On this day in 1973 (in the U.S.), Super Friends aired "The Power Pirate."  Officially, this served as the first episode in the program's first season. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Anthro from the planet Traum, disguising himself as a special inspector from Scotland Yard, attempts to steal the Earth's energy to take back to Traum."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

The original Super Friends animated television series premiered on ABC on September 8, 1973, produced by Hanna-Barbera and based on DC Comics' Justice League. [1, 2]

Overview and Premise

• Release Dates: Aired from September 8, 1973, to December 22, 1973, for its initial run of 16 one-hour episodes.
• Core Heroes: Featured Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman.
• Base of Operations: The iconic Hall of Justice, where they monitored global crises using the TR Alert computer. [1]

The Non-Violent Style

• No Punching: Due to strict early-1970s standards against Saturday morning cartoon violence, the heroes never threw punches or engaged in physical fistfights.
• Problem Solving: Conflicts were resolved through reason, science, persuasion, and the heroes talking misguided scientists or inventors out of their plans. [1, 3]

Sidekicks and Voice Cast

• The Kids: Introduced non-powered civilian sidekicks Wendy Harris, Marvin White, and Wonder Dog to act as audience surrogates for young viewers.
• Voice Talents: Included Danny Dark as Superman, Olan Soule as Batman, Casey Kasem as Robin, Shannon Farnon as Wonder Woman, and Norman Alden as Aquaman, with Ted Knight narrating. [1]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35F59uJxYc
[2] https://www.facebook.com/HistoryofTheBatman/posts/52-years-ago-in-september-1973-hanna-barberas-television-show-super-friends-prem/1322608882567112/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqDmeJ2-ZPg
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-nU5-OSMwA

On this day in 1973 (in the U.S.), My Favorite Martians aired "Check-Up."  Officially, this served as the first episode in the program's only season in original broadcast existence. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Martin and Andy (Andromeda) play tennis, Martian-style. Detective Bill Brennan and his son Brad try to spy on them. Non-human Andy is worried about a medical check-up at school. A robot duplicate creates issues at the school."

-- EZ

On this day in 2022 (in a whole host of countries around the world), The Imperfects aired "Sarkov's Children."  Officially, this served as the first episode in the program's only season in original broadcast existence. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Tilda (Morgan Taylor Campbell), Juan (Iñaki Godoy), and Abbi (Rhianna Jagpal) are the titular imperfect test subjects of a genetic experiment. They start experiencing strange symptoms and turn to geneticist Dr. Alex Sarkov for help."

-- EZ
​

From Google.com:

​The Imperfects is a 2022 Canadian superhero science fiction television series created by Dennis Heaton and Shelley Eriksen. Promoted by Netflix as a "coming of rage" story, the 10-episode series premiered on September 8, 2022, but was canceled in November 2022 after just one season. [1] 

The Premise

The plot revolves around three twenty-somethings who were subjected to an experimental gene therapy that altered their DNA against their will. As a result, they develop disruptive, monstrous side effects. The trio bands together alongside a sympathetic scientist to hunt down the eccentric geneticist responsible, hoping to force him to reverse the experiment and cure them. [2, 3, 4, 5]

Character & Cast Breakdown

The main characters' transformations are based on classic mythological creatures: [6]

• Abbi Singh (played by Rhianna Jagpal): A geneticist student who turns into a Succubus, giving her involuntary, pheromone-driven mind control over others. [5, 6, 7, 8]
• Juan Ruiz (played by Iñaki Godoy): A graphic novel artist who transforms into a Chupacabra, a bloodthirsty monster similar to a werewolf concept. [6, 7, 8]
• Tilda Weber (played by Morgan Taylor Campbell): The lead singer of a punk band who becomes a Banshee, granting her destructive, high-pitched vocal powers and super-hearing. [5, 6, 7, 8]
• Dr. Sydney Burke (played by Italia Ricci): A brilliant scientist attempting to fix her past mistakes who guides the trio. [4, 5, 7, 9]
• Dr. Alex Sarkov (played by Rhys Nicholson): The arrogant former child prodigy and mad scientist who orchestrated the mutations to usher in the next stage of human evolution. [4, 7, 9]

