Ken's Alternate Universe!

Wanna Play? Day O’Horror #3!

Flying Off Of Store Shelves Everywhere

There are seven Child’s Play/Chucky films. Read that again and then think about it, let it sink in, and realize that a film series about a killer doll has been successful enough to warrant seven films (and counting, as an eighth film is already being cooked up). What might be an even scarier fact is that I’ve now seen five out of those seven films. I’ve viewed Child’s Play, Child’s Play 2, Child’s Play 3, Bride of Chucky, and Curse of Chucky. I missed Seed of Chucky for some odd reason, but plan to watch it and the most recent entry, Cult of Chucky, in the very near future.

I’m pretty sure that if you’re reading this, you are already familiar with the story of Chucky. If not, here’s a brief explanation of how a doll became a maniacal killing machine: Voodoo practitioner/psychotic serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) is chased into a toy store by the police, mortally wounded, and uses voodoo to transfer his soul into the plastic body of a Good Guy doll in order to survive. Unless he wants to remain a doll forever, he has to transfer his soul into a human host. In the first film, that human just happens to be young Andy. The second and third sequel has Chucky attempting to find and take over the body of Andy until we get to the Bride of Chucky, which opens up an entirely new can of worms.

Spoilers Ahead!

Curse of Chucky introduces us to wheelchair bound Nica (Fiona Dourif, Brad Dourif’s daughter in real life) and her mother Sarah (Chantal Quesnal). They receive a large box in the mail that happens to contain a Good Guy doll. Writing it off as a joke, Sarah tosses the doll into the trash. Later, Nica hears her mother scream during the night and finds her dead on the floor as a result of an apparently self-inflicted stab wound. Chucky mysteriously shows up in the house again that evening.

Nica’s sister, Barb (Danielle Bisutti), Barb’s husband, Ian (Brennan Elliot), their daughter, Alice (Summer H. Howell), and young nanny, Jill (Maitland McConnell), move into the home with Nica. They have no plans to stay there permanently, as Barb wants to sell the home and use the profit for herself (although she claims it’s to pay for Alice’s schooling and other family needs). Alice finds Chucky and immediately takes to him. He’s in the kitchen with Nica and Alice as they prepare supper for the family and Father Frank (A Martinez), who showed up with Barb in order to check on Nica and to smooth things over with the family. Chucky poisons one bowl of chili and waits for his first victim.

After multiple shots of people eating the chili, characters start having reactions to the meal. Some make faces due to too much seasoning. Others squirm when they believe that the chili actually isn’t vegetarian. Ian pretends to choke, but then laughs it off and praises Nica and Alice for the meal. Father Frank begins to sweat, apologizes and leaves abruptly. He’s found bleeding to death after a car accident and is then decapitated when firefighters try to save him.

After Father Frank’s death, Chucky starts taking out members of the family one by one. He still has his trusty butcher knife, but he uses other methods to kill as well. I won’t go into all of them here because I don’t want to spoil anything. As the body count rises, Nica begins to realize that Chucky is the culprit, and she attempts to stop him. You’ll have to watch the film to see how it ends.

This movie was surprisingly good. In fact, I’d say that it is one of the best films in the series. That’s saying a lot considering the fact that it is the sixth film in the series. There are a few genuine suspenseful moments throughout the movie, and Chucky has a legitimate-to-a-sick-minded person reason for taking this family out. There’s also a subplot that uses a little misdirection to throw yet another surprise at the viewer.

The humor is stripped back considerably in this film. While there are still some laughs, especially toward the end, this movie plays out more like a straight horror and suspense film than anything else. It as refreshing to see a Chucky film where suspense was front and center and the humor took a backseat.

Dourif is the voice of Chucky, but he also makes an appearance as himself in flashbacks. You’ll recognize him from his work on Star Trek: Voyager, the Lord of the Rings films, Rob Zombie’s Halloween films, and tons of other films and television shows in the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror genres. After six films, I’m pretty sure that he has the character of Chucky nailed down pretty well. His daughter, Fiona, an excellent actress in her own right, is solid as Nica. The rest of the small cast do great jobs. Danielle Busetti and Brennan Elliott play off of each other extremely well as a couple on the rocks. Maitland McConnell plays their young and attractive nanny who is part of the reason that the family’s relationship is rocky, but with a twist. Young Summer H. Howell is good as Alice as well, and I look forward to seeing her in Cult of Chucky soon.

Jennifer Tilly reprises her role as herself/Tiffany from Bride of Chucky. She’s still a bombshell beauty. There’s another surprise guest thrown in as well (but, ironically, this person doesn’t show up in the Netflix offering of this movie).

If you enjoyed the previous Chucky films, specifically the first three, you’ll enjoy this movie. I put it right behind the original film as one of the best in the series. The gore is a bit campy, but it looks pretty good. The movie has an excellent amount of suspense and horror, and the story is fresh despite being six films deep.

As always, thanks for reading. I’ll see you all again tomorrow whenever I review my fourth film in Thirty-One Days O’Horror! Later, dolls!

“Crexy” Day O’Horror #2!

Somewhere in Rural America

I like Eric Balfour. He’s one of those actors who always manages to find work, but not necessarily in the most appealing films and television shows. Every once in awhile he’ll hit a home run with shows like Haven or 24, but he spends most of his time on the set of films like Dinoshark or Skyline. In other words, he frequents the SyFy channel…..a lot. Add Little Dead Rotting Hood to the list of films that Balfour is in, but that I seriously doubt that he remembers to place on his resume.

Balfour heads up a cast that includes Bianca A. Santos (Ouija, The DUFF), Patrick Muldoon (Starship Troopers, Days of Our Lives), Romeo Miller (former child rapper Lil’ Romeo and actor in films like Madea’s Witness Protection and Honey), Heather Tom (The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful) and Amy Argyle (Frank & Lola).

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD!

