Allen Garfield, a great actor known for some villainous acting roles, passed away from the Coronavirus. My favorite bad guy he portrayed was the loathsome “Rizzo”, a crime boss featured in “Busting” (1973). An unforgettable sleaze! Garfield had memorable turns in “Nashville” (1975) and “The Conversation” (1974), as well. Garfield will be missed.
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Robert Conrad Passes Away
Actor Robert Conrad recently passed away. I know him best from his role as super government agent, James West, from “The Wild, Wild West” TV series. He played a crime fighter in the mold of James Bond but in an earlier century, namely the Old American West! James West was an avid fan of hidden gadgets, throwing daggers, multiple firearms, explosives, what have you, that he sprung on the maniacal criminal masterminds that he confronted on a weekly basis. This was pretty exciting stuff for a young kid. I caught many of these TV episodes when they eventually went to syndication. Conrad as West was a very cool character who was athletic, tough and resilient. Conrad was equally memorable in his turn as an embezzling fitness center franchise peddler. Conrad’s ability to switch from a controlled, public-friendly persona to murderous, avenging madman is truly chilling. Great stuff.
KEVIN CONWAY DEAD AT 77
Kevin Conway recently passed away. He has two roles that remind me of his involvement in the fright/fantasy movie field. Conway appeared in Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse (1981). He appears as three different barkers in a carnival (!!!). These are pretty seamy characters and lend a creepy air to the bizarre goings on at the rundown attraction. Lawnmower Man 2 (1996) saw Conway acting as an unscrupulous, corporate scumbag who is pushing the boundaries of the virtual reality world. Nice work. R.I.P., Kevin.
Desert Is Stunning in “Satan Bug”
“The Satan Bug” (1965) has an intriguing concept, the world could possibly end if a germ warfare agent known as the Satan Bug were to be accidentally exposed to an unknowing public. Well, in the desert, there exists a germ warfare lab and it appears that a vial of the Doomsday Drink is missing. Ah…..Espionage is afoot. This is all well and good but I must say that trying to follow all the clandestine activity and all the bodies involved in the nefarious deeds and double crosses (TODAY’S HEADLINES, ANYBODY?) was a bit migraine inducing. What I find very alarming and interesting in this spy potboiler is the scenery in which it takes place. The desert has never looked so inhospitable, arid and beautiful. I found this cool video which was assembled to show the cool Mojave Desert and Palm Springs locations.
Bad Weather = Bad Moods!
This time of year with the holiday season upon us can be a stressful time. We are getting all our last minute shopping done, we are battling traffic, going to work, and juggling a lot of other life necessities and the damned weather is completely sticking its foot out and tripping up our good outlooks on life. The video clip linked here shows the people who have to deal with the elements on a daily basis: the TV weather people. Sometimes, the wind, rain, blizzards get them down too. Watch some hilarious meltdowns! Merry Christmas!
Jerry Lewis – R.I.P.
Madman, comedian, writer, director, actor, humanitarian Jerry Lewis, a show business legend, passed away this year. My best advice to see the man in action is to seek out his movies on cable and video on YouTube to get an appreciation for his zany style. Check out the live stage act vids of him with his partner Dean Martin, too. The included clip demonstrates the chaos inducing style he brought to talk show appearances.
STRAW DOGS – 1971 – HOME, SIEGE, HOME
Legendary boundary pushing movie. What did it bend out of shape? This movie is bursting with plenty of acts of extreme cinematic violence and nastiness. Back in the early 1970’s, this Sam Peckinpah directed movie made censors’ heads swim.
Dustin Hoffman portrays a brainiac who marries a local British girl and elects to live with her in the English countryside to quietly do his work and make her happy. The old house they live in requires a bit of upkeep so the couple decide to employ some local handymen to fix the place up. Seems that Hoffman’s wife, Susan George, was once involved with one of the “workers” and their continued flirtation leads to some very high levels of friction developing. To say the least.
Hoffman, the cerebral, retiring American outsider is contrasted with the crude, “earthy” thugs who take his money, do almost no work repairing his house, and mock and humiliate him in front of his wife who, increasingly, comes to resent her husband for not standing up to these bullies.
