Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales DVD Review

"Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales" arguably was one of the best series to come out of Total Television (now owned by Classic Media who also owns the rights to Casper, hence the promo), next to "The Underdog Show". Unfortunately, Classic's treatment of the TTV material pales in comparison to their treatment of the Jay Ward material (which they also now own). They should offer complete seasons instead of "best of's" as there were 70 "Tennessee Tuxedo" episodes" in total. Also, the theme song has been changed to a 'demo' version instead of the actual one sung by Don Adams and Bradley Bolke (Tennessee and Chumley, respectively). The prints are good, and the cartoons are still entertaining, despite my misgivings on the packaging.

FYI, Total Television produced the following series (in no particular order) from 1959-1969:

King Leonardo
The Hunter
Tooter the Turtle
Tennessee Tuxedo
Klondike Kat
Commander McBragg
Underdog
Go-Go Gophers
The Beagles

According to Wikipedia, the rug was pulled from TTV and Gamma Productions (the animation house that also animated much of Jay Ward's stuff) when General Mills (the show's sponsor) pulled out in 1969. The last show to be produced was going to be called "The Colossal Show" which was never completed, although there is a comic book out there. The rights reverted back to the creators who sold it to Lorne Michaels (of "Saturday Night Live") who in turn sold it to Golden Books, and then was acquired by Classic Media, the current owners.

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

V for Vendetta Review

Excellent movie!! Well made, well written, well acted, etc, etc. Some humor, some gore, poignant political commentary. I haven't said really positive things about a movie for quite some time. Definitely see in the theater!!

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Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

The Hills Have Eyes Review

The movie was pretty good, pretty scary, but also pretty stupid, too. I always look for how they present gun play in movies and I always hate it when the bad guy holds a gun, tells his life story just long enough to get the gun kicked out of his hand. In this movie, they only had a limited number of bullets and the stars (especially the teenage boy) had a tendency to shoot just random shots at nothing, so then when the monsters came, they had no more bullets. Stupid!!

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Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Mad Magazine

I've got nothing better to write about, so I will write about my love for "Mad". I started reading "Mad" with issue #172 (1/75), and have never stopped. Actually, the first issue I ever remember reading was the "Mad Super Special" #14 from 1974 that had some Don Martin art posters included. I was greatly intrigued and soon I found a publication that really "spoke" to me.

My dad revealed at the time that he read "Mad" when it was a comic book and had every issue. That used to bug me, that he HAD them, and then tossed them out. Of course, I have repurchased virtually every issue since (missing #1, 6 and 8 at time of writing), but I have everything in reprint form if not. I am also missing 68 paperbacks which is pretty good since I didn't really start collecting those until a couple of years ago and there's over 300 paperbacks published.

Anyway, I still read "Mad". It's not as good as it once was (the old saw), but it has outlasted everything including "Cracked" which is something to say!

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Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Random Oscar Comments

John Stewart has horrible timing and was only a passable host.

I am glad "Brokeback Mountain" didn't win because of all the hype.

My predition for Best Picture that wasn't even nominated "Memoirs of a Geisha" actually won 3 Academy Awards, meaning that it won more than any other picture this year, except for "King Kong" which it tied with, another movie that I liked and probably could have been nominated for Best Picture, too.

Too many film clip montages.

Overall, it was kind of boring, except for the Best Picture upset when Nicholson read the winner.

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Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

John Lennon "Walls and Bridges"

A lot of people malign this album of Lennon's, but for me it is my favorite album by him and I finally got the remastered version of it on CD and it sounds fabulous. I don't know why people seem to hate this album. It had TWO top ten hits on it "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" and "#9 Dream" and "What You Got" got a lot of airplay too. There really isn't a bum track on the collection unless you count his quickie knock-off of "Ya Ya" with son Julian on drums, and I even like that because it's charming.

I find his two highest-rated albums "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" and "Imagine" not as good or equal at best in comparison and a bit overrated. "Plastic Ono" is rather harsh despite some good songs, and "Imagine" has the incredibly long "I Don't Want to be a Soldier, Mama" that keeps me from liking that album more.

People seem to like these two albums because Lennon was in a lot of pain while making them. Like he wasn't when he made "Walls and Bridges". He was separated from Yoko, for goodness sake! This made for harsh but lushly performed songs about his relationship with her (save for things like "Steel and Glass" which is about Allen Klein).

If you have never purchased a Lennon album beyond his greatest hits collections, I highly suggest "Walls and Bridges" along with "Plastic Ono" and "Imagine". You could probably pass on "Some Time in New York City", "Mind Games", "Rock and Roll" and "Double Fantasy" for later as I feel they are not up to par, but they all sound great now that they've all been remastered.

