Author: UncaScroogeMcD

ADAMSTOWN, TENNESSEE – Sometimes you don’t have to pick up a stick to make a point.
When Shout! Factory put out their Blu-ray of Walking Tall and its two sequels, I pondered why this great piece of deep fried filmmaking wasn’t part of the National Film Board’s National Film Registry. Airplane! and Enter the Dragon are on the list so it’s not that uptight of a vote. Well I got an answer from someone connected to the board. It hasn’t received that many nominations before the big vote. Who can nominate? Unlike the Oscars and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, people who just like a movie a lot are allowed to send in a nomination that gets reflected in the process. The voice of the people can be heard instead of just members of an elitist club. Who knew? You do now.

The person at the registry said that my nomination has been noted for Walking Tall, but I can get others to also email them in a nomination. The more nominations received, the better chances that it can be one of the lucky 25 films to make the list. Let this be our summer project: to get the legend of Buford Pusser preserved right next to Snow White, Citizen Kane and Eraserhead.

Why does Walking Tall deserve a slot in the Film Registry? First off we’re talking the original movie from 1973 and not the remake with the Rock and Johnny Knoxville. Joe Don Baker dominated the screen as Sheriff Buford Pusser. Think of him as the anti-Andy Griffith as he is forced to tackle the redneck mafia that’s ruined his little Mayberry. Walking Tall would have been Oscar nominated under the new rules of 10 or so Best Pictures. This film was an indie distribution sensation pulling in $23 million in an era when a movie ticket was $1.50. Drive-ins across the South were jammed by fans eager to see Pusser bring down a piece of lumber on a goon. The film inspired numerous Southern set flicks over the next few years. Nationally the movie has given birth to numerous real life lawman that fancied themselves the next Sheriff Pusser. Some are sincere while others are self-serving showmen. The film is part of the American cultural landscape. Judging from that soulless remake starring the Rock, Walking Tall can’t be duplicated.

Why should you take a minute to nominate? Because you can. How many times are you ticked off that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has skipped over your favorite band? Or the Oscars Takes a few minutes to write “I’d like to nominate Walking Tall (the original and not the crummy Rock remake) for the National Film Registry” and email it over? You can cut and paste what I just wrote if you want to be lazy about it.

Where do you send it? dross@loc.gov is the address for your email.

If you send in your nomination for Walking Tall, you may find yourself standing up and applauding the announcement of the next Film Registry list. Do it for Joe Don Baker and Sheriff Pusser.

PILL PROBLEM?

Nice to see Dr. Drew get nailed for being paid to push a drug and refusing to admit it as he hawked the stuff on major TV shows. He must have had a bout of amnesia after he cashed the check for over a quarter of a million dollars. Another TV phoney.

TODAY HOST

The producers of The Today Show haven’t done a great service dumping Ann Curry for Savannah Guthrie. Do they not understand what America wants in their female morning host? They don’t merely want a big smile. They need a woman who looks like she can shake off getting nailed in the stomach by a chimp. Think of the successes – Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric and Meredith Vieira. All three could take that unexpected ape punch and send it back to Willard Scott with a chuckle. Deborah Norville and Ann Curry would be on the ground screaming for Lenny to dial 911 and their agent.

BYE ANDY

The passing of Andy Griffith was a sad moment around the Party Favors headquarters since it’s located in the heart of North Carolina. I never worked directly or encountered Andy. I had stalked him around Manteo Island with no sightings. I even left a box of Ritz crackers near the Lost Colony Theater as a trap. My brother was in the jury scene for Matlock’s last trial when he filmed the show in Wilmington. The rule on the set was that if you stared directly at Andy, you were immediately fired. For a while, Andy seemed to be the meanest man in showbiz. The closet I came to an Andy encounter was when a make-up artist let me listen to a voice mail Andy had left her. But after listening to his voicemail, it became obvious that Andy was really the most guarded man in showbiz. And why wouldn’t he be? So many people watched his shows over the year. While it’s not unusual for fans to think they know an actor, what made things twisted for Andy was many of these fans thought Andy knew them. He had to keep up a hard exterior to protect himself from their delusions. But when he accepted you into his inner circle, he was the charming Andy Griffith you imagined from the TV show. He did so much in making the world know that North Carolina wasn’t a soulless state packed with vicious hillbillies and snake handlers. Now it’s up to Zach Gallifinakis to carry Andy’s torch.

