I have a couple of movies today that are as different as could be, yet they share a basic story element. At their core it's all about world domination. First up, Queen Of Outer Space, a 1958 SF movie about the first trip to Venus. It's based on a Ben Hecht story called Queen Of The Universe. There's a bit on the commentary track by film historian Tom Weaver where he talks about that story and not being able to find a copy anywhere. It wasn't a published story, it's the film written out like a short story. The screenplay would be based on that. Charles Beaumont wrote the screenplay and Edward Bernds is the director.
Zsa Zsa Gabor gets star billing but Laurie Mitchell as the evil Queen Yllana gets the much more interesting part. She just doesn't get to show her face.
Three astronauts are delivering a scientist to the space station when it's blow up by a ray from space. The ship gets hit and goes out of control. The men pass out and wake on the planet Venus. Lucky for them it's got breathable atmosphere. They explore, only to get caught by some ladies in short skirts and high heels. I think this movie has the most running, or quick walking, in high heels that I've ever seen. We see endless corridors filled with short skirts.
The guys get brought up before the Queen, there they learn she's been the one attacking the Earth, it's part of her plan to take over the Earth. Now the guys have to figure out how to defeat the Queen. Lucky for them they've got help from Zsa Zsa and her group of unsatisfied women. The men of Venus have been defeated and banished by the Queen. Many of the women want the men back and they find the men of Earth appealing. They've really grown desperate. Que the kissing.
Eventually things get sorted out and there's some more kissing. It's all pretty silly and I had a laugh. It's not a great movie but it's fun. It gets a 4.6 on the IMDb and I don't think that's too far off. I was glad to find the Warner Archive DVD used for under 7 bucks and happy to find there was a commentary track. Joining Tom Weaver to talk about the film is Laurie Mitchell, who played Queen Yllana. They have an entertaining conversation, and only occasionally forget to talk. Glad to add it to my collection, I'll want to watch it again someday.
I could say the same about Wizards. I hadn't seen Ralph Bakshi's 1977 animated film in many years. Bakshi produced, wrote and directed the film. I had a copy I recorded off of a laserdisc but it was pretty fuzzy. I saw a cheap copy of the DVD and picked it up. The movie looks good and it's still entertaining. There's a nice commentary by Ralph Bakshi. There's also an interview with Bakshi, a still gallery, trailers and TV spots.
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