Movie Review - "Revision of the Planet of the Apes" (2018)

Another Hole in the Head Film Festival Review: “Revision of the Planet of the Apes” - More Fun Than a Barrel Full of Monkeys?

by Mike Imboden

Some time back I watched the original Planet of the Apes re-edited to look like it was an episode of The Twilight Zone.  Most likely due to the fact that Rod Serling played a huge part in adapting Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel, this re-edit works to near perfection. Taking a movie that runs more than 90 minutes and whittling it down to 20-some minutes AND having it still tell a coherent story is certainly an accomplishment. So imagine my curiosity when I heard that someone had taken the original PotA pentalogy and edited it down to one almost 90 minute movie.  I had to see this!

Unbeknownst to me, the mastermind behind this undertaking, Jorge Torres-Torres, already had some of these re-edits under his belt.  Stories like Death Wish, Friday the 13th, and Phantasm (to name a few) have all been re-cut, shuffled, and pasted back together to present tales we all knew, but in a slightly different way.  It sounds fun, but… does it work?

"Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)"

Episode #117

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our listeners in the U.S.! The guys have a larger than usual episode to go along with your larger than usual servings of turkey dinner as they discuss some music that they are thankful for, specifically their favorite albums. Some of it's pretty middle of the road, top 40 stuff (Mike, we're looking at you) and some of it is a bit more varied (Yo, Joe!), but all of it is top of the charts for them. But first, kicking things off, is Joseph answering the SLP VHS Dub Tape Challenge of "Cover Ups and Conspiracies". So, take that tinfoil off of your dinner and fashion it into a hat, because it's time for some Uphill Both Ways!

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/whenitwascool/Uphill_Both_Ways_117_Life_is_a_Rock_But_the_Radio_Rolled_Me.mp3

Old School Kung Fu Fest

The Old School Kung Fu Fest’s December Hybrid Film Festival Teems with Seventies Shaolin Showdowns and Masters’ Mayhem

 

By Joseph Perry

 

Nothing gets the adrenaline flowing quite like some classic martial arts cinema action. New York City’s The Old School Kung Fu Fest delivers the jumps and jolts this December with both online and in-person options. Focusing this year on 1970s titles from Joseph Kuo and his Hong Hwa International Films production company, the festival features showdowns and throwdowns in nine exciting features. Following is the official press release.

The Old School Kung Fu Fest is back, and this time Museum of the Moving Image and Subway Cinema will co-present eight newly restored films and one fan favorite classic by Kuo on glorious 35mm — four titles available exclusively online, December 6–13, and another five films for in-person big-screen viewing at MoMI, December 10–12.

Movie Review - “The Pebble and the Boy” (2021)

A Young Man Searches for the Truth About His Father’s Mod Lifestyle

by Joseph Perry

Filled with music from Paul Weller and his pre-solo bands The Jam and Style Council, as well as the likes of The Chords and Secret Affairs, The Pebble and the Boy (U.K., 2021) is a coming-of-age/road trip drama that looks at how members of both sides of the mods vs. rockers years in the 1980s United Kingdom have aged, focusing especially on the “once a mod, always a mod” side of the coin, and how the music and fashion from those years lives on today.

"Playground in My Mind"

Episode #116

Drag out that toybox you've kept in storage and let's root around in there for a while as Joseph and Mike reminisce about old toys like Slinkys, Colorforms, Super Balls, and toy robots (to mention just a few things!) However, the first thing Mike has to do is answer Joseph's VHS SLP Dub Tape challenge and provide six hours worth of recorded media with the theme of "Well I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle". Things are gonna get bananas!

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/whenitwascool/UBW116_Playground_in_My_Mind.mp3

Famous Monsters Speak!

In episode #115 Mike mentioned a record album that Joseph had told him about and that they wanted to play during the show. However, try as they might, they couldn't track down who currently held the copyright for the recording.  Made back in 1963, it was written by Cherney Berg, voiced by Gabriel Dell, and has been released a dozen or so different times - originally on vinyl by Wonderland Records and, most recently (in 2011), on CD by RockBeat Records.

This thing is great and it's a shame they couldn't play and talk about it as they wanted.  However, here's the next best thing: a link to a recording of the album!  Fans of the classic Universal monsters - notably Dracula and Frankenstein - need to give this a listen.

Movie Review - “Nelly Rapp: Monster Agent” (2020)

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Review: “Nelly Rapp: Monster Agent” (2020) Is a Fun Family Creature Feature

by Joseph Perry

Live-action children’s monster movies hold a special place in the hearts of Uphill Both Ways’ Mike and yours truly, along with our readers and podcast listeners. From long-time favorite Monster Squad (1987) to the oft maligned Godzilla’s Revenge (AKA All Monsters Attack; 1969), gateway creature features introduce young minds to snarling, growling, crushing, slithering, spooky beasts of all sorts, creating new generations of monster kids. Swedish film Nelly Rapp: Monster Agent is a fun new entry in the subgenre, with a plucky, likable heroine heading up its laughs as well as its lessons about inclusiveness.