Amazing Hospital Dance Sequence From "Freak Dance" (2010)(video)

 

Here's a rousing scene from a movie we reviewed back in 2010, which parodies those big dance numbers from Hollywood musicals aimed at "hip" young audiences. You can read our original review HERE.

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Amazing Hospital Dance Sequence From "Freak Dance" (2010)(video)

The 3 Thugs Batman Slugs In Show Opening ("BATMAN" 1966) (video)

In the show's famous opening...

...we see an advancing horde of hoodlums headed for harm...

...which includes Joker, Penguin, and even Catwoman.

But we barely get to see the first three thugs...

...who act as point guard and get slugged first.

The first one looks surprised. "What the--Batman!"

The second is ready to riddle Robin with bullets.

And the third just seems to be courting a K.O.

Which Batman avidly administers.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

The 3 Thugs Batman Slugs In Show Opening ("BATMAN" 1966) (video)

Solo Moe: Moe Howard's Non-3 Stooges Acting Roles #2 ("Doctor Death, Seeker of Souls", 1973) (video)

 

The Three Stooges were over as a comedy act when Larry Fine had his crippling stroke. 

But Moe Howard's acting career wasn't quite over yet! 

Here he is, along with his beloved wife Helen, in a scene from 1973's "Doctor Death, Seeker of Souls."

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Solo Moe: Moe Howard's Non-3 Stooges Acting Roles #2 ("Doctor Death, Seeker of Souls", 1973) (video)

"Imaginary Hookah": Original Song Set To George Melies' 1904 Silent "Journey Through The Impossible" (video)

 

I wrote these lyrics many years ago and recently had them set to AI music at Suno.com. just for fun. The film clips I used came from an amazing 1904 ‪George Méliès silent called "Journey Through The Impossible" (aka The Impossible Journey).

Song lyrics: IMAGINARY HOOKAH by Porfle Popnecker We gathered in the livingroom To tell our stories Sitting in a circle Like monks around a hookah Imaginary hookah Drew us all together Smoking like an altar Burning like a magic lantern Night descended on the house And gave us time to sort things out We made our way by the cathode ray Never really cared just what it had to say Imaginary hookah Drew us all together Smoking like an altar Burning like a magic lantern They told me that the house was haunted Didn't think that it was true But I swear that late one night I heard Footsteps in an empty room Imaginary hookah Drew us all together Smoking like an altar Burning like a magic lantern There never was one single particular Moment of decision But day by day we went our seperate ways The house still stands unto this day Like a strange museum of a bygone age Dinosaur castle, dodo cage Imaginary hookah Drew us all together Smoking like an altar Burning like a magic lantern

We reminisced about tomorrow Till the break of yesterday

Video and lyrics by Porfle Popnecker. AI music by Suno.com. Thanks for watching and listening!

"Imaginary Hookah": Original Song Set To George Melies' 1904 Silent "Journey Through The Impossible" (video)

The Deer Hunter (1978): "This Is This" (video)

 

This is this! This is this! This is this this this!

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

The Deer Hunter (1978): "This Is This" (video)

Coopers' Christmas (2008): "I Kill Poppy!" (video)

 

This scene from the 2008 comedy "Coopers' Christmas" teaches a valuable lesson: if you're Poppy, you should never let your guard down around Dougie.

(Caution: something violent happens)

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Coopers' Christmas (2008): "I Kill Poppy!" (video)

Batman Reveals His Secret Identity To Gordon: My Improved Edit ("The Dark Knight Rises", 2012) (video)

 

I always thought Commissioner Gordon's flashback and realization...

...should come while he's still face-to-face with Batman.

So I edited it that way just for fun.

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Batman Reveals His Secret Identity To Gordon: My Improved Edit ("The Dark Knight Rises", 2012) (video)

All The Toni Basil Scenes In "Village Of The Giants" (1965)(video)

 

Toni Basil is a famed singer, dancer, and choreographer.

EASY RIDER (1969) was probably her most high-profile film role.

And most people probably know her from her classic "Mickey" music video.

But for many of us, the first time we ever saw her...

...was as a red-haired go-go dancer in VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS (1965).


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

 

All The Toni Basil Scenes In "Village Of The Giants" (1965)(video)

Heartwarming End Scene To "Isn't It Shocking?" (Made-for-TV, 1973) (video)

R.I.P. Louise Lasser 💗💗

With the murder case solved, Alan Alda's small town sheriff must decide whether to stay...

...or take a job in a bigger town far away, which his secretary Blanche (Louise Lasser) dreads because she secretly loves him. 

