It took me several years to find this movie based solely on my fuzzy memories of walking into Delta Video and seeing the oversized VHS box on the shelf. The box had a close up of an unclenching hand with ants tearing out of it and some other apocalyptic imagery. We never rented it as we only rented new releases. However, the (then) disturbing box cover came back into my mind a when I joined an old “forgotten movies” site called Cinemageddon last year. I set out to try and find this piece of. . .classic cinema and CG did not disappoint. Unfortunately, this movie is very boring. It even starts off with some sort of nature film about how ants are awesome in so many ways. On a side note, there is actually an early episode of MST3K where they watch this movie. Not even they could make it enjoyable. This movie just about put me to sleep and I’ve watched The Revenge of Doctor X and Death Bed!
The soundtrack and visual effects are pretty cool but you just don’t hear or see enough of either.
‘Whoooo….barbungggg… ah oh yeah this is… ahh..ahhh…’
Honestly, this is better than Shakespeare.
So we’re talking about collecting samples. It’s a truly weird idea to think that almost anything online can be sampled, but due to copyright, there is so much to clear. But I’m thinking the more languages collected over a period of time, the more word variations we can find.
Archiving is probably a result of my obsessive behaviours - but I know Alex can knock me dead with what he’s got stashed up. So I make up for showing off with my mixer, instead. But I digress…. or DO I?…… Yes. I do.
What I’m trying to say is that I’m a sucker for wanting to collect as much as I can of these randoms vocals - leading onto the idea of mashing up as many as possible, perhaps into conversation. Surely it can’t be too hard.
So I should talk to Steve one day - ask him if he wants to be in an amateur/pro-semi electro collective bedroom producers’ dance track?
Sadly, Terrasocket didn’t make the top 10 in Jazzanova’s remix contest. Oh well, back to the drawing board (so to speak).
For more info on the remix competition and winners, check out their page. The country remix is a particularly interesting choice.
This was our remix:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Monsters DO have their place! [it's either Cable, Congress, or Wireless Corporations]
Apparently, monsters should only dwell in in the zoo, in my nightmares, in the deep, and in my favorite horror movies. Though, I’m not sure why monsters shouldn’t be allowed in my livingroom. I mean, they’ve already invaded my bedroom via nightmares. Seems like the monsters and I have taken a step back in our relationship. I’m sorry for this but network television has drawn a clear line on this one.
I’m entertained at the irony of cable television being portrayed as a dinosaur when in fact cable was the more forward thinking business model.
But, why such a random video? We watch this today in honor of the Congress-mandated death of analog broadcasting this year here in the States thanks in part to the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 (our Congress is so nimble). Now that we are in full swing of network television (that’s “free tv” to you hipsters of the 70’s) being digitally broadcasted, it’s time to step up to the new century of digital-to-analog converters! What does this mean for you? Probably nothing if you are civilized and have been stealing cable for the past 20 years. However, if you have been sucking it up with airwave-only television (prisoners and hospices I’d guess) did you know that Congress has set aside $1.34 billion in taxpayer money for CECBs (plus $100 million in administrative expenses and $5 million to edify the public and frighten the elderly) to help you move over to the 21st century (which in effect just gives $1.34 billion to corporations who have probably inflated the prices of DAC units… probably)? How much does it really cost to manufacture a DAC (retails for around $60)? It really cannot be more than a low-end DVD player, right (retails for about $30)?
How many people are there really that would need this (112 million homes; are you kidding me?)? Why didn’t I go into DAC manufacturing?
Seriously, who really benefits here? Shouldn’t the proponent corporations of free TV (those chiefly being NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox) be giving out these coupons and subsidizing the exurbanite costs of the DAC units to help with the transition? Yeah, they probably should but there is something more going on here. Who sponsored (Sen. Judd Gregg) and who drafted the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005? Who lobbied for this act (rumors point to wireless giants like Motorola Corporation)?
