So I took off from work yesterday to stay with a sick kid. In between watching Harry Potter and old Transformers cartoons I had time to add another step onto some recycled junk retro rockets.
Monthly Archives: February 2013
Rocket project
So like I year ago I saw this project on Instructables about making retro rockets out of items like old dried out highlighters.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Retro-Rockets/
Of course the person that made those obviously had some skill with models and probably patience too. That makes two things I don’t have. However back around last March I started gathering old markers and other items I thought I could use for making a retro rocket. Now all that stuff sits in a box, but my son re-discovered the box and asked if we could finished making it. My love of 50’s style sci-fi rockets is trying hard to overcome my total lack of skill and I am trying to figure out a way to make one of these that actually looks like something. Here are some pictures of what I have to work with.
Top five one season (or less) shows that should have gone on longer
Here are my top five shows that went just one lousy season or less, but they sure as heck should have gone on longer.
Tales of the gold monkey-One season 1982-1983.Like an old style serial only done in an hour. Plenty of action and humor in every episode. The cast clicked right away. It’s a shame that it didn’t catch on.
Battlestar Gallactica-One season 1978-1979. The show was a little uneven at times and they switched some characters around as they went. However it certainly showed so much promise that I wish they had gotten a second season.
Firefly-Part of a season 2002-2003. The only show of any genre I ever saw to last one season (almost) yet it already had all the potential to go 6-7 seasons with very little tweaking. What a shame.
Voyagers-One season 1982-1983. A low budget time travel adventure show. Pretty much they did a lot of what Sliders did more than a decade later only this show never caught on.
The Flash-One season 1990-1991. The look owed a lot to Tim Burton’s Batman. However the characters were solid, the action and plots were there, but it just didn’t do enough to get the scarlet speedsters to year two.
Runner ups-Kolchak the nightstalker, Logan’s Run, Werewolf
Bad news, good news
The bad news-Due to a busy weekend I didn’t have time to write a Starlost Sundays post yesterday.
The good news-So to make up for it I’ll do two next Sunday.
Poster postings-Legend of the werewolf
Kevin Francis son of director Freddie Francis (numerous Hammer films) decided to form his own movie company called Tyburn and make British horror films along the lines of what Hammer and Amicus were doing in the 60’s. The problem was that Francis was trying to do this in the post Rosemary’s Baby, port-The Exorcist time and the horror landscape had changed. Gothics horror were out of fashion, but Kevin tried anyhow and his short lived company knocked out just three films. One of them was 1975’s Legend of the werewolf starring the great Peter Cushing and a youngster named David Rintoul (still acting today). Even a couple of character actors form other British horror films like Michael Ripper and Hugh Griffith were pulled in for this one. It didn’t do all that well and didn’t even get released theatricly in the US. Actually it has never been officially released on DVD on these shores. There is just an old VHS tape released ages ago.
So the above poster is an Australian Daybill or so said the description because my knowledge of movie posters isn’t that great. It’s similiar in height to normal movie posters, but about 2/3 the width and it’s on very thin paper. The colors are very 1970’s which is what I like about it. The actual werewolf looks a lot like the one from Hammer Curse of the werewolf. In the bottom left of the close-up we see Peter Cushing tacked in there you know just to prove he’s really in this film. I got this for about $10 I think maybe ten years ago.
The Magic Sword
1962
Directed by Bert I. Gordon (oh, dear) maker of crap with lots of big people and big monsters. Actually he made one B film I really kind of like, I won’t spoil the surprise but I’ll review it here at some point.
Gary Lockwood as Sir George the lovesick not so spectacular knight (?) on a quest of some sorts. Best known as Gary Mitchell in the “Where no man has gone before” episode of Star Trek and as Frank Poole in 2001: A space odyssey.
Basil Rathbone as Lodac an evil wizard who appears to be wearing hand me downs from a gypsy woman. You of course no know best from the great series of Sherlock Holmes film playing the best detective of all time.
Estelle Winwood as Sybil who raises George and on occasion does some magic while a comedy soundtrack plays on. You have no doubt seen her tons of stuff from the Batman TV series to Mel Brooks the Producers. She acted regularly for 45 years and lived to be 101.
Anne Helm as Princess Helene a princess who gets captured by evil guys and then….well that’s of what she does. She acted fairly regularly in TV from the late 50’s up until about 1980.
Liam Sullivan as Sir Branton a brave poof haired knight who talks a good game but like most everything else in this film bored the crap out of me. Sullivan was a character actor who was in tons of show including the Twilight Zone, Dallas, Magnum P.I. and tons more.
I could pretend to slay a really lame dragon with this baby.
