Batteries Not Included
Doctor X
One of the most celebrated blu-ray releases last year was Warner Archive’s blu-ray of “Mystery of the Wax Museum,” the once thought lost pre-code horror movie was presented in a stunning new restoration undertaken by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, in association with The Film Foundation, with funding from the Lucas Family Foundation. “Wax […]
Batteries Not Included
Post-Pandemic Flexes
I’m one shot into my two-shot minimum of the Dolly Parton Super Serum. As such, dare I say I actually see light at the end of the tunnel from this awful pandemic? Dare I do. In keeping with such thinking, I’ve started to think about what life might look like as we return to “normal.” […]
Batteries Not Included
Defending Your Life
I haven’t seen many of the comedian Albert Brooks’ movies where he was both writer and director. I’ve seen parts of both “Real Life” and “Lost in America.” The only one I’ve seen all together is 1981’s “Modern Romance” which I enjoyed greatly. Luckily, I’ve been slowly catching up on the director’s output thanks to […]
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The Bermuda of the Dead
A pair of welcome new releases come at the end of this month from Warner Archive. First, we have Boris Karloff starring in 1945’s “Isle of the Dead” one of producer Val Lewton’s famed horror films for RKO, then we jump to 1978 for a fantasy/horror TV movie from producers Rankin-Bass, best known for their […]
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So You Want to Become a Recluse?
In my younger days, I began to become attracted to the idea that one day I would become a recluse. It was a sort of gradual attraction. All those parties during my early 20s when I would find myself alone on a sofa, giving me ample amounts of time to think. Sitting there quietly observing […]
Batteries Not Included
The Email That Never Ends
It annoys me the amount of spam that likes to show up in my email. It’s the usual crap. Nothing that you haven’t seen before. Some are flyers from actual companies, the others want me to click on them but are disguised as well as three cats in a trench coat standing on each other’s […]
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I No Longer Understand the Concept of Time
I miss the mornings. Well, I mean, mornings the way they used to be. I know the morning still happens. The sun rises, I stare at the coffee maker in desperation for it to finish brewing, then I sit down and read about what happened while I was sleeping. Precisely, what I mean is I […]
Batteries Not Included
A Double Dose of Doris
One of the blu-rays I reviewed last year was Warner Archive’s release of Doris Day’s debut, 1948’s “Romance on the High Seas” directed by Michael Curtiz. During the production of “High Seas,” Curtiz became so convinced of Day’s star power that he immediately began planning a follow-up for her, 1949’s “My Dream is Yours.” Warner […]
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Group Therapy
Of all the peculiar pandemic trends going on, one that’s distinctively shown up in my life is a large increase in the number of people adding me to various groups on Facebook. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. We live in a time where we are all feeling isolated from people and the need […]
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The Parallax View
From the early to mid-1970s, director Alan J. Pakula made three unrelated films that have become known as the director’s “paranoia trilogy.” 1971’s “Klute,” which I’ve written about before, 1976’s “All The President’s Men,” and 1974’s “The Parallax View” starring Warren Beatty. It’s been written about many times, American cinema grew up and changed dramatically […]
Batteries Not Included
The Tape Project
As we enter February, with the pandemic still going on, I can’t help but think about things from one year ago. I was looking about booking a room in Greensboro, North Carolina where I would be performing in March with Blue Plate Special at a comedy festival. We also had another festival coming up in […]
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The Zen of Legos
At the end of 2019 into the early, once hopeful, days of 2020, I was given two Lego sets. One was a ‘60s Volkswagen bus, the other the same company’s classic Beetle design. It was the first time in years I had ever put together a lego set. I loved it! It was great fun […]
