Monday, December 10, 2018

MST3K – The Gauntlet Review, Aquaman News, Endgame Trailer, Literary Book Gifts, New Releases, Mini-Alex, and More!

Mystery Science Theater 3000 – The Gauntlet

On Thanksgiving Day, the next season of MST3K dropped on Netflix. Turkey Day had returned!

While only six episodes, it was presented as The Gauntlet – a challenge for Jonah and the bots to sit through six movies back-to-back. (Fortunately, we managed to spread them out over three days.)


Mac and Me – 1988 film where a lost alien befriends a boy in a wheelchair. Why no, it’s not an E.T. rip-off…
The actors gave it their best, but this one suffers from a lot of nonsense (why is the alien drilling a hole in the wall?) and placing characters in mortal danger many times. Too dark for kids, too dumb for anyone over the age of eight.
However, thanks to Jonah and the bots, it has one of the best lines ever – “This film is exactly like a Pixar movie in that they both exist.”

Atlantic Rim – Exactly what it sounds like – an Asylum Films rip-off of Pacific Rim.
The robots are almost passable, but the monster is beyond horrible and the characters shallow and over-dramatic.
The folks at Asylum aren’t even trying to make a decent film. They must be stopped.


Lords of the Deep – A rip-off of The Abyss filmed in an office building.
Strange creatures surround an underwater office – I mean, research facility – while the characters do their best to be bland and boring.
Almost unwatchable if not for Jonah and the bots.

The Day Time Ended - A solar-powered desert home is visited by aliens and thrust into a time warp.
This is one of those cheap 70’s science fiction films that’s a bit of a drug-induced mind trip. Interesting idea but all over the map in story focus and effects.
You will believe a tiny alien can dance. Well, maybe not…

Killer Fish – Lee Majors, Karen Black, jewel thieves, and piranhas in this campy 70’s film.
Produced by Fawcett-Majors Productions, this was obviously a little pet project for Lee Majors. Over the top characters and a stupid title don’t help though.
According to the film, piranhas eat a hundred times their weight and never stop eating. Ever!

Ator, Fighting Eagle – Before The Blade Master/Cave Dwellers, there was Ator…
The son of Torren goes to avenge…oh, who cares? It’s a terrible Conan rip-off. Plus Ator wants to marry his sister. And there are explosions!
If spiders creep you out, don’t worry – the giant spider in this film is in no way convincing at all.

Will you survive The Gauntlet…?

Aquaman News

Early screenings of the film are coming in and people love it! Not perfect, but a lot of fun, great effects, and the second best DC film ever.
You can read some of the reviewer’s tweets at Screen Rant.




I also caught this on JoBlo:
Aquaman's Jason Momoa takes on Jimmy Fallon in trident throwing challenge.


Avengers: Endgame Trailer

The next Avengers’ movie trailer dropped last week! It doesn’t give us much, but the ending is funny. Watch it here or on YouTube.



Christmas Gifts for Writers

Literary Book Gifts is an online store devoted to showcasing unique literary designs on shirts and totes.
Authors range from Henry David Thoreau to Jane Austen.
There is truly something for every book lover in the collection.

And, as a special treat for my readers, a discount code of 20% off!
The code ALEXJCAVANAUGH20 can be entered at checkout for 20% off your order. No minimum, no expiry.
So go check out Literary Book Gifts!


New Book Releases

Beware the Jade Christmas by Roland Yeomans
Your past sins had teeth. This Christmas Eve, they bite back.
And while the Jade Christmas ghost isn’t real, the rest of the spirits in the book come from French Quarter legends!
Find it on print and eBook on Amazon

To Have & To Hold by Scarlet Knight (Melissa Maygrove)
True love is worth sacrifice.
Find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble


Are We Nearly Famous? by Patsy Collins, Sheila Crosby, Rosemary Kind, and Lynne Pardoe
This collection of short stories is about journeys; literal, metaphorical and literary. Those both of the characters and the authors.
Pick it up for free at Amazon


Finding the Magic by Jack Lewis Baillot
Belle is sent to the countryside to escape the London bombings during WWII.
Find it on Amazon


Ninja News

Another great posting for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!
It was interesting to see what everyone had in their writing areas.
The next posting is January 2 – the day after New Year’s Day. We’ll be announcing the winners of the IWSG Anthology Contest that day, so don’t miss it.
We also need co-hosts for next year – February, March, and April. All you have to do is visit twenty blogs within a section of the list. Leave a comment if you can co-host any of those months. It really is more fun on the host side…

Here are the prompts for IWSG Instagram this month:

Google+ is going away in January! If your icon, comment box, or follow widget is connected to Google+, go in and change it back to Blogger or Wordpress. Or no one will find you through your icon. Or comment on your site. (Sorry, all of your older comments will vanish...)

