FREE Online Fantastic Film Project 18: TEN *MORE* films with LINKS and info!

TEN FILMS WITH LINKS!
Here is a page from which you can link to 10 different fantastic films (some with alternate versions). I'm kind of like your TV GUIDE!

dr. terror's house of horrors 1965 98m
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvpZu6UQcJU (98m)
https://www.cda.pl/video/20278195 (93m. Polish subs)
5/4/2019 - Amicus anthology with Donald Sutherland, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing. Five stories, involving werewolf, vampire, voodoo, murderous plants, and a return from the dead, all with a very cool wrap. (A+) [The remastered Pinewood 98m print on YouTube is quite nice, and can also be found at My.Mail.ru with English hardsubs   ..The German Anchor Bay 93m print on CDA is adequate]

the devil commands 1941 65m
https://www.cda.pl/video/313302281
5/4/2019 - Boris Karloff is a scientist who discovers that each person has unique brainwaves, and uses this to communicate with his dead wife. Creepy, quirky, intriguing. (A) [CDA.pl was English, excellent, no subs]

the brain 1962 83m
AKA vengeance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYT1uhYryzk
5/5/2019 - Curt Siodmak's DONOVAN'S BRAIN redone. This is crisp, mostly due to Freddie Francis' direction, but also a good cast led by Peter van Eyck and a bevy of beautiful women. I really like this film, and the offbeat ending. (A) [YouTube is the British version, no topless scene, and the picture is cropped but this is about as good as you'll find in public streaming]

them! 1954 92m
https://www.cda.pl/video/2457581e2 (Polish subs)
5/5/2019 - Giant mutated ants. Due to the casting, this beautiful film stands ahead of its competition, and the likes of James Arness, Fess Parker, James Whitmore, and the inimitable Edmund Gwenn act without overacting, so you care. (A+) [This CDA print is nice and smooth, whereas the other CDA print up at the time, and CafeHule print were wrong aspect, stretched]

green slime 1968 90m
https://archive.org/details/LaMelmaVerde1968
http://cafehulu.com/watch/oxQK1odn-the-green-slime.html
5/7/2019 - After saving the Earth from a rogue asteroid (ARMAGEDDON, anyone?), our heroes inadvertantly bring aliens to the space station. The slimers are annoying but deadly, and there is some decent screenplay here and there, as well as a handsome cast (B/B+) [It was difficult to find a decent stream, but Archive played well even if severely cropped top-bottom; if you can get CafeHulu to play, it's not cropped]

fiend without a face 1958 74m
https://archive.org/details/FiendWithoutAFace1958Vose (Spanish subs)
http://cafehulu.com/watch/gdV9L3GD-fiend-without-a-face.html
5/8/2019 - Genius decides to makes his thoughts physical, but they become ravenous for human brains and go on a rampage. When I first saw this years ago, I thought it was delightful and fresh, but unfortunately too many movies since then have spoiled its excesses, and today the strange script and dialogue seems silly rather than unique. Still, gotta love stop-motion oozing brains! (B+/A-) [Many English-language uploads are inferior quality, but Archive was very nice, no ghosting; again, if you can get CafeHulu to play, the picture is as good and no hardsubs (or soft subs), if that bothers you; 74m seems to be the most, I don't think a 77m print exists]

deadly mantis 1957 79m
https://ok.ru/video/196039281372
5/10/2019 - Nuke test wakes prehistoric carnivorous insect. This really had potential, and I liked the monster mock-ups, but they seem to have just run out of ideas and therefore drag out nearly every scene. (B) [Surprisingly, the non-MST3K, ie, original version, was difficult to find, this upload converted from an old AMC cable channel showing, but the encode is both blurry and skips]

