Saturday, August 30, 2014

RANDOM THOUGHTS: MOVIES, TV SHOWS & VIDEOS ( AUGUST 2014 )



DIANA AMFT.....

I was channel-surfing, when I saw a cute babe on a tv show called CONFESIONES DE UNA DOCTORA, AKA DOCTOR'S DIARY, AKA DIARIO DE UNA DOCTORA.

Apparently, the show is a German / Austrian co-production ( RTL / ORF ).

The lead actress is called Diana Amft, and she's from Germany. She plays a doctor called Gretchen Hasse.

The show seems to be a mixture of drama, comedy, and chick-flick.


Ms. Amft on a talk show

In the United States, CONFESIONES DE UNA DOCTORA airs on VME / PBS ( in dubbed Spanish ). I don't know if there's closed captioning or secondary audio in English ( I've never checked ). My Spanish language skills are not what they used to be, but I still understand almost every word.

It's NOT my kind of show, but... as I said before, I thought Diana Amft was cute, so I watched it.




WEB-SHOWS.....

I have nothing against INTERNET SHOWS. However, they're NOT television shows!

A TELEVISION show airs on a free channel, or cable channel, or satellite channel, and is VIEWED ON your TELEVISION.... That's why they're called TELEVISION shows!

A WEB-SERIES is made to be viewed on a website! A WEBSITE is NOT a television channel!

In order for it to be called a TV show, IT MUST ACTUALLY AIR ON TELEVISION!... Understand?!

I'm really sick of seeing INTERNET only shows being listed as TV shows on the IMDB!... It's fraudulent!... enough already!




DO YOU KNOW HER NAME?.....

One of my friends did some "adult" modeling in the late eighties and early nineties. She was NOT prolific, and she only posed solo. That's all she told me about her extremely short "adult" career. She's a wiz with computers and surveillance equipment, and has recently moved back to the west coast ( and that's all I can say ).

So why am I mentioning her?... Because a few weeks ago, she gave me a homemade DVD-R.

That disc contained one short "adult" film, and some talk show segments. The "adult" flick did NOT have a title, or any credits. So I don't know the name of the sandy blonde in the pink dress ( she reminds me of Emily VanCamp ).... FYI: The disc no longer works.


Yes, I've CENSORED all the screengrabs

The video is watermarked in the lower right corner ( Brandi Belle ). I have NO intention of visiting that website.

During the early days of the internet, most folks found out the hard way, that a lot of websties were just fronts for viruses, or they would redirect you to another website, or bombard you with countless pop-up ads.

The "adult" segment on this disc is basically a glorified "loop".

"Loops" became very popular during the seventies in small theaters, and on 8MM reels that you could watch at home.

Anyway, I searched some online retailers for videos using the name Brandi Belle, and found a few. The DVD with the sandy blonde is called "Brandi Belle 12". The sandy blonde's name was NOT listed on any of the websites I visited.

Just for the record, I'm NOT going to spend close to twenty dollars - plus shipping - for this. I just wanted to know her name. Plus, I can get a bunch of REAL movies with the same amount of cash.

If you've been to this blog before, then you probably know how much I hate most adult cinema made after 1985. In fact, most of those videos, have NO right to be called movies.

In my opinion, the sandy blonde in the pink dress stands out from the rest of the crowd. She's got a great attitude, charisma, and she's extremely cute.

So, does anyone out there know her name?... Do you know if she's done "mainstream" work?

With her personality and looks, she should be doing TV commercials and print ads, not this stuff.




WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MASTERS OF THE GRIND?.....

I was really looking forward to this documentary, but the folks that made it seem to have vanished off the face of the eath.

Their official website is gone, and their official YOUTUBE channel hasn't been updated since 2010!

I can't even find a page for MASTERS OF THE GRIND on the IMDB.

Anyone out there know what happened?

Are the filmmakers ok?

Is the film going to be released?




REPORT CARD TIME.....

It's report card time for the "free" movie channels.

MOVIES TV NETWORK gets an A-

GET TV also gets an A-

THIS TV gets a D+

I've really been enjoying MOVIES TV and GET TV. As for THIS TV, I've tuned in occasionally, but it only seems to have become worse.




DVD VS BLU-RAY VS VHS VS ?.....

Since it's introduction, companies have been trying to shove BLU-RAY discs down every consumers' throat. And yet, DVDs still DOMINATE the market!

During any given week, DVDs usually hold seventy percent of the market, vs thirty percent for BLU.


HOME MEDIA MAGAZINE WEBSITE ( for info on DVD and BLU sales )


The only BLU-RAY discs that seem to be a hit, are the extremely limited run "niche" titles, and a few of the major studio titles. That's NOT something to brag about!

In case you haven't noticed, a lot of stores have shrunk their home video sections ( that includes BLU-RAYs ).

For me, BLU-RAYs are the LASERDISCs of the 21st century. Yes, they're higher quality, and much more popular than LASERDISCs, but they're still primarily aimed at true "videophiles", and the "hipster-doofus" crowd.

