Streaming Standard: Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein

 Oh boy, this is an odd one.

What you have here is a Short Form Mockumentary that is a bit of Forgotten Silver (ironically, it too is forgotten by most) with a bit of Spinal Tap and I'm Still Here.

It is also a Parody (in general) of Broadway Plays and some Actors' quirks.

It also has a great, dumb Title.  This is...

David Harbour appears as himself, but also as his own Father.

In this case, his 'Father' was a super-serious Actor who was mysterious to David and he seeks to know more about him.

To do so, he recreates his Office and looks at the titular Play he ran on TV (apparently live) in the '70s.

Said Play is shown in small segment and is just plain bizarre!

Basically, Dr. Frankenstein has his Assistant pretend to be him and he pretends to be the Monster.
The reason: he needs to convince the Spokesperson for a University to grant him more money for his work.

It's kind of stupidly-brilliant.

The truth about David Harbour's Dad will come out and it won't be pretty.

P is for Parody.

What will happen in the Play?  How will Harbour process all of this?

To find out, stream the Special.

A weird, sort of random thing.  To some people, this is just too weird and bizarre.  To some people, it is the perfect blend of insanity and seriousness.  The premise is a good one.  The premise is, yes, a weird one.  Harbour plays it straight and it really works.  He seems sincere when he needs to.  He seems crazy when he needs to.  You have to understand and accept certain things for this to work.  The Play is intentionally bad.  The Play is pretentious and the Actors are over-the-top.  If you don't get that/like that, you'll wonder why they are so bad/silly/ridiculous.  Bad Acting on purpose is a bit like Bad Singing on purpose- you either like it or hate it.  Outside of that stuff, the main Plot is serious, but with plenty of odd moments.  Hey look- it is Mrs. Bland!  The whole thing is just plain weird.  Me- I like it quite a bit.  If you don't, well, that's fine too.  Either way, we're still waiting for our shots, so why not enjoy it with the people you're stuck with at home anyways?

A trippy, faux self-serious Special.  You'll either love it or hate it.

Quick Review: Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

 It's nice to see a Series come back as neither an embarrassment, nor as an Advertisement for Batteries.  Let's jump right into...

In the present, Bill & Ted are...not famous Rock Stars that united the World.

They are still seeking out the one Song that will do just that.

Time is beginning to mess up due to this not happening, so the pair must finally do it.

Can they finally figure out what they were missing?

The Plot splits here as Bill & Ted try to steal the song...from themselves and keep finding worse future versions.

Meanwhile, their Daughters (the Film ignores that they both had baby boys at the end of Bogus Journey) go time-traveling to assemble the greatest band ever to play the Song.

Can they finally do it after 25 years of trying without success?

Can they get Death's help?

Will we finally get the Station spin-off we richly deserve?

No SPOILERS.

A fun revival...eventually.  The early parts of the Film strike an odd tone, to say the least.  Bill & Ted didn't make it big, their marriages are on the rocks and their kids aren't what people hope them to be.  Fun?  It's obviously part of a bigger Story of redemption for all of them.  I get that- sure.  It just makes for a slightly-different, more morose Story at first.  The journey is worth it in the end, but I just had to note the odd tone early on.  Like the previous Films, they have some real fun with Time Travel.  Bill & Ted's journey is more personal, while their Daughters go on a similar trek to wat their Dads did in the first Film.  I like that they give us a good mix of Characters for their super-group and they aren't all obvious picks.  The tricky thing with a story like this is how you balance the Nostalgia and the new Characters.  Do you make them too incompetent to keep the familiar Characters strong?  Do you make them take over the tale and risk edging out the older fans?  It's not easy...but I think they make it work.  Bill & Ted prove to be better people, even if they are still kind of dumb.  The Daughters find a use for their specialized skills and prove that they can be their own Stars.  No matter how you feel about alot of thing, Bill & Ted Face the Music is fun and it sure lets you rock out together...

A fun Film that exposits a bit too much about a Film that we don't get to see.  Once you get past that, it is vivid, fun and enjoyable.

Compare/Contrast: Stacey (1973) vs. Malibu Express (1985)

 Life is weird.

So the first Film I watched by Andy Sidaris (Malibu Express) turns out to be a Remake of Stacey, the last Film by Andy Sidaris I watched (and will watch, since I've seen them all now!).

Make sense?

Let's see how they are different and alike...

VS

The first big change is that Express has a Male Lead.  Said Lead would later be weirdly-retconned as an Actor in a Film, making Express a Film-within-a-Film.

