[profh0011]

Mr. Moto's hangover remedy

lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 egg
4 dashes orange bitters
1 jigger Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp sugar
absinthe
fill to top with gin
Stir.
Drink.

[profh0011]

"You need a lie detector. That is something that tells you when someone is lying."
"You mean a wife?           -----     I have one."

from THE BLACK CAMEL (1931)

[profh0011]

My current self-regulated TV schedule is:

Sundays -- THE PROTECTORS  (Gerry Anderson / w/ Robert Vaughn & Nyree Dawn Porter)
Mondays -- THE FLASH (season 2) / SHERLOCK HOLMES movies (currently working thru the 1930s)
Tuesdays -- VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (just this week started on season 2!)
Wednesdays -- LOST IN SPACE (2nd time around, currently early in season 2)
Thursdays -- THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (midway thru season 1)
Fridays -- currently random movies
Saturdays -- MISSION: IMPOSIBLE (8th season from 1988 on VHS) / MR. MOTO (taped from a UHF station in the 80s)

I'm also watching the 1968 Filmation BATMAN cartoons, which frankly are pretty bad...  Also, the 1958 MIKE HAMMER series for the 3rd time around-- after decades of being a fan of the character, this version with Darren McGavin has become my favorite!  And, I just started in on the latest of countless times watching UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER.  The show is completely NOT in syndication or circulation, so this is a bootleg DVD set I bought from a seller online.  BEST $25 I ever spent!

Finally, I started re-watching my tapes of NEWS RADIO, first time in a lot of years.  These were recorded in the mid-90s, when I had a videotape machine with a lot of problems, and as a result, I'm having a LOT of visual distortion trying to run it on my current machine.  If you've never seen this particular sitcom, it starts out semi-normal, only a little crazy, but it quickly begins to evolve to become more and more COMPLETELY INSANE... especially Phil Hartman's character, who at one ppint, I recall, winds up in a lunatic asylum.  Maura Tierney would have made a GREAT Lois Lane, but it's Vicki Lewis' character who consistently cracks me up.

[ComicMike]

I'm watching in the moment the great series 'Legion' (USA 2017-19, 3 seasons with 27 episodes). The series is based on the comic book character 'David Haller', also known as 'Legion', by Chris Claremont and illustrator Bill Sienkiewicz. The main character is believed to be schizophrenic, but is actually a mutant.

It's a Marvel series, so I was expecting the usual rowdiness, but I was pleasantly surprised: the series is very well crafted, the actors are good, and the story is intelligent. It's not a standard series, she seems like an overly long psychedelic, surrealistic trip. Many of the events also take place in the inner world of the characters and then there are wonderfully imaginative and fantastic scenes to be seen.

However, you should watch the series without large time gaps between the episodes so that you don't lose track.

This series is likely to leave standard Marvel consumers quite confused.

Conclusion: Recommended

[profh0011]

"Mr. Moto! What are you doing here?"

"Please don't be alarmed.  I'm just breaking into the safe."



from "THANK YOU, MR. MOTO"  (the 3rd film in this wonderful series)

[bowers]

Just finished a great three part travelogue, "Walking Hadrian's Wall" hosted by Robson Green. Green walks the length of the wall, engaging fellow travelers and locals. My favorite was a group of ladies searching for hidden phallic symbols carved into the stonework! Absolutely gorgeous countryside and very interesting bits of history presented by one of my favorite actors. Well worth watching. Cheers, Bowers

[The Australian Panther]

Robson Green's Fishing shows were great. And I don't even fish! Sort of Anthony Bourdain with fish.

Here is one

Pesca extrema com Robson Green.The World Tour-JAPAN.HD.mkv
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=295iYeXKP1o

Cheers!

[profh0011]

Whereas with BATMAN, LOST IN SPACE and VOYAGE, and now UNCLE, I'm watching an entire series all the way thru before then going back to watch it all a 2nd time, with THE FLASH, perhaps because the 1st season was a gift, I watched the 1st season all the way thru, then watched it again... then, I got the 2nd season, watched it all the way thru... and today, I'm starting on season 2 AGAIN.

Since so far, each season has been like ONE long mystery story, going back to the beginning of the season is like re-reading a complex mystery a 2nd time, only now, I know so much I didn't before, so it becomes a very different experience.

One example is how, in the deleted scene in the 1st episode, Barry's father Henry tells him he did the right thing by NOT saving his mother's life via time-travel, and messing with destiny or whatever.  How ironic, that in the very LAST scene in the 2nd season finale, that is EXACTLY what Barry tires to do... AGAIN.

