Mannequin 2: On The Move Review

Chances are if you're a fan of goofy 80s comedies, you already own and love the 1987 movie Mannequin, starring Kim Cattral, Andrew McCarthy and James Spader. The title kinda says it all. Boy meets girl. Girl turns out to be a mannequin. Mannequin comes to life, Hollywood Montrose is awesome. Hilarity ensues. Sounds like your normal love story, give or take a few splinters, right? It was panned by critics but beloved by fans of goofy comedies everywhere.

Right. Well, in 1991, we were treated to a sequel. "Mannequin 2: On The Move". Starring William Ragsdale, Kristy Swanson and Terry Kiser and none of the stars of the original, except Meshach Taylor as fan favorite, Hollywood Montrose. Ok. I know that's prolly a red flag and the fact that more people blowtorch this critically than the first one wouldn't help either. But, that's what I'm here for. To play the good cop.

Fact is, I hadn't ever seen this movie until the other day when I received a screener. When I was a kid, they'd air advertisements and all, but I never really had much interest. As I get older, I have a certain fondness for movies of that era even if I hadn't seen them until now. And boy am I glad I saw this. Because it is quite the fun movie.

The official synopsis describes it perfectly, because even if I tried to describe it the best I could, I still wouldn't be able to make you believe it:

"A romantic confection, Mannequin Two On The Moveis a comic look at reincarnation, lost love and fabulous window displays. This sequel to the popularMannequin finds the outrageous Hollywood Montrose (Meshach Taylor, TV’s Designing Women) promoted to Prince & Company’s display department. Joining Hollywood on the job is new assistant, Jason Williamson (William Ragsdale, Fright Night) who in a past life was the prince of the Hauptmann-Koenig kingdom.

Prince & Company will display a mannequin known as the Enchanted Peasant Girl in celebration of the kingdom. And Jason has a nagging feeling that he’s seen this mannequin somewhere before. Removing a necklace from the mannequin reveals that the Enchanted Peasant Girl is in reality Jessie (Kristy Swanson, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), the love of his previous life who was put under a curse by an evil sorcerer. Their rekindled romance is not without it’s challenges when the evil sorcerer reappears in the reincarnated form of Count Gunther Spretzle (Terry Kiser, Weekend At Bernie’s) who has plans of his own for the cursed Jessie."

Yeah. You read right. The same guy who made this also gave us Mac and Me.

Ok, not perfect by any means, but still fun. There is a charm to this movie that once it starts, you eventually start rolling your eyes at it's corniness but can't stop watching. The humor is a little bit more over the top. Even the cast realizes what a silly movie they're making and have a hard time taking it seriously, which helps you kinda relax and enjoy it more. Terry Kiser as the evil sorcerer was probably the highlight for me. He played this role more in the style of a corny villain from Batman tv series. In fact, at times, I'm convinced he's auditioning for the Penguin. Then again, when you play a villain in a movie about a mannequin falling in love, it's hard to take seriously...


The soundtrack is another thing nostalgia-lovers may enjoy. Plenty of late 80s/early 90s pop music for those looking to spice up their retro pop playlist. Not to be missed is Hollywood rapping at a dinner gala about Jessie, the mannequin, falling in love and needing a kiss from her true love. Yes, I'm serious.

Want my personal favorite? May I suggest Cindy Valentine's "Pick Up The Pieces To My Heart"? Give it a listen...

Do I suggest this? Yes. But only if you like silly, stupid, mindless humor. Because this movie is full of it. If you loved the first one, you may not like this one, but then again, you owe it yourself to still own it. Because, come on, Hollywood, son.


Pick it up over at Olive Films today! And fans of the first one, don't worry, they've got you covered! November 3rd is the street date for that one too!

Garfield's Halloween Adventure Collection Coming From Fright-Rags!

I shouldn't have to tell you how much I love the Garfield's Halloween Adventure special from 1985. I put it up there with The Great Pumpkin, which is my all time favorite Halloween special of all time. It's just a lot of fun and makes me remember a fond and innocent time when life wasn't so serious. It's a perfect companion to the Great Pumpkin and it makes for perfect Halloween viewing. The songs, the scares, the laughs. Perfection!


That said, it should come of no surprise at how my eyes almost bulged out when I saw on Facebook that my buddies at Fright Rags was releasing a Garfield's Halloween Adventure 30th Anniversary collection!

Oh yes. The masters of horror shirts will be releasing 4 shirts(and a hoodie!) of our favorite fat cat and his canine companion, Odie, as they celebrate one of their favorite holidays. Check them out!

