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Archive for the ‘80′s rule’ Category
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Lots of new stuff for sale today. Let’s get right into it!
When we had the idea to create a poster for STREET TRASH, we knew we needed someone that was 1. a fan of the horror genre and 2. someone that could tackle the imagery and color palette of the film. So, who better to do it than Rue Morgue artist Ghoulish Garry Pullin?! Raise your Tenafly high and salute this poster!
Ghoulish Garry Pullin. 24″x”36″ screen print. Hand numbered. Printed by D&L Screen Printing. Edition of 70.
 Not only are we putting the STREET TRASH poster out today, we’re putting out this incredible shirt! Check out the back:
We are so proud to offer this shirt celebrating one of the grimiest movies EVER to come out of New York….therefore putting it in the running for grimiest movie in the world! The front of the shirt features the aftermath of a shot of Tenafly Viper expertly illustrated by Jon Vermilyea.
We’re also proud to be releasing this new shirt…STORMS WARNING!
Thunder, Lightning and Rain…THE THREE STORMS. Without a doubt, the hardest dudes in the Chinatown underworld. The only one more diabolic is the dark, all seeing overlord trapped in time searching for his true love that can bring him back to youthful prominence.
-Justin
Posted in 80's rule, Exploitation!, Horror, New Releases, Posters, Shirts | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
FULL MOON HIGH (1981), a little-seen jock-turned-werewolf flick, starred Adam Arkin (most recently seen as the divorce lawyer in A SERIOUS MAN), and featured Ed McMahon (as his film dad), Alan Arkin (his real-life dad), and Roz Kelly (who I know better as Pinky Tuscadero).
The film pre-dated the better-known werewolf-as-high-school-athlete movie TEEN WOLF by a good 4 years. And, it was directed by a personal hero of mine, Larry Cohen, just after It Lives Again (1978), and just before Q: The Winged Serpent (1982). Here’s a clip.
Sadly, although this movie is widely available on VHS, it was never released on DVD.
Posted in 80's rule, Horror, Movies | 4 Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
I’ve been inspired all week by the courageous Terror Tuesday screening of the misunderstood 80′s horror oddity Halloween III. If you aren’t familiar with the film, it’s the redheaded stepchild of the Halloween franchise that has nothing to do with the other movies- beyond the fact that it’s packed full of generic John Carpenter synthesizer music. This movie is so random that it could only have been inspired by inhalant abuse (ok, so they claim it’s actually inspired by Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but how you get from modest aliens to evil Irish warlocks with armies of robot yuppies that are plotting to appease the old Gods’ hunger for sacrifice by using stonehenge dust-powered lasers to turn children’s heads into bugs... I have no idea). Anyway, the plot uses whole-head halloween masks to hide the child-obliterating druid laser technology I mentioned, and I thought this year I would get all crafty and make myself a whole-head mask. This way, when I am busy abusing inhalants on Halloween, no one will be able to tell I am drooling, or identify me to the police when they find me sleeping in their closet, covered in bean-dip and candy wrappers.
Here’s how I did it:
I picked Crayola Model Magic as my main medium because it’s easy to mold, and dries into a sort of lightweight styrofoam that is easy to paint (get the giant tub of white, not the little kiddie packs that come in colors). When you are making something as big and heavy as a mask, however, you need some sort of reinforcing structure. You can use a balloon, or wadded up newspaper wrapped in tape, or something with a surface smooth enough for the model magic not to stick to, but I had a feeling that something this large would come apart when I tried to peel it off whatever form I built it on, so instead I made an armature out of this stuff called Shapelock, and then built the mask on top of it, embedding the reinforcement in the mask. Shapelock comes in a bag of white beads that you pour into hot water. The beads melt together into this pliable clear mass that you can sculpt with your hands. When the Shapelock cools, it turns into hard, dense plastic.
A word to the wise, if you drape a bunch of rope-like blobs of shapelock around your head, get it off while it is still flexible. The stuff contracts slightly as it cools, and it would be loads of fun to pour scalding water over your head to try and melt it again when you can’t get it off. Likewise, once you remove it, the contracting action will probably make your framework too tight to get back over your head. I used a hair drier to re-soften and loosen a few pieces, or alternately you can saw or drimmel pieces to make room or to make joints.
Next I applied the Model Magic in big sheets and blobs. You can keep the Model Magic soft by getting it wet, and also smooth out the lines where you join separate hunks together by rubbing it with water.
Remember to leave yourself air holes! Also, if you have a microchip full of stonehenge dust that you want to slip in, do it now while the Model Magic is soft, and make your air holes big enough to let out the rattlesnakes and centipedes that will be boiling out of all your facial orifices. It’s inhumane to keep them trapped inside!
After that, you just need a good coat of paint. I’m almost finished with mine- this paired with an upsetting black unitard and a lot of blue paint is going to be a Draag costume from the 1973 animated film Fantastic Planet. I’m hoping the red saucer-eyes will discourage anyone from thinking I am a “Blue Man”, but luckily one of the benefits of a whole-head mask is that if you punch someone in the junk as hard as you can and then run away, no one will know who did it.
