Happy Halloween! Have we got a mountain of media for Halloween - plus a special bonus - several Halloween themed DVD downloads, including One Step Beyond, Vol #1, and vol#2, Night of The Living Dead and A Bucket of Blood. And if you want some cool Japanese horror - make sure you check out Kwaidan, which means Weird Tales.
On October 30, 1938 - Orson Welles gives the world a big scare with his radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. Orson Welles (George Orson Wells) was born on May 6, 1915 in Kenosha, Wisconsin… so this radio hoax was pulled off by a 23 year old kid! And while he was still in his mid twenties, he directed and starred in - Citizen Kane, still seen by many as the greatest film ever made. Oh come on, Rosebud? I think he Welles was most compelling as Franz Kindler in The Stranger, (PREVIEW) or as Harry Lime in Graham Greene’s The Thrid Man. (PREVIEW)
A wild Popeye classic from 1941 - Problem Pappy features Popeye’s pop, Pappy. So what’s the problem? Well, Pappy likes to flag pole sit and even sleep on top of the flagpoles. Popeye tries to do a Flying Walenda tightrope act to save him - and then Pappy cuts the rope. Whoa… nice family!
Problem Pappy is coming tomorrow … with more classic Fleischer Brothers’ toons to follow. Check out Poopdeck Pappy to get warmed up.
Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood is an incredible film about a time long ago in Japan where everything was controlled by War Lords, who each had their own Samurai army, castles and farmers. The cinematography is top notch, as in all Kurosawa films. But what makes this film so incredible… is the final death scene with Toshiro Mifune. It is such a cool scene… as countless arrows fly in from all directions and slowly hone in for the kill after taunting him with showers of arrows. You got to see it to believe… totally worth watching. And it is even better if you watch the whole movie, enjoy the overt overtones and references to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Throne of Blood is a great film.
Kwaidan’s fourth and final weird tale is ready - called in a Cup of Tea, some guys soul trapped in a cup of tea, his face smiles back at you, daring you to drink up. A decent story - terrific cinematography… but, well not our favorite of the 4 stories. That honor goes to Hoichi the Earless - which is nothing short of timeless genius. Amazing! Here’s a link to a FREE PREVIEW of Kwaidan’s four spooky Halloween tales….oooooo.
Dateline October 21st - In 1959, Verner Von Braun joins NASA and assists in putting a Man on the Moon.
And not to be out done…. a young Brad Spivey in born in K-Town - Kannapolis, NC…. well sometime in the late 60s or early 70s… we’re not sure because he formatted his hard drives to Linux, but not before expunging all data related to his 1.0 release. And who is Brad Spivey you ask??? Well - he’s the star of countless TV ads, a lover of pizza, and best known for his work developing the Urinal Screen, and promoting Ass Attackin Aerosol Spray. But the story didn’t end there… oh no, some guys at MIT actually made an interactive game - giving new meaning to streaming.
As a Halloween treat - we have prepared a tasty dish of lovely DVD downloads for October 2003. 1) One Step Beyond -vol #1 -The Clown, Echo, and The Visitor. 2) One Step Beyond -vol #2 -Night of April 14th, Darkroom, and Forests of the Night. 3) Night of The Living Dead 4) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge 5) A Bucket of Blood.
And who could ever forget…. the LikeTelevision Debut of Screamfest -2000. WATCH PREVIEW. Another good way to find scary stuff - search for Horror or Halloween.
It was 30 years ago today - that the OPEC Oil Embargo began. For those too young to remember, this changed the American love affair with “muscle cars” for decades to come. Why? Because gas was really expensive… why, almost European expensive, where it is often sold by the liter (the liter is close to a quart in size… and there are 4 quarts to a gallon). Of course all the lessons learned have long since been forgotten…. (or we wouldn’t be yacking so much about SUVs on the road). In case you were wondering…. gas prices increased 400% over the next year. OUCH!
Irene Ryan (Granny) was born today - 10/17/02 - Born in El Paso, Texas. Her real name was Irene Noblette. Best known for her work as Granny in the Beverly Hillbillies, she also toured with Bob Hope when he entertained the military, and before that was an accomplished regular in Vaudeville. She died on April 26, 1973 of a brain tumor.
Check out a few classic Hillbillies episodes that feature Granny - my personal favorites are Spring Tonic and Garden Party (and no… this has nothing to do with Rick Nelson, though you can catch Ricky Nelson crooning in a few Ozzie and Harriet episodes).
Hoichi the Earless is a blind Biwa master (a Biwa is a funky sounding Japanese stringed instrument) who has all kinds of wild visions. The third story in Masaki Kobayashi’s epic horror tale called Kwaidan - is just plain KILLER! At the time, it was the most expensive film ever made in Japan, a winner at Cannes, and one of the most amazing mind blowing feats of cinematography. This is MUST SEE material… check out a sample screenshot of a beautiful moment in the film.
Hoichi’s performance on the Biwa is really out there my friends and has to be experienced…. the guy is possessed. And his visions of Samurai battles become way too real for poor Hoichi.