But watching the series this way, I now have to wait 24 WEEKS to see how that turns out.


I'm reminded of a comics story (I think John Byrne may have written it) that suggested that if you go back in time and change history, you DON'T change your own history... you only create a divergent ALTERNATE timeline, separate from your own.  I have a sneaking suspicion that's going to happen when I get to season 3.

[The Australian Panther]

Here is one that I didn' t know existed. Watching it now.
Mandrake (1979) *Full Movie*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2e0wHbgIQ8

Not a good print, but apparently its quite rare.

Enjoy!

[bowers]

Thanks again, Panther. Definitely gonna give this one a watch. It's a shame about the mustache (lack of) though! Cheers, Jeff

[profh0011]

Tonight's movie:

"But-- I'm BRITISH!"
"SO ARE THESE!"

[paw broon]

Professor T, British version of the Belgian tv show:-
https://www.itv.com/hub/professor-t/7a0171

Thoroughly enjoyable and no way you'd think this was a British original.  Ben Miller is excellent, as are the rest of the cast.

[Robb_K]

Professor T, British version of the Belgian tv show:-
https://www.itv.com/hub/professor-t/7a0171

Thoroughly enjoyable and no way you'd think this was a British original.  Ben Miller is excellent, as are the rest of the cast.

Not bad at all from a copy of an original series from another country.  But, I like the Belgian series more.  It has a more authentic feel to it.  The actor, playing the role of The Professor, certainly seems more truly autistic, flaky, and downright bizarre, in the original version.

[profh0011]

Today's movie:  my God, WHAT A CAST!



Crazy but true: the 3rd guy on the left is the one responsible for there being an Adam West BATMAN show. William Self worked his way up to head of production at 20th Century-Fox TV. He was at the Playboy mansion the night Hefner ran the 2 1940s BATMAN serials, got inspired, and ASSIGNED William Dozier to make the show. Dozier hated the idea... but after it hit #1 in the ratings, there was no way he was going to admit that.

[profh0011]

My very well-used videotape, recorded off AMC in the 90s, went missing on me, so I just got ahold of the DVD. Sure glad I did. Apart from cleaner sound & picture, I noted 4 short scenes I'd NEVER seen before. 3 of these are closely-grouped, between them leaving a guard over the ice and Bob suggesting 2-hour shifts. The 4th has Carrington, before Nikki reads his notes, actually voicing concern that Earth may be being invaded. Unlike when the networks would splice in "out-takes" to drum up compettition for "cable channels", none of these hurt the pacing, but augment the CHARACTERS. It'll take some getting used to, though, I've seen the shorter cut DOZENS of times by now.

Funny thing: a shot of Scott falling back as the monster's set on fire, which he describes later in the story, actually appears in the fuzzy TRAILER, but not in the film itself!



GREAT article on the making of the film...

https://ascmag.com/articles/the-thing-from-another-world-1951

[The Australian Panther]

Prof, what's your opinion on the re-make?

[paw broon]

Excuse my butting in but, as the song says, the original is still the greatest

[The Australian Panther]

If you are like me you are familiar with films of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frankenstein, Nosferatu, Phantom of  the Opera, Alice in Wonderland, Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde, Wizard of OZ, The lost world and 20,000 leagues under the sea - from current versions. Well, they were all made into silent movies, so have been on the screens for a long time.
Here is a Youtube channel with all of these and many other silents.
Timeless Classic Movies
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOg0aMAXmF3o5m243PxhE5g

For the movies I refer to, scroll right to the bottom.
Also, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The print of Frankenstein and what exists of the movie is pretty  crappy.
Nosferatu is excellent - can you imagine sitting in a theatre with a real organisit playing that soundtrack?
Alice and Wonderland is unrestored and almost unwatchable.   
And if you haven't seen, 'The General' 'Detour' 'The Bat ' or 'D.O.A.' you are missing something. 

This is a better print of Phantom of the Opera [1925]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUamUHcxMVY

Cheers!

[profh0011]

"I'm beginning to believe all those stories I've heard about you."
"PLEASE do not.  I do not!"

--from MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING

[paw broon]

Over here, a new series of The Brokenwood Mysteries started lasr week.  So good to have them back.
On Alibi, Annika is very worthwhile, especially the excellent Nicola Walker.  Another crime show, this time marine homicide and set in the West coast of Scotland. Interestingly, in this show, Annika speaks directly to the viewer.  Good stories so far.

