FRED Entertainment

March 8, 2014

FROM THE VAULT: Kirk Thatcher Interview

Filed under: Interviews — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:42 am

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Conducted ~1/2000

I first met Kirk Thatcher on the set of Muppets From Space in January of 1999, when he remarked that both of our names started with the letter “K”, so we must be brothers.

Of course, he was right.

While Thatcher’s name may not be instantly recognizable, his *face* may best be remembered by genre fans as the “punker on the bus” in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – whose blaring & acidic music confounded Kirk and Spock, prompting the stoic Vulcan to silence the cacophony with a fabled Vulcan nerve pinch.

However, Thatcher is much more than just “the punker on the bus” – he has the unique blessing of having been creatively involved with several of fantasy & science fiction’s most beloved franchises: Star Trek (as an Associate Producer), Star Wars (as a Creature Shop technician), and the Muppets (as a writer and director).

He’s also stepping back in front of the camera as one of the trio of expert judges presiding over the new Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge reality competition on the SyFy channel.

And he’ll always be my brother.

From the vaults, I present to you my chat with Kirk Thatcher…

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KEN PLUME: Can you give me a little background on yourself?

KIRK THATCHER: I started in the industry when I was about 19 at Lucasfilm, ILM, working in the creature shop on Return of the Jedi. I was a self-taught movie and monster maker. I made masks and creatures at home.

PLUME: Are you from the California area?

THATCHER: I’m from Los Angeles, so when I was growing up, I would talk to people like Rick Baker and John Chambers, who were very helpful in answering questions. I was just like most guys in the effects industry, just doing stuff in the kitchen sink and in the garage.

When I was in high school I met the production designer for Star Wars, a guy named Joe Johnston, and he’d been very kind in showing me around ILM when they were still based in Los Angeles. So after I’d gone to UCLA for two semesters I called Joe up and said that college just wasn’t working for me, they wouldn’t even let me touch a Super 8 camera until I was a junior, and was there any chance that I could come work at ILM. He said, “You know, we’re gearing up for the next Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi, and we’re starting up a creature shop, so send up your resume.” So I sent up my resume and had an interview with Tom Smith and got the job as a technical assistant, which is basically the lowest man on the totem pole at the company.

PLUME: But a hired man regardless.

THATCHER: Exactly. A working man. So I started working at ILM in the creature shop. I actually helped set up the creature shop, working for Phil Tippet. I actually painted the walls and helped set up the paint room to paint the creatures. I worked in the mold shop. Basically just A to Z from sculpting to molding to fabricating to painting them and shipping them out the door.

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PLUME: So this is what, 1981?

THATCHER: 1981, basically starting about March, and we worked on the movie until about Christmas, then sent everything to London. For most of the Spring and Summer of ’82 I was on location with the movie. I went to Yuma, Arizona and then Oregon. After that, I worked on a bunch of other things at ILM. I worked on Star Treks II and III, Poltergeist, E.T.. I was one of the guys that painted E.T.. I had a great time at ILM learning a bunch of stuff, then Chris Walas got this movie, Gremlins, and Chris and I had become friends, since he had worked at ILM also. He got Gremlins on his own, so I worked with Chris for about a year and helped set his place up and work on Gremlins. After that David Fincher (director of Se7en, The Game, and most recently Fight Club) and I wanted to break out and do our own thing, so we started a rock video company. We were the two youngest guys at ILM. He’s actually a year younger than I am. He’d been a camera assistant in the matte department. So we did some rock videos together. I was the production designer and he was the director. It was a lot of mind-bendingly difficult work for very little money and no time. We had a motto, “We can do it – But it won’t be fun”. We did some Rick Springfield videos and some Martha Davis and the Motels videos. This is about ’83-’84. We did about 10-12 videos together, and then I moved down to L.A., and he moved down from San Francisco soon after and helped form Propaganda Films.

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After I moved down, I interviewed for Star Trek IV to basically be Leonard Nimoy’s right-hand guy, and got that job, and eventually became Associate Producer on the film. Working closely with Leonard Nimoy was great. I started out as assistant to the director and it eventually became Associate Producer. He wanted to call me “Associate Director,” but there was no title like that, and the DGA wouldn’t allow it and so they called me an Associate Producer. He was great. It was the best job I ever had. He let me do a lot of stuff. He let me write dialogue and design aliens, work with the prop and art departments. I was in heaven.

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PLUME: So, basically, you were a jack-of-all-trades.

THATCHER: Yeah, a jack-of-all-trades, which is why he’d hired me, because I’d done all that at ILM and on my own, and he wanted someone he could trust to see things through. He was definitely directing the picture, don’t get me wrong, but he trusted that I would make sure he was getting what he wanted so he didn’t have to focus on it, because on Star Trek III, he just felt overwhelmed by all the technical stuff, especially all the special effects stuff, because it’s such a technical process. He couldn’t tell if people were telling him the truth or just giving him a run-around, so he kind of wanted someone in his camp. We got along great, and we’re still very good friends.

PLUME: How did your cameo in Star Trek IV come about?

THATCHER: Well, we were writing the movie, and I was there from the very beginning, even in the script stages, and they wrote this little bit for this punk rocker. The original idea was that the punk flipped off Spock, then Spock gave him the Vulcan neck grip. I actually came up with the idea of, when he passed out, his face turning off the radio. I actually added a couple little comedy bits. He was supposed to give me the Vulcan “Live Long and Prosper” sign after I flicked him off, but we cut that out. Then I added the scene where Scotty talks to the computer when the guy tells him to use the mouse and he holds it up and tries to use it like a microphone. I’ve always been a Macintosh fan, so I said, “It has to be a Macintosh.” Leonard said, “That’s funny, let’s use it.” Back to the cameo, it was this little bit in the movie, and I walked into Leonard’s office and said, “I want to play the punk on the bus.” Leonard’s got a great sense of humor, he’s very funny, so he looks at me with this big smile and says, “Reaaally…” I said, “Yeah, I think I’d do a great job. I’ll shave my head, get a mohawk, whatever.” He said, “Let me think about it.” I said okay, and I was going crazy, because in 2 weeks he didn’t say anything, and I promised him I wouldn’t bother him. I said, “Look, I’m not going to bother you, I’m only going to ask you this one time,” so I really had to live with it and not bother him. I never brought it up, never hinted at it, nothing. So about 2 weeks later, I walk to his office like I did every day, and he said, “Oh, by the way, you can do it.” I said, “What. You mean.” “Yep, you can play the punk.” I was like, “Ohhh thank you, thank you.” So I went out, shaved the sides of my head, dyed my hair orange and got a mohawk, because they don’t really make a mohawk hairpiece that looks real, so I actually had a bright road cone orange mohawk for about 6 months.

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PLUME: I’m sure they really respected you on the set after that.

THATCHER: Oh it was great. It was a blast. The first time DeForest Kelley saw me with this outrageous hairstyle he looked me up and down very slowly and said, “Nice shoes”. He then broke into a huge grin and ambled away. He had a very dry sense of humor.

PLUME: You were featured rather prominently on the French poster for the film.

THATCHER: That’s what somebody told me.

PLUME: So the French love you.

THATCHER: They would. I have sort of a French attitude in the movie.

PLUME: That shows you the cultural impact you’ve had worldwide.

THATCHER: Exactly. Leonard said I got the biggest laugh in the entire movie in Russia, because Russia was fraught with punk rockers before the wall had fallen, so they got a big laugh out of that.

PLUME: You’re an icon now.

THATCHER: Yeah. I could win the Nobel Peace Prize and my grave would still say “Punk On Bus – Star Trek IV“.

The funny thing was that I got to write and sing that song that was playing on the radio. “I Hate You”, written by Kirk Thatcher and performed by The Edge of Etiquette. We shot the scene with no sound. There was no music playing. I was just miming to a beat. After we wrapped the movie, the music department was coming to us, and they were playing, like, Duran Duran or whoever Paramount had some deal with. I said, “That isn’t punk rock music. Punk rock is really raw and gritty and dirty.” They said, “Well, we don’t really deal with the Sex Pistols and stuff.” I said to Leonard, “You know, let me write you a song. I can do a song.” I was becoming good friends with the sound editor, Mark Mangini, and a couple of the guys in his sound department. I told Leonard, “We can do a song for you that will sound like a punk rock song. Just let us do it and you won’t have to pay for the rights or anything, and it will be better than Duran Duran.” So I went in with Mark and he wrote the music for it. I had a melody in mind, but I don’t write music, so he turned it into something that could be played on the guitar. We then recorded it in the hallway of the post-production sound facility that Mark had so it would sound bad – very distorted, as if recorded in a garage. We actually used the mics that the sound guys use to do key codes like, “Spock walking down the street, Take 1.” It’s just a cheap mic so it would sound really bad. We did this one weekend and Leonard came in on a Saturday and he listened to it, cracked up, and said, “Great. That’s it. We’ll use it.” And that’s how “I Hate You” came to be.

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PLUME: It was used in another film, wasn’t it?

THATCHER: Yeah, it was used in Back To The Beach, with Frankie and Annette. They called me up and said, “Can we use it?” and I said, “Yeah.” I actually got paid more for them using it in that than I did for Star Trek. Hey, here is a little known fact for all the Trekkies. The voice of the computer, at the beginning of Star Trek IV when Spock is doing that computer test, that’s me. I actually wrote those questions. We shot with my voice as a temp track, which we sped up, just so Leonard would have something to react to. So we shot with that and we used it on the temp track. Finally, they’re getting ready to redo it, and they asked Leonard and he says, “Naw, it’s fine. Just use that.” So after doing all this other stuff, that’s how I got my SAG card. For being the voice of the computer! And it’s the only thing that I’m not credited for, because if it was, my name would have been in the credits four times. It would have been in there more than anyone else’s name.

PLUME: You just insinuated yourself everywhere.

THATCHER: I did, yeah. It wasn’t anything I lobbied for. It just sort-of happened. When I hear that computer voice now , I cringe because it sounds so goofy.

PLUME: Well, the film still works.

THATCHER: It’s amazing. It made about $130 million in the US, and I believe the last Star Trek movie only broke $90 million. It just blew all the other Trek movies out of the water with how successful it was. I think a lot of it is due to Leonard’s sense of humor and the fact that Leonard wanted to make a lighthearted romp instead of a serious science fiction picture, and it really reached out to a broader audience.

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PLUME: What was your next project after Star Trek IV?

THATCHER: A woman I had met through a special effects company we had worked with knew Jim Henson. Her first husband had directed The Muppet Movie. I was starting to pitch movie and TV show ideas with creatures at the time, and she said, “Would you like to meet Jim Henson?” and I said, “Sure, I’d love to.” She said, “I’m sure he’d like this kind of stuff and I’m sure you two would get along.” This is about 1987, and Star Trek IV had just opened, I think in February. So I met Jim in March of that year, and we hit it off and I showed him a bunch of creatures designs and story ideas and all that. We started working on some story ideas, and in March of ’88, after I’d know him for about a year, I moved to New York to work on The Jim Henson Hour. I lived in New York for year and worked in New York and Toronto on The Jim Henson Hour and became very good friends with Jim. In ’89, The Jim Henson Hour was done, and I didn’t really enjoy living in New York, so I moved back to LA and worked on some stuff with Henson, as well as Walt Disney Imagineering. I worked at Disney for nine months, and while I was working there, Jim and I started working on the concept for Dinosaurs. Unfortunately, that’s when Jim passed away, but we took the ideas that he and I had kicked around and started working with a couple of sit-com writers Michael Jacobs and Bob Young who had a development deal at Disney television. Alex Rockwell and I were the Henson side of things, I designed the characters and helped flesh out ideas while Michel and Bob started working on the scripts. Alex, who was the development person at Henson, oversaw the development process. We sold it to ABC in 1990 and in 1991 it went on the air. I worked on Dinosaurs for about four years as a writer and a character designer, and then I started writing the Muppet movies with Jerry Juhl. I cowrote Muppet Treasure Island and a couple of other Muppet films which haven’t been made. I think three all together. So that’s what I’ve been doing till now. I also worked a lot on Muppets Tonight!.

PLUME: Regarding The Jim Henson Hour and Muppets Tonight!, what do you think were the reasons that neither show gelled either with the audience or the networks?

THATCHER: I believe The Jim Henson Hour didn’t gel because I think NBC didn’t know what to do with it. I think it was a little all over the place.

PLUME: It did seem a bit schizophrenic.