Listen how beautifully David Shire's music enters the scene at just the right moment and then leads into the end titles.

One of our favorite scenes in any 70s made-for-tv film.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Heartwarming End Scene To "Isn't It Shocking?" (Made-for-TV, 1973) (video)

VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE PART 2 -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 1/30/15

One of the oddest episodes in the history of splatter flicks was that whole business about "video nasties" that happened in England back in the 80s and 90s. Back then, Margaret Thatcher and several other government types were popping their corks over any small-screen (i.e. "video") entertainment that involved any kind of graphic gore, and were using all their legal powers to squelch, suppress, censor, and generally pull the plug on the whole bloody shebang.

We know now, of course, that--to paraphrase Allan Carr--you just can't stop the splatter. In "Video Nasties--The Definitive Guide" we learned about Thatcher's infamous banned list, which spelled out which films were not only officially frowned upon but would be forcibly removed from video stores and destroyed, and their offending owners prosecuted.

With its follow-up, the documentary VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE PART 2, subtitled "Draconian Days" (Severin Films 3-disc DVD set), we learn that the story continued for many years afterward as censorship and legal action against the offending horror videos grew stricter and more draconian than ever before, while sensationalistic news stories fanned the flames of public condemnation.

The story focuses mainly on the BBFC--British Board of Film Classification--under the strict rule of board director James Ferman. This group of video watchdogs tirelessly scrutinized the seemingly neverending flow of movies containing the sort of violence, gore, and "sick" themes which, they feared, might be accessible by children even if the videos themselves were purchased or rented by "responsible" adults.

Ferman wielded his censor's scissors recklessly and to such extremes that other members of the BBFC, some of whom are interviewed here, began to question him. But for years, a generous number of horror films were either mercilessly edited or banned outright, which, ironically, made them even more sought-after by avid gorehounds who created a vast bootlegging and trading underground.

While the documentary contains numerous film clips, it's composed mainly of talking head segments featuring various politicians, filmmakers, authors, and other interested parties, each offering accounts of their own personal views and experiences during this era of extreme censorship and artistic persecution.

At one point even David Cronenberg shows up to posit that the censors were just as delusional as the psychos supposedly getting all their ideas and inspiration from horror films. This doesn't seem at all unlikely when the documentary details the time in which the infamous murder of toddler James Bulger by two young boys was blamed in large part on the film CHILD'S PLAY 3.

As with the previous installment, director Jake West does a meticulous job of putting it all together to create an engrossing and informative narrative. Those who enjoy documentaries should have little problem getting into this. Those who don't, however, will probably be bored stiff.

For them, discs two and three are just the thing, for they contain trailers for all the blood 'n' guts classics once deemed too sick, horrific, depraved, and just plain evil for sensitive British subjects to handle. The discs offer 82 trailers in all, namely those titles chosen under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act which could be seized and destroyed, either from places of business or from citizens' private homes as well.

A great feature of these discs is the choice to watch the trailers one after another, uninterrupted, or to view detailed, informative introductory reviews of each title by a very knowledgeable bunch of filmmakers, authors, and critics.

Some of the 82 titles include BLOOD LUST, BRUTES AND SAVAGES, CANNIBALS, DEAD KIDS, DEEP RED, DEATH WEEKEND, DEMENTED, EATEN ALIVE, HEADLESS EYES, HELL PRISON, LOVE BUTCHER, MARK OF THE DEVIL, MASSACRE MANSION, SAVAGE TERROR, SCREAM FOR VENGEANCE, SUICIDE CULT, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, XTRO, and ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST.

In addition to these, bonus features also include two galleries--the first, covers from dozens of gore fanzines from the era, and the second, covers from all the videos which were either successfully prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act or deemed liable for seizure but not prosecution. Discs are in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital mono sound. No subtitles.

As before, this DVD set's design presentation itself, with its simulated videotape imperfections and "adjust tracking" prompts, is fun for the nostalgic VHS fan. But that's just icing on the cake for VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE PART 2, which is rewarding not only for its intensive history of the subject but also for a wealth of trailers that should have gorehounds barking at the bloody moon.



Read our review of Part One

VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE PART 2 -- DVD Review by Porfle

VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE -- DVD Review by Porfle

  Originally posted 6/25/2014

 

For those unfamiliar with the story, Severin Home Video's new 3-disc DVD set VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE should serve as a more than adequate recap of one of the strangest cultural battles ever to take place on English soil. And even if you already know all the information imparted by the collection's first disc documentary, "Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship, and Videotape" (2010), the barrage of trailers on discs 2 and 3 should keep you entertained for hours.

