The Strange World of Planet X, Review

This 1957 movies starring Forest Tucker is not a bad bug movie. He was one of those familiar faces in so many Westerns and then hit it big as Sargeant O'rourke of F Troop. I watched many an episode of that way back when. Anyway, here is is as the leading man/love interest for the flirty lady computer expert in her pointy bra and flared skirt.

Spoiler alert***
An alien, but the name of Smith, comes from, Planet X, I guess (it's not that clear) because the experients going on by the ruthless scientist "I never think of things that don't support my research", has caused people and bugs to grow big and act crazy.

I didn't know this but from the movie it looks like giant spiders and roaches are natural enemies and in a fight to the death, the roach can win. Good thing Smith has a raygun, cuz that really comes in handy. Better the Raid.

I will rate this 2.5/5 acorns. I found it slow, but funny. If you like cheese...

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Review

I've loved all the Harry Potter books and the movies are getting better and better. This current movie has lots of special effects including some great dragons. It also has wonderful castles and costumes. Glenfinnin Viaduct of Loch Shiel is so beautful.

One of my favorite actors in these series is Alan Rickman. He plays Serverus Snape, but his part isn't that big in this particular episode. I really didn't recognize Ralph Fiennes as He whose name should not be mentioned, or Gary Oldman as Sirius Black. Maggie Smith is perfect as Minerva.

Well if you can't tell by now, I loved this movie and will give it 4.5/5 acorns.

Aah, Saturday

It has come to my attention that Christmas is coming on fast. I haven't a clue what to get people at work. I happen to have several people who support me so well, I would like to give them a gift. The hard thing is knowing what to get. Money and gift certificates seem the most practical and actually are the easiest. They avoid the pitfalls of traditional gifts...will that person like it? can they use it? will they have to return it? am I adding to the clutter at their homes? Yikes. My brain is going to explode.

I am de-cluttering at home myself, and have discovered a vast collection of packing worms and bubble wrap, saved from Amazon and other deliveries. What to do? What to do? They are not biodegradable for the most part so tossing them in trash somehow seems enviromentally unfriendly. I did manage to give a little of it away. That seems to be the best solution. Or I suppose I can mail the gift certificates in large boxes full of packing material to my family on the Mainland, but then somehow that seems like passing the buck. Of course maybe others are not stuck on this like I am.

I also discovered a shelf liner collection. I think it came to be because I bought the stuff on sale, but never lined any of my drawers like I intended. As far as I can tell this is from sheer laziness.

Decluttering also led to pattern organization, and if course I came across my Traveling Quilter pattern, and of course that led to an obsession with knitting needle cases, so I'm off to get Hobbs Thermore to pad the case. Dang. More clutter.
That's how it happens.

I might buy a small TV, too. My main one broke down again, and I have to wait 2 weeks for a part. I have already decided that if it breaks down again, out it goes. My son hooked my computer up to the cable TV, so now at least I won't have to miss Monk, Yoshitsune or Boston Legal. Hmm, maybe I don't need that small TV after all.

The Descent, Review

The Descent is directed by the same man who did Dog Soldiers, but imo this movie is much more tense. In fact it scared the ba-jeezus out of me. I am crossing cave exploration off my to do list after watching this movie. I must have jumped and infact screamed a few times. I think I have indigestion now and don't feel sleepy at all even though it's past midnight here.

A group of women who enjoyed doing extreme sports together get together after tragedy has separated them for a while. They decide to go explore a cave, but the leader chooses new area without telling any of the other women, and it turns out to be a very, very bad idea.

It is supposedly filmed in Appalachia, and the mountains are green and beautful. I was half expecting the women to meet up with the boys from Deliverance, but it's much worse.

Not for the squeamish, but very well done. I'll rate it 4/5 acorns.

Curse of the Fly, Review

The Fly guys are back and guess what? They still don't have that teleporter fixed.

