Tunes: Life In The Fast Lane (2023)

The original Eagles, L to R: Bernie Leadon, Randy Meisner, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey.

“Why don’t you come to your senses?”

Life In The Fast Lane: The Eagles’ Reckless Ride Down The Rock & Roll Highway is a very decent read. The author, Mick Wall, is notorious for his sometimes scathing looks at some of the biggest acts in rock and metal. This book plays nice for the most part with its subject, the Eagles. Wall focuses primarily on Don Henley and Glenn Frey, two of the founding members of the band. The other founding members, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, are often treated as an afterthought. Wall will wax poetic about the greatness that is Henley and Frey and then occasionally mention Meisner and Leadon. This is somewhat justified, as Henley and Frey did call most of the shots for the band, but I really would have liked to hear more about Leadon and Meisner.

The Eagles added Don Felder (front, R) to the group in 1974.

Wall spends about a third of the book setting the tone for the creation of the band. You’ll read about Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, J.D. Souther, the Troubadour, and a lot of other California-centric people and places before arriving at the point where Frey and Henley meet one another and David Geffen sets them on their way….with Bernie and Randy along for the ride. Then you’ll read about their albums, the addition of Don Felder (another afterthought in Wall’s writing), the exits of Leadon and Meisner, and the addition of Joe Walsh (the somewhat notable afterthought) and Timothy B. Schmit (the last afterthought). You’ll also read about Irving Azoff’s master plan to make the Eagles even bigger stars.

Joe Walsh (center), a star in his own right, replaced Bernie Leadon in 1975.

Eventually you learn of the band’s somewhat quiet split, Frey and Henley’s attempts at solo careers, a brief mention of Hell Freeze’s Over, an even briefer mention of Long Road Out Of Eden, and the current state of the band in which Henley is the lone founding member.

Timothy B.Schmit took over Randy Meisner’s duties in the band when Meisner exited in 1977. The band would split altogether in 1980, only to reunite in 1994.

It’s all wrapped up in a litany of adjectives and asides courtesy of the pen of Mick Wall. He could have gotten to the point a lot quicker, but it was often very fun to read his meandering style of writing.

I know that many music snobs will wince when I say this, but the Eagles and KISS have a lot of parallels. Both feature two core, controlling members (Henley/Frey, Paul Stanley/Gene Simmons), a wizard is brought in to inject new life into the band (Walsh, Vinnie Vincent), and eventually a quiet guy who tows the line keeps the band afloat (Schmit, Tommy Thayer). Also, both bands were very successful and are beloved by their fans but never seem to get the credit they are due from music critics. On top of that, Frey became disenchanted with the Eagles much like Gene Simmons did in the early 80s with KISS, and like Simmons, he pursued a brief acting career. Henley, much like Stanley in KISS, is considered the heart of the Eagles. In addition, both bands are still on the road in what seems to be an extended farewell tour. None of this is mentioned in the book. In fact, KISS is never mentioned at all, but being a member of the KISS Army, I found it kind of cool how the two groups parallel one another.

From the Desperado album shoot. L to R: Meisner, Leadon, Henley, and Frey.

If you’re an Eagles fan, this might disappoint you since it spends A LOT of time on Henley and Frey. If you’re a fan of 70s music, however, it’s pretty cool to read the many interludes and path-crossings that Henley and Frey have with a number of major rock stars and future rock stars.

Thanks for checking out my post. I hope that you enjoyed this review of Life In The Fast Lane. I know that it isn’t my normal type of post, but I felt that this book was worth mentioning. See you soon!

The current lineup, L to R: Joe Walsh, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, and, occasionally, Deacon Frey, Glenn Frey’s son.

Throwback Thursday: Congo (1995)

“We are watching you….”

While plenty of films based upon Michael Crichton novels were released prior to it, the success of 1993’s Jurassic Park ignited film studio interest in Michael Crichton’s books like never before. In quick succession, films based on Crichton’s work were cranked out by the Hollywood machine. None of them came close to matching the success of Jurassic Park, but a few of them did quite well at the box office. Others were out-and-out clunkers on the big screen. Timeline (2003) and The 13th Warrior (1999) were two such films (although I personally enjoyed them. Then there is Congo (1995), a jungle romp that I saw in theaters and absolutely loved despite its having a number of differences from the novel.

