Well, well, well ... Holy Mother of Dragons, my friends ... it's Monday all over again!
Nonetheless ... good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to the start of a whole new week. Here's hoping the weekend got you just as refreshed as you need to be in order to greet the challenges of an all-new week with the fuel required to get 'er done. Mine was very rewarding -- for a number of personal reasons I'll not trouble you with -- and I'm here, ready and raring to go.
I did not, however, get much time to do the usual genre work over the weekend. Gotta be honest. I mentioned last week that I'd be busy for a significant portion of Saturday, and that was definitely the case. Sunday, I had to catch up on some of life's smaller errands, as well as take in some activities with the wifey, and there's that. We did manage to squeeze in some casual TV for relaxation, so I think we were both reasonably well rejuvenated from the daily shuffle of life itself. Granted, we could all use more free time, am I right, but we do both try to make the best of the time we are given ... just like Gandalf encouraged us.
And what did I earn for all of my good deeds? Why, I have a sore throat this morning, thank you very (damn) much. Gotta take better care of myself, it would seem.
Nonetheless ... good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to the start of a whole new week. Here's hoping the weekend got you just as refreshed as you need to be in order to greet the challenges of an all-new week with the fuel required to get 'er done. Mine was very rewarding -- for a number of personal reasons I'll not trouble you with -- and I'm here, ready and raring to go.
I did not, however, get much time to do the usual genre work over the weekend. Gotta be honest. I mentioned last week that I'd be busy for a significant portion of Saturday, and that was definitely the case. Sunday, I had to catch up on some of life's smaller errands, as well as take in some activities with the wifey, and there's that. We did manage to squeeze in some casual TV for relaxation, so I think we were both reasonably well rejuvenated from the daily shuffle of life itself. Granted, we could all use more free time, am I right, but we do both try to make the best of the time we are given ... just like Gandalf encouraged us.
And what did I earn for all of my good deeds? Why, I have a sore throat this morning, thank you very (damn) much. Gotta take better care of myself, it would seem.
On this day all the way back in 1960, Rod Serling's immortal The Twilight Zone aired one of the more critically acclaimed episodes of its entire run when it unleashed "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" to TV audiences.
Here's the episode's narration -- spoken by Serling himself -- compliments of the good people over on Wikipedia.org:
"Maple Street, U.S.A., late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, barbecues, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice cream vendor. At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, it will be precisely 6:43 P.M. on Maple Street. This is Maple Street on a late Saturday afternoon. Maple Street in the last calm and reflective moment –before the monsters came."
This installment shows as being written by Serling as well, and it was directed by Ron Winston. IMDB.com reports that Winston directed two other episodes of the show, but I think it's safe to suggest that this was the most memorable of his experiences. I say this because, as I understand it, the Writers Guild Of America acknowledged "Monsters" with a 1961 nomination in their category of best script to any 30-minute anthology format show ... and that speaks volumes.
The episode cast such names from the era as Claude Akins, Barry Atwater, Jack Weston, Jan Handzlik, Amzie Strickland, and Burt Metcalfe in key roles. Here's the plot summary as provided by the good people at IMDB.com:
"On a pleasant day, the residents of Maple Street feel something akin to a tremor and hear a loud noise. Steve Brand thinks it's a meteorite though they didn't see a crater. When young Tommy tells them the science fiction story he read about an alien invasion where they were first sent among humans to live with them in disguise, paranoia sets in. They first suspect Les Goodman and loudmouth Charlie Farnsworth then points the finger at Steve and then Tommy. Events turn on Charlie as everyone runs amok."
Here's the episode's narration -- spoken by Serling himself -- compliments of the good people over on Wikipedia.org:
"Maple Street, U.S.A., late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, barbecues, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice cream vendor. At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, it will be precisely 6:43 P.M. on Maple Street. This is Maple Street on a late Saturday afternoon. Maple Street in the last calm and reflective moment –before the monsters came."
This installment shows as being written by Serling as well, and it was directed by Ron Winston. IMDB.com reports that Winston directed two other episodes of the show, but I think it's safe to suggest that this was the most memorable of his experiences. I say this because, as I understand it, the Writers Guild Of America acknowledged "Monsters" with a 1961 nomination in their category of best script to any 30-minute anthology format show ... and that speaks volumes.
The episode cast such names from the era as Claude Akins, Barry Atwater, Jack Weston, Jan Handzlik, Amzie Strickland, and Burt Metcalfe in key roles. Here's the plot summary as provided by the good people at IMDB.com:
"On a pleasant day, the residents of Maple Street feel something akin to a tremor and hear a loud noise. Steve Brand thinks it's a meteorite though they didn't see a crater. When young Tommy tells them the science fiction story he read about an alien invasion where they were first sent among humans to live with them in disguise, paranoia sets in. They first suspect Les Goodman and loudmouth Charlie Farnsworth then points the finger at Steve and then Tommy. Events turn on Charlie as everyone runs amok."
On this day all the way back in 1977, another TV genre franchise was just earning its sea legs (snicker snicker) when the weekly serial that was Man From Atlantis enjoyed its small screen launch. This fishy procedural was created by Mayo Simon (screenwriter of 1969's Marooned, 1974's Phase IV, and 1976's Futureworld) and Herbert F. Solow (production manager for 54 episodes of the SciFi Classic Star Trek on TV); and Man From Atlantis swam on for a total of 17 episodes, a collection I believe is available on DVD via Warner Archive.
Now, I didn't watch this one, so I'm only going off what I've read, but I believe it was originally launched by a series of telefilms that I've heard were fairly highly regarded. The series? Well, again I can only go on reviews, but it would seem that the concept was heavily dumbed down; and perhaps there was some effort to make it far more kiddie-friendly. Stranger things have happened in one properties evolution from stand-alone stories to weekly serials, but one thing's clear: it didn't quite have the right stuff to endure longer than a single season, so invest wisely in this one if you're interested, my friends.
