I could write a million words about Exodus' original lead singer, who died 10 years ago. I never met him, never had the pleasure of seeing him live when he was with the band, but his spirit always shines through, whether watching his shows on Youtube, or hearing his music, or what others have to say about him. All I'm going to say is this: Paul Baloff - Heavier Than Time. Enjoy the videos. Don't forget to headbang.
The ‘House of Dracula’ is yet another of the
Universal sequels, with familiar monsters, convoluted mad Doctor
plotlines and clichés galore. But it’s also rather good…
Dracula (John Carradine, in a chilling, dignified
performance), has decided he wants to be cured of his vampirism and
evil-ness, seeking out kindly Doctor Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) to aid
him. Of course, Dracula is lying (the fiend!), using the ploy to get close to the Doctor’s
daughter, the sumptuous Milizia (Martha O’Driscoll). In a series of insane
events, however, the plot spirals out of control, as Lawrence Talbot turns up
wanting to be cured of his lycanthropy (and Lon Chaney, Jr. gives yet another
fantastic performance as the haunted Wolfman), Frankenstein’s monster is found
buried in the sand, and Dracula possesses Dr. Franz via his bloodstream!
This film offers nothing especially new to the
Universal horror table, and many of the clichés and settings are much the same
as in previous sequels ‘House of Frankenstein’ and ‘The Ghost of Frankenstein’. It
is, however, wonderfully enjoyable, and gorgeously directed by Erle C. Kenton.
We get to see Dracula actually transform into a bat
before our very eyes (a big thing for audiences at the time), and Dr. Franz go
from a force for good, to Mr. Hyde-esque vulgarity. Yes, Frankenstein’s
monster (played by Glenn Strange, who made the part his own in three movies) is
tacked on and used at the end just to bring the house down (literally), but his
inclusion adds to the fun. The shot of him buried in the sand is also suitably
chilling.
Lon Chaney, Jr. is splendid as Talbot. Indeed, being
the only actor to have played the Wolfman and his human counterpart in all the
original Universal films, you get the sense that Chaney understood his
character. Unlike the lumbering monster, or the cold evil of Dracula, Chaney
gives Talbot real emotional depth, and the scenes in this film with Talbot in
human form are far more interesting than when he becomes the Wolfman. It’s a
joy at the end, to learn that he has finally been cured of his lycanthropy.
As a Bela Lugosi fan, it’s always a sorry point to
look at how his career declined, and a sad fact that he never reprised Dracula
on screen (in a horror film, at least). Carradine, however, is simply
excellent. Rather than imitating Lugosi, he makes the role his own, taking
explicit inspiration from the original Bram Stoker novel. He manages to be both
suave and malicious, devious and sadistic. It’s all there. It is, however, a
surprise that his character is killed off so soon, considering the film bares his
name. It’s Dr. Franz who takes over as chief villain, possessed by Dracula and
essentially becoming a Mr. Hyde subtitute.
One ‘monster’ in the film who is not evil at all, is
the lovely Nina (Jane Adams). A beautiful, intelligent lady, Nina is also a
hunchback, and the use of such an attractive lady to play the part of somebody
with a disfigurement really adds character and depth to the film. It’s a
masterstroke, and Jane Adams does the role justice.
‘House of Dracula’ is a great popcorn flick. Action,
suspense, characters with depth, the usual lush settings of towers and caverns,
and four super monsters duking it out…all packed into a mere 65 minutes.
He's Dracula. He's Count Dooku. He's Saruman. He's been a Bond villain, and a cowboy, and mad scientists and the voice of the Jabberwocky.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you a fabulous Rock'n'Roll song, sung by the man himself, from the film 'Captain Invincible'. Can't you just tell the music's by Richard O'Brien? The perfect song for a beautiful Spring day! Now, what's your poison?
The Doctor likes a bit of coffee, oh yes. Patrick
Troughton's Doctor was always after a cup, and Jon Pertwee wouldn't
have managed all that tinkering in his lab without some pure, strong
caffeine to keep him going!
But seriously though, tea is much more vital, much more
important. Not just because it's beautiful, but also because it is
responsible for the safety of our Universe. Fact. Was it
coffee that brought the Tenth Doctor back to consciousness in 'The
Christmas Invasion'? Did a spillage of Nescafe's finest bring him to
his senses? Nope. It was tea. Tea from a flask, brewed by a
single mother on a council estate in London. Without her brew, the
Doctor would have remained in the land of nod while half the
population jumped from the rooftops to their doom.
And it's the one thing that can cheer the good old
Doctor up. In 'Genesis of the Daleks', he and Harry are captured by
the Kaleds, and the Doctor asks for some tea. Denied, he mutters
somberly to his companion: “No tea Harry...”. There is one
unimpressed Time Lord, and from that moment on, the fate of the
Kaleds is sealed.
So, there you have it. Tea. The saviour of the Universe,
favourite drink of our favourite Time Lord, and an all round tasty
brew. I can be safe in the knowledge that if the Doctor should whisk
me away, I'll know that somewhere aboard the TARDIS, there's a
kettle. Life without tea, for me, would be no life at all...
By way of a conclusion, I'll leave you with this
gorgeous moment from 'The Awakening', which sums up the beauty of
'Doctor Who' and tea at the same time:
Will: What be tea?
The Doctor:
Oh, a noxious infusion of Oriental leaves containing a high
percentage of toxic acid.
Will:
Sounds an evil brew, don't it?
The Doctor:
True. Personally, I rather like it.
('Doctor Who' – The
Awakening, Eric Pringle)
And for more information on tea, and it's unique
relationship with 'Doctor Who', you can go here:
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Tea.
No kiddies, I'm not talking about the man in the moth-eaten trench coat, who wants you to go back to his house so he can give you sweets. I'm talking fun strangers, unusual strangers, people who you can learn from!
I have all sorts of issues, especially when it comes to being confident and speaking to people. But every so often, somebody just sort of turns up at an unexpected moment, and they captivate you with stories and adventures, and you realise that you aren't alone in this big old world. There are others that get you.
A few weeks ago, for instance, me and my cousin went out for a few drinks, and met a wonderful, well-spoken chap (who can be followed on Twitter here: @mister_meredith) who just so happened to share many of our interests. He had even met several (read: lots!) of major 'Doctor Who' personalities. He's also a top-rate caberet performer, and unafraid to speak his mind!
And there's Twitter. Out of my 800-odd followers, I know about 5 people in 'the real world' (including my partner in geekiness, the incomparable @Sonic_Bionic). The rest are quite literally strangers, who sprang out of nowhere on this social networking site, and became friends extremely quickly. Fascinating people from all over the world, who have the same loves and hates, and who have seen things I can only dream of. They know who they are (many can be traced by visiting the list of websites on the left-hand side of the page), and they have given me a great deal of pleasure.
So, when a chap turns out of the blue telling you he once knew Sir Isaac Newton, don't run away in terror. Listen to him - you might just wander into a whole new world...