THATCHER: It did, and I don’t think the network was really behind us. If the network is really behind you, I mean, you’ve seen some of these horrible shows that run forever. I think they really didn’t know what to make of it. The great thing about Jim was that he never really repeated himself. It wasn’t just a Muppet Show again. I think that was part of it. We only did thirteen, and I think they only aired six or seven. The same thing with Muppets Tonight!. ABC put us on midseason and they ran eight, then they ran a few off over the summer and kept changing our timeslot, and I think they really didn’t know what to do with us. We weren’t bowling people over in the ratings, but I think we would have found an audience. It’s hard to know why those things don’t pick up. I think a puppet show is kind of a tough sell. I think you’re always going to have a hard time getting people to watch up front. With the Muppet Show, it didn’t really catch on until it’s second season. If it was on a network, it never would have made it past it’s first. With Muppets Tonight!, people still come up and say, “You worked on that? Man, that was such a great show.” We only made 22.

PLUME: It’s unfortunate that Muppets Tonight! hit its stride in its second season, when it was cancelled.

THATCHER: Exactly. And it never really aired. Those episodes didn’t air until it moved to the Disney Channel. It takes awhile to figure out what a show is and how it’s going to work. Muppets Tonight! never got that chance with the audience since they pulled us after about 10 shows, and you’re right, we did start to get all the kinks worked out. It takes a while to find out what works and what doesn’t, and to see which characters are going to grow. I think both of the shows would have held up if the networks had given them a longer run.

PLUME: I noticed with Muppets Tonight! that there where a rather large amount of Star Trek references, along with the wonderful George Takei appearance.

THATCHER: Yeah, we got George and Bill and even Leonard did a little cameo. I wish we’d done more with Leonard. Bill Shatner’s cameo was very funny. George was hysterical. He had a ball.

PLUME: And you’re basically lampooning him quite harshly.

THATCHER: Oh, and he got it. I went up to him and said, “George, Kirk Thatcher.” Like he remembered me, and he said, “Ohhhh yes.” in that big baritone he has, and he said, “Oh my.” And we’d written “Oh my” in there, and he said, “You know, that’s what I say. They play that on Howard Stern.” I said, “I know George, that’s why we wrote it in the script.” He said, “Well, you’ve got me down. This is so much fun.” He totally had a ball lampooning himself, because he’s a very loquacious, very chatty with anecdotes, and he’s got that great voice, and he knew were not being mean. That we were just having fun. And we all like to poke fun at the Star Trek fans.

PLUME: I’ve also heard that his anecdotes sometimes go beyond a person’s endurance.

THATCHER: That’s not really true. One of the jokes we made was that he was boring people, but he’s not that bad. He’s actually a very sweet guy. It was funny, though, because I can imitate him pretty well, so in the readthroughs I would do his part and people would laugh. Then he came on the set, and when we did the readthrough with the actor, everyone was elbowing and nudging me and coming up to me later and saying, “Oh my God, he talks just like that! I can’t believe it!” I said, “Well, that’s how George is. He is what he is.” He’s a very theatrical guy with this terrific basso profundo voice.

PLUME: Were there any episodes of Muppets Tonight! written but never produced?

THATCHER: Nope. We wrote 22 and we filmed 22. What usually happened was that the biggest issue on those programs was the guest star. We often would have a guest star, and they would change on us literally a week before the shoot, so we’d have to rewrite the entire script since it usually revolved around these guest stars. In fact, we made a show about that where the guest star died and we had to find a replacement. The reality was that we just kept losing guest stars, so we made up the episode where we just couldn’t get a guest star, and the one that we got died, and we had to keep running around to find one. It also became known as the cameo show, since we didn’t have just one guest star, we had a bunch of them. It was a nightmare. We’d get somebody and then they’d change their mind or their schedule would change. Actors and stars have very transient schedules, but whenever they worked with us, they were great. It was just nailing them down that was the problem.

PLUME: What was the easiest guest star for you to work with?

THATCHER: They were all easy, but easy in terms of just totally having a ball and getting into the Muppet spirit I would have to say Garth Brooks. He was so much fun. I think it was so much fun to work with him because he was having so much fun. It was like he was a kid and he totally got it . He just wanted to be so out there and goofy, and he’s just a really charming and likeable guy. Jason Alexander was fun, but I think Garth was the easiest, just because everything we wrote, he loved, and he totally threw himself into it.

PLUME: How closely are you associated with the Henson Company right now?

THATCHER: I have a consulting deal to develop TV shows.

PLUME: Hopefully you’ll move into directing the features.

THATCHER: That would be nice. They seemed to like what I did with second unit on Muppets From Space. I recently wrote and directed some stuff for the new Odyssey Channel. Some bumpers and interstitials. Stuff like that. They were fast and silly. I got to work with Frank Oz and that was a blast.

PLUME: Well, you certainly provided a relaxed atmosphere to work in.

THATCHER: Thanks for noticing. My main goal was just trying to get what they wanted and try to keep it fun. It’s scary, but I’ve been working on movie sets now for 18 years. I sound
like an old man.

PLUME: Does it sound odd to you, to say 18 years?

THATCHER: It scares the beejeezus out of me to say that I’ve been working in movies for 18 years.

PLUME: Are you happy with where you’re at right now?

THATCHER: Yeah, pretty much. If you’d asked me 10 years ago, I’d say that I would have directed a couple movies by now, but I’m very happy. I love working with the Henson people. They’re incredibly sweet and very genuine. I’ve been very fortunate, actually. If I ever write my biography, I’d have to call it “The Luckiest Guy In Hollywood”, because I’ve never worked with jerks. From the Lucas people to the Star Trek people to the Henson people. All nice, classy people.

PLUME: Sounds like you picked the right companies.

THATCHER: Exactly. It’s the companies that are known for quality stuff and the people have all worked together for years and nobody’s in and out. They’re all basically showbiz families. It’s like going from one circus to another circus. It’s all people who have been together and really respect one another and know how to treat each other, so I’ve been very fortunate. The one thing I learned is that the work is very hard. Importantly, it’s the attitude or the tone of the set from the Director or Producer at the top – that can make the entire process comfortable and fun. When I was the guy in the trenches mixing plaster or standing on the set with 300 other people making sure that the actor with the rubber mask on could breathe, I really appreciated people with a sense of humor who kept it light and let everyone know that, “Hey, we’re in this together. It’s not like you’re the peon and we’re the brilliant geniuses who tell you what to do.” It’s more like, “Hey, how about this? Let’s try this?” When I was down in the trenches, I said, “When I’m up there, I’ll treat people the way I like to be treated.” And fortunately, the way I was treated. It’s like families where you grow up with nice parents.

PLUME: There was a very marked style difference between your directing and Tim Hill’s on the film. His set was much more hushed.

THATCHER: That’s the way a lot of director’s like it. Very quiet with the director very deep in thought, and that’s the way they work. I tend to be more exuberant and loud, and that’s because that’s just the way I work. That’s who I am.

PLUME: I was actually quite surprised that you had never directed anything before then.

THATCHER: If you’re on enough sets, you now what it’s supposed to be like. It goes back to being a lot of hard work. If you can make it fun and at least keep people from thinking that you’ll bite their heads off if they get it wrong, then you’re doing fine. I guess…I’m not an expert…

PLUME: So, what was your final take on Muppets From Space?

THATCHER: I think it’s nice how it’s contemporary and brings the Muppets up to the present day and it’s great how we get to see and meet some of the new characters we developed on Muppets Tonight!, like Bobo, Pepe, and Clifford. I liked that about it. I liked the fact that it’s not just another Kermit and Piggy story. It’s an interesting risk that we took, because in some ways, you don’t go to a James Bond movie to go see Moneypenny. We’re taking a bit of a risk saying Kermit’s there and Piggy’s there, but it’s Gonzo’s story and he’s dragging the rest of the Muppets with him. It’ll be interesting to see what the audience thinks about that. The other Muppet films are ensemble pieces, but it’s interesting to see the crux of the story not be on Kermit and Piggy. To be honest, from the inside, I’m a little tired of that. It’s like, “Okay, they’re not married. They probably won’t be. Let’s move on.” On the other hand, people love that dynamic. Those are the things I liked going into the film. What we were trying to achieve.

PLUME: Well, I think we’ve covered a good chunk of material. Is there anything that you’d like to mention?

THATCHER: God bless America. I just hope to write and direct my own shows someday. So keep those cards and letters coming!

PLUME: Is directing what you want to focus on for the future?

THATCHER: Writing and creating movies and TV shows and directing movies. That’s all… Pretty typical goals for a creative working stiff in Hollywood these days…

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NOTE: Here… fully printed & intelligible for the first time anywhere (to the best of my knowledge)… are the complete lyrics to Thatcher’s punker / hate song from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home:

“I HATE YOU”

Lyrics by Kirk R. Thatcher

Music by Mark Mangini

(to be sung Allegro con Temptible)

Just what is the future?
The things we’ve done and said.
Let’s just push the button.
We’d be better off dead!

And I hate you!
and I berate you !
and I can’t wait to get to you…

The sins of all the fathers,
being dumped on us – the sons
The only choice we’re given is:
How many megatons?

So I eschew you!
And I say “SCREW YOU”!
And I hope you’re blue too!

We’re all bloody worthless,
Just greedy human scum,
The numbers all add up
to a negative sum…

And I hate you!
And I hate you!
And I hate you…too!

(Repeat in angry scream ’til hoarse – or blood sprays from throat. Whichever comes first…)

-This piece courtesy of & copyright Kirk R. Thatcher

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10 QUESTIONS

1. What is your favorite piece of music?

“Pictures At An Exhibition” by Mussorgsky, as orchestrated by Ravel.

2. What is your favorite film?

I have three favorite films, each of different mood and genre, they are in no particular order: Star Wars, Citizen Kane and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

3. What is your favorite TV program, past or current?

I’ve logged so many hours in front of the television, I can’t pick one. The original Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits were very influential. Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Laugh In, and the classic Warner Brothers cartoons shown on Saturday morning were also a big part of who I am today. Recently, I’ve enjoyed South Park, The Simpsons, Northern Exposure, and Spongebob Squarepants.

4. What do you feel has been your most important professional accomplishment to date?

Directing a movie…finally!

5. Which project do you feel didn’t live up to what you envisioned?

There are certain aspects of every project I’ve worked on in my career in all sorts of capacities that didn’t live up to what I had envisioned, but I have strange and elaborate visions… which is usually why I was hired to work on the projects in the first place. So I guess I’m dropping back and punting on this one…

6. What is your favorite book?

I love too many to pick out one, but one of the most influential was a series of books printed in the early part of the twentieth century entitled, My Book House by Olive Beaupre Miller. It was an incredibly beautiful series of six children’s books filled with amazing artwork, incredible stories, and poetry… A trifecta of visual and literary inspiration for me at a very early age. The set I have belonged to my father when he was young and I still leaf through the pages for inspiration and to get the sweet smell of old books.

7. If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

By the “industry” I assume you mean “the biz” – babe! Seriously? If I were king of the forest? I would put creative people in charge of the creative decisions… Too many bankers and middle management type executives are involved in the creative pipeline and that is why we find ourselves with such an abundance of well financed dreck…

8. Who – or what – would you say has had the biggest influence on your career?

For what, see questions 2 and 6. As far as people go, it would be George Lucas, Jim Henson, and Leonard Nimoy. All three men mentored me in one way or another, Leonard and Jim in a more direct and personal manner. George Lucas has always been an inspiration to think big and outside of the box and to eschew what is considered standard operating procedure in Hollywood in lieu of better products or processes.

9. What is your next project?

I have a lot of irons in the fire, as they say. I’m being considered for some solely as a director, the others as both writer and director. But nothing is going to move ahead until early 2003, so I’m not going to jinx anything by mentioning them here.

10. What is the one project that you’ve always wanted to do, but have yet to be able to?

To write and direct a movie of my own and then turn it into a videogame, a TV series, a novel and an amusement park ride.

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February 28, 2014

Ken P. D. Snydecast #212: Elementary, My Dear Snyder

Filed under: Ken P.D. Snydecast — Tags: , , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 6:30 pm

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Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’s Ken Plume set out to have a literate conversation between two pals, but inevitably devolve into a verbal, and funny, free-for-all full of bickering, infighting, and the special kind of male bonding that comes from conflict expressed through the podcast medium.

Actor/comedian/raconteur Dana Snyder, you’re certainly aware, is Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Squidbillies‘ Granny, Minoriteam’s Dr. Wang, and The Venture Bros.‘ Alchemist. Available for weddings and bar mitzvahs (bat availability pending), you can keep tabs on him via his website, www.eyeofthesnyder.com.

Ken Plume is the editor-in-chief here at FRED. He is a friend of Dana’s, as well as his arch-nemesis.

VISIT THE SNYDECAST EXPERIENCE

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KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #212: Elementary, My Dear Snyder – Ken & Dana return with dreams and disasters.

