This is the 52nd in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

This week we are looking at a British TV show that somehow crossed the pond and reached the impressionable eyes of a 6 year old in Richmond, VA. I know I saw episodes of [Read it all...]]]> Forgotten Films: The Invisible Man (1958 – 1960)

This is the 52nd in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

This week we are looking at a British TV show that somehow crossed the pond and reached the impressionable eyes of a 6 year old in Richmond, VA. I know I saw episodes of this show while living in Virginia (and I left there in the summer of 1959) and that I enjoyed them. I do not remember many shows from this period, mostly afternoon or Saturday morning shows like Circus Boy (with future Monkee Mickey Dolenz), Howdy Doody, Superman and the like. Of the evening shows I have fond memories of this one, Zorro, and Shirley Temple Fairy Tale Theater.

A few years ago I got a VHS copy of six episodes of the 26 or 27 (depends on what you read on IMDB, they say both) and I watched the pilot episode. This week I was looking for something to watch and review and this one got the nod.

The pilot episode “Secret Experiment” shops how workaholic researcher Dr. Peter Brady is a victim of an accidental leakage in his laboratory where he working on light refraction. He has just turned a guinea pig invisible when the accident happens and he finds himself invisible, along with the clothing he was wearing (no naked invisible guys here). Rather than doing all of the despicable things an invisible person could do, and which the character in the H. G. Wells source novel did, all Brady wants to do is become visible again. He contacts another scientist located conveniently nearby to help but the fellow has other ideas. The effects are crude, particularly compared with what was done in the later TV series with David McCallum, but they worked for a five year old.

The next episode “Crisis in the Desert” set the tone for the remainder of the series where Queen and Country call for Dr. Brady and his unique gift to help them out with the rescue of a spy in some Middle East country. In “Behind the Mask” a rich foreign art collector who has been badly disfigured volunteers to undergo the invisibility experimentation so that he can hide his face, but he also has plans to assassinate a visiting dignitary. “Shadow on the Screen” has Brady assisting a Russian sailor who is trying to escape a ship. The captain and a crewman have rigged a radar type device to “see” the invisible man. “The Monk Coat” features actress Hazel Court from “Devil Girl From Mars” as a puppeteer who unwittingly is carrying some microfilm of an atomic facility within the lining of the titular coat. Brady and his sister Diane (Lisa Daniely) are vacationing in Paris and Lisa has seen the film be slipped into the coat but Brady thinks she is dreaming. According to IMDB Oliver Reed is in this episode as an uncredited café patron. The last episode is “The Locked Room” which features a female Eastern Bloc scientist who speaks her mind too often and is being sent back to the homeland where she will be reconditioned in a sanitarium. Brady admires her work and thinks she might be able to help him return to normality but find himself hindered when the government cannot remove her from the embassy where she is held in the locked room. A coffin and hearse later come into play.

The shows were fun and filled with great propaganda. In the six episodes we had dictators, several commissars, atomic plants and more. The title character, Dr. Peter Brady, is never credited in any of the six episodes I watched. Our good friends at IMDB credit Tim Turner as Brady for the six episodes I saw. According to them he did 15 episodes and Johnny Scripps did 12 episodes. I know this adds to 27 episodes. They list two seasons of 13 episodes and links to watch all 26. The 27th episode appears to be the unaired pilot which was so poorly done that producer Ralph Smart had it redone.

The series is available on DVD with each season available individually or the entire series in one volume. As I write this it is at Amazon for #26.99 but that can change. List price is $39.99.

Series organizer Todd Mason hosts more Tuesday Forgotten Film reviews at his own blog and posts a complete list of participating blogs.

This is the 85th in my series of Forgotten Books.

This is a classic horror novel that I first read in 1967. I remember reading it quite well because the cover was very evocative. It featured a very pale, vampirish looking woman, very pale with [Read it all...]]]> FORGOTTEN BOOK: TO WALK THE NIGHT by William Sloane, 1937

This is the 85th in my series of Forgotten Books.

