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Showing posts from May, 2010

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Daria...

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I picked up the Daria Complete Series box set recently... The people of Lawndale just don't get Daria Morgendorffer. She's cool with that. See, Daria was born alienated, and now she's just trying to make it through high school with as little human contact as possible. Popularity, friends, activities... whatever. Daria lacks enthusiasm, but she makes up for it with sarcasm. Glenn Eichler, Show Creator, wrote in an insert in the DVD bot set... DEAR BELOVED CONSUMER, Finally, the complete DARIA in an officially sanctioned box set. It's the answer to every diehard fan's dreams. Which, given the makeup of diehard DARIA fandom, means it's an opportunity for them to kick off a raging, decades-long debate over the collection's merits and, by extension, each other's validity as human beings. So let's answer the big question right away 99 percent of the music has been changed, because the cost of licensing the many music bites we used would have made

Michael Shayne Mysteries...

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I picked up the Michael Shayne Mysteries box set yesterday. Why? Because it spoke to me and said "buy me"... This very welcome box set turns up the heat on one of detective films' cold cases. Created by Brett Halliday, Michael Shayne appeared in 31 books between the 1940s and '70s. He is not as popularly known as other screen shamuses, but he's good company. As portrayed by Lloyd Nolan (best known as curmudgeonly Dr. Chegley on the groundbreaking sitcom Julia), Shayne is not as hard-boiled as Sam Spade or as sage as Charlie Chan. But, as one shady character observes to someone whom Shayne has just pasted, "You know better than to mix with Shayne." He's a working-class mug ("His office is in his hat, his home is in his car," he remarks), usually "down on his luck" and short on cash. As Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940) opens, the furniture from his office is being repossessed. Still, Shayne has ethics enough to turn down

Death Dealer Comes For Frank Frazetta...

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According to AnimeNation ... Iconic illustrator & painter Frank Frazetta passed away yesterday in Fort Myers, Florida, of complications following a stroke. He was 82. Frazetta’s work included comics, movie posters, and well-known cover illustrations for pulp fantasy novel franchises including Conan, Tarzan, and John Carter of Mars. Animation fans may be most familiar with Frazetta’s work through his 1983 film collaboration with animator/director Ralph Bakshi, Fire and Ice . I have Fire and Ice on DVD and Wizards , another Bakshi production, Frazetta's name is invoked as an incantation by the lead character. Recently, I also picked up Frazetta: Painting with Fire ... For the last half century, Frank Frazetta has dominated the world of Fantasy Art with his images of fierce warriors, helpless princesses, and fantastical creatures set in the most lavish landscapes. Journey to a place where up until now, only the privileged have been able to witness the man behind the le

Spicy City...

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After revisiting Ralph Bakshi's version of Lord of the Rings , I decided to look into another Ralph Bakshi animation -- Spicy City . According to Wikipedia ... Spicy City was an animated television series which was created by Ralph Bakshi for HBO. The plot was described as a science fiction anthology series set in a futuristic city with a seamy side. Spicy City premiered in July 1997, beating South Park to television by over a month and becoming the first "adults only" cartoon series and lasted for one season which consisted of six episodes. The series does exhibit some risque elements and it is certainly not suitable for the younger animation fans, but, even after more than a decade, the quality of the stories and the animation still manage to hold up reasonably well. I had a handful of episodes from the original HBO broadcast preserved in the archive and for the episodes that I didn't already have, YouTube came through for me, yet again. I would certainly purcha