The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

A fantasy western that plays out like a cross between The Lost World (1912) novel and the King Kong (1933) film. Set in Mexico at the turn of the 20th Century it has a travelling Rodeo Show with a unique attraction, a semi-reprehensible leading man (James Franciscus) with an agenda, and a palaeontologist who's hungry for prestige. But best of all it has a 'forbidden valley' that has creatures not seen anywhere else for 50 million years.
I'm not automatically attracted to all things dinosaur, except when they're animated by Ray Harryhausen, like they are in Gwangi. He even succeeds in having us sympathise with the great beasts more than once.
It has some dodgy ADR in places, and characters in need of more depth, but visually it's a fun, fantastical adventure that speaks to the inner-child.

3 horse toes out of 5

The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)

Argento's follow-up to The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) is the second film in what's become known as his Animal Trilogy, even though Nine Tails has no significant animal in it; not even the yellow-eyed cover star. The term refers to the number of possible leads in the investigative part of the story.
There's nothing particularity bad about the film, but nor is there much to get excited about. It's perhaps because the director was still testing the waters, experimenting with levels of violence and plotting. But I suspect it's also in part due to his wishing to appeal to a more international audience.
It might please folks who want a straight thriller with an edge, but anyone wanting a classic Argento experience should look elsewhere.
The music is again by Ennio Morricone; he did all three films in the trilogy.

2 glasses of milk out of 5

The Last Shark (1981)

aka Great White

The popularity of Jaws spawned many imitations, and while some bear only a striking resemblance, others are bastard-ized versions of the same film. One such bastard is Enzo G. Castellari's story of a monstrous man-eating shark and a greedy politician who attempts to use its appetite to his advantage. Sound familiar? It's not the only similarity. There's also a small band of grizzled men sent to hunt it down. The actual animatronic great white is pretty effective, but its scenes are hampered down by poor use of miniatures and a heavy helping of stock footage. And any scene not involving the gory deaths of the beach-goers is rendered flat by comparison.

1 lawsuit out of 5

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

The principal cast members return to their roles but don't get the same amount of screen time as before. It's not a problem, though, because James Franciscus is an excellent replacement for Heston as the leading man. He plays Brent, an astronaut who's sent into space to determine the whereabouts of Taylor, but, as improbable as it sounds, ends up in the very same place and time.
Overall, it starts good, the first half is excellent, but as the story moves to the 'Beneath' part of the title the film begins to follow suit. It adds a lot of new elements but somehow they lessen rather than enhance the narrative, and it culminates in a half-assed climax with some silly contradiction.

3½ silent affirmations out of 5