Kids in the Hall. Season 1, episode 11 (1990, DVD). Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, Scott Thompson, Paul Bellini. Night of the Living Dead ("We're safe. But for how long?"), Baby don't smoke, 30 Helens agree coleslaw deserves another chance, Business meeting in a fire, Foley as Clint Eastwood, Bruce and Karen, 30 Helens agree Hawaii was better before, Clem tells stories in the barbershop. The opening and closing skits are strong. "Night of the Living Dead" boils down the whole zombie genre in a just a couple minutes. The concluding piece employs all five Kids, is well cast, and a fine bit of writing. "Business meeting in a fire" was probably funnier before 9/11. McCulloch's soliloquy about his girlfriend Karen is good medicine for anyone currently in a breakup.

La Marche de l'empereur = March of the Penguins / directed by Luc Jacquet (2005, DVD). Morgan Freeman (narrator). A documentary feature film that is part of the Penguin Thing still in process. Here's what I mean by Penguin Thing: Remember back about 20 years ago you could not get away from cutesy little bears and balloons? They were everywhere, in advertisements, on clothes for kids, Care Bears, etc. Now it is the Penguins' turn. But unlike the cuddly little bears, there is something inherently sinister about this Antarctic fowl. Burgess Meredith was able to capture the essense of the evil within this beast when he played the role of Batman's arch-nemesis, the Penguin. Anyway, back to the movie at hand. In the original version, the birds were given human voiceovers, so the audience watched as French-speaking Penguins struggled to survive in their harsh climate. Fortunately, the American rendition presented this more or less as a documentary, with Morgan Freeman's excellent narrative delivery. The cinematography here is amazing and I was riveted for about 15 minutes, then I stopped watching. How exciting can this be? I mean, c'mon, get real. Actually, I would argue this film needed no human voices at all and would be improved by only nature sounds in the soundtrack, allowing the action to act as explanation.

"Party Political Broadcast" (Monty Python's Flying Circus ; v. 21, episode 45) / directed by Ian MacNaughton (1974, VHS). Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Carol Cleveland. Most awful family in Britain 1974, Icelandic Honey Week, Graham Chapman the doctor, Ballerina military and the churchman are fond of each other, An appeal on behalf of extremely rich people who have absolutely nothing wrong with them, Finishing the sentences, Terry Jones in drag walks to Stonehenge, Walking Tree of Dahomey, Primitive batsmen of the Kalihara, Party political broadcast on behalf of the Liberal Party. This was the final installment of the Python's television series, and they made their exit testing the boundaries of primetime surrealism. Some of the material here still has the bite of Dada three and half decades later. Douglas Adams is said to have a hand in writing the "Most awful family in Britain 1974" skit. I got interested in Monty Python during their last season, so there is a bit of nostalgia for me in viewing their late TV work. There was no one else like them at the time.

Night of the Ghouls / directed by Edward D. Wood Jr. (1959, VHS). Kenne Duncan, Duke Moore, Tor Johnson, Valda Hansen, Johnny Carpenter, Paul Marco, Don Nagel, Harvey B. Dunn, Tom Mason, Anthony Cardoza, Karl Johnson, David De Mering, Criswell, Henry Bederski (uncredited), Conrad Brooks (uncredited), Mona McKinnon (uncredited), Edward D. Wood Jr. (uncredited). Supposedly a sequel to Bride of the Monster, this is one of the final Wood horror films before his descent into porn. It doesn't take long for those who have acquired an appetite for Ed's movies to know they are in for a classic Woodian experience when they see hallmarks such as: Criswell stiltingly reading cue cards in the introduction, Paul Marco as Kelton the Cop, drunks as comic relief, major problems in continuity and editing cuts, the humorless Duke Moore, Tor Johnson as Lobo, use of stock footage in inexplicable ways, dialogue spliced together like the cut out letters of a kidnap note. And of course, the usual cast of weird characters. But getting past the fact we are supposed to laugh at Wood's earnest but inept workmanship, there are a few impressive moments in the direction. By 1959 he had learned the trick of how good lighting can enhance a low-budget effort, and there are many shots in this one that appear to be the product of a more visually sophisticated mind than we normally associate with Wood. At times the motion picture has the feel of something out the era of German Expressionism. And the amazing seance scene is easily the most bizarre piece of Dada in any Edward D. Wood Jr. title, and that is saying a lot! With no Lugosi around anymore to "save" the picture, the film lacked a real star or any single actor with Bela's charisma. Because of this we see an unvarnished Wood carrying more of the burden in providing a watchable piece of entertainment. His use of echo sound whenever the dead would rise and talk was actually quite good. And the bit where Duncan as "Dr. Acula" (get it?) the fake psychic kisses a check for 10 grand from a client and declares, "Barnum sure was right," was an intentionally funny moment. Yes, the plot centers around a couple of con artists who pose as those who have the gift of communicating with the departed. There is little doubt Hitchcock saw this movie before directing Family Plot. Joke. As usual, Wood's movies from this era feature great cars from the 1950s. Love that Oldsmobile Duke Moore the "Ghost Chaser" is driving around.

