Tubi Thursday: Day the World Ended (1955)

 As a reminder, last week's Film was a confusingly titled Remake of this Film.

I thought 'You either watch this now or never,' so it's a case of Deja Vu here with...

This original film gives us a few glimpses of the other survivors as they seek shelter and THEN the House with the Father and Daughter.

Richard Denning- aka the blond jerk from Creature from the Black Lagoon- is our Lead here as the good Brother.

Like last time, the duo are mourning the apparent loss of her offscreen and only in a picture fiancee with the residency goes from 2 people to 7!

At least this Dad doesn't look like her Grandpa instead.

The group gathers and the Dad explains that they must ration food to survive until the radiation goes away.

So... several years then?

In this one, he explains via a map why the area is safe, but in the Remake he brought out a diorama (that I guess he made in his spare time).

Both also likely inspired by the Plot of '70s YA Novel Z for Zachariah (and its odd Film adaptation)

Weeks pass by means of the dialog simply telling us that they did.  I guess nothing of note happened, eh?

The Brother- who should have died from the rads- is mutating and this reminds the Dad of Animals he saw mutated via the H-Bomb.

Both versions feature a description of a monkey's skin turning into metal and never showing it.  Boo!

The Brother keeps wandering off (Scenes mostly omitted) and killing game in the area...but so does a barely seen creature!

The Cast dwindles as personal conflicts and tragedy (like the death of a Donkey named Diablo) lead to their deaths.

The Jerk Guy is just as bad here AND he looks like he was auditioning to be Sean Connery's Stunt Double (several years too early).

Eventually, the main creature- they only state that there is one here and not many- kills another mutated guy and then the Brother.

He was at Stage 1 of the change and this fella was at Stage 3 (of 3?)

It finally all comes to a head as the Creature fulfills the quote by carrying the unconscious lady (as regular Suit Designer/Performer Paul Blaisdell did a few times).

Our Hero saves her and hides in the Lake at her suggestion.
The pure water is poison to the creature and the rain kills him.

Dad kills the Jerk Guy and then dies from radiation poisoning (he seemed fine a minute earlier) and the duo walk out into the new world.

The Beginning.

It's like buying one of those dollar store burgers you heat up vs. going to a good (but not great) restaurant for a real burger.

The basics are all the same.

The Plot- even in that Remake- had potential.  

This one does slightly more with it, at least.  It made you feel for the Leads and even the less than pristine Ruby.
The Jerk Guy is still a jerk and our Hero is still pretty milquetoast though.

The Film was not a huge budget affair (about $96,000) and shot quickly (10 days), but looks and feels more expensive than the Remake.

The Creature is a fun oddity too.  Blaisdell didn't realize that the suit was porous btw, so he nearly drowned in his own creation!

Day the World Ended doesn't break the mold or define the Genre, but it is good for fans of the pulp stuff and is notable for being Corman's first Sci-Fi Film.

The original is far better than the Remake.  Thankfully for my sanity, it was a generally decent to good Film all around for its time.

Tubi Thursday: TNT Jackson (1974)

 Let me hit two events at once here!

In honor of Black History Month and the beginning of Chinese New Year, I present...

In a Cold Open, a black man is killed by some bad guys and ends up onstage during a Show!

TNT Jackson comes to Hong Kong and pretty much immediately finds trouble!

She meets up with a guy named Joe Wong, who agrees to help her.

This Film was originally Written by Dick Miller to be made in China, but was then rewritten to be shot in The Phillipines.

As such, Joe actually gets TOP BILLING on that version- Dynamite Joe Wong and TNT Jackson.

He'd also hold Elected Office in his hometown of Makati!

Jackson reveals to him that the dead guy from the beginning was her Brother.

He agrees to help her get close to the bad guys, since they were likely the culprits.

Said bad guys include Charlie (left) and, of course, the Token White Bad Guy.

They deal in drugs, but are running into issues.

All but Charlie immediately blame TNT for this...for no good reason!

She proves herself to Charlie in a fight and he agrees to hire her.

However, she's then not there for the next drug drop (at Charlie's request).

Lots of chopping.
Lots of shooting.

It all comes down to TNT Jackson vs. Charlie again and she basically reenacts how Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon- just with her fist alone.

Also, as these usually go, the Film just immediately ends right there.
Kind of like this.

A fun time, even if it is shallower than a puddle.

Long stretches of this Film are people circling each other and fighting.
It is fun.  There's just SO much of it.

They occasionally stop for the Plot- which involves the blonde lady being a Cop- and then it is back to fighting.

Our Lead- Jeanne/Jeannie Bell- looks good and bad here.  Her fake fighting looks very fake, but she does look good while doing it.  
She's apparently an Instagram Fitness Influencer going into her 80s, so good for her.

This is pure exploitation fun for 42nd Street or to watch between making out at a Drive-In.  Don't expect anything complex or deep her.

Thems the breaks.

A fun bit of exploitation and mindless violence.  Lots of real fighting, lots of fake fighting and everything you'd expect from a Movie from this time and with this Title.