Even stores like DOLLAR TREE, have a harder time selling BLU-RAYs than the run-of-the-mill DVDs.

DVDs are the LAST HARD COPIES of movies that I will ever purchase... That's it, I'm done!

QUOTES BELOW FROM ZDNET.COM ( April 29, 2014 )

"where popular DVDs regularly sold over 6-10 million US copies a year - and still do - only four Blu-ray's (Avatar, Avengers, Dark Knight Rises, Despicable Me 2) have broken the 3 million US sales in a calendar year"

FYI: Did you know that Sony and Panasonic are allegedly working on another NEW FORMAT, that will REPLACE BLU-RAY?

It took far too long for companies to release most of the flicks I wanted on DVD, so there's NO fucking way I'm going to go through that again. Especially when there's NOTHING wrong with the DVDs I'm using now!

Some folks still don't understand, most movies and tv shows will NEVER be released on BLU-RAY. As for rare titles, unless the BLU-RAY equivalent of DVD-Rs become popular, it ain't gonna happen!

If all the major companies stopped producing DVDs, I still would NOT buy BLU-RAYs!

Even the market for used DVDs is far bigger than for new BLU-RAYs. DVDs are NOT going to disappear anytime soon.

In my opinion, DVD-Rs will most likely replace "pressed" discs - look at the success of WARNER ARCHIVE, SOMETHING WEIRD, and countless others.

One last thing, some folks think that used VHS sales are big, they're NOT! It's a "niche" product. I would wager, that at least half the folks that purchase VHS tapes are the jump-on-the-bandwagon type of individuals.

Those folks will eventually get bored and move on to the next fad.....

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

MOVIE ADS: SHOTGUN WEDDING


Newspaper ad from Hendersonville N.C. 1964

I've written about this movie before, but since I found a newspaper ad stored on one of my old CDs, I thought I'd write about it again.

As I write this, SHOTGUN WEDDING has still NOT been released on legit region one DVD, and I still haven't seen proof of Ed Wood's involvement.

Anyway, I haven't seen this film since my youth.

Somebody please release it!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

MOVIE ADS: MONSTER AKA EL MONSTRUO RESUCITADO


Newspaper ad for MONSTER - from LA OPINION ( Los Angeles California U.S.A. )

I remember watching this movie several times when I was a kid. It aired on some of the southern California TV stations. I don't remember if it was on VHF or UHF.

I think it's a good movie.

Visually, MONSTER reminds me of some German flims from the twenties and thirties. Some of the other scenes have a "noir" feel to them.


Screengrabs are from an online video - Miroslava Sternova ( left ), Jose Maria Linares-Rivas ( right )

A bored female reporter named Nora, meets a man that wears a mask - Hermann Ling.

When he reveals his face, she's shocked. He seems to suffer from the same affliction as Joseph Merrick ( 1862 – 1890 ).

Nora decides to do a story on Ling. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned.


Screengrabs are from an online video

MONSTER was written by Arduino Maiuri ( 1916 – 1984 ), and Chano Urueta ( 1904 – 1979 ).



The movie was directed by Chano Urueta.

It stars Miroslava Sternova ( 1925 – 1955 ) as Nora, and José María Linares-Rivas ( 1901 – 1955 ) as Hermann Ling.

Why did they spell monstro with a U in it? I've never met anyone that spells it with a U.

This movie has various AKA's.



I don't know if this movie was ever released on legit VHS domestically, but I know there were bootlegs, because I owned one.

MONSTER has been released on region zero DVD by a company called ONE 7 MOVIES ( CAV ).

I do NOT own this disc, so I can't tell you much about it.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Lauren Bacall 1924 – 2014



She was a REAL actress, and represented REAL glamour.... She was also a class act in an almost classLESS business, and that's all I'm going to say....

Sunday, August 10, 2014

DEBBIE DOES BROADWAY..... AGAIN



According to PLAYBILL.COM, the musical version of DEBBIE DOES DALLAS returned to broadway - for a brief run during August 6 - 9.

It originally ran off-broadway in 2002.



I have a question... did the folks that made the movie get royalties?



The movie version was a big deal when I was young. There was also a big legal controversy.



I don't think the movie made much of an impression on me, because the only thing I really remember, is the somewhat tame sex scene with Ms. Woods.



Sequel?... Yep, there have been countless sequels. I only saw the first movie, so I can't tell you if any of these flicks are real sequels, or sequels in name only.

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS PART II

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS III

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS 4

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS 5

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS STREET

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS AGAIN!!!!

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: THE NEXT GENERATION

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS 99

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: THE REVENGE

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: EAST VS WEST

DEBBIE DOES DALLAS AGAIN



In the United States, a VHS was released by VCX.

I think they also released it on BETA, but I'm not positive.

A region free DVD was also released by VCX.

I don't know if this movie is public domain, so I don't know if any other companies released it on home video.



