It seems there are differing opinions as to the official first day of fall but seeing as the autumnal equinox is today, I'll be doing the happy dance of fall all day long. Anyways, it was hot here yesterday and it didn't feel a bit like fall. However, the small strokes of red across the tops of the trees are a sure sign that fall is moving in and she's here to stay.
Of course, around the old farmhouse, we have our own sure sign that fall is here.
Someone has a lot of work to do. And it's not the resident squirrel chaser.
WOW! Andrea! That's a lot of wood - who's gonna have to stack all of that!? I am anxious to get to the cabin, my landlord has put a load of wood in the shed for me so that I can start cooking right away when I get moved in. I'm excited, and will have to look into get a bunch more wood before the cool weather sets in, and the price of wood goes higher and higher. There is a place where I can buy a dumptruck load, and will probably buy 2 loads, and then also get some smaller stuff by the pickup truck load for easier cooking. Looks like you and I will have our work cut out for us, huh? Take care, from KY.
And after the humid summer we've had, I am welcoming her with open arms! Have a wonderful day enjoying the first day of Autumn.
That does look like a lot of wood! I'm glad I'm not the only one with a to-do list for fall...of course my big project is cleaning the barn; so I can actually get to the wood pile! How do these "things" pile up?!
Happy Autumn to you! We have had some cool weather since Labor day and tinges of red in the trees. She's a comin!!
wow....will you use all of that in one year? Believe it or not in the high desert it gets cold and starting around Dec we havae a fire in the wood stove every day..
We've had such a hot, hot, hot and humid summer, we're all looking forward to fall and cooler temps. So far we are still in the mid 90's (argh), but it is supposed to cool down next week. Yeah!
Fall! It is definitely my second favorite season! :) Summer has been my favorite season thus far, just because I enjoy having summers off as currently I am a teacher at a public school (once we have children I will be staying home with them!) I am just beginning to start a homestead with my husband though, and I am betting once I get busy in the summers with gardening etc. I will enjoy fall all the more! Although, it looks like there is plenty of work to be done in the fall also!
Looks like our side yard! LOL! That would be enough wood for about one month in Jan! Amazing how fast you go through it, isn't it?!
Andrea, it is hot here too! It was 60 in northern Ohio Monday! 97 here! ugh! C'mon Fall!!!
Happy Fall! And happy wood stacking too.
Our wood pile is finally stacked, all five cords. I tell myself stacking wood builds character, aides in muscle toning and curbs an expanding waistline!


Changes to allow more frequent applications of the herbicide, metazachlor, in the EU will come into force on March 5th. The European Commission approved the change in use pattern following the submission of data by BASF ( Agrow No 633, p 11). The original EU approval conditions limited metazachlor application to a maximum of 1 kg/ha every third year on the same field. This has now been changed to a total of 1 kg/ha in a three-year period on the same field.


Carmel Laurino! (Kalsada Specialty Coffee, Philippines). Our SE Asia regional coffee ally, and travel companion for the first part of this most recent Dalat visit.
Carmel Laurino (co-founder Kalsada Coffee), Kel, and I have been scheming a collective visit to Saigon and Dalat since meeting up in Portland last year. When we started planning this visit, of course we let Carmel know in the hopes that she could join us - and she did! For three days, we zipped around the Dalat area visiting farms, cafes, and local restaurants trying to pack in as much time together as possible. A fearless and easy-going travel companion, she brought her experience and perspective working to improve and market Philippine specialty coffee on our visits around town. The constantly-collaborative conversations didn't cease and we're cooking up plans for more of course!
La Viet Coffee continues to be the hub of Vietnam's specialty coffee. Quang Tran maintains hundreds of producer relationships in the area, even with growers from whom he hasn't purchased coffee, in an effort to build a viable specialty supply in the Dalat region.
"Procuring and producing a few good lots here and there is easy if you have the budget," says Quang, "but to make specialty coffee sustainable we need to produce higher quality and higher quantities." He says that there's still a lot of work to do to achieve this vision, but he believes it's possible.
While some have chosen to focus on individual farms squeezing out a couple hundred kg of good quality green, maybe even playing with processing techniques, La Viet has a much broader and more long term-oriented approach. Here in Dalat, La Viet plays many roles - dry milling services, retail, roasting, educational and industry hub, tourist destination, consultants, friends to coffee people. There are lots of projects in the works that will (eventually) be written about here... stay tuned!
Sorting and grading a small order (center), incoming and outgoing product (bags, right and left), with dry milling behind the sliding door.
The La Viet Store, with local products like tea, nuts, and chocolate alongside their coffee to highlight quality products of the region.
La Viet are also champions of high quality local products, so of course our friends at Marou Chocolate are represented, along with several local tea, nut, and dried fruit products on offer.
The number of group tours I saw passing through the place was impressive, and they've got multilingual services available - so far in English, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin), and Russian. The LV staff has grown considerably as well, and some folks have stepped up to take on more responsibility, or even change positions completely. I'm looking forward to getting to know the new faces, while continuing to work with the friends I've already got here, as I can sense a lot of passion and enthusiasm in their work.
The cafe area stayed consistently busy at all times of day, with a few short breaks in the crowds every so often - just enough for staff to catch their breath, reset their stations, and take care of ongoing tasks.
Old school industrial-institutional, sturdy furniture fills out the cafe, which ebbs and flows with visitors all day.
I was able to teach a couple of workshops while in town - day-long, intensive barista & roasting basics courses designed to provide a foundation for future study and practice. In attendance were some LV staff, along with some Dalat-area coffee friends. Considering each day was packed so full of content, the classes were full of attentive students with great questions and conversations.
For Quang to open up the workshops to a few area coffee folks underscores his mission to "lift all boats" in his communities. I was happy to contribute to this vision, and of course will continue to provide as much support as they need.
I'm beside myself. This little coffee scene is growing so quickly - the underlying mission of inclusivity and mutual support remaining intact, with the community-oriented approach guiding all. There have been challenges, of course, and some have yet to be overcome, but with this community I feel like we can take on anything that comes our way. I'm re-energized and can't wait to see how much has happened by the next time I visit.
Training room and lab, in a momentary peaceful moment.


Hey guys Frederick here with another one of my findings that I want to share. Did you all know that this year, the week of September 18th through September 24th is National Deaf Dog Awareness Week? I'd never heard of it either hahahaha…. I hoped you laughed as hard as I did. I happen to think I'm quite pun-ny hahaha.
Congenital Deafness, which means that the puppy is born deaf. They will never hear a sound, and thus not even realize that they are deaf and different from other dogs.
Acquired Deafness, which means that the hearing loss and eventually deafness occurs gradually over time. Most owners won't know their dog is experiencing hearing loss until it is obvious.
When it comes to being deaf, don't feel bad because Dogs have this amazing ability to use their other senses to cope. When dogs have lost their sense of hearing or never had it to begin with their other sense kick into overdrive to help the dog interact with their world as if nothing has changed.
No response to auditory stimuli when your dog isn't looking at you. Stimuli like voice commands, clapping, shouting, whistling, barking, etc.
When touched from beyond their field of vision they are startled or snap at you.
Auditory stimuli doesn't rouse them from sleep.
There are dogs that have an increased risk of being born deaf or going deaf. Breeds with dappled, merle, spotted, and white hair coats are predisposed to congenital deafness, although other breeds can be affected as well. There are over 50 breeds that have been identified by various authorities as being susceptible to congenital deafness. The most commonly affected breed is the Dalmatian. Some other high risk breeds are: The Boxer, Akita, American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Heeler, Australian shepherd, Beagle, Border Collie just to name a few.
Various things can cause Deafness in dogs. A severe infection in the ears, a tumor, rupturing the ear drum or a condition to damage the tiny bones in the ear. Wax and the build-up of other debris in the ears can cause this as well. The degeneration of the nerves responsible for sensing sound can cause deafness as well. This is more common in older dogs. Senile deafness is usually a gradual process, but it rarely progress to complete lack of hearing. Dogs with this condition usually can still hear very high pitched sounds like whistles and sirens. The problem with this, is that people tend not to detect this in their geriatric dogs until they start to lose their vision as well.
Congenital deafness could be caused by a developmental defect in the cells, nerves, and/or tissues responsible for the conduction or interpretation of sound. Some breeds are more effected to this condition than others. Dogs with predominantly white, piebald, or merle coats are more so predisposed to the condition especially if their head is all or mostly white. Dogs with pigmented cells in their inner ears usually can hear.
The dogs with white, merle, piebald gene shouldn't be bred to each other because the risk of deaf offspring is very high. If your dog gets an ear infection it should be treated immediately and until it has been resolved. Lastly blue-eyed dogs of the breeds that are predisposed to deafness should be kept out of the breeding population to lower the risk of deafness.
Just to go ahead and say it, Deafness is usually irreversible and permanent. The goal in most cases isn't treatment, but therapeutic management of your pet's deafness. The best thing is to try and prevent deafness beforehand by either not breeding dogs with hereditary deafness or trying to prevent the acquired deafness.
As long as they are socialized from puppyhood they get along with people and other dogs just fine. Just like hearing dogs.
Take extra car with deaf dogs around small kids. Inform them on how to interact with your pup or remove them from the situation to prevent unnecessary injury to the kids or your dog.
Stomp on the floor or hit the ground to send vibrations to your dog before rousing them to reduce the risk of them biting or snapping at you due to them being startled.
