Monthly Archives: May 2021

Monday May 10, 2021 A collection of thoughts…

“If men believe in fallible computers, it should be easy for them to believe in an infallible Spiritual system, call it God, Christ, Subconcious or whatever” Joe Viglione 12:46 pm May 10, 2021

Joe Viglione’s Original Hotline to the Underground, …since the 1970s

The Batman 2021

THE BATMAN Trailer (2022)

Thirty-two million, eight hundred fifty eight thousand, five hundred and fifteen views on this particular YouTube video / preview / trailer …the ” First trailer for The Batman starring Robert Pattinson” https://youtu.be/-FZ-pPFAjYY begs the question could DC screw up their franchises, in concert with Warner Brothers, any more than they already have? First, Robert Pattison looks more like Robin than Batman, but ANYTHING would be better then Ben Affleck, God help us and save us. Political castings are so passe’ – and boring. People love the familiar, and Christian Bale rescued the franchise from the abysmal castings of Michael Keaton (fine as Vulture in Marvel, horrible as Batman courtesy of DBPS (Director Bi-polar syndrome) Tim Burton. George Clooney was clueless, Val Kilmer put the stake in the bat’s heart and killed the franchise. IF the film company had any decorum Adam West would have been the Batman for the first Burton film. Yes, Burton made money for the company (not so much for Dark Shadows though, did he?) and that being said, the biggest mistake after the stale television show which needed reinvention into a serious Batman series, the original Batman movie from the 1960s should have been serious. As serious as Planet of the Apes or Star Wars. Then there’s the earlier two serials, starting with 1943 (see below) and 1949’s Batman and Robin. The Batman was never treated properly until Christopher Nolan’s trilogy – Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Even that tremendous turn of events (Batman Begins 373.6 in 2005; the Dark Knight 1.005 billion 2008; The Dark Knight Rises (2012) 1.081 billion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_in_film#The_Dark_Knight_Trilogy_(2005%E2%80%932012) the poor villains of the first and the third made the films more difficult, though vastly superior to every other Batman entry. Heath Ledger seconded by Christian Bale performances saved the day, but one must have superior scripts to work alongside superior acting. Christian Bale was necessary for this role…an older Batman and Robin could save the day, but no matter how much money Pattison makes it is still going to be an “alternate universe” Batman. One of the most famous figures in film and comics has still not yet has his day. Christian Bale can return and make things right. Rob Pattison? Kind of like an alternate universe Joker that Joaquin Phoenix gave us, not coming anywhere near Heath Ledger’s brilliance.



Batman and Robin: the Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection >10<

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Batman and Robin: the Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection Description.
Where the 1943 Batman debut had a certain charm and a supremely despicable villain in J. Carroll Naish, this sequel misfires six years after the first 15 chapter serial and doesn’t hold up as well as the original on DVD. The plot is a good one and despite some fine work by the B movie cast – Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon (he of Chick Carter, Detective fame) and Robert Lowery as the Batman (horror fans take note, Lowery was in The Mummy’s Ghost and Revenge Of The Zombies ) director Spencer Gordon Bennet just can’t seem to put it all together. Where the first film had the caped crusader and his boy wonder helping the police surreptitiously, they are fully cooperating with the Commissioner here, in his office and at his beck and call. The biggest problem is that their nemesis, The Wizard, is not as diabolical as a future Marvel Comics character of the same name (the leader of The Fantastic Four’s powerful enemy, The Frightful Four), especially in light of the fact that The Joker was already an established villain in the comic book series and, had he been the antagonist instead of the Wizard, there would have been the opportunity for some fun elements absent in this outing. Actor Leonard Penn (also from producer Sam Katzman’s aforementioned 1946 Chick Carter, Detective flick) just doesn’t put any malice into his Wizard character, none of the relish needed to seep through the secretive wardrobe. Eric Wilton, as butler Alfred, gets to play Batman in a deception created by the dynamic duo, which gives him a footnote in movie trivia history, one could say. There are lots of mind games between The Wizard and Batman, a plot device that wears pretty thin, but there are also plenty of amusing electronic gadgets at The Wizard’s disposal and a pretty cool Bat Cave to boot. On home video or DVD the chapters get tedious where the previous entry from 1943 could hold one’s attention and, despite the addition of a sub-plot where The Wizard also becomes The Invisible Man, this quickie really feels like it was made to entertain in short bursts at a movie theater in the late 40s. Some critics liked Robert Lowery better than his predecessor, Lewis Wilson, in the dual roles of Bruce Wayne and Batman, however the actors from both serials do a fine job and get into the character better than Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney ever could in their attempts to play the superhero. It is actually quite sad that producer Katzman and director Bennet didn’t realize the iconic figure they were dealing with because with a little extra effort the assembled cast and this decent script idea could have made for a very entertaining movie. It’s too bad Michael G. Wilson, son of the original Batman, Lewis Wilson, and co-producer of Quantum of Solace, didn’t watch this serial prior to the 2008 James Bond entry because the glaring error of not having a masterful villain is why both Quantum and this Batman And Robin have less sustain. The Dark Knight worked so well because Heath Ledger’s Joker was every bit the equal of Christian Bale’s Batman. ~ Joe Viglione, Rovi Click To More information. 

