It's International Blasphemy Day...

 ... and we're celebrating it with an appearance from Jesus and Mo.

Click here to read about the origins of International Blasphemy Day. 

Click here to see why this blog is banned in Pakistan (along with more from "Jesus and Mo").

The Avengers: A Touch of Brimstone

A Touch of Brimstone (1966)
Starring: Diana Rigg, Patrick Macnee, Peter Wyngarde, Carol Cleveland, Michael Latimer, and Colin Jeavons
Director: James Hill
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

The charismatic leader of a modern-day Hellfire Club (Wyngarde) intends to topple the British government through a mass-assassination plot, and only secret agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) can infiltrate his group and stop them.

This is an episode of "The Avengers" that people who were reading "X-Men" comics in the early 1980s is familiar with in a round-about way, even if they didn't even know there was such a thing as a television series called "The Avengers. In the early 1980s, Writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne based the look and nature of a group of evil mutants on the Hellfire Club in this episode--in particular a the Black Queen. That character's look and outfit was inspired by one sported by Emma Peel in this episode... even if the Black Queen was even more skimpily clad than Peel was. 

Although Peel was only dressed in the costume for a few minutes--including the climactic battle where she fights for her life against the villainous leader of the Hellfire Club--it caused quite a stir back in 1965. The episode was edited by censors for its original broadcast in Great Britain, broadcasters in continental Europe and in Australia fielded complaints from viewers, and the whole thing was deemed to risque to even air in the United States. One interesting tidbit about the outfit is that actress Diana Rigg had issues with some of costumes she had to wear as Emma Peel, but this is one she designed herself.

As for the bulk of the episode, instead of just the costume that launched a thousand trips to the fainting couch and jump-started a thousand puberites via comics or the airwaves, it also ranks as one of the stronger in the series due to its very well-paced action, well-developed supporting characters (with the leader of group, John Cartney played by Peter Wynngarde, being one of the most palatably evil characters to even appear on the series), and great banter between John Steed, Emma Peel, and just about anyone they encounter during their investigation. This is also another episode where Diana Rigg gets to shine as an actress, due to the variety of situations that her character Emma Peel must navigate as the story unfolds. The final fight scenes between the bad guys and our heroes is also among the best of the series.

Whether you just want to see one of the better episodes in the series; whether you want to watch Diana Rigg parade around in not a lot of clothes (while carrying a snake); or whether you are the modern-day pearl-clutching type who wants to be outraged and feel like your spiritual ancestors in the 1960s felt, this is the episode to check out.

Here are a few more images and publicity stills from "A Touch of Brimstone", just because.

Starbucks Coffee's Pike Place Roast

It's National Coffee Day, so here's a bonus coffee review! (You can see other ones I've done recently by clicking here.)

STARBUCKS CORPORATION: PIKE PLACE ROAST

I have never considered myself a coffee snob, nor anyone who cared all that much about what was in my cup. Recently, I have discovered that is not true. At least not anymore.

I think my transition away from "so long as it has caffeine, I'll drink it with as much milk or creamer added as needed" began when a friend brought me Costa Rican coffee that had been roasted in Costa Rica; it was literally the best coffee I'd ever had.

Lately, I've been drinking a lot of coffee from the Bones Coffee Company, including their Costa Rica blend. While it wasn't quite as good as what my friend brought me, it reminded me of the coffee that was literally Costa Rican in every way.

I have known for years that my preferred coffee is a medium roast. My favorite used to be a couple varieties from Seattle's Best--one with vanilla flavoring and one that was straight. When they got absorbed by Starbucks and those were no longer easily available, I have regularly gotten Starbucks' Pike Place Roast and was quite happy with it... so long as I loaded it up with creamers and/or almond milk of various stripes.

Today, September 29, it's National Coffee Day, and Starbucks was giving away free cups of Pike Place Roast if you brought your own reusable mug into the store. So I did, they filled it, and I walked away happy. I hadn't really intended to do a review of the Pike Place Roast... until I tried it, for the first time since my experience with the Costa Rican medium roasts from some mountain-top roaster from Costa Rica and the Bones Coffee Company (not to mention the various flavored varieties which are mostly based on medium roasts).