As a bonus, Seven would also have its Poster shown in a Film, despite a Character from THAT Film being brought back in Picasso Trigger.

Anyhow, Sybil Danning hires him for the job, as opposed to the Grandmother.  She looks better in the dress than Grandma would!

Express also has a Subplot involving a Redneck Family (in California) that keeps challenging our Lead to Races.

Yeah, I don't miss that in Stacey.

A big change, as noted, is that Stacey is not in Express.

In her place, in nearly the same Scene is a Racecar Driver who's last name is 'Khnockers.'

Weird to see the '70s Version being arguably more progressive.

Also missing in full detail is the extent of the blackmail angle with the Husband.

In Stacey, it is just that he was Gay in secret and went to Clubs (like Ed Koch or Roy Cohn).
In Express, he dresses in drag (which doesn't inherently make you gay, of course).

Either way, our Heroine/Hero is still a mean shot...eventually.

In Stacey, we learn that the Daughter in with 'the wrong crowd' killed the blackmailing Chauffeur.

In Express, we learn that...until we learn that it was a lie.
In a twist, it was Danning all along, who confesses to it (once she's out of the Country) via cassette tape to our Hero.

Of course, the Tape explodes like in Mission: Impossible to boot.

So how do they match up?

Stacey is alright, but kind of boring.  The extra bits of silly and flourish that we get in Express certain liven things up.  Adding Sybil Danning is always a plus too.

The extra Comedy Bits aren't always winners though, so as far as quality is concerned, there's an edge to Stacey.

It's like picking the best of the about-to-expire Meat though.

I hope this makes it clear that I didn't just randomly picking Body Snatchers and then an Andy Sidaris Film.  There's sometimes a rhyme to my reason.

I'm only a little bit crazy.

Andy Sidaris Films are never great, but they can be real fun.  Go with the more fun version, thanks to and in spite of its flaws.

The Original Triple B Flick: Stacey (1973)

 Andy Sidaris will finally be out of my life!  

Back in 2017, I decided to do all of the Triple B Films by the late Director.  The reason- my Dad bought the DVD Set.  Not every story has a complicated reasoning- sometimes it is that simple.  

After Return to Savage Beach, I thought I was done.
Oops, there is Seven, a Film I covered as part of an April Fools Day Post.  Now I was done, right?  Wrong!

The *actual* first Film by Sidaris was Stacey, the origin of this whole trashy Series.  The Plot involves the titular Character- who is a Detective and Race Car Driver- solving a family case of blackmail and murder.  Let's see if you can match up, Knives Out!  

If this Plot sounds familiar, I'll get to that in a bit.  As Sidaris' first Film, will we see the stuff that would become his trademarks?  To find out, read on...

Stacey is hired by a rich old lady to spy on her family.  The reason: to find out who should be the proper heir.

Seems super shady- I'd get paid in cash...and not just because Debit Cards didn't exist yet either.
And yes, I did Google that.

Everyone is either a creep, an asshole or hiding something.

Can we just give the money to the cat instead?

The one Daughter is involved with some fishy stuff.  When you go to investigate, it is important to wear your best bikini top.

Hercule Poirot did the same thing.
I did not Google that.

The Chauffeur is blackmailing, well, everyone.

One Son is hiding that he's Gay, while his Wife is hiding the fact that she's banging a different guy.
I wonder what drove them apart?

After a Party, said Chauffeur is killed.

Was it one of his victims?
Was it the guy who said that he'd kill him if he didn't pay back the loan?
Funny third thing?

Stacey and her boyfriend investigate, checking out the guy's place.  Naturally, they make sure to have sex in his bed while they are there, since, you know, evidence.

They find some pictures and need them developed, so naturally...

They go to the big California Raceway to do just that, since Stacey knows a guy.  

Sorry CVS, you don't get to develop the blackmail photos!
Also you likely didn't exist in Southern California back then.

Also also, I wonder if Sidaris paid any of these people for their likeness rights to be in this Film.

Stacey has a big shoot-out with the goons in and around the Raceway.

I love to see the people ignore a man running by with a shotgun in the Parking Lot.
What is this, Texas?!?

In the end, we learn that the one Daughter was the killer, since he was blackmailing her.

Were you expecting a big twist?  Nope.  
The End.

This was...pretty forgettable.  I'm not super-shocked to see this one be forgotten.  It doesn't have the big hooks that you get with Sidaris' later Films.  You don't get the big explosions.  You don't get the silly Action Scenes.  This is the how it all started and the roots are there...but that's it.  

In a way, it is like reading the first Draft of a Book.  Granted- the final Book will not read a Pulitzer. 

