here's weird 1990's movie Cap played by the son of JD Salinger here to wish you a happy birthday, Jake. I assume you're turning 87 or 13. I'm not sure how old you are.
Film. Comics. Sci-Fi. Superheroes. Pulp. Noir. History. Superman. 20th Century Archaeology.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Opera Watch: The Ring Cycle Parts 1 & 2
Again - I know absolutely nothing about opera. Nothing. I'm also not particularly up on my Germanic/ Norse mythology, my Wagner, or basically anything to do with what I've committed upwards of 18 hours to watching. And, you know... it's nice to try something outside of my 21st Century comfort zone, especially when I can do it from the comfort of my living room using the power of DVR, HD TV and state-of-the-art, semi-avante-garde (by opera standards) production.
Musically, the show is familiar in part because it's been endlessly repurposed over the 20th century for cartoons, movies, commercials and television. Most famous is the "Ride of the Valkyries" theme from the second opera in the cycle, which everyone knows at least in part because of the helicopter scene in Coppola's Apocalypse, Now. Hell, this cycle of operas provides the reason behind the common imagery of the zaftig broad in the viking helmet with a spear belting out the high notes.
The production shown on PBS last week was not the one recommended to me a few months back. That was the 1992 production, also recorded at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. While the production made it to DVD and the sound quality is excellent, the video suffers from the limitations of the time and an insistence by the videographers to shoot the opera more or less from an audience member's distant vantage. I can't comment on the vocal performances knowledgeably, but the actual acting performances in this version are noticeably stronger and assisted by the camera's ability to get in much closer.
Musically, the show is familiar in part because it's been endlessly repurposed over the 20th century for cartoons, movies, commercials and television. Most famous is the "Ride of the Valkyries" theme from the second opera in the cycle, which everyone knows at least in part because of the helicopter scene in Coppola's Apocalypse, Now. Hell, this cycle of operas provides the reason behind the common imagery of the zaftig broad in the viking helmet with a spear belting out the high notes.
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| @#$% is gettin' real in Valkyrie town |
The production shown on PBS last week was not the one recommended to me a few months back. That was the 1992 production, also recorded at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. While the production made it to DVD and the sound quality is excellent, the video suffers from the limitations of the time and an insistence by the videographers to shoot the opera more or less from an audience member's distant vantage. I can't comment on the vocal performances knowledgeably, but the actual acting performances in this version are noticeably stronger and assisted by the camera's ability to get in much closer.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Signal Watch Call for Entries: What Spooky Movies Shall I Watch this October?
Hi y'all!
October is just around the corner. I need to consider what spoooooky movies I can watch as we head into the haunted season.
If you've hung around the past few years, you should know all about my love of Frankenstein movies and classic Universal Horror films. And, of late, I've liked a lot of the Hammer films I've had a chance to see. I'll check out a Vincent Price flick, and I'm pretty fond of stuff that rides the line between cheesy and scary.
October is just around the corner. I need to consider what spoooooky movies I can watch as we head into the haunted season.
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| let's blow the lid off this Halloween! |
Monday, September 10, 2012
Gotter DAMN erung! We're taking a break from blogging.
Y'all, I'm kind of not going to be posting this week.
WHY?
Because Wagner's The Ring Cycle is going to be playing every night this week on PBS.
For some reason this opera keeps crossing my path of late, and I think it's all leading to something, man.
So I am going to take a break from blogging and I am going to get cultured.
Hey. So. Why not join in? It's on all week! It might be a nice break from the usual stuff on TV.
It's got mermaids and trolls and gods and valkyries and dragons and all kinds of crazy stuff. It's the basis for half the fantasy, comics, sci-fi and bigger-than-life entertainment we enjoy today.
It's going to be a blast!
So, put on your viking helmet, dust off your love of Bugs Bunny cartoons, and we can all rock out to some old fashioned Wagner.
WHY?
Because Wagner's The Ring Cycle is going to be playing every night this week on PBS.
For some reason this opera keeps crossing my path of late, and I think it's all leading to something, man.
So I am going to take a break from blogging and I am going to get cultured.
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| Deborah Voigt in the role of Brünnhilde |
It's got mermaids and trolls and gods and valkyries and dragons and all kinds of crazy stuff. It's the basis for half the fantasy, comics, sci-fi and bigger-than-life entertainment we enjoy today.
It's going to be a blast!
So, put on your viking helmet, dust off your love of Bugs Bunny cartoons, and we can all rock out to some old fashioned Wagner.
Watch Wagner's Ring Cycle Preview on PBS. See more from Great Performances.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
No Post Sunday Night
Y'all, I was pretty pathetic this weekend. I accidentally knocked myself out with Benadryl on Friday night and slept (more or less) from 8 PM until 8:30 AM. I'm also still sick, but in this weird, pathetic way that just involves a dry, wheezing cough.
Because I can read the boxes on over the counter medications, after 5-7 days of persistent symptoms this being day 6, I have sought medical help, and I am now on an antibiotic, because that's what they do when "go home" doesn't sound very good. The good news is that I don't have pneumonia, which I was glad I had not thought about until the doctor said "pneumonia, you don't have it".
