This movie covers a lot of ground, and it does so beautifully. It begins as a coming-of-age story about a young woman who has overcome trauma to leave the countryside to go to London and chase her dreams. That narrative continues to be told throughout the film, but it gets folded into a world that is part-ghost story, part-detective murder/mystery novel, part-science fiction time travel, and part-psychological horror, all set to an incredible soundtrack with one of the greatest cities in the world as its stage.
The title of this film is from the 1968 psychedelic pop song of the same name by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. It was the group's final song to reach the Top 10 in the UK. Director Allison Anders called it "the greatest title music for a movie that’s never been made" in a conversation with Quentin Tarantino. He passed this thought on to Edgar Wright, who re-titled the film he was working on and thanked both directors in his credits for the idea. I think it's the perfect fit.
I'm not going to pretend that I know how to write a movie review that's good enough to compel total strangers to go out and buy a ticket, so I'll just close by saying this. If anything about this film, whether it's the poster, or the director, or the performers, or the music, or any trailers you may have seen have grabbed your attention in any way, and if you find yourself on the fence when it comes to Last Night In Soho, please allow this entry to be a gentle nudge that pushes you on the side of going to see this movie in theaters.
I've waited a long time to see one of my favorite science fiction stories to be turned into a proper movie, and I'm very happy to say that the wait is over.
My first experience with the Dune Chronicles came from the Sega CD game. During my freshman year of high school, I spent a lot of time going to my friend John's house to watch MST3K and play video games, and this was one of the ones he had that I had never seen before. The game play was unlike anything I had ever experienced at the time, with a fascinating story, incredible music and good graphics for its time.
There were some nights where we just sat around on beanbag chairs smoking pot and watching the Orni fly through the desert. The music was mellow and trippy, and the transition of day to night while flying through mountains and sand dunes made for a very peaceful and relaxing experience.
There are a few digitized clips of the 1984 Dune film that are in the Sega CD game. Anyone who's ever watched full motion video on a Sega CD can tell you that the picture quality is pretty bad by today's standards, but it was incredibly impressive for a home console in the 16-bit era. I wish I could say the same for the movie.
I didn't get to see the David Lynch theatrical adaptation of Dune until I was a teenager. My only exposure to the Dune Universe at this point in my life was through video games, so I went into this movie with only the most basic understanding about the story that it was trying to tell. With all due respect to those involved in its production, this is to this day one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life. The acting is terrible, the voice-overs are ridiculous, the special effects are downright embarrassing (even for the mid 80's), and the story makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I know this movie has found people who are willing to go to bat for it over the years, but I have to question if they even believe that they're saying. This isn't a case of a movie that's so bad that it's enjoyable, or a story that's complicated and just takes a few times through to fully understand it. It's a sloppy mess from start to finish.
The 1984 film had almost killed off my interest in the franchise, but one of my teachers gave me a paperback copy of the original novel and I fell in love with it. It was written by Frank Herbert in 1965, and reading it left me in awe of the world that he built. I found the rest of the series years later at a paperback book sale that was being held at a gym on Diamond Avenue in Hazleton.
There was also a mini-series adaptation Dune that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2000. This was followed up in 2003 by a second mini-series that combines the story of Dune Messiah and Children Of Dune. Both of them were very well done and a hell of a lot better than the 1984 Dune film, with special effects that were pretty great for the early 2000's, especially for television, but it didn't have the epic feeling that can only come from a full length motion picture on the big screen.
I'm not generally a huge fan of remakes, but this is a property that definitely needed to be given a mulligan. It doesn't even feel right to call it a remake, because the original movie barely deserves to be mentioned as a footnote in the story of Dune. This new Dune film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, takes things to another level. This film is the Star Wars moment for the franchise. It takes you out of this world and immerses you in the year 10,191 on the planet Arrakis, and the movie makes use of its score as well as any film I have ever seen.
Whether you're a fan of the books or a completely blank slate with no knowledge of the Frank Herbert classic, I highly recommend that you go see Dune in theaters while you still can. If you miss it on the big screen, it can be streamed on HBO... just don't click on the 1984 film by mistake.