BOB MACKIE ON CAROL’S WARDROBE

WHY DVDS MATTER

I’m trapped in a “battleground state.” You know why they call them battleground states? Because every time you turn on the TV set – a SuperPAC is stabbing you in the eyes and ears with the most god awful depressing commercials. The messages can be summarized as “The good times are over so stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.” Whatever happened to the pursuit of happiness? People who are slightly depressed shouldn’t turn on a television station until after mid-November. It’s only going to get worse as they buy up all the ad time in every show. There’s nothing sacred. These SuperPACs are forcing their ads before youtube videos aimed at preschoolers. What’s the solution? Buy DVDs and avoid the chance to being attacked by campaign ads. If you have relatives and friends trapped in battleground states, send them care packages of DVDs that will keep them smiling. You might think about internet streaming services, but the SuperPACs are going to think of evil ways to pop up their message on the computer screen and then claim it was a glitch. They’re evil that way.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

God Bless America made me cry at its beautiful message. Writer-Director Bobcat Goldthwait has made another dark vision of America that outdoes his World’s Greatest Dad. Joel Murray (Duck on Mad Men) has a horrible day when he’s fired from his job and gets diagnosed for an inoperable brain tumor. He’s got not future. All he has is his TV since he’s also an insomniac. He can’t deal with all the ungrateful fame whores being turned into superstars. Whatever happened to nice people on TV? Murray goes on a campaign to restore being nice by killing jerks. He starts with the whiny brat from a version of Super Sweet Sixteen. During his murder plot, he gains a groupie in Tara Lynn Barr. She’s a high schooler gleeful in helping with the slaughter. She also wants to clean up TV with hot lead. The duo are amazing together. This is Natural Born Killers fired through Leon without being overbearingly arty. Bobcat plays it close to the bone as Murray and Barr go cross country looking to rid the country of reality stars. There are so many people who need to be stopped by this modern Bonnie and Clyde. Among the annoying TV people is TV’s Frank from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Joel Murray is Bill Murray’s brother. This is his Lost In Translation except with a much better ending when it comes to the relationship with the girl. God Bless America truly is a movie of our times. The bonus features include several behind the scenes featurettes, outtakes from the spoofed reality TV hows and a commentary with Bobcat, Murray and Barr. For those curious, Barr is not Roseanne’s daughter, granddaughter or nut plantation employee. God Bless America is the must see movie of the summer. Afterwards you might want to visit the X Factor auditions to stop Simon.

The Hunter allows Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) and Sam Neil (Jurassic Park) to unwind in constraining roles. Dafoe gets hired by a biotech company to capture a Tasmanian Tiger. The creature is supposed to be extinct, but recently there have been reports of it roaming in the wilderness. He bases himself at a home owned by Francis O’Connor and her two kids. Her husband vanished in the wilderness less than a year before. While Dafoe wants to be the cold blooded killer stalking his prey, the kids are making him warm up. This is bad for business. Sam Neil is the local who serves as a bit of a tour guide to Dafoe. But he’s not fully open to the outsider. There’s a whole subplot about environmentalist halting efforts to work in the wilderness. Dafoe is masterful as the lonely hunter forced to make hard choices during the pursuit. Can he really destroy the last of an animal for a price? The producers of Animal Kingdom made The Hunter. This is another one of those fine movies that seems alienated from a box office focused completely on over the top comic books or Channing Tatum.

DVD SHELF

Streets of San Francisco Season 3 Volume 1 & Volume 2 brings some more authentic crime from the shakiest town in the west. Detective Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) and Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) play the vet and the newbie going up and down the streets solving crimes. They really shot on the streets of San Francisco so you’re getting an accurate view of landscape in 1974. “One Last Shot” doesn’t merely give us Leslie Nielsen (Police Squad) in a serious role, but he’s drunk cop whose impaired behavior leads to his partner taking a bullet. Not only do Mike and Steve have to find the suspect, but must determine who pulled the trigger. Jock Mahoney (Tarzan in Tarzan’s Three Challenges) also guest stars. “The Most Deadly Species” brings Brenda Vaccaro to town. She’s not a tourist, but a hit woman on a gig. Joseph Ruskin helps as an undertaker. “Target: Red” brings Bill Bixby to town as a psycho killer looking to take out a politician. “Mask of Death” is John Davidson’s only real acting gig of his career. You won’t believe he was a host of That’s Incredible with his role as a female impersonator with a dark secret. Bernie Kopell (The Love Boat) and John Fielder (The Bob Newhart Show) factor into the double trouble. Dabney Coleman gets involved in “Jacob’s Boy.” The suspect is innocent of this crime, but he’s got another tucked away in his past. “Cry Help” screams from Clint Howard (Gentle Ben). Can Ron Howard’s brother really be a killer? Volume 2 has 11 episodes. “The Twenty-Five Caliber Plague” follows a gun over a weekend. The guest stars include Vic Morrow (The Bad News Bears), Anthony Zerbe and Anthony Geary (General Hospital). “The Programming of Charlie Blake” makes Dean Stockwell think he’s being treated for his sexual predator ways, but his shrink wants him to confess to a different crime. “Solitaire” has Mike work with a new guy while Steve recovers from a gunshot wound. The old dog isn’t happy with his new partner. Malden and Douglas make a perfect crime solving team. The two volumes of Season 4 will be released on August 28.

