The Smurfs A Christmas Carol

 

TITLE-The Smurfs A Christmas Carol

SOURCE-Sony DVD

I've seen the classic Hanna Barbara Smurfs Xmas special many times. Which means when I found the above pictured dvd for a quarter I took a chance.

Running barely 22 minutes with no extras this DVD starts off with the new 3d animated style of the Smurfs. Before not long after that going to a recreation of the old 2d style. A few scenes try to combined the 2d characters with 3d backgrounds and it looks cheap.

Story is of course Dicken's A Christmas Carol. With Grouchy Smurf in the place of Scrooge. Smurfette is the Ghost of Xmas past. Showing us why Grouchy hates Xmas. Seems Grouchy wants a hang glider for Xmas but gets what every Smurf gets. A new hat...

Brainy is Ghost of Xmas present,in the most borning section of this already short cartoon.

Then we get Hefty Smurf as the Ghost of Xmas Future. Seems in the future to cheer up Grouchy the entire village goes off into the woods get something,sorry that part slipped my mind this isnt a grreat cartoon. They get captured by Gargamel.

We learn that all year Papa Smurf works on the hats. Making each one have a unique thing that connects it to the Smurf it is made for.

After his trips to the  past,present and future of course Grouchy now wants his hat. And guess what it doubles as a hang glider. Smurfs sing and this crapfest is over.

I know most specials like this are cheaply made cash grabs. This one is very much that. Looked and when this came out it was 10 bucks. 10 bucks for less than 30 minutes of cartoon. Hell why not put some of the old classic episodes on there. It's a freaking dvd you can fit up to 4 hours of video on it easy. Nope put one cheap looking new cartoon on it. Kids won't notice.

the Smurfs A Christmas Carol gets a D+ 

Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas

 

TITLE-Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas

SOURCE-DVD

As a kid where I grew up there was no cable. So all those HBO classic most kids of my generation grew up seeing often I either never saw or rarely saw. Emmett Otter is one of those specials that I got lucky and saw often.

The tiny rural school I went to for my first 5 years of schooling would do a big Xmas party the last day before Xmas break started. While the teachers and parents were getting the rooms ready all us kids would be hauled into the school library and shown Emmett Otter, taped off HBO by the school librarian. I looked forward to seeing it each year. Then I went on to Jr High and forgot about it.

So finding the dvd cheap earlier this year I was excited. Put it on one morning while eating breakfast and I can see why this is a beloved Xmas special for Generation X kids.

Emmett Otter and his mother are poor. But happy. She does laundry to make money. Emmett uses his dead father's toolbox to do small repairs and jobs.

Emmett and his friends form a jug band. Emmett needs a washtub to make a washtub bass out of . But the only one he has access too is his mothers and he doesn't want to put a hole in it. But Emmett knows his band could win the big contest and winning it will get him the money his mom and him so badly need.

Emmett's mother on the other hand needs money to make a new dress, she also is entering the contest. Hoping to win enough money to buy Emmett a guitar. To get the money to buy dress making materials she has to sell the tools.

And our big bads are the River Bottom band. A group of ruffians that are also in the contest. 

Loaded with songs this is one of my favorite Henson Workshop product. The work that went into making Emmett Otter and his world seem real is mind blowing. Besides the part where Emmett and his Mother are dancing on ice ,the rest of the puppet work looks so good you forget they are puppets.

Now Emmett and his band lose the contest, his mother loses and River Bottom Band wins. Still someone sees Emmett's band and his mother and they get offered a job playing at a local joint on the weekends.

I haven't seen this aired on TV in decades. Looking around it is currently on Amazon Prime video. And you can rent it off Youtube. But dig further and you can find a VHS rip on Youtube for free. If you haven't seen this go watch it. Yea the plot is one we have seen 100 times. It is the work that went into this special and the music that makes it stand out.

Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas gets a B+

The Best of Benny Hill DVD

 

TITLE-The Best of Benny Hill

SOURCE-Anchor Bay  DVD

Yep that is my amazing dog Maggot Ass the Wonder Mutt in the above picture. Lots of the time in  the early morning or late night she will chill and watch dvds with me.

First off I totally forgot that Anchor Bay released stuff like this. For most they are known for their many Horror DVD releases. Lots of classics got amazing releases from  Anchor Bay.