As I write this, people still argue about the star - Bambi Woods - and her current status... Is she still alive?... Yes?... NO?...



FYI: Did you know that DEBBIE DOES WALMART TOO?!... You can buy a 11 x 17 inch print of the DEBBIE DOES DALLAS poster from WALMART's online store!

Thursday, August 7, 2014

LA MUJER MURCIELAGO AKA THE BATWOMAN



She's a wealthy socialite, a cowgirl, a wrestler, a hot babe, and a SUPERHERO!.... She's LA MUJER MURCIELAGO... The ass-kicking BATWOMAN!

BATWOMAN takes on an evil scientist named Dr. Williams and his half human, half fish, gill-man.

There are some wonderfully shot underwater scenes - they're crystal clear.

In my opinion, this mad scientist has one of the best evil laughs I've ever heard.



As a kid, I watched this movie many times on southern California tv stations. I can not remember if it was on a VHF or UHF channel.

This movie stars, Maura Monti as the BATWOMAN, Roberto Canedo ( 1918 – 1998 ) as the evil Dr Williams, and many others.

MUJER MURCIELAGO was written by Alfredo Salazar ( 1922 – 2006 ), and directed by René Cardona ( 1906 – 1988 ).



VIDEO INFO:
DVD
FULLscreen
Color
Region free ( NTSC )
Company - VCI
Unrated
Extras - None!
Inserts - None!
Audio - The Mexican version of Spanish. This DVD does NOT have optional English audio or subtitles.



OBTAINED AT - Hamilton book

PRICE - $7.95



DO I WANT MY MONEY BACK?:
Nooooo!...

VCI's title is grammatically incorrect!... Come on!, even kids in India and China know it's incorrect!

The batwomanS is WRONG!... It's supposed to say la, NOT las!... La is singular, las is plural!

My DVD of LA MUJER MURCIELAGO is a PRESSED disc, NOT a DVD-R.

I'm NOT fond of VCI. They have NEVER replied to any of my emails, so I will NOT be spending any more money on their products.

This is the LAST time I will add a VCI disc to my collection. In fact, in the past few years, I've sold off most of my DVDs.

From now on, I'll be focusing most of my attention on books, and other items.

Far too many of these companies take YOU for granted... I've had enough of ungrateful video companies.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

RENE BOND TIDBITS.....



I should have posted this shit a long time ago.

When I found out about a man named John Harrison, and his upcoming book about Rene Bond, I wrongly assumed this info was common knowledge. Well, apparently it's not.

I don't know when, or if, Mr. Harrison's book will be published. Nothing new has been posted about his book since January 23, 2013.

Link to John Harrison's blog is below.....


SIN STREET SLEAZE


Anyway, below is a very short piece announcing Rene Bond's engagement to a man named Ray Acebo ( June 18, 1968 ).....



Below is a short article mentioning Ray Acebo ( in photo - June 9, 1968 ).....



I also thought GOOGLE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE was well known. But it's not.

There are a bunch of websites charging money for this shit!

The pros and cons of GOOGLE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE.... The pros are, it's FREE!. At least half of the newspapers I've looked at over the years have been decent quality, and some have even been excellent.

The ONLY cons about GOOGLE NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE, is that some newspapers are incomplete, some are blurry, and some are unreadable. BUT IT'S FREE, DAMN IT!

Don't forget your local library!



Mini rant... Far too many people still don't "get it".... Just because something is in print does NOT make it true or accurate. Plus, things that do NOT get reported, can be just as important.

Almost everything should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt!

These days it's FAR worse. The internet is overflowing with misinformation, and outright LIES.

Most news outlets - newspapers, tv, radio - were and still are biased!... They're a reflection of the person, or persons, in charge.

WIKIPEDIA is a FUCKING JOKE!... I can NOT believe the amount of people that consider it an accurate source of information!



As you look through the online versions of these newspapers, think about everything that was going on. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, Robert F. Kennedy had also been murdered, and most of the "news" about Vietnam had a "positive" spin that reeked of propaganda... See links below...

June 18, 1968 ( page 10 )

June 9, 1968 ( page 14 )

JOYLAND BY STEPHEN KING.....



Until a few years ago, I've never cared about Stephen King's work. But then I read THE COLORADO KID, and I liked it more than I thought I would.



A while ago, I saw a cardboard display for the mass market version of JOYLAND at my local BARNES & NOBLE.

I went back the next weekend to ask if I could have it, or buy it, but it was gone... CRAP!



Does this book deserve all the praise it has received?... In my opinion, yes.

I had purchased the trade paperback edition, but it just sat on my shelf gathering dust. Then I purchased the mass market paperback version, and read the entire book on the weekend.

I could identify with many of the things the main character was experiencing.

Mr. King even makes a game of SCRABBLE seem intriguing. The conversation that takes place between those characters feels genuinely real.

After reading JOYLAND, I'll never look at kites the same way again.

I love this book very much, and I hope it gets made into a movie soon.

JOYLAND is one of those books you put in a special place, both physically and mentally.