Dynasty: The Sixth Season Volume One and Volume Two answers the question of what Carringtons survived the “Moldavian Wedding Massacre.” It was a tough summer for fans and the cast as they waited to know who lived and who was riddled with bullets. Medics and doctors would be no help. Only their eager agent could save them from a fate worse than death. What a perfect time to remove cast members that think they deserve more money? Viewers weren’t completely teased as wedding guests were brought out of the massacre site. The fortunate were messed up with a few odd wounds. The doomed would never return to Denver. I’m not going to spoil the suspense. The living didn’t get to leave the country. Turns out that Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystale (Linda Evans) are kept in a dungeon while Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) arranges a multi-million dollar ransom. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Moldavia. Things get really twisted when Rita shows up on the scene. She’s a dead ringer for Krystale mostly because she’s also played by Linda Evans. Rita replaces Krystale in Blake’s life, but he doesn’t know it. She has a plan to merely divorce Blake and get half his fortune. Her back up plan is to kill Blake and take all of it. He’s in major trouble. Can he survive this double trouble? Will Alexis join in the carnage to get a cut? These are the 15 episodes on Volume One. There’s plenty of backstabbing and intrigue in Volume Two. Rita wants a bit of revenge for her plan going bad. Alexis goes screaming yellow bonkers when her husband messes with her daughter. There’s plenty of intense ugliness in the Carrington Empire until we get to the big cliffhanger of Blake choking Alexis to death when she does the ultimate backstab. You can order both parts of the season in one package since you’re not going to want to stop once you’re devouring the Carringtons. There’s only three more seasons to go.

Mannix: The Seventh Season packs quite a punch for the penultimate season. Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) was a private eye who worked from his gut. He either played out a case from his gut or took plenty of blows in his gut. His only real back up is his secretary Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher). He’s had a lot of police connections including Mr. Brady (Robert Reed). This was the last season he recurred on Mannix and it was also the final season of The Brady Bunch. You’d think he’d get more time as a cop once he dumped the wife, six kids, Alice and Sam the Butcher. He’s in the opening episode “The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress.” The shows starts off right when a mysterious client arrives at Joe’s apartment/office and the P.I. pours out the Scotch before getting to business. Mannix had priorities. He fears for a woman’s life, but doesn’t completely know the details. Damn those iffy mystics. A girl like the one he described ends up dead. Mannix has to take his next warning seriously. Joan Van Ark (Knots Landing) might be in the dress. “A Way to Dusty Death” is the classic small towners hating Mannix investigating. Howard Duff (Flamingo Road) and Tony Geary (General Hospital) aren’t happy locals. “Climb a Deadly Mountain” crashes Mannix into a mountain. He survives and is rescued by an escaped convict. Trouble is his pursing guards want the guy dead along with anyone that might know his secret. Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible and Vega$) guest stars. “Silent Target” ruins Mannix’s fishing trip when he hooks into a group of hitmen. John Hillerman (Magnum P.I.) and Frank Langella (Dracula) are amongst the hired guns. “Search in the Dark” ties Victor Buono (King Tut on Batman) into a jewel heist. “All the Dead Were Strangers” except Anthony Zerbe. “The Darkest Hour” demands Mannix figure out who shot him with his own gun. Can he solve the case and live? Among the suspects are Elizabeth Ashley, William Devane, Victor French and the tasty Alan Fudge. “Mask for a Charade” makes Claude Akins (Sheriff Lobo) hire Mannix to clear his name and restore his police badge after a murder charge. “Trap for a Pigeon” brings back Robert Reed for his final bit. What’s amazing is how the hair folks have covered his head in grease, wax and spray to semi-straighten out his dad perm he was sporting on The Brady Bunch that season. “The Ragged Edge” hooks Mannix on heroin so that he’ll do bad things to get the sweet stuff from his connection. Linda Evans (Dynasty) figures into this junky business. Mannix is such a badass show. There’s only one more season left to be released on DVD.

