Evening Entertainment (?): The Residents in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO VILENESS FATS?

Began in 1972, VILENESS FATS was the attempt at an avant-garde film created by music-minded enigma The Residents and Graeme Whifler, the future writer of SONNY BOY.  Portions of the film were shot over the next four years, and while the project was never completed, a version of the footage called WHATEVER HAPPENED TO VILENESS FLATS? has been released to confused audiences.  The results, featuring an original soundtrack and a prologue that vaguely attempts to explain the plot about a pair of twin wrestlers involved with occultism that help a small village, shouldn't come as a particular surprise to anyone unfamilar with The Residents and should completely flummox anyone else.  Recommended!

Afternoon Music Video - Kenneth Anger influences Tommy O'Haver's video for Matthew Dear's "Her Fantasy"

It's certainly not unheard of to use Kenneth Anger's Magick Lantern Cycle as an influence on a music video, but hell, it works so damn well that I'm surprised it's not used all the time.  In this video for Dear's electronic track, the influence is front and center, so much that you can basically play "spot the shot-for-shot recreation."

Otto Preminger and Harry Nilsson visit Hugh Hefner on "Playboy After Dark"

Today marks the 109th birthday of Otto Preminger, so I figured I'd take a look at the most fascinating film from the director of ANATOMY OF A MURDER, LAURA and BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING -- 1968's mobster LSD comedy SKIDOO featuring Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Groucho Marx, Frankie Avalon, Frank Gorshin and anyone else they could convince to show up.  If you haven't seen it, this segment from "Playboy After Dark" in which Preminger and SKIDOO composer Harry Nilsson hang out with Hef should... well, it won't explain it at all.  But it does feature Nilsson singing the film's closing credits (sort of) and Otto just kind of hanging out and explaining marijuana while dressed like Emily Hartley from "The Bob Newhart Show."

Trailers galore as Imperial Entertainment's 1987 Promotional reel will give you STAGE FRIGHT!

Imperial Entertainment provided plenty of low-rent thrills during their time as a VHS distributor, and you can relive some of that excitement with this four minute promo meant for the eyes of video store owners.  Michele Soavi's STAGE FRIGHT, which is pretty great, gives you free trick or treat bags!  NINJA CONNECTION gives you ninjas!  DEMONS 2 gives you excitement from its current theatrical release!  And THE BALLAD OF DEATH VALLEY gives you a bland western made 17 years ago.

Radio Shack helps you accessorize your new satellite system in 1990

One of the great mysteries of our time is how Radio Shack is still in business.  "The end is neigh," we've been told for years, but despite things like this and this, "The Shack" carries on, giving a much-needed home for unwanted remote control cars and cords that can connect your flip phone to your fax machine.  This 1990 promotional video features the dullest man they could afford talking about the potential that your satellite television set up has.

Journey to the Disney Vault on Walt's birthday!

But don't open that door.  Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse cartoon from 2006 is one of the series' best, encompassing every Disney joke imaginable into a three minute masterpiece.  Happy birthday, Walt!



JOURNEY TO THE DISNEY VAULT from glen steinmacher on Vimeo.

Jennifer Beals promotes Chicago in a 1987 commercial

The FLASHDANCE star looks forward to reconnecting with old friends.  The commercial doesn't really sell the city, so maybe it's just geared towards people that already have memories of growing up there?  Or maybe people that know Jennifer Beals?

Morning Cartoon: A TOUCH OF DECEIT, a brief animated film from 1986 directed by Michel Gagné

Gagné has since become a major animator, working on several projects for Don Bluth and Warner Bros.'s animation arm including THE IRON GIANT and AN AMERICAN TAIL, along with writing and illustrating the graphic novel "The Saga of Rex" and designing the video game "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet."  But in 1986, he was a student at Ontario's Sheridan College, creating this clever and cute little short.

Morning Music Video: Towa Tei - "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Japanese DJ Towa Tei is probably most familiar to mainstream audiences as one of the members of Deee-Lite, but damn, I love his solo electronica work, and the videos that have accompanied his tracks (since 1995's "Future Listening") are exactly what electronica music videos should be.  Theyt're visually interesting, random and cryptic in the best of ways.  This is from his 2009 album "Big Fun," and feels exactly like the sort of thing that you could stop on MTV at 2 AM in the glory days of the network.

