Star Snacks!

here's a cool bit of advertisement from the late 70s (can't be 1971 as the uploader claims).  it proves people everywhere want to drink Coca Cola, symbol of the free west. it's not only the drink of the gods, but aliens, too!

it's not quite Star Wars, but I bet Jason of Star Command would like it.

mini heroes

one of my favorite minor bits of the JLA/JLU cartoon series was the subtle romance between Batman and Wonder Woman. I am not sure who thought of it or how it developed, but I always wanted to see more of it than what we got.

I usually hate "the heroes get changed into kids" stories, but this one is really well done.  just watching the clip makes me want to watch the entire series again.

feed me!

Little Shop of Horrors is a fun movie, play and musical.

I just watched the 1986 version again and really enjoyed it. it has great casting, some really great songs and some really cool practical effects.  these days Audey II would be all cg and not be nearly as much fun.

besides, how realistic would a talking plant be?

I watched the unused ending on youtube and it looked pretty cool as well.  far more in keeping with the play and the original movie, but lots of destruction.  some definite nods to Godzilla in there as well as several other giant monster movies.

but really, they didn't think of using fire on the plants?  or napalm? we all know alien plants can be burnt to a crisp using electricity as well...

Famous Monsters #256

 Famous Monsters of Filmland #256 is ready to be mailed to the contributors!  thanks to the notice from Mr. August Ragone! 

if you want to order a copy, go here and do it now! there will be lots of familiar names as contributors.  yes, that is a rather shameless self-promotion, but I never thought I'd ever write for this magazine...

a mystery solved...

sort of...



now, anyone have any info on the band?

Captain America (1966)

Thor was very popular earlier, so here's Cap's theme.  I got one of the 8mm comps as a kid and didn't know how limited the animation was, thus was very disappointed at first.  now I love seeing the actual Marvel artwork.

Teen Titans the lost episode

OK, I forgot that I really enjoyed the theme song.  this is from the "lost episode" or what we used to call an unaired pilot.  and after watching it, and being a long time Titan fan (well, at least of what Perez and Wolfman did, anyway)... well, so far my opinion hasn't changed.

the Teens (they look like they are 12 or so) have to stop Punk Rocket. it's really the stupid anime gags that get me. I think I would have enjoyed it more had it been more like the JLA/U stuff.  oh well, 65 episodes left...

THE Batman vs Dracula (2005)

the final cartoon in "The Batman" universe is this fine movie.  and yes, one more time I will admit I was wrong about the series.

a convict in Arkham talks to the Penguin and tells him about a treasure he's hidden in Gotham Cemetery.  trouble is, he's also told the Joker.  both end up breaking out of Arkham, and eventually join forces, though naturally the Joker betrays Pengy and then "falls to his death" during a fight with Batman.

Pengy gets away and accidentally revives the  vampire lord Count Dracula with the blood spilled on the decayed heart bit.  Drac puts Pengy under his spell and then sets out to take over Gotham.

Naomi Morinaga

thieving this idea from Chris as a little experiment. I like the show Space Sheriff Shaider and am looking forward to watching more of it.  she's a pretty woman, a good actress and martial artist.

Green Lantern, Guardian of the Galaxy

what a cool intro. Filmation didn't quite make the cartoon as cool as it could have been, but then they only did three episodes.  at least we got Evil Star.

not quite the end of The Batman

here's a small preview of the review that I'll be doing before too long.

RIP Randy "Macho Man" Savage

He passed away today from a car accident.  I was not the biggest fan of the Macho Man, but I always enjoyed his work. I chose this match as a good early example of his work.

Fight! 7 Riders Song (and video)

I love this song. it's Mitsuko Horie and Ichiro Mizuki and it rocks. I love Mitsuko's voice, it sounds like she has such joy in singing.

Sword of Venus (1953)

Alpha DVD brings us this entertaining adaption of "The Count of Monte Cristo" though this time it's his son that gets framed and sent to prison.  you'd think he would have changed his name.

anyway, the blurbs say it's full of duels, swordfights and romance, but it's not really.  it's only exciting in the last 15 minutes, but it's not unbearable for the first 60 or so.  Robert Clarke does a fine job as Robert Dantes, and his fencing is quite good, what they use of it.

the quality of the print used is OK, it's not atrocious, but there are obvious missing frames here and there, and sound dropouts happen as well.  it's a decent movie, worth spending an  afternoon on.