Father Dowling Mysteries: The Second Season was its first season ABC after NBC canceled the show. The series seemed like a sure fire hit in the era of Matlock and Murder, She Wrote. But NBC couldn’t handle the religious crime solving series featuring Tom Bosley (Happy Days) as Father Dowling and Tracy Nelson (sister of Nelson) as Sister Steve. Mary Wickes played the housekeeper, but would become a full fledge nun in the Sister Act movies. The second season is also not a full order since it was a winter replacement on ABC. “The Visiting Priest Mystery” starts innocent enough with Anthony LaPaglia (Innocent Blood) showing up at the church. Turns out he’s a man who prefers to put holes in others and not a holy man. “The Exotic Dancer Mystery” gets my attention with a healthy mix of strippers and nuns. Sister Steve has to go undercover to deal cards for Michael Des Barres (The Power Station touring version). “The Stone Killer Mystery” has an ex-con wanting to get revenge on Father Dowling for sending him up the river. His only hope of survival is Yahphet Kotto (Alien) and Paul Gleason (The Breakfast Club). “The Passionate Painter Mystery” stalks an artist. Why? Cause his work will be worth more when he’s dead. Among the suspects is none other than Rosco Lee Browne (Uptown Saturday Night) and Candy Clark (Man Who Fell to Earth. Father Dowling Mysteries is perfect for those wanting to more Holy Rolling than Matlock and the sinful Murder, She Wrote. There’s 13 episodes on 3 DVDs with the original previews.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Series 2, Season 2 covers the series from 1991 when DIC took over the animation duties. The Joes are ready to fight against Cobra and keep the earth free of their nefarious plans. All 20 episodes are featured on 3 DVDs. This was a strange time for the Joe team as they focused on saving the environment and stopping drugs. Just in time for the London Olympics and the Jubilee, there’s “Chunnel.” Cobra Commander has kidnapped the Queen of England. Guess her fancy wave isn’t a great form of self-defense. “Long Live Rock N Roll” is a two parter that has Rock N Roll Joe attack with his sonic guitar. He can kill with power chords. “The Sludge” creates a super villain out of a cesspool. Thankfully this episode isn’t in smell-o-vision. “Cobra World” is a cute one when the ultimate in evil buy an amusement park. Have they really turned into a family entertainment conglomerate or is this just a great way to kill folks with kindness? The bonus feature is a group of Hasbro folks discussing the toys and how they worked themselves into the TV series.

Bonanza: The Official Third Season Volume 1 and Volume 2 was when the show really took off after being moved to the ripe spot of Sundays at 9 p.m. America was ready to go to work on Monday so they could lie around the water cooler that they had a color TV back home. The 34 episodes are spread over the two volumes, but you can buy them bundled together at a discount. Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his sons Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon) are still keeping their Ponderosa ranch the most prestigious in all of Nevada. “The Smiler” has the brother of a man Hoss killed show up in town. But the guy swears he’s not out for revenge. You’ll be out for the guest part from Scatman Crothers (The Shining). “Springtime” lets John Carradine torture the boys while he’s a houseguest with just a few simple needs. “The Honor of Cochise” makes DeForest Kelly (Bones on Star Trek) the target of Indians. Guess he broke the primary directive. “Broken Ballad” returns Robert Culp (The Greatest American Hero) to the town. He’s retired from being a gunman. The neighbors are bothered since rumor has it that he killed a local’s son. “The Many Faces of Gideon Finch” features the familiar mug of Joe Turkel (Bladerunner and The Shining). “The Tin Badge” makes Little Joe a sheriff of a small town. Trouble comes in the form of Vic Morrow (Humaniods from the Deep). There’s a double Star Trek sighting on “Gift of Water.” James Doohan (Scotty) and Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel) get stuck in a drought. There’s a major trouble alert when Lee Marvin heats up “The Crucible.” He wants to make Adam a killing machine. Making this season even cooler is Marvin’s tagteam partner in Badass arrives with James Coburn in “The Long Night.” Hoss must have felt like a pony being around Marvin and Coburn that long. Those are two major reasons to grab season three of Bonanza. There’s plenty of bonus features including plenty of production photos, the cast pushing Chevys and a clip from a March of Dimes special with Hoss and Ben meeting Buster Keaton.

Dawn Rider remakes one of John Wayne’s early starring roles with Christian Slater (Heathers) in the Duke’s role. John Mason (Slater) returns home to find the masked outlaws that killed his father. He’s in a tricky situation since he might also be wanted by the law for his career choice. But his sense of getting revenge for what was done to pa outrides his fugitive ways. Trouble for Mason comes in the form of a lawman (M*A*S*H*‘s Donald Sutherland). He’s got a warrant. Emotional trouble for Mason evolves from Jill Hennenssy. He gets attached to her, but she’s got a few dark secrets he might not want to know. Since it wasn’t one of John Wayne’s major hits, Slater isn’t just having to carry too much of John Wayne’s weight on the screen. He can be himself instead of an impersonator saying, “Pilgrim” to enhance his dialogue. It’s a fine rough and tumble Western worthy of putting on the DVD player for a lazy Saturday afternoon oater. Dawn Rider is currently a Walmart exclusive although you can get digital copies from Amazon. Plan accordingly.

MILWAUKEE – Baseball is back in season and so is Don Most. The star of Happy Days returns in The Yankles. Instead of being the student athlete on the field, Most now plays a baseball dad.

Yankles is about Eliot Dubs (Michael Buster), a one-time pitching prospect who has entered a yeshiva to study for a religious life. When the school’s leaders decide to form a baseball team to play in a minor college conference, Eliot puts up a resistance. But he quickly joins in the diamond life to make things a little easier on his studies. While there’s a bit of raw talent amongst his classmates, he can’t do it all. The team really lacks a manager with real baseball skills. Brian Wimmer (Cpl. Boonie on China Beach) is a disgraced baseball all-star recently released from prison. He can’t find anyone to take him on for his court ordered community service hours. The yeshiva takes a chance on him since they don’t want to be completely embarrassed against their new rivals.

