Maybe a bit overcooked in places. In the latest Outfield Excursions episode*, Marshal and Rish take a look at 1976's BURNT OFFERINGS, where a family moves into an old house, one that might be haunted . . . or might actually be something worse.
The movie wasn't spectacular, kids . . . but the ending sure was. Check out our conversation HERE!
Over on the Anklecast, Big has been presenting segments of his novella "Digital Wizards," month to month. In the newest episode, Rish joins him to talk about the completed story, where the idea came from, and how you are supposed to feel about the main character.
I thought it was an interesting discussion, but of course, I have a bias. Maybe you could go over and judge for yourself, RIGHT HERE.
So, there's a new* Star Wars movie in theatres! Join me and Marshal Latham as they discuss THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU over at the Delusions of Grandeur podcast! Hear one of them complain about having to see the movie twice right HERE.
*It's a bit old now, but hey, anything Rish edits is going to be.
Rish Outfield and Marshal Latham once stood at the grave of Alex McCrindle (who played General Dodonna) and vowed to watch every single ripoff of STAR WARS that we could . . . as long as it wasn't directed by Zack Snyder and straight to Netflix. And that brought them to 1979's THE HUMANOID, the most recent movie reviewed on Outfield Excursions.
And it's a bad one. It has three James Bond alumni in it, a robot dog sidekick, a naked torture device, a creepy Asian kid with mystical powers, as well as a character with the outlandish Sci-Fi name of Barbara Gibson.
Bad, yes. But is it fun-bad or simply bad-bad? Find out for yourself HERE.
When an online investigative journalist is approached about a mysterious object being kept under wraps by the government, she is surprised to find something truly otherworldly, not to mention dangerous. For her.
*Perhaps that's why they never come to me anymore. There may be folks out there who can do a dozen voices and accents, instead of my usual three.
Hey, the Delusions of Grandeur show is back!
Rish makes Marshal watch the new promos for Disneyland, featuring fake-Han Solo and faux-Princess Leia, briefly calls Big Anklevich a baby, and tries to counter the many, many complaints about this new change. Does anybody remember the Galactic Starcruiser? Don't people have a way to tap into their inner child? Wanna hear the story again about the first Spider-man movie? And how is Anaheim, California like Berlin, Germany?
Check it out HERE!
Rish here. One of the podcast anthologies that asks me to do narrations for them--the last one being the unfortunately-located "The Cat That Went To Uranus"--is Cast of Wonders.
Recently, they had me narrate "Silver Screen Syndrome" by Mia Xuan. The father of the narrator is suffering from an uncommon mental (or physical?) disorder wherein he only comes alive and alert when cameras are on him, to increasingly diminishing results.
It's one of those Science Fiction stories that is clearly about Something Else, but cloaked in the fantastic so as to make the subject more palatable to a 1950s audience. Having to be around someone you love when their mind is deteriorating has got to be difficult, and I can imagine the writer of this story dealing with that by creating a malady that's distant from reality, yet just as baffling and/or frustrating as the real thing.
The story is extremely short, and yet it had half a dozen words in it I did not know how to pronounce, which is pretty rare nowadays. I did the best I could with it, but whether my performance is affective (or affecting) or not really depends on the listener. Find out for yourself HERE.
I really enjoy doing these episodes with Marshal, so go check this one out HERE. But first, for the love of Pete, fasten your safety belt.
*It came out in 1974.
Rish here. I often mention it when I narrate or lend my voice to a story on other podcasts, but I suppose I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Emerian Rich has recently put out a collection of stories that she performed on the HorrorAddicts podcast, many of which feature my voice as well.
Rish here. Not too long ago, Marshal and I watched I BURY THE LIVING!, a 1958 horror film about a man (Richard Boone) hired to work at a cemetery with a big map of all the burial plots who discovers that, when he puts a pin in a space, the person who owns that plot dies. Or do they?
If you're curious about the answer, and about what Stephen King wrote about the movie, check out our review on the Outfield Excusions podcast HERE.
