The Bloody Pit

John Hudson and I take on a classic Blaxploitation film!  TRUCK TURNER (1974) stars the great Isaac Hayes as the titular character, a modern-day bounty hunter in Los Angeles. Along with his partner he tracks down people for bail bondsmen which is a far more dangerous job than you might expect. Sadly, this is the only lead role Hayes was ever afforded and it was offered to him so the producers could also get him to provide the film’s score. Luckily for fans, he handles both creative opportunities well. In fact, I find the music he supplies for this film to be superior to his Oscar winning SHAFT score. Check it out and let us know what you think. There has been an ongoing conversation about the best Blaxploitation films for decades but nearly every fan will put this film in their top five. It plays like a western set in the 1970’s with bad guys getting their comeuppance in suitable, violent ways. The story is fast paced and exciting with plenty of colorful characters peppering the trail Truck follows while dealing with scumbags. The film was originally written for a very different cast in mind but, once the change was made, the collaborative spirit of the production made for a satisfying film. Besides Hayes as Mack ‘Truck’ Turner the cast is stacked with excellent character actors such as Scatman Crothers, Charles Cyphers, Dick Miller, Sam Lewis and a brilliant villain role for the great Yaphet Kotto. Plus, if you ever wondered what it would be like to see Lt. Uhura from Star Trek whip a stable of prostitutes into line, this is your chance. Whew! If you have any comments about this movie or any other film we’ve covered on the show [email protected] is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon. 

DESTINY (1944) is easily among the most hidden cinema efforts of the 1940’s. It has had no legitimate video release of any kind and hasn’t been shown on television in decades which means it is difficult to find and nearly impossible to stumble across. We consider that a shame because the higher quality elements of the film are well worth seeing. Constructed from a discarded segment of an anthology of supernatural tales and paired with newly shot noirish footage to bring it up to feature length it is an odd viewing experience. Join Troy Guinn and I as we discuss the film’s high points and odd plotting choices while marveling at the amazing work done in final act of the story. We talk a bit about the actors with some time spent on the familiar faces from Universal’s roster of supporting thespians. The film’s attempt to craft a story to use the existing footage is pulled apart and examined for its various flaws including the evolution of the main character from dopey patsy to murderer and rapist. We stare longingly into the sightless eyes of the lovely Gloria Jean and wonder how such a perceptive young woman could miss noticing the obvious louse that blunders into her home. And while both of us wish the story had remained in FLESH & FANTASY (1943) where it belongs, we would still pay good money to see a crisp Blu-Ray of this strange effort to salvage money the studio had already spent. What do you think of DESTINY (1944)? Drop us a note at [email protected] with any comments or suggestions. Thanks for listening!

David Annandale and I walk back down Poverty Row just after the attack on Pearl Harbor to watch one of the most confusing and strange attempts at wartime propaganda a low budget studio could produce. BLACK DRAGONS (1942) has Bela Lugosi as a mysterious, menacing man who seems to be on a mission of revenge. But what does he have to do with the corpses that keep popping up on the steps of the Japanese embassy in Washington? Will FBI agent Clayton Moore be able to figure things out or will he spend his time chasing Joan Barclay around her uncle/father’s house until all the characters are dead? And how does David find a way to link Christopher Nolan and Bela Lugosi? Listen and learn! BLACK DRAGONS is probably the oddest of the nine films Lugosi made for Poverty Row film producers and certainly the one with the most unintentionally funny dialog. Just as it was about to go into production the decision was made to shoehorn in topical plot elements ripped from the headlines. This means that the original reason behind events in the script has been lost leaving bits of their probable supernatural nature flapping around in the film. This is the only explanation I can imagine for the never addressed ability of Lugosi’s Monsieur Colomb to seemingly teleport in and out of moving taxicabs! But David has an interesting take on the film as a bizarre treatise on the subject of ‘acting’ both onscreen and within the structure of the story. His idea is a bold way to look at the picture as a whole and certainly makes it more entertaining as you try to figure out what the hell is happening at any point in the film’s hourlong running time. Rarely has such a barely planned collection of quirks and gaffs been so mesmerizing! If you have any comments about this movie or any other film we’ve covered on the show [email protected] is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.

The best laid plans of mice and me are often undermined by circumstance. In this case I was unable to arrange events to record a new episode of the show for February so I had to come up with a backup plan. I have stitched together a few of my Patreon audio pieces from the past two years for a brief bit of movie discussion to tide you over. I start with an obscure British monster film with one of the most ridiculous explanations for the murderous creature in the history of horror. I move on to ramble about the TV version of NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) and how I cannot be satisfied! Then I wrap up things with an extended evisceration of the Children of the Corn film series that poses the question ‘Are any of these any good at all’? I hope you enjoy these bits from my Patreon and if you want access to more than a hundred more such babble fests you can hand over $3 and check it out HERE. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back with fresh movie talk in March.

SPACE MONSTER WANGMAGWI (1967) has been hidden from view for decades. Locked away in a South Korean film vault since its original release and unseen by giant monster fans outside of rare Seoul screenings, it qualifies as a newly recovered cinematic experience. But is it a movie that stands honorably next to the other giant monster movies of the 1960’s? Does it even compare well with 1967’s other Korean rampaging monster film, YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP? Mark Maddox and I have thoughts. Exasperated thoughts.  We discuss the film is painful detail and spoil it from head to toenail. We both suspect that one of the many reasons the movie wasn’t distributed outside its home country is that, unlike YONGARY, it was shot in black & white. Of course, the fact that the film looks like it had a $50 budget would have also mitigated against anyone wanting to give it a chance. Or spend the money for an English dub! The tone of the film is a strange combination of pre-marital anxiety and childish comedy sequences that play like poor improv bits. I argue that one of the few positive elements is the usually irritating punk kid character simply because he actually factors into the fight against the mildly destructive giant monster. His climb inside the ear canal of the creature is a unique sequence in these kinds of movies and is the best reason to see this below average example of the genre. Our advice is to not expect a forgotten classic and go with the flow. Luckily (?) it is available on YouTube so you can witness the madness.  If you have any comments about this movie or any other film we have covered on the show [email protected] is the place to send them. Thank you for listening.