godzilla vs. the thing 1964 90m/88m
AKA godzilla vs. mothra
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/8211745/godzilla_vs_the_thing/ (English dub, 88m)
https://archive.org/details/GODZILLAVS.THETHING1964EnglishDub (88m)
https://archive.org/details/GodzillaThingRedMenace (English dub, 90m)
https://archive.org/details/MOTHRAVS.GODZILLA1964JapaneseVersionHD (88m)
5/12/2019 - You might be surprised how the film focuses mainly on Mothra for most of the film, especially the promoters of the egg, but all in all this is a solid entry into the series. This Godzilla's personality is the clumsy/angry one. For example, he falls into a ditch and takes it out on a monastery for no reason, just because it's there. Godzilla also, for no apparent reason, is intent on destroying the egg (sure, it's allegory, but you have to know and add that). The American version is what I hurried inside to see on Saturday afternoons, WPIX-TV New York, and after school on the 4:30 Movie, WABC-TV New York, and this is adequate for most viewership. (A) [Metacafe plays well but is somewhat distorted and cropped; Archive English dub should play well with most routers; Red Menace reconstruction is 13 Gb and will probably need to be downloaded to view without buffering]
CHECK OUT: https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Mothra_vs._Godzilla (AWESOME!)
YOU MIGHT LIKE https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3256003

gamera vs. jiger 1970 82m
AKA gamera vs. monster x
https://archive.org/details/GameraVs.Jiger (English dub)
5/13/2019 - Jiger is awakened from forced hibernation by archaeologists, and Gamera is parasitically impregnated with Jiger's child during their first battle, and therefore some precocious kids take matters into their own hands to save Gamera and the world. Without judgment on the intended audience, this plays pretty well and isn't cynical, like most of today's films. (B/B+) [Archive is an excellent upload]
CHECK OUT: https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Gamera_vs._Jiger

A Dissertation on the Delivery of Streaming Video

A Dissertation on the Delivery of Streaming Video
by Mr. Thomas Wise, Esq.

There are a few factors which determine the quality and enjoyment of the particular video you wish to, and do, watch on your device, whether that be a television, computer, notepad, or phone.

(1) The Print.
(2) The Conversion, or Transfer.
(3) The Upload.
(4) The Stream.
(5) The Carrier.
(6) The ISP.
(7) The Router (Wi-Fi).
(8) The Device.

(1) The Print.
This simply means the reel or file from which the conversion, or transfer, is made. In olden days, original film prints were transfered to secondary prints for cinema showings. Television prints might be from the original film print, or the secondary print (we will not here discuss edits, crops, or other changes made by television stations). Today, many original "prints" are digital recordings, but this doesn't mean it, or copies made therefrom, cannot have issues. The quality of the print is therefore the first and primary concern. What are you watching? Is it an original print, a problematic secondary or television print, or perhaps it is a restored or remastered print?

(2) The Conversion, or Transfer.
Whoever converts, or transfers, the print unto a "streamable" file uses a particular canister, encode, and parameters. The end result can be faithful to the original in every regard, or may change, slightly or drastically, such things as aspect ratio, sync, color (saturation, tint, hue, etc), grain, audio, and other elements. As well, conversion, or transfer, can introduce new problems, such as glitches and hangs. It is thus of utmost importance to trust whoever converts, or transfers. Even hard media, such as DVD, may be unreasonably flawed this process is handled carelessly.

(3) The Upload. 
The place where the "streamable" file is uploaded shall be its repository and, basically, projectionist. In today's advanced technological landscape, it is still not quite guaranteed that the uploaded "streamable" file will not undergo some alteration to the fit the guidelines or whims of the repository. Thus, YouTube may alter an upload more so than, say, Putlocker. Where the repository holds not uploads but rather conversions, or transfers, such alterations may be fewer. Thus, Netflix might be said to be more faithful to the print (and naturally, a DVD is likely yet more faithful than the same film found on Netflix, although this too is not guaranteed).

