Rifftrax Live did Godzilla.

Last week, the people from Rifftrax did a live riffing of the 90's horror for movies, Godzilla. In Godzilla, two hours are spent squandering a lot of money and a lot of potential.

Rifftrax felt it was it's turn to give the movie some kicks. I noted the run up to the event earlier (and if you want some MST3K nostalgia, check it out.) This week they've done an encore viewing for people.

The show was a fun time. It started much like ever live show does, with an introduction by the trio of Mike, Bill, and Kevin. We also got a short ad for October's next live event. Anaconda. It was an amusing ad that used some effects to show clips of that movie like it's a bad 70's grind house film.

Unfortunately they haven't made that ad available yet.

But their other reveal is available. A new introduction song and animation for all future Rifftrax releases. The animation comes from Harry Partridge. The music comes from Jonathan Coulton.

It makes for a silly way to introduce the concept of Rifftrax, the trio of riffers, and the catalog of riffed movies.

Trailer In Short - Fresh Off The Boat, Selfie, and Galavant (and a little more)

Almost time for the Fall season to start...TV Shows still have seasons, right?

A lot of bad shows are coming. But might some of them, say from ABC, be any good? ...

...Just be sure to watch, Galavant, okay?

Hobbits on a Plane

In case you've never seen the Air New Zealand safety video, using Middle Earth as a theme, here we are. Enjoy.



"Flight Attendant! Gollum is kicking my seat back."

Trailers in Short - Heroes Really Do Come In Different Shapes And Sizes Edition

There want be a drought on heroics in the theaters anytime soon. And some of them won't even be sequels or remakes! Let's meet the sweet hero of Big Hero 6, the return of the Ghostbusters, the guardians of 80's movies, the little heroes of The Hobbit. and some heroes in a half shell.

More from Star Wars Rebels *UPDATED*

I already took a look at the setup for the upcoming new Star Wars animated series, Star Wars Rebels. While I included some previews of scenes from the show, there are more that have been released.


Hera isn't taking anyone's guff.

***UPDATED***
I'm adding the recently released more complete version of the above scene, with more of Kanan, and a lot more of Chopper getting stuck keeping the ship together and saving the day.

******


Zeb and Ezra team up.

Kanan and Ezra meet the Inquisitor.

Rifftrax Live Does Godzilla *UPDATED*

Coming next week the people behind Rifftrax will be presenting a live riffing of Godzilla...the really bad 90's one. It will be a blast to see this underwhelming monster face it's fate. And it will be nice to see Godzilla take a pasting.

It's been a long time in coming.



If you'd like a reminder about that dreadful Godzilla movie, try Screen Jumkies' Honest Trailers.




And if you need a bit more. Look at Crow T. Robot's look at the movie.

___________
UPDATED:

And here's a bit more nostalgia, tied to the video just above. Mike and the Bots on the CBS News Weekend Morning Show way back when Godzilla was about to come out, and we didn't know how bad it was going to bomb. Still, MST meets CBS.

Trailers in Short - The Force Is Strong In This Show Edition (Star Wars Rebel)

Star Wars! Woo!!!

It's been 14 years since the events of Revenge of the Sith. It's still 5 years until Luke will get to fly into history. Now we'll get to see how the Rebellion Against the Empire grew and expanded to become an actual problem for the Emperor. (Of note: The clones are gone, and replaced with volunteers who are zealously loyal to the dream of a Galactic Empire.)

The show has been put together by Executive Producer Dave Filoni, who brought us the previous series, Star Wars: Clone Wars. He's brought much of the team over. It also has Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman, Young Justice) on board as another Executive Producer.

This creative team are updating the style for this show. The show reflects a lot of Ralph McQuarrie's original art for Star Wars. You can see it quickly in some of the main character designs. Chewbacca's look was taken into the character of Zeb, for one.

Chewbacca's first look.

Extended Trailer

Cracked's Antiheroes - Maybe we don't need another hero *UPDATED*

Thunderdome reference? Nailed it.

Cracked.com has a new short series that they've started. Antiheroes. It tells the story of a group of people gain superpowers one strange night while out smoking. Per a Cracked tale, things don't go the way one might expect.

From Cracked.com:

Antiheroes: A New Superhero Series from Cracked Studios -- powered by Cracked.com

Here's the first episode:

Great Superpowers Are a Huge Pain in the Ass: Antiheroes 1 -- powered by Cracked.com

__________
UPDATED:

Thought I'd update this, as Antiheroes has concluded, if you want to jump to one of the later episodes...

• Episode 2 - Why Invisibility is the Worst Superpower.
• Episode 3 - Why You Shouldn't Get Drunk With Superpowers.
• Episode 4 - How the Government Would Actually Treat Superheroes.
• Episode 5 - Why Superhero Stories Don't Need a Villain.