The 2010 documentary, directed by Jake West, begins as the home video craze is heating up in the early 80s. One of the hottest attractions is what would become known as the "video nasty", namely those cheap but extremely gory horror flicks that had many of us haunting our local mom 'n' pop video stores looking for anything with some of that good ol' shock value.

But when societal watchdogs in England such as aging activist Mary Whitehouse noticed that these gruesome films were bypassing theatrical age restrictions and being watched on home VCRs by little kids, something was bound to hit the fan.

With something new to censor, various members of Parliament joined Ms. Whitehouse and an indignant press in stirring up public outrage against the "sadist videos" (which Whitehouse admitted to never having watched) along with some heavy legal backlash. The first step was a widespread confiscation, with 32,000 tapes such as DRILLER KILLER and DEATH TRAP being seized and burned in London's Metropolitan area alone.

As righteous anger over these videos grew, so did the penalties for distributing and renting them, with several offenders paying large fines and even going to jail. Newspapers and police began using the films to conveniently explain all sorts of criminal behavior, accusing them of potentially "corrupting and depraving" anyone who watched them.

It wasn't long before Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher jumped on the bandwagon in order to attain some much-needed moral cred, coming up with a list of 72 banned titles that could get you into big trouble if caught renting or distributing them. This list, of course, became a "must-see" menu for fans of the genre although the films were becoming increasingly difficult to find.

The documentary describes how the banned video nasties got copied and passed around by fans, and how these multi-generation tapes had a fuzziness which helped obscure bad FX and make the images seem more mysterious and realistic. One of my favorite things about "Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship, and Videotape", in fact, is how it delves into the nostalgia those of us from the VCR era still have for those big, clunky machines and often battered tapes that we ran through them.

The documentary--and, in fact, the DVD packaging and menus themselves--display an almost fetishistic regard for VCRs, VHS, videotape imperfections, and other quirks of the medium with which I could strongly identify. There's also a fond remembrance of those hole-in-the-wall video stores that seemed to pop up just about everywhere in the 80s, each of which had its own individual ambience and unique variety of titles both familiar and obscure.

What I didn't like so much about the documentary--and it's a small gripe--is that it leans rather heavily on talking heads (politicians, filmmakers, critics, and other interested parties from the era) and not enough film clips. However, since discs 2 and 3 more than make up for this, then disc 1 can be forgiven for being more of a history lesson than anything else.

Disc 2 features trailers for "The Final 39", or the films that were successfully prosecuted in UK courts and "deemed liable to deprave and corrupt." Retailers and distributors could be heavily fined and even imprisoned for handling these hot-button horrors. The trailers range all the way from something called ABSURD to ZOMBIE FLESH-EATERS, with some of the titles in-between including: THE BEAST, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, THE DRILLER KILLER, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, NIGHTMARES IN A DAMAGED BRAIN (I think I rented this under the shortened title NIGHTMARES), and the infamous fake-out SNUFF.

Disc 3 contains trailers for the 33 films that were initially banned but later removed from the "leper list" (as I just now decided to call it). Are they truly milder than the notorious 39 and less likely to turn viewers into gibbering sadists? It's your call as the line-up includes such blood-soaked fare as THE BOGEY MAN, DEATH TRAP, DEEP RIVER SAVAGES, THE EVIL DEAD (that one definitely warped MY mind), THE FUNHOUSE, HUMAN EXPERIMENTS, THE TOOLBOX MURDERS, and ZOMBIE CREEPING FLESH.

The trailers on Discs 2 and 3 can be viewed in all their uninterrupted glory, or with introductions and reviews (some pretty in-depth) from some of the talking heads seen in Disc 1's feature documentary. Cult horror presenter Emily Booth greets us at the start of each disc. Other extras include VHS box art and video logo galleries. The discs are in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby digital sound. No subtitles.

"Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship, and Videotape" is an interesting but slow-moving and occasionally dull account of a fascinating time in British history. Lots of yakkity-yak and not enough video clips slow things down to a creep even though this is a valuable historical document that should be seen by anyone interested in the subject. But it's that collection of "must-see list" trailers that really rates VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE a nasty niche in your own video library.



Read our review of Part Two

 

VIDEO NASTIES: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE -- DVD Review by Porfle

Sam Elliott -- "God, I Do Love This Country" (video)

 HAPPY 4TH OF JULY FROM HK AND CULT FILM NEWS! 


