Monday, July 31, 2023

Schmëerskåhøven- Pinky and the Brain

 

The Brain finds himself in an odd village, where everyone is named after a hat.  Turns out there is a plot to take over the world using a smash song from the Swedish supergroup  BAAB.  It is called "the Schmëerskåhøven" and it is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.  Unraveling this plot takes three whole episodes, and there are several twists and turns along the way.  Pinky and the Brain save the day, but do not take over the world that night.  Naturally, they return to the lab to plan for tomorrow night.

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Xeno-Gamera

 Frequent Xenorama contributor Bryan Kuriawa suggested an issue about Gamera's first movie.  I gave that some thought, but in honor of 60 years of Gamera, I think we will do an issue about the Showa movies.  This will be in line for 2025.  Yes, it will include that last two movies, no matter how difficult they are to get through.  The others are all pretty fun.  I have all the AIP-TV versions in widescreen, thanks to one Constantine Furman.  He does the best restoration work ever.  Also, he writes some great books, so go purchase some if you have not done so yet.  His knowledge about genre movies is great.

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Justice Society World War II (2021)

Barry Allen is having a lunch date with Iris West in Metropolis.  While having a serious talk, an explosion happens.  The Flash rushes off and finds Superman in battle with Brainiac.  They decide to team up.  Brainiac loads a small missile with kryptonite and shoots it at Superman.  The Flash sees it, and runs faster than he ever has before, breaking an interdimensional barrier.  He ends up in WW 2, watching a battle between the Justice Society of America and ratzis.  Wonder Woman accosts him, but soon they realize he is not a ratzi.  Jay Garrick believes Barry is from the future.  They have to stop a plot from Atlantis from helping the ratzis conquer the US.  The adviser has tricked Aquaman into it.  Arthur brings up some undersea monsters to help.  In between all this, Barry realizes he is on a different Earth, not his own past.  Eventually, they free Aquaman from the control of the Psycho Pirate, and Barry returns to his world.

Friday, July 28, 2023

Secret Invasion 06- Home

IN WHICH Fury gives the Harvest to Gravik, and Fury is reported to be on his way to stop the President from nuking Russia and the Skrulls.  How is this possible?  Consider shapeshifting Skrulls.  G'iah is the one who went to give Gravik the serum, and then they have a battle.  She beats him, and also kills him.  And does not give him a funeral.  Fury kills the faux Rhodey, but the President declares war on the earthbound Skrulls.  G'iah is recruited by Sonya to help protect both races.  Fury and Varra go back to S.A.B.E.R. to broker peace between the Kree and the Skrulls.  Or someone that makes more sense.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

HOTW- The Iron Monkey

 

"in every age, in every time, a hero is born, as if by some grand design..."

From Wiki- The film is a fictionalised account of an episode in the childhood of the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung and his father Wong Kei-ying, and their encounter with the "Iron Monkey".[1]  Iron Monkey is actually the alter ego of a traditional Chinese medicine physician called Yang Tianchun. During the day, Yang runs his clinic and provides free medical treatment for the poor, which he subsidises by charging his rich patients.  He joins forces with the Wongs and his assistant, Miss Orchid, to defeat Hin-hung, a Shaolin traitor.

Monday, July 24, 2023

The Silve Age Green Lantern v.1

DC Comics bought the Flash back as a new character in 1956.  This was a big hit, and they then immediately brought the Green Lantern back as a new character... in 1959.  There were a lot of other tryouts in Showcase Comics, which were probably ready to go before they decided on the basis for Hal Jordan.  Instead of the magical Lantern from the 40s, this Green Lantern was part of the Lensmen Patrol Green Lantern Corps, an interstellar police unit.  They are sent on missions by the Guardians of the Universe, based on OA.  Each of the 3600 members makes use of a power battery, mostly in the form of a ring, that harnesses the use of the bearer's will.  It has one weakness, the color yellow.  This is due to a necessary impurity in the main battery on OA.  Hal Jordan meets his other Lanterns, and joins the JLA and has a lot of adventures.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Sven- The Uninvited (1944)

 

A brother and sister by a house in Cornwall.  This happens in 1937.  Turns out the house is haunted by two spirits who will not depart.  Our heroes have to figure out the reason why the ghosts do not want to leave.  There are four of them in the end, and they even have a dog!  There are plenty of mysterious goings on, some romance and even a séance happens.  Eventually things get sorted out properly, the ghosts depart and the house is cleared.  The End.