Well, there you have it, another great finding if I do say so myself. Also, remember we are having our Grand opening celebration for the Doggie Daycare on Saturday, September 17th from 3pm-6pm! Come have an extremely good time, with tours of the facility and some good food. You could win a 7 day/night stay with our Daycare if you come on by!


The annual Carolina Cup Challange's six matches have been played and the Chicago Fire have taken the title in a 1-1 tie against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, February 23.
After a scoreless first half of play, Chicago finally got things going at the 57' with a left footed blast that nicked the crossbar on it's way to the back of the net from Maicon Santos. Vancouver found the equalizer shortly after at the 68' as Darren Mattocks buried a penalty shot.
Chicago needed a draw or a win to be crowned the winners of the tournament and they got exactly the result they needed against Vancouver.
Also on Saturday, The Charleston Battery managed their first win of the tournament against the Houston Dynamo, and goal tending from Battery keeper, Odisnel Cooper, was a highlight of the game.
Houston opened the game up with a goal at the 16' as Garcia floated it over to Weaver who was able to cleanly lay it off for Barnes to punch it home. Charleston immediately struck back at the 18'; Dane Kelly caught Dynamo keeper, Tally Hall, out of position and was able to turn and shoot one on the ground that just snuck by Hall's fingertips.
Odisnel Cooper made sure he was noticed in this match with a series of exquisite saves, he created a brick wall between the pipes for the Battery. At the 25' Cooper kept it knotted at 1-1 with a diving save off Houston's corner kick opportunity. Shortly after, Cooper came up huge again, stoning Brad Davis' penalty shot attempt with another beautiful dive to his left in the 36', and again at the 42' on a shot from point blank.
Both teams were finding opportunities in the second half with the Dynamo pressing late in the game; however, it was the Battery who found the back of the net. Austin Savage made his presence known within minutes of subbing into the game. In the 75', Savage headed the ball home at the back post off a corner kick from Zach Prince to give the Battery a 2-1 advantage.
Charleston maintained the lead to claim their first win of the Challenge Cup and their first win of the 2013 season. The Battery moved the ball extremely well in this contest and played some of their best defense of the tournament.


Some stores do not, so please call ahead.
Lowes military and veterans discount is available online and in store.
Please direct your questions to 105.7 the x contests your local Lowes falls creek gift shop store.How To Get Your Military 10 Discount At Lowes The Lowes military and veterans discount can now be used in store and online.All honorable discharged military veterans are now eligible for the discount.Stores and on m and offers easy online enrollment.Lowes military roots run deep their founder, Carl Buchan, was an Army veteran.Previously, it had been open to active duty service members and retirees nationally, while some individual stores offered discounts to veterans.This discount applies to all current and honorably discharged members.Your military discount can be used on almost 40,000 items in store and online. .Lowes continues to show commitment to and appreciation for military members including a 10 discount to all veterans during Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day weekends.Can not be used to purchase Lowes gift cards.By the way, this post may contain affiliate links and this blog is for entertainment purposes only.That makes it convenient when you need to do a touch up and no longer have the paint can!How to Sign up for the Lowes Military Discount: This program now requires members to sign up for the discount online with the MyLowes Account.The Lowes Military Discount is for personal purchases only and cannot be applied to previous sales or the purchase of gift cards or product installations.Current and former servicemen and women can follow these easy steps to enroll in the discount program: Visit m/military and complete a short personal profile.
Lets take a look at this offer, who qualifies, and how you can start saving today with the Lowes Military Discount offer.
All veterans with out a myLowes card, but proper military.D., will receive the military discount on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day at Lowes and Home Depot.
You will also have the choice to receive a physical MyLowes card, or link highest prize cannes it to your phone number.Shop at the Lowes website for a 10 military discount.In-store : At the time of purchase, simply provide your MyLowes card (or account number) or your phone number if linked.Everyone at m extends a very special thank you to all of the men and women who have served and who currently serve our country so bravely to protect our freedoms at home and abroad.Stone, Lowes president and chief operating officer, 2010.The Lowes customer service team should be able to hook you up then.The year-round discount program is one way we are reaffirming our commitment to the thousands of men and women who are serving throughout the world, as well as their family members at home.
In addition to simple checkout in stores and online shopping, the MyLowes card offers free parcel shipping for purchases ordered online with no required minimum purchase.


7 +/- acres in the valley below Lover's Leap, A beautiful area of mountains and streams on a quiet country road in the Woolwine area of Patrick County. This 7 acres offers you a great pasture/field area border by a good flowing stream on one side and an elevated wooded area on the other side. Build your home in the wooded area to view the mountains, your pasture and stream below. Owner is giving a 20 ft right-of-way to the property.


The Rail Arts District, which runs through central Napa parallel with the Napa Valley Vine Trail, will host an open house Thursday, April 26, at the Napa Valley Wine Train Station on McKinstry Street.
The open house -- from 6 to 7:30 p.m. -- is free and open to public. Refreshments will be served.
This event offers an opportunity to share information about art installations in the district and plans.
"We are ecstatic to have had the opportunity to work with local, regional, and national artists on the installation of three murals and 12 signal box artwork wraps in the district during this month," said a news release.
Established in 2016, the Rail Arts District Napa (RAD) is a nonprofit organization led by the Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition, the Napa Valley Wine Train and the local arts and business communities.


Welcome to the website of pianist Jamie Serafi.
Do You have a special occasion approaching?
Why not hire Jamie to add a touch of class to your event with his beautiful piano music.
Jamie Serafi © 2013. All Rights Reserved.


It's hard to believe now, but there was a time – not long ago, actually -- when cupcakes were just a baked good among many.
BabyCakes Bakery's Erin McKenna was among those to fuel our current cupcake mania, after being diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies in 2004 and realizing she'd either have to give up her beloved sweets altogether or find a delicious alternative.
Today, McKenna will be at 92YTribeca to let you eat cake: Specifically, the vegan delights that have made her L.E.S bakery a household name – even in households where the word "vegan" is a punchline. McKenna will spill the secrets behind her award-winning treats (and share excerpts of her eponymous cookbook, pictured) at BabyCakes: Vegan Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery, two days before the grand opening of BabyCakes L.A. – yup, an Angeleno outpost opens this week, sending West Coast wheatophobes into a tizzy.


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Military & online dating scams
#380170 by Roatangirl Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:16 am
So, I'm relatively new to the online dating scene too but here are my experiences so far…
I have had contact with a Mark36363636 says that he was in the Army (don't remember his job) & currently stationed in CO. Sweet words, etc. & soon asked for a iTunes, Amazon or Steam card to get an internet connection to continue to talk to me. He also had the brilliant idea of using Western Union. I told him I didn't have the resources to send him anything; no more contact.
Next, was a Paul Hariss (very handsome but looked too young based on his profile) from Hawaii also in the Army. Kept in good contact but conversations were somewhat abrupt. Professed his love & then asked for an iTunes card to continue internet service for communication; he also had the brilliant idea of using Western Union. When I told him I didn't have the resources to send him anything; he got a bit nasty. I simply told him "This conversation is over unless he can be more reasonable." No more contact.
Next, was Ben MaCcarthur Tackett (Italian) says he owns a ranch in FL and a restaurant from GA & has a daughter in boarding school. Supposedly, traveled to Edinburg to oversee a project for his sponsor; not clear how the project & his U.S. businesses are connected… He professed his love for me & then asked me to be his "next of kin" for his company (no company name). He wanted to have my bank/credit card info in order to transfer funds into to pay his employees. I informed him that I had foreign accts. that wouldn't be able to handle that kind of activity (which is true) & then told him that credit cards don't work that way. He was fairly persistent but eventually stopped contacting me.
Next, is Alex Francis owns a construction company in San Diego & has a grown son in TX. He hasn't asked for anything but his Facebook Messenger gave a stranger message & we've since then moved to Google Hangouts. When I went back to use a picture to do a reverse image search, his whole FB profile disappeared. As I was talking to him a couple of days ago, I asked him what time it was & he gave me the wrong time based on PST compared to where I'm located. He seems to have a varied schedule & doesn't say much but checks in daily. When I asked him to do a video chat, he said that his camera on his computer wasn't working. I made some suggestions and he simply stated he didn't have time for something like that. It was his name that I put into the search of a blog to try to find out some information but I'm not sure it's the same person. There are some 'red flags' but I'm not convinced yet either way.
Next, is Eric (Spanish) says he lives in Anderson, Alaska & says he is a legal practioner/a lawyer. Says he lost his dad (as a child) & mom is from FL. He forgot my name & asked me several times what I did for a job (which are both on my dating profile); he also has a TX based phone # (chatting on WhatsApp). He disappeared during the middle of a conversation & has gone days w/out contact. There are some 'red flags' but I'm not convinced yet either way.
Next, in Kelly Michael (American). He's a widower; his wife died 12 yrs. Ago. He says he's from San Jose, CA & says that he is "a district senior registered pharmacist and the dispensing coodinator working with the United States government (& later said) United Nations Subsidiary (USAID) in the Solomon Islands on a cruise ship (According to the picture he sent is Royal Caribbean's "Allure of the Seas" which was just in my home port at the end of Dec.). He supposedly is retiring in the next couple of days & needs to pay to obtain his exit card to leave the ship & doesn't have the cash; only has a check. He hasn't told me the amount but wants me to send the money directly to the headquarters in Washington DC but hasn't given me any further details.
