LOST IN TWIN PEAKS

Screengrabs from TWIN PEAKS 1990/1991.

Quote from TWIN PEAKS 1990/1991 - by Donna Hayward - "It's like I'm having the most beautiful dream, and the most terrible nightmare all at once"... In my opinion, that sums up David Lynch's work in a nutshell.

The wilder the better... That has always been my attitude towards TWIN PEAKS the original series, and TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME the movie prequel.

Most folks hated season two, but I didn't. I saw good things during that season.


Screengrabs from FIRE WALK WITH ME.

I also loved the movie.

FIRE WALK WITH ME wasn't held back by network censors. It was in-your-face, and that was the way it should have been.


Screengrabs from FIRE WALK WITH ME.

After all this time, what Leland Palmer did to his daughter is still a subject most tv shows and films refuse to deal with. That attitude speaks volumes, and none of it is good.


Screengrabs from a SHOWTIME promotional video for TWIN PEAKS 2017.

As I write this, I have NOT seen any of the SEASON THREE episodes. Why?... Because it airs on a pay channel ( SHOWTIME ), and I don't have cable.

I was against TWIN PEAKS returning, for the same reason I didn't want the X-FILES to return. Well, I ended-up liking the 2016 version of the X-FILES. I hope I'll feel the same way about the 2017 version of TWIN PEAKS.

I've always loved watching the dreamy/nightmarish world of TWIN PEAKS. Unfortunately, for most of my life I've felt as if I've been trapped in a real life version of a David Lynch film.

One thing is for certain, TWIN PEAKS has come back during one of the most surreal times in history, and that time is now.....

THIS AND THAT - MAY 2017

Screengrabs from the BIG BANG THEORY ( episode THE LONG DISTANCE DISSONANCE ).

A VERY SHORT OPEN LETTER TO MR. CHUCK LORRE.....

I loved the way season ten of THE BIG BANG THEORY ended.

In my opinion, the show is even more focused on human nature, funnier, and creative, than when it started.

Many others have stated, that THE BIG BANG THEORY celebrates intelligence, and I agree one hundred percent. Truly an incredible effort by all of you.


Screengrab of Chuck Lorre's vanity card website.

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS VANITY CARD ARCHIVE

Mr. Lorre... I hope you, Mr. Prady, and everyone else involved with THE BIG BANG THEORY, will end the program at season twelve. Please end the show while people still love it.


Screengrabs from HOME MOVIES.

HOME MOVIES.....

Quote from HOME MOVIES... Kirk Douglas's character - "Forever an extra, never a star"

My three favorite things about this Brian De Palma film, are Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, and the ventriloquist bunny - yes, I meant to write bunny, NOT dummy.

Anyway, I would have preferred to have seen Ms. Allen's character and her bunny, as serial killers. That would have been a lot of fun.


Screengrab from HOME MOVIES.

I will be hunting for this film - and a few others - at DOLLAR TREE locations, HAMILTON BOOK.COM, pawn shops, used stores, garage sales, and swap-meets / flea markets.

VHS? - I'm almost positive there was a legit tape in the United States, but I can not remember the company that released it.

DVD? - Yes, it was released on region one disc by a company called CLASSIC REEL ENTERTAINMENT. As I write this, it's still out-of-print. I don't know if any other company released this film on region one DVD. There might be grey-market DVD-Rs, but those types of discs are a BIG waste of money.

BLU RAY? - No, at least not in the United States.

ONLINE? - Yes

Thanks to anonymous for reminding me about this film and the link.



MORE BOOK BARGAINS.....

I found three movie related books on the shelves of one of my local DOLLAR TREE stores.

I have not had the time to read any of them.

They are.....

GODZILLA ( 2014 version - movie tie-in )
WRITER - Greg Cox
COMPANY - Titan
ISBN - 9781783290949
SOFTcover - mass market paperback
PRICE - $1.00

DARK KNIGHT RISES ( movie tie-in )
WRITER - Greg Cox
COMPANY - Titan
ISBN - 9781781161067
SOFTcover - mass market paperback
PRICE - $1.00

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: FIRESTORM
WRITER - Greg Keyes
COMPANY - Titan
ISBN - 9781783292257
SOFTcover - mass market paperback
PRICE - $1.00


Screengrabs from RAT PFINK A BOO BOO.

RAY DENNIS STECKLER.....

During the past year, I've repeatedly broken my "no DVDs that cost more than one dollar" rule. So, why have I repeatedly ignored my own rule?... Because I keep finding bargains.

I found a Ray Dennis Steckler DVD boxed set for only $3.95 ( from HAMILTON BOOK ).