The movie takes place in a rural town somewhere in Appalachia. The local wolf population seems to be getting more aggressive in recent days. When people start to die, Sheriff Adam, Deputy Henry, and the townsfolk go on a wolf hunt. Danny’s girlfriend, Samantha, goes missing after her grandmother is found dead from an apparent suicide. Both of these events are tied together, and it’s up to the sheriff, Danny, and Samantha to figure out what’s really going on in the area. Thankfully, Samantha has become a killing machine on the side of good, and she’s out to stop the top dog in the pack!

This was the first time that I’ve watched this film. While I’ll probably stumble upon it on SyFy or another network in the future, I doubt that I’ll ever intentionally seek out this movie again. It’s one of those films that you want to watch just to see how bad it can be. The good news is that it isn’t terrible. The bad news is that it’s bad more than it’s good.

With The Asylum producing the film and with Balfour in the cast, you probably already know what to expect from this movie. A few actors that play their roles straight (Balfour, Santos, and Tom), a few that try entirely too hard in their roles (Miller, Argyle), and that one person who knows exactly what type of film they’re in and proceed to chew the scenery around them and have fun (Muldoon).

1e54cf — Romeo Miller as Danny with Eric Balfour.

Miller is especially tough to watch in this movie. He tries too hard to convince the viewer that he’s in a dire situation and it comes across in a terrible fashion. That’s saying something for a movie of this caliber. Muldoon is hilarious. He plays up his role for gags and walks away from this film as the real winner. He’s also the reason for “Crexy” in my title. You’ll have to watch the film to see why. Balfour and Tom, professional to the end, give very solid performances in an otherwise forgettable film. Santos does a pretty good job, but she basically growls and tells people to “Get out of here!” while wearing fingerless gloves and a crop top. Argyle is pretty much just there. She’s a ne’er-do-well who apparently controls the local wolf population, but her role lacks bite.

Celebrities+attends+premiere+Asylum+Little+OB700Z9iFQFl.jpg — Amy Argyle (Becky Sanders)

There are also plenty of other nameless characters in the film that serve as fodder for the wolves that roam the countryside. One of them in particular, Ashley Doris, can be seen visibly smirking while watching “in terror” as her boyfriend gets ripped to shreds by one of the wolves. Considering the fact that she is sans clothing while all of this is going on shows you just how obvious her smirk was! Much like Muldoon, I appreciated the fact that Doris realized what type of movie she was in and appeared to be enjoying her brief moment to shine on camera.

ashley-doris-at-little-dead-rotting-hood-premiere-in-hollywood-01-18-2016_3.jpg — Ashley Doris (Jenny)

Besides Muldoon and Day, there was another treat for eagle-eyed nerds and geeks to find. At the beginning of the film we witness the suicide of Samantha’s grandmother. Who plays her grandmother? None other than the lovely Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation). Sirtis’ role is basically a cameo, but it was nice to see her on the screen again. I still have a crush on her.

I also have to admit that I’ve had a crush on Heather Tom for quite some time as well. Growing up in rural Louisiana meant that summer time TV viewing during the day meant soap operas or educational programming. I alternated between the two, but tended to watch The Young and the Restless a whole lot more than The Electric Company whenever Tom joined the cast as Victoria. On that note, Tom’s character in this film is Officer Victoria (an obvious nod to her soapy past).

Celebrities+attends+premiere+Asylum+Little+lNibENWM_9Gl — My future ex-girlfri….I mean, Heather Tom and a furry friend.

I will say that the cinematography in this film was excellent. Exterior shots (around Santa Clarita, CA) looked perfect. The CGI creatures and transformations were lackluster, but not unexpected.

I suggest watching this film at least once, if for no other reason than to see Balfour and Tom play straight to the goofiness that is Muldoon and the overacting of Miller. It isn’t terrible, but I doubt that it will win any major awards.

As always, thanks for reading. If you happen to know Heather Tom, tell her that her summertime crush is no longer available, but he’d love to get a signed photo or phone call from her!!!!!

Day O’Horror #1!

MALACHAI!

It’s here! The first night of thirty-one days of devilish deeds! The first entry into my Days O’Horror series is 1984’s Children of the Corn. Based upon a short story by Stephen King, this tale of terror is one of the earliest horror films that I remember viewing as a child. Having watched it as a forty-one year old man, though, I now realize three things:

This flick isn’t nearly scary as I thought it was when I was a kid.
It would probably get a hard PG-13 rating today.
Isaac and Malachai are still creepy and still the only memorable parts of the film.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The film opens three years in the past (1981) and we’re told a tale by young Joby (Robby Kiger) of how the children of Gatlin, Nebraska murdered all of the adults in their small rural community. This takes place at the request of a young cult leader named Isaac (the devilishly enjoyable John Franklin), who claims to be speaking for “He Who Walks Behind The Rows,” and is headed up by Isaac’s apparent enforcer, Malachai (the equally awesome Courtney Gains).

The story leaps ahead three years and we see a young couple, Burt and Vicky (Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton) on their way to Burt’s internship at a Seattle hospital. Their road trip leads them through Gatlin. When Burt accidentally hits a young man in the road and realizes that the boy’s throat had been sliced open prior to the wreck, he realizes that the sparsely populated area that he and Vicky were passing through held a dark secret.

After seeking out the help of a roadside mechanic (R.G. Armstrong) and being turned away, the pair get lost on the road and are manipulated into driving to Gatlin. Here they befriend Joby’s sister, Sarah (Anne Marie McEvoy). Burt unwisely leaves Vicky with Sarah and goes into town for help. Vicky is taken prisoner by Malachai and she is tied to a cross in the cornfield to be a part of the sacrifice for one of the older children’s day of leaving (human sacrifice because he was about to turn nineteen).

Burt gets attacked while breaking up a ceremony in the old church led by the zealous Rachel (Judie Maddalena) and then finds himself on the run from Malachai and some of the other children. He is eventually rescued by Joby and they, along with Sarah, make plans to rescue Vicky and escape Gatlin. Malachai successfully overthrows Isaac as leader of the cult and puts Isaac on the cross in the place of Vicky.

