Would you like a £50 Amazon voucher? (or a $79 US voucher or $76 Aus voucher – not that Australia has amazon – but $76 will pay for a lot of postage).

What, you would? well alrighty then – here’s how you could get one.

The nice people over at ETS, a company that perform employee surveys for companies, have given us a £50 amazon voucher to give away to one of the listeners to the midmoclub.

Oh yes, none of our cheap badges this time people, this time we’re giving away cold hard cash.

All you need ...]]> Hey you. Yes you.

Would you like a £50 Amazon voucher? (or a $79 US voucher or $76 Aus voucher – not that Australia has amazon – but $76 will pay for a lot of postage).

What, you would? well alrighty then – here’s how you could get one.

The nice people over at ETS, a company that perform employee surveys for companies, have given us a £50 amazon voucher to give away to one of the listeners to the midmoclub.

Oh yes, none of our cheap badges this time people, this time we’re giving away cold hard cash.

All you need to do to get your hands on the filthy lucre is to leave a comment on this post naming a movie with an emotion in the title. For example Happy Feet, Happy Gilmore, 12 Angry Men etc (no, you can’t have any of those ones now you cheating ragbag).

If there is more than one entry (and i hope there will be otherwise this contest is going to be really embarrassing for us) then all the entrants names will be put into a hat and a winner will be chosen at random.

I was going to wait until our iTunes problem is fixed to run the contest so we could lure in some new listeners, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon. Damn you iTunes! DAMN YOU!

One entry per person please. The contest is international so you can enter wherever you live in the world. The closing date is the 1st of May 2012

May the odds be in your favour.

William Shatner wearing a Ghostbusters proton pack. Does it get any more Lee Sargent than that?

A while ago I subjected myself to watching Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance 3D, purely for the schadenfreude-like pleasure of knowing Ian wasn’t able to as it wasn’t released in Australia yet.

Well, now Ian has seen the movie and has demanded very ...]]> Listeners to the podcast will know that I have a long held belief that Ghost Rider is the worst movie in the history of all time. They may also know that I have a long running battle regarding this point with long term listener Ian Marshman (or Ian “poo head” Bogman as I secretly call him).

Well, now Ian has seen the movie and has demanded very kindly agreed to write a response to my original post. So without further ado, take it away Ian!

———————

I am a huge fan of the Ghost Rider comics from Marvel Entertainment, and have been ever since I picked up my first issue in 1992. Sure, it’s not for everyone and I respect that, but this character speaks to me in a way that no other’s do, and even though Marvel have treated him really badly from time to time, I still buy and read everything that becomes available because there is always at least one element of each issue that I like.

As Dan has told you all, I like the 1st Ghost Rider film. I’ve copped a lot of flack over that, especially from Dan, but that’s OK because everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter how deranged. In Dan’s case, I put it down to the cold English weather freezing the part of his brain that controls good judgement. I mean, he looked into buying solar panels for goodness sake. In England. Where the sun comes out, what, 4 weeks a year?

When I heard another Ghost Rider film was being made, and especially when I saw the trailers, I became hopeful that it would really kick ass. And when Dan started bagging it, I was determined to see it, know he was absolutely wrong, and then write a post of my own that would make his beg for my mercy.

So sure was I that I was going to love it, I made the following choices:

1. I saw it on my Birthday
2. I went to a cinema that charged $21
3. I paid another $10 for movie food
4. I convinced a long-time friend of mine to pay $21 to see it with me. My wife refused to go.

So we went and watched the film, and when it was over, I apologised to my friend and gave him back his $21.

This film is a disgrace! I was dumbstruck in how terrible it was and also ashamed at how much that misleading trailer sucked me in. The storyline made no sense at all, the performances from all the actors was a dog’s breakfast (especially you Mr. Cage) and the on-screen portrayal of the Ghost Rider was infuriating. I was convinced that Dan was delusional based on his incorrect opinions of the first film, but now I have to sit down and eat 2 humble pies.

You were right Dan. I’m sorry I doubted you.

Needless to say, I am now treating this film the same way I treat the sequels to The Matrix: “There is no movie”.

Due to this past life I get quite a few emails from PR companies trying to pimp their stuff. There was a time when I refused all of these, wishing to maintain the purity of my blog.

However, that turned out to be a battle I ...]]> As many of you are aware, in past life I used to be a parent blogger. In fact at one point I held the dubious honour of being classified as the UK’s number 1 parent blogger according to the Tots 100 list. Oh yes, I used to be a contender people.

Due to this past life I get quite a few emails from PR companies trying to pimp their stuff. There was a time when I refused all of these, wishing to maintain the purity of my blog.

However, that turned out to be a battle I couldn’t win. These days my daddy blog’s integrity has gone out of the window and I’ve become more mercenary than Deadpool.

There is a point to this I promise.

Earlier this week I got an email from a PR person offering me a review copy of Alvin and the Chipmonks 3: Chipwrecked to take a look at. They even sent me the “hook” of a report of some event on Blackpool beach in order to sweeten the deal. See:

Ahem.

The interesting thing is that at no point was I even remotely tempted to accept the free DVD.

And that’s not because of some kind of high minded “I’m not having that rubbish in my house” type sentiment.

Yes, the film is probably utter pants, and I’d never choose to watch it independently. But my kids loved the first two movies (Alvin and the Chipmonks and it’s “squeakquel”) and would no doubt enjoy the third one too.

No, the reason I didn’t want it is because quite honestly I don’t really want to own any DVDs.

There was a time that I was an avid movie collector. I used to take pride in my shelving units full of videos, books, and graphic novels, and to some extent defined myself by them. I fell into that “I am what I own” mentality that plagues so many of us pop culture geeks fall into.

But slowly over the years I’ve gradually sold/lost/given away most of my stuff. As it stands we currently have about two meters worth of DVDs/Blurays (both kid’s stuff and grown up’s), another half a meter or so of Xbox and Wii games, and a couple of shelves worth of books – which are mostly reference or non fiction (plus a ton of kids books upstairs admittedly).

For a while I felt guilty about this. I bought into the fallacy that the amount of books you owned somehow reflected your intelligence. That you could not be considered a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan unless you had all the boxed sets. That there was some virtue in owning DVD’s of classic movies that you had already seen and were unlikely to ever take the shrink wrap off.

I believed that buying crap actually satisfied some unseen need in me.

But you know what – that’s bullshit.

The thing is, we are living in a time where you don’t actually need to buy your media any more. Even if you rule out illegal methods of obtaining music, TV shows, an movies (which I presently do incidentally), there is still enough streaming stuff on Netflix, Lovefilm, Spotify, iPlayer, and the like to keep a geek like happy for years. Sure, there are some things that aren’t available – but that’s what my Lovefilm postal account is for.

Netflix costs me about £6 a month, Lovefiilm another £5 and Spotify £5. That’s about the price of a new movie release on DVD. Considering how much our family use them, that’s incredibly good value. Despite these services’ limitations I now have access to far more stuff than I could have ever afforded in a million years previously.

I know many people say they like to “own the box”. And I understand that, I really do. But, speaking for myself, that need to own the object was generated from an insecure desire to define myself by external things rather than any actual intrinsic value of the DVD box sitting on my shelf.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have those insecure desires to define myself. There isn’t a person alive on the earth that doesn’t. But as I’ve gotten older my sense of self has become more complex and diverse. Also, perhaps more interestingly, the online world has allowed me to pin my flag to various masts virtually instead of physically (i.e. gomiso.com and the midmoclub podcast).