[The Australian Panther]

For those lovers of the Movie - The Thing -
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing
Horror Express
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LCtzLEebBI
Horror Express and The Thing share the same source material in the novella Who Goes There.

"But what if one of you is the monster?"
"Monster? We're British!"   

Cheers!

[profh0011]

I like HORROR EXPRESS wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than John Carpenter's THE THING.


Over the years, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD has become a real "perennial" for me.  Watching it once a year.  Then it got to be about every 6 months.  Until I watched my chronological "sci-fi movie marathon".  The STACKS of films are stilll there, I never got around to filing them away... but when I looked for this one film... it wasn't there.  W--T--F

So I threw up my hands and ordered the DVD.  It came in the same retarded box the 1998 LOST IN SPACE box was in, which was so bad, I dug out a blank CD jewel case and created a liner with the title. 

As for the film itself... I was surprised it featured 4 short scenes I've NEVER seen before, all "character" bits.  The most important was probably the ONE scene where Professor Carrington admitted how dangerous the alien was, and the potential was that it was here to invade.  That scene really strengthened your sympathy for the guy, and made his later actions seem all the more unintentionally unhinged ("lack of sleep, not thinking straight").

Since I've seen the film DOZENS of times by now, it's gonna take some getting used to those "added" scenes being there from now on. (It makes me wonder about the source of my previous copy, since as far as I could tell, it seemed to be "uncut".)

[paw broon]

Over here, a new series of The Brokenwood Mysteries started lasr week.  So good to have them back.
On Alibi, Annika is very worthwhile, especially the excellent Nicola Walker.  Another crime show, this time marine homicide and set in the West coast of Scotland. Interestingly, in this show, Annika speaks directly to the viewer.  Good stories s

[profh0011]

SWORD OF THE VALIANT (1984)

This is the dictionary definition of "stupid but fun".

But never mind the story... there are dozens of website reviews of this out there. Most are justifiably bad. The FUNNIEST comment is about the 2004 MGM DVD, which I found at Film Freak Central:

"MGM presents Sword of the Valiant on DVD in a pan-and-scan transfer with terrible picture-quality besides. It looks and sounds worse than something tuned in with an antenna: all the colours are muted, the flesh tones are frighteningly orange, the contrast is way off--and damned if a few scenes aren't completely out of focus."

That is SO FUNNY!!! 

Lately, when I "upgrade" from a 35-40-year-old videotape I recorded off some cable channel, to a pristene DVD, I like to play the tape one more time, so I can directly compare the quality, or how much was cut, etc. I may do that here (or, I may not...). I have a sneaking suspicion my Cinemax (or HBO) videotape may be FAR-BETTER than that 2004 MGM DVD.

What I still can't get over is... WHO are these idiots on Ebay trying to sell USED copies of that miserable DVD for the SAME price as this brand-new WIDESCREEN BLU-RAY ?

Meanwhile...  You know, it shouldn't be THIS difficult to find ONE review online that actually mentions a film has been reissued in WIDESCREEN. I went thru at least 25 websites before finding this one again. 😆

I'm gonna have to remember "Mondo Digital" in the future.
https://www.mondo-digital.com/valiant.html


I'm watching the Blu-Ray TODAY. The story's still stupid (but fun 😄 ), but the picture quality is STUNNING. I keep staring at my TV screen, wondering... HOW on Earth did I ever put up with my Cinemax (or HBO) recording all these years?

[The Australian Panther]

So, once again its raining, we are locked down and its Saturday. So what do you do?

Watch Cartoons - but in this case Anime.

From YouTube a feast of EE Doc Smith's 'Lensmen' and thats about all we are going to get for a while as the doco part 2 explains, due to copyright reasons.
Also some of Doc Smiths are available as Audobooks on YouTube also.

What Happened to Lensman? (1985) Anime Retrospective & Lost Media Status
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpmTynxXGCM

(Extra Info) Why Lensman is Lost Media - 80's Anime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK9eTrrMdJA

My comment on properties influenced by Lensmen, given the Lensmen's authority to be a one-man Judge, Jury and Executioner, I would throw in Judge Dread. 
Challenge - what properties influenced by EE Doc Smith can you name?

How To Read E.E. Doc Smith (The Lensman Series)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrtyAZGb5og

Lensman: Power of The Lens (1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-td8Jp0hJVA

Lensman: secret of the lens high quality, Complete Movie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIS-Q0zm1r4

Lensman fixed audio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS8vhasbVPc

Enjoy!