Shut in with superheroes and the super weird

Hey everyone! I hope you're all healthy and well. I'm sure many of you have been watching movies over the past few weeks. Our library decided to close its doors for obvious health reasons, so I went out on its last night open to check out some DVDs. I thought I would be the only one there, but surprisingly no! A lot of people had that same idea. One woman brought two laundry baskets with her! I guess she's stocked up with entertainment. I went with the goal of checking out the dumbest movies I could find. That's not an insult to the movies I checked out. I like watching movies that walk that fine line of good/bad or are so bad they're good.

And for all I know, some of these could be good! That Super movie with Rainn Wilson looks like the kind of story that could sneak up on a person and actually be smart, or maybe not. And according to the back of the Night Shift case, that movie gave a spark to Michael Keaton's career. I couldn't pass up a movie starring both Micheal Keaton and Henry Winkler with what looks like a bunch of sexy legs popping out of a City Morgue vehicle. That looks like some good off-the-wall brain drain to me!

Anyway, my theory is that watching movies that are that dumb kind of funny is a good way to get through stressful times. I haven't watched them all yet, unless you're counting that I watched The Mask 20-some years ago. Actually I've only watched Mystery Men so far. This was my first time seeing Mystery Men. I got it because the DVD cover looked goofy. This is one of those movies where I'm not sure about the intent, but it was surprisingly funny in parts. I feel like I should be embarrassed to find Paul Reubens so funny playing a character named "The Spleen" whose superpower is well... passing gas.

The movie is basically about a group of superheroes who are a little off the beaten path. And to be honest, some of their superpowers are not all that super. Heck, "The Spleen" might have the most going on of any of them.

Besides that, I watched more Tremors movies. I have now caught up with all possible Tremors. I can't wait for the 7th one! These movies are strangely addictive. And aren't we all a little like the Burt Gummer character now? Hoarding food and whatever other supplies we find essential, trying to be as prepared as possible. I think we've all become Preppers in a way. The Tremors movies were the perfect escapist viewing for me. And during a time of uncertainty, it feels good to watch people be resourceful and win out against a threat.

And here's another movie that is strangely fitting for these times! Svengoolie was playing Village of the Damned (the one from 1960) this past Saturday. This was my first time watching the movie! I can't even believe that. I've been meaning to watch it for probably decades now. If anyone else hasn't seen it yet, I won't spoil anything. I'll just say, the movie is very well made and chilling. It starts with what feels like an all too familiar and uncertain crisis. Then it goes in a direction that thankfully we cannot at all relate to. It's one of those spooky kid movies that is unnerving in the same way spooky doll movies are. Someone or something you typically think of as small, innocent, and vulnerable is the threat. That is just creepy in a way no other threat can be creepy.

I really recommend Village of the Damned. For those of you who have seen the movie, I'd be very interested in discussing the meaning you found in it. I feel like had it been made today, I would have a pretty good idea of what they were saying about our culture. But since it was made in 1960, I'm not entirely sure. Except to say that I think there was a strong theme around emotions and what their advantages and disadvantages are to a species.

So, that's about it as far as my movie watching has been going. Which movies have you guys been watching?

I'm finally acquainted with Kolchak: The Night Stalker!

Any Night Stalker fans out there? As in Kolchak: The Night Stalker. I'm new to the TV series and movies, and I'm feeling like the last one to the Kolchak party. :)

A handful of you have recommended Kolchak: The Night Stalker to me. I tried to find the old show at the library, to no avail. I wanted to binge watch through it. So imagine my happiness to hear that a local TV station, MeTV had decided to show Kolchak this season! What great timing. So far, I've watched a couple episodes and the movie The Night Stalker. The library did have that! Actually, it was a double feature DVD, including The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler.

So far, the big difference between the TV series and the first movie is the seriousness. I found the TV episodes more funny and the movie very intense. Watching the movie made me see the connection everyone's been telling me about between Kolchak and The X-Files. The shows have in common a supernatural element, but also the very strong message that there are powers-that-be that want our characters to keep their mouths shut about all they discover.

OK, so briefly for those who aren't familiar with the Carl Kolchak character, he's played by Darren McGavin. In my mind Darren McGavin is Kolchak. No one else gets to play him, nope. It's just one of those times when an actor becomes the character they're portraying.

So, Kolchak is a reporter who somehow keeps finding his way into the middle of murder, mayhem, and the supernatural. He's a real go-getter. It seems the minute there's a murder or a car wreck, there's Kolchak snapping away with his camera and running his tape recorder. He's always first to the scene. There's something strange nowadays about seeing anyone who isn't the police just show up to a crime scene and take up-close pictures of a body without being told to stop. That doesn't happen now, does it? For that matter, was this happening in the 70s?

Kolchak is always making waves. He's the one speaking out at press conferences and whipping zingers at his cranky boss. Kolchak's boss could have been hanging out with Clark Kent's boss, Perry White. But then, they might have clawed each other's eyes out. I'm just saying he's in that same school of the constantly yelling, ready to explode, newspaper bosses you see in old TV shows and movies. He tries to hold Kolchak back, but no one is going to hold Kolchak back.

Cranky boss man

It's inspirational really, watching Kolchak bounce back from every encounter with someone who tells him to go away, keep quiet, come up with a different news report, etc. I was struck watching the Night Stalker movie with how current it felt. A lot of people are giving the news media a hard time today, and boy does Kolchak get a hard time. I thought the scariest thing in The Night Stalker wasn't the vampire, but the district attorney and sheriff who are trying to keep Kolchak from sharing the truth by any means necessary. Man, were those guys hatable.

I could understand the frustration of Kolchak's boss, though. He needed to take a deep breath, but still. He was up against this catch 22 of either telling the community that there's a vampire on the loose and causing mass chaos or possibly endangering them more by hiding the truth.

Look into my eyes...

So about that vampire... I'm not spoiling too much here. I think most viewers could put 2 + 2 together when there are blood drained bodies showing up. This vampire wasn't too scary. He was in that kind of Hammer school of the tall, silent guy who stands there with his red eyes. Except, he isn't intimidating like Christopher Lee. I really wasn't scared by the parts of the movie he was in. The scariest parts of this for me are when the women are walking alone at night down an alley, etc. Because that's scary for real. I didn't see this as much of a horror movie so much as social commentary.

As for the TV show, as I said before, it's a lot more funny. I can tell Darren McGavin is just having fun being himself there. I can tell that a lot of what we're seeing there is actually him. Here, I thought he'd made up his character in A Christmas Story! But now I see that as Kolchak or "The Old Man" in A Christmas Story, we're seeing an awful lot of the real deal. Speaking of A Christmas Story, it goes to show how many times I've seen it, that I could feel like Darren McGavin was cheating on his wife from that movie with his girlfriend in The Night Stalker. I found myself being irritated with him for having that girlfriend and then I remembered how often I'd seen him with his movie wife in A Christmas Story.

"You were jealous! Jealous I won!"

Remember that? And here he is messing with my mind as Kolchak with his new girlfriend:

He's looking miserable with both women, and they with him, in these photos, but that's all I could find.

As for the sequel movie, The Night Strangler, it's much like The Night Stalker. It give some closure to those who were left with an uneasy feeling after watching the first movie. A few pieces of the first plot are dealt with and some aren't. There's a new supernatural problem, that seems a lot like the vampire in the first movie, but not quite. You'll just have to see. Kolchak has a new girlfriend in this one and I've noticed there's a romantic interest in some of the TV episodes I've seen. So I'll just have to get over him not being married to Melinda Dillon from A Christmas Story.

Back to the TV show, so far my favorite episode of the four I've watched has been "The Spanish Moss Murders" which I'll share here:

And a link to the video: The Spanish Moss Murders

This episode had the most creative plot of those I've watched. It felt very X-Files in that way where it seemed almost realistic. Like, even though the thought of this creature is somewhat outlandish, it's presented in a way where you think "There may be something to this..." You know, the way The X-Files could make you feel like there was some scientific basis to something that you don't even believe in!

I like shows that make me feel like a wild scenario has some basis in reality. I like to feel that at least in a TV or movie environment, these things are possible. We've all seen those shows that leave you saying "They wouldn't say or do that!" What I'm trying to say is that there are unbelievable things happening in a very believable environment here, and I appreciate that.

So, for those of you who aren't familiar with Kolchak, I recommend getting a hold of one of his movies or checking out the old episodes of the TV show on MeTV. Although, I've started to feel like the last person on earth to find out about him. So, for all of you who are familiar with him already, go enjoy some reruns! If you get MeTV, the show is on Sunday evenings at 9:00 PM (Central Time).

And for all you Kolchak fans, MeTV put together some trivia about the show:

11 REASONS 'KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER' IS THE COOLEST, CREEPIEST SHOW ON 1970S TELEVISION 

To Fear the Night or Date the Undead

Happy Valentine's Day! Today I am taking part in a vampire themed blog event. Every blogger involved has written a vampire themed post for Valentine's Day. You can see the other blog participants here:

The Sanguinary Soiree

As supernatural creatures go, vampires seem the most fitting for Valentine's Day. Besides the sexual element of their attacks, they're better dressed and more charming than other monsters. Yes, I said monsters. It's hard to even think of vampires as monsters anymore. Somehow over the past century they have gone from blood sucking demons, sleeping in their dirt filled coffins...

...to possible marriage partners.

