Monthly Archives: October 2013

October 19, 2013 · 9:26 pm

ELEVEN MORE NEGLECTED BAD MOVIE CLASSICS FOR HALLOWEEN

Return of Dr X

Return of Dr X

My month-long celebration of Halloween continues! Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are very familiar with my Bad Movie page where I examine plenty of under the radar movies that are hilariously awful. Previously I ran a list of the top Eleven Neglected Bad Movie Classics for Halloween. That was such a hit here is a list of eleven more neglected bombs. My Bad Movie page features full-length reviews of each of the movies I’m offering a synopsis of here.

THE RETURN OF DR X (1939) – The notorious film in which the legendary Humphrey Bogart played a zombified mad scientist named Dr Xavier who was brought back from the dead by another mad scientist named Dr Flegg. Much of the fun comes from Bogie’s unmistakable disdain for finding himself in the kind of stinker that Bela Lugosi often waded through. Bogie’s Dr X kills Continue reading →

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October 19, 2013 · 1:54 am

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 17TH AND 18TH

Washburn Ichabods helmetFOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN ROLL! – During Halloween season one of the things you think about is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which makes you think of Ichabod Crane, which makes you think about the WASHBURN UNIVERSITY ICHABODS. The Ichabods are ranked number 14 in the nation and on Thursday night they crushed the visiting FORT VALLEY STATE WILDCATS 41-0   ###   And the 15th ranked OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY PANTHERS nearly doubled up on the FINDLAY OILERS, smashing them 41-21.

MercyhurstMASSACRE AT MERCYHURST – On Thursday night the MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY LAKERS welcomed the GANNON UNIVERSITY GOLDEN KNIGHTS into their lair. This game too kept to the evening’s theme of teams playing incredibly lopsided affairs. Per the title of this segment Mercyhurst massacred their opponents in merciless (see what I did there) fashion, with the final score being Lakers 51  Golden Knights 21.

Itawamba College IndiansFINALLY A CLOSE GAME! – Thursday night did yield one close game, fortunately. The ITAWAMBA COLLEGE INDIANS won an Instant Classic against the visiting NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE TIGERS. The Indians eked out a 36-33 win in this nailbiter   ###   And in the only other reasonably close game of the evening the HINDS COLLEGE EAGLES defeated the Continue reading →

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October 17, 2013 · 1:55 am

FOUR ZOMBIE FILMS THAT ARE ACTUALLY UNIQUE

Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long celebration of Halloween continues! If you’re like me you’re bored with all of the zombie and pseudo-zombie films that seem to come out every few months. The 21st Century is as mired in tiresome, cookie-cutter zombie flicks as the 1980’s were in tiresome, cookie-cutter slasher flicks.

Here is a look at four films which, while technically classified as zombie films at least adopt unique perspectives and don’t follow established formulas.

Living Dead Girl

Living Dead Girl

1. THE LIVING DEAD GIRL (LA MORTE VIVANTE) (1982) – French director Jean Rollin helmed this introspective, touching and at times even poignant rendition of a zombie film. If you’re not familiar with Rollin’s work he often starts with a prosaic premise but then flies off into strikingly original territory with it.   

La Morte Vivante starts off with the trope of toxic waste artificially preserving and ultimately reviving the corpse of heiress Catherine Valmont (Francoise Blanchard). The barrels of toxic waste have been illegally stored in the Valmont family’s catacombs over the course of two years without their knowledge and Catherine’s first action when restored to life is to dispatch the men dumping the waste in swift and bloody fashion. Another corpse in the catacombs with Catherine is Continue reading →

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October 16, 2013 · 9:29 pm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG

HELMETMorningside_IANAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) –

1. MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS (2012 runners-up)      ###      2. BENEDICTINE COLLEGE RAVENS      ###      3. GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS      ###      4. CARROLL COLLEGE FIGHTING SAINTS      ###      5. UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS PATRIOTS      ###      6. MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE VIKINGS      ###     

Rocky_Mountain_MT_OLD57. ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE BATTLIN’ BEARS      ###      8. CONCORDIA (NE) UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS      ###      9. OTTAWA (KS) UNIVERSITY BRAVES      ###      10. TABOR COLLEGE BLUEJAYS      ###      11. PERU STATE BOBCATS      ###      12. UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS      ###     

NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) –

North Greenville Crusaders1. NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS      ###      2. AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY COUGARS      ###      3. TRINITY INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY TROJANS      ###      4. GREENVILLE COLLEGE PANTHERS ( defending champions)      ###      5. GENEVA COLLEGE GOLDEN TORNADOES       ###      6. Continue reading →

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October 16, 2013 · 12:10 pm

THE GREAT GOD PAN (1890) : HALLOWEEN READING

The Great God Pan

The Great God Pan

Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long celebration of Halloween continues! Nearly a century before Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen trilogy and decades before H.P. Lovecraft’s Dunwich Horror and From Beyond there was Arthur Machen’s story The Great God Pan. Originally published in 1890 and then expanded in 1894 this gothic horror tale was so far ahead of its time that it scandalized readers and reviewers of the era. Even though it came along earlier than Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula Machen’s great work dealt with such a brand of horror and with such adult themes that movies – silent and then early talkies – wouldn’t dare adapting it for the screen. 

