"Black Friday" On Black Friday

This coming Friday is Black Friday. At least that's according to retailers nationwide.

What better way to spend Black Friday night than to pop in the DVD of the 1940 Universal feature, Black Friday?

It stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Oddly, both seem to be in secondary roles with the main character played by Stanley Ridges.

According to Wikipedia:

The famous Dr. Ernest Sovac's best friend, bookish college professor George Kingsley, is run down while crossing a street. In order to save his friend's life, Sovac implants part of another man's brain into the professor's. Unfortunately, the other man was a gangster who was involved in the accident. The professor recovers but at times behaves like the gangster, and his whole personality changes. Sovac is horrified but also intrigued, because the gangster has hidden $500,000 somewhere in the city. The doctor continues to treat his friend and, when the professor is under the influence of the gangster's brain, Sovac attempts to have the man lead him to the fortune. Béla Lugosi plays a gangster also trying to get his hands on the cash.

I have Black Friday in the Bela Lugosi Collection DVD set. But, if you don't have it, you can watch it above via YouTube!

Enjoy!

Ordered "Godzilla Minus One" Blu-ray

After nearly a year since Godzilla Minus One opened in theaters, the DVD and Blu-ray editions are now finally available.

I just placed my order for the Blu-ray edition. It should arrive by November 29.

 

The John Wayne Birthplace Museum

 

Above, the John Wayne statue at the main entrance courtyard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Along with having John Wayne's birthplace, Winterset, Iowa also has a museum with many movie artifacts from Wayne's career. The Museum had its grand opening on May 22-25, 2015. I visited both this last Thursday.

While not as extensive as the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit in Fort Worth, Texas, fans visiting the museum will come away not at all disappointed. There's lots of stuff to see.

There is a theater that shows a short film with Aissa Wayne on her dad's life and career. When she was a youngster, she appeared in several of Wayne's films including The Comancheros, The Alamo and McLintock! 

There is a big gift shop in the museum. I picked up several DVDs to fill some gaps in my collection along with a poster from McLintock! (below).

One can walk directly from the museum to the birthplace house through a room containing a chuckwagon from The Cowboys. 

There is also the "courting cart" from The Quiet Man along with a model of the Alamo. One of Wayne's customized station wagons is on display. (There's another one in Fort Worth at the John Wayne: An American Experience.) Many movie wardrobe items are also on display. A collection of coffee mugs Wayne gave to cast and crew members of his movies upon their completion are also on display. A cannon used in The Alamo is also on display.

The main entrance courtyard is dominated by a huge statue of John Wayne.

Here's a sampling of my visit:

Catty-corner from the Museum:

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day to all of you hard-working people and to those retirees who paid their dues during their working lives!

For me, I will be doing some Jeep driving (possibly in Six Mile Canyon) and barbecuing some cheeseburgers. 

I picked up a four-movie DVD set of Clint Eastwood movies (a couple he starred in and a couple of others he just directed). Last night, I watched for the first time The Mule (2018). Much of the filming took place in New Mexico, mainly in the Las Cruces area, but some road scene locations looked familiar. It was an enjoyable movie. I will probably watch Sully (2016) tonight.

I already have American Sniper and Grand Torino, but the price was $7.50 at Walmart, so I don't mind.

Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day.

"Godzilla Minus One" Pre-Orders Available

While I was on vacation in the Bahamas, it was announced that Godzilla Minus One will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray sometime in September. The actual release date is unclear 

Retailers are now taking pre-orders for the movie.

It is funny, Delta Airlines had Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in their in-flight movie offerings. I wasn't interested enough to watch it.

"Adventures of Superman" On Blu-ray Coming?

Above, George Reeves as Superman. 

A little while ago, I spotted this post over on Facebook:

 

If this is true, this is certainly great news!

All episodes of Adventures of Superman and Superman and the Mole Men were released on DVD by Warner Bros. some years ago. They were from the "best available sources" at the time. Some episodes were very lacking ("The Stolen Costume" episode is a prime example) in quality. But  since "beggars can't be choosers", we resigned ourselves that this was better than nothing.

