poll- the December theme

since October was monster movie trailer month, and November was spies, take a gander at the poll and decide what December should be.

there's one week to decide what it will be.  in the case of a tie, I'll cast the deciding vote.

hey kids, comics!

got these goodies (plus a reprint of Captain America #1) in the mail today.  thanks go to Mr. Owari himself for such a generous donation of gifts.

I've read a lot of the early stories from Marvel/Timely, but I've never read the comics themselves.  I have other reprints from various Timely books here and there, but never these two.

In Like Flint (1967)

started the month with Derek Flint, and now we end it with him and the fun sequel. these have all been enjoyable trailers this month, and it's made me want to see more spy movies than I have in the past. as I've said before, I tend to gravitate toward the spoofs and ripoffs more than the actual "real" ones, like James Bond or whoever is actually a serious spy.

Blithe Spirit (1945)

this movie is based on Noel Coward's play of the same name.  it's veddy veddy British, which means rather witty and yet rather tame.

a man accidentally summons the spirit of his dead wife back, who then tries to kill him.  well, not at first, she tries to get his current wife to leave him, and then it kind of spirals out of control from there, leading to an ending which is rather predictable.

Happy Birthday, Jerry Lawler

he's one of my favorite performers in the ring. he turns 62 today. here's a clip of him in his prime, fending off five- count 'em, five- attackers at once, even after taking some punishment. pretty good, when even Road Warrior Hawk can't defeat three Horsemen by himself. this picture is of him as the "Unified" Champion, where he won the AWA and WCCW title belts.  that's something that will never happen again.

Spy Shadow intro

this is a slight departure from the standard spy movies, but variety is the spice of life, right? I never saw this cartoon growing up. it was paired with Super President, which is silly and yet very enjoyable. as is this one. Richard Vance, agent of Interspy, is able to have his shadow separate from himself to help out on special cases.

MOTW- allosaurus

I love dinosaurs.  almost all of them.  there are a few that I don't care for, but most of those have "raptor" in the name.

having said that, allosaurus has never been a favorite of mine, at least as a kid.  it always appeared to me to be the pretender to the throne of Tyrannosaurus Rex.  since it was an ancestor to the rex, they would never meet or battle, but it was fun to dream.

Deadlier than the Male (1967)

I watched this Bulldog Drummond adaption a while ago, see this post here, but really didn't review the movie at all. the DVD looked great, even if it wasn't an anamorphic print. still, who knew you would find a copy of this movie at all?

War of the Monsters Week

this is not quite a Godzilla week, but it's definitely a Giant Monster week.  it's mostly a Toho movie of the week, except for the Gamera movie (they almost had to air that one, didn't they?).  I wish I could have opened the TV Guide to see this line up of movies when I was a kid.  I also hope I would have saved it as well.

Karate Killers (1967)

never saw The Man From U.N.C.L.E. growing up, but heard and read a lot about it as a kid. watched the first few episodes on DVD and thought they were fun, but really didn't do much for me. I know people that love the show and swear it's awesome, but it's all about when you see it.

Time Out for Vengeance!

one of the 12 surviving parts of Equinox is eliminating all the Batmen of the past, present and future.  it's up to the JLI and Rip Hunter, Time Master, to foil his evil plans.

Spy in Your Eye (1965)

another spy spoof from Italy, this time it's Brett Halsey as Bert Morris, secret agent Z.3 (which is kind of a cool nom de guerre). this difference is he's got a spy camera in his eye, making him the first bionic spy out there.

Godzilla Week!

what a line up of movies for a week!  every afternoon at four PM.  I would have been in front of the TV every day this week, I can assure you of that.  one of the really interesting things here is the "Bionic Monster" title.  I wonder what actually came up for the title when it was shown.

this is from San Diego, as the call letters are for a local channel.  in Colorado they did these movies on Channel 4, which was the local NBC affiliate at the time.  I have the actual pages for these movies, and another week's worth, which I will post in due time, you'll just have to keep looking!

Secret Agent Fireball (1965)

another one from Italy. they must have cranked out more of these than any other genre. our hero is Robert Fleming, and this is the first of three movies featuring him, and the first two star Richard Harrison (of  The Four Assassins fame).

Scorn of the Star Sapphire!

our adventure starts with Wonder Woman, Batman and Steve Trevor battling Baroness Paula Von Gunther in the teaser.  Batman rightfully wonders what Diana sees in the goober.  you can watch the entire teaser here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

this is the best Thanksgiving promotion ever.  you just can't go wrong with it.