-Wiley
Posted in 80's rule, Horror, Movies, Real Art | No Comments »
Monday, October 12th, 2009
…but only when meetings go down like this.
Yeah, yeah…this picture is like nine months old or whatever, but it is still CAHRAZY! I’m on a huge Conan kick right now and when I saw this I almost died. If he still has this, can you imagine the other stuff that he has lying around?
Posted in 80's rule, Daaaammmmnnnnn!, Sharp Things, War Is Hell | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
We have got three classics up for sale today! The first is by Aaron Horkey:
DEAD MAN by Aaron Horkey $110
Aaron Horkey’s take on Dead Man is a 7″ x 16.5″ giclee with letterpress filigree. This print was produced in the style of a period advertisement piece for the film and a nod to Mr. Blake’s own publishing efforts. It was printed on 505gsm Somerset Velvet 100% cotton acid-free paper by the fine folks at Graham Editions and Bieler Press. Signed and numbered by Horkey himself in an edition of 58.
SIXTEEN CANDLES by Jay Ryan $30
Who cares about a star on the Walk of Fame…John Hughes should have his name etched in the moon for creating the character of Long Duk Dong. Brilliant! Anthony Michael Hall was also at his coolest in this Hughes masterpiece!
THE BREAKFAST CLUB by Jay Ryan $30
John Hughes made movies that truly connected with a generation and The Breakfast Club was undoubtedly one of his best. This movie deals with three things that we all have in common. We all went to high school, all most likely did a stint in detention and we all probably wanted to date one of the cast members of this movie at one point. I’m looking at you Ally Sheedy.
Posted in 80's rule, Posters | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
I Had A Problem: We recently had some electrical work done to our house, and ended up with a huge hole in the sheetrock in our computer room. I’m not handy enough to fix it myself, and am self-aware enough to know that my laziness/cheapness will keep me from hiring someone to fix it any time soon:
 The Problem I Had A Solution: And really, it’s my solution to 50%-60% of life’s problems… let’s Cynthia Rothrock it:
 The Solution Problem solved! Not only do I get to ignore my sheetrock deficiency, I’ll be able to enjoy Cynthia Rothrock‘s Ever-Poised Boot of Doom every time I check my email.
And this isn’t the first time my Martial Law II: Undercover (1992) poster (Available On Videocassette and Laserdisc) has saved me from an unsightly wall blemish. In 2006 I used this same poster to replace a wall-sized mirror in my home bathroom that had decided to spontaneously shatter:
 Is There Nothing Cynthia Rothrock Can't Make Better? That particular bit of home improvement lasted 3 months. I’ll keep you posted on how long Ms. Rothrock lasts this time around.
- Micah :: Reel Distraction
Posted in 80's rule, Nerd Alert | 2 Comments »
Friday, August 28th, 2009
 Swanky Modes Lobby Card
Three weeks ago I bought what I assume is one of the few remaining presskits for one of my top-five favorite films: TAPEHEADS (1988).
 Swanky Modes Presskit The outside was relatively nondescript (it came in a cheap, black, elementary-school-style folder with a yellow TAPEHEADS sticker plastered on the outside), but it contained 50 or 60 pages of press prepared by the now defunct Clein + Feldman Inc. public relations firm. The lobby card at the top of this post is one of four absolutely mint double-image cards that came in the presskit with their own transparent protective baggie.
But as great as the images and the other promotional material are, the clear gem from the presskit is a two-page “Swanky Modes Chronology,” which outlines a fascinating (but all too brief) backstory for the Swanky Modes, the fictional soul duo – featuring real life soul legends Sam Moore and Junior Walker – that Bill Fishman built TAPEHEADS around.
I recently ran a google search for “best fictional bands,” and – at least according to the top six results (here, here, here, here, here, and here) – not everyone appreciates the greatness of the Modes as much as I do.
In fact, the Swanky Modes don’t appear on any of those “best of” lists (or even get mentioned in the comments), while lesser acts like The Beets (from the Doug cartoon) and The Wonders (from THAT THING YOU DO!) get mentioned over and over. I hope that the publication of what the Swanky Modes were up to before Josh and Ivan began idolizing them will – to some degree – begin to correct this massive oversight.
As far as I can tell, this information has never been published online, and I’m excited to share what is – in my mind at least – a massive addition to the online world’s collective TAPEHEADS/Swanky Modes knowledge.
 Swanky Modes Chronology 1  Swanky Modes Chronology 2 1964 – Swanky Modes end record 72 week run at the Apollo Theater.
1965 – Signed to a major label and begin work on their debut album “Thumbs Up“.
1966 – “Thumbs Up“ is released to critical acclaim. Modes sign a multi-record deal and travel to Hollywood to star in their first feature film, “High Noon Wake-Up“.
