Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-30-1985

And this stat Hobbes is reading came from 1985!  I am quite sure kids couldn't tell it wasn't real (he said, full sarcasm font on).

463. Monsters Zero, Zero One, and Zero Two!

              Here is a review of the 6th Godzilla movie, one of the best in the series!  Sven aired it last night, and I have reviewed it here ages ago.

Monster Zero title card!

 Still one of the greatest monster movies titles of all time.  Though, one might not know it was a Godzilla movie, so I can see why it was changed later on.

462. The Deadly Lady Whirlwind of 1972!

           Here we have an early transitional kung fu movie, from the "bashers" to the stars who were trained in martial arts.

Lady Whirlwind... Mao Ying

 

From Wiki- Lady Whirlwind a.k.a. Deep Thrust (Chinese: 鐵掌旋風腿) is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Huang Feng, starring Angela Mao.^[2][3][4].  A young man Ling Shih-hua (Chang Yi) is severely beaten by Japanese mobsters and left for dead on the beach. He is nursed back to health by a pretty young girl, and he vows to take revenge on the criminals. Meanwhile, Miss Tien Li-Chun (Angela Mao) comes to town with a score to settle with Ling.  Back to me now!

461. 7 Songs from Destroyer's 45th Anniversary CD!

             Here's a review of seven songs from the 45th anniversary of KISS Destroyer!  It was my first KISS LP, and I still love it.

Monster Zero ('65): Historical Battle clip

            Since I have posted various trailers on here over the years, here is the first battle clip, including the famous "shie" from Godzilla.

460. The Green Hornet and a Beautiful Dreamer!

               Here we have a great two episodes, and had they been a little more adventurous in the writing, could have made a cool story arc.

movie opening artwork

 

After reviewing the terror movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People, I have started to look at a few more of Disney's output from that time frame, say the late 50s to the early 70s.  The Three Lives of Thomasina, The Shaggy Dog, The Gnome-Mobile, and several more all had magical characters in them, or magical elements characters used.  I was surprised at all the rather interesting and occult-oriented.  Since it is ostensibly set in England and is about witches and the like, I am sure the credit designers just looked for interesting images to use without much thought about it.

459. Mrs. Peel, Reviews of Avengers books are Needed!

             Two books about the Avengers, and not one of them has a costumed superhero in it!  And yet, I love them.

HOTW- The Vision (Timely)

From Wiki- Vision (Aarkus) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by the writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared during the Golden Age of comic books in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 (Nov. 1940), published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics.^[1]  The Golden Age Vision, also known as Aarkus, is an alien law enforcement officer from a dimension called Smokeworld.^[3] While Aarkus is looking for a suitable place to exile a prisoner, he is accidentally contacted by Earth scientist Markham Erickson. Leaving the prisoner on the planet Jupiter, Aarkus accepts Erickson's invitation to fight crime on Earth.^[4] Aarkus does so for several years, although during World War II he is briefly manipulated by the Axis powers into fighting the Allies. The superhero team the Invaders help Aarkus realize his mistake.^[5]  In The Avengers #97 (March 1972), Rick Jones summons Vision, among other Golden Age heroes, to assist the Avengers during the Kree–Skrull War.^[6] Back to me:

458. The Creature from the Black Lagoon review!

              What more can one say about this great movie?  Well, I try to come up with some new stuff.  Let me know how it plays out!

Devo Love Without Anger

                 I am kinda surprised that I have not had more Devo music on this blog over the years.  I love the band, especially those first four LPs.

457. Kimba The White Lion episodes 31-35!

            The seventh set of Kimba The White Lion cartoons.  These are really good, and have some very artistic scenes in them.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-29-1985

 Sometimes Dad should be a bit more involved in feeding Calvin, don'tcha think?  And perhaps Mom should not feed Calvin something that might try to eat him.

456. Another Ghidrah The Three Headed Monster review!

            Here we have the fifth Godzilla movie.  I did have to trim about 2 minutes out of the episode to get it published.