"Balance of Power" (Red Dwarf, series I, byte 1) / directed by Ed Bye (1988, VHS). Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Norman Lovett, Mark Williams, Clare Grogan. A very early episode in the series, when the dialogue was sharp and really all you needed. Most of the focus is on the relationship between Lister and Rimmer. There is a bit of pathos as Lister sits alone in the mess hall, missing his old mates. Although Rimmer is not a sympathetic character, Chris Barrie does manage to steal the show just through wonderful acting and comic timing. The Cat learns how to order an unlimited supply of fish from a vending machine, and then gets sick. I'm sure my cat Buster would do the same if he could. This episode includes a talking toilet.

"Kryten" (Red Dwarf, series II, byte 1) / directed by Ed Bye (1988, VHS). Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Norman Lovett, David Ross. The crew respond to a distress call from a crashed spaceship to find only one survivor-- a crazed android named Kryten. No doubt based on J.M. Barrie's Admirable Crichton, the droid is programmed to serve and seems at a loss when he steps aboard Red Dwarf. The David Ross version of Kryten seems more sensitive and vulnerable than the later Robert Llewellyn interpretation. He was also more in the role of being a straight man. In this prequel-packed episode, we see Lister immediately setting to work to free Kryten from his programming of enslavement, and there is a convoluted peek at the future "Ace" Rimmer. The Cat and his narcissistic struggle in peeling himself away from a mirror was a nice moment. As much as I like this episode, my favorite part came from Holly the computer, who when sending out his own distress call pretty much summed up the celebratory defeatist philosophy of the series: "As the days go by we face the increasing inevitability that we are alone in a Godless, unihabited, hostile and meaningless universe. Still, you got to laugh, haven't you?"

Road to Hong Kong / directed by Norman Panama (1962, VHS off-air). Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Joan Collins, Robert Morley, Walter Gotell, Roger Delgado, Dorothy Lamour, Jerry Colonna (uncredited), Dean Martin (uncredited), David Niven (uncredited), Peter Sellers (uncredited), Frank Sinatra (uncredited), April Ashley (uncredited). This cassette crashed within a few minutes, so I am unable to review the final installment of these Crosby/Hope Road to ... movies. However, a few months ago I did see the scene with Peter Sellers in one of his ethnic roles, this time as a doctor in India. I'm not sure his brand of humor really worked with Crosby and Hope. Der Bingle looked old and not well. To tell you the truth, I never really thought Bob Hope was all that funny (although I did enjoy the time he was given some kind of medal by Congress and in his thank you speech he said how honored he was, as a comedian, to be recognized by his peers). Maybe someday I'll see the whole thing, but I'm in no hurry.

For Scent-imental Reasons / directed by Chuck Jones (1949, VHS off-air). Mel Blanc (voice). Did you know that little stinker, Pepe Le Pew, won an Academy Award in 1950 for Best Short Subject? No, he wasn't the short subject, the cartoon itself was. This very cartoon. It can be argued, with great validity, that Pepe Le Pew cartoons are insulting to gender roles, insulting to the French, and insulting to skunks. Yet he's my favorite Warner Brothers character and always makes me laugh. Terrible isn't it? I think we cigar smokers feel a bit of empathy for the little guy.

