Rare Flix: Egyptian Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (aka Ismael Yassin Meets Frankenstein)

Holy Remake, Batman!  Today's Film is Ismael Yassin Meets Frankenstein aka Mercy, Please, a 1954 Film from Egypt.  It is my first Egyptian Film!  Yes, I've done Films Shot in and/or set in Egypt, but not one from there.  So yeah, the Film is known by many names.  I used the unofficial Title to make me more likely to get hits.  The official Title is Mercy, Please, but...where's the fun in that?  It is a Remake of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, a much more famous 1948 Film.  So what is the Plot?  It is the same Plot as Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.  If you don't know the famous Universal Film, it is the swan song of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man.  Plus, it features Vincent Price('s voice) at the end.  This one features all of those Monsters...since it is the same Film (just about).  It Stars Abdel Fatah Al Kasri, the man behind...some Movies that I've never seen.  It is the first Egyptian Film here, so what do you expect?  To find out how this one actually is, read on...

Egyptian Abbott & Costello are bigger, louder and bigger-faced than ever.  Plus, they got the 'fat guy-skinny guy' dynamic wrong!

So the Plot is pretty much the same.  Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula get shipped in.  Comedy sometimes ensues.

Egyptian Bela Lugosi is alright, but he's no Spanish-Language Bela Lugosi.

In this one, they want to switch the brain in the Monster in order to find out the secrets of how it works, so...they can get rich.  Frankenstein is now Bakhtour too.

Eh, it is still better than Van Helsing (and the Cartoon Prequel).

Their Wolfman has a very cheap effect.  No dissolve effect- he just either has no fur or is totally covered in fur.

I could highlight how they do the famous bit of Costello sitting in the Monster's lap, but I'd rather highlight how silly the mask looks.  It is just one piece!

Since this Film is Egyptian (theoretically), they had to work a Mummy in...by just misnaming the Monster.

Fun Fact: the actual Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein was *supposed* to have The Mummy.  You have to wait until Monster Squad, Mummy!

Just like in the American Version, the evil Lady is thrown through a window.  This time, it is clearly paper mache and balsa wood.

Sadly, this one doesn't feature Vincent Price('s voice).  It does use the same joke...only he's a Genie or something.  It's not Racist- they rub a lamp first!  The End.

Basically the same Movie.  The replacements are louder- at least the Costello one is.  Honestly, Egyptian Abbott is pretty much the same.  He does have a Hitler mustache though- in 1954, no less!  On the plus side, he's a less annoying copycat than the guy from Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.  Speaking of Bela, his replacement is pretty good.  What I find odd is the way that they changed the Story.  Dracula's goal is somewhat the same, but I'm not sure why he needs to be rich.  I guess that Castle doesn't pay for itself- even if it is a Family Estate.  I'm also not sure why they refer to the Monster as a Mummy either.  Incidentally, they play the Wolfman stuff as him having 'Episodes' and reacting even when he hears a wolf's cry.  I don't know about you, but I hear a wolf crying out far less than once a month!  Egypt must be full of roaming Wolves.  Regardless, this is a pretty basic copy, but still a fun piece of Film History.  Bud & Lou were just too much for Egypt, I guess.  As for their silly Monster, well, he reminds me of a few creatures...

Next up, I dig into the collection of random-ass stuff I've been piling up.  Mystery is fun for you AND me.  Stay tuned...

Rare Flix: Japanese Wolfman (aka Wolfguy- Enraged Lycanthrope)

This Wolfman sure isn't as mopey as Lon Chaney Jr!  Today's Film is Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope, a 1975 Action-Horror Film with the man, the myth and the legend Sonny Chiba.  I was looking for a true Film featuring a Universal-style Wolfman, but this is close enough.  The Story isn't at all like the Universal Films in any way, shape or form.  Hell, Chiba never really grows fur.  Alas, no excuse for #FurryChiba.  If you want a more classic Japanese Werewolf, you'll have to watch the Kibakichi Films.  In this Film, Chiba is investigating a series of mysterious and strange deaths.  The solution is...not at all what you might expect.  This Story is a bizarre mish-mash of elements from Action to Rape-Revenge to Supernatural to Gory Horror.  This Film is nothing if it is not unpredictable!  While this is a disappointment as far as me wrapping up my Universal Japan set, it was still quite interesting.  To see how crazy this can be, read on..

