Thursday, May 26, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 007

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James Bond Will Return...

 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 6

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 5

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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 4

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Saturday, May 21, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 3

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 2

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Operacion Riesgo - Part 1

It's time once again that we return to the exploits of Ian Fleming's James Bond 007. A few more internet searches has uncovered the first issue of Zig Zag's James Bond comic series. Enjoy.

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Hammer Horrors

There were several movie tie-in books published for the Hammer horror films, sadly only four of them grace my collection.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Published by Popular Library in 1962.

What macabre cruse hangs of the opera house? What is the mystery of the box no one will ever enter? The Phantom of the Opera, the world's most famous tale of terror and suspense can now be viewed by millions in Universal-International's breathtaking new Technicolor film.



The Second Hammer Horror Film Omnibus by John Burke
Published by PAN Books in 1974 (2nd printing)

The Reptile
From the steaming jungles of Borneo to a remote Cornish village came the fiendish curse that turned a lovely young girl into a nameless horror.

Dracula - Prince of Darkness
Blood mingles with ashes and so becomes a life-giving force to the evil desires of a vampire.

Rasputin - The Mad Monk
Hypnotist, seducer, libertine and drunkard - he ruled the Tsar's court like a devil incarnate.

The Plague of the Zombies
Infamous Voodoo ritual casts its barbarous shadow over a village of "the undead."




Countess Dracula by Michel Parry
Published by Beagle Books in 1971

The Countess was old. But she had discovered the secret of eternal youth - a secret which spread death and despair among the peasants on her estates. After her husband's death the Countess quickly chose a young lieutenant of the Hussars to take his place in her bed.

Now a Hammer Film Production starring Ingrid Pitt, Produced by Alexander Paal, Directed by Peter Sasdy. Distributed through The Rank Organisation.



Lust For A Vampire by William Hughes
Published by Beagle Books in 1971

The ruins of Karnstein Castle rose gaunt and menacing over the small hamlet of Styria. Legend had it that every forty years the long dead Karnsteins rose from their graves to find fresh blood and new recruits for the ranks of the Undead. But legend is all too often dismissed as superstition... and now the grounds of Karnstein housed a select finishing school for young ladies.

Now a Hammer Film for Associated British Productions release through MGM - EMI Distributors Ltd. Starring Ralph Bates, Barbara Jefford, Suzanna Leigh, Michael Johnson & Yutte Stensgard. Produced by Harry Fine & Michael Style. Directed by Jimmy Sangster.



From what I've been able to find, the following movie tie-in books were also published:

The Brides of Dracula by Dean Owen
The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley
The Hammer Horror Film Omnibus by John Burke
Hands of the Ripper by Spencer Shew
Kronos by Hugh Enfield
The Lost Continent by Dennis Wheatley
The Man Who Could Cheat Death by Barre Lyndon
Quatermass and the Pit by Nigel Kneale
The Revenge of Frankenstein by Jimmy Sangster
The Scars of Dracula by Angus Hall
The Vampire Lovers by J. Sheridan le Fanu
The Witches by Peter Curtis

I have no idea if this is a complete listing, but I'd like to compile one. If anyone knows of any more Hammer Horror movie tie-ins that are not listed above, please post a comment with the title and author (if known) and it will be added to the list.

 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Best of Spaghetti Westerns

Timeless Media Group, a company I've not heard of before, certainly got my attention when they released The Best of Spaghetti Westerns: In the Tradition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly last month on DVD. With a hefty MSRP of forty bucks and a few sparse details on the Amazon.com page, I really wasn't sure if this set was worth the asking price.  A BOGO sale on Deep Discount was the answer to my problem and the set arrived in yesterday's mail. Let's take look...


The back cover...
In the spirit of such great Spaghetti Westerns as A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and For A Few Dollars More, TMG presents this blockbuster collection of some of the most rip-roarin' action packed westerns ever produced by Italian, German and Spanish directors in the badlands of Almeria, Spain.

Starring some of the most recognizable faces in Spaghetti Westerns, including Giuliano Gemma, Klaus Kinski, Anthony Steffen, Stephen Boyd and Loradana Nusciak, these 20 westerns pull no punches, and the pace never lets up.

So hitch up your gunbelts, clamp your hat down tight, and get ready for some good old fashioned Western action, Spaghetti-style!

A listing of what films are on each disc is then presented along with this frightening phrase: "Full Screen Presentation."

The Cover Art
The cover art for The Best of Spaghetti Westerns is horrible. That mean looking hombre on the front cover with the stars on his boots would not be caught dead wearing that get-up in anything but one of those lousy comedy westerns.  The cover art here makes this release blend in with all the other budget label spaghetti western collections, but forty bucks is not a budget price.

The Discs
Luckily, the set includes ten single sided, dual layer discs. They feature the cover art in different colors and list the titles on the disc, you get two movies per DVD. The discs are not numbered like they are on the back cover. The discs are held in place by what looks like a ten disc VERSApak case; they didn't go the cheap route and use paper sleeves like those Mill Creek sets.

The Menus
The set offers very basic menus with a static image, the name of the DVD set, and the selection of movies on the disc. There are no scene selections although the movies do have a few chapter stops.


The Movies
As stated on the back cover, this is a Full Screen Presentation. I guess this is technically correct as the movies are presented in widescreen, but they are not anamorphic. Luckily they're not pan & scan, which is what I fear every time I see the words "full screen" written on a DVD. Let's take a look at what films are included.