Is this a good thing? I think so. Although some would argue that the sense of self I’ve developed using my internet persona is just as shallow as one developed by the act of owning my old Star Wars VHS videos..

But good thing or not, I’m pretty sure that there are a hell of a lot of people who are undergoing the same metamorphosis as myself. And it’s certainly something that the entertainment industry is going to have to adapt to as the sales of physical media continues to dry up. The times they are a’changing.

So what do you think? Are you moving away from needing to own stuff, or will the claw your Dr Who Special edition DVD boxed sets from your cold dead hands? Let us know in the comments.

Bravo Mr Alan Salkilld, bravo.

Lee said I’m only allowed to post one picture of my new baby on the blog, and after much thought and deliberation I’ve decided that I’m just too childish to let this pun go unused.

I’m very much looking forward to watching the real The Legend of Korra, and based on the trailers I’ve seen I have high hopes for it becoming my favorite new TV show.

If there is anyone reading this who hasn’t seen it’s predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon, not the film) then I suggest you stop what you’re doing and go and seek it ...]]>

Lee said I’m only allowed to post one picture of my new baby on the blog, and after much thought and deliberation I’ve decided that I’m just too childish to let this pun go unused.

I’m very much looking forward to watching the real The Legend of Korra, and based on the trailers I’ve seen I have high hopes for it becoming my favorite new TV show.

If there is anyone reading this who hasn’t seen it’s predecessor, Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon, not the film) then I suggest you stop what you’re doing and go and seek it out this very instant. You’ll not regret it.

Unfortunately the UK version of Netflix is nowhere near as good as the the US version. It costs the same amount (if not a little more – £5.99 a month) but has far fewer movies and TV shows available to watch. To be frank it’s not really worth the cash (much like ...]]> Recently the US company Netflix expanded it’s video on demand service into the the United Kingdom. This was great news and is providing much needed competition to the Amazon owned DVD and streaming company Lovefilm (who happen to be one of our sponsors – Hi Lovefilm!).

Unfortunately the UK version of Netflix is nowhere near as good as the the US version. It costs the same amount (if not a little more – £5.99 a month) but has far fewer movies and TV shows available to watch. To be frank it’s not really worth the cash (much like Lovefilm’s streaming service – sorry Lovefilm).

HOWEVER

Netflix is a little quirky in that it’s membership operates on a global rather than national scale. And so loopholes exist.

Basically Netflix detects where you are geographically and allows you access to that particular area’s version of the Netflix service.

So if I took my iPad on holiday with me to America I would be able to access the US version of the Netflix service using my normal login and password, even though I joined the service in the UK and pay my Netflix subscription in UK pounds rather than US dollars.

This means that if you found a way to make Netflix think you are using their service in America (even though you were still at home in rainy England, Scotland, Wales, or wherever) then you will be able to access the US version of the service instead of the substandard UK version.

So how can you do this?

Well, the method I’ve come accross is by using a service called Unblock-US. This somehow tricks Netflix into thinking that your computer (or iPad, xBox, PS3, or whatever) is actually in America rather than your grotty spare room in Woverhampton.

The setup is relatively straight forward – you can either change a few settings on your PC/Mac (and so can consume Netflix just from your computer), or you can change some settings on your internet router (so anything connected to the net can use it – like a Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, iPad, iPhone, or one of those internet connected fridges that you bought at the 2004 ideal home exhibition).

Unblock-US is not free – it costs $4.99 a month. And you also still have to pay your Netflix subscription fee on top of that. And if you want to watch Netflix on your Xbox you have to be a member of Xbox Live too (so it all adds up)

I have no idea is this is legal. I suspect that, like region free DVD players, it’s currently a rather grey area – but I’m not basing that on anything other than a hunch.

I’m certainly not advocating you doing it. It’s almost certainly against the terms and conditions of Netflix, so I’m guessing there is a risk of having your membership terminated if you are caught.

But saying that, if you do chose to use Unblock-us.com I’d argue that you are definitely being more ethically sound than downloading stuff from torrent sites like pirate bay. After all, You aren’t stealing anything. You are paying for the content you are consuming, and you’re paying at a rate that’s both been agreed by the copyright holders and that will result in money finding its way into their hands.

In my mind it’s a bit like sneaking into a better seat in the theatre because you’ve noticed it’s empty. Sure, strictly speaking you may not be allowed to sit there; but you paid your price of admission dammit and it’s not going to make a difference to the rest of the audience.

How about you? Do you feel that using sites like Unblock-us are morally wrong? Let us know in the comments.

(I should point out that there are no affiliate links in this post, nor has anyone sponsored it. Which is a shame as I quite fancy buying a Calvin and Hobbs anthology but can’t justify spending money i’ve actually earned)

- 10: Space Cowboy from Battle Beyond the Stars. - 09: Captain Lone Starr from Spaceballs. - 08: Joseph Korso from Titan A.E. - 07: Flynn Rider from Tangled. - 06: Slippery Jim DiGriz from Stainless Steel Rat

Now that I look back on it, there are a few ones there that are a tad tenuous. Still, that’s all in the past now – this post is where ...]]> This is part two of my top ten list of Han Solo rip offs. You can find more details about my first five choices here, but here’s a quick recap for those who weren’t paying attention:

- 10: Space Cowboy from Battle Beyond the Stars.
- 09: Captain Lone Starr from Spaceballs.
- 08: Joseph Korso from Titan A.E.
- 07: Flynn Rider from Tangled.
- 06: Slippery Jim DiGriz from Stainless Steel Rat

Now that I look back on it, there are a few ones there that are a tad tenuous. Still, that’s all in the past now – this post is where all the real gold really lies. Honestly.

So without any further ado, here’s the next five scruffy looking nerf herders:

5. Madmartigan: Willow

“Ooh, I’m really scared. No! Don’t! There’s a- a peck here with an acorn pointed at me!”

Typical George Lucas, ripping off his own ideas from earlier successes. This time he’s even stealing the whole plot of the film! Talk about creatively stunted.

I never realised it back in my youth, but when you start thinking about it the entire of Willow is a glaringly obvious Star Wars rip off right from the get go.

Not that I’m complaining mind you, Willow is a great movie and Val Kilmer is an excellent Han Solo clone.

I’m reluctant to go into much detail about Madmartigan as Lee hasn’t seen this film yet and we’re going to be discussing it in the near future on the podcast (and you know how Lee feels about spoilers). Suffice to say the moment when Madmartigan gets frozen in carbonate and the princess calls his spaceship a hunk of junk is an absolute classic.

4. Lando Calrissian: Empire Strikes Back

“This deal is getting worse all the time!”

Typical George Lucas, ripping off his own ideas from earlier successes. This time he’s even bloody ripping it off within the same film! Talk about incestuous.

Lando is cool though. Not as cool as Han, but then again few are. He’s certainly cooler than Luke (stupid farmboys).

He even looks good behind the wheel of the Millennium Falcon although I never thought much of his jowly looking Chewbacca replacement. I just get the feeling he’d get slobber all over the dashboard.