Operation Kid Brother (1967)

thanks to Mr. Owari for pointing this gem out to me. I mean, where would a month of spy movie trailers be without Mr. Sean Connery? 

it's the 48th anniversary of Doctor Who!

today the first Doctor Who story aired, titled "An Unearthly Child". we are introduced to the Doctor and his granddaughter Susan, along with their human companions, teachers Barbara and Ian. of course during the course of the episode the T.A.R.D.I.S. is launched, and even then the old girl was a crotchety thing and didn't go exactly where the Doctor wanted her to.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

yesterday one of my favorite authors passed away.  Anne McCaffrey has been someone I've read for many years, since possibly the sixth grade.

this post says more about her than I can.  all I know is I love the books and read them every few years.  I've not read any of the newer ones, but I do hope the final one will be released now, it's only fitting.

RIP.

THE SECRET CODE (1942)

now this is a great serial. wish I had seen it as a kid, it would have been right up my alley. it's action packed and has a cool hero in it. the plot is good and all the cliffhangers make sense. it's worth all the praise it gets. The Secret Code has little lectures at the end of each chapter talking about how to break codes. this was apparently patterned after "Spy Smasher".

Harry Potter/Deathly Hallows pt 2

Hogwarts has changed a bit since the last time we were here.  anyway, the movie starts right about where it should.  it's a long book, and of course they took several liberties with it. some work well, some not so much. there are going to be spoilers, but everyone has read the books so nothing should be much of a surprise here.

Man on The Spying Trapeze (1967)

looks like this one would be action packed. the reviews on IMdB agree. our hero is Jerry Land, perhaps a descendant of Ned Land, and he's stopping enemy agents out to steal valuable microfilm. this one was a product of Spain, Italy and West Germany.

The Incredible Hulk (1996)

I watched the first episode of this series on netflix, and it was so melodramatic and overdone that I didn't want to watch any more of it.  that would have been a mistake though.

Spy Smasher (1942)

well, it's not really a trailer, but a bit from a the end of a chapter of one of the best superhero serials ever made. of course, it's a Republic serial, which usually means it's pretty darn good. full confession- when I was in 5th or 6th grade I was Spy Smasher for Hallowe'en. I have a picture of me in costume somewhere, it's a pretty good looking one, I must say.

The New Adventures of Zorro (1981 TV series)

I watched all 13 episodes of this series when it was originally broadcast in 1981.  I remembered almost nothing about it, other than no one ever got stabbed in a sword fight.

however, it's a pretty good series, easily as good as Tarzan or the Lone Ranger (Tarzan is tops, I don't remember enough about the Ranger to say for sure).

Austin Powers International Man Of Mystery (1997)

I know I said I wouldn't do many mainstream movies, but I do love this one, and it's actually 15 years old now. how did that happen? I saw this twice in the theater in 1997. it made some money back then, but most people saw it when it hit cable.

The Liquidator (1965)

here's a spy spoof that gets good reviews and is from England. I would like to see this one, and it's apparently been aired widescreen on TCM in the past. here's hoping I can track it down some time soon.

Southern Knights #9

"Critical Mass"

Mark Dagon gets a sci-fi novel published.  David gets his cast off from his accident, and has some rehab to do do.  that's a nice touch, for sure. Connie also duels Mark and loses, since he has over 1,000 years experience.  we learn Mark was a Musketeer in the past.

Viper guys Jim and Flint are worried about Serpent and plan to do something about Dragon after their Savannah job.

7 Golden Women Against Two 07 (1966)

wow, who knew just how many spy spoofs there were made in Italy? I'll tell you what, I'm not doing a "spaghetti westerns" month. maybe just westerns. I just haven't seen enough of those or these.

Gigantor/Tetsujin 28 episode #84

fansubbers are awesome.  who would ever believe we would get subtitled Gigantor episodes?  this is the one with the Space Pussies- now called Space Cats,  for some odd reason.

Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang (1966)

this is some trailer! they are desperate to sell "Kirk Warren" as the ultimate spy. I don't think I've ever heard a character's name mentioned so often in one three minute trailer.

Get Smart, Again! (1989)

now this is a lot more like it, though not quite as good as the series.  most of the regular cast has been brought back, including Shtarker and Siegfried (Bernie Kopell) which really helps matters.

and thankfully it kept 99 (Barbara Feldon).  not having her in the Nude Bomb was quite the mistake.

The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (1965)

this movie has quite a history. I wonder how it did overall, with being reedited by this Joseph E. Levine guy... hmm, should I know that name? sounds familiar. he did some editing and hired Sammy Davis Jr to sing the title song. I'm not quite sure if it's a spoof or not. it was originally titled "Licensed to Kill".