 

But if the show is released on Blu-ray after restoration, this would be a godsend to fans.

Keep your fingers crossed!

"Godzilla x Kong" Coming To DVD/Blu-Ray May 14

Within the past six months, Godzilla fans were treated to two Godzilla movies.

First, came Godzilla Minus One from Toho Studios last December. It was a critical success and it garnered the King of the Monsters his first Academy Award for Best Special Effects.

Then came Godzilla x Kong from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. To me, and many others, it was entertaining but it lacked interesting characters and plot. 

It has been announced that Godzilla x Kong will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 14. No word has been given by Toho on when Godzilla Minus One will see a similar release even though it is already out in these formats in Japan. 

The Japanese discs have no English subtitles.

"The Invisible Woman" (1940)

I've had The Invisble Man Legacy Collection DVD box set (Universal Pictures) for about a year, but I had not viewed all of the movies in it.

Last evening, we watched The Invisible Woman (1940) for the first time.

From IMDb:

Eccentric Professor Gibbs, brilliant but impractical, invents an invisibility machine and advertises for a guinea pig. What he gets is Kitty Carroll, an attractive, adventurous model, who thinks being invisible would help her settle a few scores. Complications arise when three comic gangsters steal the machine to use on their boss. But they fail to reckon with the Revenge of the Invisible Woman!

I didn't expect a comedic take on invisibility (given the serious H. G. Wells-based The Invisible Man and its sequel The Invisible Man Returns), but we enjoyed it.

The movie starred Virginia Bruce in the title role and John Barrymore as Professor Gibbs. Shemp Howard appears as a comedic gangster. 

Some machinery in Prof. Gibbs's laboratory were very familiar as they were used in Universal's Frankenstein series.

My grade: A.

"The Speed Merchants" DVD and 1985 Grand Prix of Long Beach

Above, The Speed Merchants DVD signed by Vic Elford.

Last evening after dinner, I popped in a DVD that was given to me from Russell Azbill, The Speed Merchants (1973) on auto racing (thanks, Russell).

It was an interesting look at auto racing in the U.S. and Europe. It was narrated by drivers Mario Andretti and Vic Elford (Elford signed the DVD case). 

It has to be one of the best documentaries on auto racing during the bygone era of the early 1970s.

Above, yours truly at the 1985 Grand Prix of Long Beach.

It reminded me that I attended two Grand Prix of Long Beach (1984 and 1985). I was fortunate enough to have been given tickets to those events from vendors I worked with in my job as a property insurance adjuster. One of them (1984) included a garage pass which allowed me to wander into the garage areas where teams worked on their cars. While inside, I walked past actor Gene Hackman while he was chatting with one of the drivers.

In 1984, the Grand Prix of Long Beach switched from Formula One cars to CART Indy Cars.

Mario Andretti won both the 1984 and 1985 races. I snapped a photo of Andretti in 1985 while he was sitting on a mini-bike and chatting.

I scanned some of my photos from the 1985 Grand Prix and they are below:

"Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story" DVD Review

A DVD was waiting for me at the post office today.

It was Dark Shadows and Beyond: The Jonathan Frid Story. It comprised of Frid's life and career before, during and after Dark Shadows.

The DVD was interesting. One tidbit of information it contained was that Frid was a heavy smoker and around 1980, he had to have an angioplasty procedure done (been there, done that myself). Following that, he quit smoking cold turkey.  

Another was that actor Anthony Zerbe knew Frid well in the stage theatre circuit. 

When Dark Shadows was dubbed in Spanish and released in South America years after the show was cancelled in the U.S., Frid went down to help promote it. It became so popular that when Frid appeared during his first trip, he wasn't made up as Barnabas Collins, causing disappointment to the fans there. In a subsequent trip, he came with the cane and ring.