[CONTENT WARNING]: This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
Episode #212 (MP3 format)

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-212.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

Got something to say? E-mail Dana & Ken at the Snydecast mailbag.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE SNYDECAST ARCHIVES

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Weekend Shopping Guide 2/28/14: Gravity Force

Filed under: Shopping Guides — Tags: , , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 12:19 am

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The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

I could do without the touch of religious nonsense and the completely nonsensical science of it all, but even on the significantly smaller home screen 3D experience, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) still packs a powerful visual punch. At a taut 90 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Bonus materials include over 3 hours of bonus materials chronicling the film’s evolution, special effects, and experience for the actors.

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A few years back, Sideshow Collectibles releases a 1/6-scale Darth Vader from A New Hope that many assumed to be definitive, as it was quite a beautiful piece. Not content to rest on their laurels, however, those madcap mavens at Sideshow have revisited the dark lord of the Sith with a brand new figure that manages to not only trump, but blow the previous one out of the water. The new Darth Vader Sixth Scale Figure ($249.99), based on his appearance in Return Of The Jedi, is a truly exquisite representation, from the perfect scale tailoring of his outfit to his outsize proportions (he’s a tall bugger). The figure also sports working LEDs on his breast plate.. In addition to numerous hands hand both his lit and unlit lightsaber, he comes with a swappable post-elder-Anakin reveal head and a light-up base. Oh, and to put the cherry on the cake, there’s a separate light-up display featuring his unhelmeted head with a separate helmet piece, evoking the mediation chamber scene from Empire Strikes Back.

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While I enjoyed the first Thor film, I thought it was a lot of potential greatness that didn’t quite gel into an optimum piece, but certainly laid plenty of groundwork. Thor: The Dark World (Marvel, Not Rated, 3D Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) picks up the ball and moves it further down the field, hitting a lot of perfect notes, but still falls just short of being a truly great film. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still a very fun action flick with strong characters and set pieces, but it could have used a much stronger presence from its villain Malekith The Dark Elf (a criminally underused Christopher Eccleston) more in lines with Walt Simonson’s introduction of the character in his comic book run. There are plenty of behind-the-scenes featurettes and a gag reel to be found amongst the bonus features, but the true highlight is the 70s exploitation-tinged short “Hail To The King”, which picks up the post-Iron Man 3 story of incarcerated actor-cum-Mandarin Trevor Slattery. Heck, get the movie just for the short – it’s that good.

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Quietly brilliant, Nebraska (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is one of those small films with big characters that tend to stick in your mind even as you’re watching it. Best just to watch this elegiac tale of a son (Will Forte) making a heartfelt if seemingly misguided journey with his aging father (Bruce Dern) for yourself. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette.

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Take a psychedelic, mathematical trip with Finn and Jake in the high definition arrival of Adventure Time: The Complete Third Season (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$32.07 SRP), containing all 26 episodes. And because bonus features are where it’s at, you get audio commentaries on every episode, an interview with creator Pendleton Ward, and even an alternate show intro.

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Long a charitable institution in the UK, The Secret Policeman’s Ball – USA (Eagle Vision, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP) brings the star-studded festivities to New York City for en evening in support of Amnesty International. The bill included a heady mix of comedy and music, with Jon Stewart, Eddie Izzard, Russell Brand, John Oliver, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, and many more. In addition to the film itself, bonus materials include backstage interviews.

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The truth of the story may be in doubt, but the adapted true story of Captain Phillips (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$40.99 SRP) certainly makes for a gripping drama, propelled by a taut performance from not only Tom Hanks, but also the debut performances of the actors portraying the Somali pirates who hijack the cargo ship of Hanks’s titular captain. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and making-of featurettes.

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If you’re a fan of obscure and much-desired TV shows that economics have forced to be stranded in the vaults of various studios, then you definitely should be aware of what the fine folks at the Warner Archive have been doing for the past few years. They’ve been making those shows available on an MOD (Manufacture On Demand) basis that means fans have the option to get that which they covet, freed from the vaults. Case in point is the near-complete run of the series The FBI, which is like the Federal version of Dragnet, drawing from actual case files to craft stories around. Currently available are The First Season: Part One, The First Season: Part Two, The Second Season: Part One, and The Second Season: Part Two (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 each). Ah, but then – lucky! – they changed over to traditionally manufactured discs for The Third Season: Part One, The Third Season: Part Two (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 each), The Complete Fourth Season, The Complete Fifth Season, The Complete Sixth Season, and The Complete Seventh Season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 each). All that’s left is the sure-to-be-forthcoming releases of the final two seasons, and you’ve got the whole cult shebang.

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Ah, but as we saw with the latter part of The FBI, they don’t only do MOD for their cult titles. With the Dr. Kildare: Season One and Season Two (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 each), they’ve gone with regularly manufactured discs. They’ve also done the same with the legendary series Maverick, starring James Garner, of which Season 3 and Season 4 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 each) are available. Or how about the old west drifter with a heart of gold and thirst for sarsaparilla in Sugarfoot, of which you can get Season 1 and Season 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$ each). If that weren’t enough, there’s even the obscure but worth a gander of the long-forgotten Sci-Fi flavored mystery series Search (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.95), starring Hugh O’Brian, Tony Franciosa, and the great Doug McClure.

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And last but not least, in a most welcome move, the Warner Archive has begun offering high definition Blu-Ray releases of their animated series. While we aren’t getting the likes of Batman: The Animated Series or Batman Beyond in the format yet, we are getting the more recent complete first season of Batman: The Brave And The Bold (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.95) and Batman: Shadows Of Gotham – Season One Part One (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.95). Hopefully this is a trend that eventually leads to those aforementioned catalogue series.

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But Warners isn’t the only studio mining their vaults for cinema fans. Fox has their MOD 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives, and they’ve just dropped 12 new titles. Now available are John Barrymore in The Great Profile, Jeffrey Hunter & Robert Wagner in In Love And War, Dale Robertson & Jeanne Crain in City Of Bad Men, Glenn Ford in Follow The Sun, Betty Grable in Mother Wore Tights, Jack Haley in Danger – Love At Work, James Mason in 5 Fingers, Otto Preminger & Milton Berle in Margin For Error, Walter Brennan in Home In Indiana, Gloria Stuart in Island In The Sky, Dan Dailey in The Pride Of St. Louis, and Victor Mature in The Glory Brigade (Fox, Not Rated, MOD DVD-$19.98 SRP each).

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Some truly beautiful design work goes into modern videogames, which is more than evident by the conceptual artwork that packs The Art Of Titanfall (Titan Books, $34.95 SRP), which delves into the design process of Respawn Entertainment’s juggernaut of a game. If you’re a fan of the game, or just keen to see some stunning work, give it a gander.

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Best to ignore Zack Snyder’s gaudy film and its even gaudier sequel, and instead pick up the beautiful high definition debut of the original tale of Spartan heroics, The 300 Spartans (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP). Bonus materials include TV spots and the original theatrical trailer.

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And for one last nail in the coffin of Snyder’s folly, find out the real history behind the Spartan’s sacrifice in The History Channel’s Last Stand Of The 300 And Other Famous Greek Battles (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), which brings together 6 documentaries on the battles of antiquity.

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No matter how outrageous the first season of Legit (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) gets, it still manages to find a nugget of genuine emotion in the oddball relationship between Jim Jefferies’s edgy stand-up comic struggling to make his career “legit” in mainstream LA and his neurotic roommate Steve and Steve’s disabled brother Billy (the great DJ Qualls). Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.

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Disappointed in how own son, the proprietor of a prestigious family vineyard finds a much better heir in the son of his dying estate manager in the French psychological thriller You Will Be My Son (Cohen Media Group, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP). Bonus materials include an interview, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.

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And howzabout a new soundtrack round-up for this week? Certainly! You’ve got Tony Morales’s score for Enemies Closer (Lakeshore, $9.99 SRP), Craig Richey’s Girl On A Bicycle (Lakeshore, $ SRP), John Ottman’s Non-Stop (Varese Sarabande, $16.98 SRP), and Michael John Mollo’s score to the game Strider (Capcom, $14.99 on PSN/Xbox Live/Steam).

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So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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February 27, 2014

Win ADVENTURE TIME: SEASON 3 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 11:21 pm

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In conjunction with Warner Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of ADVENTURE TIME: SEASON 3 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 12th.

Enter the contest!
Email:
First name:
Last name:
Street Address:
Address Line 2 (if needed):
City:
State/Province/Whatever:
Zip Code/Postal Code:
Country:
Birth Month:
Birth Day:
Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 12th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Win THE VENTURE BROS.: SEASON 5 on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 11:18 pm

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In conjunction with Warner Home Video, we’re giving away two (2) copies of THE VENTURE BROS.: SEASON 5 on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 12th.

Enter the contest!
Email:
First name:
Last name:
Street Address:
Address Line 2 (if needed):
City:
State/Province/Whatever:
Zip Code/Postal Code:
Country:
Birth Month:
Birth Day:
Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 12th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

February 26, 2014

FREDagator: 2014-2-26

Filed under: FREDagator — UncaScroogeMcD @ 9:54 pm

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You know what you need tonight? You need to see David Byrne cover Biz Markie. Yes, you do…

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Party Favors: Hammer Time

Filed under: Joe Corey's Party Favors — UncaScroogeMcD @ 2:27 am

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BRUTEVILLE – Alan Spencer is best known as the creature of the ’80s cult TV series Sledge Hammer! The series was noted for elevating the level of violence found in a network sitcom. He returned in the 21st century with Bullet In the Face which took casualty comedy to a higher level. The IFC series featured a notorious criminal who has the face of the cop he killed grafted onto his mug. The police give the hitman a chance to hit back at the underworld empire that had marked him for death. Over the course of six episodes, this epic revenge comedy plays for laughs between trigger pulls. Eddie Izzard and Eric Roberts play the mob bosses calling the shots in a city over run by criminals.

The Party Favors had a chance to call up creator Alan Spencer to chat about the short series that’s just been released on DVD from Shout! Factory. The first question dealt with his approach to making a show that’s only six episodes long.

“Because it was ordered straight to series, we didn’t make a pilot like we did Sledgehammer,” Spencer said. “We were using a new paradigm. Which is very interesting because we used to make a pilot, then they’d evaluate it and whether or not to order a series. Creatively and economically it makes more sense to go straight to series. Take that money for a pilot, spend a little bit more and get the whole thing. I got a six episode order with the caveat that I write them all. Which I did.”
Because of the six episode order, Spencer didn’t follow the conventional production technique of treating each episode as a separate entity.

“It was not shot one episode a week,” he said. “It was shot like a movie out of sequence. I knew it was going to be shot that way in advance so I wrote for that. When I met Eddie Izzard, he thought it was a very interesting character. He said, “Why did you make him agoraphobic?” I said, “So I could shoot you for five days in the same location.” I figured out ways to maximize getting our big guest stars. I was repeating locations. It also gave us more latitude for the bigger things we were doing.”

Shooting in Montreal during the wintertime was something that required quite a bit of latitude.
“I was also eliminating exteriors since that was out of our control. The weather was so wild up there in Montreal. One day it was sunny, the next day it snowed. It was schizophrenic weather to match my personality. It’s the only time I’ve been in a hotel where I saw my breath in the lobby. The heater was barely putting a dent in the cold. I would have rather stayed at the base in The Thing or Ice Station Zebra. It definitely cold and it was beautiful too.”

I joked if being in the cold of Canada made him feel like he was stuck in a David Cronenberg movie.
“A little bit. Certainly when I was catching a human head when I did a cameo. There was real gore in it. It’s very eerie to look at a prosthetic human head that looks very real. The actor did the life mask the day before and he’s not on the set and you’re holding his head. You get really worried that the make-up people are method actors.”

Turned out the head was fake and the actor was alive after all. Montreal did prove to be a perfect location to be the sinister Bruteville.

“The city itself has various locations that resemble different parts of the world. But it’s heavily Americanized. When I first arrived at the hotel, the concierge said, “Have you seen all our fine local restaurants?” I’ve seen Five Guys, McDonalds and Subway. They call it Five Guys in Montreal. I thought they’d call it Five Monsieurs.” Alan did get to eat at non-chain restaurants. “Really great food in Montreal.”

The city of Rocket Richard and Ken Dryden proved worth of Bruteville’s stature. One person outside the city didn’t like the fictional town’s slogan.

“I called it a melting place of crime so it was more Eurotrash. I wanted it be various nationalities and cultures in there. It’s interesting that the place was called Bruteville, A Melting Pot of Crime. One of the network executives didn’t like it. He didn’t give a reason why. It defines the town and explains the city. It explains to the people why they’re hearing all these crazy accents. Once it aired, people were quoting it.”

Oddly enough, there wasn’t too many objections at the network to the level of violence in the series. Was Spencer amazed at what he could get on the air?

“I wasn’t amazed, Spencer said. “I knew I could do it since there’s big difference between 1986 and now. I’m amazed at how much violence I can get away with in real life now.”