But most impressive of all is that Lando manages to successfully pull of wearing a cape. That’s no easy feat let me tell you. Just try wearing one to the pub on a Friday night and see what happens. Sure, Han’s waistcoat is a pretty gutsy fashion move in some circles; but a waistcoat can’t be slung over a lamp post and used to strangle you.

3. Indiana Jones: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.”

Typical George Lucas, ripping off his own ideas from earlier successes. This time he’s even bloody using the same actor! Talk about blatant!

While Indy is arguably a more nuanced character than Han, there’s no mistaking that same sardonic moral greyness at his core – particularly in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. At that point Dr Jones was very much the cash focused mercenary that Han was at the beginning of Star Wars. Then, like Solo, over the course of the trilogy Indy becomes an increasingly moral being as a result of his experiences.

To be honest I’d be hard pressed to say who I prefer – Indiana Jones or Han Solo. Han has the advantage of not being soiled by one of Lucas’ patented crappy modern follow ups (thank goodness Han Solo never appeared in any of the Star wars prequels). However, as I say, I feel that Indy is a more developed character somehow. A tricky one.

2. Captain James T Kirk: Star Trek

“Oh relax, cupcake, it was a joke.”

Look, I’ll be honest with you – I’ve actually forgotten who was originally going to be my number two on this list. I wrote it all down alongside the first part of this post, but I can’t find the damn file. I’ve a vague feeling it was someone animated but I can’t be sure.

However, as I was searching google trying to prompt my idiot brain into remembering, Chris Pine’s James T Kirk’s name kept popping up . Apparently Pine drew inspiration from Han Solo when he was preparing to play Kirk.

And now that I know that I think I can actually see it. Kirk has that same grumpy “oh crap, what do I have to deal with now” humour to him and the same roguish wit.

I’m now a little nervous as I’m unsure if Lee will be stroking his chin and nodding sagely at that opinion, or if he’ll be flinging his computer monitor at the wall in a fit of rage.

I think I’ll move on to my number one.

1. Malcolm Reynolds: Firefly

Come a day there won’t be room for naughty men like us to slip about at all. This job goes south, there well may not be another. So here is us, on the raggedy edge. Don’t push me, and I won’t push you.

Of course Malcolm Reynolds had to be the top of this list. In fact there really was no other option. Mal’s a rogue, a smuggler, and outlaw, and a rebel against a controlling state. A reluctant hero who man who loves his ship almost as much as life itself.

I’ve said it before elsewhere, but Mal Reynolds is the only person who’s ever out Han Solo’ed Han Solo. He is just bloody awesome.

Mal’s defining moment in my view was during the movie Serenity when he first meets The Operative He checks he’s unarmed, then promptly attempts to shoot him (Mal shoots first,obviously). I tried to find it on youtube but couldn’t so this compilation wil have to do:

For a long time I mourned the loss of Firefly and hoped one day it’d return. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best left as it is. You just know that if it came back it would have far too much expectation heaped on it which it would never be able to meet. Then the show would be soured for everyone.

Let’s just keep our memories of it as they are now – shiny.

———————————

So that’s my list of top ten Han Solo rip offs. Do you agree, disagree, have alternative suggestions? Let me know in the comments.

Also, a midmoclub badge and sticker will go to the first person who is able to prompt me to remember who the one I’ve forgotten is. That’s going to bloody keep me awake tonight.

This is me performing what Mr Myagi himself describes as “the most difficult move in karate”. Yes, I’m that much of a badass people. There is no defence against the Crane Stance. None.

Anyone who sends in their own photo of themselves performing the Crane Stance wins their very own midmoclub badge drawn by Mr Lee Sargent and crafted (possibly) by the woman from Bis who sung the theme tune to the Powder Puff Girls. It doesn’t get much more exciting than that.

But wait! IT DOES GET MORE EXCITING THAN THAT!!

Because as well as the badge ...]]>

This is me performing what Mr Myagi himself describes as “the most difficult move in karate”. Yes, I’m that much of a badass people. There is no defence against the Crane Stance. None.

Anyone who sends in their own photo of themselves performing the Crane Stance wins their very own midmoclub badge drawn by Mr Lee Sargent and crafted (possibly) by the woman from Bis who sung the theme tune to the Powder Puff Girls. It doesn’t get much more exciting than that.

But wait! IT DOES GET MORE EXCITING THAN THAT!!

Because as well as the badge you will also win a Midmoclub sticker!!! Blimey Charlie!!! There are almost not enough exclamation marks in the entire world to express how exciting that is!!!!!!! !!!! !!

!!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get a photo taken and then post them over on the midmoclub facebook page for us all to admire. If you are not a member of the Facebook page then WHY NOT?? Get with the program Daddy-O.

Not that that’s a problem really. If you’re going to rip off a film you might as well make it a good one. And anyway, its not like there was much original about Star Wars in the first place.

One of the most successful, and therefore most frequently stolen, aspect of Star Wars is the character of Han Solo.

Once you start thinking about it you’ll find that Han starts turning ...]]> It struck me the other day how many of the movies we’ve been watching on the midmoclub recently have contained poorly disguised Star Wars rip offs.

Not that that’s a problem really. If you’re going to rip off a film you might as well make it a good one. And anyway, its not like there was much original about Star Wars in the first place.

One of the most successful, and therefore most frequently stolen, aspect of Star Wars is the character of Han Solo.

Once you start thinking about it you’ll find that Han starts turning up in all sorts of places. That scruffy looking nerf herder gets everywhere. Being the type of person who enjoys doing such things I thought I’d write a top ten list about it. Because that’s just the way I roll baby.

Here we go:

10. Space Cowboy: Battle Beyond the Stars

“Howdy, Gelt. I’m from Earth. Know where that is?”

A kind of cross between Han Solo and Rubber Duck from Convoy, George Peppard’s portrayal of Space Cowboy in the 1980 movie Battle Beyond the Stars was one of the more enjoyable features of that train wreck of a film.

Despite the fact that Lee and I only recorded a podcast on the movie last month I can’t actually remember that much about Battle Beyond the Stars. This is not necessarily a bad thing however. No doubt my brain’s healing mechanism is trying to cope with the trauma.

I do remember Peppard’s cowboy hat, boots, and cool trucker space ship interior however. Yea-haa!

9. Captain Lone Starr: Spaceballs

“Well, what have we got here? Will you look at her? Those flashing eyes, those flushed cheeks, those trembling lips. You know something Princess? You are *ugly* when you’re angry.”

I strongly suspect that Mel Brooks’ Star Wars spoof Spaceballs is one of those films that’s a hell of a lot better when you see it when you’re fourteen than when you do and you’re thirty six. I know Lee ran a feature for a while over on his blog when he attempted to make his way through the Spaceballs spin-off animated series. Rather predictably it all ended in bitter tears of remorse and regret.

Captain Lone Starr was Brooks’ comedy version of Han Solo and was played by the interminably smug Bill Pullman. Interestingly enough there was no real form of Luke Skywalker type character in the movie, which goes a long way to comment on the successfulness of Luke as the primary hero. Stupid farm boys.

8. Joseph Korso: Titan A.E.

“You’re not gonna shoot me, kid”

This is the second entry in quick succession for Bill Pullman. However this time he’s in animated form so you don’t have to look at his self satisfied puffy little face (I’m not overly keen on Pullman,can you tell?).

Despite what Lee may think, Titan A.E. is actually a rather good film, and to his credit Pullman pulls off a pretty decent Han Solo impression here. Ably helped by a writing team that included Joss Whedon of course.

