4K Blu-Ray News #386: The Million Eyes Of Sumuru (1967).

Directed by Lindsay Shonteff
Starring Frankie Avalon, George Nader, Shirley Eaton, Maria Rohm, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Klaus Kinski

Blue Underground has announced an upcoming 4K release of Lindsay Shonteff’s The Million Eyes Of Sumuru (1967). The picture isn’t hard to find — Blue Underground released it and its sequel, Jess Franco’s The Girl From Rio (1969), as a gorgeous Blu-Ray twin bill a while back. Thing is, now they’ve found the presumed-lost camera negative and it’s 10 minutes longer!

Why did Shirley Eaton (who plays Sumuru) get third billing? And why did AIP not mention on the posters that this was based on a series of novels by Sax Rohmer?

Shot in Technicolor and Techniscope (at the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong), this should be a crazy piece of pop art eye candy. Can’t wait!

Blu-Ray News #375: The President’s Analyst (1967).

Written & Directed by Theodore J. Flicker
Starring James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Joan Delaney, Pat Harrington, Jr., Barry McGuire, Will Geer

Kino Lorber is bringing Theodore J. Flicker’s The President’s Analyst (1967) to Blu-Ray. And that’s a happenin’ thing indeed.

The President is under a lot of stress, so an analyst (James Coburn) is enlisted to give him someone to talk to. But who’s Coburn gonna talk to — especially after he’s sought after for the many secrets he’s learned. It’s all very satirical — and at times, a bit prophetic. 

There were some music rights issues that effected the old VHS tapes. Those were cleared up for the DVD, but some folks claim there’s another sequence missing. I’m not not sure what the story is on that, but since Kino Lorber is promising a 4K transfer from the camera negative, there’s a good chance it’s the whole thing. Coming in March. Highly recommended.

Blu-Ray News #363: Double Trouble (1967).

Directed by Norman Taurog
Starring Elvis Presley, John Williams, Yvonne Romain, Annette Day, Chips Rafferty, Michael Murphy

Warner Archive has another Elvis movie coming to Blu-Ray in October, Double Trouble (1967). And that is good news indeed.

They tried something a little different with this one, so they get points for that. Elvis and his band go to Europe (actually the MGM backlot) and he gets wrapped with a bunch of crooks. Believe it or not, this script was written with Julie Christie in mind — for the part Elvis played!

Double Trouble features the great tune “Long Legged Girl (With The Short Dress On)” but makes us all (even Elvis) suffer through “Old MacDonald.” Like everything from Warner Archive these days, this will look terrific. Can’t wait.

Let’s Go To The Drive-In!

In February of 1967, San Bernardino was the place to be.

Coming Soon.

I’m working on a post tonight. Here’s a hint at what movie it is. Any guesses? (This is not a still from it.)

Shhhhh, John. You know the answer!

RIP, Raquel Welch.

Jo Raquel Welch
(September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023)

The always-lovely Raquel Welch has passed away at 82. People used to make light of her movie career, but she was in some great stuff — Fantastic Voyage (1966), One Million Years BC (1966), Bedazzled (1967, one of my favorite movies), Lady In Cement (1968), Kansas City Bomber (1972, above) and The Three Musketeers (1973).

The world wanted her to be a sex symbol. She didn’t seem interested.

RIP, Burt Bacharach.

Burt Freeman Bacharach
(May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023)

As soon as I got out to the office and fired everything up, I saw that Burt Bacharach had passed away at 94. Within two minutes, his music for Casino Royale (1967) was on.

Bacharach’s score is easily the best thing about that train wreck of a movie, giving it a bounce it desperately needs. The expanded 50th anniversary CD is terrific, but the old mono LP (bought when I was 12) gets my vote. That’s the old reel-to-reel tape box up top. 

Blu-Ray News #323: Peter Falk Comedy Collection (1967-1987).

Mill Creek has scooped up four Peter Falk movies, all done for Columbia, and made a Blu-Ray set out of ’em. Since I love Peter Falk, I see this as a really good thing, even if the movies aren’t his best.

LUV (1967)
Directed by Clive Donner
Starring Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine May, Nina Wayne, Harrison Ford

The 60s brought a lot of change to Hollywood, thanks to films like, say, Bonnie And Clyde (1967). It also brought about a lot of weird things like LUV (1967). It’s got Falk and Jack Lemmon in it, and that’s enough.

The Cheap Detective (1978)
Directed by Robert Moore
Written by Neil Simon
Starring Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn, Louise Fletcher, Ann-Margret

Funny stuff, though I preferred Murder By Death (1976), which clearly inspired this one. While Murder By Death spoofed Agatha Christie mysteries, this one pokes fun at Bogart pictures. Bet Neil Simon had a blast writing these things. Peter Falk, Madeline Kahn — can you really go wrong?

Big Trouble (1986)
Directed by John Cassavetes
Starring Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Beverly D’Angelo, Charles Durning, Robert Stack, Richard Libertini

The In-Laws (1979) was wonderful, and a big hit, so Falk and Alan Arkin (and Beverly D’Angelo and Richard Libertini and writer Andrew Bergman) were reunited for this one. Falk’s friend John Cassavetes was brought in to direct — it was his last film. The results are mixed, for sure, but I’m really looking forward to seeing it again. And since I saw it on VHS in the early 90s, I can count on it looking 47,000% better this time around!

Happy New Year (1987)
Starring Peter Falk, Charles Durning, Tom Courtenay

A caper comedy with Falk and Charles Durning, and Falk dresses up in all sorts of disguises. I’ve never seen it, but it sure sounds promising.

Thanks to Mill Creek for putting these kinds of movies out on Blu-Ray. It’s sure appreciated, so keep ’em coming!

DVD/Blu-Ray News #397: Space Monster Wangmagwi (1967).

Directed by Kwon Hyeok-jin

The South Korean Kaiju movie Space Monster Wangmagwi (1967) has never been shown outside of South Korea — and was even considered lost.

But it recently played a few film festivals in its home country — and SRS Cinema has announced a Stateside video release for August or September. Can’t wait to see this thing!

Robert Bellissimo At The Movies: Bonnie And Clyde (1967).

It’s always fun to go on Robert Bellissimo’s podcast and talk about movies, and the other day we discussed Bonnie And Clyde (1967).

I also got to talk a bit about the book I hope to write about it.