Rish here. From A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS to UNFORGIVEN, Clint Eastwood made a lot of Westerns. This one, from 1976, lies somewhere in the middle. A war veteran seeks vengeance on the soldiers that murdered his family, but gains allies along the way. It was a movie both of us liked a lot, even though I've already forgotten why.
Let's find out together . . . right HERE.
Rish here. Hey there, sir, would you take a look at that portrait there? What shape would you say it is? Not a square or a rectangle, but definitely not a circle. Hmmm.
The other day, I sat down to record some audio (I finished another reading of a Lara & The Witch story), when I got a text from Marshal Latham, reminding me it was Poe Month on his podcast.* He was thinking of running "The Gold Bug" again (Princess Leia forbid), and I told him I could record something. While I waited for his reply, I did a search for Edgar Allan Poe stories, and found "The Oval Portrait," which I had never read. It was short, so maybe I could record and edit it in time.
A minute later, I got the message from Marshal, "How about The Oval Portrait?"
Well, it was Karma, I suppose, so I quickly performed the story, got it edited, and sent to Marshal the same day. Like I said, it's real short.
So, the newest episode of Journey Into... is up and available. Feel free to check it out HERE, and feel free-er to go HERE and support Marshal's fine podcast on Patreon. Tell 'em Large Marge sent ya.
*To all who celebrate.
Rish here. Years ago, I tried to watch Mario Bava's 1965 film PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, but only made it a few minutes in before losing consciousness. Years later, while visiting my friend in Germany, I tried it again, and maybe it was jetlag, but I fell asleep once again.
Here we are today (well, last year, actually), and I am attempting to watch it a third time, this time for Marshal Latham's "Outfield Excursions" podcast. Can I stay awake? Is the movie good? And was there any influence on Ridley Scott's ALIEN, the way the folks say? Find out HERE.
Rish here. So, another of my readings is available for you to listen to. This one is "The Cat That Went To Uranus," by Dan Peacock. It's over at the Cast of Wonders podcast now.
In editing my reading, I questioned the voice I assigned the main character (if it's set today, no way would a NASA mission have a commander with an English accent), but the story's author is OBVIOUSLY not American, by the words, spelling, and phraseology he uses, and things sounded more natural with that accent*, so that's the choice I made.
I did two other voices for the other human characters, as well as meowing for the cat, and my own made-up language for the remaining character. Feel free to check it out HERE.
*Can you imagine if the American actors in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING had retained their filthy Yank accents while delivering that odd pseudo-medieval dialogue? Can you imagine it?????
Rish here. Once again, Marshal Latham and I have reviewed an old movie, this one 1958's IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE on the Outfield Excursions show over at Journey Into...
This was not a great movie, but it did influence Ridley Scott's ALIEN (along with Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES), and tells the story of the first manned expedition to Mars, which encounters a deadly alien life form, which naturally stows away on the rescue ship.
Check out our review HERE.
Check it out HERE.
Were you one of the millions of potential viewers that skipped seeing FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS in the theater? Well, it's still playing in a handful of theaters, and if you want to hear Marshal Latham and Rish talk about how good it was*, then you might want to hear our review of it, over at his Comics Cave sub-podcast.
Feel free to check it out HERE. And, if you ever wonder why we're so behind on these kind of reviews, well, go support Marshal at his Patreon, and you can hear them a wee bit closer to release.
*Complete with spoilers, unfortunately.Rish here. So, about a year ago, I challenged Big to write a story based on the premise of "evil floormats," based on a Facebook Marketplace listing I saw for some mats that were "Gently used." You may not believe me now, but it struck me as very funny at the time.*
Rish here. After a bit of foot-dragging, I finally watched the second season of "Andor," and just like seeing CITIZEN KANE, GONE WITH THE WIND, THE RISE OF CHUN-LI, and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA for the first time, I kinda had to shrug and say, "Yeah, it was as good as everybody says."
Whoops, guess you don't have to listen to me and Marshal Latham talk about it now over at the Star Wars: Delusions of Grandeur podcast HERE. Seems like a bit of a waste spending all that time on the episode.
Seems like a long time ago, but you can check out their review HERE.
