Santo in the Wax Museum (1963) A Dr. Moreau wannabe plies his monster making trade at the local waxworks, sending his creations out to kidnap more raw materials. Nothing seems able to stop this evil until El Santo takes time off from wrasslin' to stop by and beat the crap out of everybody. If you've seen one Santo film, you've seen'em all, but if you liked that one Santo film you saw, then you'll probably like this one as well.
TIL: Dating back to the 5th century, one of the Church's oldest known sacramentals is the “Agnus Dei”, a wax disc with the image of a lamb pressed into it. Originally, these discs were made on Holy Saturday from the wax of the previous year’s Paschal candles and then blessed by the Pope before being distributed for free to the people. Sadly, the custom of handing out Agnus Dei appears to have all but ended with Vatican II.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: Perhaps not the deepest thoughts on my daily Scripture readings, but thoughts nonetheless.
Saturn 3 (1980) Love-hate triangle on a space station turns into a square when homicidal Hector the robot wants in on the action. It has impressive set design, one of the 80's coolest looking automatons, and plenty of star power in Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, and Farrah Fawcett... and yet the film is a mindboggling mess of sci-fi leftovers from the late 60's/early 70's. At some point Douglas and Fawcett drop some kind of space acid and you'll wish had some as well to help get through it all.
TIL: While not a common sight these days, the "cappello romano" was a popular hat worn by many priests for centuries. It was often called a "saturno" because its rounded top and wide, circular brim resembled the ringed planet. Unlike a bishop's mitre, the saturno had no real ceremonial use or religious meaning. Apparently, priests just liked wearing them because they looked good with cassocks.
Funny Book Philosophy: Mad Magazine 108 (1967) I haven't bothered with seeing Immaculate yet because it looks like nothing more than fancied-up nunsploitation for millennials who've never been to a drive-in before. I'll probably catch it down the line on streaming, but I hold no hopes for its portrayal of religious life. Heck, even back in the 60's, Mad Magazine knew the deal with how nuns and priests are handled in Hollywood.
Ninja Terminator (1985) Three ninja masters try to keep a totem of ultimate power out of the hands of an evil overlord, or something like that. It's hard to tell with Godfrey Ho at the helm. Spliced together from a pretty nifty 70's kung fu gangster film with all the dialog changed and mindboggling new footage shot in the 80's featuring aging 50's/60's stalwart Richard Harrison as the unbeatable Ninja Master Harry, this is arguably the apex of Ho's mix and match movie style of filmmaking. Forget plot and just flow with the lunacy.
TIL: With 40+ authors and 73 books (don't start on me, Protestants) written in different genres over the course of 1500 years, the Christian Bible is something of a splice job itself. However, if you understand that the overarching story is that of God revealing Himself to humankind over time then, unlike a Godfrey Ho film, it all becomes a cohesive whole.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: For better or worse, I'm still keeping a notepad nearby during my daily Scripture readings.
Still Voices - Cleopatra Wong (1978) "Spiritual combat is another element of monastic life which needs to be taught anew and proposed once more to all Christians today. It is a secret and interior art, an invisible struggle... against the temptations, the evil suggestions that the demon tries to plant in their hearts.” - Pope St. John Paul II
One Sheet Words of Wisdom: Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989) "Pity that the only way to paradise is in a hearse." - Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
Ninja Academy (1989) Losers from various backgrounds (wisecracking rich kid, bimbos, survivalist, secret agent, mime... yes, a mime) engage in hijinks while taking a crash course in martial arts mastery, but must get serious about their training when a competing dojo attacks. The ever-prolific Nico Mastorakis dips his toes into the lukewarm waters of the Police Academy genre, but barely manages to keep things afloat. Watch it out of nostalgia for the era, but don't look for too many laughs.
TIL: One doesn't have to a priest or nun to master what it means to be a Saint. Some canonized Saints who had regular day jobs include St. Isidore (day laborer), St. Thomas More (lawyer), St. Gianna Beretta Molla (doctor), St. Louis Martin (watch tinkerer), St. Zelie Martin (lacemaker), St. Gemma Galgani (housekeeper), St. Clelia Barbieri (teacher's assistant), and St. Joseph Moscati (scientist). No mimes that I know of, but the world is still young, so it could happen.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: More penciled ponderings on my daily Scripture readings.
Life's Like a Movie: Bachelor Party (1984) When unwelcome memories from my teenage years suddenly resurface like some long dormant disease, they're usually of something really stupid or immature I did back in the day. Not so this time around, though. Perhaps spurred on by this scene in Bachelor Party which I recently caught again on cable, I have as of late been plagued by recollections of the time a girlfriend's concerned father took me to the side for a very similar mano a mano conversation.
