What classics did you see last week, Oct 30 to Nov 5?

Somewhere in the Night (1946) - 7/10 FTV



Tarzan triumphs (1943) - 6/10



Shock Waves (1977) - 8/10



Return of the Living Dead (1985) - 9/10



Trick or Treat (1986) 6/10



Howl (2015) 7/10



Chopping Mall (1986) 7/10

First viewings:

Zoo (2017):
The true story of a young man, his friends, and an older woman (Penelope Winston from Downton Abby) who fight to save a baby elephant during the German air raid bombings of Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1941. Written and directed by Colin McIvor, it’s a moving and meaningful film without an ounce of sentimentality. Not a kid’s movie, though I’m sure kids would love it; rather, a film for all, one that artfully portrays the enduring grace and heroism of humanity under pressure. A beautiful film, which I actually watched twice in a row. Highly recommended.



The Florida Project (2017):
An intense study of poverty, family, and personal responsibility that takes place in a motel not far from Disneyland. This was a hard one for me to watch. I thought it went on too long and then ended abruptly, and the story itself was disturbing to me. But the performances were uniformly wonderful, including all the kids and Willem Dafoe, who received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. It definitely has its merits; I just wanted it to be more than it was. That said, others may love it.



Charlotte’s Webb (2006):
An excellent version of the classic E.B. White novel. Dakota Fanning is perfect as Fern, the girl who loves Wilbur the pig (beautifully voiced by Dominic Scott Kay). The other voice cast members for the animals include Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, John Cleese, Reba McIntire, Kathy Bates, Steve Buscemi, and Julia Roberts as Charlotte, the spider. Kids will love this film, but I think it’s worth a look for adults, too.



Re-watched:

Minari (2020):


Miss Potter (2006):
I’ve never understood why this film about the life and art of Beatrix Potter was not better received by critics. To me, it’s a beauty — superbly written by Richard Maltby Jr., directed by Chris Noonan, and performed by Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, and especially Renee Zwellwegger, who never ceases to amaze. It’s magical, mystical, and moving. Highly recommend.



Rich and Famous (1981):
A remake of Old Acquaintance (1943). Not great, but quite enjoyable because of the wonderful performances of Jaqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen and because of George Cukor’s masterful direction — his final film after a 50 year career!


The Kid (1921):
The Tramp as an adoptive father schemes to keep his son, played by Jackie Coogan. Chaplin’s first feature length film as writer, director, and star, and it’s the perfect example of his ability to meld emotional truth and slapstick comedy in a way that does justice to both. He also wrote the film score! A Chaplin masterwork that’s a must-see for all his fans.

Two For The Road / Stanley Donen (1967). Mark Wallace (Albert Finney) is a rich and famous architect. He and wife Joanne (Jo) (Audrey Hepburn) begin a road trip across France toward his latest project which is about to open. There is an obvious tension between them which intensifies as they travel on. We also learn more about their courtship when they were young and struggling for success and marriage in a series of flashbacks. The movie switches between six time periods with no transitions between scenes, but all is easily followed. The real attraction of this film is an Audrey Hepburn that no one had seen before and didn’t see after. In the “present” time she is a bitter, unhappy woman, never mind how rich she is, trading reproaches with Finney. Her character (and Finney’s) is shown to have had affairs and she even says “Damn.” Twice. Both Audrey and Albert are great in this. Supporting are Eleanor Bron and William Daniels who Jo and Mark once traveled with in France. Highly recommended.





Jack Ryan, Shadow Recruit / Kenneth Branagh (2014). This Jack Ryan origin story contains nothing that has not been seen in dozens (hundreds?) of earlier action movies. However, acting is sincere, tech credits are at a high level, and everything is taken seriously. There are four previous Jack Ryan movies, based on Tom Clancy novels, but no continuity among them. Chris Pine, in “Shadow Recruit” is the fourth actor to play the character.
    We first see a heroic Lieutenant Ryan get seriously wounded saving two others in Afghanistan. This ends his military career but, because he is also a genius accountant and numbers person, he is recruited by the CIA in the person of Col. Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner). His first assignment is to go to Moscow to stop an American hating Russian higher-up (played by director Kenneth Branagh) from leading a new terrorist attack and crashing the U.S. economy. His girlfriend back home (Keira Knightley), not knowing about his spy career, thinks he is having an affair. All the expected fights to the death, a break-in at a secure government office, and a race across town to prevent a disaster, all fall into place with predictability. Recommended to action fans who don't expect very much.