Gokaiger #7 Nikiniki Kempo Training

Jan from Gekiranger returns in this episode.  as Geki is one of my favorite sentai shows, I was happy to see him.  and he wasn't nearly as spastic!

 our heroes have to fight Cosmic Kenpō Master Pachacamac XIII and three of them handle him pretty easily.  we see Sun Vulcan battle him as well as Gaoranger.  naturally, our heroes take the forms of GekiRanger to finish the battle.

I sure did enjoy that show and it was cool to see them show up again.

she's kind of cool.

True Grit (1969)

I saw this movie on TV, probably it's network premiere in the early 70s.  I remember watching it with my mother, who let me know everything would be alright with Mattie.

however, I had not seen it since then.  we had the book in our vast library (no lie there) for years, but I never wanted to read it.  however, my mother sent it to me recently, and I am almost done with it. I meant to finish it before I watched the original adaption or the new one, but for various reasons I didn't.  I'll be reviewing the book soon as well as the new version.

anyway, it's a good movie.  I think Portis wrote Cogburn for John Wayne.  just one amazing part and he deserved his Oscar for it. the whole cast is great, though I thought Kim Darby was a bit too Disney-fied girlie in parts of the movie. too nice and smiley for a girl who's father just got shot in the face.  I was pleasantly surprised by Glen Campbell as well, since I'd never seen him act much.

spoilers!

I remembered two whole scenes from the first time I saw it- the one where Mattie shoots Chaney and his reaction, and then the rattlesnake scene.  I thought there were a ton of snakes down there, but there was just one.  still, it's a well shot scene.

there are a few changes from the book- LaBeouf lives at the end being the biggest one.  mostly it's one of the most dead on adaptions I've seen so far of any book.  looking forward to the remake as well. 

had to marvel at such a violent movie getting a "G" rating back then.

Cutie Honey (1973)

this is a fun cartoon.  created by Go Nagai and actually shown on tv in the 70s.  can't quite imagine what impact this would have had on me had I seen it then.  the song is just awesome though, sung by Yoko Maekawa.

there have been a few different adaptions, to both cartoon and live action.  the first movie wasn't that much fun, as it needed more action. I may have to check out the live action tv series (Cutie Honey: The Live) though, at some point.

the End of The Batman

or perhaps, the End of The Batman Family cartoon show.

this last season was the best, teaming up the the JLA on various adventures. the final one was aliens stealing the superpowers of Superman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawkman.

hmm. how can you steal the powers of a power ring or nth metal from men?  those powers don't stem from the person, but the gadgets.  and one would think Oa would have some kind of contingency plan for such things.  has to have happened before, right?

anyway, yet again I have to eat my words.  I'm a little scared to watch the Teen Titans now...

Let's Go Rider Girls!

you know, I have no real idea what this short little video is for, but I gotta admit it's the best advertisement I've seen in a while.  plus I really like the song. if you wanna see it subbed, go here...

Prince Planet... on youtube

looks like every episode but five are on youtube now.  wow.  that's just amazing to me.  i'd still buy a set of them though.

X Plus Gorosaurus

I'm not usually into toys or figures.  I have some, but they are a pain to lug around and keep clean and store or whatever.  but this...

this is one really cool toy. you can  see it here in more detail. it's where the image came from.  and read more about Gorosaurus here.

new wave, not punk...

Johnny "Slash" Ulasewicz (Merritt Butrick) is new wave. not punk.  totally different head. totally.

Chojin Bibyun opening

a sequel to Akumaizer 3,  there's less swordplay and more superheroics this time.  it's just great.  time for a fansub of these two series!

Renegade Roller Derby

last night I went down to National City with several compadres from SDRD to watch a "Renegade Roller Derby" bout.

it certainly was something.  as the program says, there are no penalties.  there are rules of some kind,  but what's the point?  anyway,  there are three 15 minute periods, no timeout (except for injuries) and no refs.  the jams last one minute and can't be called off.  the jammer makes it through the pack and then she scores three points for every time she laps the other teams skaters.

the girls can do anything they want, cut the track, use elbows or even takedowns.  this results in some "fighting" here and there.  then there are three or four guys in the middle who come over to separate them.

it was all rather disappointing.  the girls were not great skaters, and their "fights" looked completely contrived.  if they are going to go this route, they should put some more thought into and go all out, make it a fun show, "sports entertainment" if you will. 

the girls shouldn't smile at each other after a take down.  the coaches should all help work the audience and keep it girls focused on the show.   don't half ass it, use your whole ass!

it wasn't worth the $10 I spent on it, but I have spent more for less.  and the company was quite excellent!

