Beatles 2008 Group. Join now!

Hi,

I'm Mark Arnold and I'm writing a book about The Beatles, my favorite group. It's currently over 300 pages and I hope to have it completed by next Summer with a Fall 2008 release date. I'm looking for artists and advertisers. Anyone who's artwork is used will receive a free copy of the book when it is published (Limit one book per artist).

The URL is http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Beatles2008/?yguid=3662762

Please join my Yahoo! Group!

Thanks so much!

Regards,
Mark Arnold
thft@att.net

Juno Review

My friend Lee and I saw an advanced screening for "Juno", about a sixteen-year-old who "accidentally" gets pregnant. Though I initially was hesitant about it (as was
Lee) as it may be extremely sappy, it came across as quite humorous and even
edgy.



I have compared it to the best of Dan Clowes movie work like "Ghost World" in
style, as well as "Little Miss Sunshine" in attitude, so if you like either of
those films, you will probably enjoy "Juno".



Everyone does a credible acting job, especially people who kind of surprised me
like Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as the hopeful adoptive couple. Ellen
Page is really outstanding as the teenage mom to be, with a surly and nasty edge
to her, and she looks young enough to be 16, even though in real life she's actually 20 (21 in February).



It's funny that many in the cast has done a superhero movie. Ellen Page
portrayed Kitty Pryde in "X-Men 3: The Last Stand". J.K. Simmons (who portrays
Juno's father) is best known as J. Jonah Jameson in the "Spider-Man" films. Of
course, Jennifer Garner was Elektra in "Elektra" and "Daredevil". And Jason
Bateman did the voice of Hermes in an episode of "Justice League" (ok, it's a
stretch).



Other good acting is by Allison "West Wing" Janney as the stepmom and Michael
"Superbad" Cera as the nerdy boyfriend who gets Juno pregnant in the first
place.



We got free t-shirts and split a popcorn and enjoyed a great show worth seeing.

Beowulf is Amazing!!

Thanks to ASIFA (The International Animated Film Association), I got a free pass to an advance screening of "Beowulf". I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know it was animated, nor did I know that it was in 3-D until a few hours before seeing the picture.



I saw the picture and the Century Theaters in the new annex of the San Francisco Center and boy, are those nice theaters with leather seats and everything. The Center itself rivals the best of Las Vegas in their shopping areas.



Anyway, got the glasses, which were not cheap either. They were heavy duty "Austin Powers" type glasses with polarized lenses, the only way to see 3-D. Forget that "red-blue" stuff. We also got free popcorn and a drink to boot!



Unfortunately, someone didn't tell the projectionist how to run a 3-D film and the film look double-imaged, or basically how it looks without wearing the glasses. Some people gave up quickly and walked out, but the projectionist kept trying.



Eventually, after about a half-hour, the folks from Paramount apologized and said that they did not have a flat print, and they couldn't get the 3-D print to work, so people started filing out.



I was slowly gathering my things, because I never make a hasty exit out of the theater, when suddenly one stubborn guy started yelling and applauding. I quickly put the glasses back on and looked at the screen and it was in F*&%ing #-D!!



Now, I've seen 3-D films before, so the novelty isn't that new for me, but I was concerned more with the story than the effects. Let me tell you, YOU MUST SEE THIS FILM! If you've seen films like "Final Fantasy" or "Polar Express" and how they claim that this was lifelike animation, "Beowulf" blows it all away!! There were times when I thought that this was a live-action film, the animation was so good!



The effects were excellent, the story very entertaining and engaging with some elements of humor, and it was worth waiting for. Too bad 90% of the patrons had already left. They missed a great show and will probably tell their friends that 3-D and "Beowulf" sucks!



My highest recommendation!! 2007 has been the best year for films this decade by a longshot!

Ringo in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Should Ringo be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an individual as
much as a member of The Beatles? Of course! If you are just looking at chart
action, Ringo has done more on the charts than George or even John ever did in
the solo years and he was the first ex-Beatle to have two back-to-back #1's
(from the same album, even)!