Evening Entertainment: The 1999 Sci-Fi Channel pilot (?) "Warped in Space"

Here's an oddity -- a pilot (or perhaps just a special) made for the Sci-Fi Channel (back when it WAS "Sci-Fi") starring Jim Jackman as the captain of a ship that's been all-but-destroyed due to an asteroid field.  He finds himself trapped with a trio of space losers (including an alien with the body of a woman and the voice of a man) in a hyper-frenetic situation with loads of ridiculous effects and plenty of quick-fire cultural references.  "Red Dwarf" looks like an obvious inspiration, but co-director/producer Chuck Cirino was also a director of mid-'90s oddity "Weird TV" and the Shadoe Stevens special "Shadoevision," both of which share similarities to this one.  Cirino is better known as a composer for a vast amount of the films of Jim Wynorski and Fred Olen Ray, and star Jackman played "Major Asshole" in SPACEBALLS.  Writer Eric Truehart later wrote episodes of "Invader Zim," including the great "Dibship Rising."

Frank Zappa plays bicycle and talks THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER on the Steve Allen Show in 1963

Here's a pre-Mothers of Invention Zappa (or "Zoppa," as it's pronounced by the squares on the show) talking about his work on the Timothy Carey film THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER and plays the bicycle, much to the confusion of host Steve Allen.

Álex de la Iglesia's 1991 short film MIRINDAS ASESINAS

De la Iglesia, who turns 49 today, is one of the most interesting talents working in genre film today, and if you haven't seen DAY OF THE BEAST, ACCION MUTANTE, PERDITA DURANGO, EL CRIMEN PERFECTO or THE LAST CIRCUS yet -- well, what the hell are you waiting for?  His first project, however, was this creepy, yet typically tongue-in-cheek, short film about a man at a bar.  While there doesn't seem to be a version with subtitles online and the dialogue is in Spanish, there's so few words spoken and the short's strong point is mostly in tone rather than words, and it shouldn't be too hard to follow the plot.

John Candy is Rod Serling's son Chris in "The Twilight Zonettes"

On the short-lived sketch comedy program "The New Show," Candy (as Rod Serling's fictional son) introduces a trio of tales that cut right to the point because telling a whole story is such a waste of time!  Watch for Buck Henry, Laraine Newman, Dave Thomas, Tom Davis and Allan Havey.

Elliott Gould hawks Hills Bros. coffee in 1986

Gould went from fake boxing kangaroos to instructing people to participate in a bizarre, cult-like opening of coffee cans in a decade.  The time goes by so quickly.

McDonald's "Clean It" training video with a fake Michael Jackson and a lot of smoke

If you ever had the opportunity to make a corporate training video, you could go the boring route and make one with lots of graphs and people sitting at desks talking about things.  Or you could make one that will stand the test of time and be incredibly amazing decades after other training videos have been tossed in the trash. 

This is the latter.

Wink Martindale stars in a vision of the future of 1999 in 1967's "1999 A.D."

Oh, sure, we all know and love Wink Martindale, who turns 81 today, from his work as the host of more game shows than you can name, but did you know he was also a FATHER OF THE FUTURE? In this 1967 film, produced by the Philco-Ford Company for their 75th anniversary, a family lives in the far-away time of 1999, filled with future cars, Martian botony and computers.  Hey, at least it gets idea behind the computer stuff pretty correct.  (Interestingly, Martindale's character is supposed to be 45 years old, which must have rankled the man who was then in his mid-30s.) 

Morning Cartoon: MARVIN DIGS, Ralph Bakshi's 1967 short for Paramount

Bakshi has essentially disowned this short, claiming studio interference, but it's still pretty inventive in comparison to the rather sad attempts that Warner Bros. was churning out at the time.  A trippy tale of an excessively hairy young man whose hippie-like tendencies cause conflict with his old-fashioned parents, MARVIN DIGS is miles away from FRITZ THE CAT, but it's still worth a look even if it feels like an awkward blend of mainstream sensibility and Bakshi's wild aesthetic.  You can read more about it here.

Morning Music Video: Rachel Sweet - "Hairspray"

Until recently, I'd never even realized there had been a music video for '60s-influenced singer and actress Sweet's title track from John Waters' 1988 classic, but here it is!  Sweet acheived notoriety in the '70s as a teen vocalist, starting out with country and finding more success by covering '60s era pop hits.  She has served as a writer, actress and producer on a variety of projects, and hosted her own show, "The Sweet Life," in the opening year of The Comedy Channel (the half-forerunner to Comedy Central) when the network was essentially anarchy.

Evening Entertainment: Documentary KING DONG looks at Len Cella, the creator of MORON MOVIES

Len Cella's deadpan, dumb-to-the-point-of-clever comedy resulted in a series of incredibly short self-made films, released as MORON MOVIES and MORE MORON MOVIES in the '80s, and making Cella a minor star as he and his work appeared on "The Tonight Show."  Simon Mercer's great documentary is essentially one long, fascinating interview with Cella, with a fair share of his work interspersed for good measure.

