DVD night

Twice-Told Tales (1963)

Good, classic horror based on two of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories and one of his novels, and stars Vincent Price and Sebastian Cabot. "A trio of terror!" The adaptations are Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, Rappaccini's Daughter, and The House of the Seven Gables, and while they stray far from Hawthorne's originals they're still enjoyable on their own merits.

Phantom of the Opera (1989)

Robert Englund as the Phantom. It's unfortunate that the studio (and the critics) pushed this film as Freddy Krueger Does Opera, since it's actually an interesting -- if quite dark and bloody -- interpretation. It's certainly a far cry from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, but it's no slasher flick, either. Unfortunately, it's still not much more than a curiosity of primary interest to Phantom completists.

Some of you have wondered at the number of films lately -- they're running in the background while I'm working instead of music. For instance, at the moment the Voyager episode "Latent Image" is running.

More video viewing

This time it's Firefly, Joss Whedon's short lived but popular sci-fi series. The series opened and ran through a very busy Verdun season and an appearance at MFF, so I never got to give it the attention it deserved when it was on the air.

Yes, I like most of the episodes. I'll finish them up in a couple of weeks, followed by the movie. I'll also agree that FOX erred in pulling it before it ran a full season -- unlike John Doe, which premiered the same night as Firefly, ran a full 21 episodes and actually did stink (on ice).

Of course, Joss had problems with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the studios the first time around, too. Anyone remember the film that came out before the TV series (with Paul Reubens?)