The film is an Orthodox take on The Bad News Bears. Amongst the colorful characters is Don Most. He’s a former big leaguer upset that his son has given up on baseball to study religion. The son was raised to see baseball as a faith. Most’s dad spends most of his time hanging out at a bar enjoying his beer and watching games on the TV. He’s not the jovial Ralph Malph that hung around Arnold’s.

When a chance come up to swap email questions with Most came up, the Party Favors eagerly accepted. Back in 1989, the Party Favors interviewed Frank Gorshin (Batman‘s The Riddler). Gorshin had recently done a play with Most. He had only compliments for his co-stars. Most has been active over the years including recently appearing on Glee. He also appeared on Star Trek: Voyager and Sliders which makes him eligible to appear at the John Rhys-Davies Convention.

Most isn’t a stranger to the diamond. He was part of the Happy Days ball team the played numerous charity games. But we start the conversation about Most playing a prickly character in The Yankles.

Party Favors: What did you do to create and maintain the frustration your character projects early in Yankles?

Don Most: I took certain events from my own life….plus added some imaginary circumstances to get me to where I needed to be.

Party Favors: Did you ever get fearful that the cast and crew would think you were that prickly?

Don Most: I thought that some might, but you got to do what you got to do.
Party Favors: How was the collaboration between yourself, David R. Brooks and Zev Brooks?

Don Most: I mainly collaborated with David (who directed) and it was great! He really took the time to make sure we were both on the same page, answering all of my many questions, and offering some good insights.

Party Favors: What did you do to create a father and son bond between you and Michael Buster. Did you end up playing catch off camera?

Don Most: We did not end up playing catch. We mainly talked and got to know one another as best as you could. Since there was supposed to be such alienation between us, sometimes we would keep our distance from each other.

Party Favors: Was it odd to be in a religious theme baseball film with so many of your scenes at a bar?

Don Most: No, not really. I wasn’t thinking about it along those lines. I just looked at each scene and did what I had to do to be as true as possible to it.

Party Favors: What brand of beer did you imagine your character was pounding down?

Don Most: Budweiser.

Party Favors: Did being around the diamond take you back to your days when the Happy Days cast had a ball team?

Don Most: It did take me back so that I wanted to play again.

Party Favors: Did anyone on the team play nasty? Did Tom Bosley ever signal for chin music?

Don Most: What? The Happy Days gang play nasty? Impossible.
Party Favors: Will we be seeing more of you on the upcoming season of Glee?

Don Most: I think I should be coming back since Emma and Will have a wedding planned. I hope so. I really enjoyed doing the show.

Party Favors: Did you get a chance to see the new release of Crazy Mama? (The Jonathan Demme directed film starred Most.) Is it inspirational to see that Cloris Leachman is still busy? Or intimidating that you have to match her stamina?

Don Most: I haven’t seen the new release. I guess I better go out and get it. And it is BOTH inspirational and intimidating to see the kind of stamina that Cloris has. I’m hoping I can come close to that.

Party Favors: Finally, speaking of underdogs of sport, what did you do when Lehigh beat Duke in the NCAA tourney? (Most had attended Leigh before heading out to Los Angeles).

Don Most: I called up a bunch of my old fraternity brothers and we all had a good toast or two for old time sake.

The Yankles is out on DVD and Blu-ray from Magnolia Home Entertainment.

MORE HAPPY DAYS AHEAD?

for those keeping track, the Party Favors has now featuring Henry Winkler and Don Most. This means Anson Williams is now on the clock. Why isn’t there a Potsie Weber sings the greatest hits of the 50s and 60s collection?

DRIVE-IN LOVE

Fans of seeing cinema under the stars are in for a treat with the Sixth annual Drive-In Super Monster-rama running Friday Sept. 7 and Saturday Sept 8 in Vandergrift, PA. The Riverside Drive-in is outside Pittsburgh. For $10 a night you will get to experience THEATRE OF BLOOD, HORROR HOUSE, EQUINOX , SON OF BLOB on Friday. Plus Saturday promises TWINS OF EVIL, COUNTESS DRACULA, RAW MEAT and PSYCHOMANIA. What can you do during the day besides nap? Try to find the locations from George Romero films! You can get more info at www.dvddrive-in.

JR-D13

The John Rhys-Davies Convention for 2013 is getting closer to be a reality. We’re looking for bids from major cities to host the greatest gathering of John Rhys-Davies fanatics ever. Remember that facilities need to be huge enough to handle ninjas from Shogun.