Anyway, I have a very early meeting at work tomorrow, and I'm going to bed super early, and I didn't really do anything worth mentioning over the weekend, so, there you go.
Also, congrats to the UT Longhorns who waited for me not to watch them to win a game 45-0 against Los Lobos of New Mexico.
Because I can read the boxes on over the counter medications, after 5-7 days of persistent symptoms this being day 6, I have sought medical help, and I am now on an antibiotic, because that's what they do when "go home" doesn't sound very good. The good news is that I don't have pneumonia, which I was glad I had not thought about until the doctor said "pneumonia, you don't have it".
Anyway, I have a very early meeting at work tomorrow, and I'm going to bed super early, and I didn't really do anything worth mentioning over the weekend, so, there you go.
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| this would be a meeting worth getting up for |
See our own NathanC talk about 20 films in record time
Plus he talks about film and filming in San Antonio.
Signal Watch Watches: Frankenstein Island (1981 - but you'd never know it from looking at the movie)
I don't really know where to start.
Ok.
To explain, we watched the VOD version of this movie from RiffTrax with Doug, and he was right - the new VOD stuff RiffTrax is doing is every bit as good as the better MST3K stuff.
While the RiffTrax guys strayed from the world of punching-bag-bad movies and have stepped up to big budget Hollywood stuff in this format (and absolutely killed with it), it's still fun to see the old tools come out and see these guys at work.
So... Frankenstein Island (1981).
There are many things one could say about this movie, and among those things is the idea I find inescapable that director Jerry Warren, who had spent the mid-50's through the mid-60's creating the exact sort of movie that wound up on MST3K in the first place, was sitting around with his pals and said "Hey, let's do one more! It'll be great. Let's make a movie!" and this is what happened. And so, in a way, I really hope those guys had fun making the movie, because it makes no sense and it's both mind-boggling and boring.
Ok.
To explain, we watched the VOD version of this movie from RiffTrax with Doug, and he was right - the new VOD stuff RiffTrax is doing is every bit as good as the better MST3K stuff.
While the RiffTrax guys strayed from the world of punching-bag-bad movies and have stepped up to big budget Hollywood stuff in this format (and absolutely killed with it), it's still fun to see the old tools come out and see these guys at work.
So... Frankenstein Island (1981).
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| Oh, John Carradine, even your unused b-roll deserved better... |
There are many things one could say about this movie, and among those things is the idea I find inescapable that director Jerry Warren, who had spent the mid-50's through the mid-60's creating the exact sort of movie that wound up on MST3K in the first place, was sitting around with his pals and said "Hey, let's do one more! It'll be great. Let's make a movie!" and this is what happened. And so, in a way, I really hope those guys had fun making the movie, because it makes no sense and it's both mind-boggling and boring.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Patsy Cline's 80th Birthday
Patsy Cline was born on this day in Virginia in 1932.
Perhaps most famous for her performance of "Crazy" (written by a young Willie Nelson), Patsy's voice and mid-century country stylings are still very much in vogue and end up in more movies, TV shows and commercials than you want to think about. She's very much a part of the American soundtrack.
She retains a following among Austinites in no small part thanks to the nigh-nightly tribute to Patsy that's done at Austin's own Esther's Follies, a sort of comedy/ variety show that's had the Patsy Cline bit going since it debuted. Maybe. I don't know. Patsy's music seems to fit lazy, hot evenings pretty well, so maybe she's still this popular across the south.
Cline was part of a great era of American Country before "popular" Country music became watered down pop-rock in the 80's and settled there in the 90's when the big money rolled in. She was a performed at the Grand Ole Opry and a major talent. Had she not died in a plane crash in 1963, there's really no telling where she would have ended up. I suspect she would have continued performing for a long, long time.
Happy Birthday, Patsy.
Perhaps most famous for her performance of "Crazy" (written by a young Willie Nelson), Patsy's voice and mid-century country stylings are still very much in vogue and end up in more movies, TV shows and commercials than you want to think about. She's very much a part of the American soundtrack.
She retains a following among Austinites in no small part thanks to the nigh-nightly tribute to Patsy that's done at Austin's own Esther's Follies, a sort of comedy/ variety show that's had the Patsy Cline bit going since it debuted. Maybe. I don't know. Patsy's music seems to fit lazy, hot evenings pretty well, so maybe she's still this popular across the south.
Cline was part of a great era of American Country before "popular" Country music became watered down pop-rock in the 80's and settled there in the 90's when the big money rolled in. She was a performed at the Grand Ole Opry and a major talent. Had she not died in a plane crash in 1963, there's really no telling where she would have ended up. I suspect she would have continued performing for a long, long time.
Happy Birthday, Patsy.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Rave On! It's Buddy Holly's Birthday!
Today in 1936, Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas.
At some point in 7th grade a Buddy Holly tape found it's way into my possession (I think KareBear gave it to me for Christmas) - and 23 two-and-half-minute songs later, I was a fan. I still consider Rave On to be one of the best pop songs ever written.
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