This is a classic horror novel that I first read in 1967. I remember reading it quite well because the cover was very evocative. It featured a very pale, vampirish looking woman, very pale with straight eyebrows and striking looks, kind of like Lilly Munster on steroids after a makeover. I enjoyed the book then and have read it a couple of times since. William Sloane wrote two novels, both classics – this one  and THE EDGE OF RUNNING WATER which was filmed as THE DEVIL COMMANDS with and Boris Karloff back in 1941.

The novel is somewhat unconventional. It is the story of Jerry Lister and his brother in everything but name Berkeley, known as Bark. At the beginning of the novel, Jerry is dead, having committed suicide a month earlier with Bark present. Bark is explaining the story to Dr. Lister, Jerry’s (and for all practical purposes) Bark’s father. Bark even addresses him as “Dad” throughout the narrative. He is trying to explain to Dad and himself what really happened.

Jerry and Bark are a couple of years out of college when they return for a homecoming football game against State. The game goes their way and while in town they decide to visit Professor LeNormand, a physicist for whom Jerry had done work while in college. As they arrive at his lab, they discover the professor slumped over his work and he is on fire. They attempt to put out the fire but they are too late and the professor is burned to death.

The two notify the University President who comes over and investigates. He then calls the police. The fire seems to be of an unknown origin and unexplainable. It had apparently just started when the boys arrived but they saw no one else entering or leaving. They spend the night at their former frat house and the next day talk to the police again and the President. They discover Professor LeNormand had recently gotten married under unusual circumstances and the new widow wants to meet with them. The President describes her as “the most beautiful woman in the world”.

He is not exaggerating. Jerry is immediately stricken with Selena LeNormand and before long he has her visiting him and Bark in New York. Bark is not stricken and is amazed about several things. She is obviously very intelligent and beautiful but she does not know how to dress appropriately. Her clothing is not something a beautiful woman would wear, nor is her makeup right. Bark gets his mother Grace to take her under her wing and Selena responds quickly, though Bark suspects it is more an acting or imitation of Grace.

Before long Selena and Jerry are married, much to Bark’s displeasure. He is not quite sure whether there is a jealousy in there or whether something just is not right about Selena.

From here, the narrative works toward the suicide and the details of Selena’s life prior to her marriage to LeNormand and her marriage to Jerry. It is part science fiction, part mystery, part horror. It is a slow building tale so do not expect a splatter type novel here.

I found it really quite compelling again. It had been a long time since I read it and it was almost a new experience all over again. The book has been reprinted multiple times in hardback and paperback so it should be fairly easy to get a copy if you look a little.

Series organizer Patti Abbott hosts more Friday Forgotten Book reviews at her own blog, and posts a complete list of participating blogs.

This is the 51st in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

This is one of the best SF Horror related films of the last few years! Period! It is a very small budget film (IMDB estimates it at $800,000) and it packs a great impact.

At the beginning of [Read it all...]]]> Forgotten Films: Monsters (2010)

This is the 51st in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

This is one of the best SF Horror related films of the last few years! Period! It is a very small budget film (IMDB estimates it at $800,000) and it packs a great impact.

At the beginning of the film, it has been six years since a NASA probe has brought back something from out there. Now portions of the US and Mexico are occupied by the monsters. Disaffected journalist/photographer Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is in Mexico and has been instructed to insure that his publisher’s daughter Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able). The best way to accomplish this to get her on the ferry. He pays big money to do this but, unfortunately, he hooks up with a local and finds the next morning that her ticket and passport have been stolen from him. The only way home now is to follow a path through the Infected Zone.

At this point the film resembles a documentary of human smuggling as they travel through wasted areas on air boats, trying to not capture the attention of authorities or monsters. They meet interesting families along the way and eventually make their way to THE WALL (the caps are deliberate here). This is what Governor Perry and others would really like to have built for the problem of illegals in Texas and Arizona. THE WALL is massive and impressive!

