Personal blog - and temporary home page until new website is finished - of writer, editor and graphic artist Christopher Mills


Monday, November 06, 2006

Mail Order DVD Anticipation...

I got paid for some freelance work recently, so over the last few days, both Brandi and I have ordered some DVDs online, discs that we're very eager to get our grubby hands on.

Brandi ordered the second and final wave of Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers RKO musicals from Amazon. She's a huge fan of musicals – and Astaire in specific – and can't wait to get these discs for our collection. To be fair, I enjoy these films, too. Sure, I like to make fun of them just to annoy Brandi, ("Hon? Where's the music coming from? Hon? How come they all know the words? Hon? Why doesn't he just tell her he's not who she thinks he is?") but I can't deny the talent and charisma of the stars. Ginger Rogers was a strikingly beautiful woman and delightfully charming comedienne, and that skinny guy in the top hat and tails wasn't bad, either.

Me, well, as usual, my tastes are bit more eclectic. Here's what I ordered from Deep Discount DVD:

The Tarzan Collection, Vol. 2 – This one features Johnny Weismuller's six RKO Tarzan films: Tarzan Triumphs, Tarzan's Desert Mystery, Tarzan and the Amazons, Tarzan and the Leopard Woman, Tarzan and the Huntress and Tarzan and the Mermaids. I don't think I've seen any of these – at least, not since I was a kid – but in recent years I've become a big fan of backlot jungle "epics," so I'm sure I'm going to enjoy them.

Flight to Mars – A 1951 interplanetary adventure from Poverty Row studio Monogram Pictures! In 2-strip Cinecolor, no less! I've never actually seen this, but what can I say? I've been in a 50's sci-fi mood lately, and after recently re-watching Rocketship X-M, Project Moonbase, IT: The Terror From Beyond Space and Destination Moon, I wanted something "new."

The Phantom Planet – A 1961 low-budget sc-fi take on Gulliver's Travels, infamous for its skewering by Mike and the 'Bots on Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Never seen this before, either, believe it or not.

Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen – the 1981 spoof of the Charlie Chan series. While I've been collecting the Charlie Chan series on DVD, I'm interested in this particular movie mostly because of the bizarre cast: Peter Ustinov (as Chan!), Richard Hatch (as his grandson!), Angie Dickenson, Michelle Pfiefer, Brian Kieth, and Roddy McDowell! Sure, it will probably suck, but I've wanted to see it for a long time, and hey, the disc was cheap!

1 comment:

Andrew Glazebrook said...

I was suprised to see what could be the first example of the thing closest to a dog fight in a SF film before Star Wars when the flame ships are attacking in this,also they have a sounf effect that resembles a Tie-Fighter.