when the Inspector gets on his trail Dr. Mallinger sees that Quennell's own daughter Meg would be ideal for their purposes and Clare on the pretense of becoming friends with her lures Meg to their new home where under hypnosis Meg has blood extracted to feed the creature slowly developing in the pod. However when Clare takes the form of the killer moth again and commits another murder, this time of the estate gardener which draws more attention to him again, Dr. Mallinger realises that what he has created is now out of control and he destroys the hatching pod. Clare however then kills him and goes in pursuit of other victims to feed on. Finally catching up with the creature after it attacks Meg's young friend William, Inspector Quennell and the sergeant manage to ingnite the flying creature which then burns up and falls to the ground gradually turning back into the form of Clare before it turns to ashes.

Not an exactly scary tale but well produced and earnestly played despite the letdown with the rather flimsy creature of the title. Tigon productions came a definite step behind horror leaders such as Hammer and Amicus during the 1960's and early 70's however here they have produced a handsome period film with honest and interesting performances from the leads who take their roles seriously. Peter Cushing, already of course a veteran of many classic horror films was new to Tigon productions with this role in "The Blood Beast Terror", but delivers his usual solid performance and treats the case a bit like a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Robert Flemyng as the fanactical Dr. Mallinger has just the right elements of menace and secrecy in his playing to really increase the overall tension of the piece. Wanda Ventham is also excellent in the dual roles of Clare and cold blooded murdering Moth Creature. In what could be a silly character to play she definately injects just the right elements of seductive allure and bitchiness into her character to hold the viewers attention. Glynn Edwards as Sergeant Allen and especially Roy Hudd as a distastefully comical mortuary attendant also deliver great performances that help lift up the largely unbelievable story to a very watchable level. Beautiful locations and settings feature strongly in this story and give "The Blood Beast Terror", tremendous atmosphere and a very polished look that stands up definately to the more famous Hammer horror efforts.

If you can get past the obvious lack of care in creating a suitable central monster for this horror effort "The Blood Beast Terror", is an enjoyable viewing experience. Peter Cushing in my belief never really gave an insincere or bad performance and was an expert in creating a believable character often out of slim material. While certainly a lesser horror effort I do enjoy the acting performances here and I recommend it to horror fans who are interested in some of the lesser studios efforts during this 1960's period when Hammer productions dominated British horror movie making.

Let's face it, this movie was a low-budget horror film with bad special effects. But, it does have one saving grace; Peter Cushing is wonderful as a police detective trying to follow the trail of a blood-feasting (totally ludicrous and campy) giant moth woman.

The picture quality of the DVD is fairly good, and the sound is fine. It is presented in letterbox, which is much more pleasing to view then the Pan-and-Scan vhs copy that I first saw this picture on. The setting is Victorian, and having a British cast, the performances are believable and elegant (even if swallowing the idea of a giant Deaths-Head moth makes you gag a little). If your after a film of the quality of "Horror of Dracula", or "Curse of Frankenstein", then don't bother. But if your a die-hard Peter Cushing fan, like I am, you'll probably enjoy this movie, as I do. There's not much suspense, but there is plenty of dry British humor, and some fine performances. Just don't expect to be dazzled by the special effects. Think of it as Sherlock Holms meets Gozilla, and you'll do fine.

In the late 1960's, Hammer films was still doing fairly well and there were a number of other companies that tried to copy and compete with them. Amicus was the main one and they had a number of films that were just as good if not better, another company was Tigon films and they are the creators of this particular film. They pulled in Peter Cushing to play a policeman who is investigating a series of bizarre and brutal killings. Cushing has his suspects and follows them, but his daughter is pulled into the plot as she becomes a source of blood for a moth creature that is being created as a mate for the existing moth creature. Is this a good film? No does it have it's moments? Certainly The story is in someways lacking, but Hammer's Gorgon and the Reptile don't either and they manage to be entertaining. There is some action, Peter Cushing gives a solid showing and I really thought the sets and use of locations was really well above average foe a British horror film. The film seems to have gaps and a number of missed opportunites. They would fins a lead, but then people would stand around and mutter about until you start to get bored, then they will peak your interest again and then mill around some more. It is not boring, they just have a lot of time where they could have inserted some more action or clues or maybe some more about how or why this women can turn into a giant moth. Ultimately, this film is somewhere in the middle of British horror films of the day. It does a number of things right, but Tigon was number three for a reason. I must also say that I had never seen a video done by Image entertainment before, but thet did a good job as the film is of fairly sharp quality.