Distribution and Status

The series was produced by Nomadic Pictures and is still available to stream on the Netflix Official Site. Despite ending on a massive cliffhanger in the season finale, titled "Destroy All Monsters", Netflix ultimately decided not to renew the show for a second season. [2, 7, 10, 11]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org
[2] https://www.netflix.com
[3] https://www.youtube.com
[4] https://www.whats-on-netflix.com
[5] https://www.imdb.com
[6] https://www.youtube.com
[7] https://imperfectstvseries.fandom.com
[8] https://www.youtube.com
[9] https://www.imdb.com
[10] https://imperfectstvseries.fandom.com
[11] https://netflix.fandom.com

On this day in 1969 (in the United Kingdom), Counterstrike aired "King's Gambit."  Officially, this served as the first episode in the program's only season in original broadcast existence.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Simon King visits Penfield Electronics Ltd, an inconsequential firm who have invented a radio without transistors. When they attempt to kill him he is forced to recruit a human companion to stop an attempt to takeover the world."

-- EZ
​

It’s often been said that “what goes around comes around.”
 
Though the phrase has several meanings, I’ve often found it a fitting description of the somewhat cyclical nature of life, the universe, and reality-in-general.  What you put out there to be seen and/or heard will undoubtedly have consequences; and those returns might be good and/or bad depending upon how said actions are received.  Karmic implications aside, there’s also an unsaid undercurrent to the phrase that reminds us that what we’ve seen in the past – near and distant – will likely rear its head again at some time in the present or future.  This alone means that what has been will likely come again even if we may not exactly recognize it in an all-new shape or newly-improved packaging.
 
Case in point: a few years back in my very own neighborhood, the wifey alerted me to several teenagers hiding in the bushes of the house across the street.  This being 5 a.m. and mostly dark, I went outside with a powerful flashlight, walked right up to them, and asked (in a somewhat gruff voice) what the Hell they were up to.  It took a bit of fumbling for them to finally explain that – ahem – there was this new game they were playing from high school.  The objective was to ‘assassinate’ every outbound senior in the days leading up to graduation – with water balloons instead of guns – as this was deemed the best way to give their classmates a riotous send-off into the real world.  Warning them that they were just as likely to be the ones ‘assassinated’ at 5 a.m. running around a neighborhood of lawful gun owners, I bid them farewell.
 
Indeed, something as crafty yet benign as ‘assassination’ has gone through cultural phases; and – for those who missed it – there was a 1982 feature film that sought to capitalize on such a frenzy back in the day.  (As a college sophomore, I, too, played it with dart guns many moons ago.)  Writer/director Nick Castle brought it to the multiplexes near the summer of the year; and – from what I recall – it was largely overlooked.  I couldn’t say why exactly, but it came and went from screens very quickly.  A quick search of Google.com confirms it was no commercial sensation – certainly not like the fade it depicted – and looking at it today as re-discovered release from Synapse Films it’s pretty easy to determine why.
 
This thing was, mostly, shooting blanks.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A college tag assassination game turns deadly as the mentally unstable reigning champion starts killing for real.”
 
Despite what Hollywood will admit, I’ve no doubt that some films are conceived, made, and released ‘on the cheap’ because they sound like the kind of thing that might earn more than a handful of cash; and I suspect that this is how something so flat and unfocused as Tag takes root.  Writer/director Nick Castle found success – alongside the Horror Master himself John Carpenter – with 1981’s Escape From New York – one of my all-time favorite films – so jumping headfirst into something like Tag was probably an easy decision.  Indeed, the commentary track on this disc indicates just how easy it was – I won’t spoil it – and isn’t life grand when something which looks too good to be true practically falls into one’s lap from the get-go?
 
Still, there’s no escaping the absolute blasé atmosphere surrounding so much of the project or – at the very least – what survives on film.  More like a psychological thriller that went awry, Tag is at times as lifeless and empty as are the vast unpopulated corridors of the college dorms used as a backdrop for some of the action: the stalking assassins – students essentially participating in a gaming fad – only hint of a tense situation, but all we’re provided are a few loose laughs.
 