A 1972 Second City sketch featuring John Belushi, Harold Ramis and Joe Flaherty

Directed by Del Close, this recording of an early '70s sketch about a funeral that everyone has a tough time taking completely seriously due to the cause of death of the funerallee isn't the greatest quality, but it's still a pretty amazing timepiece, and watching Belushi, Ramis, Flaherty and the rest of the SC crew unable to keep a straight face is a joy to watch.

John Candy is Divine in the only "Peter Pan" worth your time

"Andy Warhol and John Waters in conjunction with Saliva Productions" bring you this SCTV short, promising a "Peter Pan" featuring John Candy playing Divine playing Peter Pan.  The fact that this isn't a feature is a tragedy, even if nobody would get the David Steinberg jokes now. 

"Auva Auva", Hindi musical number from 1982's DISCO DANCER based on "Video Killed the Radio Star"

If the song sounds familiar, it's because it's a Bollywood disco version of the Buggles' omnipresent-on-'80s-marathons track, from Babbar Subhash's blockbuster DISCO DANCER.  Featuring Om Puri, who isn't in this particular number.

1957's "The Dachshund Village" features a village of dachshunds

Look, it's Wednesday after a long holiday weekend, and it feels like the week will never end.  Here are some dachshunds to make it better.

Jaye P. Morgan sings "My Baby Don't Care for Me" with Gene Krupa in 1958

Jaye P. Morgan may be more well-known as the regular judge on "The Gong Show" who would occasionally expose her assets to the audience, but before that, she was a singer and actress, as seen in this clip from "Art Ford's Jazz Party."  Morgan, who turns 83 today, is backed by drummer Gene Krupa in the clip.

The opening scene from John Paizs' fantastic CRIME WAVE

1985's CRIME WAVE, awkwardly re-titled THE BIG CRIME WAVE for the video release, is another completely underappreciated film of the '80s, an inventive, colorful homage to crime films about a silent screenwriter incapable of writing the middle of his tales.  It's a film unlike any other, and it's currently getting re-released after a restoration, so watch for it around, and let the first five minutes of the film tide you over until then:

Morning Cartoon: Peter Bagge and Dana Gould's "The Murray Wilson Show"

Produced for Icebox in 2001, "Hate" writer and artist Bagge and comedian Gould are in fine form in part one of a four-part series of cartoons based on the tales of Murray Wilson, the father of "Beach Boys" Brian and Dennis Wilson.  Spoiler:  Wilson does not come off well.

Morning Music Video: The Tornados' "Telstar"

Okay, so it's technically a (little-seen) Scopitone, but any day that starts with the alien sounds of a Joe Meek production is bound to be a good one, right?

Evening Entertainment: Ray Walston and Vincent Schiavelli return for the TV series based on FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH

Today commemorates the 100th birthday of everyone's favorite Martian, Ray Walston, so check out the pilot episode of "Fast Times," a short-lived 1986 TV series in which Walston reprises his role of Mr. Hand from the classic FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH.  With Patrick Dempsey, Courtney Thorne-Smith and Dean Cameron as Spicoli!

The animated commercials of cartoonist Jack Davis on his 90th birthday

Today marks the 90th birthday of Jack Davis, one of the founding cartoonists of Mad Magazine and a talent who has made his mark on the comic book industry for over six decades, drawing comics for EC (Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror) and designing the poster art for countless films, including the iconic art for IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.  Here are six minutes worth of commercials designed by Davis, mostly from the '70s and '80s.

Trailer: The Best of the New York Erotic Film Festival

The New York City Porn Film Festival is currently seeking content for their festival to be held next February, and while they're touting it as the "first annual New York City Porn Film Festival," it's hardly the first of its' kind.  The New York Erotic Film Festival was held for several years in the early '70s, and this (SFW) trailer hosted by producer Ken Gaul hypes a compilation of some of the best of the fest, including Chuck Vincent's THE APPOINTMENT and the animated BURIED TREASURE and EYETOON.

Commercial for the 1985 KRUSH GROOVE Christmas concert

This 30 second ad for the Madison Square Garden event to tie in with the hip-hop movie classic seems like a fantastic way to spend the post-holiday season, with the likes of Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, LL Cool J and Doug E. Fresh in attendence, but post-concert events turned into a debacle when two people ended up in critical condition and five others were stabbed.

WHAT NOW! gives you plenty of fab, with-it options for rug cleaning

Sometimes, everything seems to be against your carpet - even modern dance!  What's to be done?  This co-production of the National Institute of Rug Cleaning, Inc. and Monsanto has the answers.