"The Blood Beast Terror", is a very enjoyable and well constructed little horror tale which suffers because of the weakness in the appearance of the monster of the title which is a giant Death's Head moth that takes human form. The lack of imagination used in its construction detracts from what is otherwise a very atmospheric and beautifully filmed story which may not certainly be the most frightening tale ever filmed but still has alot to commend it. Peter Cushing one of England's foremost horror movie performers lends his usual dignified presence to the proceedings here and helps lift this 1967 Tigon productions feature at times almost up to the same level as his great accomplishments with the famed Hammer Studios horror efforts.

Despite this films quite sensational title, the storyline once you get past the idea of the Giant Moth Creature, is actually an evenly paced mystery drama that takes its time to reveal all the secrets of what is occuring. Along the way we are treated to a very handsomely constructed film set in Victorian times, the usual favourite time period for these British Horror efforts. Peter Cushing plays Inspector Quennell who is investigating a series of ghastly murders where the victims are found drained of their blood and savagely marked with horrific wounds that seem to have been inflicted by some strange undefinable animal. Finding at the site of the latest murder some strange scaley scraps off some type of insect or reptile Inspector Quennell begins to have his suspicions in particular of expert entomologist Dr. Mallinger (Robert Flemyng) who seems to be quite evasive when questioned about possible causes of death for the victims. Unbeknown to the Inspector Dr. Mallinger has been conducting some quite bizzare experiments with certain types of moths and has succeeded in creating a giant sized Death's Head Moth that can take human form. Masquerading as the Doctor's daughter Clare the creature is the one who has been committing the murders on young men attracted to her supposedly human charms. Dr. Mallinger in his attempts to create a mate for this moth creature however realises that for the experiment to work human blood is needed to aid in the mate's incubation. After being forced to change address when the Inspector gets on his trail Dr. Mallinger sees that Quennell's own daughter Meg would be ideal for their purposes and Clare on the pretense of becoming friends with her lures Meg to their new home where under hypnosis Meg has blood extracted to feed the creature slowly developing in the pod. However when Clare takes the form of the killer moth again and commits another murder, this time of the estate gardener which draws more attention to him again, Dr. Mallinger realises that what he has created is now out of control and he destroys the hatching pod. Clare however then kills him and goes in pursuit of other victims to feed on. Finally catching up with the creature after it attacks Meg's young friend William, Inspector Quennell and the sergeant manage to ingnite the flying creature which then burns up and falls to the ground gradually turning back into the form of Clare before it turns to ashes.

Not an exactly scary tale but well produced and earnestly played despite the letdown with the rather flimsy creature of the title. Tigon productions came a definite step behind horror leaders such as Hammer and Amicus during the 1960's and early 70's however here they have produced a handsome period film with honest and interesting performances from the leads who take their roles seriously. Peter Cushing, already of course a veteran of many classic horror films was new to Tigon productions with this role in "The Blood Beast Terror", but delivers his usual solid performance and treats the case a bit like a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Robert Flemyng as the fanactical Dr. Mallinger has just the right elements of menace and secrecy in his playing to really increase the overall tension of the piece. Wanda Ventham is also excellent in the dual roles of Clare and cold blooded murdering Moth Creature. In what could be a silly character to play she definately injects just the right elements of seductive allure and bitchiness into her character to hold the viewers attention. Glynn Edwards as Sergeant Allen and especially Roy Hudd as a distastefully comical mortuary attendant also deliver great performances that help lift up the largely unbelievable story to a very watchable level. Beautiful locations and settings feature strongly in this story and give "The Blood Beast Terror", tremendous atmosphere and a very polished look that stands up definately to the more famous Hammer horror efforts.