The seemingly normal mad scientist/doctor picks up a girl running around in the dark in her underwear and is quite taken with her. He steals some clothes off a clothesline for her and the dress fits her just right. Since she has no friends, family, job or place to stay, they fall in love and get married. They return to his home where a mysterious Chinese (one might be genuine, the other looks fake) give her the stink eye.

There are a lot of weird noises around the house, especially at night so they keep her drugged a lot and tell her she's seeing things.

Meanwhile, the matron of the insane asylum from where she escapes gets the cops and comes looking for her.

This kind of stuff just seems to happen often in some places. The teleporter is cool and may actually be working quite well, but not if you put two beings in the teleporter at the same time. You think they would have learned that already.

I will give this movie 2/5 acorns.

Revenge of the Zombies, review

This movie has John Carradine as a mad, Nazi scientist who is trying to create an army of zombies. There are many stereotypes in this movie and I found that detracting and downright annoying.
I kept thinking to myself, "When did zombies start eating brains?" This movie is from the 1940s and the previously viewed, Revolt of the Zombies was from the 1030s. I guess brain eating wasn't thought of, or not allowed then.
Anyway, other then having a you John Carradine in it, this movie wasn't very good, imo.
I'll give it 2/5 acorns because of Mr. Carradine.

It's still the day before Thanksgiving here. It was a cloudy, muggy, rainy day. I drove around to Kailua and then to Aina Haina through Waimanalo, and the ocean and mountains were still beautiful, so much to be thankful for.

Hiding mystery
behind misty mountains
Today I'll just be.

Starchaser Review

Starchaser is a scifi animated movie. The plots are familiar...teenager with authority problem loses girl and has to abandon crippled brother. He has a vision and finds a sword that is supposed to make him free his people from the robots that have enslaved them. Along the way he is saved by a princess whom he falls for right away, and a space traveling smuggler. The space ship has a talking computer and loyal fembot.

In spite of the obvious parallels with Star Wars, this 1985 feature length animation is still entertaining. The animation is very nice. I enjoyed watching it and give it 3/5 acorns.

Colossus of New York, and Revolt of the Zombies, Review

This movie has a brain in a fishbowl scene like the one from Donavan's Brain. The difference is that this brain ends up in a mechanized form and has cool powers like shooting rays from his eyes that kill people. He apparently has no soul and is prone to evil, but must have some heart as he remembers his son.

This was an entertaing movie although a bit sad.

Revolt of the Zombies was filmed in 1936 and I love the costumes from that period. The femme fatale is so very lovely in her flowing gowns. A man finds the secret of controlling the thoughts of other people turning them into zombies, and they have to follow his commands. Initially his intentions are good, but later he decides to use them to get he girl. These zombies do not lust for brains so can't be real zombies.

I liked both of these movies. I will give Zombies 2.5/5 acorns and Colossus 4/5 acorns.

Equinox Review

Equinox has some nice stop action monsters and special effects. The people have that strange look from movies made in that period that make think that humans have evolved. I wanted to poke one of the guys' eyes out for the way he treated his girlfriend. It was dubbed so hopefully he wasn't as obnoxious as he looked. The women had the same colored sweaters on, perhaps there was a sale on at Walmart.

Anyway, a nice little gem. I rate it 3.5/5 acorns.

Locusts Review

I was going to review this made of TV movie about a plague of Locusts, but it was a ripoff of another movie I saw once with bees and not very good so I won't.

I took one of those quizes about my birthday at PaulSadowski.com and it came up my tree is the Lime Tree-prone to laziness, unfulfilled potential, and apt to whine. All I can say about that is waaaahhhh! I am not going to work today. Well okay, I'm just cutting out of a meeting.

Man with the Screaming Brain, Review

Man with the Screaming Brain is acted in and directed by Bruce Campbell. Hardly anything else needs to be said, but I will anyway. The movie is filmed in Bulgaria so it can have real gypsies in it and also according to Mr. Cambell, it fit the budget.
Mr. Campbell is a rich American who travels to Bulgaria with his wife, looking for tax shelters. They fall in with bad elements and meet with accidents. The mad scientist played very well by Stacy Keach uses them in his experiment. A former KGB taxi driver who has had an affair with Bruce's wife also meets with an accident and ends up becoming Bruces re-animated right brain. He wife is also brought back, but in a robot body.
Ted Raimi acts as Mr. Keach's assistant and he is in charge of the robot.