Tubi Thursday: The Unborn (1991)

 With all of this talk about IVF in the News, let's watch a Horror Film about it.

It's sure to be less scary than watching the 6 o'clock news!

A pregnant lady starts freaking out in bed.

She spills paint on her stomach...I mean, she dies from something.

The actual Plot involves a lady- Brooke Adams- who really wants to be Pregnant.
She's had 2 miscarriages and has some medical problems related to that.

In spite of that, she's encouraged by...

Dr. James Karen?!?

Okay, so he's evil.
We all know that, right?

She gets the procedure and it seems to be a success.

She meets up with some future victims...I mean, other ladies also 'knocked up' by this same Doctor's work.

Kathy Griffin gets killed, so this should appease some Trump Voters.

She experiences all sorts of problems physically, from strange feelings to a neck rash to possible hallucinations.

Her fellow ladies also experience some serious problems, like death, more death and, you know, death.

She takes some drastic steps to end this situation- if you catch my drift.

She finally gets the truth from her Husband and later Karen.
She learns that he's making 'super babies' that will replace us.

She takes it well.

To find out how this plays out, stream it now...

A real slow burn of a Film- but it does take less than 9 months.
See what I did there?

Seriously, the Film plays this super-seriously and it sure is...a choice.  It feels so much like what would become a Hallmark Movie about a decade or so later.

Brooke Adams is a good Actress.  She does good with what she has.
The problem is that the Film is some sort of weird mix of a Medical Drama, a Sci-Fi Plot and, I guess, The Stepford Wives.

Side-note- it's funny to see the Film cut around Adams' Nudity in a couple of Scenes, given the famous TV Edit for Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

When the Film finally gets to its point, you've waited a while, been confused, been concerned and then it turns into It's Alive.
I was hoping for a bigger twist- Demons or Aliens, honestly- and this wasn't great.

At least there's a Sequel for me to either watch soon or forget about for 11 years.

Weirder still, the most famous person to come out of this is...The Lady who takes the Husband to leave his 'sample.'
Go figure.

A Film that sure takes a while to really get interesting.  When it finally does, however, it's all kinds of silly.

Tubi Thursday: Teenage Caveman (1958)

 The late Roger Corman made so many Films as both a Director and Producer that I've yet to see them all.

Well, I wanted a quick Film to squeeze into my Schedule, so let's check out...

A young man- Robert Vaughn, who is 26- lives in a Tribe with a bunch of Cavemen (and Women).

However, he's questioning all of the rules.

Don't go past this place?  Why not?
Don't explore?  Why not?
Buy a second shoulder strap or just abandon this top?  Why?!?

This puts him into conflict with his Parents- he's a Nepo Caveman Baby TBF- and some of the other Cavemen.

He 'breaks the law' by exploring and one of the men dies...when he just can't grab a damn stick and sinks in a river.

What will this lead to?

In spite of being given a Wife, he still has to explore.

He confronts the strange creature he saw earlier, while the Tribe comes for him.
A Deus Ex Caveman drops a rock on the creature...

...and it turns out to be a survivor of the Nuclear War.

Yes, they weren't the Caveman you thought they were- they were the survivors of a Nuclear War that reset.

Only a beast (that was actually a man) was keeping them from leaving.

Wait- did Roger Corman make The Village in 1958?!?!?!?!?

***What a twist!***

This is a famously bad Film.  Robert Vaughn hated it.  MST3K covered it in 1991.

I don't...hate it?

It's not great.  I think the Title does it a disservice because Vaughn was one of those guys that looked mature early, so him just 9 years too old to be a 'Teenager' does look worse than it is.

Blame AIP- they changed the Title to sell it to 'the kids these days' (over 60 years ago).

I'm not going to tell you that this Film is amazing.  The semi-Remake sure isn't.  If anything, THAT Film is more dated.

It is pretty cheesy.  The dinosaur effects are laughable and/or Stock Footage.  The way they show Vaughn 'hunt' (he throws something off camera and picks up a stuffed animal) is silly.

The Ending is pretty clever, even if it is heavier handed than that Rockbiter fellow.

That said, there were some good things...

A Film that is really famous for being bad.  That said- it is a bit heavy-handed and slow-paced, but not terrible.  *shrugs*

Tubi Thursday: The Arena (1974)

 Well, I teased this one last week with zero idea if this was on Tubi or not.
As you probably guessed, it is.

Let's go to Rome...

In Ancient Rome, a bunch of people are being captured as Slaves.

A very-1950s Gay Character (this Film was made in 1974, as a reminder) buys our Heroines up.

They have to do all of the usual jobs- Housework, Entertainment and the like.

Shockingly, this is not good for them.

Their 'owner' also runs a Gladiatorial Arena (even though they only built about half of it) and makes them work around it.

They do namedrop Spartacus, by the way.

Weirdly, this Film marketed around 'hot ladies fighting' tries to milk TONS of drama and pathos.

With the crowds wanting more (and inspired by watching Grier and Markova fight in the kitchen), they decide to make the ladies into Gladiators.

This 'crazy' idea was a real thing.  After all, Gladiatrix is a thing.
Even Spell Check didn't mind the word.

