Sunday, March 30, 2014

RiffTrax Bait: "Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century"

Stumbled across this at Monster Island News and just had to repost.

Really?

A Blaxpoitation knock-off of King Kong with an unbelievable disco theme song?  What's not to like?


And it's set for release on DVD.


I can't wait for the guys over at RiffTrax to get hold of this thing.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Riff Trax Live Event Announced. Plus Catch Them on Nat Geo.

The guys at Riff Trax have announced their latest Live event.



Watch them give Sharknado! the treatment live at cinemas nationwide on Thursday, July 10 or Tuesday, July 15.

Tickets go on sale May 2.

You'll also have a chance to catch them on television April Fool's Day on the National Geographic Channel.


This runs three hours starting 8pm Eastern/7pm Central.
Check the RiffTrax tv page for local listings.

Amazon Deal on Complete Farscape Series

Amazon's Gold Box Deal of the Day is up to 70% off the complete Farscape collection, on Blu-ray or DVD.  (The Blu-ray set is 65% off, the DVD set 70% off.)

The price is good for today only (March 28, 2014) or until supplies last.


Thursday, March 27, 2014

TCM Airing Silent Films Tomorrow Morning (March 28) Orphans of the Storm and Sherlock Holmes

For you silent film buffs, Turner Classic Movies will air Orphans of the Storm tomorrow (March 28) 8am ET/5am PT.  Note, that's am, not pm.


This is the last film the two starred in together. 

This is followed a little later (10:45am ET/7:45am PT) by a silent version of Sherlock Holmes featuring John Barrymore.



Jupiter Ascending: Space Elves and Winged Monkeys

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for the upcoming Jupiter Ascending movie (set for release this July.)



To some extent it looks like fairly typical summer blockbuster fair. Lots of big budget special effects and a pedestrian plot.  (Exiled princess must reclaim her throne.)

Personally, I don't think the look of the alien that rescues the princess bodes well for the creativity of this movie.  Really?  Pointed ears is the best you can come up with?

Apparently the producers decided to take advantage of the Lord of the Rings success and go with Space Elves.  (Or Vulcan knock-offs for you Trekkies out there.)  They also apparently decided to steal from the latest T.V. craze and relocate elements from children's' books.  That monster looks suspiciously like a winged monkey.

You really can't tell how good a movie will be based on the trailer, but personally I didn't see anything to differentiate Jupiter Ascending from any other special effects heavy Sci-Fi movie released by Hollywood recently.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Looking for a Good Movie, Try This List.

Someone on Reddit (with a little too much time on their hands) has compiled a list of films that have garnered the most 9 at 10 scores at IMDB by year.  (The results are a little different from the highest rated film by year, as that result includes films that have only gotten a few votes.)

The film name provides a link to the IMDB web-site page for that film.

It's a good starting point when looking for a good movie.  The list isn't necessarily the "best" movie by year.  Some movies on the list have a lower rating than other movies made that year.  They just have more 9 or 10 ratings from voters.

For example: 1961 lists Breakfast at Tiffany's.  It has a 7.9 rating.  Yojimbo was also released in 1961.  It has an 8.6 rating. 

Hat Tip: AV Club

Absolutely Brilliant Starwars Mashup

Oh, I wish I was this creative.




Master Yoda from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

My favorite part?

Yoda plays R2 like a steel drum.

I also like the violin section.   You Only Live Twice?

Monday, March 24, 2014

The Mutants are Coming! The Mutants are Coming!

The second trailer for the next X-Men movie has just been released.




I like this better than the first trailer.  That one focuses too much on the dark future that the X-Men try to prevent.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Book Review: The Doctor and the Dinosaurs by Mike Resnick


I picked up Mike Resnick's latest edition in his Weird West series in my last trip to the library.  I enjoyed the previous three books in the series and expected to enjoy the fourth installment.

I was a little disappointed by it, instead.

For those that have not read any of Reasnick's Weird West tales, the books combine steam-punk with the western genre and feature notable historical figures.  Those figures include people like Doc Holiday, Thomas Edison (out of place geographically), Ned Buntline, Bat Masterson, Geronimo, Billy the Kid, etc.

