Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to 'On This Day In Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror History' for Monday, April 22, 2024!
How's your Monday shaping up, eh?
I know, I know, I know ... apologies, my friends, for not having a post on the MainPage for a few days. I got sidetracked with the Business of Life, and I was away from the blog for a short while. Don't fret, you knuckleheads, it was nothing dire. I just -- in all honesty -- had an awful lot going on over the last few days, most of it social stuff like theater outings and whatnot, so I didn't exactly have the level of free time I normally do. It happens to us all from time-to-time, and, yeppers, that's all this was. Just busy. Very busy. But I'm back at it, and it should be a very exciting week as I have a few flicks I'll be reviewing and maybe even a small(ish) announcement or two. I'm presently hammering out some new prospects with a new distributor, so I might be receiving even a few more releases to watch. So -- as I'm always warning -- keep your eyes peeled. Busy guy. Busy guy.
But ... on to more important matters? How was your weekend? Here's hoping it brought you all the merriment and joy that mine did. Saturdays and Sundays can be great opportunities to refresh oneself against the corrosion of the work week, and I sincerely hope your 'days off' were all that they could be and more. I know I cherish mine, and I can only imagine each of you cherish yours equally.
How's your Monday shaping up, eh?
I know, I know, I know ... apologies, my friends, for not having a post on the MainPage for a few days. I got sidetracked with the Business of Life, and I was away from the blog for a short while. Don't fret, you knuckleheads, it was nothing dire. I just -- in all honesty -- had an awful lot going on over the last few days, most of it social stuff like theater outings and whatnot, so I didn't exactly have the level of free time I normally do. It happens to us all from time-to-time, and, yeppers, that's all this was. Just busy. Very busy. But I'm back at it, and it should be a very exciting week as I have a few flicks I'll be reviewing and maybe even a small(ish) announcement or two. I'm presently hammering out some new prospects with a new distributor, so I might be receiving even a few more releases to watch. So -- as I'm always warning -- keep your eyes peeled. Busy guy. Busy guy.
But ... on to more important matters? How was your weekend? Here's hoping it brought you all the merriment and joy that mine did. Saturdays and Sundays can be great opportunities to refresh oneself against the corrosion of the work week, and I sincerely hope your 'days off' were all that they could be and more. I know I cherish mine, and I can only imagine each of you cherish yours equally.
Now, you young skulls aren't nearly old enough to appreciate what I'm about to write, but I'll encourage you to pay attention all the same. This may not be wisdom I'm trying to impart, yet it could be considered a message worth hearing all the same.
Those of us who are a bit 'long in the tooth' and grew up in the 1980's? Well, there are a collection of faces that kinda/sorta take us back to those seminal years. We may not see these actors and actresses all that frequently today -- for whatever reason -- but a welcome expression such as that belonging to the forever lovely Catherine Mary Stewart still has the power to pick us up and transport back to the 1980's when she was a Screen Queen (not a Scream Queen, but you get the idea). The talented actress was a part of a good number of flicks that were required viewing from those bygone days, making a good many men and (cough cough) women of a certain persuasion perhaps fall in love with her wholesome goodness. Yes, I'm pretty sure that 1984's The Last Starfighter was my first time discovering her grace and beauty on the silver screen; and that positive experience means that she'll be forever etched into my brain, signifying a kinder and gentler era for yours truly.
Even though the lady still acts to this day, I think that she'll forever be trapped in the 80's, most of that sentiment owed to her popularity in Starfighter and the Cult/SciFi flick Night Of The Comet (not a fan, personally, but it was great to see she could deliver such an effective one-two punch in genre). So join me in wishing her a 'Happy Birthday' on this, her special day!
Those of us who are a bit 'long in the tooth' and grew up in the 1980's? Well, there are a collection of faces that kinda/sorta take us back to those seminal years. We may not see these actors and actresses all that frequently today -- for whatever reason -- but a welcome expression such as that belonging to the forever lovely Catherine Mary Stewart still has the power to pick us up and transport back to the 1980's when she was a Screen Queen (not a Scream Queen, but you get the idea). The talented actress was a part of a good number of flicks that were required viewing from those bygone days, making a good many men and (cough cough) women of a certain persuasion perhaps fall in love with her wholesome goodness. Yes, I'm pretty sure that 1984's The Last Starfighter was my first time discovering her grace and beauty on the silver screen; and that positive experience means that she'll be forever etched into my brain, signifying a kinder and gentler era for yours truly.
Even though the lady still acts to this day, I think that she'll forever be trapped in the 80's, most of that sentiment owed to her popularity in Starfighter and the Cult/SciFi flick Night Of The Comet (not a fan, personally, but it was great to see she could deliver such an effective one-two punch in genre). So join me in wishing her a 'Happy Birthday' on this, her special day!
Sometimes, I find it incredible how one actor or actress kinda/sorta appears to come out of nowhere and rise to the level of being considered an authentic genre phenomenon ... and -- all the while -- the guy or the gal were right there making a solid mark all along the way ... almost as if no one ever saw them before this one moment in time.
