Phillip Baird Movies
- 1979
- R
In this drama, a black man fights for freedom from racial oppression in the troubled country of Rhodesia. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- 1969
- R
Cameron Mitchell's most flamboyantly silly role came as the horribly disfigured ex-makeup-artist Vincent Renard in this cult variation on the horror classic House of Wax. The vengeful Renard runs the Movieland Wax Museum, where he kidnaps actors, gives them paralyzing drugs, and dips them in wax for use as exhibits. John Cardos and Scott Brady from the Al Adamson movies are here as detectives, but it is Mitchell's crazed performance which gives this tatty feature its campy charm. Director Bud Townsend returned with the cannibal comedy The Folks at Red Wolf Inn. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1961
In this comedy drama, two troubled college freshmen find themselves united by their mutual family woes and so decide to spend the summer together in a beachhouse belonging to the boy's mother. They are platonic friends until the girl gets in trouble during a sailing accident and is rescued by a handsome Coast Guardsman who finds the pretty lass irresistible and starts showing up regularly at the beachhouse with his friends. Wild parties ensue and great fun is had until the boy's mom suddenly appears. Seeing that her son is cohabitating with a woman, she immediately makes lurid assumptions, the result of which makes the two mixed-up kids realize that they have somehow fallen in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Sands, Fabian, (more)
- 1960
Bumping along over several flaws, this is an odd sci-fi film directed by David Bradley, best known for his incredibly vast private film library rather than his stints in the director's chair. A very motley crew is winging its way through space with the moon as its objective. On board the spaceship are a dozen scientists, engineers, and researchers from the U.S., Sweden, Russia, Israel, Germany, and even Turkey. The flight captain has not only a variety of nationalities to juggle but must also contend with the dissension between the German and Israeli due to a certain holocaust tragedy in World War II. The romance between the magnificent Swedish chemist and the Turkish biologist is also heating up. But the worst is yet to come. After landing on the moon, the crew discovers that underneath the lunar surface is a whole civilization of peace-loving moon-beings who never asked for visitors. Their reaction is rather chilling. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michi Kobi, Tom Conway, (more)
- 1957
Originally titled Quatermass II, Enemy from Space was the sequel to The Quatermass Xperiment (US title: The Creeping Unknown). Based on the British TV serial by Nigel Kneale (who reportedly disliked the finished product), the film stars Brian Donlevy, repeating the role of Professor Quatermass. This time, the good professor must contend with a "meteor shower" which turns out to be a secret alien invasion. The extraterrestrials arrive on earth in rocklike vehicles, then take over the minds and nervous systems of earthlings, the better to go about their business undetected. Subliminally a cruel satire of British bureaucracy and obfuscation, Enemy from Space also works on a pure-horror level, building slowly and methodically to a powerhouse finale. For many years a "lost" film due to legal tangles, Enemy from Space has recently become available again on video and cable TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, John Longden, (more)
- 1957
In this suspenseful, convoluted crime drama, the wife of a wrongly-condemned murderer begins looking for the real killer. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Jack Lemmon and Robert Mitchum star as Tony and Felix, co-owners of a tramp-steamer service in the West Indies. Threatening their friendship is itinerant trollop Irena (Rita Hayworth). Tony seethes with jealousy as Irena gravitates towards Felix, leading to a heated confrontation. Felix retaliates by blowing the whistle on Tony's under-the-counter smuggling activities. Tony in turns plots to kill his former partner, but changes his mind when Felix saves his life during a shipwreck. The supporting cast includes Herbert Lom, Bernard Lee, and Anthony Newley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum, (more)
