When I was a little boy, I would daydream constantly. All I ever wanted to do was escape from the desolate poverty of the South Bronx and live in a place of wonder and magic. Stories drew me in, and I read voraciously as a result.
It was only appropriate, then, that I should fall in love with fiction in all its forms. First came books, then video games, and then comic books; and finally ... the umbrella genre of Speculative Fiction. So, in effect: anything and everything that had to do with the fantastical, be it science or in fact fantasy.
This is a photo I took of myself the other day. While cleaning my place, I came across a t-shirt I had forgotten I owned since 2004 when the Punisher film starring Thomas Jane first came out. I wore it a few times back in those days, then promptly shelved it because I thought I was too old for such silly things.
And now I've found the t-shirt again, and I'm even older! The difference this time, I guess, is that I just don't give AF about how old I am, or how silly I might look. I'm going to do only those things that bring me joy from now on.
That's the mood I'm in these days. I am reminded that all the things I love to do are not to be ashamed of, but to be embraced. What's the point of living in this world if you're not trying to appease number one, numero uno -- i.e., yourself!
About a year ago I dusted off my old Nintendo system and popped in one of my favorite video games from 1989: Ninja Gaiden:
This game I played from sunrise to sun down and beyond, until I had mastered it like very few people have ever been able to accomplish. It's one of my silly proud achievements in life, and I took the opportunity to record it for posterity. It took me around 2 weeks of "training" to recapture the mastery I once had over this title, but eventually I pulled it off. What makes this recording so special to me is that it finally presents irrefutable proof to all who've ever doubted me that I can defeat the game without my character, Ryu Hayabusa, ever dying! In fact, he barely even gets touched by the demon hordes and enemy ninjas sent to stop him in his quest:
This is considered one of the toughest old-school games around, but I tried to make it look like child's play. I hope I succeeded!
See what I mean? It's important to let loose and have fun. To recapture one's youth from time to time, if only to remind yourself of what you once held as the universe's paramount truth:
So, for the first time ever I went clubbing this weekend.
Yes, you read that right. I've never been clubbing before. Correction, I did go last year with my awesome friend, Jennifer Hillier, who was in town on writerly business and brought her bestie along so we could all have a fun time out on the town together. But see, that night ended up being Queer Night--or some other similarly titled event--at the club I had chosen. So we only stayed for about 20 mins, and never danced once, before getting the hell out of there with the quickness! It was a very weird vibe there that was not in the least conducive to dancing. *shudder*
But this weekend I decided to give the same club another shot. I mean, it's normally supposed to be a cool, retro, 80's themed venue called, appropriately, the "Culture Club," located in the heart of midtown Manhattan. And if you know me, that sounds right down my alley, right? I had my misgivings. It's notoriously hard to find out any information on what's going on in this place on any given Friday or Saturday night. So I had to go and pray to both the old gods and the new that I was not walking into another awkward gay-love trap.
It's not officially the 80s if it does not have Pac-Man.
Happy to say everything went off without a hitch! Culture Club is where both genuine 80s kids and wannabes alike can go for dancing and drinking while tunes from that era blast through the speakers into the wee hours of the morning. It used to be located in a much larger venue a bit farther downtown, but the new location was adequate enough, I thought.
Drinks are stupendously expensive here, even by NYC prices.
However, another first this night was me dancing. Yes, except for my school prom and my wedding reception, I've never danced in public before. Heck, I don't dance in private, either! And I've certainly never gone to a club to dance. I suck at it. But I must say I had a damn fun time trying, at least. Seriously, it was exactly what I needed. Although it got super crowded by around 11pm, no one was being an asshole on the dance floor, and at some point the entire club joined in unison to belt out the choruses for some of the most beloved and iconic songs of that era. Shouting along to "Livin' on a Prayer!" at the top of my lungs (yes, a few drinks had been imbibed at this point) will forever be one of my most cherished memories of the night. Tubular!
Tiny main dance stage is tiny. But we made it work.
I had more fun than should have been possible, and I daresay it's made me curious to try this whole club/dancing thingy again. Preferably at another location, but maybe I'll return back here again sometime soon since I had such a good time.
And if any of you blogger friends of mine are ever in town and want to hit up Culture Club, let me know. I'm totally game! Like, totally.
Crushes are a beautiful thing. Not full love attractions, nor down and dirty lust obsessions, crushes are as every day essential to a healthy lifestyle as yoga or eating oatmeal. As children, a crush can be the first sniff--a whiff, if you will--of what love might be when we grow up. As adults, however, crushes are often casual and entertaining; something frivolous to pass the time and keep our libidos running. You may even share them with your significant other, or with complete strangers as I did here in this blog entry a few months back. Sometimes, even, a crush might become a true love connection. That cute girl who works down at the bookstore whom you've been crushing on for months now, might just someday end up being the mother of your children if only you would work up the courage to ask her out for coffee sometime. Or, in tragic cases, a crush might turn into an unhealthy connection and land the crusher flat on the "Go To Jail" space in this monopoly game of life we're playing.
But for the most part, yes ... that which we crush on is not meant to be taken seriously. We have them, we cherish them, we learn from them, and we move on. Now, while I've certainly gone on and on here on The Bimillennial Man about who my crushes have been of late, I thought I'd take a step back and re-examine all the ones I've had leading up to today. Scratch that. Such an endeavor would take far too long to write up. On second thought, how about I just narrow it down to celeb crushes? Women most of you are probably already familiar with. Hmmm, still too broad a selection? Okay, okay -- I got it! How about we narrow the criteria down to only actresses--television actresses at that--who I've crushed on up until the very cusp of puberty? In other words, those little boy crushes that we all find so adorable and endearing? Nothing wrong with that, right? I mean, awwwww!
So, okay then. Here we go. The following are a list of my top 10 tv actresses from a favorite sitcom or show of mine ranging from the late 70s, which is when I was born, until the cutoff point of 1990, which is the year I started high school and crushes took on a whole 'nother level of urgency and angst.
Well folks, it's that time of year again. When the sun sets that much earlier than it did back in June, and the temps are not quite as baking hot and unforgiving as mid-July. Yes, I'm talking about the close of my most hated season of them all--Summer! Haha, it's finally here!