Visiting the Starbucks Mascot at home (with Milo Manara)

I took my travel mug full of hot Pike Place Roast and added some sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer--roughly the same amount I added to the Costa Rican blends mentioned above, and what I've been putting in the flavored coffees I've been posting about. I would like to say that I enjoyed my free beverage, but I can't say that I did. At least not as much as I've been enjoying the Bones Coffee Costa Rica blend... or the Sumatra blend for that matter, which was a dark roast.

Until today, I've often been insulted on behalf of Starbucks' roasters when coffee snobs complained about their coffee tasting bitter or burnt. To me, their coffee tasted great... or at least better than some of the stuff I'd get at 7-Eleven and gas stations. The bags I would get of Pike Place Roast for home brewing purposes generally also turned out tasting better than whatever random grocery store roast I picked up to try (barring that lovely Seattle's Best Vanilla whenever I'd spot it on the shelves). But, since I've been brewing and drinking Bones Coffee blends at home pretty much exclusively since mid-May, maybe my tastes have... changed? Become more refined? I now know EXACTLY what the coffee snobs meant when they said that Starbucks coffee tastes burnt.

The Pike Place Roast I drank today was the very definition of burnt. Unlike some of the subtly flavored Bones Coffee blends, and VERY unlike their Costa Rican blend, this coffee tasted bitter and burnt. For the first time ever, after being shocked at how bad I thought this tasted, I looked up what Starbucks says the Pike Place Roast should taste. They say it's supposed to be a smooth, well-balanced medium roast that carries flavors of chocolate and nuts. I've never really noticed any such thing, and I certainly did not notice it in the cut I drank today.

Bottom-line, I find that I am unable to recommend the coffee that used to be one I described as my favorite. Maybe I just got a bad batch--I went in around 2pm, so maybe it had been sitting there simmering all day?--but given that I now can identify with the coffee snobs out there who always dumped on Starbucks, maybe I've just outgrown my one-time favorite?

I will still occasionally end up at Starbucks, but I'll probably stick to the Chai Lattes. Maybe, in the not too distant future, I will get myself a bag of Pike Place Roast and brew up a pot for old time's sake... and to see if it's the coffee that's terrible or just the way they make it at my local Starbucks store. 

Of Wolves and Girls in Hoods

We're closing out this month's Little Red Riding Hood theme with some artistic' visions of the story of the girl, wolf, and gramma's house.

Of Wolves and Girls in Hoods: Walt Disney

Before he ascended into legendary status as a producer and entertainment industry mogul, Walt Disney was himself an animator and created his own cartoons. Based on his "Little Red Riding Hood" adaptation, we think he made the right decision to move from being a creator to the guy who hired and managed the creators, and eventually to managing those who managed those who hired the creators. He had great talent for the latter, but not so much for the former.

Case in point: Walt Disney's adaptation of "The Little Red Riding Hood" fairy tale.

Little Red Riding Hood (1922)
Director: Walt Disney
Rating: Four of Ten Stars

Little Red Riding Hood leads to Grandmother's house, but the Wolf sets his lustful sights upon her.

"Little Red Riding Hood" takes the well-known fairy tale and updates it to modern (well, 1920s modern) times. It's an animated short film of historical significance because it's an early work of Walt Disney--the first of six he made for the Laugh-O-Gram series. (We already reviewed the last one he made... because we're all organized and stuff.) Beyond that, there isn't much to recommend you spending time on it; there are some good ideas here, but they are mostly badly executed.

The opening sequence with a creative donut-making method goes on for too long, and it's a shade of things to come: There isn't a portion of this film that doesn't outstay its welcome, no matter how cute or clever it seems at the outset, be it Red Riding Hood's dog-powered car, the Wolf making his way to Grandmother's house, or the climactic rescue sequence where the Wolf ultimately gets what's coming to him. If this six-minute film had been three or four minutes long, it may have been far more entertaining. As it is, it just drags on and on and on...

And that's a real shame, because the ideas in each those bits are actually quite good and had all sorts of potential. The aforementioned donut-making sequence starts out funny and ultimately leads to an amusing, if a little macabre, gag, but it drags on and on. Gags that take place during the driving sequences featuring either Little Red Riding Hood or the Wolf are amusing, but they are also padded beyond their ability to be entertaining.

The one saving grace of the film is its villain. We don't get to see much of him, but what we do see paints him as an obnoxious womanizer with cool magical powers. He's also clearly a rapist who intends to force himself on Little Red Riding Hood, but she fend him off in an epic battle that literally threatens to blow the roof off Grandmother's house. Of course, we don't get to see any of it this fight--only the outside of the house in which it takes place, because that might actually be entertaining.