It's called the MIDNIGHT MOVIES COLLECTION ( GUILTY PLEASURES / MEDIA BLASTERS ). This set contains four standard sized DVD cases, housed in a thin cardboard slip-case.

The movies are, LEMON GROVE KIDS MEET THE MONSTERS TRILOGY ( three shorts ), INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED UP ZOMBIES, RAT PFINK A BOO BOO, and THE THRILL KILLERS. This boxed set is dripping with cheesy goodness.

All of these films put a big smile on my face.


Screengrabs from THE THRILL KILLERS.

There are a lot of movies I've watched repeatedly since childhood, and some of those flicks were made by Mr. Steckler.


Screengrabs from RAT PFINK A BOO BOO - featuring Rox Anne.

Movies like these, have brought me a lot of joy over the years. As an adult, I experience a lot of different emotions when I watch these films. A lot of Happiness, but also some sadness. Many places, such as the PIKE amusement park are gone, and so are many of the people that worked on these films.


Screengrabs from LEMON GROVE KIDS MEET THE GREEN GRASSHOPPER AND THE VAMPIRE LADY FROM OUTER SPACE.

When I read - or hear- CRUEL BULLSHIT remarks about the people involved with these movies - and other films - I feel like tracking down those fucking RETARDS and hitting them in the FUCKING FACE with a BASEBALL BAT. I also feel like putting them in the same room with the family members of the folks they're laughing at, and bad-mouthing.

PROFESSIONAL-TROLL-DOUCHEBAGS, like MST3K, should be the first recipients of a good beating by the families of everyone they've made personal attacks on.


Screengrabs from LEMON GROVE KIDS MEET THE MONSTER.... QUOTES below by Ray Dennis Steckler ( from the audio commentary ).....

"That's Cindy... Cindy was Carol's best friend, and she was just wonderful. Bob Burns as the mummy... the great Bob Burns. Now Cindy, let me tell you, when she did this scene, she was dying of cancer. And she was actually in the hospital, and she snuck-out of the hospital and climbed all the way up the hill to my house... walked... I mean, it was just unbelievable, just so she could be in this scene, and she knew, she had a couple of weeks left to live"

Enough said.....


Screengrabs from A GOOD TIME WITH A BAD GIRL... Anybody know which issue of WONDER WOMAM she is reading?

MAHON MANIA.....

This is a short and very superficial look, at one of my favorite filmmakers, Barry Mahon.

I absolutely love most of his short and full length films. His movies make me happy.


Screengrabs - clockwise from upper left hand corner - DIARY OF KNOCKERS MCCALLA, CONFESSIONS OF A BAD GIRL!, and at the bottom, THE SWINGING NURSES.

Some of my favorite female performers appear in his flicks. Those gorgeous gals are, Judy Adler, Darlene Bennett, Gigi Darlene, and June Roberts - to name just a few.


Screengrabs from NUDE IN THE POOL.


Screengrabs from BOTTOMS UP!


Screengrabs from SANTA AND THE THREE BEARS.

Barry Mahon allegedly filmed the live-action segments of the animated kid's film, SANTA AND THE THREE BEARS.

Good luck, trying to find the uncut version on DVD. Every disc I've seen, is missing the live-action scenes ( at the beginning and ending of the film ). Fortunately, I was able to find the COMPLETE VERSION on YOUTUBE.


Screengrabs from THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ, and THUMBELINA.

I find it amusing, that his two most visually bizzare films were aimed at youngsters.

THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ and THUMBELINA have a nightmarish quality to them.


Screengrabs from A GOOD TIME WITH A BAD GIRL.

I'm hoping a boxed set of Mahon flicks - on proper pressed discs - will be released. Unfortunately, I think the odds are against that happening.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2017

The above pictures were taken at the first comic shop I visited. The blurry cell phone photos were taken on May 6, 2017 by yours truly.

FYI #1 - Two of my favorite words are free and fuck, in that order. So, the key word in FREE comic book day is?... ha-ha.

As most of you know, I'm NOT fond of superheros. However, I was convinced by an acquaintance, that I should visit some of my local comic shops on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.

I found out, one of this year's free comics has cover and interior art by Adam Hughes. That was enough to convince me to participate.


These photos were taken at the second comic shop I visited. Both blurry cell pics were taken on May 6, 2017 by yours truly.

I originally, intended to visit four local shops, but I was low on gas, and all the stations I passed seemed to be full.

Long story, short.... I ended up visiting two shops.

The first place was supposed to give out a free backpack style bag to the first fifty people in line. Well, for whatever reason, nobody got one. I did NOT complain. Hey, I got four free comics. Then one of people from the store handed out a bonus comic. So the total was now five free books.