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Curse of the Werewolf Review

I just watched Hammer Films' "Curse of the Werewolf". Unfortunately, not a very good film as it kind of wanders around with plots until it finally settles down to get to some good "full moon" action. Oliver Reed does a good job with the material, but it is indeed a let down in comparison to other good to excellent Hammer Films like "Horror of Dracula". I guess that's why there weren't a lot of sequels unlike the "Dracula" film.

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Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Darren McGavin and Don Knotts

Isn't it amazing that Darren McGavin and Don Knotts who both starred in the Disney movie "No Deposit, No Return" died on the same weekend? Of course, both stars had been in and went on to do greater things, but it almost seems like they worked together at that time kind of like the mid-point of their careers.

McGavin of course had previously been in "The Delicate Delinquent" taking over the Dean Martin role in the first Jerry Lewis solo vehicle and also was "The Night Stalker". Afterwards, he was best known as "the old man" in "The Christmas Story".

Knotts was on "Steve Allen" and in "The Andy Griffith Show" previously and a number of silly 60s movies and then appeared as Ralph Furley in "Three's Company" afterwards.

Interesting...

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

FW: Thompson Twins Hold Me Now Cover Version

I was a huge Thompson Twins fan in their 80s heyday, and was always disappointed
that they just threw in the towel after about 10 or so years, unlike U2 who
keeps going and going and going.... Anyway, I just heard a cover version of
"Hold Me Now" and I'm not sure if it was by Wayne Wonder or Cosmicity. It was
probably the Wayne Wonder version as it sounded kind of R&B and actually sounded
better than the Twins original version. I wish the Thompson Twins (the line-up
with Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway) would reunite for a new album and
tour. I think that they could do great things and be very contemporary with
their sound. Of course, Tom and Alannah are divorced now, so it may be tough. Oh well. At least I can spin the oldies...

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

"Rewind: The Best in Music and Video" Review

For years here in the US, I have begged for a good comprehensive DVD of those early rock music videos and now I have one...sort of. Sort of because "Rewind" is not a US compilation, it is a compilation of Malaysian origin of all things but it does indeed have some of the best of those early 80s music videos. The DVDs that have come out in the US have about 5 videos. Why? When DVDs can carry so much information. This collection has 32! Wow! And the price is right, too. About $23. A US version of this same thing would probably cost over $50 since it also contained 2 CD's of the same music. The US gouges on everything. Imports are great!!

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

King Solomon's Mines (1950) Review

You know, usually I am a big fan of older movies as they were typically made better and had better writing, etc. One strong exception that I just watched was "King Solomon's Mines" from 1950. What a doggy movie! It makes even the lamest Disney movie watchable. Basically, it is "Hey, look at that animal!" and then a cut to some stock footage, except in one case where a giant rubber spider creature creeped along like a relative of "The Tingler". Star Stewart Granger also seemed to understand every African language dialect except when it was really important. And, there was also an emphasis on how much ammunition was left, so the final bullets were used on certain natives to great effect. Once they got to the mine itself, it was still snoresville and basically a letdown. This was made before in 1937 and again in 1985 and in 2004 which seemingly the same results according to other reviews. Why do they keep making this same stupid movie???

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Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

March of the Penguins Review

This is a good film. It's not too long and it is presented well. If you are not aware, it is a documentary about Emperor penguins who migrate from the sea to reproduce inland at the South Pole, and the troubles they encounter in this process. Lots of excellent photography. What is amazing to me is the success of this film. I mean, these types of films appear regularly on PBS and Animal Planet and Discovery, but this one seemed to take off for some reason. Perhaps it was Morgan "Easy Reader" Freeman's soothing narration, or the simplistic presentation style. Who knows? The DVD has a couple of other documentaries on the same subject that are more graphic and explanatory in nature. The original film kind of glosses over some details for the sake of "cuteness" and for the sake of getting on with the story. Also, the Bugs Bunny cartoon "8 Ball Bunny" which isn't available on DVD elsewhere at this time, is here. Love those ice cube teardrops!

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

President's Day

So, here I am working on President's Day. I have worked a few President's Days in the past, but for this position, most of the people I would contact are not available and on holiday themselves. It just makes me want to revamp the holiday system in the US. This is what I propose as the new holiday system where we have one paid holiday per month that encompasses numerous holidays at one time:

January - New Year's Day
February - Valentine's Day/President's Day
March - St. Patrick's Day
April - Easter/Passover
May - Memorial Day
June - Flag Day
July - Independence Day
August - Martin Luther King Day
September - Labor Day
October - Halloween
November - Thanksgiving
December - Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Whatever...

As you can see, I moved Martin Luther King Day to August. Why? Well, most companies don't get the day off coming two weeks after New Year's, so we should put it in August, where there are no holidays. Besides, August is when Martin Luther King performed his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, which is more significant than his birthday anyway.

Regards,
Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

David Frye is on CD!