Even so, it is a fun Book that you can read for an afternoon.  In this Film, the basic Plot is okay.  If you're expecting any surprises, there are none.  If you're expecting a big Action Scene, there is one...sort of.  It's basically just run-stop-shoot-run for about 10 minutes.  It's not awful, but it's not, you know, engaging. 

 

Later Sidaris Films have bad Action Scenes, but they also have silly ones that make you laugh.  For instance, the man who throws a real frisbee to the bad guys (while disguised) and then switches it with a BLADED frisbee that he just happens to be carrying.  Thank Heavens for planning ahead, eh. 

 

Just like Seven, the basic Film is there, but nothing else.  Since my copy is a VHS Rip (oddly, Seven got a BLU-RAY Release!), it also includes a quick ad for a Porn Film that blurs out the Nudity by...tinting the whole Film pink.  No, really.

Next time, I finally rewatch another Film from my childhood.  Will it be good for me now?  Stay tuned...

'50s Class: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

 After way too long, I finally cover the Original.  I'm almost afraid to look back to see when I last covered the 1978 Remake and the 1993 Remake, not to mention The Asylum knock-off of the 2006 Remake (which I haven't covered).  It's probably been so long that I feel old, so let's just skip that part.  Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a 1956 Film that, as I'm sure you know, talks about alien invaders as a metaphor for Communists.  One day, you would know your Neighbor as being 'good' and 'loyal' & then the next day you find out that he was a Commie Pinko Liberal the whole time!  It was a genuine fear, even if it might seem silly to us today.  I guess you could say that it still goes on, just with *insert group name you hate* instead now.  The Film is no doubt a Classic- after all, it usually runs on Turner Classic Movies.  Does it hold up over 50 years later?  To find out, read on...

The Film begins In Media Res with our Lead- Kevin McCarthy- telling Police about how strange things happened in Santa Mira...

He comes back to Town after 2 Weeks away.

He notices some small, little things like the fact that nearly all of his Patients had appointments with him for his return, but then all but cancelled them.

Oh and his Love Interest is back in Town, so he'll try to make that work.

The tension is a slow burn aa a kid says that his Mom isn't his Mom and other people say similar things.

It reaches a tipping point when they find a body in the Attic.  Over night, it transforms into that of one of the men...and awakens!

They eventually discover some Pods (which look like they would give you giant peas!) and make the connection, as crazy as it sounds.

They can actually see the bodies form, covered in soapy-looking foam to cover up the nudity (as nudity would also present problems in the 1978 Version).

If you want to nitpick, it's a shame that we don't see the original person and the soon-to-be Pod Person in the same shot.

I'm sure that the effect would have looked dodgy by today's standards, but it would have been a neat shot, no?

What is a neat shot is McCarthy left behind to keep an eye on the developing Pods.

He sees the one for his lady and can barely bring himself to destroy it, for obvious reasons.
Good work!

The duo stay behind while the other two go for help.  

McCarthy discovers more about the Pods and keeps barely-escaping.

I should also mention a small role of a Pod Person is played by future Director Sam Peckinpah.  Neat.

The finale is quite famous as they run from the Town.  They are the only ones left!

A tragic bit sees McCarthy think he found some help...but it was just a radio.  When he returns, the Lady had fallen asleep and got turned.  I have many questions...but it is still sad.

He makes it onto the Freeway and they let him go, saying that nobody will believe him.

Back in the Present, nobody does...until a Pod Person's partially-transformed body shows up and someone mentions a Pod.

Time to call in the FBI to...I guess fix everything.  The End.

A Film that has aged like fine wine.  There are many ways that a Film like this can age poorly.  One ways is to be too topical.  In this case, they walk a fine line to avoid this.  As noted in the Intro, the obvious Subtext here is that this is like people's fear of Communists coming out of hiding, revealing themselves to not be 'their real friends.'  The Film doesn't hammer that in, however, so you can get it and not feel like the Film is dated.  Unlike the Remake of Ganja & Hess, they keep the Subtext the way it should be.  There are some obviously-dated bits here, sure.  The Climax hinges upon the Phone Operator being replaced by a Pod Person and not allowing outgoing calls.  Yes, Phone Operators don't exist anymore- at least not like this.  The Story wouldn't work if everyone had Cell Phones, but that is true of most Films made before the 1990s as a whole.  The Special Effects are mostly subtle here and they don't show you any truly-freaky Pod effects.  The Pods themselves look fine in B&W too.  You never quite get a precursor to the 'Scream and Point' Shot that we have in the 1978 one- oh well.  The Original holds up well, I'm happy to say.  I'm not sure which Version is my favorite, but time will tell.  In the meantime, enjoy an oddly-upbeat Behind the Scenes Photo from the Film...

