Happy All Hallows' Eve

As we say farewell to All Hallows’s Eve (or, All Hallows’ Evening), and prepare to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1^st, here are just a few fun facts to mull over while trying to stay a step or two ahead of the haints.

· While looking through a collection of old Halloween post cards, several showed Halloween as Hallowe’en with the apostrophe, a contraction of All Hallows’ Evening.

· Trick-or-treating, or, as it was originally called, “guising”, probably began in Scotland and/or Ireland, then came to North America sometime after the turn of the last century.

Here are just a few movie and TV shows about Halloween:

o Halloween (1978) John Carpenter’s original and best still frightens today, with his film score and brilliant build-up of tension.

o Hocus Pocus (1993) is a Walt Disney comedy starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as three witch sisters.

o Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005), with Winnie the Pooh and friends.

o It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) – It’s not officially Halloween until you watch this classic.

o Monster House (2006), a feature-length animated film, that is just way too much fun.

o Pumpkinhead (1988) with Lance Henriksen, is not specifically about Halloween, but it should be. It contains all the necessary elements – an old witch, spells, deep and dark woods, and a monster with a head resembling a jack-o-lantern.

So, with that, 'til next time... Adios.

Halloween Movie-a-Thon

Time to get started on my blog post for our 2nd Annual Halloween Movie Extravaganza.  Well-attended on Saturday the 27th, we had all the Usual Suspects attending (not the movie). For this year’s lineup, I got things rolling with an old Boomer classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, always a favorite. And, I believe we’ve started a new tradition – starting each Halloween Movie-a-Thon with Charlie and the Gang.

What I didn’t know until I did a bit of research was that this was the third Peanuts special on TV. First was A Charlie Brown Christmas (and, it’s a toss-up between the Christmas one and Great Pumpkin as to which would be my favorite), then, second, Charlie Brown’s All Stars, which I don’t even remember (Don’t know why I didn’t see it when I was a kid). Then, third, Great Pumpkin.

We (as did everyone we knew) owned one black-and-white television back then, so my first memory of watching Great Pumpkin was black-and-white. We celebrated Halloween on Halloween night, October 31^st, the way it’s supposed to be done. We were an army of sack and pillow case, candy-hunting, trick-or-treating goblins, witches, devils, and ghosts. Halloween came on a Monday night that year, 1966, The Year of the Great Pumpkin, and there wasn’t even any thought of not starting until after it was good and dark. I mean, come on! That’s when everything lurks.

 

What I want to know is, when exactly did we pull the teeth from Halloween?

 

Okay, enough ranting.  I could go on boringly about the Death of Halloween, but let’s continue with the main topic.

We followed Great Pumpkin with a Christopher Lee film from 1966 called Circus of Fear (Psycho-Circus for the U. S. release), though it was much more a mystery than a horror. I found it a little slow, but it was good to get a Christopher Lee film in. Based on a novel by Edgar Wallace, who wrote a series of detective novels, and also created a character called the Green Archer (who was, perhaps, the inspiration for the Green Arrow?), it dealt with a malevolent dwarf, a robbery, and murder, and everyone hiding out at the circus. Probably won’t watch this one again.

Next came a silent film called The Magician (1926) with Paul Wegener as the title character.  Our Classic Horror Film Group saw Mr. Wegener a while back in The Golem. With those strange, strange eyes, and his enormous size, he looks a lot like a Golem, although in this film he’s a magician who wants to create life. Only a slight problem stood in his way. He needed the heart of a virgin, and, whereas he did find a virgin, seems she wanted to hang on to her heart, as she was using it at the time.  There’s a fiancé who never grew any… gumption… ‘til near the end of the movie. Most of the time he barely seemed alive, and he suffered from paralyzing indecisiveness pretty much until the end of the film. Paul Wegener was properly disturbing and commanded any scene he was in. Loved this film, especially the special effects.

We then jumped forward to 1964 for an episode of The Outer Limits long-windedly titled “The Production and Decay of Strange Particles”. Not one of their better episodes, but it was fun to watch for the black-and-white moodiness. Featuring a pre-Trek Leonard Nimoy, this episode dealt with scientists going “…where no one has gone…”, etc., playing around with nuclear material and, Whoops!, ripping a hole in the space/time continuum, and letting some uninvited glowing-and-sparking guests through. A lot of the show dealt with the chief scientist wringing his hands uselessly, saying, “Oh, I should’ve known better”.

Our final true horror flick, The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), was a treat both for those us who saw it way back in the early 70’s, and for those who were watching it for the first time. I’d forgotten just how fun, quirky, and magical it was. Directed by, starred in, and co-written by Roman Polanski, it was, for many of us, our first introduction to vampires. If not this film, then one of the Christopher Lee Dracs. But, at any rate, this is a beautifully filmed, surreal movie, that prepared the way for many vampire and horror films to come.

It was the first I remember any movie using the idea of vampire hunters; it delivered the horror in a comic fashion, from the full title (The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck), to the MGM lion in the opening credits changing into a comic vampire; and, it added a subtle (and, occasionally, not-so-subtle) sense of eroticism to the vampire myth.