Now, officially Summer doesn't end until September 22 this year--incidentally, my wife's birthday. But here in the States the unofficial end to summer is Labor Day, which is coming up this Monday, Sept. 3rd. And how do I plan to celebrate the close of the season? Well, with a small cookout of burgers and dogs at home. We don't have a back yard or anything, but we do have a George Foreman grill and a lot of imagination. And, hey, that does count for something, you know?
Actually, my animosity toward the season hasn't always been the case. It only really started once I graduated college. Before then, summers were great! Summertime was the bestest time, because it was the time of no school. Hooray! Remember that feeling? I don't care how good of a student you were, the minute that final bell of the school year rang, you WERE excited! Don't try to deny it. Summer was a time of idyllic days playing with your friends, and eating lots and lots of ice cream. Your family went on exciting trips, and you might have even visited a big amusement park or two along the way.
To be honest, I miss that. I miss it a lot. I was just walking through the little park across the street from the house I grew up in the other day, reminiscing of how I used to play baseball there with my brother and our friends during middle school summers. Even in the South Bronx, as dangerous a town as it was to grow up in, we still had a place to run around and be kids. For the most part the adults ignored us and the other kids in the neighborhood were either locked up or too busy getting in trouble elsewhere. So that park was OUR little spot. We owned it, insomuch as a bunch of 12- and 13-year old know-nothings could own anything, let alone a piece of public property. But what did we care about such things? We would meet there by the big ole Elm tree which served as home plate and backstop. My brother and I owned the bats and gloves, another friend the balls. Someone would inevitably bring a brown paper bag or an old baseball cap to serve as third base, while a natural flagstone served as first (a half-buried rusted pipe delineated our second). The pitcher's "mound" was a worn patch of earth where nothing natural grew, and we had to imagine the baselines in our heads. Yet to us kids this might as well have been our private Yankee Stadium! We would play from dawn to dusk--and I mean that literally! Sometimes, even, we would play when the sun was almost down and we could barely see the ball leave the pitcher's hand. We never let such small things as "facts" and "physics" worry us, though. We certainly never stopped for rain or thunder or 100+ degree heatwaves, neither.
Summers were like this, except: less butterflies, more tetanus shots.
I swear, many an epic battle was waged on that makeshift baseball field those summers! We would arrive home dirty and exhausted, ravenous like West Virginian coal miners after a long day of back-breaking labor. It made us robust, hearty--strong in that way of young men just growing into the semblance of their adult bodies. We were champions!
In-between baseball matches we would also go swimming at the nearby public pool, watch movies at the newly opened cineplex a few blocks further away, and play lots and lots of video games. Those were the best days to be so young and carefree!
Yes, walking through that park the other day reminded me of all this. I remembered what it was like to once love the season I so despise now. Nowadays, summers mean unbearable heat and long, unforgiving days at the office. It means daily runs that are that much more taxing on my body than they are in the winter, or meals that are made more quickly and with less effort than I would otherwise be willing to expend in a cooler kitchen. Summers are devoid of any exciting holidays, too. The months are long and monotonous, broken up only by the brief excitement of a quick vacation if we can afford it. Otherwise, it's three months of nothingness. Ninety-odd days of life-sapping commutes in foul, sweat-smelling subway cars back and forth to offices filled with people who are likewise missing those carefree summer days of childhood.
Is it no wonder I hate Summer so much? Good riddance, I say! I welcome Labor Day and the restart of the school season with open arms. My younger self would not recognize this new me, of course; this older me. But this older me loves the coming of Autumn and its cool, crisp days ahead. Days of apple picking and baked fruit pies. Of rustling multi-hued leaves and Halloween. Ahhhhh! I can smell the roasting pumpkin seeds already! Can you?
Here's to you, Summer time. May you be on your way and not show yourself 'round these parts for another nine months. I certainly won't miss you.
Sound off below in the comments section if you, too, are happy to be putting away your white pants and shorts for more somber hued clothing this weekend. Or if summer is actually your thing, let us know why you are so sad to see it going bye-bye. I would imagine those of you living in less urban and people-choked locations of the world than here in New York City would mourn the changing of the season more than most. Heck, if I lived in Vermont like I would love to again some day, I'd probably be singing a different tune myself.
Hi. This is me, age 4. So for those counting, circa 1980 or thereabouts. Around this time, I was afraid of a great many things. The dark. Thunder 'n' lightning. Warm milk (yeah, don't ask). I was just thinking about this today, the crazy things that would frighten me as a boy. Some of it, like the warm milk mentioned above, doesn't make much sense to me now as an adult. It's an interesting reflection into the mind of a child, though, don't you think? I mean, it explains how we adults sometimes don't understand why kids wake up screaming in the middle of the night. All sorts of silly things scare them, and sometimes as a parent you can only try your best to understand. I'm not a parent, but I know parents. And, also, I remember my mother's reaction to my own "scaries" growing up. Unlike most people, however, I actually do recall many examples of my fears when I was child. Below are just a handful of the more entertaining ones. They revolved mostly around sound, oddly enough. And while some you'll just have to take my word for, others should be more obvious in their horrifying elements. I'm sure you share a few of these terrors yourself. Or, at least, the little version of you probably did, once upon a when.
So, I don't think I've talked about it much here . . . but I hated that live-action G.I. Joe film that came out 2 years back: The Rise of Cobra. It wasn't a spectacular fail of my 80s childhood by any means (I liked it a lot better than the Michael Bay Transformers movies, for example), but it still left a lot to be desired by this fan.
Well, looks like that might all be changing when the sequel hits theaters next summer. At least, going by the recently released trailer, that is. Check it out below for yourselves:
Whoa! I like! I like it very, very much. I don't know how this is possible, but in some ways this one little trailer alone is far better than the entire 2009 film. HOLY HELLS! And yes, yes . . . I know that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is now in this as "Roadblock," and that all the talk is about Bruce Willis's surprise cameo as the original "Joe" -- General Joe Colton. That's all cool and all. And, in fact, Willis's delivery at the end of the trailer is just damn hilarious!
But forget all that! Do you know who I'm excited to see in this movie the most? My favorite ninja girl -- Jinx!
You spot her a few times in the trailer with the red blind fold. She's a scion of the famed ninja clan, the Arashikage, and is a disciple of the one and only "Blind Master" (played by the RZA, of all people) -- hence her "blind" fighting style, which I just think is the epitome of AWESOME!