My little Harvey isn't as young of a boy as he used to be, but he's still a very playful and happy dog who loves to go on walks and to romp around the back yard. Here are some photos of him from this Summer and Fall.
That's my little buddy. He's the sweetest dog I have ever been privileged enough to share my home with.
When I was growing up in the 80's, just about every kids cereal came packaged with a bonus surprise. Sometimes it was something simple, like a trading card, or a sticker, or a coupon for a candy bar. Other times, the price was a little better, like a licence plate for your bicycle or an action figure. On rare occasions, it would be the kind of thing you'd expect to find for a couple of bucks at a toy store. The one that comes to mind first is the little stuffed Sugar Bear that they used to pack in with boxes of Super Golden Crisp cereal.
The Cereal Squad toys are the closest thing I've seen in a long time to the type of toys that we used to get in breakfast cereal when I was growing up. General Mills has included one of these toys across their line of products, but the toy you receive isn't necessarily going to be a character from the cereal that you buy. Since there are nine toys and you don't know which one you're going to get until you open the box and look, you would have to buy a heck of a lot of cereal to collect them all.
Further complicating matters is the fact that some figures were made in more limited quantities than others. The back of the box calls out the fact that the Monster Cereals mascots are more difficult to find. It estimates that you have a 1 in 10 chance (10%) of finding a Count Chocula toy, a 1 in 25 chance (4%) of finding a Boo Berry toy, and a 1 in 50 chance (2%) of finding a FrankenBerry toy.
So, I beat the odds and found a FrankenBerry toy in my Honey Nut Cheerios. It's not exactly the kind of luck that will let me quit my job and retire to a tropical island, but it's pretty nifty nevertheless.
All of the toys are popping up on eBay now, with prices ranging from ridiculously expensive to absolutely freakin' bonkers. You have to wonder how much combined money people across the country are going to spend on these little toys, and what they plan on doing with them after they get 'em.
I, for one, have no idea what I'm going to do with this thing. As tempting as it is to flip it on eBay, I'll probably just end up packing it away with the rest of the Halloween decorations this weekend. Then, I'll unpack it next year and be faced with the choice of opening it and setting him alongside all of the other spooky home decor, or keeping it in the package on the off chance that it goes up in value to a level where I'd be a fool not to sell it. Now that I think about it, it's already at that level now. You could get a hell of a nice steak dinner for what these things are going for.
It's times like this that I really wish my grandfather was still around. I could only imagine what he'd say if I told him what people would be willing to pay for a free piece of plastic that came with my breakfast cereal.
Pumpkin Spice Cider Big Red Truck Brand (2021) I'm not sure if this is available nationwide or if it's a Northeast PA thing, but this is the most delicious apple cider I've ever had. Even if you're sick of pumpkin spice, this is worth trying. They've got the blend of pumpkin, apple and spices down perfect!
I found this at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Tamaqua, so I'm guessing it's at least available in Wal-Mart stores in NEPA.
Singer/songwriter John Linnell has insisted on numerous occasions that the lyrics are complete nonsense and don't mean anything. Personally, I tend to agree with Felix Brown's opinion on YouTube that he's singing to his cat.
Jackpot Pennsylvania Lottery (1990)
Even though slot machines weren't legal in Pennsylvania until 2006, the state used them to generate revenue for many years prior. Throughout the 80's and 90's, a lot of the Instant Lottery tickets were themed after slot machines and casino table games, essentially turning every gas station and convenience store into a scratch-off casino.
Here are some of the ones that I received in a lot of sample tickets that I bought on eBay last August.
Sunday night was the final night of the 2021 season at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, and they went out with one of the best double features, and one of the best special guests that they've had all year.
Since it's Halloween and we're going to see a werewolf movie, I decided I'd come dressed as a werewolf. I didn't have a body costume, so I threw on a shirt with the Union Jack with the idea that I was one of the Werewolves Of London. The mask didn't fit over my face while I was wearing my glasses so I didn't wear it for very long, but I was able to get a nice picture of Werewolf Will with little Harvey under the Mahoning sign. At first, I was worried that the little pup might get scared when he saw me wearing the mask, but it didn't phase him one bit. He just sniffed the rubber a little bit and that was it.