Congo is the story of Amy, a young gorilla that communicates through sign language, who is brought back to her native lands by a brilliant primatologist named Peter Elliott with the help of a Romanian philanthropist named Herkermer Homolka (a character not in the book). Of course, Homolka is interested in locating the Lost City of Zinj, the purported location of one of King Solomon’s mines and home to untold riches. Also along for the ride is Karen Ross, who is secretly in search of her ex-fiancee and an expedition that was also seeking out the lost city’s riches, but for use by a telecommunications company. Leading the group is Monroe Kelly, a “great white hunter….who happens to be black.”

As the group gets closer to finding Zinj, the real motives of Homolka and Ross are revealed and Peter feels as if he’s been duped. After a number of dangerous encounters, the group eventually discover what is left of the telecom expedition and what murdered everyone in the group: hybrid killer gorillas! What happens next? Watch Congo to find out!

I know that on paper, Congo sounds absolutely ridiculous and, truth be told, it is. It tries very hard to capture the essence of old jungle adventure films from the first half of the 1900s and throws in a modern (at least for 1995) spin on the tale. The addition of Homolka was completely unnecessary as well. As dumb as it appears on the surface, however, Congo works. It performed quite well initially at the box office, debuting in first place. The next weekend, however, it was booted by Batman Forever. It would eventually find itself in regular rotation on basic cable as one of those films that someone always seemed to have on in the background but never really watched.

The film’s strengths lie in the performances of Ernie Hudson (Monroe), Laura Linney (Ross), Dylan Walsh (Peter), and Grant Heslove, who portrays Richard, Peter’s friend and assistant. The special effects aren’t too shabby, either. Sure, there’s a ton of cheese provided by Tim Curry as Homolka, but there’s also some solid humor from Amy the Gorilla (an animatronic creation). The film is in no way a national treasure and doesn’t come near to the perfection that is Jurassic Park, but it is a fun jungle romp.

Give Congo a shot if you haven’t watched it. It’s a very good middle-of-the-road adventure flick with amazing performances by most of the cast and excellent special effects.

As always, thanks for checking out my posts. Talk to you soon!

August Will Be Spook-tacular!

“Totally!”

August will indeed be spook-tacular for yours truly. I’ll be heading to the Houston Horror Film Festival once again! Last year was my first visit to the festival and I had a blast. I had so much fun, in fact, that I booked my hotel and secured my weekend pass as soon as they were available.

A ton of amazing independent films will be showcased at the event. You can check them out on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the event. There are a lot of movies and short films to watch, so be sure to check out the list on the festival website to pick and choose which ones you want to watch! Vendors will also be on hand to sell you their wares. Last year I picked up some sweet Universal Monsters ornaments and I hope to add a few more Universal Monsters items to my collection this year. Friday and Saturday night will be capped off by two after parties. The Saturday night event will be hosted by Felissa Rose with a special performance by the amazing Cherie Currie!

The festival will also include a number of industry guests. As a horror fan on a budget, I have to plan out who I want to meet and hopefully snag autographs and pictures from them. My “for sure” list includes PJ Soles, Lee Waddell, Heather Matarazzo, Shawnee Smith, and Billy Zane. I also hope to meet Kristy Swanson for a second time and possibly Nancy Loomis, Tara Reid, Cherie Currie, Dee Wallace, and Adrienne Barbeau.

The festival’s Facebook page and their website are the best places to get information on the event. The festival also recently released images of their exclusive t-shirts and the official festival poster available in 3-D and 2-D! Be sure to get your hands on some of these awesome exclusives!

I’m absolutely stoked for this year’s event. For the first time in a long time, I’m going to go all out and cosplay for two of the three days of the event. One cosplay is ready to go. The other one hasn’t completely been settled on just yet. I will have some Ken’s Alternate Universe stickers to hand out for free as well as a limited amount of cool horror-themed trinkets suitable for adults and kids. If you come to the event, flag me down (I’ll post a photo of what I’m wearing on each day of the event on my Facebook page, so you’ll know who to look for), and I’ll give you a sticker and, as long as I have them, a cool trinket. Just ask me for them and they are all yours!

