Saturday, October 19, 2019

THIS AND THAT - OCTOBER 2019 ( PART 1 OF ? )


I scanned PART of a recent DOLLAR TREE advertisement.

DOLLAR TREE flicks... I've purchased a few dozen titles this year. Below are some brief thoughts on a handful of discs.



BAD WORDS ( UNIVERSAL / FOCUS FEATURES ) - I LOVE THIS MOVIE!... Great story, great performances, and great camera work.

It's presented in WIDEscreen, and is a DVD/BLU-RAY combo set.

SUSHI GIRL ( MAGNOLIA / MAGNET ) - I'll get straight to the point, I HATE THIS MOVIE!

Think of it, as a counterfeit seventies exploitation film. This is what happens, when I do NOT read the back of the DVD case.

Also, I do NOT like Tony Todd, enough said.

SUSHI GIRL is presented in BULLSHIT-VISION.



INFORMERS ( SONY ) - This movie was a BIG surprise to me. I ended up liking this film tremendously. It takes place during the early eighties. It deals with love, sex, drugs, aids, self loathing, wealth, fame, and the way we treat each other.

It's beautifully filmed, and the acting is excellent.

It's in WIDEscreen.

COMPLIANCE ( MAGNOLIA ) - A few years ago, I wrote a rant about this movie. Actually, my rant was about the film's DETRACTORS.

I like this movie a lot. They kept the story as factual as possible. Love the acting and camera work.

It's in WIDEscreen.



MIDNIGHT MOVIES 4 PACK ( MGM ) - Contains, MORONS FROM OUTER SPACE, ALIEN FROM L.A., THE MAN FROM PLANET X, and THE ANGRY RED PLANET.

ALIEN FROM L.A., THE MAN FROM PLANET X, and THE ANGRY RED PLANET, are FULLscreen. I did NOT watch MORONS FROM OUTER SPACE. So, I don't know if it's FULLscreen also.

It's a two disc set ( double sided discs ).

SHAKES THE CLOWN ( MILL CREEK ENTERTAINMENT ) - I must have been one of the few people to pay to watch this flick when it first hit theaters.

I LOVE IT!... And I make NO apologies for feeling that way!

It's presented in WIDEscreen.


Above are the front and back covers of BUNNY YEAGER'S ABC'S OF FIGURE PHOTOGRAPHY ( from 1964 ).

BUNNY YEAGER'S ABC'S OF FIGURE PHOTOGRAPHY is a great little instructional book.



It was published in 1964, by a company called WHITESTONE PUBLICATIONS. Do NOT confuse them with WHITESTONE PUBLISHING ( a religious publisher ).

It's a softcover. However, it's constructed more like a magazine. In fact, the interior pages have a brittle newspaper feel to them.



All the interior photos are in black and white.

If you're wondering, yes, there's plenty of ladies in and out of clothes.

It's been out-of-pint for decades.


Screengrab from GOOGLE NEWS, about FAMILY CIRCLE magazine.

MORE MAGAZINES DISAPPEAR.....

FAMILY CIRCLE magazine will soon be history.

So many magazines have disappeared, or are close to disappearing.



Many periodicals SHOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT by doing stupid things, and by continuing to make the same mistakes. They do NOT listen to their customer base.



PLAYBOY is a great example of what happens when you do NOT listen to your customer base, and continuously make STUPID decisions.

The BUNNY RAG is close to extinction. It's been dead to me since the nineties. Read the quotes below ( from the NEW YORK POST - 2019 ).

QUOTES.....

"Playboy went ad-free with its winter issue"

"hiked its cover price to a hefty $24.99 per issue"

"USPS data that shows that circulation has continued to dip over the past 12 months"

"alienated its loyal older readers"

"Its average total paid circulation was 206,483 for the six issues in 2018, down by more than a third from a year earlier"



TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS PER ISSUE?!... Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

From what I understand, they only publish FOUR pathetic issues per year!

Millions of people, like me, watched this publication quickly lose it's magic.

My interest started fading during the early nineties, when they became obsessed with sensationalism.



Remember when PLAYBOY had THE WOMEN OF WALMART issue? How about THE WOMEN OF 7-ELEVEN issue? Or THE WOMEN OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS issue?... OK, I lied about that last title. When they started doing that kind of crap, it did NOT receive a warm reception from most of the folks I knew.

They would also pay whatever FLAVOR OF THE YEAR, ridiculous amounts of money to pose for them.

PLAYBOY used to be a beautifully photographed, well written, and well-thought-out publication. Now, it's just fading wallpaper.

I see the same thing happening to many other periodicals, and it makes me sad.


Above is a screengrab from a Norwegian vacation commercial. I find it very relaxing.

WHY SPORADIC UPDATES?..... This blog is NOT a job. So, when it stops being fun / therapeutic, it's time to stop.

My reasons for NOT posting?... I've been, and continue to be, extremely busy - to put it mildly.

I've been dealing with A LOT of serious issues and personal tragedy. It's been truly horrific in countless ways, and for far too long.