This movie has lots of goofy lines and situations and is an entertaining way to spend a cold and rainy afternoon instead of cleaning bird cages. It is an action flick that tells a tale of science, love, and revenge.

I will rate it 4/5 acorns. If you like goofy, watch it:)

Frankenstein Conquers the World and The Bamboo Saucer, Reviews

Frankenstein Conquers the World is a fun watch on a rainy day or night. Frankenstein's brain apparently was somehow in the possession of Nazi's and sent to Japan for scientific study. It gets into a child's body in Hiroshima, and begins to grow very quickly until he is 20 feet tall. Unfortunately his intelligence does not grow with him but his appetite does. And he is rather clumsy and often misunderstood. He runs away and is pursued by the army. A monster awakens, as often happens in the Japanese countryside, and the distruction of person and property is blamed on Frankenstein. I better not say anymore because it might spoil it. Nick Adams, aka Johnny Yuma, The Rebel, is a scientist/doctor in this movie and he also is trying to become and Iron Chef (wink wink)




The Bamboo Saucer is one of those vintage sci-fi flicks that used to come on all the time. The music takes me back in time. The "bad boy" test pilot is asked to go on a mission in China to find a saucer he said he saw, but the government wants him to write off. Apparently the arch enemy of the time, the Russians are also after it. Luckily for our hero, the Russian translator is a babe, and also scientist. I'm pretty sure the saucer is not made of bamboo, unless I fell asleep and missed that part. I just love how the electric shaver opens the saucer. That's usually the most challenging thing about strange saucers. BTW, the "Red" Chinese are after both the Russians and the Americans.

I will give Frankenstein 4/5 acorns and Bamboo Saucer 3/5 acorns.

Tam Lin Review

This movie stars Ava Gardner and is the only movie Roddy McDowell directed. It is based on an English/Scottish folk tale. Tam Lin is a character who accosts young women and takes their virginity. A woman falls in love with him and he with her. He tells her is is actually a prisoner of the fairy queen and if he tries to leave her she will kill him. She becomes pregnant and he runs away with her. In this movie Ava tells the man that if he leaves her, she will give him 7 days and then she will come after him. Being as this movie was made in 1969, she drugs him and sends her lackeys after him.

This movie has a great mood and the back drop is very beautiful. I know this dates me, but the Pentagle does the music. Boy that brings back some memories.

I will give this movie 4/5 acorns.

On Clutter, the future and the Plan

I promised to stop thinking and watching all these movies, work, surfing the Net, blogreading and knitting are great ways to avoid it. However, I do get back to thinking about my next bracelet. It is going to be about my values. I suspect it is a long way off yet.

I gleaned this bit of wisdom surfing this am while looking for good feng shui sayings. The disussion was on the question, am I ready for a relationship? The recommendation is to answer these 3 questions in order.

Who am I?
Where am I going?
Who am I going with?

So here's the basic plan I've outlined. For the next 18 months, I plan to work on Who am I? and Where am I going. Why 18 months? I want to try and retire in 18 months. The great thing about these plans, is that they are mine. I can change them anytime I want :)

I'm starting with reducing clutter. Okay, I know, I've said that before. But I have some serious clutter. Part of the principle behind reducing clutter is to let go of attachments, emtpy that dish or plate, and find out who is hiding underneath and also find out who is out there. This could take more the 18 months, especially with the holidays upon me!

Some serious questions for me to contemplate: Do I sell the serger? Are Totoros useful to me? Am I ever going to make another basket?

And the biggest question of all is, can I give shopping for things I don't need?