Brief biographies of the historical figures are included at the end of each book.

I actually have mixed feelings about this addition to the series.

It is well written and entertaining.

The problem I have with it is best explained with a brief synopses of the plot:

Geronimo, the Apache Medicine Man, conscripts a dying Doc Holliday to solve a problem caused by the actions taken by other medicine men.  Holliday joins forces with Teddy Roosevelt and are supported by inventions created by Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline.
That synopses could easily be used for the previous book in the series: The Doctor and the Rough Rider.

Unlike the three previous books in the series, this one covers no new ground.  There is no interesting twist on the steam-punk western genre to differentiate it from previous books in the series.


It's worth reading if you haven't read on of Resnick's Weird West books before.  It's also worth reading if you don't mind it being a little too much like the previous book in the series.

It's skippable if looking for a novel take on the genre.


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Matchstick Marvels Museum

I came across this while doing a little Internet surfing.  Somehow I wound up on the Business Insider website just in time tome see their article on the museum's Minis Tirith exhibit.

Matchstick Marvels Museum Minas Tirith model

The replica of the Lord of the Ring's city is made from 420,000 matchsticks.  (The creator is retired so he has the time to do this sort of thing.)

Pat Acton (the model builder) currently has a contract with Ripley's Believe It or Not which displays his models at various locations.

Other models can be seen at the Matchstick Marvels Tourist Center in Gladbrook, Iowa and is open April through November.



Friday, March 14, 2014

Buratino, the Russion version of Pinochio

Someone posted a clip from a foreign language version of Pinocchio to YouTube.  While searching for more clips from the movie I came across this:



It's a clip from a Russian movie based on a Tolstoy children's novel title The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino.  This was written in 1936 and based on the 1883 Adventures of Pinocchio.

Here's another clip:



In case you're wondering why the camera only focuses on a few children in the audience right at the end, those are the children actors out of costume.  (Is it just me, or does the one boy's singing remind anyone else of the maid from the Rocky Horror Picture Show?)

The original Pinocchio is probably best described as a morality play. This seems more like a farce.
 
I don't mean poorly done.  Farce refers to a subset of the comedy genre that focuses on light-hearted silliness and ridiculous situations.


The movie is available as a DVD, but currently does not seem available with subtitles.  Russian language only.  It's fun to watch even without understanding what they're saying.

There is an animated version of the movie that was made in 1960.  That version is available with English subtitles.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Latest Hulu Movie: The Great Space Voyage

The Great Space Voyage is the English title for a 1976 Russian Sci-Fi Movie.

3 young teens wind-up having to run the space ship after their adult commander has to be quarantined during the trip.

The acting from the three teens is actually fairly good and the sets are believable (if a bit dated.)

It does get a bit strange in places.  There are some abrupt cut-scene moments.  Some of these are symbolic in nature and include musical themes.  (There's nothing quite like having a music video break-out in the middle of the movie your watching.)

You expect Soviet-era movies to be a bit heavy-handed.  This one isn't.  It is geared toward a younger audience and seems to have the goal of creating interest in the Soviet Space program, so it did serve some propaganda purpose when first aired.

It seems to steer clear of overt political messages.

(And since Hulu allows embedding:)


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Amazon Deal of the Day: 50% Off Select Critereon Collection Movies

Amazon has a deal on 7 movies from the Critereon Collection.

The selection includes Zatoichi: the Blind Swordsman and Charlie Chaplin's City Lights.  (Blu-ray/DVD Dual format)

Now's your chance to get a deal on these classics.

Monday, March 3, 2014

What I'm Watching On Hulu: Cluster Edge






My latest foray into Japanese Anime on Hulu: Cluster Edge.

The show revolves around "artificial soldiers" and what happens to them after the war they are created to fight is over.  I'm currently on episode 4 out of 23.

It's fairly interesting so far.

I do have to comment on the strange names Japanese animators come up with, though.  Naming characters after rocks and minerals?  (The main character is Agate.  Another is Beryl Jasper.)  I suppose those sound exotic to the Japanese audience, but it loses a little of its impact when dealing with English speaking viewers.

The show is currently only available with English subtitles.  No dubbing.