From the film "You Know My Name" (1999) 
 
Sam Elliott as Bill Tilghman

Carolyn McCormick as Zoe Tilghman


I neither own nor claim the rights to this material--I just wanted to highlight this rather inspirational scene from the movie.

Sam Elliott -- "God, I Do Love This Country" (video)

What If "The Shawshank Redemption" Had An Unhappy Ending? (video)

 

 (Caution: May cause sadness)

"The Shawshank Redemption" has one of the most feelgood endings ever.

It's the total opposite of the ending of, say, a certain Terry Gilliam film.

But what if the ending was a total bringdown? Huh? What if?


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

What If "The Shawshank Redemption" Had An Unhappy Ending? (video)

"CAT PEOPLE" (1983) Leopard Tree Dream Sequence With Alternate Album Track (video)

Giorgio Moroder's soundtrack album for 1983's "Cat People"...

...contains some music that is considerably different from that in the film.

A notable example is the music for the memorable "Leopard Tree Dream" sequence.

Here is the scene from the movie, accompanied by the music from the album.


Music by Giorgio Moroder

Starring
Nastassia Kinski
Malcolm McDowell

Directed by
Paul Schrader

Written by
DeWitt Bodeen, Alan Ormsby, Paul Schrader

Video by Porfle Popnecker
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. 
Thanks for watching!

"CAT PEOPLE" (1983) Leopard Tree Dream Sequence With Alternate Album Track (video)

John Wayne: The Singing Cowboy (video)

John Wayne as "Singin' Sandy"?

Here are some of the attempts by various movie studios in the 30s to turn John Wayne into a singing cowboy.  (Dubbed, that is.)

Scenes used are from:

"Riders of Destiny" (1933)
"Westward Ho!" (1935)
"Lawless Range" (1935)
"Man From Utah" (1934)

Originally posted on 11/26/18
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

John Wayne: The Singing Cowboy (video)

Beverly Garland's Amazing Performance In "It Conquered The World" (1956)(video)

 

If you're a genre fan, chances are...

...you already have a warm spot in your heart for the wonderful Beverly Garland.

And her amazing performance in "It Conquered the World" (1956) is just one of the many reasons why.

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights over this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

Beverly Garland's Amazing Performance In "It Conquered The World" (1956)(video)

Does Kiko Cry "Mommy!" At The End Of SON OF KONG? (1933) (video)

"Son Of Kong" is a delightful, fairytale-tinged follow-up to "King Kong."

(You can read our review of it HERE.)

Kong's son "Kiko" is a likable character played for laughs and sympathy...
...with decidedly human-like qualities.

Kiko's life is threatened when the island begins to sink...
...and his foot gets caught in a crevice.

Does the poor little soul actually call for his Mommy?

What do you think?


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Does Kiko Cry "Mommy!" At The End Of SON OF KONG? (1933) (video)

Two Modern Vehicle Bloopers In "Shane" (1953) (video)

It's one of the great westerns of all time...with two great modern vehicle bloopers.

The first one has been erased from the movie...but can still be seen in the trailer.
Look right past Shane as he approaches the Starrett ranch.

The second one happens later when Joey is talking to Shane. 
Look through the open window right behind Joey, right over the top fence rail.

And to think, the people in those vehicles never knew they were in this movie.

Originally posted on 9/10/18
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Two Modern Vehicle Bloopers In "Shane" (1953) (video)

JAMES BOND AND THE TIPSY TOURIST (video)

On three separate occasions, James Bond's incredible escapades are witnessed by the same hapless tourist. 

Wherever in the wide world this poor guy goes on vacation...he can't get away from Bond.

And the wilder Bond's antics, the more this guy wonders what the heck's in his drink.

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) Sardinia
MOONRAKER (1979) Venice
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981) The Alps

Hopefully, his next vacation will be blissfully Bond-free. But one thing's for sure...

This guy needs a new travel agent! 


Tipsy Tourist: Victor Tourjansky

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

JAMES BOND AND THE TIPSY TOURIST (video)

"KING KONG VS. FRANKENSTEIN" Main Titles (video)

 

Here's a fun "what if" I concocted based on a concept by "King Kong" (1933) chief animator Willis O'Brien.  

His proposed sequel, for which he made some fascinating preliminary sketches (like the one in the very last shot of this video)...

...involved the giant ape going into battle against an oversized Frankenstein Monster.

 

I neither own nor claim any rights to any of this material, nor am I profiting from it.  Just having a little Monster Kid fun with it!

 

"KING KONG VS. FRANKENSTEIN" Main Titles (video)