Plus, since I was one of the first fifty people in line, I got a bag containing six more free books and some promotional items ( GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY pin and a CAPTAIN AMERICA button ).

A person should NEVER complain when they're receiving FREE merchandise.... To do so, is just plain absurd and fucking ungrateful!

Both shops I visited were packed, and yes, people were also purchasing items.

The second shop I went to, didn't open until eleven, so I drove across the street to BARNES & NOBLE until it was time for the comic shop to open. I'm happy I went back, because I got an additional five free books.

FYI #2 - I did try to visit a third shop, but they had moved, so I left.

I gave the following four books to a younger family member. The titles were.....



BARBIE ( PAPERCUTZ ) - Enough said... ha-ha.

BONGO FREE-FOR-ALL ( BONGO COMICS ) - Wall to wall SIMPSONS shenanigans, and a FUTURAMA back cover.

UNDERDOG ( AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY PRODUCTIONS ) - Beautiful art that looks just like the original animated series.

SPONGEBOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES ( UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES ) - The sponge dude seems to have a big following with people of all ages.

The other comics I obtained, are as follows......



BETTY & VERONICA #1 ( ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS ) - Art and story by Adam Hughes. Love the artwork. It's a fun read. It does NOT take itself seriously. The last few pages are devoted to the CW tv series called RIVERDALE.



TEX PATAGONIA ( EPICENTER COMICS ) - This is a preview of an upcoming graphic novel by the same name. I really liked this a lot. It's basically the comic equivalent of a 1970s style Euro-western movie.



WONDER WOMAN #1 SPECIAL EDITION ( DC ) - A new WONDER WOMAN movie is being released, so I guess it's not a surprise DC decided to feature this title on free comic book day. I love the artwork.



WORLD'S GREATEST CARTOONISTS ( FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS ) - A collection of mini stories by many different artists / writers. I like FANTAGRAPHICS so I knew what to expect. Some folks will be turned-off by the somewhat bizarre stories and art.



KEYSER SOZE / THE RIFT ( RED 5 COMICS ) - This is a double feature. The first story involves the main character from the movie THE USUAL SUSPECTS. I did NOT like the artwork in KEYSER SOZE. It had an unfinished look to it - that's the only way, I can describe it. The second story deals with time travel. A fighter pilot from the 1940s somehow ends up in the present. I lilked the art and the story is interesting.

The bonus comics are listed below.



DEADPOOL #1 THE MUSICAL! ( MARVEL ) - This book actually looks like it might be fun. I looked through it, and I like the art. One of my favorite parts of this comic, was a full page color advertisement for the tv show AGENT CARTER. The star, Hayley Atwell, looks beautiful and sexy. The first time I ever saw her was in a mini-series called ANY HUMAN HEART ( it aired on PBS ).



WALKING DEAD #1 ( IMAGE ) - I've only seen a few episodes of this show, and I really do NOT understand what the fuss is about. I'm not saying I hate it, because I don't, but it sure as hell isn't anything we haven't seem a billion times before! That said, I did enjoy this book.

WALKING DEAD #163 ( IMAGE ) - See comments above.

STAR WARS CHEWBACCA ( MARVEL ) - As with The WALKING DEAD, I never understood the FANATICISM associated with these films. Anyway, I gave this book to a younger family member.



THE DELINQUENTS ( VALIANT ) - Seems to be about people with superpowers or supernatural ability. I'll read it later.

ARMOR HUNTERS ( VALIANT ) - I gave this book to a friend.

POWER RANGERS PINK ( BOOM ) - This is NOT my kind of book. So, I gave this to a younger family member.


I did not purchase anything. Why?... Because, I could NOT find what I wanted.

I was looking for some MAD MAX ( VERTIGO / DC ) comic books after I was informed they existed, but neither shop seemed to have them. I also wanted PEEPLAND ( TITAN ). But, once again, neither shop had any issues.

They also did not have any merchandise related to the BIG BANG THEORY. So, that was really disappointing.

FYI #3 - I met more than a few people that were hungover from the previous day's Cinco De Mayo celebrations.

This is the first time I've participated in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. I had a much better time than I thought I was going to have. So, depending on how the rest of this year goes, I may do this again in 2018.

FYI #4 - There was an extremely diverse group of people at the shops, including many families - I think that's a GOOD thing.


Above screengrabs from the USA TODAY and HOLLYWOOD REPORTER websites. Countless news and entertainment publications have posted articles about FREE COMIC BOOK DAY on their websites.

Below is a link to the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY website.....