Now Benny Hill,seems for us in the USA it was very much a late 70s thru early 80s thing. Airing in syndication,usually Fri/Sat/Sunday nights after the 10pm news.

I can't remember what channel I saw it on as a kid. Just know I got to stay up late Sundays. At 1030pm was Benny Hill for 30 minutes then 11pm was Battlestar Galactica reruns. Being a kid when Star Wars started BSG was the show I had to see. Even when it was just reruns I had seen before.

Also being a kid under 10 most of the humor in Benny Hill flew over my head. I had no clue the various UK cultural references he was making were. And all the sex humor I didn't get. To me it was a color verison of 3 Stooges. So I loved it. Looked forward to it and Battlestar. Getting to stay up see them made up for having to be up at 6am to get ready for 7am mass.

No clue if this DVD is 3 full episodes,it runs 1 hour and 26 minutes. Or if it is just almost 90 minutes worth of skits. 

When I found this DVD it took me months to get it watched. Then early one morning I got a drink,grabbed Maggot Ass and watched it while the house was quiet. For that almost 90 minutes I was a kid again. But this time getting more of the jokes than I did 40 years ago.

Sure lots of the humor wouldn't fly in today's culture. But it is like that with so much stuff. LOok at early X-men comics,you got Prof X lusting after 16 year old Jean Grey. 

If you remember this show I would say track down one of the dvds cheap and give it a rewatch. It made me laugh more than expected.

The Best of Benny Hill gets a C+

Back to the Gulf Coast or How a horror fan from the country got me back to my old stomping grounds

 Not a review this time folks. And if you don't give a crap about pro wrestling this is one to skip.

A bit over a year and a half ago instead of spending most weekends watching movies and just hanging out I got back into hitting up indie wrestling shows. 

From 2012 until 2017 At least 1 weekend a month if not 2 I would be at a indie wrestling show. Filming and hanging out.

Then I cut back. Various reasons for this. Couple of feds folded. My main ride changed their routine and I was back to just hitting my local indie.

Then 2023 in Feb I learned that a indie wrestler lived not that far from me. Matter of fact we both live right off a major highway. And he has to pass 5 minutes from my home most of his trips to shows. 

He is a huge horror and video game guy. And at shows for a few years we would bullshit those subjects. Plus learned he is one of the few people I know that owns an Evercade we got into the habit of talking Evercade stuff often.

And he hated traveling alone. So learning I lived on his route and was free often I started riding with Nightmare Jeremiah to shows.

Bringing my cameras and tote. Filming the matches selling stuff and just having fun. Went from hitting 6 or so shows a year to hitting 3 or 4 a month.

Now since my paternal grandfather died almost 10 years ago I stopped going to the Gulf Coast. But with Nightmare being booked usually 2 or 3 times a month on  the coast I was heading down that way again.

Here's what a normal Saturday that there is a show is like now.

Try to stay up late Friday so I can sleep in Saturday. Most shows are over at 10pm. By the time we pack up and thank everyone it is close to 11pm before we get on the road. And depending on where on the coast I am it is 2 1/2 to 3 hours before I get home. And rule #1 of wrestling road trips is whoever is in the front passenger seat does not sleep. Their job is to make sure the driver stays awake.

So wake up around 10 or 11am. Make sure camera are charged. Make sure camera gear is packed. Check the fanny pack make sure I got plenty of money to make change with. Thanks to cashapp,Venmo and Paypal if people got cash on them it is a few twenties. Most of the stuff on  my table is 5 or 10 bucks.

After I am sure all is packed. And the tote is checked to make sure all the merch is priced time for breakfast. Need something  filling cause lunch will be snacks grabbed at the gas station.

By 12pm got the tote,camera bag and a 12 pack of Mountain Dew Zero Sugar sitting on  my car port. 

Now got 3 hours to kill. Nightmare can't leave his home until 2pm or a bit after. So will be 3pm before he gets to my place.

Usually Saturdays while killing the 3 hours I try to catch up on Impact and ROH weekly tv shows. IF they aren't finished before I leave I will finish watching them on my phone while riding to the coast.

2pm or 215pm get the messge Nightmare is heading out. Depending on  who all is going I know it will take him 40 minutes to an hour to get to my home.

Once he pulls up,load my stuff in the car and on the road. Once we make a fast stop at the former 84 Chevron,now the 76 station on HWY 84,grab gas and snacks it is normally at least 2 hours 30 minutes of just 2 or 3 guys in a car talking. 