I first fell in love with this character in the original G.I. Joe cartoon movie released back in 1987. She was part of the new rookie recruits known as the "Rawhides", trained by "Beach Head." In fact, one of my all time favorite scenes in the movie is when Beach Head gives her a hard time and tests her to see if she's got what it takes to join his team. Check out the clip below, which I'm sure will bring back tons of memories to you fellow 80s kids out there! :)
They just don't do animation this well anymore, do they?
And, oh how I love this scene! And from this point on, little 10-year old me was a die-hard Jinx fan! I would even dare say I had a huge crush on her. *blushes*
So, imagine how pleased I was to find out that the talented and beautiful French actress, Elodie Yung, would be playing her in the film. Are you serious? SCORE!!!! To be sure, I only know her previously from the movie, District 13: Ultimatum -- but she was one of the more memorable presences in that otherwise forgettable film.
Yeah, I think she might just work out fine!
G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation is currently slated for release on June 29, 2012 -- the weekend before Independence Day here in the States. I, for one, will be there opening day!
Well, apparently I was having a Very Brady 80s weekend or something, because I suddenly got all nostalgic and decided to raid the ol' DVD library to re-watch some timeless classics.
I watched American Ninja II, Karate Kid II, Rocky II, and The Last Dragon.
Ah, god bless the Cartoon Network. They know how to make an old 80s kid proud!
Yes, folks. A reboot of the classic 1985 kid's cartoon, Thundercats, is slated for release on the network sometime later this year. And I couldn't be happier, despite all the naysayers. I originally broke the news about this back in June last year, and above is the first released official artwork of the new show. Below is how the characters used to look back in the 80s:
As you can see, there's . . . uh, been a few changes. But no prob, I never said they had to bring back the exact same program. Updating it for today seems the best choice, and I'm digging the more anime slant to the animation. As you can imagine, there's been a lot of skepticism by old school fans of the show. People that I should really call my peers since they're in the same age range to appreciate all this as myself. But whereas those folks are already assuming that this will bomb, I myself hold out hope that it might do well.
Some of you might recall, but around this time last year I wrote out this blog entry detailing my Top 10 favorite tv cartoons of all time. Click the link if you want to refresh your memories, or perhaps read it for the first time. And just for reference, here are two more pics to show you the changes that are coming in this new iteration of the Thundercats license -- the 80s version followed by the 2011 one:
Wow, I'm actually stoked! Lion-O looks very young. Right now there's no telling whether he will stay this way beyond the initial 3-episode pilot arc. Some think this is the younger, pre 3rd Earth Lion-O . . . but I think this is the way he will look for the entire show. Which would be cool, because he's obviously younger than the way he was depicted in the old 80s version, but not so young as to not realistically take on the mantle of their leader. The fact that he wields both the Sword of Omens and Claw in the above pic demonstrates that this is Lion-O after already becoming Lord of the Tundercats.
In any event, only time will tell. For some reason there is no exact release date yet for this show. I'm guessing will see it for the Fall slate later this year. Bummer!
But, hey, in the meantime you have this brand new teaser trailer just released by the network. For those aficionados out there, see how much you can glean from the quickly-cut footage. I've been able to spot a few interesting tidbits myself. How 'bout you?
As you can see, this looks like it will take the mythos in a darker, more serious direction. If the original show had one detraction, it's that it was too kiddy and cheesy even during its time. Personally, this is the type of direction I like best: mature, gritty, and more emotionally rewarding.
If the video above doesn't work, simply click on this YouTube link to go to it directly. Then come back here and discuss the footage in the comments below, won't you kindly? Oh, and if you would like to see the original Thundercats intro sequence from the 80s version, click here.
I'm heading off to my grandma's house now to dust off my Thundertank, sword, and original figurines. Sword of Omens . . . give me sight beyond sight!
I went to do my free weights workout today and, naturally, had to first pick the right playlist to run while I pumped some iron. I shouldn't say "naturally," actually, as it's only been recently that I started listening to music during my workouts. Usually I watch the news or a nature/history special on tv.
Anyway, for some reason I wanted to hear Michael Jackson's "Beat It." The song had been inexplicably stuck in my head for half the afternoon, after all. Trouble is, I didn't feel like listening to my specially made MJ playlist. Aside from that one song, I just wasn't in the mood for a Jackson's Greatest Hits type of workout.
Then I thought: well, why not an 80s workout? I haven't listened to that particular playlist in many, many moons. And I knew that somewhere in there I would find "Beat It" anyway. A lot of my playlists cross-reference the same tracks.
So, I loaded up iTunes and found the playlist appropriately titled "80s Songs." I devised this list personally with what, to me, are quintessential pop rock and metal songs of that era. Even though I was born in 1976, I didn't really become conscious of the music scene around me until roughly 1980 thanks to my mom, who was pretty young (only 21) and hip in 1980. I grew up on this music, and each selection represents a particular time or event encoded into my childhood memories of the period.
Spookily enough, when I selected the playlist and then hit "shuffle," the very first track to get randomized to the top was "Beat It!"
Holy hells! How's *that* for a sign?
Anyway, I figured it would be fun to post up my 80s playlist here for you folks. This way you can get a glimpse of what crazy tunes I enjoy from the age of big hair bands and . . . Boy George. Let me know what you think of this gargantuan list of my 50 most memorable tunes in the comments section below.
And because this is me, you'll note that my non-shuffled list is arranged in OCD fashion by year of release, earliest to latest. This is exactly the order as it appears on my iTunes.
