X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes

Matt!3.5

This movie actually does a pretty thorough job of running the gauntlet of everything I’d probably do if I had x-ray eyes: Looking at everyone naked? Check. Going to a casino and whipping ass in poker and blackjack? Check. Becoming a sideshow magician to earn a few bucks? Check. Aiding surgeons in saving patients with internal injuries? Check. Seeing through everything around me and exploring the vast cosmos? Check. Going fuckin’ mental because my own eyelids are now transparent every time I try to sleep? Super check. Roger Corman once again churns out a “smart idea wrapped in a silly package” B-movie, but Ray Milland’s committed Invisible Man-esque performance and the tone-setting giant severed eyeball that opens the film are the type of things that set it slightly ahead of the 50s/60s sci-fi schlock pack. The ending also totally kicks ass.Best of: Vintage Sci-Fi

Liz4.5

Kind of a miracle of plotting if you stop to think about it, as Corman establishes the gimmick pretty early on and then runs that idea through every conceivable situation in barely under 80 minutes.This almost feels like AIP's response to the nudie boom, taking a plot that could've been the setup for any number of innocent skin shows and subverting it, focusing on the horror instead of the flesh. Milland and especially Don Rickles are great in this, but the real MVP for me are the proto-psychedelic effects. Great stuff.

Ian West4.0

Roger Corman deserves more recognition for his wonderful abilities as a director.