Burt successfully rescues Vicky, Isaac gets sacrified, and then Burt gets into a fight with Malachai. Burt seems to open up the eyes of the children to the evil of the cult, but only in time to have a demonic Isaac return and take down Malachai. Burt and Joby cook up a plan to destroy the demon in the field and succeed in burning him. Burt is then attacked by Rachel who is hiding in his car, but she is knocked out by Vicky. Sarah and Joby are invited to live with Burt and Vicky, and the film abruptly ends.

A Decent Start

This film was a decent start to Thirty-One Days O’Horror. I’ve probably watched this film three times (including today’s showing). It isn’t the greatest film out there, but like I said earlier, Isaac and Malachai (and to a lesser degree, Rachel) are super creepy. I totally forgot that Horton (of Thirtysomething fame) and Hamilton (the Terminator films) were the stars of this movie. All I can ever remember is demonic Isaac calling out for “Malachaiiii.”

Courtney Gains (Malachai) actually had a pretty solid career after this film. He has been in Back To The Future, Sweet Home Alabama, and Memphis Belle, among other successful films. He’s a solid character actor and his IMDb proves that he has consistently worked in TV, film, and stage since appearing in Children of the Corn. I’ve always been impressed by his work.

John Franklin really shined in this movie as the manipulative zealot, Isaac. While he didn’t get as much work as Courtney Gains after filming Children of the Corn, he still had consistent work. He briefly became a teacher before returning to acting in 2015. Some of his most notable work includes portraying Cousin Itt in The Addams Family films, co-starring on Highway to Heaven, and as Kipp on Star Trek: Voyager. Franklin also co-wrote Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return.

This pair of actors is truly the only reason you need to see this film. Go in with low expectations, and I’m sure that you’ll love it.

Well, that’s one day down. Thirty to go. Thanks for reading. Look for my second Day O’Horror post tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror!

Get Ready!

For the first time ever, yours truly will be embarking on a quest that will see him facing off against some of the best and worst horror films ever screened for audiences! I’ve decided to challenge myself to watch thirty-one horror films and blog about each and every one of them for thirty-one straight days!

I’ll be including classics such as The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi’s Dracula as well as more recent films such as Curse of Chucky and The Woman In Black. I’ll throw in some campier fare like Little Dead Rotting Hood and Abominable, as well as spooky family treats like Nightmare Before Christmas and The Haunted Mansion.

I also plan on revisiting films from my youth and my college years such as Sleepaway Camp, The Craft, Children of the Corn, and The Monster Squad. I’m hoping to throw the recent It film into the fray, but that particular film isn’t guaranteed just yet. I have a few days off of work coming up and I might manage to squeeze that particular film into the list.

As I watch each film, I’ll post a review of it afterwards. I’ll briefly discuss the plot and then go into whatever catches my fancy about the film. As of right now, my list primarily includes films that I’ve already viewed but a few will be new to my eyes.

Here is a list of eighteen films that I will definitely watch. These films are not listed in the order that I plan to view them.

The Wolf Man (1941)
Dracula (1931)
Little Dead Rotting Hood (2016)
The Woman In Black (2012)
Ravenous (1999)
The Craft (1996)
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Curse of Chucky (2013)
Abominable (2006)
The Monster Squad (1987)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Children of the Corn (1984)
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
The Descent (2005)
Interview With The Vampire (1994)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Wolf Cop (2014)

As you can easily see, that’s not thirty-one films. I plan on adding more soon, but I’m not going to tell you what they are because I’ve gotta squeeze a few surprises into the fray. To whet your appetite, though, here’s a list of films that will potentially make the list. If you have any suggestions, feel free to list them in the comments.

It (2017)
Critters (1986)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
The Wicker Man (1973)
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Kill, Baby, Kill (1966)
Alien (1979)
Motel Hell (1980)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
The Wraith (1986)
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Silver Bullet (1985)
Night of the Demon (1957)
Tusk (2014)
Halloween (1978)

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Starting October 1st, I’m going to be hitting y’all with a new post every day for thirty-one straight days. I might get scared. I might need a friend to come hang out with me and hold my hand. Heck, I might have free beer! Hold on tight, kids, October is going to be wild!

As always, thanks for reading. Like I said earlier, if you have any suggestions for films, let me know. I’ll definitely try to add them to the list. Oh, and I might throw in a few surprises as well like a double feature or special features reviews!

Boldly Streaming

Accessing Space

Sunday evening I, along with many others like me, settled in for an evening of television wonder that we haven’t had a fresh view of since 2005. CBS was granting everyone the opportunity to view the first episode of their newest vision of Star Trek with the premier of Star Trek: Discovery.

The events of the series take place roughly ten years before Star Trek: The Original Series and about one hundred years after Star Trek: Enterprise. A whole new batch of characters will be introduced during the series, with just a few of them getting screen time in the first two episodes.

!!There be spoilers below!! Warning!

Sonequa Martin-Green is the lead actress on the series. She portrays Commander Michael Burnham. Along for the ride in the first episode is another primary character, Science Officer Saru (the brilliant Doug Jones), the always-available-when-you-need-a-Spock-connection Sarek (portrayed by James Frain this time around), and the excellent Michelle Yeoh as Captain Georgiou.

After a brief tease of the new look Klingons (the rigidly talking T’Kuvma, portrayed by Chris Obi), we find the captain and her number one on the surface of a desert planet. Their mission is to pop a hole in a well that has dried up in order to provide a water source to an alien race before they all die of dehydration. This reminded me an awful lot of the Enterprise’s mission at the beginning of Star Trek: Into Darkness where Spock freezes a volcano in order to save a race from being completely destroyed. It also reminded me of The Waterboy.

After successfully striking water, the duo trek off into the desert. Burnham questions the captain’s directions as they appear to be wandering around an awful lot, but they are actually making tracks that form the Starfleet insignia and the captain references it as being a “star” to aid her ship, the USS Shinzhou, in finding their coordinates. It’s obvious that there is a lot of trust and respect built between these characters. This will be tested later in the episode.