LIVE THEATER
“The Mousetrap” by Agatha Christie. Christie’s play, famously, is the longest continually running play in history, like, ever. 70 years in 2022. One of our local semi-professional theater companies may have scheduled it because of the anniversary and/or because the movie “See How They Run,” a comedy/mystery involving the play, had been planned (see my review on the October 1st version of this thread).

The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin
“Hippopotamus” Season 1, Episode 1 (September 8, 1976)
“Nightmare In The Park” Season 1, Episode 2 (September 15, 1976)
“The Sunday Extraordinary Business Meeting” Season 1, Episode 3 (September 22, 1976)

Midsomer Murders
“Small Mercies” Season 12, Episode 5 (September 20, 2009). A pre-star, pre-Oscar Olivia Colman is one of the suspects.

“Call Jane”   Distributed by Roadside Attractions, 121 Minutes, Rated R, Released October 28, 2022:

A difficult and still-incendiary subject receives a humane and enlightening treatment in “Call Jane,” a new historical drama from filmmaker Phyllis Nagy and Roadside Attractions films released October 28 across the United States. While the picture might provoke arguments among partisans on either side of a polarizing topic, you just can’t deny the movie’s sense of purpose--or its warmth.

In 1968 Chicago, middle-aged housewife and mother Joy is surprised and delighted to learn she’s experiencing a late-life pregnancy. But happiness turns to heartbreak when her obstetrician advises Joy and her husband that the pregnancy is causing physical problems…and that carrying the child to term will place her life at considerable risk.

The doctor recommends Joy terminate her pregnancy. But the conservative (and all-male) hospital board flatly refuses to sanction the procedure, or allow it to take place. In desperation, Joy briefly considers turning to a disreputable back-room operation in Chicago’s red-light district, but is frightened away by the place’s shabby and unsanitary conditions and the personnel’s uncaring demeanor.

While leaving the clinic, Joy sees a mimeographed handbill advising women in her situation to “Call Jane,” along with a telephone number. And when Joy summons the courage to make the call, she discovers a clandestine network of experienced and compassionate women devoted to assisting women in obtaining safe and sanitary abortion services--a highly illegal operation at the time, punishable by imprisonment.

A beautifully nuanced historical drama, “Call Jane” sketches in very broad strokes the plight of pregnant women in obtaining health care services in the pre-Roe v Wade years of the late 1960s. Set during a time of enormous social upheaval and change, the picture is at times more than a little tough to swallow…but that’s the price it pays for being a generally accurate account of a difficult and complicated time in American history.

Although there’s no mistaking which side of the ongoing Roe v Wade debate the filmmakers occupy or the picture’s obvious intention to illustrate the pro-choice point of view, ”Call Jane” ultimately works best as a character study. In a masterful performance, Elizabeth Banks as the sheltered and naive Joy undertakes an emotional transformation from a guileless housewife and mother into an enlightened, empowered, educated, and capable person. It’s a great role, and Banks with her superb characterization does the picture proud.

While the picture belongs to Banks, veteran actress Sigourney Weaver occupies the picture’s heart and soul in a key supporting role as Virginia, one of the “Janes” and Banks’ mentor in the ways of social activism. During one terrific scene, Weaver is sketching on a napkin a rudimentary map of the female reproductive system for the benefit of a teenage girl unfamiliar with anatomy…and discovers the middle-aged Banks peering over the girl’s shoulder, as unschooled as the child in the workings of the female body. Weaver’s reaction, and her response, are priceless.

Directed by Phyllis Nagy from an original script by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, although the movie is at times difficult viewing, particularly during the scenes that depict the termination of pregnancies, “Call Jane” never becomes as bleak and forbidding as Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” from 2020, which covers much the same ground. While Hittman’s critically-acclaimed film was notable for its clinical detachment, “Call Jane” is distinguished by its warmth…and even some well-placed humor.

It’s important to note that “Call Jane” is not a biographical picture. Rather, the film is a fictional narrative based on the true story of the Jane Collective, an underground service operated in Chicago during the late 1960s in affiliation with the city’s Women’s Liberation Union. The participants in the collective all identified themselves by the codename “Jane” as a means of protecting their anonymity. The Jane Collective was in operation from 1969 until 1973, when the Supreme Court’s decision in the matter of Roe v Wade made the service redundant.