His original series had to be lightened down as it made it through pre-production. “Sledge Hammer! was originally written as a feature film that would have been R-Rated,” Spencer said. I made it as violent or maybe a little more violent than a Dirty Harry film. It went to HBO where it was still was R-rated. Then it was picked up by the ABC network where we toned it down. It was still considered at the time as out there, extreme and very off beat. The level of violence I was dealing with, people wouldn’t have blinked in an hour drama show because they deal with that all the time. Breaking Bad has a decapitated head on a tortoise. But for dealing with a half hour comedy, it was considered unusual. I don’t know what it says about me that this is all normal. When I was a kid, I watched Get Smart. It frequently had people getting shot and stabbed in it. That’s what a normal sitcom looked to me. People getting physically harmed and I’m not talking about Two and a Half Men with people getting harmed off camera.

There was a little controversy when IFC ran a trailer featuring severed heads during afternoon episodes of Malcolm in the Middle. “The parents get upset for the kids. But the kids have no trouble.”

Spencer is charmingly proud about the attention his creative violence receives. But he knows it gets tougher every year to get noticed.

“It becomes increasingly harder to shock people because we get desensitized. That was something I was saying about Bullet in the Face with this unrepentant character and the world of violence. The PTC put out a report about all the violent shows on TV and the amount of acts of violence per hour. It was amusing that we ranked highly and we were the only comedy. I’m really proud that even in the half hour form, we held our own against hour long shows and their violence. We got the press from it. We were between the Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. I was very proud that counts of violence per half hour is my specialty. ”

Spencer had no desire to take the series longer than the original six episodes.

“I only had a deal for six. At one time, the network gave a note, “In case we do more, hold back.” I don’t do that. I go for broke. I wrote the final episode as if it would be the final episode. Even though I put a little question mark to make it ambiguous. But if you watch it closely, there is an ending. There is a resolution. I just don’t spell it out. Versus the first season of Sledgehammer where I knew the show wasn’t coming back so I blew up the world. Then I had to figure what to do when we got a second season.”

Having all six episodes on a single DVD will allow folks a chance to watch the series in an evening sitting which seems to be the craze according to Netflix streaming.

“It’s easier to binge watch these six,” Spencer said. “Nobody watches a TV show week after week unless it’s a reality or contest. Everybody waits and watches it unfold in its sum total. That’s fascinating.”

Spencer was about to meet with a production company over an unscripted series idea. “It’s such a burgeoning field.” However he’s hesitant to call it “reality TV. “I don’t know how you can call it reality when people are being filmed. I can call Bullet in the Face a reality show since it’s my reality.”

A major difference between Sledge Hammer! and A Bullet In the Face is the speed of response from viewers. Twitter has changed the game.

“It’s very interesting to see the immediacy. Back in the day when I did Sledgehammer, people had to write fan letters and use snail mail. And it took longer since they had to cut the letters out of the newspaper. That’s the kind of fan mail I would get. On Twitter, it’s immediate. You do a #bulletintheface and see what people were saying. Although a lot of them just put WTF. My Twitter following shot up 10,000 and some of them were real. ” His twitter handle is @mralanspencer. Feel free to follow him.

SCREAM FACTORY SHOUTS

Cat People: Collector’s Edition brings back my crush on Nastassia Kinski in 1080p resolution. Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) tackles Val Lewton’s original movie with a horror as sleek as its black panther stars. This movie still rocks with its tale of an African tribe where women were mated with the big cats (and we’re not talking Ernie Ladd). Kinski arrives in New Orleans to see her adopted brother (A Clockwork Orange‘s Malcolm McDowell). He goes out for the night and doesn’t come back. Why? Because he turned into a black panther and mauled a hooker. Instead of going to jail, the panther is locked up in the zoo. Kinski finds him while visiting the Crescent City’s tourist spots. She gets involved with zoo keeper John Heard. Can she really hook up with the guy? It seems her people have a knack for turning into panthers after getting frisky. This edition includes interviews with Schrader, Kinski, McDowell and music legend Giorgio Moroder.

Die, Monster, Die! brings together Boris Karloff and H.P. Lovecraft. This adaptation of “The Colour Out of Space” takes place in England. Nick Adams (Frankenstein Conquers The World) arrives in a remote town to see his girlfriend’s family. What he doesn’t know is there is something extra evil and glowing lurking in the basement. This is Meet the Parents with a Lovecraft twist. Karloff is her father and he’s up to his mad scientist ways. There’s strange creatures and plants lurking around the creepy old house. It’s a messed up haunted house movie courtesy of American International Pictures. It’s good to enjoy Karloff in HD. The bonus feature is the trailer.

The Beast of Hollow Mountain & The Neanderthal Man Scream Factory Double Feature is a prehistoric twin bill. Beast is the better of the two since it features the special effects work of Willis O’Brien. He’s the man who manipulated the original King Kong. Now he’s back with the tale of the last T. Rex roaming around a swamp in New Mexico. A few cowboys get up the nerve to see the king of the dinosaurs in person. He proves tougher than an Apache attack. The Neanderthal man takes the mad scientist out to the country. Seems that a saber tooth tiger is roaming the wilderness. How could this be? Turns out it’s a project of a scientist who has no problem experimenting on people. This is how he turns his maid and himself into early humanoids. This is a fine Creature Double Feature worthy of being announced on WLVI-56 in Boston.

Night of the Demons Collector’s Edition brings forth one of those classic titles that would stand out on the shelves at Phar-Mor’s VHS rental department. This movie is a classic for doubling up the evil in a party house. A bunch of kids want to get wild on Halloween so they bust into an abandoned funeral home. This is normally enough of a scary place to get Demons bounding out of the dry wall. But it turns out that the house was also owned by a mass murderer. What good can come from having a séance at such a site? None. This is good for viewers eager to see the partygoers have their fun turned into a raging nightmare. Demons take control of many of the kids. The special effects are good and gruesome. There’s a nipple effect that will leave you wincing in pain. The bonus features are packed. Director Kevin Tenney and his actors and producers contribute two commentary tracks. There’s interviews with all the major players. The original video trailer that lured kids to rent the weirdness is included. There’s also a DVD to go with the Blu-ray.

Witchboard reminds people that communicating with the dead to liven up a party might turn bad. The host wants to impress his friends that he can talk to the spirit of a dead 10 year old boy. Everyone gathers around the Ouija Board to speak to the other side. But the conversation turns ugly when a drunk disturbs the spirits. The next day Tawny Kitean (Tom Hank’s fiancé in Bachelor Party) uses the Ouija Board to get the dead to locate a lost object. What she doesn’t know is that the nice boy talking to her has been replaced by an evil demon. You know that just means trouble is going to happen. Mostly this happens in the form of Tawny getting possessed by the demon. Can she be saved and the evil Ouija Board destroyed? I feel bad they didn’t do a sequel about a possessed Magic 8 Ball. There’s a lot of great ’80s hair on the screen. Witchboard was directed by Kevin Tenney, the man behind Night of the Demons. It’s nice to see him get the top notch treatment from Scream Factory for his legendary VHS legends. There’s a lot of bonus features although no evil Ouija Board in the Blu-ray case.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

Star Trek: Enterprise – Season: Three is when the show finally established itself as more than just another cookie cutter from the Star Trek franchise factory. They roughed up the show by introducing a worthy enemy in the Xindi. Unlike all those other sweet and misunderstood aliens, the Xindi arrived at the end of season two with a massive arrival. They tore apart Florida worse than Bugs Bunny . In the past, Star Trek shows kept their stories to one or two episodes. The Xindi dominate the entire season. Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and crew are scooting around the unchartered galaxy looking to track down and face off with the enemy. The show is a lot more brooding with the intensity jacked up. There’s a major fear that the Xindi are coming back to finish off the planet. There’s also a time travel episode, but mostly this season is about Enterprise coming into its own. Sadly viewers had tuned out the previous season and weren’t coming back to the UPN. At least they can now catch up on what they missed on these Blu-rays. The bonus features include a nearly 90 minute documentary exploring how the show shifted its tone. They ported over all the special features from the previous DVD release. This really is the start of the show.

DVD SHELF

Wolverine Vs. Sabertooth brings Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi’s comic book series to motion as part of the Marvel Knights Animation universe. This is a main card battle that tops a UFC fight. Two mutant enemies are not backing down on this battle. It does seem that only one of them will emerge from this Thunderdome beatdown. There’s plenty of blood splattered across the screen. It’s more fun to watch the action his way than in the comic book. The motion and slashing is fierce. Another prime battle between Wolverine and a worthy opponent.

Power Rangers Megaforce: The Mysterious Robo Knight is the latest installment of the saga. Troy, Noah, Emma, Gia and Jake must defend the world from more evil monsters from outer space. Luckily they don’t have to do it completely alone. They have the Robo Knight arriving in the nick of time. Their big weapons are a Vulcan Cannon and Lion Zord. The boxset has the episodes “United We Stand,” “Harmony and Dizchord,” “Who’s Crying Now?” and “Robo Knight.” The big bonus is a Mega Bloks Micro Figure of the Red Power Ranger from this series. You can watch and play!

You’re Next is a great film for why you should avoid your parent’s wedding anniversary. A family gathers at a remote estate to celebrate mom and dad being together for so long. What they don’t know is that somebody wants to put an end to their streak. Who is it? The killers are wearing animal masks and using crossbows to attack. It’ll make you just mail a card to your parents when their special day comes around.

Frankenstein: The Real Story brings together three of the History Channel’s specials about the iconic monster. “In Search of the Real Frankenstein” gets into the science of bringing animals and corpses back to life. Was Dr. Frankenstein on the right track when he harnessed the lightning? “It’s Alive! The True Story of Frankenstein” looks at the movies revolving around the creature. There’s been plenty of them from the silent era onward. They even cover Young Frankenstein. Frankenstein deals with the stories that could have influenced Mary Shelley’s book. All three specials are fun watching for the Franky fans. The specials are subtitled.

Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars explores the new wave of air attacks. The remote control drones have taken over security duties since they’re relatively cheap, have no chance of pilot death and can tote heavy weapons. It’s like a big old videogame as they snoop around the air. Director Robert Greenwald and his crew go into Pakistan to meet people who have been victims of drone attacks. Is this weapon convenience turning foreign countries against America? Can some man at a remote computer terminal determine what’s really happening on his video screen?

Greedy Lying Bastards reminds us that a corporate press release shouldn’t be taken as the truth. The documentary directed by Craig Rosebraugh and produced by Darryl Hannah looks at who is pushing the anti-climate change agenda. Are major corporations backing scientists that are willing to publicly act contrary to mounting evidence to create uncertainty? Of course there’s coverage of the Koch brothers. The movie explores how companies factor profits over damage to people and land. It’s a tough look at “Kind hearted” private businesses that love running PSAs making themselves look so wonderful.

Counting Cars: Season 2 Volume 2 gives more tales of Danny “The Count” Koker and his Las Vegas creative car crew. The 13 episodes include quite a few guest stars. “Zombie Truck” has him working on a vehicle for rocker Rob Zombie. How do you make a car that impresses a man who wrote a song about the Dragula? “One Love, One Car” lets the Count fix up Bob Marley’s old Mercedes. Can he make things right and proper for the icon’s cruising mobile? He also fixes up quite a few cars for ordinary people. This spin-off from Pawn Stars does a fine job at letting folks know what’s the cost and effort of bringing a car back to life. They include 35 minutes of bonus footage on the DVD.

African-American Leaders Past & Present is a five film documentary collection from the History Channel. This is a fine set for people eager to celebrate the lives of five major men. “Civil War Journal: Frederick Douglass gives plenty of facts about the man who escaped slavery and struggled to free others. “Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.” ponders if it was a bounty that led to that fateful day in Memphis. “Malcolm X: A Search for Identity” gets into the revolutionary’s actions. “Thurgood Marshall: Justice for All” follows this lawyer to a seat in the Supreme Court. “Barack Obama” gives the early rise of our current president.

Duck Dynasty: Season 4 captures the sensation of America’s favorite family that made themselves endearing with their bushy beard and country wisdom. These episodes were made before the recent “he said what?” controversies involving Phil Robertson. The family is noted for being extremely rich thanks to their duck calls. Of course the family has become extra rich thanks to massive endorsement deals that have made them their own industry. They had Chia Pets last Christmas season. They are massive stars, but the show does its best to keep them simple folks. Basically the show is a modified sitcom without a studio audience or laugh track. They just bobble around and do their best to impress the folks in Middle America.

My Little Pony: Classic Movie Collection contains 4 movies from the earlier version of the show. This isn’t the same animation or voices as the Friendship is Magic version. While there is Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike the Dragon, you also get Minty. The movies include “The Princess Promenade,” “Dancing in the Clouds,” “The Runaway Rainbow” and “Friends Are Never Far Away.” It’s a fine set for Bronies looking for the early work involving their favorite ponies.