In language a bit gentler than what plays out in the movie, "dad" explained that even though he did like me for the most part, it was just a fact that I would never amount to much, was completely unsuitable for his little girl (or anyone else for that matter), and it would be a cold day in Hell before he allowed things to go any further with his daughter than they already had. He did this twice. And yes, being both a smartass and a movie obsessed nut even at that age, each time I was absolutely biting my tongue so as not to blurt out Tom Hanks' closing line about applying myself and becoming a changed person by the end of lunch.
The sad fact is, though, I believed him. For reasons I won't go into, I was pretty down on myself at the time and was more than willing to accept this man's assessment that I was a loser unfit for serious human companionship. So, to avoid causing his family grief, I played the bad guy and broke things off with his daughter, never mentioning these conversations to her. She cursed me then and, if she ever bothers to think of me at all, probably still does to this day. It happens.
As far as bad memories go, it's nowhere near the top, but it's irritating to have it pop up nevertheless. You know, there's a train of thought that the devil loves us to dwell on the past because such a mindset is in opposition to the way God views things. God sees us through the lens of eternity; He sees our past, present, and future as one whole. To God, we're not just the present sum of our past experiences, but also of what we will evolve into over time. And if any changes are needed along the way, he doesn't expect it all to happen by the end of lunch, which is good to know.
Night Screams (1987) So-so slasher in which asylum escapees terrorize a high school jock's house party. While the film has its charms for aficionados of the genre, it's ultimately a slog. Put it this way, you know you're in for a rough time when a significant amount of Night Scream's running time is eaten up by its characters watching other movies on a television, and you quickly realize you'd rather be watching whatever it is they are instead of watching Night Screams itself.
TIL: For a more creepy story full of night screams, try Exodus 12 where the Israelites huddled in their homes at midnight, listening while the Lord struck down the firstborn of every human and and animal in the area. Or as the Bible puts it, "there was loud wailing throughout Egypt, for there was not a house without its dead." Yeah, Passover has its eerie side.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: More jumbled jottings from my daily Scripture readings. If you want smarter stuff, go with the Fr. Mike Schmitz & Ascension Press podcast Bible in a Year.
Nightmare (1981) Madman George is pronounced cured, but immediately picks up his knives again following his release from the asylum. Arriving in Florida, George begins knocking off anyone associated with single mom Susan and her suspiciously George-like son, C.J. You know, when not enveloped by the haze of nostalgia, most slashers don't really live up to their reputations. Not this wretched thing, though. It's just as remembered; brutal, dark, and grimy enough to give even Maniac a run for its money.
TIL: Care for the insane goes back to at least the temples of ancient Egypt, but it was with the advent of the Christian era that actual asylums began to take shape. The French historian Ducange notes that the first mention of a morotrophium, or home for lunatics, comes from fourth century Constantinople where the church was also helping found general hospitals.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: Jotted down thoughts (well, thoughts for me anyway) on my daily Scripture readings.
The Destroyers (1986) Sort of a Roadhouse vibe, but rather than a super-competent studly bouncer, this new guy in town is a semi-competent somewhat studly Vietnam vet who must call on his old war buddies to combat the evil weed farmers who killed his former commander. You will absolutely not make this movie your regular Saturday night thing, but for a typical Tubi time waster, it's fun enough for a one off viewing.
TIL: Founded in 1935, The Catholic War Veterans of the United States eventually became the first religious organization to receive a congressional charter in recognition of their mission to serve the needs of veterans. The Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, New York has been designated as their National Shrine.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: More memo pad musings on my daily Scripture readings.
Panther Squad (1984) Inexplicably clad in two sizes too small leather fetish fashion for the entire film, Sybil Danning leads an all-female mercenary team to rescue an astronaut kidnapped by environmentalist wackos. The action scenes look like they filmed the actors practicing their fight choreography and then decided, eh, good enough, no need to do it for real. For those who thought French film was just about Jean-Luc Godard and Jerry Lewis, may I introduce the mind-boggling oeuvre of Pierre Chevalier.
TIL: France's most famous fighting female was, of course, Joan of Arc, whose own fashion choice was one of the few reasons given by the English for her execution. This was despite the fact that St. Thomas Aquinas himself wrote that women might wear men's clothing “without sin on account of some necessity, either in order to hide oneself from enemies, or through lack of other clothes, or for some similar motive."
Phantom Town (1999) To come to the aid of their missing parents, a goofy group of teenage siblings must brave an old western ghost town. However, something weird beneath the ground doesn't want them snooping around. Rated PG horror outing is not quite as traumatizing as an 80's kids movie (I mean, what could be?), but it's still gooier than you might expect. Basically Goosebumps without having to pay R.L. Stine royalties.
TIL: According to the Catechism, "The fourth commandment reminds grown children of their responsibilities toward their parents. As much as they can, they must give them material and moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress." I suppose trying to save them from evil supernatural goop qualifies.
I HAVE SOME NOTES: Continuing to fill my notepad with random thoughts on my daily Scripture readings.
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