Next, is Watkins Vega (American). He says he's from New York but never answered where exactly and stationed at Fort Drum. He says he's a US Navy 'major sergeant' deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan at Camp Victory and has made multiple attempts to call me from Google Hangouts. He states he's looking for a serious relationship with "some one ready to have crying to my daughter hear ok" (as you can see there's a lot of broken English) and a mother to his 7 yr. old daughter. He has declared his undying love for me, wants me to marry him and change my life! Most importantly, he wants me to block myself from the dating site. He's sent several pictures which are FULL of visible tattoos but he doesn't look the age he's claimed (late 40's). First, he asked for an iTunes card to use for an internet connection; he's also asked how much money I make, what I drive, my family member's names (mom, son, etc.), my sexual practices and, finally, wants me to fill out papers(& payment) for him to be able to go on leave. He sent me a document that puts our nation's capital in the state of Washington (like the U.S. government would pay for a color background) and is way too simple for a government document. He has asked several times what the airport code and its address here but has said that he doesn't know the details of where I am located (Bay Islands, Honduras, etc.). Finally, he's being VERY insistent about me sending him pictures of myself.
Lastly, was Michael Corbin (this is the one who I regret losing). He said he was from Memphis (I love the southern boys!), widowed & only had his sister/2 sons as family. Another Army man, says that he is stationed in Nigeria on a peace-keeping mission. He sent plenty of pictures & even sent a video (however, it cut out before it was finished) and was a REALLY sweet talker. When it was time to buy airline tickets to come home on leave for the holidays (is this even a thing in the military?), he said he didn't have enough money for the flights to come see me (flights are expensive during this time of year). It's a complicated trip to where I live & I offered to help him w/the flights once he got here but that I didn't have the resources to buy the tickets for him ahead of time. He sent me itineraries (w/prices) of his attempts but wasn't following my suggestions (I'm a certified travel agent) and was getting increasingly agitated (which hurt my feelings) with me. He stated he was just going to give up & go home to Memphis. He gave me an address/phone number & said if I was ever in the area to look him up. Finally, I asked him to video chat so we could try to solve this problem, he then accused me of "setting a trap" & cut off all communication. There were some 'red flags' but I'm not convinced he was a fraud but that may be because I didn't want to believe it (and the southern accent I keep hearing!).
My specific situation comes w/a couple of "red flags" too. I live out of the country on an island. I have limited resources (if you've never lived on an island, you may not understand or think are true) and I have to have a lot of help from my family in the states to do relatively simple things (i.e. banking, travel, mail, etc.). I've chosen this lifestyle… it has its benefits but also its drawbacks (one is not too many single men my age). I may have to seek unusual ways to occupy myself but I'm smart & I've lost nothing but my time. Keep the love REAL & keep trying. Good luck ladies & gentlemen!
Roatangirl
Roatan, Bay Islands Honduras

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you love your devices, then you would definitely want to keep them running in the perfect working condition and up-to- date. Other than keeping your software running smoothly, there are gadget accessories that can add value and style statement to your gadgets.
Check out some great gadget accessories that will keep your devices looking cool for the entire year.
Are you always losing your charger and being stuck with dead devices? Well the problem is solved with Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio that comes with an in built light powered Bluetooth keyboard. This keyboard doubles as an iPad case and works as long there is light, no matter where you go. So, all you really need to do is follow the light….
Want to improve your golfing skills? Yes, you need a coach and that is the new SwingTIP phone app, right in your hand. To make this tiny app work, you need to sync it with your smartphone. Don't go by the size, this app is packed completely with useful information and advice, on helping any golf player improve its swings. You can use the app just about anywhere you want and visually show what went wrong and how to fix it. So, do you still need a coach?
Are you a scholarly type and want your device to give that image as well? The Dodocase Scholar iPad Case is just the gadget accessory that you need. This iPad case will give your device the hardbound book style look that it needs. Honestly, with this case nobody will really know if you are carrying a book or an iPad. The iPad case also has a bamboo tray and can be personalized further.
Want to tune out all the noise and enjoy some good quality music on the go? The answer is SkullcandyNavigator Headphones. This smart headphone has the ability to work with music players or even double up as telephone accessory. They look sleek and the clarity is unmatched. A must have for any music lover.
For a music lover, there is nothing more delightful than enjoying uninterrupted music for 12 hours and this becomes possible with Braven 600. This portable Bluetooth speaker gives clear sound and can be used for phone calls or even charging your phones on the move.
Got more interesting gadget accessories, share your pick with us.


As you seek to understand what a hearing loss may mean to you or a loved one, we strongly encourage you to reach out to an audiologist for a comprehensive hearing evaluation and information specific to your situation. Going to an audiologist helps ensure that you receive a proper diagnosis of the cause, type, and severity of hearing loss you may have.
Importantly, an audiologist can make appropriate recommendations for addressing your individual hearing needs.
If you have not yet had a professional hearing examination, we invite you to take Speech And Hearing Associates confidential, online hearing check. It will help you determine if you need a comprehensive hearing test by an audiologist. The SHA Hearing Check prompts you through a series of simple questions in just a few quick minutes.
We strongly encourage people struggling with hearing loss to see an audiologist. Addressing hearing loss can have a tremendously positive impact on a person's everyday life.


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TheLiveMirror - Trending Content and Viral News
83: Deepika Padukone chose Romi Dev's role for THIS reason
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Deepika Padukone will star opposite Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev's wife, Romi Dev
By Garima Das On Jun 28, 2019
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are coming together for 83 and this is their first movie together post marriage. Deepika will be playing Ranveer's on-screen wife in the movie. Ranveer is playing Kapil Dev and Deepika his wife Romi Dev. Many of you might have thought that Deepika took on the role because of Ranveer Singh. But, this is not true. During her recent interview with The Asian Age, the actress said that she took the role of Kapil Dev's wife as she can connect with Romi's role.
Deepika said, "I play the role of Romi Dev, wife of Kapil Dev in the movie and she was instrumental in Kapil Dev's success, especially when he was the captain. She was part of the support system and I feel connected to that. I always feel that in an athlete's life the wife and family sacrifice a lot of their own dreams to support the vision of the athlete, the goals that they set and they end up sacrificing their own career. I have seen it in my own family. My mother had been supportive to my father in his career. I think to see the human side, to see what an important role family play in success of athlete I took up this role."
We are looking forward to see Deepika and Ranveer together on-screen as a couple in 83.
83 is releasing on April 10, 2020. Before 83, Deepika will be seen in Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak that also has Vikrant Massey. It is slated to hit the screens on January 10, 2020.
Also Read: Deepika Padukone Joins Ranveer Singh In Kabir Khan's '83'
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Category Archives: Sci-Fi Cinema
Friday, March, 11, 2016
Last time out, I posted about a few new DVDs that I'd recently picked up, namely Nigel Kneale's creepy 1972 television horror film The Stone Tape, and two DVD box sets comprising the entire twenty-four episode run of Gerry Anderson's classic sci-fi television series UFO.
Well, this time out, I've gotten my hands on two more Gerry Anderson DVDs. First up is the 1969 film Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, and second is The Lost Worlds of Gerry Anderson. I've been enjoying both DVDs, for different reasons (I'll always find something interesting in any Gerry Anderson DVD), and I'll make more detailed comments on both of them individually in upcoming separate posts.
I'm on a real roll with buying Gerry Anderson DVDs at the moment. I'll be forking out for a few more Anderson series in the near future – Space: 1999, Captain Scarlet (classic and modern), Thunderbirds and Joe 90 are high on the list. But I have a strong hankering to make my first choice Filmed in Supermarionation. I've heard so many good things about this classic Anderson behind-the scenes documentary, but I've never actually seen it. So the curiosity is getting the better of me, and it has moved to the top of the list.
I can't wait to see that one! 🙂
Posted in Gerry Anderson, New DVDs, Sci-Fi Cinema, Telefantasy
Tagged Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (film 1969), Lost Worlds of Gerry Anderson
Friday, February, 26, 2016
Last night was a pretty good night on television for sci-fi films. We had three in a row on favourite channel Film4, which pretty much took up the entire night's viewing.
We started off with the Men in Black 2 (2002) sequel, a fun film featuring lots of great action scenes and good character sequences with Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and the various aliens. It also featured the sexy and evil Lara Flynn Boyle as the main bad girl/alien, and the young and stunningly beautiful Rosario Dawson as Will Smith's love interest. Overall, an enjoyable film, if not very original. It is, basically, a rerun of Men in Black 1.
Next out, we had Hellboy (2004), which is one of my favourite comic book-based films, and one of my favourites directed by Guillermo del Toro. It's very different from any of the superhero films, and all the better for it, as I much prefer the horror themes of the film, with its Lovecraftian overtones. There's a great cast, too. Ron Perlman is absolutely perfect in the title role. I don't think they could've found better if they tried. And he had a great supporting cast in John Hurt (Professor Broom), Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), Rupert Evans (John Myers), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien), Jeffrey Tambor (Tom Manning), and bad guys Karel Roden (Rasputin), Ladislav Beran (Karl Ruprecht Kroenen) and Bridget Hodson (Ilsa Haupstein). Cracking film, and a great way to spend a couple of hours.
