Change Your Image
Lang-John
Reviews
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Awesome
"Sink The Bismarck" is a stunning movie which takes place on the open seas and tells the tale of Britain's brave battle against Nazi Germany's war machine in the early stages of World War II. With the United States still neutral, Britain must fight it alone against Hitler's Third Reich. One of the major problems is Hitler's Navy. The Third Reich has just launched the ULTIMATE warship---the Bismarck. Equipped with the fastest engines, and the most powerful guns known to mankind...not only that, on board is one of Germany's most experienced Naval Officers. The Bismarck gets some major victories and all seems lost for Britain. It is up to the Royal British Navy to devise a way to sink the Bismarck. This movie contains actual footage of the Bismarck's launch.
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Unforgettable classic
A space expedition to Altair IV yields some unexpected results. The crew of the Earth spacecraft find Dr. Morbius & his daughter Altair to be the only survivors of an exploration of a planet which once was the home of a race of super-intelligent beings known as The Krell. But what happened to the Krell that they all perished in one day? How could a race be so intelligent, yet allow their civilization to collapse overnight? It answer lies in the world below. The crew also encounter Robby the Robot...a sophisticated robot who can duplicate any food or drink one could desire. The Special Effects for this movie come courtesy of Walt Disney Productions and are quite astounding for its time. The movie stars Walter Pidgeon and a very young Leslie Nielson. The music soundtrack is eerie and unforgettable.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
Brilliant
Special Effects genius Ray Harryhausen puts together one of the BEST 1950's science fiction movies ever! Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers deals with invaders from another world whose planet is dying and need a new place to thrive...their target...Earth!
Jaw dropping special effects fill the screen as the flying saucers paste Washington D.C. with their deadly weapons and crash into National Monuments. Can anyone or anything stop these invaders from space? The movie stars Hugh Marlowe who would also appear in "The Day The Earth Stood Still"
The Time Machine (1960)
Timeless
Rod Taylor is H.G. Wells who creates a Time Machine because he cannot tolerate the time in which he lives in the present. He is tired of hearing about the ongoing war and the crimes against humanity and desires a new era in which to live. He visits the future in which he finds that the human race is divided into 2 groups...the Iloi & the Mordocks. The Iloi are plain, simple people without a care in the world who are only being dominated the Mordocks for what purpose remains to be seen as you watch this timeless classic with some of the best special effects for its time. Watch for Alan Young (From "Mr. Ed") and Sebastian Cabot (from "Family Affair") in this movie. Listen also for the voice of Paul Frees.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Ahead of its time
Robert Wise gets to direct one of the most powerful science fiction movies of the 1950's..."The Day The Earth Stood Still". A man from another planet comes to warn the Earth that if they carry their destructive ways into outer space, it'll mean the destruction of the Earth via a huge robot by the name of Gort. Klaatu devices a way to draw the Earth's attention to his mission by shorting out all the electricity across the globe. All through the movie, Klaatu is perceived as being "evil" & "hostile" due to the over-suspicious nature of mankind during "The Red Scare" era. However, as everyone soon learns, you can't judge a book by its cover. Great special effects. Powerful message. Look for Francis Bavier (Aunt Bea from The Andy Griffith Show) in this movie.
The War of the Worlds (1953)
One word: CLASSIC!
George Pal redeems himself after the appalling special effects from "When Worlds Collide" by giving us one of the best science fiction movies from the 1950's. Without the use of Industrial Light & Magic or THX, George Pal created the near-perfect illusion of flying swan-like Martian machines attacking the Earth. (Near-perfect because you can faintly see the wires) Ann Robinson gives a BRILLIANT performance as "The damsel in distress". Sandro Giglio (from "When Worlds Collide") returns as one of the scientists. Also Leith Stevens returns from "When Worlds Collide" to provide the music. You'll notice too that some of the footage from this movie comes from "When Worlds Collide". I must add...look for George Pal & Byron Haskins as the hobos listening to the radio.
When Worlds Collide (1951)
So bad it's good, so good it's bad!
The 1951 movie "When Worlds Collide" contains some lackluster SFX for its time. However, at the same time, some of the SFX lack luster! Alot of the scenes look like cheap oil paintings. Some of the scenes are pretty tame and somewhat unrealistic. IE...somebody losing the lottery & not killing someone else for their winning token. Mildly entertaining and somewhat laughable. One of the recognizable characters in this movie is Frank Cady...AKA Sam Drucker from "Green Acres" & "Pettycoat Junction". He's the one pushing Stanton's wheelchair. Near the end he threatens to kill the scientists for a winning token. (Sam Drucker gone bad?) Also John Hoyt..AKA Dr. Boyce from "Star Trek" as Stanton. His mannerisms in this movie is perfect. He probably does the best acting in this movie.