It's A Madhouse!-A Review Of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Just like most hardcore movie fans, especially those of us who love classic films, I am not really a fan of re-makes of classic films, or reboots of classic film series. Not that all of them are bad films, but they generally never live up their predecessors. In most cases, no matter how true the filmmaker tries to stay to the original source material, they just can't capture the flavor of the original. My feeling on this is that they fail because these movies are basically snapshots of the time they were made in. As an example, look at The Day The Earth Stood Still and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Both films were made at the height of the Cold War, and reflect the fear and paranoia running through the United States at the time. While Invasion has had couple of decent remakes, they just don't have that same ability to tap into the fear that your neighbor might be a Red in hiding, waiting to tear down the United States. In 1956, when this film was made, people were building bomb shelters,  Joe McCarthy was on a rampage, and kids were being taught to "duck and cover" in case of a nuclear attack. By the time of the first remake in 1978, the fears were still there, but very tempered by the passage of time. The recent remake of Day was even more out of it's element and removed in time from the  original, and failed miserably on every level.

As a kid growing up in the 60s and 70s, one of my favorite film series of all time was The Planet Of The Apes series. I have so many memories of watching the movies, TV series, and cartoon series on TV from those days. After the disappointing remake of the first film by Tim Burton back in 2011, the announcement of a reboot of the franchise, called Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011), filled me with skepticism, and a little bit of dread. I skipped seeing it in the theaters, even though I was hearing nothing but good reviews from both the media and friends. I finally watched it today. I have never been so pleased by a reboot or remake in my life.

With the new reboot, rather than centering in the future and having some space explorer discovering a planet ruled by intelligent apes, we are given the back story of how the planet came to be that way. With the first series, we were not given this back story until 1972's Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes. In that film, the ape revolution against their human masters is led by Caesar, the offspring of Cornelius & Zira, from the original film, who had traveled back in time in the previous film, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971). In Conquest, apes were used as slaves by a spoiled and lazy population of humans. Being intelligent, Caesar saw the injustice in this, and raised an uprising.

In the new film, Caesar is an ape who is born to a chimpanzee who has been used in experiments for an Alzheimer cure. The drugs in his mother's system while pregnant with Caesar, and give him enhanced intelligence. After his mother is killed on the day of his birth, the scientist who is trying to create the drug whisks him away, hiding in his home, to keep Caesar from being destroyed as well. Caesar turns out to be surprisingly intelligent, and has become a member of the family after 8 years have passed. Will has been using the drug that gave Caesar his intelligence on his own Alzheimer afflicted father, Charles Rodman, played beautifully by John Lithgow, but the disease has started to gain ground again. After seeing what he perceives to be an attack on Charles by a  neighbor after Charles wrecks the neighbors car during a period of instability, Caesar attacks the neighbor and is ordered to be confined to a primate shelter. The conditions are, of course, not what Caesar is used to, and he suffers abuse at the hands of a keeper, and at the hands of the alpha male leader in the facility. Caesar begins to feel betrayed by Will, his anger grows, and he begins to plot his uprising. Of course, there is a lot more to the story, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it.

As much as I love the original series of films, in looking at Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes objectively, this is easily the finest Apes film to date. The performances by everyone in the cast bring the script to life perfectly, and Andy Serkis (who gave us Gollum), gives a brilliant performance through motion capture as Caesar. The CGI is the most realistic I have ever seen, and adds a lot to the film, as well. You truly forget these are not real apes you are watching. The scenes in the primate sanctuary strongly bring to mind Taylor's imprisonment at the hands of the apes in the original 1968 film that started it all, and a couple of the lines from it only reinforces that. When the apes revolt, the scenes of the rampage through the strengths of San Francisco, culminating in a battle on the Golden Gate Bridge between the apes and police, are almost awe-inspiring. 

While, on the surface, Rise is a great sci fi film, there is much more depth to the story, as well.  Written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, there is a lot of subtext here dealing with the horrors and heartbreak of Alzheimers, the use of animals for medical experimentation, and the cruelty that some animals endure in zoos and shelters. All of this is part of the story, but it is not preachy or heavy-handed. Instead, it naturally flows through the story, staying with you after the film. Of course, the idea of whether there are some things we are not meant to experiment with or understand is brought up, but so briefly, it doesn't turn the film into a mad scientist cliche'. Between the script and the direction by Rupert Wyatt, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes actually avoids falling into the trap of being just another sci fi blockbuster,and becomes something much more cerebral, while still dishing out the action.

On the whole, I can't think of a single reason to not recommend this film, and I know it will be one I watch repeatedly over the years. As mentioned a couple of times here, this a reboot of the franchise, and I look forward to seeing the sequels. In a perfect world, the next film should be about an all out war between the humans and apes, and that is something I am barely going to be able to wait to see.

Scaring The Pants Off Of A New Generation: Terry Castle's "Fearmaker: Family Matters (Volume 1)"

Terry Castle, daughter of legendary horror film director and producer, has followed in her father's bloody footsteps, and written her first horror novel for young adults. The novel, Fear Maker: Family Matters (Volume 1) is a wonderful first step on that path of terror, and it is fitting that it is written for young adults. William Castle loved to make kids scream.


The story revolves around 12 year old Adam Castle's discovery that his parents are involved in a plot to kidnap and kill pretty little Jennifer Isles, Adam's classmate and secret crush. Adam vows that he will not let Jennifer die, and the story follows Adam through the environs of Hollywood as he sets out to be her knight in shining armor. Adam enlists the help of his friend Julian, and even gets his annoying little sisters involved in his race against the clock. The story takes Adam and his cohorts on a roller coaster ride of terror.


Visits to the cemetery, a spooky old house, text messages from a mysterious sender accompanied by the smell of cigar smoke, and encounters with characters with uncertain motives give Family Matters both a William Castle and Alfred Hitchcock feel that William Castle fans will feel very nostalgic about. Those who aren't familiar with Castle will settle in with this quite comfortably as well. Young people will enjoy this novel, while wishing they could share Adam's adventure. Older readers will find themselves drawn back into their youth, as I did, and find themselves thinking of the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, although a little bit scarier. Maybe a collaboration between Mark Twain and Stephen King?


There is a little gore, and even a dismembered corpse, but nothing to make the reader feel overwhelmed, even those who might be squeamish. Overall, this a fun ride for all ages, and a great first novel from Terry Castle. While Terry keeps her father's memory alive for his fans with this book, she will be gaining new fans of her own with this offering. I can't wait for the next volume in the story.

It's Really Bad! "They Saved Hitler's Brain" (TV 1968)

They Saved Hitler's Brain (1968). Wow. What a concept! What a miserable failure to realize the concept! If Hitler had seen this, he would have begged them to let his brain die. I know most viewers will think their brain has died by the time the credits roll. Don't ask what this DVD cover from Rhino is all about, either. Just ignore it.

     This little flick has an odd history, as this is actually an expanded version of  The Madmen Of Mandoras (1963).  The original running time of the movie was just 64 minutes, and that was too short to sell to TV. In 1968, 20 additional minutes were shot by UCLA film students and added into the film. They Saved Hitler's Brain became the new title. That title is probably known to many people due to parodies of it in shows like The Simpsons, but how many of them have actually seen the movie? Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss. Unless, of course, watching bad movies are blissful experiences for you. Then, this one is a must see for you.

     Okay, here’s the “plot”:  As the Third Reich is nearing its ultimate defeat, Hitler has his brilliant Nazi scientists remove his head, place it in a glass jar, and keep it alive. To keep the secret safe, all the scientists are killed, and Hitler's living head is spirited away to the tiny South American country of Mandoras. There the head is kept hidden until the loyal Nazis decide it is time for Hitler to return, and lead the Fourth Reich to world domination. Now, nearly thirty years later in 1963, the still loyal Nazis have decided the time has come. They have a new nerve gas as their secret weapon, and their victory seems assured. A scientist who has created an antidote for the gas is kidnapped by the Nazis, so there is no obstacle to the success of their plan. They force him to help with their plan for world domination, which is known as Operation G. What does the “G” stand for? “Gas”, I am sure, as we know how ingenious the Nazis were in giving clever names to their plans. Government agents from various agencies are dispatched to find the professor, and the Nazi plan starts to unravel.

This a VERY flawed movie, but one that is fun because of that. You can't describe it as “so bad, it's good”, either. “Good” isn't a word that can be applied here. However, there are times when this silly little movie will make you laugh out loud because of how bad it is.  It’s the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Nazi conspiracy movies. Watching Hitler's head (played with gusto by Bill Freed) grimace, roll his eyes, and mug in his glass bottle while yelling “Mach Schnell! Mach Schnell!”, will have you holding your sides in laughter.

