ALIENS EXIST ON THE MOON – UFO DOCUMENTARY – 2015

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Some ideas never seem to go away.  Over 40 years ago, there was a book documenting strange anomalies seen in NASA photographs of the Moon’s surface.  Some of the images originated from orbital surveyors, others were taken during Apollo missions to the Moon’s surface.  I have to say that some of the things supposedly seen by acute observers of unusual structures and objects on the Moon stretch credibility and take a good bit of imagination to visualize.  And then there are other images, still and motion, which are hard to figure out what the heck they are.  Anyway, here is a documentary which pours over some of these ’60’s era artifacts along with more recent visuals delivered from the surface of Mars by our rovers, Google Moon images, more NASA footage of UFOs in Outer Space, etc.  Seeing is believing or at least wondering if there could be something to these claims of aliens in our midst all these years.

 

HALLOWEEN REEANCTMENT WALK THROUGH – FINDING MICHAEL MYERS!

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What a cool concept!  A haunted house walk through at Universal Studios in Hollywood of psycho Michael Myers’ various killing grounds.  In this scenario, you go toward the hulking Shape and he and other scary figures  jump out at you.  No nasty slashing or blood spilling is involved.  You may soil your shorts but at least you’re doing this in the dark.  You may get away with no one seeing it.

 

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET – A CRAVEN FRANCHISE

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Another major contributor to the horror field has died.  Wes Craven has left behind a legacy, love it or hate it.  I liked this first entry in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series.  There were a few sequels that I didn’t much care for.  And after awhile, Freddy Kreuger’s wisecracks can get grating and tiresome.  There are some style points to consider though.  Craven incorporated a lot of dazzling effects in this film that still retain the power to creep out the viewer.  There are elastic walls groping toward intended victims with claws and bodies busting through.  There is the girl who finds herself plastered to the ceiling.  There is a substantial quota of blood and gore.  No wonder this series lasted as long as it did.  The kids love all this shit!  If nothing else, Craven will be recognized as an industrious talent who had a keen eye for developing horror franchises and having his earlier works rebooted.  “Scream” is the other major franchise but that whole phenomenon eluded me.  I guess I was too old.

HOMBRE – 1967

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This movie has been playing a lot on cable TV.  It is, in fact, a very fine film.  Paul Newman is a man who was brought up among Native Americans in the Old West.  His attempt to enter into “civilized society” meets with many harrowing encounters with man’s inhumanity to man.  There are quite a few characters appearing in this film for whom enough just isn’t good enough.  They want more than the what they’ve already got, no matter how sizable, and do not care who or what is forced out of the way on their quest to get the additional largess.  To put it simply, there are a ton of dirt bag scoundrels acting out this drama.  Some fine performances provided by Richard Boone, Frederic March, and Cameron Mitchell.  Newman essentially plays a rather stoic persona here but his “strong, silent type” is loaded with more strength and character than most of the other players.  I like him in this role.  The various instances of racism, intolerance toward fellow man, greed, avarice and general bad behavior on display here make it, at times, a difficult movie to sit through.  Take the time to make this journey and you will feel well rewarded although a bit sad at the end.

 

 

WESTWORLD – WHAT HAPPENS IN WESTWORLD….

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Enjoyable fantasy flick about an amusement park for adults where life like robots make up the populace and, if you’re lucky, you might even be able to sleep with or kill one of them!  Vegas has got nothing on this place!  But, it isn’t a perfect world, even in Westworld.  Computers there, as in our present society, seem to have mind’s of their own.  The robots begin to act on impulse, out of control of their creators, and all Hell breaks loose.  A good rainy day flick to curl up with for 90 minutes.  Nice electronic soundtrack, too!

STRANGE AND UNUSUAL CREATURES – WTF?

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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.

THEY LIVE – PIPER’S BEST!

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It gets to be a drag commenting on the great personalities who are no longer with us.  “Rowdy” Roddy Piper just passed at too young an age.  Roddy Piper made his name in the wrestling ring and established himself as one of the most memorable heels ever.  You were never quite sure what stunt Piper would resort to as he became increasingly wound up and then exploded in some violent act of lunacy.  Sports Entertainment never looked so good when this maniac was present.  Piper branched out into action flicks and turned up in this John Carpenter directed paranoid fantasy.  Piper plays a drifter who stumbles into a well concealed alien scheme of mass manipulation and brain washing of the public at large.  Piper then attempts to eradicated the problem.  Much machine gun fire, explosions, mayhem and even some wrestling action ensues.  One of Carpenter’s better post – Halloween, The Thing, efforts.  Piper’s best role.  BTW – I made up for an earlier fail and have actually attached the trailer now.  DOH!!!