The character of Joe Korso replicates that delicious moral greyness that Han Solo had, yet with the satisfaction of the right choices being made in the end. Great stuff.

7. Flynn Rider: Tangled

“I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say… Hi. How ya doin’?”

A dubious one really as Tangled‘s Flynn Rider doesn’t really have the right level of cynical world weariness that marks out a truly great Han Solo clone.

However in other ways he fits the mold perfectly – He’s a swashbuckling charismatic rogue and thief who begins the movie in-it-for-the-money, but who’s morals get the better of him by the end.

He even has a hairy sidekick (granted it’s a horse rather than a rookie, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Plus he falls in love with a princess, that’s got to count for something.

6. Slippery Jim DiGriz: Stainless Steel Rat

“You’re a criminal,” I muttered through clenched teeth, and spat on a NO SPITTING sign.

Hey, look at me! I’m getting all literary! Slippery Jim DiGriz is the main character in the Stainless Steel Rat books by acclaimed science fiction writer Harry Harrison. As well as winning a number of industry awards and accolades, the Stainless Steel Rat series wins the Dan Hughes award for funniest SF/Fantasy books of all time.

Admittedly Slippery Jim is more of a con man than a smuggler,and far more competent than Han will ever be. and his first appearance was in the 1960s which sort of quashes any claims that Harrison was stealing from Lucas.

Nevertheless, like Solo, Slippery Jim DiGriz is a reluctant hero co-opted into doing good by forces outside his control. But as much as he superficially rails against it he secretly knows he’s a better fit on the side of good rather than evil.

——————-

And that’s it for today. Come back soon for part two of my list of top ten Han Solo rip offs. Same bat-time, same bat channel (well, maybe not same bat-time).

Any guesses as to who’ll make the top five? Disagree with any I’ve listed so far? Let me know in the comments.

[Edit - you can now see the top five on the second post in this series here]

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a little jealous of him. How come HE gets to have a Magnum PI hat and I don’t? Why can’t I have a Star Trek tricorder too? And why is it he gets to play Indiana Jones whenever he wants?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI3YYVdBfwA

Well I’ll ...]]> As those who listen to the Midnight Movie Club podcast will already know, my co-host Lee has a large collection of movie prop replicas. Over the couple of years we’ve been recording together he’s thrilled me with tails of his Thor hammer, Captain America shield, and Ghostbusters PKE meter among others.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a little jealous of him. How come HE gets to have a Magnum PI hat and I don’t? Why can’t I have a Star Trek tricorder too? And why is it he gets to play Indiana Jones whenever he wants?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI3YYVdBfwA

Well I’ll tell why he’s got all those wonderful toys. Its because he doesn’t have any children to support, that’s why. I can just see him now, rolling around on his piles of cash like Scrooge McDuck while I’m sat here sipping weak cabbage broth huddling round a candle to try and keep warm. Bah.

Still, I’d not be without my children for the world. All it means is that I have to be a little more creative when it comes to my pop culture prop replicas.

Ever since watching Krull for the podcast I’ve been hankering to own a replica of the movie’s signature weapon – the glaive:

Unfortunately when I rang Toys-R-Us to ask if they had one in stock they said no. What’s more they even refused to order one in for me! No doubt the staff were keeping them all for themselves. I did have a quick look on ebay, but the only ones there were custom hand made affairs which were well out of my price range (although not Lee “Money Bags” Sargent’s I suspect).

But I wasn’t going to let a few knock-backs get in my way. I’m made of sterner stuff. I decided to make my own glaive. And, even if I do say so myself, I’m pretty damn pleased with what I came up with.

I thought that other people might want build their own glaive too so I’m helpfully including instructions.

First assemble the raw materials:

• a frisbee (here I’m using a Cars one Evan got at a birthday party, but any Disney/Pixar one will do)
• some duct tape
• assorted knives

Now carefully tape the knives onto the frisbee, ensuring the pointed ends face outwards like so:

And that’s all there is to it! Amazingly easy considering the high quality of the end product!

And the kids love it too! Both of mine are out in the garden throwing it to each other as I type. I can hear their screams of excitement all the way from the house!

I do appreciate that some people haven’t the time or the skills required to make something like this – so I am willing to undertake commission pieces for a reasonable fee. Use the contact form above to ask for a quote and shipping prices.

Such moments of good fortune are not to be taken lightly. I needed to make sure that the ticket was used to its absolute maximum capacity. I didn’t want to waste it on some crappy badly made movie that’d leave me with a hollow feeling of regret and dissatisfaction.

So I went to see Ghost Rider 3D: Spirit of Vengeance

This may surprise you. Its no secret to anyone who listens to the podcast that I am not a big fan of the first Ghost Rider movie. ...]]> Yesterday I was given a voucher for a free cinema ticket.

Such moments of good fortune are not to be taken lightly. I needed to make sure that the ticket was used to its absolute maximum capacity. I didn’t want to waste it on some crappy badly made movie that’d leave me with a hollow feeling of regret and dissatisfaction.

So I went to see Ghost Rider 3D: Spirit of Vengeance

This may surprise you. Its no secret to anyone who listens to the podcast that I am not a big fan of the first Ghost Rider movie. In fact I’ve repeatedly gone on record as saying that it is the worst movie in the history of the world (actually that’s not true – that particular honour goes to Cutthroat Island).

However by using my free ticket on Ghost Rider 3D I was getting far more than entrance to some stupid movie. Oh yes. I was getting to torment Ian Marshman. And that my friends is something more valuable than any price you’d care to place on it.

For those who don’t know, Ian is a regular listener to the midmoclub podcast. In fact he’s one of our A+ elite level listeners (yup, we rank and grade our listeners). Both Lee and I really appreciate the support, enthusiasm, and encouragement that we’ve received from him over the past few years and the midmoclub is a more vibrant place for his involvement.

Of course that doesn’t stop us taking every single opportunity to burn the little bugger.

And fortunately its petty easy to burn Ian. It seems that when he was a little kid one of the corks hanging down from the brim of his hat must have got jammed really hard in his ear. In all my 10 years of psychiatric nursing I’ve never seen a case of cork related organic brain disfunction quite so tragic. It appears that this childhood accident has left Ian without the ability to differentiate good movies from atrocious ones.

The strange thing is that it only effects his taste in movies. His ability to identify quality in other forms of media, such as podcasts, but he is just simply unable to tell if a movie is worth watch or a huge pile of steaming horse dung.

Sad. Very, very sad.

Ian likes the first Ghost Rider movie. In fact he likes it so much that he’s even changed his Facebook homepage image to an advert for Ghost Rider 3D. He has even said that the new Ghost Rider movie is his most anticipated film of the year.

Madness.

But unfortunately for Ian Ghostrider 3D isn’t actually out yet in Australia. However Ghost rider 3D is actually currently out in England. And I’ve been to see it and he hasn’t. Oh yeah.

I even posted about it on Facebook:

So the big question is, was Ghost Rider 3D: Spirit of Vengeance any good?

No, of course it wasn’t. In fact it was bloody awful. The first Ghost Rider movie felt like the entire thing had been written by a thirteen year old boy. The sequel however felt more like it had been written by a fourteen year old. Or maybe at a push fourteen and a half.