We have run into a roadblock with not quite being able to confirm if John Rhys-Davies can attend his conventions. But fret not, we’ve got a backup plan to hire Jonathan Rhys Meyers from The Tudors. He does a wicked impersonation. And if he can’t make it, we’ve got our feelers out to Mary Louise Parker. Although we’ll do our best to get JRD even if it means offering him breakfast and a hotel room with a working sink. JR-D13 promises to be a Donald Trump level of professionalism. For those of you already planning to attend, the festival will only deal with films and TV shows that featured John Rhys-Davies. That means you can wear costumes for Pysch, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Krod Mandoon, Sliders, Mortal Kombat, Bloodsport, CHiPs, James Bond, I Claudius and many others. Star Wars outfits are forbidden!!! No Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers will be allowed inside the building. That’s right, a convention that will ban your alleged girlfriend from wearing her Slave Leia costume.

CORMAN CORNER

Roger Corman’s Cult Classics: Black Oak Conspiracy is considered one of the classics of Deep Fried Southern Flicks. Jesse Vint is a Hollywood stuntman who returns home to Oklahoma. Why? He’s got to take care of his sick mom. He’s a good son. Trouble comes when he determines his mom should be so sick. He uncovers a conspiracy involving the kindly doctor, the sheriff and others eager to swindle land from the elderly. Vint isn’t going to back down from these devious plans that involve Seymour Cassel (Killing of a Chinese Bookie) and Albert Salmi (Caddyshack). This is a film that demands you to open up the living room windows to get the humid night air making you sweat while watching all the action. Black Oak Conspiracy is only being offered through Shout Select at this moment. The movie is being pressed on a real DVD and not burned on a DVD-R. Visit Shoutfactory.com to order it from their online store.

TODDLER HELP

The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block are two releases that should be major helps if you’re the parent of a baby or toddler. Dr. Harvey Karp understand that the one thing any new parent can’t deal with is noise. Happiest Baby covers how to quiet your baby when they’re fresh out. I really regret not seeing this DVD when my toddler was a day old and turning me into Zombie Dad. My baby liked staying up till 5 a.m. and sleeping to the crack of 6 a.m. This is suffering. Dr. Karp’s technique works well with the demo babies. If you are expecting or need a gift for a baby shower – get this gift for the parents. This will be more appreciated than two mega-boxes of diapers. The Happiest Toddler deals with how to calm down your toddler. The little ones are a bundle of nerves and want to things now. They will throw temper tantrums over the slightest of things. Dr. Karp really gets to how to calm down your kid without anyone calling Social Services on your parenting techniques. His “Fast Food” conversation does seem to work with my toddler. It calms her down most of the time. He points out that you should never imagine your two year old is a little person. They’re cave people so stick to the simple and keep you tone obvious.

DVD SHELF

G.I. Joe Renegades: Season 1, Volume 1 reminds us what can happen with a large marketing budget. Cobra is no longer considered an evil organization since they’ve become a major corporation. Cobra Industries has gone legit and become a part of our lives like all the companies discussed on CNBC. G.I. Joe doesn’t buy that Cobra has given up their evil ways to becoming a greedy, profitable corporation who cover up their destruction with non-disclosure agreements. A group of Joes bust into Cobra Pharmaceuticals to get proof of what’s the company’s really doing. They don’t believe the quarterly report. Their spy mission goes wrong and Cobra is depicted in the media as victims of a crime. The episodes sum it up at the start by saying, “Accused of a crime they didn’t commit, a ragtag band of fugitives fights a covert battle to clear their names and expose the insidious enemy that is… Cobra. Some call them outlaws. Some call them heroes. But these determined men and women think themselves only as “Ordinary Joes”. And this is their story.” So it’s kinda like a riff on The A-Team except they aren’t soldiers of fortune helping the innocent. They’re out to expose an evil corporation. Cobra isn’t having to do all the dirty work since the Falcons, a US military outfit are assigned to trackdown the outlaw Joes. The first 13 episodes are included on this set. The show gets the big time seal of approval for letting Clancy Brown (Highlander, Carnivale and Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob SquarePants) voice Destro. Don’t mess with Clancy. This reworking of G.I. Joe works since it’s easy to think that a wicked organization could go legit and continue to destroy the world with products. The good part is their nefarious plots are now business expenses.

Power Rangers Samurai Season 1, Volume 1: The Team Unites & Volume 2: A New Enemy brings back the Power Rangers after taking time off. The Nighloks return to the mortal realm. Only Jayden of the Shiba Clan can fight them off in his Red Samurai outfit. But there’s not enough time in the day for him to fight back. His mentor Ji helps him located new Power Rangers to join his force. This is the focus of Power Rangers Samurai Season 1, Volume 1: The Team Unites. When the five rangers unite, they now form Megazord. There’s a lot of fast sword play when the rangers attack their rubber suited enemies. The big surprise is the return of Bulk! Paul Schrier is back in the role he created in 1993 on the original series. Two decades as Bulk and he’s still huge. He now teams up with Spike, the son of Skull. Now he’s the fatherly mentor who really can’t teach how to be a Samurai to the kid. It’s comedy for the moments when there’s no battles on the screen. Power Rangers Samurai Season 1, Volume 2: A New Enemy brings even more villains to the town. The gang gets poisoned with their only hope being to catch the Swordfish Zord. They must battle Yamiror, Dau and the Moogers. Brides get kidnapped. Both volumes contain 4 episodes. The show looks great with maximum action for young eyeballs. Now I’m getting an Ultraman flashback.