Equal parts informative and inspiring, “Call Jane” is good, solid, intelligent motion picture entertainment. This is one picture that should be required viewing in college-level history, sociology, and pre-medical courses. Look for “Call Jane” to be mentioned prominently during awards season.

Filmed in Hartford, Connecticut and also featuring performances from Chris Messina as Banks’ attorney husband, Kate Mara and Wunmi Mosaku as other volunteer “Janes,” and Cory Michael Smith as a medical professional retained by the service, “Call Jane” is rated R for thematic elements, some language concerns, and brief drug use.



“Terrifier 2” Distributed by Bloody Disgusting Films, 138 Minutes, Not Rated, Released October 06, 2022:

Mind if I get personal for a couple of minutes?

My grandmother was old enough to have seen the silent movie version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” the one starring Lon Chaney, during the picture’s original release in 1925. She went to see the picture with a couple of her friends, just as kids do today. Imagine that.

Film buffs might already know that during the legendary unmasking scene in the 1925 film, when the curious Mary Philbin tiptoes up behind Chaney’s Phantom and snatches away his mask, the shock of seeing the character’s disfigured face is reputed to have caused screams, fainting, and general hysteria among certain viewers in the audiences of the time.

So one time I asked my grandmother about that. Was it true that people had panicked, or fainted?

“Nah,” she said. “It was scary, sure. But there was no foolishness.”

That was her word--foolishness.

I thought about that conversation with my grandmother last week while I was attending a showing of “Terrifier 2,” the new horror picture from filmmaker Damien Leone and Bloody Disgusting Films that’s now causing a minor frenzy among critics and moviegoers curious enough to buy a ticket. The movie is reported to be violent and graphic enough to coax nausea and fainting from some patrons, and cause others to flee the theater entirely.

Originally my intention was to ignore the picture, wait until the publicity blew itself out, and not review “Terrifier 2” at all. I don’t like the idea of providing any free publicity for sideshow attractions, or to inadvertently encourage people to spend money to patronize such nonsense. But in the wake of the picture’s controversy, something occured that even filmmaker Leone never expected--”Terrifier 2” has become a hit.

Released on October 06 to only 886 theaters across the United States, as word-of-mouth circulated about the picture’s overwhelming amounts of splatter and mayhem, more and more theater managers requested copies of the movie to show in their theaters. “Terrifier 2” has become a publicity juggernaut. Produced for only $250,000, the picture as of November 01 has earned back over 30 times its original investment. And by all appearances, the movie might not even have reached its peak popularity yet.

Taking up where the midnight matinee underground 2016 cult favorite “Terrifier” left off, in “Terrifier 2” the insane, silent, demonic, grinning and grimacing Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), accompanied by his equally unhinged child companion (Amelie McLain), relentlessly hunts down the Shaw family, with a particular interest in the family’s teenage daughter Sienna (Lauren LaVera).

The clown’s apparent intention is to kill the Shaws, one by one…and also to slaughter every solitary person he encounters during his methodical, tireless, unstoppable search for the family.

That’s it--that’s the whole plot. But the bare bones story is really just an excuse for nearly two hours and twenty minutes of unrestrained mayhem. During one astonishingly tasteless scene, a roomful of children are machine gunned to death.

So anyway, I reluctantly attended a showing of “Terrifier 2” last week, like I said. And here’s the straight dope about “Terrifier 2,” at least as far as I can see:

There will always be those people who revel in excess. You know them when you encounter them--the people who can’t enjoy music unless the volume is turned up so loud that it hurts the ears of others, and the people who don’t stop eating until the pantry’s empty.

Apparently filmmaker Damien Leone is such a person, and in “Terrifier 2” Leone just doesn’t seem to know the meaning of the word “enough.” The movie contains an overdose of slaughter and dismemberment that would fill ten movies like "Saw" and "Hostel.” But the odd part is that the gore and carnage are so over-the-top that viewers are never quite unaware the mayhem onscreen is just the result of fairly rudimentary special makeup effects. At the show I attended, the most gruesome scenes coaxed more chuckles from the audience than screams.

The real drawing card of “Terrifier 2” is the movie’s almost hypnotic sense of weirdness. The picture is almost nightmarish in its undiluted dementia. The carnage and bloodletting are constantly in the viewer’s face, but the picture itself is not scary or frightening so much as…well, bizarre. The gore is a sideshow to the film’s aura of madness. “Terrifier 2” is compulsively watchable, but much more upsetting than the images the viewer sees onscreen is the knowledge that somebody thought of those images, wrote them down, and put them into a script.

