Fest Post #1: Pumaman

Fest is underway, and while the rest of the Fest-ers are feasting on Mike's lasagna, here's a brief review of our first film of the evening. Pumaman draws his powers from an alien which designates one person whose descendants inherit the abilities, which include "flying," done through a kind of "pouncing" motion, and super strength. He must locate the Aztec Golden mask, which the villain of the piece, played by Donald Pleasance, is using to control the minds of the world's leaders. Along with his sidekick Vadinho, he defeats the bad guy and wins the girl. Walter George Alton plays Pumaman with all the pizzazz of a wooden plank. At one point in the film, a character asks another, "Can you tell me what's going on? None of this makes any sense!" Amen, we say, to this worthy Fest opener, made in 1980 and directed with panache Alberto De Martino. Next, lasagna for me and a surprise short. See you in a few hours.