(4) The Stream.
When a "streamable" file is accessed, the "projectionist" at the repository streams it to you. This may incur some further alteration of the file to fit in-house guidelines (whether arbitrary or necessary due to, say, technical limitations) or perhaps legal constraints. More likely, however, the power of the projectionist has much to do with the quality of the stream you receive. If the projectionist cannot handle the number of simultaneous requests for "streamable" files, picture quality may suffer, buffering will occur, or perhaps the "page" accessed will simply crash and ask you to "reload" it.

(5) The Carrier.
When a file is streamed, the information travels. This may be on particles from a satellite, or along a fiber-optic network. Either way, the "streamable" file being carried along thus is subject to attack and failure. This may be due to weather conditions, quality of the carrier's equipment and routing (both of which can degrade or scramble the signal, and thus information), and even outside attack from hackers, ranging from anarchic individuals to entire-government operations. One of the most common hacker attacks is DDos (distributed denial of service) which may slow down, or even stop, delivery of digital information.

(6) The ISP.
Once the "streamable" file reaches your neck of the woods, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) should deliver what has been received in the most faithful manner. However, ISP's have both issues and agendas. Regarding issues, ISP's may use substandard equipment, such as older satellite dishes and modems, or faulty cable. Regarding agendas, ISP's have the power to interfere with streams which are considered piracy (we shall not here discuss why YouTube is permitted to stream copyrighted material but other websites which do the same thing are maligned). Thus, a perfectly sound stream may be corrupted by your ISP.

(7) The Router (Wi-Fi).
A perfectly-good stream, not corrupted up to this point, may be ruined by a substandard router which cannot handle any particular load of information, whether one large file (such as a 3-gigabyte MP4 1080p HD stream) to a single device, or many small files to multiple devices. How do you know if you need a new router?  Stuttering, loading, and buffering may be symptoms of an inferior router, or it could be in the stream before the router. Since you never know, the best policy is to have the most up-to-date router for the loads you anticipate (for example, two adults, two children, 6 devices total). All cables in and out of the router should be tight and as short as possible to avoid signal loss. Obviously, Wi-Fi not under your control, such as at a hotel, cannot be tweaked without difficulty.

(8) The Device.
Routers send signals to devices. In order to have a good viewing experience, today's devices must be powerful and up-to-date (sorry, but manufacturer-level spyware is almost a given these days). Whether a computer, a notebook, a phone, a stick, or a smart TV, it is important to correctly set up and maintain the device. Configure the device for best signal reception (yes, we basically still use the "antenna" precept) and audio/video display. Periodically clean the cache(s) and data as necessary. If possible, block advertising which can interfere with signal and viewing pleasure. Minimize the number of running programs, as use of memory, data, CPU, and network all contribute to buffering, loss of quality, and even crashing of the stream. Keep in mind also that no two devices work in the same way, and therefore your phone may stream more seamlessly and with better quality than your smart TV.

FREE Online Fantastic Film Project 17: TEN *MORE* films with LINKS and info!

TEN FILMS WITH LINKS!
Here is a page from which you can link to 10 different fantastic films (some with alternate versions). I'm kind of like your TV GUIDE!

gappa the triphibian monster 1967 90m
AKA monster from a prehistoric planet
https://archive.org/details/MonsterFromAPrehistoricPlanet_201701
4/25/2019 - Stupid people take monster baby from "lost" island, find themselves under attack in Tokyo by monster parents. Basically, a remake of Gorgo with some Rodan thrown in for good measure. This movie takes a lot of hate, but the effects and cameras took some doing, and most of the actors are suitably agog. Also, the love interest subplot is cutely done. The most annoying thing is the islander boy (in blackface yet) yelling "Gappa!" every two seconds. You could do worse, believe it! One more thing, Gappa is not from another planet, but rather a homegrown creature. (B) [Archive upload is the USA TV print, and is FULL picture, while most others online are cropped]

man in half moon street 1945 92m
https://ok.ru/video/677082172046
4/25/2019 - Slow methodical take on the Barre Lyndon play, wherein the secret to eternal youth is fleetingly held and felt. Gently acted, the sweet Helen Walker superb, the Miklos Rozsa score evocative. I really loved the ending, so casually offbeat. (A-) [ok.ru upload was very good, even if the print had been spliced many moons ago]