Ghidrah! poster

 

Well, I had planned on reviewing The Creature from the Black Lagoon today on the podcast, but since next week Sven is airing Monster Zero, I figured I had better review this fine film today, and do the Creatch on Tuesday.  I have written about the movie a lot here, so I will not do that for this post.  It is a fine movie, and I think I like it a bit more than Monster Zero, but only because I have seen it longer.

455. Challenge of the Masters (19769) review!

        As promised, here it is!  I really like this movie a lot, I think it is #4 of Lau Kar-Leung's movies.  It's great.

Challenge of the Masters (1976)

 

I reviewed this about two years ago here on the blog, and that was about the second time I had watched it.  Guess what is going to be on the podcast tomorrow?

454. 7 Song Friday 3-21-2025

            Here we have another set of seven songs!  Poor Russia.  We also hope the other claims aren't too serious.  

Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) Official Trailer

            I am not sure if this is the one that I posted a few years ago, or the one that is no longer available.  Either way, Sven is airing the movie tomorrow.

453. Green Hornet 05 and 06!

            I really don't think the music in the middle deserved to be removed, but let's just nip it in the bud!

Xenorama #74 is GO!

It is a little late (about four months) but Xenorama #74 is lumbering ashore!  It is all about that very first Godzilla movie, released 71 or 69 years ago, depending on the version one decides to watch.  We have three great contributions from the regular gang of geniuses!  How often has the career of Terry Morse before Godzilla, King of the Monsters! looked at?  Well, we have it here!  The issue is loaded with great pictures, and there are even some in color.  Many are in black and white of course, but I found lots of great promotional material to include.  I am quite pleased with the overall issue.  And the the cover!

452. A look at A Pictorial History of Sea Monsters (1971)!

                I have loved this book for over fiddy years.  And now I can't believe I forgot to say that during the video.

HOTW- Proty and Proty II

From Wiki- Proty is the name of two characters appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes. The original Proty first appears in Adventure Comics #308 (May 1963), where Chameleon Boy adopts him as a pet.  After Proty sacrifices himself to resurrect Lightning Lad, an identically-named Protean, dubbed "Proty II", is introduced as his successor.  Proty's species, the Proteans, are white, spherical aliens from a planet in the Antares system. The alien Llorn colonize the planet, but are forced to leave following a series of natural disasters caused by sunspots. They use a special ray to rapidly evolve the Proteans, giving them shapeshifting abilities and enabling them to survive in various environments.^[1] Both incarnations of Proty are protoplasmic beings who can shapeshift and possess low-level telepathic abilities. Additionally, they are resistant to extreme temperatures and can survive in the vacuum of space.  Back to me:

451. The Lost World of 1960 ain't SO bad...

             but it ain't so great, either.  I have mellowed about the movie overall, though.  I kinda like it now.

The Hellflowers - Girl U Want

                  Here is a great cover of Devo's Girl You Want as done by the phenomenal Hellflowers!

450. Kimba The White Lion episodes 26-30 review!

                I do love this cartoon.  One of the great things about doing these reviews is seeing all the episodes.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday- 12/28/1985

 Another early interaction with the rather sweet Susie Derkins (at the time, she got a little more devious later).

448. Thoughts on Darby O'Gill and the Little People!

             In which I talk about the first horror movie I ever remember seeing, and boy howdy it scared me.  Well, the banshee did, not most of the movie.

Sven- The Lost World (1960)

From Wiki Not to be confused with The Lost World (1925 film).  The Lost World is a 1960 American fantasy adventure film directed by Irwin Allen, loosely based on the 1912 novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle. Shot in De Luxe Color and CinemaScope, the film's plot revolves around the exploration of a plateau in Venezuela inhabited by cannibals, dinosaurs, carnivorous plants, and giant spiders. The cast includes Claude Rains, David Hedison, Fernando Lamas, Jill St. John, and Michael Rennie. Back to me:

448. Choi Lee Fut Kung Fu (1979) review!

             Here we have a movie I wish had a better print, since it is quite enjoyable.  Since that will probably never happen, I am happy it is available.