Batista's Top 50 1980s Songs
"Video Killed the Radio Star" -- The Buggles (1979)*
"My Sharona" -- The Knack (1979)*
"Private Eyes" -- Hall & Oates (1981)
"Double Dutch Bus" -- Frankie Smith (1981)
"Down Under" -- Men At Work (1981)
"Kiss On My List" -- Hall & Oates (1981)
"Who Can It Be Now?" -- Men At Work (1981)
"I Ran" -- A Flock Of Seagulls (1982)
"Puttin' On The Ritz" -- Taco (1982)
"Gloria" -- Laura Branigan (1982)
"Kids In America" -- Kim Wilde (1982)
"Maneater" -- Hall & Oates (1982)
"Tainted Love" -- Soft Cell (1982)
"Abracadabra" -- Steve Miller Band (1982)
"You Dropped a Bomb On Me" -- The Gap Band (1982)
"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" -- Cyndi Lauper (1983)
"Beat It" -- Michael Jackson (1983)
"Karma Chameleon" -- Culture Club (1983)
"Mr. Roboto" -- Styx (1983)
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" -- Eurythmics (1983)
"All Night Long" -- Mary Jane Girls (1983)
"Every Breath You Take" -- The Police (1983)
"Billie Jean" -- Michael Jackson (1983)
"What A Feeling" -- Irene Cera (1983)
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" -- Yes (1983)
"Cum On Feel The Noize" -- Quiet Riot (1983)
"Total Eclipse Of The Heart" -- Bonnie Tyler (1983)
"Somebody's Watching Me" -- Rockwell (1984)
"Hold Me Now" -- Thompson Twins (1984)
"Self Control" -- Laura Branigan (1984)
"Sunglasses At Night" -- Corey Hart (1984)
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" -- Wham! (1984)
"Ghostbusters" -- Ray Parker, Jr. (1984)
"Rhythm of the Night" -- DeBarge (1985)
"Material Girl" -- Madonna (1985)
"Tarzan Boy" -- Baltimora (1985)
"Obsession" -- Animotion (1985)
"Conga" -- Miami Sound Machine (1985)
"Take On Me" -- a-ha (1985)
"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" -- Tears For Fears (1985)
"Danger Zone" -- Kenny Loggins (1986)
"Hot Hot Hot" -- Buster Poindexter (1987)
"Bad" -- Michael Jackson (1987)
"Here I Go Again" -- Whitesnake (1987)
"Pour Some Sugar On Me" -- Def Leppard (1987)
"Welcome to the Jungle" -- Guns N' Roses (1987)
"Straight Up" -- Paula Abdul (1988)
"Smooth Criminal" -- Michael Jackson (1988)
"She Drives Me Crazy" -- Fine Young Cannibals (1989)
"Kickstart My Heart" -- Motley Crue (1989)
* Even though these songs were released in 1979, they're inseparable from any 80s collection since, in my opinion, they helped define that unmistakable sound of the decade.
I don't know how many of you remember this, but back in 2008 NBC remade a classic show from my childhood called Knight Rider. Yeah, you might have heard of that one. Most 80s brats know it well. Aside from being a pretty cool show that all the kids were talking about in class the next day, what I remember most is the kick-ass intro. Usually, for me at least, a show's opening credits is what makes or break it in my mind. So when the rebooted tv series premiered over two years ago, one of the most pressing questions for my money was how well they handled the opening.
See for yourself: Here's the original opening from way back when . . . and here's the shitty 2008 intro.
Now, you tell me -- WTF was that? Setting aside the visuals, how can you take such an awesome musical theme as what you had with the original version . . . and then crap on it by going off on a completely different cue? And I tried to make the new show work, really I did. But in addition to the crappy cast and boring plots, having to listen to this new theme music just really pissed in my pudding. Blech!
And for a while there, it seemed The Powers That Be at the big networks were content to continue taking huge, collective shats on my childhood memories. Remaking shows from the glorious past and reworking the theme music. Anyone see ABC's V last year? Yeah, 'nuff said.
The people who make these decisions are idiots. How can you alienate the old time fans by completely slapping them in the face with intros that don't pay proper homage to the original shows? Who does that?
Well, I'm happy to say the folks over at CBS have done it right. Yes, I'm talking about the remake of Hawaii Five-O, which premiered earlier this Fall. Yet another favorite of mine from when I was just a wee tyke. And, if anything, it was a show with an even more memorable opener than Knight Rider! *gasp* So naturally I was ready to hate on this new 2010 update. Of keen interest to me was the extent to which they would mangle the famous brass instrumental music of the theme.
But, color me surprised! Not only is the show actually compelling and entertaining to watch, but the intro was clearly crafted by someone who loved the original opener and wanted to pay proper respect to the music. Below I'll post up a clip of the original 1968 opening sequence, followed by the 2010 one. Although the newer intro is far too short thanks to modern ADD sensibilities these days, I have to say I love this reworked theme. It still retains all of the important cues from the older theme, but with a nice contemporary interpretation that works just fine for this fan. Also, I love some of the visual ticks that the new one borrows from the original. Watch both clips closely and see if you can catch the similarities:
I don't know about you, but that alone made me HYPED to see this new show. And lo and behold it actually does not suck! If you have not checked out this series yet this year, do yourself a favor and catch up before the new episodes resume in late January. Particularly if you were even a middling fan of the original. This is remake television done right!
Plus, I love any show that is filmed in and supports the local economy of that wonderful island state of Hawaii. If for nothing else, it changes the tired scenery from so many shows which use L.A. or Vancouver as their filming base. So refreshing!
Way back in February I mentioned purchasing the complete DVD box set of the tv series, She-Wolf of London. I recalled how this was a favorite of mine back when it first aired during my early teenage years.
Well, I just decided to finally crack it open and take a stroll down memory lane over the weekend . . . and, damn, it still holds up! Yeah, it's painfully corny at many points -- don't get me wrong. But somehow I find myself still being sucked in by the atmosphere and the charm of the main actors.
Oh, and I still have a ridiculous crush on 1990's era Kate Hodge, the lead in the show. Wow!
Anyway, halfway through the episodes now, I began to reminisce on all the horror shows I used to watch growing up. One episode of She-Wolf in particular reminded me strongly of a show who's title I could not remember. The only details I could dredge up from my foggy memory banks was of yet another attractive female lead, and that the setting was some sort of old book or antique shop. I remember that the characters would encounter a strange, horror- or fantasy-themed incident every week -- very similar to the general set-up of She-Wolf, but airing a few years earlier.
As I stated before, I couldn't remember the name of the show for the life of me! But I did recall that it had something to do with a famous horror movie series, while not actually being related at all to said series. I thought it might have been called "Halloween: the series," but subsequent Google searches turned up nothing. Then I thought: come on, David, what other big horror movie series were out in the 80s? A Nightmare on Elm Street? The series? Nah, that just didn't feel right to me.
So, of course, that only left one more. I couldn't believe I waited until last when it should have been my first choice: Friday the 13th! Bingo!