And finally, since so many commented that they had no idea Hot Tamales were a candy, here is Mini-Alex posing with some of my stash. They are chewy hot cinnamon bites of total delight!

Anyone else watch the new season of MST3K? Excited for Aquaman? (I think half of you commented last week that you were!) Looking for a gift for a writer? Some new books? Ready to try Hot Tamales? And can you co-host next year?

79 comments:

nashvillecats2 said...

Gosh I'm first:
Great informative post as always Alex. Loved the Mini Ninjah .
Have a good week.

Yvonne.

The Angry Lurker said...

Jason Momoa is a man's man!

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, Alex!

Marvel's Avengers Endgame looks like a winner.

I best remember Karen Black from her early career film roles in Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces and Airport '75. She later became quite a scream queen and unfortunately died young at age 74. Karen's flick Killer Fish sounds sketchy, but I recently watched Piranha 3D (2010) and it was a hoot - very entertaining!

Have a great week, good buddy Alex!

Pat Hatt said...

Aquaman is sure hauling in the dough too. Hopefully it's as good as the hype. Avengers trailer looks good, last bit is funny indeed.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I haven't heard of any of those Gauntlet movies, ha! Love that line: “This film is exactly like a Pixar movie in that they both exist.” :D

Joanne said...

Love the Trident throwing. Jason Mamoa is having a blast at stardom. I think Aquaman will be goofy fun. Good post all around

Mason Canyon said...

Looks like the Marvel movies are going to be fun to watch. Hate to hear about Google+ and the lost comments. Congratulations to those with new releases.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yvonne, you're first!

Shady, Killer Fish is played straight and could've used some humor. Remember Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror? They even made a joke about a Tiki doll chasing her.

Elizabeth, that line is priceless!

Joanne, it looks like a lot of goofy fun.

Mason, hopefully everyone gets the message.

Andrew Leon said...

yeah... I got nothin' today.

Melissa said...

Thanks for the mention, Alex! I appreciate it.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Sorry not to be one that's excited about this movie. That's awesome that we can get a discount on gifts for writers through your code. How sweet of you!

And I would like to be a co-host for you next year. Please e-mail me to let me know what that entails. Thanks!

Jemi Fraser said...

Looking forward to Aquaman :)
Those t-shirts look fun - I'll check it out!

Chemist Ken said...

Yes, I want to see Aquaman. It's been over a month since I've seen a superhero movie and I'm already going through withdrawal. Besides, I want to see if DC has finally figured out how to do a superhero movie.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I'm happy to see Google+ go away. I spent most of my time there blocking weird male profiles that were obviously created by someone up to no good.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Melissa, you're welcome!

Natalie, I will - thank you.

Ken, they did Wonder Woman and the Batman films well and looks like this one will score as well.

Patricia, Google+ just never did what it was supposed to do.

Stacy McKitrick said...

I might have seen Killer Fish back when it was released. I was in the Army then and went to the theatre to watch anything and everything. And upon checking IMBD, noticed James Franciscus is in it, too. I had a HUGE crush on him, so I'm thinking I DID see it. Anyway, the premise sure sounded familiar (and I was a sucker for those types of films back then).

Liz A. said...

Turkey Day, bad movies... That's funny.

By the way, if you're at all interested in the new Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, go see it. I got in to a preview showing and it was so much better than I expected. Totally worth it. It's the reboot we didn't know we needed.

Juneta key said...

Love the Aquaman interview. Had to watch the others that came up with Jimmy Fallon. The war one was especially funny. Avengers trailer looks awesome

Lisa said...

Can't wait for Aquaman, even if the original was blond, really blond! Had to laugh at the videos! I can co-host if needed...
Merry Christmas!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Stacy, you probably saw it. One of many generic adventure type films that came out at that time.

Liz, we do plan to see it. Think it's almost a hundred percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lisa, thanks!

Loni Townsend said...

I love the personality with Jason Momoa. So much fun. I can't wait until Aquaman comes out. And that Endgame trailer looks pretty dramatic!

Mark Koopmans said...

I'm actually going to look out for Killer Fish... I've never seen The Six Million Dollar Man in anything else, I think!

Arlee Bird said...

Since I've been getting Instagram notifications then I'm guessing I have an account. Have no idea what to do with it. Maybe if I get bored one day I'll investigate to see what it's about and how it might benefit me. Or maybe I'll just get fed up and get rid of most of my social media stuff. Life without internet seems so long ago.

Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out

Chrys Fey said...

I love Hot Tamales candy. :)

SpacerGuy said...

Its hard luck for anyone who switched over to G+. Its great to see mini Alex so busy, Hot Tamales are candy - so thats what they are! I should've asked mini-Alex - bet he was keeping them in his secret stash!

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Mini Alex is in his element.
I guess folks around there don't know about Hot Tamales because you and Mini have been hoarding them all.

A great week to you, Alex!