So what if Ringo doesn't write his own music all the time, he's the Beatle's
Beatle. Ringo is the only one seen hanging around consistently with the other
ex-Beatles. How often did you see John and Paul hang out together, or Paul and
George immediately after the break-up? Ringo was always the glue that held
everyone together and was able to get the others to help him out on his albums
consistently, and really enjoyed being around his "brothers".



Currently, you see Ringo and Paul hanging out together so often, you'd think
they were married!



Ringo is also the only one who could conceivably pull-off the All-Starr Band
concept year after year and keep his ego in check.



Ringo is also known for literally being "Ringo". Even people who don't know all
of The Beatles by name or looks or even know or care about The Beatles seem to
know Ringo by name or sight.



Ringo is also a survivor! When many of his contemporaries have left us (not
always by their own volition), Ringo continues on and on and soon into his 70s!
He battled drug and alcohol addictions, a near fatal car crash, and almost died
in the late 70s from an intestinal problem, yet he survived!



Ringo has never been respected as he has always been perceived as goofy, but
that goofiness is also charming and Ringo is also very lovable and intelligent
as well.



Without Ringo, there would be no Mr. Conductor, no All-Starr Bands, no "I'm the
Greatest" with John and George, no "Octopus's Garden", no "It Don't Come Easy",
no "Photograph", no "Ringo" album!



Sure, Ringo has put out a lot of crap ("Sextette", "Ringo the 4th", a cover of
"Where Did Our Love Go"), but he's always charming and interesting to watch what
he'll do next, which is more than you can say about 90% of others in the music,
movie, TV or animation fields.



Please induct him now!

My Encounter With Stan Lee

Reading Lee's Comics' recent encounter with Stan "The Man" Lee, reminded me of my own
"personal encounter" with him. Check out Lee Hester's blog on one of the links on this page.



I've seen Stan Lee being paraded around many times at the San Diego Comic
Convention (now called Comic Con International) during the 90s and 00s, but one
year (I believe it was 1995, but I've been to San Diego so many times, the
memory clouds as to exactly what year it was), I got to meet the man himself.



Anyway, on this particular occasion, I was doing my usual rounds on the sales
floor scanning the boxes for more elusive Harvey Comics and the like, when I
poked my head behind a half-closed curtain that was close by.



There was some rustling and that's what attracted my attention. Behind the
curtain was Stan Lee! He was packing up some stuff and placing it in a
briefcase. I introduced myself and then asked him what was going on.



Stan said that he just completed a presentation and that he was going to be
going shortly to a signing. I asked him, "Where is everyone?" Stan and I looked
around and realized that no one was around, so I decided to take this
opportunity to chat with him until his "handlers" arrived.



I asked him how the show was going for him and he said, "very well", and then we
started talking about just general stuff like current movies that we liked and
stuff. I also mentioned that I had a "Fantastic Four" book from the 70s with his
signature in it, and he said he probably signed it, because he signed a lot of
books like that in those days.



I mentioned my "Harveyville Fun Times!" publication and he wished me luck with
that as publishing is a difficult field to break into. Soon, someone came up
and said that Stan was needed for his signing. I said good luck to him and that
it was nice meeting and chatting with him. Stan agreed and was led away to his
next event, and I resumed looking through old boxes of books.

Disturbia Review

I had a free pass to see this before it came out, but either in conflicted with something else or I wasn't that interested in seeing it. In any case, I have now viewed it on DVD and it is a very good film. Just don't tell anyone it is really "Rear Window"!



I get annoyed with the dozens of remakes that are made every year and I always say that why don't filmmakers just take the same stories and create new characters and new situations with essentially the same plot, instead of just a straight remake. This is was happened here, and I think the film's better for it.



That's why "Risky Business" is as good as "The Cat in the Hat" (the book at least) and the recent "Martian Child" is as good as "Lilo and Stich" or "Clueless" is as good as "Emma" or "West Side Story" is as good as "Romeo and Juliet", etc., etc.