Undo and Harvey, Review

Harvey is a short film from Australia. It's an odd one. A women comes home to her apartment and hears a call for help from the apartment across the hall. Harvey is peering out from the mail slot in the door, calling for help. Actually he is a bit beyond help as he is only half a person split vertically. There might be deep meaning to this movie if I really think hard about. It is a well done cinematic effort.




Undo is another example of Japanese weirdness. A writer who works from home, lives with his girlfriend, who stays at home and knits. They appear to be in love. They can't have pets so he brings home turtles. Turtle lovers beware, because they are not treated well. After the woman gets her braces off, he can't get used to her teeth and taste and this leads her to Obsessive Knot Disorder, a malady of love. Her descent into madness and his efforts to help her do not make for a happy ending, but that's often then case in Japanese movies.

I give Harvey 4/5 acorns and Undo 3.5/5 acorns.

The Ghost Ship Review

Val Lewton (The Cat People, The Body Snatcher) directed this movie in 1943. It a mystery set on a ship. I have not watched the more modern movies of the same name, but I think those version had ghosts in them. There are some allusions to ghost ship in this movie, but it does not fit real well in this case. There were some great moments in this movie, such as the anchor scene.

I liked that fact that the movie still had horses and carriages in it, and that ship travel was still so important. It was a very nice movie to DVD transfer.

I will rate it 2.5/5 acorns.

The Raven, Review

I watched another vintage Bella Lugosi and Vincent Price movie. At first I thought I had misread the credits because Mr. Price was no where to be found, but he shows up later in the movie. There are some classic views of Mr. Bella's eyes looking diabolical. Price's role seems to borrow a bit of character from Frankenstein.
I can really see where Gene Wilder got some of his ideas in his spoof of the genre.

Bella is a retired mad scientist/doctor. A rich guy who's daughter is comatose, but not on a ventilator or anthing and looks very pretty in spite of rolling off a cliff in her car, drags Bella out of retirement when the other good doctors have not given him any hope. Bella comes in and operates...not sure on what, but of course she wakes up immediately and goes back to her dancing career and her fiancee. Bella falls in love with her, and when every one tells him to back down, he doesn't take it well. Madmen are like that Absolutely no sense of humor until he gets the father down in his torture room and has the woman and her fiance in the room with the closing in walls. Then he laughs, inapproprately like he's a samurai or something. "Ha ha! watch that really sharp blade decent upon your neck you trussed up ungrateful wretch!"

Somehow he needs Vincent Price in this so he can do plastic surgery on him.

I found this movie very entertaining and will give it 3.5/5 acorns.

While channel surfing I saw Ellen Degeneres play a theremin.

The Invisible Ray, Review

The Invisible Ray reminded me a little of Tarzan the Ape Man. Tarzan was made in 1932 and The Invisible Ray i 1936. The Africa scenes were similar in that the "White Hunter" image was going on and in today's age the way it was done in both movies is very dated and annoying.

That aside, this movie has Bella Lugosi and Boris Karloff in it, as well as Frances Drake. They seriously overact and no one can play a mad scientist like Mr. Karloff. They all meet in a Carpathian mansion where Karloff, though married, is a mad scientist mamma's boy. His work with Radium X take him to Africa in search of a meteor.

The glowing man scenes are fun. I will give this movie 3/5 acorns.

More Vintage Horror, Nightmare Review

Nightmare is a vintage Hammer film. Theme is basically what goes around comes around or as you sow so shall you reap. The ladies are all good screamers in this one and screaming well is quite a feat imo. (spoiler) Baxter is a worm and his fate is just.

The houses are so great in this picture...the girls school and Janet's home, and the asylum behind it's large foreboding wall.

The director, Freddie Francis was also responsible for Trog.

I will rate this movie 3.5/5 acorns.

Political Test

Whew, I'm glad I didn't sit with Darth Vader and Hitler! But, d**n, I'm almost a socialist!

