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Movie Review: Signale – Ein Weltraumabenteuer (Signals: A Space Adventure)(1970; dir. Gottfried Kolditz)

About Signale – Ein Weltraumabenteuer (1970): In the middle of the 21th century, a spaceship loses its bearings, and the commander of another space crew, seemingly on a routine check flight, decides to investigate. The first and most ambitious of two epic space operas that prolific East German genre director Gottfried Kolditz (1922-1982) made for the state-run DEFA film studios, SIGNALS was DEFA’s cheeky attempt to outdo Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY behind the Iron Curtain. The film used many of the same tricks: expansive, visually stunning shots of the cosmos … gorgeous Futurist space-design with ergonomic chairs, IBM lookalike computers, Mod mini-dresses and “STAR TREK” space uniforms … even a copycat free-floating in tunnel sequence with a wild electronic Perry-Kingsley type score. Featuring breathtaking 70mm cinematography, recently restored in 6K from the original camera negative by the University of Massachusetts Amherst / DEFA Film Library for its first-ever world Blu-ray release by Deaf Crocodile. The Blu-ray is available via Deaf Crocodile along with Koldtiz’s Im Straub der Sterne (In the Dust of the Stars). Note: The film was adapted from Carlos Radsch’s Asteroidenjäger (1961)!

At the Movies #77: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFAtTheMovies77GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters/SandF–At_the_Movies_77–Godzilla_King_of_the_Monsters.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSNuclear families (hyuck, hyuck), boat-cars, and Transformers, oh my! In today’s episode, Shaun Duke, Paul Weimer, Alex Acks, and Jen Zink tackle the giant roaring beast(s) that is Godzilla: King of the Monsters! There are definitely opinions in this episode, y’all. LOTS OF OPINIONS! We basically took the Kaiju plot of King of the Monsters and turned it into a podcast. In today’s episode, Shaun is the evil Ghidorah and Jen is the good and kind Godzilla. Yep. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Listen as the team discusses their disappointments, why the movie is a bit of a mixed bag, what really pissed us all off, how white liberalism makes an appearance, how the scale of the monsters didn’t always work, MOTHRA, and more! Lots and lots more because this is a team with OPINIONS! Footnote: David Annandale was missed terribly. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 5. Into the Wardrobe with Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971; dir. Robert Stevenson): The Age of Not Believing and the Problem of Empire

https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEp5IntoTheWardrobeBedknobsAndBroomsticks/SandF–Ep5–Into_the_Wardrobe–Bedknobs_and_Broomsticks.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIn this episode of Into the Wardrobe, Shaun and Jen talk about the utterly delightful, but definitely problematic, 1971 Disney production, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, directed by Robert Stevenson and featuring a heavy production overlap with Mary Poppins. The duo discuss everything from why they loved this film, the amount of nuance that they didn’t pick up on as children, the heavy influence of British Empire and Nationalism, the wonderful relationships and character arcs, and honestly a lot more that you’ll just have to discover yourself by listening to the episode! Enjoy!

Indy Genre: Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

Nazi zombies. If those two words don’t make you perk up your ears like a great dane that just heard the treat bag rattle, then this movie is not going to be for you. But if you feel as if your life could be immeasurably improved by the application of the aforementioned Nazi zombies plus copious amounts of gore and a not inconsiderable amount of vomit? Welcome home, my friends. (Warning, this review will contain spoilers for the original Dead Snow.)