Good morning, gentle readers! Welcome back to yet another case of 'The Mondays!'
Woof! Am I right?
Ah, come on ... it's not that bad. Another Monday -- after all -- means the start to another great week of genre-specific trivia, and that can't be a bad thing. It's good to always find something new to celebrate ... maybe find out a bit more about a cherished celebrity or a forgotten movie ... and join in with the effort to bring the past alive ... especially as it relates to all of the smilers who helped to make the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror as powerful as they've become with their work in the days gone by. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it! I'm still thrilled to have all of you along for the ride!
How was the weekend, you ask? Well, thank you very much! It was busy. Uncharacteristically busy. The wifey and I enjoyed a great burger and gymnastics meet on Friday night, and then we busied ourselves with experiencing the unbridled joys of High School speech and debate on Saturday. (One of my volunteer gigs is helping to coach some of these youngsters, so it's so damn refreshing to see so much talent in our future leaders. Mind you: I don't always agree with their political opinions or their dramatic choices, but it's still really refreshing to see what they can do when they put their minds to it.) Sunday? Ah, that was a lazy day, because we'd earned it.
As for this week, I have a short stack of new physical media that's been sent to me from distributors, and I really have to dig into them. There are some great genre titles in there, so if I were you I'd keep watching this space as the reviews should be flowing in print form very, very, very soon. While I may have a small medical appointment this afternoon, the day will otherwise likely be spent in front of the glare of the TV set. It's a hard-knock life, but somebody's gotta do it.
Woof! Am I right?
Ah, come on ... it's not that bad. Another Monday -- after all -- means the start to another great week of genre-specific trivia, and that can't be a bad thing. It's good to always find something new to celebrate ... maybe find out a bit more about a cherished celebrity or a forgotten movie ... and join in with the effort to bring the past alive ... especially as it relates to all of the smilers who helped to make the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror as powerful as they've become with their work in the days gone by. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it! I'm still thrilled to have all of you along for the ride!
How was the weekend, you ask? Well, thank you very much! It was busy. Uncharacteristically busy. The wifey and I enjoyed a great burger and gymnastics meet on Friday night, and then we busied ourselves with experiencing the unbridled joys of High School speech and debate on Saturday. (One of my volunteer gigs is helping to coach some of these youngsters, so it's so damn refreshing to see so much talent in our future leaders. Mind you: I don't always agree with their political opinions or their dramatic choices, but it's still really refreshing to see what they can do when they put their minds to it.) Sunday? Ah, that was a lazy day, because we'd earned it.
As for this week, I have a short stack of new physical media that's been sent to me from distributors, and I really have to dig into them. There are some great genre titles in there, so if I were you I'd keep watching this space as the reviews should be flowing in print form very, very, very soon. While I may have a small medical appointment this afternoon, the day will otherwise likely be spent in front of the glare of the TV set. It's a hard-knock life, but somebody's gotta do it.
I've mentioned somewhere on this great mountain of trivia that I was slow to love the very first Alien (1979) film.
Now, don't get me wrong: I saw it for extremely high quality storytelling right out of the gate, but I had some minor issues with the story. As one who typically hasn't much cared for the traditional locked box yarn (mostly because they're so predictable), I came out of wishing for a few more twists and turns, maybe a bit more depth added to the whole Xenomorph background. Critters and creatures that get no historical perspective in a story -- or, at the very least, some explanation of who they are and where they came from -- end up falling a bit flat with me for the simple fact that I like answers. So the script -- while great in some ways -- just brushed over a bit too much, outright ignoring the kinds of things I like to know about a new species. Naturally, it didn't quite sit well with Yours Truly, so I was kinda/sorta split on it.
Still, there was nothing else on film before -- to my limited knowledge at the time -- that had ever looked like the fabled Xenomorph. It was truly an inspired look at something vastly different that had come before ... so all genre fans most definitely owe a debt of gratitude to its designer, the late H.R. Giger. Without this man's astonishing grasp of the scariest damn visions ever adapted to celluloid, all of that original film just wouldn't have worked as well as it did. That alone is one astonishing legacy; and, yes, he deserved the Academy Award (he shares with others) in 1980 for bringing such a unique and disturbing vision to life.
So ... wherever you are, Mr. Giger, Happy Birthday from all of us!
Now, don't get me wrong: I saw it for extremely high quality storytelling right out of the gate, but I had some minor issues with the story. As one who typically hasn't much cared for the traditional locked box yarn (mostly because they're so predictable), I came out of wishing for a few more twists and turns, maybe a bit more depth added to the whole Xenomorph background. Critters and creatures that get no historical perspective in a story -- or, at the very least, some explanation of who they are and where they came from -- end up falling a bit flat with me for the simple fact that I like answers. So the script -- while great in some ways -- just brushed over a bit too much, outright ignoring the kinds of things I like to know about a new species. Naturally, it didn't quite sit well with Yours Truly, so I was kinda/sorta split on it.