man who could cheat death 1958 82m
http://cafehulu.com/watch/zGWp5ldP-the-man-who-could-cheat-death.html
4/26/2019 - Hammer rendition of Man in Half Moon Street, this is quite histrionic, especially after watching the 1945 version, and even Hazel Court looks lost. If it weren't for Anton Diffring's monstrous makeup, this really wouldn't have anything going for it, not even Chris Lee as the good-guy hero. (B) [CafeHulu is a great upload with English subs, and the only rub is Cafe has buffering issues]

picture of dorian gray 1945 110m
http://cafehulu.com/watch/QG3EDPvo-the-picture-of-dorian-gray.html
4/27/2019 - Due to a wish to an Egyptian god statue, an aristocrat's portrait absorbs his sins, keeping the man eternally young, but his conscience eventually gets the best of him. About as classic a film and faithful-to-the-book as it gets. (A+) [CafeHulu a terrific upload, again with buffering issues]

the tingler 1959 82m
https://www.cda.pl/video/149930469 (Polish subs)
4/28/2019 - Fright causes a separate organism ("The Tingler") to break the victim's spine. William Castle vehicle. Vincent Price hams it up in this silly outing. (B/B+) [CDA superb]

the black sleep 1959 82m
AKA dr. cadman's secret
http://cafehulu.com/watch/OGgr11xR-the-black-sleep.html
4/30/2019 - A doctor convicted of murder by malpractice is rescued from the gallows by a seemingly benevolent scientist with a suspended-animation formula. Where else can you see Bela Lugosi (older, mute), Lon Chaney Jr (who also doesn't speak), Tor Johnson (ditto!), Basil Rathbone, Akim Tamiroff, and John Carradine chew the scenery so grandly, and also not cringe, because this is a pretty good story/film. (B+) [Cafe Hulu is more than adequate]

tarantula 1955 80m
https://my.mail.ru/mail/eng.sub.movies/video/4/135.html
5/1/2019 - Radioactive experiments on a nutrient to feed the world leads to a classic 1950's giant-insect flick with plenty of action, nice desert scenery, and decent writing. (B+) [My.Mail upload was full HD, a beautiful picture, but get ready for buffering if your system isn't attuned, and I enjoyed the English hardsubs]

five million years to earth 1967 97m
AKA quatermass and the pit
https://my.mail.ru/mail/eng.sub.movies/video/4/206.html
5/2/2019 - Renovations in a London subway stop lead to a discovery which could set the question of man's origin on its ear. The cleansing of the hive as a metaphor for socialism, or any forced society, is a powerful statement, even if not their intent. Excellent acting with many English quirks. (A) [My.Mail upload was full HD, a beautiful picture, but get ready for buffering if your system isn't attuned, and I enjoyed the Enflish hardsubs]

i walked with a zombie 1943 69m
https://gostream.site/i-walked-with-a-zombie/
5/3/2019 - Hired nurse travels to West Indies to care for catatonic wife of dashing young plantation owner. Nice creepy atmosphere by low-budget genius Tourneur, underlined with a magnetic voodoo ritual scene. (A) [GoStream using OpenLoad was a smooth and very nice print, even if a few age spots]

FREE Online Fantastic Film Project 16: TEN films with LINKS and info!