Friday, July 21, 2023

Secret Invasion 05- The Harvest

 

IN WHICH Fury decides to go old school.  He talks to G'iah, who is also a Super Skrull about her survival.  She goes to Priscilla to bury Talos.  Fury heads to Finland with Agent Sonya Falsworth (that last name, hmmm) and retrieves The Harvest from one of his graves.  Meanwhile, Gravik seems to have let power go to his head, and some minions try to kill him.  That does not go well.  Fury says he is going to give Gravik the Harvest.  Fury suits up, complete with his eyepatch, and says he is going to end this.

The Uninvited (1944) ORIGINAL TRAILER

         

Thursday, July 20, 2023

War-Gods of the Deep (1965)

Mysterious goings on are happening off the coast of Cornwall.  Sadly, it is not Pendragon this time.  Here is the gist of the plot from Wiki- The plot concerns the discovery of a lost city beneath the sea off the coast of Cornwall. Price is the captain overseeing a group of sailors who have lived there for more than a century where the peculiar mix of gases has allowed them to extend their lifespan.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

HOTW- The Heap (1942)

 

From Wiki- The original Heap was formerly Baron Eric von Emmelman (his last name also sometimes spelled Emmelmann), a World War I German flying ace who was shot down in 1918 over a Polish swamp.[13] Clinging to the smallest shred of life through sheer force of will (and, as it was later revealed, with the mystic help of the goddess Ceres, later to be referred to more generically in the series as Mother Nature), through the decades his body decayed and intermingled with the vegetation around him, becoming one with the marshland itself until at last a shaggy, shambling half-world creature neither animal nor man[14] arose from the muck during the early years of World War II, a creature which would become known far and wide as The Heap.[6]

Monday, July 17, 2023

Samurai Jack Season 5

FINALLY!  

Fifty years have passed, and Jack is not aging.  The time travel has affected him thusly.  He has lost his sword, but Aku does not know that.  Aku is suffering depression.  Elsewhere, a woman has given birth to septuplets who are trained to only kill the Samurai.  Jack has continued battling evil, but is also depressed.  When the septuplets find him, he fights them thinking they are robots.  He is not prepared when he finds out they are human when he kills the first one.  He saves the final one, Ashi, and takes her with him.  They overcome their differences, find his sword and had to the final battle with Aku.

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Sven- Ghoulies 2

 

From Wiki- In the second installment, unrelated to the first movie, the Ghoulies hitch a ride with a carnival and end up hiding in an amusement park funhouse called "Satan's Den" which becomes a smash hit when visitors believe the little demons are part of the attraction – that is, until people start falling victim to the evil creatures. The film stars Damon Martin, Dale Wyatt, Royal Dano, Phil Fondacaro and J. Downing.

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Secret Invasion 04- Beloved

 

IN WHICH we find out Rhodey is a Skrull, and on Gravik's side.  He assigns Mimi, I mean Priscilla to kill Fury.  This leads to a very nice conversation, and neither of them kill each other.  Fury then breaks into Rhodey's place, and they drink 40 year old bourbon.  Gravik attacks the president's convoy, and shows off his super skrull powers.  He also kills Talos.  And G'iah is still alive.

Friday, July 14, 2023

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 16- OMG Issue #2

 

IN WHICH Lunella finds that Devil is safe, but has to figure out how to rescue Mimi from Morlek.  She has no suit and thanks to Casey texting Agent Hill far too much, they can't call SHIELD either.  Casey does have a stealth suit that Lu can wear.  She also has a detective board.  And some yarn.  This helps the team figure out where Mimi is being held, and off they go.  Things pretty much go to plan, Morlek defeats himself, and Mimi and Lu figure out how to work Moon Girl Magic to close the portal.  Except... Someone has to close it from each side.  Lu makes the sacrifice and hops through.  Mimi swears to find her.  How is she gonna break this to the family?  Spoilers...

