With Elvira having aired her first comeback show, and this early Autumn heat wave in full swing, it’s officially Halloween Time. Every local store has been thoroughly scoured for Halloween things, and there's something new in one of my annual purchases.
The Monster Trifecta cereal has new artwork. Take a look:
It's a nice change, and a good update on classic characters (though I hope they don’t completely abandon the old artwork), and there are a few subtle hints in the new background that tell us more about our favorite monster cereals.
Notice the castle in the background of each box? It’s the same castle. This can only mean one of two things:
1) The monsters all live in the same castle. Presumably it is Count Chocula’s castle, FrankenBerry is his pet monster/roommate, and BooBerry is the ghost that inhabits their home.
2)The artists are lazy.
I’m sure the good people at General Mills would not get lazy with their artwork, so it must mean that the three monsters have been roommates all along. Or perhaps the recent housing crisis has made them consolidate expenses - haunted houses are expensive to keep up.
This gorgeous, gloomy weather can only mean one thing: an imminent SoCal heat wave. It happens every year when it seems that Autumn might have finally arrived. This Saturday night I'll be cranking up the A/C, popping a big bowl of popcorn, and settling in for the return of Elvira's Movie Macabre.
Elvira, the bawdy, boob-y hostess of b-movies is kicking off the 2010 Halloween season with the classic zombie movie Night of the Living Dead. This season promises lots more good things - including a new intro from living legend Jack White.
Can we talk about how amazing she looks?
My only complaint is that the show is not DVR friendly (it's listed by the movie title, not as Elvira's Movie Macabre), so take a look at the schedule to make sure that you don't miss a minute.
It's springtime so there are very few entertainment options for spooky lovers like me (and you), but there are a few things worth mentioning.
Last week I attended a performance of The Miracle of Mary Mack's Baby at STAGEStheater in Fullerton.
Imagine if you will, a small west Texas town, it's a normal Friday night, M*A*S*H* playing on the T.V. Out of the dark, Texas sky falls to Earth a silver vessel, lands on the front lawn, steaming from what appears to be entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Up in the sky, a series of brilliant, shiny lights, pulsing in an almost hypnotic manner to a rhythmic, otherworldly beat. From the vessel emerges your child that went missing 6 months earlier...or is it?
Mary Mack is a hilariously weird, and highly entertaining popcorn play. It's exciting to discover a place like STAGEStheater because I know I'll be back. Some of the upcoming shows are Steel Dragnolias (a drag re-imagining of Steel Magnolias) and an entire evening of Twilight Zone episodes acted out on stage. Hopefully they'll be as entertaining as Mary Mack and the other townies from West Texas! Oh, and tickets range from $15-$18, and they charge $1-$2 for refreshments. It's a wallet-friendly evening out.
Expecting it to be another weird horror-themed performance, I was surprised to find that it was a thoughtful and somewhat painful to watch play about a young closeted boy growing up in Washington DC. The horror aspects were never fully worked into the plot as I had expected, but it was laugh out loud funny in some parts, and emotionally moving in others. I expected horror and got an awkward adolescent, but I loved it. If you're a fan of '80s family sitcoms, B-movie show hosts, gay issues, family issues, and the ignored and overweight geeks of the world, I think you'll like Dr. Cerberus. There were enough classic monster/horror movie references to know that the playwright, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is "one of us".
If you want a monthly spooky fix, why not check out GHOULA? The Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles. I haven't attended a meeting yet (curse you, traffic), but I will someday. The co-founder of the group wrote a book called Disneyland After Dark. You know I'm a fan of the House of Mouse, so I hope to get my hands on a copy soon!
Oh, and speaking of Disneyland, Halloweentown is going to be hosting a new art exhibit this summer - A Tribute to the Haunted Mansion. I can't wait! I'll be there with my checkbook (hopefully)!
This commercial shows why you should never trust profile pictures, and it uses monsters to make the point. Look for Medusa, a witch, Nosferatu, Frankenstein, and an alien.
Monsters! And it's not even Halloween yet! Good job, Samsung!
I have always wanted to make the trip to Zombie Joe's in North Hollywood, and this weekend I finally got the chance. Urban Death: Once Upon A Nightmare is a series of nightmares that you've had, heard of, or seen in books and movies. Some are humorous, some are gross, and some are downright scary. The unpolished theater added to my panic level - the bare walls and no-frills lighting left me wondering if I was sitting in the lair of some maniac theater owner who likes to skin people and wear them as coats (I like to let my imagination run wild). Fortunately, no bodily harm was done (to me), but I have made a resolution to never to absent-mindedly undress while a madman waits in my closet.
Over the course of an hour, no words are spoken, but each cast member gets his or her moment in the blood-covered spotlight. There are nightmares for everyone packed into to the show. For me, the most poignant moment in the show was when a woman walked out dressed as an older lady in her finest clothes - a hat, a sensible dress, and a fox stole. She stood stoically at first, but sadness soon overcame her and she gently comforted herself by petting her dead accessory. As I said earlier, I like to let my imagination go, so I pictured myself in her place and thought of the saddest thing possible. Voila! My worst nightmare. Thanks, Zombie Joes...I think.
In addition to the nightmare scenarios, I also appreciated their ingenuity. With just a few props, some simple lighting, and some bare-bones costuming, they manage to put on a whole show that feels different every few minutes.
In short, the show is a fun-yet-spooky experience. I support horror-themed theater in all forms, and if you do too, I think it's worth a trip to see Once Upon A Nightmare. Call Zombie Joe's to make your reservation ahead of time. The show has been extended through March 6th.
ZJU (Zombie Joe Underground?)
4850 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 202-4120
I said that my review of the Captain EO Tribute wouldn’t be up until next week, but yesterday I got impatient and made the trip to Disneyland.
There was no wait for Captain EO (Thanks for the tip, MouseWait!) so we walked right up, got our glasses and started watching the pre-show. The pre-show is supposed to be a behind-the-scenes look at Captain EO, but it looks more like a Hall & Oates music video crashed into an Olivia Newton John song. Cheesy, cheesy music combined with legwarmers (on the backup dancers) and bushy mustaches (George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola). It was exciting hearing the old music again, and it was nice to be back at the “Magic Eye Theater” instead of whatever it was called during Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. (I'm not a Honey fan, sorry!)
On to the show – Captain EO is still great. It is a little corny and the effects are a little rough in comparison to what we see today, but the story is simple, concise, and entertaining. I actually got a little emotional seeing Hooter, the Fuzzball, the robots Major and Minor Domo, and the two headed Muppet things Idey and Ody. I have so many memories of them as a kid! How many opportunities do you get to truly re-live your childhood favorites?
Warning: minor spoilers ahoy! Major spoilers for EO virgins.
Because the theater has been updated since Captain EO last played in 1997, they included some of the newer capabilities into the movie. During the space scenes, “lightning” and other effects flash around the room. When Hooter trumpets, the fans in front of your face blow to make you feel that he’s sneezed in your face. The most noticeable new effect though is the movement of the room. I thought that they did a really good job integrating the room movement during the space scenes – it made me feel more like I was a part of the show. But then, inexplicably, the room moved constantly during the music/dance scenes. The room was heaving up and down with every beat of the music and it was just distracting. I thought it would end rather quickly, but it just kept going throughout all of the music to the point where I started to feel a little seasick. I really thought that it detracted from the overall experience. And I believe that some of the original effects were not in this version. Maybe some of the older folks can comment on that because I was a dumb teenager the last time I saw the original show.
The story is more simplistic than I remember, and I think that’s a good thing. There’s only so much they can pack into a 15 minute movie. Basically, Captain EO and his team are on the outs with whatever organization they belong to, but they’ve been given a mission to find a beacon, find the Supreme Leader, and deliver “The Gift”. They find their beacon in space, but predictably, things go wrong, and they meet the Supreme Leader’s less-than-friendly minions. Captain EO uses his magical, music-driven abilities to turn the drone/soldier types into attractive back-up dancers. The robot turns himself into a full band, but Hooter bungles the keyboard thing and two of the more powerful soldiers approach. It looks like EO is done-for, but little Fuzzball ties the guards’ whips together and this gives EO the opportunity to transform them into backup dancers too (yeah, I told you it’s a little cheesy). The Supreme Leader is now transformed by “The Gift” into a colorful Anjelica Huston; she looks a little like the evil twin genie from I Dream Of Jeanie. Captain EO moonwalks, crotch grabs, and generally dances his way out of the castle (?) and the Supreme Leader is (presumably) better than she was when she was a scary claw monster. And the music is still good! I mean, it’s not MJ’s finest work, but I still liked the “Another Part of Me” song quite a bit. And he was so adorable at the time of filming! Like I said earlier, this was before his plastic surgery got really extreme, and before all the gross rumors of his personal life came to light.
I’m not sure how long the tribute will be around – there was no line yesterday, and there were only a few hardcore MJ fans in the audience. It seemed like most were Passholes (like me) or lucky tourists who just happened upon the Magic Eye Theater. Even if it’s just around for a few months, I’ll probably go see it again before it gets transformed back into the tired Honey, I Shrunk the Audience show. If it stays around too long, I think people will forget about it as they did the first time.
Overall, Captain EO has held up very well, and I think it's worth a trip to Disneyland for the side-trip down memory lane.