And the really sad thing is that this isn’t even an improvement. At least the thirteen year old boy who wrote the first movie had some sort of integrity. You could tell that he truly believed the bilge he was spewing was awesome, rad, and cool beans daddy-o (that is how thirteen year olds speak these days in case you were interested).

The fourteen year old idiot that wrote Ghost Rider 3D: Spirit of Vengeance however was tuned in enough to realise that there is a certain type of audience that enjoyed the first movie ironically. He could tell they liked the unintentional campy crapness of it. And so he decided to try to replicate that sensibility in the sequel. However the problem is that he didn’t have anywhere near the skills to actually pull that trick off, and as a result the whole film just sunk into a stinky morass of half knowing hammy awfulness.

The only saving grace is Idris Elba, who manages to pull a vaguely charismatic and interesting character out of the wreckage. However his faint awesomeness is far overshadowed by Nicolas Cage’s truly dreadful combination of overacting, woodenness, and fake sincerity – a mixture of traits which up to now I’d actually thought impossible. And as for the Johnny Witworth playing the villain – my shoelaces have more menace than him.

This is not a good film people. Stay away.

No doubt Ian will love it.

Not that I read any of the older Daredevil stuff either. As I ...]]> Frank Miller is arguably the best known and most respected artist to work on the Daredevil comic book. His massively influential run during the early 80′s is often held up as being the defining version of The Man Without Fear. He set the tone for a dark and gritty Daredevil and subsequent writers followed where he left off. I hear Mark Waid has lightened things up a bit recently, but I haven’t actually read any of the current books so I couldn’t really say.

Not that I read any of the older Daredevil stuff either. As I mentioned on the podcast I never really ventured into those waters during my comic book reading years. The main reason for this is that I’ve always associated Daredevil with Miller, and to be honest I’ve always thought Miller is a bit crap.

Controversial I know. In fact there was a time that I would have kept this dark secret to myself for fear of ridicule and castigation by the comic book elite. These days however, with his get-off-my-lawn rants Frank Miller’s standing has gone down significantly with the comic reading public, and it’s now safe to come out of the closet.

Maybe.

I don’t dislike Frank Miller because of his mad ramblings on his blog however. I dislike him because of his art.

Lets face it guys, the man can’t draw comic books.

Sure, he makes some impressive pieces of graphic art. As stand-alone pieces many of his images are absolutely stunning. But comics? No. Sorry. He’s not up to it.

I mean look at this:

Yes – it looks atmospheric and striking. But when you try to actually read Sin City as a narrative story it’s like trying to see one of those bloody magic eye pictures. You have to stare at each page for twenty minutes to work out what’s happening. It might look impressive, but it’s also going to give you a migraine.

Here’s another one:

Batman looks like the Joker has stuck a bicycle pump down his pants and inflated him to resemble someone in one of those fake sumo suits. Yes, I get he’s meant to be older and a bit out of condition, but Miller’s insistance on style over coherence is both self indulgent and pompous.

THIS is how you draw a comic book damnit!:

Man I miss the Giffen & DeMatteis JLA.

Now I realise that I’m swimming against the tide here. Most serious comic book geeks consider Miller to be one of the most significant heavy hitters in the industry. Along with Alan Moore and perhaps Neil Gaimen he’s also one of the few to gather respect out of the confines of the industry too.

But really guys, are we sure there isn’t a spot of emperors new clothes going on here? Guys? Guys?

Guys?

That last one in particular confuses me. “Trite” I can understand, even if I don’t agree with it. But antiseptic? Really? An antimicrobial substance that’s applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the policy ...]]> As we mentioned on the podcast there is quite a bit of hatred pointed at the Daredevil film by the movie geek community. A quick scan of Amazon reviews (of the directors cut) threw up the following quotes that I doubt will be appearing on the poster any time soon:

• “Worst movie ever”
• “Utter utter pants!!”
• “Very very bad… a gigantic piece of crap“
• “Antiseptic and trite“

That last one in particular confuses me. “Trite” I can understand, even if I don’t agree with it. But antiseptic? Really? An antimicrobial substance that’s applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the policy of infection, sepsis or putrefaction?

I give that review one star out of five for its irrelevance and haberdashery.

I get that people don’t like Daredevil. Especially the theatrical version. But “worst film ever”?

John Lennon was once asked by an interviewer if Ringo was the best drummer in the world. “No” he replied “He’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles”

Here are five superhero movies worse than Daredevil:

Batman and Robin

This film is awful on so many more levels than “the Batsuit has nipples”. But…. the Batsuit has nipples.

Batman and Robin killed the Batman franchise stone dead for eight years. Saying that, without it would we have had the Nolan reboot?

Spider-Man 3

Controversial I know. But the reason I think that Spider-Man 3 deserves it’s place in this list is that Spider-Man 1 & 2 were so-damned-good. There was no gradual drop off in quality like with Batman in order to prepare us for the eventual disappointment of a crappy movie. No, it went from great, to fantastic, to sucky emo Peter Parker dancing.

You broke my heart Spider-Man 3. You broke my heart.

Xmen: The Last Stand

Don’t kill off Cyclops. It’s not big, and it’s not clever. And while you are at it, don’t kill off 90% of the other characters too.

Also, just because Halle Berry demands more screen time doesn’t mean you should give it to her. Storm is boring. Sorry, but she is.

Catwoman

It’s virtually impossible to comprehend the thinking behind the producers of this travesty. Like with Batman and Robin, the costume alone is bad enough. It seems the traditional Catwoman sexy catsuit not being anywhere near as slutty or impractical for movie going audiences. We need outfits that would be seen as too provocative at a lap dancing club apparently.

However even if you ignore the slut-suit it’s the plot and the unnecessary and confusing alterations to the Catwoman mythology that really transform this movie into the abomination that it is.

Bad filmakers. Bad! Go sit in the corner and think about what you did.

Ghost Rider

Enough said.

———–

Agree, disagree, want to share a recipe for Gooseberry Crumble? Let us know in the comments.

The movie was ok. Nothing special, but watchable. The Rock was charismatic as always, Michael Caine was in it for the pay check but likeable, and I’m always fond of Luiz Guzman’s particular brand of sidekicks.

The highlight of course is that at one point The Rock plays a ukulele. As Mr Johnson himself points out – it takes a big man to play a tiny guitar.

But what was really interesting was something that I’d also noticed when we went to see The Muppets last week. It seems that short ...]]> I took my son to see Journey 2: The Mysterious Island yesterday.

The movie was ok. Nothing special, but watchable. The Rock was charismatic as always, Michael Caine was in it for the pay check but likeable, and I’m always fond of Luiz Guzman’s particular brand of sidekicks.

The highlight of course is that at one point The Rock plays a ukulele. As Mr Johnson himself points out – it takes a big man to play a tiny guitar.

But what was really interesting was something that I’d also noticed when we went to see The Muppets last week. It seems that short films before the main feature are making a comeback.

Pixar of course have been doing it for years. All their movies have had short animations preceding them. The Muppets of course is also a Disney film (and even has a Toy Story Pixar short), and so it can be argued that they were just continuing the company policy. But Journey 2: The Mysterious Island wasn’t Disney – it as distributed by Warner Brothers, but it too had a short – a Daffy Duck cartoon.

Actually now I think of it Yogi Bear back in 2010 had a Road Runner cartoon before it too.