As the episode moves along, the Shinzhou pushes out to the edge of Federation space in order to investigate a damaged satellite and discover an unknown entity. In a very Trek-like manner, interference renders the ship’s technology almost useless and Burnham volunteers to jetpack over to the entity and investigate. Realizing that it is Klingon and then realizing that there’s a Klingon behind her as he’s about to attack, Burnham makes a dash to escape and accidentally kills the Klingon.

She is then rescued by her fellow crew members and takes a radiation-exposure forced nap for about three hours. When she awakens, and against the wishes of her doctor, Burnham returns to the bridge to reveal her findings to the captain.

The show then starts to pick up pace and a stand off with the Klingons begins. The Klingons, headed up by T’Kuvma, reveal their cloaked ship and send out a beacon calling for the other Klingon houses to join with them. It’s at this point that Sarek is called upon by Burnham for counsel. In what seemed out of character to me, Sarek mentions giving the Klingons a “Vulcan Hello.” This is an “attack first to establish your role” strategy that the Vulcans began to use after their initial meeting with Klingons resulted in the death of all aboard their ship. Sure, Sarek didn’t technically tell Burnham to use this strategy, but he definitely didn’t discourage her, either. Georgiou seeks the advice of the Federation and it is made clear to her that they should do nothing until more Federation ships arrive.

The captain and XO have a confrontation over what should be done, and in a very hard to stomach way (especially considering how the pair seemingly respect each other), Burnham uses a Vulcan nerve pinch to subdue the captain and makes an awkward attempt at firing on the Klingon vessel which, thanks to Lt. Saru confronting the XO, never comes to fruition. Georgiou appears on the bridge, phaser in hand, reclaiming her ship. Burnham is arrested and then a poop ton of Klingon vessels arrive on the scene and…..you have to pay to see the rest.

I left out the bits where we learn that Burnham was raised by Sarek whenever her parents were killed by Klingons and the flashbacks we get of their deaths and of Burnham attending the Vulcan Academy in order to shorten my summary, but they should be noted here as they are important to the story.

So, what did I think of the episode? Well, to quote Kaylee from Firefly, it was definitely “Shiny.” It’s very obvious that a lot of money (around eight million per episode) was put into the production of the show. The bridge is extremely slick and reminds me a lot of J.J. Abrams’ vision of the bridge from his films (all the way down to lens flares), but it also appears that the maintenance man has been slacking on the job considering how dark the bridge is all of the time. I also liked the overall design of the Shinzhou (but not of the Klingon vessels).

The external shots in space looked brilliant. Heavy on CGI, but still beautiful in their presentation, these shots were some of my favorite things about the show. Overall I would give the cinematography an “A” for a solid job.

The acting was hit and miss. Doug Jones seemed to have a solid grasp of Saru, and portrayed the character as both intelligent and skittish (with good reason). He reminded of C-3PO, but not as mouthy. Michelle Yeoh’s performance was okay, but her line delivery was very stiff, especially during her desert scenes with Sonequa Martin-Green. Martin-Green’s character was all over the place. For someone that was raised on Vulcan, she’s extremely emotional and a bit erratic. Yes, I know that her parents were killed by the Klingons, but that doesn’t explain why someone who supposedly learned so much self control from the masters of self control would fly off the handle and attack her beloved captain. I also didn’t care for James Frain as Sarek. His body language hinted at, you guessed it, emotions, and I just could not fully buy into him as a Vulcan. The Klingons were extremely stiff as well, and spoke as if they were falling down stairs and grunting with each smack on the steps. Hopefully these misses were a result of poor direction and they were remedied in the second, pay-to-see episode with a different director, Adam Kane, at the controls.

The episode ended on a cliffhanger. I’m one of the few people that defended the cliffhanger ending of The Walking Dead last year during the season split, but I felt that the Discovery cliffhanger was a snub at fans unwilling to pay for CBS All Access, the streaming service that will be the exclusive home of Star Trek: Discovery in the United States for the time being. It’s as if CBS wanted to give us a taste of the show in the hopes that we would all spring for the service to see what happens next, but what I saw wasn’t impressive enough for me to take the plunge. I also see it as a disservice to potential new fans of Trek, as they might not want to pay for a service in order to see the rest of a series based on just one episode. Oh, and they only gave us one episode, so that’s what my judgment is base upon.

I have a few friends that paid for the service and witnessed the second episode, but I didn’t buy into the service. No, I’m not one of those old dusty Trekkies that demands that their Trek be free to all and I don’t judge anybody that did pay for the service. I simply feel like CBS is trying to put the success of their three-year-old (and unimpressive) streaming service on the backs of Star Trek fans that have been with the series for a long time. We are all well aware of how loyal Trek fans can be. We know how finicky they can be as well.

There will always be hardcore fans that will accept and love any Trek put in front of them. I can see the CBS heads sitting in a room envisioning the stereotypical Trekkie, living at home with his/her parents, with a pile of cash that doesn’t go to a mortgage, food, kids, or any other expenses. It’s just sitting there begging to be spent on entertainment.

You and I know that this stereotypical vision just isn’t true for most fans of Star Trek. I’m sure that there are plenty of Trekkies out there with expendable income, but I’m betting that the majority of them have a mortgage or rent, a car note, credit card bills, possibly a student loan, children and a spouse, or any other of a multitude of expenses that come first. Yes, it’s just six to ten bucks a month, but $120 can be spent on things that are much more important than another streaming service.

I’ll patiently wait for the series to be released on Blu-ray or on the U.S. version of Netflix sometime in the future. I won’t scream bloody murder if anybody spoils any episodes either. I’m fully aware of what I’m missing out on, I just wasn’t impressed enough to pay for CBS All Access in order to see more episodes.

As always, thanks for reading. I know that many of you have a different opinion, so please tell me what that opinion is in the comments section.

Live long and prosper.

Louisiana Comic Con 2017!

A Long Time Ago….