Above, Jonathan Frid, circa 1983. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It has several extras. Unfortunately, about 3 of them wouldn't work. One extra that worked was "The Best of Barnabas", which was released on VHS about 30 years ago.

Other than the problems with some of the extras, the DVD was worth getting.

My grade: A-.

Remembering My 2010 Visit To Tsukiji Fish Market

Above, inside the Tsukiji Fish Market. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last night, for the first time in years, I popped in my DVD of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a 2011 documentary of one of the top sushi chefs in Tokyo, Jiro Ono. Happily, Jiro Ono is still with us at age 96.

Above, Jiro Dreams of Sushi poster.

It was an interesting documentary and it featured quite a bit of Tokyo and surrounding areas. 

I had forgotten that it had featured the now-gone Tsukiji Fish Market. It had been relocated several years ago to Toyosu.

Above, one of the many vendors at the Tsukiji Fish Market. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I visited the Tsukiji Fish Market in December 2010. It's hard to believe that it is nearly 11 years since my visit in the wee hours of the morning. I was going to get up early to go there anyway, but a small earthquake got me up an hour earlier than planned.

Above, yours truly with a restaurateur at the Outer Market.

Following my wandering in the fish market, I went to the outer market where shops and restaurants are located and had a great tuna sushi meal.

Sean Connery In "Cuba" (1979)

Some people and critics didn't particularly care for it, but since it first came out in 1979, I have always liked the Sean Connery-Brooke Adams Cuba. I saw it during its first run and I believe I have it on VHS (somewhere).

Anyway, the DVD of Cuba arrived in today's mail and I will be watching it tonight.

Connery plays a British mercenary in Cuba just before the 1959 revolution and Adams plays an ex-lover who is married to a wealthy landowner (Chris Sarandon). While in Cuba, Connery and Adams reconnect.

The movie was directed by Richard Lester.

I was wondering whatever became of Brooke Adams. Fortunately, she is still active (aged 72) but had a bout with COVID-19 last year.

According to Wikipedia:

Adams has been married to actor Tony Shalhoub since 1992. They have two daughters, both of whom were adopted.

In May 2020, Shalhoub revealed that he and Adams had become ill with COVID-19 the previous month and after a "pretty rough few weeks" had recovered.

"Carlito's Way" (1993)

Above, Sean Penn (left) and Al Pacino in Carlito's Way. Universal Pictures photo.

Last night, I watched a movie that I hadn't seen since it came out 27 years ago.

I was in the Flying J down the hill and was perusing the DVD bin and found a copy of Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino, Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. I decided to buy it since I barely remembered a thing about it, despite the synopsis on the package.

From Rotten Tomatoes:

A free man after years in prison, Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), who also serves as his lawyer. When Carlito and Kleinfeld run afoul of shifty gangster Benny Blanco (John Alberto Leguizamo), it sets them on a dangerous path.

I watched it during dinner last night and it was like watching a new movie because I was so long since I last saw it.

Pacino gives a great performance. I didn't recognize Sean Penn at first, but he was great in his role as a sleazy lawyer. I am not a Penn fan by any means, but he did a great job in this. Brian De Palma directed.

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is funny that I remember the night I saw it. I went out with a former co-worker, Robyn, to dinner at Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades (one of my favorite seafood restaurants in L.A.) and we went to see the movie afterwards. It was around the time the Northridge Earthquake took place and Robyn was planning to move to Colorado shortly thereafter. 

One of these days, I'll pick up a copy of De Palma's/Pacino's Scarface. I don't believe I've ever seen that movie before. Carlito's Way has me curious enough to want to see it.

My grade: A.

The John Wayne Collection DVD Set

Above, the nice tin box for the set. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The 15-movie DVD set, The John Wayne Collection, has been sitting in my shelf for years. It has been there so long that I don't remember how I got it and if it was a gift, I don't remember who gave it to me. The tin box still had the unopened wrapping on it.