The frosty-blue, frozen landscapes, the supreme eloquence of the Count, and the humorously-courageous ancient vampire hunter (who looked a lot like Albert Einstein) paired with a young, naive, idiotic, and inept assistant, all blend together perfectly to deliver a true horror-comedy (or comedy-horror) masterpiece. Oh, and nearly forgot to mention the music, an eerie warbling of voices that both chilled and made me smile. Krzysztof Komeda composed the score that seemed an innate part of the movie. He wrote the music for other Polanski films, including Rosemary’s Baby.

Finally, we wrapped up our evening, all TV-eyed, with an episode of an animated spy-spoof show called Archer.  Archer is also the main spy's name, an arrogant, sometimes idiotic, collateral-damage-reeking force of nature, who, actually, is a pretty good agent.  It's just that he'll take out half a country in the process of achieving his objective.

 

And, that's about it for this post.

 

'til next time... Adios.

Three Icons

Ran across this bit of rambling from a little over three years ago.  July 23rd, 2009.  Still seemed pertinent.

Yesterday we saw the third of three of our great icons vanish. Walter Cronkite. For two generations, our parents' and ours, the Boomers, three people constantly stood (or sat) and gave something irreplaceable to us. The other two were Captain Kangaroo and Johnny Carson. Whether we saw their shows or not, we all know of them. They influenced us if we had television or not. They are mythological figures, part of our consciousness.

Captain Kangaroo taught us to value ourselves, how to be kind, taught us the magic words - please and thank you.

Johnny Carson showed us how to laugh, especially at ourselves.

Walter Cronkite was the steady voice of straight, honest news. He helped get us to the Moon and was every one's grandfather.

The term "anchor" was first applied to Walter Cronkite. All three men were. They gave us stability, consistency, comfort.

Many thanks to you all.

'til next time... Adios.

What's On Tonight?

Once upon a time, not so long ago, on a channel far, far away, AMC (American Movie Classics) being that channel, we saw true classics of cinema, with no commercials. Now, we have commercials. Lots of them.

And, once, on this same channel, there was a MonsterFest around this time of year, where they showed the greats of horror. Movies such as The Fly (the original), Halloween (also, the original), and any one of several top-notch versions of Dracula. Now, we have, hold on a sec while I do a quick channel check...

The Task, where "... Reality-show contestants encounter sinister spirits in an abandoned prison."; and Saw III and Saw IV.

Ah, well, we still have TCM.

Frank and Kin

The four of us, our little band of Scoobies, classic horror film warriors all, ventured forth into the theater, packing our requirements for ideal movie-watching -- popcorn, Cokes, root beer, Twizzlers. This was classic horror double-feature heaven at one of our local theaters. the 1931 version of Frankenstein and the 1935 version of The Bride of Frankenstein.

I had seen both before, probably more than once, but this time it was different. The big screen, restored print, and the icon of all icons -- Frankenstein. And, as everyone surely knows, including me, Frankenstein is the name of the doctor who makes the Creature, or the Monster. Funny, though, although I know it, I still want to associate that name with the Creature, who never had a name.

In making both movies, there's some fun with the characters' names, anyway. The good doctor, in these two Frank films, is Henry Frankenstein, but in the book, he's Victor Frankenstein. Henry's best man for his wedding in the first film is named Victor. Then, there's Doc Frankenstein's assistant, played by Dwight Frye (Renfield in the Bela Lugosi Dracula). Not Igor. Or Ygor. Nope. Fritz. And, he's got a hump on his back. But, in the second movie, Dwight Frye is the assistant once again to the Doc, but now he's Karl. He limps, but the hump's gone. And, then, there's the matter of Elizabeth (Mae Clarke) soon-to-be Frankenstein. Blond in the first film, then a different actress (Valerie Hobson) plays her in The Bride of Frankenstein as a brunette.

Okay, enough picking of nits, although it's all for fun. These are truly two great movies. Frankenstein is played dead-on serious, no humor, not even a little. The second, The Bride of Frankenstein, although serious, has a touch of humor to lighten things a bit.

What I came away with, in both films, is that the Creature is the tragic hero in both. Boris Karloff played him with great sincerity and warmth, and I felt sympathy for him. He did not choose to be created, particularly in that frightening form. But, there he was.

The one big change from the book, and I must admit, it's been many years since I read it, so there are probably many other differences, as well, but the one big change is in the book the Creature is literate. In the movie, Fate limits his understanding, so everything is a struggle.

The actors were phenomenal, especially Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein, and Boris Karloff as the Creature. Dwight Frye, as always, was fantastic. And, Ernest Thesiger as Dcotor Pretorius, played a great creepy comic madman. He out-crazied Henry, except for Henry's signature lines of "It's alive!" (repeated several times, each time more maniacally than the previous), and the classic mad scientist "Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not."

Finally, can't forget the good doc's lab. Gotta say, on the big screen, with all the sparks and electrical fire, and zapping, and everything really big, that was truly hair-raising, especially in The Bride of Frankenstein. He must've received a bigger equipment budget in the second film, because it was way more scary and sparky and big. Guess the extra juice was needed to give Elsa (Bride of Frankenstein) Lanchester that little extra something for her 'do.

