DVD Collectors Online

Q Planes, a review by GSyren

Title	Q Planes (US title: Clouds Over Europe) (5-027626-404949)
Director	Tim Whelan
Actors	Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Valerie Hobson, George Curzon, George Merritt
Produced	1939 in United Kingdom
Runtime	79 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	None
Overview	Starring alongside Ralph Richardson and Valerie Hobson, Laurence Olivier portrays a test pilot engaged in secret experimental missions in this witty, cleverly plotted World War Two spy drama. Briskly directed by Hollywood veteran Tim Whelan and featuring typically innovative art direction from Vincent Korda, Q Planes is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements. The frequent disappearance of new bombing planes on their trial flights one off the coast of America, one off the French coast, another in Russia, and a fourth in England - has left the authorities perplexed. While there is no clear evidence of foul play, the authorities call in Scotland Yard, and Major Hammond is assigned to investigate the mystery. He is one of only three men who refuse to believe that the disappearances are not the result of sabotage - much to the resentment of Mr Barratt, head of plane manufacturer Barratt and Ward...
My thoughts	Q Planes Bride of Frankenstein. A fun little film, but nothing special. Worth seeing for Olivier and Richardson rather then for the actual story.
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on March 3rd, 2014)

The Horror of Party Beach, a review by Jimmy

                       
              Dvd cover                                                    Theatrical poster

Title: The Horror of Party Beach
Year: 1964
Genre: Monster Movie
Director: Del Tenney (Zombies)           
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h18
Video:  Widescreen 
Audio:  English(Mono)
Subtitles: English

Stars:
John Scott (No other credit)   
Alice Lyon (No other credit)
Allan Laurel (No other credit)
Eulabelle Moore ()
Marilyn Clarke ()

Plot:
A drag race between hot rodders and bikers winds up at a swinging rock-and-roll beach party where the Del-Aires perform some rockin' tunes. Nearby, a barrel containing radioactive waste is unloaded from a passing ship, and plunged to the bottom of the sea, splitting against a jagged rock. When a peculiar black liquid oozes out covering a human skull, a vicious monster slowly twitches into life, and "The Horror Beach Party" is born!


The teens beach movie (Beach Blanket Bingo, Beach Party,...) were successfull in the sixties and the monster movie was always popular (and they continue to be). Del Tenney has decided with this movie to mix this two genres together. Before that he has directed 2 serious horror movie : Zombies (64) and The Curse of the Living Corpse (64).

The best things in this films (everyone who have seen it will agree with me) is the music and the party at the beach. The band in the movie was called the Del-Aires and they were a local New Jersey club band. They did release some single and they were popular in the club scene untill 1964 when the group split after a seven years career. The beach party got all the good ingredients : teenagers (older looking, but that's usual), good looking girl, a biker gang and a fight between the hero & the biker leader. Everyone in the cast perform corectly, no one is really bad and it's surprising since they are not really professional actors (many of them are just local habitants of Stamford, Connecticut). The story is not really original (toxic waste are dump in the sea and create a monster who will go on a rampage), but the script goes on a straight line and doesn't add any useless sub-plot.

On the less good side. The monster is a member of the silly and awfull monster club and since I can find a good way to describe it, I give you a picture. The first time you see it you could do nothing but laugh.


(From The little known movie review depot on January 31st, 2008)

"Due South" marathon, a review by Tom

1.07 Chicago Holiday - Part 1 (1994-11-10)
Writer: Paul Haggis (Created By), Jeff King (Writer), Paul Haggis (Writer)
Director: Paul Lynch
Cast: Paul Gross (Constable Benton Fraser), David Marciano (Detective Ray Vecchio), Beau Starr (Lt. Harding Welsh), Daniel Kash (Detective Louis Gardino), Tony Craig (Detective Jack Huey), Catherine Bruhier (Elaine), Lisa Jakub (Christina Nichols), Stacy Haiduk (Janice DeLuca), Ron Lea (Mr. Nichols), Deborah Rannard (Medical Examiner), Peter Williams (Gerome), Stephen Shellen (Eddie Beets), Jonathan Shapiro (Teenager), Daniel DeSanto (Jerry), Kelly Proctor (Janus), David Rosser (Quigly), Beth Amos (Housekeeper), Kevin Rushton (Henry)

Another good episode. Nice gag with naming the housekeeper "Mrs. McGuffin"
This is the episode Kathy didn't like. I haven't watched the second part yet this time around, but at least in the first part, the diplomat's daughter doesn't know yet, that she has killers after her (except if I had missed something). She just runs away again and again, because she doesn't want to be babysit and rather go out partying. For now the two storylines with Ray searching for the killer and Ben escorting the daughter are separate as far the characters is concerned.


Rating:

(From "Due South" marathon on July 5th, 2009)