KISS - Destroyer Anniversary

 

From Wiki- Destroyer is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 15, 1976, by Casablanca Records in the US. It was the third successive Kiss album to reach the top 40 in the US, as well as the first to chart in Germany and New Zealand. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1976, and platinum on November 11 of the same year, the first Kiss album to achieve platinum.^[2] The album marked a departure from the raw sound of the band's first three albums. Back to me now:

447. 7 Irish Song Friday 03-14-2025

              Today I stepped outside my comfort zone, and performed on camera.  It is a little nerve wracking, I'll tell you what.

The Lost World ≣ 1960 ≣ Trailer #2

               I have never seen this particular trailer for this adaptation of The Lost World.  I have seen this movie a few times, but not recently.

446. Green Hornet 03 and 04 reviews!

                The next two episodes of the Green Hornet are reviewed, and we discuss some of the reasons the first one is the actual pilot episode.

The Hornet Drone!

 

From the first episode filmed for the Green Hornet we get to see a lot of the gadgets in action.  They are not labeled like Batman's were, though.  It was called the scanner, and is remote controlled by the controls in the Black Beauty.  It moves like a drone, can fly and has tele-video capabilities.  This lets Kato follow the drone while the phone follows whatever its target is.  I am not sure how often it was used, but it is a a very cool gadget.

445. All Star Comics #3 (1940) review!

             What a great concept- I am still surprised that it took this long to get together the top DC heroes.  Everything was so new back in 1940.

HOTW- The Green Hornet

From Wiki- Though various incarnations sometimes change details, in most versions the Green Hornet is the alter ego of Britt Reid (/riːd/), the wealthy young publisher of the Daily Sentinel newspaper. By night, clad in a long green overcoat, gloves, green fedora hat and green mask, Reid fights crime as the mysterious vigilante known as "The Green Hornet". He is accompanied by his loyal and similarly masked partner and confidant, Kato, who drives their technologically advanced car, the "Black Beauty". Though both the police and the general public believe the Hornet to be a wanted criminal, Reid uses that perception to help him infiltrate the underworld, leaving behind for the police the criminals and any incriminating evidence he has found.  In the original radio incarnation, Britt Reid is the son of Dan Reid Jr., the nephew of the Lone Ranger (whose first name is never given, contrary to later articles), making the Green Hornet the great-nephew of the Ranger. The relationship is alluded to at least once in the radio shows, when Dan Reid visits his son to question him on why Britt has never captured the Hornet. On learning the truth behind his son's dual identity, Dan Reid recalls his days riding with his uncle, as the William Tell Overture plays briefly and softly in the background.  Back to me:

444. A Kamen Rider Double Feature review!

                Here are two great Kamen Rider movies from the 70s.  Talk about heroes and monsters, these two movies have them in spades!

The Irish Rovers - The Orange and the Green

              This is one very well written and very funny song.  I don't remember when I first heard it, but it has been in the last ten years.

443. Kimba The White Lion episodes 21-25 review!

                  These episodes probably caused some kids to ask interesting questions when they were first aired here in the States.  There is death, probable death and a wholesale slaughter in one episode.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-27-1985

 

Find me a person who claims they were not a destructive child at least one in their lives and I will have found a liar.  We all did this.

442. Shin Ultraman is a long movie! (review is not)

                    Well, most of the original video survived- if you want to see the fight between Ultraman and Zaran, watch it on Spotify.  YouTube made me remove it.

Sven- The Thing that Couldn't Die

From Wiki- The Thing that Couldn't Die is a 1958 American horror film about a man executed for sorcery 400 years in the past whose detached head hypnotizes people in order to have them reunite his head with his body so he could live and feast on the blood of people. It was produced and directed by Will Cowan and starred William Reynolds, Andra Martin, Jeffrey Stone, and Carolyn Kearney. Based on an original screenplay by David Duncan for Universal Pictures, it was released in the United States on a double bill in May 1958^[1] with the British Hammer Films classic Horror of Dracula.  Back to me:

441. Shaolin Martial Arts of 1974 Rule!

         Like I said, this used to be a rather obscure Shaw Brothers movie.  It is easily viewed on many platforms these days.

