Streaming La cabeza viviente (1963) Online

La cabeza viviente (1963)iMDB Rating: 4.9
Date Released : 29 May 1968
Genre : Horror
Stars : Mauricio Garcés, Ana Luisa Peluffo, Abel Salazar, Germán Robles
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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A group of archaeologists break into the tomb of an ancient Aztec general, arousing the warrior's head and sending his undead servant out to take revenge on the careless scientists.

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Review :

Mind-numbing, Headless Horror From Churubusco-Azteca

During the 1960s, auteur K. Gordon Murray bought the American release rights to a number of Mexican-produced horror films (including a couple of El Santo's earlier films), redubbed them in Coral Gables, FL, sold them to American-International Television for TV release.

Charity compels me to say that the results were "unique." Horror cinema has long held a place in the Mexican film industry, with series like the Nostradamus (a vampire, not the famed seer) films and seemingly endless films concerning mummies, werewolves, and their frisky, lethal friends.

Then there is THE LIVING HEAD.

In style and feel, this isn't all that different from these other black-and-white spookers. Sets are adequate but have a stagey feel to them, the set dressing is erratic, and the tension could be cut with a rather dull soup spoon. Still, this is a watchable little production -- much more than Universal-International's living head entry of a few years earlier.

The opening is in the Aztec past, where their chief warrior has just been disgraced (i.e., killed, which is a major no-no). A maiden is held responsible for this and is sealed into his tomb, with the dead man's head and the grim, dedicated head priest.

Centuries later, obviously being blissfully aware of curses and other down sides of their trade, archaeologists enter the tomb and cart off the head. Also taken is the death ring worn by the dead maiden, who's by now a pile of dust.

The priest's body is also carried off. In a darkened storeroom, it comes to life and places itself under the head's orders. The chief scientist's two companions are killed -- their hearts removed from their bodies by the revived mummy's stone knife.

The police arrive, in the person of Abel Salazar (best known for playing vampires and the sorcerer/creature in THE BRAINIAC). In spite of the priest's habit of carelessly leaving the still dripping hearts on the table in front of the head, nobody puts one and one together and tosses the head into the nearest fireplace.

In their defense, I should mention that, when it's not beetling ferociously at the camera, the head has a mask over its face. Nobody thinks to look beneath this mask, behind which the head is probably sticking out its tongue and crossing and criss-crossing its eyes in secret glee at how well things are working out. Jack Nicholson would have done wonders with this role.

The archaeologist's daughter has already put on the death ring, and is getting psychic images of the killings, which does the police no good. Everyone of course pays no attention whatsoever to this potential lead. Women are so hysterical and imaginative!

Maybe it's just me, but with as many odd things as are happening here, I'd have trusted even the flimsiest lead proposed by the family dog, at this point of the game.

The head now commands her (through the ring, which she's already tried to throw away) to kill her father. In the big resolution, love conquers all and the head and the revived priest are thwarted.

Interesting little film, but not worth staying up until dawn to watch. Set the VCR for this one.

Streaming Thor and the Amazon Women Online

Thor and the Amazon Women (1963)iMDB Rating: 4.6
Date Released : 9 August 1963
Genre : Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Stars : Susy Andersen, Joe Robinson, Harry Baird, Janine Hendy
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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A race of Amazon warriors is enslaving the men of a country, and the mighty Thor is called upon to help them regain their freedom.

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Review :

Some may find this witless muscle movie amusing. Others may nod off.

Italian muscle movie of the 'sixties with it's brains in its gluteus maximus muscles. Aggressive amazons are enslaving men; to the rescue come the mighty Thor and his black sidekick, Ubaratutu (spelling?). I was convulsed with laughter both times that I saw this flick but many will simply accept it for what it is: a knuckle-headed spinoff of the Hercules series. I haven't seen it listed on TV in more than three decades, either because it's considered too stupid to show (why would that stop them?) or, more likely, because it's just too politically incorrect for our "sensitive" times: Ubaratutu is portrayed as dim-witted and cowardly and always refers to Thor as "master." If you watch this with people who are tuned-in to "camp," it may destroy you, as it did me. I laughed so hard that I cried, but don't say you weren't warned.