COUNT DRACULA – 1970

 

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Christopher Lee commented that he welcomed this take as Dracula because it was a role that followed the novel source material closer than the Hammer Film’s series which brought Lee to international stardom.  Lee also had a chance to emote beyond the various snarls, grunts and invectives that the Hammer Dracula required.  I look back fondly on this film, admittedly. a low budget affair.  Yes.  The interior sets look a bit prefabricated and cheap and spray on spider webs adorn Dracula’s castle to an uncomfortable degree but there are many charming exterior sequences that sustain my interest.  There is also a nice turn by macabre movie veteran Klaus Kinski as a bug eyed, creepy Renfield.  I remember seeing Christopher Lee at a horror movie convention in the 1970’s where he sat not more than five feet away surrounded by fans and talked of his career.  It was a very awesome experience for an impressionable youth, being me.  I always enjoyed Lee’s work, whether it be portraying Frankenstein’s monster, The Mummy, The Man with the Golden Gun, or Dracula.  A true giant in the world of fantasy films, Lee will be greatly missed.

NEWS FLASH – 10/07/16 – I watched some of this flick last night and noticed that Van Helsing (Herbert Lom) had blue hair!  The back of his gentlemanly white pate was an odd shade of blue.  WTF?  Nice touch whether intentional or not.

LOVE STINKS – J. GEILS BAND

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More 1980’s music video hilarity, intentional or otherwise, from this big blues/rock band.  The sentiment of the song is universal as well as we have all had our hearts ripped out at one time or another by the focus of our affections.  Beautiful guitar break about 80% in to the song.  My old friend once described it as “5,000 overdubbed guitars” crunching out some power chords.  What’s not to love????!!!!!

LADY IN A CAGE – 1964

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Sickening 1960’s precursor to the “Saws” and “Hostels” of today’s sadomasochistic cinema.  An invalid gets trapped in her elevator after an electrical mishap shuts off the power in her house.  It’s not long after this that a collection of cruds break in to her place and indulge in unpleasant behavior.  A wino, a floozy, and a trio of psychotic hipsters make the place their own and spread the mayhem.  James Caan in an early, evil role.  Shot in very bland, claustrophobic black and white.  You’ll feel damaged by the time this thing is done.

KING OF THE LOST WORLD – 2005

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With a lot of attention being placed on the upcoming theatrical release of “Jurassic World”, it might interest you to take a look at this lovely little lost world ditty.  A plan crashes on an isolated island that is rife with primordial life forms.  But the really beautiful beastie present is the “King” of this place.  Look familiar?  A man in a terrible ape suit runs wild at times through this thing.  This movie is a great diversion.  Seek it out and have a few cheap thrills!

ALIEN 3 – A NEW DIRECTION

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Alien 3 is not my favorite entry in the Alien film franchise.  After the kinetic pace and firepower of “Aliens” before it, this tale of the Ripley character marooned on a planet serving as a prison for male only inmates who have no access to guns, explosives, etc. was, to say the least, a letdown.  It was also in this David Fincher directed piece that people started fucking with the alien character itself.  We started to see the alien hybrid creature emerge which is meant to add to its character development as it can’t speak and deliver lines of a script.  In my opinion, it adds no interest to the story to see an alien burst out of a dog and to try and pick out the new features particular to this unholy mating.  LAME! Let’s also not forget that two pivotal characters from “Aliens”, Hicks and Newt, didn’t even make it out alive from the crash of the escape shuttle on the prison planet!  It was a very messy creative decision but that is how we started “Alien 3”.

It was thus a very pleasant shock to find out that Neill Blomkamp, director of “District 9” and “Chappie” fame, has been tinkering with a storyline that will follow on after the events of “Aliens”!  It will be like “Alien 3” and (the dreadful, don’t get me started, another review maybe?) “Alien Resurrection” never existed.  Hicks, at least, will live to face another alien challenge!!!  Blomkamp is not releasing a lot of details but Ridley Scott will be producing the new film and Blomkamp is writing and directing.  What an amazing development in my favorite film franchise!

OVERLORDS OF THE UFO – 1976 – BOSS!

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Until Ken Burns comes around to create the definitive UFO documentary, whet your appetite for extraterrestrial visitation speculation with this 1970’s compendium of still photos, film footage and witness interviews. A lot of zooming and panning across still images of alien abductions and weird encounters taking place are in full representation in this film.  Very serious narration bolsters the claims of pilots, military personnel and civilians that they have been in the presence of other worldly beings and craft.  Nice, electronic music flourishes, combined with canned orchestral passages provide the musical bed for this piece.  It all has a very ’70’s feel which can be attractive or repulsive according to your tastes.  For a historical refresher course on the state of UFO research up until the 1970’s, this one is worth checking out.  But be warned that the film’s mellow pace may lull you to sleep as well.

 

A varied collection of unusual movie and music video clips.