Next time, I go from a Classic to a forgotten beginning.  After a long time, I will finally be done talking about Andy Sidaris Films- for real this time!  Stay tuned...

Poor Bastards of Cinema: Scalpel

 A random, pointless death that still qualifies for this.

Scalpel is a Thriller from the '70s about a Doctor who makes up an injured woman to look like/pretend to be his Daughter.

Before she can be seen in public, he has to train her.

While he's doing so, she asks about the man's Wife/her soon-to-be-pretend Mom.

He mentions how she died in the Lake...

…whereupon we see the precursor to the Family Guy cutaway gag.

While he says that he wasn't there, we see him casually-riding a paddle boat past her while she cries out for help.

…and she dies.

That's it.  The Character is only mentioned in this moment and her absence is basically a non-factor.

You could argue- and I do- that this is designed to show the Audience that the guy is clearly up to no good...but she's still a Poor Bastard of Cinema.

She appears and just dies.  That's it.

Next up, another Poor Bastard that has plot importance, but otherwise nothing else from Scalpel.  See what else they could do to make you know how evil the Lead is.

*Holiday* Pilot Wings: The Greatest American Heroine

 As part of my Make-Up March, I finally cover a TV Experiment that I came across Months ago.  Today seems like a good day to do it.

In 1983 (great year), The Greatest American Hero ended.  Whether you believed it or not, he was not walking on air anymore.

In 1986, a new Network- NBC- was interested in a Revival.  

If you believe William Katt, he turned down a full-time return due to his work on Perry Mason TV Movies.  

Whether that is true or not, that led to this mostly-forgotten Pilot...

Before we get to the new Story, we have to recap the old one.  The Pilot itself fills some time (and cuts some cost) by doing just that with Clips and Voice-Over from Robert Culp.

A Teacher (William Katt) is chosen by some Aliens to use a special suit that gives you powers.  This is the same Plot as the Safety Woman Shorts from 1974, by the way.

The catch: he lost the Instruction Manual (twice!), so him and his companion (Culp) have to wing it.

Jumping ahead to this Pilot (finally!), Katt is discovered in Public as a Super-Hero and his work turns from heroism to promotion.  He's also missing his trademark frizz.  

We rush past that Plot Point (added for this Pilot) to the Aliens calling Katt back

They tell him that he can't keep being a Hero if he's famous and they will erase people's memory of him as such if...he gives up the suit.

Thankfully, he knows a woman who fits the bill.

Culp is annoyed that he was overlooked for the suit. 
Let's be honest though- he would flown right to Russia and started WWIII!

Katt and his lady friend (Connie Seleca) bow out at this point, leaving our Heroine to train with Culp.

We get some wacky hijinks as she learns all of the suit's powers- including invisibility and flight- while Culp doesn't seem happy.

He's 'a suit' and she's got the suit.

They get their first mission as she takes them to Newfoundland to find some bad Whalers.
We get hijinks during a big Bar Fight and...that's it.

I guess they ran out of time and money, so...um, enjoy this build-up to nothing.  The End.

For as obscure as this is, it is funny to see how close we came to getting it back.  In 2018, there was a Pilot produced for a Female-led Greatest American Hero Reboot.  ABC passed on it, as did Fox in 2014 AND 2015.  So much for walking on air!  

As far as this one goes, it is a good attempt.  The idea is a good one- give a new character the suit.  It opens things up to new adventures, new interactions and new things in general.  

The tricky thing here is that they spend A LOT of time on recap.  If the property needs this much explanation, how popular can it be?  

While it is nice to see the Aliens and some decent effects, the thing feels a little bit cheap.  There's lots of Stock Footage and such here to make this feel full-length.  

Given how abrupt the ending feels, time could have been better spent, no?  I like the overall presentation here.  

I do have to note that Katt's trademark semi-afro is gone here (since he was doing other projects).  Even if you only see him in the suit once, seeing him without that haircut feels...incomplete.  

I wanted to really like this and I sort of did.  

Since it is a one-and-done, however, it is hard to get too attached to anything here.  I obviously don't speak for NBC Executives back in 1986, but I would have given it a shot.  

After all, the Franchise as a whole is still remembered enough to this day to get amusing fan art like this piece from 2014...

A fun, but ultimately-empty experience.  I like the idea here- teaming up the hippy lady with Culp- and it could have gone somewhere.  On its own, it is a strange oddity.