I’m a big fan of this trend. I’m just about old enough to remember the tail end of short films before the main feature back in the 80s, and have always felt a little sad that they died out. I think that they can act as a sort of warm up act for the film. But more interestingly I think they have the potential to be a sort of experimental test bed where studios can put ideas and characters in front of audiences and see if they stick.

The beauty of this is that if the short film fails then people aren’t going to really care. They only had to sit through five to ten minutes of it and the main feature will be the main focus of their cinema experience anyhow. But if the short film hits the mark it will become another marketing tool for the main movie, and perhaps even encourage the studios to move the concept up to the big leagues.

And I don’t think short films should just be confined to family movies either – all genre’s could benefit. You could have had a Hawkeye short before the Thor movie for example. That would have been far more awesome than some stupid post end credit stinger.

What do you think? Are short films before the main feature something that should be encouraged? Let us know in the comments.

Still all is not lost as we were able to churn out a filler show, cobbled together from odds and sods found on youtube, my hard drive, and the faintly gooey crevice down the back of my sofa.

Oh yes, we certainly know how to treat you right here at the midmoclub.

Anyhow – here’s the podcast:

Make sure you leave a comment either here or ...]]> There is no regular podcast this week as during the time we usually record the show Lee was having his teeth pulled out and I was at work trying not to let my boss catch me browsing Reddit.

Still all is not lost as we were able to churn out a filler show, cobbled together from odds and sods found on youtube, my hard drive, and the faintly gooey crevice down the back of my sofa.

Oh yes, we certainly know how to treat you right here at the midmoclub.

Anyhow – here’s the podcast:

Make sure you leave a comment either here or over at the Facebook Page giving us your best guesses at the trailers we played.

Come back next week when we will be talking about the movie Daredevil (directors cut)

This week we’re reviewing that classic yuletide movie Star Trek: Insurrection. You know – that one where Santa goes missing and so Ryker and Picard save Christmas by reversing the polarity of the Jeffries Tubes in order to use the Enterprise to deliver all the presents to the girls and boys.

OK, maybe not.

Due to poor planning and general lack of management we didn’t actually get round to watching a Christmas film this week, and so Star Trek: Insurrection is as good as you are going to get I’m afraid.

There are a some ...]]> Hurrah it’s the Midnight Movie Club Podcast Christmas special!!!!

This week we’re reviewing that classic yuletide movie Star Trek: Insurrection. You know – that one where Santa goes missing and so Ryker and Picard save Christmas by reversing the polarity of the Jeffries Tubes in order to use the Enterprise to deliver all the presents to the girls and boys.

OK, maybe not.

Due to poor planning and general lack of management we didn’t actually get round to watching a Christmas film this week, and so Star Trek: Insurrection is as good as you are going to get I’m afraid.

There are a some sleigh bells at the beginning of the show however.

So all that’s left to do is wish everyone a Merry Christmas from us here at the Midnight Movie Club. We hope you have a great one.

Here’s the podcast:

We’re unlikely to put out a podcast next week, but we should be able to manage one in the gap between Christmas and the New Year. If all goes to plan we’ll be watching Star Trek: Nemesis we’ll see you then.

Oh and remember – for all your Slaithwaite and Colne Valley Events and News why not visit Dan’s new blog – Slawit.org. You know it makes sense.

Well, either that or Dan forgot he hadn’t uploaded it yet

In week in geek this episode we talk about Steven Spielberg, the differences between home theatre and the cinema going experience, and why woodpeckers don’t get brain damage when they bore holes in trees.

We then spend some time talking about the rather excellent 1992 movie The Mighty Ducks starring Emilio Estevez, ...]]> This podcast was recorded quite a while ago, but due to our extensive quality control policies and procedures it was held back while our team of production assistants worked 24 hours a day to hone and sculpt it to perfection.

Well, either that or Dan forgot he hadn’t uploaded it yet

In week in geek this episode we talk about Steven Spielberg, the differences between home theatre and the cinema going experience, and why woodpeckers don’t get brain damage when they bore holes in trees.

We then spend some time talking about the rather excellent 1992 movie The Mighty Ducks starring Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson, and Joss Ackland.

But after that things take a dark turn. A very dark turn.

Be warned.

It doesn’t look like there will be a podcast next week, as Lee is on holiday and it’s not likely the boys will have chance to record. Service should return to normal the week after however.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be pointing out a few podcasts that I personally enjoy. Both Lee and I feel that the world of podcasting should be a supportive community rather than a competitive marketplace, and one of the ways we can support other shows ...]]> A couple of weeks ago over on our Facebook group the magnificently bearded Andrew Baker asked us if there was any other podcasts we could recommend. Lee’s pretty notorious for not listening to many other shows, but I’m a certified podcast addict and am more than happy to throw around a few suggestions.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be pointing out a few podcasts that I personally enjoy. Both Lee and I feel that the world of podcasting should be a supportive community rather than a competitive marketplace, and one of the ways we can support other shows is by pointing our rather amazing audience towards them too.

So here’s my first two recommendations:

Fulltime Casual

Both Ian and I mentioned the Fulltime Casual podcast over on the Facebook page. This Australian podcast is hosted by Peter Wells and Justin Gibson, who have been friends for many years judging by the easygoing chemistry between the two.

The show focuses on all the usual geeky pursuits – TV, film, and general popular culture. But the guys stand a little taller than the rest by virtue of their reasoned and interesting reviews, easy wit, and general laid back attitude – not for them is the rabid fanboyism of many pop culture based shows.

Fulltime Casual isn’t the most regularly updated podcast out there, and isn’t one I particularly rely on to get all my geeky news. But they have pointed me in the direction of a number of now-loved movies and TV shows

You can find Fulltime Casual at www.fulltimecasual.com or go directly to their iTunes page.

The Ink Panthers Show

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it on the Midnight Movie Club, but by far my favourite comic book writer/artist is a chap called Alex Robinson. He is best known for his fantastic Box Office Poison indy comic series, the graphic novel of which I’ve bought multiple times in order to give them as gifts. I even gave Lee a copy a year or two ago.

Alex has also done other comics too, all of which have my sincere recommendation. The guy really is one of the finest comic creators out there.

Alex and his friend and fellow comic creator Mike Dawson put out a weekly-ish show called The Ink Panters Show. I’ve yet to check out Mikes comics, but i’ve been meaning to for ages (in fact – there – I just ordered his book Troop 142 from amazon now). The show does skirt round the world of indy comic artists, but is wide ranging in it’s topics and extremely accessible to all and is possibly the funniest show I listen to. I certainly leap on each and every episode as it comes out. It’s podcasting at it’s absolute bloody finest. Seriously, you need to check it out.

You can find the podcast on its webpage, or alternatively find it on iTunes.

———–

And that’ll do for this week I think. I listen to a lot of good shows and hopefully aim to point out some more for you over the five or six weeks or so. Certainly i’ll be including all the podcasting friends of the show so don’t start getting your knickers in a twist (I’m looking at the Casta La Vista guys here – those boys are so needy).

Let me know your own podcasting recommendations. I’m always in the market for finding some new shows.

Not that I’m bitter or anything *grumble mutter grumble*

Anyhow, on this weeks podcast we take a look at what the poll has exposed as the most popular Star Trek movie amongst Midnight Movie Club members – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

So what do we think? Well you’ll have to listen and find ...]]> Today’s podcast is slightly late as I was a bit tied up preparing for an interview for a job. An interview for a job that I ended up not getting. So if you want to blame someone, blame the interview panel, not me.

