Rifftrax Gets Lost In The Carnival of Souls.

Could adding a little color in a classic horror movie make it funnier and spookier?

Rifftrax tried that with the House of Haunted Hill movie in a live show six years ago, which also included a witch concerned about getting your money's worth at the supermarket.

This past Thursday, Rifftrax observed Halloween with another colorized horror classic, Carnival of Souls. This was a complete remake of the original riff, still available on the website or Yahoo View. It was much livelier than the original, and also better than Mothra last August.

They story is basically an extended Twilight Zone episode. A woman rides with her girlfriends in a drag race but their car falls into the river. She seems to be the only survivor. She moves to Utah to be a church organist, but is followed by a ghoulish zombie. She's also strangely drawn to a deserted bathhouse (the former Saltair Pavilion outside Salt Lake City), where ghouls also dance. It slowly dawns on her on what really happened at that accident.

It's an odd movie that has plenty of fans, and some say it may have influenced Night of the Living Dead. Still, you have to notice Candace Hilligoss' slightly mistimed responses to seeing the zombies coming to get her. The head ghoul, by the way, is director Herk Harvey (who the Rifftrax crew wonders what it was like to have first name that's also the sound of throwing up). He also directed a lot of education shorts for Centron, especially Shake Hands With Danger.

The new set of riffs were pretty good, although they had some standard riffs about Golden Corral and Nick Nolte. The gang were helped by the fact this was a familiar movie, and it helped them make the most of it. The colorized print was also better than I expected. It wasn't exactly Technicolor, but it seemed very natural, even the ghouls.

Naturally, I list some of the riffs. I saw the first version along with this one, So, let's compare riffs in certain scenes.

Mary seems to have survived the crash,

Then:  A date with Mickey Rourke mercifully comes to an end
Now:  Did we win the race? I knew that listening to Pat Boone would lead to this

She crashes on the road to avoid the head ghoul

Then: She managed to get into a single-car accident in Utah? That's Kelsey Grammer-level talent.
Now:  Maybe cars are not the mobile transportation for you

Linden (Sidney Berger) just happens to come by as she's taking a bath

Then:  A young Bill Clinton follows his instincts
Now:  The Blair Witch got him, followed by "Name's Norman Bates. You mind getting back to the shower?"
The relationship between Mary and Linden is really strange. Romance just doesn't bloom between those two. Mold, maybe, but not love. He looks like an greasier version of Peter Campbell from Mad Men. 

Then there's this picture:

Then:  The four people would go on to found Kraftwerk
Now:  They don't get how skinny dipping works.

That was kind of disappointing because Rifftrax used that picture for a riff contest, and the top three entries were better. The winning entry was "Brent Spiner's Dead Celebrity Pool Party", although "Prequel to Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag" had more zing.

There also a couple of good zingers. As Mary enters Utah, Kevin says "Welcome to Utah. Have you considered Colorado instead?"
Then there's a scene when Linden doesn't have fun at a bar with her. "You don't like to dance and you don't like to drink" inspires the riff "You're in the right state, honey".

There's also riffs on Shake Hands With Danger, Setting Up A Room, Dr. Phibes, Terry Gross, Birdemic, Amazon and Back to the Future.

There's an article in the Cincinnati City Press that questions why  Rifftrax would take on a horror classic. For the record, Kevin explains he doesn't think the movie's that good. Besides, the gang has battled Starship Troopers (an alleged classic satire) and Anaconda live, and lots of good movies thanks to mp3 riffs. This is hardly a big deal.

The show started with two shorts. One was "Masks of Grass," which seems to be the sequel to "At Your Fingertips: Grasses." Kinds make weird masks with grasses, and it almost turns into the sequel to Lord of the Flies. The other is "Dirt Witch Cleans Up" from the "Joy of Living"series. Apparently a witch decides to make other people dirty, including a pig farmer ("It's Mumford and Son's dad) and a painter with pink paint ("Must be working on John Mellencamp's house"). However, a little kid sets the witch straight and bathes her.

At least the witch doesn't melt from the water, like another witch we know. What's even more bizarre is what the witch looks like after getting clean. Ten bucks says she's not the same witch at the start of the movie. It's a weird way to get kids to keep clean.

