B-animal Planet!

There are roughly three kinds of B-movies. First, there are the good kind: they have a low budget but are well-made (like Detour or Invasion of the Body Snatchers). Secondly, there are the ones that are bad, but have so much spirit that you can't help but enjoy them in a unique way. (Plan 9, Robot Monster, Teenagers From Outer Space.) And then there are just plain bad B-movies.

A good example of this last type of movie is "The Killer Shrews". It really takes an effort to get through this one. Fortunately for us, Animal Planet has produced a special that not only tells us the truth about shrews, but also takes us through the film "The Killer Shews" with background info and helpful tips to guide us through the plot. Very cool! Not only that, but it all takes place within a two-hour special that also does the same for another B classic: "The Giant Gila Monster"! Although Gila has a little more hot roddin' going for it.

So this Sunday, Sept. 4th at noon (PST), tune in or set your TiVos for Animal Planet! Your station for B-movie knowledge and fun, with less of those bad-filmmaking headaches!

Brock Peters R.I.P.

As a diehard Deep Space 9 fan, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Brock Peters, otherwise known as Joseph Sisko, Captain Benjamin Sisko's father. Peters skillfully represented not only the heart and soul of the fractured Sisko family, but provided a welcome contrast to the "sturm und drang" seriousness of his son. His character always brought the show back to Earth, both literally and figuratively, and was a breath of fresh air to an otherwise stuffy family dynamic.

Peters will also be fondly remembered for his portrayal of the wrongly accused Tom Robinson in 1962's "To Kill A Mockingbird". Science fiction film fans will recall his role in 1973's Soylent Green and his portrayal of the devious Admiral Cartwright in both Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Peters is less known but still admired for playing Darth Vader in the NPR radio versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, as well.

He will be missed!

"As good as the best,

...And better than the rest!"

I am absolutely loving the tours of old things on James Lilek's website.

I spent an evening being transported to a bygone era with the occasional voice of a mysterious traveler chiming in, all from reading through a tour of postcards from obscure motels from the heyday of cross-country car travel.

It was magical. The architecture and the Googie signs were fantastic, and our host, Mr. Lileks, always has something clever to point out, or a historical fact about the place, or an eerie quote from the visitors on the back of the postcard.

I highly recommend them all:

The Motels.

The Matchbooks.

The Restaurants.

The whole kit and kaboodle.


This restaurant served the rare white gargon.

Future Home Of Starfleet Academy

After living in Montana from 1996-2000, I was ready to reenter the world of young people, jobs and things happening (Montana is pretty isolated), and one of my favorite cities in the west was San Francisco. And where better to have a dog, plus transition from the country life to an urban existence, than SF's own national park- The Presidio.

And it didn't take me long to realize that my new home was the future home of Star Trek's Starfleet! Admittedly, there wasn't a lot of evidence that things were heading in that direction- an old Burger King, dilapidated army housing, George Lucas. But hey, it could happen. It's an amazing location- beautiful beaches and woods, views of the Bridge and bay, proximity to downtown. And perhaps in the future (during the Eugenics Wars? WWIII?), the Army will retake the Presidio and then the Army will become Starfleet or something.

Let's look at some images from various series to check out what's the Presidio will look like in the future...

Here is a map of Starfleet Academy- looks like it occupies most of the Main Post and Fort Scott areas Main Post and Fort Scott areas of the Presidio. My apartment isn't really on the map (east of Starfleet Academy highlighted zone). But if I squint my eyes, I think it says that I live in the area of Starfleet Headquarters, most likely in the same location the new Letterman Digital Arts Center. This supports my geeky theory that at somehow, the Lucas Center is the impetus for Starfleet HQ (perhaps some super computer is involved).


The next two images are from ST: The Motion Picture. Looks like that part of Starfleet HQ is on the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge (i.e. someone goofed).



Ah, and here we are at the Starfleet Academy circa The Next Generation era. The location of the GG Bridge perfectly coincides with the map above. Starfleet Academy is firmly within the Presidio grounds and the future is placid and good...


...until the Breen Raid On San Francisco! Noooo! What did they do to the Academy? And the bridge- it's ruined! Damn those Breen! Upon further inspection, the Breen must have used a relocation beam on the Academy since we are back on the Marin side of the bridge (unless a huge city has been constructed in the Marin Headlands).


