Monthly Archives: December 2022

SENATOR KYRSTEN SINEMA LEAVES THE DEMOCRAT PARTY TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT

kyrsten sinemaArizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, like so many of us former Democrats, disgusted with how fascistic and intolerant the Democrats have become, has officially left that political party to register as an Independent.

This has caused her to be even more viciously attacked by the fanatical Democrats who helped drive her (and so many of us) away from the party when she showed consideration to her constituents instead of the Democrat Party Machine – even barging into Ladies’ Rooms after her to berate her for not obeying Democrat Party dictates. (Let me emphasize, elected officials are supposed to represent their constituents, NOT a political party)

Joe Biden justified the lavatory (and elsewhere) harassment of Sinema by saying it was just “part of the process.” Biden is garbage. 

Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog once again notes that the totalitarian Democrats have been unhinged in recent years when it comes to punishing one-time Democrats who stray from the Groupthink of that political party. Continue reading

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BEST OF FEBRUARY 2022

Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end of year retrospective continues with this look at February’s best:

super musicalTHE SUPERMAN MUSICAL FROM 1975 – This stage musical from the 1960s was trying for that intentionally campy and overdone feel of the Adam West Batman series. The official title is It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s Superman! In this 1975 made for tv staging, David Wilson plays Clark Kent/ Superman, Lesley Ann Warren is Lois Lane, Loretta Swit portrays a femme fatale, plus David Wayne and Kenneth Mars play the main villains. Allen Ludden fills the Perry White role, while Malachi Throne, Harvey Lembeck and Al Molinaro play gangsters. You can read the full review HERE.

CRATES: ANCIENT GREEK COMEDIES – A look at the ancient comedies written by Crates, like Neighbors, Lamia, Heroes, Resident Aliens and more. Click HERE.

FACULTY LOUNGE FASCIST ROUNDUP: FEBRUARY 6th – You can read it HERE.

afterman posterTHE AFTERMAN (1985) – This post-apocalypse film from Belgium is not for the squeamish. The story presents 1991 as the year nuclear war broke out, and in 2011 our lead character has run out of provisions in the radiation-proof shelter he’s been in for 20 years. The rest of the flick deals with his often violent and depraved encounters with the barbaric world that’s left. My full review is HERE.

COURAGEOUS DEMOCRAT TULSI GABBARD CALLS OUT THE HOPELESSLY CORRUPT HILLARY CLINTON. Find it HERE.

death game movie posterDEATH GAME (1977) – This horror/ suspense film is OUT THERE. From the bizarrely inappropriate opening song to the home invasion aspect to the exploitative middle section all the way up to the surreal ending. Sondra Locke, Colleen Camp, Bill Paxton and Sissy Spacek were all involved with this weird flick. Death Game inspired a much later remake starring Keanu Reeves. My full review is HERE.

MEDA: A TALE OF THE FUTURE (1891) – This work of “ancient” science fiction depicts life in Scotland in the year 5575 A.D. It’s a VERY interesting look at all the scientific, cultural, political and even geographical changes in the years leading up to 5575. But the Scots still wear a form of kilt! My full review is HERE. Continue reading

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TEN MORE JUNGLE JIM MOVIES

Recently, Balladeer’s Blog examined the 1937 Jungle Jim serial as well as the first six Jungle Jim movies starring former Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller beginning in 1948. Here are the remaining ten Weissmuller films as the pre-Indiana Jones and pre-Crocodile Dundee, but post-Allan Quatermain hero.

jungle manhuntJUNGLE MANHUNT (October 1951) – This seventh Jungle Jim feature film is one of the best examples of how the franchise combined fun escapism with outlandish “So Bad They’re Good” film antics. After rescuing female reporter Anne Lawrence (Sheila Ryan) when her boat overturns, Jungle Jim agrees to guide her on her search for Bob Miller – played by real-life football star Bob Waterfield, Jane Russell’s husband.

Football hero Miller’s plane vanished over the jungle years earlier and Anne is determined to enhance her career by finding him and writing up the story. It turns out that Miller has spent the time serving as a one-man Peace Corps, helping a remote village with engineering and other efforts.

During the expedition to find the missing football player/ pilot, Jungle Jim and company get mixed up in a battle between a shark and a large octopus IN AN INLAND BODY OF FRESH WATER! The shark wins and then Jim must kill that creature in a very unconvincing underwater battle. 

jungle jim vs dinosaurOur hero and Anne also encounter dinosaurs – yes, dinosaurs – in the jungle region where Bob Miller’s plane went down. Much of it is stock footage from One Million B.C. but at one point, Jungle Jim clashes with an upright-walking, man-sized dinosaur who looks like the model for the Gorn Captain fought by Captain Kirk years later. Or maybe Barney the Dinosaur.

