Holy 75th, Batman!

...Already regretting that title.

Well, know what started 75 years ago today?

Yup. That's right. Batman. Or, Bat-Man...It's Batman.

Rifftrax, Getting Ready to Riff

It's time to welcome some more Rifftrax shenanigans. For the Spring and Summer they are planning out some events, outside their regular output of new movie riffs (Cyborg Cop 2, etc.).

By Rifftrax, I mean Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy, the leads of the last half of the run of Mystery Science Theater 3000. They went on to put out DVD's where they skewered bad movies (like Giants of Marathon) as The Film Crew. Then they eventually found themselves continuing the laughs at Rifftrax. (Many of the other writers and faces of Mystery Science Theater 3000 worked on Cinematic Theater, a similar concept.) Along with releasing riffing commentaries and some movies with the commentaries laid over, they do live shows. But now we get something new.

The Horror Of...The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Ah, hello there! I see you to are wandering the countryside. I just decided to see if the rumors were true, that a strange malady was preying these lands.

I fear it may be true. The peasantry seem quite restless, and a strange tinge inflicts the landscape. It is unnatural.

"The 'Red Death' had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal. -- the redness and the horror of blood..."

But not to worry. My castle is near. And I have such entertainments awaiting us. Humor. Spectacle. Succor.

Why, have you ever been faced by the Masque?

One, in times like this, one need to partake of it.

Yes.

It is time for you to experience...

...The Masque of the Red Death

Adolfo Suarez, Democratic post-Franco leader of Spain, dies at 81

Photo by Gerard Julien/AFP/Getty Images

The nation of Spain has mourned for the last three days. On Sunday, Adolfo Suarez, former Prime Minister, was taken to hospital, suffering from respiratory issues. Even before this he'd been suffering from Alzheimer for nearly a decade, it had been years since he remembered his time in power. At hospital, he passed, age 81.

Alfonso Suarez - Photo by AFP

38 years had passed since he'd risen from more regional prominence to national prominence. In the wake of Francisco Franco's death (the longtime dictator of Spain), King Juan Carlos had chosen Suarez to act as Prime Minister and lead efforts to restore the electoral process. While he had served in Franco's government, he proved to be an honest broker in bringing about elections for Spain, and seeing democracy reestablished in the country.

During his efforts he worked to bring all the factions into the process, including those that had long been ostracized and demonized. He worked to restore trade unions, and convinced the Communist Party to engage in the elections. It was not popular with conservatives or the military, but it set the first steps to reviving the democratic process that continues operating to this day.

In the first elections his party won a majority in the parliament and he was properly elected Prime Minister (the first elected since before Franco). But controversy over some of his stands, and economic and social issues, led to him resigning at the next elections. 

Suarez and his Deputy Prime Minister arguing with
military officers - Photo by Manuel Hernandez
de Leon/European Pressphoto Agency

But before he could see the swearing in of a new Prime Minister, the military attempted to retake power. A group of officers marched into the parliament and opened fire. Suarez was among a few that didn't drop to the floor. He later said that as Prime Minister he should never go on bended knee. He helped keep the piece in the parliament as the king and others sorted out the military. He then left power. But he was remembered.

In the years since his time in power, he's become more and more respected for what he accomplished. It was a scary time post-Franco and Suarez acted honestly to do his duty in reasserting elections, and leading the country out of the state Franco had left it in.

Today, following the three days of mourning, Suarez was taken from the Parliament and to the city of Avila, north of Madrid. There he was interred in the Avila Cathedral. His wife, who died, more than 10 years ago of cancer, will be laid to rest beside him.

Good news, everyone. I've discovered jump breaks!

Source

Good news, everyone!

I've discovered jump breaks.

...Well, I didn't discover them as much as find them in my pocket, and remember that I put them there back in the early days of HTML...

...But it means I am trying to put them in my posts: current, future, and past. Hopefully, it will make going through the pages of posts much much easier.

The reviews and recaps won't swamp you as you scroll down! You can actually get around like this is a competent blog!

The blog may at long last be tolerable. Or, not really horrible.

Saint Patrick's Day: The Céilidh Has Started! *UPDATED*

Cribbing again from last March 17th...You know what that means...

Sniff my butt, I'm Irish.

It's that Saint Patrick's Day season yet again.

So get yourselves up and get to work aping Irish culture. You know, wearing green, wearing funny hats, talking in a funny accents, and... getting plastered on watery American beer?

And that's the feast day of St. Patrick!