Almost predictably, Tag’s core premise is built around the idea that one of these gamesters is about to take the game much too seriously: on the cusp of losing the title of returning champion, Loren Gersh (played by Bruce Abbott) decides to put in some extra effort, actually murdering those players who threaten his chance to take home the much coveted trophy this school year.  Naturally, such a prospect requires that he have a living and breathing adversary (at least, for a time), and who better to match wits with him that the young and lovely Susan Swayze (Linda Hamilton, in what I believe was her big screen debut).
 
Now, that construct alone is likely what producers thought would entice audiences to consider such treacherous fare.  Castle’s script does affable enough work setting up his few big faces – it’s shockingly bereft with the smaller ones, leaving them to serve as little more than cannon fodder to inevitable victimhood status – but where the storyteller did give Tag an extra layer was incorporating Alex Marsh (Robert Carradine) into the fold.  As a cigar-chomping journalist, he’s hellbent on uncovering just what it is about human behavior that draws them into such life-threatening circumstances; and his stop-at-nothing machismo is the only thing that props Tag up through its admittedly goofier moments.  Granted, it stops short of pushing the film into serious expose territory; and yet Carradine establishes himself very quickly as ‘the one to watch’ in what might inevitably slip into the ash can of cinema history.
 
Tonally, Castle never quite seemed to figure out what his film was supposed to be. 
 
In its opening sequence, an entertaining title sequence taps into same visual antics that make so many of the James Bond pictures sometimes more noteworthy than their plots: hands dance through images of the forthcoming gunplay, and we’re treated to quick, fleeting glimpses of what mischief is yet to come.  Such playfulness only sparingly shows up once the real story begins – a character or two, such as the campus security chief or the game’s collegiate advisor, walk that fine line between authentic and outright parody, leaving me confused as to how serious I was supposed to take any of it – and the effort never quite finds its footing when it should have.  At times, Abbott seems to understand he’s a larger-than-life villain of his own creation, only then to turn in scenes wherein he’s almost inadvertently mocking the psychopath he’s become.  Similarly, Hamilton at times oozes a kind of Film Noir intensity, but like so much of Tag it’s a hook in search of something to hang upon: when nothing else in here resembles noir, what purpose does the insert serve other than the screenwriter’s creativity?
 
In fact, the only real standout here is Carradine, a reflection I make with the knowledge that the actor sadly took his life only a few months back.  Though Castle’s script is fairly thin on characterization (or those little bits and quirks that help add much needed dimension to otherwise interesting faces), the man rather effortlessly walks through each and every scene with an earnestness that conveyed he had the chops to be taken seriously even in comic circumstances.  He’d go on to essentially craft one of the silver screens most memorable nerds – in 1984’s Revenge Of The Nerds, a film aptly named if ever there were one – and only ventured into serious character stuff sparingly (from all I can recall).  His young self here shows a loose kinda/sorta focused charisma that I wish I’d seen more of from his catalogue: who knows where he could’ve ended up had his career banked on the more noble pursuits of men.
 
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982) was produced by Limelight Productions and Tag Productions.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the fine folks at Synapse Films.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are very good.  (If anything, I could nitpick a bit of the audio here – it dips in a few spots and is generally a bit bland – but I suspect that’s probably owed to little extra effort taken during the original recording.)  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  The disk includes the original theatrical trailer along with a commentary track that’s a bit bland for my tastes: while Castle and Carradine’s reflections are nice, there just isn’t a whole lot of energy to the presentation, so I wish that host Sean Clark had pushed for a bit more.
 
Alas … only Mildly Recommended.
 
Without sounding too critical, perhaps the best reason to visit (or revisit) a forgettable flick like Tag: The Assassination Game (1982) is to get a good gander at Carradine, Hamilton, and even B-Movie guy Abbott in their relative youth.  (Surprisingly, Carradine emerges here as having shown some potential that his resulting career never quite took advantage of.)  While the situation and circumstances aren’t credulous in the slightest, writer/director Castle keeps things moving fast enough to forgive much of the lunacy.  The problem is that no one in the ensemble – much less behind the camera – does anything with the material, leaving this one feeling more like a made-for-TV production that somehow found a theatrical release.  I’ve read that it underperformed at the box office but did eek out a satisfactory career on cable and home video; so perhaps that’s where it was destined to be all along.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Synapse Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Tag: The Assassination Game (1982) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

On this day in 2008 (in the U.S.), HBO sunk their network fangs pretty deep into the realms of the Fantastic when it premiered the Alan Ball-produced adaptation of True Blood.  Based on the books by Charlaine Harris, the show starred Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Chris Bauer, and many, many others. 

