Dan Fogelberg ~ Same Old Lang Syne (v1) ~ Dan Fogelberg

                   Yes, I know this is "soft rock" or "easy listening" songs.  Screw it, it is New Years Eve.

372. Captain America 05: The Return of the animated Captain America!

             In which we get to see the first animated Avengers!  This is how they found Cap and he joined their hallowed ranks.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-17-85

 I wonder how the rest of the night went for Calvin.  Hobbes might not be the forgiving type all the time.

371. Advent Calendar part One: Cats and Dinosaurs!

             Oh yeah, this is part one.  The second part will be out in in a few days.  The cats are not nearly as impressed with the dinosaurs as I am!

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kids (1973)

From Wiki- Similar to both Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and Josie and the Pussycats on CBS, the show depicts the adventures of the titular teen pop group.^[3] The band consists of 4 heartthrobs: Butch Cassidy (lead vocals and lead guitar); mini-skirted blonde beauty Merilee (tambourine); sensible Stephanie, nicknamed Steffy (bass guitar); and curly-haired Wally (drums). Accompanied by Wally's dog Elvis, these popular rock stars lead double lives as government-backed crime-fighters.^[4]  The teens are advised by a supercomputer named Mr. Socrates, who is (somehow) violently allergic to dogs. When the group meets with Mr. Socrates in his lair for their latest assignment, Elvis is always told to stay outside. Yet Elvis always ends up inside the lair, by his own ingenuity and/or by Wally's forgetfulness. Elvis's mere presence causes Mr. Socrates to sneeze and go haywire; Mr. Socrates then sends the group out of the lair, and off to their assignment. Butch, designated as "Sundance 1", wears a special communicator-ring which keeps him in contact with Mr. Socrates.  Back to me:

370. Shaolin Saturday: Heroes Two (1974) review

       It took two tries, but we got it ready!  See how the patriots of the Mings defeat the deadly Manchus!

369. 7 Song Friday 12-27-2024 There's some shakin' gravity going on!

               In which X7 listens to seven songs and discusses much about them.

Xenorama #72 is live!

Thanks be to Obro, we have a new issue for the end of the year!  This is an color edition of several magical peplum movies, and one great cartoon!  We last reviewed a plethora of peplums way back in issue #27, some 45 issues ago.  The summer of 2019 seems like another lifetime these days, doesn't it?

368. Ultraman 22, 23- Terror and Tragedy!

                In which X7 reviews two really good episodes of Ultraman (1966). One is a pretty standard invasion story, but is so well directed that it makes the episode stand out.

367. A Trek to Dinosaur Land!

                X7 talks about one of his favorite places in the whole world!  It is mostly a review of the actual booklet.

HOTW- Santa Claus

From Wiki- Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or Santa) is a legendary figure^[1] originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve. In the legend, Christmas elves make the toys in Santa's workshop, while flying reindeer pull his sleigh through the air.^[2][3] The popular conception of Santa Claus originates from folklore traditions surrounding the 4th-century Christian bishop Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Saint Nicholas became renowned for his reported generosity and secret gift-giving. The image of Santa Claus shares similarities with the English figure of Father Christmas, and they are both now popularly regarded as the same person.^[4]  Me again:

366. A look at a Journey to the Beginning of Time!

        This is a great movie which features a wide variety of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

RUN DMC - Christmas In Hollis (Official HD Video)

               This may be the first rap song I have ever posted on this blog in almost 20 years.  I haven't heard this song in almost forty years.

365. Captain America 04: His Revenge, in 1966!

                  In which we see an Avengers story without any other Avengers!

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-16-85

 

Isn't Tommy Chesnutt the hotdog eating champ of the world, or something like that?  I never remember.

364. Gigantis, The Fire Monster from 1959! It is a review!

                  In which X7 reviews the second Godzilla movie, well the US version of the second Godzilla movie, ⁠Gigantis, The Fire Monste⁠r.

Sven- Phantom of the Opera (1943)

From Wiki (of course): Violinist Erique Claudin is dismissed from the Paris Opera House after revealing that he is losing the use of the fingers of his left hand. Unbeknownst to the conductor, who assumes Claudin can support himself, the musician has used all his money to help anonymously fund voice lessons for Christine Dubois, a young soprano to whom he is devoted. Meanwhile, Christine is pressured by Inspector Raoul Dubert to quit the Opera and marry him. But famed opera baritone Anatole Garron hopes to win Christine's heart despite this. Christine considers them both good friends but doesn't openly express if she loves them.  In a desperate attempt to earn money, Claudin submits a piano concerto he has written for publication. After weeks of not hearing any response about his concerto, he becomes worried and returns to the publisher, Maurice Pleyel, to ask about it. Pleyel rudely tells him to leave. Claudin hears his concerto being played in the office and is convinced that Pleyel is trying to steal it; unbeknownst to him, a visiting Franz Liszt had been playing and endorsing the concerto. Enraged, Claudin strangles Pleyel. Georgette, the publisher's assistant, throws etching acid in Claudin's face, horribly scarring him forever. Now wanted for murder, Claudin flees into the sewers of the Opera and covers his disfigurement with a prop mask stolen from the Opera house, thus becoming the Phantom. Back to me:

Phantom of the Opera (1943) trailer

                Boy, I sure thought I had reviewed Sven's airing of this already.  Turns out, I was completely wrong.  We have the Hammer version.