The monsters themselves do show up a little (this is a low budget film, remember) and they are passable. But they are not the story. The story is Andrew and Samantha trying to get back, Andrew trying to get in with the publishing firm by getting this done, and the growing attraction between the pair. The monsters are just a bonus.

Well made and paced the film succeeds on most levels. Unfortunately it was not screened in most cities. I first heard of this from various friends in Austin who proclaimed its wonderfulness. So when I found a used DVD of it, I took the chance. Go ahead and put this on your Netflix queue and move it close to the top.

Stars Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able have a fairly long list of credits from the last ten years but were not actors I recognized at first. This was the first big feature for writer/director/visual effects director Gareth Edwards who had previously done some TV documentaries and one TV movie. This beginning means I will be looking to see where he goes next. IMDB lists a Monsters sequel in his projects in development listings along with a Godzilla film for 2014. Got to be better than the Matthew Broderick one.

Series organizer Todd Mason hosts more Tuesday Forgotten Film reviews at his own blog and posts a complete list of participating blogs.

Cast your vote for the 2012 Hugo Awards and help decide this year’s winners, recognizing [Read it all...]]]>

GAME OF THRONES (top) and DR. WHO (bottom) could be possible contenders in the Best Dramatic Presentation categories. George R. R. Martin fans and Dr. Who fans may have a major impact on who wins this year's Hugo Awards.

Cast your vote for the 2012 Hugo Awards and help decide this year’s winners, recognizing the best in science fiction and fantasy. In order to nominate for this year’s Hugo Award winners, you must register as either a supporting member or attending member of this year’s World Science Fiction Convention by January 31st — this Tuesday! Chicago will be the site of this year’s convention (AKA “The 2012 Worldcon” or “Chicon 7″), and in 2013, it will be San Antonio’s turn to be the host city for this major event.

By registering as a member of the 2012 Worldcon in Chicago, you’re eligible to nominate AND vote for this year’s Hugos. These are two separate processes. The Hugo Awards nomination deadline is Sunday, March 11, 2012, 23:59 PDT. Once the nominations list is announced, the final voting occurs, and the winners are decided. Your vote can decide who is nominated and who wins!

Advice to all San Antonians and Texans interested in voting in the Hugos, but who do not intend to attend the Worldcon in Chicago:

1. Register as a supporting member of the 2012 Chicago Worldcon. The cost is only $50. The supporting membership allows you full Hugo Awards voting rights this year and is less expensive than an attending membership. If you register by this Tuesday, January 31st, you are able to submit nominations AND vote on the final 2012 Hugo ballot. However, if you miss the Tuesday deadline, you can still pay $50 and vote on the final ballot, but you forfeit the ability to nominate. Therefore, registering by this Tuesday is the best value for your $50.

2. Don’t forget to also register for the 2013 Worldcon in San Antonio (AKA “LoneStarCon 3″). It’s not necessary to register for LoneStarCon 3 by this Tuesday, but do bear in mind that membership fees escalate as the con approaches.

The Hugo Awards are the premier award in the science fiction genre, honoring literature, art, and media as well as the genre’s fans. The Hugo Awards were first presented at the 1953 World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia (Philcon II), and they have continued to honor science fiction and fantasy notables for nearly 60 years.

Here is the low-down about Father’s Day according to the Drafthouse web site:

FATHER’S DAY is about the urban legend known [Read it all...]]]> Legendary filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman, president and co-founder of Troma Films, will be hosting the screening of one of his latest films, Father’s Day! Kaufman will introduce the film and stick around afterward for a Q&A!