In the end when it’s all said and done, there’ll be $10 to 30 billion put back into the Treasury (that’s net income not gross profit so it’s probably going to be much less) from the auctioning of the analog spectrums to wireless communications corporations. Oh, and if you were you wondering which part of this has something to do with a “Safety Act” you’ll be happy to know that there will be an introduction of new emergency broadcast channels. Which channels and how do you know when to go to them? I haven’t a clue (but there is $1 billion set aside to help me understand when it does happen).
The first three minutes of this clip are possibly some of the funniest dialog ever recorded in a movie. I SAID PERIOD!
Last year I set out on a quest to rediscover a 1980s movie I vaguely recalled watching on tv many years ago. I would relay what I remembered to various parties in that it involved a boy whom no one believed knew of an impending invasion by a Martian force buried beneath the sand installing little transistors installed on the back of peoples’ necks. I went on to madly describe the events of the boy having a lucky penny that he used to somehow power a Martian ray gun and in the end it was all a dream, or was it? Much like the boy, no one knew what I the hell I was talking about. Then a co-worker, who was quite the bad movie connoisseur, enlightened me that the movie in question was Invaders from Mars by director Tobe Hooper (known for directing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist). He also happened to own the DVD, which was long out of print (at least at the time).
As the story went, Hooper was contracted to direct three movies for Cannon Films under the command of Golan-Globus (god bless them). One was to be a sequel to Massacre and the other two were Hooper’s choosing (least I think he had a choice). One was a screen adaption of Colin Wilson’s novel The Space Vampires titled Lifeforce. Though it was a box office flop and panned by critics, I thought the movie was pretty kickass as it was directed by Hooper, written by Dan O’Bannon (Alien), special effected by John Dykstra (ILM), and scored by Henry Mancini. Not only that but it had Mathilda May in the buff throughout most of the movie (not really a notable actress but she was pretty hot) and Patrick Stewart being killed. Well that movie cost more to make than it brought in and consequently caused the budget of the last movie, Invaders from Mars, to be significantly reduced.
So, a friend and I watched the 1986 remake of Invaders from Mars. It was frightening in how bad the actual movie was but how damn good the creature props were in comparison. So what does all this exposition mean? Well I didn’t know the movie was a remake but once I learned, I threw the original 1953 offering on my Netflix list where it set for a few months. Well I forgot about it until it finally arrived last weekend. I called over Brian to watch it with me as I said we were going to watch a bad 50s sci-fi movie to steal samples from. This movie is chalked full of samples though the above is by far my most favorite scene.
Our friends over at Tonehammer just released a new library. Troels and Mike along side Karl and Gregg have done some amazingly fun libraries. Here’s the blurb!
The Didgeridoo (aka Didge) is an Australian Aboriginal wind instrument dating back over approx.1500-2000 years. The instrument is made from Eucalyptus logs hollowed out by termites and is widely regarded as one of the oldest woodwind (aerophone) instruments in existence. Tonehammer recorded two different Didges for maximum user flexibility. The first one is an original Eucalyptus log and the second one is a modern version made from PVC pipes.
The library contains over approx. 500MB of samples and programs contain modwheel controlled time-stretching and sample offset options allowing users to get more flexibility out of the samples. The Didges come at two different mic (close/medium) distances and a far mic for our dual-didge FX group. Didge 1 is close mic and Didge 2 is medium mic.
When someone forces you into vengeance, you know they had it coming. The preposed sequel “Unnecessary Vengeance” just didn’t work on so many levels.
While Forced flashbacks had a facial hairless variant (quite rare), in this scene the Stetson-loving, kapelophilic Norris (why do they always pick on his hat?) kicks ass while the wheelchair-bound crime lord takes a break from watching cartoons to cheer on his man servant.
I’m now certain that I should loosen the bolts on my toilet just in case Chuck breaks into my home and shoves my face into a bowl of my own unflushed urine. Such precautions are needed.
Perhaps the best part of the movie was stripclub scene with girls dancing to the track “The Go-Go Girls” which sounds an awful lot like Rick James’ “Super Freak.”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I suppose when this movie was being filmed (also in 1981) the film’s composer William Goldstein had just heard the song as it was climbing the charts. I’m sure Rick would have given the scene four thumbs up.