Filmmaker Leone seems to claim innocence of any artistic ambitions in “Terrifier 2,” but I’m not sure that’s true. It’s not a coincidence that “Terrifier 2” is as well-constructed as it is, or that individual scenes and shots are so well composed and contain so much detail. Likewise it’s not just some glorified extra inside the costume of Art the Clown, as it is with the “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” movies. David Thornton Howard, the actor wearing the Art the Clown makeup, obviously knows something about pantomime, about classic clowning, and almost certainly even studied some Charlie Chaplin movies.

I’m also skeptical about the filmmaker’s claims that the picture contains no symbolism. It crossed my mind that the Sienna character, the object of Art the Clown’s attention, might be named for St. Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century cleric who became one of the best-known figures of medieval Catholicism. The character is outfitted in a Halloween costume obviously appropriate to St. Michael the Archangel, the valiant warrior who evicted Satan from Heaven in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” But don’t quote me on that.

I will go on the record with this, however: The reaction provoked by Damien Leone and “Terrifier 2” isn’t all that different from the reaction provoked by John Carpenter and “Halloween” in 1978. And it’s a relative walk in the park compared with the repercussions caused by Wes Craven’s “The Last House on the Left” in 1972, a film that was censored and edited so many times to remove objectionable content that assembling a complete and uncut version of the original release today is literally impossible.

Publicity stunts, fainting, and barfing during screenings are as old as movies themselves. Even my grandmother knew that--she called it “foolishness.” Damien Leone is a showman, and in "Terrifier 2" he goes out of his way to be outrageously offensive--that's the movie's hook, it's gimmick, it's drawing card.

Despite the sudden notoriety of “Terrifier 2,” the future of modern horror still belongs to innovative, visionary filmmakers like Robert Eggers, Ari Aster, and Guillermo Del Toro. If anything, Leone’s picture with its ridiculous amounts of gore represents an enormous step backward.

But whether we like it or not, Damien Leone, Art the Clown, and “Terrifier 2” have now emerged from the shadows of underground cult films and midnight matinees and entered the mainstream of American entertainment.

The filmmakers behind “Terrifier 2” did not submit the picture to the MPAA for a rating, but the movie would earn an NC-17 for non-stop violence, carnage, adult language, and some sexuality.


“Armageddon Time”   Distributed by Focus Features, 115 Minutes, Rated R, Released October 28, 2022:

Filmmaker James Grey and a talented cast of performers take a journey into the not-too-distant past in "Armageddon Time," a new drama from Focus Features now playing in theaters across the US. But while the movie is rich in warmth and flavor, the viewer might feel a little cheated by its chilly and impersonal resolution.

Set in 1980, in "Armageddon Time," gentle dreamer Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a 12-year-old public school student aspiring to a career as an artist, is scarcely aware of his Jewish heritage--his parents (Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong) have tried to downplay the family’s faith as a means of gaining easier access to the higher echelons of New York City society.

But when Paul befriends a classmate of African ancestry (Jaylin Webb) who's persecuted and ostracized for his skin color, matters of race suddenly become more difficult for the boy to ignore…although the bewildered child is gently guided through the turbulent waters of social consciousness and moral responsibility by his pragmatic and understanding grandfather (Anthony Hopkins).

A colorful but vaguely uneasy little walk down memory lane from writer and director James Grey (“Ad Astra,” “Little Odessa”), "Armageddon Time" recalls the filmmaker's early years in New York City and the beginnings of his sense of social consciousness. Rich in period detail but never particularly nostalgic (despite the filmmaker's obvious veneration of his grandfather, played here by Anthony Hopkins), the movie's a fairly comfortable journey most of the way. Only an unexpectedly dispiriting denouement sends the audience out of the theater with a bitter aftertaste.

Reminiscent in style to John Boorman's "Hope and Glory" from 1988, "Armageddon Time" benefits from rich performances from a top-notch cast, including young Banks Repeta as the Jewish Paul and Jaylin Webb as his African-American classmate Johnny, the New York public school students who find budding friendship strained by the ugliness of bigotry and social status. Anne Hathaway contributes her customary flavorful performance as young Paul’s loving but socially ambitious mother, Esther--even though, as with other Hathaway roles, it’s difficult to forget it is a performance.