Here is the low-down about Father’s Day according to the Drafthouse web site:

FATHER’S DAY is about the urban legend known as “The Father’s Day Killer,” which began some years after the demise of serial rapist/murderer Chris Fuchman. Since the 1970s, the use of contraceptives has tripled in North America alone—and a generation of fathers fell asleep with the covers pulled tight, buttocks clenched. The story has become a fire-side cautionary ritual in camping trips, often used by fathers to warn their sons of the dangers of unplanned pregnancy. That deep seeded fear of penetration, violation and eventually death waned as the murder and rape of fathers continued to decline all over the world. Unfortunately, those numbers didn’t remain low, and it would seem that the legend is not yet complete…

Ahab, a man obsessed with exacting a brutal violent revenge on the man who murdered his dad, joins John, an eager priest, and Twink, a hot-headed street hustler, on an epic quest to find and defeat this mythical monster known as Chris Fuchman, AKA…The Father’s Day Killer!

Showtime is 7:00 PM on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see this genius of schlock in person and get to watch a bloody, bad-ass movie!

Kaufman will be selling plenty of sweet Troma merch and will also sign anything fans bring to the show!

This is the 84th in my series of Forgotten Books.

I must confess that I have had this book for more than 20 years and never quite got around to reading it though I had heard great things about it. Seems that is frequently the [Read it all...]]]> FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE COACHMAN RAT by David Henry Wilson, 1989

This is the 84th in my series of Forgotten Books.

I must confess that I have had this book for more than 20 years and never quite got around to reading it though I had heard great things about it. Seems that is frequently the case when you have thousands of books and your “To Be Read” stack fills more than one bookcase.

But I am glad that I finally got around to this one. I was looking for something to read for this week’s column and this one literally fell off the shelf and landed at my feet. And, since my forgotten film this week featured a character named Mouse, it is only fitting that the forgotten book should feature a rat.

This is a retelling of multiple fairy tales, the most prominent being that of Cinderella. Robert, our hero, is a rat roaming around an unnamed town who finds himself fascinated by Man and his traps. He learns how to avoid the traps until he is ready to study them. He finds himself at the home of Amadea, a beautiful young serving girl and he decides she would not hurt him and allows himself to be trapped.

That evening, she is visited by the “Woman of Light” who turns him into a coachman while six white mice become horses and a pumpkin is turned into a golden coach. He is given intelligence and finds himself talking with the footmen while Amadea is dancing and enjoying the party. Suddenly the clock strikes midnight and he finds himself changing back into a rat, the coach becomes a pumpkin and the horses return to their mousey forms.

The pumpkin is smashed and the white mice are killed, but Robert manages to escape. He returns home but finds that his family no longer accepts him. He thinks like a man and he speaks like a man. He eventually makes his way back to Amadea’s house but she is no longer there. He hears her step-sisters talking about how if they had only cut off their toes the slipper might have fit and they would be with the prince rather than her.

Robert makes the acquaintance of Mr. Biggs, who imprisons him and has him speak at the local trade fairs where he makes money. Robert is eventually sold to Dr. Richter who wants to know more about the rat and his condition. He is convinced that Robert believes what he says but Dr. Richter cannot believe in Magic so there must be another explanation. Robert merely wants to talk with Amadea to ask her to bring back the ‘Woman of Light’ so he can be a man again. Eventually he meets up with Devlin, who arranges for a meeting with the Princess Amadea.

Unfortunately she cannot contact the Woman but promises to pass along his request when she does meet her again. Robert is ecstatic and so is Devlin, but for entirely different reasons.

At this point I am not going to summarize more because crucial plot points occur here and I would rather not do the spoilers because they are clever and worth finding on your own. Let’s just say that Robert does eventually assume human form but at a high cost. He discovers good and evil and does both.

This was a very good and clever book which I really enjoyed. Many people have played with revisions to fairy tales over the years and this is one of the better retellings. I can recommend this one highly.

The book is readily available at the usual internet locations for a minimal price if you are so interested. And you should be.

Series organizer Patti Abbott hosts more Friday Forgotten Book reviews at her own blog, and posts a complete list of participating blogs.

If you are interested, [Read it all...]]]> The Division Heads of Lone Star Con 3, the World Science Fiction Convention set for 2013 here in San Antonio, will be meeting this coming Saturday, January 21. They have arranged for a Meet-and-Greet with interested local fans at the Marriott Rivercenter at 5 PM to discuss a variety of issues.

