I’ve been checking out some noir titles over the past few weeks, checking in with one of my favorite genres. This was perhaps my least favorite of the bunch. I think it could have been a little better constructed, and perhaps delved into the issues that plagued the film’s lead character, Claude (Vince Edwards). Claude…
Tag: 1958
The Lineup (1958) – Don Siegel
The port city of San Francisco serves as the backdrop for this noir thriller that features Eli Wallach as a homicidal criminal on the trail of a heroin shipment from Hong Kong he’s expected to collect and deliver. Each shipment has been stowed in statuettes, dolls, and other such trinkets, all in the hands of…
War of the Colossal Beast (1958) – Bert I. Gordon
The monster mash continues as I work my way through the Atomic Mutations chapter in DK Canada’s very enjoyable, Monsters in the Movies. Bert Gordon returns to direct the follow-up sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man, but you don’t have to have seen the first one to wtch this one, as there’s a flashback sequence…
Dr. No (1958) – Ian Fleming
I dig into another classic James Bond novel by Ian Fleming this week. Up this time is the sixth novel in the series, and one that served as the basis for the first film. The story stays fairly close to what has been explored in the film, with a subplot involving bird guano and conservation,…
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) – Nathan Juran
Setting aside the obvious whitewashing of the cast, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, the next film in the Dragons & Dinosaurs chapter of DK Canada’s extremely entertaining Monsters in the Movies is a lot of fun. And one that I have a bit of a history with. Growing up we moved around frequently (being in…
Blood of the Vampire (1958) – Henry Cass
There are more mad scientist stories afoot in DK Canada’s horror film tome, Monsters in the Movies, and I dig into another, today with Blood of the Vampire. I’ve either seen too many of these films, or had an uncanny sense of deja vu, because the first twenty minutes of this film I was convinced…
Attack of the Puppet People (1958) – Bert I. Gordon
I dig into some more mad scientist movies as I continue to explore the highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies from DK Canada, this time it’s a ‘classic’ from the 50s that sees a deranged doll-maker Mr. Franz (iconic character actor John Hoyt) creates a machine that shrinks people, something he is keen to do……
The Defiant Ones (1958) – Stanley Kramer
The next big film for me to watch in DK Canada’s informative and entertaining The Movie Book is Bonnie and Clyde, but having reviewed that one previously, I jumped right to the What Else to Watch list and found a title that I hadn’t seen yet, Stanley Kramer’s The Defiant Ones. Boasting a stellar cast…
Ashes and Diamonds (1958) – Andrzej Wajda
Post War Poland is the setting for the next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, as I delve into Ashes and Diamonds from director Andrzej Wajda. Marrying a love story with a post-war thriller, and mixing in some drama, this film is a fantastically made film that delves into the horrors of war…
The Return of Dracula (1958) – Paul Landres
Dracula does California! And it’s gonna be an entertaining (and pretty bad ride) as I dig into the next Vampire title in DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies by director John Landis. A Dracula (Francis Lederer) with some strange powers – like apparating (and not a glimpse of fangs) comes to smalltown California, USA after…