Lastly, we had a surprise package, one of those foreign movies that just keeps you glued to your seat. Swedish horror vampire classic Let the Right One In (2008) was probably my favourite film of the night, beating even Hellboy. This vampire film is totally unlike any of the Hollywood "sparkly vampire" schlock (yes, I'm pointing the finger at you, Twilight Saga), a grim, gritty and gripping movie that I enjoyed a lot, the story of a relationship and budding romance between a young boy being bullied at school and a young girl, who just happens to be a vampire.
There was also a surprisingly good US remake of this film which came out a couple of years later, Let Me In (2010) starring Chloë Grace Moretz (Hit-Girl from the Kick Ass films) in the role of the vampire. For a Hollywood remake, it kept the essence of the original really well, despite a few plot changes and the Americanization of the location and characters. I actually saw the US version a couple of years ago, before I saw the original, and was very impressed. But the original Swedish version is a cracker, at least as good, if not better, than the excellent remake. Both are great films, and I'd recommend them to any fans of horror/vampire films.
Overall, a great night's viewing. Film4 is definitely one of my favourite TV channels.
Posted in Sci-Fi Cinema
Tagged Film4, Hellboy (film 2004), Let Me In (film 2010), Let the Right One In (film 2008), Men in Black 2 (film 2002)
Wednesday, October, 21, 2015
Has anybody seen any Deloreans recently? 'Cos today, Wednesday, October 21st, 2015, is Back to the Future Day!!
It's time to get out your Back to the Future Box-Sets, and stick on the classic 1989 movie sequel Back to the Future II, the future leg of the classic time travel/time loop romp. The entire trilogy is a real mind-bender, kicking off from the home base of 1985, back to 1955, forward to 1985 again, then forward even further to 2015, back again, but sideways, to the dystopian alternate 1985, back to 1955 again, then back to 1885, before finally jumping forward to the "real" (but slightly altered and much-improved) 1985 again. Phew! What a trip!
It's funny comparing the fantasy Back to the Future II Wednesday, 21st October, 2015 to the real one. It's just as much, if not more, of an alternate reality than the alternate 1985 in Back to the Future II itself. As with most sci-fi futures, a lot of it is laughably wrong (hey, it IS a comedy, after all), but there are a few things that have come to pass, or almost come to pass (anyone mention hoverboards?). But I won't dwell on that now, as this particular topic is all over the internet at the moment, rivalling the hype surrounding the new Star Wars movie. I always love this "tomorrow isn't what it was" kinda thing, so I just sit back and have a good chuckle and revel in the contradictions.
The time-travelling adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown comprise one of the very best, and definitely most fun, series of sci-fi cinema adventures in the history of Hollywood blockbusters. And just by coincidence, I'm sitting here right now, watching ITV2, which is showing the entire Back to the Future trilogy, back-to-back. And what's playing right now? Yes, Back to the Future II! 🙂 We're right in the middle of the alternate 1985 sequence at the moment, my very favourite part of the entire trilogy.
Anyway, I'm off to sit back, chill, and enjoy the rest of the trilogy. Happy BACK TO THE FUTURE DAY!!!!
Tagged Back to the Future II, Back to the Future Trilogy, Doc Brown, ITV2, Marty McFly
Saturday, March, 28, 2015
Some Nice Saturday Night Viewing
It's been an interesting Saturday evening so far on the television. I've been watching a couple of interesting sci-fi items which are helping wile away some time before I head out for my customary Saturday night out on the town.
First up was The Ultimate Guide to Doctor Who Part 2. The first part was a detailed look at the history of the Doctors and their companions, enemies and adventures during the Classic Series. Tonight's second part was another hour long examination of the Doctor's life, this time starting with Paul McGann and working through the first three Doctors of the new series.
Right now, I'm watching a very good time travel film, Looper (2012), a nice, twisty, paradox-y time travel tale. There are a few big-name actors in this one, including Bruce Willis, Jeff Daniels, Emily Blunt and Joseph-Gordon Lovett. It's just ended a minute ago, and I gotta say that I didn't see that one coming. 🙂
Posted in Sci-Fi Cinema, Telefantasy
Tagged Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Joseph-Gordon Lovett, Looper (film 2012), Paul McGann, The Ultimate Guide to Doctor Who
Wednesday, February, 18, 2015
I was watching an old movie on Film4 on Sunday evening that brought back many good old memories for me. It was one of those oldies that I'd first seen way back when I was a kid, sometime during the first seven or eight years of my life, and is one that I hadn't seen in many, many years.
The film in question was the second cinema version (1960) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic 1912 novel The Lost World (the first version was the 1925 silent movie classic). The story involves an expedition to one of those "lost" regions of the world which were so popular back in the days before pretty much the entire world was explored and mapped. "Lost World" stories were very popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Lost civilizations in the jungles of darkest Africa and South America, beneath the sea, at the Earth's core, indeed anywhere as yet unexplored, which could still harbour exciting adventures and unknown mysteries.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story was originally published as a serial in the Strand Magazine during the months of April–November 1912, and it took an expedition of explorers and scientists to South America, and up into the deepest, most unexplored regions of the Amazon, to a previously undiscovered plateau, where dinosaurs and other extinct prehistoric creatures had survived and still thrived. There were also cannibalistic native humans, who proved to be more dangerous than the dinosaurs, and who had wiped out a previous expedition.
The 1960 film adapts the original novel very loosely, taking a lot of liberties. And it was produced by Irwin Allen, king of the cheap and cheerful (in other words, terrible) special effects. Huge chunks of stock footage were later lifted from this film and just plonked down wholesale into several of Allen's 1960's television series, notably Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants and The Time Tunnel. Irwin Allen was the biggest cheapskate ever in the history of sci-fi television and cinema. He's right up there alongside Ed Wood and Plan 9 from Outer Space. 🙂
Did I mention that the SFX are dire? Even for 1960, the special effects are terrible, and, by comparison, the ancient 1925 silent version, with the legendary Willis O'Brien producing the effects, was far superior technically. And O'Brien's dinosaurs were proper dinosaurs, too. The 1960 film? Dinosaurs? Don't make me laugh. The "dinosaurs" were a bunch of iguanas, monitor lizards and a baby alligator, all with bumps and horns glued to them. "Triceratops" was the baby alligator. "Stegosaurus" was a monitor lizard. "Iguanodon" (a bipedal dinosaur) was a four-legged iguana lizard (Allen must've looked at the names and thought "Iguana = Iguanodon"). And worst of all, "Tyrannosaurus", the most famous dinosaur of all, the fearsome alpha predator, was played by a four-legged monitor lizard with glued-on horns and fins (Tyrannosaurus was two-legged and had neither horns nor fins). Even as a seven or eight year-old child, I knew my dinosaurs, and found these pathetic attempts totally hilarious. Anyone over the age of five these days would be howling with derision.
After all that slagging off, what is there good that can be said about the film? Granted that it is pretty lame by modern cinema standards, most of the criticisms are on the technical and SFX side of things. There is still an old-fashioned charm to this old movie, and it is certainly fun to watch. And even the so-called "dinosaurs" are hilarious, in a rather pathetic ("they aren't dinosaurs!") way. But the biggest redeeming feature of the film is definitely the cast, which included a number of big names – Michael Rennie, Claude Rains (as the cantankerous and hilarious Professor Challenger, the real star of the film), David Hedison and Jill St. John. They all played their parts straight and extremely well, which most likely elevated the film to a higher rating than it should otherwise have received (in my book, at least).
But most of the attraction for me is certainly on a personal level, namely the life-long nostalgia effect that links me to this film. I saw it at a very early age and it left a lasting impact on me, which led to bigger, better things. It lead directly to me reading the vastly superior original novel shortly afterwards at about age eight or nine, just as seeing George Pal's classic 1960 cinema version of The Time Machine had led to me reading the original H. G. Wells novel a year or so before reading The Lost World.
Watching The Lost World for the first time all those years ago, was one of those formative encounters that helped lay the foundations that made me the geek that I am today. The film may not have dated very well by twenty-first century standards, but it still holds that old charm and nostalgia for me, and I'll always make sure to watch it occasionally on TV when it gets shown every few years.
Tagged Arthur Conan Doyle, Ed Wood, George Pal, H. G. Wells, Irwin Allen, Land of the Giants, Strand Magazine, The Lost World (film 1925), The Lost World (film 1960), The Time Machine (film 1960), The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Willis O'Brien
Friday, December, 26, 2014
Classic Sci-Fi Cinema: Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" (1963)
I'm sitting here in the (very) early hours of Boxing Day, watching Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1963 horror/fantasy thriller The Birds on Film4. I haven't seen this one from beginning to end in many, many years, so I'm enjoying it a lot.
The main characters are played by Rod Taylor (three years after his role in George Pal's classic 1960 movie The Time Machine), Tippi Hedren (I can't recall her in anything else), Suzanne Pleschette, Jessica Tandy and a very young Veronica Cartwright. But the real stars of the film are the birds.
The story is a classic "what-if" with an impending apocalyptic theme, and is loosely based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier. It is set in the tiny California harbour town of Bodega Bay, which is under siege by thousands of birds. The birds are launching sporadic, seemingly random attacks on the inhabitants, causing mayhem, destruction and even killing a number of people including one of the main characters, the local school teacher. There are several truly disturbing and memorable scenes, in which the birds attack the children during a party and later at the school, the mass attack and destruction at the diner/petrol station, and the final attack at the home of Mitch's mother, in which Melanie (Tippi Hedren) is almost killed in the bedroom and left traumatised.