One of the cars that was parked near us on the lot was set up with Crow and Tom Servo from Mystery Science Theater 3000, with a little candy dish for anyone who was trunk-or-treating on the lot.
I was wearing a werewolf costume, and we originally thought it would be cute to have a photo taken with Ms. Wallace that included a werewolf (me) and a dog (Harvey) as a nice memory of a Halloween night in which we got to meet her and see two of her movies (about a dog and werewolves). We stood in line for nearly an hour to meet her and have a picture taken of the four of us, but it didn't work out that way. When we finally got close enough to the front door to see the table where Ms. Wallace was set up to sign autographs and meet with fans, the person in charge of the Mighty Mahoning Merch Tent told me that I would not be allowed into the building with a dog, despite the fact that we watched at least two other people enter with their dogs for a photo op. I love my little pup very much, and I wasn't about to let him sit in the car by himself, so I told Angie to go on ahead and I'd meet her back at the car. She had been looking forward to meeting Ms. Wallace ever since it was first announced that she would be in attendance, so there was no way in the world I was going to let anything keep her from that experience.
Angie told me that Ms. Wallace was incredibly sweet and kind. They took a nice photo together inside of the concession building, and she autographed the show poster for us. When Ms. Wallace asked who she should make the autograph out to, my wife asked that she sign it to Will and Angie. Ms. Wallace asked "Where is Will?", and Angie said that I was outside with Harvey because they wouldn't allow dogs in. Ms. Wallace then turned to the person sitting next to her (the same person who told me that Harvey couldn't come in) and asked "why the hell wouldn't you let the dog inside!" which was answered with an unconcerned shrug. I still love the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, but I won't pretend that I'm not annoyed with the situation I guess it is what it is.
This is the poster from the show that Ms. Wallace signed for us. It was being sold at the Exhumed Films merchandise table. It's much larger and significantly more expensive than the average show poster at the Mahoning, but it's very nice and it's great to have this memory of seeing two iconic horror flicks with the star in attendance.
Little Harvey was a good boy, as he always is. He spent the entire first movie on my lap getting pet and eating snacks. Not gonna lie, it's a lot easier bringing him out in the summer and on nights when the ground isn't as muddy as it was last night, but he likes to come out with us and he's very well-behaved.
The first movie of the night was a 1983 horror classic based on the 1981 Stephen Kingnovel of the same name: Cujo. I first saw this movie when I was 19 years old and was working for Blowout Video, a small video rental shop that used to be inside of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hazleton. It's one of the most suspenseful and realistic horror movies I've ever seen because, unlike the slasher flicks, this is a situation that could actually happen to you. Imagine being in a hot car with a dead battery with no other people around, and you're trapped inside by a rabid dog. Sure, it's not likely to happen to you, but the odds are a heck of a lot greater than an evil demon with a knife-fingered glove killing you in your dreams.
Maybe this is weird, but I feel bad for Cujo every time I watch this movie. He's a good boy who just had the bad luck of being bit on the nose by a rabid bat. He is every bit as much of a victim as the people who he has attacked and killed - perhaps more so. None of the events that took place in that story are his fault. The poor boy just wanted to romp in the field and chase bunnies. He didn't ask for this to happen any more than Donna or Tad.
I'm not sure what it says about me that I sympathize with characters like Frankenstein's Monster and Cujo more than I do the humans in their stories.
After intermission, Jeff screened a 1956 Chuck Jones cartoon on 35mm that was highly appropriate for the night. It's called Broom-Stick Bunny, and it stars Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel. The story takes place on Halloween night. Bugs is dressed up at a witch and he meets Witch Hazel when he goes trick-or-treating at her house. At first, she's jealous over the fact that Bugs (in his witch mask) is uglier than she is, so she attempts to poison him with a magic potion that will make him beautiful. However, when she learns that he is a rabbit in disguise, she decides that she needs to capture him to use as one of the ingredients in her witches brew.