If you've never seen these classics, find a theater where they're playing, and head out. You'll be glad you did.

'til next time... Adios.

It's About Time

Thought I’d take a look at a few trends in movies, particularly filming history. Not to worry, though, this isn’t ivory tower stuff. Still just my twisted, maniacal look.

I first did a search (yeah, the Internet. I’ll consult a few of my actual books shortly) on movie history, and found a timeline at http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0150210.html. First thing I noticed, though, was the hit-or-miss info. For example, sure, they’ve got the Lumiere brothers pegged for the first private showing of a film short in 1895, but where’s Georges Melies, the father and grandfather of special effects? Ah, well, I’ll search elsewhere.

Here’s an interesting site, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/film_chron.cfm, that appears a little more detailed with its timeline, going with headings such as The Invention of Photography and Depression-Era Hollywood to categorize movie stuff. Nice, but it’s still a 35000 foot view. On to the next one.

This one, http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/History-of-Movies, looked promising, but there’s apparently videos to watch that just eat the heck out of memory. Took forever to load, and I frankly lost interest due to my ADHD.

http://www.themovietimeline.com/ appears to be just plain, good ol’ fun, plus great info for us information/trivia junkies. Gonna have to spend some time on this one. They want people (like you, me, and the rest of the world) to send movie events to them and they’ll figure them into this massive, mondo-grando timeline of pretty much everything in movies (and, eventually, TV, they say). As an example, let’s pick a random event from, say, Alien, when Ripley escapes from the Nostromo. The main web site guy and his team of dedicated researchers will come up with a date for when that happened (or will happen, since it’s in the future), and sandwich that chronologically between two other movie events. I love it!

Next site that popped up was http://horror.about.com/od/horrorthemelists/ss/horrortimeline.htm, a rough horror movie history from About.com. Looks good, but I’m gonna need to check it out and compare a few dates.

Finally, here's this one: http://www.filmsite.org/filmh.html. It gives a breakdown by decade of important film events. I like this site, too, as it has info on good ol' William Castle and his "Illusion-O" film gimmick. It also gives info on Smell-O-Vision. Yeah, this one's good.

That's about all I can do for now. 'til next time... Adios.

Random Halloween Thoughts

Just did my usual thing of doing a quick scan through everything coming up on the tube (or panel, or monitor) related to All Hallow's Eve. Here we go:

The Travel Channel has the most. Shows like Halloween Crazier where we see everything from whacked-out haunted houses to pumpkin races, to a race for zombies. Okay, sure, why not? Then, there's Halloween's Most Extreme, which is more of the same as the first show. And, finally, World's Creepiest Destinations, about, guess what? Creepy destinations.

Got one question. How and when did Halloween shift from being a fun-filled night for kids to a full-tilt bozo decorating event for adults? Just curious.

Anyway, we also have on one of the local channels, a Halloween version of America's Funniest Whatevers to Funniest Halloween Moments. And, on the Food Channel, there's Halloween Wars. All the description says is, "The theme is vampires". Now, what can that be?

And, are you ready? Got the Christmas season coming up, too. Yep, already there's Christmas-themed movies and shows just getting warmed up to pop on your TV's.

'til next time... Adios.

You say SyFy, I say Sci-Fi

What happened to the science fiction channel? When it first cranked up back in September 24, 1992, the Sci-Fi Channel had visionaries Gene Roddenberry and Isaac Asimov on the advisory council.

It once gave us great programming such as the pilot episode of Lost in Space; aired Planet of the Apes and Battlestar Galactica marathons; and showed the original The Night Stalker with Darren McGavin hosting.

Now, we have Scare Tactics, sales product shows such as Get a Shark Rotator, and WWE SmackDown. 'Course, I suppose WWE SmackDown is sort of like science fiction....

Just wondering.

'til next time... Adios.

Trilogy of Terror

I figure it's been about 40 years since I last saw Trilogy of Terror (1975), and it was a real treat tonight.  Yes, it was made somewhere near the end of the 60's/70's made-for-TV era, but it was a class act for this type of movie.

Karen Black plays the lead character(s) in three separate vignettes.  Produced and directed by Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker), the music brought back strong memories of the other shows he did, too.

Each story was wonderfully tight, each written by Richard Matheson, writer of many Twilight Zone episodes and "The Incredible Shrinking Man", a true science fiction classic.  They're wonderfully creepy and suspenseful, especially the last one, titled "Amelia".  It set the stage for some other movies to come.

If you've never seen this film trilogy, do yourself a favor and track it down.  It's available on DVD, and well worth the watch.

Frank-in-Films

Here’s a few Frank-en-facts for all you Frank-en-fans out there, and even some musings...

 

Old Doc Frankenstein had a plan

To turn spare parts into a man
Once he had things a-happenin’
He gave the electrodes a mighty spin

Poor guy. I’ve always felt that was part of his problem all along, just being called The Monster or The Creature, or Frankenstein’s Monster. I mean, what was it like for him on the playground? “Hey, look, there’s The Creature.” No wonder he growled. I’d growl, too.