Almost exactly one year ago to be exact, I attended Louisiana Comic Con 2016. Due to real life, surprises, scheduled events, and all out chaos, the very same convention became my first within a year’s time. Now, I didn’t forget that I attended Calcasieu Serial Fest just a few weeks ago, but I don’t consider that particular event a convention. It’s a festival, a celebration of all things cliffhanger (and I highly recommend you attend next year). Louisiana Comic Con, on the other hand, isn’t as niche-focused. Nope, it’s a celebration of all things geek, and the 2017 edition was just as fun as last year’s event.

Last year’s event featured the Library Bards, and I managed to get a peck on the helmet from Bonnie Gordon (pictured above)! That alone made 2016 a pretty special event, so 2017 had to blow the roof off of the Cajundome! In all fairness, though, a kiss from Bonnie is pretty tough to beat, so I went into this year’s event with the hope that I’d at least have a lot of fun. I did.

A few months ago, it was announced that Shannon Purser (poor Barb from Stranger Things) would be attending the convention. Since I’m a pretty big fan of that show, and really loved Barb, I was excited to attend the event. Unfortunately she had to cancel because of some awards show (The Emmy Awards or something **sarcasm activate!**) and couldn’t make it. While it broke my heart that my favorite best friend in all of TV history wasn’t going to be able to be at the event, I totally understood why she would be absent.

Just a few days after her cancellation, though, Louisiana Comic Con upped the ante and announced Sean Astin as her replacement. I basically grew up watching this guy grow up on the big screen, so I was excited to see that he was added to the show. Along with him were a number of other screen and voice actors including Barry Bostwick, Jason David Frank, Michael Biehn, Cherami Leigh, and Tiffany Vollmer. Also in attendance were pro wrestler Jake “The Snake” Roberts, legendary screenwriter John Russo, multiple cosplayers, and comic artists such as Rob Guillory and Greg Burnham. There were many more guests in attendance as well.

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I arrived at the event around 9:30 on Saturday morning. There were two lines. One was for those that had prepaid and already had their tickets and the other was for those of us who had to purchase tickets on site. Despite being rather long, the line for “day of” purchasers moved quickly (as it did last year). Once I got inside the venue, it was reasonably crowded, but with plenty of elbow room to go mobile when needed. The Spidey Team, Krewe du Moon (a Sailor Moon fan/cosplay group), the 501st (Star Wars fan group), and other fan groups lined the hallway. Corporate sponsors like 106.3 Radio Lafayette were also on hand.

My friends from Orion’s Envy were also at the event and I finally got to check in with them for the first time in a year. It was good to see them in full force once again! There were also a number of excellent costumes on display at the event. Everybody from Deadpool to Eric Cartman was represented to varying skill levels. Some of my favorites included Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the soon-to-be-legendary Batfam (in my featured photo). It also looked as if the vendors were doing nicely on the main floor as well. Toys and t-shirts were prevalent, but there were also plenty of comics vendors, custom item vendors, and Man Made Soap on hand with plenty of wares to purchase.

There were also some excellent panels at the convention. I attended a few of them and one of my favorites was “Basics of Modding A Nerf Gun For Steampunk with Cajun Moon Creations.” Miss OoLaLa, Brigette Rose, was there for the assist.

I was unable to attend the After Party on Saturday evening, and life called me back for Sunday, so I was only able to attend one day of Louisiana Comic Con. With that said, though, I’ll definitely be back next year! Be sure to click on the links to read about last year’s event and to show a little support to the Louisiana-based artists and cosplayers I mentioned in the post. Also, feel free to share this post with anybody that I might have talked about here. I’d love for them to know that this little nobody showed them some love.

As always, thanks for reading. I don’t want to commit myself to any upcoming conventions at the moment, but I REALLY want to make it to at least two events that are coming up next year. Those events are CyPhaCon and Southern Geek Fest. As we get closer to those events, I’ll definitely post about them. Until next time, stay hungry my friends!

“We Need No Longer Fear The Banana”

Space….The Not So Serious Frontier

I’ve never really been a fan of the work of Seth MacFarlane. Outside of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, there hasn’t been much that he’s cranked out over the years that I’ve truly come to love. Yes, I’ve seen a few episodes of Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show, and I’m aware of his work as a producer, writer, singer, and cartoonist, but his style of humor just doesn’t sit well with me.

With that being said, I was pretty excited whenever I saw the first teaser trailer for The Orville. It looked like it might be a tongue-in-cheek nod to classic Star Trek and perhaps even Galaxy Quest. With Star Trek: Discovery not really impressing me with its first looks, I hoped that The Orville would fill the ever growing void in my life for decent science fiction that wasn’t all doom and gloom all of the time.

While I’ve only seen the first episode, “Old Wounds,” I’ve already been pleased with what I’ve witnessed. The brightly colored sets, diverse characters, humor, and cast inject some much needed happiness in a genre that seems to only get bleaker with each year. One of my biggest gripes with modern science fiction is that too much of it focuses on the negatives in society and makes those negatives even more despicable.

The Orville still seems to be willing to deal with current issues, but on a much lighter plane of existence. The original Star Trek series gave us hope for a brighter future. Most science fiction that has followed that series (including some episodes of the many Star Trek shows and films that followed) shattered that hope. The first episode of The Orville tackles failed relationships, and does so with laughs and understanding.

The episode deals with Captain Ed Mercer (MacFarlane) being cautiously given command of the Orville despite having a terrible year. At one time considered a top notch prospect for command, Mercer’s inability to come to terms with his broken marriage completely derails all of his prior successes. Once in command, he soon learns that his first officer is none other than his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson (Adrienne Palicki). This leads to immediate tension between the duo. There’s so much tension that it boils over into their regular work days aboard the ship. It even spills over into their first confrontation with a villain, the Krill race, whose looks remind me a lot of the primary villain, Krall, from Star Trek Beyond. Whether the Krill and Krall are intentionally similar, I do not know.

rehost_2016_9_13_70433057-4f3e-4d8b-b369-1694f2acdd59.jpg — This is Krall from Star Trek Beyond. Just wait until you see the Krill in The Orville!