If you have a few minutes to waste, you can check out Disney's "Little Red Riding Hood" by clicking below. 

 

Musical Monday with Cher

Next month, it's 26 years since Cher released her version of Marc Cohn's immortal "Walking in Memphis". While I personally prefer Cohn's version, Cher's cover has a lot to recommend it. Depending on your tastes, the hints of Elvis Presley's vocal styles that creeps into her performance here are one of those positive things.

Elvis impersonations are also what makes the video for this song interesting to watch. From Cher's Elvis-like facial expressions and lip-curling while sitting and singing on the steps of bus, to her straight-up cross-dressing as Elvis in other sections, it's something to see!

Walking in Memphis (1995)

Starring: Cher 

Director: Marcus Nispel

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Bones Coffee Double Feature!

Today, I'm reviewing two different flavored blends from Florida-based Bones Coffee Company. Each was made from Arabica beans, and each is a medium-roast. The coffee consumed for these reviews was brewed from pre-ground, 4-oz. sample packs.

Danny Kaye and Grace Kelly. One for two, just like this post.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: COOKIES AND DREAMS
The coffee in the open package smelled of something sweet, maybe cookies? Some sort of baked good came to mind. While the coffee brewed, the smell was not as intense as it's been with some other blends, but the aroma of something sweet it eventually make its way down to my office after having filled the kitchen.

Since this blend was inspired by the ice cream flavor Cookies and Cream, I was expecting it to be very sweet with a bit of chocolate in the mix. It did not meet my expectations.

The initial sips of blend with without any almond milk added has the taste of coffee front and center, with a leading bitterness with a little of the edge taken off by the medium-roast. There is, however, a hint of chocolate and vanilla that might be enough to satisfy those who drink their coffee black with perhaps just dash of sugar or creamer added. For me, who's known to have half a cup of coffee to half a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, it needed to be cut with a little something else.

When I drank a cup with unsweetened almond milk added, all flavors seemed to retreat. The coffee taste remained dominant while only a hint of chocolate remained and there was not even a hint of vanilla. When I had a cup mixed with vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk, the result was the same, except that the vanilla flavor was a little stronger than expected.

Drinking this blend cold and over ice, whether with or without the two varieties of almond milk used above, yielded similar results. The taste of coffee remains strong and the other flavors added  a bit of sweetness but it was never in doubt that you are drinking coffee and not some soft drink with this blend.

Whether you like your coffee hot or over ice, if you want the coffee flavor strong but smooth with just a touch of sweetness, I think you'll like Bones' Cookies and Dreams.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: PEACHES AND SCREAM

Where the Cookies and Dreams blend kept the coffee flavor front and center, the Peaches and Scream blend is the opposite. In fact, it captured the flavor of the dessert it was inspired by--peaches and cream--more effectively than any other Bones Coffee blend I've tried. In fact, it may have captured the flavor it's inspired by better than ANY coffee blend I've tried.

In fact--and I never thought I'd say this-- the flavor of caramelized peaches may actually be TOO strong. The peach flavor is so sweet and overwhelming that this almost didn't taste like coffee. In fact, you can't taste the coffee at all for the first few sips while drinking it hot and fresh from the pot. Interestingly, the coffee flavor seemed to creep back in as I kept drinking and/or the coffee in my mug cooled, but the peach flavor never wavered.

The flavor of peaches was barely diminished when I added unsweetened almond milk, but the flavor of cream and coffee seemed to emerge a bit more clearly. I didn't try it with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer or the unsweetened vanilla almond milk, because I really don't think adding more flavors would do anything but harm the experience of drinking this.

So how does this blend fare when you drink it iced? This is where it really excels. Hot, the dominant peach flavor is almost too sweet and too overwhelming, but iced it seems just right. In fact, cold, the flavors of peach and cream flavors both seem evident and it tastes even more like the dessert the blend draws its inspiration. For the same of consistency, I did try it with unsweetened almond milk, and I thought that the addition detracted more than it added.

Bottom line: The Peaches Cream blend needs to be enjoyed over ice, and if you like your flavored coffees sweet and barely tasting of coffee, enjoy it you will.

Saturday Comics by Sala

Here's a brief Peculia story that's among those that have not been collected in anthologies.