If you've seen "Rear Window" you know the basic plot, but instead of the voyeur being holed up due to a broken leg, he has a leg brace due to a conviction and cannot leave his home beyond 100 feet or so.



The suspected killer is near by and like "Rear Window", nobody believe the main character's paranoia. The main thing that sets this apart is that the story is updated to the 21st century to include the latest technology and attitudes. This is what really sets everything apart. The women in the film are sexy like in "Rear Window", but they're also strong and have no problem stabbing and kicking instead of just cowering in the corner while their man saves them.



Highly recommended!!

Are Comic Books For Kids?

I read an article just now called, "An Audience Worth Fighting For!" by Zach Smith.



While I generally agree with the author's statements, I do disagree with the
statement that "Comic books were originally created for kids." While kids have
been the main readers of comic books since their inception, the realities are
that comic books were created to make money, which is why they aren't targeted
to kids anymore. The people who have money now and are willing to spend on comic
books are fans who grew up with the books, which is why they are targeted to
them.



EC (and Harvey for that matter) did horror comics that many adults read, not
because they wanted to destroy young minds, but because they were making money
at it, and they enjoyed doing them. Sure, there were companies out there
concerned about such things as whether you are warping kids' minds (i.e. Archie)
and that's why they helped initiate the Comics Code, but also "Archie" didn't
sell half as well as those old horror books, so there was some personal interest
vested in getting a Code established.



That's like saying, "Animated cartoons were originally created for kids." I've
watched enough animation documentaries to confirm that most animation was
created by animators to entertain themselves. They really didn't care who was
watching it, and as long as they got their paycheck, they continued to put out
product. Since most "responsible" adults especially from the Great
Depression/WWII era considered spending any money on "frivolous junk" i.e. comic
books, it fell on the kiddies who had no concept of "saving money for a rainy
day", and would eagerly spend, so the books were geared towards them as a
result.



Nowadays, since adults are very willing to spend hundreds, even thousands on a
single book, why print up a cheap 10c book for some kid to read and trash, when
you can print it in a deluxe hardback on glossy paper and charge a big price for
it! The content then has to follow suit so the Comics Code is more of a
formality than anything else.



It is the harsh realities of the industry.

Martian Child Review

I didn't know what to expect from this film. I did a little investigating beforehand and discovered that it was sort of a science fiction tale and starred John Cusack and his sister (playing his sister, so what a stretch) Joan Cusack. I also discovered that the movie was based on a story written by David Gerrold, best known to me as one of the writers of the original "Star Trek", so I was intrigued.



So it is a story of a small boy who claims to be from Mars and I won't spoil it by saying which way it goes, but I will say that it is very satisfying. Admittedly, the film volleyed dangerously close to being syrupy but it has enough humorous and harder situations to keep it on an even keel.



I will say that despite my respect for Mr. Gerrold, I realized after I saw the film that the story was not entirely unique. In fact, I figured out that it is awfully a lot like "Lilo and Stitch", the Disney animated movie from a few year's back!!



Ultimately, unless you don't like movies that are in the least bit heartwarming, I would give it a try. The film is nicely paced, and although it kind of wraps up a little too neatly, it leaves you with a nice, good feeling.



As a footnote, I saw the movie in a Palo Alto theater when a 5.6 earthquake hit. It's interesting to see how people react in different situations. I usually just take natural disasters in stride, but I did check around to see if I or anyone else was in danger of some chandelier falling or something, but this was one of those crummy box theaters, so I just sat there calmly, figuring that I'd duck beneath the seats if the shaking got heavier. Other people tended to be more vocal and when the shaking was done a few leaped out of their seats and onto their cell phones.

Bay Area Comic Book and Animation Group

This is the local group that was on Meet Up during the first half of
2007 designed to get all fans of comic books and animation of the San
Francisco Bay Area together to attend events or parties related to
comic books and animation. It can be an organized event like a comic
book convention, a tour of a museum like the Cartoon Art Museum in San
Francisco, or a film festival, or you can even host a party in your
own home.