In the original book by Mary Shelley, he had a name. Adam. Nice, solid name. Adam. Then, they lose his name in the movies. I think he’d have been a lot calmer if people said, “Hey, look, here comes Adam!” Even if he was angry or otherwise in a bad mood, people would still say, “Oh, no! Everyone watch out! Adam’s not happy today.” And, he’d be, like, “Oh, come on, you guys, I’m not a monster. Put down those torches and pitchforks.” And, they’d be all, “Oh, sorry, man, what were we thinking? Hey, Adam, want to go for a cup of coffee? It’ll pick you up. You’re looking a little green today.” Then, Adam would say, “Sure, thanks, that sounds good. Yeah, the doc’s been just really mean today, and he still hasn’t fixed these bolts in my neck.”

All of the Mighty Three, Boris Karloff (William Henry Pratt, his birth name), Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney, Jr., played the creature. Mr. Karloff the most (three times), with Mr. Lugosi and Mr. Chaney tied with one time each.

The Edison Manufacturing Company (yes, the very same Thomas Alva Edison) filmed the very first (that anyone knows of) Frankenstein film, in 1910, a silent, with a 16 minute running time.

March 11th, 2013, will be the 195th birthday of the publication of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein.

In German, Frankenstein means "stone of the Franks">

A Haunting We Will Go

Here we are, folks, two weeks out from Halloween. In celebration of that grand, old glorious holiday full of candy and ghosts, pumpkins and black cats, get out there and watch a monster movie. Doesn’t matter what. Watch a classic like the 1931 Frankenstein with Boris Karloff (and, remember, Frankenstein is the name of the doctor who makes the creature, not the creature himself), or a new horror/comedy like Zombieland (2009) with Woody Harrelson. Read some Poe or Lovecraft or Shelley or Stoker. Currently, I’m reading a Ray Bradbury classic, Something Wicked This Way Comes. There’s also a movie of the same title with Jason Robards.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, October 17^th) on Turner Classic Movies at 8 PM, there’s Horror of Dracula, a true Hammer films classic with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, followed by The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). Check out their monstrous schedule at http://www.tcm.com/schedule/.

From today ‘til Halloween, AMC has their fearfest selection of monster flicks. Take a look at their schedule at http://www.amctv.com/movie-event/amc-fearfest. One of my favorites, John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), airs several times, starting next Monday, October 22, at 8 PM.

Your local theaters should also have some Halloween-themed films and events. In Lexington, KY, on October 24^th, Cinemark Fayette Mall theaters and Regal Hamburg Pavilion Stadium 16 theaters will show Frankenstein (1931), followed by The Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

And, don’t forget It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, the absolute classic of Halloween. The other holidays won’t come to pass unless you watch Chuck and the gang.  I haven't seen it listed, yet, but check your local TV listings.

“I got a rock.” – Charlie Brown

 

'til next time... Adios.

Aladdin's Lamp

All this technology we use - cell phones, computers, i-this and e-that - they're all just tools.  And, I feel my blood pressure rising (okay, you can't really feel that) whenever there's a momentary glitch or problem in whatever piece of technology I'm using.  The thing is supposed to work. What does it mean it can't communicate/send/download/upload or otherwise do something with this bit of information?   How dare it?   I can see it.   It's right there.

Interesting, that. The thing that is supposed to make our lives easier, faster, more efficient or whatever superlative it's supposed to perform, now stands between us and the object of our interest.  Has the genii turned on us?

Jazz Monsters

A few groups are keeping jazz alive out there.  Recently we had the privilege of hearing once again the Baja Yetis.  First thing I have to say is, "Why are there no CD's yet?  There must be CD's."

I mentioned (implored?) that to their sound engineer, who said he was recording their performance that particular evening we heard them.  What a perfect night it was for jazz/funk/soul, too.  And, so, the next time we hear these guys, the Baja Yetis (there's plug #2), I hope we can pack 'em home with us.

The rain held off mostly that evening, only an occasional mist, nothing bothersome, and the Yetis played (and played, 'cause we could tell it was pure playground fun for them)magic for our small yet fanatical group.  They, protected by the porch, us protected by hats/trees/umbrellas.

These cats keep alive the sounds of Mr. Coltrane and Mr. Davis, and pure '70's soul/funk/rock.

From where did they arise?  No idea, perhaps there truly are abominable snowmen in California.  But, they be here now, and I shall hear them again.  And, so should you.  If I'd had a lighter, I'd have held it up for them.

Check 'em out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheBajaYetis.

Dead, Mostly Dead, or Undead

Many monsters have crawled, ran, flown, or shambled across the screen ever since the first time a monster appeared on film. And, heroes or heroines (do we still say heroine these days?) destroyed, killed, or otherwise toasted these critters. But, which of the beasties that went bump are still hanging around, waiting for a chance to make another big-screen appearance?