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Ian Hunter When I’m President

By Joe Viglione – September 20, 2012

On September 3rd 2012 I reviewed the wonderful title track of this album, and seventeen days later Mr. Hunter is scheduled to be on my TV show, Visual Radio Live, 8:00 PM carried on cable access TV  We’re going to explore his album in depth, but right now, here are my immediate thoughts. Read more Ian Hunter reviews on ClubBohemia.club https://clubbohemianews.blogspot.com/2021/05/ian-hunter-strings-attached-by-joe.html

“Comfortable (Flyin’ Scotsman)” has a roller coaster “Brown Sugar” ride resplendent in that classic style familiar to Mott The Hoople fans around the globe.  The Rolling Stones may have been exiled on Main Street back in the 1970s but as Ian Hunter crafts album after album with solid songwriting his musical essays are expanding the original vision while simultaneously migrating from label to label.   1995’s Dirty Laundry was on Cleveland International, 1997’s Artful Dodger on the OutofTime imprint, 2000’s Rant on Fuel 2000, the live DVD Just Another Night on MVD (2004)the beautiful Strings Attached on Sanctuary (2005),  Shrunken Heads on YepRoc (2007),   Live In London – a cd release of some of Just Another Night on The Great American Music Company (2007), Man Overboard on New West (2009) and now, three years later, When I’m President on Slimstyle Records (2012). 

If you’re counting that’s nine labels in 17 years, an amazing feat in an era when hit radio is controlled by corporations spoon-feeding nonsense to the masses.  We can thank Congressman Ed Markey (located right down the street from my home where I write this) and the usually reliable Bill Clinton for the disarray. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 didn’t work out the way Markey and Clinton figured it would, and the radio industry as we knew it no longer exists.  Nor does the record business, two components of alleged “free enterprise” that have exacted even more hardship on creative artists and their fans.

And perhaps that’s the submliminal message that “When I’m President”, the song, sends out.

This album rocks with authority, picks up and delivers, and has some unique surprises. “Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)” is not an ode to an old Neil Young band, nor is it Paul Revere & The Raiders’ “Indian Reservation.”  “Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse)” quotes the film Galaxy Quest’s battle cry “Never Surrender” (well, their rant was actually “Never give up! Never surrender!”).   It’s a slow, dreamy, eerie stylistic change for Hunter, and it is brilliant.   Where 2009’s Man Overboard had its moments the CD When I’m President chugs along with the inspiration we want…and expect…from this rock icon.  “What For” could have been an out-take from Brain Capers or Mad Shadows, vintage Hunter in great voice and a charging Rant band that is relentless in its execution.  “Black Tears” is another abrupt change of pace, everything falling into a groove with stylish lyrics and splashy sounds from the very efficient and very spontaneous band, Ian churning out the passion in a way the rock-star-wannabe 20somethings of today have yet to provide… or experience.

“Just The Way You Look Tonight”   is not a cover of the classic Frank Sinatra tune (“The Way You Look Tonight”, no “just” in the title), nor a take-off on former (early, early) almost Deep Purple musician’s “The Way I Feel Tonight” (made famous by the Bay City Rollers), it’s a fun stomp that has magical instrumentation and an eloquent expression from the veteran frontman.   The entire album works, “Wild Bunch” deserving special mention, and while Man Overboard had an extraordinary few moments (“Arms & Legs”), this album has Ian Hunter being Ian Hunter, a great leap forward, a welcome return to what the fans love about this icon.   He’s got our vote.