Donna K. Weaver said...

"drug-induced mind trip." ROFL Yes. This! lol

We still haven't seen the cliffhanger Avenger movie. I'm waiting for this next one to come out before I see it.

Consulting Writer said...

We started the Gauntlet last week, but I groaned when I saw Mac and Me. I ended up skipping it and watching Killer Fish first. Then Ator. I didn't care I was watching them out of order. I'm a rebel like that. ;)

But I'm actually glad I did because I think I cracked up the most with Mac and Me. My kids walked in the room when the alien family was on the screen and froze, mouths agape.

I think they've been traumatized. LOL Naturally, like the great Mom I am, on occasion, I whistle with my hands held high just to say I love them.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

I'm happy to co-host in April.

I'm still not sure how to switch my commenting profile away from Google+. I tried the Google+ and the Blogger settings, to no avail. Any suggestions?

Elephant's Child said...

Congratulations and thanks to all those with new publications.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Mark, he was also in a Viking movie called The Norsemen.

Lee, I think it's like Twitter only more with pictures.

Chrys, good for you!

Spacer Guy, he always has a stash...

Robyn, that must be it.

Consulting Writer - traumatized by the bad costumes! Funny.

JH, thanks! And I'm afraid I have no idea. Google it.

J E Oneil said...

It's the last month of the year. I almost can't believe it.

Angela Brown said...

I am excited for Aquaman and my daughter and I both enjoyed the trailer for Endgame. We're both trying to figure out how Antman...well, I'll stop before I slip into spoiler world for a different movie.

Hot Tamales are so delicious and addictive.

And it will be interesting to see who all made it into the anthology. Whoever makes it, it will be another awesome anthology.

Nilanjana Bose said...

Aquaman is on the list.

The literary T-shirts look supercool.

Truedessa said...

I love that Edgar Allan Poe T-shirt. I will need to order one of those. Thanks for the discount.

Aquaman is def on my list to do!

Mini Alex is looking hot....

Tonja Drecker said...

Hot Tamales are more than nibble worthy. Shortly, after I saw the trailer for Avengers, I happened across a twitter post from NASA offering advice on locating missing men in space (addressed to the avengers). Have a great week!

Roland Clarke said...

I vaguely remember seeing Ator, Fighting Eagle in my past on video.

Botanist said...

Those Gauntlet movies sound truly dire! And people wonder why SF got such a bad rep over the years :(

Lynda Dietz said...

What a chock-full post! I can't believe there's anyone who doesn't know about Hot Tamales—they're some pretty great stuff, as non-chocolate candy goes. I like the literary gifts and will have to check them out—thanks for the coupon code! Last year, I got one of my authors a custom infinity scarf from Litographs that featured the first 30k words of her first novel. She loved it! Book-themed gifts can never go amiss.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Angela, yes it will! And that reminds me that we need to re-watch Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Truedessa - funny!

Tonja, now that is really funny.

Roland, they made it so much better...

Lynda, that is really cool!

Susan Kane said...

Oh Yes. Aquaman.

AV: End Game? Ohboyohboyohboy. Need to re-watch for hints, clues.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Looking forward to Endgame!

Birgit said...

Oh I always loved Aquaman but I kind of miss the Ken doll look with his yellow and green outfit. The new movie looks great and they are not dead because there is always time travel...remember Superman saving Lois? I love that ending...hahahaa. I did see Killer Fish and remember laughing. Karen Black was in all these movies back then. Hope you are well and I bet you a4e all ready for Christmas

DMS said...

I have been seeing a lot of previews for Aquaman recently.

I forgot that Google+ was going away. I don't use it to comment- but I know a lot of people do. Thanks for the reminder.

I haven't had a Hot Tamales candy in years. :)
~Jess

Tyrean Martinson said...

What? People didn't know about Hot Tamales? I love those candies, but my husband is allergic to cinnamon (which means I don't get to eat them and kiss him, so ... I don't eat them). Probably TMI (clears throat) - sorry.
And yes, I am looking forward to seeing Aquaman!

diedre Knight said...

Hi Alex!

I remember Karen Black showing up in every other Saturday show for awhile - a face you don't easily forget.
You've mentioned several of those 'Saturday' shows I was referring to ;-)
Odds are, I will see Aquaman at some point. I am surrounded by fans!
I thought The Abyss was good, though cheesy. Now they've created a cheesier film?
I'm going to casually leave the info on Literary Book Gifts in a conspicuous place and hope that Santa gets the hint ;-) If not, I'll treat myself after the holidays.
Merry Christmas!

Sandra Cox said...

OMGosh. That Trident throwing on the Fallon show was hilarious.

Anonymous said...

I'm interested in Aquaman, but I'm stoked about the Avengers movie.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, you know they are in there!

Birgit, you need to re-watch Killer Fish with MST3K!

Tyrean, bummer!