Whatever horror movies we have seen recently gets discussed. Whatever the newest video games are is discussed. Then since Nightmare is a fan of the DC and Marvel TV shows and Movies but hasnt read the comics that much I end up filling in gaps in  his comic book lore.

Now we aren't always headed to the MS gulf coast. But that is where 3 of the locations are.

Speaking of the locations each has it's own unique look and feel.

SWO runs a storm shelter in Poplarville MS. Huge concrete building on the fairgrounds. Been to one of their events and was expecting at most 20 fans. They had 200 and we both did great at our tables. I had gotten in a month before this a pile of Hallmark WWE ornaments. Got like 40 for 20 bucks and was selling them 3 bucks each or 2 for 5. 

Battlezone runs normally Braxton Mississippi. For a bit their main venue was the building where the fire department stored their trucks. No power no water. So they got a generator to run some lights and fans. Got two portapotties out front for the bathroom or "Take a walk down the trail into the woods and watch out for snakes PIMP" I took option 2. And during the main event horseflies attacked the crowd.

The coast venues oh man.

AWA Pro ran Pascagoula MS and Ocean Springs MS. In Pascagoula they ran the VFW Hall ,which is right by the hospital.Small place but has good food that is priced fairly. And cause of the location we have to drive through a part of where I grew up to get there.

There Ocean Springs  main venue is this great civic center. On Highway 90. Decent food. This place has a nice balcony that I will go up and film from sometimes. 

The other main fed on the coast I hit up is The Gulf Coast Wrestling. They always run the same place in Bay St Louis. An old country and western bar that closed years ago. Now it is the GCW Clubhouse. It's dark inside and the  crowd gets rowdy. And it reminds me of going to shows at bars when I was a kid and dad would take me.

After the show ends at 930 or 10pm time to start packing up.

Then normally 2 trips to the car to carry everything  out. Go around thanking everyone. Then back in  the car.

Normally the talk is about the show and matches. A quick stop at the Loves Truck Stop south of McComb MS to get gas and snacks and walk a bit. About 30 minutes later I am home. Unload my stuff and if I'm tired I go crash out. Normally I'm wide awake and I start uploading my footage.


EDIT-This was written back in September 2024. I touched it up some and had I planned to appear near the end of November,and was gonna load it up with pics from some AWA PRO and TGCW shows from that month. 

Then 2nd week of November AWA PRO canceled that weekends show in Ocean Springs and folded. As of right now it appears they are dead.

Son In Law DVD

 

TITLE-Son In Law 

SOURCE-DVD

There isn't many Thanksgiving movies. Everyone remembers and mentions Planes,Trains and Automobiles. Son in Law is forgotten. And while I do love PTA, Son in Law is the one I watch every year for Thanksgiving.

Bekah is a girl from farm country,she goes off to college and is scared. BUt then meets the Dorm RA ,known as Crawl,and he helps her get out of her shell. So when she learns Crawl is gonna spend Thanksgiving Break alone at the dorms she brings him home with her. And tells everyone he is her boyfriend.

Yep a outsider goes to rural USA film. What makes this one work so well is the cast. Pauly Shore is at his best in this movie. Managing to be his normal Weasel character but not be annoying. Carla Gugino is great as Bekah. Other stand outs are The Great Hambino from Sandlot as Bekah's little brother.

Of course at first Bekah's family hates Crawl. Then he grows on them and becomes a part of the family. Seemed like for years this aired on TBS every year near Thanksgiving. But now it is forgotten.

2 scenes really stand out for me. One has Crawl operating a giant combine in the field. He sees it has a cassette deck and tosses in the John Denver cassette. Which means we get Pauly Shore singing Thank God I'm A Country Boy. The other is when Crawl goes to a square dance and takes over as the caller.

Pretty much if you hate Pauly Shore this is the one of his films you might enjoy. If you love Pauly this is his best.

Son In Law gets a B+

Death Brings Roses Blu Ray

TITLE-Death Brings Roses

SOURCE-Severin Jack Weis Double Feature Blu Ray

Jack Weis has went from being a director I hadn't heard of,to now being one I want to see everything he did.

First I saw the great Mardi Gras Massacre. Then I got in this double feature Blu Ray.