I did have a bit of a chuckle during the scene at the diner (just before the birds attack) where the old lady ornithologist states that there are a hundred billion birds in the world, and if they really have all ganged up together to attack the human race, we'd have no chance. I seriously doubt that, and I believe that if a war ever did break out between the birds and humans, we would very efficiently render every single one of them extinct. Cue images of tens of thousands of rednecks and Dick Cheney types blasting countless millions of poor birdies out of the sky and having great fun doing so.
The film has just ended, and never really explains why the birds are attacking. The conclusion has the protagonists just driving off in a car, under the watchful eyes of thousands of menacing birds, who just let them go, we never find out why. There is some inference (from news reports on the car radio) that the attacks are spreading beyond Bodega Bay, and that this is the beginning of the end for the human race.
That was certainly two-and-a-half hours well spent. 🙂
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Apocalypse, Film4, The Birds (film 1963)
Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" (1963)
I'm sitting here in the (very) early hours of Boxing Day, watching Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1963 horror/fantasy thriller The Birds on Film4. I haven't seen this one from beginning to end in many, many years, so I'm enjoying it a lot.
Wednesday, December, 24, 2014
It's A Wonderful Life (1947)
I'm sitting here watching the classic 1947 movie It's a Wonderful Life, which is one of THE greatest films of all time. Christmas wouldn't be complete without this film, with some great acting performances from James Stewart, Donna Reid, Lionel Barrymore and the others, an excellent, very entertaining, above average comedy drama, focusing on the remarkable life of an altruistic, but very dissatisfied and unhappy (with his life) young man, George Bailey.
We're at the point where Uncle Billy has just lost the $8000 (or, rather, the vile Mr. Potter has it, and won't give it back). The auditor is at the Bailey Building and Loan, and all hell has broken loose. George has just had the big bust-up with the family, and is asking Potter for help, with the loathsome old cockroach gloating and revelling in this opportunity to destroy his opponent. Everything is spiralling out of control, and George is in total despair, contemplating suicide. In answer to his prayer, George will soon be encountering Clarence, his guardian angel, and making his fateful wish – that he had never been born.
We're just about to enter the next sequence of the movie, and the part which really elevates it to greatness. The film will sidestep into the truly magnificent and altogether darker and more terrifying alternate reality in which George Bailey never existed. His home town of Bedford Falls is now Pottersville (with nobody to oppose him, Potter has taken over the whole town), a complete dive and utter cesspool, where all the town's inhabitants are much harder and more cruel people, and lead radically different lives under the all-pervasive evil influence of Potter. We get a chance to see just how different, and worse-off, the world would've been without George Bailey.
This is the original and archetypal alternate reality fantasy film, imitated (but never bettered) by many films in the almost seven decades since its release. We've moved into the alternate reality sequence now, as George is growing more and more frantic with each encounter he has with familiar characters, none of whom know him, and who are now all subtly different and much darker people than those friends that George knows in his own reality. The film is definitely no longer light-hearted or comedic in tone, and the atmosphere has changed totally, to something genuinely chilling. Toto, we're not in Kansas any more.
It's a Wonderful Life is a seriously brilliant movie, a landmark cinematic masterpiece which, like George Bailey himself, has sent out ripples down through the decades, influencing countless films that came after it. It still has a powerful effect on me every time I see it (and I must have seen it more than a hundred times). It must have been a truly breathtaking film back in 1947. Any film buff who has never seen this movie seriously NEEDS to see it, as they've missed out on one of the all-time great films. An absolute cinema gem.
Tagged Alternate Realities, It's a Wonderful Life (film 1947), James Stewart
Saturday, November, 22, 2014
George Pal's THE TIME MACHINE (1960)
Right now, I'm having a lovely, relaxing Saturday evening, sitting back, chilling, and watching one of my favourite sci-fi cinema classics on Film4. The amazing 1960 George Pal movie adaptation of the landmark H. G. Wells 1895 novella (or short novel) THE TIME MACHINE is one that I haven't watched in quite some time, and it's really nice to see it on the telly again.
This was the very first sci-fi film that had a big impact on me, when I first saw it at about the age of five or six years old on local Irish television (RTE). I remember standing, totally transfixed, in my grannie's living room, staring at the TV in total amazement for two hours as the film unfolded (some achievement, I can tell you, as I never stood still for a moment when I was a young kid). At that tender age, I'd never seen anything quite like it, and this film was to become a life-long influence, playing a massive part in turning me into the sci-fi/science fiction geek that I am today.
For at least the first half of my life (I'm almost 54 now), THE TIME MACHINE remained my absolute favourite film ever, until I eventually became fed up with it after watching it over and over again ceaselessly on video during the 1980's. This one film kick-started my obsession with sci-fi cinema in general, which I've adored from that very early stage of my life. It also led directly to me picking up the original H. G. Wells novel from the local library a couple of years later, a point in my life which also marks the beginning of my life-long love for reading science fiction literature. This old film has a lot to answer for! 🙂
Sure, a lot of my love for this 1960 film is probably sheer nostalgia on my part, and younger viewers might consider it slightly dated and slow now compared to more modern films, with their wondrous CGI special effects and non-stop action and explosions. But I believe that the SFX in THE TIME MACHINE still hold up remarkably well today – you have to remember that this film is over fifty years old, and it DID win an Oscar for the visual effects back in the day. So it was definitely THE big sci-fi blockbuster movie with the great effects, at least back in 1960, and still looks good today, in my opinion. I wonder how many of the current fancy movies will still hold up in fifty years time.
The 2002 Simon Wells-directed reimagining of this film has grown on me over the years, despite my dismissing it as an inferior remake when it was first released. But while I do like the 2002 version now, the 1960 version still retains that spot in my heart as my favourite movie version of this classic 1895 scientific romance. Highly recommended, especially for older viewers who don't suffer from having only the attention span of a goldfish or who are unable to sit through a film without non-stop action and snazzy modern SFX.
The film is getting near the climax now, with the hero rescuing the female "love interest" from a terrible fate underground as "Saturday Evening Lunch". I'm off to watch the ending!
Tagged Film4, George Pal, H. G. Wells, RTE, Scientific Romances, Simon Wells, The Time Machine (film 1960), The Time Machine (film 2002), The Time Machine (novella 1895)
Sci-Fi Cinema Classic – THE TIME MACHINE (1960)
Monday, July, 7, 2014
Sci-Fi Film Marathon, Saturday 5th July-Sunday 6th July, 2014
I've said several times before that Sundays at our house have become a favourite of mine for sci-fi on TV and DVD, so much so that I've taken to referring to the day as "Sci-Fi Sunday". Well, this weekend was no different, with the local UK Freeview television channels coming up with the goods yet again, airing some excellent sci-fi films over the weekend. The only unusual exception was Channel 5, which most weekends has at least one sci-fi film on, but not this time around (but lots of Disney stuff on today, for anyone who's into that kinda thing).
The additional plus this weekend was that Saturday was almost as good as Sunday, for a change. This week it's not just "Sci-Fi Sunday", but an entire "Sci-Fi Weekend", during which Film4 hosted no less than four classic sci-fi films, and Channel 4, ITV2 and BBC Three aired one each. Add to that the two sci-fi DVDs that I watched with my friends on Sunday night, and that amounts to quite a sci-fi marathon over two days.
Unfortunately the BBC channels, particularly the two big ones, BBC One and BBC Two, are very poor when it comes to airing any kind of sci-fi, preferring instead to aim for the lowest common denominator and concentrate on an unrelenting garbage diet of soaps, sport and reality TV. I think the BBC considers Doctor Who to be their absolute limit for sci-fi these days, and tough luck if we want anything else. When there's no Doctor Who on the BBC channels, there's very rarely any sci-fi at all. If it wasn't for the news or documentaries, I wouldn't watch BBC One or Two at all. The same for BBC Three. Aside from a couple of episodes of Doctor Who on Friday evenings, it's complete crap.
Once again, Film4 was the undisputed champ, with two sci-fi films on Saturday, and two more on Sunday. Saturday afternoon started off well, with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). Then we did a bit of channel-hopping over to Channel 4 for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), and then it was back to Film4 again for some Arnie in Conan the Barbarian (1982). Sunday afternoon saw Film4 picking up where they left off on Saturday night, with The Phantom (1996), running straight into Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). The usual Sunday evening visitors started drifting in by that point, so once the Star Trek V film was over, we switched from TV to DVD, with the first part (of three) of the Sci-Fi Channel's excellent Dune mini-series (2000).
Then it was back to the TV for another film. Given what I said earlier about the BBC channels being very bad for sci-fi, I almost died of shock when BBC Three actually aired Tron: Legacy (2010). This was followed soon after on ITV2 by The Matrix Reloaded (2003), the very good second film in the Matrix Trilogy. Finally, and taking us from late Sunday night into early Monday morning, it was another DVD, the much underrated fourth film in the Alien series, Alien: Resurrection (1997). I've heard many people whinge about how bad they think this film is. I disagree with them. I always enjoy it when it is re-run on TV.