I really hope to see all of you at the Houston Horror Film Festival. Be sure to let me know if you’ll be there in either the comments section or in a private message. It would totally be cool to meet my readers so that I can personally thank them for following my blog!

As always, thanks for checking out my posts. I really appreciate your support!

Rank: Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Tombstone (1993)

“I’m your huckleberry.”

It’s hard to believe that thirty years have passed since Tombstone hit the big screen. In celebration of the film (and Jurassic Park and Dazed And Confused), I’m posting content all year long. Today, I’m taking a look at my personal favorite quotes from the Tombstone. There are many more than just these ten that I love, but these are the best of the bunch in my opinion. Let me know your favorites in the comments section.

10. “Well, bye.”

In a tense moment after the murder of Morgan Earp, Wyatt, Virgil, and their families are leaving the town of Tombstone. While leaving the town, the Earps stop in front of the Cowboys. Wyatt tells Curly Bill Brocius that their conflict is over. Curly Bill replies with the very callous, “Well, bye.”

9. “In vino veritas.”

When Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo first meet in the film, the pair square off against one another with a duel not of pistols, but of Latin. The entire sequence is amazing, but it’s Holliday’s opening line, “In vino veritas,” (“In wine is truth) that sets things in motion. The line isn’t even directed at Ringo, whom Holliday just stated that he’s sure that he hates the gunslinger, but at Wyatt Earp, who tells Ringo and Curly Bill that Doc is drunk (and that they should just ignore him).

8. “You tell’em I’m comin’, and Hell’s comin’ with me!”

Once he sees that Virgil and the rest of the Earp family is safely aboard a train leaving Tombstone, Wyatt pulls a shotgun on an unexpecting pair of Cowboy ambush members, kills one of them, and then tells the survivor, Ike Clanton, that revenge is coming for the Cowboys.

7. “Skin that smokewagon and see what happens!”

When the Earps first arrive in Tombstone, Wyatt takes it upon himself to find work for the family. He enters the Oriental Saloon and ends up in a confrontation with the resident Faro dealer, Johnny Tyler. Tyler attempts to threaten Earp by going for his sidearm. Earp shows no fear, slapping Tyler, and utters one of the best lines in all of Tombstone.

6. “All right, lunger. Let’s do it.”

Expecting to see Wyatt Earp in Turkey Creek Canyon, Johnny Ringo is surprised when it is Doc Holliday who appears on the scene. The pair, in a final duel that was foreshadowed throughout the film, trade numerous lines during their standoff including Holliday’s “Why, Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked over your grave,” but the most memorable one for me is Ringo calling Holliday a lunger, a slang term for a person suffering from tuberculosis. In reality, Ringo’s murderer is unknown. His death was ruled a suicide, but Wyatt Earp claimed that he shot him. While a stretch, it is slightly possible that Holliday could have made the journey to the oak tree in Turkey Creek Canyon in order to kill Ringo. The truth will never be known.

5. “Smell that, Bill? Smells like someone died.”

In a continuation of the scene in which Curly Bill callously says, “Well, bye,” to Wyatt Earp. Johnny Ringo shows even less mercy than Curly Bill when he smiles and says, “Smell that, Bill? Smells like someone died.”

4. “You know, Frederic f#cking Chopin.”

While playing a nocturne by Chopin, Doc Holliday is interrupted by Billy Clanton. Clanton asks Holliday if he’s playing a song by “Stephen stinkin’ Foster,” to which Holliday replies, “Ah, yes. Well, this happens to be a nocturne.” Billy replies, “A which?” and Doc replies with, “You know, Frederi f#cking Chopin.”

3. “He’s got the look of both predator and prey.”

The future Mrs. Wyatt Earp, Josephine Marcus, spies Wyatt across the street and asks her companion and fellow actor, Mr. Fabian, who the “tall drink of water” is. Fabian then goes into a lengthy and artistic description of Earp, “My dear, you’ve set your gaze upon the quintessential frontier type. Note the lean silhouette, eyes closed by the sun, though sharp as a hawk. He’s got the look of both predator and prey.”