Diedre, Lords of the Deep is a thousand times lower...

Cherie Reich said...

I'm so excited for Aquaman, especially since Jason Momoa is in it. It looks like Ronon Dex grew up and became king of Atlantis. :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Yeah, for Hot Tamales. Haven't had them for ages. Looking forward to Aquaman but I really can't wait for End Game. Though, like Game of Thrones, I can't wait, but I don't want it to be over either.
Glad I never got on the Google+ thing. I'm glad to see it go.

Ray Rousell said...

Looking forward to Aquaman. I think I need to see the Killer Fish film, not sure why though!?!

Theresa Milstein said...

That Aquaman trident throwing was fantastic!

I agree--funny end of the Avengers trailer.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Jason Momoa as Aquaman - can't wait!

C.D. Gallant-King said...

I would think that MST3K would be right up my alley, but I've tried watching it and was just kinda "meh." I think you need a group of people to laugh at it together.

I've been kinda burnt out on superheroes lately, but continue to watch them out of obligation.

Sherry Ellis said...

Looking forward to the next Avengers movie. I had forgotten the last one left us on a cliff hanger with 50% of the population destroyed.

I'm not a hot tamale fan, but it sure looks like Mini-Alex is! :)

cleemckenzie said...

Love the T-shirt gift idea. Perfect. Great new books to read in 2019, too!

Mary Kirkland said...

Looking forward to that Avengers movie.

Al Penwasser said...

Ohhhhhhhhh...that Avengers trailer. Less than 3 minutes, but awesome. Equal parts sad, exciting, and, ultimately, funny. There's a must-see movie for 2019, for sure.

John Wiswell said...

Man, why am I not watching the new MST3K right now? Got to bump that up my list to cheer myself up. Thanks for the recaps, Alex!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Cherie, yes he did! Good one.

CD, you can't miss Aquaman. And you need a RiffTrax or MST3K party sometime.

John, get to it, man!

Sandra Cox said...

Avengers looks intriguing doesn't it?

CV Grehan said...

Another action-packed post! I can co-host either February or April, Alex.

Anonymous said...

If I can comment in the early afternoon EST, I can co-host. If you already have volunteers, I can do it another month. It's been a while. Time to give back!

Why do I always forget about MST? It's so funny. Atlantic Rim. Really? What a blatant rip-off and a golden opportunity for them.

Hubby got the early release tickets to Aqua Man from Amazon Prime. He's stoked.

Elsie

Erika Beebe said...

I can’t wait for Aquaman. I heard lots of reviews yesterday and how awesome it is! I am happy to help cohost next year and thanks for the google+ reminder. And have a great rest of Your week :)

Sandra Cox said...

I toddled over to Literary Book Gifts. Nice.
And you are worth 20% off:) Even nicer:)

Mark said...

Man that looks awesome, long live Mystery Science Theatre :)

Magic Love Crow said...

I have to see if we have Hot Tamales! They sound good! Congrats on everyone's new releases! Loved both videos! The Avengers' looks good! That is kind of you, for the 20% off! Thanks Alex! Take Care!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Look at all the new books. Congratulations.
I can host March or April if you still need someone.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sandra, it does.

CV, thanks!

Elsie, thanks! One more week to Aquaman...

Erika, thanks!

Sandra, appreciate that.

Beverly, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to your review of Aquaman--your review I will trust. :) Google+ is going away?? Interesting. However, not sure if anyone will miss it? I'll check back for your review!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

The Aquaman movie sounds like it'll be a fun one to watch.

If you like those Hot Tamales, you might like cinnamon licorice, too, if you can find it in your area. I've always loved licorice, but that hot cinnamon stuff is downright addictive.

klahanie said...

Hey Alex,

Shall keep my comment brief. Loads of stuff, as per usual. Consider your blog post well and truly shared. And yep, whenever I think of the Avengers, I think of that classic British 60's TV show.

Cheers and have a good one.

Gary

Patsy said...

Thanks so much for mentioning the book, Alex!

The Happy Whisk said...

Have they moved to January now? Last I heard was April. To be honest, they can take it. G+ hasn't worked right for a long time. Far better platforms that I enjoy more.

Happy Christmas and New Year!

Deniz Bevan said...

Ooh thanks for the Google+ tip and the literary gifts coupon!

Toi Thomas said...

I've missed a lot over the last few weeks. I'm happy to play catch up.
Great post. I must check out season 2 of MST3K.
I must admit, I'm excited about Aquaman now. Going to see it today.
I will definitely check out Literary Book Gifts!

Lidy said...

Love the Endgame trailer. Rewatched Infinity War on Netflix and now I'm wondering about Gamora's sister. When Thanos used his gauntlet only Tony and her sister were left alive on his home planet.

Happy New Year and see you January 2nd!

Sherry Ellis said...

Happy New Year, Alex!