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

after I started watching this movie on netflix, I realized I had watched it when it originally aired.  and hadn't remembered it at all.  ever notice how any movie with "zany" or "crazy" or "goofy" or even  "quirky" in the title is usually none of the above?

it's intermittently funny, with a good cast.  but it runs rather thin it it's 95 minute time, it would have been better at 70 or so.

the mysterious 800!

the last two days I've had over 800 views of this blog.  sure, some of those have been mine, but not that many.  and I haven't even mentioned Batman, Superman or Naomi Morinaga naked to do so (sorry Chris, couldn't resist)!

Argoman, the Fantastic Superman

I'm not quite sure it's a spy movie per se, but it's a lot of fun. I hope that Dorado Films does release this on a proper disc, as I've only ever seen it in it's fullscreen form. our hero isn't working for an agency though. he's a knight of England... Sir Reginald Hoover.

The Bad Seed (1956)

I saw this movie first as a play, which was how it was adapted from William March's 1954 novel The Bad Seed originally.

this was in 1982 or so.  unfortunately for the cast, the play was probably a little over their heads, and it turned into something like a black comedy, without them meaning to make it that way.

Scorpions and Mini Skirts (1967)

now there's a title for you that almost NO movie could possibly live up to. it's on IMDb as a far more normal title- "Death on a Rainy Day". how boring is that?

Night of the Batmen!

there's a showdown in Gotham, and the Vigilante is gonna let Batman take on the varmits all on his lonesome.  he respects a man for protecting his ground.

Neos 1. Neos Nativity

Ultraman Neos was a 12 episode direct to video series.  it was originally slated to be a TV series, but for some reason we got this instead.

it's reasonably fun, and pretty standard, though I am not sure about how Neos and his human host have combined.

Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966)

once again, the trailer promises all sorts of thrills and chills. I'd be surprised if it actually lived up to it's hype, but it looks like it would be pretty fun. of course, I say that about all of these movies, and probably most aren't that much fun.

The Ninth Doctor

this is the ninth incarnation of the Doctor, as played by Christopher Eccleston.  I've watched the first five episodes of his Doctor and...

The Nude Bomb promo

watching more Get Smart makes me wish I did have the DVD sets. the two movies are fun, with the "real" second movie, "Get Smart, Again" being lots better than this, though I like this just fine. this is a tv promo for the Nude Bomb, as all I could find for a theatrical trailer was the German one.

Gentle Giant (1967)

watching this pilot movie for the series "Gentle Ben".  the cast pretty much is the same from movie to series, except for Vera Miles.  which is OK.

Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury (1965)

here's one I just happened across. no idea about it, but the trailer has a completely different title. go figure. our hero's name is Ken Clark and he apparently works for the CIA. nothing too out there for this "parody". I wish there was more I could offer, but that's all I got.

Ultraman 18: Brother from Another Planet

a strange radioactive mist drops on Tokyo.  the Science Patrol springs into action!  except for Fuji, of course.  shortly after, the Alien Zarab shows up and makes it disperse.  this makes him a hero in the eyes of many. 

Dimension Five (1966)

now this is one I may have to track down. time traveling spies? it looks pretty awesome, that's for sure. it stars Jeffrey Hunter (the former Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise (and Jesus, for that matter) as Justin Power.

The Howling (1981)

I am a big fan of werewolves.  and I prefer The Wolf Man style more than I like the more traditional wolf style.  this comes from Werewolf By Night, I am sure. I mean, Marvel Comics and werewolves? yeah, that's it.  I did see An American Werewolf in London though, at the drive in.  I liked that they were more sympathetic than vampires, and that they had a rivalry with the bloodsuckers.

Megalo-ON!

you know, what works for Oriental Cinema in 1999 doesn't quite work now.  so my whole introduction to the Megaloman episode guide is going to be reworked.  the episodes themselves shouldn't have too much changing to do, but the first part...

Avengers: The Ultron Imperitive

Ultron 6 has now taken over the various computers systems of the world.  he wants the SHIELD codes so he can launch nuclear warheads to eradicate all human life on Earth.  I am not sure if this was done in the comics or not, but I am pretty sure Ultron will return no matter what happens.  especially since the Vision is rumored to be showing up in the next season...

Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966)

here's one I actually have seen. and sadly, the trailer is the best thing about the movie. probably would have liked it as a younger kid, but it meanders about between the good stuff. this hero's name is Adam Chance.

JLA: War World

Superman and Jonn get caught in a large explosion in space, and then disappear.  they have been captured by Mongul's men to provide sport on the titular War World.

Danger Girls (1969)

here's a spy treat from Mexico, directed by René Cardona Jr. this one got dubbed into English, and is a sequel to "SOS Conspiracion Bikini" (1967). that one I can't figure out if it's in English or not. this one looks pretty cool. and it's an international picture, shot in Mexico, Ecuador and Miami.

Dark Shadows (40 episodes in)

I have watched the entire run of Dark Shadows, when it first aired on Sci-fi.  they even aired the first part before the ghosts and stuff became prevalent.  who knew the channel would turn to crap like it has?  I watched it about 15 years ago.