I didn't even have to do a search, for as soon as the the name came into my head the memories all flooded back. I could see the show's title right there in my mind's eye. The opening sequence, the faces of the main characters -- even the music of the opening credits! It was suddenly as clear as day.
How the hell does that HAPPEN?
Btw, you can click here to watch the introduction yourself. Does it bring back memories?
Anyway, now I feel much better. This was the show I had been struggling to remember all day today. I looked it up and found that the series aired for 3 seasons from 1987 to 1990. Whoa! A bit older than I remembered it being. Means I was in my tweens when it started. I also discovered that all 3 seasons are out on DVD. I've already put the first season on my wishlist. It will have to wait until I finish She-Wolf, though, which I feel is starting to decline in quality as the series drags on.
Oh, poo!
Well at least I still have Kate Hodge to drool over:
I haven't put up a Movie Maven clip from Mania.com in a while. So here you go! This week's topic is in honor of the two 80s remake films hitting theaters this Friday: The A-Team and The Karate Kid. Who will win? Nobody knows, but Tara Perry has already made her pick:
Personally, I think the Karate Kid will be the better movie. People who keep harping on the factor of the film's title are clueless douchebags trying to show off that they know the difference between karate and kung-fu, and that the movie producers should know better. Well the joke's on you, morons! Story wise, the title refers to Smith's character already knowing some karate before his family is relocated to China where he encounters kung-fu. The Chinese kids who bully him grant him the moniker "the Karate Kid" because this is all he knows, in a country where wushu kung-fu is king.
See how easy that was to explain? It's in the latest trailer, too!
Yes, of course the producers are capitalizing on the previous success of the earlier movies by using the same title. No shit, Sherlock. But my rule is: if it works in the story, then it works for me.
Haters just gonna hate, I guess.
I'll be watching both movies this weekend, so expect to see a review of at least one of them go up on this site before the week is out, if not for both.
I can't believe it! They've gone and done it! They're actually bringing THUNDERCATS back! It's coming to the Cartoon Network in 2011. Looks to be edgier and darker. I'm actually digging the artwork and the people who are behind this.
"The 21st century reimagining of the series marks a creative collaboration between WBA and Studio4°C, one of the most vibrant animation studios in Japan, with credits including “The Animatrix,” “Gotham Knights” and “Halo Legends.” WBA is working closely with Studio4°C, utilizing the latter’s expertise to give the “ThunderCats” characters a new cutting-edge look while remaining true to the compelling storylines and mythology of the original series."
You can read more by clicking on this link. Now excuse me . . . I'm going to go dig out my Sword of Omens. Thundercats HOOOOOO!
That's right, I just picked up the double-pack of Karate Kid parts I and II out on Blu-ray today! I can't wait to rush home and check this out. I still have the old p.o.s. original snapcase DVDs with the terrible video quality, diminished soundstage, and non-existent extras. So, for me, this was a double dip made simple. What surprises me is that there are actually people out there who have never seen these movies. Say WHAA? Well, I shouldn't talk. My wife is one of them. I guess this will just have to be my excuse to get her to watch them now -- and for me to relive my precious 80s childhood memories all over again. What's not to like about these films? It's a feel good story about an underdog kid rising to become a champion in the eyes of the public. In addition, it has a truly rocking 80s soundtrack, memorable action sequences, and decent emotional depth between the main characters. You can't go wrong! The Blu-rays of both films are in full 1080p resolution on two separate AVC MPEG-4 encoded, BD-50 dual-layer discs. I love that the aspect ratio is at 1:85:1 to fit the entirety of my widescreen television, and that the audio was remastered in DTS-HD 5.1 surround sound. From what I've read online at various sources, the quality is surprisingly good on both the video and audio fronts.
The first Karate Kid was a milestone, released back in June, 1984. I was only 7 at the time, and my family didn't go to the movies. So it wasn't until the film came out on VHS a year later that I was finally able to watch this, and in school of all places. Of course, all the older girls at my elementary school were going ga-ga over Ralph Macchio, but for me the fist movie held a special place in my heart because my family was in the middle of moving to an entirely different district in the south Bronx. Which meant that, like Daniel Larusso in the film, I would have to enroll in a different school and make new friends all over again. When I arrived at this new school in the 4th grade, most of the kids there had already established their cliques and relationships. Needless to say I was the odd boy out, much like Daniel. But, unlike Daniel-san, I didn't have a kindly old janitor/Karate master take me under his wing and teach me self-defense. Eventually we owned a copy of the VHS at home, and the Karate Kid would get constant rotation at least twice a week by my brother and I. I don't know that it had the same impact on him as it did me, but I was hooked! I'm sure the story probably seems cheesy by today's standards, but back then I thought it was a masterpiece. Like with Rocky (directed by the same guy who directed this, John Avildsen), I've always been a sucker for the comeback kid-type tales. Honestly, it never gets old. It's just something I can't get enough of.
Released exactly two years after the first movie hit theaters, Karate Kid II is the much maligned "sequel" movie of the series. And, yet, for the life of me I don't know WHY! Maybe it's because I was only 9 at the time, but if anything I ended up liking this movie even MORE than the first. I know, sacrilege, eh? But it's true. I was always a very introverted and sensitive child. And, finding very few friends or joy in my new life, I began to gravitate toward other cultures and extreme parts of the world that were as far away from the South Bronx as one could get. Yes folks, this is where my love for foreign languages, the far East, and "alien" cultures all began -- with this movie! I'm not ashamed to admit it. Even though the sequel was filmed on Oahu, Hawaii--I actually visited the site on our honeymoon there in 2005!--the setting was supposed to be Okinawa, Japan. And I was completely hooked! I loved the set pieces SO MUCH, and the musical score was simply breathtaking. But, as with the first movie, what really took center stage here for me was the story. It's weird how much these movies were paralleling my real life at the time. The first movie was about a displaced kid finding his way in the world, just like me. The second movie, among other themes, was about a son dealing with the death of his father and learning to forgive his "enemy." In many ways (which I won't go into here) -- this was me, too! The scene that always tears me up to this day is when Mr. Miyagi is sitting on a rock and staring out into the ocean, mourning his father's passing. And Daniel comes up to him and tells him about how he felt when his own father died. Nothing else is spoken after this, but Daniel puts his arm around his mentor and they both stare into the sunset together. Yeah, gets me EVERY damn time!