Okay, okay. I know I have been one to point out that holidays grow and change, and break out of cultures or religions. And St. Patrick's has done that to an extent. But it is also odd to me that it's a national holiday as well. All so people can act out certain stereotypes.  I'm not fond of perpetuating stereotypes. 

Of course, it's also become a day that the Irish like to promote cultural awareness. Like Italians and other cultures that settled in the United States, the Irish struggled on for years to even be considered white. Yes, American culture and politics of that day refused to see many Europeans as white. There were places where the Irish and other cultures (like black and Hispanic people) were denied entrance, living spaces, or use of facilities. (But the Irish and Italians were eventually welcomed as equals ( unlike other groups). So getting people to join in to your celebration can be a point of merging with the greater culture. 

As well, like Mardi Gras and Christmas, this day is also just an excuse to have a party, do some dancing, and, maybe, wear some green. ...And I do love green.


But let's get back to it's origins. (Now YOU Must Learn. HAHAHAHAHA!)


March 17th is deemed to be the date of St. Patrick of Ireland's death. It's said he was then buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Down County. Common for the day, St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, was never officially canonized by a pope and church. It was more a regional decision. But from that start his sainthood has been embraced by the Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopal  and Orthodox churches. It took time for him to gain acceptance, but more and more he was acknowledged in the church. So, he got a feast day, and became a rallying point in Irish culture. But that's the end of the his tale.

Looking at the start is a little trickier. He is considered to be a Romano-Brit, of noble birth. His family had been in the religion business at that point for generations. Early in his life he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland as a slave. He later was able to return to Britain. He entered the Church then, and after rising to bishop was sent back to Ireland to convert the island to Catholicism (and fight crime as a proto-Zorro -- But that may just be my own head canon. Or I may be confusing the Green Bishop with the Green Hornet.). And with that he descends into legend.

The trouble with stories and writing of Patrick's time in Ireland is that it is not necessarily clear what is him and what is others that were evangelizing before and after him in Ireland. As often happens when cobbling together history, legends, or parables, the names may be changed and events altered to protect the innocent...or just make a better/easier to understand story.

Before Patrick was sent to Ireland, Palladius was sent to Ireland on the same mission, becoming the first bishop in Ireland. So some of his writings, words, and actions likely were blended in to the activities of Patrick.

But Patrick is remember for the overall effort to bring Christianity to dominance in Ireland. Which did occur. (And once the Magdalene Asylums were set up, it was smooth sailing for Ireland. We will be taking no questions.) That is where the imagery of St. Patrick driving the snakes out comes from, the conversion of people from Druidic faith to his own (We'll hope it was just converting.). It may be similar to the story of St. George and his "dragon".

It's like the story of his walking stick which would become a tree. The story goes he would plant it in the ground and preach. Then when he found it had taken root in the place, he would move on. Get it! It's alluding to something. It's cute...kinda.

Then their is the embrace of the shamrock, three-leafed clover. It is said that Patrick used it to describe the concept of a Holy Trinity (Insert your own sex act joke here. Whoa hey!), and then carried and wore them as a symbol to people. They say that.

Trouble is, can you actually tie the shamrock to any of his direct teachings. Because it seems to only arise as tied to him more than 1,000 years after his death. So, like with so many tales and legends, St. Patrick may have been rebooted and upgraded. Perhaps shamrocks had started to be used as a symbol of trinity or the crucifix, perhaps it had become more significant to people, and it was decided to go back and tie it to this significant religious figure.

Going back long before Patrick, the shamrock was a revered image in Ireland. It was green, which was an important symbol to them. And it represented the number three, also significant to the early peoples of Ireland. So it is not hard to imagine, like in other lands and times, Christian proselytizers taking advantage of the symbol and it's parallels to further sell the faith. It's just a question of if it was a practice predating Patrick, of his making (but no records survived), or just adopted later on. I could not say. Still, no one cares, and here we are, with a shamrock. And people seem to love them.

But what about the vaunted four-leaf clover then? If the three-leafer represents the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, what's the fourth one for then? This...

Finally! A positive image of Ireland.

Yes, yes, their is a corny explanation:

"The first is for faith, the second is for hope, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck."

But, come on! Leprechauns. Leprechauns! That's where it's at. It's always the answer.

At least it's better than faith, hope, love, and luck...Yeesch.


So, a millennia later all the pieces were falling in place for St. Patrick's Day.

• We have the snakes. 

Though I think most of us forget about them. They aren't dragons.

• We have our shamrocks.

Good for shakes, pendents, and easily recognizable Irish logos.

• We also have parades.

...Which aren't an Irish or Patricky idea at all... It's an American thing. But the Irish have taken to it...after 200 years. I'll be honest, and say I'm not big on parades. But if you like them, it's your lucky day.