2. “You gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?”

In a continuation of the scene involving Wyatt Earp and Johnny Tyler, Earp continues to brutally slap Tyler, daring him to pull his gun. Eventually Tyler begins bleeding from his mouth. He stares in fear at Wyatt and Earp questions him, saying, “You gonna do something or just stand there and bleed?”

1. “I’m your huckleberry.”

Let’s be honest. This entire list could be filled with Doc Holliday quotes. Portrayed by Val Kilmer, Holliday stole every scene that he was in throughout the film. He utters his famous line, “I’m your huckleberry,” twice in the film. The first time we hear it is when a drunk Johnny Ringo confronts the Earps in front of a barber shop. The second time is when Ringo, expecting to see Wyatt Earp, is instead greeted by Doc Holliday for their final standoff. The line is quite possibly the most popular line in the entire film and it’s definitely my favorite.

Looking for more memorable quotes from Tombstone? Visit the Old West page to see twenty-nine memorable quotes from the film. Tell me your favorite quotes from the the film in the comments section!

Thanks for checking out my post. More Tombstone memories to come!

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023)

“Miles, being Spider-Man is a sacrifice.”

2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse set the bar extremely high for any and every Spider-Man film that would follow it. That movie is, at least in my opinion, the best Spider-Man movie ever made. When I finally had the chance to see Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, my expectations were high, very high.

The film continues the story that began in Into The Spider-Verse but opens with a look at Spider-Gwen’s story and the introduction of the Spider-Society first. The Spider-Society is a collective group of Spider-People who work across multiple universes in order to keep all of the worlds in check. For reasons later revealed in the film, Miles Morales is not welcome in the group. When Gwen arrives in Miles’ universe to track the Spot, a troublesome villain with plans of his own, she catches up with Miles but he believes that she’s hiding something from him. When it is time for her to leave Miles’ world, he follows her to another universe where the Spot is attempting to absorb the power of that universe’s Alchemax collider. Miles steps in and prevents a “canon event” from occurring and becomes a hunted spider by the Spider-Society. Can Miles save his world and everybody else’s worlds? What happens when canon events are disrupted? Who is the mysterious Spider-Man 2099? Find out everything in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.

I really enjoyed this film. It is book-ended by two somewhat lengthy (and a tad boring) sequences that seem as if they are too caught up in wowing the audience with art instead of moving the narrative ahead, but the middle of the film is simply amazing. All of the core original cast return and new additions such as Oscar Isaac (Spider-Man 2099), Jorma Taccone (Renaissance Vulture), Jason Schwartzman (The Spot), and Amandla Stenberg (Spider-Byte) give amazing performances. There are a ton of Spider-People and Spider-Beings in this film, far too many to list voice credits for, but know that they are all wonderful in this movie. The true star of the film in my opinion is Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India. He stole all of the scenes that he appeared in and gave the most memorable and humorous performance. I hope that we see him again in the planned sequel expected to release in March of 2024.

The animation and visuals, some of which combined animated and live action sequences, were beautiful. Unlike the first film, however, I felt as if some moments were tossed in simply to visually stun the audience and these moments took away from the overall film in my opinion. It was certainly a beautiful movie and I will definitely buy it when it comes out on Blu-ray, but it isn’t quite as good as the original film.

Disney could learn a thing or two from Sony’s animated Spider-Man films. NOTHING Disney has cranked out since the beginning of the MCU comes even close to the original Spider-Verse film or Across The Spider-Verse. These films are beautiful, funny, and a pure joy to watch on the big screen. Check this one out!

Thanks for reading my post. More stuff to come very soon!

Classic Cinema: The Mole People (1956)

“Their eyes can’t tolerate the light!”