So how about that? Who doesn't want a Garfield hoodie to wear while sitting around the bonfire with friends? How about a Garfield/bat baseball shirt to wear while you're laying around the couch? This collection will be perfect for any time of the year!

So, starting September 23rd, you can pick these beauties up over at Fright-Rags. Order quick! I'm sure they won't last!

Oh one more thing, I'm going to give you a little early treat to put in your trick or treat bag! Because you support this blog and Fright-Rags, I'm going to give you a 10% off coupon! Yes, that's right! Use the code HORRORBBQ10 for your next order over at Fright-Rags. Please note, sales/discounted items will not be eligible for this coupon code.

Now go fourth, get comfy in your new Garfield gear, have some candy and enjoy the Garfield Halloween Adventure!

-Chad

Scareacon 2015 Report

I made the trip to a new convention yesterday. Well, new to me at least. "Scareacon" formerly "Scareacuse" has been running for 4 years now from Turning Stone Casino and Resort and seems to be the one and only horror convention in the Central New York area. I've always been aiming to attend, but every time I want to, something always comes up. But, thankfully this time, I was able to debut.


I made the two hour trip from Rochester to Verona on a rainy Saturday afternoon(I've always said it's a very good sign if it rains during the day of a convention). I've never been past Syracuse but I've heard it's a great area. And it proved to be even greater than I imagine. I've never been to a resort or a giant casino, so Turning Stone was downright sprawling. So much to do! Clubs, food, gambling! What's not to love! But, while all that was nice, it was the convention that brought me there. One step into the convention center and I knew it was going to be a fun day. Before even ENTERING the convention center though, I ran into friends. Phil Fasson of Death-Ensemble, Mike C of IconsOfFright and my longtime Internet friend MonsterZero. That was a great feeling.

So after picking up my press pass and waiting for my friend Sean of VHSPS, I also ran into fellow UnderScoopFire contributor Kevin "Team" Hellions. I'm a huge fan of his contributions and he's just a very nice guy to boot! We'd sit and chat about our favorite sites and podcasts and our favorite bloggers. I hope this isn't the last time we get to hang and chat! Maybe RetroCon next year?

the captain of TeamHellions

Sean finally arrived. We entered the convention center and discovered that EVERYTHING was in the same room. Now, I'm used to a hotel or a convention hall being spread out and separated. But here, the vendors room and celebrities were all integrated together. So it was not unusual to see Barry Bostwick's table next an artists table. Now normally I'd think that's a bad idea, but as a former vendor, I can tell you it brings more eyes on vendors. So while it was weird at first, I felt more comfortable with it as I stuck around.

My biggest celebrity "must meet" was John Kassir, the Crypt Keeper himself. This was huge for me. I've always been told he's one of the nicest guys ever and this cemented it. Tales From the Crypt is my all time favorite show and this has been a long time coming. I had him sign a Tales From the CryptKeeper figure and we discussed him taking over the role of Buster Bunny from original voice actor and his friend Charlie Adler. We then took a photo op I've been planning for a while now...

Next up was Lloyd Kaufman. The first time I met him, he forgot to finish signing my vhs copy of Toxic Avenger 1. When I showed him, he laughed and said "yeah, sounds right to me!".  I've never had a bad experience meeting Lloyd and always walk away laughing. If you've never met him, do so! He never charges for photos or autographs!

I look so weird in that photo. Like more than usual.

So, not too many other celebs caught my eye other than Adrienne Barbeau, who looks absolutely fantastic, but I just didn't have the money to pay for a auto/photo combo. But it looked like she was all smiles which was great to see!

Barry Bostwick toward the end of a very entertaining Q&A session.

Panels were being held in the same area. The only thing that separated the panel stage and the vendor/celeb area was an ongoing cloth wall with speakers blaring throughout the convention hall. Again, as annoying as that CAN be, it was a pretty cool idea. It also gave fans a chance who would've normally scoffed at the idea at being at a panel a second chance to check it out. You can include me in one of them. When Sean suggested we check out the Barry Bostwick Q&A, I hesitated but Barry seemed to be enjoying himself and laughing with the fans, which was great to see. 

Other than a vhs of a tv movie called "Tails You Live, Heads Your Dead" starring Corbing Bernsen and Ted McGinley(I showed this to Joe Bob Briggs and he seemed to respond with a disgusted look. Even the host of Monster Vision has his limits) and a few pinback buttons, I didn't do much shopping. But here's I left with...

Now, the show closed at 7. With the abundance of food offerings in the resort, it was a no brainer I'd want to hit the buffet. And I'm glad I did. Because look at this beast...

