Queen Of Blood/Queen Of Schlock

Wish the cover art for the copy I have was this kool. Love the rocket!

                      
                                      Queen Of Blood/Queen Of Schlock

                                                                by

                                                                   Jay Agan
     
      Take ..... a smaller studio specializing in low budget coolness (American International), an aging but still well known actor (Basil "Sherlock Holmes" Rathbone), some relative unknowns to be "names" later (John Saxon, Dennis Hopper), the editor (Forrest J Ackerman) of every kids' favorite monster movie magazine (Famous Monsters of Filmland) in a semiprominent non-speaking role, SPFX & mood shots/clips from 2+ east European sci-fi films. Cobble this mess together & whaddayagot? A Roger Corman flick called Queen of Blood!

     The technocratic govt. of future Earth (1990!) recieves a message from a distant world: They're willing to share their advancements & an ambassador is on the way (Oh, goody!). The alien ship crashlands on Mars & scientist Rathbone gets a rush program going for a rescue mission.

      One of the rescue crews only finds a dead occupant, while the backup on Phobos inadvertantly runs across the ambassador (Florence Marley). Transferring her to the main ship (And leaving an astronaut behind.) the expedition heads back to Earth.

      The green being turns out to have an appetite for human blood (She chews out the wrist.). Through her powers of mesmerism, two of the crew (Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon) buy the farm. It's almost curtains for John Saxon, but is saved by the intervention of Judi Meredith.

      In the ensuing quick struggle, the alien is merely scratched & bleeds to death. Seems she may been some kind of overly inbred "royalty" thus hemophiliac.

      On arrival to Earth, it's found the ship is "infested" with "eggs". Turns out the "ambassador" was actually an "advance guard" to colonize our planet for her vampiric kind. A still ecstatic Rathbone & science team gather the eggs for study. The film ends with a smiling Forrest Ackerman looking down at a tray of pulsating ova he's holding.

"Uncle Forry" (Forrest J Ackerman) looking quite pleased with himself as
he examines a tray of alien eggs at the end of Queen of Blood. Credit: AIP

     
      Queen of Blood/Planet of Blood was a flick Channel 10 (WBNS, Wolfe Boots News n' Shoes, Columbus, OH) would trot out (Seemingly every two months.) often for Chillers' late nite double feature on Fridays. For some odd reason(s) I actually loved this bit of cheez. Maybe it was the upbeat moodiness of the first half coupled with the claustrophobic eiriness/oppressiveness of the second. I do know I always liked Basil Rathbone. Don't think I would have bothered to watch if he wasn't in it (Kind of like Battle of the Worlds.  For me, Claude Rains "made" that picture.).

Article copyright © 9-22-2011 Jay Agan

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Yet Another Wot Coulda Been Anime

Claude Rains in Battle of the Worlds. Kinda looks like an
anime character doesn't he? Photo credit in article below.

                                    
                                      Yet Another Wot Coulda Been Anime
                                                          
                                                                  by

                                                                      Jay Agan

      Battle of the Worlds (Il Pianeta Degli Uomini Spenti) 1961- One of veteran actor Claude Rains last films & he carries it well.

      A rogue planetoid takes up orbit around our sphere, playing hobb with the Earths crust & weather patterns. It turns out to be a colossal programmed spacecraft (The "Outsider") with a now dead species inside. The technophobic math genius, Professor Benson (Rains), finds a clever way to defeat the aliens robotic saucer fleet (Using "music" composed of electronic tonalities. Play it loud!) & leads an exploration party to examine the interior of the expired, pilotless, "death star".

      If this would ever be made into an anime, it would be cool if they could retain Rains' likeness & voicetrack (If not there's always Crispin Freeman.) With that voice & thick glasses, he looks & sounds like an anime character (The full size photo from above can be found at Monster Movie Music blog.)
 
      There actually is an "anime connection" with this Italian made film. It sounds as if Peter Fernandez did more than one of the voices in the English language dub.

      Have not been able to find a really decent "print" on disc & have had to settle on the example found in the Millcreek Entertainment Sci-Fi Classics pack of 50 public domain movies.

                                      Article copyright © 3-10-2011 Jay Agan

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DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

This article may be copied in whole or in part. Please cite proper credit & backlink.

Some Cinematic Heresy, Part 2



Poster/photo credit: Warner Bros.

                                                    Some Cinematic Heresy, Part 2

                                                                             by

                                                                                Jay Agan

     Casablanca. THE Bogart vehicle. The quintiessential masterpiece. For years I've been told to take this one in. One day I did. Not a good day.

     Claude Raines was excellent as always, but he couldn't carry this turkey alone.

     Bergman & Bogart constantly whining about this Laszlo guy getting between them. I was hoping Conrad Veidt would intervene like a good little Nazi & put both these crybabies out of my misery.

     Not enough Peter Lorre! When you have Pete in a flick, you're supposed to keep him in as long as possible. What good is a sinister second villian if you take him out of the show early?

     The African Queen. Another Bogart film that gives me the yawns. The river goes on & on. So does this movie. I was hoping the crocklegators would make it a shorter film. I like Rooster Cogburn & the Lady more. Go Germans!

     Niether of these flicks are up to the stellar caliber of Beat the Devil, the movie John Huston redeemed himself with. (However, though Lorre is in that flick, Sidney Greenstreet is nowhere to be seen. Dang!)

                                                     Article copyright © Jay Agan

Some Cinematic Heresy, Part 1

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DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.