• And there's the beer.

Beer. As I noted in looking at Mardi Gras, we are in Lent now. So I wondered how a St. Patrick feast day would work. And even in Ireland their are times during which bars were required to be closed on the 17th. Apparently, most Catholic churches give dispensation for people to eat and drink on the 17th. A loophole to fasting in the in the Catholic Church, I don't believe it! Still, any out on fasting is a good one. So enjoy!

...Unless your gay, apparently.

Many of the parades around the United States are happy to specifically ban gay people and groups from being included. Is this really what those in charge want to represent about their culture? It does not make Irishness or Catholicism look good. Not at all.

At least we know that the mayors of Chicago and New York are boycotting. Also the beer makers, Heineken and Guinness are no longer supporting these parades. If you don't have Guinness approving of your St. Pat's parade, you must be doing something very wrong.

________
UPDATE:

Sometimes people say that Rupert Murdoch is actually liberal, but hides it for the sake of profits.

But then you have times like today. Seems that in the wake of Guinness pulling out support for the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade, Murdoch has gone to Twitter to denounce Guinness, and call for it to be boycotted.

Apparently Guinness is cruelly not supporting a "religious parade". Also, the gays are all bullies.

...So gay people are the ones victimizing? ...And Guinness is obliged to fund religious events that it doesn't want to fund? Is that because of FREEDOM, AND STUFF? And that parade is not religious. It's visited largely by non-Catholics, and is a chance to party. So, please!

Still, if anyone wants to tell you that Murdoch is really secretly a sweetie, you know more surely now that's bunk.

And I do love that he's calling for all Irish to boycott Guinness. Yeah, an Australian who lives in London and New York is lecturing the Irish about their own beloved national drink. HA!

Weekend Viewing - The Blacklist

When it comes to the weekend, there are plenty of things we want to get done. Hike. Bike. Read. Study. Party. Juggle. MMA. Whatever. ...But often we all just want to curl up on the couch and watch something. It can be with friends, family, the cat, or just some alone time. It's a time for "guilty pleasures" (such a dishonest phrase) and/or nostalgia.

To start let's not go with something nostalgic, but new.

So why don't we extract some weekend viewing fun from...

The Blacklist.

Or, The Likable Bastard Show.

Pi Day Returns

Cribbing from last year...

It's Pi Day!



Yes. It's that time every year where all of us math nerds can get giddy at the date, March 14th. As in 3/14. (Yeah, in Europe it's 14/3. Don't point that out to us. It's magic!)

3/14. Or, 3.14. Pi! Woo!!! ...I. Said. Woo!!!

Let's hear it for the circumference of a circle divided by it's diameter! Oh yeah!

Still...It's only semi-amazing. Wait until 2015. 3/14/15?

Mathematicians will be going mental.

...Okay. If you aren't in a country that lists the month followed by the day and then the year, it isn't as cool. But that's why we rock! (I always knew there was a reason!)

But if you need some math puns today, check out the Tumblr link to a slew of them.

So be sure to party like your an irrational number with a seemingly unending nonrepeating decimal value! ...WOO!!!

Friday the 13th on Thursday the 13th - Episode 6 - The Great Montarro *UPDATED*

Damn! So close. It's another Thursday the 13th. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a bit more 80's horror cheese....that just sounds filthy.

So let's delve back into Friday the 13th the Series!

As I mentioned last time, I'm skipping passed the fifth episode of the first season. (It's one of the Halloween episodes, and I'm saving it for later.) So let's go to episode 6.

The Great Montarro.

The Horror Of...Netherbeast Incorporated

Well, it looks like sickness is putting me behind on getting to my horror. But with what last...two weeks back Friday was...Wait? How many weeks? ...Oh, well.

Still, I am not to heartbroken to fail to get this next movie presented to you sooner. I had thought of it as a romance of sorts, with a horror thread to it. But in looking at it, the romance aspect isn't as strong. It is there, but it's a b-plot. ...Maybe that's too strong. What it isn't a Twilight or Love at First Bite, okay?

Yet it is a film you likely don't know. Blood. Cubicles. Limbs. Paperwork. Stakes. Productivity Consults. Magic rocks. President Garfield.

Oh yeah. It's time to invest in...

Netherbeast Incorporated

Friday the 13th on Thursday the 13th - Episode 3 - Cupid's Quiver *UPDATED*

Wait, when is Friday the 13th this month? Well, let's check with the always brilliant smart phone.

...It says that Friday, February 13, 2014 is a value outside the range...

I'll take this as a no.