Markova has a plan- get their freedom!

They get the help of the Trainer, who just lost his lady (also a slave).

Will they overthrow the rich elite?
Will they fight the powers that be?

More importantly, will Markova survive to the Credits this time around?

To find out, stream this weirdly serious Film now.

It's not bad, but it sure isn't great either.  Considering what you were expecting though, is that a surprise?

This one is all about Ladies fighting in a Gladiatorial Arena.  Were you expecting Oppenheimer?

That said, they definitely tried to make this WAY MORE of a Drama than I was expecting.  It is definitely an Exploitation Film- no question!- but it also tries to make commentary about how bad that all is.

I guess you can have your cake and eat it too if your Film takes place before that expression was coined.

Don't expect amazing Acting here, though Grier and company do honestly try.  Again- it was more than I was expecting.  Everyone gets an Arc (small as it may be) to their Character.

The Film is a good example of how you can make a Film like this, add more depth and still not lose the appeal.  It wasn't like, for instance, making a fun Horror Film about Witches in a Ballet School into a nearly 3-hour slog.

Mind you, the 2001 Remake is probably lacking much of the subtext and characterization...

A kind-of fun Film that really tries to make you feel drama and all that stuff.  You can take it or leave it, but I do kind of like it.

'90s Trash: The Wasp Woman (1995)

 Before I do a long-needed Omnibus for a Series of Corman-adjacent Films, I need to check this one off of the list.

Do you remember a Film called The Wasp Woman?  Neither do I.
That 1959 Film was Remade in 1995- weird number flip there, no?  Does that mean that a descendant of George Lucas will remake Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2080?  Sign me up!

The Plot involves a woman dealing with aging in the only logical way possible- injecting herself with an experimental formula.  This is before Botox became a thing, so that tracks!

As you can guess from the Title, things don't go well.  Will this Showtime-produced Remake go better?  To find out, read on...

In the Cold Open, a random lady decides to ignore a warning about Wasps in the area to go on a jog...in that looks like a one-piece bathing suit.  Okay.

She's killed, so is she the Title Character?

Nope.   None of that mattered- at all.

The actual Title Character is this Model/Business Owner who shows off her own products, but is, gasp, aging.

She hears the Assistant Photographer bad-mouthing her and... just kind of gets sad.

On top of that, they need an Investor- for reasons unexplained- and he also wants a 'new, fresh face' for the brand.

That guy on the right is a classic That Guy Actor, most notably for being in lots of Jim Wynorski Films.

A Scientist is testing some sort of formula involving yadda yadda wasp venom yadda yadda reversing aging.  Do you really think that tracks?

Our Heroine is interested, but wants concrete proof, so he tests it on an alley cat.

Said cat becomes a kitten within a day, so she agrees to help fund the research...and test it on herself.

Unbeknownst to her, said kitten has now become...giggle...a cat-wasp (basically a big, furry wasp).

It *kind of* attacks the guy who was mean to it once and was bringing in the Wasps to test on (and the only connection to that random Opening Kill).

Said attack makes him swerve...and another car swerves and a big explosion?!?

Within a couple of days, the serum works on our Heroine and everyone fawns over her new (read: actual face without make-up) look.

At a bar, she runs across the guy who called her old-looking and takes him home for 'snoo-snoo.'

She transforms- in a very 90s way, it happens via digital morphing- into a full-on Wasp Woman!

She goes on a slow, but steady ramage of killing the men in her life that were kind of awful to her.

That includes her Second-in-Command (who tried to steal secrets) and the Investor guy.

Her great and helpful boyfriend- who's also named Alec- knows that something is wrong and manages to stop her from killing the young Model they hired to replace her.

They say that they will figure things out.

The End?

Nope- she decides to go after the Assistant (who she once imagined was hitting on Alec) and tries to kill her...in a Cave. 
Just go with it.

She realizes how much she has done and changed as the duo run from her...before the Assistant runs back with dynamite to blow her up.

What a pal. 
The End.

Was it great?  No, it's a Jim Wynorski Creature Feature that was made for Showtime.
Was it good?  Same answer.

That's not to say that there was NOTHING good here.  There was some stuff to like.

Jennifer Rubin- when she's not turning into a monster- is good here, playing both sad and over-the-moon happy at different times.  The Actors all do a good to decent job here.

The big draw is, of course, the Special Effects.  I appreciated the use of Practical F/X to make the creature.  That morph- while not terrible- does date the Film quite a bit.  Other than the fact that they gave the giant Wasp cleavage, it's quite nice.

I take alot of issues with the logistics here.  Why does she never transform partway- like growing antennae or wings- and only fully into a creature?  Would that transition effect be too expensive?

Another little issue- the Soundtrack.  They have like 2 pieces of 'dramatic music,' so it gets kind of tiresome to hear by the end.

All in all, the Film is about what you'd expect.  They throw in random 'Skinemax' Sex Scenes that are otherwise pointless, tell a silly Plot and nobody learns anything.  Oh, Hi Director!

Next up, let's return to form.  Let's see what I can dig up.  Stay tuned...