Ian Hunter, When I’m President – Track Listing 1. Comfortable (Flyin’ Scotsman 2. Fatally Flawed 3. When I’m President 4. What For 5. Black Tears 6. Saint 7. Just The Way You Look Tonight 8. Wild Bunch 9. Ta Shunka Witco (Crazy Horse) 10. I Don’t Know What You Want 11. Life

Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He was a film critic for Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com and produces and hosts Visual Radio. Visual Radio is a fifteen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie, Margaret Cho, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere, Marty Balin, Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.

http://www.tmrzoo.com/2012/37871/ian-hunter-when-im-president

Joe Viglione NY Times dot Com Reviews

They were published over a decade ago. Links no longer work

New York Times reviews

Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/368256/Kenny-Ball-and-His-Jazzmen/dvd/181480

NRBQ: One in a Million
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/309319/NRBQ-One-in-a-Million/dvd

How To Create A Rumba (Como Se Forma una Rumba)
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/289396/How-to-Create-a-Rumba/dvd

TG Sheppard: In Concert
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/372794/T-G-Sheppard-In-Concert/dvd/162266

Ian Parker  Whilst The Wind
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/325589/Ian-Parker-Whilst-the-Wind-Live/dvd

John Lennon: The Messenger [With CD and Book] [2 Discs]
(View all DVD Editions)
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/267203/John-Lennon-The-Messenger-In-Spite-of-All-the-Dangers/dvd

John Martyn: Man Upstairs – Live in Germany
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/410048/John-Martyn-The-Man-Upstairs-In-Concert-in-Germany/dvd

Frankie Laine  That Lucky Old Sun
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/406376/Frankie-Laine-That-Lucky-Old-Sun/dvd

Sharon Shannon -and Big Band: Live at Dolans [DVD/CD]
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/382220/Sharon-Shannon-and-Big-Band-Live-at-Dolans/dvd

Fathom
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/91136/Fathom/dvd

Mother Jugs & Speed
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/33433/Mother-Jugs-Speed/dvd

Waking The Witch Live
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/416483/Waking-the-Witch-Live/dvd/176295

Gerry Goffin “It Ain’t Exactly Entertainment” 1973
http://time-has-told-me.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html

Ian Lloyd reviews
http://incaroads-wvkayaker.blogspot.com/2007_12_16_archive.html

Jo Jo Laine tribute
http://judecalverttoulmin.blogspot.com/2006/11/artists-muse-tribute-to-jo-jo-laine.html

Ian Hunter Strings Attached

合計収録時間 | 01:42:36

The DVD of Strings Attached could also be called Ian Hunter Lite, a nice bookend to the singer’s Just Another Night: Live at the Astoria, London disc. The orchestration here, recorded in Oslo back in January of 2002, doesn’t have (or require) the bombast found on Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull, but it is fun to see the always serious Hunter actually indulging in a more spirited, humorous, and playful mode. Of course, “Twisted Steel” is all business, and with more distance in time and space from the 9/11 tragedy, how many outside of Hunter’s hardcore fans realize that this artist is effectively articulating the insanity of that day? The R.E.M.-style delivery works well in this setting, as does the rise and fall of the accompaniment in “Boy” and the pure pop of “23A Swan Hill.” As with the Just Another Night DVD, there are some delicious soundcheck cuts and valuable interview material. And while Rod Stewart is selling millions of “Songbook” albums like a Columbia House special in the 1960s supermarket racks, one might think it parody for Ian Hunter to follow suit. Remarkably, the Mott the Hoople frontman successfully dips into that arena, providing a pleasant diversion from the mission at hand. Brook Benton, Bobby Darin Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney, and Bing Crosby have all sung the Eric Maschwitz/Manning Sherwin classic “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” and that gem provides a nice segue into Hunter’s own “Michael Picasso.” Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott keeps showing up on Hunter’s DVDs, and he provides the intro on a collection of orchestrated folk-rock that touches upon key moments in the songwriter’s prolific career. The haunting approach to “Roll Away the Stone” breathes new life into a song that has never received the appreciation it deserves. To see this Oslo audience mouthing the words to “Saturday Gigs” provides another clue to what the U.S.A. missed when the song wasn’t pushed in America, and when Mott the Hoople couldn’t rejuvenate themselves with the addition of Mick Ronson. The insightful interviews add much and the rendition of “All the Young Dudes” is so campy gay that it could be considered politically incorrect in this era of Brokeback Mountain, when gay without the glitter is definitely the trend. Perhaps because Hunter is merely acting the part (where Gyllenhaal and Ledger might not be — acting, that is), Strings Attached reminds viewers that the times they are a-changing. ~ Joe Viglione

  1. 1. [DVD]
    • 1. Rest in Peace
    • 2. All of the Good Ones Are Taken
    • 3. I Wish I Was Your Mother
    • 4. Twisted Steel
    • 5. Boy
    • 6. 23A Swan Hill
    • 7. Waterlow
    • 8. All the Young Dudes
    • 9. Irene Wilde
    • 10. Once Bitten Twice Shy
    • 11. Rollerball
    • 12. Ships
    • 13. Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, A
    • 14. Michael Picasso
    • 15. Wash Us Away
    • 16. Don’t Let Gos
    • 17. All the Way From Memphis
    • 18. Roll Away the Stone
    • 19. Saturday Gigs