editdave43

Nathan Juran's "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" is a film that's hard not

to enjoy on a number of levels. Unlike his other, more respectable

sci-fi/fantasy offerings of the 1950s ("20 Million Miles to Earth" and

"7th Voyage of Sinbad"), "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" suffers from some

of the worst special effects ever committed to celluloid. But that's

just a small part of the fun.

Allison Hayes (in the title role as the emotionally tortured Nancy) and

Yvette Vickers (as the sleazy, jealous Honey) deliver the best

performances of their drive-in careers. The dialogue is strictly

first-draft, but all involved (including William Hudson as the

adulterous Harry) deliver earnest, enthusiast performances. That is not

to say that they can save this low-budget offering. Instead, they

transport what could have been a forgettable bit of nonsense into the

universe of much-loved b-movie kitsch. The unintentional laughs rival

those found in "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and "Robot Monster."

As for the "special effects," the film suffers from the same cheap

optical process that caused "The Amazing Colossal Man" to turn

transparent in his long shots. It appears to consist of double exposing

the film negative in the camera, thus freeing the producers from any

in-lab optical-printing expenses. (This double-exposure technique also

makes the 50 Foot Woman appear about 12 feet tall during her attack.)

The real star of the movie is a large inflatable hand which Mr. Hudson

is forced to wrap around himself in order to facilitate capture by his

rampaging wife.

For all of it's faults "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" is certainly not

the best low-budget drive-in movie of the 1950s, but it is certainly one

of the most entertaining.

"Once Were Warriors" must rank as one of the five best films of the 1990s. Directed with self-assurance by Lee Tamahori from an insightful script by Riwia Brown, this motion picture depicts domestic violence among a working-class family in New Zealand in a manner that is both shocking and inspirational.

The cast - headed by the intensely powerful Temuera Morrison (Jake Heke) and the determined yet vulnerable Rena Owen (as his long-suffering wife Beth) - delivers one of the most stirring ensemble efforts in recent cinema memory. The film also boasts an infectious soundtrack of reggae-tinged pop/rock which effectively underscores the psychological tension throughout.

A thought-provoking, often disturbing film that will keep you riveted from start to finish. Brilliant

Burt I. Gordon's "The Amazing Colossal Man" was the first sci-fi film I saw as a kid that actually scared me. But it wasn't the effect of a bald Col. Glenn Manning running around Las Vegas that I found frightening; it was the actual atomic bomb test-blast footage I found so horrific. At the age of six, seeing houses blown like matchsticks into blazing debris was enough to cause nightmares. The same footage (recently restored by Peter Kuran for the "explosive" documentary "Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie") can still sends shivers down the spine of any self-respecting anti-nuker.

"The Amazing Colossal Man" still ranks as one of the better b-grade drive-in movies. It is unintentionally funny, full of impossible science and very entertaining. The cast does their best with the material (from a script by George Worthing Yates) but I suspect no one took the project very seriously, least of all Mr. Gordon. It is also highlighted by another thunderous Albert Glasser score.