We Saw The New Gojira Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              I have some bones to pick with this movie, but it was worth waiting for, because Gojira has never looked more handsome or buff.  And, of course, he in not only the hero of his movie, he is our hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Our whole household marched over to the Alpine yesterday to catch this film.   It was a thoughtful and well-made film, and there were some surprisingly disturbing scenes, especially those recrating the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima.

                                  When Gojira is on the screen, he commands it, and the audience cheers for him.  He does not disappoint his fans.  But the film does in a number of ways.

                                      Like the recently viewed "Crystal Lake," this film plays around with time.  Historically, Gojira did not appear until 1954, and this is set in postwar Japan of 1949  Now, I guess the filmmakers wanted a monster fight, so they create King Ghidorah, who really did not surface until the movie "Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster," in 1964.  He is not as charismatic as Gojira and is so overdone he might as well be called King Gonorrhea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Except for the female meteorologist and Mr. Noda, who are surprisingly well played by the actors who embody them, the humans are idiiots.  Finally, they catch on--Gojira only comes in peace to help Earth when help is needed.  So, he is summoned and really gives it to King Ghidorah.  Then, like the modest hero he is, he dives back into the sea majestically, until needed again.  His job is finished.

                                               Gojira, we need you all the time!  And more screen time!  The film ends on a nice, humanitarian note, showing Gojira as a hero, and saving a little girl from parental abandonment.  Rumor has it these were not in the original script, and Gojira would not approve it, nor shoot a single scene until they were implemented.  

                                                    Hooray For Gojira!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Go out and get your fill of the prehistoric creature loved so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         

                                 

Important For Those Having Never Seen It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                It seems "Svengoolie's" audience is always requesting this or "The Ghost And Mr. Chicken."  The Abott And Costello film is preferable, but after several viewings it can get a bit tiresome.  Which it is for us.  So, David, I, Baby Gojira, Little Pippin, Kerwyn, and Cucumbo will be watching something of a higher grade.  What that is will be determined, And will be posted on here, after having seen it.

                                                  But for first timers, "Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein" is important because this 1948 film was a farewell to the Universal monster era, lasting from 1931 to 1948.  It was the last time Bela Lugosi played Dracula and Lon Chaney, Jr. played The Wolfman.  I suppose they wanted Karloff for Frankenstein, but he turned it down, so they got Glenn Strange.  A parade of creepers marching before audiences in what, on an initial viewing is a clever, funny film.  After seeing it a number of times, it gets tiresome.

                                                       First timers out there, I urge you to watch it.  Viewers like us will forgo its pleasures and seek more artistic endeavors.

                                                        And, girls, Lenore Aubert exudes Forties glam as Sandra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Sammy Williams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Sammy Williams was born on this day in 1948, which would have made him 78.  Alas, he left the world too soon on March 17, 2018, at 69.  He has been dead for eight years.

                                   But he was the original Paul in "A Chorus Line," and seeing that show with its original cast had a great impact on me.  I mean, Donna McKechnie--WOW!  But Sammy was impacting too.

                                    Not having seen it yet, I had no idea what the show would deal with.  So, when Sammy did his brilliant monologue, my father, who saw the show with me, was seated next to me.  As it turned out, earlier that week, I had had my first gay sexual experience.  Could there have been any other?  As Sammy Williams continued, I kept looking over at my father, wondering if he knew.  I don't think I will ever know.  Though, by the time he--my father--passed, I am sure he knew.

                                       So, Sammy Williams is the first honoree of Musical Theater Week.  Happy Birthday, and I will try and provide the monologue below.

                            Here is only a portion of Sammy's performance.  Listen and admire a true legend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome To Another Musical Theater Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         This week, running through November 13 through the 18th honors Legends Of The Musical Stage, who were born then, including yours truly.

                           It is an exciting time as we look back on some great performers who did remarkable work on the musical stage, which shaped some of our lives.  I am telling you, darlings, my life would not have turned out the way it has if not for the inspiration of these legends, who will be featured on appropriate days.

                          Of course, seeing a Broadway show is the best way to celebrate this week, but even better, since Broadway seems to be tanking is to listen to the cast albums featuring the performances of these legends.  And it is cheaper than the price of a Broadway show, too.

                           So, remember those who made Musical Theater Week a reality, and forget that Lin-Manuel Miranda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's That Time Again, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            "Kill her, Mommy!  Kill her!"--                                                                                                                          Betsy Palmer as Paamela Voorhees in "Friday The 13th"                                                                             ( 1980)

                                  Isn't it funny, girls?  No sooner had I watched "Crystal Lake" then we have a real Friday The 13th.  And you know what we will be watching here, tonight!  I cannot wait to hear Betsy Palmer say those immortal lines.  If she was not nominated for an Oscar, as she should have been, she should have received a special one for "Best Performance By An Actress With Her Teeth."  She must have had fantastic dental coverage on the set!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     And, of course, we get to see the original Barry and Claudette get theirs!  That Claudette!  It was all her fault!  Barry could not think beyond his pants, but Claudette should have been more responsible!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Then there is Jeanine Taylor as Marcie.  Her monologue in the bathroom is a classic.  Not to mention Walt Gorney as Crazy Ralph, Trudy's Diner, Sandy at The Blairstown Diner, and the superb camerawork, especially that opening full moon that sets the mood.