If you can get past the obvious lack of care in creating a suitable central monster for this horror effort "The Blood Beast Terror", is an enjoyable viewing experience. Peter Cushing in my belief never really gave an insincere or bad performance and was an expert in creating a believable character often out of slim material. While certainly a lesser horror effort I do enjoy the acting performances here and I recommend it to horror fans who are interested in some of the lesser studios efforts during this 1960's period when Hammer productions dominated British horror movie making.

Let's face it, this movie was a low-budget horror film with bad special effects. But, it does have one saving grace; Peter Cushing is wonderful as a police detective trying to follow the trail of a blood-feasting (totally ludicrous and campy) giant moth woman.

The picture quality of the DVD is fairly good, and the sound is fine. It is presented in letterbox, which is much more pleasing to view then the Pan-and-Scan vhs copy that I first saw this picture on. The setting is Victorian, and having a British cast, the performances are believable and elegant (even if swallowing the idea of a giant Deaths-Head moth makes you gag a little). If your after a film of the quality of "Horror of Dracula", or "Curse of Frankenstein", then don't bother. But if your a die-hard Peter Cushing fan, like I am, you'll probably enjoy this movie, as I do. There's not much suspense, but there is plenty of dry British humor, and some fine performances. Just don't expect to be dazzled by the special effects. Think of it as Sherlock Holms meets Gozilla, and you'll do fine.

In the late 1960's, Hammer films was still doing fairly well and there were a number of other companies that tried to copy and compete with them. Amicus was the main one and they had a number of films that were just as good if not better, another company was Tigon films and they are the creators of this particular film. They pulled in Peter Cushing to play a policeman who is investigating a series of bizarre and brutal killings. Cushing has his suspects and follows them, but his daughter is pulled into the plot as she becomes a source of blood for a moth creature that is being created as a mate for the existing moth creature. Is this a good film? No does it have it's moments? Certainly The story is in someways lacking, but Hammer's Gorgon and the Reptile don't either and they manage to be entertaining. There is some action, Peter Cushing gives a solid showing and I really thought the sets and use of locations was really well above average foe a British horror film. The film seems to have gaps and a number of missed opportunites. They would fins a lead, but then people would stand around and mutter about until you start to get bored, then they will peak your interest again and then mill around some more. It is not boring, they just have a lot of time where they could have inserted some more action or clues or maybe some more about how or why this women can turn into a giant moth. Ultimately, this film is somewhere in the middle of British horror films of the day. It does a number of things right, but Tigon was number three for a reason. I must also say that I had never seen a video done by Image entertainment before, but thet did a good job as the film is of fairly sharp quality.

i really don't want to waste much words, cause this movie ain't worth it... it isn't romantic, and by far it isnt funny... if you wanna be disappointed and disgusted, this is the movie you're looking for

Actually,i haven't seen the all film.But i'll admit it though that the first minutes of this film were somewhat funny,that's why i gave three stars instead of two,but it goes downhill after that!Not recomended at all!If you want a really good laugh,check out Monty Python!

The first "Swordsman" movie with Lorenzo Lamas took itself seriously, playing like a poor man's "Highlander." This go-round, It decends into camp, and not always for the better.

The story is a re-working of the original: the "sword of Alexander the Great" gets stolen and our hero cop, who has dreams of a toga-clad swordfight and can see the last seconds of a dead person's life through his eyes by touching his blood, must infiltrate an underground gladiadorial combat ring. This time the beautiful museum researcher starts out as his girlfriend, and somehow his parter, who had been left floating in a swimming pool (a la "Sunset Boulevard") in the previous movie, is alive as if nothing happened.

Several sequences from the first movie are inserted in this one, making a back-to-back viewing guite humorous (a la MST3K: "How do you make sure an original movie is on time and under budget? Don't make one!"). They handled the fencing ring completely differently though. Whereas in the first movie, the fighters were uniform in wearing black tank-tops and pants with matching weapons, this movie had each fighter as a costumed character fighing with a distinctive style. The attitude of the tournament was much more WWF/WCW and less of the formal, serious mood. The bettors, instead of being subdued, formal rich people, were loud, trashy, yuppie club-goer types, serviced by a guy with a leather jacket, visor, and chalkboard. The fighting had a lot more hand-to-hand action and a great variety of weapons (axes, katanas, elk-horn knives, a fan, etc).