What’s this about? The less you know the better, but I guess you want to know. The princess Helene is taken by Lodac and everyone is upset. Poor George gets Sybil to give him powerful weapons and six not real knights to help him on his quest to get the princess. He’s supposed to face seven curses and I lost track along the ways as the real curse was trying make it through this film. George and his knights are joined by Sir Branton who puffs his chest out a lot and has a streaky star design of some sorts on said chest-oh, shiny. Branton *spoiler* is actually a heel (gasp) and he’s in legue with Lodac (the fiend) so he’s trying sabotage the knights. George and his group of ethnic armor played associates take on a rubber masked giant/ogre/ cheap werewolf looking thingie who crowls a lot. They also run into a she-beast who changes from beauty to rubber faced crone. Oh and there is a pit of bubbling water-oh the horror! Aw yeah and there are some crazed leper/zombie looking gentleman who stumble around attempting to look scary. So apparently curses come in the economy version too. So George knights get picked off on the way to the castle, but George is a such a brave soul he will go after the princess on his own. Lodac is ready for him as he goons including hawk nose goons, lumpy faced goons and my favorite the coneheads-way ahead of Saturday Night Live. George and Helene are in for it now-oh whatever shall they do. Lodac gets his powerful ring from Branton and as evil does he turns on Branton and puts his head on the wall. Not in a cool chop your head off and mount kind of way but rather in a limp flick of the wrist and poof there’s his mug on the wall kind of deal. Anyways all this hemming and hawing gives Sybil a chance to get there to help. Then George has to fight the most immobile dragon ever. George wins (boo) and in all that commotion or dry filler Sybil gets the ring from the hook nosed baddie. She promptly turns herself into a huge cat and mauls Lodac.Good has triumphed well good as it is here not good in movie form since there is very little good here. George and Helene return and marry plus thegood knights that were killed are unexplicably back and unharmed. Whatever-roll the credits.
The negatives-Jason and the Argonauts was a great film because it had a fantastic hero, a cruel villain, a strong plot, plenty of action and great special effects. The Magic Sword tries to be the same kind of film, but other than the cruel villain they have none of the above. My seven year old summed this movie up when he said “it’s like the knights ride around and fight a bunch of nothing, it was really boring”.
The positives-It’s a very colorful movie with some alright sets. Plus we get Basil Rathbone. A past his prime Rathbone who looks ashamed to be in this film, but still it’s Rathbone and he tries here, he really does.
There you go.
Two heads are better than one in this film.
Ten 1980’s movie sequels that were actually you know good
Okay, so all sequels don’t suck. No really they don’t.Here’s the test I set- name ten sequels from the horror,sci-fi or fantasy genres that were made in the 1980’s and that are at least good. The catch is you can only use one film per franchise.
The Empire Stri damn Lucas and his trilogies, so it doesn’t count. Well on to the list.
Star Trek 2-Best Trek film ever.
Superman 2-Even better than the original.
Phantasm 2-Solidly good.
Critters 2-I found it to be a good comedy/sci-fi/horror film/
Friday the 13th part 2-My favorite in the series.
Indiana Jones and the last crusade-As much of a remake of the first film as a sequel, but I’ll count it.
Evil Dead 2-Way better than the first film.
Nightmare on Elm street 3-Dream Warriors-Got the series back on track after the mediocre second film.
Halloween 2-The first film stood very well by itself, but still a good sequel.
Aliens-I prefer the first film but boy they did a great job here combining horror and action together.
Upcoming stuff and junk
I have not had a lot of view what I want time this week. That’s why I reviewed The Curse of the werewolf yesterday since I had seen it last week and it was fresh in my mind. I should time to view the Magic Sword today and hope to post up a review on it tomorrow. After that I’ll hopefully take a picture of one of my movie posters to post up on Saturday. Then another Starlost Sundays on Sunday. For next week I’m hoping to review Star Knight and the 1950’s man into monster flick the Alligator People plus a list of some sort and maybe I’ll share a sci-fi related project at home that I never seem to get to.
-A few more unimportant pieces of junk….
Thinking ahead to March I am hoping to review one of the Leprechaun films on St. Patrick’s day (well not exactly hoping, but I will) plus special reviews in honor of the birthdays of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
With only a few episodes left of Starlost to review I had been thinking of a weekly TV show review segment to do and have settled upon Saturday Morning Cartoons. I will take on one episode per week in order of an older cartoon. Right now Star Trek the animated series, Johnny Quest, Birdman, The Superman and Aquaman cartoons from the 60’s and even the not so great looking 70’s Planet of the apes cartoon are all considerations.
I have been refering to the segment where I’ll put up pics of movie posters I have as “Poster Postings” which is a very average name. So if you have better suggestions then please share and I may run away with, I mean borrow it.
Have a great week.
The Curse of the werewolf
1961
Hammer Films
Who’s in this?
Oliver Reed as Leon. Reed was a fantastic actor whose drinking problems unfortunately caught up to him. He was in several Hammer films early in his career. Perhaps he’s best known for a badass performance as Bill Sikes in the musical Oliver! Reed certainly had his problems in real life, but he could just about always be counted on to deliver a solid performance.