363. Men from the Monastery 1974 review!

                   In which we start a brand new segment (I know I will remember the right word tomorrow) on the podcast!

Gamera The Showa Era Blu Ray box set

Just got this from Arrow Video, as an early Yule present.  I am looking forward to watching most of these movies yet again.  I have most of them on DVD, but I couldn't resist the lowered price of this set.  And knowing what quality work Arrow does (I have mentioned that, I bet) it was an easy choice.  It is all eight of the Showa movies, which means six are easy to watch and two are not.  You, my dear reader, can figure out which two movies I am talking about.  I am glad I got to see all of the fun ones growing up, though.  Thanks, Channel 2 KWGN.  A young monster fan appreciates you.  Japanese monsters were on a lot while I was growing up, and that didn't happen in all parts of the country.

362. 7 Song Friday 12-20-24 Holiday Spectacular!

                  This is a holiday super spectacular!  Minus a bit about a hippo, thanks YouTube.

361. Ultraman 20, 21: Terror in the Smoke!

                  We look at two decent if not memorable episodes, though the park the Hydra is in is well represented in many superhero shows.

Arrow Video Shaws Blu Ray (Chang Cheh edition)

Just received this yesterday.  I have three of the four films on DVD (on a DVDr) and Five Venoms of course on Blu Ray already.  I might have done all the Shaolin movies together, but this is a great set.  I am already watching Shaolin Temple, since that was the one I wanted an upgrade of the most.  That was lousy sentence structure, but you know what I mean.  Suffice it to say, this set is stunning.  It is loaded with extras, I mean, it is from Arrow, so that is to be expected.  It has all the English dubs and some of the English opening credit scenes.  I love their product, I will tell you what.  I couldn't tell you which company is best, Kino-Lorber or Arrow, but damn I am glad to have both of them around.  They have better extras on their discs than most of the big popular movies and companies ever do.  They sure know their audience, I'll tell you what.

360. Obro is The GIANT of Metropolis! (1961)

            This is one strange peplum movie, and that is saying something, I'll tell you what.

HOTW- Obro

 

From Wiki: The Giant of Metropolis (Italian: Il gigante di Metropolis) is a 1961 color Italian fantasy adventure film that was produced by Decio Salvi and Emimmo Salvi, directed by Umberto Scarpelli, that stars Gordon Mitchell and Bella Cortez. Muscleman Obro travels to the sinful capital of Atlantis to rebuke its godlessness and hubris and becomes involved in the battle against its evil lord Yotar and his hideous super-science schemes, which involve transplanting an old and knowledgeable brain into his son's body.  Back to me:

359. Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies from 1990!

               Things sure have changed since the days of VHS, haven't they?  I can't say I miss grainy fullscreen copies, that's for sure.

Lene Lovich - Lucky Number

           I have heard several of Lene Lovich's songs, and liked them all.  She is a fascinating performer.

358. Captain America 1966: Spies and Traitors!

In which we get blocked in ONE territory for the last segment on the episode... any guesses?

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-15-85

I would have wanted to play spacemen with Calvin.

357. A Dinosaurus! review and more!

           The first actual dinosaur comedy movie, as presented by Jack Harris, complete with "?" at the end.

356. Bruce Lee and Kung Fu Mania DVD review

             GoodTimes Home Video was always a good source for a wide variety of movies and shows.  They were also not too expensive, either.

Sven- Dinosaurus!

 

Two dinosaurs and a caveman are found in suspended animation after an underwater explosion.  Lightning brings them back to life, and terror and hi-jinks follow.  Our heroes are trapped on an island in the Caribbean and have to figure out a way to stop these monsters from... something? Granted, the Tyrannosaurus rex was running around eating people, but after 65 million years of sleep, he had to be hungry.  This movie was made at a time when all theropod dinosaurs would eat people, animals and even machinery, even if they had a mouthful of other dinosaur.  It's just how it was.  Manly hero Bart has to save the island from both the T rex and much slimier island boss Mike Hacker.

The New Logo!

 How about this?  I think it looks pretty darn Spaceman Spiffy!  It was designed by one Scorpio Steele, you can see his website here!

355. 7 Song Friday 12/13/2024

                 Poor Janis Joplin- her song was not allowed to be used on YouTube.  But we got it done!

354. Ultraman 18 and 19- Brothers and Demons!

             Two pretty darn great adventures are featured here!

353. Reptilicus, Ultra Blu Ray review!

               This is the best disc set of Reptilicus that will ever be made, so go get it!