Like the first movie, there are confusing plot elements and several big holes. There is also one real big boner. One character believes that he is the re-incarnation of someone executed by Alexander aroubnd the 300's BC, yet James Hong (the actor playing the role, as well as he ever does) keeps on saying he will have his revenge at last, after "1700 years!" Math practice, anyone?

Both of these movies are best for people who can't get enough sword fighting. There's really nothing else it can do for you. A similarly themed movie (without the psychic/re-incernation element) that I can reccommend is "Ring of Steel," with Robert Chapin, Carol Alt, and Joe Don Baker.

The first "Swordsman" movie with Lorenzo Lamas took itself seriously, playing like a poor man's "Highlander." This go-round, It decends into camp, and not always for the better.

The story is a re-working of the original: the "sword of Alexander the Great" gets stolen and our hero cop, who has dreams of a toga-clad swordfight and can see the last seconds of a dead person's life through his eyes by touching his blood, must infiltrate an underground gladiadorial combat ring. This time the beautiful museum researcher starts out as his girlfriend, and somehow his parter, who had been left floating in a swimming pool (a la "Sunset Boulevard") in the previous movie, is alive as if nothing happened.

Several sequences from the first movie are inserted in this one, making a back-to-back viewing guite humorous (a la MST3K: "How do you make sure an original movie is on time and under budget? Don't make one!"). They handled the fencing ring completely differently though. Whereas in the first movie, the fighters were uniform in wearing black tank-tops and pants with matching weapons, this movie had each fighter as a costumed character fighing with a distinctive style. The attitude of the tournament was much more WWF/WCW and less of the formal, serious mood. The bettors, instead of being subdued, formal rich people, were loud, trashy, yuppie club-goer types, serviced by a guy with a leather jacket, visor, and chalkboard. The fighting had a lot more hand-to-hand action and a great variety of weapons (axes, katanas, elk-horn knives, a fan, etc).

Like the first movie, there are confusing plot elements and several big holes. There is also one real big boner. One character believes that he is the re-incarnation of someone executed by Alexander aroubnd the 300's BC, yet James Hong (the actor playing the role, as well as he ever does) keeps on saying he will have his revenge at last, after "1700 years!" Math practice, anyone?

Both of these movies are best for people who can't get enough sword fighting. There's really nothing else it can do for you. A similarly themed movie (without the psychic/re-incernation element) that I can reccommend is "Ring of Steel," with Robert Chapin, Carol Alt, and Joe Don Baker.

Sunset Grill Nude scenes from three different women: Lori Singer, Alexandra Paul, Sandra Wild. All three actresses got naked, but in the case of Paul and Singer, the scenes were cut tastefully to avoid pubic exposure. In fact, Singer got up from one energetic love scene where the lovers were obviously in the later stages of intercourse, the director cut away too slowly, and you could see that she was wearing a thong!

As for the movie, well, let me tell you. In the Olympics they won't let a 150 pound man wrestle against a 170 pound man because it just isn't a fair match. But in the movies, one drunken stumblebum private eye armed with a BB gun can overcome all of the following:

1. Several corrupt INS officials

2. The Mexican border federales.

3. The world's richest man and several doctors, who are running a scam to use illegal immigrants as unwilling heart and liver donors.

4. The world's richest man's connections, which "go so high up the ladder God can't see the top"

5. Thugs who look like a cross between Dolph Lundgren and Andre the Giant, and are better armed than the Iraqi army.

6. Treacherous girlfriends.

7. Incompetent associates.

8. Sarcastic bartenders.

Very realistic movie.

Stacy Keach plays, or maybe I should say overplays, the world's richest man, and he says that ripping hearts out of living victims is OK because:

* They are doing it for a good cause, to give the gift of life to senior members of the Republican Party and other equally important members of society.

* The Aztecs did it, and these victims are descended from the Aztecs, so they are culturally prepared for it.

OK, fair enough. I was having some problem with it, but then when he explained the Aztec thing, I could relate to it.