Yearly Archives: 2018

Music Video of the Day: All Out of Love by Air Supply (1980, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

A few years ago, you couldn’t turn on a television past midnight without coming across the Time-Life Classic Soft Rock infomercial.

It was hosted by the members of the Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell.  While sitting in a very wholesome-looking living room, the Russells talked about how much they loved soft rock and how happy they were that Time-Life was now giving a new generation a chance to get mellow with Elton John, Peter Frampton, REO Speedwagon, and Seals & Croft.  Graham Russell played his guitar and a chirpy co-host said, “I can’t believe that I’m meeting Air Supply!”

The path to infomercial super stardom began in 1975 when Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock were both cast in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar.  They formed Air Supply in 1976 and went on to become superstars in Australia.  They also had eleven hits in the United States, five of which had the word “love” in the title.  Their biggest hit was All Out Of Love.

What do you say, everyone?

Are you ready to soft rock?

The song’s best known lyric, “I’m all out of love, I’m so lost without you,” was originally “I’m all out of love, I want to arrest you.”  By arrest, Graham Russell meant that he wanted to capture someone’s attention.  No one found the lyric to be strange in Australia but, when it came time to release the song in the United States, Arista Records’s Clive Davis feared that listeners would misinterpret the song’s meaning.  It was Davis who came up with the new lyrics.

Years later, when Songfacts asked Graham Russell whether “I want to arrest you,” is a common Australian saying, he had this to say:

“It really isn’t. I think it was just me using a weird word. But, you know, now I think of it, it’s definitely very weird. There are certain words that you just don’t use when you’re writing songs. And ‘arrest’ is one of them. Words like ‘cabbage’ or ‘cauliflower,’ like that. There are certain words that just aren’t poetic. And ‘arrest’ is one of them. And I really don’t know why I used it. But Clive called me on it, and the rest became history.”

4 Shots from 4 Films: Happy Birthday Robert Mitchum

Posted on by gary loggins

4 Shots from 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and reaps that we usually post, 4 Shots from 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking. Acting icon Robert Mitchum was born on this date in 1917, and in his honor, here are four shots from four of his best films (and with a 50-plus year career, it was tough to choose just four!):

His Kind of Woman (RKO 1951; D: John Farrow)

Night of the Hunter (United Artists 1955; D: Charles Laughton)

Cape Fear (Universal 1962; D: J. Lee Thompson)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (Paramount 1973; D: Peter Yates)

No Trigger Warning Can Protect You From The Dangerous Covers Of Dime Detective Magazine!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Artist Unknown

It’s a dangerous world out there and here to prove it is Dime Detective Magazine!  Dime Detective was one of the most popular of the classic pulp magazines, running for 274 issues between 1931 and 1953.  Dime Detective was known for its outrageous covers.  Here’s just a few of them:

by H. William Ruesswig

by H. William Reusswig

by John Newton Howitt

by Malvin Singer

by Norman Saunders

by Norman Saunders

by Rafael De Soto

by Walter Baumhofer

Artist Unknown

by John Newton Howitt

Music Video of the Day: Party All The Time by Eddie Murphy (1985, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The year was 1985 and Eddie Murphy was one of the most successful entertainers on the planet.

He was the only star to emerge from the wreckage of Saturday Night Live‘s disastrous sixth season and, by his presence along, he kept the show alive through some tough years.  He had starred in the hit films 48 Hours, Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop.  He had even won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for Eddie Murphy: Comedian.  There was only one world left for Eddie Murphy to conquer, the world of music.

How Could It Be, Eddie Murphy’s first musical album, was released in 1985 and it spawned one hit single, the Rick James-produced Party All The Time, a song in which Murphy laments that his woman would rather party than take care of him.  The critics may have hated it but Party All The Time was a hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Of course, there was a video:

The main thing that sticks out about this video is how seriously it wants us to take Eddie Murphy as a singer.  Murphy may flash his trademark grin but the video mostly seems to be about convincing us that Murphy was not just another celebrity with a vanity album to sell.  No, Murphy was a professional and, in case you had any doubts, just watch Rick James get down in the control booth!

Look at how much effort Eddie’s putting into the song!

Towards the end of the song, Rick leaves the control booth to perform with Eddie and to make sure we understand that Eddie Murphy is the real deal.

It’s too bad that Eddie’s being so professional because if any song seemed perfect for Murphy’s sarcastic and uninhibited comedic sensibility, it was Party All The Time.

Though Murphy is still best known as a comedian and actor, he has continued to record music.  He even had another minor hit, a R&B song called Put Your Mouth On Me.  (You read that right.)  Though it’s been 25 years since he released his last album, Murphy did receive his first Oscar nomination in 2007 for playing R&B singer James “Thunder” Early in the musical Dreamgirls.