As the episode played out, I saw plenty of nods to the original Star Trek series and TNG as well. A research facility that is actually researching things for the betterment of all people, crew members that reminded me of characters such as Data, Worf, Bones, and even ol’ Tom Paris, and that light humor that seemed to bleed through every episode of the original series without getting in the way of whatever moral Gene and company was trying to get across each week.

orville0005 — THE ORVILLE: L-R: Seth MacFarlane, Penny Johnson Jerald, Adrianne Palicki, Halston Sage and guest star Brian George in THE ORVILLE premiering this fall on FOX. ©2017 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: F

I’ve already grown attached to some of the characters despite only getting to know them in less than an hour. Scott Grimes (my childhood hero from Critters) portrays Gordon Malloy, a hot shot pilot that ends up ruining his own bright career (sorta like Paris, right?) but gets a second chance on the Orville. I really enjoyed his character. He’s the likeable jerk that I’m sure will turn into a hero sooner or later. Then there’s Halston Sage as Alara Kitan, a member of the Xelayan race, who is extremely young (Chekov? Maybe Wesley Crusher?) and inexperienced, but manages to save the day a couple of times. She also has a whole Superman thing going with her strength and leaping abilities. Then there’s Isaac (Mark Jackson), an AI that sounds an awful lot like Data. Instead of wanting to become more human, though, he seems to be content with thinking himself better than the others.

critters-1-dee-wallace-scott-grimes-3-dvdbash-wordpress — Yeah, THAT Scott Grimes from Critters (pictured here with the lovely Dee Wallace Stone) portrays Malloy.

seth-macfarlane-orville-star-trek-750x480 — Don’t underestimate Alara.

orville-isaac — Isaac’s voice reminds me of Data…..a lot.

Other cast members include Penny Johnson Jerald as Dr. Finn, who has a bit of an attitude with the captain that hints at Dr. McCoy from ST: TOS, Peter Macon as the no nonsense Lt. Commander Bortus (who looks sort of like a Klingon but with the mentality of a Vulcan), J. Lee as John LaMarr, the ship’s navigator, and Victor Garber as Admiral Halsey, the man who gives Mercer a second chance after being convinced by another character in the series.

ORV101_Orville_with_planet_hires1 — The Orville Ship.

I also want to add how impressed I am by the production of this show. The special effects are top notch and the music is wonderful. It is apparent that time and care was taken with the production of the show. That shows me that MacFarlane put everything into this show.

Will the series succeed? In all honesty I cannot say because I’ve only watched one episode. What I saw showed a lot of promise, but it’s going to take a few more episodes for the show to really find its groove in my opinion. The audience should be interesting considering the fact that MacFarlane attracts fans of sophomoric shows like Family Guy and his more grounded and intelligent work on Cosmos. I can’t wait to see the next episode and I hope that this show flourishes.

Thanks for reading my post. If you saw The Orville and want to chime in, hit the comments section. I’m headed to Louisiana Comic Con this weekend in Lafayette, so say hello to me if you see me at the event! I plan on writing another post this week with more info on this event!

Laughing With A British Accent

A Dynamic Go-Getter, A Genius, And A Man From Ireland

In my forty plus years on this planet, I’ve grown very fond of a number of British sitcoms and science fiction shows. This is probably due to the fact that I grew up in rural Louisiana and had only four or five (if the weather was right) channels to choose from on my television set. Shows like Mr. Bean, Are You Being Served?, Red Dwarf, Blake’s 7, Doctor Who, and Fawlty Towers became favorites of mine. They still are to this day.

These days I have BBC America and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. I have access now to more British programming than I’ve ever had before and I’ve grown to love shows like Primeval, Poldark, and a recently discovered gem called The IT Crowd.

Yes, I’m well aware that this show premiered in 2006, but I’ve only been streaming shows on Netflix since earlier this year. I’ve seen Moss (Richard Ayoade) plastered on plenty of items at conventions but never really sought out the show. I haven’t even met anyone that has mentioned the program, so I just assumed that its audience was small and cultish and thus the only reason that Moss’ face even made it on a t-shirt at a convention.

Well, if the show is cultish, I’m in a cult. I laughed until I cried on multiple occasions while watching this show. Jen (Katherine Parkinson), Roy (Chris O’Dowd) and Moss are a perfect comedic trio. Jen is the most sane character in the lot, but she lies to get her position as the head of IT and suffers at the hands of Roy and Moss as a result. Her lack of actual computer skills is exposed on numerous occasions (my favorite being when she is given the “internet” to show off as part of a company presentation). Moss is the brilliant but socially awkward everynerd. He doesn’t fit in very well but doesn’t seem to mind that fact. Roy is a slacker and underachiever who always seems to find himself in bizarre situations like being trapped under the desk of two female workers, accidentally calling for help in the handicapped toilet (and subsequently pretending to be disabled in order to stay out of trouble), and getting kissed on the bottom by a masseur.

This core trio moves the show along, but three other characters inject their own strange humor into the series. Denholm Reynholm (Christopher Morris) is the founder and CEO of Reynholm Industries, the company where Moss, Jen, and Roy are employed. He’s over-the-top and makes swift and drastic decisions like firing entire floors for not being team players. He exits the series in its second season, but in a fashion that is perfectly fitting for his character.

After Denholm’s exit, his son, Douglas (Matt Berry), takes over the company. While his father was rather eccentric, he seemed to have at least a slight clue as to what was going on in his company. Douglas, on the other hand, is a womanizer, hard partying, and a general goofball. His libido guides his every decision and he spends much of the series chasing women, including Jen. He has absolutely no clue as to what he is doing in the company and is oblivious to that fact. He’s also oblivious to just about everything else as he pursues feminists, loudly proclaims that he’s on a “secret boss” show, and generally wants to do nothing more than have fun.

Perhaps the most bizarre (and also one of the funniest characters) in the entire series is Richmond Avenal (Noel Fielding). He’s the resident goth that apparently works in IT but, much like Jen, doesn’t really know anything about computers. He started out as an executive who was on the fast track to success until the band Cradle of Filth changed his life with their music. He went full goth and was thus relegated to the basement where even his fellow social outcasts, Roy and Moss, don’t like to be around him. The character only appears in a few episodes, but these small doses make him even funnier.