The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series brings back all the magic of the Comedy Central series that made us believe in love. Sarah came close to playing herself as a potty mouth, spoiled brat that’s so self-centered she has her own moons. The series only lasted three seasons of 32 episodes because Comedy Central had to spend more money on Carlos Mencia’s family members. While Sarah is an annoying character, the true stars are Steve Agee and Brian Posehn as a gay couple that live in the same building as Sarah. They represent the first gay couple on TV that weren’t Will and Grace ready. Steve is a schlub and Brian is a metal fiend. They aren’t quite bears, but stoner doughboys who are gay for each other. These two guys are willing to be tortured by a secret government agency to keep their love special. The best part is when they go nuts for Tab soda. They even get their car painted with the tab logo. Things they do for each other. Steve deals with a crisis when Brian swears he’s bisexual. They are the reason why Logo chipped in on the budget for the third season.

That’s not to ignore the work of Sarah Silverman. Her character delves into her stand up persona as the sweet girl with an extreme potty mouth and no mute button. “Humanitarian of the Month” has her take in a homeless Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover). “Not Without My Daughter” nearly reunites her with the girl (Laura Marano) she “aborted.” Clueless Sarah trains the orphan for a kiddy beauty contest a dew years before Toddlers and Tiaras. “Ah, Men” has Sarah dating God. It doesn’t turn out good when God stalks her. For fans of bathroom humor there’s “Doodie” and “Pee.” AS if to predict the series I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant, Sarah thinks she’s merely bloated instead of nine months along. Twilight fans will gasp as a young Kirsten Stewart has a bit part in “I Thought My Dad Was Dead, But It Turns Out He’s Not.” “Vow Wow” lets Sarah marry her pet dog. The final episode goes all out on the weirdness when Sarah invites a person who was at Auschwitz to be a special guest at a ceremony. Trouble is the guy wasn’t quite a concentration camp prisoner.
The Sarah Silverman Program should have gone on longer than The World According to Jim. But it had a budget that was a bit more than Workaholics. There’s loads of bonus footage including the original pilot, commentaries and musical numbers. The series ultimately created unlikely gay icons out of Brian and Steve. Nice to have such an outrageous sitcom inside one boxset.

The Tribe Series 1, Part 2 continues the saga of a world without adults. A mutant virus has swept across the globe wiping out the adult population. What’s left is teens, tweens and wee ones barely figuring out what is necessary to keep humanity existing. The surviving kids quickly form cliques to form communities. The nice kids end up as the Mall Rats that live inside a mall. The Locos are insanely decked out in punk gear. New tribes arrive in the second half of the first season. This includes the Tribe Circus who don’t clown around. The first episodes have the Mall Rats way too focused on a wedding. Things naturally get in the way besides the usual teenage drama that normally occurs as hormones overtake reason. A few tribes have become big in the human trafficking business. The kids get to worry about being sold into slavery for a can of baked beans. There seems to be an outbreak of food thievery. This is rather charming when compared to what appears to be an outbreak of the original virus. Has it mutated so it no longer affects adults? Can the kids find a cure with their limited science skills? Luckily there’s a few smart ones in the batch instead of a generation of Sixteen and Pregnant superstars. The show is soap opera addictive with its Degrassi Post-Bioapocalypse story. Oddly enough the show didn’t air on SoapNet, but was Encore WAM. I thought that Encore WAM only gave updates about Andrew Ridgeley’s life after George Michael. The bonus feature is a 25 minute making of special from the show’s original run. If you only get hooked on one tv series about scavenging teens in an adult-less society, let it be The Tribe.

Hey Dude: Season Three contains Nickelodeon’s original horsing around comedy. These are the middle 13 episodes of the show that introduced America to Christine Taylor before she became the new Marcia Brady and married Ben Stiller. Hey Dude focused on a dude ranch run by a former New York City accountant that craved the simple life of a cowboy. Naturally he learns there’s more pressure when your employees are a bunch of nags. This season lets the boss take time off from the ranch only to have his replacement nearly drive it off a cliff. Taylor pretends to be a rich girl in order to impress the posh guests. “The Bad Seed” proves the customer isn’t always right when they’re an utter jerk. The big score of this set is a visit from the legendary Captain Lou Albano! Rock and Wrestling connection rides the range. Captain Lou Albano is best known for playing Cyndi Lauper’s dad in “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” This is a fun show for kids who grew up watching it in the late ’80s. It’s more fun if you’re devoted to the genius of Captain Lou Albano. How come Cowboy Bob Orton didn’t’ visit the Ranch?