I'm slinking off to bed now at just after 4am, exhausted, but very satisfied after two days of great sci-fi films. Here's looking forward to next weekend! 🙂
Tagged Alien Resurrection (film 1997), BBC One, BBC Three, BBC Two, Channel 4, Channel 5, Conan the Barbarian (film 1982), Dune mini-series (TV 2000), Film4, Freeview, ITV2, Matrix Reloaded (film 2003), Matrix Trilogy, Sci-Fi Channel, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (film 1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (film 1989), The Phantom (film 1996), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film 2009), Tron: Legacy (film 2010)
Wednesday, May, 28, 2014
Sci-Fi Cinema (Part 1)
I've always loved all kinds of sci-fi cinema, starting with the "silent" movies, and going right up to the big-budget blockbusters of the modern era. It's hard to believe that's it's over a century since the very first sci-fi film was produced. When Georges Méliès unleashed Le Voyage dans la Lune upon the unsuspecting world in 1902, it was the beginning of a new era.
That film may have been very primitive and very short by modern standards, but it was unique, the first movie of its kind. It must've been mind-boggling for the earliest cinema-goers to watch something like this. I reckon that even Méliès, visionary that he was, could never in a million years have dreamed how things would turn out. Imagine the poor man, taken forward in time and sitting in a modern cinema, watching any modern sci-fi blockbuster movie, with all the incredible SFX and pyrotechnics. He would been in complete shock. 🙂
From this point on, the film-making skills and technology improved at an incredible rate, through the earliest efforts of the first decade of the twentieth century, including the impressive Frankenstein (1910), produced by Thomas Edison (yes, THAT Edison), through the glory days of silent European cinema during the second decade of the century, in particular German gothic horror cinema, to the 1920s, when we were beginning to see much more sophisticated "silent" classics like Willis O'Brien's classic The Lost World (1925) and Fritz Lang's epic Metropolis (1927).
Jump forward another decade to the 1930s, the beginning of the era of "talkies", and things had taken a quantum leap forward, improving beyond all recognition. Two of the greatest sci-fi movies of that decade, and two of my personal favourites, were Willis O'Brien's classic King Kong (1933) and Things to Come (1936), directed by William Cameron Menzies, possibly the first two true great sci-fi film classics of the "talkies" era. Let's not forget that this was also the decade that first gave us the great sci-fi movie serials with heart-stopping cliffhangers at the end of every episode. Starting with Flash Gordon (1936) and its sequels, it mushroomed and spawned an entire industry of movie serials. Kids (and grown-ups) flocked to the cinema every week, to catch up on "The Next Thrilling Installment…" of their favourite adventure serial.
The 1930s also saw the start of a new breed of horror films produced by Universal Pictures, beginning with Dracula (1931) and Frankenstein (1931), and stretching out over fifteen years until the movies petered out in the mid-1940s with House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). In between those years, there was a wide range of Dracula and Frankenstein sequels and other new additions such as Werewolf of London (1935), the first (relatively unsuccessful) werewolf film, soon joining the fold. The next werewolf film, The Wolf Man (1941), featuring new lead actor Lon Chaney Jr, was much more successful, leading to several sequels (usually co-starring with the other Universal monsters), and culminating in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), although he did pop up again in the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
These films made superstars out of B-movie actors Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr.. And even though Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man were the three big stars of the Universal monster movies, there were other classics, such as The Mummy (1932) and its sequels and The Invisible Man (1933) and its sequels. The Universal monster movies were a phenomenon lasting almost two decades through the Thirties and most of the Forties. Actually, they were more like a separate industry within Hollywood itself. I loved those old monster movies. It's been far too long since I've watched any of them.
Aside from the Universal monster movies, a few B-grade horror films, some of the daft comedies, and a very few occasional decent flicks such as Dr. Cyclops (1940) and Mighty Joe Young (1949), the 1940s were a barren wasteland for real sci-fi cinema. The Twenties had Metropolis, the Thirties had Things to Come and a plethora of sci-fi movie serials like Flash Gordon (1936), Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938), Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940), and Buck Rogers (1939). But aside from maybe Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe and King of the Rocket Men (1949), I don't think there was anything produced in the Forties that remotely qualifies as real science fiction (heck, even these two barely qualify either).
The Forties was easily the worst decade for science fiction films. I guess that's not really surprising, as the entire world was at war for the first half of the decade, and trying to piece things back together again in the second half. Lack of budget during those rough years mitigated against spending money on films with too many technical special effects, plus there was maybe a not-inconsiderable anti-technological, anti-science bias among the movie-going audiences (which is quite normal during wartime). Science fiction on the Big Screen was no longer in vogue. Sure, Hollywood did continue to pump out the films, but there were no real sci-fi classics of note. If I was to write out a list of my favourite classic sci-fi movies of the twentieth century, I think the Forties would be the only decade that I'd have real trouble finding something that I really liked.
It wouldn't be until the start of the 1950s that things would really start to pick up again. And what a decade that was. The first true Golden Age of sci-fi films, in which real science fiction movies (as opposed to horror) started to predominate. But we'll leave that until next time.
Tagged Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (film 1948), Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Buck Rogers (movie serial 1939), Dr. Cyclops (film 1940), Dracula (film 1931), Flash Gordon (movie serial 1936), Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (movie serial 1940), Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (movie serial 1938), Frankenstein (film 1910), Frankenstein (film 1931), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (film 1943), Fritz Lang, Georges Méliès, House of Dracula (film 1945), House of Frankenstein (film 1944), King Kong (film 1933), King of the Rocket Men (film 1949), Le Voyage dans la Lune (film 1902), Lon Chaney Jr, Metropolis (film 1927), Mighty Joe Young (film 1949), The Invisible Man (film 1933), The Lost World (film 1925), The Mummy (film 1932), The Wolf Man (film 1941), Things to Come (film 1936), Thomas Edison, Universal Pictures, Werewolf of London (film 1935), William Cameron Menzies, Willis O'Brien
Monday, May, 26, 2014
Yet Another "Sci-Fi Sunday"
Sundays at our house have become a favourite of mine in recent months, so much so that I've taken to referring to the day as "Sci-Fi Sunday". The reason for this is that the local UK television channels almost always air one or more sci-fi films in the late afternoon and evenings. Then, at night, my friends pay a visit and we always finish off Sundays by watching two, maybe three more sci-fi movies on DVD. Well, yesterday was no different.
Beginning with television, by hopping between two channels, Channel 4 and Channel 5, I managed to find three sci-fi films in a row. We started off with Barry Sonnenfeld's fun 1999 steampunk western Wild Wild West, based on the rather strange 1960's sci-fi TV series of the same name. It's not exactly a masterpiece, but is definitely a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
Next up was Simon Wells's 2002 reimagining of George Pal's classic 1960 film The Time Machine. I recall when I first watched this one that I wasn't very impressed, and considered it a poor remake of the original. But I've mellowed over the years, and the film has definitely grown on me with each subsequent viewing.
Finally, we were treated to a real classic, George Lucas's epic 1980 Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. As far as I'm concerned, this one was EASILY the best of the original Star Wars trilogy, by the proverbial country mile. I've seen it dozens of times, and I still enjoy it every single time.
That was it with the sci-fi films from the television channels, but there was still more to come, as the DVDs came out. The 1998 Alex Proyas-directed noir-sci-fi classic Dark City has always been a particular favourite of mine. It's moody, atmospheric and simply gorgeous visually. I hadn't seen it in quite a while, so it was an absolute pleasure to sit down to this one again. This film was probably the highlight of the evening for me.
Finally, to round off the night, we had the classic 2001 first film of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. This one is a gorgeous Big Screen classic in every way. I really enjoyed all three films in the trilogy, which is the height of irony, as I absolutely hated the books (I dislike Tolkein and that particular brand of fantasy immensely). The films work for me visually, and distill everything that was good in the novels, while cutting out all the endless padding and rambling (in other words, most of the novels). I find it weird that I've always liked fantasy onscreen, but not in books. Very strange indeed.
That's a few classic movies and many hours of fun movie-watching for one day (more than the rest of the week combined). Roll on the next "Sci-Fi Sunday"! 🙂
Tagged Alex Proyas, Barry Sonnenfeld, Dark City (film 1998), George Lucas, Peter Jackson, Simon Wells, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (film 1980), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (film 2001), The Time Machine (film 2002), Wild Wild West (film 1999)
Sunday, April, 6, 2014
Some Sunday Evening Movies
Another quiet, relaxing Sunday afternoon/evening, sitting in, just watching sci-fi films on television and DVD. Sunday has become one of my favourite days for films. There's almost always something good on for sci-fi fans on a Sunday.
I started off this afternoon watching two-in-a-row on Film4. The first was an "oldie-but-goody", AT THE EARTH'S CORE, starring Peter Cushing, Doug McClure, and the absolutely gorgeous Caroline Munroe. Based on the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs novel of the same name, the monsters and special effects might (definitely) look a bit hokey compared to modern movies, but it was fun, and not a mess of explosions, fighting and SFX without a story, which is a problem afflicting many modern sci-fi films.
This was followed by CONGO, the first Michael Crichton-based film that I've seen in a while that didn't have dinosaurs in it (I've seen lots of re-runs of the various JURASSIC PARK films over the past few months). Not a bad film, even if carnivorous gorillas don't seem to have quite the same attraction as lots of raptors or the compulsory Tyrannosaurus Rex. 🙂
Finally, on DVD, something a little more modern. I'm not usually a big fan of films based on computer or consoles games, but I gotta admit that I liked PACIFIC RIM. Firmly based in the Kaiju/giant monster vs giant robots genre, there are lots of great SFX and titanic fight scenes between the various kaijus and men in giant robot suits, but there's also a half-decent story, which is a major plus. Another fun film.