After walking around for a few hours, an early Thanksgiving dinner is exactly what I needed. Sean and I sat and chatted for a few hours about life, movies and other things that we don't normally get to talk about. Which reminded me of why I love these shows so much. The food was great and the companionship was even greater.

After walking the grounds and doing a little gambling, Sean and I bid adieu until our next adventure. Which, after this, it's gonna be hard to top. 

Overall Convention Thoughts: This is a great show for those wanting to experience a horror convention for the first time ever. The prices were good for celebrities, the vendors selection were a good mixture, the panels seemed to be enjoyable, and everyone was having a lot of fun. It's a family friendly show, so don't be afraid to bring the kids!

.I really think this show will continue to grow and hopefully become a bigger show than it is now. I'd love to see this talked about in the same breath as Chiller Theatre, Rock and Shock and Horrorhound as one of the best shows out there. With the casino and resort as the location for the show, I imagine a lot of people getting a lot for their money. Whether it's just one day, or a weekend getaway, fans and families will have a great experience.

Thanks to Scareacon for the great show and enjoyable time! Hopefully, I'll see you next year!

-Chad

Celebrating The Target Halloween Shop!

Oh it's that time again. It's been a long and much anticipated wait, but guess what? We're almost in Fall. Time to ditch those shorts and buy some jeans(or some sweat pants) and grab your hoodie. And where there's Fall, there's Halloween. And where there's Halloween, there's...THE TARGET HALLOWEEN SHOP.

Thar she is. I tried my best to get a good, clear panoramic photo but using an iPhone 4s to take photos is downright dreadful. But, be that as it may, the familiar feel is there. The goofy yet trendy looking spider is ready to greet you with the biggest smile and a tip of the hat! The candy, the decorations, the exclusive designs. It's all so comforting.

A quick story: Last year before Halloween, I had severe back issues to the point that I was pretty much paralyzed and couldn't leave my bed for a good two weeks, so I was pretty SOL as far as Halloween festivities go. On October 29th, I had back surgery and out of everything I wanted to do that whole season, Target Halloween was the one thing I knew would bring me the biggest joy. So even though it was clearance time, seeing all these items still made me smile and gave me some comfort(despite being sore as heck). Knowing I could zoom around this section at least once  after my surgery made all the pain worth it.

And that's the point of holidays, isn't it? Comfort. Thinking about holidays of the past and possibilities of the fun in the future  is what makes these holidays so much fun and something to look forward to. While I love other Halloween traditions, this is one I always look forward to. Heck,t he other day, I even skipped a little on my way in(which my girlfriend will sadly vouch for). It's something like a kickoff for the season. And not a bad way to kick it off either. Take a look at some of the shots I took of this years offerings. Note that it's not entirely completed, there's still some clearing out of the back to school stuff.

Some familiar sights. The spider, the baking supplies, the movies the Frankenstein lollipop containers,  but some new stuff as well. I'm downright loving the Day of the Dead theme. Offers some nice, new items that have already made their way into my pantry! It's a nice sight to see and a great way to get hyped for the season! Target ALWAYS puts their best effort out for all the holidays, but to me, Halloween is where they shine the brightest. Being an adult can suck at times but stuff like this, makes us feel that childlike happiness that we've been told to hide once we became adults. But like I said, I had no problem getting a little a spring in my step entering Target the day after Labor Day, knowing what was awaiting me.

So with that said, let the madness begin!

-Chad

Darrel Guilbeau Exclusive Interview

Darrel Guilbeau is a name familiar to anime fans across the globe, but to horror movie fans, he's known as young Ricky Caldwell in Silent Night Deadly Night 2. Yes, before he he became a popular anime voice actor, he was one of the three actors to play Ricky in the movie. So, of course, being the huge fan of the cult classic, I had to find him and chat with him about it as well as his career in voice acting. A few notes before you listen:

• Quality: Um. Yeah. This was the first phone interview I recorded, so I didn't exactly get the right app to record it. So, you may need to turn your volume up.
• Questions: I asked Darrel a lot. Personal life, anime, his Saved By The Bell appearance. So, there will be some jumps from time to time, but I tried to stick with a list of questions in order. 
• Christmas?: Yeah, I lost the audio for a while and couldn't find it. So, if we discuss Christmas, then it's because I recorded this in early December of last year.        
• Editing: Dammit Jim, I'm a blogger not an editor. I honestly have no clue how to edit audio, so there's a lot at the beginning and end you may not care about.                                                          

I really want to thank Darrel for giving me 35 minutes of his time for this interview. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about a really nice and talented guy and my hope is that so will you!

-Chad