TEN FILMS WITH LINKS!
Here is a page from which you can link to 10 different fantastic films (some with alternate versions). I'm kind of like your TV GUIDE!

incredible shrinking man 1957 81m
http://cafehulu.com/watch/QG3bZrxo-the-incredible-shrinking-man.html (subs)
https://gostream.site/the-incredible-shrinking-man/ (subs)
4/16/2019 - Vacationing husband gets irradiated while his wife is below deck of their borrowed boat, mutates smaller and smaller due to pesticides in his system. Always a good watch. Valid nuclear fears, squawks on medicine, health, and public safety. Great cast, story, script, and of course special effects. (A+) [GoStream solid]

i was a teenage werewolf 1957 76m
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmdasKbpsdk
4/17/2019 - Michael Landon is the misunderstood angry teen who can't help lashing out, and finally visits a psychiatrist who happens to be a power-mad social engineer with a regression formula. Starts out strong, even the catch-song "Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Mo," but after the gym scene it just goes downhill fast.(B+) [this YouTube upload excellent]
i was a teenage werewolf 1957 (MST3K) 2hrs
https://archive.org/details/MST3K_I_Was_A_Teenage_Werewolf_Sci-Fi_WOC_1998-10-17

dracula: prince of darkness 1966 90m
https://ok.ru/video/551774915138 (Spanish subs)
4/18/2019 - Christopher Lee returns as king of the vampires, resurrected by the blood of English travelers. In this one, Dracula does not speak, is not particularly super-human, can't fly, and can be killed by fire and water. The talents of Andrew Keir and Barbara Shelley (who worked together on FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH) keep this at a high level. (A-)[while the 86m version is everywhere, it was difficult to find the uncut, but ok.ru provided it in widescreen, even if some buffering]
dracula: prince of darkness 1966 86m cut
http://cafehulu.com/watch/Oox0Lqxe-dracula-prince-of-darkness.html (no subs)
(information >) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059127/alternateversions

countess dracula 1971 93m
https://www.cda.pl/video/2412574e8 (Polish subs)
https://gostream.site/countess-dracula/ (subs)
4/19/2019 - Ingrid Pitt is sexy but that's really all this has going for it. The plot is slight, the script pretty horrendous, the logic baseless, the characters primitive and unlikable, the action sparse, the gore lame, and not even a pair of fangs. (C) because I can't go lower on Hammer [cda.pl fine, 1080p option; Amazon Prime grainy and hangs!]

magic sword 1962 80m (aka st george and the seven curses)
https://archive.org/details/TheMagicSword1962HD720pMovie
4/20/2019 - Teen, medieval, good witchcraft vs. bad witchcraft, love story, adventure. Very pretty women, Basil Rathbone hamming it up, Bert I. Gordon dragon (short screen time) and other decent visual effects. Tropes and social commentary give a little food for thought. A swift 80 minutes that will leave you saying, "Wait, I wanted a bit more!" (B+) [this Archive upload was very good, only stuttery lateral movement, but a vast improvement over most or all other YouTube and Archive finds, which were either poor transfers or short duration @ 76m~, the latter also the length on Amazon Prime!]

the raven 1935 61m
https://archive.org/details/UniversalStudiosMonsters1935TheRaven
4/20/2019 - Karloff is the criminal on the lam who needs a new face, Lugosi is the retired doctor who has a fascination for Poe and a mad infatuation with a female patient. Trouble ensues. One hour of pure fun, the characterizations done well in haste, the thrills real, the makeup old-fashioned scary, and Karloff growls! The fantastic-film content is that Lugosi knows just how to disfigure a man with a scalpel. (A) [Archive upload terrific]

the black cat 1934 65m
https://archive.org/details/UniversalStudiosMonsters1934TheBlackCat (65/70m)
4/20/2019 - Karloff is the Satanist cult leader who was once a war butcher, Lugosi is a former prisoner who lost his wife to Karloff and seeks revenge. Meanwhile, the married David Manners and Jacqueline Wells become pawns in the game at Karloff's castle. WATCH Bela and Boris wrestle! I mean that as a publicity stunt. Actually, you don't need any excuse to enjoy this great film. The plot is contrived but perfectly played, the actors rock (the high drama warranted here), and it absorbs you from start to finish. There is technically no fantastic-film content, but Karloff-Lugosi-Manners is too good a team to say no, and the torture-Satanism angles are horrific enough. Originally, the censors suggested Edgar Ulmer tone it down, but he didn't, and as a matter of fact the 65-minute cut is the released cut, even if IMDB and AFI claim 70m max. (A+) [Archive upload wonderful] (information >) https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/4590?cxt=filmography