The majority of Sala's "Peculia" short stories were collected in this book, and her novel-length encounter with vampires can be read in this one. Peculia has wandered into some of Ricard Sala's other titles, including his final anthology "Poison Flowers & Pandemonium". I hope to post a review of it in October or November over at the Terror Titans blog.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Nineteen

Many British actors and actresses familiar to lovers of classic spy- and action-movies appeared on "The Avengers". Here's a brief look at one of them.

EUNICE GAYSON

In "Quick Quick, Slow Death", Eunice Gayson is one of several eccentric individuals operating a dance school that doubles as a matchmaking service... and possibly more sinister activities.

Eunice Gayson was born in Surrey in 1928 where she also grew up. She initially trained as an opera singer, but by the late 1940s, she mostly left music and the stage behind for an acting career in movies and British television.

Throughout the 1950s, Gayson was busy with roles in dramas, thrillers, and comedies, including being a recurring cast member in anthology series "Rheingold Theatre" and "BBC Sunday Night Theatre".  On the big screen, she even made a foray into horror with a key role in the very excellent "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1957).

As the 1960s dawned, Gayson settled into a successful groove as a character actress, but not before appearing in the role she is perhaps best remembered for: She played Sylvia Trent in the first two big screen Bond adventures, "Dr. No" (1962) and "From Russia With Love" (1963). The character had been originally conceived as a recurring "lady friend" for 007, but the idea was abandoned after those two films.

Among Gayson's credits during the 1960s include several appearances on espionage adventure series "The Saint", "Secret Agent, and, of course, "The Avengers." She also had small parts in a handful of comedy series, including a recurring part in the period comedy "Albert and Victoria" (1970). 

"Albert and Victoria" was one of Gayson's last appearances on screen. She essentially retired from acting  to focus on raising her daughter, Kate, who was born in 1971. Gayson did perform on stage every so often from from the late 1980s and into the1990s. 

Eunice Gayson passed away at the age of 90 in 2018.

Use the Melies Method to never again be lonely!

Over 120 years ago, French filmmaker and showman Georges Méliès discovered the perfect way to stave off loneliness and to make sure you could have companionship any time and anywhere. He used the emerging technology of film to record his methods and share them with the world for all time.

Study Méliès methods as he demonstrates them in this short video. If you master them, you will never be lonely again, no matter what! Méliès demonstrates not just one, not just two, but three methods by which you can create company from thin air, in the comfort of your own home/prison during the next Covid lockdown!

The Duplicate Illusionist and the Living Head (aka "The Triple Conjurer") (1900)
Starring: Georges Méliès and Jehanne d'Alcy
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(In all seriousness, "The Duplicate Illusionist and the Living Head" is one of Georges Méliès best "performance" shorts. I always prefer those of his films that have a bit more plot to them instead of ones that are little more than showcases for his at-the-time cutting edge and dazzling special effects. This one, though, has effects that are so smoothly done and so alive with Méliès's creativity and exuberance that it's impossible not to love it. (I am sure you fell in love with it, too, if you spent the minute or so it lasts. Let me know! (Also, if you DO master the technique of conjuring companions from thin air by watching this film, let me know that, too.)

 

The Swank Quarterly

As Summer gives way to Autumn, Hilary sits in the open window and watches the change of seasons take place.

Of Wolves & Girls in Hoods: The Fleischer Bros

In 1931, as Fleischer's Betty Boop was soaring toward animated superstar status, she and her friend Bimbo co-starred in an adaptation of the "Little Red Riding Hood" story. It has some fun, surreal, and/or just plain crazy moments. The music isn't bad either.

It also makes you question Betty's taste in boyfriends. At the outset of the Betty comments to Bimbo that her mother doesn't approve of him... and as the cartoon unfolds, I think it's clear why. By the end, I think it's clear that Bimbo may be more dangerous than the wolf ever was... as well as a complete psycho. (Of course, if the assume that "Dizzy Red Riding-Hood" is a sequel to this one, we already know Bimbo isn't quite right in the head.)

"Dizzy Red Riding-Hood" is a zany take on a very familiar story that goes to very unexpected places. No matter what meaning you assign to the original story and the events and characters within it, this version subverts them all!

Dizzy Red Riding-Hood (1931)

Starring: Ann Little (Voice of Betty Boop) and Billy Murray (Voice of Bimbo, others)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with All Hallow's Evil

 "Face to Face" is another one of those songs that we love dearly here at Shades of Gray, but which very few have done justice to when they attempt to cover this Danny Elfman-penned song; Souixsie and the Banshees nailed it so perfectly in the original versions that covers are mostly just copies or fumbled attempts.

