Bill Makes Podcasts Posts

The 1970’s were Peak Made for TV Movies, and they tended to fall within three camps:
You had the good – Brian’s Song, a true story about the death of the Chicago Bears football player, Gayle Sayers – the one movie that made every man on the planet cry before Spock’s death in the Wrath of Khan came along.
You had the hidden potential – Duel, a young Steven Spielberg’s first foray into full length film that pitted ol’ Marshall McCloud himself, Dennis Weaver, against a homicidal big rig driver who just will. Not. Die.
You had the springboard – Shows such as The Night Stalker and Columbo came from Made for TV movies.

Then you have this month’s movie – Black Noon.

Have you ever seen a dragonfly larvae?

If not, hint: THEY ARE NOT PRETTY, but I think that we can absolutely agree that the final product is astoundingly beautiful, nature’s iridescent little Sikorsky helicopters.

The lesson here is that beautiful things can come from ugly things.
That within a bad idea, a great product can be brought into the world.

So it is with Hammer’s 1957 production of “The Abominable Snowman”.
Upon first blush, you’re like okay, it’s a Bigfoot movie, let’s not get too excited about it, but then – then you see that it has Peter ‘effin’ Cushing in it.

And you start watching it.

And you change your mind.

This movie is really, really good.

Made just three years after the classic “Gojira” by the same director, “The Mysterians” is one of those movies where you wonder just what the hell happened between initial idea and finished film.

A cautionary tale against the proliferation and use of nuclear weapons, we have flying saucers, a Giant Anteater Robot, Disco Overlords bent on world destruction and, of course, marrying our Earth women.

It’s just as bonkers as it sounds.

Sharks!
Nature’s Death Torpedoes, or Misunderstood Gentle Ocean Creature?

Before Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws”, people probably didn’t give sharks a second thought.

After the movie, well, it’s a different story, and sometimes that story should not have been told, which brings us to this month’s movie, “Mako: The Jaws of Death”.

When one thinks of Great Britain, we think of Downton Abbey, Queen Elizabeth, punks with big mohawks, and of course, Winston Churchill.

We might think about Stonehenge, Rendelsham Forest, and of course, David Icke.

To many among us, Hawaii is a distant paradise.
It is a remote, mysterious, exotic travel destination.

We envision sandy beaches, clear blue water, drinks with umbrellas, and beautiful women in grass skirts to greet us as we exit the plane.

We do not, however, envision “Hard Ticket to Hawaii”.

When it comes to luchador movies, masked wrestler movies made in Mexico, there is a certain amount of disbelief that is necessary to really enjoy them.

To do this, we must go to a place that I call Horror Mexico.
There is the Mexico that exists right now, and then there is Horror Mexico.

There’s something about being a Secret Agent that people just love.
Danger, excitement, fast cars, alcoholic beverages, smooching and of course, being able to dress really, really well.

You come out of a James Bond movie wanting to get the girl and have someone place a martini in your hand.
That’s the sign of a good Secret Agent movie.

Secret Agent Fireball is not a good Secret Agent movie.