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[profh0011]

Wait a minute... Bela Lugosi plays the bad guy in the 1st film, then, in the sequel, he plays the hero?

That's NUTS!

Then again, the same thing happened with Jock Mahoney a couple decades later...

[crashryan]

It's true, prof...at netrap's suggestion I looked up the Return of Chandu serial. It's all on YouTube. Lugosi keeps himself under control, and he's okay as a hero. However he aged a lot in the two years since the Chandu feature and looks too old for the part. He's also super-serious. The radio Chandu is more laid back.

On the plus side the serial sticks closer to the radio show than the feature. It brings Frank Chandler's sister, niece, and nephew back into the limelight and ditches the comic relief. Unfortunately the budget is low, the direction pedestrian, and the bad guys have some of the silliest costumes I've seen! Still worth sampling a couple of episodes.

[mr_goldenage]

I've been watching the Flying G-Men movie serial staring the Black Falcon and the Skyhawks. As I transferred this to DVD some time ago I am trying to convert to MP4 and break it down into chapters again as I recorded the whole serial as one continuous disk (2 disks actually) without chapterization the whole serial. the DVD format is VOB and I am trying to convert it to MP4. Does anyone know of a freeware Editing Movie software I can use to put it into chapters? Let me know.....nice serial by the way.

Richard Boucher AkA Mr_Goldenage.

[mr_goldenage]

This Memorial Day weekend (in the USA)...I've been watching: Electrical Girl (Japan no subtitles) which was um memorable for it's um creativity? Also watched the Tomcat films/Saint James Films LLC and BK Enterprise (Brett Kelly) movies - Agent Beetle (The Blue Beetle), Avenging Force: Starring The Scarab, Black Terror, Fighting Yank, the Woman in Red and the Sphinx who was the villain of the piece but the others were part of N.E.D.O.R., then there was Thunderstorm - The Return of Thor, The Rise of the Black Bat, The Black Knight returns, Captain Battle Legacy War, Almighty Thor (in German), and from Turkey - Kilink Vs the Flying Man, Kilink Strip and Kill, and Kilink Vs Mandrake, Bombs over Istanbul Starring Rocketman (all in Turkish but two had subtitles). All enjoyable and a fun filled three days.

Richard Boucher

[crashryan]

Mr GA, you've revealed something I never knew. Has someone really made movies based on PD comic heroes? Talk about a niche market.

[mr_goldenage]

Crash...yes there is....I forgot one...Iron Soldier...an Iron Man type super hero/cyborg type thing. There are actually two movies, the other one is called Captain USA (more or less the same movie in German with different bits).....I've just ordered from Amazon the movie Metal Man...a real take on Iron Man. Thought you might want to know. Take care,,,,

Richard Boucher

[Kracalactaka]

I'm late to it, but we have started on the History Channel show, Vikings, they take a few liberties with history and Norse culture, but it is an amazing show that I think does a good job of capturing the feel of the era (and once again I have concluded that life in middle ages Europe sucked).

also we watched a couple of poop-tastic roger corman flicks a couple days ago

Attack of the Crab Monsters   &    Not of This Earth

[narfstar]

I really liked the first couple of seasons of Vikings but lost interest after that. My wife and I have recently started binge watching Downton Abbey

[bowers]

Just finished  the 2007 BBC series "Jekyll", with James Nesbitt, Gina Bellman (Leverage), and Denis Lawson (New Tricks). It was riveting from start to finish! Not just a modern version of the old tale, but sort of a sequel. Nesbitt cleverly played both roles to the hilt and sometimes you really weren't sure which personality you preferred. Bellman was priceless as the wife, not taking any crap off either personality. Gory, humorous, and never boring. An obvious ending, but I never saw it coming! Very well written by Steven Moffat, I enjoyed this one much more than I thought I would. Cheers, Bowers

[narfstar]

My wife and I finished Downton Abbey and loved it. I hate shows that end as a downer this one ended good.

[mr_goldenage]

Just got through watching Sparks movie (based on the comic book mini series by William Katt) and was a really nice super hero movie. Also watched Metal Man (a take-off on Iron Man sort of) which was/is a C grade movie very low budget affair but not too terrible. In addition my S.O. and I have been watching the box set of the original Dark Shadows TV series.