This is not the case with the version that All Hallow's Evil recorded and released in 2020. His version captures the sensibilities of the song, has clear echoes of the original version, but he also makes it his own. Check it out.

(As for this writing, the YouTube version of this song only has 750 views. That's a crying shame! And it's why we aren't saving this for a perhaps more logical place in the 31 Nights of Halloween line-up coming in October.)

In observation of Talk Like a Pirate Day

 Yarr... here be pictures of pretty pirate lasses!

Bones Coffee's Coconut Rum

It's time for another of my coffee reviews. It's  Talk Like a Pirate Day so there was only one appropriate choice to write about.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: COCONUT RUM
This is another one of the flavored medium-roast blends from this great Florida-based company; so far, I have not been disappointed by any of their flavors, including a couple I've yet gotten around to posting reviews about. Their streak continued with the Coconut Rum blend.

When I opened the package, I could smell the coconut. As the coffee brewed, the aroma wasn't strong enough to reach my office, as has been the case with some of the other Bones blends, nor did I notice any particularly strong smell when I returned to the kitchen.

Is sweet enough that I could drink it black--and, as I've said before, I hardly ever drink coffee black. The dominant flavor here is rum, but the coconut is also detectable and very nice. When I added unsweetened almond milk, the coconut flavor retreated a bit, but the taste of rum remained as strong as before, perhaps even enhanced. This is a strongly flavored blend, and as you drink it, the taste of rum remains in your mouth.

When consumed over ice, the rum taste in this blend remains strong, even if the coconut taste is virtually undetectable. Still, the blend is sweet enough that it can can be consumed without any milk or cream added; in fact, it might be best if you just drink it straight when iced.

Bones' Coconut Rum is another excellent blend. It's probably not going to make into my personal Top Ten Bones Faves, but if you like rum and you like coffee, I'm sure you'll like this!

Some scribbles from Sarah

 A couple strips from Sarah Andersen about September (since we're mast the halfway mark... and closer to Halloween than not).

If those made you smile, you should consider getting some the collections of "Sarah's Scribbles", or one of her 2022 calendars or day-planners, so you can start each day with a little cartoon commentary and weird, often geekish, thoughts.

An even better book to grab is "Fangs". It's in a different style than "Sarah's Scribbles", but it's a perfect warm-up for Halloween, since it's about a vampire and a werewolf who fall in love with each other. You can read my review of it here.

Firearms Friday with Nicki Minaj

Firearms Friday is returning, because the online mobs and even the Biden Administration and their lackeys in the media are on the warpath against Nicki Minaj.

Rapper/songwriter Nicki Minaj recently incurred the wrath of the Mask Cultists and the Covid-19 fear-mongers because she had the AUDACITY to say that she has chosen to not get a Covid-19 vaccination. She laid out the reasons why (Some of which were pretty stupid but others which were perfectly sensible), but she but also said she was not opposed in any way to others get vaccinated, and that she even encouraged it. 

But that didn't matter. She failed to properly mouth the mantra of the Mask Cult and of the totalitarians who are using the pandemic to stoke fear, sow division, and do everything they can to break what little spirit us peasants have left. Unlike many other celebrities who have drawn the ire of the Outrage Brigades and Covid Cultists, she has stood her ground and fired back.

I can't claim to be a fan of Minaj; I can't even claim that I like her music. But I appreciate and respect her spirit and her willingness to be herself and say "screw you" to all of those in the media, in business, and in the streets who are bending over backwards to satisfy the demands of naked tyrants as they march us all toward totalitarianism.

And she didn't even set out to do that. She just wanted to be herself. And there are all sorts of media figures and Twitter-led outrage mobs who have gone out of their way to lie about what she said and did. The lies have even come from the Biden White House; disagreement with the Dear Leader and the Cult of Covid cannot be tolerated. I'm if they could get away with treating public figures the government doesn't like, they would do so. In fact, based on the behavior of the online mobs, they would probably love to be able to to do someone like Minaj like the Chinese government did to actress Shuang Zheng and LITERALLY cancel her.

But that's probably coming here soon enough. For now, they must satisfy themselves with trying to destroy Minaj's image with her fans and otherwise ruin her.