Well, when is the next Friday the 13th then, phone?! ...

...Thursday, February 13, 2014...

Good enough!


So it's time to look again at that 80's TV wonder....Friday the 13th: The Series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...Oh, wait...I think I am about to get hit by a mild "flu"...

And now I'm way behind schedule. Balance is restored!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This time we go back to the third episode of the first season, and a bit of something for the romantic in you...if you are looking to be a sex offender.

"Cupid's Quiver"

The Horror Of...Cast A Deadly Spell, A Mystery By Night

Ah. Hello, again. Don't mind me. I'm just out enjoying nature, seeking to call the Great Old Ones back to...Oh, you know.

And out, traipsing about where the Byakhee warble, makes one nostalgic. Perhaps for something with a little mystery. And, of course, a proper dose of horrific doom in the works.

So, let's go for something a bit Lovecraftian. Something from the 90's. Something with Fred Ward, Julianne Moore, and David Warner (and a bit of the old Clancy Brown). Yes, let us Cast a Deadly Spell.

The Horror Of...Lovecraft, Should I feel guilty?

Howard Philip Lovecraft. Where do we begin?

For those of you who are blanking on who Lovecraft is, let's start there.

Lovecraft is an early 20th century writer. Primarily he is known for his work in the area of horror stories. Though he also is remembered by some for his letters and poetry.

Lovecraft's impact on horror storytelling will long be remembered. His creations and tales shaped the thinking of many future horror writers, and still inform many stories being told and written today. While he was not a commercial success in his lifetime, his work become fundamental and widely lauded. (His work was mostly to be found in pulp magazines.)

The Necronomicon. Great Cthulhu. The Re-Animator. Arkham. All of these are creations of Lovecraft. From direct retellings of his stories to liberal use of ideas or characters, Lovecraft stays with us.

As well, Lovecraft was in active correspondence with other similar writers. These included Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Clark Ashton Smith, etc. It was through this that he and other authors batted around ideas and concepts, offered ideas for stories, and shared concepts. As a result you can find similarities in some of their works, common settings or antagonists.

His writing style was distinct and affecting. And his stories could often be haunting, and disturbing. His reoccurring concepts came to form a Lovecraftian Mythos.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." 

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

Cover of Art of The Art of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos
- Drawn by  Michael Komarck

The Horror of...The Abominable Snowman

Welcome to you, from here in the blaring cold. And as I make my way through it all I can think about is...how freaking cold it is. Damn! It's cold. Horrifically cold.

So let's pull something from the annals of chilly horror. Figures in the dark and cold world, isolated and alone. Forces around them that could spell their doom. No, it's not something from the more recent reign of horror. So no Steve Niles tonight. (That's for another night.) Rather, we will go back fifty some years.

It's off to the Himalayas. Cold peaks, and myths of towering beast that can't be believed to be real. No, you mustn't believe. And it's also a brush with horror royalty. Peter Cushing. It's taken too long to get to him, but know we can enjoy the man.

So hire a sherpa. Get your toque on. and grab your pack. We're heading out in search of

The Abominable Snowman

Sleepy Hollow Review - Episode 11 - The Vessel - "Katrina darns socks in Hell!"

Welcome back to Sleepy Hollow. We are almost to the end of the season! Yeah. They have a 12ish episode (Is the last one a two parter, or two hours?) season for Sleepy Hollow. And I approve. I would rather have each episode of a season more focused on their prophesied quest and the mystery of what threats are coming for them. We don't need a fat on this show.

It's lean cheesy horror fun.

So let's look at the penultimate episode of season 1.

And what we get this time around, it's time for an exorcism.

"The Vessel"

Friday the 13th on Almost Monday the 13th - Episode 4 - A Cup of Time

Well, it's not Friday the 13th, but it is around the 13th of the month...That sounds good enough, right?

So let's delve back into to that series that is oh so late 80's, Friday the 13th: The Series.

Now up to this point we've covered the 1st two episodes of the series. And I would move on to the 3rd now. But, that one seems such a better fit for next month that I want to jump to the 4th episode of the series for now. Next month we'll face the Cupid Statue. This month...

"A Cup of Time".

Sleepy Hollow Review - Episode 10 - Golem - "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Ah, here we are. Back in Sleepy Hollow. And, what do you know? The show has come back on tonight! So, I at least am keeping up my pattern of putting these reviews out just as a new episode comes on.

"Congratulations! It's a plot point."

But it is nice to remember where we've been after weeks away from a show. And when we left off before the 10th episode, Ichabod had learned that he was a father. Very "was". The kid was born in the 18th century. But the episode left me unsure how we would find Ichabod, going into the 10th episode of the season. He had gone a bit Evil Dead on the evil creature.