the body snatcher 1945 77m
https://ok.ru/video/194804845122 (UNCUT, Spanish subs)
4/20/2019 - Karloff is the grave-robber who is also a murderer, providing cadavers for his old friend "Toddy" who is now a doctor-teacher. Lugosi is the doctor's servant who knows too much. WATCH Bela and Boris wrestle again! This is more melodrama than anything, nothing fantastic-film per se, but a good bit of violence and suggested gor. It's a good film, well-acted, nice costuming and sets. (A-)[ok.ru upload was pretty good, but seemed to "skip" every once in a while, and that was OK because Archive didn't have it, DailyMotion was terrible, CDA was Polish-only, and nothing on the streamers]
(information >) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037549/alternateversions

the mummy's shroud 1967 86m
https://my.mail.ru/mail/svetac77/video/misvideos/472.html (Spanish subs)
4/21/2019 - Most of this is almost played for laughs, but the end sequence where the mummy disintegrates is worth watching repeatedly on a reel of such visual effects. (C) because I can't go lower on Hammer [my.mail.ru was a very good view and I like this site]

lady frankenstein 1971 99m
http://cafehulu.com/watch/gdVp4mxD-lady-frankenstein.html (UNCUT, no subs)

lady frankenstein 1971 83m cut

https://archive.org/details/BBOLadyFrankenstein1971

(information) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067321/alternateversions
4/23/2019 - Italian period-piece isn't bad, the classic Frankenstein, with Burke and Hare, and some early 1970's raunch that has its moments. (B) [cafehulu had a wonderful uncut print]

Free Online Fantastic Film Project 15: KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962)

GENERAL NOTE: This online genre-watching project is intended for me, as an experiment to see how many fantastic films I can watch for free, without Netflix, rentals, or purchases.

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962).  4/14/2019. Archive.org. Japanese Version (1:37:02) click for link American Version (1:30:48) click for link

Both versions were fairly smooth and sharp rips by the uploaders. The Japanese stream from Archive kept buffering, so I used the site's download option and watched from my hard drive (5.8gb MPEG4, although a 423.8mb OGG was also available). Godzilla looks classic here, though a bit small compared to modern standards, and is quite cocky, getting towards his mid-1960s brat persona (peaking in, I'd say, GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER). Kong looks ridiculous but is endearing nonetheless, whether swaggering with both arms akimbo or dozing off from drinking too much kongberry (soma). The mayhem seems toned down, carnage limited to small villages and seagoing vessels rather than entire cities, perhaps an indicator that Godzilla films were turning firmly towards the kiddies. The final fight scene is, however, rather rousing, if juvenile. Now let's talk about differences between the versions. The Japanese, which I viewed first, includes subplots for love interest and even Pacific Pharma's workplace, building the characters. The American discards most of that, as well as some conversational scenes, for the sake of briskness. Even so, the American inserts English-speaking link scenes from reporters and scientists. However, the most surprising difference was dialogue. Watching the American second, I found character motives and plot movements completely changed (for the better) by the English dub compared with the English hardsubs on the Japanese. My current grade: B+ for the Japanese, A- for the American.

Free Online Fantastic Film Project 13: SON OF KONG (1933)

GENERAL NOTE: This online genre-watching project is intended for me, as an experiment to see how many fantastic films I can watch for free, without Netflix, rentals, or purchases.

SON OF KONG (1933).  4/13/2019. CDA.PL. https://www.cda.pl/video/10642808a (1:09:32)

Polish website with Polish subtitles but a great print and stream. Not quite up to the original Kong, but has its moments, including the mutiny scene ("workers of the world unite") and the many Willis O'Brien stop-motion effects, especially Kong Jr's battle vs. the giant bear. My current grade: A-