Saturday, April 20, 2019

THE PRISONER - "Arrival" (1967)

Out of all the things we've done, it's hard to believe that we've never gotten around to this classic 1967 Brit TV show before, but that's just the way it works around here!
Welcome to the 4-20 Easter edition of The Dwrayger Dungeon Saturday Night Special!

"The Prisoner" is one of the trippiest TV shows ever made, and I'm actually surprised it made it across The Pond because it's just so weird!

As you walk through the valleys of shadows in life....Just remember!

There is no easy way out!

First Patrick McGoohan was John Drake Danger Man, then he was John Drake Secret Agent, and when he decides to give it all up, he gets gassed!

When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is!

This remote bucolic village is where it all begins!

He doesn't know it yet, but now he is just a number!

Want information? Sure! Just push and find out! 
There's only one problem! They've left the word 'inform' out of the word 'information!'

Want a detailed map? This is as good as it gets!

And then there's the bouncing ball you don't want to follow.......

.....Or piss off!

Very comforting! The Welcome Wagon must have come around!

His new identity is Number 6.

Number 6 is not overly thrilled with having his own private maid! 
He'd really rather just go home!

Whoever is running the show doesn't want the residents to have any contact at all with the outside world so they even package their own food with their own custom labels!

And somebody's watching you 24/7. That you can count on!

6 finds out the hard way that it's more difficult than it seems to escape!

Many of the best have tried to translate dream sequences into visual media, but I don't think anybody has done it better than the makers of "The Prisoner."

It's just one long nightmare!
There's only seventeen episodes, so I don't know about you, but I know what I'm doing for the next week or two! Might as well lock me up, and throw away the key!

Friday, April 19, 2019

RETURN OF GIANT MAJIN / Colder Than Ice, Unyielding As Stone, Divine Retribution Is At Hand - 1966

Okay, here's one for Randall... In this follow up production, an evil warlord sets his sights on yet another village to conquer, this one by a lakeside. He kidnaps Katsushige and offers an ultimatum to the villagers to hand over one of their protectors, Lord Juro, in exchange for the release of the woman. But, Lord Juro and the brave village people defy the evil doers and decide to fight for their freedom. When their sacrifices seem in vain, they pray to their stone god to awaken and fight for them!

Here's Lord Juro, he has just found out that his village has been captured by an evil warlord and his people need his help desperately...

The warlord and his men outnumber and outgun the village people (ha ha) and they must submit to his orders, or, get sliced in half!

Some of the villagers escape to an island across the river where a peaceful tribe of people live. It's also where the giant stone protector Majin is located... The top still strikes a nerve with me for some reason, it's really surreal.

So, the warlord and crew, using boats, find the island, their plan is to destroy Majin and claim the island for themselves. The bastards stack a ton of explosives up and set the whole thing off, blowing the stone Hajin into a thousand pieces! Its head falls into the water.

One of the exploded pieces of the statue just happens to go through this dude's evil heart!

The warlord ties Katsushige to a cross and sets it on fire! She prays to Majin and a mysterious wind from nowhere blows the flames out.

Back at the ranch, Majin rises from the water and starts pummeling the warlord's men!

Majin goes to the village where the warlord has Katsushige bound. First, it easily pushes over that big stone wall before rescuing Katsushige from her tormentor.

Now, Majin has its sights set on the frightened little warlord... Oh, Lordie!

The warlord has set out more explosives for the giant, and, it goes off!....

Okay, now you really pissed him off!!..

And, this is the fate of the cry baby warlord after trying to escape in a boat. He looks pretty good as a dead man!

So, our big old hero, Majin, walks into the water, turns back to stone and disappears, just like I'm ready to do... Tune in tomorrow when we'll have even more cool junk 4 U.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

HOUSE OF CARDS - "A War Of Intrique" (1968)

It's Orson Welles Wednesday" in The Dungeon and a very odd film from 1968 titled 
"House Of Cards."

Besides this movie, the title "House Of Cards" has been used multiple times in movies with various plots, once in 1990, once in 1993, once in 2001, and twice in 2013 culminating with the Kevin Spacey TV series!

If I had to describe "House Of Cards," I'd say it was kind of like a Jesse Franco movie, but one that made sense!

The star of the movie is George Peppard as the washed up prize fighter Reno Taylor who has to throw in his own towel!

Probably better known for his TV role as "Banacek" and for being the Captain of "The A-Team" John "Hannibal" Smith, George Peppard smokes and wisecracks his way through this film like a poor man's Joachim Fuchsberger!

The main reason I watched "House Of Cards" was because Orson Welles was in it, but honestly, that wasn't quite enough!

Orson plays a pompous ass, and is very good at it, but his on screen time is very limited!

While Joachim, I mean George, smokes another cigarette, it gives me an opportunity to tell you about the female lead in this film, Inger Stevens as the neurotic rich alcoholic Anne de Villemont!

Admittedly Inger is very attractive, but I always preferred Connie and/or Stella, if I were to have a choice of 60's Stevens' gold!

Reno Taylor is a pretty classy dude, and he refuses to take advantage of a lady in a drunken stupor!

Reno Taylor got hired to watch this rich brat! The kid disappears, and the next thing you know, everybody's trying to kill poor Reno!

Reno has to go on the run, and his mug is plastered all over the front pages of the newspaper, so let the chase begin!

"House Of Cards" is not a bad movie, and actually has a lot of very scenic scenes like this, but is pretty confusing, and it just never really hits on all eight cylinders!

"House Of Cards" is such a popular movie, you can find this whole five page press book for five bucks online! 
As far as real estate goes, if I had to do it again, I'd rather go back and watch "House Of A 1,000 Dolls," "House Of Dracula," or "House Of The Damned" again, but then, that's just me!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??