Well, the sci-fi films are all done now, and the evening is almost over, so it's back to Film4, and DIE HARD 2. All-in-all, a very good evening's viewing.
Tagged At the Earth's Core (film 1976), Caroline Munroe, Congo (film 1995), Die Hard 2 (film 1990), Doug McClure, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Film4, Jurassic Park (film 1993), Kaiju, Michael Crichton, Pacific Rim (film 2013), Peter Cushing
Sunday, March, 2, 2014
Sunday TV Viewing
I'm just having a nice, quiet Sunday afternoon here, chillin', sitting at my computer and watching some TV. Sunday is always good for sci-fi films on UK television, and today has been no exception.
I've just spent the past few hours watching the movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust (2007). I've got the novel and the graphic novel, but have only ever managed to catch bits 'n' pieces of the film before. Well, I caught it all today, and it wasn't bad. Not bad at all. Quite humorous in parts, and less mainstream fantasy than the likes of Lord of the Rings, which suits me fine.
The two leads, Claire Danes and Charlie Cox, as love interests Yvaine and Tristan, were pretty good, as was Mark Strong as the nasty bad guy Prince Septimus. But the best of the lot were Michelle Pfeiffer as the evil witch Lamia, and Robert de Niro as the hilariously camp Captain Shakespeare. He was brilliant, and absolutely stole the show for me.
At the moment, I'm watching The Incredible Hulk (2008) on ITV2, whilst right now, over on Channel 5, is the very weird Zathura (2005), by the same guys who brought us Jumanji (1995). And that will be followed when it finishes by The Fifth Element (1997). Non-stop sci-fi film goodness, on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Choices, choices. It's a pity that there aren't several of me, so that I could watch them all at the same time in different rooms. 🙂
Tagged Jumanji (film 1995), Lord of the Rings, Neil Gaiman, Stardust (film 2007), The Fifth Element (film 1997), The Incredible Hulk (film 2008), Zathura (film 2005)
Comic Books In The Movies – The Purist Conundrum
I'm a life-long geek, and, like most other hardcore geeks, I'm a huge fan not only of comics, but of films based on comics. I really enjoy most modern superhero films, and I'm obviously also a huge fan of many of the original comics that these films are based on, particularly those based on characters created by Marvel Comics.
However, this love of superheroes in both the comics medium and the cinema poses a major problem for some of those more "die hard" fans watching films based on their favourite comics. Hardcore comics fans tend to be extreme purists, who can't abide even the slightest changes to their favourite comics and characters. These people are almost impossible to please when it comes to any kind of movie adaption of their favourite comic books.
I myself used to be like that, totally obsessed with films being "exact reproductions" of my favourite comics or books, but I've wised up over the years and long ago given up any hope of ever seeing any direct translations from comic books to screen. Nowadays all I hope for is to get a decent, fun film.
I still have a few purist tendencies of my own, especially when it comes to my favourite comics. Hell, I'm almost guaranteed to moan incessantly about any reboot of one of my old classic comics favourites (the Legion of Super-Heroes being a perfect example), let alone a loosely-based movie version. But, in general, these days I've chilled greatly and now I do tend to be a bit more compromising than many of my more "fanatical" brothers and sisters.
I'm also very lucky in that I have a really strong ability to compartmentalize, which means that I can still sit and enjoy a film, even if I spend most of the time criticizing the changes and omissions compared to the comic. If the film is a good FILM in itself, even if it's NOT a good adaption of the original comic, I'll probably still like it. Sure, I'll nitpick about all the continuity errors and differences, the little (and large) inconsistencies and the seemingly gratuitous and unnecessary changes made to the characters, continuity and story (hell, let's be honest, all geeks love to nitpick and complain). But if the film is a fun FILM, I'll still give it a thumbs-up.
Unfortunately, most of the hardcore purists are much harder to please. They want nothing but a direct translation of their favourite comics to the big screen, and no changes, however small, to the characters, story, continuity and history of the comic concerned are permitted. Well, listen guys, if that's what you expect from Hollywood, then you're living in cloud cuckoo land. IT AIN'T EVER GONNA HAPPEN! Hollywood has always done things their own way, and they use comics and books as a vague basis for their films, rather than doing inch-by-inch faithful adaptions (only the "classics" get the premium "don't mess with the story" treatment, and I'm not referring to classic comics here either).
Add to this the fact that these films are NOT aimed at hardcore comic book geeks at all, but at a completely different, more general cinema audience, and the reality is that you have to accept that superhero films will be completely different beasts to the original comics, with characters and plot ideas cherry-picked from all over the place, rather than from one story.
There are also a few other practicalities which make faithful adaptions a definite no-no. Comics and film are completely different mediums, and direct translations are often simply not possible. What might look or sound great in a comic might definitely NOT look or sound so good in a live action film. A perfect example of something that doesn't work at all in movies is comic book characterization and dialogue. It simply does NOT translate well to film. People just do NOT talk and behave in "real life" like they do in superhero comics, and anything like that appearing on film either has to be a crazy pastiche, or a comedy, otherwise it just won't work at all.
An even more perfect, and more visual example of this failure to translate across media is superhero costumes – the guys and gals wearing their underclothes on the outside. They look great in comics and animation, but my own strongly held opinion (and I'm far from being on my own here) is that they almost always look ABSOLUTELY pathetic, stupid and laughable in live action movies. With the exception of a handful of "iconic" characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and a few others) who should NOT have their costumes messed with under any circumstances (do ya hear that Man of Steel? Damned flyin' condom…), it's almost always better to get rid of the silly "men in tights" costumes in movies if you want to be taken seriously. The X-Men films are a perfect example of how to do it right – those padded leather uniforms looked really slick and functional, and were much, much better onscreen than the original costumes. Wolverine definitely looked a heckuva lot better than he would have if he'd appeared in the silly yellow or brown costume that he wears in the comics.
But let's face it, none of the above comments will sway purists at all. No matter what anybody says or does, the purists will never be happy. There's always gonna be someone who has to moan, and there's absolutely no pleasing these people. Look, all I have to add (aside from "Chill, and get a life!") is this: if you're a die-hard purist, and you absolutely CANNOT abide these movies because they dare to alter some of your sacred comic book texts, then ignore them. Don't watch them at all. Go down the pub instead and relax with a nice, cool brewski.
Why put yourselves through all the soaring blood pressure, hair pulling, the swearing and frustration? Why do you continue to go to these films if you know you'll hate them so much? Do you enjoy torturing yourselves or what? Or is it that you're a bunch of drama queens and just LIKE to complain and kick up a fuss so you can get some attention? Y'know what? Either judge the film as a FILM, not a comic book, because it ISN'T a damned comic book, it's a M-O-V-I-E, or quit yer endless griping and don't bother watching the darned thing in the first place.
Or why don't you do something really smart and just go away and read some comic books instead? If you want the Real Thing, then read the real thing. Ignore the films altogether and go out and buy all those lovely trade paperbacks and hardback Marvel Masterworks or DC Archives, and other collections of classic Silver and Bronze Age Marvel and DC comics, and drift off into comic book nirvana. The originals will ALWAYS be out there if you want them.
Whether they were good adaptions of the comics, or not, recent years have given us a raft of truly classic superhero films, including the most recent Avengers film, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class, The Dark Knight, and Watchmen, among others. There have also been some truly excellent films based on non-superhero comics – the first Hellboy film and the absolutely brilliant Dredd, for example – both of them not only two darned good films, but two of the very best comic book-based films EVER.
If Hollywood keeps dishing out quality comic book films like this, I'll be more than happy, as will most fans. And sod the purists. 🙂
Tagged Avengers (film 2012), Batman (comic US), Captain America: The First Avenger (film 2011), DC Archives, Dredd (film 2012), Hellboy (film 2004), Legion of Super-Heroes (comic US), Marvel Masterworks, Spider-Man (comic US), Superman (comic US), The Dark Knight (film 2008), Thor (film 2011), Watchmen (film 2009), Wonder Woman (comic US), X-Men: First Class (film 2011)
A Quiet Night In – A Few Good Movies
I've been sitting in tonight for a change, having a nice, quiet Friday night viewing session, which certainly makes a change from a night out on the town, or visiting relatives, which is more like my usual Friday night.
At the moment I'm watching a real gem of a late-night film on television, Gremlins, one of the true classic movies of the 1980s, and still one of the funniest films ever. I've seen it at least twenty times, if not more, and I'm still sitting here, cackling like an idiot. Just watching the scene right now with the gremlins in the cinema, watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and the little terrors all singing along to "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go." Hilarious! 🙂
Earlier this evening, I also watched a couple of very nice DVDs, starting off with Jaws, one of the real classic Steven Spielberg movies. Even with the dodgy-looking (by today's standards) shark, it's still a very scary film, and that atmospheric, frightening music each time the shark was about to make an appearance still sends chills up my spine.
Next up was James Cameron's fantastic Aliens, still one of the best bug-hunt sci-fi films ever. As sequels go, this one is a rarity, just as good as the classic Ridley Scott original, despite being a completely different type of movie. Most sequels very rarely live up to the original film.