This cartoon is famous for being the first appearance of one of my favorite entertainers of all-time in a Warner Bros cartoon: the great June Foray. She passed away in July 2017, just a couple months before she would have turned 100 years old. I'll always know her best as the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale in Rocky & Bullwinkle, but she has been the voice of literally hundreds of cartoon characters in her long and distinguished career. Whether you grew up in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's or the 2000's, if you watched cartoons, you have heard Ms. Foray's voice a thousand times in your life, and if you go back and watch them as an adult, you might find yourself channeling the spirit of her favorite character, Rocky, and asking yourself the question "That voice... where have I heard that voice before?" She went on to work in Warner Bros cartoons for the next 58 years after voicing Witch Hazel in this cartoon from 1956. It was truly a privilege to get to see it screened from it's original 35mm print here at the drive-in.
The second movie of the night, and the final movie of the 2021 season at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater was the 1981 horror, The Howling. I've never watched it before now. In fact, I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't even heard anything about it, but that can be a good thing - especially when I get to see a classic film for the first time at the drive-in with through fresh eyes.
It's a bit of a slow burn, but it's a damn good horror movie. It stars Dee Wallace as Karen White, a news anchor who goes undercover to catch a serial killer. The meeting leaves her traumatized and unsure of what she saw, which prompts her therapist to send she and her husband Bill to a private resort called The Colony to recuperate. As you might have guessed, The Colony is not what it appears to be on the surface.
I don't want to say any more about it at the risk of spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I will say that it has one of the best endings I have ever seen in a horror movie. It sort of reminded me a bit of the ending of They Live and The Truman Show for the way it depicts television and society. That's not to say that the plot of The Howling is anything like either of those films, but the final minutes of each of the three of them had a similar vibe.
The entire closing credits of The Howling have a close-up shot of a hamburger being grilled, which made me ravenously hungry for a big, thick cheeseburger as we left the drive-in. If this were the 90's or early 2000's, there would be at least a dozen different places that are still open at 1:00 am to get a hamburger, but things have changed a lot since then. The only place we could find that was still open was Sheetz, which we don't really go anywhere near on the drive home from the Mahoning, so we decided to put off hamburgers for a little while.
And that's a wrap on the 2021 season at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater. We have been to 42 different events and got to see nearly 80 movies at the drive-in this year, and I treasure every last moment of it. I'm very grateful to both the staff at the Mahoning and Exhumed Films for bringing us so many fun nights this year, and to Joe Bob and Darcy for introducing us to this place. Assuming everything goes according to plan and they open on the last weekend of April, there are approximately 180 days until the start of the 2022 drive-in season, but who's counting. 😉
Wes Craven's 15th movie premiered in theaters across the country thirty years ago today. The People Under The Stairs makes me think of a demented Home Alone. A young boy nicknamed Fool and his two accomplices plan to rob the home of a wealthy couple, who also happen to be the landlords who are evicting Fool and his family from their apartment. Unfortunately for the trio, the couple are inbred psychopaths with lots of guns, an attack dog, and a basement filled with all of their cannibalistic children who they keep locked up in a torture chamber. Well, all of them except for the one whose tongue they cut out who has escaped into the walls, and their daughter who has been well behaved enough to live upstairs because she follows their rules of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".
In February 1992, I saw The People Under The Stairs at a second run theater in Lantana, Florida. I'm not sure if this place is still open or how many places like it are still in existence these days, but a second run theater typically showed movies that were no longer being shown at most major theater chains, but were still a few months away from being released on home video. I grew up near a place like this in West Hazleton that was called the Key Theater, but has since changed into a movie theater/restaurant hybrid called the Cinema & Drafthouse.
Unfortunately, I had a hard time paying attention to the film. My dad's best friend John was a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and had a "little brother" who he took on outings. Because this kid and I were the same age, John would sometimes pick me up and bring me along to hang out with them in whatever they were doing that week. It was usually a lot of fun, but on this night, I discovered that this kid did not know how to shut the hell up during a movie. Worse yet, he had seen it before, so I had a nonstop spoiler machine sitting next to me the entire time. I tried to explain to him, as politely as an 11 year old boy could, that I wanted to watch the movie for myself and not know exactly what's going to happen right before it happened. To this, he responded by saying "ok, I won't tell you what happens, but do you know how if you touch something electrical and then touch somebody else that the shock will go through to the person on the end?" Gee... I wonder what's going to happen next.