This past weekend, I decided to open it and start watching. The set as five discs along with a booklet about each movie, which were produced by Lone Star Productions or Republic Pictures in the mid-1930s. I am now 2/3 through disc 4.

It is interesting to see Wayne in these B-westerns learning his acting craft before he became a star in Stagecoach in 1939. He was obviously not ready for movie acting in his first starring role in The Big Trail in 1929. Fortunately, these cheapie westerns gave him a training ground on acting. In these films, he honed his "talk low, talk slow and don't say too much" style of delivery.

This set, according to Oldies.com:

John Wayne is without a doubt the quintessential All-American hero. Strong, silent, frank and rugged, he personified the ways of the Wild West and beyond, becoming an institution both on the big screen and in real life. The challenge for many fans became pinpointing where the character ended and where Wayne began! Now for the first time, 15 of "Duke's" classic early works are all compiled in one stunning collector's tin. These five DVDs contain great westerns from his heyday in the 1930s and will guarantee hours of gun-slinging entertainment. With timeless works like Dawn Rider, The Desert Trail and West of the Divide, you can take a piece of the old west home today! Films include: Blue Steel, Lawless Range, The Dawn Rider, Lucky Texan, Man from Utah, Texas Terror, Rainbow Valley, The Star Packer, The Desert Trail, Riders of Destiny, Randy Rides Alone, The Trail Beyond, West of the Divide, Winds of the Wasteland, Paradise Canyon. Includes DELUXE BOOKLET featuring John Wayne's biography and filmography.

It is interesting that George "Gabby" Hayes and Yakima Canutt appear in most of the movies in this set. It is amusing that Lone Star tried to make Wayne a "singing cowboy" in some of these with him singing via an obviously dubbed singer's voice and many times the same sets were used in the movies with little or no changes made. It is also amusing to see the huge cowboy hats the actors wore. These were more like "50-gallon" hats instead of "10-gallon" hats.

This set was issued in 2005 by Madacy Home Video. Don't expect pristine or restored prints here, just savor seeing these oldies featuring a young Duke. This set is a must-have for any John Wayne, western or movie history buff. These were maybe "cheapie" B-movies for the Saturday matinee patrons, but they are sure entertaining.

Movies For A Snow Day

Above, the John Wayne Collection after taking off the plastic wrap. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since the snowstorm we're having now has dumped about 5 inches (so far) and the gang cancelled the morning coffee at the Flying J, I'll be hanging around home.

Before the snow turns to ice, I'll be doing some snow shoveling.

But after that, since this is a snow day, I'll be watching movies. I have a collection of John Wayne movies (15 of them) that he made before Stagecoach (1939) when he was in many "B" westerns learning his acting craft. I have never even opened the package (it was still wrapped) until this morning. I've had this set for several years.

These should keep me occupied for the day.

"Death Wish" Movies

Above, Charles Bronson in Death Wish 3.

While perusing the DVDs at the Flying J today, I came upon a set of three Death Wish movies from the 1980s: Death Wish 2 (1982), Death Wish 3 (1985) and Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987) starring the late Charles Bronson.

On Death Wish (1974) and Death Wish 2, I hadn't seen either since their original releases. I haven't seen Death Wish 3, Death Wish 4 or Death Wish 5: The Face of Death (1994). Now, with having the DVD, I can now watch 2 again and see the rest (except 5) for the first time. The original Death Wish is sold separately (I'll get that one another time).

I've already watched 2 and 3 today (I'll watch 4 probably tomorrow). They were enjoyable shoot 'em ups with plenty of gratuitous nudity and violence. They don't make movies like they used to these days.

Since I am not fond of remakes, I skipped last year's Bruce Willis's Death Wish.

Bracing For Round Two

Above, Barking Spider Road and Acre yesterday afternoon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Round Two (and Round Three) of the storms coming this week are on the way. The ground is still partly covered with snow from the first storm of two nights ago. The coming storms will only add to that.

Round Two is expected tomorrow.

It is already cloudy outside but the temperature is warmer than yesterday's 28° at 43°.