Happy Birthday, Ishiro Honda

I really can't add much more to what's already been said about the late director, aside from the fact he still gives me much entertainment in my life.  Thank you, Honda-san.

Mazinga Z opening

this is such a great song to such a great series.

Happy Birthday, Ban Daisuke!

Today is Ban Daisuke's birthday.  a true gentleman and wonderful fellow.  I hope he has a great day!

this picture is from Comicon 2004, I believe, when he was a guest of Super 7 magazine.

Jerry Lawler vs the Champions

seems like it used to be a standing joke in the wrasslin' world that most every champion had to go to Memphis, let Jerry Lawler get a countout or some other kind of victory over them and go on their way. 

this DVD of three hours of matches kind of proves that point, but it's just awesome. the history of the NWA and AWA are preserved well here, that's for sure.

the matches are:

1. Jerry Lawler vs. Jack Brisco Highlights
2. Jerry Lawler vs. Harley Race (60 Min. Draw)
3. Jerry Lawler vs. Nick Bockwinkel - Hype
4. Jerry Lawler vs. Nick Bockwinkel - Match
5. Jerry Lawler vs. Nick Bockwinkel - Aftermath
6. Jerry Lawler vs. Rick Martel
7. Jerry Lawler vs. Curt Hennig - Hype
8. Jerry Lawler vs. Curt Hennig - Match
9. Jerry Lawler's First Interviews as World Heavyweight Champion

watching the highlights of a heel Lawler vs Brisco is really cool, and a freakin' broadway with Harley is amazing.  the way Nick puts Lawler over in his commentary is incredible, the man is so underrated.  I've never seen the Martel match, so that was fun and I was around for the one with Curt which is a great show as well.  too bad it all fell apart then, but that wasn't known then.  order it here!

Happy Star Wars day!

A Longmont time ago…

(A Star Wars Memory)

In the middle of 1977 my life was about to change. Surprisingly, I knew it would a bit, but not like it did. I had passed sixth grade (no useless graduations back then!) and was a little apprehensive about entering junior high. There would be new friends met, old friends lost and many other discoveries that I had no idea were going to happen to me. Mostly, junior high seemed very overwhelming and a little scary.

Pufnstuf (1970)

got this in the bargain bin for $6 and it wasn't worth it.  not because of the picture or the audio or anything, it's just really boring and full of sappy songs.

the cast is pretty much the same as the show.  Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (played by Billie Hayes) steals the movie as she steals the show.

I had never noticed Pufnstuf has had a stroke, as he never moves his right arm.  of course, this is due to the suit actor using that arm to work the oversized mouth in that huge noggin of the puppet.

they didn't even use the theme song in the movie!  what is the deal with movies not doing that?  anyway, it's not horrible, but really it's too much for 95 minutes.

of course, I'm not much a fan of most of Sid and Marty Kroffts' tv oeuvre with Land of the Lost being the huge exception, so perhaps that's part of my middling review.

and here's a psychedelic scene from the witch's council.  now I don't really believe Sid and Marty had any drug ideas in mind, but I think the crew of the movie might have had some other ideas...

Inazuman Flash

here's the opening theme to this great show. it's sort of a sequel to Inazuman, but not really, more like a continuation of the show with a different set of villains. whatever name, it's a great series.

the Hawk and the Bat

one of the things I like a lot about "The Batman" is that they used the more traditional DC heroes that I grew up with.

they've had Green Lantern, the Flash and Hawkman- Hal Jordan, Barry Allen and Katar Hol,respectively.  none of these were used,  for various reasons in the previous (and rightly much loved) JLA/U version.

especially Katar.  I know and loved their Hawkgirl and I know they wanted to use Katar in the "Invasion" saga,  but I am glad they didn't.  they did manage to incorporate Hawkman... sort of... as well as the Shadow Thief but I dunno.  it was kind of too "predestination" for me.

so seeing this Hawkman helping Batman with the real Shadow Thief is a real pleasure, as have the other heroes.  Green Arrow also appeared, but since he was still pretty much the same.

The Batman sure smiles more as well.