Crossing Lines: Season One is an international police series. William Fichtner is an ex-NYPD detective who comes to Holland. Why? Because he’s hooked on drugs. He does have a job at the carnival. But he finally gets control of his demons to become a member of the International Criminal Court located in the Hague. The 10 episodes show him going around Europe tracking brutal criminals that need to be taken before the court. Donald Sutherland appears as part of the team. It kind of throws back to the old ITV shows with its use of great locations and international goons.

Semi Colin is a documentary about graphic novelist Colin Murray. The man’s comic books are rather erotic. Director Damien Lay explores the artist who hid his desires for decades until rather late in life he released The Lady and the Vampire, Riveria Moon Goddess and The Palace of a Thousand Pleasures. The books have become collector’s items. Murray is kind of like a dirty version of Grandma Moses. While the film seems to be a great addition to Crumb. This is a strange tribute to a man who finally stopped listening to others and pursued his dreams.

The Contradictions of Fair Hope is a documentary about what black communities in the south did after the end of slavery. Many of them joined together to form “benevolent societies.” These groups helped address those who needed major help. The film goes to a place in rural Alabama which still has their society in effect. They’re called “The Fair Hope Benevolent Society.” There’s a lot of preaching as members deal with the sins of the world and heavenly aspirations. Whoopi Goldberg narrates the movie.

Hazel: The Complete Final Season wraps us Shirley Booth’s domestic career as the maid that controlled everyone. This fifth season starts off with the shocker that the Baxters have moved to Iraq and left their son Harold (Bobby Buntrock) with her. She’s moving in with Mr. Baxter’s brother Stephen (Ray Fulmer). He’s in the real estate business. His wife Barbara (Lynn Borden) is not prepared for Hazel to take over her house. Hazel will not merely do as she’s told. It’s only a matter of a few episodes before she whips these next Baxters to do her will. The 29 episodes change up the previous shows by having stories dealing with odd real estate deals. Hazel gets into flipping property action long before all those cable shows. It’s rather sad when it comes to an end. Hazel knew how to take care of a family. Although I still question why nobody seemed to know what happened to the original Baxters. They just took Hazel’s word for why they left so suddenly.

Perry Mason: Movie Collection – Volume 1 has the first 6 TV movies that brought back Raymond Burr in the role of the greatest attorney on TV. “Perry Mason Returns” revitalizes the character who had become a judge. Why would he give up his robes? Because his old secretary Della Street (still played by Barbara Hale) is up on murder charges. Perry’s not going to let some punk young attorney handle her case. She’s been framed by a killer in her dress. Paul Drake Jr. (Greatest American Hero‘s William Katt) is Perry’s new investigator. In a confusing bit of casting, Richard Anderson (The Six Million Dollar Man) is a suspect and not a cop. The TV movie did well enough for 25 more of them. “The Case of the Notorious Nun” is an unholy homicide. “The Case of the Shooting Star” is a special effect gone bad. “The Case of the Lost Love” gets Perry’s old flame put on the fire. She’s being blackmailed and her husband might have offed the creep. “The Case of the Sinister Spirit” conjures up Robert Stack (The Untouchables) and Dwight Schultz (The A-Team). “The Case of the Murdered Madam” has four guys getting blackmailed by the woman holding the little black book. Who was the John that pulled the trigger? These are six movies worthy of letting Burr return to the courtroom. He has a beard for this go around.

Instructions Not Included proved to be a smash indie hit. A major Casanova gets a massive surprise when a former lover dumps a daughter on his doorstep. The guy can’t be stuck with a child. He heads to Hollywood to return the gift. While in Tinseltown, he gets a gig as a stuntman. Although the biggest stunt is him growing up to become a father. How does he react when the mother return? The film does a fine balance of comedy and heart.

House of Versace lets Gina Gershon work her lips to their fullest potential. She portrays the legendary Donatella Versace who was forced to run the family’s fashion business when her brother was gunned down. This is what you crave from a Lifetime Original movie. There’s a lot of jet set and eurotrash action. Gershon gets to put Donatella through her drug issues and emotional breakdowns. She not only survives, but thrives. Although it’s hard to watch the film without remembering Showgirls.

Thanks For Sharing is about what happens when a sex addict falls in love. Is this just going to unleash the beast and destroy his pledge? It’s a crazy romantic comedy about people who just want to get it on. This has an A level cast with Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow Josh Gad and Pink (as Alecia Moore). The movie has its charms since it’s from the people behind The Kids Are All Right. Did I mention Carol Kane is in it?

Living By the Gun i s a fine cowboy flick with plenty of shots fired. It’s the classic tale of a man returning home to avenge the death of his brother. This ultimately leads to a young girl wanting her revenge for the situation. There’s plenty of ruthless action and hot lead zipping around the screen. Like the Highlander, there can be only one. There’s more guns in this movie than a season of Pawn Stars.

Joanie Loves Chachi: The Complete Series, Seasons 1 & 2 brings back the time when this young kids ran off to Chicago in search of fame. The Happy Days duo wants to be big time recording stars. What Joanie (Erin Moran) and Chachi (Scott Baio) didn’t count on was Al (Al Molinaro) being part of the picture. But he has the new fancy Chi-town restaurant that needs a band. The first season was only 4 episodes, but proved to be a major hit. This seemed like it would be another Laverne & Shirley. Would America have a love affair with these two foolish lovers? Sadly the second season is only 13 episodes. The show was dumped onto an 8 p.m. Thursday slot. Even with a visit from the Fonz, the show didn’t last half a season. Erin and Scott sang original songs on the show. The trouble was that their music sounded more Peaches and Herb than Beatles. They just weren’t right for the time. When is the last time this aired on TV? Now all 17 episodes are out on DVD for those who still have a crush on Joanie. There is a lot of Chachi’s exposed chest. For those extra curious, Al Molinaro is still alive at 95. Why hasn’t the Kennedy Center honored him?

Laverne& Shirley: The Seventh Season could be considered the final true season. This was the last time the whole cast was around for the full season. The girls are still faking it in Hollywood with big dreams while working at a department store. “Most Important Day Ever” has Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David L. Lander) in the talent agency game. They would go on to form CAA in the ’80s. “The Defiant One” brings out the amazing Richard Moll (Night Court). Did you know he isn’t really bald? Charles Grodin plays himself in “Friendly Persuasion.” Jeff Goldblum (The Fly) buzzes on “Watch the Fur Fly.” Goldblum still refuses to admit he died in New Zealand. It’s a double Harry on “Star Peepers” when both Harry Dean Stanton (Paris, Texas) and Harry Shearer (The Simpsons) arrive. Shearer would team up with McKean to form Spinal Tap. “Perfidyin Blue” scares me. Shirley fears Laverne wants to kill her. The final season has Shirley leave the show quickly. She was as good as dead. I’m still impressed they were able to clear the Beatles stand up in their apartment. There’s a gag reel as the bonus feature.

All Is Lost is the return of Robert Redford to bad ass cinema. He plays a rather quiet guy who heads out on his sailboat for a solo journey. What could go wrong by himself? Pretty much everything goes wrong. Even without a Gilligan, Redford appears cursed by the elements. His boat gets a huge hole from an unexpected source. A storm makes things worse. He can’t call for help because of another screw up. Somebody up there hates him. But he’s not going to give up even as the sharks sniff him out in the big open ocean. The film is the perfect survival at sea flick. Imagine Hitchcock’s Lifeboat as a quiet one man show. Shame he didn’t get an Oscar nomination, but that shouldn’t stop you from wanting to spend a nice night on dry land watching what can go wrong above the waves.

Seal Patrol is pure men on a mission adrenaline rush. A group of ex-Navy SEALs now offer up their services for those who can afford and deserve their military expertise. In this case it’s Eric Roberts (Bullet in the Face & Star 80) who has to make the call. Roberts heads a company about to make a major breakthrough in energy. But something went wrong at the secret lab and now the brainy scientist is about to go boom. Can the ex-Seals get down to save this person and save humanity from a bleak future? There’s a lot of explosions to make your sound system really go boom.

Win THE MUPPETS: CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:44 am

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In conjunction with DK Publishing, we’re giving away three (3) copies of THE MUPPETS: CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 5th 2014.

Enter the contest!
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City:
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All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 5th 2014.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

February 25, 2014

Win GAME OF THRONES: SEASON 3 on Blu-Ray!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 5:42 pm

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In conjunction with HBO, we’re giving away a copy of GAME OF THRONES: SEASON 3 on Blu-Ray.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 5th 2014.

Enter the contest!
Email:
First name:
Last name:
Street Address:
Address Line 2 (if needed):
City:
State/Province/Whatever:
Zip Code/Postal Code:
Country:
Birth Month:
Birth Day:
Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 5th 2014.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

February 24, 2014

FROM THE VAULT: Harold Ramis Interviews

Filed under: A Bit Of A Chat With Ken Plume,Interviews — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 2:55 pm

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Conducted ~5/2004 / ~11/2005

Animal House. SCTV. Stripes. Ghostbusters. National Lampoon’s Vacation. Groundhog Day. Ghostbusters.

Whether as an actor, writer, or director, Harold Ramis was a comedy legend.

I’ve known for a while now that Ramis was seriously ill and would soon be leaving us, but his loss is still a terrible blow, not only for the absence of his keen comedy mind, but also because he was a genuinely decent guy in an industry where such a thing is a decided rarity.

Over the years, I only had the chance to chat with Ramis on two all-too-brief occasions.

The first was in conjunction with the DVD release of Analyze That – the sequel to his hit Analyze This.

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KEN PLUME: You’ve been involved in quite a few successful films as a director…

HAROLD RAMIS: Yes.

PLUME: But you’ve tended to avoid doing sequels when those films went on, such as with Caddyshack and Vacation…

RAMIS: Yeah…

PLUME: So what led to the decision to finally direct a sequel?

RAMIS: Well, I think with these characters the subject is so rich. I think with both Caddyshack – and I was involved a little bit in the early writing of the Caddyshack sequel – but with both Caddyshack and Vacation, it’s not like the subjects were serious enough that they engaged my interest for another round. I love the characters, and the actors were great, but I didn’t see the need to make another Vacation movie. But here, you have the world of psychology and these characters were so rich, and we really left their story, I felt, at the end of Chapter One – we left with De Niro saying he was quitting the mob – and it seemed like a natural springboard for, “Well, gee… Then what does he do? If he leaves the mob, what kind of life does this guy lead?”

PLUME: What reservations do you normally have when approaching something like a sequel? Because you’ve been involved on both sides, as a director and as an actor…

RAMIS: Yeah, I acted in the Ghostbusters sequel, obviously, and wrote that one with Akyroyd. I think we kind of faced it on the Ghostbusters sequel, too – is how do you give the audience enough of what they liked the first time without just slavishly repeating what worked. I remember when we were writing the Ghostbusters sequel, I said to Ivan Reitman – thinking of the Marshmallow Man at the end of the first movie – I said, “Does something have to get big at the end of this?” And he said, “No, no, no, no, no… We don’t have to repeat that.” The longer we worked on the script, finally Ivan said, “Yeah, I think something should get really big.” So there’s that tendency – “Boy that joke worked so well in the original”, you think to yourself. Is there a way to have De Niro shoot a pillow, or do something that he did in the first one that really worked… The challenge really is to remain true to the characters, remain true to the situations that we’re setting up, and then find new jokes that are just as good – that seem equally honest, but try to be fresh.

PLUME: Were there any lessons that you learned on Ghostbusters II that you applied to Analyze That?

RAMIS: Uhhh…. Well, we should have had something get big at the end of it. Cathy Moriarty…

PLUME: Three stories high, it would have been the perfect capper…

RAMIS: True. Well, you know, it’s true, actually – we have a big action climax to this movie. It turns out to be a ruse – a decoy. It’s like the old rule – if you introduce a gun into the first act of a play, it’s going to be used in the third act. So if you do a movie about criminals, you have to accept there’s going to be a big crime. There’s going to be some gunplay. Some action, if not true violence.

PLUME: When you’re planning out your course of attack on a given project, how do you gauge the X factor of audience reaction?

RAMIS: You really can’t. You just can’t. You don’t have the audience. You have your own taste and judgement, you have the people around you, you have great actors with real taste and intelligence – but what you don’t have is the audience. First and foremost, you have to make the movie for yourself. And that’s not to say “To hell with everyone else”, but what else have you got to go on but your own taste and judgement? Then you realize, “Well, that’s why they hired me – because they like my taste and judgement.”

PLUME: In what areas does the audience reaction tend to surprise you the most?