"Silver Blaze" (The Return of Sherlock Holmes) / directed by Brian Mills (1988, VHS). Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Peter Barkworth, Malcolm Storry, Russell Hunter. Set in the country and within the world of late Victorian era horse racing culture, we are several steps behind Holmes as he solves two cases: that of a horsenapping, and a murder. Like the BBC version of Red-Headed League, the Great Detective operates with a sympathetic inspector and a wealthy and doubtful client. Holmes always seems a little outside his element yet more condescending than usual when outside of London. The soundtrack is slightly invasive but not too distracting. Those of you who used to hang out at Longacres will enjoy the racing scene as a bit of history. Russell Hunter played the part of Silas Brown, a particularly repulsive character. A classic exchange and one of my favorites in the series-- Inspector: "Is there any other point to which you wish to draw my attention, Mr. Holmes?" / Holmes: "To the curious incident of the dog in the night time." / Ross: "But the dog did nothing in the night time." / Holmes: "That is the curious incident." Director Mills provided us with a real surprise at the moment the true murderer was revealed, in a stormfront of conflicting emotions. A solid entry in the series.

Draw / directed by Bill Plympton (1993, VHS). A short animation portraying a shootout in the Old West from the point of view of one of the bullets. A brilliant piece of visual poetry by a great cartoonist and Pacific Northwest native. Sort of like an 8-page Newave-era minicomic on film. Fittingly enough, this was given to me by a fellow comix artist.

"The Mayor's Fancy Dress Ball" (Keeping Up Appearances) / directed by Harold Snoad (1995, VHS off-air). Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift, Josephine Tewson, Judy Cornwell, Geoffrey Hughes, Mary Millar. Thank God for the fast-forward button. This episode will always be in my memory for one important fact. While I was speeding it along to get it over with, my supervisor called to let me know my place of employment will be closed on Monday due to winter conditions. I like my job but I hate driving in the snow, so that was good news to me.

Batman / directed by Tim Burton (1989, VHS). Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, Jack Palance, Jerry Hall, Tracey Walter, Mac McDonald, Denis Lill. When I was an avid reader of superhero comic books, Fledermäuse Man was one of my favorites. He didn't have any super powers, he was just a, y'know, guy. And unlike Superman's Clark Kent, Batman's Bruce Wayne was a noble hearted wealthy capitalist. In those Cold War days, good and evil had clear definitions. But when the 1970s started I left the world of mainstream comic books and discovered the wild world of underground comix by artists like Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, Greg Irons, etc. and never looked back until this Burton/Elfman effort in 1989 made me pause and at least take a nostalgic glimpse. But it wasn't nostalgic. Apparently in my absence someone discovered mainstream comic books could be considered an "art" form, and the term "graphic novel" was coined for extra long stories. As the Boomer audience grew up, so did the commercial comics, thus keeping a major demographic as cash customers. As much as I loved Adam West and Cesar Romero, there is no point in comparing them to Keaton and Nicholson. They live on different planets. Like the world of Terry Gilliam's Brazil, Danny Elfman's Wagnerian and atmospheric soundtrack combined with Burton's visuals have created a dysfunctional Gotham City that looked frightening two decades ago but in hindsight was an accurate dystopian prophecy. An impressive job of creating a convincing world and drawing us in where characters like Batman and the Joker could really exist. In Burton's universe, the Joker seems right at home and Batman is the anomaly. Nicholson's Jack Napier/Joker begins where The Shining's Jack Torrance leaves off as far as psychotic nutcases go. Since it is the villain here who really steals the story and sponges up the attention in the initial showing, it took me awhile to warm up to Keaton's portrayal of the title character and his secret identity, but upon multiple viewings over the years I have come to appreciate it. Pat Hingle once again proves to me he must be a reconstructed Lyle Talbot. I would love to see some town in real life have a costumed crimefighter with a secret identity, just to see if myth could survive in reality.