Michael Nesmith was a very influential presence in his time on this planet. He was a memorable songwriter, produced films, pushed the boundaries of music promotional videos, and was a pioneer in pursuing the emerging trend that morphed into country rock. He will probably best be remembered as the guitar playing member on The Monkees TV show from the 1960’s. I loved his songwriting contributions to the Monkees and his acerbic personality. Mike was a forward thinking individual and envisioned many technological trends before they became mainstream. We take our wool caps off to you brother in salute to your [More]
Classic tale of an otherworldly killing spree set in modern day Las Vegas. A down on his luck reporter, Carl Kolchak, stumbles upon a series of murders that lead him to the inevitable conclusion that an actual vampire is loose in a city that never sleeps. Scary upon first and subsequent viewings. Creepy, nightmarish performance by veteran actor Barry Atwater as the vampire. Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak is superb. This is definitely one of those films that you don’t want to watch at night with the lights out. Very chilling and produced as a TV movie, to boot!
Mid 1970’s “music video” featuring the great original lineup of the Canadian prog rock power trio, F.M. “Phasors on Stun” to me is their masterwork. One of my favorite songs of this and probably any lifetime, it highlights mandolin genius Jeff Plewman AKA Nash The Slash. The group manages to pull off a faithful rendition of the uplifting tune with the instruments at hand but I would highly recommend you seek out the original studio recording or song collection, “Black Noise”, and absorb its multi layered synth textures. If you enjoy that sort of thing. To me, the song is energizing and [More]
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad has to be stop motion animator, Ray Harryhausen’s, crowning achievement. Sinbad sets out on a fantastic odyssey to retrieve the ingredients to concoct a potion to release his love from a spell which has reduced her to the size of a doll. Many pitfalls and danger are met along the way, of course. The cyclops has become one of the icons of fantasy creatures unleashed on the masses, at least in my world. A sweeping, sprawling cinematic treat, this flick is packed with monsters, mystery, and action. Great creature models and the best stop motion animated work ever done by [More]
Here’s a novel idea! A charismatic drifter spouting off about an idealized lifestyle appeals to a certain youthful segment of the population who become his “family” of followers and unwittingly carry out his hidden, nefarious plans. Could this be an early Manson biopic? Are we looking in on any particular politician? Oh. One little item that needs to be added to this story description is that the “Deathmaster” is actually a modern day vampire who actually preys upon his flock in order to extend his diabolical undead existence. Robert Quarry, who stars, came up with this story idea and it was eventually “fleshed” [More]
Wunderkind drummer for The Who, Keith Moon, left this mortal coil 40 years ago. What a loss. The legendary madman lead an alcohol and drug fueled existence that bolstered his outgoing personality and flashy, unorthodox, drum style. Alas, this very fast lifestyle also accelerated an early end to his explosive drumming style and life. As the years wore on and the intoxicants flowed, so to did his strength and lifeforce get tapped. Moon died at the age of 32 on September 7, 1978. Please examine YouTube videos of his earlier days when he was in his prime. You will be [More]
My best movie screen memory of Brian Dennehy is playing Will Teasle, the hardheaded small town sheriff who sets off a war when he pushes Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo, ex-Green Beret character, too far in “First Blood” (1982). What a fantastic performance. Definitely worth checking out. Dennehy was a great actor!
I think “Horror In The Heights” was the best episode from the short lived “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” TV series. I have discussed Kolchak in prior posts but I watched this particular episode again recently. It was scripted by Hammer films vet, Jimmy Sangster, whose screenwriting credits included Hammer’s “Curse of Frankenstein” and “Horror of Dracula”. Very good credentials, indeed. A series of ghastly murders are occurring in a neighborhood primarily populated by the elderly. What worse is that the bodies show the signs of being partially devoured! Our fearless reporter, Kolchak, begins to sense that the killings are far [More]
This may be one of those creepy tales that is best not to watch alone in the dark. Was that movement in the darkened room? What was that creak on the front porch I thought I heard just now? LOL! You know what I mean. Travis Walton is a logger who is out at night with his friends and co-workers when they encounter a brilliant light in the sky. The group heads toward a better vantage point to investigate. Travis is a little too exuberant with his curiosity and jumps off the truck and runs to a spot directly under [More]
Probably my all time favorite movie. This trailer is interesting in that it has the crude egg model and the tracking shot of the alien planet surface which are unique to the trailer and do not appear in the theatrical release. Hugely influential film.
The Americans’ air defense system blows a gasket and a group of six bomb carrying jets is instructed to drop their payloads on Moscow. It is all a computer mistake but one that the US cannot put a stop to. The President’s solution to appease the Russians is far fetched and more than a bit absurd. Suspenseful and tense though the majority of the film making may be, I can’t buy the ending.
My favorite song from Porcupine Tree, a rock outfit led by Steve Wilson. A sad, harrowing tale of a boy who grew up with “wiring loose inside (his) head” and who matures into, probably, a full blown serial killer candidate. Pretty unpleasant as you listen to the lyrics reflecting the main character’s reasoning that his acts are merely displays of love or romance toward his intended victims. He seems to know something is terribly wrong with him but it is probably too late to do anything about it. Haunting stuff. Crunching, power chords alternate with more gently strummed guitar passages. Steve [More]
Night Ranger was a band that made it big in the formative days of MTV. Apparently, a film school friend recorded their music video and it was given heavy air play on the fledgling music video network. With a limited amount of content to air, Night Ranger’s “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” received heavy play on the network. The public took note and music video stars were born. A succession of pop metal hits was the spawn. “When You Close Your Eyes” follows the Night Ranger formula and features the band members exhibiting their thespian skills. The net results [More]
Here is an easily digestible grouping of profiles on popular progressive rock bands from England. Witness some brilliant footage of King Crimson, Genesis and those lovable space cadets, Hawkwind in concert. This video might get you to start searching in depth for more clips on these bands. I am investigating Genesis. Such theatricality! The King Crimson segments featuring the lunatic percussion playing of Jamie Muir are also most memorable.