Without hesitation, I can say 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre or era or whatever. It’s just a great, true-to-the-spirit-of-the-book film that is also Gene Wilder’s best performance ever.
But it was a movie I had to grow into. The first time I saw it — really, the first few times — Willy Wonka left me feeling … disconcerted. It is unrepentantly weird, and fat with the apparent deaths or disfigurements of kids who are, undoubtedly, asking for it. From the first fun house-door and Oompa Loompa song, to sending little girls to the juicing room and hurtling into ceilings in the great glass Wonkavator, Willy Wonka is kind of fucked up (in all the best ways).
This scene, though, is the one that literally gave me nightmares. The first time I saw it, I was seriously shocked: Was that a chicken? Did that just happen? What the hell is that?! For years I would try to find a reason to be out of the room if the movie was on TV and the scene was coming up. Luckily I got over it, and it’s now a part of the film that I make sure not to miss.
I think this scene from The Wizard of Oz can rightly be called a classic – it’s been traumatizing children deep into adulthood for decades.
I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who wasn’t at least a little creeped out during the flying monkeys scene, and who could blame them? Blue-faced chimps in jolly little organ grinder gear fill a gray sky, hooting and grunting on their way to snatching a young farm girl from a haunted forest. And, just for good measure, they literally tear apart one of her friends.
Every year around this time, something amazing happens.
It’s not the way weakening day slowly starts giving up its dominance to longer nights, or the brightly changing colors of leaves flaring like rustling supernovae. No, instead it’s something bordering on the diabolical, something twisted and perverse.
This is the time of year people start crabbing about Halloween.
Specifically, about a week ago I started seeing people complaining about Oct. 31, and all the things that go with it. It always seems to follow a template of, “Ugh, well, I don’t understand what all the excitement is about. I’ll just stay home and watch my box set of The Wire and drink bourbon. Halloween.” You can almost hear the dismissive sniff. Hell, you can almost hear the eye-roll.
(Nothing against The Wire, by the way. But you know what I’m getting at.)
I don’t get this attitude, because it’s really pretty simple. Halloween is fun. Watching scary movies is fun. Eating candy is fun. Even dressing up in a ridiculous costume is fun, if you want to get that into it. And why not? One of the things that surprises me is a lot of the grousing I hear comes from comic book folk, who apparently still have trouble sometimes with wanting to look cool. Reminder: This is a group of people (of which I am a part) who are geekily enthusiastic about something and are known to dress up like fictional characters. Just sayin’.
As someone might’ve guessed by now, I’m a fan of Halloween. And with that in mind, I’m going to revive something I did on Facebook a couple of years ago – every day until Oct. 31, I’ll be posting a short clip from various horror movies or spooky TV episodes that I get a kick out of (or, just as likely, freaked me out at some point).
I haven’t mapped out the whole month so if you have any personal favorites you’d like to see, just let me know!
And finally, since today is Oct. 1 I thought it’d be a good idea to reintroduce the reason for the season. And hell, feel free to help yourself to some bourbon.
Since I was born in the 70s, I grew up watching a lot of TV. Luckily this was a sort of golden age for children’s television, and I still have fond memories of parking myself on the carpet to watch Captain Kangaroo, The Electric Company and, of course, Sesame Street.
I was also scarred for life by some of the crazy shit on the airwaves at the time. Personally, I always thought the World of Make-Believe on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a little eerie, and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters? Let me put it this way: The last time I was really sick, running a high fever and sweating through sinister nightmares, it was Sigmund’s face I saw.
Yeah – that’s the one.
One show I watched consistently – even though it always made me uneasy and depressed at the same time – was New Zoo Revue. My sister loved this lurid little piece of programming. She’d even prance around the house singing the theme song until I threw something at her.
I’d sit there watching the show and wonder: Where are all the people? Why are all these animals such jerks? Why don’t their mouths match what they’re saying? Seriously, what happened to all the people?!
A lot of my New Zoo angst was directed at Henrietta Hippo, who I’m pretty sure must’ve been a prostitute in the old days back at the watering hole. Flouncing around the yard, Henrietta was girlish in a way that oozed desperation, slathered in make-up and disturbingly fleshy. I can only guess at the long-term affects this had on me.
Looking back on it now, the set-up – from the pastel sterility of the house and the artificial farminess of the yard, to the watery cave that was Freddie the Frog’s bedroom – was setting off all kinds of alarm bells. You know that feeling you get when you walk into a place and your brain instantly flashes, “Serial Killer”? Like that.
I will admit, though, that I sort of had a thing for Emmy Jo.
Beat it, Henrietta.
Ahem.
For whatever reason, I was thinking about New Zoo Revue last night, just as I was falling asleep (naturally). It occurred to me that some people might not be familiar with this slice of children’s television, so I thought I’d inflict … er, I mean, share … it with you.
A few years ago my psyche was healed a little bit by this outtake (NSFW!):
And that’s when I understood something: These people were completely wasted.
After months of consternation, hand-wringing, relentless hype and flat-out despair, the relaunch of the DC Universe begins today with the publication of Justice League #1, a single issue that will be followed by 51 more #1s throughout September.
I’ll admit to being firmly on the fence about “The New 52.” My gut reaction is to hate it, and as an overall concept I generally think it’s a mostly pointless idea being executed in a short-sighted way. Changes could have been done much less drastically (though that wouldn’t have attracted the media attention DC is no doubt clawing for), and some changes already being made put things on a good track. Chris Roberson’s work on Superman comes to mind, in particular.
On the other hand, a new direction can be a good thing, especially when it means reimagining or repurposing characters that have been withering on the multiversal vine for a while. The reboot is giving long-standing characters like Aquaman and Hawkman a shot in the arm, while also making room for largely disregarded (but fan-favorite)Â characters including O.M.A.C.; Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.; and basically every magic-user in the DCU. Personally, I’m excited as hell to see Blue Beetle and Static making a comeback.
With the New 52 being both a Good Thing and a Bad Thing, it makes sense to think some of the titles will survive, some will struggle and some will just have to be put out of everyone’s misery. I’m not usually the kind of guy to make outrageous claims, but what the hell – here are my predictions for the future of The New 52.
So my wife and I were re-watching The Hudsucker Proxy the other day when I came to a realization: If Jennifer Jason Leigh’s and John Mahoney’s characters weren’t inspired at least a little by Perry White and Lois Lane …
… I will eat my hat. And I’ll be honest – my hat is disgusting. But c’mon, Amy Archer even has the matching initials thing going on! Mahoney’s character is billed simply as “Chief.” Chief!