Watch Wu Ze Tian Online

Wu Ze Tian (1963)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 14 June 1963
Genre : Drama, History
Stars : Li Hua Li, Chun Yen, Lei Zhao, Diana Chang Chung Wen." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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Review :

EMPRESS WU – Turbulent life in court with a 7th Century Empress

EMPRESS WU (1960) is a 112-minute drama from Hong Kong's Shaw Bros. studio about a seventh-century Empress, "the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant," according to Wikipedia. It's quite a spectacular production, shot on a series of exquisitely designed sets and boasting a dazzling array of costumes, all beautifully photographed in color and widescreen. Li-Li Hua (THE MAGNIFICENT CONCUBINE, BOXER REBELLION), one of Hong Kong's greatest film stars, plays the title role and dominates the film just as her character dominates the court in the span of decades covered by the story. The film doesn't soften the character's ruthlessness or her harsh punishment of enemies, even when they're her own sons. But at the same time it shows the fairness with which she treats some of those who oppose her and the respect she shows the ones who speak their minds honestly and thoughtfully to her. It's never clear exactly whether she's meant to be seen as a heroine or a villain and I'm guessing the film's intent was to suggest that she could be both.

There's a feminist slant revealed in the thinking of Wu Zhao, the Empress, in such scenes as when she turns down a petition to punish nuns who reportedly seduced young men, and grants nuns the rights to the same human feelings as anyone else. She puts her emphasis on statecraft and providing for the populace and repeatedly rejects the notion that a woman can't head the ship of state, despite grumbling by many of her ministers. More importantly, there's a secondary character, Wan Er, a girl at court who is the daughter and granddaughter of men who were executed as traitors and is party to a conspiracy against the Empress until Wu Zhao questions her at length after reading a poem the girl wrote. Impressed with her intellect, her forthrightness, and ability to rethink her positions, the Empress appoints Wan Er to be her chief aide and before too long, Wan Er is dressed in full scholar's garb and remains at the Empress' side until the bitter end. I don't believe I've ever seen any Shaw Bros. historical drama that featured women in such positions. The actress who plays Wan Er, Grace Ting Ning, has striking features and is very good in the role.

There's an extended battle sequence late in the film, as the army loyal to the Empress suppresses a rebellion by an opposing faction. I must confess I was never quite sure which side was which, since none of the actors in the battle scene appear anywhere else in the film. (Since Fukui, Japan is listed as a filming location by IMDb, and since the only extended location sequence is the battle scene, I suspect that the battle was shot by a second unit in Japan with none of the principal HK actors.) Further confusion ensues when numerous characters are referred to in the subtitles even though we haven't seen them or, if we have, were never adequately identified for us. Also, some of the subtitle translations seem to oversimplify, or simply garble, some of the complex arguments put forth by some of the characters, particularly the Empress. I understand that a lot of the history covered by this epic condensation is well-known to Chinese viewers and didn't really need to be spelled out for the audience. Unfortunately, this leaves non-Chinese viewers at a distinct disadvantage at some points along the way.

Still, I found it a thoroughly compelling historical drama, beautifully mounted in all departments and powerfully acted by a top-drawer Shaw Bros. cast. It certainly ranks with THE MAGNIFICENT CONCUBINE, also reviewed on this site, as one of the best films of its type. While the IMDb date given here is 1963, the year of release given on the Celestial DVD case is 1960.

Watch Le Petit Soldat (1963) Online

Le Petit Soldat (1963)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 25 January 1963
Genre : War, Drama
Stars : Anna Karina, Michel Subor, Henri-Jacques Huet, Paul Beauvais. During the Algerian war for independence from France, a young Frenchman living in Geneva who belongs to a right-wing terrorist group and a young woman who belongs to a left-wing terrorist group meet and fall in love. Complications ensue when the man is suspected by the members of his terrorist group of being a double agent." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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During the Algerian war for independence from France, a young Frenchman living in Geneva who belongs to a right-wing terrorist group and a young woman who belongs to a left-wing terrorist group meet and fall in love. Complications ensue when the man is suspected by the members of his terrorist group of being a double agent.