Here's the program's core premise as provided by IMDB.com:
"Mark Harris is the lone survivor of the legendary sunken continent of Atlantis. Having adapted to life underwater, Mark possesses webbed hands, light-sensitive eyes, and the ability to swim at low depths in the sea for long periods. He draws strength from water and can overpower most ordinary men. Mark assists an institute for undersea research operated by his human friends, Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and C.W. Crawford, and joins Dr. Merrill in several exploratory missions aboard a high-tech submarine. They encounter several bizarre phenomena, including portals leading to other dimensions, a substance capable of altering personalities, an impish creature whose touch causes a mental return to childhood, and the scheme of a portly millionaire, Mr. Schubert, to melt the polar icecaps."
Now, I didn't watch this one, so I'm only going off what I've read, but I believe it was originally launched by a series of telefilms that I've heard were fairly highly regarded. The series? Well, again I can only go on reviews, but it would seem that the concept was heavily dumbed down; and perhaps there was some effort to make it far more kiddie-friendly. Stranger things have happened in one properties evolution from stand-alone stories to weekly serials, but one thing's clear: it didn't quite have the right stuff to endure longer than a single season, so invest wisely in this one if you're interested, my friends.
Here's the program's core premise as provided by IMDB.com:
"Mark Harris is the lone survivor of the legendary sunken continent of Atlantis. Having adapted to life underwater, Mark possesses webbed hands, light-sensitive eyes, and the ability to swim at low depths in the sea for long periods. He draws strength from water and can overpower most ordinary men. Mark assists an institute for undersea research operated by his human friends, Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and C.W. Crawford, and joins Dr. Merrill in several exploratory missions aboard a high-tech submarine. They encounter several bizarre phenomena, including portals leading to other dimensions, a substance capable of altering personalities, an impish creature whose touch causes a mental return to childhood, and the scheme of a portly millionaire, Mr. Schubert, to melt the polar icecaps."
It ain't easy being green ... but it's probably even harder being writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson.
Kind of like Zack Snyder, the mere mention of Anderson's name draws up a whole host of reactions from good to bad to ugly, and -- hear me out -- I think that's a shame. Genre entertainment -- especially Science Fiction and Fantasy -- doesn't always have to be 'high brow,' and, in fact, some of the very best entries into the realms of the Fantastic can be downright silly at times. While there are some in fandom who think that such lesser works shouldn't quite get the time of day, I've always been comfortable watching just about anything that comes close to fitting the bill as I'm willing to wait for whatever slim goodness I can find in even the most insufferable attempt to separate me from my cash. Call me a fool, if you will, but it's just how I'm wired.
So ...
While I'll concede that maybe -- just maybe -- Anderson hasn't quite delivered his magnum opus just yet (or maybe that's just me being hopeful), I've still managed to squeeze some fun out of some of his efforts. No, the Resident Evil franchise isn't any highwater mark -- honestly, I'll admit to not quite understanding a good deal of its evolution -- he's still dabbled with other entries like Event Horizon (1997), Soldier (1998), and AVP: Alien Vs. Predator (2004) that have tickled my fancy -- in good ways and in bad -- all the same. Kudos to the work, I say, and keep it coming.
Anderson was born on this day back in 1965.
Kind of like Zack Snyder, the mere mention of Anderson's name draws up a whole host of reactions from good to bad to ugly, and -- hear me out -- I think that's a shame. Genre entertainment -- especially Science Fiction and Fantasy -- doesn't always have to be 'high brow,' and, in fact, some of the very best entries into the realms of the Fantastic can be downright silly at times. While there are some in fandom who think that such lesser works shouldn't quite get the time of day, I've always been comfortable watching just about anything that comes close to fitting the bill as I'm willing to wait for whatever slim goodness I can find in even the most insufferable attempt to separate me from my cash. Call me a fool, if you will, but it's just how I'm wired.
So ...
While I'll concede that maybe -- just maybe -- Anderson hasn't quite delivered his magnum opus just yet (or maybe that's just me being hopeful), I've still managed to squeeze some fun out of some of his efforts. No, the Resident Evil franchise isn't any highwater mark -- honestly, I'll admit to not quite understanding a good deal of its evolution -- he's still dabbled with other entries like Event Horizon (1997), Soldier (1998), and AVP: Alien Vs. Predator (2004) that have tickled my fancy -- in good ways and in bad -- all the same. Kudos to the work, I say, and keep it coming.
Anderson was born on this day back in 1965.
With an incredible 78 genre trivia citations -- and even more on the way -- March is certainly shaping up quite well, and this is the point wherein I encourage you to head on over, check it out, and share it with your friends, family, enemies because that's just what we do in the civil society. We share and share alike, and I'm always happy to see you're helping my readership grow.
Also, I've been kicked around an idea that someone kinda/sorta suggested to me, folks.
One of the experiences that's sadly been lost with the death of the corner video store is the whole 'browsing' of shelves. Folks like me used to go into the local Blockbuster, and we'd spend a good amount of time just browsing the rental boxes, checking out titles we'd never heard of and keeping lists of those that sounded interesting, making a mental note to do a bit of research before making a rental. Such a lose is a horrific tragedy -- there's really no place to just enjoy the window dressing, you know -- and a faithful reader put me in touch with an idea to kinda/sorta feature new and/or obscure titles in their own posts. It would promote a bit of genre literacy, and it would maybe just give readers the chance to know a bit more about films that would otherwise vanish into obscruity ... something I've always thought a tragedy.
I'll let you know what I do with it in the days ahead.
In the meantime ... thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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