In Tokyo, a man is running screaming through the Street.  In an Alley, he is suddenly all slashed up by an unseen figure!

 Our Hero- Chiba- learns that this is one of many recent deaths.  All of the victims- Mobsters.

He goes to work on the case, but his Boss tells him to be careful.  Thanks for shooting it like this...

So here's what happened....

This lady was dating a rich guy's son, but he didn't want her to.  As such, he hired some Mobsters to rape her and gave her Syphilis.  Joy.

Speaking of back stories, our Hero gets his- he's from a Tribe of Werewolves, but all were slaughtered.  Alright then.

Now the extra crazy part: the raped Lady can now summon a Tiger Spirit to kill you if she has rage in her heart against you.  Some evil Businessmen want to use her and our hero.

When he declines, they cut him open.  Don't worry- he can just will his guts back in and his wounds closed.  'Werewolf' Karate Fight!

He escapes back home and meets a woman from his past.  As 'luck' would have it, the bad guys arrive right after Chiba killed some Hunters and is with the woman.

Before our 'victim' can kill him, she's shot by the other woman...who is also shot.

Chiba kills the final bad guys like Toonces- complete with a car rolling down a hill- and throws his gun away.  Alright then.  The End.

Damn crazy.  Damn random.  Damn...fun.  The whole thing is just plain bonkers.  A Werewolf Reporter is investigating murders caused by the angry spirit of a rape victim channeling a tiger.  Words fail me, Gentlemen.  Sonny Chiba is here and he kicks ass.  This Movie has lots of blood.  A Tiger Spirit.  What else do I have to say?  It is available online if you know where to look, so start looking.  Don't make me sic Tony on you...

Next up, I swap Countries, but not the Universal theme.  In this case, we get a Remake from...the Middle East?  Stay tuned...

Father's Dei: Invisible Dad

After a month of sitting on this one, it is good to exhale!  Today's Film is Invisible Dad, a 1998 Comedy that I...accidentally rented way too early.  I'd considered this before, but couldn't get it out of Very Long Wait (mostly because there is probably like 5 copies of this left) in time.  This time, I put in my Queue back in May and...got it right away. Dammit?  Rather than keep this in my House for that long (even though I've *owned* far worse Films for Years), I watched it right away and just saved the Pics.  Thankfully, my general disdain for the Film has held as well.  It isn't really, truly terrible, but it is the kind of stuff that was deemed 'safe' Family Entertainment when I was younger.  Like 2 Decades later, I still can't believe that we couldn't watch Spaceballs on a trip(since they said 'assholes'), but we could watch My Dog Skip (which was TWO Scenes of a Dog being attacked).  Logic!  We also watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which has the Leads kidnap 7 women and hold them against their will...but its alright since they fell in love with the men during that time.  Bill Cosby is more romantic than you guys!  Speaking of famous Dads, this Story involves a kid with a magical machine, corporate espionage (yea?) and rare Treasure Hunters.  It also has Ross Hagen.  It is also good to see a Kid's Film from the Director of Bikini Hoe-Down, Illicit Dreams 2 and Bikini Drive-In- all Films he Directed under pseudonyms right around the same time as this one.  To find out just how silly and bad this whole thing can be, read on...

This kid has the usual 90s Kid Movies Problems- No Mom, Dad moves around all the time and that Dad is always working.

You may laugh, but many of you had that haircut back then...

Their new House has some crazy Inventor's old stuff in it, which the Computer-loving son loves.

In the Garage, he finds a device that grants your wishes...if you say them into a wired headset.  Instead of wishing for Bluetooth about 5 years early, he wishes for stuff like Ice Cream and...an Actress from a Baywatch-like Show to be teleported into his Room (against her will).

Baywatch- nothing about this Film is dated!

The Dad gets on him about not doing housework and tells him to take apart the machine.  Before that happens, the kid wishes to 'not see him for awhile' leading to him turning invisible.

