The Private Eyes (1980) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 27, 1981

Considering its Old Dark House plot trappings and Gothic Mansion setting, I am bewildered that I gave The Private Eyes a pass on the big screen. We'd gone and seen The Prize Fighter (1979), the movie that Conway and Knotts had made prior to this, and really enjoyed it. I also had a raging crush on Trisha Noble, who had a supporting role, thanks in large part to my loving the short-lived cop show Strike Force, on which Noble was member of the primary cast.

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #40

Alien (1979)

 

Project UFO - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - February 26, 1978

Project UFO was this short-lived buzzkill of a show I remember watching and being disappointed by, as all the weird incidents and encounters were given logical explanations. Still high from a recent viewing of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I wanted more magic and wonder and less reason and rationality.

The episode that aired on Feb 26 was Sighting 4002: The Joshua Flats Incident, which was the second episode of the series (so it looks to have been a mid-season replacement) and is probably one that I watched, even if I don't remember it.

The IMDB synopsis reads: Prominent citizens of a town report seeing a UFO, but investigators cannot get information from them and turn instead to an eleven-year-old boy. No memories shaken loose or stirred up. So it goes.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #4

Datalog: Approx. 0:700 Hours, Day 1

The EEV crashed on the planet Fiorina 161, a class C prison facility. I was unconscious when Medical Officer Clemens rescued me from the wreckage. He told me the others didn't make it. Hicks and Newt died in the crash. Bishop was damaged beyond repair.

It has been so very long since I have watched Alien 3 from start to finish, that I do not remember if this shot/plot point made it into the theatrical release version. Ripley's rescue and recovery were streamlined for pacing reasons, I think.

This card also reveals the film's biggest creative swing... in that the fan favorite characters of Hicks and Newt had died in the crash. Bishop, although described as being damaged beyond repair, would be given a more tactile death scene. Because Lance Henriksen was the only Aliens cast member allowed, or sweet-talked into, an onscreen appearance in the film.

I do think this could have worked, if the script had been tightened and the film allowed more focus on Ripley's grief and trauma.

Horror Planet [Inseminoid (1981)] - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 25, 1983

I remember reading about Inseminoid/Horror Planet in the pages of Fangoria magazine and getting/being super excited/interested in it. When I finally did see it I was happy to not be all that disappointed with it, but was dismayed to learn that the shock ending had been spoiled by one of the gorier still shots used in the magazine coverage.

Fun and nasty little movie, though.

Fright Flicks - Trading Cards #39

Ghostbusters (1984)

Or how I react on the inside whenever somebody interrupts me when I'm reading... [In the context of the film scene, not the joke on the card.]

The Turquoise Mask by Phyllis A. Whitney - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - February 24, 1974

Advertisement for a New Mexico set tale of gothic romance and murder from Phyllis A. Whitney. The Book Graveyard and Paperback Warrior have succeeded in perking my interest in returning to the genre of gothic suspense/romance for the occasional read.

I have no idea how good, or bad, this offering might be, but it has been added to the search list in my "Handy Dandy Notebook" I plan on taking during my visits to any and all visits used bookstores I might encounter during my travels.

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #3

Datalog: Approx. 0:700 Hours, Day 1

I don't know how long the Emergency Evacuation Vehicle had been hurtling through space before it made a crash landing on an unusual planet. If I had decompressed too quickly coming down through the atmosphere, I would become violently ill - but it could have been worse.

The most interesting thing about this set of Alien 3 trading cards was my discovering that they appeared to have a different storyline presentation than of the film I saw on the big screen. This might have been due to the cards being created before the story alterations were made. Maybe.

Seven Days in May (1964) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 23, 1964

I think this might be my favorite John Frankenheimer movie. Tense and believable from start to finish, Seven Days in May gets me to the edge of my seat every time I watch it.
 

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #38

Predator (1987)