Trailers in Short - Do You Want To Play A Game Edition

The trailers never stop coming, nor, thankfully, do the game stop coming. And we have a slough of sequels heading our way quite soon. Are we excited? Are we dreading them? Are we bored now?

Let's see how you handle an Alien, how the bricks fit for Batman, Batman's new old toys, a Tomb Raider...rises, and Nate Drake get smacked around for 10's of hours of game play.

100 years since the start of WWI. Lessons learned?

In past I've touched on the Remembrance Day, which was derived from Armistice Day. It was the day used to remember Great Britain's entrance into World War I.

With the advent of World War II we often gloss over the first Great War. The War to End All Wars.

Source

45th Anniversary of the Moon Landing. Yeah, we did go there.

Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of humanity's first step onto another body in space. The moon. Sadly, it is still the only other surface we've managed to reach, and even then it's been quite a while since anyone has returned (all not included unmanned mission, of course).

While the fact we've retreated from space exploration is an annoying reality, there are more galling things. The conspiracy theories.


We've all heard of them at this point. We, apparently, have never reached the moon. Never. We couldn't get there before, and seem not to be able to get there still. It lives in the same mindset that questions the age of the Earth, the validity of vaccines, evolution, that ancient humans could build pyramids, and the impact of climate change.

People to this day passionately will argue a great conspiracy existed to fake a launch of a rocket and then a landing of a craft on the moon. Then we have the other conspiracy to continue to hide "the truth" from the public.

Amazing. ...That sounds positive. It's pathetic.

Creeping on women is creepy. *UPDATE*

For some reason, there are guys that think commenting on women's physical attributes is pleasing to women...when it has nothing to do with what the women are doing/talking about. Then there are the guys that think they are accomplishing something valuable in "screaming" words like TITS in comment sections... Guys? You are just being dicks.

From Cracked.com:

10 Creepy Comments That Only Women Get On the Internet -- powered by Cracked.com

As has been long noted, this is something that happens to women. If it happens to a guy, it's a rare thing, and it isn't built into a hostile sexual cultural norm. Women are expected to just put up with it, or never come on the Internet ever again. That's the choice women are often given.

Fuck that.


And if you want to swim in the inane mindset that is pleased to be an ass to women, just go to the comments and see the guys that are indignant about the this video. And then the guys that think they are being such a wit by doing things described as offensive and hurtful.

Lesson: Just don't read comment sections. Thankfully, for me, I have nothing in my comment sections...Well, there is the occasional bot generated ad.

_________
UPDATE:

Here's an article looking at how women get treated in the game industry. And another article.

... 

Women in the industry are told by men what is valid for us to feel. The conversations tend not to recognize the reality of the situation, and the very real threats that can occur at gaming events or in our day-to-day lives. We’re told it doesn’t matter, to grow a thicker skin, and that men go through the same thing. 

I have yet to talk to a man who has had to call a police officer due to a stalker, only to be told nothing can be done until they are physically assaulted. It’s hard to explain what it’s like to be at a gaming event, cornered by someone who claims to be a fan, and to be physically kept from leaving by someone holding you in place or putting their body between you and the exit.

...

Far too many guys either are or choose to be blind to what women are being put through. They outright dismiss the abuse and the fear. No one deserves to be made to feel unsafe in our virtual communities. No one deserves to have their concerns so casually dismissed like this. We should expect better, not just tell people to suck it up and take the abuse.

Then there's the anger. The hostility from guys towards women that speak up. It's almost not surprising. Women just talking about the latest phone release, or app, will have abuse thrown at her. Why not when she dares to speak out as well? ...Sigh.

We all deserve better than this.

How Not to Stay Neutral on Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality has been an issue of great concern to people who work online. The end of it may likely mean an end to those smaller operations, or new ideas looking for a place to blossom. It has also been of great concern to corporate interests and the Telecomms, who all look to cement their control on what we see and use. It all comes down to how neutral we will see information and services online treated.

FCC after Dark - from College Humor

But the FCC (Federal Trade Commission) is eyeing an end to neutrality. Not surprising from a collective largely made up of former and future executives of the Telecomm Industry. And the head of the FCC thinks it makes perfect sense to end neutrality, but make a caveat that all access must be kept at least at the levels they currently are at.

That would be great if time and technology stood still. But that's the point of the statement from the FCC. Sound good, mean nothing. Throw out a platitude while handing the power, wealth making potential, and speed to their corporate friends.

These Assholes - By College Humor

After that, we are all left to the whims of Internet Service Providers, and to the select online services that have paid up large sums to run suitably. And for many in power, that is how the world should work. You shouldn't have things if you can't pay up a nice size fee for it. Schooling. Water. Knowledge.

