The Signal Watch: 10/28/18

Friday, November 2, 2018

Halloween (Night) Watch: Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Watched: 10/31/2018
Format: TCM (live, for once)
Viewing: First
Decade: 1960's

Again, still pretty tired. A Roger Corman produced Poe-derived horror film starring Vincent Price. It's been a long time since I read the story of Masque of the Red Death, but this movie... doesn't really do that. Kinda weird that the one, 30 second scene in Phantom of the Opera captures the spirit better than a whole film with that name.

Apparently this is a mix of Poe stories I haven't read, so... maybe I need to get back into reading some Poe.

Still, visually striking and with some complexity to the exploration of morality in an inscrutable world, it's not half bad. Not 100% my thing, but I'd watch it again for how good Price is here in a non-camp role and how much I was digging the script.

Thursday, November 1, 2018

DISNEY HISTORY PODCAST: EPCOT - Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow! NathanC and Ryan talk about the park! Yesterday, today and tomorrow!

Walt Disney had a vision for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a city he'd build from scratch with businesses, living spaces, arts, science, universities, etc... And we got an amusement park. NathanC and Ryan delve into the history of EPCOT from concept to execution to today to tomorrow! Are we nostalgic for the future?

Music
Here Come the Warm Jets - Brian Eno
Innoventions - Future World - EPCOT park soundtrack
The Universe of Energy - EPCOT park soundtrack
Promise - Leaving EPCOT song - EPCOT park soundtrack
On Some Faraway Beach - Brian Eno

Disney History with NathanC

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Halloween (Night) Watch: Cat People (1942)

Watched: 10/31/2018
Format: TCM/ DVR
Viewing: First
Decade: 1940's

Well, I finally watched Cat People (1942).

I wish I had not been so tired when I put it on, but I figured "now or never" as I was winding down my Halloween night, post trick or treaters and family heading home.

Halloween 2018

Well, it was a whirlwind of a Halloween evening. I knocked off work a tad early to get into my costume - and because my parents, Jamie's dad, Jason, Amy and Raylan were all headed over for tricks or treats.

This year, Scout went as Captain America, because she does not like bullies at all.

Jamie went conceptual and went as Santa Jaws, and my mom sported her "Keep Austin Batty" blouse.

Halloween Watch: Monster Squad (1987)

Watched: 10/31/2018
Format: Amazon Prime Streaming
Viewing: 6th or 10th
Decade: 1980's

I've written about Monster Squad (1987) before, so I won't cover it again this time around. But after covering horror movies since about July in order to have PodCasts ready to go and then watching a lot of stuff once we hit October - the mix of classic monsters, scares, jokes, the 1980's and coming of age digging monsters all in one place seemed like a good way to put a button on my Halloween movie watch.

Now get out there and enjoy some perfect Stan Winston make-up and terrific monster performances by catching this movie if you haven't already.

Oh, and apparently this exists:

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Halloween Watch: Scream (1996)

Watched: 10/30/2018
Format: Amazon Streaming
Viewing: third or fourth
Decade: Oh, so 90's

Ah, the 1990's. A time when we were all intensely media saturated thanks to home video, cable and plenty of multiplexes, but had a minimum of internet. At the time, we were all very concerned with whether things were postmodern and metatextual, and, really, Scream (1996) may be the ideal example of what we were all on about. Can you tell a story by deconstructing the very genre you're working within?

"Why, yes! You can!" said Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson.

Halloween Watch: Elvira Mistress of the Dark (1988)

Watched: 10/29/2018
Format: DVD
Viewing: Unknown. 10th?
Decade: so, so 1980's, and, yet, timeless

I still think this movie is hilarious. I dunno - my sense of humor has always run sort of toward the "Bugs Bunny"/ Marx Bros. school of comedy, and so a movie about a wise-cracking horror movie host as fish-out-of-water in small-town uptight Massachusetts is more or less my sweet spot. I like me some double-entendre, visual gags and Edie McClurg.

Monday, October 29, 2018

Halloween Watch: Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Watched: 10/28/2018
Format: BluRay
Viewing: Unknown - but, a lot
Decade: 1930's

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Halloween Watch: Frankenstein (1931)

Watched: 10/28/2018
Format: BluRay
Viewing: Unknown. well into double digits
Decade: 1930's

I'm a Frankenstein fan. Maybe not as much as other people, and I got a late start. I didn't watch the movie until 1997 when I rented it during a blitz into Universal's horror offerings that, if you know me a little, you know had a deep impact that resonates to this day.

Growing up in the wake of the 70's monster-craze, the Frankenstein monster's image was everywhere, from kid's cartoons (including the Flintstones for some reason), but I don't remember ever seeing Frankenstein offered on TV, nor do I remember tapes available at the local video store. Austin and Houston didn't have latenight monster movie hosts, so... the availability was pretty low.

So, yeah, I rented it from the I Love Video near my apartment and gave the 1930's movie a spin, genuinely concerned that after all the hype, I might not like it (I'd seen Dracula in high school at a local cinema, but that's a different story). While the movie only borrowed from the book, the movie was so much it's own thing, and so weird and creepy and heart breaking, what wouldn't I like about it?

I've written plenty on this movie, and every time I watch it, I'm stunned by the storytelling, the design of sets, creature and sound. It "transports" me, and I genuinely find the movie electric, so to speak. There's so much to love in Whale's picture.

I won't belabor it all here - this is a checkmark on my 2018 Halloween movie watching, and I'm on to The Bride of.