The additional footage makes the movie even worse than the original. Fashions and hair styles changed drastically from 1963 to 1968, and those changes are glaring.  The lighting, the grain of the film, and even the cars used in 1968 are obviously out of place with the rest of the footage. I love the fact that the female agent drives a Volkswagen Bug. Hitler won that round! I should mention that none of the agents who show up in the added footage actually make it to Mandoras. That would have made no sense whatsoever, and this movie needs all the logic it can keep on the head of pin.

The name of the little town in Mandoras, Dos Palabras, which translates as “two words”, also strikes me as amusing, right up the with the highly original Plan G. The acting is bad, and so over the top, that you wonder if the director hired them strictly for their ability to over act. The names of the cast don’t really matter, because you won’t care who they were when the movie is over. I am also sure the writers of this little exercise in bad film making would really prefer it if you forgot their names, too.

Without the added footage, Madmen of Mandoras is only a slightly better film, but not enough even to recommend it as a B-movie classic. This was never a good film. This is a film that deserves a remake as a true comedy, though. Oh, if only I had the money!

If you love bad movies, you will probably laugh yourself silly at this one. Being in the public domain, it can be found very cheaply, and throw in a bag of popcorn, and you will have a fun evening at home. So, run out, and buy this exercise in paranoia. Mach Schnell! Mach Schnell!

It Came From The Public Domain: Mill Creek Entertainment Box Sets

According to Wikipedia, public domain is defined as: Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all, if the intellectual property rights have expired, or if the intellectual property rights are forfeited.

Basically, what this means for movie fans, is that no one owns the rights to a movie, and so anyone can put out a DVD for sale of the movie. This has its ups and downs for movie fanatics. On the good side, it usually means a movie can be found fairly easily, and usually very cheaply. On the downside, usually the video or audio quality can be very inferior, because these companies release these movies so cheaply that they generally use any print they can find of a movie, with no cleaning up of the picture or sound. So, it is definitely "buyer beware" territory. One of the most prolific companies out there who are putting out public domain movies on DVD is Mill Creek Entertainment at www.millcreekent.com .

I have several box sets from this company, and they are a huge bargain when it comes to price. Large chains like Wal Mart and Best Buy carry these box sets, and you can get the packs of 50 movies for less than $20. Usually they can be found for $10-$15. There are a lot B-movie cult classics, or even true classics, to be had in these packs, as well. For instance, the Horror Classics 50 Movie Megapack is full of movies anyone should, including silent classics. See the list below:

Carnival of Souls - Candace Hilligoss
Atom Age Vampire - Alberto Lupo
Creature from the Haunted Sea - Robert Towne
Nightmare Castle - Barbara Steele
Black Dragons - Bela Lugosi
Invisible Ghost - Bela Lugosi
One Body Too Many - Bela Lugosi
White Zombie - Bela Lugosi
Attack of the Giant Leeches - Ken Clark
The Screaming Skull - John Hudson
Beast of Yucca Flats - Tor Johnson
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde - John Barrymore
Blue Beard - John Carradine
The Corpse Vanishes - Bela Lugosi
Night of the Living Dead - Judith O’Dea
Doomed to Die - Boris Karloff
The Phantom of the Opera - Lon Chaney, Sr.
The Indestructible Man - Lon Chaney, Jr.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Lon Chaney, Sr.
Nosferatu - Max Schreck
Swamp Women - Mike Connors
The World Gone Mad - Pat O’Brien
The Terror - Boris Karloff
Revolt of the Zombies - Dean Jagger
The Giant Gilla Monster - Don Sullivan
The Fatal Hour - Boris Karloff
Dead Men Walk - George Zucco
The Mad Monster - George Zucco
Maniac - Bill Woods
Metropolis - Gustav Frolich
The Vampire Bat - Fay Wray
The Ape - Boris Karloff
The Monster Maker - J. Carol Naish
The Killer Shrews - James Best
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die - Jason Evers
King of the Zombies - Joan Woodbury
The Little Shop of Horrors - Jack Nicholson
Tormented - Richard Carlson
The Monster Walks - Rex Lease
Monster from a Prehistoric Planet - Tamio Kawaji
The Gorilla - The Ritz Brothers
A Shriek in the Night - Ginger Rogers
Bloodlust - Robert Reed
The Amazing Mr. X - Turhan Bay
Last Woman on Earth - Robert Towne
The Bat - Vincent Price
The House on Haunted Hill - Vincent Price
The Last Man on Earth - Vincent Price
Dementia 13 - William Campbell
Phantom from 10,000 Leagues - Kent Taylor

