Nuking Oz at Midnight: “Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em” & Other Sick Humor Visions of the Apocalypse in Australia!

From On the Beach to The Road Warrior to Tomorrow, When the War Began, Australia has figured prominently in cinematic depictions of the events surrounding total war, including the use of thermonuclear weapons.

So what’s that all about then, eh, mate?

Last Rondo to Brooklyn

 

The title of today’s post is a “There goes Ivan spraining his arm while patting himself on the back” pun.

You see, Rondo Hatton (more about him in a moment; although if you’re a cinephile of any sort, and you don’t recognize him, you are the ultimate loser and should never speak to me again) will be making an appearance in Brooklyn.

Or at least, he will if I have any say in the matter…

LIE #105: Back in the Saddle, Toot Sweet! (And the Films of January 2014) (& RIP PSH)

No way am I gonna let myself get behind schedule like I did last time; nuh-uh! No way, José.

That said, it sucks that Philip Seymour Hoffman had to go and OD. The tentacles of the Mind Parasites can confound and depress even the most successful of us…

I enjoyed PSH in everything I’ve seen him in, especially when the rest of the movie stunk.

And he was someone who could’ve had a LONG career: Not being a “pretty boy,” PSH had a wider range of character choices and possibilities. Growing older, he could’ve been a contemporary Charles Laughton or Edmund O’Brien.

The thing to do is appreciate what PSH did give us, hope that his explorations of a new dimension are successful, and pray that no one decides “Since PSH did dope, so should I.”

Like MacArthur, Odyseuss* and the Local Fish Graffiti, I Have Returned!

See that fish up there? He’s a piece of graffiti in my neighborhood, and whenever he’s painted over, he appears again in a few days. That fish rules, and is an inspiration.

Go, Fish! GO!

Wow! The time I have been taking between posts is inexcusable!

I do apologize, but lack of writing for LERNER INTERNATIONAL certainly doesn’t mean that I haven’t been busy.

Oh lordy, have I been busy!

[* = Odyseuss? He’s the guy who wrote Green Eggs and Circe’s Curse and The Scylla & Charyrbdis in the Hat, remember?]

Cute Dogs & Cosplay in the Noonday Sun: The Films of October 2013 - FINALLY!

Oh my god, aren’t these dogs SO cute?!?!?

Yer a good doggie, yes, you are!

Doggie-doggie-doggie!

Scratch your belly, you like that, right, puppy?

Yes, you’re a goooooood dog!

Jeez, I want one!

French bulldogs or the pug-Chihuahua mix, the chug—all of them are so delightful—

and noble!

And wise! Like canine Yodas!

So what does this have to do with the Films of October 2013? Read on, read on….

The Best Science Fiction Film You’ve Never Heard Of: 1968’s THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS

Come for the salacious title and stay to get your mind blown!

1968’s The Year of the Sex Olympics is the best science fiction film you’ve never heard of, predicting a world of human-debasing reality-TV shows and constant government-sanctioned/encouraged pornography. Written and created by sci-fi grandmaster Nigel Kneale, this film is intense and thought-provoking and still utterly relevant.

Do yourself a favor and catch this nightmare of the future as soon as you can!

New MUST SEE: 1973’s “Bonnie’s Kids”—Sleazy Drive-In Neo-Noir That You Cannot Miss!

Bonnie’s Kids like the kind of kicks that could kill you!

Hang out with “Bonnie’s Kids”—you’ll have a blast!

Bonnie’s Kids—they’ll blow you…away.

Lurid sleaze abounds when Bonnie’s Kids strut their stuff! Sisters Ellie and Myra are nothing but trouble—in and out of bed! But ripping off gangsters is never smart, no matter how sexy you are. Will these bad girls make it? To find out, see Bonnie’s Kids!

Forgotten and largely unseen since its initial release

in 1973, Bonnie’s Kids is a lost neo-noir sleaze classic that deserves rediscovering. It’s so much more than drive-in/grindhouse filler: It’s a great twist on the “femme fatale on the run” theme, one that really toys with the audience, like an especially malicious cat with a hapless mouse.