5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dr. Goldfoot and His Girl Bombs (Spie vengono dal semifreddo), April 12, 2007
This review is from: Dr. Goldfoot and His Girl Bombs ( Spie vengono dal semifreddo ) ( Il Clan dei due mafiosi ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Italy ] (DVD)
Being a fan of the Mario Bava works I've seen up till now (Bay of Blood, Black Sunday, Shock, and Blood and Black Lace, among others) I was surprised at the different direction this movie takes. This is an awkward and embarrassing comedy, starring the Italian comedians Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia as well as singer Fabian, and Vincent Price as the evil doctor, who mass-produces bikini girls as living bombs. Dr. Goldfoot is planning on bombing NATO's leaders, and only suspended agent Bill Dexter (played by lover boy Fabian) can save the world.
As a plot, this sounds like psychotronic and campy fun, and we do get to see tons of spy movie clichés like piranhas in a pool who eat their victims to the bone within 3 seconds, a suspenseful scene on a plane involving a bomb, and car chases among other things. The problem is the comic parts of the movie. The two Italian comedians Franco and Ciccio just don't do it well, yet they are intended as the main attraction of the movie, since the plot evolves around these two mindless would-be detectives, who happen to stumble upon everything by coincidence (perhaps their "charm" is only understood by Italian audiences?). I'm amazed that Vincent Price agreed to do this movie, but he does a fine job as the evil villain, and I'd even go as far as calling him the best comedian in the crowd. This movie is a sequel to Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), also starring Vincent Price, but produced solely in the USA. The latter didn't get much praise so I wonder why Bava choose to pick this one up and include two national comedians as story developers. Really a mystery...
On the good side, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs has quite a lot of inventive and funny ideas in it, at least when it comes to crazy 60s effects and scenarios. Especially the girl bombs idea is nice and whacky. The direction is nothing in particular and none of the now classic Bavaesque colour/light plays are vivid. As a finish I'll rate this as a chaotic and bad stinker that only Bava or Price collectors should buy or watch. If this didn't scare you away the movie is only available on Italian DVD, dubbed in Italian with English subtitles.
1 out of 5
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dr Goldfoot and his Euro-sequel Bomb, May 27, 2008
This review is from: Dr. Goldfoot and His Girl Bombs ( Spie vengono dal semifreddo ) ( Il Clan dei due mafiosi ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Italy ] (DVD)
I recall seeing this on TV many moons (maybe 30 years) ago (very-very-very-VERY late at night) after seeing the original 'Dr Goldfoot & his bikini machine'(which I might add I LOVED!) - American International Films had continued with their tendency of informing movie patrons at the end of their features (in partiular during the 1950's - 60's).... 'coming soon....our next release in (month)...' this was a regular feature with all of their presentations: from the 'beach party' series and their related spin-offs to their horror releases (featuring the fabulous Mr Vincent Price), etc. This also occurred on the night I'd watched the first movie of the 'Dr Goldfoot' feature(s) and I waited for the TV station to show the 2nd movie the following week (and they did). However, once I watched the sequel, my reckoning is that once the good Doctor had met his doom at the foot of a cliff, following an hillarious car chase with the eternally youthfull Frankie Avalon in hot pursuit, sadly, he should have remained there - never to return. I viewed with horror (if you'll pardon the pun) as the 2 inept (and very un-amusing to this viewer) co-starring Italian comedians (Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia) as they bumbled their way through this film with an annoying repetitivity that crossed the border of mild bemusement and deep into the land of the annoyingly tedious. Vincent Price (amusing as always) charmed and camped his way through a weak script reprising the no-goodnik doctor and the unfortunate Fabian's role as the bumbling and suspended agent Bill Dexter (assumedly reprising the Frankie Avalon character of the original) was hardly stellar due to sufering from the same lack of scripting. The chase scene through the Italian amusement park of the 2 side-kicks by an angry little old man with an umbrella/walking stick (who's continuous looped yelling was a nightmare) hit a serious low point (as if it could go any lower!!!) so as to push me over the edge. So, to advise any prospective buyer (caveat emptor!! watch it and make your own decision) with this sequel I regard it to be where the Doctor found himself at the end of the original film - crashed and burned!!!!
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