Ghoulies II (1988) - Official Trailer

                

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

HOTW- Robotman (1942)

 

Robert Crane gets mortally wounded, and his assistant Chuck Grayson places Crane's brain into a robot body.  After a time of adjustment, he fights crime in his new body.  He also joins the All-Star Squadron and eventually gets declared human.  He eventually gets placed in suspended animation for a while, then has his brain re-transplanted into Grayson's body.  Now he is human again.  And related to Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing or Robin, depending on the time frame.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 15- OMG! Issue 1

IN WHICH Lunella discovers that Mimi knows about who she is and was also the first Moon Girl.  This all happens because Mimi destroyed the first version of the portal generator,  MG and Devil fight "Bee-men" and when they are done, Agent Hill (sob) shows up and collects them.  She gives MG her card, but tells her not to abuse calling her.  Turns out Maris Morlek and the Enclave want Mimi to build them a new generator and send loads of bee-men out to get both Moon Girls.  Lots of action, lots of revelations, then a big explosion...

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Sven-Ghoulies (1984)

 

A college students inherits his warlock father's house.  He gets obsessed by the occult books and has a party.  At said party he tries a spell.  It "fails" but really doesn't.  Load of small demonic creatures show up and wreak havoc on the guests.  Jonathan gets possessed, conjures two minions, and performs the ritual to revive his father.  Then Wolfgang shows up, and battles Graves to the death.  Three people leave before the mansion blows up,  Thank goodness it is over.  Except for the load of Ghoulies in the car with them.

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Secret Invasion 03- Betrayed

 

IN WHICH Gravik tells the Skrullian Council they can now duplicate powers of various superheroes.  They will be Super Skrulls.now, which will wreak even more havoc on the Earthlings.  Meanwhile, Fury goes on a mission to stop a missile strike on the UN or somewhere like that.  Turns out Talos' daughter is a double agent for Earth.  Gravik finds out.  That didn't end well... or did it?  Death in comic book movies is the same as death in comic books.  Also, Fury's wife wants to talk to Gravik.

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Re-Enter Fu-Manchu (1957)

 

Fu Manchu returns to pester the world.  This time he plans on taking over China by helping the US.  This involves some nonsense about an invisible shield that will stop incoming missiles.  No one would seriously believe that was possible, would they?  Merrick is contracted to be an aide to Sir Dennis Nayland Smith, and things go from there.  After a lot of talking and traveling to London, Cairo and New York City, the action starts!  Fu Manchu has seemingly thought of everything.  There are spies and and agents everywhere.

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

HOTW- Iron Man Tiger 7

From Wiki-

Takigawa Go gets the power to transform into Tetsujin Tiger Seven from an artificial heart and a magic pendant. To transform, he utters the henshin (transformation) phrase "Tiger Spark." Takigawa Go is played by Tatsuya Nanjô (who also starred in Henshin Ninja Arashi).

Go rides a Suzuki motorcycle with rocket boosters. When he transforms into Tiger Seven, the motorcycle transforms as well to become "Spike Go." Spike Go can drive itself, coming to its master's aid when Tiger Seven roars.[1]

Monday, July 3, 2023

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 14- Coney Island, Baby!

 

IN WHICH Mimi takes Lunella and Casey to Coney Island.  Lu was terrified at a young age by the "fun" house, and does not want to go.  She does anyway, but guess who is there?  The Beyonder, discovering the joys of eating food.  He smells Lu's fear though, and decides he wants to learn about that even more than food.  He makes a deal with Lu about conquering her fear.  She calls Devil, who is has to swim to Coney Island to help her.  He is afraid of jellyfish, which is strange for a dinosaur, but not strange for people.  He overcomes his fear, and Lu realizes it is OK to be afraid, but can overcome it.  The Beyonder is satisfied.  He then warns Mimi that "they" are coming for her. DUN DUN DUN!

Sunday, July 2, 2023

Sven- The Car (1977)

 

A large, black, driverless car begins randomly killing people.  It doesn't seem to be looking for anyone in particular.  It can get its feelings hurt if disrespected.  Finally the local constabulary figures out that they need to deal with with this car to stop the violence.  This involves a lot of dynamite in the canyon so the car cannot escape.  After a lot of car chases, it works!  A huge fiery explosion along with a demonic visage appears, but the car does not.  Except later, in Los Angeles, a large black car prowls the streets...

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Secret Invasion 02- Promises

 

IN WHICH a lot of drama happens with little action.  Fury gets fired by Rhodey, on order of the president.  They won't call the Avengers in, since the Skrulls would make them all into traitors.  Since when can ordinary Skrulls imitate super powers?  I only know of one that can do that, and those powers are not quite official in the MCU at this time.  Be that as it may, things go so bad for Fury he returns to his wife.