Thus denied the cinematic exposure that made names like Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde household words The Great God Pan fell into undeserved obscurity, much like The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers, a work reviewed previously here at Balladeer’s Blog.

Like so many of the best horror stories Machen’s tale begins with a mad scientist, in this case Dr Raymond, who invites his friend Mr Clarke to witness him perform an Continue reading →

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October 14, 2013 · 5:52 pm

SUMMER CUMMINGS, WORLD-FAMOUS BEAUTY, LOVES BALLADEER’S BLOG

Summer CummingsThe heart-breakingly beautiful Summer Cummings is famed throughout the world for her sex appeal, her expertise when it comes to obscure horror films and for her impeccable taste in blogs. Thank you to the sultry Summer for this kind shoutout to Balladeer’s Blog! For more of Continue reading →

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October 13, 2013 · 2:10 pm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 12TH

North_Carolina-PembrokeUNC-PEMBROKE RULES THE WORLD – Just as various 1AA (FCS) college football teams manage upsets over 1A (FBS) teams the teams in NCAA Division 2 sometimes manage upsets over 1AA teams. Yesterday the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA-PEMBROKE BRAVES took it on the road against 1AA’s UNC-Charlotte Forty-Niners. The Braves more than doubled-up on their higher division opponents, winning a 45-22 upset smackdown!  

Oklahoma Baptist University helmetHISTORY FOR OKLAHOMA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY – The NAIA’s OKLAHOMA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY BISON won the very FIRST football victory of this debut year for their restored program! They simultaneously embraced that NAIA tradition of defeating their rivals in NCAA Division 3, too. The Bison traveled to face Division 3’s SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY PIRATES and stampeded them by a final score of 42-21! Congratulations, OBU!

Mayville State CometsTOP 25 UPSETS – NAIA – The MAYVILLE STATE COMETS welcomed the 16th ranked VALLEY CITY STATE VIKINGS and defeated them in a 14-9 nailbiter   ###   Meanwhile the KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS notched a 22-14 road win over the number 17 LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS   ###   And the DAKOTA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY TIGERS toppled the 20th ranked DOANE TIGERS 31-20 in their Continue reading →

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October 12, 2013 · 10:58 pm

BLAXPLOITATION HORROR FILMS FOR HALLOWEEN SEASON

 

Blackenstein

Blackenstein

Balladeer’s Blog’s month-long celebration of Halloween continues! When it comes to the tasteless but enjoyably bad blaxploitation horror films of the 1970’s it seems like the lion’s share of the attention always goes to Blacula and its sequel, Scream, Blacula, Scream with a little attention left over for Ganja and Hess, since it features the African American hero from the original Night of the Living Dead in one of his few screen appearances.

In honor of the Halloween season Balladeer’s Blog will take a look at some of the neglected blaxploitation horror movies, all of which deserve to have a larger audience than just me and my fellow bad movie geeks. It’s in the spirit of my Continue reading →

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October 12, 2013 · 2:51 pm

AMERICAN LIBERAL MYTHOLOGY: CHE GUEVARA THE HOMOPHOBE

MURDEROUS HOMOPHOBE AND WOULD-BE DICTATOR

MURDEROUS HOMOPHOBE AND WOULD-BE DICTATOR

I’ve made my contempt for American Liberals and American Conservatives very clear in the past. The latest mess in Washington is further proof that the Liberal and Conservative fanatics who have taken over the Democratic and Republican Parties are hopelessly destructive fools.

However, at this particular point in history the pretentious asses of American Liberalism are more pompous and hubristic than American Conservatives so I’m “deconstructing” their mythological figures first. I’ll do Conservative Mythology next.

CHE GUEVARA – If you disagreed with this animal’s politics he wanted you dead, period. I’m basing that on Che’s own writings, the same writings where he extolled the benefits of guerillas hiding with the general population so that if the opposition forces struck at you they would likely injure or kill non-combatants, too, making “the people” angry against … well, against the people Che hated for getting to be dictators instead of him.

This cold and compassionless bastard would have made Machiavelli himself say “Hey, dude, find a conscience or something.” Deluded American Liberals like to pretend Che was a freedom fighter, which is absolutely ridiculous. Read the man’s own writings and you’ll realize this Continue reading →

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October 11, 2013 · 10:38 pm

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 10TH AND 11TH

West Alabama TigersNUMBER ONE TAKES A FALL – The undefeated and top-ranked team in the country, the defending champion VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY BLAZERS, were toppled on the road last night by the number 12 UNIVERSITY OF WEST ALABAMA TIGERS. The two Gulf South Conference rivals played things tight through to Halftime, by which point the Blazers actually led the Tigers by a score of 16-14. In the 2nd Half West Alabama exploded for 35 points while holding Valdosta State to just 14. The 49-30 victory gives the Tigers a 5-1 record, the Blazers fall to 4-1.

Fond du lac Thunder helmetTHUNDER OVER MESABI RANGE – Meanwhile, down in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association), which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year by the way, there was only one game last night that was remotely close. The FOND DU LAC TRIBAL COLLEGE THUNDER took it on the road against the MESABI RANGE COLLEGE NORSE. The Thunder emerged with a Continue reading →

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