Disc One
No Room To Die (1969)
Starring: Anthony Steffen, William Berger
Directed by: Sergio Garrone
Music by: Vasili Kojucharov and Elsio Mancuso
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 97 minutes
DVD Runtime: 97 minutes


Lone and Angry Man (1965) aka A Coffin for the Sheriff
Starring: Anthony Steffen, Eduardo Fajardo
Directed by: Mario Caiano
Music by: Francesco De Masi
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 95 minutes
DVD Runtime: 85 minutes


Disc Two
Rope and the Colt (1969) aka Cemetery Without Crosses
Starring: Michèle Mercier, Robert Hossein
Directed by: Robert Hossein
Music by: André Hossein
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Original Runtime: 90 minutes
DVD Runtime: 87 minutes


In A Colt's Shadow (1965)
Starring: Stephen Forsyth
Directed by: Giovanni Grimaldi
Music by: Nico Fidenco
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 79 minutes
DVD Runtime: 78 minutes

 
Disc Three
Shanghai Joe (1973)
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Gordon Mitchell, Chen Lee
Directed by: Mario Caiano
Music by: Bruno Nicolai
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 98 minutes
DVD Runtime: 87 minutes



Return of Shanghai Joe (1975)
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Chen Lee
Directed by: Bitto Albertini
Music by: Mauro Chiari
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: Not Listed
DVD Runtime: 94 minutes



Disc Four
Charge! (1973) aka Those Dirty Dogs
Starring: Gianni Garko, Stephen Boyd
Directed by: Giuseppe Rosati
Music by: Nico Fidenco
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: Not Listed
DVD Runtime: 86 minutes



Shoot Gringo... Shoot! (1968)
Starring: Brian Kelly, Keenan Wynn, Erika Blanc
Directed by: Bruno Corbucci
Music by: Richard Ira Silver
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: Not Listed
DVD Runtime: 91 minutes



Disc Five
A Bullet For A Stranger (1971) aka They Call Him Cemetery
Starring: Gianni Garko, William Berger
Directed by: Giuliano Carnimeo
Music by: Bruno Nicolai
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 94 minutes
DVD Runtime: 88 minutes



10,000 Dollars For A Massacre (1967) aka 10,000 Dollars Blood Money
Starring: Gianni Garko, Loredana Nusciak, Fernando Sancho
Directed by: Romolo Guerrieri
Music by: Nora Orlandi
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 100 minutes
DVD Runtime:  93 minutes



Disc Six
A Pistol For Ringo (1965) 
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho
Directed by: Duccio Tessari
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 98 minutes
DVD Runtime: 94 minutes



The Return of Ringo (1965) aka Blood At Sundown
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Fernando Sancho
Directed by: Duccio Tessari
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 104 minutes
DVD Runtime: 96 minutes



Disc Seven
Ringo: Face of Vengeance (1967)
Starring: Anthony Steffen, Frank Wolff, Eduardo Fajardo
Directed by: Mario Caiano
Music by: Francesco De Masi
Original Aspect Ratio: Not Listed
Original Runtime: 102 minutes
DVD Runtime: 97 minutes



Blood For A Silver Dollar (1966) aka One Silver Dollar
Starring: Giuliano Gemma
Directed by: Giorgio Ferroni
Music by: Gianni Ferrio
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 99 minutes
DVD Runtime: 91 minutes



Disc Eight
Deep West (1971) aka They Call Me Hallelujah
Starring: George Hilton
Directed by: Giuliano Carnimeo
Music by: Stelvio Cipriani
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 94 minutes
DVD Runtime: 92 minutes



Seven Dollars on the Red (1966)
Starring: Anthony Steffen, Fernando Sancho
Directed by: Alberto Cardone
Music by: Francesco De Masi
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 95 minutes
DVD Runtime: 95 minutes



Disc Nine
Bandidos (1967)
Starring: Enrico Maria Salerno
Directed by: Massimo Dallamano
Music by: Egisto Macchi
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 95 minutes
DVD Runtime: 91 minutes



Forgotten Pistolero (1969)
Starring: Leonard Mann, Luciana Paluzzi
Directed by: Ferdinando Baldi
Music by: Roberto Pregadio
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Original Runtime: 88 minutes
DVD Runtime: 80 minutes



Disc Ten
A Noose is Waiting For You Trinity (1972)
Starring: George Martin, Klaus Kinski
Directed by: Alfonso Balcázar
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Original Aspect Ratio: Not Listed
Original Runtime: Not Listed
DVD Runtime: 80 minutes



A Sky Full of Stars For A Roof (1968)
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Anthony Dawson
Directed by: Giulio Petroni
Music by: Ennio Morricone
Original Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Original Runtime: 100 minutes
DVD Runtime: 93 minutes



The Special Features
Sadly, there are no special features. Not even a trailer.

The Bottom Line
The Best of Spaghetti Westerns delivers twenty movies, all of which are spaghetti westerns that, for the most part, stay away from those awful comedies. Although all the movies are not in the correct aspect ratios and most of them are cut, the picture quality is good for all of the films, some are better than others, but they are all solid. I'm not sure what TMG are going for with this release. The set looks and feels exactly like one of those budget label collections, but the price tag is a bit high. For forty bucks I want all films uncut, in the original aspect ratio, anamorphic, and some special features. Is this set worth getting? Absolutely, when you can find it on sale.