The video featured below is very fitting for this revival of the Firearms Friday, as is the whole current "controversy" involving Minaj since it let's this post be about several items covered by the Bill of Rights. 

The video for "Lookin Ass" is full of interesting (and sexy) visuals, and it's well worth checking out. While it didn't make me a fan of Minaj, maybe you'll discover her music is to your liking. At the very least, Minaj may get a few fractions of pennies via royalties and/or license fees. (Just DON'T watch it at work or around anyone who is easily offended; it could turn out badly.)

Lookin Ass (2014)
Starring: Nicki Minaj

Director: Nabil Elderkin

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

The Avengers: The Danger Makers

The Danger Makers (1966)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Nigel Davenport, Douglas Wilmer, Adrian Ropes, Moray Watson, Fabia Drake, and John Gatrell
Director: Charles Crichton
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A retired highly respected general is killed while apparently recklessly joyriding on a motorcycle. Two of the British government's top investigators, John Steed and Emma Peel (Macnee and Rigg) are charged with determining if its connected to other strange accidental deaths and mishaps that have been befalling retired British army officers and soldiers.

This is one of the more serious-minded episodes, from the subject matter, how it's treated, and how the story involving it and surrounding it unfolds. What comedy we find here is generated by interactions between John Steed and John Steed involving friendly ribbing or assumptions of danger where there isn't any.

One of the most interesting aspects of the episode is that most of its villains are also victims. I don't want to give away some of the key plot-twists, but this episode and the threats that Steed and Peel face are ultimately borne from a group of soldiers that are unable to adjust to life off the battlefield, because they are suffering from various degrees of PTSD. In this way, society, with its expectations of what a soldier and a warrior is and must be, has failed them, but they are also subject to nefarious manipulation the the story's worst villain. It's something that's treated with a level of somberness and seriousness that's rarely seen in this series, and the final minutes of this episode feel weighty and intense as a result.

Although Patrick Macnee gets more screen-time, this is Diana Rigg's episode in many ways. Steed and Peel conduct parallel investigations, each with their own cover story and each of them uncovering important parts of the mystery as the trails they are following converge, but almost every scene that Rigg appears in during this show is full of great writing and acting, weighty symbolism, and thrilling action. (Although you know as a viewer that there's no way a main character is going to die during just another episode of a series like "The Avengers", I am certain that you will find yourself on the edge of seat as Emma Peel undertakes the potentially lethal initiation to join the ranks of the Danger Makers.

And speaking of Emma Peel... she's once again wearing some of the character's signature outfits that make her seem more real than many television females: That leather catsuit and those weird white boots with the stripe on the middle. You can see her wearing them in the picture used to illustrate this post. (I don't know if these recurring wardrobe items were a sign of budget limitations, intentional on part of the costumers, or because Diana Rigg liked wearing them, but I appreciate the repetition. Of course... it could be that this goes on in many shows and I just noticed it here.. because those boots are just so dumb-looking and yet she keeps wearing them!)

"The Danger Makers" is one of the great episodes in a great series. It is definitely worth your time to check out.

The Unifying Theme with Emily Ratajkowski

Model and actress Emily Ratajkowski is visiting us to demonstrate the unifying theme of Shades of Gray.

Of Wolves and Girls in Hoods: Van Beuren

One thing you could almost always rely on the Van Beuren Corporation for was cartoons that featured weirdness for no apparent reason other than be weird. The quality of their storytelling, and the technical quality of the animation in their features varied wildly--sometimes even within the same cartoon--but they almost never failed to be weird.

Case in point: Their version of "Little Red Riding Hood", which was released as part of their Aesop's Fables anthology series. In true Van Beuren fashion, the cartoons released under that heading rarely had anything to do with Aesop's fables, which is why it's not terribly surprising that they included a Little Red Riding Hood adaptation in the mix. No, what's surprising is how far afield the creators went with this adaptation. It starts straying from the original fairy tale with a little Jazz Age satire... and then spins out of control from there. It is easily one of the most memorable Van Beuren effort... and oh so weird!

(As an added bonus, this seems to be another instance of one of those Mickey and/or Minnie Mouse look-alikes that eventually caused the Walt Disney Company to file suit against Van Beuren Corporation.)

Red Riding Hood (1931)
Starring: Anonymous Voice Actors
Directors: John Foster and John Bailey
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

(This post was presented during Red Riding Hood Month at Shades of Gray. Click on the "Little Red Riding Hood" label below to see all the entires in this series.)

