Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978 Review

I have to say, I’ve always been impressed with Philp Kaufman’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” from the first time I saw it at the age of 12.

Now that I’ve had the opportunity to do a back-to-back comparison, juxtaposing the 1956 and 1978 versions, I am inclined to double-down. Kaufman really ramps up the paranoia in his conspiracy-driven thriller, putting a distinctly 1970s spin on the Jack Finney classic (published in 1955 as “The Body Snatchers”).

The cast is pitch-perfect, with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Leonard Nimoy. Kevin McCarthy, who played the protagonist in the 1956 original, has a nice cameo, as does its director, Don Siegel. Apparently, both McCarthy and Siegel were in on formulating the remake’s revised ending.

If you’ve not seen this movie, watch it. Then join Roy Bjellquist and me as we discuss it tonight, as part of our month-long celebration of Halloween. Take my advice: we’re always pretty free with the spoilers, so PLEASE ENJOY THE MOVIE FIRST. The show will be archived for your later enjoyment.

And just so you can get ahead, here’s a complete schedule:

October 11, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)

October 16, “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”

October 18, “Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

October 23, “Soylent Green” (with Shari Bethman-Bjellquist)

October 25, “The Devil Rides Out” (a.k.a. “The Devil’s Bride”)

October 30, “Young Frankenstein” (with Michael Rizzo and Marybeth Ritkouski of SciFi Distilled, AND virtual costume party!)

Join us tonight, and share your observations. The seed is planted… terror grows! Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

Roy and I will be boiling up some mighty large brussels sprouts, on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. The show is live-streamed on Facebook, every Friday and Sunday evening at 7:00 EDT.

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner/

October 11, 2020
October Crossword Music Fantasy and Magic

October, you fill my head with fantasy.

This month’s Classic Ross Amico crosswords celebrate music and the imagination. Today, it’s all about the magical, the mythic, and the supernatural, with clues centering on sorcerers, shapeshifters, fairies, and monsters.

To fill out the puzzle, follow the link and select “solve online” at the bottom of the page. You’ll then be able to type directly into the squares. Once you feel you’ve exhausted the puzzle, you’ll find the solutions by clicking on “Answer Key PDF.”

Fantastic subjects, fantastic music. Assemble the fellowship! Secure your talismans! The quest begins here:

https://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/Data/2020.10/1107/11071126.139.html

“Ruggiero Rescues Angelica” (1824), by Louis-Édouard Rioult

October 11, 2020
Verdi’s Macbeth Witches Goth Dance

For Giuseppe Verdi’s birthday, totally Goth witches’ chorus from “Macbeth”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b4tKhV5mcg

Act III Witches’ Dance from Taiwan:

“The Three Witches from Macbeth” (1827) by Alexandre-Marie Colin

October 10, 2020
Piano Madness Movie Music on Picture Perfect

This week on “Picture Perfect,” Peter Lorre gets more than his share of left-hand piano repertoire, in “The Beast with Five Fingers” (1946). Max Steiner’s score, built on Brahms’ transcription of the Bach Chaconne, is one of the highlights of an hour of music from movies about madness and the piano.

The program will also include a macabre concerto by Bernard Herrmann, written for the Laird Cregar thriller “Hangover Square” (1945), about a deranged concert pianist in fog-shrouded London. Alan Alda seeks fame at all costs – even Satanism – in “The Mephisto Waltz” (1971), with music by Jerry Goldsmith, and just a touch of Franz Liszt. And power-mad pedagogue Hans Conried lords it over a legion of his long-suffering pupils, in the Dr. Seuss fantasy “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T” (1953), with music and songs by Frederick Hollander.

We’re mad about the piano this week, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Saturday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

October 10, 2020
Trilogy of Terror & October Horror Movie Schedule

Every Zuni fetish doll has his day, and Roy and I finally had our discussion about Dan Curtis’ “Trilogy of Terror” (1975), the ABC Movie of the Week, starring Karen Black – in four different roles, no less – that scarred everyone for life. At least it wasn’t “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.” That movie still makes me want to sleep with the light on. At any rate, as always, we spoil everything (if “Trilogy of Terror” CAN be spoiled), so watch at your peril.

Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner livestreams on Facebook every Friday and Sunday at 7 pm EDT. I’m already the regular Friday co-host, but in the service of Halloween, my favorite holiday, I’ve signed on for Sundays this month, as well.

This Sunday, don’t fall asleep! We’ll be discussing Philip Kaufman’s superb 1978 remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

In case you’re curious, here’s what we’ve got planned for the rest of the month:

October 11 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)

October 16 “Kolchak: The Night Stalker”

October 18 “Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

October 23 “Soylent Green”

October 25 “The Devil Rides Out” (a.k.a. “The Devil’s Bride”)

October 30, “Young Frankenstein”

For “Soylent Green,” we’ll be joined by special guest Shari Bethman-Bjellquist.

And for “Young Frankenstein,” we’ll be joined by Michael Rizzo and Marybeth Ritkouski, our friends from SciFi Distilled. The October 30th broadcast will also include a virtual costume party, open to anyone who would care to participate.

If you’re blue and don’t know where to go to, why don’t you go where sci-fi sits? We’re spoilin’ all the hits!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner/

October 10, 2020

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