Did you sing the show theme when you read the post title? Then you remember
the PBS science show
3-2-1 Contact. It's kind of funny how you can trace my growth as a human through the PBS
shows I watched growing up. Contact was an instant favorite as they explored
science principles in fun ways and also introduced The Bloodhound Gang, a
group of teen detectives that solved crimes using science.
I could probably go on about the show but, as the title says, I'm talking
about the accompanying magazine. I recently discovered there's about
90 issues uploaded to the Internet Archive. Being a fan of the show, I did get the occasional magazine and it's crazy
how many covers I recognize. Me being me, I keyed in on the cover of the
October 1982 issue which mashes up two of my favorite things: computers and
Halloween. I was thrilled to see this "Special Computer Issue" has a story
about Tron.
Tron had just come out in July, which was probably bad news for any kid just
finding out about the movie in October! The article spends time with Larry
Elin, one of the computer graphic artists that worked on the movie. He worked
at MAGI (Mathematical Applications Group, Inc) one of the first 3D computer
animation companies.
Not only was he an animator, but also the VP in charge of hiring some of
the other folks that worked on the movie. He worked on the iconic vehicle
sequences in the movie including the Lightcycles, Tanks, and Recognizers.
MAGI was located in NY and this page mentions how Disney execs in CA wanted to
see how the effects scenes were progressing every day. They had a "computer
link" to share the scenes coast to coast. I'm curious what that involved in
the early 80s!
The last page of the article shows someone programming a Grid Tank
into the computer. Another article in this issue features a young girl named Cori Grimm
that makes computer graphics for some
educational games. If you want to browse the full magazine, you can find it here.
I'll leave you off with the theme here but there's also plenty of full episodes up on YouTube if you want to dive down a nostalgia rabbit hole.
For an April 1st post, there's not a lot of stinkers this month!
As usual, linked titles will take you to a trailer.
Gatchaman Progress
Only watched 2. Now up to: 75
Streaming Series
Wonder Man (Disney+)
The MCU TV series can really shine when they take a chance and do something
different. This isn't a "superhero" show. It's a show about a guy making his
way through life that happens to have super powers. I love how they made
"Wonder Man" an 80s sci-fi movie icon and that they brought back Trevor. who
has no trouble stealing the scenes he's in. Looking forward to season 2!
Ted (S2, Peacock)
Simultaneously more crass than last season (hilariously so) but also balanced
with an equal amount of heart. MacFarlane has said this is the last season due
to the cost of the show which is really too bad because it's just so damn
funny.
Movies
Project Hail Mary (2025, IMAX)
I've only really seen Gosling in Barbie and the Fall Guy and he does a phenomenal job here. His co-star is no slouch either and will likely be one for the record books. There was a lot more comedy that I was expecting which is kind of ironic as Lord and Miller were booted off Solo: A Star Wars Story for trying to make it more comedic. If you're on the fence about seeing this in a theater, do it! The little kid in me that used to stare at the moon through a telescope and wonder what was out there is glad he did.
Rating: 9/10
The Last Video Store (2023, Shudder)
The Videonomicon, a strange video tape, traps two people in a video store and
forces them to face off against movie characters. I often rip on low budget
horror but then there's ones like this that have something special that I
thoroughly enjoy. Just about everything hits for me: the synth score, the meta
movie tropes, and the knockoff fictional stereotypes of famous movie
characters. Horror kids that grew up renting everything and anything in the
80s, this one's for you!
Solid action movie with a social commentary that's a little too close to home
these days. It's one of those movies where some things don't make sense if you
stop and think about it, but it's also not that kind of movie and before long
there's another action set piece to keep things moving.
Speaking of movies that don't make sense... I mentioned with the first one of these how
crazy it was that Someone constructed these elaborate escape rooms which must
cost into the billions and that's even more true here. Not only that but it
feels like things happen because that's the way they have to in order for the
plot to progress. Even just the way the main characters are forced together
must have taken an improbable amount of planning. Still, kind of a fun watch
for the traps.