Well, that is garbage. The Internet is supposed to be a marketplace of ideas, amusement, and disappointment.


Among those trying to advocate for no neutrality think that not all sites deserve to be treated equal. Money should buy access. The Internet should operate like many other areas of business where the barriers to entry should be high. For many of them, Net Neutrality is a regulation. And that means taxes. And, "The government will control the Internet!!!".

The attitude is that they fear/hate the government, but tolerate/respect the old boy network of corporate elite making decision on this.

I don't, obviously, trust the people at the FCC. We need a better quality of regulator there. But if I have to choose between the power being in the FCC's and the Telecomms grasp, I pick the FCC. Whipping the FCC into shape is easier. And, once industry has it's way with the Internet, we'll have to wait a decade or more to right things.

We rely on regulation by government for a good reason. Industry rarely does a fair to decent job of watching over itself.

Friday the 13th on Sunday the 13th (Kinda) - Episode 10 - Tales of the Undead

The 13th comes again, and I'm stuck travelling. Still, that don't mean nothing. At least we can start the episode.

So, let's look at Friday the 13th the Series.

The episode is...

"Tales of the Undead"

Meeting of Minds: John Oliver and Pepe Julian Onziema

John Oliver had a sober and sarcastic look at Uganda and it's anti-gay laws. In the US many of us have been interested in what has been called the Kill The Gays law. But, as we do, we got bored with all of that. And then most of us deleted most of our anger, opinions, and facts of the law from our heads. John Oliver nicely reintroduces us to the matters.

For instance, while Uganda had some social and legal issues with gay people, the last several years has seen a significant and hateful uptick. What started with uptight British colonials is now a matter of American Conservative intervention. The Religious Right has worked to motivate the local religious communities hate, and pushed them to make changes to the law.

And then we had those freaking politicians. Another topic you may have decided to forget about is C Street and The Family. People like Jeff Sharlet did solid work bringing out the truth of this group of politicians who were tied by their religious zeal and interest in making hateful law. They've screwed people over in this country, but always have time for other countries.

So preachers and politicians have worked to bring about their dream of a hateful and homogeneous society. Not to leave out the elements of Uganda society eager to embrace hate and fear.

If you've followed news and conversations in Uganda, you've seen the fear, hate, and ignorance spread about being gay. (Stephen Fry spent some time their and showed the outright ignorance of the anti-gay advocates in his Out There documentary.) They repeatedly claim all gay people are "converting straight people. And, on having sex...You have to doubt they even understand sex between males and females.

But for a mix of stuff that will make you laugh, scream, curse, and try to hope, have some John Oliver. Also, get to know the fascinating and brace Pepe Julian Onziema, an open LGBT advocate in Uganda. He's quite a remarkable man.


From Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:



And in addition to the show, some more of their conversation presented online.

Penny Dreadful Review - Episode 2 - Seance

The next Penny Dreadful is hot off the presses. Have you got your penny?

Good. It's time for...

"Seance"


What Came Before? 

Well, it seems that our Dr. Frankenstein has been hard at work on his extra curricular activities. He's eager to pierce "the tissue that separates life and death." And it appears he's been inching closer and closer, until he's now finally succeeded.

"You know? Some nights it's like you're not even alive."

And there stands his creation. Bloody. Scared. Scarred. And, in need of answers.

"Daddy?I think I made a boom boom."

The Horror Of...Writing in June

Sigh.

Well my effort to start reviewing Penny Dreadful weeks ago did not go to plan. I did want to find a way to start the reviews as the show started, and then by the halfway point...And here we are approaching the season finale.

Still, the first episode review is available now. For the next 6 episodes? ...I have a cunning plan.

I have wanted to think of ways to make reviews less a trek and more a jaunt. I've been working towards some brevity, but this is a chance to really work at cutting things down for quick turnaround. It may yet be a horrible disaster.

The plan is to address (until I have reason otherwise) key questions:

• What Came Before? - How the last episode ended.
• A Deathly Cold Open. - Does the episode have a cold open?
• And Now! - Does the episode continue follow on from the ending of the last episode?
• Enter Stage Right! - Are there any new outstanding characters to note?
• To Smile and Smile, and Still... - Are there new baddies to notice or remember?
• ...And Heard No More. - Are there fatalities to mourn this episode?
• Revelations! - Are there any plot points we just have to remember?
• Thoughts? - ...And the rest!

Yeah. I often feel the need to give things quirky names. It's not weird!

We'll see how that works. We'll also see if I can get anywhere near episode 7 of Penny Dreadful by Sunday night. Even if don't finish them all by then, I'll continue with this layout until the penultimate episode.


