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crabturtle
Reviews
Panic! (1957)
best tv drama of the 1950's!
i was only 9 years old when this show was on the air, which may be one reason it was so memorable. the most unique thing about the show was the opening. a narrator introduced a character and gave a time in minutes and seconds when he (or she) would become involved in a harrowing situation. for example: "this is mr. smith. in 2 minutes and 36 seconds he will be in PANIC"! then in that announced time the character would get into some unforseen trouble and would indeed become panicky! the title then came on the screen and shattered into hundreds of pieces. the rest of the show would be how the victims of the situation were saved from their predicament. i think it was always a happy ending. i don't recall anybody actually dying as a result of the initially dangerous (and potentially more dangerous) plot set-up. another reviewer mentioned the plot involving the little boy finding a man trapped in a tank with a tiger. the boy was known in town as a liar so nobody believes him when he tries to get help. in this case, the title could refer to either the boy or the man in the tank. the only other plot i remember vaguely was a woman trapped in a closed and darkened theater with a maniacal killer. i would love to have somebody contact me who remembers more shows of this series.
Wake in Fright (1971)
highly recommended
i first saw this in New York City in the early 1970's. it was one of the very few movies i have seen in my life that deserved a second viewing. for some reason i have always been fascinated by Australia. it just seemed to have animals and scenery that didn't exist anywhere else. another plus was that they spoke English there which is the only language i know. i did finally get to Australia in 1997 and it was every bit as fascinating as i had expected. this film is also fascinating although it paints a very dark and disturbing picture of the island continent. it is about a schoolteacher who for some reason becomes stranded in a tiny town in the remote outback. until he is able to leave he decides to socialize with the locals. they are a rough and tumble group unlike the teacher who is somewhat timid and sensitive. the main entertainment in this region is drinking, fighting and killing kangaroos. the latter scenes are the most disturbing with heads being blasted off the cute creature's bodies. sadly,it all ends tragically.
Sette contro la morte (1964)
a low budget "B-movie" but as good as they get!
i saw this 37 years ago on the bottom of a double (possibly a triple) bill in a theater on Delancy st. in New York City. it wasn't the one i went to see but since i see every film released i stayed for it. it was a very pleasant surprise. i have always been fascinated by caves and have toured through most U.S. caverns so the title and basic setting of the film was immediately of interest. the only star i remember was John Saxon who i liked so that was another plus. beyond all that however, the film was unusally gripping and interesting. the plot details have escaped me over the years but it had to do with a small group of people (men & women) forced to be in a cave together even though they don't particularly like each other. these conflicts are brought to the surface in the claustrophobic space to result in various acts of agression and violence. there were no monsters in the cave as might be expected with such films but the drama between the characters i found to be surprisingly involving. i even saw it a second time.