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY WEBSITE


Above are screengrabs from online videos featuring FREE COMIC BOOK DAY in other countries... Clockwise from upper left corner... France ( with DOCTOR WHO's time machine ), Peru ( with WONDER WOMAN ), Canada, and Mexico.

There are a lot of YOUTUBE videos of people displaying their FCBD hauls. Warning... Some of those folks, look and sound like they were released from mental institutions. Plus, you've got a lot of truly greedy and ungrateful douchebags that love to complain. A lot of those SHIT-HOLES grab books they have NO interest in. I've even seen a few RETARDS destroy some of the items that got. They need a thorough beating!

Nothing I get goes to waste!... NOTHING! Anything I don't like, goes to family members, or friends, or acquaintances.

It's too bad there's no such thing as free health check-up day, or free food day, or free car maintenance day, or free hot actress day, or..... Well, I think you get the idea.

VENTRILOQUISTS GONE WILD!

Newspaper ad above is from Sydney Australia ( August 14, 1918 ).

EVIL WOOD!... that's what one of my ex-girlfriends used to say whenever I'd.... oh, nevermind.

The type of evil wood I'm going to write about today is called, a ventriloquist dummy.

I don't know why I like these types of movies, but I do.

I've always been creeped-out by ventriloquism.

A little reminder, ventriloquist dummies are NOT dolls or puppets - yes, there's a difference.

Below is a brief look at some of my favorite wooden actors and actresses.....



THE GREAT GABBO.....

I'm really not that fond of this flick, but I don't dislike it either. Anyway, Otto is creepy. If you're a true movie lover, then you need to watch this film at least once.

VHS?... Yes, by KINO.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by KINO ( as part of a double feature ). Also by ALPHA. Plus, MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT has also released this film in several of it's collections ( FAMILY CLASSICS 100 pack and CLASSIC MUSICALS 50 pack - to name just a few ).
BLU-RAY?... No, I don't think so.
ONLINE?... Yes.



DEVIL DOLL.....

I still remember the first time I saw this movie. I was a kid, and I got really freaked-out by Hugo. I could not sleep afterwards. These days, I laugh during some scenes, but I still like it.

VHS?... I don't think there was a legit release in the United States ( just grey-market tapes ).
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT.
BLU-RAY?... No, I don't think so.
ONLINE?... Yes.



MAGIC.....

I was scared by Fats, even when Anthony Hopkins wasn't with him. I still like this movie a lot.

VHS?... Yes, don't remember which company, or if more than one company released it.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by DARK SKY FILMS.
BLU-RAY?... Yes, by DARK SKY FILMS.
ONLINE?... Yes.



1941.....

Contrary to popular belief, this movie does have some funny moments in it.

Eddie Deezen is funny enough on his own, but when he gets together with a dummy, it's truly fucking hilarious.

VHS?... Yes, by UNIVERSAL.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by UNIVERSAL.
BLU-RAY?... Yes, by UNIVERSAL.
ONLINE?... Yes.



TRILOQUIST.....

I thought TRILOQUIST was harmless fun, and what's wrong with that?

VHS?... No.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by DIMENSION EXTREME.
BLU-RAY?... No, I don't think so.
ONLINE?... Yes.



DEAD SILENCE.....

I know a lot of folks don't like this flick, but I do - and that's all that matters to me.

I found the movie sufficiently scary.

VHS?... No.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by UNIVERSAL.
BLU-RAY?... Yes, by UNIVERSAL.
ONLINE?... Yes.


"Is that your nose, or are you happy to see me?".... Bea Arthur and Madame. Quote is NOT from the video - it's just me being a smart-ass.

WAYLAND FLOWERS.....

I was always creeped-out by Madame. probably, because she reminded me of a wooden Phyllis Diller.

If you watch Madame, don't blame me if you have nightmares... ha-ha-ha...

VHS?... I don't know.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... I don't know.
BLU-RAY?... I don't care.
ONLINE?... Yes, a few clips here and there.


Screengrabs above from the BIG BANG THEORY ( episode - The Cognition Regeneration )... Quote by Tammy-Jo Saint Cloud, "If you don't mind a few splinters, we can have us a menage-a-trois... oooh"

THE BIG BANG THEORY.....

Tammy-Jo Saint Cloud is Bernadette's ventriloquist dummy. She's a creepy and horny little bitch! Howard gets more than he bargained for when he reunites them.

As I write this, season ten of THE BIG BANG THEORY has not been released on region one DVD ( or BLU-RAY ).

VHS?... NO.
DVD ( REGION ONE )?... Yes, by WARNER BROS.
BLU-RAY?... Yes, by WARNER BROS.
ONLINE?... Yes, plenty of clips and full episodes.