According to the Durango Herald:

ALBUQUERQUE – Road crews are preparing for wintery conditions that will move across New Mexico over the next couple of days. 

Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque said precipitation will increase across the state Wednesday into Thursday with some parts seeing rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain. 

East central to southeastern areas will likely see a mix of precipitation, leading to slick and treacherous travel conditions.

It's a good thing that Volume 9 of the Dark Shadows Collection DVD sets arrived. I've been watching it as it is too cold and muddy out to do any off-roading.

To read more, go here.

Dark Shadows Collection 9

Since we're about a month away from winter, I figured I'll need something to keep myself occupied when it snows outside and I'm holed up inside the house.

It's been months since I ordered the Dark Shadows Collection 8 on DVD, so I ordered Collection 9 this evening.

It features the Adam, Nicholas Blair and Angelique (as a vampire) story lines from 1968. Humbert Allan Astedo played a delightfully evil warlock that, to me, was the best villain during Dark Shadows entire run.

The story synopsis:

Fearing Victoria Winters' safety, Barnabas Collins forces her to reveal her nightmare resulting from Angelique's frightening dream curse, which threatens to make Barnabas once again a creature of the night. The man made monster Adam kidnaps Victoria in an attempt to force Barnabas and Julia Hoffman to create a mate for him. Warlock Nicholas Blair causes Angelique to age and warns that he'll destroy her unless she returns the vampire curse to Barnabas. Nicholas becomes infatuated with Maggie Evans and causes her boyfriend to be the victim of a vampiric attack. After ailing handyman Tom Jennings tries to warn Maggie of the danger surrounding them, Barnabas discovers fang marks on Julia's neck.

Criterion's Peter Becker Discusses Godzilla Showa-Era Release

Above, Godzilla approaching Tokyo's Kachidoki Bridge in 1954.

Godzilla fans over the years have collected the King of the Monsters's movies ever since VHS tapes were made cheaply available.

Some were official releases and others were bootlegs (at one time, the only way to see the Heisei Series (second series) of Godzilla films was through the bootleg market.

Then came DVD and Blu-ray discs which offered the movies in high resolution. Some releases were better than others (a lot of it depended upon the original source material). Again, fans bought and re-bought the movies.

Now, Criterion Collection is releasing the Showa Series (first series) of Godzilla movies in a new box set. Here we go again!

Criterion Collection's Peter Becker discusses the Godzilla release in a Variety article.

Here's a snippet:

He added: “The idea basically is that it would be wrong to treat Bergman the same way as we treat Godzilla, but it would also in some ways be wrong to treat Godzilla with any less respect than we treat Bergman with.” 

Criterion last year released its “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema” Blu-ray disc box featuring 39 films and a book featuring critical essays on each of the films. 

Its new “Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975” collection, which comprises 15 digitally restored films and a book featuring newly commissioned illustrations by high-profile artists, is scheduled for release Oct. 29. 

Becker stressed that publishing was not just about bringing products into the world but rather “about how you’re putting it into the world. What it looks like, what it feels like. Even just the finish on “Godzilla” feels a little bit like skin, it’s nice. It’s little details like that that you need to pay attention to – those are all part of publishing.”

The fanbase again will be shelling out hard-earned cash. Since Criterion puts out quality videos, it is likely to be worth it.

To read more, go here.

"Godzilla: King of the Monsters" Blu-ray

Finally, today I bought the Blu-ray of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

I had to go into Gallup anyway to pick up a new television antenna as the one I had crapped out. The new one works great!

The package contained the Blu-ray, a DVD and the Digital Code.

While having dinner, watched the movie and was impressed with the picture and sound quality. One thing I found annoying was that not all of the extras are included in the Blu-ray disc. One extra was in the Blu-ray and the others were in the DVD.

This was my second viewing of the movie. The first was in 3D in Gallup at the Red Rock Theaters. I apparently missed a few things during my first viewing, but caught them this evening.