HOTW- Kalimán

 

From Wiki- Kalimán or Kalimán, the Incredible Man is a popular Mexican adventurer superhero, created by Rafael Cutberto Navarro and Modesto Vázquez González in 1963. He is the main character of the radio drama bearing his name, which depicts the adventures of Kalimán, a descendant of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and his young companion, Solín. Kalimán is very well known and popular across Spanish America, and the radio series spawned a comic book series and two film adaptations. The adventures of Kalimán were published as a serialized weekly comic, and printed for twenty-six consecutive years, with the series reaching its highest popularity in 1965; it is still quite popular today in reprints and in paperback format. Kalimán himself is considered as a Mexican pop culture icon and one of the first and most representative examples of Mexican superheroes. Me again:

352. Meet KISS and the Phantom from 1978!

         In which we take a look at this much-maligned movie.

351. Captain America (1966) 02 . The Sentinel and the Spy!

          It is the sensational second episode of the courageous Captain America!

Emi's 9th Gotha Day

 

Today is Emerald's ninth anniversary with us today.  How about that?  Bringing her home was a decision I wasn't sure about until I met her, and it was also a late birthday present. to her.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-14-1985

I doubt kids these days would even recognize either the pay phone OR the Public Service Announcement from Calvin.

350. The Lone Ranger (1956) at Spirit Mountain!

         This is the first Lone Ranger movie that was made.

The Lone Ranger (1956)

 The Lone Ranger was a huge hit in the early days of television.  The show ran for several years, and survived a major cast change for one season.  After the series ended, Warner Brothers made two movies.  This is the first one, though I kinda wish it had been called The Lone Ranger at Spirit Mountain or something like that.  As long as it had his name in the title, it would have gone over big time.  Which it must have, since a sequel was made two years later.

349. Starman 04: The most Evil Brain from Outer Space!

           In which we look at the final Starman movie and bid adieu to our hero.

Danger! Mutant!

 

Look out, here is the most imaginative mutant from the final Starman movie- Evil Brain from Outer Space!  It is armed with poisonous claws and quite possibly bad breath.  Along with an atomic with of some kind, they give our hero a run for his money.  That darn Evil Brain, though, Balazar has far more tricks up its... sleeve... than one might think!

348. 7 Song Friday 12-06-2024

            In which I learn how to remove parts YouTube doesn't like!

347. Ultraman 16 and 17, Baltan and the original Infinity Stone!

                   You will have to prove to me that Bulton is not an Infinity Stone!

Loonatics Unleashed (2005)

 

"In the year 2772, a meteor strikes the city-planet of Acmetropolis, knocking it off its axis. This cosmic event releases supernatural forces unleashing a new kind of hero...The Loonatics!"

- Zadavia's opening monologue from season 1.

 From Wiki- Loonatics Unleashed is an American superhero animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that ran on Kids' WB for two seasons from 2005^[1] to 2007. It also aired on Cartoon Network internationally (excluding Japan). The series was based/inspired on the Looney Tunes cartoon characters, with the series described by Warner Bros. as an action comedy. Loonatics Unleashed is meant to be a mixture of the Looney Tunes shorts' irreverent style of humor and a modern action animated series, with the characters designed in a more action cartoon-inspired style.

346. Justice League The New Frontier (2008) review

      I am amazed that I could talk about this 75 minute for this long!

Happy 9th Birthday, Emerald Sage!

 

Today is Emerald's ninth birthday- she has been with us now for six years, and is finally become internet famous via YouTube and an Advent Calendar.  She thinks that my dinosaur toys are also cat toys to play with.

345. The War of Sanda and Gaira, the Gargantuas!

             Here's a quick recap of the wonderful War of the Gargantuas!

HOTW- Lightning (Thunder Agent)

From good ol' Wiki- Lightning – Virgil "Guy" Gilbert wears the Lightning Suit, which gives him super-speed but also ages him at an accelerated rate.  Back to me- that is all they have.  I believe I read that Guy was "cured" in the original run by using the Dynamo belt on him to slow the aging, or something like that.  I have not read ALL of the Agents original adventures, and that is one of them.  I was captivated by these heroes, since I had never read any of the stories, or perhaps one or two.  You know me, I am the sucker for superhero teams with really cool costumes.  I liked that these were agents, and that they could be replaced, since the powers were the costumes. The Agents all had great costumes, even the UNDERSEA Agent.

The B-52's - Rock Lobster (Countdown 1980)

           I love this song, but I don't think this is actually live.  Sounds like Memorex to me.

344 A Look at Cap's Cartoon Origin!

         We started a new series yesterday!  

343. The Crawling (four) Eyes!

            In which I manage to contain most of the "eye" puns.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-13-85

 It is probably a really good thing Calvin is a terrible shot, since this could be quite dangerous. 

342. Starman 03: Attack From Space!

             Here is the third and most pedestrian of the Starman movies, even if it does feature the Death Star!