You are a Social Moderate (55% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (36% permissive) You are best described as a: Centrist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Black Friday, Night Creatures, 4D Man Reviews

Today I started watching a series of vintage horror. By today's standards many do not seem so horrible, but it is hard to beat the eerie sound effects, dark brooding looks of Peter Cushing and Bella, or the diabolical characters played by Vincent Price.

Black Friday stars Vincent Price as a brain surgeon who just doesn't seem to be living up to his potential. He has succesffuly transplanted animal brains, but just can't seen to get a good job. An English professor has befriended him, but when that professor is mortally wounded in an auto accident involving a ganster, the surgeon sees not only an opportunity to experiment on a human, and save his friends life, but also an opportunity to get a share of the gangster's stolen money.

In Night Creatures, Peter Cushing plays a vicker with a couple of secrets. This movie reminded me a bit of the Scarecrow series on TV when I was a kid. The characters are a bit confusing and I'm not sure who was the good guys and who was the bad guys. It's not entirely clear to me what the Night Creatures are up to. Oliver Reed is quite young in this one. He still looks quite good after he's been beat up by the sailors trying to get out his secrets.

4D Man was quite good. Scientist brothers start working together and there combined experiments allow 4D Man to pass through solid objects. The cost of this ability is that the energy required ages him. This is hard on his relationships.

I will give Black Friday 2.5/5 acorns. Night Creatures, I'll rate 2/5 acorns. I will rate 4D Man 4/5 acorns.

Driving

Mountain layers hide
earth, lives, dreams and tomorrow
Nothing more or less.

Cereberus and Tea Time, Reviews

Cereberus is the 3 headed dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld. It is also a made for TV movie that aired on SciFi channel. Some bad guys are hired by a Korean to find Hannibal's sword. While on this quest, they unleash Cereberus and having 3 heads he can eat 3 times as many people at once. Only the sword of Hannibal can kill him. The cocky hero flirts with the girl while he helps save her dorky brother.

Tea Time, is a short movie with very little dialog. It is basically a conveyer belt that has people tied up on it. They get to the worker garbed in an apron and he chops their head off and throws it in a bucket. He is watching the clock. When the bell rings he takes a break and has some tea. The last victim begs with his eyes and the worker takes a bit of break time to lift up the guillotine like blade resting against his neck. So what happens when break time is up?

Cereberus was okay. I will give it 2.5/5 acorns. For some reason, I found Tea Time very entertaining, and will give it 3.5/5 acorns.

I tried watching Cutie Honey, the live action version, but I wasn't in the mood for it. Cutie Honey the actress is very cute, but I still couldn't sit through the movie.

How can I tell winter is coming to Hawaii?

I can always tell it's "winter" in Hawaii because Punchbowl is so green. Most of year it is brown and dry. It was also a classic Halloween...dark, cool and drizzly. No. 1 son carved the punkin and it looked great with the flickering candle. I got all of 3 trick or treaters...just the way it goes in my neighborhood these days, sigh. Good news is there's lots of candy left. Bad news is, there's lots of candy left.

Medium is having a marathon since the new season is starting next week.

I got the new video card finally. I suppose David was trying to tell me that my vintage card did not support the new monitor, but I didn't get it. I finally did when it started acting strange...glowing colors around the pointer and vertical green lines. The old card got a lot of use and since it still works it will join the other computer parts I have scattered around the house, just in case someone needs it. ATI now has TV out on nearly all the new cards. The ATI driver reload looked easier then in the past, but alas when it said reboot, I got the black screen of death. As it turns out it was the "white connector" which my system doesn't like too well. Everything is up and running now, thanks to my IT son. His benefit is that he actually has the new card in his computer. He repeately informed me that I don't need the high end card because I don't play games. I haven't tried any lately, but I'm sure the first person shooters still give me motion sickness, so he has a point.

I feel a bit restless. I'll be the rebel today and only be 15 minutes early for work instead of 30. Heh. PTL, I'm half day...the age ole question comes up. Do I clean house or go a-yarn crawling. And, will I remember I need golden raisins for the oatcakes?