Rating: 6/10
Alligator (1980, Prime)
This is one of those movies that was always at my periphery of horror. It was
always on the rental shelf, frequently saw it popup on TV but for some reason
never watched despite it being one of my favorite sub genres: giant animal on
the loose. It may be a B movie Jaws knockoff but they pull it off! I was
surprisingly entertained for the whole thing
Rating: 7/10, not really but it was a fun watch
Alligator 2: The Mutation (1991, Prime and
YouTube)
As much fun as the first one was, this direct-to-video bomb needs an MST3k
treatment to get to the same level of fun. It's a poor retread of the original
and everything about it is worse. The plot, the acting, the effects, you name
it. At one point, the alligator is making its way through a fair and it's
clear they're just shooting the snout from the side while it's on a dolly,
rolling it through the crowd.
Have you ever watched a movie that you've never seen but parts of it felt
familiar? That was my experience here, very odd. Anyway, it's a pretty wild
ride and if it's possible seven years later, best to go in blind. The plot
becomes apparent to the audience almost immediately but the build up to the
main character being let in on it and the roller coaster that follows is
wonderful and the dark humor woven in is chef's kiss.
Rating: 8/10
Relaxer (2018, Shudder)
I feel secure promising you, you've never seen and will never see, another movie like this in your life. The basic plot is about a guy trying to get to the Pac-Man kill screen on New Year's Eve 1999. The whole movie takes place in his living room with the occasional visit from oddball characters. And there's some extra weird layered on top of all this. It's something you have to see for yourself because I sure as hell can't explain it! While I kind of get what they were doing and the performance of the main character was fantastic, it's just a little too out there for me...and I love Rubber!
It's still pretty early in the year but I think I can safely say Thundarr the Barbarian from Dynamite is my most anticipated comic of the year!
As far as Saturday morning cartoons go, Thundarr is at the top of my
list and was likely a factor in my picking up the D&D Basic rule set
at that age. If, for some reason, Thundarr isn't known to you, check out the show's intro. A post-apocalyptic world combining sci-fi and fanatasy? Doesn't get much better than that!
Like many comics these days, Thundarr has multiple cover variants. The above one is my favorite since Jack Kirby himself worked on the show's production design including most of the villains, which are all memorable in their own way. Not only is in done in a very Kirdy-esque style but there's a not so subtle Kirby tribute on the cover.
The comic hooked me from the first few pages. Obviously, I'm an easy mark but even in the opening scene, they bring back a few of the bad guys Thundarr crossed paths with in the show. Being an 80s Saturday morning show, Thundarr was pretty episodic and usually dealt with a new threat each week. To see some of them pop up from the get go, told me these folks are really paying attention to the source.
If you watched the intro, you might recognize the guy on the left that appears for maybe 2 seconds.
The comic tells two stories simultaneously: The main story takes place in the present of 3994 and has Thundarr going under cover to break up a human trafficking/slavery ring. The other story is told through flashback and follows Thundarr's life as a gladiator slave leading up to him meeting Ookla and Ariel.
Despite how much I was looking forward to this, the first issue snuck by me and I only found the second issue just released a few weeks ago. This issue spends a little more time in the flashback, you get to see how Ariel ties into things, and Thundarr faces his toughest arena fight yet: Ookla the Mok!
Meanwhile,
in the present day, the gang confront the Council of Wizards who are
involved in the human slave trade. In classic comic tradition, these
wizards have all been bested by Thundarr over the show's run and are now
gathered together to bring him down! One of them activates a time
portal and sends our heroes back to 1994 just moments before the runaway
planet passes between the Earth and the moon, kick starting the global apocalypse from the intro!
Another thing I love about the series so far is they perfectly capture the characters, including Ariel's commentary on Thundarr's recklessness.
If you're a fan of sci-fi/fantasy that's just being introduced to Thundarr from this post, you'd probably enjoy the comic. But if you're someone that's been craving more Thundarr adventures since the 80s, I think you'll absolutely love this and find it a worthy successor to the show.