This is basically an instant collection of classic movies, with silent films, true classics, B-movies and cult films for less than $20. There are at least 15 movies here that anyone who is a classic horror film buff should have in their collection. The silent classics alone are worth the price. Of course, as mentioned previously, you won't find any clean up of the original prints on any of these, and you may find yourself becoming annoyed at times with the quality of a very few of those prints. Maybe 3 or 4, at most, unless you are really OCD about that type of thing. But, overall, Mill Creek does a pretty good job of finding decent prints to master their DVDs from. I haven't seen anything unwatchable yet from them, and this is not always the case with some companies putting out these type of movies. Nothing is going to be true DVD quality, but you can't expect you will get fifty movies for less than the price of a new DVD of a current film and get the same quality. It just isn't going to happen.

Mill Creek also does a pretty decent job of not duplicating titles in their various box sets. Of the three I own, I had one movie duplicated, The Amazing Transparent Man. On the negative side, the films are hit and miss when it comes to some of the other packs. For instance, their Sci Fi Classics 50 Movie Pack has some very lame films, and some films are definitely not sci fi. Low rent Quest For Fire wannabe caveman films, or sword and sandal epics hardly qualify as sci fi in my opinion. But, there are enough fun films to make it worth the price anyway. I mean, ya gotta love Gamera films, right?

On the whole, I recommend Mill Creek for those who just want to own a great bunch of films, but can't afford either the time or money to hunt them down one by one. Not to mention, they do more than just horror and sci fi packs. Westerns, war movies, and even TV shows get their own box sets. I know I will be looking for more of their movie packs to add to my collection. I would suggest going to their website and finding the ones you want, but then look elsewhere, either online or in brick & mortar stores, for the actual product. You will always find them cheaper that at Mill Creek's website. Enjoy your hunt!

Images are from www.millcreekent.com

The Goonies Are Good Enough! The Goonies 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition

Way back in 1985, Steven Spielberg (Executive Producer/Story), Richard Donner (Producer/Director), and Chris Columbus (Screenplay) gave us what was destined to become a classic family favorite, The Goonies. The story was a comic action/adventure flick about a group of misfit kids who try to save their homes from being turned into a golf course by using a treasure map to find a lost pirate ship full of treasure. Of course, they are opposed in this by a family of outlaws who have recently escaped from the police. Will the Goonies win out and save their homes?

With a perfect cast including Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, and young Sean Astin and Josh Brolin, this is a movie that immediately becomes an instant favorite when you see it. You find yourself singing along with the catchy 80's pop tunes by artists such as Cindy Lauper, and repeating your favorite lines to your friends. This is one that was a long time coming to DVD, but it was well worth the wait.

In 2010, Warner gave the film both a Blu Ray & DVD release in standard versions, and a fantastic 25th Anniversary Collectors Edition. I would say to buy the Collectors Edition, because after a year now, the price is very cheap, at less than $30 for the Blu Ray. The Collectors Edtion has some fantastic features such as a Making Of featurette, director and cast commentaries, a Cindy Lauper music video, deleted scenes, and cool collector items such as a Goonies board game, story board cards, magazines, and a reprinted article from Empire magazine on where the cast is now. It is well worth every penny, and a value that can't be beat.

So, if your inner 80's geek is looking for something to fulfill its appetite, then I highly suggest adding this to your collection. If you love the film as much as I do, then you will definitely not be disappointed.

William Castle-Ghost Writer!

If you are a fan of classic horror films, you know the name William Castle. This is the man who brought us such classic films as 13 Ghosts, The Tingler, The House on Haunted Hill, Mr. Sardonicus, and many others. Castle was not just a film director, though. He was a showman in the tradition of P.T. Barnum, or Harry Houdini. He wanted his movies to be a fun experience for the fans, so he had a promotional gimmick to go with most of his movies. A buzzer attached to select theater seats for The Tingler to buzz some butts, a "Ghost Viewer" for 13 Ghosts, a "Punishment Poll" for Mr. Sardonicus. The list goes on. What set Castle apart from other film makers of his time is that he truly loved the audience, and wanted them to enjoy his movies.