Also, I finally have finished the look at much of what leads up to Dracula (1931)... And between that and Penny Dreadful, I need a break from the vampires. So I will look at some zombies for The Horror Of... And to try and rap up June, and to start off July, let's go to the prom! ...Well, some schools actually run to the end of June (Good lord!). Also, I have no recollection of when prom occurs in a school year. So let's head to the Dance of the Dead! Woo!

Penny Dreadful Review - Episode 1 - Night Work

Another horror series? A show that will make use of various Victorian and Gothic settings, characters, and ideas? A penny dreadful motif? ...You have my attention.

Of course, they are now getting to their...season finale? ...So I am a little behind. As I mentioned elsewhere, I've had some technical, among other, issues. Still, if you haven't heard about the show, or are undecided on watching it, enjoy.


In case you've never come across the term before, Penny Dreadfuls were beloved pastime of Victorian London society. A penny each issue, they were a cheap and popular periodical of the day. They covered various lurid tales. Monsters preying on the citizenry. Murderers brutally killing God fearing families. Dark tales of the criminal life in London, from the thieves to the opium dens. The more dark and terrible the story, the better, as that brings people back looking for more. I looked a little at this in reviewing the origins of Dracula, and the penny dreadful tale of Varney the Vampire.

Penny Dreadful examples - the super natural Spring Heeled Jack and
murderous Sweeney Todd

As a source, they are quite rich. They have given us, or made us of such notables as Varney the Vampire, Spring Heeled Jack, and Sweeney Todd. The output of the penny dreadfuls were wide reaching. A developed fictional world taking advantage of these ideas is bound to be horribly fantastic.

Also, Victorian horror as a whole is a heady source. The works of Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, Robert Louis Stephenson, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Oscar Wilde, and others...What a menagerie! Maybe we'll get a bit from Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle as well?

But will it be fully taken advantage of?


The series has been created by John Logan. That may be a good or bad thing depending on your mood. He's written Star Trek: Nemesis, The Time Machine (2002), and Skyfall. He's also written Gladiators, Sweeney Todd, and Rango. It all depends on your love and hate for these individual movies. I can't say I hate any of them. But I do note that he's written a take on Sweeney Todd, a story that came from the Penny Dreadfuls that inspire this show. It shows a previous interest in the topic.

From the look of the show, this seems to be a labor of love. He even preemptively constructed a show bible for the story and character. There is some passion here.

But to be honest, when I did first see his name tied to this project, I was paused. But, maybe we shouldn't be too quick to judge.


Let's see what Penny Dreadful does to entice us to buy into this first chapter of their lurid tale.

Dracula Rises from the News

It seems Dracula just can't keep out of the news. As good a time as any, I suppose.

For Sale By Owner, Crypt Newly Refurnished.

Dallas and John Heaton/Free Agents Limited/Corbis

Word is that Castle Dracula is for sale. It's a nice deal at around $80,000,000.

Granted, it's not the actual Castle Dracula, or rather we are talking about the very human Vlad Tepes. Also, it isn't the caste from which he ruled. Rather it's a castle where he was kept prisoner...allegedly.

Still, nice deal, especially as a surprise birthday present....Of course renovation and heating would kill you. So it'd actually be a horrible gift.


Dracula slept here, because this is where we buried him.

It also seems that they've found the final resting place of Drac...Vlad. It's in Naples at Santa Maria La Nova. Apparently the hypothesis is that while Vlad was imprisoned by the Turks, his daughter (a secret one) in Naples paid a ransom for his freedom. He then lived out his final years in Naples.

Trouble is, there's no actual evidence that this is true. Just speculation and interpretation. The historically accepted version of Vlad's fate is that he died fighting to retake his land of Wallachia.


This is all an issue with Dracula, or any notorious figure from history. So many tales emerge. So many claims. So many opportunities to make a tidy sum.

And Bran Castle is one of many spots in Romania that have become tourist spots. They've even tried and failed to get a Dracula Theme Park open. And now, Santa Maria in Naples is drawing in tourist.

It's enough to make Dracula roll over in his sarcophagus.

The Horror Of...Dracula Through the Ages - All of the Posts

"Hey! ...You aren't sleeping are you? I'm bored. Wanna
talk?"

With a finish to the extended cursory overview trek into Dracula and his progenitors...that's a lot of words...I thought it would be nice to put them altogether in one post.

"Well I thought it was a good idea!"

From legends to Penny Dreadfuls to novel to Bela.

"How are you getting 4G here?"

• From Folklore and History

• The Literature That Came Before

• Stoker's Tale

• Beyond Books

I won't be updating this for the movies as I look at various Dracula movies. Of course that's why there's the Dracula label. This is also part of the look at Universal Monsters overall, started here.

"Damn it! Get to my movie already!"