(1952)
Dir - Harry Horner
Overall: MEH
The debut from director Harry Horner, Red Planet Mars is more of a simple-minded, Cold War melodrama than an alien takeover film. In fact, whatever extraterrestrials may be lurking about are both never seen and hardly concerned with physically infiltrating our planet, instead sending coded messages that are Biblically interpreted and eventually bring about some semblance of world piece with both the Russian and American military sides ceasing their long-standing one-upmanship and distrust. A nice concept delivered in a talky and relentlessly boring fashion, but the way that the story boils entire societies down to rudimentary cliches that are brought together by Christian dogma is laughable and made almost surreal due to the sincere approach. An adaptation of John L. Balderston's 1932 stage play Red Planet, (Balderson sharing screenwriting credit with Anthony Veiller), the unintended goofiness is the only thing that may keep any viewer interested. Well that and some heavy performances by Peter Graves, (in his first top-billed role), Andrea King, and Herbert Berghof as an anarchist encoder who is pulling both sides along for his own sadistic glee. Still, the first half is unwatchably dull and there can be no denying how stupid the finale is.
(1953)
Dir - Hugo Fregonese
Overall: MEH
Yet another adaptation of Marie Belloc Lowndes' 1911 novel The Lodger and the last which was theatrically released until David Ondaatje's 2009 take on it, Man in the Attic scored Jack Palance in the lead, which is about the only differentiating quality that it has compared to previous versions. It most closely adheres to the plot and structure of the 1944 one which was directed by John Brahm considering that it utilizes the same script from a credited Barré Lyndon, though screenwriter Robert Presnell Jr. was also involved with providing its few narrative tweaks. Argentine director Hugo Fregonese had bounced between Westerns and film noirs at this point in his career and despite the movie's talky nature, he still keeps up a steady pace aside from some brief musical numbers that grind things to a halt, be it temporarily. Palance had yet to develop his perpetual smirk and exaggerated, breathy delivery and he turns in a low-key performance that is in keeping with this story's version of Jack the Ripper as a cautious and neurotic loner who becomes infatuated with the one woman that shows him admiration. The finale is not that riveting and since there is no mystery as to who London's lady murderer is, the plot once again simply goes through the motions until it wraps up.
(1957)
Dir - Ronnie Ashcroft
Overall: WOOF
One of several crap-budgeted B-movies that was churned out as the second feature in a double drive-in bill, The Astounding She-Monster, (The Mysterious Invader), is the first of only three films to be directed by editor Ronnie Ashcroft. Ed Wood Jr. allegedly worked on the script in an unofficial capacity and it bares several of his inept trademarks. The pacing is snore-inducing due to Ashcroft's flat direction that favors stagnant wide shots and tedious character behavior, plus there is a goofy and mute extraterrestrial babe played by Shirley Kilpatrick and terrible early narration from Scott Douglas whose whispery and effeminate line-readings sound as if he can barely stay awake while delivering them. As one could guess, the ridiculous story never picks up any momentum as we spend almost the entire movie in a cabin where some gangsters argue with each other and Kilpatrick occasionally murders them with her glowing body suite on. The performances are wooden at best, but these poor actors can hardly be blamed with what they have to work with. It manages to not be insulting in its feeble attempts as a melodramatic crime/sci-fi hybrid and is mercifully only an hour long, but there is still nothing here worth remembering.
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