Not that I’m bitter or anything *grumble mutter grumble*

Anyhow, on this weeks podcast we take a look at what the poll has exposed as the most popular Star Trek movie amongst Midnight Movie Club members – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

So what do we think? Well you’ll have to listen and find out.

Next week we’ll be breaking with all midmoclub traditions and reviewing a movie from 2011 – The Big Bang staring Antonio Banderas, Sienna Guilory, and Thomas Kretschmann.

Yes, I know, we’re as excited about this as you are.

But boy oh boy do we have a corker for you this week!

And ...]]> Dan’s stepping in and taking over podcast publishing duties this week, so you’re getting the podcast three or four hours earlier than usual. Unless of course you were expecting a podcast last week – in which case you’re getting it one hundred and sixty four hours late. That’s just the way Dan rolls I’m afraid.

But boy oh boy do we have a corker for you this week!

• THRILL at Dan dicing with death
• MARVEL at Lee’s amazing psychic skills
• BOO at Dylans’ dastardly behaviour on the Facebook group.
• GASP in amazement at the brand new perky promo for the Fantasy Movie Podcast

And we talk about the Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The one with the whales and the nuclear wessles. Hurrah!

It’s all going on here people! The Midnight Movie Club Podcast: the most exciting podcast on the internet*

Join us next week when we’re watching Planet of the Apes.

_{*may not be true}

This week the nice people over at the LAMBcast once again agreed to let Dan come over and bring down the tone of their show. And he’s talking about moustaches – one of the midmoclub’s favorite topics.

So why not head over and listen to Dan ...]]> Hey you! Yes you! Have you been missing the Three of the Best segment? Are you pining for arbitrary lists of movies made by people with far too much time on their hands? Well why not head over to the LAMBcast, the official podcast of the Large Association of Movie Blogs.

This week the nice people over at the LAMBcast once again agreed to let Dan come over and bring down the tone of their show. And he’s talking about moustaches – one of the midmoclub’s favorite topics.

So why not head over and listen to Dan try miserably to hold his own against movie blogging luminary such as Dylan from Man I Love Films, Nick from Random Ramblings of a Demented Doorknob, Sam from Duke and the Movies, and friend of the show Courtney (aka CS) from Big Thoughts from a Small Mind.

You can here the podcast here: LAMBcast #75: Roll Your Own Top

But if you are desperate for a quick fix of movie podcasting goodness then why not check out Dan’s appearance over on the LAMBcast where he and a plethora of movie blogging glitterati are discussing X-Men: First Class.

So, if you want to hear Dan giving his views on the film, as well as him alienating 90% of the LAMB community by his dismissive attitude towards Citizen Kane, you can ...]]> There’s no midmoclub podcast this week, although we’ll be back next week with avengence watching Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (or Robin Hood: Prince of Tides as Lee knows it).

But if you are desperate for a quick fix of movie podcasting goodness then why not check out Dan’s appearance over on the LAMBcast where he and a plethora of movie blogging glitterati are discussing X-Men: First Class.

So, if you want to hear Dan giving his views on the film, as well as him alienating 90% of the LAMB community by his dismissive attitude towards Citizen Kane, you can go listen here:

X-Men First Class LAMBcast

Many thanks to Dylan from Man I Love Films, James from Cinema Sights, Rachel from Rachel’s Reel Reviews, and fellow LAMBcast newbie Sam from Duke and the Movies for putting up with Dan.

This weeks three of the best was provided by Claire from Moon in the Gutter, and very good it was too (despite the fact she blatantly cheated). You can also find Claire on twitter as @merialc.

No podcast next week, and very possibly the week after that, as we take a little break to have a think about ...]]> On this week’s podcast Lee and Dan are taking a look at the 1980 movie Caddyshack, starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, and a bunch of other people that we’ve never heard of before – but one of them was in Tron.

This weeks three of the best was provided by Claire from Moon in the Gutter, and very good it was too (despite the fact she blatantly cheated). You can also find Claire on twitter as @merialc.

No podcast next week, and very possibly the week after that, as we take a little break to have a think about if/how we need to change the podcast at all due to Dan’s new job and Lee’s paucity of time. We will be back shortly however so stay tuned.

Anyhow, here’s this weeks podcast:

If you have any comments, suggestions, or feedback on the podcast in general, and what you would like to see/not to see going forward then mention them in the comments. I should point out though – we know you don’t like the Star Trek bit (and it’s likely not to return).

To be honest I’ve only just finished editing the podcast and I still can’t remember what we talked about. I’m pretty sure that we were unpleasant about Chris O’Donnel, showed our ignorance of classic French Literature, and spent some time discussing Lego Batman. Something like that anyway.

Lee is far better at writing these show notes, which is annoying as he doesn’t even bother listening to the podcast. Unfortunately due to ...]]> This week Lee and I are watching the 1993 film The Three Musketeers staring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Chris O’Donnell, Tim Curry and Rebecca DeMornay.

To be honest I’ve only just finished editing the podcast and I still can’t remember what we talked about. I’m pretty sure that we were unpleasant about Chris O’Donnel, showed our ignorance of classic French Literature, and spent some time discussing Lego Batman. Something like that anyway.

Lee is far better at writing these show notes, which is annoying as he doesn’t even bother listening to the podcast. Unfortunately due to my general slackness I ended up editing the episode right at the last minute, so as punishment it’s down to me to write the accompanying post.

I’m the bloody Igor of this partnership. It’s a disgrace. “All for one” my arse.

Anyway – I do remember that the marvelous Jeff from Caddickisms did a stirling job of a Three of Best for us on this episode. Jeff’s also recently jumped on twitter, so you should all go follow him @Caddickisms

Here we go:

No podcast next week as we take our regular mid-season break. But we’ll be back the week after with Caddyshack.

This time he’s over on friend of the show Jeff’s brand new podcast TIDBABSH. And a lot of fun it is too.

So why not head over there and give it a listen. Go on, you know it makes sense.

Then after a few more moons the guys over at Geek Tragedy finally overcame some technical difficulties and posted the podcast on their site.

And now, approximately seven years after it was actually recorded, we are getting round to telling you it exists.

OK, the news covered by the show is now a bit out of date. Lee is no longer excited about the pre production rumors surrounding Superman IV: The Quest for Peace nor is he speculating about ...]]> Many moons ago Lee guest co-hosted over at the Geek Tragedy Podcast while regular host Kyle was away at a Cannonball Run convention.

Then after a few more moons the guys over at Geek Tragedy finally overcame some technical difficulties and posted the podcast on their site.

And now, approximately seven years after it was actually recorded, we are getting round to telling you it exists.

OK, the news covered by the show is now a bit out of date. Lee is no longer excited about the pre production rumors surrounding Superman IV: The Quest for Peace nor is he speculating about a Manequin prequel. Still, its well worth a listen and you can do so here.

Also Lee is mentioned in the latest Casta La Vista Podcast and a question set by Dan is put to one of the biggest names in podcasting, Jimmy Pardo, over on Podcast Squared. But nether Lee or Dan actually appear on those shows, so they can’t be that good can they.

The Midnight Movie Club will be back with a special bonus episode featuring those reprobates from the Casta La Vista podcast next week.