                                              Yes, dears, this is a perfect day to view "Friday The 13th."

                                               After all, Mrs. Voorhees couldn't let them open the camp again, now.  Could she????????????

Happy Veterans Day, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             This date has double meaning for me, girls.  Yes, my father and uncles served in WWII, but also on this date in 1911, that is 11/11/11, my paternal grandparents were married. Of course, this was years before it became Veterans Day, but I am so proud they chose what turned out to be a famous date.

                             So, I always have lots to think of on this day. And though I wrote a lot of posts, I could not sign off without acknowledging this day.

                              However, you celebrate--with wine music, movies or anything else, make the most of this day and recall sacrifices made for us by countless military personnel and their families.

                               Especially on this day, I feel like that Yankee Doodle boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better Than Expected, But Still Highly Flawed

                            Within the "Friday The 13th" universe are two types of fans.  The first, and majority, will accept anything that is thrown at them.  The second, a smaller but more devoted group, cling to the legends and myths set forth in the original 1980 film.  That would be me.

                              So, I was both excited and skeptical about "Crystal Lake," until I watched it.

                               Let me start with the good points, and those I credit to the fact that one of the Executive Producers, was Victor Miller, who I did not know was still alive.  It was Miller who penned the original "Friday The 13th " screenplay.  So, when it came time to replicate scenes from the past, like the killing of that horndog Barry, and that slut, Claudette, who was the reason Jason died, every detail was there, down to the camera shots.  I was impressed.  That opening full moon, the counselors singing "Down In The Valley" and "Michael Row The Boat Ashore,' was frighteningly accurate, and I have to hand it to the creatives for this.

                                 Linda Cardellini, as said, makes one empathize for Pamela.  But the first mistake made by the show was to update the time.  Jason, as fans know, drowned in 1957; this show moves it up to 1971.  And while the camp scenes are impressively shot, particular when Cardellini dives into the lake to save Jason, there is a sense of being in the wrong time.  Which does not leave her time enough to get back at The Christies, who are featured in the series, and do the things to the camp that Annie learns about at while riding with Ennis, the truckdriver,  diner, in the 1980 original.

                                   Now, the addition of Gwndolyn Sundstrom as Grace Snell, a friend for Jason, is a great idea, but it should have been kept in the 1950s.  Her performance is one of the better ones, too, and at 14, she could become the next Daveigh Chase, but hopefully without Chase's problems and tragic demise.

                                       Spoilers here--Grace, on the day Jason dies, witnesses not only his death, but the reason for it--Barry and Claudette Ka noodling in the storehouse.  Like most fans, we all know what a slut Claudette is, and that she deserves it, but Grace does not kill Claudette completely; Pamela, who has had Claudette admit her culpability to her recently, comes in and finishes the job, and when Claudette gets it, boy, do we applaud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Proof lies in more screen time being devoted to Claudette's death.

                                           Now, if all of this had stayed within the time rubric of the 1980 original, "Crystal Lake" would have been a nigh perfect series, especially if it had stopped at episode 6.   But the last two, involving Stepfordism,  genetic testing, and Jason being some kind of super-hero mutant, with Pamela having to flee an organization, adopting the name Voorhees, was just too much.   Let me tell you what should have happened,

                                    What would have made more sense was for the creators to follow the text of the comic strip, "Pamela's Tale."  Pamela is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who takes up with a boy from there, Elias Voorhees, and is knocked up by him.  When Elias sees how deformed Jason is, he takes off, leaving Pam on her own.  So, she goes to NYC to become a nightclub singer?  Are you kidding?  With nothing but cooking skills, she will stay in the Crystal Lake area.  This eventually leads her to Camp Crystal Lake.  Had the producers stuck with this, they would have had a first-class series.  Oh, and Pam should have gone after The Christies, too.

                                      One more thing.  When making the original film, I read, Betsy Palmer wanted Sean Cunningham, the director, to put her in the scene in Trudy's diner, when Annie walks in.  This would have been something--a cameo by Betsy Palmer, and then she turns out to be the murderess.  What an idea!  Too bad a NYC tabloid critic revealed Palmer's presence in the film in a review.

                                        "Crystal Lake" is surprisingly worth watching.  But devoted fans just will not accept the incongruities.