Just so no one feels left out, we invite fans of all genres, not just
Marvel and DC. We encourage fans of Harvey, Archie, EC, etc. to join
as well. So let us know and on we go....

We're at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BACBAAG

Envy Review

I was recommended to see the movie "Envy" with Ben Stiller and Jack Black. While I liked the cast and the story, the execution was a little off. The movie had its moments and a few laughs, but it didn't grab me completely like some of their other movies. I did really like Christopher Walken who always seems to play some suitably creepy character. Stiller and Black did their usual shtick, so if you are not a fan of their previous work, this movie won't help.



The story as it is concerns Black inventing a dog poop spray that makes it disappear. Stiller claims that this is not possible. Black proves him wrong, becomes a zillionaire, and then the fun begins.



Rachel Weisz and Amy Poeler also star, though a friend of mine who watched it with me wondered what Weisz was doing in a film like this. I liked it better than she did.

30 Days of Night Review

Saw this and didn't know what to expect. What started out as a half-way decent vampire flick degenerated into a very stupid one. The main hero did something near the end of the movie that made absolutely no sense whatsoever, especially as it occurred near the end of the 30 days. They waited that long, they could have kept going.



It was strongly reminiscent of the original "Night of the Living Dead". So much so that it almost seemed cookie-cutter in its approach. Also, the vampires weren't terribly threatening. They just seemed to wander around and howl a bit, and occasionally feast. It seemed like you could overwhelm them rather easily.



Another thing, every so often the main character would say that everyone had to move from their hiding place. Why? Their hiding place wasn't discovered. Wouldn't they be discovered more easily by all that moving around? And also, early on in the movie, they announced that they would sleep in shifts. By the end of the month, they seemed to stay up all the time.



In another scene, an ultra-violet lamp was used to great effect until the vampires cut the power. This is Alaska. You would think that they would have an extra generator or two up there.



I like vampire films from "Nosferatu" to Lugosi "Dracula" to Lee "Dracula" to Coppola "Dracula", but this one was unfortunately stupid.

Haven't Posted in a while

Life has been a whirlwind as of late. After being completely out of work for over three months, I got a job and also a lot of projects are coming down the pike. This is good. You'll hear more about them as time goes on, I'm sure, but for now, I just wanted to post another blog before too long. I used to do these things every day, you know!

Looney Tunes Volume 5 List is Out. Some Titles STILL Missing

Well, it's another year and another year for me to be disappointed, but less so, as quite a few from my list of 66 two years ago has dwindled down to 49. Here are the remaining cartoons I would like to see on DVD before I die! BTW, if you want to know what IS on Volume 5, check it out on Amazon.



1. The Village Smithy
2. Egghead Rides Again
3. Porky's Hero Agency
4. Cinderella Meets Fella
5. Hamateur Night
6. Porky's Picnic
7. Porky the Giant Killer
8. The Timid Toreador
9. Porky's Cafe
10. Horton Hatches the Egg (I know this is on a Dr. Seuss collection, but I want it on a Looney Tunes collection)
11. Fresh Hare
12. The Impatient Patient
13. Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs
14. Tick Tock Tuckered
15. Daffy Doodles
16. Birth of a Notion
17. Hot Cross Bunny
18. Daffy Dilly
19. A Lad in His Lamp
20. The Bee-Deviled Bruin
21. A Ham in a Role
22. Mutiny on the Bunny
23. It's Hummer Time
24. Hare We Go
25. Rabbit Every Monday
26. Chow Hound
27. Ballot Box Bunny
28. Thumb Fun
29. The Hasty Hare
30. Fool Coverage
31. Hare Trimmed
32. I Gopher You
33. No Parking Hare
34. Beanstalk Bunny
35. Hare Brush
36. This is a Life?
37. Dime to Retire
38. The High and the Flighty
39. Rabbitson Crusoe
40. Bedevilled Rabbit
41. Piker's Peak
42. Ducking the Devil
43. Hareway to the Stars
44. Bonanza Bunny
45. From Hare to Heir
46. Wet Hare
47. Bill of Hare
48. Mad as a Mars Hare
49. Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare

Casper CD and "Casper Meets Wendy" AGAIN

Of all the Casper kids albums released in the 1960s and 1970s, this one is the best. Originally issued on Golden Records in 1963, this album features the actual voices (Norma MacMillan and Bradley Bolke) who performed on "The New Casper Cartoon Show" in 1963. The CD features an extra treat with the addition of the "Casper, the Friendly Ghost" theme by Mitch Miller and the Sandpipers that was previously released as a single on Golden Records. Other Casper releases were originally on Peter Pan Records and not as good, and at present are not scheduled to be released to CD anytime soon. Later Casper albums were solely music albums, usually a soundtrack to a feature film.



Also, "Casper Meets Wendy" has been reissued to DVD for the third time! Originally released in 1998 as the third Casper feature film (although direct-to-video), the DVD was issued on DVD for the first time in 2002. Then it was reissued on DVD in 2004 to promote Hilary Duff, who had become a big teen star. Now, it has been reissued again as of September 11, and subtitled the "Family Fun Edition". I assume it has some different extras than the previous versions, but maybe not. Does anyone know?

Little Britain

Ok, ok, I finally watched it...and I loved it! I've had a number of friends recommend this series to me, and I ignored them because usually people don't know or understand my taste in comedy. Also, when someone says something is "just like Monty Python", I hesitate, because usually that means there's just a bunch of men dressed like women and acting really gay.



Sure, Python had its share of cross-dressing, and Graham Chapman was gay, but that wasn't the complete focus of the show. Python hit on a lot of different levels that I cannot begin to elaborate on here.



I am a big fan of British TV, and I have enjoyed "The Goodies", "Paul Hogan" (well he's Australian), "Benny Hill", "Reginald Perrin", even "My Hero", etc. but there have been a lot of attempts recently that...well, were attempts like "The League of Gentlemen" and "French and Saunders".



"Little Britain" is different. The characters are very broad, and a lot of times gay, but also very funny. The skits are usually relatively short so even if you don't like a particular skit, it won't last very long. They also aren't word heavy like "A Bit of Fry and Laurie". In other words, there's a lot of good old slapstick mixed in to the conversation.



The only complaint is perhaps the repetitiveness of the skits, but even I found the cookie-cutter method quite charming in its own way, so that it was fun to expect a particular punchline or outcome.



I understand that David Walliams and Matt Lucas are done with their three season (or series) commitment and have no intentions of doing more for the BBC, and are currently shooting more for HBO. I have only watched Season Two, so I have some catching up to do, but overall I give this show high marks and praise!



Even the outtakes are good!

Harveyville 2008 Calendars are Here!!

Hey! You know you've always wanted a "Harveyville Fun Times!" calendar and now you can. Click on 2008 calendar as I made one up this year featuring some of the best covers or you can get a vertical calendar at 2008 vertical calendar or you can buy other "Harveyville Fun Times!" merchandise at Cafe Press.



Check it out!



-Moderator Mark.

Harveyville 2008 Calendars are Here!!

Hey! You know you've always wanted a "Harveyville Fun Times!" calendar and now you can. Click on 2008 calendar as I made one up this year featuring some of the best covers or you can get a vertical calendar at 2008 vertical calendar or you can buy other "Harveyville Fun Times!" merchandise at Cafe Press.



Check it out!



-Moderator Mark.

Bela Lugosi

I recently purchased "The Bela Lugosi Box" and have started watching the films. I own about 30 of his films and this set has 15 of them. Lugosi has been revered as a good actor, but I don't know. If you gave him better films, he would still come off as sort of campy. Even his best known film "Dracula" from 1931 has its campy moments.