The 1950s were a time of change for horror films. Science fiction began to make its way into more and more horror movies of the period. Aliens, mutants, and giant monsters started replacing vampires and werewolves as the go-to monsters of the day. The Atomic Age brought us films like Them!, Godzilla, and The Day The Earth Stood Still. Even the Universal Monsters were transforming from mummies and invisible men into The Creature From The Black Lagoon and the Metaluna Mutants of This Island Earth. Almost all of these films were produced with low budgets, and only a few were very good films overall. 1956’s The Mole People was one such film.

Although it is sometimes packaged and promoted as a Universal Monsters film, The Mole People seems to be best looked at as a science film. It tells the story of a group of archaeologists uncovering ancient Sumerian tablets that speak of a cult of Ishtar. When a massive earthquake strikes their dig site, they venture up into the mountains in order to find out if more proof of the Sumerians exists. What they find is an underground world featuring a race of albino Sumerians that have enslaved subterranean Mole people that harvest mushrooms for them to eat. The three archaeologists that discover the race, Bentley, Bellamin, and Lafarge, are initially believed to be messengers of Ishtar since they have control of Ishtar’s flame (a flashlight). When it is discovered that they are mortal, a conniving high priest, Elinu, plans to steal the flashlight for himself and overthrow the Sumerian king. Standing in his way are Bentley and Bellamin, as well as their newfound friend, the beautiful Adad, and the Mole people. Watch The Mole People to see who comes out victorious!

The movie stars John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, Hugh Beaumont, Alan Napier, Nestor Paiva, and a whole bunch of nameless Mole people. Agar, who had a troubled life that saw him relegated to B-movies for most of the latter part of his career, does a fine job as Bentley. Hugh Beaumont works well as his sidekick, Dr. Bellamin. Nestor Paiva has a somewhat limited role as Professor Lafarge, but his character is crucial to the story. Adad, a Sumerian slave, is portrayed by Cynthia Patrick. She’s a tragic character in the film and one of the primary reasons that this film’s conclusion left a sour taste in the mouths of filmgoers. Alan Napier, perhaps best known as Alfred the butler from the 1960’s Batman TV show, does an amazing job as Elinu. He’s sinister. The Mole people aren’t monsters at all. They are simply trying to survive in a cruel environment. The real monsters in this film are the Sumerians.

The film does have a rather interesting opening sequence. In it, real world English professor Frank Baxter of the University of Southern California gives us a quick lesson on a number of hollow earth theories. From there, it turns into just another 50’s sci-fi flick, albeit with above average special effects for the time. It’s a fun film to watch, and I even own it on Blu-ray.

The Mole People is a perfect example of the changing times not only for Universal, but for the world as a whole. If for no other reason, give it a look for its cheesy goodness. I think that you’ll enjoy it.

Thanks for checking out my post. Seeing John Agar’s name pop up reminded me of Dinosaur World, a defunct dinosaur park in Beaver, Arkansas, that my family visited a number of times in the early 1980s. I might have to take a look at that place in an upcoming Throwback Thursday post. See you all soon!

Throwback Thursday: Reign Of Fire (2002)

“Keep both eyes on the sky.”

Batman, Wooderson, a Bond Girl, King Leonidas, Dr. Bashir, the Borg Queen, and Joffrey Baratheon walk into a post-apocalyptic world ruled by dragons…..Sounds like a bad joke, right? Well, in 2002’s Reign of Fire, that’s exactly what happened. Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler, Alexander Siddig, Alice Krige, and Jack Gleeson all appear in the film to varying degrees, with Bale, McConaughey, and Scorupco taking the spotlight for most of the film. The movie asks the question, “What would happen if dragons took over the modern world?” A bigger question for me is, “What did I just watch?”