Music Video: Commander Cody - "Two Triple Cheese Side Order of Fries"

Country rock band Commander Cody (and His Lost Planet Airmen) appeared in HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD right before they disbanded, and Cody (aka George Frayne) went his own way thereafter.  This homage to a classic meal deal was released in 1980.

Behind the scenes of the Dolly Parton/Sylvester Stallone RHINESTONE

Not nearly enough attention has been paid to the fact that 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of Bob Clark's great American classic RHINESTONE, in which Dolly Parton makes Sly Stallone into a country singer.  This segment from "Entertainment Tonight" features a brief interview with Parton, who's very excited about the project.

Morning Cartoon: An arcade game and a forklift robot prepare for the future in 2010's DANGER PLANET

Created for the Cartoon Natwork as part of their anthology series "The Cartoonstitute," Derek Drymon's DANGER PLANET is a tale of a technological duo (including an arcade game that sounds a heck of a lot like Frylock) who team up to avoid obsolescence and end up in charge of a human baby.

Morning Music Video: Michael Des Barres - "Money Don't Come Easy"

Actor and singer Michael Des Barres is known for a number of projects, like havign written he Animotion song "Obsession" and his regular role in "The New WKRP in Cincinatti" with his ex-wife Pamela Des Barres, but here he is rocking in full big-haired, open-shirted '80s style, with Melanie Griffith (!) as the object of his lust.

Evening Entertainment: ARCADE ATTACK: SILVER HEROES VS. VIDEO INVADERS is a tale of pinball against video games

Both arcade video games and pinball machines have reached an unholy alliance now, fighting for their lives in retro arcades all over the world, but Mike Wallington's 1982 concept documentary features plenty of opinions on both size of the debate, as pinball wizards and video game junkies face off.

Afternoon Music Video: Public Service Broadcasting- "Gagarin"

Public Service Broadcasting may be more well-known for their more instrumental, Man or Astroman?-ish sound, but this dancier, brassier track points in a more club-friendly direction.  There's still plenty of influence coming from vintage ephemera culture, though, utilizing BFI National Archive video and audio to add to the visual of dancing astronauts.

Amiga CD32 Commercial

Released in 1994, Commodore's Amiga CD32 was supposed to be a fighter in the next generation of gaming consoles like the Playstation and the Nintendo 64.  Instead, the console never even reached U.S. shores due to Commodore's bankruptcy, even though European sales were relatively brisk.  Here's a rare commercial for one of the console packages, featuring the decent Wing Commander and Dangerous Streets, one of the worst fighting games ever made.

Dick Shawn performs his routine on "The Judy Garland Show"

Comedian Dick Shawn may be best known today for his roles in THE PRODUCERS and ANGEL, but the talented performer never really found a good share of film parts to suit his abilities.  In this clip from a 1963 episode of "The Judy Garland Show," you can see his diverse, frenetic array of impressions and screwball comedy.  Shawn's energetic nature and random sense of humor (very similar to the style of Robin Williams two decades later) are pretty amazing to watch.  He would have turned 91 today, had he not made the ultimate comedian sacrifice by actually dying on stage in 1987.

Nestor Carbonell is Batmanuel in "The Tick"

Inexplicably non-eyeshadowed actor Carbonell turns 47 today, and while he may be more known now for his roles on "Lost" and "Bates Motel," he'll always be Batmanuel to me.  This minisode of the live-action "The Tick" features Batmanuel covering for the big blue crackpot.

Chill out with Julee Cruise's "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart"

Musician and songwriter Julie Cruise, whose birthday is today, is best known to genre film fans for "Falling," the theme to "Twin Peaks," but it's not her only collarboration with David Lynch.  She was also the singer of BLUE VELVET's "Mysteries of Love" and collaborated with Lynch on her album "Floating into the Night" and contributed to INDUSTRIAL SYMPHONY NO. 1, a stage performance committed to video in 1990.  Here's her track from that, and it's about as dreamy and etherial as it gets.

MONSTER, a 2005 short film from the director of THE BABADOOK

Jennifer Kent is getting raves galore for her feature-length debut film THE BABADOOK, but this isn't her first time at the horror rodeo.  Her 2005 short MONSTER showed her talents as well, and the tale of a mother whose child fends off a monster in their closet packs a solid punch in a brief ten minutes.



Monster - Jennifer Kent from Jennifer Kent on Vimeo.

Morning Cartoon - The 1988 Oscar-nominated TECHNOLOGICAL THREAT

Yep, it's Monday and you're back at the office.  So why not watch a cartoon about, er, workers being replaced by robots?  BE THANKFUL YOU HAVE A JOB, SLACKER!

Morning Music Video: Mazzy Star - "Flowers in December"

Recovering from a holiday weekend?  Let the moody, languid vibe of Mazzy Star bring you into a new month with ease.