​Here's the series' premise as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:

"Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse encounters a strange new supernatural world when she meets the mysterious Bill Compton, a southern Louisiana gentleman and vampire."

-- EZ
​

Before Megan ... before Ava ... and before The Terminator's titillating T-X ... there was Small Wonder, TV's attempt to roboticize suburban life with a kid-sized automaton to deliver laughs and lunacy in a quirky sitcom package.  The serial premiered on this day in 1985 under the brainpower of Howard Leeds; and it lasted an impressive four seasons.  It starred Richard Christie, Marla Pennington, Jerrry Supiran, Tiffany Brissette, and Emily Schulman. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the premise:

"The zany adventures of a suburban family, their next-door neighbors, and an innovative robot designed to look like a human child."

-- EZ

On this day in 1950 (in Italy), audiences in attendance of the Venice Film Festival were treated to the theatrical premiere of Orpheus.  Written and directed for the screen by Jean Cocteau, the film starred Jean Marais, François Périer, María Casares, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

Orphée (1950) is a French fantasy film directed by Jean Cocteau that updates the classic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to post-war Paris. [1, 2]
​
Story and Plot

• The Famous Poet: Jean Marais stars as Orphée, a celebrated poet who is popular with the public but scorned by young upstart avant-garde poets.
• Princess Death: Orphée becomes obsessed with a mysterious, wealthy Princess (María Casarès) after a violent cafe incident and a surreal car ride. The Princess is actually Death, and her chauffeur is Heurtebise.
• The Underworld Gateway: Cocteau famously uses ordinary mirrors as gateways to the land of the dead. Orphée becomes transfixed by cryptic radio broadcasts coming from the car radio, eventually leading to the death of his loyal wife, Eurydice (Marie Déa).
• The Fatal Rule: Orphée travels into the underworld to bring Eurydice back, under the strict rule that he must never look at her reflection or face. When he breaks the rule, she vanishes again before a final resolution restores balance and erases their memories. [6]

​
Artistic Style and Themes

• Visual Effects: Cocteau created dreamlike practical effects using reversed film sequences, slow motion, shadows, and reflective water and glass.
• Autobiographical Elements: The film reflects Cocteau's own complex feelings regarding aging, fame, public adoration, and the cost of artistic creation.
• The Orphic Trilogy: It serves as the middle chapter of Cocteau's surrealist trilogy, sitting between The Blood of a Poet (1930) and Testament of Orpheus (1960). [2]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-jVZhQmJ_k
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus_(film)
[3] https://www.criterion.com/films/610-orpheus
[4] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041719/
[5] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orpheus
[6] https://www.facebook.com/LeCinemaWorld/posts/orpheus-1950director-jean-cocteau/1610233321104854/
[7] https://filmforum.org/film/jean-cocteaus-orphic-trilogy-orpheus
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t_detMB-mE

On this day in 1995 (in Italy), audiences in attendance of the Venice Film Festival were treated to the theatrical premiere of The Day Of The Beast (aka El día de la bestia).  Written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia, the film starred Álex Angulo, Armando De Razza, Santiago Segura, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Bent on committing as many sins as possible to avert the birth of the beast, a Catholic priest teams up with a Black Metal aficionado and an Italian connoisseur of the occult. Now, he must become an unrelenting sinner. Is there still hope?"

For the record:
To the film's credit, The Day Of The Beast garnered a great deal of critical praise from screenings on the film festival circuit as well as being recognized with an incredible 14 nominations across several categories at the 1996 Goya Awards.

-- EZ

On this day in 1971 (in Italy), the big city of Turin, Italy enjoyed playing host as the exclusive theatrical premiere for Black Belly Of The Tarantula (aka La tarantola dal ventre nero).  Directed by Paolo Cavara from a story by Lucile Laks and Marcello Danon, the film starred Giancarlo Giannini, Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"An increasingly troubled inspector hunts a killer who paralyzes women before murdering them, all while a web of blackmail and connections to a deceptive spa deepen the investigation."

-- EZ