Death Brings Roses isn't a horror film. It is a drama. Set in mid 70s New Orleans,Chuck is the money man for a local "talent Agent". Chuck goes to all the clubs,bars and pubs in the infamous French Quarter and collects their "dues".

He makes good money doing this. Has a woman he would love to date. But she isn't happy with his job. Also we find out him and his best friend are on the run. Seems some pool hall fight went wrong and they accidentally killed someone in Memphis. Now they are hiding in the Big Easy.

Chuck gets sent to one strip club. The owner is weeks behind on dues. And all the strippers are refusing to sign the new contract. 

Chuck goes into the dressing room and in a scene that is badly acted but at the same time sleazy and real,Chuck slaps and beats down and harrasses the dancers until they sign the new contract.

The boss is so happy with this and all the work Chuck has put in he makes him his full partner. Yep 50/50. Which means Chuck needs to find his replacement. And he hires his buddy of course.

Then the boss is killed,shot,right outside the offices one morning. Chuck is now in charge,is seeing the girl that he wanted to. Then starts learning his old boss was mobbed up. 

The Higher ups like Chuck,make him an offer. He can retired from the business now with enough money to move away and live a quiet life. Or he can stay and really see how far the boss man's tendrils went.

Sleazy and cheap and you can feel the Louisiana humidity coming off the screen. Death Brings Roses was a movie I wasn't looking forward to. The description sounds like piles of other films I have seen.

A combination of just the era it was made and the locations helped make this much more than it should be for me. I spent my second viewing pausing it anytime they were outside and in the city. Looking at what streets it was and seeing places I knew. But from 75 or so. Which means the names are different.

The insides of the various clubs and bars looks like I remember places like that looking in the late 90s. Which would be the last time I was going out drinking in the French Quarter.

Yea this is nothing special of a film. Still it caught my attention and kept it the entire under 80 minute running time.

Death Brings Roses gets a C+.

Stub Teaches Droop Golf DVD

 

TITLE-Stub teaches Droop Golf 
SOURCE-DVD

The various places I buy used dvds from now have started making  bundles to get rid of overstock. Instead of 50 cents or a buck a dvd you will get 6 dvds for 2 bucks. Good way for them to clear out overstock. Still lots of times I will buy a bundle of 6  just for 2 of the dvds in the bundle.

Stubs Teaches Droop Golf is one I got in a bundle. I saw that cover and figured one night when I am up late uploading footage I will give it a watch.

The Baldknobbers are a Branson  Missouri based "comedy" team. "Comedy" cause only one joke/skit/gag in  this dvd made me chuckle.

It is typical lowest common denominator humor. The kind of jokes a Grandpa tells his grandkids. 

That one bit that made me chuckle?  Droop and Stub are on a golf course. A ball gets hit into the woods. So Droop runs in  after it. Comes running  out fast yelling TIGER WOODS TIGER WOODS! So Stubs runs into the trees expecting to meet Tiger Woods. Nooe Stub runs  into the woods and we get stock footage of a tiger growling.

So yea this dvd wasn't aimed at me at all. Fine. Being  curious I checked the Baldknobbers website is still going. A bit of digging  revealed this DVD sold for 30 bucks with shipping when it came out. For something that was around 45 minutes??!?!?!? So not only is it not funny but they charged way too much.

Stub Teaches Droop Golf gets a F+

Scooby Doo & Batman The Brave and the Bold DVD

 

TITLE-Scooby Doo & Batman The Brave and the Bold
SOURCE-WB DVD

Back when Brave and the Bold was airing I worked the night it aired. Would record it and when I got home  at 8am the next morning sit and watch it before going to bed. Fun show that combined the silliness of the Batman66 tv show with a great selection guest stars. Can't hate a show that produced at least 4 Plastic Man Figures.

In 2018 I saw this got released. Normally with these Scooby Doo movies I wait a year and find a used copy for a few bucks. This one I paid the full retail price.

Mystery Inc is trying to solve a mystery about a ghostly puppetmaster. When they do and learn the puppet master is Martian Manhunter and the puppet is Detective Chimp we learn this was a test. To see if Mystery Inc is good enough to join this mystery solving team Batman has formed. And what a team,the Question,Plastic Man,Black Canery,Aquaman and the previously mentioned Detective Chimp and Johnn Jozz.

Batman has 1 unsolved mystery from early in his career. And this film is about how him and the Scooby Gang solve this mystery.