So what will Ichabod be like now? Will he go alpha male on us? Will he go angsty and angry? Will he join Fathers For Justice?

"I am a man! What?! I am a man! What?! ..."

The episode opens with him an ax again, cutting wood. It's not a good sign. Guys on TV shows cutting wood has often been a way to represent virility or machismo. Not a good sign.

Luckily, when Abbie arrives he stops, and slips back into normal mode. He was cutting wood to bide his time. He has a son he never knew. He lived centuries away. And he has no knowledge about who he was, or how he lived. It's frustrating, and Ichabod did some work to just wait, until he could get answers.

"Christmas logs. You just have to carry it until Christmas
Day, What? It's a revered modern tradition."

Abbie does her best to engage him. And her way with Ichabod is to wrangle him. With Christmas approaching, she brings up modern traditions, which always provokes Ichabod. But it has become their way of bickering in a friendly manner.

(Also, it's Christmas. Thanksgiving episode. Christmas based episode. Is tonight's based around New Years? I feel like I'm playing the Calendar Man side mission in Arkham City.)

They are interrupted when a taxi arrives. Abbie knows nothing about it, but it is just what Ichabod has been waiting for. The Sin Eater.

Yes, oh yes.

The Sin Eater returns to the show for the first time since..."The Sin Eater". It's nice to see a character return. Plenty have come through that I'd like to see more of. And the Sin Eater, or Henry Parrish,

In this episode we are given more of a chance to appreciate the eccentricities that John Noble brings to the role. He's so fun, understated, and glum that I just want them to spin him off to his own show. Just have him go around sniffing out sin and righting wrong. Then he'll exit and go back to being depressed and moody.

Ichabod asks the Sin Eater to use his powers to help him access Purgatory.

But Parrish is unsure. He doesn't use his power in that manner. He fights sins and then leaves.

But Ichabod is determined. He needs him to act, so he can get answers to the fate of his son.

And Parrish relents. But he warns Ichabod. There will be repercussions.

The Horror Of...New Years, Hogfather Part 4 *UPDATED*

Now we get to Part 4...What?!

I must  be getting sick of this movie by now. ...Nope. Still love it. Love Pratchett's work. Love Discworld. Love the characters. And I always love the way this story, and others, look at our society.

Terry Pratchett's work and world is breathtaking to me. He takes fantasy tropes and makes them his own. Where else would you find a wizard and the first tourist riding on the back of a dragon that shouldn't exist, then find themselves as businessmen flying on an transatlantic flight, and then back to being a wizard and a tourist? No one else thinks like that.

And this movie does a wonderful job of maintaining so much of Pratchett's humor, logic, thoughts, and magic. So things had to go, and I miss them. But the choices do not fail the end result. Nearly 3 hours (it was originally shown over multiple nights on Sky TV in the United Kingdom) of good entertainment. A Death that you grow to love. Peril to fantasy beings you start caring about. And Susan kicking ass.


But now let's return to the story.

Still, first, here are the other parts of our blogging saga: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The Horror Of...New Year's Night, Hogfather Part 3

I guess I'm stretching this holiday out a bit into a second day. Well, a new year needs more than a single day to be gotten used to. New years are a lot like new shoes, except it's pronouncedly harder to return years for a different color.

But things have gotten serious in this matter of the Hogfather (Hence a more serious hat today.). As we saw last night, Death has had to literally step into the Hogfather's boots.


But what Death can do is limited. He can try and spur belief by making the Hogfather's rounds. But even then, Teatime is at work with magic to quash what belief there is in him.

Someone else is needed. The Wild Card.


At the start of Hogswatchnight the governess, Susan Sto Helit is at work, putting her two charges to bed. She is reading to them, and giving them an object lesson.


Susan is played by Michelle Dockery. She is better known these days for being in Downton Abbey. She was also in Hollow Crown and Hanna. This was one of her first roles outside of theater. Her Susan is young, but world weary. She's also conflicted. She wants to be normal. She isn't. She's anything but that. But she's striving to fit in with the real world.

The Horror Of...New Year's Night, Hogfather Part 2

Well, what do you know? The sun did rise today. Should have bet on it.

At least the new day and year means we can continue looking at Terry Pratchett's Hogfather. As far as the Discworld goes, it isn't clear yet if it will see another sun rise. Not without a Hogfather.

And the question of him will be a great concern to our next player on the stage. Death.

Death enters the picture...with the first death of the story, of course. The fellow knows when to make an entrance. But he shows only when it's his time.