TODAY I WATCHED ... (TV, Movies, Sports, etc.) 2024

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"Crash Course" (aka "Driving Academy," 1988)

In order to save his job, a high-school driver's ed teacher must help a class full of hopeless remedial students pass his course so they can graduate. Wacky hi-jinks ensue on and off the road.
A typical so-80s-it-hurts made-for-TV comedy that's pretty much a family-friendly retread of "Moving Violations," a similar traffic-school flick that came out a few years earlier.
Harmless fluff with an "all star" cast plucked from then-current sitcoms like Jackee' Harry ("227"), Charles Robinson ("Night Court"), Tina Yothers ("Family Ties"), Alyssa Milano ("Who's The Boss") and more. Silly but watchable in a retro sort of way.

Hardbodies (1984)



One of the endless sex comedies released throughout the 80s, this one deals with a trio of middle aged businessmen who rent a beach house and hire a local  surfer to help them pick up younger women. Standard fare ensues, with a few laughs spread out and numerous hot women in various states of undress. Bonus points in having members of Vixen play a local rock band hired to play at their parties.

Monday Night Raw

Started the first season of Yellowjackets

AEW Dynamite

"KISS Loves You" (2008)

Cheap but effective documentary about the state of KISS fandom during the pre-reunion 1990s. KISS' popularity was at a low point at the time but a network of diehards were keeping the fire burning by holding KISS Conventions and forming tribute bands. I was a regular at the New Jersey conventions back then and I'm actually in the movie for about two seconds, in a shot of the crowd waiting for the 1995 con to open!
This one brings back a lot of memories, makes me laugh, but also makes me cringe at times cuz they interview some really oddball, obsessed fans.

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"Some Girls Do" (1969)

In this sequel to "Deadlier Than The Male," swinging jet-set investigator Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (Richard Johnson) is called in to find out who's sabotaging Britain's newest super-sonic aircraft. His mission leads him to a super-villain's private island populated by foxy female androids. Shag-a-delic, baby!
Of the two "Drummond" films, I preferred "Deadlier," but this one is still lots of cheesy, tongue-in-cheek fun, with plenty of female eye candy (those Sixties girls, mama mia! I was born in the wrong decade!). One of the better 007 knockoffs I've seen.

"Escape From L.A." (1996)

John Carpenter's belated sequel to Escape From New York puts Kurt Russell back in the saddle as one-eyed badass Snake Plissken, sent into post-apocalypse L.A. to bring back the First Daughter, who's run off and joined a terrorist group. This Escape has a more satirical/tongue-in-cheek feel than the original, but Russell is clearly having a ball returning to his iconic character. Aside from some truly shoddy CGI effects, Escape from L.A. is a fun, unjustly hated butt kicker, with a great supporting cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Pam Grier, Peter Fonda, Bruce Campbell, and Cliff Robertson (who's an absolute hoot as the ultra-fundamentalist President of the US). It'll never be a cult classic like the O.G., but it's entertaining popcorn junk.

Finished Yellowjackets

Godzilla Minus One (2023)



Toho produced great remake/reboot of the all too familiar story of the irradiated dinosaur that grows to behemoth proportions and attacks Japan. Set during the waning days of World War II and the immediate following years, a disgraced kamikaze pilot joins a group of war weary citizens in an attempt to put down the menace. Fantastic Oscar winning special effects and a nice take on the story makes this fun viewing

Started the HBO series the Outsider.

"The Acid King" (2021)

Intriguing but slightly overlong true-crime doc about Ricky Kasso, a Long Island stoner and alleged "devil worshipper" whose brutal murder of a fellow teen in 1984 kicked off a "Satanic Panic" in the New York suburbs. I remember when this case happened, because it was pretty big news at the time, but it was interesting to hear all the gory details all these years later.

"Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue" (2009)

The history of the American horror film is examined in this thorough documentary loaded with clips from classic scary movies from the silent era to the present day. Commentary is provided by such luminaries as John Carpenter, George Romero, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, and many more. A fun history lesson and a trip down memory lane.

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"Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York" (2022)

In 1983, a new top 40 FM radio station in New York City called Z100 goes from dead last in the ratings to number one thanks to a mix of celebrity guests and wacky on-air personalities like "Morning Zoo" host and program director Scott Shannon. I grew up in the NY metro area and though I was not a regular Z100 listener, I still remember their rapid rise (seemingly out of nowhere) and eventual victory in the cut throat New York radio wars. A cool time capsule documentary.

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Finished up the Outsider

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AEW Rampage
Tales From the Darkside

Watched NC State clobber Georgia in college baseball.

The Evil Of Frankenstein (1964)



Third installment of Hammer's Frankenstein v franchise with the late great Peter Cushing once again playing the titular scientist obsessed with reanimating the dead.The typical shenanigans occur. If you're a fan of these types of films, you should enjoy this one. Cushing is worth the price of admission alone.

Was the first person to "check out" the new Mission Impossible flic from the closest library (40+ miles away) and made it about halfway through "Dead Reckoning Part One" before the stupidity was too much to bear.

(IMHDO) There is a line that should not be crossed and that is having geriatric action movies. You will never see the likes of some old 70's/80's movie starlet playing the role of a hottie in a bikini at 60+. If ya did, it would not be received very well. So I do not get why they think having grandpa play bad ass is such a great idea? The other issue with this flic was the contradictions as to what the entity was and it's capabilities. Ya know, that thing when something can be done over here, but not that over there. Seems to me that movies are written to cover the bases of whatever CGI is on the table and not having the CGI be an expression of what was written. Hope that makes sense?

Episodes from season 1 of The Gone Wrong Show.

"Truck Turner" (1974)

Soul music legend Isaac Hayes is Mack "Truck" Turner, L.A.'s most badass bounty hunter, who ends up with a price on his head when he kills a powerful pimp. Soon, every bad mo-fo in the city is gunning for him.
This action packed blaxploitation classic is worth seeing just for the "pimp funeral" scene, which is, hands down, one of the greatest things ever committed to celluloid; and the utterly amazing, over-the-top, cast-against-type performance by Nichelle "Lt. Uhura" Nichols, as a foul-mouthed vengeful Madam. A stone cold hoot and an absolute must see for aficionados of funky '70s kitsch.

Fun fact: Rob Zombie sampled some of Nichelle's dialogue from this movie ("I want you to come out there and shake yo' asses proper, ya hear?") in his song "Dead Girl Superstar," from the album The Sinister Urge.

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