RAMIS: Sometimes it’s not surprising at all – you have what you know to be a great joke or a great moment, a great situation. You just make sure you don’t screw it up. It’s going to work as long as you don’t mess it up. Hopefully you have plenty of those moments in a big comedy. Then there’s always things we call “mystery laughs” – where the audience laughs really hard at something you didn’t think they’d get, or that you didn’t even know was funny. There’s just something about it. There’s always a couple of those… I can’t remember what they are in this particular movie. I also had a great comedian in Billy Crystal, who knows how to make people laugh. He’s got 30 years on stage… there’s no telling him what’s funny. It comes down to good, healthy, mature collaborations.

PLUME: I know this is often a contentious issue for many directors, but how important to you is the preview process?

RAMIS: Oh, very important. For better or worse, that’s the audience, you know? You tell the studio what audience you want recruited, and they recruit half men/half women from 18-40. If they don’t like it, you get another audience. If they don’t like it, you get another one. And if the third one doesn’t like it – as someone once said, “If six Russians tell you you’re drunk, you’d better lie down.”

PLUME: And then open in France.

RAMIS: Well, yeah. As much as we’d like to believe that our work is great and that we’re infallible, we’re not. Hollywood movies are made for the audience. These are not small European art films we’re making.

PLUME: Which of your films would you say was shaped the most by the testing, or post, process?

RAMIS: The movie Vacation had a whole different ending. They never even got to the amusement park, Wallyworld, at the end of Vacation. The last almost like 20 minutes of the film was entirely different – and bombed so badly that the audience was laughing for 80 minutes and then just stopped cold.

PLUME: What was the original ending?

RAMIS: It was the original ending of John Hughes’s short story. They find the amusement park closed, and they practically killed themselves getting there, so he buys a pellet gun – which we kept – and then he goes to the home of Roy Wally, the Walt Disney character, takes him hostage along with several of his executives, and makes the Walt Disney character perform for him. “I want my dime’s worth of entertainment.” And it just was lame… it fell really flat.

PLUME: So it just wasn’t the Marshmallow Man…

RAMIS: No, no… it was nothin’! It was really disappointing.

PLUME: This begs the question – will we see this ending on the upcoming special edition DVD?

RAMIS: That ending? I hope you’ll never see that ending! It forced me to sit back and look at the film and think, “Well, why did they hate it so much?” Well, it wasn’t that funny. I thought, beyond that, the next question is, “What do we do about it?” So the studio said, “You shoot something.” So do you go back and reshoot what you had and try and make it better, or is there some conceptual flaw? In that case, I thought, “People have waited the whole movie to get to Wallyworld, and we’re going with the joke of frustration. Alright – we’re telling the audience, ‘Well, you waited the whole movie for it – you’re not going to get it.’ ” And I thought, “Oh, that’s wrong. That’s really wrong…”

PLUME: “We really shouldn’t slap them like this…”

RAMIS: That’s like telling the kids, “Kids, by the way, we’re not going to Disneyworld.” So I said, “Well, what if he hijacks the park?” You know, instead of hijacking the Disney character. Much better.

PLUME: So if it weren’t for that testing process…

RAMIS: We wouldn’t have found that out, no. In the movie Bedazzled, we had a sequence that audiences were really not liking…

PLUME: Was this the “Rock Star” sequence?

RAMIS: Yeah…. It really made them uncomfortable.

PLUME: Even watching it on DVD, it made me uncomfortable.

RAMIS: Yeah, it’s raw. It’s really out there. Brendan loved it. It was some of his favorite work… I mean, he really enjoyed doing it, but the audience did not want to get in touch with his dark side. And they told me that very clearly. And we went and shot the Abe Lincoln sequence.

PLUME: Speaking of Bedazzled, what are your thoughts on the influence of the internet on the filmmaking process?

RAMIS: I didn’t read anything on the internet. The print critics were, like, really nasty. Nasty in a way that didn’t seem to me related to the movie. In this case, we were tremendously encouraged by the testing of Analyze That. Audiences loved it. They were telling us that they liked it as much as the original and – in many cases – better than the original. The numbers were great… as good as any comedy that I’ve ever worked on. And even anecdotally, we recorded the laughs in the theater. They were huge laughs, and they were consistent through the whole picture. So we went into the opening process thinking, “Boy, people are going to love this movie.” And then the critics – it felt to me that they weren’t reviewing the movie, they were reviewing the showbusiness aspects of the film… what De Niro got. Whenever a critic mentions the salary of an actor, I’m thinking, “He’s not talking about the movie.”

PLUME: And then they pull out the “Sequels Stink!” boilerplate…

RAMIS: Oh yeah! I thought, “this is not a fair shake for this movie.” It seems to me they’re working off some kind of residual resentment – either they’re tired of Bob doing comedy… Maybe there’s some kind of puritanical streak in the critics where they just want him to go back to being the distinguished American actor that they’ve put on a high pedestal.

PLUME: Or they’re exorcising leftover pain from Rocky and Bullwinkle…

RAMIS: Yeah – that it was cute the first time he did a comedy and, okay, it was cute the second time, but enough. Let’s get him back into Travis Bickle mode.

PLUME: Before he becomes Leslie Nielsen…

RAMIS: Yeah. So I though there was a fundamental disrespect in that aspect of the reviews.

PLUME: Which affected the box office?

RAMIS: Well, I think the critics hurt us, and the box office was kind of lackluster. There was kind of a doldrum period in there, and it wasn’t until after the movie opened that the studio told me that, traditionally, that was one of the worst weekends in movie history. That that’s traditionally an awful weekend. Truthfully, I think I’m still gun-shy about the marketing process in general. I don’t want to know too much about it. But even prior to the reviews, we weren’t tracking that well. The tracking was telling us that people had reservations about going to the sequel, or that they were more interested in other movies that were coming out around the same time.

PLUME: Just a confluence of bad events…

RAMIS: Yeah… and I’ve seen that kind of train wreck before. Multiplicity was a movie that tested really well. People seeing the movie really liked it, but then the studio couldn’t market it. We opened on a weekend with nine other films. We never tracked better than the Shaquille O’Neal movie Kazaam.

PLUME: A bit of a black mark on the career there…

RAMIS: I know! But, you know, you’re tracking along with Kazaam – it’s not a comment on the work, it’s a comment on the marketplace.

PLUME: But now, with the afterlife of DVD…

RAMIS: That’s the good news, is that people who I think shied away or were skeptical of the sequel, but liked Analyze This, I think now will get a chance to see that this is, indeed, a really good sequel, and really worth it.

PLUME: So what’s next up on your plate?

RAMIS: I’m looking for something that I care about, you know?

PLUME: So it’ll be Ghostbusters 3…

RAMIS: Oh yeah! But I never work just to work. It’s some combination of laziness and self-respect.

PLUME: Is there any one project that you’ve personally wanted to get off the ground?

RAMIS: Actually, there’s a personal story of my own that I will write at some point, and it’s a film that I will happily make. It could very well be the next thing I do, unless someone shows me something great. It’s a personal story of a time in my life, in 1967, and it’ll be funny and poignant, and really good.

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I also had a chance to chat with him about his film The Ice Harvest, a darkly comedic noir starring John Cusack as a mob lawyer who rips of his boss (Randy Quaid) with the aid of Billy Bob Thornton – which means they’ve got to get out of town, fast. Unfortunately, an ice storm hits – making for a complicated night, to say the least.

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KEN PLUME: It’s interesting to note the reaction that Ice Harvest is getting…

HAROLD RAMIS: I haven’t read any… I’ve only read one rave review – and that’s how I’m keeping it!

PLUME: It’s seems that people are surprised by how dark the film is…

RAMIS: I’ve been hearing that a lot, yeah…

PLUME: But looking back over the films you’ve done, there’s always been an edge to the comedy…

RAMIS: Yeah, well, for me, the best comedy – if it doesn’t have an edge, then it’s not for me. I see a lot of sweet, family comedy out there, and I’m not going. I’m not interested. Life is interesting *because* it’s light and dark, you know?

PLUME: Do you think that, in some ways, people misunderstand the films you’ve done in the past, in treating the tone of Ice Harvest as a surprise?

RAMIS: Well, the most extreme example is there are people who saw Groundhog Day and immediately recognized what the movie was about – that it was kind of a very thoughtful exploration of the meaning of life, in a certain way. And there’s no answers for this, but it was a thoughtful film. But there were others who came away, having just enjoyed it as a comedy, and then several days later came up to me and said, “You know, I think there was something else going on in that film”… You know? So much about what’s important to one person is just not important to someone else, and what’s insightful to one person is just patently obvious or pedestrian.

PLUME: Is there a difference between what attracts you to a project as a director, as compared to what attracts you to actually sitting down as a writer to craft a script yourself?

RAMIS: Well, the investment that a director makes in a film is huge in terms of time and energy and commitment, so I really have to believe in something if I’m going to work on it. I’ll throw writing in there, too. It’s not that I’m so rich that I don’t have to work, but I don’t have to work on stuff I don’t want to do. And I don’t have to work at my “craft” to make a living, so I only do the things that deeply interest me… Because I just can’t seem to find the energy to do things that I’m not really committed to.

PLUME: Do you feel that there’s a perception within the industry of a “Harold Ramis” type of project that is brought to you?

RAMIS: Well, you know, it took a long time for my agents to kind of get it – I’ve had only two agencies in 20 years – and eventually they kind of figure, “Okay, this project will interest Harold, because there’s something going on…” Something more than what’s on the surface, or there’s some big idea kind of at stake in the script. It doesn’t mean that because the ideas are big that the movies have to be serious – but if there isn’t an important idea behind it, then I kind of lose track of why I’m doing it.

PLUME: Is there any film that didn’t have that important idea, that you regretted doing after the fact?

RAMIS: Well, I mean, sometimes it’s a bit of a stretch… They’re not films that I’m responsible for – but even having worked on the Caddyshack sequel was a big mistake… (laughing) I worked on the script when Rodney Dangerfield was going to do it, because Rodney was a friend and really wanted to do it. And we did a movie called Armed & Dangerous, which I produced, which… you know… no one would have cared if it hadn’t gotten made. At least there was kind of a news event behind that story…

PLUME: And it had a good cast…

RAMIS: Yeah, with John Candy and Eugene Levy…

PLUME: You don’t seem to have had the greatest of luck with sequels…

RAMIS: Well, actually, the two big ones – Ghostbusters and Analyze That – were both driven by what I thought were worthy follow-up ideas to the original movies. To some extent they got a little twisted in the execution. Ghostbusters II I didn’t direct, so I was a writer in service of the director, Ivan Reitman, and the actors. Analyze That got bashed a little bit, and it got a little out-of-hand in the last act, but I actually thought that that movie was driven by something really interesting and important.

PLUME: When you come to a project like The Ice Harvest, that has a strong script behind it, what component do you bring to the table that makes the project your own? Specifically in this case, what did you do to personalize the project for you?

RAMIS: For me, a movie is a set of opportunities… And I don’t mean that in any kind of – there’s no false humility here. You’re working with other people – you’re working with other writers’ ideas – and in this case, I feel an obligation to the writers to make the movie that they envisioned. Especially when the writers are this good – especially when one of them is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and the other has 3 Academy Awards… And (Robert) Benton, himself, has directed some great, outstanding movies. So I wanted to make a movie that they’d be proud of, and that they thought reflected what they were going for in the script. And then you have actors you’re responsible to, to make them look good – and you can’t do that by dominating them or forcing them to be something they’re not. It’s a series of agreements that you make, all along the way, with everybody. And sometimes it’s purely your vision, and sometimes it’s a vision you’ve adjusted to accommodate someone else’s visions – and sometimes it’s something that you never would have anticipated, that resulted from just the reality of doing it… the existential circumstances around it.

PLUME: Being both an actor and a writer, how much of an influence do you think that has on you as a director, in both how you interact and the choices you make?

RAMIS: I’m probably more solicitous of actors than some directors might be. I both love them and fear them…

PLUME: In what circumstances do you fear them?

RAMIS: Well, I fear conflict and disagreement, you know, because in one way you’re at the mercy of the actor. If he’s angry or pissed off or doesn’t feel he’s being heard, he can really kind of sandbag the production, you know?

PLUME: Where does conflict generally arise, do you find?

RAMIS: Truthfully, I think it happens when the actor doesn’t trust the director, or doesn’t feel like he’s being well-served in some way, or he feels manipulated. I start out by making an alliance with the actors – I want them to know that my only interest is in making them look good. Because actors – they’re very vulnerable. They take a huge chance. They expose themselves in public, and they know they can look bad – it’s always the possibility. They rely solely on the director, when they’re doing it, to tell them if it’s working or not – and if they don’t trust that *you* know if it’s working, then you’re going to have some conflict… they’ll stop listening to you, they’ll start asking other actors on the set… they may find passive-aggressive ways to just start sabotaging the production. Because if they think it’s going to be bad, then they just start distancing themselves right away, you know – like, “I’m not going to take this seriously, because it sucks,” and they’ll start denying their own work, in a certain way. So you want to keep actors engaged and believing that what they’re doing is valuable and good – and I know what that feels like, having been an actor, and I know what that requires.