1967 – The “Brown Album” is released and goes instant gold. The Modes have their first of many re-occuring management disputes.
1968 – The Modes go on the Christmas USO tour with Bob Hope.
1970 – The Modes appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.
1971 – The Queen summons the Modes to perform at a Royal performance extravaganza.
1972 – “That’s Enough of This War Stuff” is released. Modes begin extended European tour.
1973 – Lester marries Olga Von Steistein in Oslo, Norway. Billy travels to India to study with Ravi Shankar.
1974 – “Black and White” album is unreleased due to the oil shortage.
1975 – Modes have their first reunion tour of the Midwest. Bus breaks down in Battle Creek, Michigan where Lester buys a farm and starts raising rhubarb.
1976 – Lester marries Sheena Brawn, a young farming neighbor.
1978 – Modes first album in six years is released, “Modes Fever,” the day after “Saturday Night Fever” hits the stores.
1979 – Billy moves to the Northwest and starts real estate brokering learned by Don Drussel’s Home Extension course.
1980 – Swanky Modes “Get Nasty” is banned from all radio play. Becomes instant collector’s item.
1981 – Billy’s yacht hits land mine in Persia. No one is hurt but he spends one year in an Iranian prison.
1982 – Lester is indicted for bigamy and is extradited to Norway.
1983 – The second Modes reunion tour kicks off in Yonkers, New York, but is cut short when Lester’s sax is stolen.
1984 – Billy and Lester move to California after landing a two year contract on Princess Cruises Oldies But Goodies nights. They anull contract when they find out they are also expected to bartend.
1985 – “New Wheels New Deals” album is released. Modes tour in Japan, sponsored by Tayota.
1986 – Modes third reunion tour of the Southwest is cut short when expected revenue does not meet continued expenses.
1987 – Swanky Modes are seen performing at the Manhattan Club in Santa Monica Mall by Billy Fishman, the soon to be director of “Tapeheads”.
1988 – Swanky Modes star in “Tapeheads”.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll enjoy TAPEHEADS even more knowing that Lester was married twice (at the same time), that Billy spent a year in an Iranian prison, that the Modes put out at least seven albums (Thumbs Up, Brown Album, That’s Enough of This War Stuff, Black and White, Modes Fever, Get Nasty, andNew Wheels New Deals), and that they starred in another film: HIGH NOON WAKE-UP (1966).
Man… I’d love to hear Modes Fever.
And while we’re on the subject of the Swanky Modes, here’s what I believe is the duo’s only late-night appearance, a performance of Ordinary Man (and follow-up interview) on Letterman.
If you want to discuss your favorite Swanky Modes revelation from the chronology, or the greatness of the Modes in general, feel free to do so in the comments.
- Micah :: Reel Distraction
Posted in 80's rule, Behind the Scenes, Daaaammmmnnnnn!, Nerd Alert | 7 Comments »
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Whoa! I woke up this morning and checked out /Film’s Cool Stuff section and our TROLL 2 shirt was up for review. We got a 9.5 out of 10 and even beat out a Funko Sleestak bank! Now that’s a real honor because Sleestak’s rule. I guess it’s official, Nilbog Goblins are in this year.
You can purchase your TROLL 2 shirt HERE (black) and HERE (green)!
Posted in 80's rule, Horror, Nerd Alert, Shirts | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Wow!
Cinemapocalypse was IN-SANE! My first show ever at the Alamo Drafthouse was the Best of QT Fest so Saturday night brought back a whole lotta memories for me. One of my favorite moments of the night was getting to sit next to one of my favorite living actors, ROBERT FORSTER!
In between movies we chatted about Wings Hauser, his hair loss and how he was pals with almost everyone in THE LOSERS. Truly nerdy stuff. Both of his Q&As were oustanding as well! If you ever meet him, ask him to do his Jon Huston impersonation. GOLDEN!
He came out as a special guest as we were showing VIGILANTE as part of the show.
Everything about VIGILANTE is PERFECT…especially the score which I found HERE. Vulcan and I Luv Video have this for rent in the Austin area. You can buy it on Amazon and it’s for rent on Netflix. However you swing it, SEE THIS MOVIE!
-Justin
P.S. In case you were wondering, the full line up of CINEMAPOCALYPSE was:
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
THE LOSERS
THE SIEGE OF FIREBASE GLORIA
VIGILANTE
THE BLACK GESTAPO
IP MAN
Posted in 80's rule, Exploitation!, Major Event, Movies | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
Brooklyn got first chance at them last week at the Rooftop Films Screening and now this shirt can be yours! Coming in both black and NILBOG Green, this shirt is available exclusively through Mondo.
-Justin
Tags: B-Movie, Balogna, Best Worst Movie, Gobling, Nilbog, Troll, Troll 2
Posted in 80's rule, Gewp!, Horror, Movies, New Releases, Shirts | No Comments »
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