I've come up with a partial, non-researched list. My research staff took the weekend off, so they left me on my own.

The Blob -- at the end of the film all they did was deep-freeze it and drop it off in the Arctic. Works great until the ice caps melt.

Ro-Man (Robot Monster) -- lots of sparks and bubbles, but is he truly dead?

Godzilla (supposedly killed and came back many times. Dead don’t always mean dead.) -- more lives than a cat. Just won't stay dead, and when he does return, sometimes he's even bigger. And really mean the next time around.

The old woman in the cat’s body in The Atomic Brain -- I think she was just looking for a quick way out of that dog of a movie.

Dracula -- stake 'im he comes back, burn 'im he comes back. Drac always comes back. Besides, he was undead. Hard to waste him if he's already dead.

Doc Frankenstein's creature -- which some folks mistakenly call Frankenstein, but we won't get into that. Once again, dead already, as in spare parts dead. All you have to do is put 'im back together and throw the juice to him again.

Alien -- we haven't seen the body. He was just floating around in space...

The Thing -- once again, where's the body?

The Howling – female werewolf is shown ordering a rare burger at the end of the movie, so at least one of the hairy critters is still around.

That's just a few of beasties that are waiting for a casting call again. They'll be back...

'til next time... Adios.  And, leave the lights on.

Yeah But At Least My Vest Loves Me

Imagine my excitement when I heard the news the other day, oh boy!  Clothing that is not only functional and stylish, but friendly.

Yeppir, it's finally here.  The Like-A-Hug vest.  Now, for everyone who needs just a little something extra from Facebook, you just plug in this affectionate little article of clothing into your i-Whatever, and every time you get a Like on Facebook, the Like-A-Hug gives you a squeeze.  More Likes, more virtual hugs.  Just like having a pet boa constrictor.

Why is it I can see the eventual headlines about someone 'killed with kindness'?

'til next time... Adios.

Pre-makes

There's remakes, sequels, and even prequels coming out of the Hollywood mill.  But, what about pre-makes?  A remake of a prequel.

One example comes to mind. We had the original Manhunter, the prequel to Silence of the Lambs.  Manhunter was an excellent film, but it was entirely forgotten by audiences and left on the side of the road, or rather, tossed out of the car and abandoned. Then, along came Red Dragon, which is based on the original book of the same title. So, Red Dragon is a pre-make. It's a remake of a prequel. Manhunter was the original prequel to Silence of the Lambs. Then, they remade the prequel.

Ah, Hollywood.  A creative wonderland.

The App-le of My Eye

Our iPhones, Androids, Blackberries, Blueberries, uPhones, and Boisenberries are great, aren’t they? And, they can do pretty much anything. Find the nearest coffee shop, listen to music, get us lost as well as any paper map can. Heck, they even work as phones.

Sometimes.

But, with so many app choices out there, how do you know which ones to download (or, is it upload? sideload?) At any rate, my research staff did some high-quality research recently into Angry Birds cheats. No, uh, I mean, they researched some really nifty keen apps that you absolutely have to have.

Here’s what they found:

For $0.99 you can get Bowel Mover Pro (iPhone/iPad), to track, yessiree, your intestinal functionality. It’s got a handy dandy checklist and calendar for recording time-of-day, how often, your stress level, how much water you consumed, and even… the texture. What a deal for ninety-nine cents, huh? Can’t remember if you went yesterday or the day before? Fear not. Now, you’ll always know what your poo’s been up to.

Here’s a free one for you. Called Hold On!, this challenging app tells you how long you can press a button on the phone.

Yep, that’s it. I’m not making this up. And, you can also try to break your own record, as it keeps a record of your attempts.

Wow. Now, there’s a must-have.

iBeer. This app’s from across the pond, our cousins in England. And, guess what it does. It simulates pouring a pint; then, you can touch your iPhone to your mouth and drink a virtual beer. If you’re really into it, you can get virtually drunk, then virtually pass out, and wake up in the virtual slammer. Wonder if there’s a virtual lawyer? At £1.19 (yep, it's in pounds), it’s a virtual steal.

iFart. Spend hours entertaining (some would say annoying) your family and friends with a nearly unbelievable library of types to choose from. The app I have is called the Atomic Fart, and for all of us juvenile adults, it is capable of a wondrous variety. It’s also free, as is iFart. I have not, as yet, compared the two apps to see which is better. I wonder if this could somehow combine with iBeer? Did I mention it’s free?

VoiceChameleon. Talk into into your iPhone or Android, etc., and what comes out is the celebrity’s voice of your choosing. Can mimic political officials’ or other powerful figures’ voices. Useful for doing James Bond voice-access-code password stuff.

Nope. Kidding. At least, so far as I know, I am.

Eight-Track Player. Takes any of your music on your phone and plays it as though it were an old eight-track player, complete with warble, distortion, rumble, and other sound effects of your choosing. Great for the nostalgics amongst us.

Nope. Kidding again.

And, then, for the folks who have more money than they know what to do with, there's the Black Diamond app. At 200 dollars, you get wallpaper for your phone of a... get ready.... black diamond.