And here we see Voyager era Starfleet Academy and everything is back to normal. Except we are somehow still on the Marin side of the bridge- apparently that couldn't be fixed.


Here is a much more comprehensive look at San Francisco of the future as seen in Star Trek tv shows and films. As a Trek uber-geek, it's really cool to be in the Presidio and its a rare opportunity to live in a national park without being a park ranger. Amongst my Trekker comrades, living the Presidio is the ultimate bragging rights. And I know Timmy loves running the trails every day! But, why is it that the city that hosts the future has no annual Star Trek convention? Hmm...

Also had an opportunity back in 1998 to visit Riverside, Iowa, the future birthplace of Captain Kirk. To be honest, I remember virtually nothing about the place. It was hot and boring, I was fighting my girlfriend at the time, and all I got out of it was a stupid picture of me standing by the USS Riverside as pictured below. Invasion Iowa with Bill Shatner was also filmed in Riverside- saw the promos for it and wasn't interested, though I didn't make the Riverside connection until just now.




And some say that the smelting chimney in my old stomping grounds Anaconda, Montana has an ominous resemblance to the Dark Tower of Barad-dur. You be the judge...

The Gargon... It Flourishes!

On last Friday's episode of Look At His Butt, LT and JK mention the Gargon Terror as "a really good blog" and gave me props for forwarding them a William Shatner video. Thanks gals!



Just to clarify, there are three of us that contribute to the Gargon Terror:

We've got the amazing retro-futurist Mike Bates; a specialist in 1950s design, noir, Hitchcock, b-movies, stop motion animation and retro sci-fi.

The subversively witty Phil Szostak; who is an unparalleled resource of Kung Fu movies, Asian cinema, anime, classic American movies, noir, new DVD releases, and modern sci-fi.

And the enigmatic Sean Dicken, who is a fan of 1950s Sci-Fi, b-movies, British sci-fi television, Japanese toys, and American animation.

(Is it wrong to describe yourself as "enigmatic" in the third person?)

Visions of Yesterday's Tomorrow

While not specifically Sci-fi, EphemeraNow is an amazing resource of 1950s Photography and Illustration that I've just discovered. There are quite a few foward-looking illustrations and articles among this wonderful collection.

Well now, Johnny-O. Was it a ghost? Was it fun?

If you have ever done the impromptu Vertigo tour of San Francisco, or the Hitchcock movie night, then you know how cool the character of Midge in Vertigo was. Apparently she was not in the original novel, but added for the film. She was a great stabilizer in that topsy-turvy movie. She was the girl that Jimmy Stewart should have been interested in. Alas, he was more infatuated by a dead woman created by Mr. Elster. We will miss you Barbara Bel Geddes.

I mean what's not to like? She's artistic...



and she drives a fun car.

Star Trek Improv

Tomorrow night (Friday, August 12th) at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, BATS Improv's Main Stage Company is going to be performing "Improv inspired by the Star Trek universe."

These are the voyages of the Starship (to be named by the audience). Its mission, to explore all new characters, to seek out new dangers and intense relationships, and to boldly improvise where BATS has never gone before.

This completely improvised sci-fi story is sure to be one unforgettable trek that you won't want to miss. Directed by John Remak.

Unfortunately, I wont be able to make it tomorrow night, but hopefully you, brave reader, will be able to!

Ultramania!

Ultramania is coming to the Castro Theater, August 26th and 27th! As Ultraman approaches his 40th anniversary, BAFE celebrates his remarkable career with two-days of thrills and monster-pounding action! The fest will premiere the feature length Ultraman: The Next as well as screening Ultraman Zearth, an Ultraman parody film, and Ultraman Tiga: Final Odyssey. Also showcased will be episodes of Ultraman Max and classic Ultraman.

Hiroshi Maruyama, designer of Ultraman and his foes from 1996-present will be on stage and signing during the fest. And even more exciting, BAFE will be giving away an Ibanez Iceman guitar custom designed by Tsuburaya Productions! The guitar will go on display soon at Amoeba Records on Haight Street in San Francisco- go check it out! And best of all, there will be a live Ultraman stunt show on the Castro stage Saturday night! Boo-yah!

Check the Ultramania schedule here. And get your tickets in advance here. The fest is brought to you by the same people as last years Godzillafest, so it's sure to be a great time. See you there!