Three old classic films, and still three of the best. Why the hell can't Hollywood make movies like this any more? All in all, a very nice night's viewing. I'm going to bed a happy man tonight. 🙂
The cinema's just gone BOOM!! blowing up all the gremlins except for Stripe. He's a bad little mutha******. 🙂
Tagged Aliens (film 1986), Gremlins (film 1984), James Cameron, Jaws (film 1975), Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg
Monday, February, 11, 2013
The City of Lost Children (1994)
On my old, long-gone SFreaders.com blog, I used to do short reviews of films and television programs that I'd just watched. I'd note down a few on-the-spot points and comments during the film, and put together a short review – just several paragraphs summarizing the comments and impressions I'd jotted down – while the film was still fresh in my mind, either that same night or the day after. I'd then post this mini-review to my blog under the heading of "A Quiet Night In: (Title of Film)".
Well, I think it's long past time that I started reprising "A Quiet Night In" again for this blog. I had a nice, quiet night in tonight, and had a great time watching the DVD of a rather strange, yet enjoyable film, The City of Lost Children (1994). This is a fascinating and entertaining French surrealist fantasy from Belgian film-makers Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, the two guys who produced the classic and equally surreal Delicatessan back in 1991, as well as the more mainstream hit movies Alien: Resurrection and Amelie.
The City of Lost Children is a strange, whimsical, dark adult fairytale. Set in a bizarre, twilight, retro steampunk, dystopian cityscape, the story begins with a weird gang who kidnap young kids from a local harbour town, and take them by boat to an offshore oil-rig. This is the futuristic base of evil scientist, Krank, who is afflicted by accelerated ageing, apparently caused because he has lost the ability to dream. Krank believes that he can reverse the ageing process if he can start dreaming again, so he tries to do this by stealing the dreams of the kidnapped children, but all he gets are nightmares, because the kids are terrified of him.
Circus strongman One (played by Ron Perlman) and little orphan girl Miette, search for One's little brother, who was kidnapped by the gang at the start of the film. A series of crazy adventures and dangerous encounters with all sorts of weird characters lead to the final psychedelic climax and rescue of the children from the doomed oil rig.
The plot isn't exactly logical or based in reality (it is absurdist surrealism, after all), but it's great fun, full of crazy technology, imagery, schemes and ideas, and truly grotesque characters. There's not just one but TWO mad scientists; we've also got Krank's six henchmen, who just happen to be clones (all played by Dominique Pinon) created by the other mad scientist (also played by Pinon); a giant brain floating in an aquarium; evil Siamese twin sisters (the Octopus) who control, Fagin-like, a small gang of runaway children, using them to steal money, jewellry and other valuable items; the weird gang (who kidnap the children), all of whom happen to be totally blind and who can only see with the aid of cybernetic eyes; and trained fleas and rats. Nobody could ever accuse these characters of not being memorable! 🙂
It seems that Jeunet and Caro have their own little group of favourite actors that they like to call upon whenever they make new films, and there are a few of these familiar faces in this film. Ron Perlman also starred in Alien: Resurrection, and Dominique Pinon and Jean-Claude Dreyfus were both major characters in Delicatessan several years before.
Dominique Pinon has starred in at least four Jeunet and Caro films that I know of – Alien: Resurrection, Amelie, Delicatessan and The City of Lost Children (as well as other cinematic classics like Betty Blue) – although he is mainly familiar to mainstream audiences because of the first two films.
I'm a huge fan of "foreign" (non-English) films at the best of times, and this is a good one. But I'd offer a bit of advice – watch the original preferred 2002 French-language DVD release with subtitles, and avoid like the plague the awful English dubbed later releases. The original DVD version is far superior.
Anyone who is tired of the endless, vacuous, formulaic Hollywood action flicks, or if they just enjoy off-beat, surreal fantasies such as Terry Gilliam's Brazil, could do a lot worse than try out The City of Lost Children. I certainly enjoyed it immensely.
Tagged Alien Resurrection (film 1997), Betty Blue (film 1986), Brazil (film 1985), Delicatessan (film 1991), Dominique Pinon, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, Ron Perlman, Terry Gilliam, The City of Lost Children (film 1994)
A Quiet Night In – The City of Lost Children (1994)
Monday, October, 29, 2007
Just been watching this movie on TV. It's a supernatural thriller starring Johnny Depp and Emmanuelle Seigner. Frank Langella and Lena Olin are quite good as the bad guys.
The movie, overall, is quite interesting and watchable, but what the hell was that ending all about? Beats me. Must watch it again sometime, to see if I can figure it out.
Tagged Emmanuelle Seigner, Frank Langella, Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, The Ninth Gate


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This proposal for an enormous "millennium" skyscraper in Newport never took off, but it still left rubble in its wake
By Peter Brackney -
Rendering of Millennium Freedom Tower 2000 in Newport, Ky. (Courtesy the developer via various websites)
[Editor's Note: Peter Brackney is the blogger behind the Lexington-focused Kaintuckeean and is on the board of the Blue Grass Trust, a non-profit preservation organization. He regularly writes about preservation and other issues in Kentucky, including this article, which was originally published on Kaintuckeean. It appears here with permission.]
Some of the most ostentatious construction projects are proposed, but never get off the ground. Work may begin, but projects languish unfinished for a variety of reasons.
In Newport, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, a 1997 proposal would have resulted in the construction of Kentucky's tallest building (taller structures, however, would still have existed). The proposed Millennium Freedom Tower 2000 was the brainchild of two northern Kentucky businessmen.
The Freedom Tower would have been 1,083 feet tall and would have then been the world's 11th tallest building (if it had been built, the Freedom Tower in Newport would today be only the 57th tallest structure in the world). Some commentary on the Freedom Tower places the building's height in excess of 1,200 feet.
The Millennium Freedom Tower 2000 proposal. (Courtesy Cincy Enquirer)
The proposal would have resulted in the building's completion in time for the new millennium on December 31, 1999. Two thousand bells (corporate sponsored) would have helped to ring in the year 2000. A single bell that was the world's largest swinging bell from 2000 to 2006, the World Peace Bell, was a completed part of the project and that bell occupies part of the site in Newport where Freedom Tower was to be built.
The Freedom Tower was projected to cost between $75–100 million. In 1996, the same developers proposed a less impressive 650-foot-tall structure was proposed closer to the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers, but soil instability foiled that plan. Local business and government leaders of the day seemed to favor the second, larger proposal.
Then Northern Kentucky Convention & Visitors Bureau president Mike Rozow remarked that "St. Louis has their Arch and New York has their Statue of Liberty. Maybe this will be Northern Kentucky's signature place."
A 1910 Sanborn Map of the 2.33 acre block. (Courtesy UK Libraries)
The proposal called for a seasonal ice rink underneath the tower along with shops and a museum complex with thrill rides above (think: Disney's Tower of Terror). A restaurant/bar was proposed at 550-feet and it was envisioned that a television or radio company might locate its headquarters high above the community it covered. It could have been a "signature place" for northern Kentucky.
Campbell Towers. (Courtesy Kenton Co. Public Library &
Old Photos of Newport)
Of course, the proposal required the razing of a block in central Newport (though some of the block had been previously demolished). A quick study shows that the most significant structure on the block, before the anticipated Freedom Tower project, was the Campbell Towers.
Campbell Towers was northern Kentucky's first skyscraper, built in 1927. The seven-story structure was originally called the Newport Finance Building and it was adorned inside and out with brass fittings, marble, and terracotta tiles even upon its implosion in 1999.
Also demolished to make way for the project (and the World Peace Bell) was the old headquarters for the Newport fire department which served the city from 1934–1997.
I'm not sure exactly why the Freedom Tower was never constructed, though it seems to have run into a myriad of issues that thwarted its projected completion in time for the new millennium. If you know more about this project, please share in the comments below!
As with many major infill projects, a community's historic fabric is lost. The impact of this loss is lessened when the resulting project brings new significance to a community along with economic vitality. Too often, proposed projects receive the green light for demolition despite being either viable or ready-to-go. These are the unbuilt projects that leave gaping holes in the communities in which they were to be built.
Peter Brackney
Editor at Kaintuckeean
Peter is an attorney, blogger, historian, and preservationist who grew up in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. He is the author of Lost Lexington, Kentucky and is online at kaintuckeean.com.
Latest posts by Peter Brackney (see all)
The mid-century Peoples Bank building in Lexington is under imminent threat of demolition - Apr 30, 2015
This proposal for an enormous "millennium" skyscraper in Newport never took off, but it still left rubble in its wake - Mar 10, 2015
These 11 Kentucky historic sites were just listed as endangered by the Blue Grass Trust - Mar 2, 2015
Millennium Freedom Tower 2000
World Peace Bell
Roy Keeling Mar 10, 2015 at 9:30 pm
Your images are of preliminary designs. The last designs I remember seeing were of two connected concrete columns of about the same height with the bell installed on top of them and no supporting cables. I printed a picture of the tower off the Louisville Courier-Journal website back then, but I bet it would be a challenge to get to it as CJ doesn't offer free access to their site now. Anyways, at the time, I was pretty sure it was going to happen–What did happen then was we landed and operated the first rover on Mars, but the tower didn't. I've got printed pictures of the tower and the rover pinned up on a wall at my parents house that resulted in me associating these two things. Yell if you want, and I can get the CJ tower image and send you a copy of it.
Peter Brackney (@kaintuckeean) Mar 11, 2015 at 8:41 am
This would be much appreciated!
Matt Hartley Sep 24, 2015 at 2:29 am
Interesting! This is a very illustrative article. And I must say you had a good discussion. And I am amazed to see an old photo of Campbell Towers. Thank you for this one, Peter.
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