Yup, that's it. And, if black is not your color, there's the Blue Diamond app. Really not kidding.

There you go. Just a sampling of the absolute gotta-have-em apps out there. Now, get out there and support the industry.

'til next time... Adios.

Tech Terms

I got to scoping out some of the new words flying about in the tech industry. Here’s just a sampling of the terms. Some have a direct influence on us, others indirect, and then, others, just entertaining. Here we go:

Big data – Nothing really new, just another term for the absolutely unbelievable amounts of data They (yes, the big They) gather on us regularly. That’s everything from Facebook and other forms of social media to electronic medical records to RFID (radio frequency ID) chips. Some uses are beneficial (decoding the human genome), other uses, well…

Cloud – The cloud refers to where our data goes when we choose not to save or back it up on our PC’s i-somethings, or laptops. If we have dealings with Apple, Microsoft, Google, or Amazon, and let them store anything from our photos to backups to passwords, they save it in monster storage units “somewhere out there” where you can access it anytime, anywhere. All it means is it’s not stored on your machine, it’s somewhere else.
Who knows where it really is.

HD – High definition. As in HDTV, for high-definition television. A higher quality image than older sets. And, I believe they’re coming out with UHDTV (ultra-high-definition television) down the road. Wonder if we’ll still be able to use our current “new” TV’s?

3D printing – Where no one has gone before. A device that makes an actual solid object from a digital image. So far it can make parts in factories and other simple forms. Down the road, who knows? Clones, anyone?

Nomophobia – The fear of not having or not being able to use your i-thingies, whether it’s a cell phone, iPhone, or whatever. Yes, it’s a real term.

These are just a few I’ve noticed. There are plenty more, especially as we become more interconnected. Oops, gotta go. Time for my nomophobic therapy session online…

'til next time... Adios.

Computer Memories

November/December of 1977. 35 years ago. That’s when I first learned about PC’s (personal computers). I went to work at Radio Shack way back then for one of my closest friends selling electronics gear. At that time, computers weren’t literally everywhere the way they are now. It’s funny. Writing this seems a little like science fiction. But, in ’77, there were few personal computers, and certainly none that were user-friendly.

The good ol’ Radio Shack TRS-80 hit stores at that time. I didn’t start selling them at the Shack until the fall/winter of 1978, best I recall. Of course, it gets kind of hazy going back that far. The first Model 1 TRS-80 arrived with a cassette deck. And, that’s how we loaded programs into the beast.

Yup.

We had to sit there and fiddle with the volume control on the cassette – it was a sensitive rascal. Volume too high, or too low. No program. And, the choices, not much. But, back before we had a program for everything, we didn’t know any better. It came with 4K of RAM, and that was it. It was truthfully a hobbyist’s computer, not practical for much of anything yet. In fact, most people who bought one immediately removed the case, getting “under the hood”, if you will, and started doing all manner of Dr. Frankenstein things to it. Some connected it to primitive home security systems or environmental control systems for their homes. And, all was pretty much home-brew. Most folks learned the BASIC programming language that came with the machine and created their own, sometimes useful, sometimes not, programs.

But it was a start. And, it’s where we all began with what would become known as PC’s. Interesting bit of history here. Everything was a personal computer then, whether Tandy, or Apple, or IBM, or whatever sprang from some young genius’s garage. Now, a PC (personal computer) implies anything that’s non-Apple. Apple is just Apple.

Now, we have computers (desktops, laptops, i-whatevers) with bazillions of times more memory than those boxy little monsters from 35 years ago. We could not imagine they would ever be useful.

Wonder what the next 35 will bring?

Seats That Go Bump in the Night

Everything old is new again.  And, so it is in the movie industry.

I read the other day about a "new" development to enhance moviegoers' experiences.  Called 4-D, thumpers in theaters seats to rattle our bones, strobe lights, and plenty of other smoke and mirrors are on their way soon to theaters near us.

Hmm, didn't they already try some of these gimmicks back in the 50's?

'til next time... Adios.

Wings continued

And, picking up from yesterday. I forgot to give you folks the Kentucky Theatre's site. Contact them at:

http://www.kentuckytheater.com/

The Kentucky is a beautiful old theater, opulent and rich with history. Between their classic film series, special events, and foreign and independent film showings, we need to help keep it going with a donation.

Okay, done with the public service announcement. Now, back to the show.

Wings tells the story four people -- the girl next door, Mary (Clara Bow) who loves the boy next door, Jack (Charles "Buddy" Rogers), although Jack is clueless and thinks of her as just a good friend. Jack's in love with the visiting city girl, Sylvia (Jobyna Ralston). But, she's in love with the rich guy in town, David (Richard Arlen).

Meanwhile, we're getting involved in WWI, and Jack and David become aviators, eventually evolving from rivals into war buddies. One of the many, many elements I loved about this movie was the fact that they didn't make David into the stereotypical snooty rich kid. He pretty much was just a regular guy.

With all this set against the backdrop of the war, it made for one incredible show.

William Wellman would go on the next year to team up with Clara Bow and Richard Arlen again in 1928's Ladies of the Mob.