As you can see, the Karate Kid movies hold a special place in my heart. Not everyone gets that, and maybe you might think I'm being silly. But I don't care. This is an indelible slice of my 80s childhood, right up there with the Transformers and Ninja Turtles!
Yes, I just went there. Deal with it! :)
Anyway, I'll leave you the original trailers for both movies in case you need them. Warning, the first trailer is major CHEESE! My only excuse is: hey, it's the 80s. What do you expect?
Now and then someone will come along and offer what *THEY* think were the best cartoons of the 80s. You know, that precocious period of time which nurtured most Gen X'ers into the slackers we would later become. In college, we would wax nostalgic over dinner about our fave cartoons. Sometimes too loudly, and much to the chagrin of the foreign students sitting behind us who hadn't the foggiest clue WTF we were yapping about.
But this is not that list. No. Far be it for me to proclaim with authority what were the best or favorite cartoons of that era. No, this is just a simple rundown of the Top 10 cartoons that had an impact on one single person in the 80s and early 90s. That person being me, of course.
So, these are the cartoons that might not have aged well over time, or for that matter may not have even been all that endearing to kids watching at the time of their airing. But those which, for one reason or another, had a hand in shaping me into the grownup I am today. Yes, these cartoons were the ones I watched the most, and which to this day I wished I owned on DVD in their entirety. These cartoons made an impact on me that all others did not. That's not to say any cartoons that do not appear on this list were terrible, but that they were not the most impactive on my development. Some on the list aren't even all that educational or special, but just happened to be on at the right place and at the right time to make me feel all fuzzy and right with the world.
The only exception is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This late 80s gem is not on this list, but should be. I had to drop it because apparently Lionsgate, who owns the rights to the TMNT cartoon franchise, are being douches and disallowing all copies of the original opening theme and montage to be viewed by anyone on YouTube but themselves I guess. To you Lionsgate, I and 80s kids everywhere say:
Now, all that being said (and without further ado), I present thee with my selections, followed by a brief description as to why the cartoon rocked my childhood world. Click on the video clip after each title to watch the introductory sequences to each cartoon, too. Whoa, blast from the past!
THE TRANSFORMERS
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This one is no mystery to scores of boys and girls who became tv literate in the early 80s. If you had a pulse, and if you were under the age of 13 at the time, then you WERE watching this show. No question about it. For me, however, Transformers was the single cartoon that kicked it all off for me. I don't even remember if there was anything worth watching before Transformers. What, besides Looney Tunes and The Flintstones? But when it did come out, there was certainly nothing else like it. A cartoon about giant robots from space, interlocking and shapeshifting into inanimate objects like cement mixers and bazookas? Who came up with THAT idea? But it worked. And though it would open up the floodgates of American television to a slew of similar-themed cartoons in years to follow (Go-Bots, anyone?), Transformers was and always will be the big king daddy of them all. Now, go and click on that vid above and tell me that the theme song doesn't bring back warm, snuggly memories of a bygone innocent age!
HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE
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Yes, leaving aside the ridiculous redundancy of the main character's name, this show owned like no other cartoon at the time! I could be wrong, but I think He-Man action figure sales surpassed even G.I. Joe and The Transformers for the same time period. At least, it did in my household. Thanks to a wonderfully generous grandma and aunt, my brother and I had pretty much every piece of toy tie-in merchandising associated with this cartoon that the folks over at Mattel could churn out of the factories. We were sickly ADDICTED, I tell you! Of course, looking at the introduction now, it does seem rather silly, doesn't it? I mean, how did the voice actors not shit themselves pale laughing at that ludicrous dialog? But still, I thank them from the bottom of my child-geek heart. He-Man kept us good company even when things at home in the mid-80s were not so rosy. Without this cartoon, we might have been left to roam the streets of the Bronx starting up gangs, or breakdancing for toy money, or something. Thank you, awesomely-cool-yet strangely-homo-erotic-cartoon-makers! Looks like shite now to my jaded eyes, but clearly you knew the secret formula to young kids' imaginations back then.
VOLTRON
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Ah, see what I mean? This is what the wild success of the Transformers led to. The importing of even more obscure Japanese robot anime into the boob-tubes of unsuspecting American households everywhere. But, let's not deny it--Voltron was something special COOL at the time. It would grow to supplant Transformers in satisfying that giant robot fix that every male child who was not Ru Paul was fixing for in the mid 80s. And, yes, let's not get it twisted: I'm talking about the Go-Lion force! Not that shitty and vastly inferior vehicle-branded Voltron spinoff that was just a lame ripoff of Transformers. Or was it the other way around? It's hard to tell which came first with these Japanese giant robot cartoons. For me however, Voltron was the penultimate of this craze. By the time Robotech would see wider import to the NYC public airways later on, I was burnt out on my giant interlocking robot cartoons. For shame.
THUNDERCATS
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Oh snap! Yes, I know some of you were thinking I might leave this off the list, but to that I say: NEGRO PLEASE! It may be hard to understand for some of you, but Thundercats was the be-all and end-all of children's television programming when I was in the 4th grade. Forget Reading Rainbow, this was the SHIT! It's scary looking back at it now, but this show started a massively crazy following among impressionable youth like nothing else seen since the invention of the stick-and-hoop. I can't quite explain the hold it had on me, but it was something fierce for sure. I remember wanting the toy Sword of Omens so BAD! But my grandma refused, saying that it was satanic or some such nonsense. Blah! Of all the cartoons on this list, Thundercats is actually my favorite to this day. It's not as good as some of the others in terms of content or acting, but damn! Some of those multi-episode story arcs were like soap operas for kids! If you were not catching this cartoon, you were too busy picking the shredded remnants of underwear out of the vicinity of your rectum to watch. Too bad for you, loser!