I’ve fallen completely in love with this show. It was only produced for four seasons (series) and a fifth series special, limiting it to only twenty five total episodes, but somehow that limited amount is perfect, as a show as goofy and left-of-center as The IT Crowd could easily slip into a silly loop of unfunny shows.

My favorite episodes include:

Series 1:

The Red Door: This episode introduces us to Richmond Avenal. It also features Roy getting trapped under a desk.

The Haunting of Bill Crouse: Quite possibly my favorite show of the entire series. In this episode, Jen has a terrible date with Bill Crouse, a fellow Reynholm employee. Desperate to avoid Bill, Jen asks Moss to “tell him I’m busy” but whenever Bill questions Moss about what Jen is actually doing, Moss lies and tells Bill that Jen has passed away. Bill then goes about telling everyone that he was the last man to sleep with Jen, but she keeps popping up in strange ways that convince Bill that she’s haunting him.

Series 2:

The Work Outing: This one is tied with The Haunting of Bill Crouse as one of my favorites. Roy and Moss tag along with Jen and a new suitor, Phillip, to a musical. Roy and Moss assume that Phillip is gay and provide Jen with multiple reasons as to why they’ve come to this conclusion. Jen sets out to prove them wrong. While at the play (which I won’t reveal the name of because I don’t want to spoil anything), Roy and Moss end up using the handicapped toilet and employee toilet respectively. They both end up in crazy situations, particularly Roy. Of note in this episode is that Richard Ayoade’s wife in real life, the lovely Lydia Fox, portrays one of the actors in the musical.

Series 3:

The Speech: Jen wins “Employee of the Month” in this episode and asks Roy and Moss to help her write her acceptance speech. They decide to make fun of her and entrust her with the “internet,” a black box with a light on it. They sit in on the speech to see her embarrass herself but instead find out that the rest of the company is just as clueless about the web as she is. Meanwhile Douglas has fallen in love with a woman that used to be a man. Misunderstanding her at first, he falls madly in love with her. The duo go about doing things together and having an epic time. When Douglas realizes the truth, however, the pair break into a huge (and humorous) fight that ends up with them crashing into Jen’s speech and knocking over the “internet” when they make their entrance. Chaos ensues.

Series 4:

Italian For Beginners: Jen attempts to impress Douglas by claiming that she can understand and speak Italian. She can’t, so Moss comes up with a translation program that she uses on her laptop during meetings. When it comes time to translate an Italian businessman in the same room, however, Douglas prohibits the use of the laptop in case it’s “connected to the internet” where someone can listen in and steal their business plans. She mumbles jibberish until the Italian becomes enraged and storms out of the office. Moss attempts to get an iPhone after he drops his old phone in the toilet and gets stuck in a crane machine. Roy drives himself nuts attempting to figure out how his girlfriend’s parents died in a terrible fire….at a Sea Parks (“Ya know, like Sea World”).

In all honesty I could list pretty much every episode from the series. It’s that funny. There was an American and German attempt at recreating the show for those respective countries, but both failed miserably. I’ve seen Chris O’Dowd in other work, but I haven’t seen the rest of this stellar cast in anything. I’ve got to track down more of their work!

If you’ve ever watched The IT Crowd, let me know what you think about it. Do you have a favorite episode? What else have you seen the cast perform in? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks for reading. I plan on posting about the upcoming Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette next month! Keep an eye out for it!

Ahhhhhh!!! After Ten Thousand Years….

Okay, Maybe Not Ten Thousand Years

But you’ve got to admit that it seems like a rebooted or reimagined Power Rangers film has taken its sweet time to get to the big screen. I was a junior in high school when the first Power Rangers series hit televisions in the United States. Although I was on the older end of the spectrum, I was (and still am) a pretty big fan of those original mighty morphin’ teenagers with attitude. My favorite ranger was the Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston (David Yost). He was intelligent, nerdy, and while not the best fighter, still better than those Putties. I also had a major crush on the Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson). Heck, I still have a crush on Amy Jo Johnson! Who doesn’t?

Over the years I’ve managed to watch at least a few episodes of every incarnation of the Rangers. Once I had children of my own, I really started to watch the show again. My daughter became a fan during the Power Rangers S.P.D. years and my son was first introduced to them through Power Rangers Samurai. Both of them have watched the original series and my son continues to religiously watch the Rangers in their current Ninja Steel incarnation.

When the feature film was first announced, both of my kids showed interest in seeing it in theaters. I planned to see it as well. As luck would have it, though, my weekends were booked solid. I did manage to find one open Sunday afternoon and I asked both of my kids if they wanted to see the movie. By then, however, their interest in the film had seemingly waned. I was also slowly losing interest in the film, mainly because the more I saw of it promoted in the media, the weaker my faith grew. It just didn’t look that appealing to me.

A few months go by and the film is released on Blu-Ray. Weeks before its release, my son started to remind me that the film would soon be available to own. His birthday was also coming up, which might have been why he was consistently reminding me of the release date. Eventually I bought the film and sat down with the kids to watch it. I was prepared to be disappointed by the film. Boy, was I wrong!

!!Mild Spoilers Ahead!!

I really liked the movie. Sure, they changed a few things here and there and it definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was a very enjoyable film. Briefly, the plot centers on the origin of the Rangers in the film, starting with how Rita was defeated by Zordon’s Rangers (there’s a bigger story here, but I won’t go into it), and how the current Rangers come to be just in time to face off with a freshly revived Rita Repulsa. Rita is gathering up gold in order to raise her faithful sidekick (and my favorite as well), Goldar. As Rita prepares to conquer the planet, the Rangers train to become powerful warriors ready to take her on.