Clara Bow and Richard Arlen would team up again, in the 1929 drama, Dangerous Curves. And, I don't think they're referring to auto racing. What's great about these films and the time period they were made is that the Hays Code wasn't in existence yet. Which meant that, for example, the battle sequences in Wings were fairly graphic in nature.

Well, that's enough of me rambling on for this post, so I'll mosey on.

'til next time... Adios.

Kentucky Theatre

I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I'd seen plenty of silent films, but all on the small box or a projector screen at the library. Last night, to see the 1927 Academy Award winner, Wings, was just... stellar.

I went with a good friend of mine who had to purchase tickets in advance. And, at 12 dollars a ticket, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not.

Yes, indeed, it was. And, what better way to celebrate the Kentucky Theatre's 90th birthday.

Clark Wilson played the 3-manual Conn theatre organ, accompanying the film with a score he composed some years ago, before the original music was re-discovered.

Oh, man! When he fired that monster up, that's all I needed. The restored print, beautiful. Crisp, clear images with washes of color. It opened with several of the Paramount logos from over the years. And, Clark's playing added to the experience. Several times I forgot I was watching a silent film.

During the quiet moments on the film, his music was muted, soft. Battle sequences, it was large, loud, and driving. Death scenes, the sounds of tragedy. And, during victories, it busted the ceiling. I lost myself in this film experience so much I half-expected to walk out the theater into 1927 Lexington.

And, Clark gave us a short history of music for the silents. Funny to think that when silent movies first came out, no one had any clue what kind of sound or music to use. So, initially, it was someone's Aunt Sally from the local Baptist church, playing a piano. Mostly, they played whatever they already knew how to play, which meant you might watch a romantic scene accompanied by "Shall We Gather at the River?".

The director, William A. Wellman, a WWI flying ace, made sure the dogfights were totally accurate, so he hired former WWI pilots in the area as stunt pilots.

All the actors, including and especially Clara Bow, gave powerful performances. Clara, a cute little firecracker, was fun to watch. She was all over the screen. Our two male leads, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and Richard Arlen, covered all the emotions from joy to terror to battle-anger. I'm still amazed, spending a good chunk of my life watching mostly talkies, at how much is conveyed through facial and body expressions and movement. As an example, Clara's character, Mary, sees her boyfriend Jack in the arms of another woman. If there was ever a hate stare, she had it. She could've melted through steel.

I'll have more about this wonderful experience tomorrow. The sleep monster beckons to me tonight.

In the meantime, check out the Kentucky Theatre's web site for more information on schedules, special events, and how to make donations to support the Mighty Wurlitzer project.

'til next time... Adios.

Random Thoughts

I got to thinking (which is always dangerous) about a couple of the terms we’ve dealt with over the last decade or two (I lose track anymore) since the Internet and e-mail, and all the other varieties of electronic communication cranked up.

When it first got started I thought it was so cool that I could send a letter (old school, I know) with my computer. Back then, it was a novelty, so when I actually received a reply, that was even more cool. So, I saved it. Now, 20 years later, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come. I can clutter up my computer with e-mails as easily as can clutter it up with paper. Fact is, if I decide I also want a paper copy of the e-mail, I can have clutter on my computer AND on my desk (or the floor). And, if I decide I need to back up said e-mail, then I can spread the clutter to three places. Amazing.

Anyway, back to the original topic. I looked it up that e-mail (which stands for electronic mail) can also be E-mail or even email. I tend towards e-mail, as E-mail sounds too formal, and there’s nothing formal about e-mail. I don’t care for email, because when I look at it, I want to pronounce it eh-mail (pronounced “eh”).

Then, there’s all the iStuff. First question I have is, if I begin a sentence with iPhone, do I capitalize the “I”? As in this example. IPhones are cool. Or, do I go ahead and write, “iPhones are cool?” My initial, and strongest, reaction, is to completely avoid beginning a sentence with “iPhone”. And, yes, perhaps that’s literary cowardice, but I noticed that no one else began a sentence with “iPhone” in any of the articles I researched.

Now, as to what the “I” means, that’s even more unclear. Another article said that, according to the website Mac-Convert, it means internet, inspire, inform, instruct, or individual. Hmmmm…. First off, i thought that “internet” was “Internet”. And, second, don’t they know what it means?

And, now, i have e-ven more questions. Can an iPhone also be an ePhone since it is also an e-lectronic device? Or, perhaps it’s an i-Phone. And, why is the “P” capitalized? Was someone named Phone i-nvolved in the development process? And, what about YouTube? Why is it not uTube or u-tube or U-tube?

And, then there’s the other vowels. Let’s not forget them – “a” and “o”. Why are they left out? What did they do wrong not to get i-ncluded?

Aaahhhh! All this is too much for my i-brain. Think i-ll take an i-nap.

Monkey Business

Poor Dr. Brewster. One day he gets up, decides, “Hey! Think I’ll turn myself into an ape today.”

So, he does. Well, actually, he’s sort of stuck somewhere in between. When we come into the story in The Ape Man (1943), that’s where he is. Stuck. And sharing quarters with his pet gorilla.

