Badmovies.org Forum

This is the first "real" update at the B-Movie Film Vault this year and I promise it won't be the last (what with the upcoming roundtable and a team-up or two). In any case, my Dino-Western Double Feature is now uploaded and features reviews for:

The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) (http://www.bmoviefilmvault.com/breviews/beast_of_hollow_mountain.html) and it's close relative, The Valley of Gwangi (1969) (http://www.bmoviefilmvault.com/breviews/valley_of_gwangi.html)! The "Gwangi" review may very well be the longest review I've ever written and boasts a new feature down in the Extras: A drinking game!

I hope you enjoy the reviews fellow b-movie enthusiasts! Stay tuned for more updates!

Wow, this is quite a long review for Jordan.  I am wondering if Ken Begg is messing with people again by entering their dreams and trying to influence their subconscious.  Ken tried that on me years ago, but got stuck.  He had to spend a week watching all the lascivious dreams I experience involving Cindy Crawford (back when she was a woman that many admitted to having naughty dreams about).  Apparently, when Ken finally severed the connection and woke up in his own bed, he spent the rest of the day rehydrating and scrubbing his skin with a brush.  To this day, if I mention Cindy Crawford, he gets a strange look in his eye and repeats the phrase, "So...unclean."

Weird stories aside, it is great to see the dino double feature reviews.  "Valley of Gwangi" is a fun mixture of cowboys and dinosaurs, while you have me wanting a good DVD release of "The Beast of Hollow Mountain" so I can compare the two.  The violence of the dinosaur attacks you describe in the latter film has me interested.  I doubt any encounter between a man and an Allosaurus would be a happy affair.

Hahahahahaha. You always have the coolest stories Andrew! (Cindy Crawford is still pretty darned hot in my opinion.) In any case, I don't think Ken Begg would ever want to wander into my dreams.... he probably wouldn't make it out alive. And if he did, he wouldn't be very sane. My mind is a dark and treacherous place.....

I'm still shocked that "Beast" hasn't been released yet (it was originally released on video by United Artists which I believe was or is a part of MGM, which is now owned by Sony) but I have a feeling that it will see the light of day within another year or two. With the HD revolution heating up, a lot of companies are dumping their movie catalogs onto DVDs like crazy. I guess they are trying to milk the "old" format for all its worth until everyone on Earth finally upgrades to HD.

Thanks for reading Andrew! (Oh and sorry again that you suffered through that Rainbow Brite flick. Your bravery is to be commended!)

I have a DVD-R of "Beast" from Monsterland films that is pretty good, but I'd still love a legit release. As mentioned elsewhere, I love the look of terror and the scream from Panchito when confronted with the monster for the first time, especially the way he raises his hands somewhat while screaming. It's that exact look and sound from frightened kids that is music to my ears. Even moreso when I'm the one scaring the crap outta them.

Yes. I AM evil. (http://forums.lowerdecks.com/style_emoticons/default/darkside.gif)

Hmmm..... now where (http://bmoviefilmvault.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1175587215) I have I heard this before? I wonder....  :wink:

Great review of Valley of Gwangi, although with regards to Carlos spearing the Styracosaurus, I doubt he actually did that because he wanted Gwangi to win. More like he just wanted one less prehistoric beast to worry about, a testament to how the humans in this picture (and others) apparently seem to just lump all the dinosaurs together into one broad category, "dangerous to us." Beyond that, they couldn't care what they're called, what they look like, or whether or not they're actually carnivorous. In fact, the only character in the entire film who seems to award the dinosaurs any kind of real individual distinction and respect is ol' Horace Bromley, and he winds up being squished by the falling door off of Gwangi's cage. Says a lot about the screenwriter's opinion of smartypants scientists who worry themselves with details instead of just killing the dinosaurs on sight (seriously, I'm not kidding; Bromley's death has and will always disturb the hell out of me, because it feels so pointless).

Oh, and the "ostrich-sized dinosaur" is an Ornithomimus. So says the Ray Harryhausen Creature List website, anyway, and, being a former dinosaur nut as a kid, I think they're right.

Great review of one of my favorite Harryhausen films! I remember as a tiny tot being knocked off my seat the first time I saw this on the CBS Late Movie sometime in the 70's.

I watched this several years ago on AMC and was annoyed/amused when the "host" (the guy with the big neck who always wore sweaters) commented on the 'primitive' and 'quaint' special effects without ever mentioning Harryhausen. He then went on to tell viewers to watch for the incredible sequence with the real horse diving off the platform. Which was a Harryhausen stop motion effect, of course.  :smile:

The one thing that bothers me about GWANGI is why somebody decided to make the elephant squeal like a pig rather than dub in real elephant sounds. I think DELIVERANCE was a few years in the future.

I did say "as mentioned elsewhere."  :twirl: :tongueout: :teddyr:

Hehehehehe. Your disclaimer doesn't change the fact that you blatantly plagiarized yourself! You should be ashamed! LOL!  :wink:  :bouncegiggle:

Kooshmeister and Raffine, thanks for taking the time to read my review. Koosh, I see your point in regards to Carlos' spearing of the Styracosaurus. He could of just been acting on instinct and decided to skewer the closest prehistoric monster in order to ensure his survival. I saw this action as Carlos attempting to protect his interests, because it seems to me that he had his mind set on bringing Gwangi back as an attraction. And what good is a dead dinosaur to anyone that's in show business, right? Unfortunately for Carlos, he done speared the wrong dino, because Gwangi ends up snacking on him shortly after its battle with the Styracosaurus. Concerning Bromley, his death was indeed pointless. I still don't know what the hell he was attempting to do by running up to Gwangi's cage! And thanks for the info on the Ornithomimus, I shall update my review to reflect that little dinosaur's name.

Raffine, that AMC host should be hung for his slanderous comments! Quaint and primitive effects? I'd like to see that big-necked b*stard do better!

Hahahahaha. Good observation about the elephant's umm.... roar? Scream? Trumpet? (What the hell DO they do?!) I doubt it was a pig that dubbed the doomed elephant (because a pig and an elephant's DNA just don't mix) but rather an out of work actor who thought he could do a good elephant impression. It's a lot closer to what an actual elephant sounds like in comparison to the pachyderm that the Ymir battles in 20 Million Miles to Earth. As Andrew states in his review (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/ymir/index.html), that darned elephant "screams like a pterodactyl."  :bouncegiggle: