Halloween is always fitting for a viewing of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. And despite the price of candy exorbitating (yeah, I know, it’s not a word, but I just made it one) due to tariffs, people spent a record number on candy this year. It just goes to show, tradition dies hard. Good luck trying to kill the spirit of a holiday in America. Halloween is the one time of year when death takes center stage in the West. Skeletons hang from doors, jack o’ lanterns grin from porch banisters, and giant grim reapers show up in the seasonal aisle at Home Depot. For a few weeks, the thing we spend the rest of the year avoiding becomes incredibly visible. Speaking of incredible, it was incredible busy month this month in my monthly mix world. Oh boy, that’s a tongue twister.
The Creature From the Black Lagoon on Blu Ray: I had a wonderful opportunity this month to revisit this classic, albeit in 3D. My sister has the setup, the glasses and the player. It was exciting to see the creature reach out with those oversized claws right into your face, or watch scuba equipped scientists swim toward you with their spear guns looking like they were going to poke your eyes out! I had no idea, the original movie was actually shot in 3D, and was released that way in limited venues. The 3D fad quickly died out about the same time this movie was made, hence, its rarity as a fully 3D feature. I took my grandson with me to my sister’s to watch it and now he’s obsessed. He wants all things Creature from the Black Lagoon. Oddly, I was the same way when I watched the movie for the first time when I was about twelve years old. Shoot, I wanted to grow up to be a professional scuba diver! Incidentally, in 2009 I got to meet Ricou Browning, who played the creature in the underwater scenes. He was white headed and aged, but short and quite powerfully built.
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins: Reading a Tom Robbins novel is not only like taking a walking tour through a Richard Scarry Busytown book, but also a wonderful trip into the imagination (not to mention a little sidetrip into a dictionary or two.) His love for words, much like Robert Frost , utilizes delightfully clever metaphors and glimmery erudite usage that makes reading one of his books a true literary adventure. This book was no different. Robbins' main character is a woman and he does a fine job of writing the book through "her" eyes. And her cohort, Larry Diamond, flamboyantly confident despite bearing a debilitating affliction, were both memorable though hardly believable characters. Not the best Tom Robbins book I've read, but a jolly fun read.
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines on PC: Released in 2007, here is a super little known fact for you. It was made in the Half Life Source engine and was released one day before Half Life, so it actually beat one of the most popular storied shooters out the door. Unfortunately, it was also buggy and rushed to fruition. It has since been patched up (mostly by fans) and is now a quite playable game. It’s dated, granted, but still a fun game. I’m in the front part of the game, but I wish I had played it earlier.
Borderlands on Steam: Randy Pitchford catches a lot of flak. He’s a wiseacre accused of possessing child pornography (for which he was not only exonerated, but countersued for the slander—and good for him!) and he’s personally impelled me to write him a letter (via Computer Gaming World Magazine accusing him of ageism. And he’s the scapegoat for the new Borderlands 4, despite, its system requirements, being a good game. Still, I find myself going back to the OG, and oddly, getting back into it for the sake of my old buddy, Vic Berwick (who quickly decided it was not his kind of game). Cartoony graphics based on a Mad Max motif make this a scratch itch game that’s funnier than it has any right to be. Thanks to my buddy, Garrett Thrasher, I’ll be able to get through it for a third time.
Lost in Space Season 3 on Blu Ray: I’m finally on the final season of my favorite television season of all time. This was the series that cleared the streets when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the show was on its way out this season, unbeknownst to the cast and crew. It had become campy and competitive with other network television shows (e.g. Batman) and obviously lost the race. I see now, the show’s campiness is what led to its demise. At this point, it was turning into a Saturday morning children’s show produced by Irwin Allen instead of Sid and Marty Kroft. There was a cool upgrade to the third season in that John Williams changed the theme music to make it more upbeat and adventurous, introducing the countdown pictogram of each cast member. Lost in Space being more of a storytelling platform where Star Trek was more of a philosophizing one prompted Gene Rodenberry to say it best: "That show accomplishes what it sets out to do. Star Trek is not the same thing".
Little Nightmares on Steam: Trying to get as many games knocked out as I can this year, I thought I would try to complete a simple little game. Little Nightmares came up in my list and I was like, why not? It’s a platformer, which I typically suck at. But I weathered on, despite the fact that it’s a 6 hour game that took me 11 hours to beat. Not sure I’ll ever play Little Nightmares 2, but it was an interesting game. The graphics and the music were interesting to say the least. I suppose the only thing keeping me going on was the fact that it was a 6 hour game. Go me!
Paul Lynde’s Halloween Special ’76 on Youtube: Halloween 1976 I turned 14 years old. It was an important year. It was our Bicentennial, our 200th year of declaration of freedom from the old motherland. Variety shows were still hip, The Carol Burnett Show anyone? My friend, Jeri Bragg, turned me onto this show and brought it to my attention that you could watch it in its entirety on YouTube. Talk about bringing back memories! We have Paul Lynde accompanied by Margaret Hamilton (reprising the role that made her by far the most famous) hosting a small array of television guests including Florence Henderson and Tim Conway. And no worries, Jeri, I won't forget Donny and Marie Osmond. LOL!) Of course, the main draw for me was KISS! They sang “Detroit Rock City,” (though it was obviously dubbed and sans Ace’s great solo) it was still fun to watch despite Peter’s lack of visibility tucked behind a drum set (although he got his comeuppance when he performed “Beth” on a piano.) Seeing them perform was cool, especially when Gene Simmons snuck in a very prominent fire blow.
Secret Level Season One on Amazon Prime: My buddy, Vic Berwick, turned me onto this one. I was reluctant at first because . . . anime? But it really wasn’t, not at all. It’s rather CGI. And it’s all done in environments created from our favorite video games. I was flabbergasted by what I saw, and the good part? Each episode is 7-10 minutes long. What’s not to like about that? Not to mention the guest stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Keanu Reeves. If you want to see what your new 8K TV can do, watch this show.