Still, there was nothing else on film before -- to my limited knowledge at the time -- that had ever looked like the fabled Xenomorph. It was truly an inspired look at something vastly different that had come before ... so all genre fans most definitely owe a debt of gratitude to its designer, the late H.R. Giger. Without this man's astonishing grasp of the scariest damn visions ever adapted to celluloid, all of that original film just wouldn't have worked as well as it did. That alone is one astonishing legacy; and, yes, he deserved the Academy Award (he shares with others) in 1980 for bringing such a unique and disturbing vision to life.
So ... wherever you are, Mr. Giger, Happy Birthday from all of us!
Egads, folks! If I had a nickle for every time some knucklehead on the other side of a web browser showed up in my space trying to tell me what is and what isn't Science Fiction or Fantasy or Horror, then I'd be a very, very, very wealthy man. But, yes, I consider Blue Thunder to -- first and foremost -- be an Action flick, but because its central story -- that of cutting-edge technology applied to a start of the art flying helicopter -- utilizes the elements of Science Fiction, it gets featured in this space.
Tough boobies, my friend, if you think otherwise.
I've no problem confessing this is one of my soft spots when it comes to film. Blue Thunder -- as brought to the screen by director John Badham -- is blazingly near perfect in showcasing the sentiments of what can possible go wrong with technology put into the wrong hands, and Roy Scheider as veteran police chopper pilot 'Murphy' is perfectly cast as the guy who'll break every conceivable rule if it means he'll get the job done right. Fabulous story. Fabulous pacing. And a fabulous message for its time. Those of you who haven't seen it have no idea what theatrical joy you're missing, so I'll encourage you to seek it out with no delay.
The film first premiered on this day all the way back in 1983; and, yes, it still looks good decades later.
Tough boobies, my friend, if you think otherwise.
I've no problem confessing this is one of my soft spots when it comes to film. Blue Thunder -- as brought to the screen by director John Badham -- is blazingly near perfect in showcasing the sentiments of what can possible go wrong with technology put into the wrong hands, and Roy Scheider as veteran police chopper pilot 'Murphy' is perfectly cast as the guy who'll break every conceivable rule if it means he'll get the job done right. Fabulous story. Fabulous pacing. And a fabulous message for its time. Those of you who haven't seen it have no idea what theatrical joy you're missing, so I'll encourage you to seek it out with no delay.
The film first premiered on this day all the way back in 1983; and, yes, it still looks good decades later.
Holy Mother of Dragons ... can we all just give a shout of praise to the works of Bruce Timm today?
This man achieved some genius-level storytelling especially as such acclaim applies to the world of DC Comics. He was tasked with bringing the seminal avenger of Batman to life on the small screen with Batman: The Animated Series; and -- in the process -- the result likely grew Batfandom to incredible lengths. Such epic storytelling brought an untold number of new fans to the BatUniverse; and the fact that he was pretty much given the reins to do more -- Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League -- shows that the powers that be saw what he was doing, liked it, and demanded more. His is a talent I truly wish was in charge of the DC Cinematic Universe -- I said as much online for some time -- but, alas, it wasn't meant to be. He may not have been the perfect choice, what with his background being animation, but I would've loved to see what he could do with a live action incarnation of any of the big characters.
His work in both crafting and bringing a whole new iteration in the BatUniverse -- Batman Beyond -- was awarded with a Primetime Emmy back in 2001.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Timm! Our spotlight shines strongly in favor of your work!
This man achieved some genius-level storytelling especially as such acclaim applies to the world of DC Comics. He was tasked with bringing the seminal avenger of Batman to life on the small screen with Batman: The Animated Series; and -- in the process -- the result likely grew Batfandom to incredible lengths. Such epic storytelling brought an untold number of new fans to the BatUniverse; and the fact that he was pretty much given the reins to do more -- Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League -- shows that the powers that be saw what he was doing, liked it, and demanded more. His is a talent I truly wish was in charge of the DC Cinematic Universe -- I said as much online for some time -- but, alas, it wasn't meant to be. He may not have been the perfect choice, what with his background being animation, but I would've loved to see what he could do with a live action incarnation of any of the big characters.
His work in both crafting and bringing a whole new iteration in the BatUniverse -- Batman Beyond -- was awarded with a Primetime Emmy back in 2001.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Timm! Our spotlight shines strongly in favor of your work!
Of course, there's more. There's a great deal more as the Daily Citation Day for February 5th hosts presently a mind-blowing 71 different entries, so please -- PLEASE, I IMPLORE YOU -- head on over there and check it out for posterity's sake:
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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