Tag Archives: humor

Finding Treasures On Netflix…….

Due to an upcoming move, our satellite service is mothballed and I have reconnected with the largely forgotten joys of Netflix. Ya’ know what?  There is an absolute butt-ton of incredibly cool shows out there, most of them either totally unknown to me or relegated to the ‘yeah i gotta watch that sometime’ & promptly forgotten realm.  In the last few weeks I have sat through the entirety of the following shows.  Every one was worth it, and I can’t wait to see what I find next!

Fortysomething  IMDB

I might have skipped this entirely because the title is so similar to thirtysomething, and decent as that show might have been, I was looking for lighter fare that day.  On the combined strength of Hugh Laurie & Benedict Cumberbatch I took a shot.  Loved it.  Quirky and just a little bit out there, it was exactly what I was looking for.  I tend to enjoy most everything of Brit origin I watch and this one was no exception.

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Primeval  IMDB

Being a closet aficionado of bargain basement old-school special effects, I have to say I am not a fan of CGI.  In this case, it works.  You never really expect ILM level quality, and I don’t honestly think I would have enjoyed this nearly as much without the faintly hokey computer generation.  Again, it’s a Brit show, which gets it bonus points at the get-go.  Andrew Potts and Hannah Spearritt made it for me, and I will definitely be watching out for him in the future.

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Eureka  IMDB

I watched at this during the original second season and part of the third but lost interest when the alternate timeline started.  Watched it straight through in about a week this time, and actually really enjoyed the timeline plot.  Although some of the changes upon return to the new reality didn’t set well with me at first, I really enjoyed where they took it afterwards.  It certainly did pump new life and interest into the series as a whole.

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Black Books IMDB

This one I had never heard of, and actually knew nothing about any of the main actors except Bill Bailey.  All I knew of Bailey was that he voiced the whale in Hitchiker’s Guide.  I am now in absolute awe of Tamsin Grieg and  Dylan Moran as well as Bailey.  Yay for Brit shows, because they never let me down.

 

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So What Are We Doing Today, Zuul?

Okay, I admit it, I mixed my movie references.  This post has nothing to do with Ghostbusters.  I have simply ALWAYS wanted to post something with that title.  Now, on with the sharing………..

I have needed a good laugh all afternoon.  Finally got it and now I am passing it along for everyone else.

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Holy_Hand_Grenade_of_Antioch

and for the bonus :

May you giggle loudly, snort your drink through your nose, and generally enjoy this as much as I.  Thank you, and good night.

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Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

 

An experience everyone should have, preferably in a full participation setting, at least once in their life. I have spent my last 25 consecutive New Year’s Eves with these kooks. You will laugh, you will cry, you will dance the Time Warp.  You will mix with the unconventional conventionists.  You will see the floor show.  You will have Meatloaf for dinner.  Don’t forget your rubber gloves (pink for preference), newspapers, water gun, rice, noisemaker, and depending on your level of participation, a small list of other things.  For the truly adventurous, don’t just dream it….BE IT.  The web is full of costumes, grab one and hop up on the stage or in front of the screen.  Trust me, you WILL NOT stand out unless you just stand there.

 

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Terror Train (1980)

So you’re flipping channels, late at night. News…flip, flip…late show…flip, flip…cartoons…flip, flip…low budget horror flick. Just as your finger is inching towards the channel button, you see — wait for it — David Copperfield. WTF? Okay, just for curiosities sake, now you gotta watch. You’re hooked. Sit back and enjoy the indiscriminate slaughter of a motley collection of fairly unlikeable college kids by the requisite lunatic in ever changing masks & costumes. I must admit, it was novel to see Groucho Marx off a monk. It didn’t hurt that a scream-queen era Jamie Lee Curtis was the designated survivor. And then there was David Copperfield. Seriously, WTF? As a bonus, bear in mind that at least one dude looks like a lady. Much like Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.

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Dead Heat (1988)

 

It is a sure sign that the movie you are watching is of a certain quality when the first thing you see is a pair of robbers stuffing recently fired machine guns down the front of their pants.  Another indicator is when one of the 2 major leads gets offed 20 minutes into the movie, but obviously plans to remain in on the the action till the credits roll. Given that quick gear shift and mental readjustment,  this is actually a pretty enjoyable piece of fluffy silliness.

We certainly have some solid actors slogging through this dime store quality dialogue as if it were Shakespeare, right alongside a few actors (ahem!) more noted for their one dimensional efforts.    That actually adds to the charm, really.

During the dressing down by the Police Captain, I really expected him to shout that Detectives Roger Mortis (!) & Doug Bigelow were on “Double secret probation”.  Alas, they missed out on that opportunity.  They did make up for it, in spades, with the scene in the Chinese grocery.  Ducks, & cows, & dead men, oh MY!  After the shower scene denouement with Lindsay Frost, it was almost a surprise not to see Bobby Bowfinger listed as Director when the credits rolled.

Dubious one-liners, moderate acting, one or two decent cameos, and fairly silly special effects add up to slightly less than an hour and a half of mild amusement alternating with outright laughter and the occasional nose snort.

Not a bad film to revisit every few years and kill some time with.

 

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Bubba Ho Tep (2002)

Not only is Elvis alive out there, so is JFK. Granted, Elvis can’t shake it like he used to, and JFK is currently a very nice old gentleman whose brain was removed & replaced with sand, but hey, you can’t have everything. If you haven’t watched these two team up to protect their east Texas nursing home from an evil mummy………well, you ain’t living.  Bonus points given for the presence of Bruce Campbell.  Hell, just his chin gets a half point.

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The Re-Animator (1985)

Herbert West uses something that looks very much like anti-freeze to bring various deceased people & animals back from the abyss. Oddly enough, none of them seem either appreciative or particularly happy to be back. A very nice peek into the probable result if Sheldon Cooper ever goes over the brink………

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Phantasm (1979)

Ahh, yes. The movie that gave us evil jawa slaves from a high gravity planet, created by & overseen by a Tall Man in a mortuary. This one taught us how to break out of locked rooms in a few easy steps using tape, push pins, shotgun shells, & hammers. It also gave us good reasons to really, really fear silver christmas tree balls. To this day, you ain’t gonna find any silver balls on my tree.

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