PLUME: What’s been the biggest confidence curve you’d had to overcome with an actor on a given project?

RAMIS: Well, usually they’re trusting me… ummm… Maybe it starts early, maybe it’s something in my demeanor – I’m kind of like part-shrink, part-rabbi, you know? I remember I was doing Multiplicity with Michael Keaton, and I didn’t know Michael really well. Before we started shooting the movie, we were going to do a test on the very complicated compositing effects – because he was going to be playing multiple clones of himself. So for the sake of the effect that we were testing, I asked Michael to get up and walk across the stage, and he said, “Why would I do that? Why would my character get up on that line?” And I thought, “Oh boy. This is like a test, right now.” And I said, “No… All right. Don’t. Don’t do it.” I said, “I’m never going to ask you to do anything you don’t want to do – because my job to convince you that it’s the right thing, and if I’m not convincing you, I’m not doing my job. So if you don’t want to do what I want you to do, and I can’t convince you to do it, we’ll find something that you do want to do, that I like.” It just kind of tumbled out of my mouth, you know? But I believed it, as I said it, and I never betrayed him – for 100 shooting days. He never had to do anything he didn’t fully believe in. And that’s a big confidence builder -then you’re the ally of the actor, not the enemy of the actor.

PLUME: You’ve had this experience with a few actors – is there a difference between the rapport you have with an actor when you’re acting alongside them, as opposed the rapport when you’re directing them?

RAMIS: Well, for better or worse, I try to be the same person – no matter what I’m doing. And I mean no matter what – whether I’m talking to my kids or talking to the president of a movie studio or the president of the United States, you know?

PLUME: But when you send the studio head to their room…

RAMIS: (laughing) I don’t send my kids to their rooms! Reality is hard to know sometimes, especially in entertainment. It’s so easy to delude yourself. Paul Shaffer – the bandleader of the Letterman show who used to work with us at the Lampoon and stuff – but Paul was the first among many people that got famous… Paul went to LA to do a pilot, before any of us went – before Belushi or Gilda or Chevy or Chris Guest, or anyone, got well known – and when Shaffer came back, everyone was asking him, “What’s Hollywood like?” And he said, “Well, it’s like people on either side of you whispering bulls*** into your ears at the same time.” So it’s very hard to come by the truth. No one wants to tell you bad news, everyone wants to flatter you, and you could really delude yourself, you know? It’s like, when you’re in the meeting with the executives or the producers, you know – “You’re a genius! What a genius! Oh, this is going to be so great!” And then the meeting breaks up and they say, “Oh, you go ahead – we’re going to stay and talk for a minute.” And you know what that meeting’s like.

PLUME: Was there any point that you fell under the Hollywood delusion, or have you always kept a level head about the business and exactly what you’re dealing with?

RAMIS: Well, I came into it strong. We came into the film business with Animal House. We came right from new York with a script that turned into the biggest comedy ever, so we were, in a way, writing our own ticket. I was able to say, “I want to direct the next movie I write.” Which was Caddyshack. So all that was solid – we weren’t asking for favors, we weren’t depending on anybody. To the extent that I’ve always just taken the approach that, “I’m gonna do what I wanna do, and they’ll get on board or they won’t. Or I’ll find a place that will let me.” Of course I want to hear legitimate feedback and intelligent responses to what I’m doing – and it’s they’re money, of course, so they can always say no… But they can’t make me do what they want me to do.

PLUME: I was speaking to Rick Moranis a few weeks back, and it seems like there’s a definite independent streak to the performers that came out of Second City and SCTV and made their way to Hollywood – performers like you, Rick, Dave Thomas, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, etc. It seems you’re people that aren’t easily pushed into doing a project if it’s not something you don’t want to do.

RAMIS: Well, Second City… I don’t think Rick did the stage show, but he did SCTV… and in almost every case, anything associated with Second City – we had directors, but we were responsible for generating our own material. And we also had a rule – “Always work from the top of your intelligence. “So there was kind of an autonomy that developed. We became self-validating, somehow, and that’s real important. It’s hard enough being a performer or being in showbusiness, because our success is dependent upon the approval of others. But the approval of other people can be a very hollow thing if you’re not self-validating at the same time. If I like what I do, then I’m fine, for the most part. Of course I want other people to like it – but if they don’t, it doesn’t make me question my own taste or ability… It just tells me what’s real – not everyone gets this, not everyone likes this. And it’s very hard to do something that everybody’s going to like. So if you live and die based on other people’s approval, your life can be a roller coaster of illusory pain, or of illusory grandiosity. I just try to trust the people around me that I really trust, work for the smartest, most tasteful 5% of the audience, and hope everyone else comes along.

PLUME: How would you compare the director you are today to the director you were 25 years ago?

RAMIS: I feel like I’m the same guy, with a lot more technical craft experience. The man I am today versus the man I was 25 years ago – life is the great teacher, obviously, and experience has taught me a lot of things about being a person. And it’s not that what was important to me when I was starting out – those things are still important, but just developmentally, other things become important… as you age, as you have children of your own, I’m in a long-term committed relationship with my wife… all these things change you from when you’re 21 and starting out. As Oliver Platt says in our movie, “The only thing left for men is money and p***y.” Well, when you’re young, that’s all you’re working for. If you’re still doing that when you’re 60, you should probably see a therapist.

PLUME: Or get a smoking jacket…

RAMIS: Right! That’s true…

PLUME: And I hope we eventually see that film you were talking about a few years back, based on that even in your life, from 1967…

RAMIS: That would be cool… Somebody asked me about that recently. I’m looking at it again and seeing what I would need to do to turn it into a film.

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You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

Ken P. D. Snydecast #211: Menu Mules

Filed under: Ken P.D. Snydecast — Tags: , , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:37 am

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Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’s Ken Plume set out to have a literate conversation between two pals, but inevitably devolve into a verbal, and funny, free-for-all full of bickering, infighting, and the special kind of male bonding that comes from conflict expressed through the podcast medium.

Actor/comedian/raconteur Dana Snyder, you’re certainly aware, is Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Squidbillies‘ Granny, Minoriteam’s Dr. Wang, and The Venture Bros.‘ Alchemist. Available for weddings and bar mitzvahs (bat availability pending), you can keep tabs on him via his website, www.eyeofthesnyder.com.

Ken Plume is the editor-in-chief here at FRED. He is a friend of Dana’s, as well as his arch-nemesis.

VISIT THE SNYDECAST EXPERIENCE

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KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #211: Menu Mules – Ken & Dana return with a journey into boxes.

[CONTENT WARNING]: This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
Episode #211 (MP3 format)

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-211.mp3]

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Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

Got something to say? E-mail Dana & Ken at the Snydecast mailbag.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE SNYDECAST ARCHIVES

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February 22, 2014

FREDagator: 2014-2-22

Filed under: FREDagator — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:33 pm

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I did not know this centuries-old Chinese musical instrument existed, but now that I do, I love it to (pun-intended) bits…

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February 21, 2014

Win TEEN TITANS GO: MISSION TO MISBEHAVE on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 4:37 pm

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In conjunction with Warner Home Video, we’re giving away five (5) copies of TEEN TITANS GO: MISSION TO MISBEHAVE on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 5th.

Enter the contest!
Email:
First name:
Last name:
Street Address:
Address Line 2 (if needed):
City:
State/Province/Whatever:
Zip Code/Postal Code:
Country:
Birth Month:
Birth Day:
Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, March 5th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Weekend Shopping Guide 2/21/14: Game Of Muppets

Filed under: Shopping Guides — Tags: , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 3:38 am

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The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

Well, it’d be foolish to watch Game Of Thrones (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) and expect anything even approaching a happy ending for anyone involved, but the third season manages to top the brutal exit of Ned Stark with the even more infamous Red Wedding, which sets the political stage for even more upheaval in troubled Westeros in the coming fourth season. The Blu-Ray set has the usual clutch of audio commentaries and deleted scenes, but the real highlights are the animated histories and lore, plus the in-depth deconstruction of the entire “Red Wedding” episode with the cast and creators. Brilliant. But still brutal. Terribly, terribly brutal.

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Hey, webheads! Based on the artwork of J. Scott Campbell, the fine folks at Sideshow have crafted a beautiful – in more ways than one – polystone maquette of Peter Parker’s ginger crush, Mary Jane Watson ($249). The attention to detail in capturing Campbell’s style extends to the unique shading of the paintjob, meant to evoke the same feeling of the original art – And it most certainly does. With an edition size limited to only 6000 pieces, you’ll want to get yours as soon as possible, tiger.

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It’s been a long time coming, but my brilliant buddy Craig Shemin has compiled the ultimate guide to Jim Henson’s Muppety legacy with The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (DK, $16.99 SRP), which features pictures and profiles on just about every Muppet you can think of, right down to the most obscure. Sadly missing, but certainly understandable since this book focuses on the Muppets Disney owns, are the Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, and Emmett Otter Muppets (all of which are still controlled by the Jim Henson Company). Still, it’s a great tome, lovingly and expertly assembled.

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Sometimes the true stories are the most fascinating, and that’s particularly the case with Dallas Buyers Club (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which looks at the lengths to which an AIDS patient in Dallas – and unlikely hero – goes to provide an underground route to life-prolonging medication, in defiance of the FDA, in the dark ages of the epidemic in the late 1980s. It’s a simplification of a great film, marked by stellar performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

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If The Lego Movie left as much of an impression on you as it did me, you’ll probably want to pick up The LEGO Movie: The Essential Guide (DK, $12.99 SRP), which gives a nifty overview of the characters, contraptions, and conflicts comprising this awesome little movie with big heart.

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They say write what you know, and that’s certainly what actress and voice actor Lake Bell has done in her feature In A World (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), playing a voice actress on the outs with her famous father, the king of the voiceover industry, who tries to make her own mark in the cutthroat world of voice acting. There’s also some romance with a sound engineer (Dmitri Martin) and a rivalry with her father’s chosen professional heir (Ken Marino). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, trailers, and a gag reel.

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Insight Editions puts out some truly wonderful art books, and they’ve turned their magical eye towards a property long-deserving of a proper celebration with The Spongebob Squarepants Experience (Insight Editions, $50.00 SRP). Both a behind-the-scenes journey through the development of Stephen Hillenburg’s creation and a compilation of development artwork and ephemera, it’s a worthy purchase for any fan.

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While I still have my reservations for the film, The Art Of Mr. Peabody & Sherman (Insight Editions, $45.00 SRP) is packed with enough visual delights that at least on that front, I’m convinced that film has enough love for Jay Ward’s classic cartoon to merit my hope that all of the other elements match the development artwork.

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Little Clint Howard and a bear having adventures in the Florida Everglades? That should be the only reason you need to watch the second season of Gentle Ben (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Think of it as Lassie… with a bear. Brilliant, right?

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There’s a 3D feature film extravaganza on the way, but if you want to divorce the real history from the drama, The History Channel is releasing Pompeii: The Doomed City (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which collects a trio of documentaries examining that ancient disaster.

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Twomorrows Publishing continues their tradition of wonderful artist spotlights with Modern Masters Volume 29: Cliff Chiang (Twomorrows, $15.95 SRP), featuring an in-depth interview and copious amounts of artwork from the artist best known for his work on Wonder Woman.

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Edie Falco is still offering a cure for what ails you in the fifth season of Nurse Jackie (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.87 SRP), as Jackie Peyton leaves rehab early, sober and relatively happy, as her marriage comes to an end and an accident finds her a patient in her own All Saints Hospital. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

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Produced by Gene Autry and featuring plenty of familiar faces from oaters of the day, the western series The Adventures Of Champion The Wonder Horse (Film Chest, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) – a one-season wonder that ran from 1955-56, about a small boy and his amazing wild horse – has been fully remastered and is available for the first time on DVD. Relive a simpler age where a boy and his horse could do just about everything a boy and his dog could.

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This year, the Easter Bunny can load up his basket with a clutch of seasonal springtime DVD releases from Nickelodeon – Dora The Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure, Dora The Explorer: Egg Hunt, Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit: Spring Into Adventure, and Max & Ruby: Easter With Max & Ruby (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$9.44 SRP each).

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So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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February 20, 2014

Win a Marvel Spider-Man MARY JANE WATSON Statue from Sideshow Collectibles!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 12:39 am

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In conjunction with Sideshow Collectibles, we’re giving away a MARY JANE WATSON POLYSTONE STATUE to one lucky winner!