Loaded with cameos and references that the comic fans and older Scooby fan will love. My favorite is the gang being told to goto the "Corner of Spears and Ruby." 

Now I haven't watched this since I got it 6 years ago. And until 10 minutes from the ending I had forgotten who the big bad was. The Crimson Cowl,who I nicknamed Red Booger,is a interesting attempt at creating a new Batman Rogue. At least I think he is new.

Good animation,good voice acting and with this being a tiny bit over 70s minutes a good length. Extras are the 2 episodes of the New Scooby Doo Movies show with Batman and Robin.

Scooby Doo & Batman The Brave & The Bold gets a B+

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 31 Crypt of Dark Secrets

 

TITLE-Crypt of Dark Secrets

SOURCE-Severin Blu Ray

Jack Weis is a filmmaker I had never heard of until the last 10 years. Saw Mardi Gras Massacre and wanted to see more from this NOLA based director. Then back during late Spring,Severin had their big sale. This double feature was cheap and the day my order finally arrived I opened this up and watched both movies.

Set in New Orleans and the swamps and bayous that are right outside the city Crypt of Dark Secrets has a generic as fuck title. Makes me think of some pre-code EC Comics ripoff from Avon or Standard.

A Nam vet is living on the island out in the bayou. The island rumored to be haunted. People claim to have seen a snake that can change into a naked woman,named Dambella,in this area of the swamp.

The cops come out to see the vet and warned him about keeping his money there at his home. Talking him into visiting a bank in the city.

While at the bank,and the bank worker unsuccessfully talking our vet into getting  a bank account,a sleazy local overhears that this vet is just cashing his military checks and leaving it under his bed.

This local plots with his best buddy and his wife to go rob the vet. So out into the swamps they go. Sneaking onto the island and waiting on the vet to return.

When he does they knock him into the swamp and it appears he has died. They make off with the money,and we see a snake coming up. It turns into a naked lady and starts to dance above the dead vet. 

Snake Lady is magical and by shaking and rubbing her naked body on recently deceased people she can bring them back to life.

Our robbers start seeing blood appearing on the money they stole. And being idiots go turn themselves into the cops.

Which leads to the cops and the robbers returning to the island. Now with the Vet back alive and Snake Lady made cause he was killed.

Wow this was obviously made cause Weis found a really attractive "exotic" looking woman who was willing to dance and dry hump people while naked.

Running under 80 minutes if you cut out the long dance parts this would be under an hour. Not complaining about naked hot lady dancing. Just explaining how little there is to this film.

The plot feels like it was rejected by the Scooby Doo writers for being too basic. Thankfully the locations make up for that. It was great seeing the swamps by NOLA. And then mid 70s New Orleans. Not sure when I made my first visit to the city of southern sin. Guessing it was late 70s. So much of what I saw of the city in this film looked the same last time I visited.

The acting....well it goes from ok to wow I guess no one else was available. At least our three robbers appear to be from the area so you do not have horrible fake CAJUN accents.

The FX is low budget. But works for this film. I am sure this was made to be the second or third film on a double or triple feature at some southern drive in.

Crypt of Dark Secrets gets a C.

31 Days of Horror 2024 Day 30 I'm Dangerous Tonight

 

TITLE-I'm Dangerous Tonight

SOURCE-Kino Lober Blu ray

I love Tobe Hooper. Yea he is the Reggie Jackson of Horror,in that Tobe usually either hit a home run or struck out. This is the rare non-home run from Tobe that is worth seeing.

Released in 1990 on USA Network. We got Madchen Amick as the lead. A young college student who helps take care of an elderly relative. Anthony Perkins is one of her professors.

After getting some red cloth in a trunk at a sale,which turns out the cloth is evil. Madchen  makes a dress out of it. A dress that makes whoever wears it incrediblely attractive to the opposite sex and violent.

Being made for Cable this is bloodier than I expected. And the acting is fine. Besides the two names I've mentioned you got Dee Wallance in a great part as a crazy lady that gets the red dresss. And in a rare appearance with hair R. Lee Ermy.

Yea sure if you are not a huge Hooper fan this is one to just find streaming. The film is decent but nothing amazing. Thankfully Kino Lober loaded this blu ray down  with extras.

2 commentaries. Piles of featurettes. And for a made for Cable movie it looks and sounds great.

I'm Dangerous Tonight gets a C+