Sadly, Bill Castle left this world in 1977, and the fans were greatly aggrieved. But, I was overjoyed when, a little over a year ago, I got a friend request for William Castle on Facebook. How shocking but thrilling! Of course, I accepted, and have been entertained for over a year now by Bill. Not only is he back from the grave, but ready to scare the pants off of us again, too! Just released in limited edition is a new novel by Bill called From The Grave: The Prayer. You folks are gonna love this one.

The story here is all Bill's. He tells us first person of how he returned from the grave, and what happened as soon as he did. He finds himself having to learn to deal with being a ghost and how to use his new found powers, while being caught up in a horrifying series of events that center on him, and his house in Gordes, France. Bill finds himself drawn into the lives of four young kids and must use his powers to protect them and help them stop the possible end of the world. 

Edgar Good, an American teen whose abusive parents have moved him to France, soon finds himself meeting up with another American, Aleck Lambert, an orphan who has been sent to France to live with his aunt & uncle. Aleck has found an old humidor of Castle's which contain the key & deed to Castle's home in Gordes, and finds his way to to the house. Edgar finds himself drawn to the house through drawings he has done of a tree. There is evil attached to the humidor, though, and this imperils both Aleck & Edgar, not to mention their friends and family. Finally, the pair meet up with Gypsy brother and sister, Sarah & Luca Tsura. The group bonds quickly, and with Castle's help from beyond the grave, find themselves in a race against time & evil forces who want to rule the world. 

This novel is true William Castle material, and I would love to see this become a movie. As the novel is Bill's story, told by him, his voice echoes in my mind while reading it, and gives me the feeling he is standing there watching me while I read. I more than once thought I smelled a whiff of smoke from one of his trademark Don Diego #5 cigars as I read page after page. The story is a blending of H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King (or maybe Clive Barker), and  Dan Brown. Ghosts, secret societies, Gypsies, saints, and so much more are blended into a fine cocktail of terror that will leave the reader a little giddy when done reading it, but ready for more. The characterizations are deep, with us understanding both Castle and the kids easily. You find yourself drawn into this story easily, and really caring about Bill & the kids as their tale draws you along it's path. As Bill himself might say, "Come on kids! Let me give you some thrills , chills, laughs, and let me scare the pants off of ya!" You won't regret accepting that invitation.

Photos are from www.williamcastle.com

Girls, Guns, & G-Strings-Cheese Deluxe!

From the mid-80's to the mid 90's, Andy Sidaris ruled late night cable with his distinctive mix of  sexy Playboy Playmates in little to no clothing, studly guys wearing not much more to keep the ladies happy, exotic tropical locations, plenty of gunfights, fight scenes, and explosions. Hey, the guy helped Cinemax become known as "Skinemax"! He gave us 12 movies in from 1985 to 1998, all of them favorites of almost any guy who watched them. Were they great movies? Hardly. Pure cheese covered T&A spy action flicks is the best way to describe them. This is probably the most aptly named DVD box set ever. But, Sidaris knew what guys wanted to see, developed his formula, and found his target market. For the fan, he always knew exactly what he was getting, too, and was never disappointed.

Girls, Guns, And G-Strings collects all 12 movies in one DVD box set, and can be found online for less than $10. How could you pass that up? Trailers for the films and introductions by Sidaris are the bonus features here, and the introductions are nice to have, as Andy Sidaris passed away in 2007. The 12 films, in chronological order, are:

Malibu Express (1985) - Darby Hinton, Sybil Danning, Art Metrano

Hard Ticket To Hawaii (1987) - Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Ron Moss

Picasso Trigger (1988) - Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, Steve Bond

Savage Beach (1990) - Dona Speir, Hope Marie Carlton, John Aprea

Guns (1990) - Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez, Erik Estrada

Do Or Die (1991) - Dona Speir, Pat Morita, Erik Estrada

Hard Hunted (1992) - Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez, Bruce Penhall

Fit To Kill (1993) - Dona Speir, Roberta Vasquez, Bruce Penhall

The Dallas Connection (1994) - Julie Strain, Bruce Penhall, Mark Barriere

Day Of The Warrior (1996) - Julie Strain, Kevin Light, Cristian Letelier

Return To Savage Beach (1998) - Julie Strain, Julie K. Smith, Rodrigo Obregon


12 films on 3 double sided DVDs with a running time of almost 18 1/2 hours. A bargain you can't pass up if you love these films. So dig out that credit card and let your inner caveman out to buy this box set.