Then, he starts thinking, “Hey! This may not have been one of my better ideas. I don’t want to be an ape anymore.”

Slight problem. He needs spinal fluid. From freshly killed victims.

Oops!

And, his good buddy, Dr. George Randall, decides he doesn’t want to play Igor (or Ygor), whackin’ potential donors on the head.

What’s a mad scientist to do?

No matter whether Mr. Lugosi plays a vampire or an ape man, he always brings everything he’s got to the screen. His range always amazes. At times he breaks your heart. There he is, a tragic character, a victim of his own experiments. The next, he’s a man willing to sacrifice anyone else so he can become human again. And, then, he’s comic, as he walks hunched over, arms swinging.

But, let’s not forget our other players. Wallace Ford, as the likeable reporter who was always cracking wise, made a career of playing similar roles.

Louise Currie, as the photographer half of the investigative journalist team, was a staple of B movies until the 50’s, when she went into architectural design and decorating with her husband.

Then, we must acknowledge Emil Van Horn, one of the best gorilla actors of the 40’s. No, really. Emil made a career of playing gorillas in the B’s.

The poor sound quality of the film meant we had to really work at understanding the characters at times. In retrospect, I should have used the subtitle option on the player, but that’s a note to self for next time that happens. It is, however, a problem with some older films. But, The Ape Man was a real treat, it moved along at a nice clip, and alternated well between humor, mystery, and classic horror, and was well worth the viewing.

'til next time... Adios.

Vampires, and Werewolves, and Zombies, Oh My!

If we’d known, we’d have dressed more appropriately, but we thought fangs and fur were optional. As it turned out, I was seriously underdressed in my fedora, Ray Romano-style long-sleeve shirt (unbuttoned, of course), and my T-shirt with the Hollywood logo. But, everyone accepted us with their bloody, open arms, anyway.

Lexington’s 5^th annual ScareFest 2012 (http://scarefestcon.com/) attracts the most diverse assortment of asylum escapees, fanged and clawed critters, and were- (and wear) whatevers I’ve seen since I last attended an Alice Cooper concert. Sci-fi, horror, fantasy, and superhero genres and sub-genres commingled in a glorious display of fur and color.

Chris Sarandon (Fright Night, The Princess Bride), Dee Wallace (The Howling, E. T.), and Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Diagnosis Murder) were there to meet everyone and sign autographs.

ScareFest is a great place to get your chakra realigned, buy some fantasy art, or sit in an electric chair. Gotta tell you, it was electrifying (groan!).

Here’s a small sampling of the artists/writers/movie studios/radio stations that displayed their work. More power to them all.

Victor Miller, Emmy-award winning writer of numerous soap operas, and the writer of the first Friday the 13^th, the best of the series. For those who haven’t seen it, there was no hockey-mask wearing humongous drowned kid doing the killing. Check out his bio at http://victormiller.com.

Darkness Radio. “The Best of Paranormal Talk Radio.” http://www.TwinCitiesNewsTalk.com.

Brett Gray, Lexington-based artist extraordinaire, turns out wonderfully-detailed #2 graphite pencil work of vampires, werewolves, and Cthulhu-based creatures. Truly eerie and beautiful. See samples of his work at http://www.brettgrayart.com or contact him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BrettGrayArt.

Sun House Films displayed props and talked about their online horror movie. They also offer professional production services. http://www.sunhousefilms.com.

Great time at ScareFest for everyone. If you’re scared, just pack some garlic or a crucifix. ‘Cause next year, I’ll be wearing my dress fangs.

Monstrous Memories

Before I heard the names of Van Helsing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade, or any of the other monster hunters, I hunted them like I was seeking the Christmas present hiding place (which changed every year, but I always found it.) I didn’t use silver bullets or garlic, or an electrically-charged net, though. I didn’t need to. My monsters were confined to a small box in our living room. And, like a cat stalking its prey, I was always looking.

I loved it every time I found a new show that offered the possibility of seeing a new monster/alien/robot. Looked forward to that little electrical feeling of excitement and fear when I saw a new critter, and sometimes straight out-and-out fear if the monster was a bit more than I could handle, which did happen occasionally.

Because I did not see many movies at the theater when I was a kid, most of my monster memories are restricted to the small box in the living room. Here are just three of my favorite monsters from way back when.

The Invisible Monster – Jonny Quest. Sometimes what you don’t see is scarier than what you do see, and those creative geniuses at Hanna-Barbera used that extremely well in The Invisible Monster episode. We’re set up for the pre-scare with a lone scientist working in his lab on a remote island (always spells trouble).

The Salt Vampire – Star Trek. As soon as you throw in the word “vampire”, I’m there. Well, not so much, now, but certainly back then.

The Galaxy Being – The Outer Limits. Re-watching the episode as an adult, I realized that the poor guy wasn’t truly a monster. But, as a 7-year-old kid watching it on our old black-and-white set (which made it even scarier) it was truly frightening.

More critter memories to come...

'til next time... Adios.