Yes, they took a MAGIC WISH MACHINE just to set up the Invisibility.  Was a Formula too cliche?

In Kid's Film Plot Thread #17, the single Dad is hooked up with the kid's Teacher.  She takes the news well.

 The crux of the Plot comes down to the Scientist's buddy coming to help fix the machine.  Hey, it is the Sheriff from Curse of the Puppet Master!

 Despite being only about 80 minutes, the Film feels like it goes on forever.  Let me rush to the end...

The Evil Contractor Sub-Plot ends when the Boss (Karen Black!) learns that his bricks are fake.

The Evil Guys Want to Steal the Machine Sub-Plot ends with...this.

The Dad is restored, him and the Teacher are a couple and the good Scientist...uses the Machine to kidnap the Actress from Not Baywatch again.  Hurray?  The End.

Contrived and routine stuff.  In a time when Pixar was making Films that were more than just Kids Films, leave it to Fred Olen Ray to return the status quo.  This is really obvious stuff.  The Invisible Dad parts are just the set-up for obvious gags like kicking a guy in the butt, knocking food into people's face and all of that kind of stuff.  Even in 1998, this was pretty dated stuff.  It would have almost been less dated if they had just stopped to do Who's On First? instead!  It is still hard to get past the idea that they introduce a WISH GRANTING MACHINE and do so little with it.  An Adolescent Boy can't do anything better than wishing for Ice Cream, to meet an Actress and to ask Sam Spade to help him write a Book Report?!?  There are good Movies- those that deep, serious and/or insightful.  There are 'Popcorn Movies'- those that are pure fluff, but fun nonetheless.  Somewhere below that is the kind of Film that doesn't try to be deep, serious or insightful & isn't that fun nonetheless either.  This is a Spam Film- it isn't tasty or interesting, but it is technically a Film.  It does give me an attempt to make this Meme happen though...

Damn silly and contrived stuff.  Kids of the 90s got some good stuff...but this isn't one of those Films.

Rare Import Flix: The Invisible Man vs The Human Fly

Someone beat the guy from Ant-Man to his plan by nearly 50 years!  

Today's Film is The Invisible Man vs The Human Fly, a 1957 pick from Japan.  

It actually *isn't* a follow-up to The Invisible Man Appears or The Invisible Man (an unrelated 1954 Film that has never been released outside of Japan).  Japan is confusing, right?  

In this Film, a pair of Scientists find a different way to make you invisible- light rays.  Meanwhile, someone has invented an even sillier technology for Michael Douglas to steal and claim as his own.  A rash of murders takes place in Japan and both technologies are coming into play.  

Its Director is Mitsuo Murayama, a man whose Credits on IMDB are a series of filler pages with almost no details.  Help us out, Japanese IMDB Users.  

Is this one good enough to get more information about it?  To find out, read on...

The first of a series of 'Locked Room Murders' happens- this time on a Plane.  

Investigation time!

In Plot B, people at a really fake and silly-looking building have found a way to make you invisible without going crazy.  

Why didn't you use that one, Kevin Bacon?!?

Another murder happens- this time in a Public Park in broad (no pun intended) daylight.  

The culprit?

This tiny dude in a tree!  

Can you even see him?

This is The Human Fly, not to be confused with that guy who climbs buildings, the guy who got his own Marvel Comic, the obscure Hero or that D-List Spider-Man Villain.

If you want to know how he can fly, well...he is just so light...or something.

Science!

The Invisibility Ray works and some debate takes place over whether to use it to help stop the murders.  

If nothing else, you can create the Bohemian Rhapsody Video.

Will you do the Fandango?

While trying to take out the next target, our villain manages to...fly into a bunch of acid.  

Ouch.

He's also not dead.

Not to be stopped, he starts a new plan (with his Boss): to blow up stuff until he gets his demands!

That's...a plan.

After a trade and a shoot-out, the Villain is caught by...our Invisible Woman.  

Who said that Sue Storm was useless again?  The End.

Fun stuff, but also a bit too silly at times.  

The Human Fly- what can you say about this?  He shrinks down, makes a buzzing sound and flies around without wings.  