The cast was solid. Dacre Montgomery (Red Ranger), Naomi Scott (Pink Ranger), and Ludi Lin (Black Ranger) all gave exceptional performances. All three of these characters developed in a believable fashion as the film moved along. R.J. Cyler’s portrayal of the Blue Ranger was perhaps the best in the film. Billy Cranston was portrayed as an intelligent and gentle teen who desperately wanted to belong to any group. He was also autistic. I had quite a few emotional moments watching Cyler on the screen. Bryan Cranston as Zordon was sufficient. Elizabeth Banks was gleefully over the top as Rita Repulsa and she was also the biggest surprise in the film. I was sure that she would fall flat as the legendary villain, but she did an excellent job.

There was really only one weak link in the cast, and that was Becky G as the Yellow Ranger. She didn’t gel that well with the rest of the cast in my opinion. Yes, her character was built up as the outsider, but even the most unlikable outsider will usually grow on the audience by the end of the film. Becky G’s Trini was just flat. I know that a lot of people made a big deal about the character’s sexual orientation, but even that doesn’t add or take away from how dull the character is in the film. Here’s hoping that if a sequel is made, Becky’s performance will be better, or the character will be fleshed out enough so that we get to know more about her.

Alpha 5 was somewhat annoying as well, but he was annoying in the original series, so I guess that I really can’t gripe about that! Many people also seemed to be put off by the design of both the Megazord and Goldar in the film. I actually liked the Megazord design. Goldar wasn’t that terrible to look at, but I would have preferred to have that cute and fluffy face of his from the old TV show!

Ultimately the film was pretty good. Could it have been better? Absolutely, but even with its imperfections it still managed to hold my attention and the attention of my children. I’ve watched it multiple times already and am hoping that a sequel will eventually be made. As of this writing, Lionsgate is still determining on whether or not to move forward with a sequel. Solid home video and tie-in merchandise sales have been solid, though, and hopefully that will be enough to make a sequel a reality.

Oh, be sure to keep an eye out for a couple of really cool cameos during the climax of the film. You won’t be disappointed! Stick around during the credits for a mid-credit tease of who might be showing up in the sequel if it happens also!

As always, thanks for reading. Did the film do your favorite classic Ranger justice? Feel free to drop me a comment about this film or about this post. Let me know if you enjoyed the movie as much as I did.

If you happen to know Amy Jo Johnson, tell her that I’m no longer available. Once she dries her tears, though, tell her that I’d love to get an autographed photo from her or even a phone call!!! Here’s a photo of me with the original Green Ranger, Jason David Frank. I’d love to add Amy Jo to my collection.

Calcasieu Serial Fest: Chapter Four!

The 1940’s

I’ve been a fan of classic serials for pretty much my entire life. I remember watching classic movies from the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s on Sunday afternoons after going to the Calcasieu River with my family. We would get home in time to watch a series on our local PBS affiliate. I believe that it was called The Afternoon Matinee or Sunday Matinee, but I am not sure. All that I truly do remember is watching the adventures of characters like Tarzan and the Lone Ranger. I was captivated by these classic black and white films.

Part of the program also included classic cartoons, news reels, and a few chapters from serials. These serials featured superheroes, cowboys, and gangsters. There was always a cliffhanger ending to each chapter in the serials to hook viewers into returning the next week to the local theater to find out what happens next. The quality of the stories and the acting varied, and many of the episodes had deteriorated so badly that some of the chapters couldn’t be fully restored. Still, I tuned in religiously to see these heroes in action.

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On Saturday, July 22, Calcasieu Serial Fest: Chapter Four took place at the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur, LA. Last year the festival celebrated the work of Buster Crabbe, best known as Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Tarzan. This year the festival’s focus was on the career of Tom Tyler, who was the first person to portray a comic book hero, Captain Marvel, on the big screen.

While Tyler is best known for his role as Captain Marvel, he portrayed numerous other heroes (both real and imagined) over his career. One of my favorite characters was portrayed by him, The Phantom, as was Buffalo Bill Cody, Bob Raymond of The Phantom of the Air, Frank James in I Shot Jesse James, and numerous other lead and supporting roles.

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The festival primarily focused on Tyler’s work, but also featured Superman cartoons from Max Fleischer, Gordon Jones as The Green Hornet, John Carroll in Zorro Rides Again, other classic serials, and two modern takes on the old cliffhanger style in Thirty Second Doom and festival coordinator Patrick Shawn Bennett’s own The Adventures of Gorilla Bob.

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Cosplayer and serial lover Bill Necessary was also on hand for the event. He introduced many of the serials and went in depth on the actors, the production, and some of the characters that inspired these classic works.

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Admission to the event was free, as was popcorn to snack on while watching the serials. Lunch was also provided free of charge! Freebies were given to all in attendance. These included an exclusive print of The Phantom for the event (artist unknown), a lanyard featuring Tyler as Captain Marvel, a magnet of Tyler as The Phantom, and a button of Tyler as well. Reproductions of classic film stills and a Flash Gordon paper model kit were also given to all in attendance. A few lucky folks (myself included) went home with door prizes! I won DVDs of Tyler as Captain Marvel and The Phantom.

Calcasieu Serial Fest is an extremely unique and extremely fun event. It’s family friendly, free to attend, and the festival crew works extra hard to make the event a wonderful thing. Hopefully word will spread about this event and it will continue to grow.

Next year’s event will focus on the career of Kirk Alyn, the first man to portray the Big Blue Boy Scout, Superman, on the big screen. If you find yourself in southwest Louisiana during the summer, be on the lookout for classic heroes, classic serials, and classic fun at the Calcasieu Serial Fest! I can promise you that I’ll be there, and I hope to see many of you there as well.

As always, thanks for reading. See you all again real soon!

Flying Off Of Store Shelves Everywhere

Spoilers Ahead!

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Somewhere in Rural America

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MALACHAI!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

A Decent Start

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Get Ready!

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Accessing Space

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A Long Time Ago….

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Space….The Not So Serious Frontier

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A Dynamic Go-Getter, A Genius, And A Man From Ireland

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Okay, Maybe Not Ten Thousand Years

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The 1940’s

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