Wuchakk

A dozen years after a nuclear war, Caesar (Roddy McDowell) oversees a village of apes mixed with subservient humans. He and his advisor (Paul Williams), as well as Ceasar's human assistant (Austin Stoker), make an excursion to the Forbidden City for important data, but this incurs the wrath of Kolp, leader of the underground mutants (Severn Darden). Meanwhile a militant gorilla is enthusiastic about the prospects of war (Claude Akins).

"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" (1973) had the lowest budget of the original five movies, costing around $1.8 million (which would be equal to $7.4 million today), yet it still made a respectable profit at the box office. So, technically speaking, it's the least impressive of the five flicks; however, it makes up for it with compelling dialogues and interesting characters, e.g. Caesar, McDonald and Virgil and their trek to the city.

While the script was written by the husband/wife team that wrote "The Omega Man" two years earlier, it was polished up by Paul Dehn, who wrote 90% of the thought-provoking dialogues and altered the ending (throwing in the bit with Ceasar's statue).

Critics complain about the straight-on military attack in the last act, but I guess they never heard of Pickett's Charge or similar military assaults. Besides, the mutants hadn't fought such a battle since the distant atomic holocaust and weren't in top health due to longtime radiation exposure (for instance, notice how slow they walk). The number of capable combatants available was understandably limited as well.

As noted in my title blurb, the sociological commentary is interesting throughout with its observations about war, pacifism, equality, sectarianism, subcultures and the corresponding legalism. A good example regarding that last one is how humans cannot say "no" to apes, but apes can say it to each other. Now relate that to the 'n' word today.

On the feminine front, blonde Colleen Camp has a small role as human Julie while brunette Heather Lowe plays the doctor of the village, also human. France Nuyen is on hand as well as Kolp's assistant. There are several notables in the periphery, female and male, such as John Huston, Natalie Trundy, Lew Ayres, Noah Keen and so on.

Despite the low-budget and comic book vibe, this is my third favorite of the original five movies, placing after the original and "Beneath." It's basically on par with "Escape" and "Conquest," I just prefer it over those.

It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot at Fox Movie Ranch, which today is Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, a 33-minutes drive due west of Hollywood. The underground sequences in the Forbidden City were shot at Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey, Los Angeles.

GRADE: B/B-

After a young woman in Portugal (María Elena Arpón) has a horrifying experience at some mysterious ruins by a remote graveyard, her two friends try to find out what happened to her (Lone Fleming and César Burner). Big mistake.

A Portuguese/Spanish production, "Tombs of the Blind Dead" (1972) was originally called "The Night of the Blind Terror" (translated from Spanish). It spawned three sequels in the next three years: "Return of the Blind Dead," "The Ghost Galleon" and "Night of the Seagulls." "The Ghost Galleon" is the only other one I've seen, which is wisely a standalone flick.

This is slightly superior. The story is interesting, but it basically rips off plot elements of the Dracula story, just replace Harker with Virginia and the undead Count with the Templar mummies. The structure also brings to mind "Psycho" and obviously so. Nevertheless, the Iberian locations are great, the characters interesting, the women lovely, the antagonists creepy and the locomotive a nice addition.

Unfortunately, I lost a little respect for the flick when the train conductor's assistant tries to help a distraught female get on the train. You'll see what I mean. Then there's the issue of the horses. I guess you're not supposed to overthink things.

While watching the skeletal Templars riding horses, I couldn't help think of the apes on horses in "Planet of the Apes." Some distributors thought the same thing and so reedited the film, releasing it as "Revenge from Planet Ape," to take advantage of the popularity of that franchise in the 70s. It played at various theaters in America and even Guam.

It runs 1 hours, 41 minutes, with an edited American version called "The Blind Dead" butchering it to 1 hour, 23 minutes. It was shot in Portugal (Lisbon & places nearby: Palmela, Setúbal, Sesimbra and Estoril) and Spain (Monastery of Pelayos in Madrid).

GRADE: B-

An English woman in a loveless marriage (Suzanna Love) meets a man from America involved in the dismantling and sale of the London Bridge (Robert Walker Jr.). Events eventually switch to Lake Havasu City where the bridge has been reconstructed.

Shot in early 1981, "Olivia" is a Hitchcockian psychological drama/thriller helmed by Ulli Lommel for $500,000 (which would be equal to $1.7 million today). While there are bits borrowed from "Nightmare" (1981) and "Psycho," this isn't a slasher.

The pace is unhurried and there's a cinematic beauty to the proceedings with its soothing piano-oriented score, DESPITE the seedy side issue of prostitution and the troubling death scenes. Along with the artistry, there are some interesting themes, such as bad childhood experiences haunting one's adulthood, raw sex vs making love and a woman finding her "prince."

Suzanna is a highlight and was the director's wife from 1979-1987. In my opinion she looks best as a brunette in glasses. She's (unnecessarily) shown nude, but in a tasteful way; stay away if you find that disagreeable. On the other side of the gender spectrum, Robert Walker Jr is perhaps best known for playing the titular character in the 1966 Star Trek episode "Charlie X."

There are several alternative titles, including "Double Jeopardy," "A Taste of Sin" and "Beyond the Bridge."

It runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in London and Lake Havasu City in west-central Arizona.

GRADE: B-