As for Party All The Time, it has more recently found new life as the unofficial anthem of Scotland’s St. Johnstone F.C.

Lisa’s Week In Review: 7/30/18 — 8/5/18

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s been a long week.  On Monday, I got a bit too enthusiastic while dancing and I twisted my ankle the wrong way so I spent most of this week cranky and limping.  So, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do over this upcoming week!

Movies I Watched

  1. Cheerleader Nightmare (2018)
  2. A Father’s Nightmare (2018)
  3. If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? (1971)
  4. I’ll be Watching (2018)
  5. Invaders from Mars (1953)
  6. Invasion USA (1952)
  7. Killer Twin (2018)
  8. Murdered at 17 (2018)
  9. The Nanny is Watching (2018)
  10. A Sister’s Secret (2018)
  11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
  12. The Woodcarver (2012)

Television Shows I Watched

  1. American Justice
  2. American Pickers
  3. The Bachelorette
  4. Bar Rescue
  5. Big Brother 20
  6. Big Brother After Dark
  7. Casanova Killers
  8. Dark Waters
  9. Evil Lives Here
  10. Ghost Whisperer
  11. Golden State Killer: People Investigates
  12. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  13. King of the Hill
  14. Live PD
  15. The Love Boat
  16. Murder Calls
  17. Murder Comes To Town
  18. Primal Instinct
  19. The Proposal
  20. River Monsters
  21. Sharp Edges

Books I Read

  1. The Battle for Beverly Hills: a city’s independence and the birth of celebrity politics (2018) by Nancie Clare
  2. I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search For The Golden State Killer (2018) by Michelle McNamara

Music To Which I Listened

  1. Adi Ulmansky
  2. Bebe Rexha
  3. Big Data
  4. Camila Cabello
  5. Devon Welsh
  6. DJ Judaa
  7. Elle King
  8. Jack White
  9. Jakalope
  10. Jake Bugg
  11. John’s Children
  12. Soda Fabric
  13. Taylor Swift
  14. The Voidz

Links From Last Week

  1. At her photography site, Erin shared: Fountain Again, When You Look Up, Mushrooms, Rain Driving, MRI Central In The Rain, Gray, and Going to Rain!
  2. At my Dream Journal, I shared dreams about drones and Angelina Jolie!
  3. On my music site, I shared music from Soda Fabric, Jake Bugg, Adi Ulmansky, Devon Welsh, Bebe Rexha, The Voidz, and Jack White.
  4. On SyFyDesigns, I wrote about Venezuela.
  5. Nicolas Winding Refn Just Launched His Free Cult Genre Film Streaming Service, byNWR
  6. Zombie Flesh Eaters – 4K Blu-ray restoration coming soon

Links From The Site

  1. Erin profiled A. Leslie Ross and shared artwork from James Avati, Modest Stein, herself, J. Allen St. John, James Avati again, an unknown artist, and Edmund Emshwiller!
  2. Gary reviewed Bend of the River, Blockheads, and Saps at Sea and took a look at the Sci-Fi World of Irwin Allen!
  3. Jeff shared music videos from U2, Inner Circle, Blotto, Iron Maiden, Tears For Fears, Stakka Bo, and Whitesnake, along with wishing Spider-Man a happy birthday and sharing this week’s trailer round-up!
  4. Ryan reviewed Red Winter, The Enemy From Within, Five Perennial Virtues, and shared his weekly reading round-up!
  5. I reviewed Invasion U.S.A., paid tribute to Mario Bava, and shared the trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk!

Want to see what I did last week?  Click here!

What Lisa Watched Last Night #188: Killer Twin (dir by David Langlois)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last night, I watched the latest Lifetime original film, Killer Twin!

Why Was I Watching It?

Well, it was on Lifetime, of course.

Plus, I love movies about evil twins!

What Was It About?

As babies, twin sisters Amber and Kendra were both abandoned at the same orphanage.  The head of the orphanage, Eunice (Bronwen Smith), took an instant dislike to Amber but always liked Kendra.  When it looked like the sisters had a chance to be adopted, Eunice arranged for Kendra to go off with new parents while Amber remained at the orphanage.

30 years later and Kendra doesn’t even remember that she had a sister.  However, Amber remembers.  Kendra has a great life, with a good job and a nice husband (Jason Cermak) and a big house.  Amber has … well, Amber has a lot of bitterness.  When Amber manages to track down Kendra, she sets out to make her sister’s life a living Hell.  That means breaking into her house, ruining her credit, lusting after her husband, and … even murder!