If you are interested, please stop by and see them. After the Meet-and-Greet, interested parties will break up and go to dinner.

We look forward to seeing you!

Showtime is 7:30 PM on Wednesday, January 18, [Read it all...]]]> Tonight is Doctor Who Appreciation Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes and get ready for a great one. Hitting the big screen is the two-part episode Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead featuring David Tennant in the role of the 10th incarnation of the Doctor.

Showtime is 7:30 PM on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. Arrive early for the pre-show activities and to reserve a seat. Dragon’s Lair will be at the Drafthouse selling a loads of Doctor Who merchandise. Last time I was at the Lair I saw the new Lego-like UK Doctor Who Minifigs from Character Builder. Admission is free, but you will need to get a ticket from the box office to secure your spot.

Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes is at 1255 SW Loop 410, San Antonio, Texas.

In this tale, The Doctor and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) enter an abandoned library, but not just any old library – it’s the greatest in the universe. The one that was sealed off a century before, without any explanation – unless you include the cryptic warning “Count the shadows”. With the shadows on the move again, the Doctor and Donna must uncover the terrible truth behind the Nodes and the Data Ghost to reveal the library’s secret. This is also our first introduction to Professor River Song (Alex Kingston).

Originally broadcast in mid-2008, these episodes were nominated for a Hugo Award.

Doctor Who Appreciation Night is sponsored by Doctor Who Fans Unite.

This is the 50th in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

I am not sure how forgotten this film is these days. I certainly have never forgotten it but when I mentioned it to a few folks the other day, they were like “Oh, yeah! I sorta remember that [Read it all...]]]> Forgotten Films: Ladyhawke (1985)

This is the 50th in my series of Forgotten Obscure or Neglected Films

I am not sure how forgotten this film is these days. I certainly have never forgotten it but when I mentioned it to a few folks the other day, they were like “Oh, yeah! I sorta remember that one.” And that convinced me I was on the right track.

While far from perfect, this remains a pretty fine fantasy film. It is set in some medieval land where Phillipe “Mouse” Gaston (Matthew Broderick) is a thief and pickpocket who has escaped from the dungeons of Aquila, something no one has ever done. As he is fleeing the country, he encounters a roaming knight, Captain Etienne Navarre, formerly of Aquila’s guard. He rides a huge horse and swings a mean sword. He is accompanied by a hawk on which he dotes. Phillipe is rescued from the pursuing guards by Etienne and rides with him. At night, Phillipe stays indoors while Etienne remains outside. On one of the nights, Phillipe meets a beautiful young woman, Isabeau d’Anjou (Michelle Pfeiffer). He speaks to her and in the morning she is gone. One night as he is out, he encounters a giant wolf from which he barely escapes.

Phillipe and Etienne make their way to the home of a drunken priest, Father Imperius (Leo McKern). Here Phillipe hears the tale of the knight and his love, Etienne and Isabeau, and the Bishop (John Wood) who loved Isabeau and of the priest who mistakenly betrayed the true love and the curse laid upon them. Etienne is cursed to be a wolf at night and Isabeau remains a hawk during daylight. Always together and always apart.

Etienne is determined to kill the Bishop while Father Imperius has other plans. If Etienne succeeds, they will never be able to be together, while Rather Imperius’ plan may break the curse. But they are impetuous and cannot be told what to do.

It is pretty well thought out and acted. One of the great fun things in watching this again was seeing Alfred Molina in a very early role. I always seem to like the roles he portrays.

I really enjoyed this film when I first saw it, when it came up again on cable and just now as I saw it again. It may not be perfect but there are few better fantasies around. Check it out for the first time if you have not seen it or watch it again if you have. You will not be disappointed.

Series organizer Todd Mason hosts more Tuesday Forgotten Film reviews at his own blog and posts a complete list of participating blogs.