Rocko’s Modern Life: Season Three makes me ask that simple question: This was on Nickelodeon? Rocko should have been an Adult Swim superstar. He’s a constantly flustered Wallaby living in O-Town with his best friends being Heffer, a cow, and Filburt, a turtle. There’s a strange joy as the world conspires against him with weirdness. “Belch of Destiny” presents Heffer as an overgrown Scout whose big talent is burping. “Sugar Frosted Frights” is a Halloween special bound to scare Filburt. “Camera Shy” makes Rocko an accidental adult video superstar when he’s captured on tape sleep walking naked. Can he survive this arthouse hit? “Fortune Cookie” makes Filburt even more unlucky than before. “Speaking Terms” drags Rocko and Filburt onto the set of the Big Nosey show. They need to get back together and nothing helps relationships like a televised talkshow. “Scrubbin’ Down Under” makes Rocko the victim of unwanted publicity after he forgets to floss after eating. This is very educational for kids. The third season of Rocko’s Modern Life was the final one with creator Joe Murray at the helm. He would turn the major duties over to Stephen Hillenburg (eventual creator of SpongeBob Squarepants) for one more season. The voices includes Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911, Tom Kenny (Mr. Show) and Mr. Lawrence (not from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence). The penultimate season refines the quirky nature of Rocko that makes is much more than a kiddie show on a kiddie channel. They even have Rocco take over an animated TV show. For those who have been enjoying the first two seasons, this third go around keeps up the freaky fun from 1995. Rocco is essential viewing for anyone the wants something smarter than the Seth MacFarlane formula of animated success.

Phineas and Ferb: The Perry File brings together a few episodes focused on the most heroic platypus in animation history. Phineas and Ferb is a major hit with elementary school boys since it features two brothers who create amazing devices and their pet platypus Perry. What they don’t know about their pal is that he’s Agent P of OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym). While the boys are doing something cool, Perry battles Dr. Doofenshmirtz. This boxset contains six episodes: “No More Bunny Business/Spa Day,” “Split Personality/Brain Drain,” “Ask a Foolish Question/Misperceived Monotreme,” “Candace Disconnected/Magic Carpet Ride,” “Mommy Can You Hear Me? /Road Trip,” “Perry The Actorpus/Bullseye!” and “Escape from Phineas Tower/The Remains of the Platypus.” Always good to end on a Merchant-Ivory joke. The show features the voice of Richard O’Brien as Lawrence, the dad of the boys. That’s right, Riff Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show is now a Disney superstar. While not featured on these episodes, Tim Curry has also appeared on the show. Soon these kids will feel extra comfortable doing “The Time Warp” again. The boxset is a perfect gift since it features a Perry activity Pack that comes with lots of games and a puzzle. It should keep a six year old busy for the summer trip to the beach. There’s a digital copy of the DVD in case you want to put it on your tablet. The other bonus features include ” Nerves of Teal” with the promise of ” Do you have nerves of teal? When OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym) wants you! See if you have what it takes to become like Agent P in this spy recruiting video.” And a tour of the Platybus!

The Garfield Show: Summertime Adventures brings the long running comic strip cat into the world of CGI. The series was made in France which helps increases Garfield’s ability to express major attitude. “Perfect Pizza” has Garfield upset when a major pizza chain arrive in the town ready to shutdown his favorite small pizzeria. Turns out the new place’s secret is a machine that can turn cardboard, ketchup and glue into a cheese pie. Can he save the stomachs of the city? “Extreme Housebreaking” is another futile attempt to tame Garfield. “Mailman Blues” continues the battle between the cat and the Postal workers of the world. “It’s a Cheese World” is a theme park that can’t let mice inside. “Super Me” is Garfield wanting to become a hero. But isn’t he the villain to Mondays and lasagnas everywhere? If you want to see Garfield kick Odie in a CGI environment, you’ll get plenty of that on this collection.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea comes from a time when Kris Kristofferson was hot property. The film adapts Yukio Mishima’s novel by moving it from Japan to England. Sarah Miles is widow raising her son when she means Kris. He’s a sailor who doesn’t mind pulling into Sarah’s port. There’s a lot off carnal fun as the two get involved. What doesn’t go right is the son. He’s fallen in with a gang of nutjob fascists who cut up cats for fun. He’s not happy at the prospects of Kris being his stepdad. He’s a twisted kid who does get into watching the action between mom and her new man. Stories like this never end nicely. The Sailor Who Fell is one of those jaw dropping freaky films from the ’70s. Kris was a good actor. He was one of the better parts of the Blade movies and the reason to break out the DVD of Heaven’s Gate. Sarah Miles looks great in 1080p. It’s easy to understand why Kris wouldn’t notice what a nut her kid was when he’s constantly distracted by Sarah getting him into bed. The film isn’t for the squeamish. There’s a lot of moments that makes Sailor shocking for the 21st Century.