(They couldn’t call it Killer Twin if one of the twins wasn’t a killer!)

What Worked?

Occasionally, a supporting character will pop up in one of these movies and, despite having limited screen time, they’ll become something of a cause célèbre  for those of us watching.  In Killer Twin, that character was Marvin (Nelson Wong).  Marvin was a totally nice, friendly, and professional guy who worked at a bank.  When he suspected that Amber might be imitating her sister, Amber reacted by hitting him in the head with a safe deposit box and then running out of the bank.

Now, here’s the thing.  Amber hit Marvin pretty hard.  A lot of us were convinced that Marvin was dead.  BUT NO!  Marvin not only lived but he went back to his desk and called the police!  YAY MARVIN!  After that happened, I think we all definitely wanted Justice for Marvin.

As for the rest of this film, it was a good and entertaining Lifetime movie.  It was totally over-the-top, melodramatic, and fun.  Lindsay Hartley was obviously having a ball getting to play two totally opposite characters and director David Langlois and cinematography Jan Klompje brought some visual flair to the story.  There was one shot in particular, in which Amber seemed to literally emerge from the Seattle fog, that was especially impressive.  Visually, Lifetime films have come a long way.

What Didn’t Work?

It all worked!  If you can’t enjoy a good killer twin movie, I worry about you.

“Oh my God!  Just like me!” Moments

You know, at the start of the movie, I was pretty much Team Amber.  I mean, I went through a whole period of time when I only wore black and I refused to smile and I’m actually kind of amazed that people put up with me while all that was going on.  I knew that Amber was serious about her scheme when she removed her nose ring because seriously, nose rings are almost as painful to take out as they are to put in!  I speak from personal experience.

But then, of course, Amber hit Marvin and I lost sympathy for her.  Leave Marvin alone!

Lessons Learned

Marvin is indestructible and evil twin movies are always fun!

Trailer Round-Up: Lizzie, Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, The Good Cop, Maniac

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Lisa already shared this week’s big trailer, the one for Barry Jenkins’s If Beale Street Could Talk.  Here’s the best of the rest:

Starring Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart, Lizzie is revisionist take on the infamous Lizzie Borden murder trial.  Lizzie received some attention at Sundance this year and is set to be released into theaters on September 14th.

The Puppet Master and his puppets are back in the red band trailer for Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich .  Keep an eye out for them on August 17th!

Josh Groban is The Good Cop, in this upcoming series from Netflix.  Based on an acclaimed Israeli series, The Good Cop drops on September 21st.

And finally, Maniac.  Dropping the same day as The Good Cop, Maniac is described as being “a dark 10-episode comedy based on the 2014 Norwegian series about a guy who lives a fantasy life in his dreams but in reality is locked up at an institution.”  Directed by True Detective‘s  Cary Fukunaga, Maniac reunites Superbad co-stars, Jonah Hill and Emma Stone.

Music Video of the Day: Is This Love by Whitesnake (1987, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Happy birthday, Tawny Kitaen!

I did some actual research and I discovered that two years ago, on this date, Valerie selected Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again for the music video of the day.  That was a perfect choice because that video is the first thing that most people think of when they hear the name “Tawny Kitaen.”  The song may have been called Here I Go Again and the band may have been Whitesnake but the video will always be known as “The Tawny Kitaen video.”

Today’s music video of the day is the other Tawny Kitaen video.

I like to think of this video as being a direct sequel to Here I Go Again.  David Coverdale has asked Tawny to stop dancing on his car because he’s worried that she’ll dent the hood and Tawny’s finally walking out on him.  Good for her!  She packs up her suitcase and she leaves.  Meanwhile, David Coverdale leans against a wall and thinks about Tawny dancing while wearing the same white dress she was wearing when she walked out on him.

He’s upset to have lost her and, when you see screenshots like this, you can’t blame him:

One of the reasons why the Tawny Kitaen videos were so popular was because they suggested you could come across as being a total douche and still end up with a girlfriend as hot as Tawny Kitaen.  Seeing her walking out at the start of this video should have been a warning to every man watching.  It takes more than just soulful looks at the camera to keep Tawny Kitaen happy.

At the end of the video, Coverdale and Tawny are reunited.  It had been a while since I last watched this video so I had forgotten that Coverdale wins her back by jumping out from around a corner, grabbing her, and throwing her down on the hood of a car.  That wouldn’t play today.

Speaking of coming across as being a total douche, Coverdale fired all of the other members of Whitensake after recording this song so, with the exception of Coverdale, no one that played on the original recording is actually present in the video.  As for Tawny and Coverdale, they separated for real in 1991.