Danger!! Death Ray (1967)

the trailer for this movie is action packed. I wonder if it's as good as it looks? I'm glad to see former Tarzan and Maciste actor Gordon Scott got more movie roles after the peplum fad ended though.

Fishtales (2007)

avid readers (all 3 of you) know I have long enjoyed stories and movies about mermaids.

Shadow of the Bat!

this episode starts with Batman and Robin in the jungle battling Catwoman and her black leopard Hecate (pronounced correctly here).  I am actually sparing you the overt silliness of of seeing our heroes in their jungle costumes.   you will just have to trust me on this one.

Last of the Secret Agents (1966)

yet another spy spoof, this one gets really bad reviews. don't believe them. it's not great, but it's not nearly as awful as some have proclaimed it.  I don't know of any actual DVD release, so seeing it again is not likely.

Megloman redux

 I am going to start re-writing my original Meglaman article that I talked about here.  I re-read it out of Oriental Cinema #16 (ostensibly the Jet Li issue, but everyone really wanted a Megaloman article, I just know it).  this was actually the 30th issue of Oriental Cinema, one of the biggest influences on my writing career.

Marvel Treasury Edition 7: The Mighty Avengers

I started getting these editions right away, with Spider-man.   I just loved them, as they reprinted stories I had never seen before.  sometimes I had heard about them in flashbacks or editor's notes, but I rarely got to read the whole story.

A Man Called Dagger

here's a spy spoof I've never heard of, so take it for what you will. the trailer doesn't make it seem serious, but it plays it really straight, so I have no idea if it's a comedy or not. I'd like to see it and find out. not that they are subtle about the name of the movie or it's agent. Richard Dagger, indeed.

GoKaiger 16: Clash! Sentai vs Sentai

well, not quite, but it's a pretty good episode once the talking is out of the way.

as Marvelous decides if he will give up the keys and the Galleon in exchange for his friends, he remembers the turning point in his life.  he meets this man, who says he is not AkaRed, but I don't know if I believe that.

The Monitors (1969)

occasionally the TV Guide would be completely wrong about a movie in their descriptive blurbs.  this movie was labeled "sci-fi" or something akin to that, when it should have been satire. 

Spartan Dog! funny trailer

I haven't actually seen this movie in quite some time, but it came up on a list of spy movies. watching some of the action without the sound, I think I'd like to see the original as well, looks pretty good. but then I have come to greatly enjoy those types of simpler action movies.

Happy Birthday, Godzilla!

this shot is a capture from the new Media Blasters Blu-Ray disc of Destroy All Monsters.  looks great, and will obviously inspire me to buy one of those players in the near future.

anyway, it's Godzilla's 57th birthday.  seems like it was just yesterday that it was the 50th celebration and all.

Murderer's Row (1966)

I was looking for The Silencers trailer, since it was the first in the four Matt Helm movies done with Dean Martin, but I couldn't find it on youtube. I have the four movie DVD pack but haven't watched the rest of them yet. the first one was a lot of fun.

Ultraman 17: Passport to Infinity

one of the weirdest Ultraman episodes ever.  possibly the most bizarre monster he fights, a stone thing that alters reality.  it's called Bullton in the Japanese version, but who knows why.  Sir Yesterday is the scientist who gets to experience it first.

more Thor (2011) review

I quite enjoyed this movie.  it was more fun seeing Thor interact with his new human friends on Earth than the whole Asgardian nonsense that was needed to propel the story forward, but for an "origin" movie it was pretty good.  Gotta love a Destroyer who looks like it was mostly a man in a suit enhanced with CG instead of all CG, but don't quote me on that.  it was effective.

Our Man Flint (1966)

possibly the best of the spy spoofs, and a good movie to boot. James Coburn is a highly unusual spy in Derek Flint, but that works to the advantage of the movie. it's naturally filled with gorgeous women, including Gila Golan among others. a cabal of scientists are blackmailing the world with a weather controlling machine. Flint is sent in to stop them.

All Riders Let's Go Kamen Riders (preview)

I'm not familiar with Den-O at all, but it appears time travel is a major factor in that series.  that always leads to trouble!  this is just a preview, as I haven't watched the entire movie.

Flashman opening

here's the opening of a spy/hero spoof. I reviewed the movie here, a while back. it really is a fun movie, and Flashman himself is not one of the thieves who sort of become heroes by accident. the music to the opening is really great. I think there will be a lot of movies from Italy featured this month. but that's just a guess on my part...

November is Spy Month!

 this month I've decided to showcase some cool spy movies.  at least fun spy movies, anyway.  don't look for big budget Bond movies though, they are every where.

this should be fun!