That's the way I think about Jeffrey Morgan Dean.
This is an actor with an incredible roster of projects -- at each opportunity the guy delivered solid if not incredible work -- and yet it seems as if it took so very long for his 'overnight success' to finally find him. For what it's worth, I thought his early stuff was just as great as the work he's finding today; and I'm at a loss to explain why audiences didn't perhaps embrace him sooner -- much sooner -- as it makes me wonder what roles he missed out on because he kinda/sorta simmered just under everyone's attention for so long.
But ... hey ... stints in such properties as Supernatural, Extant, Magic City, and The Walking Dead finally served the talent up on a silver platter for those paying attention; and isn't it grand when that happens? He definitely put in his time and earned his place in genre circles, and here's hoping the man has a long life filled with exactly the kind of work we love to see leading men occupy. He's a force to watch, even if it's at the business end of a barb-wire laced baseball bat.
Happy birthday, Mr. Morgan!
That's the way I think about Jeffrey Morgan Dean.
This is an actor with an incredible roster of projects -- at each opportunity the guy delivered solid if not incredible work -- and yet it seems as if it took so very long for his 'overnight success' to finally find him. For what it's worth, I thought his early stuff was just as great as the work he's finding today; and I'm at a loss to explain why audiences didn't perhaps embrace him sooner -- much sooner -- as it makes me wonder what roles he missed out on because he kinda/sorta simmered just under everyone's attention for so long.
But ... hey ... stints in such properties as Supernatural, Extant, Magic City, and The Walking Dead finally served the talent up on a silver platter for those paying attention; and isn't it grand when that happens? He definitely put in his time and earned his place in genre circles, and here's hoping the man has a long life filled with exactly the kind of work we love to see leading men occupy. He's a force to watch, even if it's at the business end of a barb-wire laced baseball bat.
Happy birthday, Mr. Morgan!
My, my, my ...
You kids with your long-form storytelling definitely owe a debt to David Lynch and Mark Frost that you'll never ever repay as the 1990's were phenomenal when a little something-something called Twin Peaks became 'all the rage.' This was before the internet -- I know very few of you can appreciate those dark ages -- and that meant that if you wanted to actually do a deep dive on what goodness the show delivered you actually had to go to the watercooler at work and congregate around REAL PEOPLE. And, yes, that we did congregate, and, yes, that we did talk about Twin Peaks, what it showed us, and what it all may've meant. Let's just say that we got it wrong more often than we got it right, but that's the genius that worked beneath the surface of the long-form tale. Heck, Lynch and his willing co-conspirators even took a few decades off before starting the story up with an all-new angle on Showtime (pay cable); while it may not have been as genius or as fresh as it was back in the 1990's, it still made for quality entertainment.
And there's no talking about Twin Peaks without breeching the subject of what really happened to the late Laura Palmer -- the franchise's central victim -- and there's no breeching the subject of Laura Palmer without naming the actress who brought her to life (and death): the fabulous Sheryl Lee.
The actress has continued to work since those fateful days, but -- in my humble estimation -- nothing has truly come close to the narrative punch that Peaks peaked in her career. While it's always great to see her in no matter the genre, I think she'll always be linked with that role ... and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
You kids with your long-form storytelling definitely owe a debt to David Lynch and Mark Frost that you'll never ever repay as the 1990's were phenomenal when a little something-something called Twin Peaks became 'all the rage.' This was before the internet -- I know very few of you can appreciate those dark ages -- and that meant that if you wanted to actually do a deep dive on what goodness the show delivered you actually had to go to the watercooler at work and congregate around REAL PEOPLE. And, yes, that we did congregate, and, yes, that we did talk about Twin Peaks, what it showed us, and what it all may've meant. Let's just say that we got it wrong more often than we got it right, but that's the genius that worked beneath the surface of the long-form tale. Heck, Lynch and his willing co-conspirators even took a few decades off before starting the story up with an all-new angle on Showtime (pay cable); while it may not have been as genius or as fresh as it was back in the 1990's, it still made for quality entertainment.
And there's no talking about Twin Peaks without breeching the subject of what really happened to the late Laura Palmer -- the franchise's central victim -- and there's no breeching the subject of Laura Palmer without naming the actress who brought her to life (and death): the fabulous Sheryl Lee.
The actress has continued to work since those fateful days, but -- in my humble estimation -- nothing has truly come close to the narrative punch that Peaks peaked in her career. While it's always great to see her in no matter the genre, I think she'll always be linked with that role ... and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Just like that, we've once again reached that point in our daily program wherein I remind you that there's more -- and much more -- over on the Daily Citation Page for April 22nd ... and it's at this point wherein I challenge each and every one of you to head on over there, check it out, and perform your own deep dive. April 22nd hosts a number of big birthdays, but I'll leave those others to you for your own discovery and edification as I'm sure there's something there for each of you. All one need do is click ...
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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