Some art by June in June!

June Brigman is perhaps best known for being to co-creator of the excellent 1980s/1990s series from Marvel Comics, Power Pack. She has been gracing covers and interior pages of American comic books of pretty much all genres since her first foray into comics as a penciler during the early 1980s.

Here's a small sampling of artwork from Brigman's pencil over the past three decades, starting with a very nice illustration of the original Black Cat.

Film Clears Boy of False Charges! Read... um, WATCH all about it!

The Evidence of the Film (1913)
Starring: Florence La Badie, Marie Eline, and William Garwood
Directors: Lawrence Marston and Edwin Thanhouser
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

When a messenger boy (Eline) for a crime, a sharp-eyed film editor (La Badie) spots exonerating evidence accidentially captured on film by a crew working on location.

This may not be the first film to feature filmmaking and the film industry as part of the plot, but I think it may be first one to feature the literal backshop of the cinema business--the editing suite where pieces of film are spliced together into movies.

The various story elements are engaging and the acting is as naturalistic as can be expected from a film of this vintage; Florence La Badie seems particularly subdued in her scenes. William Garwood was the most expressive of actors, doing exaggerated sneaky and dramatic gestures as befitting his villainous character. With only 13-minutes of run-time, there isn't much room for character development, but nearly every character that is involved in some way with the story is given tiny moments that show its personality. This all adds up to a feeling that this story and cast could have supported a much longer film.

As much as I enjoyed this "The Evidence of the Film", any suspense that might have been generated from the poor messenger boy going to jail for a crime he didn't commit is dispelled by the fact the title gives away how he might be exonerated. On a related note, any suspension of disbelief on my part was also completely shattered by the way the film crew didn't seem to care that a child and a man wandered into the shot but just kept on cranking... and that the man didn't notice a camera pointing at him as he enacted his sinister plan to frame the child. Maybe audiences in 1913 didn't think along lines, because movies were still a new thing.

Despite these glaring flaws, I found this to be a highly enjoyable little film, with a talented cast and a well-paced story. It makes me feel it's a terrible shame that not more of the output of the Thanhouser film company has survived to the present day. But at least we have this one--and it's in excellent shape, despite missing its opening and end title cards.

Take a look for yourself by clicking below. And please let me know if you agree or disagree with my take by leaving a comment.

Musical Monday with Desperate Journalist

While doing a web-search for something completely unrelated, I discovered the existence of Desperate Journalist, a four-member band performing a style of music I thought had faded away with the 1990s! I thought of it as "jangly guitar rock" or "alternative rock", but, apparently, this sub-genre of pop/rock music is properly known as "post-punk" (for reasons that aren't immediately apparent to me, and that I am presently feeling too lazy to research). 

I've selected "Hollow" as Desperate Journalist's Shades of Gray debut song and video. I hope you find the curious storyline that is underscored by an intense, rhythm-driven, deeply melodic song that has that end-of-the-20th century sound that's been filtered through a 2010s aesthetic as entertaining as I do.

Especially since I intend this to be the first of several appearances by Desperate Journalist at this blog.

Hollow (2015)

Starring: Holly Hall and Desperate Journalist

Director: Jason Weidner

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

It's a Mohammed Monday!

THIS WEEK WITH JESUS & MO

 

It's Shoot-'Em-Up Sunday!

These girls have guns... and they're ready to use them!

A Saturday Strip...

We hope you enjoy this graphic tale of a lady who takes it all off! (Music to set the proper mood can be found here.)

Fanny Friday

 

Happy birthday to Lexa Doig!

Canadian actress Lexa Doig set her heart on a life in front of audiences and cameras at an early age, so she dropped out of high school to pursue a career in modeling and acting. By 19, she landed her first major television role (playing "Cowgirl" in two "TekWar" movies and in the television series from 1994 - 1996).

As the 2000s arrived, she became a mainstay of sci-fi and fantasy television series, having a starring role leading parts on "Andromeda" (2000 - 2005) and popping up in almost any sci-fi/fantasy series or major made for TV movie in recurring supporting roles or one-shot guest appearances.

Doig even stepped onto the big screen, performing the starring role in "Jason X" (2001), a sci-fi take on the venerable slasher "Friday the 13th" series where Doig and the unstoppable homicidal maniac of the title are revived in a distant future to resume a battle that had remained unfinished. It's my personal favorite among the Jason/Friday the 13th films, and it's the only one I own a copy of.

Doig remained as busy as even as the 2010s arrived, remaining in front of sci-fi fans in series like "Continuum" (2012-2014) and "Arrow" (as a recurring guest-star during the 2017 season), but also branched increasingly out into dramas and mysteries; Doig has been a very popular co-star of the "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries" made-for-TV movies from 2015 through 2022 -- 16 films so far!

Today, Doig turns 50 years old. We celebrate this milestone with a small gallery of pictures  of her in little-more-than her birthday suit.

It's June...

... June Palmer that is.

Born in 1940, British actress and model June Palmer got her start in showbusiness in her late teens, performing as an exotic dancer in London cabarets. By 19, she had "graduated" to modeling for men's magazines. Within just a few years, she had become a popular figure (or, rather, her figure had become popular) in Great Britain, throughout the Commonwealth, and in the United States. By the mid-1960s, the film industry was calling to her...

Check back in two weeks for another Picture Perfect Wednesday featuring June Palmer... with more pictures and more information about her career in pictures, both still and moving!

Musical Monday with Boxing Mammas!

This week, we have not just one but TWO music videos to kick off the work-week. Both are versions of "Mamma Said Knock You Out" (a song I like mostly due to a number of spoof versions a friend came up with, such as "Mamma's Gonna Bail You Out" and "Mamma's Gonna Whore About").

I feel like this is the first time where cover-version master Leo Moracchioli has missed the mark; he's made the song his own, but he hasn't made it any better nor more interesting. But why don't you take a listen to both and share YOUR opinions in comment section below?