RB

[Kracalactaka]

tonight: The Driver, Ryan O'neal & Bruce dern 1978  one of my faves since I was a kid

Tomorrow: double feature of Deadpool & Swamp Thing

[Kracalactaka]

Had a comic movie triple feature on Father's day

the aforementioned 2016 Deadpool & 1982 Swamp Thing then decided to pile on with the 2004 Punisher film.

last weekend we saw the X-Men Apocalypse movie, I had no real complaints I was entertained and it flowed logically from Days of Future Past. I have not read any of the X-Men comics with Apocalypse so I had nothing to be "disappointed" about.

[Abishai100]

I'm a big Gotham (Fox TV) geek.

I love the portrait of Gotham City and the prequel work of Detective Gordon.

I love the developing relationship between Bruce Wayne (the future Batman) and Selina Kyle (the future Catwoman).

I like this show as much as the '90s hit "Batman: The Animated Series" (Fox TV).

[narfstar]

Gotham is really good. I think those who miss Batman miss the point.

[profh0011]

Just posted at the "Laura's Miscellaneous Musings" blog:

As far as I know, this film only ran in Philly once, at 2 AM. I set my VCR decades ago, then found out they started the film EARLY. Until last year, when I found it on Youtube, I never knew I was only missing 5 MINUTES. Sheesh.

I've seen nearly every "Mike Hammer" ever done, except for Darrin McGavin. I got hooked on Stacy Keach, and Tanya Roberts was my favorite Velda. Some of the others have been interesting. "KISS ME DEADLY" is definitely the best-produced of the 50s films, and feels like a feature-length "OUTER LIMITS" episode. but the characters in that film are NOT Mike, Velda & Pat... but horrible, twisted distortions director Robert Aldrich and his screenwriter concocted because they held Spillane & Hamnmer in contempt.

As for "I, THE JURY"... between missing the opening, and the endless, choppy, disjointed "interviews", this film is one of the most IMPOSSIBLE mystery plots to follow I have ever encountered. Yes, it makes Howard Hawks' version of "THE BIG SLEEP" seem simple by comparison. I had to read about the plot of the book on Wikipedia to finally figure out what the hell was going on, and that was after I'd seen the film 3 times.

That said... BIFF ELLIOT has become my FAVORITE Mike Hammer! I dearly wish he and Margaret Sheridan (now my favorite Velda!) had done all 3 films in the 50s, and maybe the TV series as well.

Elliot's Mike Hammer is tough, crude, brutal, almost Neanderthalic. Someone once referred to him as "a Dead End Kid all grown up and packing a rod". But, he's honest, loyal, and completely incorruptible. The sort of guy Elliot Ness would have wanted on his special squad. And, most amazing of all... HE-- figured out-- the mystery! I sure as hell didn't! Wow.

I loved all the scenes with Velda. I loved the fight in the Bradbury Building stairway. And the finale is one of THE all-time classics. "BLAM!" "How COULD you?" "It was EASY. GOOD-BYE, baby!" Whoa!!!!!

I need to get a better copy of this film.

By the way, it cracked me up when I found out I'd seen Elliot in one of my favorite "STAR TREK" episodes. It's "Devil In The Dark", where he plays "Schmitter". He's the FIRST one to get killed.

[narfstar]

Neanderthalic-- I had to look it up to see if it was real. It is cool but the actual word is Neanderthaloid

[narfstar]

If any one else enjoyed Out of the Badlands then you need to read the graphic novels Lazarus. I have read the first volume and enjoyed and look forward to the rest.

[profh0011]

the actual word is

B***S***.

[narfstar]

I have been binge watching BY THE SWORD DIVIDED on youtube. For those who like history, it is set during the British civil war between king and parliament.

[bdw]

just saw Batman: The Killing Joke on the Big Screen, very good

in a couple nights they are showing the 1968 Planet of the Apes, so I just might have to catch that too!

[Captain Audio]

Did some binge watching of my own. Watched every episode of the short lived "Love and Curses" (AKA Shewolf of London).

A fun series to watch. some plots were semi serious but for the most part it was a dark if not black comedy. I like British style black comedy. Not sure how British the series actually was though.
The series reminded me of the Tom Poston film the Old Dark House.

[Abishai100]

I'm all about Gotham.

What is it about criminal insanity that makes audiences crazy about Halloween Eve?

: )

[narfstar]

I think Gotham is more consistent story wise than the other comic shows. I really like it.

[crashryan]

A friend sent me a link to Superthunderstingcar, an elaborate sketch by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore poking fun at Gerry Anderson shows. I'd never seen it before. Loved it! If you're a Supermarionation fan, check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riMHp28_cqw&list=PLbXM7J8bIcmdAqJHfj36BRxY2FGmei1Rg