DUCK TALES
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Now this one is probably more to everyone's liking. It takes a particularly inept and cold-hearted bastard to say that he did NOT enjoy the hell out of this Disney cartoon back in the day. I think even psycho stalker killers took time off of their busy schedule strangling old ladies and drowning kittens to sit down and catch them some Duck Tales, don't you? The winning formula of having the miserly and fabulously wealthy Scrooge McDuck look after Donald Duck's good-natured but troublesome children was the stuff of legend in the annals of afternoon cartoon history. It seems stupid on paper, but these episodes were surprising in the their ability to mix complex scripts (for a kids' show), stunning animation, and oodles of sheer FUN without hardly ever missing a beat. I mean, how the hell did they do that? Duck Tales is one of those shows that completely changed the face of after-school cartoons, ushering in an age of Disney properties that would rule the prime 2:30 to 4:30 time slot for many years to come. But unlike other kids, Duck Tales was the only one of these shows which I personally watched regularly. I could never get into Talespin, Chip n Dale's Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, or Gummi Bears for some reason. I guess there was only ever room in my heart for one weekday Disney cartoon -- and this was it! Now tell me, is that theme song not catchy to this day or what? HELL YEAH!
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
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Some of you are scratching your heads now, I'm sure. Batista, what unmentionable nether region did you pull this forsaken cartoon out from? If this is what you're saying, then you never had HBO growing up. Luckily for me, we did! Because this was one of my big time favorites. Wow! It's been so long since I've seen an episode, but that intro sequence brings it all back. I was a sucker for this cartoon! It was silly, yes, and the animation was a bit weird in that Japanese big-eyed-American sort of way . . . but the continuing story of the rambunctious Tom Sawyer getting into trouble along with his pal Huckleberry Finn endeared me in a huge way to classic American literature. I wish, wish, wish to GOD this would come out on DVD. I would bid a small fortune on a proper re-mastering of the entire series. That's how much this cartoon means to me. It's such a cherished part of my childhood, and in fact spurred me to go to the library and read every book by Mark Twain that I could get my grubby hands on. How's that for a media tie-in, huh?
FOX'S PETER PAN & THE PIRATES
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Oh, DAYUM! Look, you just don't know . . . but this was my SHIT back in the early 90s. I was already a freshman in high school by the time this aired, and really a little too old to be hooked on cartoons still. But there was no denying it, this show had me line and sinker! It's no secret that I have vivid dreams about flying. Always have since about the age of 7. But for some reason, once the adolescent hormones started to kick in at the end of the 80s, these dreams intensified ten-fold! I could not go one night without having one of those marvelously lucid dreams where you really DO believe you are doing what is supposed to be impossible. The disappointment I would feel in the morning was downright heartbreaking. Waking up and realizing that--no, you most certainly can NOT touch the sky, young man--has got to be the most depressing thing I've experienced outside of my own mother dying. That's my way of showing that this was not a light matter for me. And, so, maybe now you can understand why this particular cartoon would have such a huge impact on my young adolescent life. At no other time did I feel like escaping to a magical fantasy world away from grownup responsibilities than at this stage in my maturity. Yes, I knew I was too old to join Peter and the Lost Boys on their fantastical flying adventures, but that bittersweet fact never kept me from tuning in each day after school to see what hijinks they would get into next. And to this day, I still think the opening theme is perhaps the finest symphonic movement ever set to a so-called "kiddie" cartoon. Don't you agree?
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
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This was not a full-fledged cartoon, but rather a segment of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show which ran in 1989. And even then it only aired on Fridays. But if you were a kid in late 80s, and if you loved playing video games, perhaps no greater geek moment was the day you set eyes on this cartoon. I don't know why people feel the need to bash it today. Mostly young teens who were too young, or not even born yet, to fully understand the cultural watershed moment this was for us gamers. I mean, it didn't get any bigger than Zelda for video gamers unless you're talking about the Mario games. So to have not one but TWO game-based cartoons presented on the same show was simply mind-boggling unprecedented for the time. For me, though, the Zelda portion is what buttered my toast. Yes the voice acting is sooooo corny (especially the dude voicing Link), but the animation and music so perfectly captured all that made the games so much fun. Even to this day it gives me chills when I watch the episodes and hear the same exact sound effects and musical cues used from the first game. That was a big deal for kids, then. If they had not received the permission and full endorsement from Nintendo of America to use these portions, who knows what we might have ended up with. Oh sweet jeebus! I don't even want to think of the possibilities. *shudders*
BABAR
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Yes, again, if this one is leaving you searching your memory banks in vain . . . Babar was yet another one of those HBO cartoons I was talking about before. You know, HBO really does know how to spot good programming. I daresay these cartoons were better than 95% of the crap being peddled on the regular network channels for kids during the 80s. And no production was finer than this cartoon. I'm not even going to explain why . . . just watch that there intro and see for yourself. Do you see the richness of the colors, the warm and fuzzy sweetness of the animation? What about that score? Does it not convey the title of masterpiece which this cartoon so rightfully deserves? Just from looking at the sequence alone you knew you were in for something special. This show is a treasure that should be in the Smithsonian years from now. Except that it's French, so it probably won't ever be placed there. But it should! The themes could be downright mature at one point (Babar's mother being gunned down by a "Great White Hunter" during the first episode resonated so strongly!), and yet at the same time it was an enduring and lovely children's bedtime story with lots of style, fun, and surprises thrown in at every corner. Of all the cartoons listed in this entry, this is the one I would definitely want my kids watching today. It has not aged at all, but will forever be timeless in my estimation. Bravo, HBO, bravo!
BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
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I mean, seriously? Do I even need to bother? Who doesn't already know of the awesomeness of this show? Compared to the other cartoons on this list, it came out rather late in my childhood. In fact, I believe I was either 15 or 16 when it first aired -- no longer a little kid, not by a long shot! Then again, calling Batman: TAS a cartoon is, like, sacrilege! There was nothing cartoonish about this production. From the Oscar-quality voicing and scripts, to the wonderfully inspired art direction and haunting score, Batman showed that you did not have to become a caricature in order to entertain young people. Everyone at school watched this. It aired right after Duck Tales and Tiny Toons! It brought a timeless comic book hero to the masses in ways not even the Tim Burton movies could do. The subject matter was gritty, gripping, and so remarkably endearing to a young man's imagination. Batman: TAS made me want to go into crime-fighting become a writer more than anything else at the time, because for once I saw with my own two eyes how dynamic an excellent script could be when coupled with an award-worthy televised production. No one had better character development that old Bats, after all. And so, I felt, I was learning from the best. And, indeed, I did.
