The most comforting aspect of these Philippine First Blood and Commando inversions is that you can always count on Mike Monty, Nick Nicholson, and Paul Vance to show up as the ubiquitously evil CIA, KGB, or General (from either the Ruskie or Yank side) with one hand over their heart — and the other in […]

We come here, not to bury Philippine Namsplotation films, but to praise Richard Norton. That’s right, kids: it’s another B&S About Movies film-geek fandom joint. Aussie actor Richard Norton got his start in Chuck Norris’s The Octagon (1980) and Forced Vengeance (1982), contributing to multiple episodes of CBS-TV’s Walker, Texas Ranger, starring in Robert Clouse’s […]

Finally. Phew. We are off the Godfrey Ho patch jobs sprockets of fate for an actual film: this one made by true Philippine film stars in actor-writer-directors Rudy Dominguez (80-plus credits) and Ernie Ortega (140-plus credits). Sadly, not many of their films made it to U.S. video shores with English dubs — not even their […]

Oh, Ho, HoOh, GodfreyYou know-oh-oh-o-oI never believe it’s not soThat your films aren’t “magic” to me(da-dun) Many have not tried. But I not only tried, but succeeded, in watching (and reviewing!) your Sly-cum-Arnie-cum-Sheen-cum-Norris ripoffs in a marathon weekend. From Soldier Terminators to Mission War Flame to Super Platoon to Top Mission*. And now: here we […]

So, before we get into this Godfrey Ho joint, let’s clear up the title confusion: Do not confuse this with the ex-The Dukes of Hazzard John Schneider bomb that was Cocaine Wars (1985), which became known as Top Mission in the overseas markets. And don’t confuse this Godfrey Ho joint with another of Ho’s chop […]

This Godfrey Ho Philippine Namsploitationer to cash in on all things John Rambo is actually a pre-John Rambo Hong Kong action-joint known as Black Warrior by Tomas Tang. Tang, by way of his Filmark International Studios, is a name you see oft-mentioned on Ho’s end product since a lot of Tang’s stuff, such as Devil’s […]

Godfrey Ho. He’s Joe Livingstone. He’s Willie Palmer. He’s Charles Lee. And here, he is Bruce Lambert behind the camera and Eric Coleman behind the typewriter. You’ll also notice the name of Sally Nicholls credited for “dialog” on many of Godfrey’s films. Well, someone had to thread together Ho’s piecemeal efforts into coherency. And she’s […]

Leave it to Godfrey Ho to mash-up Sly Stallone and Arnie Schwarzenegger into one film. But not First Blood and Commando: Rambo and The Terminator. Only one problem. Well, there’s more than one problem with this film, but the main one: there’s no “Terminators,” as you know them, in this film. Luckily, Godfrey didn’t put […]

Editor’s Note: This is a repost of a review that ran as part of our Mill Creek’s “Drive-In Classics” month that ran on November 24. Look. It’s a foregone conclusion we’re watching a Jun Gallardo — who is doing his thing as Jim Goldman this time around — Philippines pastiche of a Stallone and Arnie […]

Gordon Mitchell: I thought I knew ye. Why are you here? Well, I know you did 2+5 Mission Hydra (1966), but a Rambo rip? Were times that tough? Born Charles Allen Pendleton in Denver, Colorado, Gordon “The Bronze Giant” Mitchell became the requisite Italian-peplum actor by way of his bit parts in The Ten Commandments […]