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 27th 2014.

Per Sideshow: “Mary Jane Watson is the quintessential girl next door, exuberant and charming, she’s the light of Peter Parker’s life. Designed by the incomparable J. Scott Campbell, Sideshow brings this irresistible comic siren to life in the Mary Jane Comiquette, the first release in our J. Scott Campbell Spider-Man Collection. Cast in high quality polystone, MJ is hand painted with a new high-contrast technique, creating added depth and dimension to each piece.”

Please note: International winners agree to pay shipping on any prizes granted by Sideshow Collectibles during any contest or giveaway. International winners (including EU regions) will be responsible for VAT, duties or import fees on the shipment of their prize that may be assessed by their governments. Due to custom requirements, the prize will be assigned a value of at least US$1.

CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 27th 2014.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

February 19, 2014

FREDagator: 2014-2-19

Filed under: FREDagator — UncaScroogeMcD @ 2:16 am

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OK. You have my attention…

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February 18, 2014

A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Billy West

Filed under: A Bit Of A Chat With Ken Plume,Interviews — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 4:27 pm

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I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, I have a chat with voice actor extraordinaire Billy West about Larry Fine, Mel Blanc, radio, Brian Wilson, Futurama, and miracle teeth.

Hope you enjoy…

Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Billy West“:

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/bitofachat/bit_of_a_chat-billy_west.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

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Drop Ken a line HERE.

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You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

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February 14, 2014

Weekend Shopping Guide 2/14/14: Dark Knight Detectives

Filed under: Shopping Guides — Tags: , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 9:06 pm

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The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

Although the second season had its rough spot in the middle, the third season of Sherlock (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) has been absolutely stellar. In fact, I daresay the middle installment this time around, which found our dear detective the best man at Watson’s wedding, was near perfection as both TV and a feature (as these adventures are, in fact, feature-length). Either way, if you haven’t seen this season, rectify a grievous oversight – and if you have seen it, see it again. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes.

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How could the fine folks at Sideshow Collectibles possibly trump the incredible Premium Format Joker they released just a few short months ago? With an even more exceptional take on his archnemesis, the dark night defender of Gotham City, with the Premium Format Batman ($399.99). Based on the classic DC comics appearance, the piece stands almost 2 feet tall, mainly because our hero his perched on a gothic pedestal perfectly befitting the character. There are two separate swappable head sculpts included, allowing you to choose your preference of the long-eared or short-eared cowl. Also swappable is the right hand, with either a clenched fist our holding a batarang. So, should you get this? Yes. Yes you should.

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Definitely near the top of the eagerly-awaited list, Disney has finally unveiled their high definition restoration of The Jungle Book (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), and it looks just as spectacular as all of their recent restorations – like it could have been made yesterday. All of the bonus material from the previous DVD release has been ported over, with the addition of a brand new introduction, an alternate ending, featurettes, a spotlight on Disney animation, and more. An ace treatment of a true classic, and just leaves 101 Dalmatians and Aladdin as the big missing flicks.

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Just because the 50th anniversary has wrapped doesn’t mean that fans aren’t still getting treated to goodies from the vaults, as another Patrick Troughton 2nd Doctor adventure gets a special edition release in Doctor Who: The Moonbase (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). As with most of Troughton’s stories, this one has missing episodes, but they’ve been lovingly recreated his battle against the Cybermen using the still-extant audio tracks in animated form. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, galleries, and PDF goodies from the archive.

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To say About Time (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is a goopy mess is an understatement, but because it’s a Richard Curtis film, it’s also a button-pushing master manipulator with that goop, that sadly doesn’t understand that its sole focus should have been on the much better-realized father-son relationship than the awkward time travel courtship of its lead and his eventual wife. Yeah, it’s complicated. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, and a blooper reel.

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The House of York and the House of Lancaster vie for the throne of England in the historical miniseries The White Queen (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.99 SRP), which dramatizes the real game of thrones between Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, and Anne Neville in the year 1464. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.

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While it’s not quite up to Pixar or even Dreamworks standards, Free Birds (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is a fun little self-aware romp in the vein of Hoodwinked, as a pair of turkeys decide to travel back in time in order to take themselves and their brethren off the Thanksgiving menu. And hijinks ensue. Bonus materials include featurettes and a music video.

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While we’re marking time until the next full season Blu-Ray release, catch the next 16 episodes in Regular Show: Mordecai + Margaret Pack (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$19.82 SRP), which also features a bonus Steak Me Amadeus commercial.

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The folks at Mill Creek continue to keep budget-conscious cinephiles in their thoughts with another batch of multi-film collections and television show re-releases, the latest of which include 90s Night In (Threesome, The Velocity Of Gary, Wilder Napalm, Go!, Hexed, The Mating Habits Of The Earthbound Human, Jersey Girl, The Suburbans), Silver Screen Romances (The Solid Gold Cadillac, Angels Over Broadway, We Were Strangers, Music In My Heart, The Marrying Kind, Adam Had Four Sons, It Should Happen To You, Down To Earth), Big Screen Romances (The Luzhin Defense, This Is My Father, Tempest, Violets Are Blue, No Small Affair, The Man Who Loved Women, Modern Romance, Perfect), Chick Flicks (If Lucy Fell, Sweet Hearts Dance, Imaginary Heroes, You Light Up My Life, Moscow On The Hudson, I’m With Lucy, Mr. Jones, Lies & Alibis (Mill Creek, $9.98 SRP each), Tear Jerkers (Swept Away, My Life, Avalon, To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday, All The Pretty Horses, The End Of The Affair), British Cinema Showcase (Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, Last Orders, Still Crazy, Crush, Driving Legends, Young Adam) (Mill Creek, $9.98 SRP each), The Three Stooges: 6 Movie Set (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), The Ellen Show: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), Gotham City Serials: Batman/Batman And Robin (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), and The Tick: The Entire Series (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP).

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Most fear to tread in the footsteps of Hitchcock, but that didn’t stop to the BBC from making an enjoyable take on the tale of trainboard mystery, The Lady Vanishes (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), as a young woman is unwittingly drawn into a sinister plot.

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It’s been a few years, so evidently we’re due for a special Diamond Edition re-release of the musical Chicago (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP), which comes fully remastered and with over 2 hours of new bonus materials, including a retrospective documentary with the cast & crew.

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It’s a shame that WB’s latest animated tale from the DC Comics universe, Justice League: War (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP) looks so darn good, because it’s rather spiffy animation is unfortunately brining to life DC’s rather abysmal “New 52” continuity reboot. There are highlights here and there, but it’s hard to care about a collection of formerly epic superheroes turned into a band of many malcontents with few redeeming traits. Bonus materials include featurettes and a sneak peek at the next animated feature, Son Of Batman.

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Best to forget the Lindsey Lohan of it all when you can instead see Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West as Burton And Taylor (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), a much better portrait of the on-again, off-again couple’s love affair as it played its final act while both were starring in the play Private Lives. Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes.

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When a security expert is deceived and wrongfully imprisoned in the world’s foremost high security prison, he must recruit a fellow inmate in order to attempt a daring escape in, errr… Escape Plan (Summit, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which is noteworthy because the two leads attempting the breakout are Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.

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Enjoy Shirley’s swan song, as the penultimate seventh season of Laverne & Shirley (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is the last full season to feature Penny Marshall, as she makes a quick departure two episodes into the eighth and final season to come.

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Never would I have believed that Mike Tyson would one day do a one-man show on Broadway, but that’s exactly what Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), as the former heavyweight champion of the world presents his side of his often controversial life. Bonus materials include interviews.

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That Wadjda (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$40.99 SRP) is a Saudi Arabian film from a female writer/director is remarkable enough, but that it’s also a moving tale of a young girl in a fiercely patriarchal society who wants nothing more than to buy her own bicycle in defiance of that society is where its true power lies. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurette, and a Q&A.

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The second season of the modern relaunch of Dallas (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) also marks the untimely exit of Larry Hagman and his iconic J.R. Ewing, a character which came to define this new series as much as he did the old, and whose mysterious death leaves massive repercussions for everyone left in his wake. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and the 2013 PaleyFest panel.

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How about a soundtrack round up for this week? Certainly! You’ve got Patrick Doyle’s score to Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Varese Sarabande, $13.03 SRP), Tuomos Kantelinen’s The Legend Of Hercules (Lionsgate Records, $7.99 SRP), Christopher Lennertz’s Ride Along (Varese Sarabande, $12.59 SRP), Alexandre Desplat’s Monuments Men (Sony Masterworks, $11.88 SRP), Nicholas O’Toole & Jonathan Davis’s After The Dark (Varese Sarabande, $14.84 SRP), Marcelo Zarvos’s Enough Said (Varese Sarabande, $19.98 SRP), Bear McCreary’s Knights Of Badassdom (Sparks & Shadows, $14.98 SRP), and David Torn’s That Awkward Moment (Varese Sarabande, $13.98 SRP).

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So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Hal Lublin 3

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I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, Ken Plume has another chat with actor Hal Lublin, about proximity mimics, doctors, dropped hats, thrilling adventures, and Hal-shaped holes. With special guests Paul Sabourin and Mark Gagliardi.

Hope you enjoy…

Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Hal Lublin 3“:

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/bitofachat/bit_of_a_chat-hal_lublin_3.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

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Drop Ken a line HERE.

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You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

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A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Andrew Hunter Murray

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I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, I have a chat with writer and performer Andrew Hunter Murray about Private Eye, QI, Jane Austen, questions, bridges, tunnels, and Brian Blessed.

Hope you enjoy…

Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Andrew Hunter Murray“:

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/bitofachat/bit_of_a_chat-andrew_hunter_murray.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

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Drop Ken a line HERE.

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You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

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February 12, 2014

FREDagator: 2014-2-12

Filed under: FREDagator — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:02 am

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For you history buffs, here’s a brilliant little visual guide to World War I from artist John Ruddy…

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February 7, 2014

Ken P. D. Snydecast #210: Crunchings And Munchings

Filed under: Ken P.D. Snydecast — Tags: , , , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 2:21 am

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Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’s Ken Plume set out to have a literate conversation between two pals, but inevitably devolve into a verbal, and funny, free-for-all full of bickering, infighting, and the special kind of male bonding that comes from conflict expressed through the podcast medium.

Actor/comedian/raconteur Dana Snyder, you’re certainly aware, is Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Squidbillies‘ Granny, Minoriteam’s Dr. Wang, and The Venture Bros.‘ Alchemist. Available for weddings and bar mitzvahs (bat availability pending), you can keep tabs on him via his website, www.eyeofthesnyder.com.

Ken Plume is the editor-in-chief here at FRED. He is a friend of Dana’s, as well as his arch-nemesis.

VISIT THE SNYDECAST EXPERIENCE

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KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #210: Crunchings And Munchings – Ken & Dana return with edible guilty pleasures.

[CONTENT WARNING]: This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

DOWNLOAD: (right click to save)
Episode #210 (MP3 format)

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/snydecast/ken_p_d_snyde_cast-210.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

Got something to say? E-mail Dana & Ken at the Snydecast mailbag.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE SNYDECAST ARCHIVES

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February 5, 2014

A Bit Of A Chat with Ken Plume & Andy Bobrow 4

Filed under: A Bit Of A Chat With Ken Plume,Interviews — Tags: , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 11:33 pm

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I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.

In this episode, I have another chat with COMMUNITY writer/producer Andy Bobrow, about cannisters, pilots, pop tarts, and regret.

Hope you enjoy…

Download “A Bit of a Chat with Ken Plume & Andy Bobrow 4“:

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/bitofachat/bit_of_a_chat-andy_bobrow_4.mp3]

SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to this Podcast via iTunes

##

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Drop Ken a line HERE.

##

You can also find more of my interviews by clicking HERE.

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Win MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:38 am

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In conjunction with HBO, we’re giving away three (3) copies of MIKE TYSON: UNDISPUTED TRUTH on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, February 12th.

Enter the contest!
Email:
First name:
Last name:
Street Address:
Address Line 2 (if needed):
City:
State/Province/Whatever:
Zip Code/Postal Code:
Country:
Birth Month:
Birth Day:
Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, February 12th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

Win STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY BIG HELP on DVD!

Filed under: Contests — Tags: , , , , — UncaScroogeMcD @ 1:34 am

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In conjunction with Fox, we’re giving away one (1) copy of STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY BIG HELP on DVD.

Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, February 19th.

Enter the contest!
Email:
First name:
Last name:
Street Address:
Address Line 2 (if needed):
City:
State/Province/Whatever:
Zip Code/Postal Code:
Country:
Birth Month:
Birth Day:
Birth Year:

Official Rules

No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.

No Purchase necessary to win.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

One entry per day, per person.

All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, February 19th.

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.

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