The World lost a great, eccentric man yesterday.  In honor of Harlan Ellison, here's an alternate Poster for one of the Films based on his work.

If you don't know the Film, you should.  If you don't recognize the Title, however, that's a different story...
I don't know why you'd change the Title, if I'm being honest.  They did though.

In spite of that, they do keep the general theme, even if it appears to be taking place in Outer Space (which it isn't).

Here's the original version I found...
To be honest, this was the best quality one I could find.  Thankfully, it just needed a little touching up to be beautiful.

I don't like doing these because they are so depressing.  I also don't like people thinking that I'm some sort of dick who doesn't acknowledge these people.

So...let's do this...sigh...
I don't cover Music much on the site (despite sharing a name with a Ramones Album).  Even so, I have liked Motorhead alot, so this is obviously a big loss for all of us.

While I've never been a huge Phantasm fan, Scrimm's presence was always hard to ignore.  He was a long-time companion of Don Coscarelli and he'll be missed.

A classic Character Actor, he was all over the place.  You know him as the Mayor from the Ghostbusters Films.  He was great.

A long-time Actor, he is most known as the Handyman on One Day At A Time.  He was in all sorts of other things, from voicing John's Dad on a Garfield Christmas Special to voicing 'The Atom' in those 1960's DC Cartoons to even being in The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat.  He will be missed.

While not as notable a name as he probably should be, the man worked for Decades and appeared all over the place.  He was the Boss in Fletch.  Good, good Actor.

Well, shit.  I didn't expect to update this so quickly.  Yet another awesome guy lost to Cancer.  To older folks, he's the bad guy from Die Hard.  To younger folks, he's Snape.  To me, he's always the Metatron.

What do I need to say here?  I grew up in the 90s and I still loved Bowie.  Everyone loved Bowie.  We always will.

These suck to do.  They really, really do.

This has been quite a rough day for all of us.

First, we have to say good-bye to Sir Christopher Lee (1922-2015).
The man's Resume speaks for itself.  Dracula.  Saruman.  The Man with the Golden Gun.

Outside of his Film Roles, he was a bad-ass Soldier in WWII and released a Metal Album!

Here is the man himself reading Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.'
As if that wasn't enough, we also lost Dusty Rhodes (aka Virgil Runnels) (1945-2015)
A long, storied Career, multiple World Titles and a legacy that will never be forgotten.

He lived to see his 2 Sons (Cody Rhodes, Goldust) become great Stars on their own.  That's all you can ask for.

What better way to pay tribute than with some Hard Times?
I really hate doing these.  Damn.

Before I begin, let me say this: this is NOT an attempt to exploit the death of a great Man/Actor.  This is me looking back at the most recent work of his that I own and a damn underrated film.

In 2009, Robin Williams took on a dark, satirical role in this film by Bobcat Goldthwait, a man who's Directorial body of work is certainly interesting.  I love 2011's God Bless America and this is what came before it...
Robin's character Lance is a man with big dreams of becoming a successful Author.  Unfortunately...
Reality has not worked out that way.  He's a Poetry Teacher at a Public School and his son...
...well, his son is an asshole.  There's no beating around the bush here- it's just the truth.
Tragedy strikes his home as his son dies an embarrassing death.  Robin tries to cover up the circumstances, but takes it one step further...
...by writing his son's suicide note.  Will this finally get him the attention/fame he's wanted?
More importantly, can he live with the cost if he gets everything he wants in this way?  Given how great things are (save for his son's death), it is a tough question to answer.

To find out, watch the movie.  The End.
This is funny, but dark stuff.  The film has more heart than you might expect, but also doesn't pull any punches.  The bad side of human nature is not sugar-coated here.  Good people can do bad things, even if they think it is for a good reason.  Is it wrong to trick people if you help them at the same time?  Are words not poignant if they are coming from a place of falsehood?  Can a false idol still inspire people all the same?  This film is dark and twisted, but also raises some interesting questions.  I will admit that the film cuts a little too 'close to home' right now, but World's Greatest Dad is a great way to look at Mr. Williams' Career.  He did some goofy stuff, some serious stuff and then some really neat stuff like this.  His Career was so versatile that you can love for his Dramas like Good Will Hunting, his darker stuff like One Hour Photo, his broad comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire or stuff like this.  Men are not perfect creatures, but can do great things when given the chance to step up.  This is an example of this.  Am I overselling this?  Maybe- maybe not.  To err is human, but to decide for yourself is also human.  In moments like this, it is important to remember the good with the bad.  This shot exemplifies that in my own kind of crazy way...
Seriously, this film is VERY under-appreciated.  If you like twisted (but deep) stuff, check it out.

Yet another two pieces of childhood is gone.  Such is life, I suppose.

I am sad to report that Efrem Zimbalist Jr. has passed away at age 95.
The man had a very long and illustrious Career.  The most notable role to people of my generation is that of Alfred Pennyworth on Batman: The Animated Series.  He portrayed the Character in later iterations as well, including Justice League, Static Shock (future Forgotten Toon?) and Direct-to-DVD Movies like Mystery of the Batwoman.