I prefer my vampires somewhere in the middle. I'd rather watch an attractive vampire, but I don't want to forget that he's a threat. As many of you know, I've recently been binging on Christopher Lee movies. I think he's a good bridge between the handsome vampire and the bloodthirsty fiend. He looks great in his cape, but he's not a sweet character you can discuss your innermost feelings with.

Still, he's popular with the ladies... Maybe it's those hypnotic mind tricks. Every time a woman looks into his eyes, she's under his spell. Bela Lugosi (the king of spellbinding eye contact) also stands in the middle of horror and romance for me.

So how did we go from the bewitching (yet deadly) style of vampires to the sensitive boyfriend style of vampires? I think the link between Christopher Lee and Robert Pattinson is Frank Langella.

Dracula (1979) starring Langella has The Count in a more human role. Before biting his victims he has conversations with them, dances around a ballroom with them, and even has (human) makeout sessions with them. In other words, he's courting them before killing them. We never actually see him bite a neck, nor do we see his fangs. However, the old garlic tricks still work against him, as do crosses, and daylight. Well sort of. He can't be touched by the light of day, because it burns him. He can, however move about during the day, if he's in a dark room. As he says in the movie "It's daytime somewhere in the world." Sort of like the "It's five 'o clock somewhere" drinking excuse.

Langella actually explains the blood draining process to one of his victims, who acts more like she's his girlfriend. He uses lines like "I need your blood" and "You won't be like this much longer" and "It's your choice to be here". The Lucy character actually defends him as being sensitive and sympathetic! He's a more manipulative Dracula than I've seen in the older movies. Christopher Lee would have just picked his prey, and taken a bite. So it appears that the "vampire boyfriend" idea had its start with Langella in 1979.

He reminds me a little of a magician in this photo for some reason.

Frank Langella first starred in the stage presentation of Dracula. He was very popular in that, so he was asked to star in the movie version. Here he is on the set Edward Gorey designed for the Dracula play:

I would have loved to have seen the Edward Gorey set in person. I think I may have enjoyed Langella's Dracula in play form more than in movie form. Part of the problem was that the film's color had been doctored in a strange way. At least in the version I watched. The colors changed from scene to scene. There were distracting changes from vibrant color to sepia to black and white. Dracula was also a little mopey for my taste. I thought he might talk his victims to death!

Still, some people may find Frank Langella's movie performance perfect for Valentine's Day vampire viewing. Just ask him...

Listening to this interview makes me wonder who Langella has been discussing his movies with...

I thought it would be fun to compare the lines vampires have used on their victims/girlfriends in the movies. This also helps support my timeline of when the vampire role changed from a monster to a romantic figure.


Max Schreck as Count Orlok (Nosferatu, 1922):
Is this your wife? What a lovely throat!
(Count Orlok offers that compliment after seeing a photo of Harker's wife, but he never actually speaks to women. He just sneaks in and bites them.)

Bela Lugosi as Dracula (1931): To die, to be *really* dead, that must be glorious!
Mina Seward: Why, Count Dracula!
Dracula: There are far worse things awaiting man than death.

Christopher Lee as Dracula (1958-1970's): *chomp*
(He didn't exactly have any lines with the ladies. Although, he did make a lot of facial expressions and commanding hand gestures.)

Frank Langella as Dracula (1979) : Now it is you, my best beloved one. You will be flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood. You will cross land and sea to do my bidding. I need your blood. I need.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen (Twilight 2008-now): Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very Dark, but there were stars--points of light and reason...And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.


See what I mean?


After watching Langella's version of Dracula, I decided to watch Dracula Dead and Loving it, starring Leslie Nielsen. This Mel Brooks movie was just the lighthearted viewing I needed after Langella's performance! Funny enough, a lot of what was spoofed was Langella's Dracula.

After months of watching vampires stalk around and seduce people, it was actually fun to watch a goofy Grampa type vampire. You might recognize Mel Brooks as Professor Van Helsing in this clip.

Some people always need to have the last word!

For those who would rather be a vampire than date one, I ran into an awesome makeup tutorial! Basically, you draw two triangles with white makeup on your lips as the teeth.

Here's my stab at it:

Something to fall in love with this Valentine's Day, aside from vampires, is a site called Pinterest. I can't remember the last time I was so addicted to a web site! For those of you who don't know about Pinterest, it's sort of a virtual bulletin board where you can post whatever you're interested in. It's handy for storing reminders, inspirations, art reference, and how-to videos. At least that's what I'm using my page for. If you'd like to see what I've done with Pinterest so far, here's my page:

Justine's Halloween Pinterest

As of now, you have to get on a waiting list or receive an invitation to join Pinterest. If you want an invitation, post your email address in a comment and I'll send you one. Or just shoot me an email asking to be invited. It's lots of fun! One more thing I'd like to mention is that I acquired the domain name,

justineshalloween.com 

I'm letting you guys know in case you want to get here a little faster.

Have a lovely Valentine's Day, and watch out for the sweet talking undead!