Don't get me wrong. I like the guy. Why would I buy a box set of his films if I didn't? It's just for acting chops Boris Karloff and Vincent Price have better skills. Even Christopher Lee is better.



Anyway, this set is fun for quite a few laughs and it has three of those dreaded Ed Wood films which I think are great in their campiness, so watch and enjoy or bevare!!

Red Skelton

I'm watching some DVD's of old Red Skelton shows. Now, he seems to be somewhat funny and this isn't my first introduction to him. What's amazing to me is that his show was on for 20 years and yet no one really ever talks about it. They talk a lot about "The Simpsons" going into its 19th year and "Gunsmoke" ran for 20 and praise is heaped upon "Walt Disney" and "Ed Sullivan", but "The Red Skelton Show" is virtually ignored. It aired from 1951-1971.



Perhaps it is because Skelton's type of humor was really sort of cornball. In fact, when I used to watch Skelton on TV when he appeared occasionally up until his death in 1997, I noticed his propensity to laugh at his own jokes that weren't very funny to begin with.



Skelton was also an anomaly in the movies as well. Whereas other stars of his caliber such as Bob Hope or Jack Benny transcended the "compilation" type feature like "Big Broadcast of 1938", Skelton happily immersed himself in those type of pictures, so that there isn't one defining moment of Skelton genius.



I guess that's what made him unique, but also very puzzling to me.

Stardust Review

I had extreme reservations about seeing this film, mainly due to the nonexistent or negative publicity surrounding it mainly due to the fact that there have been a number of fairy tale movie disappointments in recent times like "Chronicles of Narnia" or "Polar Express". It didn't matter that Neil Gaiman wrote it, because I wasn't sure if he could write the type of movie I would like anyway. (Actually, Jane Goldman and Director Matthew Vaughn wrote the screenplay.)

Anyway, I am happy to say, and with Lee's encouragement to go see it, that "Stardust" is the surprise movie of the year and ranks up there with "Grindhouse" as my two favorite movies of 2007 and is a contender for one of my favorite movies of all time.

It has in its cast some of my favorite actors of all time like Robert DeNiro (in one of his best roles) and Peter O'Toole, and others that I respect very well like Michelle Pfeifer and Claire Danes. But good actors do not necessarily make a good movie, nor does good directing alone, which is done by Matthew Vaughn, who has only directed "Layer Cake", previously, but is in line to direct the upcoming "Thor". Good writing does! If you don't have a good script in the first place, the old "you can't polish a turd" phrase applies.

Speaking of casting choices, Lee asked me once what woman is my type. I have never heard of or seen Kate Magowan before, but I was immediately entranced by her appearance and her performance, and she isn't even the main star. And of course, there's good eye candy with Sienna Miller and even Claire Danes, who doesn't come off as plain as she usually does.

The movie is at once very fantastical and is paced very well. There is a lot of humor and at once reminds me of "The Princess Bride", but unlike that film's jarring returns to Peter Falk and Fred Savage, this movie stays in its fairy tale setting the entire time. It also reminds me of two other films that I enjoyed very much, "Time Bandits" and the recent "Nanny McPhee". "Stardust" is better and is a definite must see that should be seen on the big screen to be fully enjoyed. The visual effects, though plentiful, do not burden down the proceedings as the story is consistently the main focus, not the effects.

Without spoiling anything, there are three storylines going on that actually tie up very nicely by the end of the film. One is of a dying king (O'Toole) telling his surviving sons what they need to do to become the next heir to the throne; a second is of three witches (the main one being Pfeiffer) who need to find another solution to help refresh their lost beauty; and the final one is the story of Tristan (Charlie Cox) who wants to marry the beautiful Victoria (Sienna). She concedes to do so if he can fulfill this one task. Through a number of twists and turns, it is accomplished with great satisfaction and with some surprising results. Ian McKellan handles the narration chores throughout and although I am usually against excessive narration in a movie, this is done very well.

Despite some violence, this is really a movie that the entire family can enjoy and be entertained. They don't make movies like this very often. I'm glad they did this time out.