Musical Monday with Amy Winehouse

Tuesday, September 14, would have been singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse's 37th birthday. Sadly, she passed away in July of 2011 after losing a years-long struggle with drug addiction and alcoholism. Today, we remember her and her art with "Back to Black".

Bones Coffee's Wunderbones

I recently ordered the Fall Favorite Sample Pack from Bones Coffee Company, along with one of their logo-sporting mugs because I dropped and shattered one of mine recently (it was empty; no coffee was harmed in the making of these posts). My main motivation. though, was to get a sample pack of the new Frankenbones blend for review during October... but an unexpected included item (unexpected just because I didn't notice it) was the Wunderbones blend.

Nine of ten Bavarians say Wunderbones should be served in beer steins.
The tenth was passed out because he drank beer instead of coffee.

BONES COFFEE COMPANY: WUNDERBONES

More so than many other Bones Coffee flavored blends, I came to Wunderbones not knowing what to expect. The name and the cartoon of the company's mascot wearing lederhosen and holding a beer stein invoked the idea of Oktoberfest, so I imagined this coffee could taste like anything from beer to pretzels to wienerschnitzel to sauerkraut. The package did establish it's a medium-roast, so that's a good start...

This review is based on a 4-oz. sample pack of the blend. When I opened it, the pre-ground coffee smelled faintly of pretzels, so I thought the mystery of what this coffee would taste like solved. I then got to thinking what pretzel-flavored coffee would taste like and if this could possibly be any good? The Bones People have previously shown that I shouldn't doubt them, so I hoped they'd come through on this one, too.

As this blend brewed, there wasn't any aroma aside from the coffee itself, and the same is true of what was the pot and mug once I poured it. When I took the first few sips, the coffee had a tangy, slightly salty flavor to it. It was very faint, and it reminded me more of the chai tea drinks I sometimes get from Starbucks and eateries I frequented back before the Covid Times. I guess that could be a beer-like flavor?

Honestly, I couldn't tell what this coffee was supposed to taste like, other than tangy and salty. So I check the Bones Coffee website to see their intent was. And, sure enough, the blend was supposed to taste like coffee and salted pretzels. 

I wasn't sure that they'd gotten it right. I confess that I didn't make the effort to get pretzels and a cup of unflavored coffee and dip them in it. I may be dedicated to bringing you all informative and entertaining coffee reviews, but I'm not THAT dedicated! 

So--if you drink this blend straight, you'll detect a faint taste of something tangy, plus salt. The saltiness lingers in your mouth as you drink this blend, and it's a very nice aftertaste that mixes well with the coffee flavor. It's interesting, but it's not what Bones was shooting for.

That is until you add some additional ingredients and that's where the Wunderbones started to get a little weird. It's happened before that adding milk or creamer, or drinking the blend cold, changed or expanded flavors--and it happened here, in spades.

First, when I drank a hot cup with unsweetened almond almond milk, there was no significant change. As expected, the coffee flavor and the spicy saltiness both retreated, although that pleasant salty aftertaste remained almost as strong as before. But then, when I made a cup mixed with sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, the coffee taste retreated but the flavor of pretzels and  salt grew more intense and disearnable. It was pretty much what I imagined a pretzel dipped in coffee should taste like... only not disgusting. In fact, it was the opposite of disgusting. Once again, Bones mixed flavors that worked beyond my ability to imagine them. The flavor also remained relatively stable as it cooled--although the saltiness grew more intense, it did not grow overwhelming nor did it seem out of place like it did with a similar effect in the Sinn-O-Bun blend. Still, you don't want to let your cup of Wunderbones sit for too long; it should be consumed while hot.

With that comment in mind, how does Wunderbones do when iced? Surprisingly well!

When consumed cold and over ice, the salted pretzel flavor that Bones Coffee wanted for this blend is front and center! There was even a strong sensation of salt lingering on the lips, just like there would be if you ate a salted pretzel. It had been present when the coffee was hot, but it took time to build; not so when it's iced. Interestingly, when I added the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer, it washed out rather than enhanced the pretzel taste. The saltiness remained strong, though.

The Wunderbones blend seems work best when chilled and over ice, since you get the full salted pretzel experience without needing to add anything. If you don't like iced coffee, you need to drink it while hot with just a little creamer or sweetener added.