A Closer Look at the Russian Films of MST3K

Over at Midnight Only I’m reviewing the original, unedited, un-dubbed Russian films which were featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (the occasion: celebrating the return of the show to Netflix in 2017). In addition to seeing what the films have to offer when divorced of silhouettes mocking from the bottom of the screen, I’m comparing the films to the original Russian and Finnish legends, epic poems, and fairy tales from which they’re derived.

So far I’ve reviewed Sampo (aka The Day the Earth Froze) and Sadko (aka The Magic Voyage of Sinbad), both directed by the Russian Walt Disney, Aleksandr Ptushko. Up next: Ilya Muromets (aka The Sword and the Dragon) and Father Frost (aka Jack Frost).

The Barrymores Blogathon and Other News

High-School-Confidential-1

This week I participated in the Barrymores Trilogy Annual Blogathon hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood. The blogathon spotlights the films of the famed Barrymore acting clan (John, Lionel, Drew, etc.). Looking for something Midnight Only appropriate, I settled upon erstwhile midnight movie High School Confidential! (1958) which features John Drew Barrymore, son of John Barrymore and father of Drew Barrymore. The movie also stars Russ Tamblyn (The Haunting, West Side Story, Twin Peaks), Mamie Van Doren, and Jackie Coogan. It’s a hoot, and it’s available on Blu-Ray for adventurous viewers.

In other news: in July I finished the rough draft of a new novel. I hired an editor and she has already made her edits, with largely positive feedback. (It’s always a good sign when someone finds your work to be a page-turner, and gets back to you quickly.) I haven’t yet dug into revisions, but will be doing just that very soon.

I’ve been working on that novel all this year, so I haven’t spent any time writing new short stories. However, one of the stories I wrote just before embarking on the novel has just been accepted for publication. I’ll post more once the contract is signed and I have more news to share. I hope to be diving into more writing now, but life has been intervening this summer: the death of a pet, a long and laborious move to a new home, a new job, my wife’s pregnancy – basically a cavalcade of stress arriving all at once. I’m getting my feet back on the ground so I expect to start being more productive again…