Dinosaurs not enough for ya? Well, there’s also Lyle Talbot as mad scientist Dr. Mitchell Heller, an industrial chemist with a bad accent and a method for using uranium to transform lesser stones into diamonds. Heller employs an army of men who sport body paint (really costumes) that makes them look like living skeletons. Continue reading

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LATEST NEWS, MEMES AND POLITICAL CARTOONS

democrats at twitterHello again from Joe Biden’s corporate fascist kleptocracy! It’s been several days of intensified gangster warfare between the white-collar criminals of the Democrats and Republicans. Neither gang of bought and paid-for whores is worth rooting for, but a few individuals are. De facto Third Party President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are among them.

democrat criminal enterpriseBecause the people who run the Republican Party are clueless, outdated and utterly useless, it has taken the fluke of just happening to have two maverick billionaires around to find people capable of defying the cesspool of corruption that masquerades as America’s political system.

biden getting his ten percentGarbage families like the Bidens, Pelosis and Clintons (Democrats) and the Bushes, Cheneys and Romneys (Republicans) have been running the country like a Mafia bust-out operation and looting the public treasury.

The latest lie being spread about Donald Trump, America’s Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela and modern-day Eugene Debs & Charles Stewart Parnell all wrapped up in one, is that he supposedly called for the suspension of the Constitution. He said no such thing, of course, but the media outlets of our country’s two criminal political parties NEED a distraction from all of the new evidence of Joe Biden’s illegitimacy and other scandals, many of which incriminate both parties gangs.

democrat media outletsTHE NEVER-ENDING SWAMP OF DEMOCRAT COLLUSION WITH BIG TECH.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE BIDEN REGIME’S CORRUPT PERSECUTION OF THE OPPOSITION LEADER. Biden is unfit and illegit.

A FURTHER LOOK AT COLLUSION BETWEEN THE CORRUPT FBI AND BIG TECH.

BLOATED AND USELESS REPUBLICAN RICH PIGS CALLED OUT.

JOE BIDEN – WHO STILL HAS MORE “KIDS IN CAGES” THAN EITHER TRUMP OR OBAMA HAD, STILL CALLOUSLY REFUSES TO VISIT THE BORDER. But we all know that the people who pretended to care about those kids in cages were just using them as political props. 

biden crushing unionsThis item is a reminder that Joe Biden’s war on the working class and the poor continued with his crushing of the rail workers.

Democrats have not been the party of FDR and JFK for a very long time now. Stop pretending they still are.

This next political cartoon is a reminder about the Democrats and how mired they are in the FTX scandal. If America had a competent opposition party there might be some consequences.

However, the Republican power players are too busy trashing Donald Trump, and presumably some are already preparing their excuses for dumping Ron DeSantis when he gets sufficiently muddied up by the media (remember, a few years back Democrats and their media outlets were able to – virtually overnight – convince most of the nation that Brett Kavanaugh was a serial sexual predator who even ran a rape gang in college).

FTX Democrats cash cow Continue reading

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1982) – AUSTRALIAN CARTOON

Christmas Carol-A-Thon 2022 continues with Balladeer’s Blog’s look at this neglected 1982 Australian cartoon version.

A Christmas Carol 1982A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1982) – Burbank Films of Australia produced this mediocre at best animated version of the Dickens classic. Previously I reviewed the 1969 Australian cartoon version and if you were to go strictly by this 1982 rendition of A Christmas Carol you would think that Australian animation technology had not progressed one bit since 1969.

Background figures often don’t move at all and the ones that do just repeat the same gestures and gesticulations ad nauseum like in early video games. There’s also a delayed reaction element to every dialogue exchange early on. The Australian accents add a bit of novelty but that was also true of the 1969 version.

Moving on to the story, Nephew Fred’s visit to his Uncle Ebenezer and Bob Cratchit largely sticks to dialogue directly taken from the novel but pointlessly throws in meaningless asides here and there. The delayed reactions in the early exchanges of dialogue really stick out here. It’s like you’re watching live actors who take a while to remember their next line.

The dialogue flows much better between Scrooge and the two Charity Collectors. Bob Cratchit’s farewell to his boss is trimmed to the bone, robbing it of any impact, but this IS one of those versions which shows Bob joining children in sliding along the sidewalk ice like an overgrown kid so that’s nice.   Continue reading

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BEST OF JANUARY 2022

Balladeer’s Blog’s annual end of year retrospective kicks off with this look at January’s best:

death machines 1976 movieDEATH MACHINES (1976) – Martial Arts meets science fiction meets spy antics in this odd, feverish cult film starring a young Ron Marchini. You can read my review of the movie HERE.

FIREPOWER (1979) – Sophia Loren, James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Jake LaMotta, O.J. Simpson and others star in this espionage/ caper film that I reviewed HERE.

UGLY MOVES TOWARD A ONE-PARTY NATION – Read it HERE.

hunterwaliHUNTERWALI – India’s films about their Zorroesque masked heroine who uses her sword and whip against a tyrannical Vazier and his men. There were Indian-made movies about the character in 1935, 1959, 1972, 1977, 1988 and 2017.

        There was also a movie about the Daughter of Hunterwali (again with Fearless Nadia in the title role) in 1943. Read about all of them HERE.

AUSTRALIAN NEWS ON JOE BIDEN’S UNFITNESS FOR OFFICE – Watch it HERE.   

brum pictureBRUM (1991-2002): FORGOTTEN TELEVISION – A neglected children’s series from the U.K. I reviewed the adventures of the living toy car HERE

CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON: 1970s CLASSICS – My reviews and cultural examinations of memorable Cap and Falc stories pitting them against the Red Skull, the Secret Empire, Nightshade, Solarr, the 2nd Baron Zemo and others.

See the Falcon get his wings from the Black Panther, see the long-lost Peggy Carter return, see Captain America get his Spider-Man level strength (that lasted from 1973-1978) and so much more HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

jirel of joiry picJIREL OF JOIRY – Female author C.L. Moore’s short stories about her 1930s sword-wielding warrior woman Jirel of Castle Joiry.

Jirel really was what a lot of people mistakenly think Robert E. Howard’s Red Sonya (not Sonja) was. My review of Jirel’s six stories can be read HERE

A BOTTOMLESS MORASS OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION – Multiple accounts of such covered HERE. Continue reading

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BOMBSHELL TWITTER REVELATIONS EXPOSE EVEN MORE EVIDENCE THAT THE 2020 ELECTION WAS HOPELESSLY TAINTED AND CORRUPT

Biden and Bush asterisks

“I didn’t really win mine, either.”

Here at Independent Voter site Balladeer’s Blog I’ve never shied away from expressing my opinion that Republican George W. Bush did not really win the year 2000 election and Democrat Joe Biden did not really win the 2020 election. I also state that Republican Rutherford B. Hayes did not really win the 1876 election.

Uninformed and historically illiterate partisan fanatics tend to be okay with my remarks about Bush not really winning, but fall to pieces when I point out that Joe Biden did not really win in 2020.

trump on votingTo all my previous blog posts about the overwhelming evidence that Biden was “selected, not elected” we can now add the recent FLOOD of Elon Musk’s revelations about how his predecessors at Twitter also participated in the Democrat/ Corporate Fascist cheating and worse in 2020. They wanted career criminal Joe Biden installed and did not care what they had to do to bring it about. They even made “By any means necessary” their public slogan.

Time Magazine even bragged about the fixing of the 2020 election, under the illusion that everyone approved of the abuse, fraud and theft. (Note how their article bare-facedly refers to the cheating as “saving” the 2020 election.)

AND REMEMBER, THE BELOW REVELATIONS ARE IN ADDITION TO ALL THE “CHEAT BY MAIL” AND OTHER MISDEEDS ALREADY EXPOSED ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION. THE “BIG LIE” IS THAT BIDEN WON A FAIR ELECTION.

*** NEW – EXCELLENT BREAKDOWN ON HOW THE BIDEN SCANDALS EXPOSED BY HUNTER BIDEN’S LAPTOP REPRESENTED A FATAL BLOW TO JOE BIDEN’S 2020 CAMPAIGN. For Biden to be installed, the Democrats and their Corporate Fascist allies HAD to cover up the story.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN AND DEMOCRAT PARTY COLLUDED WITH TWITTER TO SWING THE 2020 ELECTION.

democrat media attacking elonELON MUSK HEROICALLY EXPOSES EVEN MORE CORRUPTION SURROUNDING THE 2020 ELECTION. No wonder Democrats are trying so hard to destroy him.

LATEST REVELATIONS: “EVERYONE KNEW”.

FURTHER OUTLINES REGARDING TWITTER’S CONTRIBUTION TO TAINTING THE 2020 ELECTION “BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.” 

THE AVALANCHE OF BOMBSHELLS CONTINUES.

EVEN MORE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY REVELATIONS.

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE FBI AND CORPORATE FASCISTS TIPPING THE ELECTION AND CENSORING NEWS ABOUT IT. Continue reading

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BALLADEER’S BLOG’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AND BOWL RESULTS: DECEMBER 3rd

NAIA

Keiser SeahawksFIRST SEMIFINAL – The KEISER UNIVERSITY SEA HAWKS visited the GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS (should be the Zebras) in this game. The 1st Quarter ended with the Sea Hawks up 7-0 before expanding that to a 21-7 advantage by Halftime. After the break, Keiser University outscored Grand View 17-14 for a 38-21 Upset and a trip to the title game on December 17th. 

northwestern ia redSECOND SEMIFINAL – Up next the NORTHWESTERN (IA) COLLEGE RED RAIDERS took the field against the INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY WILDCATS. A 17-0 Red Raiders lead in the opening Quarter remained unchanged at the Half. The 3rd Quarter ended with Northwestern College on top 31-0 and the 4th in a 38-7 Red Raiders win. It will be Red Raiders and Sea Hawks in the Championship Game.

NCAA DIVISION TWO

Colorado Mines Orediggers NEWFIRST QUARTERFINAL – The COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES OREDIGGERS faced their hosts the ANGELO STATE RAMS. The Orediggers led 14-7 in the 1st Quarter and 21-10 at the break. From there Colorado School of Mines managed a bit more separation from the Rams for a 42-24 Upset victory. Continue reading

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SUPERHEROES OF CENTAUR COMICS

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero blog post examines the Golden Age superhero pantheon of the company called Centaur Comics.

Air ManAIR MAN

Secret Identity: Drake Stevens

Origin: Drake Stevens’ father, Ornithology Professor Claude Stevens, was murdered and when the police were getting nowhere Drake donned a costume equipped with various technical gimmicks and set out to bring the killers to justice.

As always happens in comic books Drake decided to continue fighting crime under his new nom de guerre Air Man.

First Appearance: Keen Detective Funnies #23 (August 1940). His final Golden Age appearance came in 1941.

Powers: Air Man’s costume boasted feathers filled with an experimental anti-gravity gas as well as a jet-pack. In addition to that he sported guns plus a Chemical Belt loaded with egg-shaped explosives. On top of that Air Man was highly skilled at unarmed combat and had Olympic-level gymnastic abilities. 

Comment: Air Man was one of those Golden Age superheroes who didn’t hesitate to kill off his adversaries when the situation called for it.  

Blue LadyBLUE LADY

Secret Identity: Lucille Martin, novelist

Origin: Returning from a trip to China on board a luxury liner, Lucille Martin was given a priceless statue by a Chinese woman named Lotus. She was told to guard the statue from some men who were pursuing Lotus and by way of payment the Chinese woman also gave her a blue ring.

When the men pursuing Lotus killed her, Ms Martin accidentally discovered that the ring gave her super-powers. She donned a costume, called herself the Blue Lady and brought Lotus’ murderers to justice as the start of a crime-fighting career.  

First Appearance: Amazing-Man Comics #24 (October, 1941). Her final Golden Age appearance came in 1942.

Powers: Accidentally breaking the blue-bird shaped gem on the Oriental ring released a gas which bestowed upon the Blue Lady the strength of ten men, invulnerability and the ability to teleport via blue mists. She could also generate those blue mists to hide in and to disorient her opponents. In turn, other gasses were the Blue Lady’s weakness.  Continue reading

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BLACKADDER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1988)

blackadder's christmas carolBLACKADDER’S CHRISTMAS CAROL – Balladeer’s Blog’s 13th Annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues! Long-time readers know what a big fan I am of Rowan Atkinson’s work – especially his Blackadder programs. Hell, I’m even an enormous fan of his more serious work in Full Throttle. And I never tire of telling anyone who will listen that I think he’d make a perfect Dikaiopolis in Aristophanes’ comedy The Acharnians

As to why it took me so long to finally get around to reviewing Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, it’s the same reason that applied to the George C Scott version: I wanted to handle some of the more obscure Carols before hitting the well-known ones.

This Christmas Special is set in Victorian England with Atkinson starring as Ebenezer Blackadder, owner of a moustache shop. Tony Robinson is on hand as yet another member of the Baldrick family line.

In typically perverse Blackadder fashion the storyline reverses the usual sequence of events. Ebenezer starts out as a kind-hearted and generous soul but soon the Christmas Spirit (Robbie Coltrane) shows him visions of Blackadders Past, Present and Yet-to-Come.     Continue reading

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