Don’t get me wrong, there are some genuinely excellent moments in Reign Of Fire, but they are just too few and far between. In the film, the year is 2020 and the world has been completely devastated by dragons and man’s attempts to stop them. Bale stars as Quinn Abercromby who, as a child, witnesses the moment that the dragon uprising begins and, as a man, is the leader of a ragtag bunch of survivors living outside of London hoping to outlive the rule of dragons. Helping Quinn is Creedy (Butler), who is second in command at the survivor compound. He provides almost all of the film’s humor. Siddig plays Ajay, the compound’s communications guy, who listens for radio contact with other survivors. When a massive military unit shows up at the compound’s door, a struggle for command and sanity develops between Quinn and American dragon hunter and ex-military man, Denton Van Zan (McConaughey), who believes that taking down the lone bull dragon encamped in London will ultimately lead to the die out of the female dragons that are terrorizing the world. Assisting Van Zan is Alex Jensen (Scorupco), the helicopter pilot who gives Van Zan eyes in the sky. She also heads up the Archangels, an elite group of dragon killers that assist Van Zan. After a huge battle for control, Van Zan leads a group on a failed mission to kill the bull dragon. He and Quinn eventually put their differences aside and, along with Jensen, go on a suicide mission to kill the bull dragon. Do they kill the big, bad bull? Watch Reign Of Fire to find out!

I had absolutely zero desire to watch this film when it was first released. Apparently I wasn’t the only person who felt that way, as the film fared poorly in theaters. For whatever reason, I decided to give it a try over twenty years later. It’s premise is farfetched, but that’s nothing new for me. I’m used to farfetched films. What I couldn’t buy in this movie was McConaughey in the “tough guy” role. His entire performance felt forced and too over-the-top. Scorupco just appeared to be going through the motions. Bale came off as an actor hoping that his performance would distract viewers from the poor performances of the rest of the cast. Butler was actually the best thing in this film. His performance fit the goofiness of the plot and I actually cared about his character. Alice Krige has little more than a cameo as Quinn’s mother. Gleeson portrayed one of the colony’s children. While his role was small, he had one moment where the camera focused on the desperation in his eyes. He knocked that brief moment out of the park. Siddig was fine in his limited role and most of the rest of the cast was just okay.

The special effects were well done in my opinion. I’ve read other reviews of this film stating that it was superior to Jurassic Park (1993) as far as CGI goes and those folks are completely wrong. The effects are very good, but nowhere near the level of JP. Many of the effects were hidden by the film’s dark setting. The dark color of the dragons also helped hide any shortcomings.

Ultimately, Reign Of Fire is a rather bland popcorn flick featuring an amazing set of actors, most of which give a mediocre performance in the film. McConaughey is one of my favorite actors but he is terribly miscast in this film. Bale looked as if he knew he was in a dull film. Butler is the real hero of this flick in my opinion. Do I recommend it? Yeah, why not? There are much worse films out there.

Thanks for checking out my look at Reign Of Fire. Do you share my opinion of the film? Let me know in the comments section!

The Champion Collection From Spin Master: Nasus, League Of Legends (2023)

“Your legacy shall drift away, blown into eternity, like the sands of the desert.”

Spin Master has released a number of League of Legends figures based upon characters from the popular PC game over the last couple of years. I was recently given the opportunity to review one of these figures and jumped at the chance. I was asked to review Nasus, and I happily complied.

In all honesty, I’ve never played League of Legends and my knowledge of the game begins and ends with Jinx. I know that she is a popular character in the game and that I’ve seen a number of cosplayers dressed as her at multiple conventions. I’ll provide proof of this at the end of this blog. With my knowledge established, here’s what I want to say about Nasus: He’s awesome!

Nasus towers over all of my Marvel Legends 6″ figures and makes my McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse 7″ figures nervous with his 8″ stature. I count at least twenty-five points of articulation and only his feet and hands are hindered slightly by the armor that he wears. The figure comes with his War Axe and a League of Legends base that makes him suitable for display.

It’s pretty obvious that Nasus is based upon the Egyptian guide and guardian of the Underworld, Anubis. That’s the primary reason that I agreed to review this figure. He looks great. His paint applications are amazing and the details in his skin, armor, and face are great. I found only two issues with this particular figure. First, his knee joints are a tad weak and he doesn’t hold poses in which he is crouching for long periods of time without the assistance of his axe. I posed him crouching down one afternoon and he fell the next morning. I’ve since settled upon posing him standing up straight. Secondly, the pain apps on his axe included a couple of splotches. That’s my only complaints, however. The figure is ultimately a beautiful addition to my collection. He’ll be a great addition to your collection as well!