The boiling point is reached when Hoffman takes in another outsider after he is accused of murdering one of the locals’ kids. A liquor fueled gang gathers to take back, by force if need be (or not needed), the mentally defective man who they think killed the girl in town. The siege at the timid Hoffman’s farm begins. But Hoffman has a change of attitude after being forced into such a combustible situation. He will fight back.
Beautiful country scenery is on ample display here and Peckinpah’s stylized ballet of cinematic violence plays out in a more logical fashion then in later films such as “The Killer Elite”.
Any way you look at it, you will feel drained by movie’s end.
Recycled Dialogue Part 1 – “What Is This Place?”
“What is this place?” It is not as if we haven’t been here before or heard this particular line repeated over and over again in a multitude of movies. I would have to categorize this sample of dialogue as one of the quite often imitated exclamations of myriad characters who become the mouthpieces of unimaginative script writers. Call it dependence on cliché, simple laziness or a belated regurgitation of all of the media crap they have ingested over the years but this particular example of puzzled profundity pops up a lot. Here’s just one example from one of The X-Men movies. I remember that The Omen (1976) used the term but way back then the line of dialogue was a bit more fresh.
“HOEDOWN” – EMERSON, ELP IN THEIR PRIME
Another sad passing. This time it is Keith Emerson. A maestro and master of the keyboard instrument if ever one existed. His bands included The Nice, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, 3, and The Keith Emerson Band. Emerson fully integrated the newly emerging performance synthesizer into his already stellar piano and Hammond organ on stage arsenal. A true virtuoso and legendary performer, Emerson’s style and compositions will continue to influence far into the future. Seek out other clips on you tube and marvel.
FATAL ATTRACTION – 1987
Always a favorite Valentine’s Day view, “Fatal Attraction” documents a married man’s fling while the wife’s away that turns out to be the biggest mistake of his life. Rather than obediently disappearing after their wild weekend, Michael Douglas’ love interest, Glenn Close, chooses instead to hang around and try to become a more permanent fixture in his life. Of course, this was not a part of the plan in Douglas’ mind. Close is very single minded in her pursuit and will not think of hearing “no” as a response in her quest top become Douglas’ primary love interest. There is the matter of his present wife standing in the way. Therein lays the dramatic conflict…Get ready for plenty of psychotic outbursts and general pandemonium! Douglas is hilarious when trying to mumble and lie is way out of his current predicament. Very entertaining flick!
LEMMY KILMISTER LIVES ON!!!
We have lost another Great One. We now live in a world now without Lemmy Kilmister and that void will never be filled. Lemmy was a well known, larger than life personality. He played a very distorted, loud, bass guitar with his rock and roll band, Motorhead. He was also a key figure for many years in the space rock outfit, Hawkwind. In the distant past, Lemmy was renowned for his large drug intake. It probably is amazing that he lasted this long! He was outspoken, crude, hilarious. Lemmy was a true believer in the spirit and power of rock and roll. He made a great career in rock music. His unique guttural growl singing voice and his bass guitar sonic barrage were one of a kind and will be missed. Have a good rest, Sir.
People Who Do Noise (2008) Full Concert Movie Documentary
Very sweet documentary covering people who shape sound in any manner or way they see fit. Call these noise practitioners, the new Punks. Some of those shown performing describe what they do as a new form of punk rock, a DIY mindset of artist creation, made with whatever musical instrument, effect pedal, electronic device or mechanical apparatus is at hand. Whatever label you put on these sounds, the end result is a collection of unique individuals who are producing, performing, and espousing noise. It is all very liberating and refreshing. Granted the documentary is seven years old by this date but the sonic attacks presented here remain vibrant and vital to these loud music abused ears.
GHOST RECORDINGS AND OTHER ODDITIES
Halloween rapidly approaches. What better way to get into the spirit (a little ghostly pun, there) than to start tracking down some creepy videos of ghostly manifestations and other strange stuff that will make your skin crawl? Here are some samples to get you startled, er…., started.
STRANGE AND UNUSUAL CREATURES – WTF?
With all the recording devices out there capable of capturing video and digital pictures, it may be but a short time before some substantial evidence of something truly weird will be available. Have evidence of Bigfoot, aliens, sea monsters and the like already been obtained? Check out this creepy little compilation of freaky, pixelated pixies of all stripes. So many monsters, so little time.