Clifford Evans plays Don Alfredo Corledo (say that 3 times fast) the guy who raises Leon as his son. Evans was in a lot of movies and later British TV. He acted regularly from the mid-30 up until the late 70’s. Hammer fans also know him from Kiss of the vampire.
Yvonne Romain as the servant girl and mother of a werewolf. She was in several horror films in the 60’s including Devil Doll and Circus of horrors.
Catherine Feller as Cristina Fernando the love interest of Leon and daughter of a skunk.
Anthony Dawson as Marques Siniestro. Bond fans will recognize him as Professor Dent in Dr. No and he was also Blofeld in From Russia with love.
Ewen Solon as Don Fernando who is not nice..at all. He acted for over 30 years and you may also know him from Hammer’s The hound of the Baskervilles also playing a sourpuss.
Hira Talfrey as Teresa Don Corledo’s servant. She also had small parts in the Oblong Box and Witchfinder General.
Martin Matthews as Jose. A fat oaf and bad actor.
What’s this about? Here is a film made by and with mainly a bunch of British people. It’s based on a story called the Werewolf of Paris yet it is set in Spain (?). Actually the story goes that Hammer films was set to make a film about the Spanish Inquisition, but when the British censors got wind of it they said no. Hammer already had sets built to make it look like Spain so they switched gears and made a werewolf film. Oh, yeah the plot-okay so a dirty beggar goes to ask for food from the richest guy in the land the Marques Siniestro. The richest guy in the land is also a royal ass who after a bunch of carrying on goes off with new wife and has the beggar thrown in the dungeon. The little mute girl that gives the beggar his food grows up to be stunning although she is wearing the same style dress she wore as a kid. After turning down advances from Marques Siniestro she is thrown in the dungeon with the beggar who rapes here, wait when was this made. She eventually gets the heck out of that nut house, runs off and falls plop face frickin’ down in a body of water. An alright guy named Don Alfredo Corledo who has a wig and a fancy mustache saves her and takes her home. His housekeeper Teresa informs him that the girl is with child, of course they don’t know about the raped by a jailed beggar part. The boy Leon is born and from the start things are not right. He has fits when the moon is full and apparently went running over the countryside chasing and killing livestock at one point. He even has hairy hands too-yuck! Then things settle down a bit and all that oddness is forgotten and the boy grows up to a big Oliver Reed. So he may howl at the moon but at least turned into a good actor. He goes off to work and makes friends with a real dork named Jose. He also falls for the daughter of his boss. The daughter is cool , but her dad is a real jerk face with the personality of a pile of dirt. So Leon and the girl fall for each other despite her rear end of a father’s disapproval. Hey, let’s not forget this is a werewolf film. So eventually Leon goes all puffy at first like a blowfish and then he gets all hairy like a tarantula crossed with and ape. Then comes the growls, the screaming and the bloodshed well, early an 60’s version of bloodshed. Leon is accused of murder and jailed while he’s not all hairy. Of course while in jail the full moon pops out. Leon turns into a wolf wearing a ripped puffy shirt and then he offs longtime Hammer character actor Michael Ripper. Around this time Leon’s father has heard what is going on and he has finally come to believe that his son is an out of control, full blown werewolf. So dad gets a silver bullet and goes to set things right. After a grand finale you can guess the rest. Roll the credits.
Negatives-The movie starts slow but eventually picks up. Doing a film set in Spain with a mainly British cast meant they chose people who had darker skin to fit in with the setting and for the most part they did alright. However there were a few exceptions. The Marques, his wife and their whole court were about as British or non-Spanish as you could get. I’m willing to forgive this one since at least the scene worked out. However the guy playing Leon’s short lived friend Jose was very much not from Spain plus he was an annoying character and a horrible actor.
Positives- Most of the acting is solid with Reed being the main standout. The sets, costumes and even the werewolf make-up all looked good. Despite a slow start it eventually picks up and becomes fairly exciting.
Poster postings
Back around 2000-2002 I bought a few movie posters on eBay. Then I had kids and the disposable income was gone plus eBay sellers started charging outrageous prices for posters. I guess that I had some nutty idea that all these posters were going to be on my wall one day. That hasn’t happened yet. Mostly because I want cheap frames and the frames at Wal-mart are not big enough for these posters. Anyways the point of this post is that I was recently looking at these poster where I pulled out of the box I keep them in atop my closet and I’d like to take pictures of them and post them here maybe once a week. Don’t know if they’ll be of interest to everyone, but I’ll post them and tell something about the film if the pics turn out alright. They are almost all from British horror films made between the mid-1960’s and the mid-1970’s. So I may do one or two per month and may get it started this month. Hope you’ll enjoy it.
Lasers, monsters and barbarians oh, my! 