A while back I blogged here about the revamping of the 80s primetime sci-fi series, V. Well, last night the pilot showed on ABC, part of a 4-episode airing in the month of November before the show gets put on hiatus until next Spring.
There's a lot of bemoaning going on about the show rushing some plot lines that, in the original mini-series, were allowed a little bit more time to play out. I'm not going to give anything away, but fans of the original know of several key payoff moments I might be talking about.
My thing is: big deal! Most of us already know these details, so the sooner they get them out of the way the better. Yes, it does seem odd that humans on Earth react too swiftly and with open arms to the arrival of the "Visitors." You'd expect a lot more cynicism in this day and age of foreign fear-mongering and looming terrorist attacks and what-not. You'd also expect a populace that's grown up on alien invasion films to run screaming when the giant, round spaceships show up out of nowhere and hover just above the skyline of all the major cities of the world.
And yes, all of this did hit a sour note with me. But I went with it and actually ended up enjoying this 1-hour pilot. Especially the latter half when we learn something interesting that serves as a departure from the original series.
Morena Baccarin is as lovely as ever, even more so with short hair this time. And right now she's playing the role of the Visitor's leader, Anna, very well. Dark and seductive with just a hint of something menacing lurking beneath the surface. I'm waiting until we see her "true" nature revealed.
V is off to a great start, folks. Color me surprised. While some of the "personal" moments of the show are over done and quite annoying (like the relationship between the FBI agent and her truant teenage son), it's not that far of a departure from what was in the old show to really be worth complaining about.
In any event, I'll be there next week and hope the ratings hold up. My Tivo's all set to record!
IGN.com recently put out a list of the Top 100 NES Games Of All Time. Click on the link and see for yourself what was chosen. Mind you, these are just the 8-bit games, most of which were released between the mid 80s through the very early 90s. Eventually the "Super" Nintendo would come out in the summer of '91 and, of course, open a whole 'nother can of whoop-ass on the gaming world. But that's a whole other list best saved for the future, I guess.
It's surprising how many of these games I've played and beaten. Out of 100, I've logged in the hours (nay, WEEKS!) on 54 of them. Yes, I counted. Twice. I culled a list from the list of all the ones I've played. Most I've owned, some I borrowed, and the others I rented. But all of them would witness defeat at the hands of me and my younger brother back in the day.
FUN!!!
Ice Hockey Rush'n Attack Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Astyanax Mega Man 4 Kickle Cubicle Mario Bros. Duck Hunt Spy Hunter Chip'n Dale: Rescue Rangers Tecmo World Wrestling Little Nemo: The Dream Master Kung Fu Super C Rygar Rad Racer Ghosts'n Goblins Tecmo Super Bowl Dr. Mario Tetris Fester's Quest Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game Battletoads Gradius Batman: The Video Game Mega Man Kirby's Adventure Metal Gear Castlevania II: Simon's Quest Blades of Steel Bubble Bobble Blaster Master Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Kid Icarus Castlevania Super Mario Bros. 2 Ninja Gaiden Mega Man 3 River City Ransom Excitebike R.C. Pro-Am Contra Final Fantasy Duck Tales Bionic Commando Dragon Warrior Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! Metroid Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse Mega Man 2 Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda Super Mario Bros. 3
Personally, Ninja Gaiden would be my No. 1. But I think you already knew that. :)
Well, folks, the apocalypse is upon us. I had heard rumblings of this being discussed, but I had no idea the universe was taking it seriously. Turns out there's no justice in the world after all.
Yup, my most beloved, cultish, favoritist movie of all time is being . . . REMADE!!!
As reported by Mania.com, Summit Entertainment has found a director and producer to spearhead their re-tooling of the 1986 classic, Highlander. And they're the same guys who were behind the latest Fast & Furious film.
Oh god, please end the agony now!
If you're feeling sick to your stomach and tasting something bitter like bile in your mouth, I apologize. To make amends, I'm presenting the trailer for the 1986 movie. It should remind everyone just how awesome the original was and will always be:
And let us remember that no matter what they do to rape our memories, we'll ALWAYS have the definitive Anchor Bay version of this film on DVD!
So, I was watching the final DVD of the complete Cosby Show box set as first mentioned here, when it dawned on me to look up the guy who plays grandpa Huxtable, Earle Hyman. Imagine my shock when I learned today that he was the voice of Panthro on the Thundercats tv show.
I mean, HOLY CRAP!!!
Did anyone know this? I feel completely stupid right now. I mean, Thundercats was my NUMBER 1 cartoon back in 1985-86. I was a certifiable junkie! And I used to watch the Cosby show all the time, too. Yet, even now watching the entire series back to back it never dawned on me that Hyman was the voice behind my favorite Thundercat after Lion-O.
This is seriously tripping me out. Thinking back on it, it's so OBVIOUS now of course. I can't believe I've missed the connection all this time.
But don't take my word for it, check out the next two videos to hear what I mean.
This first clip is of Earle Hyman in a scene with Bill and Malcolm from the Cosby Show. Take note of the voice:
This next clip is taken from the Thundercats cartoon:
I wasn't going to do one of these, because I think there are enough blogger tributes out there that mine won't be adding anything that hasn't already been said. But you know what? Screw it! I'm an 80s kid, and Michael was a huge, inseparable part of that era. If I had money, I would have a dedicated 80s room in my mansion -- complete with neon glow, Ms. Pac-man and Donkey Kong arcade cabinets, a pizza parlor . . . and MJ's Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad albums playing non-stop rotation through artfully set up boomboxes in Dolby Surround! I mean, YEAH!!!!
A lot of people consider Bad to be the better album, but not me. I remember listening to the title track off the Thriller album when I was just 6 years old, at a friend's birthday party that was more for the adults than the kids. The album had just released and, although I was so young, I remember being able to follow the lyrics and subsequently scaring the beejeebus out of myself! And to a 6 year old boy, that's just RAD, man!!!
There's not one song off the Thriller album I don't love. And while the same is almost true of both Off The Wall and Bad, to me Thriller most perfectly captures the pulse of the 80s -- a time period that has grown to almost mythic-quality in my nostalgia.
This is a sad, sad day for me. I feel sick to my stomach. RIP, Michael! You truly were an icon of your time.
I'll be listening to my specially designed MJ playlist all day today at work. If I can make it through without choking up, that is.
