Punk rock progenitor, Chris Bailey, who sang and wrote for the Australian band, The Saints, has died. Chris definitely had a strong presence in my life way back when. We had a couple of Saints’ audio cassettes in the rotation for road trips: “I’m Stranded” and “Know Your Product”. The songs were some of our favorites, right alongside “Metallic KO”, The Stranglers, Motorhead, etc. Good music, good times. The Saints’ raw, guitar dominated sound was an influence on the punk purge to come in the music industry. Check out this music video which is introduced by artist commentary. Cool video!
James Caan was an energetic actor who had a great run of movie appearances from the 1970’s to the early 1980’s. Caan started showing up in Westerns like “El Dorado” and oddball psychological pics like “Lady in a Cage” and “Games” in the 1960’s. His acting fortunes took a turn for the epic when he was cast in “The Godfather” (1971). Playing loose cannon Sonny Corleone, son of Mafia Don, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) showcased Caan’s ability to go from a (relatively) tranquil state to kinetic maniac in the wink of an eye. Such explosive acting pyrotechnics would continue to [More]
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]
Eccentric actor and personality, Charles Grodin, passed away recently. There are two roles that I most strongly equate him with. One was as an opportunistic oil company executive who hopes to cash in on a motherload of an oil find in “King Kong” (1976.) Very humorous, comic performance. But I best remember Grodin for his playing of the newlywed schmuck who asks his wife for a divorce a day or two after getting married. “The Heartbreak Kid” contains this classic performance and it is linked here. It is a goodie!
“The Day Mars Invaded Earth” starts out promisingly enough with footage of a rover device scooted across the surface of the Red Planet. The film is in black and white so we take it on faith that we are actually on Mars. Har-har. This segment of the film is my favorite part of the movie as too soon we see the probe destroyed and we come back to earthly maters for the remainder of the film. It seems that the scientist who is chiefly responsible for the project is psychically invaded by some form of life from Mars and his [More]
Polyerius perform at the first annual Quarantinefest in San Jose on Halloween night, 2020. There should be another edition of this event this year. COVID and its handlers may have finally shit themselves out. We can only hope.
Produced and directed by genre icon Roger Corman, this is an interesting premise of a group of survivors of a nuclear holocaust randomly seeking shelter from the toxic elements in a mountainside residence. The home is populated by a father and his daughter. He is ex-military and foresaw this day of calamity coming and stocked his place with weapons, food and water – for three people. The uninvited guests will prove to be a burden on the limited supplies. Along with the wandering humanity, the hills are populated with mutated monsters that were once men. None of the survivors is [More]
Actor John Saxon just passed away. I recently watched him in the Clint Eastwood Western, “Joe Kidd”. Nice turn. I will always remember him from “Blood Beach” where he plays a detective assigned to a case of mysterious disappearances at a local beach. He is allowed to utter, completely straight-faced, the immortal riff which borrows from the “Jaws” film legacy about people in his community having difficulty even getting to the water. Classic! A well recognized and respected actor. We are sad to see his passing.
This very recognizable and enjoyable actor died in 2022. I have been very negligent in posting about some of the entertainers I have admired who passed away during the run of this blog (not just this year). I need to make amends in my own mind and list those who have passed that I have very badly neglected. David Warner appeared in a number of memorable roles over the years. I was fond of his performance as the mentally challenged instigator of the societal clash in Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs”. He played the inquisitive photographer who stumbles on the supernatural forces [More]
This is a moderately interesting tale of a city family happening upon an old country home for sale, deciding to buy it, and taking the plunge headlong into strange occurrences and demonic possession. This movie is of note because of an early directorial turn by Steven Spielberg. He followed up the classic “Duel” (1971), with this effort. “Duel” was definitely better but this movie is distinguished by impressive camera work and unorthodox shooting angles befitting the twisted nature of this tale of possession. Darren McGavin is also onboard, just recently removed from his performance as Kolchak from “The Night Stalker” [More]
I have mixed emotions about this twisted little horror film. I remember watching it as a kid and being terrified of many parts of it. There is a lingering memory of the mutated bullfrog chants of the human/aquatic monstrosities created from a ruptured barrel of hazardous radiation waste. The warped soundtrack music careening between creepily plodding to crazed, primitive synthesizer driven fury. Meanwhile, you’ve got a bunch of blood thirsty, shabbily costumed creatures marauding around in the dark looking for unsuspecting human victims. I think I covered my eyes more than once during this mayhem. I probably covered my ears [More]
Dependable British leading lady, Diana Rigg, is dead at 82. Rigg made a splash in the ’60’s as heroine Emma Peel in the iconic TV series, The Avengers. I have a fondness for her performance in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969) where she temporarily became Mrs. Bond to George Lazenby’s James Bond. Also did good work as crazed thespian Vincent Price’s daughter in “Theatre of Blood” (1973). She will be missed.
I am divided on this movie. It has a cool premise: a group of kids decides to charter a guide to take them to the restricted site of Chernobyl, Ukraine, where a nuclear reactor plant experienced a meltdown and rendered the surrounding countryside exposed to high levels of radiation. Definitely a place that the local government has made unavailable to public access because of health concerns. Well, our group gets through the blockaded area and explores the abandoned ruins of the town left behind. The guide notices that there is evidence of activity in the supposedly dead place and urges [More]
Nature can hold great beauty and allure but it can also be full of unseen dangers. Weather can be unpredictable and deadly. A family ventures out on a day hike but gets trapped in a torrential downpour and then the cold. The results are tragic.