Shaolin preview on Shaolin Saturday!

Today's movie was one of the more obscure Chang Cheh movies from 1974.  I hadn't even heard of it until the Shaw movies started getting released in the UK on videotape in the mid to late 90s.  Of course, it was great to see ALL the then new movies, and who knew Celestial would release them all in great shape on DVD a few years later.  This copy I have is from a fan redub, but I am quite sure that the movie has been released on Blu Ray by this time.

440. 7 Song Friday 03-07-2025!

                 This is one episode full of great songs, and I say that with all due modesty!  Three songs are from movies, which was a bit unusual.

The Thing That Couldn’t Die • 1958 • Theatrical Trailer

             I don't think I have seen this movie.  It can't be as exciting as the trailer is.  I seem to recognize that music, though.

439. Green Hornet episodes 1 and 2 thoughts!

              Lets roll, Kato!  The first two episodes are on review here, and they are a good start.  It will get better!

New review series promo art!

 

"Another challenge for the Green Hornet, his aide Kato, and their rolling arsenal, the Black Beauty. On police records a wanted criminal, the Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, owner and publisher of The Daily Sentinel; his dual identity known only to his secretary, and to the District Attorney. And now, to protect the rights and lives of decent citizens, rides the Green Hornet!"

438. The D'Aulaires Books of Greek and Norse Stories!

             These books are great, and I have loved them for over 50 years.  You can find them in book sellers everywhere.

HOTW- Streaky, the Supercat

 

From Wiki- Streaky the Supercat is a fictional superhero cat that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Action Comics #261 (February 1960) and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney.^[1]  He is Supergirl's pet cat who gained superpowers through exposure to X-Kryptonite; such as flight, super-strength, super-speed, invulnerability, and enhanced vision abilities, among other Kryptonian powers. His distinctive mark is a lightning bolt in his fur running along both sides. He is also a member of the Legion of Super-Pets, alongside other super-powered animals such as Krypto, Beppo, and Comet. Back to me:

437. Yongary, a Review from the Deep!

            Pity poor Yongary- little regarded in this country or his own, and with one of the most painful filmed deaths of all time.

Happy 5th Birthday, Kaida!

My crazy, goofy little girl starts her next voyage around the sun today.  She's been with us for almost four years, and has so much personality.  I wasn't sure she would even like me when I brought her home.  It didn't take her long to come out of her shell, and she even plays with Emerald.  Sometimes they do have a frank exchange of ideas, but most of the time they get along well.  She hasn't even been a destroyer for quite a while.  We do appreciate that.

Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed (Official Music Video)

            I have posted this before, but it is now unavailable.  So here it is again!  I love both versions of the song.

436. Kimba The White Lion episodes 16-20 in review!

             It was the music that got noticed!  Never occurred to me that would happen.  However, nothing bad happens, so it is all good.

Calvin and Hobbes Monday 12-26-1985

This is an early sled adventure, one that foretells just how adventurous Calvin could be when he was outside.  Usually it took place with his wagon, but the sled was featured a lot.

435. Take a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea in 1961!

               Here's a review of the fun 1961 movie Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea!  It was popular enough to spawn a four season run on television as well.

434. The Last Dragon (1985) 40th anniversary review!

         Here's a loving look at 1985's Last Dragon.  It is a fun movie, and a great party movie, as I said earlier.

The Last Dragon blu ray menu

Here's a spoiler of Shaolin Saturday!  This is the menu for The Last Dragon, which I think looks pretty great.  The disc has some fun extras as well.  We finally move into the 80s with our kung fu movies today.  At some point, we will get a 60s movie and even into the 2000s.  We have done one 90s movie already, but will have more of those as well.

433. 7 Song Friday 02-28-2025, a hard act to follow!

             Here's seven more great songs (well, mostly great) and some fun information.  Let's get ready to rock and roll!