Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)

 

This is a British film noir thriller made in 1955, directed by Lewis Gilbert. The cast includes Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh and Robert Flemyng. 

Teddy is a young man obsessed with money and the idea of killing his rich wife, who he had only just married. Despite his evasive and polite manner, he appears suspicious. Then he meets another wealthy older woman who seems cautious at first but falls in love with him. He's not returning the same emotions and again he's only after her money. 

There's an appearance of pop star Lita Roza, who sings "Leave me alone" in the nightclub. There's a reference to the story of Bluebeard, about an evil man who keeps his dead wives in a chamber. Lockwood is tough and sassy, who isn't going to be taken advantage of. I rate this fun crime movie a 7/10.

My personal likes is most of it from the beautiful home decor, the cute pet birds and the amusing comments by Freda as she makes her greedy husband shrink!

My personal dislikes is How monstrous Teddy really is.

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Wizards of the Lost Kingdom

This is an Argentina/ US low budget 1985 fantasy film,by Trinity Productions. It was directed by Hector Olivera and Alan Holleb. It stars Bo Svenson, Vidal Peterson and Thom Christopher. Written by Ed Naha. 

Simon is a magicians son forced to leave the castle when it's overtaken by the evil wizard. He loses a very important ring and goes on a quest with his trusted Yeti monster friend Gulfax. The princess is kidnapped,  the king was brutally slain, and the world is about to enter chaos. There is little good left in the world, so it's a tense mission through strange landscapes. 

Even though this film is called a "family action fantasy" on IMDB, there's nudity so please be warned. Snippets from another Roger Corman film "Deathstalker" was used in this to make the prologue. Parts of the film if hilarious without even trying to be funny. I rate this amusing fun film a 5/10. 

My personal favourites is the battle between the winged manticore and the goddess! That was just epic and funny. I also liked the house of the hobgoblin, it looked out of place. I also found a lot of the creatures very interesting.

My personal dislikes was the fact I couldn't understand what Gulfax was saying.

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Goliath at the Conquest of Damascus

 This is an Italian 1965 colour film, directed and written by Domenico Paolella. Other writers include Luciano Martino and Ernesto Gastaldi. Production companies are Romana Film and Titanus. The stars of the film are Peter Lupus (of "Mission Impossible" and Hercules films), Mario Petri and Helga Line. 

In ancient Arabia, a powerful man named Goliath helps a king restore his throne and rescue his daughter from an evil band of mercenaries. To help fulfil these missions, he must become a member of this army of Damascus. It also means he has to be a spy as well as a wrestler who comes head to head with another equal strongman. Meanwhile the princess has little time left as she's imprisoned and her betrothed is also taken away.

A lot of action, fighting and sunshine. The costumes are beautiful. The sets are amazing. No CGI was ever used in this. A classic film set in ancient times where it even feels as if you're there. Old style films were ultra realistic and organic. Besides some quite long scenes of dialogue, this is a cracking good watch. I give this a delightful 7/10.  

My personal likes are sweet friendliness of the fighting male characters, from brutes to companions. There is a lot of warmth that should be included in films today!

My personal dislikes is the treachery and slimeball traits of the villains. 

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Adventures of Aladdin

This is a 2019 fantasy drama made by both The Asylum and Two Guys and a Film companies. It was directed by Glen Campbell, who co-wrote it with Tammy Klein. It stars Adam Hollick (from NCIS) as Aladdin, Lord KraVen, Daniel O'Reilly and Lucia Dimitra Xypteras.

A street acrobat falls in love with a princess and she gives him a good luck token. Smitten, he feels bound to stay with her instead of leaving with his acrobatic group of friends. Because then he also stays to complete a dangerous mission of looking for a magic lamp hidden inside a volcano. This is the beginning of a quest with strange and also scary results. 

This is a nice tale of romance and deceit, with magical elements thrown in. The genie from the lamp is more funny than anything as the film has a comedic theme. The special effects are very basic. Also animal lovers should avoid watching this, even though no animals were harmed in the making of the film. I rate this entire film a 5/5 for dryness and plot holes even though it look quite beautiful. 

My personal likes about this are the inundated wishes the genie grants instead of the traditional three wishes.

My personal dislikes is the evil sorcerer Vizier Maghreb.

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