Thanks for checking out my post. Spin Master really did an awesome job with this figure. Oh, and I promised to show you proof that I’ve run into a number of Jinx cosplayers over the years at conventions. Well, below is a photo of myself and Currytime Cosplay as Jinx from CoastCon 38 way back in 2015!

65 (2023)

“Family….”

I remember seeing trailers for the Adam Driver epic 65. I even remember seeing posters for the film while checking out other movies at the theater. What I don’t remember about the film is people talking about it once it was released. This film just sort of arrived and then quietly exited theaters with little impact. That’s a great shame, at least in my opinion, because I believe that 65 is much better than it it given credit for in the grand scheme of things.

In the film, Adam Driver portrays Mills, a pilot who takes a job on a two-year journey that will bring in three times his normal wages. He takes the job in the hopes that the extra cash can be used to help Nevine, his daughter, who is suffering from an undisclosed illness. While en route to his destination and carrying a number of people in cryostasis with him, Mills’ ship is severely damaged by an uncharted asteroid field and crashes on an unknown planet which is ultimately revealed to be Earth, circa sixty-five million years ago. Only one other person survives the crash, a young girl named Koa. With the ship’s translator destroyed in the crash, Mills tries to communicate with Koa and ultimately convinces her to trust and follow him as they look for the lone surviving escape pod. As they journey towards the pod, they encounter dinosaurs, poison plants, geysers, and other unknown dangers. Watch the film to find out if they escape!

I really enjoyed this film. Most filmgoers did not, nor did most critics. Complaints ranged from the film being boring and sluggish to having a completely unbelievable and ridiculous plot. While I have to admit that part of the film’s premise seems to be built solely for the purpose of giving Adam Driver a chance to fight dinosaurs, I cannot agree with the complaints that say the film is boring. It’s meant to make the viewer engage in the father/daughter relationship that develops between Mills and Koa. You have to pay attention, and I believe that attention spans have evolved to such a massive level of instant gratification these days that any time a film asks you to sit back and wait a little bit for things to develop, they lose out with modern audiences. This film is suspenseful, spooky, and heart-tugging at times. If you are a dad who has ever given up anything in the hopes of making life better for your kids, this film will definitely hit you in the heart.

The film’s special effects are excellent for the most part, as is the music done by Chris Bacon. Driver and young Ariana Greenblatt (Koa) do amazing jobs in their respective roles. Their characters bond out of necessity at first but gradually become a father/daughter duo. Mills lies to Koa at one point and when she discovers the truth, the heartbreak experienced by both really hits hard. Chloe Coleman has a small role as Mills’ daughter, Nevine, as does Nika King who portrays Mills’ wife. That’s pretty much it. The film is carried on the shoulders of Driver and Greenblatt, and they do excellent jobs.

65 is currently available to stream on Netflix and I highly recommend checking it out. If you don’t like it, you can simply switch over to something else. That said, give the film a chance and give it some time, especially if you are a father. This film is better than the critics and much of the viewing audience claims. Check it out.

Thanks for checking out my post. I have a ton of things coming up in the near future including Calcasieu SerialFest, the Houston Horror Film Festival, and a couple of action figure reviews. Be on the lookout for posts on all of these things and more!

Frankford Candy Jurassic World Surprise Egg

“Think it will scare the kids?”

Frankford Candy released their Jurassic World Surprise Eggs in 2022 in conjunction with the release of Jurassic World: Dominion. For whatever reason, I only discovered them over the weekend and I must say, for the price, they are actually pretty cool. You get a nice sized egg (complete with Beta hatching out of it), two packs of gummy dinosaurs, and a hefty collector coin.

The coins are heavy and feature a dinosaur sticker on one side and a relief logo for Jurassic World on the back. There are twenty-one coins in total to collect, with two of them being rare and a third listed as “super” rare. For around three bucks apiece, it will cost you roughly sixty-three dollars to collect them all. That’s only if you don’t get any doubles. I still believe it’s worth purchasing one or two if you’re a fan of Jurassic World or Jurassic Park. Snap up a few of these coins for your collection. The gummies are okay, but the eggs and coins are cool.

Thanks for checking out this quick post. More Jurassic goodness coming later this year!