There's a new double CD set of two classic David Frye LPs: "I am the President" (1970) and "Radio Free Nixon" (1971). For those who weren't there or have no background to history, these releases may mean nothing to you, but for me who is a fan of political humor and was a wee lad when these were released, these releases are gold. Frye was a zillion times funnier than Rich Little or any other Nixon parodist because of his scathing humor. If you can appreciate classic stuff like the Kennedy material of "The First Family" then by all means buy this set!

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Richie Rich's Vault

I've promoted this before, but there's lots of rumblings going on in the Richie Rich Vault as of late. Check out the Yahoo! group by clicking on the appropriate link!

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

When a Stranger Calls Review

Though this is not an original idea (it wasn't even original when the movie was made in 1979), it is still well made. A throwback to good horror-suspense before too much gore and shock of movies like "Hostel" and "Saw" tookover the marketplace. As such, I suppose it isn't doing very well, but Camilla Belle is quite the hottie and very easy on the eyes as she goes through the throws. But, as I saw it I thought to myself, why does she answer the phone so much? I guess it's always that curiousity, but if I was in the situation, I'd probably turn off the ringer and watch some TV. I may be dead by the end of the picture, but I wouldn't traumatize myself needlessly. Overall, worth seeing for its good story construction and execution, despite not being original. "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948) is probably a good earlier example of the same concept.

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Wondercon 20

Went to Wondercon 20 this year. While it was fun, it was also a bit of a letdown compared to prior years. I hope that this is not the trend for the future and maybe just a sign that 2006 is getting off to a slower start than in previous years. I am hoping, but I kind of doubt it. Sales have been slumping for years in the comic book industry as with any collectibles considering that people have far less disposable income due to mounting gas prices and credit card bills. I will be attending San Diego later this year and will be at Lee's Comics booth if anyone wants to say "hi".

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Brokeback Mountain Question

Anyone reading this who is not gay, tell me the truth, did you see and
enjoy "Brokeback Mountain"? It seems that every time someone says something
negative about this film, someone always rushes to the defense of it, and
then claims that they are gay, like that reason alone makes the film
better. I feel that a lot of gay people are supporting it in exactly the
same way non-gay people are not, because of the subject matter, more than
whether it is really a good film or not. And that's what's important to me.

I don't plan to see it right away, because I am not a fan of Director Ang
Lee's other work that I have seen, namely "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
and "Hulk". I could give two figs about the subject matter of any film, as
long as it is good, and I thought those two films were bad. "Crouching"
seemed decent until all the characters started leaping about like "Peter
Pan" and that lost me. And "Hulk", with its computer-generated "Hulk" is
just plain bad and stupid, too.

It's fine that it's a romance between two male cowboys, but since Ang Lee
has made such wretched films in the past, I don't trust his directorial
efforts. Winning awards doesn't mean anything either, because usually I am
not a big fan of most "Best Picture" awards even though eventually I do end
up seeing them.

Comments?

Regards,
Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Ray Harryhausen and Political Unrest

Ray Harryhausen is fun. I wish those people who are bombing embassies over cartoon drawings would take a moment and enjoy some fun things that life has to offer like a good Ray Harryhausen movie. My favorites are the "Sinbad" ones and "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Clash of the Titans". This seems weird to discuss politics with stop-motion monster movies I suppose, but my point is that the people in the rest of the world need to lighten up. It's strange to have a religion whose basic theme is "kill or be killed". Wouldn't it be more fun to get lost in a good, campy movie for a change?

Don't people in the rest of the world have anything better to do than bomb places, or behead people, or shoot guns in the air, etc.? Why not do something more constructive? Perhaps they could build a Disneyland of sorts? I don't know, but if anyone reading this could start doing something more creative like write or draw or compose music or poetry instead of killing people, life would be more bearable for the rest of us. The next time anybody thinks of killing someone, start with the man in the mirror first...

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net

Superbowl XL and Censorship

The Superbowl is overrated! Especially the commercials! I think the days of the innovative commercials died with the dot com era, because most of the ones shown were just standard ones shown elsewhere, or otherwise unremarkable. There were a couple of good ones, but you could say that about watching commercials at any time, not just the Superbowl.

"The Rolling Stones" at half-time was kind of fun, but why did they censor themselves. I mean "Start Me Up" has only been played on television about a half a billion times since 1981 and now they think of censoring it? And "Rough Justice" says "cocks", but he's referring to "roosters", and even if he wasn't, so what? I'm surprised they didn't also censor "make some girl" from "Satisfaction" (which was censored on "Ed Sullivan" all those years ago.) to give it a censorship hat trick!

Censorship of this sort is stupid! I agree with George Carlin when he says, "I love this country. I love the freedoms we used to have."! All I can say is bring us more of Janet Jackson's tit!

As far as the game went...eh?

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Regards,

Mark Arnold
http://funideas.home.att.net