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)

Criminally Insane (1975) / Satan's Black Wedding (1976) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - February 20, 1976

A double-feature of two exploitation movies helmed by Nick Millard, credited as "Nick Phillips" on Criminally Insane and as Philip Miller on Satan's Black Wedding.

The IMDB has the runtime for both Criminally Insane and Satan's Black Wedding as one hour and one minute apiece. Well, okay.

Criminally Insane tells that tale of an obese woman that kills anyone that dare try and stop her from eating. Satan's Black Wedding appears to be a vampire film of some sort. Character actor George "Buck" Flower, who I know best for his appearances in numerous John Carpenter movies, shows up in Criminally Insane as a detective.

Beyond that, you are on your own!

Alien 3 (1992) - Trading Card #2

Datalog: Date and Time Unknown

In hypersleep, light-years are condensed into human seconds. And all is peaceful. None of us were aware of the chaos going on in the ship's bulkhead. The Sulaco's sprinkler system must have been automatically activated to contain an onboard fire, our cryotubes were ejected into the EEV. But a fire may not have been the only danger one board.

Colossal (2016) - Soundtrack

A dark comedy wherein giant monsters act as the embodiment of addiction and abuse? Sign me up!

Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis both shine as damaged people that have very different reactions to learning they have giant monster avatars capable of wreaking havoc, destruction, and, of course, death in South Korea, of all places.

Bear McCreary's excellent score, like the film itself, is all over the place, by design. While there are grand orchestral flourishes worthy of a giant monster movie, most of the score is as quiet and uneasy as Hathaway and Sudeikis' characters. Because, despite its giant monster flourishes, Colossal is a lot more grounded and human than one would think.

All that having been said, it should come as no surprise whatsoever that my favorite track is #6 - The Most Irresponsible Thing. I think it is a perfect underscore for a truly unsettling moment when an abuser gets to flaunt and flex the power he has over the abused to someone incapable of either challenging or neutralizing that power.

Parents (1989) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 19, 1989

This is one oddity I really regret missing seeing on the big screen, but the unaddressed issues of untreated anxiety, depression, and childhood trauma kept me from being truly comfortable venturing out and doing things for myself, by myself. So there were quite a few cinematic delights I missed out on experiencing. So it goes.

"What were they before they were leftovers?"

"Leftovers to be."