If he wasn't killing people, he'd be hilarious.  Actually, he still kind of is.  

How does he fly again?  He just does.  Science!  Does he have to make that noise?  It is all just so damn ridiculous. 

Considering how serious they play up the Invisibility angle, this one is especially funny.  Just imagine if there was one guy in the X-Men Films who got his powers from being bitten by a Leprechaun- it would stand out.  

The overall serious Tone of the Film also makes the Human Fly stuff feel extra silly.  With that said, the Film is still pretty good.  The Invisibility effects are actually quite good- shows what 8 years can do.  

All in all, the Film is a fun one to track down- you just have to accept the silliness of the villain.  He does do what most of us what do with these powers though...

Next up, I keep this Invisible Theme within a Theme going for this Holiday.  After over a month of waiting, I can finally talk about this one!  Stay tuned...

Universal Japan: The Invisible Man Appears

Leave it to Japan to even make their own Title sound silly!  

Today's Film is The Invisible Man Appears, a 1949 Japanese Film 'inspired' by Universal's Film Series.  

This isn't a very overt redo (like Evil of Dracula), since the preceding Films involved Scientists on the run, Scientists solving a murder, a Shopgirl fighting crime, fighting the Nazis and finally one just being a crazy man.  There are way more of these Films than most people realize! 

 It is kind of funny to think that we made a Film about an Invisible Man fighting against the Axis Powers in 1942 and then Japan would make their only Film only seven years later!  History is fun.  

In this Film, a guy is experimenting with an Invisibility Formula (for no reason), two guys doing a similar Formula and a love-triangle that is forced in.  Yes, it does drive the Plot, but it was still pretty route in 1949.  Oh well.  

To find out if this Film matches up to the Universal ones, read on...

This Film is subtle, playing this quote at the beginning and the end.  

Get it?  

GET IT?!?

An old Scientist has created a Formula that can turn Animals invisible.  

Finally- invisible Dobermans!

To the Film's credit, most of the Invisibility effects work well (see the Stinger).  

Cute kitty.

After setting up the Love Triangle, the Formula and the obviously evil guy, the Scientist is kidnapped.

I am shocked.

"Use your hate.  

Let it drive you.  

I mean...um, this line."

The driving point for this Film- a fancy necklace.  That's it.

I know your post-WWII Economy was rough (sorry about that- U.S.A), but this is still kind of silly, right?

Despite being made nearly 70 years ago, the Film's portrayal of Media Coverage is spot-on though.

Rupert Murdoch at least look old enough to be blamed for this.

In the end, it turns out that the obviously-going-to-turn-evil guy was tricked into doing all of this by the truly-evil guy all along.

What?!?

He kills the villain...but is too far gone and gets killed by the Police.  

In what is supposed to be a sad sentiment, all I can see is someone being a bit self-centered.  Oh well. The End.

Pretty run of the mill stuff, but solid.  

This one kind of falls into the same category of Evil of Dracula for me.  It tells the Story well, has some good moment and works overall.  It just didn't 'wow' me as much as I was hoping.  

The Story is good, giving some decent twists and turns.  They do the whole 'withhold information from the audience' thing, which is kind of a cheat though.  The Film does play with the Invisibility angle well, having some obvious moments in which it is used.  

Aside from those, it has people *pretend* to be the Invisible Man as well, which is a nice wrinkle.  This is still a story about someone going way out of their way to steal a necklace though.  

He must have really wanted that bauble!  To do so, he commits several more crimes, drives a guy to crime, drives a guy crazy and ultimately leads to a few deaths.  

I guess just putting on a mask was out of the question!  

Granted- knowing that a guy has an Invisibility Formula would be tempting.  

However, it is ultimately just used for one robbery plan.  Previous Invisible Men sought to conquer the world (original), clear their name from murder (sequel) and turn the tide of WWII (later sequel).  It just seems like kind of a low-aiming scheme, that's all.  

Speaking of aiming low, can I ask why there is string tied to that table cloth?  Oh, it is for your effect, isn't it?

Next up, another Universal-inspired Film from Japan.  This one is a bit less direct, but I'm doing it anyways.  Stay tuned...