Change Your Image
patrick_w35
Reviews
Return to Mayberry (1986)
A trip back home...
I always regarded THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW as a once a week visit to a bunch of good friends. I just didn't have to drive to Mayberry; it was a matter of tuning in each Monday night, and I never missed it. How nice it was to get to visit with most of the old gang again when RETURN TO MAYBERRY aired. Now I suppose the context of the show wasn't all that "cool" but then the original show never was and never tried to be. RETURN TO MAYBERRY was like going home again after a number of years away. Barney was just the same, flying off at the handle in six different directions while Andy's cool head prevailed to solve the mystery of the monster of Myers Lake. There were two very nice touches near the end; one of which was Barney's marriage to Thelma Lou. (I recall always feeling sort of sad that they never were married during the run of the original show.) The other was of course Andy and Barney taking down the flag at the end of the movie, and I thought it fitting that they ended it this way...Andy as the sherriff and Barney the ever dependable deputy...forever the stalwart keepers of law and order in that mythical little North Carolina town we will have in our hearts. I always feel kind of warm as I drive through Mount Airy and Siler City and Pilot Mountain (Mt. Pilot). Maybe Mayberry isn't really there in name, but it is a wonderful feeling to know I am in Andy Taylor and Barney Fife country.
The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
A well-done, offbeat Hammer chiller.
I first saw this film in the late sixties on TV as KISS OF EVIL. I've often wondered about that. It aired on the prestigious NBC's Tuesday Night At The Movies (or was it Thursday?) and the sophisticated Judith Crist even gave it a favorable review in TV GUIDE. I watched it and was enthralled by the wonderful Hammer technique. I can't help but wonder if NBC gave it the much quieter "Evil" as opposed to the more explicit "the Vampire" for there was certainly much less gore than is in the videocassette. Whatever happened, the fact remains that this is a wonderful example of the Hammer chillers we all knew and loved. Noel Willman is sinister as Dr. Ravna, De Sousa and Danielle are well-cast as the young married couple on their honeymoon. DON'T MISS IT! You'll have fun watching it.
The Return of Dracula (1958)
An effective and atmospheric chiller.
I first saw this film when it was originally released in 1958 and it literally scared the hell out of me. Once I got significantly older and happened to see it available on video, I purchased it for old times sake. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had lost not one iota of it's power! The casting of the suave Francis Lederer in the title role was a master stroke. It indeed does bring back memories of the superb "Shadow of a Doubt". Although a low budget entry, it still causes uneasiness to its viewers. Gerald Fried's eerie score is a plus too. It was largely overshadowed in 1958 by the "Horror of Dracula" (also a fine film as any Draculaphile would agree) but it deserves to be recognized as the fine chiller it is. i heartily recommend it to any fan of good thrillers.