DVD Review: The Lost Continent (1968)

Hammer in name, but this isn't your typical 1960s Hammer production - The Lost Continent is a slightly odd adventure flick.

Based on a Dennis Wheatley's Uncharted Seas (you can see one of the cast reading it in the opening minutes), The Lost Continent focuses on an old steam boat, one on its way to South America with a crew of rogues, passengers who aren't much better (that's why they're on a dodgy boat) and a cargo of highly explosive (and illegal) material that will explode if it gets wet. Not the best cargo to send by sea, but hey, the captain needs the cash.

DVD Review: This, That And The Other (1969)

Never judge a book by its cover (or a DVD by its sleeve) - This, That And The Other looks like a typical Stanley Long / Derek Ford exploitation flick, but the end result is very different. In fact, it's probably the strangest movie I've seen in a long, long time. Oh yes - it's also got a soundtrack by lost psych/pop band Scrugg. Nice.

This Odeon reissue is being pitched as a Dennis Waterman vehicle, the ex-Sweeney and Minder man on the front in his best 60s clobber. But Waterman only appears in one segment of this three-part compendium - and it's also the weakest of a movie that goes from cheesy wannabe sex comedy to mad psychedelic dreamworld in the space of 78 minutes.

Coming to DVD: Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1965)

Not a particularly rare title, indeed it's often on TV, but if you haven't got a copy of Dr Terror's House of Horrors, you can pick one up thanks to a new Odeon reissue.

Dating back to 1965, it was the first of a classic Amicus formula that packed a series of mini horror tales into the one flick, all held together by a single theme or incident - in this case, five men in a train carriage leaving London, who are joined by a sixth - a mysterious Doctor Schreck - who reveals the destinies of the passengers.

Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and perhaps less likely, Roy Castle, it should be available for a low price next month (Amazon isn't giving much away as yet).

Here's the trailer...

Cult spaghetti western Keoma (1976) gets a DVD reissue

One of the last spaghetti westerns and widely regarded as one of the better ones, Enzo G. Castellari's Keoma has just got a DVD reissue.

Starring spaghetti regular Franco Nero in the title role, it's the tale of a 'half breed' Indian who discovers his hometown is infected with a plague, while a gang of ex-Confederate soldiers use that same plague to keep control of the town. I think you can guess the rest -  slow-motion shootouts, shooting, some sentimentality and dialogue as silly as the soundtrack.

Check out the trailer, we'll have a review online soon or you can pick it up now, priced at £9.99 at Play.

DVD Review: It's All Over Town (1963)

Think of the 60s and specifically, music of the 60s and what do you think of? I'm guessing The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, The Who, classic soul, maybe ska and possibly a splash of psychedelia. You probably don't think of the acts featured in It's All Over Town.

Yes, while we romantically think that the entire teen population was sneaking off to hip hideouts like The Scene and The Flamingo in the early 60s, the reality of what floated the collective teen boat was the easier, more commercial end of the pop spectrum. Which is why the likes of The Hollies, The Springfields, The Bachelors, Acker Bilk and old crooner Frankie Vaughan are featured in the movie. They were chart gold at the time, which made them box office gold. Over 35 years on? Well, let's say the acts haven't aged as well as they could, although the film certainly keeps a novelty appeal.