Rifftrax has plenty of stuff to see as we head to November. It just released riffs on the first episodes of The Walking Dead and Netflix's Daredevil, and Jurassic World is coming next month. It will also have a special holiday show December first where they show Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the live holiday shorts festival (including Weird Al talking about pork and that Rudolph short). They also plan to make fun of Christmas photos that fans sent them. Maybe they'll also riff on them on social media.
On that note, I plan to look at which Rifftrax holiday events are the best, and could be paired together. That'll come soon.

It's Nice To Be A Battleground State

When I lived in California, I didn't go to big political events when presidential campaigns rolled around. While the Golden State had the most electoral votes, who it chose was usually a foregone conclusion. That's why in Sacramento there weren't too many big visits from TV stars or major political officials hoping to get our votes,

Now that I'm in Nevada, everyone wants its six votes, which is why people like President Obama, VP nominee Mike Pence and comic Patton Oswalt are dropping by Reno to get our attention.

I was happy to see Senator Bernie Sanders at University of Nevada give a boilerplate speech for Hillary Clinton. It's the usual talking points, with a copy of the Democratic platform that hopefully will see the light of day. He attracted a lot of people and students. I'll also say the Dems really care if you show up or not. They actually called me on my cell while I was across the street from the event.
I even got a nice close-up picture of Sanders...

There was also a brief speech from ex-Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who's slightly ahead of Congressman Joe Heck in the Senate race. She also gave a boilerplate speech, although a couple of supporters said "What the Heck?" It's amazing if the annoying tsunami of Senate TV ads, the Democrats never used that slogan in their ads.

I like it better when celebrity surrogates for Hilary Clinton show up, like Jennifer Garner and Patton Oswalt. Hopefully another one will show in the next two weeks. Since Clinton and Trump want Nevada's six electoral votes, it might be possible. It's nice to get that much attention.

There Used To Be A Movie Theater Here

While the city of Sparks, Nevada has the only IMAX screen north of Las Vegas and east of Sacramento, it just lost a big chunk of screens in the same area where a casino also closed.

Yet, if you didn't know the Century Sparks 14 was about to close, you'd think it would be getting ready for screenings of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, Deepwater Horizon and Masterminds. 
In fact, the poster for Peregrine is still there, along with Trolls coming in November...

 Then you see this....

...and in the lobby, a poster for Rogue One:  A Star Wars Story which will likely be at the Galaxy Theaters at the Legends Shopping Center off Highway 80.

To be honest, I went there today for one last look. While the Century Riverside 12 in downtown Reno is my go-to theater, I went to the Sparks theater twice to see Wild with Reese Witherspoon and Creed only because it wasn't in Reno anymore. I was also hoping they'd have some movie posters they didn't need any more, but the usher told me they got rid of them already.
Local news sources say the city is aware the agreement with Syufy Enterprises couldn't be renewed, and they're hopeful another theater chain could move in. Besides, there's still plenty of activities at Victorian Square. Still, the closure of the Bourbon Street Casino and the construction of new apartments that have cut off a lot of traffic probably didn't help. Add the fact that people may  prefer the Galaxy because of the IMAX screen, better concessions including wine and beer, and better seats that are worth the extra buck or two.

I had heard the Century/Cinemark group was thinking about adding a new complex at Meadowview Mall, the major shopping hub in town. Maybe those 14 screens will go there, but it's still bad news for Sparks movie fans, who may have to rely on a Redbox to see the movies they want.

Let's hope that movie multiplex doesn't go to waste.

Pain Don't Hurt, But This Movie Does: A Look at Rifftrax's Two Road House Riffs

Earlier this month, Rifftrax re-riffed the first movie in its long history, Road House with Patrick Swayze and Ben Gazarra as a bad guy with the most boring evil name ever.

The riff not only had three guys instead of just Mike Nelson, but also it was a complete overhaul compared to the original riff in 2006. This is why I had to see the movie twice to compare both riffs.

The movie is rather ridiculous. A famous bouncer named Dalton goes from town to town straightening out rowdy bars, but then goes to a bar in Jasper, MO where he has to deal with Terry Funk. Then he deals with the local evil rich guy who wants Dalton to leave or else he'll blow up the houses of his friends and kill his doctor girlfriend who apparently has a dress that doubles as a tablecloth. It's a combination of Shane, Animal House, maybe Fists of Fury and No Defeat No Surrender. When you get right down to it, it's a movie where people can see a guy without his shirt and pass it off as character development....and this is years before Matthew McConaughey.