Today they boys are guest co-hosting over at the fantastic movie news and reviews podcast Casta La Vista.

The show includes all the latest cinema news as well as reviews of Battle: LA, Company Men, and Submarine. Plus DVD reviews and a Anchorman quiz. It doesn’t get much better than this people.

Why not head over and have a listen.

This week Lee and Dan are interviewed over on Andrew Johnstone’s excellent podcast review show Podcast Squared.

Why not head over and have a listen.

But don’t get me wrong, it has it’s charms. It draws the eye nicely to the focus of the poster, and I have nostalgic affection for the little pictures of the cast lining the bottom.

And although I think that the fully grown Audrey II is more memorable, there is no denying the baby cabbage ...]]> While there is nothing especially bad about this poster for the 1986 musical Little Shop of Horrors, I wouldn’t say it is particularly iconic. In fact it really misses a trick by not showing the man eating plant Audrey II in it’s full glory.

But don’t get me wrong, it has it’s charms. It draws the eye nicely to the focus of the poster, and I have nostalgic affection for the little pictures of the cast lining the bottom.

And although I think that the fully grown Audrey II is more memorable, there is no denying the baby cabbage version is rather cute.

However what I really love about this poster is the title. The childish, almost innocent font of the words “Little Shop” and the campy retro blood dripping “Horrors” is fantastic. It also pops right out of the poster, working well against the subdued brown tones of the background.

The Litte Shop of Horrors logo is an image that really sums up the feel of the movie, and one that’s replicated on posters for amateur productions of the musical all over the world. Great stuff.

Instead they went for this subtle but brooding backlit image of a priest arriving at the door of the MacNeil family.

I’m not sure if the priest is supposed to be Father Merrin or Father Karras, but to be honest it doesn’t really matter.

The Exorcist is arguably one of the finest horror movies ever made, and certainly was one of the most profitable. For a while it even was the top ...]]> The designer behind the Exorcist poster could have very easily gone for a shock image of Linda Blaire in full upchuck mode or some other tacky exploitative photo.

Instead they went for this subtle but brooding backlit image of a priest arriving at the door of the MacNeil family.

I’m not sure if the priest is supposed to be Father Merrin or Father Karras, but to be honest it doesn’t really matter.

The Exorcist is arguably one of the finest horror movies ever made, and certainly was one of the most profitable. For a while it even was the top grossing movie of all time, until Jaws came along and blew it’s record out of the water.

Now I’m not saying that the poster is actually responsible for that, but it certainly can’t of hurt. And it’s undeniable that it’s become one of those instantly recognisable (and often parodied) pop culture icons.

Most movies struggle to come up with just one iconic image. ET managed to present us with two.

Not only that, but the bicycle image lives on in contemporary films as the logo of Spielberg’s production company, Amblin.

I suppose to fully conform to the rules of Movie Poster Monday I should really pick just one of the posters as the focus of this post. But to be honest I really struggle to pick a winner, so I’m going to risk Lee’s wrath and choose both of them

These truly are excellent posters. Both depict pivotal and iconic moments in ...]]>

Most movies struggle to come up with just one iconic image. ET managed to present us with two.

Not only that, but the bicycle image lives on in contemporary films as the logo of Spielberg’s production company, Amblin.

I suppose to fully conform to the rules of Movie Poster Monday I should really pick just one of the posters as the focus of this post. But to be honest I really struggle to pick a winner, so I’m going to risk Lee’s wrath and choose both of them

These truly are excellent posters. Both depict pivotal and iconic moments in the film, they communicate the tender and wondrous nature of the story and characters, and they both manage to intrigue without giving too much away. All with just one image. Fantastic stuff.

Well, except people who didn’t go to university of course.

And people who grew up in Asia or Africa. Or South America. Or one of the Russian states come to think about it. And if you weren’t into films you probably didn’t have it either.

So – I doubt there is a thirty-something who went to university in a westernised country and was a bit of a movie geek in the world who didn’t have this poster ...]]> I doubt there is a thirty-something year old in the world who didn’t have this poster on the wall of their university dorm room.

Well, except people who didn’t go to university of course.

And people who grew up in Asia or Africa. Or South America. Or one of the Russian states come to think about it. And if you weren’t into films you probably didn’t have it either.

So – I doubt there is a thirty-something who went to university in a westernised country and was a bit of a movie geek in the world who didn’t have this poster on their dorm room wall.

Although come to think about it, I didn’t see it on many girls’ dorm rooms either. But then again I never really got to see the insides of all that many girls dorm rooms anyway (at least not without climbing up ladders and peeking through windows), so I could be wrong on that one.

Anyway, you get my point. Among a certain demographic this was a extremely popular movie poster.

And ultimately that’s no surprise. It’s one of the most iconic posters there is. It’s a masterclass in stylish marketing and embodies the film perfectly without giving too much away. I love the battered and creased corners and the rich lurid almost seedy colours harking back to the pulp magazines of the first half of the 20th century .

And while I’ve personally always felt Uma Thurman’s beauty to be over rated, resembling as she does a bug eyed Grey alien from the X-Files, at least it didn’t have John Travolta on it. And for that I’ll be eternally grateful.

Is it me, or does that feel like a fan made trailer?

This week Lee and Dan watch the 1985 romantic comedy The Sure Thing directed by Rob Reiner and staring John Cusack.

See if you can spot the point where Dan’s massive sulk at Lee’s indifference towards the film has been skillfully edited out.

Next Week Lee and Dan will be watching a forgotten classic – 1986′s Running Scared staring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines.

The nice chaps over at Appliances Online have very kindly provided Dan with a brand new all singing and dancing super posh microphone.

So now his voice should be coming to you with crystal clear clarity. Of course they can do nothing about the claptrap he is actually spouting into the microphone, but you can’t have everything.

Appliances Online sell washing machines, ovens, fridge freezers, and all that sort of stuff – so if you are in the UK and in need of some white goods then take a look at ...]]> Rather excitingly the midmoclub has it’s very first sponsor.

The nice chaps over at Appliances Online have very kindly provided Dan with a brand new all singing and dancing super posh microphone.

So now his voice should be coming to you with crystal clear clarity. Of course they can do nothing about the claptrap he is actually spouting into the microphone, but you can’t have everything.

Appliances Online sell washing machines, ovens, fridge freezers, and all that sort of stuff – so if you are in the UK and in need of some white goods then take a look at them and see if they have anything you fancy.

Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some begging letters to write. Surely there is someone out there who fancy sponsoring us to the tune of a couple of new iMacs?

Anyhow, as he’s not here that means that Dan has to pick up his slack and introduce the podcast.

Here’s the podcast:

Due to unforeseen circumstances (he couldn’t be bothered to watch the movie) Lee was absent from this podcast and dan was joined instead by Ian from Single Parent Dad and Justin from JJ Daddy-O

And also due to Dan’s complete and utter incompetency the “record” button wasn’t pressed during the hour long discussion of the film, and so all that remains is this sorry excuse for a podcast.

So this 11 minutes is all we have for you this week I’m afraid.

We promise we’ll do better next week. Maybe.

Next week it’s 1980′s classic, Flash Gordon

So instead of Lee and Dan’s unique and pithy insights into Highlander you have to sit through Ian and Dan’s incoherent blatherings about clone movies (that’s films that were released the at the same time and which, apparently accidentally, have virtually the same plot).

Ian and Dan discuss: