February 16th to 17th is when the 2019 Boston Sci-Fi Marathon will happen.
More info is below, but first a list of this year’s eleven movies:
SOURCE CODE (2011)
SUNSHINE (2007)
DR CYCLOPS (1940)
DESTINATION MOON (1950)
INNERSPACE (1987) Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies, opinion
January is an appropriate month for this latest post about Puck magazine (1871-1918). Here at Balladeer’s Blog I’ve long made clear my fascination with that political humor magazine. Puck political cartoons – especially from the covers – are still much sought-after and I own a few myself.
The magazine was a German language publication targeted at new arrivals from Europe and the cartoons stood out early on. There is no language barrier to satirical political cartoons, so even Americans who spoke no German could follow the editorial drift of those humorous illustrations. In 1877 Puck began publishing both English AND German language editions.
Here’s a cartoon from its pro-Theodore Roosevelt heyday depicting the wildly different opinions of the bombastic, “rock the boat of political corruption” Teddy Roosevelt. President Trump is a lot like T.R. and his cousin F.D.R. – hated by corrupt career politicians but loved by the working class and the poor.
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion, Puck Magazine
For this world which can’t get enough superhero action it’s the very first superhero team in history: the Justice Society of America. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE
I will review the original issue and then detail how I would “script-doctor” the story for modern audiences.
ALL STAR COMICS #14 (December 1942)
Title: FOOD FOR STARVING PATRIOTS
Heroes: WONDER WOMAN (Original), DOCTOR MIDNITE, HAWKMAN (Original), THE SPECTRE, SANDMAN, THE ATOM (Original), DOCTOR FATE, STARMAN, JOHNNY THUNDER
Villains: ASSORTED NAZI MILITARY LEADERS
Synopsis: The Allied Nations recruit the Justice Society of America to deal with another crisis. In this case the problem of hunger, malnutrition and even starvation among many conquered populations in the countries occupied by the Axis Powers.
In the days that follow, the JSA members smuggle food into the occupied nations AND help out underground rebel groups combating the Nazis. They also facilitate several escapes from POW camps and jails for political prisoners.
How I Would Revise It: Continue reading
Filed under Superheroes
Balladeer’s Blog’s shoutout to the Stray Cats last weekend prompted some emails asking for similar music. Before running with any more Stray Cats songs I figured I’d first do this quasi-Stray Cats sounding song from Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and his ad hoc band the Honeydrippers in the 1980s.
Filed under opinion
Balladeer’s Blog previously examined my picks for The Top Seven Robert Ludlum Novels. Here’s a look at the novel that would have been in 8th place if I had done his Top Eight. FOR THE TOP SEVEN CLICK HERE
8. THE PARSIFAL MOSAIC (1982)
TIME PERIOD: Early 1980s
Chronologically, this novel was the last Ludlum work that I really enjoyed. I found the Bourne sequels silly and most of his other subsequent works to just be tiresome rehashings of the stories he had written from 1971 to 1982.
As it is, The Parsifal Mosaic itself reuses plenty of elements from other, better Ludlum books but has just enough new touches for it to be a worthwhile read.
HERO: American Michael Havelock, a Czech-born Intelligence Officer. Havelock’s father was retaliated against by the Nazis in the Lidice reprisal killings, just like Stefan Varak’s character in The Chancellor Manuscript. Also like Varak, Michael Havelock was just a little boy when the Lidice slaughter occurred and he spent weeks on the run in the nearby forests scavenging food and killing Nazi soldiers when he could.
And like Varak, Havelock’s father was targeted because he did covert work for the Allies, so when little Michael was brought in from the cold he was placed with well-to-do British and American families to complete his schooling all the way up through college.
The now-adult Havelock saw the clear similarities between Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism and in order to oppose the Communists he gravitated to Intelligence work. Michael’s mentor and fellow Czech-American (more on him shortly) had brought him into the State Department, just like Robert Winthrop had brought Brandon Scofield into the State Department in The Matarese Circle.
Also like Scofield, Havelock transferred to Ludlum’s fictional Consular Operations, the State Department’s covert arm. From The Matarese Circle we readers know that “Cons Op” as it’s called specializes in defections and in running escape routes from the Iron Curtain countries.
A very high-level defector with a secret agenda outside the typical Cold War machinations will loom large in the unfolding plot.
VILLAIN: An elusive figure or organization code-named PARSIFAL from Wagner’s opera about the Knight named Parsifal (Percival to the English). Parsifal’s conspiracy at first seems limited to fairly minor yet perplexing espionage activities but when all put together the title mosaic reveals a pattern that may trigger a three-way, all-out nuclear war pitting the United States, China and the Soviet Union against each other. Continue reading
Filed under opinion, Pulp Heroes
With Democrats (Motto: Illegal Immigrants: Right or Wrong!) in Congress and in Hollywood saying “As long as illegal immigration never harms US personally, we’re all for it” it’s time for another Democrat Atrocity Roundup.
RED CROSS COMPARES THE U.S. – MEXICO BORDER TO A WAR ZONE – Apparently the white collar criminals of the Washington D.C. Swamp are going to wait until Mexican Drug Cartel gunmen are trading shots inside the Alamo itself before they deign to acknowledge the druglord no-man’s land in the American Southwest.
Our STILL unsecured southern border remains a sieve for all illegal comers, even diseased and criminal ones. The Democrats do not care about our friends and loved ones who have been killed, wounded or forced to move as the Cartels slither over from the Narco-State of Mexico.
Nor do they care about all the additional crimes committed by repeat deportees who simply re-cross the border. Democrats consider all illegal immigrants to be voters for their political party, either with or without amnesty. AND the party’s big money donors want the flood of illegals to continue so that wages fall, padding their own financial bottom lines.
Two of the biggest lies Democrats tell about illegal immigration: a) “Illegal immigrants do the jobs Americans won’t do.” No, they do the jobs that pompous snobs and one percenters won’t do. Americans would be quite willing to do those jobs.
And b) Back in the 1990s Democrats claimed NAFTA and similar deals that shaft American workers would provide so many jobs in Mexico that the flood of illegals would stop because those people would find work in Mexico instead of slipping across the border. And needless to say, Democrats said it in their usual condescending, clueless jackass manner. Just like they do EVERY TIME THEY’RE WRONG.
DEMOCRAT JERRY BROWN, GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA LIKE HIS FATHER BEFORE HIM, PARDONED HUNDREDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS HE LEFT OFFICE. Brown did that so that the poor, delicate little darlings – who had committed multiple ADDITIONAL crimes – would not have to be turned over to the Immigration authorities.
They are now among us and the Democrats do NOT care which of us may die or be raped or otherwise victimized by these repeat offenders. The ONLY thing Democrats care about is assisting illegal immigration. It benefits THEM so to hell with the rest of us, Democrats figure.
And Brown’s successor, Democrat Gavin Newsome, AS HIS FIRST ACT, moved to expand free health benefits to ILLEGALS.
CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY HAVE NO IDEA IF OR HOW MANY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS VOTED THERE – That’s why Democrats LOVE “motor voter” registration, so that illegal immigrants can vote for their candidates. For the disgusting details click HERE Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
Last night privileged white Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi looked like they had been abducted to an undisclosed location and forced to recite propaganda by their captors.
It would almost be funny if not for how callous Democrats continue to be toward the people who have lost loved ones who were killed by illegal immigrants over the years. 266,000 arrests of illegal immigrants the past 2 years alone! (That’s per the Democrat outlet the Washington Post, so the real figure is probably much higher.)
One network even brought in James Carville to offer some commentary. If you’re wondering, Carville has spent nearly two decades now just wandering from camera to camera spouting the same 1990s take on politics. I understand that for a fee Carville will even appear in your wedding video to provide perspective on how the nuptials might impact the Clintons.
Filed under humor, LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
Yes, it’s that time again! The Master’s Review is running their Winter Short Story Contest and the deadline is January 31st.
The Winter Short Story Award, a prize that recognizes the best fiction from today’s emerging writers, closes in less than a month. The winning story will be judged by Aimee Bender and awarded $3000 and publication online. All winning stories and any notable honorable mentions will receive agency review. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Well, I am STILL having a terrific time watching the political realignment going on here in the U.S. The only change we would have gotten would have come from either Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders and if one of them got in then the two rival gangs of White Collar Criminals called Democrats and Republicans would attack the outsider at all costs.
The attacks would be different in nature but Bernie would now be getting slammed like Trump is by the establishment forces. Well, actually, Bernie would probably have sold out as cheaply as he did to the Democrats. Anyway, most recently the Democrats made it clearer than ever that they care ONLY about illegal immigrants because illegals allow the Democrats to continue pulling off vote fraud or “vote harvesting” as those career criminals call it.
Then there’s the childish drama queens of the self-styled “Resistance.” LMFAO! Yep, the opposition to Trump and his Populism is a rag-tag collection of bloated rich pigs, privileged children of the left, international corporate interests and establishment politicians who’ve been in office for DECADES in many cases.
“Resistance, Inc” or maybe “ResistCo” would be a better name for them. None of these allegedly “rebellious” groups lacks funding and the mask-wearing members gleefully launch physical attacks on anyone who disagrees with them.
REAL Resistance movements throughout history have been composed of the poor, the working class and courageous nonconformists of all stripes. Those REAL Resistance movements are composed of people who are taking actual RISKS because of the stands they take, unlike the Anti-Trump fascists.
The bizarre, uninformed people who make up the conformist mobs that oppose Trump are the ones inflicting physical injury on people as well as “filing complaints” around the clock to try to inflict financial or professional harm on their victims.
HELPFUL HINTS:
If you can file a complaint and get the Powers That Be to act on your behalf to punish those who disagree with you then you are NOT part of a Resistance Movement … you’re part of the forces of Oppression.
If TEACHERS – the ultimate forces of conformity – are on your side and encouraging your “resistance” (LMFAO) then you are NOT part of a Resistance Movement … you’re part of the forces of Oppression. Continue reading
Filed under LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES, Neglected History, opinion
January 8th is the combined marking of Elvis Presley’s birthday and the Battle of New Orleans, in which General Andrew Jackson and French Pirate Jean Lafitte defeated the British in the final battle of the War of 1812.
In the past Balladeer’s Blog has observed this date with looks at the musical Rock ‘N’ Roll vs The Red Coats and with an article on the whole Orion/Elvis situation. This time I’m taking a quick look at some early Elvis movies.
LOVE ME TENDER (1956) – Elvis was the latest reason that the saga of the Reno Gang/ Reno Brothers got distorted on the big screen. The need to turn the Reno story into a vehicle for Elvis Presley made this attempt the most unintentionally funny of them all.
Favorite Part: A scene between Elvis, playing Clint Reno, and Richard Egan, playing Vance Reno. Despite the fact that the long-missing Vance was given up for dead and Elvis married his mourning girlfriend in the meantime the Side-Burned One actually asks “What’s troublin’ you, Vance?” That question has been a catch-phrase for me ever since I first saw this flick on late-night tv.
Favorite Weirdass Song: Let Me Continue reading
Filed under Bad and weird movies, Uncategorized
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