Jeremy Strong (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) is frighteningly on the money as Paul’s strict and volatile working-class dad, while Broadway actress and cabaret entertainer Tovah Feldshuh (“Lend Me a Tenor”) contributes a rare film performance as Hathaway’s strong-minded and opinionated mother. But it’s Anthony Hopkins who effortlessly provides the movie’s heart and soul with a sensitive performance as Paul’s wise and experienced grandfather...even if it's decidedly odd to hear Sir Anthony exhort his grandson, "Be a mensch!"

“Armageddon Time” premiered on May 19 at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where it reportedly received a seven-minute standing ovation from the opening night audience. Placed into limited release on October 28 in only eight theaters in major cities across the United States, the picture’s distribution was expanded into wide release on November 04. Plainly distributor Focus Features is preparing “Armageddon Time” for major awards consideration.

The intimate nature of Grey’s narrative and the wealth of naturalistic dialogue among the characters suggests "Armageddon Time" might be more appropriate to a live onstage presentation, where even the story's disappointing resolution might play better. Introduced at about the film’s halfway point, a pointless and misleading subplot involving real-life real estate mogul Fred Trump (John Diehl) and his adult daughter Maryanne (Jessica Chastain, in a brisk cameo) is more of an unnecessary distraction than a relevant story element.

Filmed in New Jersey, "Armageddon Time" is rated R for language concerns and brief drug use involving minors.
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Since the answer has been reviled, Julie Christie is the one who actually understands Billy's daydreams. One of my favorite movies among hundreds of others.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022).



Monster Hunter (2020).



Better Watch Out (2016).



Raising Helen (2004).

30
40TH ANNIVERSARY
-PANDAMONIUM (1982) “Timothy’s Story” YouTube presentation in polish.
-THE SMURFS (1982) “The Blue Plague/ Smurfs at Sea” It should be noted I don’t watch all the S2 episodes. My focus is in the Johan and Peewit episodes, and some significant Smurf episodes. Here Gargamel sings the “I’m mean” song that originated from OLIVER AND THE ARTFUL DODGER ten years and two days ago. YouTube
-MORK AND MINDY (1982) “Ride em
Mork boy/ Mork meets his Mom”. YouTube
-THE GARY COLEMAN SHOW (1982) “In the Swim/ Put up to Fix it” YouTube
-SHIRT TALES (1982) “Digger Runs Away/ The Commissioner is Missing” Warner Archive DVD
-GILLIGANS PLANET (1982) “Road to Boom” Warner Archive DVD
-SCOOBY AND SCRAPPY DOO (1982) “Cable Car Caper/ Muscle Trouble/ Low Down Showdown” Amazon Prime.
-THE PUPPYS NEW ADVENTURES (1982)
“The Puppy’s Australian Adventure” YouTube presen of a Hungarian dub.
-PAC MAN (1982) “Invasion of the PAC Pups/ Journey to the Center of Pac Land” Warner Archive DVD
-THE INCREDIBLE HULK (1982) “The Creature and the Cavegirl” Amazon Prime.

ER (1997) “Good Touch Bad Touch” 25TH ANNIVERSARY Paul McCrane makes his debut as Dr Romano. Warner DVD.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1987) “Masques” 35TH ANNIVERSARY FoxVideo DVD

JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (1987) “Trick or Techrat” 35TH ANNIVERSARY

DTV HALLOWEEN MONSTER HITS (1987) 35TH ANNIVERSARY Another Disney TV special showcasing “Thriller,” “Monster Mash”, “Ghostbusters”, Evil Woman”, “Dreamtime”, “Sweet Dreams” etc. (with clips from THE BLACK CAULDRON and THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE). This is probably one of Bill Farmer’s first time as Goofy. YouTube.