The style of the two riffs is the biggest difference of all. When you hear Mike, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett riff, it's the basic snarkiness that's been part of Rifftrax for years. However, when you hear the original version, it's just Mike delivering his jokes as if he was watching the movie because the Twins game rained out. There's also more use of the famous Disembaudio, who cautions Mike against seeing bare breasts and Swayze's naked butt. There was also a really long "where are they now" monologue during the closing credits, which they don't do anymore.

So, let's get to a few scenes and compare riffs:

First off, Dalton's first appearance

2006:  Feathered hair with a mullet. His hair came out to play
2016:  Behold Sawyze, also called Black Dog, Dancer Dirtiest, ex-President Bodie and
the Horny Ghost.

"You know who that is? Dalton"

2006:  John Dalton, the 19th Century developer of the Atomic Theory?
2016:  Dalton Trumbo?

Gazarra shows up...as Brad Wesley?

2006: You have to irritate an old guy once a day
2016:  When you have a chopper and a Panama hat, you've got every reason to be smug.

The famous "Pain don't hurt" phrase Dalton says to Dr. Clay, played by Kelly Lynch

2006:  Actually by its very definition, it does (what she would say)
2016:  Also, it's French for bread. Wanna make out? (what he would say)

Dalton's tai chi scene

2006:  Clearly he has studies with the great master, Pat Morita
2016:  Relax and be one with the Batusi.

Dalton deals with Wesley's goons who try to cut off the bar's liquor supply

2006:  He's wearing his silk liquor unloading shirt
2016:  He's wearing his fucia fighting blouse.

The original riff had a lot of "Beef, it's what's for dinner" jokes since Sam Elliot was there. The new riff also had riffs on Frozen, Geico, Blossom, Kurt Russell, and Shake Hands With Danger.

You can get both versions of the Road House riff at rifftrax.com. The year should still be pretty active, with riffs on The Walking Dead, Daredevil (the Netflix version) and Jurassic World coming soon. There's also the next live show, taking on Carnival of Souls on October 27th.

Downtown Sacramento, Have You Changed!

For once, I'm not talking about movies, especially Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Last week, I took a cheap bus ride from Reno to Sacramento. It's been two years since I lived in Sacramento, since I was forced to move because my landlord evicted me to get higher rents, and that no one would hire me for anything, aside from radio, because I was too old. I did find something else. though.

To be honest, I wish I was still living in Sacramento because I could be part of the opening of the Golden 1 Center, the new home of the Sacramento Kings and eventual site of everything for the next two years. It's still not done, although it will be when Paul McCartney is in town early next month. This is the closest I could get to the new arena.

When I moved out, that was the site of a half-filled shopping center that lost a lot of stores to a new mall in Roseville. It's going to be much more popular now.

I was really interested in seeing this corner...

This was once the site of a Hard Rock Cafe. It looks like a deserted clothing store. It will soon be a new restaurant, but construction is interefering with the 24 Hour Fitness place next door.

In fact, there's still a lot of construction in the former shopping center, which still has some pieces of its past, like this....

..and the saddest thing for movie fans, an empty marquee...

Half the mall has been knocked down, including this, Starbucks and the downtown post office (which was moved a couple of blocks away but you had to tell the security guard on duty you're there to mail something). However, the Cinemark site is reassuring people the multiplex will be new and improved when it reopens. It's supposed to be ready by the fall, but December looks more likely.

In the meantime, the Crest is picking up the slack for movie fans, while also being a live music venue,,,

Despite the activity, Macy's is still open, but it has an interesting entrance..

There's literally a tunnel from here to the store to keep people away from the renovations. It's safe to say the situation is causing a dent on the business at Old Town, since people walked through the mall to get there. After October, and more likely by December, things should be back to normal.

The new construction is also affecting K Street, which had been the site of abandoned buildings. Now with the new arena, there's plans to build new hotels and condos. I just hope this will be preserved somehow. It's at 8th and K, the site of a former shoe store...

What was a local brewpub, meanwhile, will take on a new identity...

I was tempted to head to the apartment complex where I used to live, but I didn't. I did find out the bakery a few blocks away was closed by the city. I'd rather not say why.

I'll probably return to Sacramento after the New Year, depending on the weather. I would really like to come up and touch what some will say is the most advanced arena ever...until the next Olympics or so. What I really wish, though, is that I can somehow afford to live in Sacramento again.