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: Starcrash (1978)

Beautiful Caroline Munro as space-bikini babe, Stella Star!  Gold-clad Christopher Plummer using mystical powers to "halt the flow of time"!  Kung fu fighting Amazons, acrobatic Troglodytes, and lightsaber battles with stop-motion robots!  The Hoff firing frickin' laser beams from his eyes!  Is Starcrash the greatest movie ever made?  Probably not, but it's awfully good fun.  Second best of the late seventies Star Wars rip-offs, behind Kinji Fukasaku's mind-blowing Message from Space (1978). 

Italian writer-director and sci-fi buff Luigi Cozzi weaves a wild yarn full of in-jokes and genre references.  The magnificent super-spaceship "Murray Leinster" (named after the s-f writer/magazine editor) goes missing and is sought by the Emperor of the Stars (Christopher Plummer) and his cape-swishing arch-enemy, Count Zarth Arn (erstwhile Maniac (1980) Joe Spinell).  Fleeing the Galactic Police, interstellar rogue Stella Star and her bubble-permed, mystical sidekick Akton (faith healer-turned-trash film star (yes, really) Marjoe Gortner) stumble on some survivors who babble about "red monsters."

Cult Clip: Aatank (1996)

A lot of popular Hollywood films have been remade in Bollywood and one of the most unusual Bollywood remakes has to be this knock-off of Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) called Aatank, which was released in 1996. I don't know much about Aatank since I've only managed to see clips of it on YouTube and it doesn't seem to be easily available on DVD or VHS at the moment. I do know that the movie was directed by Prem Lalwani and stars Nafisa Ali, Dharmendra and Vinod Mehra. You can see a clip from Aatank below, but unfortunately it doesn't feature any of the film's entertaining musical numbers. It does feature a giant shark though!

Coming to DVD: Warner Cult Camp Classics

Warner Home Video is releasing a huge batch of campy cult classics on NTSC Region-1 DVD next week that are sure to entertain B-movie fans. The films are available in four different collections and each collection contains 3 different movies.

Cult Camp Classics 1 - Sci-Fi Thrillers: Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman (1958), Giant Behemoth (1958), Queen of Outer Space (1958).
Cult Camp Classics 2 - Women in Peril: The Big Cube (1968), Caged (1950), Trog (1969).
Cult Camp Classics 3 - Terrorized Travelers: Hot Rods to Hell (1966), Skyjacked (1972), Zero Hour! (1957)
Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics: The Colossus of Rhodes (1961), Land of the Pharaohs (1955), The Prodigal (1955)

Many of the films have never been released on DVD before and most of them will be presented in Anamorphic Widescreen for the first time. Some titles will also include Audio Commentaries and Original Theatrical Trailers. Each volume retails for $29.98, but they are currently available from Amazon for a low pre-order price of $20.99.

For more information please see Amazon.

Godzilla Love T-Shirt

If you're a regular reader of Cinedelica you may know that two Godzilla movies were recently released on DVD. What better way to celebrate the event and express your affection for the big green monster than with a great new Godzilla T-shirt?

Random Shirts has created the perfect shirt for Godzilla fans called Godzilla Love. This green unisex tee is available in multiple sizes and sells for $16.95.

Currently Random Shirts only ships to US and Canadian customers, but according to their website they are considering shipping to International customers so if you live outside the US and like their designs send them an email and ask them to reconsider their current shipping restrictions. And don't forget to tell them that Cinedelica sent you!

For more information about Random Shirts and their t-shirt designs visit their website Randomshirts.com