31
30TH ANNIVERSARY
-BACK TO THE FUTURE (1992) “Bravelord and the Demon Monstrux” A device of Doc brings video games to life. Universal DVD.
-GOOF TROOP (1992) “Talent to the Max” Amazon Prime.
-X-MEN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992) “Night of the Sentinels” The first series adaptation of the Marvel series, using the Blue Team group (in Jim Lee designs) originated from the relaunch in 1991. Despite being a fan, I missed most of the episode on its premiere, confused by the inclusion of characters I never knew before (like Gambit and Jubilee). Amazon Prime
-PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON (1992) “Grandpa Loses Control: Rei in Danger!” As the title portrays, Rei’s Shinto priest grandfather is the sixth Rainbow person. He takes under his wing a youth named Yashirio, who is attracted to Rei. Japanese with English Subtitles. ADV DVD

-THE COMMISH (1992) “The Witches of Eastbridge” Tony protects a pagan from accusations of Halloween Candy poisoning. YouTube

-COVINGTON CROSS (1992) “Persecution” The fanily protects a woman from accusations of witchcraft. And this is when ABC canceled the series. YouTube

35TH ANNIVERSARY
-THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS (1987)
“Halloween II” Time Life/ Sony DVD.
-HELLO KITTY’S FURRY TALE THEATRE (1987) “Kitty and the Beast/ Little Red Bumny Hood “ YouTube
-MUPPET BABIES (1987) “My Muppet Valentine“ When Nanny accidentally neglects to give Rowlf a Valentines day cookie, the gang try to show him their love. He responds with a song that incorporates footage from the show’s Toei era. YouTube.
-POPEYE AND SON (1987) “Junior’s Burthday Roundup/ Redbeard“ YouTube
-MIGHTY MOUSE THE NEW ADVENTURES (1987) “The Littlest Tramp/ Piffy Goes Berserk“ Two things about this episode; it introduces John Kalfalusi’s obsession with Kirk Douglas (cariactured here as a bully). It also presents the controversial scene of Mighty Mouse sniffing the remains of a flower, which upset the American Family Association, which claimed Mighty was sniffing cocaine. CBS DVD.
-SATURDAY BIGHT LIVE (1987) “Dabney Coleman/ The Cars” 35TH ANNIVERSARY I remember watching this episode on premiere night. Internet Archive.

WAIT TILL YOUR FATHER GETS HOME (1972) “Chet’s Job” 50TH ANNIVERSARY Amazon Prime.

SUPER DIMENSION FORTRESS MACROSS (1982) “Transformation“ The MACROSS cruiser, lost near Pluto, takes in the Island inhabitants it accidentally teleported with them in the Space Fold, where they manage to rebuild their city in the inner bay. Meanwhile Hikaru decides to join the military. Japanese with English Subtitles. ADV DVD.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1952) “The Birthday Letter” 70TH ANNIVERSARY Warner DVD

UNIVERSAL HORROR (1998) Kevin Brownlow’s Docu on the Hollywood Monster films of the 1930s. A Halloween perennial. YouTube

1
HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962) 60TH ANNIVERSARY MGM Western shot in Cinerama about a fanily going to the wild frontier spanning 5 decades. First saw this on TNT in 1992, in pan & scan and seams. Got it on DVD for Christmas 1998. Warner BluRay Smilebox presentation.

TITANIC (1997) 25TH ANNIVERSARY Nuff said. First saw this in theaters in December 1997. I probably saw the complete film 5 times, with an additional three on the sinking part (one of them on the Centennial in April 2012). FoxVideo BluRay.

35TH ANNIVERSARY
-VANITY FAIR (1987) “Widow and Mother” SimplyMedia PAL DVD
-FORTUNE OF WAR (1987) “Greece October 1940’ Greece proves a temporary shelter, as the approaching Nazis force the marriage-strained Pringles to depart again. YouTube
-VISIONARIES KNIGHTS OF THE MAGICAL LIGHT (1987) “Power if the Wise” YouTube

2
50TH ANNIVERSARY
-MONTY PYTHONS FLYING CIRCUS (1972) “The Money Prigramme” The third episode features the Argument Sketch and the Church Police. Paramount VHS
-WAR AND PEACE (1972) “Reunions” Nikolai returns to the Rostov home, happily welcomed by Natasha and company, especially his childhood crush Sonja. Meanwhile, long thought lost at Austerlitz, Andrei returns home to see his neglected wife die in childbirth. Koch Video DVD
-THE WALTONS (1972) “The Boy from CCC” Amazon Prime

NORTHERN EXPOSURE (1992) “Blowing Bubbles” 30TH ANNIVERSARY I would dub the Fourth Season as the Anthony Edwards season. In what was his first balding appearance without any hair piece, plays lawyer Mike Monroe, a chemically allergic patient living in a germ free bubble. This storyline was done to mitigate a minimal appearing Rob Morrow who was undergoing contract disputes with the producers. Universal DVD

DUCKTALES (1987) “A Drain in the Economy” 35TH ANNIVERSARY First episode of a four-part storyline, as Scrooge and Flintheart Glomgold compete their riches to get ownership of an exotic fruit. Amazon Prime

25TH ANNIVERSARY
-RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA (1997) Third TV version of the musical with a multi-ethnic cast starring Brandy, Whitney Huston (who was to play Cindy herself when the project started, but a slow in production had her change to the Fairy Godmother), Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg. Saw this on premiere night. Disney DVD.

HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1997) TV miniseries homage to the Universal monsters. Vampire tycoon Crispian Grimes, while killing people in bat form, locates the frozen Frankenstein Monster, intending the block to be used at his Nightclub (the title). That doesn’t work well, as the monster gets thawed out and wanders around. Meanwhile, his werewolf crony becomes a loose cannon, scratching (and infecting) a woman. Starring Ben Wise, Ben Crombie, Teri Polo, Adrian Pasdar, and CH Pounder. YouTube

GET BACKERS (2002) “Death Match at Sunrise: Lightning Emperor vs Dr Jackal” 20TH ANNIVERSARY Conclusion of the Arc, as Ginji defeats Jackal and Ban explains things with Himiko. Unfortunately the Plutonium they bargained 50% for is actually a simple melon. Japanese with English Subtitles. ADv DVD.

JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (1982) “The Presidential Dilemma” 35TH ANNIVERSARY The band go to Washington DC, where Synergy gets taken by authorities, leading to breaking into the White House, saving the President from a kidnapping, etc. I think this episode introduced me to Theodore Roosevelt (Jem makes holograms of the President along with George and Abe). Bootleg DVD

3
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1997) 25TH ANNIVERSARY The second part. YouTube

DUCKTALES (1987) “A Whale of a Bad Time” 35TH ANNIVERSARY Amazon Prime

4
50TH ANNIVERSARY
-THE NEW SCOOBY DOO MOVIES (1972) “The Spooky Fog of Junebery” Don Knotts appears again, this time looking like Barney Fife. Warner BLuRay
-FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS (1972) “Begging Benny” YouTube
-THE AMAZING CHAN AND THE CHAN CLAN (1972) “Double Trouble” Amazon Prime.
-JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS IN OUTER SPACE (1972) “The Space Pirates” Amazon Prime.
-THE BRADY KIDS (1972) “A Funny Thing happened on the way to the End Zone” CBS Paramount DVD
-THE ROMAN HOLIDAYS “Double Dilemma” Amazon Prime.
-SEALAB 2020 (1972) “The Deepest Dive” Amazon Prime.

-ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOODNIK (1972) Robin Hood with an animal cast (one year before Disney) from this Hanna Barbera special that was part of the ABC SATURDAY SUPERSTAR MOVIE. Warner Archive DVD

-THE BOB NEWHART SHOW (1972) “Father Knows Worst.” FoxVideo DVD

-THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1972) “But Seriously Folks“ YouTube.

-UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (1972) “Married Love”

CHEERS (1982) “Diane’s Friemd “ 40TH ANNIVERSARY Amazon Prime

DUCKTALES (1987) “Aqua Ducks” 35TH ANNIVERSARY Amazon Prime

THE JETSONS (1962) “The Flying Suit” 60TH ANNIVERSARY Amazon Prime

THE FACE OF TUTHANKAMEN (1992) “Episode 1” 30TH ANNIVERSARY British documentary about the Tomb discovery, narrated by Christopher Frayling. Watched this in honor of the Centennial of when Howard Carter successfully searched for the King and his remains. YouTube

5
THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) 90TH ANNIVERSARY Warner DVD

DUCKTALES (1987) “Working for Scales” Part 4 of the storyline, as Scrooge wins the bet. Amazon Prime

THE SIMPSONS (1992) “Itchy and Scratchy the Movie” & “Marge Gets a Job” 30TH ANNIVERSARY FoxVideo DVD

SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN (1972) “The Great Mini Robot Operation” 50TH ANNIVERSARY Japanese with English Subtitles ADV DVD

Saw Parts of:
THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS (1959) TCM Broadcast

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (2002) “As you Were” Broadcast

Earliest film seen in October: ONE EXCITING NIGHT (1922)
Latest film seen in October: THE ADDAMS FAMILY (2019)