Sunday, June 01, 2025

MAY 2025 Top Ten List

 HERE ARE MY TOP TEN FAVOURITE MOVIES THAT I WATCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN MAY.

  1. THE CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE  (1971) 
  2. FERN BRADY:  POWER & CHAOS  (2021)
  3. THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE  (1973)
  4. LOST ANGEL:  THE GENIUS OF JUDEE SILL  (2022)
  5. A DEADLY AMERICAN MARRIAGE  (2025)
  6. WATCHMEN:  CHAPTER II  (2024)
  7. HELL'S HALF ACRE  (1954)
  8. THE PACKAGE  (1989)
  9. JANIS IAN:  BREAKING SILENCE  (2024)
  10. MYSTERY IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE  (1979)

And here is everything else I watched during the month:


THEN THERE WERE THE BOOKY-BOOKS I READ DURING THE MONTH OF MAY: 


Oh yeah . . . and this month was the HORROR MAYHEM: DECADES OF DREAD readathon; to read short horror novels or short stories. 


And here is my piss-poor showing:

  • THE MONKEY by Stephen King - a 52 page short story which, I think, was originally in SKELETON CREW but I read it in the MAMMOTH BOOK OF SHORT HORROR NOVELS hardcover.  I was gonna read the whole hardcover but this is as far as I got!
  • BOWLING WITH CORPSES by Mike Mignola & Dave Stewart.  The stories in this were a little under-baked but the artwork was pretty good.
  • SPICY MYSTERY STORIES - 01/36 -- This reproduction of the pulp from January of 1936 contained a bunch of nice, trashy thirties horror stories:  Medusa’s Kiss by Hamlin Daly, Death’s Head by Charles A. Baker, Jr., Cat That Killed by Mort Lansing, Labyrinth of Monsters by Robert Leslie Bellem, Satan’s Daughter by E. Hoffman Price, Dark Night of Doom by Justin Case, Fall of A Fiend by Cary Moran, Portrait of Terror by Jerome Severs Perry, and Design For Death by Colby Quinn.  Robert Leslie Bellem has become a favourite of mine over the last couple of years due to his bonkers writing style which is on display here as well as in his detective Dan Turner stories.
  • THE OPENER OF THE WAY by Robert Bloch - this collection of 21 short stories was originally published by the legendary Arkham House in 1945 and features his early pulp stories; some in a Lovecraftian vein.  This gloriously beautiful edition is one of the new Valancourt Books line of Robert Bloch books and I read this from cover to cover.  It contains probably his most well-known short story "YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER" (which was a re-read for me) as well as the title story, THE SHAMBLER FROM THE STARS and the interesting "ONE WAY TO MARS".
  • UNIVERSAL MONSTERS:  FRANKENSTEIN by Michael Walsh.  I finally got around to reading one of the hardcover "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS" graphic novels (I've got them all to date -- DRACULA, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and THE MUMMY) and, if this is any indication, the others I have are also going to be awesome sauce!  The art is, needless to say, absolutely incredible but the writing was also top notch.  I loved this!  
Um . . . and I hate to break it to you but . . . next month is YET ANOTHER readathon I will be participating in:  JUNE ON THE RANGE!!!!  So saddle up, pilgrim!

Saturday, May 31, 2025

IT'S GONNA BE MAY . . . EARWORMS

 AS IS MY WONT, I'M POSTING ALL THOSE SONGS WHICH I WOKE UP WITH STUCK IN MY HEAD DURING THE MONTH. 


AND NO . . . THERE WON'T BE ANY N'SYNC SONGS SIMPLY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW A SINGLE ONE.  


May 6th - MAMA, LOOK A BOO-BOO by Harry Belafonte 

 

May 7th - WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A WALK by Annette Hanshaw 


May 9th - HUNKY DUNKY DOO by Earl Grant  


May 10th - LEAN ON ME (TONIGHT) (LIVE) by The Moody Blues  


May 11th - SYNCHRONICITY II - The Police 


May 12th - THE KISS - Judee Sill 


May 13th - SOLITARY MAN - Neil Diamond 


May 14th - ABILENE - George Hamilton IV 


May 15th - THOSE WERE THE DAYS - Mary Hopkin 


May 17th - ROCK THE BOAT -  The Hues Corporation  


May 18th - MOODY'S MOOD FOR LOVE - King Pleasure


May 19th - IT NEVER RAINS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - Albert Hammond


May 21st - GOT A FEELIN' - The Mamas & the Papas


May 24th - DESTINY - Zero 7 featuring Sia 


May 25th - IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME - Randy Travis


May 31st - HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW - Olivia Newton-John

Thursday, May 01, 2025

APRIL 2025 TOP TEN LIST

 HERE ARE MY FAVE FIRST-TIME WATCHES FOR APRIL 2025: 


  1. WE WANT THE FUNK (2025)  
  2. LIZA:  A TRULY TERRIFIC ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY  (2024)
  3. THE WOMEN WHO RUN HOLLYWOOD  (2016)
  4. HEART EYES  (2025)
  5. DUEL FOR GOLD  (1971)
  6. THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE  (1976)
  7. THREE FUGITIVES  (1989)
  8. ONCE A THIEF  (1991)
  9. THE GOODBYE GIRL  (1977)
  10. IDA LUPINO:  GENTLEMEN & MISS LUPINO  (2021)
Here we have everything else I watched during the month of April 2025: 




Then there's what I read this month: 

APRIL 2025 EARWORMS

 AND NOW WITHOUT FURTHER MILDEW, HERE ARE THE SONGS WHICH WERE STUCK IN MY HEAD WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MONTH.



April 1st - AGAINST THE WIND by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

April 2nd - CRY by Godley & Creme

April 4th - PRELUDE:  DIE MEISTERSINGERS VON NURENBURG by Richard Wagner

April 7th - HAPPY MOUSE by Mickey Mouse 

April 10th - BEST OF FRIENDS by Pearl Bailey (Hmm something of a Disney run here)

April 11th - TWEEDLEE DEE by LaVern Baker

 

April 15th - HE'S A REBEL by The Crystals 


April 16th - STRAIGHT UP by Paula Abdul

April 17th - RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD by B.J. Thomas 

April 19th - WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW by The Shirelles 


April 20th - RAMBLIN' ROSE by Nat King Cole


April 23rd - KASHMIR by Led Zeppelin

 

April 24th - SANTA BRING MY BABY BACK (TO ME) by Elvis Presley 


April 25th - WRAP HER UP by Elton John & George Michael 

April 26th - GHOSTBUSTERS by Ray Parker Jr. 

April 27th - US AND THEM by Pink Floyd 


April 29th - TELL HIM by The Exciters