In addition, there was the very recent passing of Bob Hoskins at age 71.
He also made an amazing Career, most notably Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in the 90s.  He kept active until health issues forced him to retire.  His numerous fans (like myself) will miss him and his legacy will be remembered forever.
R.I.P. Gentlemen.

***As a side-note, all of the famous 'Alfred' Actors now- save for Michael Caine- are dead.  That's a weird thought, right?***

It's downright depressing to cover death news- celebrity or otherwise.  As time has gone on, however, not many people have covered this one, so I figure I out to him to do this.

Jim Kelly was not the biggest name in Martial Arts Cinema.  His stardom came and went far too quickly.
That said, he appeared in Enter the Dragon and a series of solo films- including Black Samurai and The Tattoo Connection.  They never caught on as well, but they were still memorable.  Plus, he was in I'm Gonna Get You, Sucka.

He tragically lost a long battle with Cancer recently.  It's a loss for everyone.

He's flying his jet pack in Heaven now.
Rest in Peace, Jim Kelly.  

The world is now a less interesting place.  After 87 glorious years, we are bereft of a great mind...
Richard Matheson played a major role in the world of Horror/Sci-Fi Cinema.  With just one work, he put around a dozen films in motion.  That work: 'I Am Legend.'
This book led to a number of films, including The Last Man on Earth, I Am Legend (with Will Smith), The Omega Man, I Am Omega (Hi, Asylum!) and Romero's Dead Series.

Would we have Zombie Films (in their classic form) without Matheson?  Maybe, but not in the same way.

On top of that, Matheson wrote many Screenplays.  Among those films are...
You want to know how varied Matheson's works have been?  He is a Credited Writer on Jaws 3 and this film...
With this and Harryhausen's recent death, we are in a sad time.  Let's hope that some of the other greats in the industry can hold out for a while.  I won't *dare* mention any names, lest I give them my infamous bad luck.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Matheson.  Your work lives on and will always live on.

It's hard enough writing these, especially when it's a Director/Producer/Star that I absolutely adore.  It's even harder when nobody can quite agree on whether the guy is dead or not!

A fellow reviewer mentioned his death in a post and Wikipedia has been updated as such.  However, IMDB is either too lazy to report it or just doesn't believe the news!

I'm sad to report the death of Robert Fuest.  He was a talented Writer (going uncredited for Dr. Phibes rewrites apparently) and Director.
While he's most famous for the Dr. Phibes films- both classics IMO-, he did do other work.  And Soon The Darkness was a very under-rated Thriller that got a Remake a few years ago.

Oddly- and thankfully- the Phibes films haven't joined it...yet.

I say without a hint of sarcasm that The Abominable Dr. Phibes is my favorite movie of all-time.  I'll spend the rest of my life touting its awesomeness probably.  From the bizarre killings, to the lavish set design and even to that sweet Clockwork Band, this movie is pure win!

Tragically, Fuest's potentially-prolific Directing career was marred by the critical and financial response to The Devil's Rain.  Given the quality of previous works, I can't blame Robert for this movie.  Maybe that's wrong of me, but I can live with it!

You'll be missed, Robert.  The lasting image of you riding up to Heaven in your Organ-powered Elevator will be with me always.

P.S. Seriously, if you $%#! with the Dr. Phibes films, I'll kill you with a giant vice, Hollywood!

News just came out of the passing of Ian Abercrombie.  It's a loss, obviously.

While he had a long career in Hollywood and on television, he'll always be that evil Dr. Hess from Puppet Master 3.
For making it the best film in the bunch IMO, he deserves a lot of praise- especially since it was a DeCoteau film

As a side-note, he was apparently Alfred on the show Birds of Prey too.  I'm worried for Michael Caine and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., what with Michael Gough dying last year.  Be safe, Alfreds.

The world of wrestling/sports entertainment has been struck a mighty blow today.  Today, we have to mourn the sudden and abrupt passage of Randy "Macho Man" Savage...
Born Randy Poffo, the man lived a long and incredible life.  He went from a local wrestler to a major star to one of the benchmarks of the industry.  His famous match at Wrestlemania III is often considered the greatest match of all-time!
*On a personal note, his death happened near where I live (it was in Tampa and I live in St. Petersburg) & he actually has an incidental connection to me.*

You see, him and his brother Lanny played Little League Baseball in Illinois with my father.  Their father- Angelo Poffo of WWA/NWA fame- was often at the games.  It's hard to miss the 300-lb guy in tight spandex sitting in the crowd, as my dad says.

He's up in Heaven now, reunited with Miss Elizabeth.  Keep dropping those elbows, Randy.

The world lost a great man and actor the other day with the death of Michael Gough.  His career spanned decades and he worked nearly up until his last days, his final role being a voice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.
Of course, he's most famous for playing 'Alfred' in all four of the original Batman films.  He's the only recurring cast member besides Pat Hingle too.
Your classiness and ability to be the only good thing in the Schumacher Batman films will forever make you awesome.

For previous Gough film reviews, see Satan's Slave and Venom.