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Review :

Essential classic Godard

"Le Petit Soldat" was made right after "Breathless", with Raoul Coutard continuing to experiment with hand-held black-and-white cinematography; it was the first film that Jean-Luc Godard made with Anna Karina, and the film has many passages which are hymns to her beauty (the most famous being the photography session with freeze-frames, a scene which John Schlesinger copied in "Darling"). Though I love early Godard, this one is fascinating, but it's also politically murky: the very real issues of the Algerian War are treated in ways which are confusing, sometimes facetious, and often distressing. But the romantic agony at the core of the film makes it very touching. It would be Godard's most passionately tragic film until "Pierrot le Fou", and the couple played by Michel Subor and Karina remain perhaps Godard's most heartbreaking.

Streaming Passenger (1963) Online

Passenger (1963)iMDB Rating: 7.7
Date Released : 20 September 1963
Genre : Drama, History, War
Stars : Aleksandra Slaska, Anna Ciepielewska, Janusz Bylczynski, Krzesislawa Dubielówna. The last film of Andrzej Munk, who died in a crash during the filming. A German woman on a ship coming back to Europe notices a face of another woman which brings recollections from the past. She tells her husband that she has been an overseer in Auschwitz during the war, but she has actually saved a woman's life. Her vision is shown and then the actual events." />
Movie Quality : BRrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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The last film of Andrzej Munk, who died in a crash during the filming. A German woman on a ship coming back to Europe notices a face of another woman which brings recollections from the past. She tells her husband that she has been an overseer in Auschwitz during the war, but she has actually saved a woman's life. Her vision is shown and then the actual events.

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Review :

Dream of a Nightmare

In what was to be his final, incomplete film, Andrzej Munk gives an insight into an "island in time", as the narrator calls it. A woman on an ocean cruiser meets what seems to be a person from her own past - a past where she was overseer in the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the other a prisoner. They were bond together by a strange link, which in the view of guard (Liza) was generally build up by some sort of respect and protection, whereas the actual events that follow Liza reminiscences leave no doubt about her participation in the inhumanity and her guild. From the point of view of Marta, the surviver (or is it someone else?), the "relationship" was different. Munks pictures show us two sides of the story in a dream-like atmosphere: Black and white, eerie music, haunting pictures. Though a totally different content, the aesthetic atmosphere recalls 'La Jetee' by Chris Marker, filmed around the same time. In all, a short but intense viewing experience that achieves great emotional impact. Way ahead of it's time.

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Taur, il re della forza bruta (1963)iMDB Rating: 3.7
Date Released : 30 June 1963
Genre : Adventure
Stars : Joe Robinson, Harry Baird, Bella Cortez, Antonio Leonviola. The warlike men of Kixos murder the king of Surupak and abduct his two daughters, Jia and Tuja. Jia's bridegroom Syros asks the mighty warrior Taurus for assistance. Taurus faithful companion Ubaratuta will give Taurus a hand to defeat the warlike tribe." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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The warlike men of Kixos murder the king of Surupak and abduct his two daughters, Jia and Tuja. Jia's bridegroom Syros asks the mighty warrior Taurus for assistance. Taurus faithful companion Ubaratuta will give Taurus a hand to defeat the warlike tribe.

Review :

Wow, Thor must work out on a fairly regular basis

The copy I saw was called Tör, and the illustration on the box was far more exciting than anything in the movie. The story is about these bad people oppressing these innocent villagers and how Taur and his cowardly (but equally muscle-bound) companion go about liberating them. This movie is just horribly dull and mostly devoid of even unintentional humor. The fights consist of Taur knocking away the soldiers' weapons and then quickly dispatching them with a simple wrestling move. There really aren't any swords or stabbing or even blood. Who knows, maybe you'll just love it.