Graduation Day (1981) So-so slasher has Vanna White and the rest of the varsity track team being offed a few days before they can collect their diplomas. TIL: The Sacrament of Confirmation is not a graduation ceremony. Your religious education never ends.
Friday the 13th (1980) "The way of fools is right in their own eyes, but those who listen to advice are the wise." - Proverbs 12:15
Dad Rock Daily: The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) Genius or just noise? Nearly impossible to decide due to its lasting influence. Laudable Lyrics: And if Epiphany's terror reduced you to shame, have your head bobbed and weaved. Choose a side to be on.
The Devil’s Hand (1961) Doofus hangs out with devil-worshipers just so he can get close to a girl. Probably like 95% of all Satanists. TIL: Let's be fair, other reasons include rebellion, feelings of power, the illusion of nonconformity, and religion without that pesky morality.
Still Voices - 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) "How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it." - Marcus Aurelius
Dad Rock Daily: Little Richard - Here's Little Richard (1957) Now this is how you debut! The energy coming off this thing could power a city for years. Laudable Lyrics: Oh why? Why should it happen to me? Well, I'm fine, have mercy, have mercy on me.
Dark Heritage (1989) Unauthorized amateur adaptation of Lurking Fear, Lovecraft's tale of a creepy cursed clan. One good set piece, but that's it. TIL: Exodus cautions parents to keep God's laws lest they commit actions that can negatively affect their families for generations.
Still Voices - The Monster that Challenged the World (1957) “Only those who stick around long enough to see the caterpillar turn into the butterfly actually get to witness the transformation.” - Kristin Michelle Elizabeth
Dad Rock Daily: Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (1976) Classic twin-guitar hard rock that makes you feel cool while listening to it. It don't all need to be deep. Laudable Lyrics: Death is no easy answer for those who wish to know. Ask those who have been before you what fate the future holds.
Ffolkes (1980) Roger Moore has fun playing against type as an anti-terrorist expert who dislikes women but enjoys cats and knitting. Lightweight, but entertaining. TIL: Whatever the appropriate response to terrorism, it must not be out of hate or include harming the defenseless.
Still Voices - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Dad Rock Daily: Wire - Pink Flag (1977) 21 songs, most under 1 1/2 minutes. Gotta give props to an intelligent post-punk classic that says precisely what it wants and then shuts up. Laudable Lyrics: I'd rather be a sprat than a mackerel, you can slip through the net.
Mutilations (1987) Stop-motion aliens munch on cows and college students. Dirt cheap, but charming in that homemade kind of way. TIL: Morally, bodily mutilation is only allowable when the sacrifice of one part is necessary for the well-being of the whole. Think appendicitis.
Still Voices - Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” - Martha Washington
Dad Rock Daily: Donna Summer - Bad Girls (1979) The disco queen tries to expand her reign to other genres to mixed results. Still, if you just want to dance, you can do much worse. Laudable lyrics: No, no man is a island, we weren't born to be alone. Life is made for sharing.
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989) Maybe I'm nuts, but I like a bit more CHUD in my CHUD movies. This is just a standard hit or miss zom-com. TIL: To avoid "false advertising" adults are required to take RCIA before joining the Church so they know exactly what they're getting into.
Still Voices - Winnie the Pooh (2011) "All things are wearisome, too wearisome for words. The eye is not satisfied by seeing nor has the ear enough of hearing." - Ecclesiastes 1:8
Dad Rock Daily: Bo Diddley - Go Bo Diddley (1958) There's more to Bo than just that 3-2 beat. Some really nice Afro-Cuban stuff here. Laudable Lyrics: Don't you know The Lord above created you just for me to love. Picked you out from all the rest because He knew I loved you best.
A couple of days ago we added Content by Pete Townshend to the Jukebox Hero Hymnal and at that time we mentioned there was one more tune from the same album that needed to go in. Whelp, here it is…
The song is based on a prayer written by Townshend’s spiritual guru, Meher Baba. It was basically an attempt by Baba to formulate a sort of universal prayer of praise that celebrates the attributes of God commonly recognized by most religions. You know, stuff like how God is infinite, immanent, immutable, self-existent, pure love, that sort of thing. To emphasize the universality of the piece, the prayer calls on God by the titles used in many different religions, names such as Allah, Prahbu, Ahura Mazda, Lord of Lords, and more.
Admittedly, this isn’t Townshend’s strongest work musically, but it’s certainly no worse than a lot of the stuff that creeped into Church music back in the 1970s. In fact, it’s lyrically meatier than a good number of today’s Pablum filled hymns. Take this verse, for instance…
You are unlimited and unfathomable Imperishable beyond conception by our minds No one can defy you ,oh God you are eternal None can see you but with eyes divine
…or this one…
You are the Creator, the Lord of Lords The knower of all minds and hearts Omnipotent, omnipresent, from you we cower You are Knowledge, Infinite Bliss, Infinite Power
Now, those are some words you could belt out on a Sunday morning. Obviously, as someone who believes ideas have consequences, there are things in Meher Baba’s teachings I have to disagree with. However, this particular prayer is mostly benign, give or take a line or two. Sort of like George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord, but with the emphasis placed on God as the unfathomable source of all creation that just so happens to know and love each us individually. I can live with that.
Swamp Thing (1982) Wes Craven tries valiantly, but even he can only do so much with a $10 budget. Be honest, though, you still love it. TIL: In dreams, swamps supposedly represent impossible to escape situations. Dreaming of swamps? We suggest the Novena to Mary, Undoer of Knots.
Still Voices - Animal House (1978) “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” - Mark Twain
Dad Rock Daily: Todd Rundgren's Utopia - Utopia (1974) "Can you name what time signature this song is in?" "Tom, I can name that time signature in three... wait, never mind, I don't have a clue." Laudable Lyrics: We live and we die. You don't have to be afraid to know why.
