Monday Morning Movie Review: Rest in Peace, Roger Corman (1926-2024)

Legendary “B” movie director and producer Roger Corman passed away last Thursday, 9 May 2024, at the age of 98.  His career spanned an uncountable number of films (estimates vary wildly; even Corman didn’t know how many he’d made), and he launched hundreds of careers.

Readers most likely know Corman from The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), which spawned a Broadway musical and a popular film adaptation of the musical in 1986.  His influence reached even broader than that one bit of comedy horror genius, and Corman worked with some of the greatest actors in Hollywood.

Last month I reviewed A Bucket of Blood (1959), a kind of proto-Little Shop featuring a would-be Beatnik stumbling into a career as a sculptor with a rather lethal methodology.  The trope of the homely nerd staggering blindly (and often painfully) into stardom and/or super powers would be repeated time and again, including in Troma Entertainment’s The Toxic Avenger (1984)  Corman was not involved with that film, but his influence is evident nonetheless.

Corman was one of the greats.  Hey may have had a reputation as a purveyor of trash, but he never lost money on a film (with the exception of a personal art film, which ultimately did make money about twenty years after its release!).  He used every method at his disposal to cut down on budgets, even cutting films to 78 minutes so they could be mailed to theaters in four film canisters instead of five.

Rest in Peace, Roger Corman.

Lazy Sunday CXLVII: Mothers

It’s Mother’s Day here in the United States.  I’m excited to celebrate with my awesome Mom today, as well as my sister-in-law, who is also an awesome mom.

In the long annals of TPP history, it seems I’ve only written one Mother’s Day-related post, and haven’t really written about mothers at all.  Considering I’m a single man, that’s probably not surprising; it might be weird if I had written more about moms.

As such, I’ve just got two posts to share this Sunday, and one is definitely a stretch:

• “Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Mother Hive’” (and “TBT: Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Mother Hive’“) – My review of Rudyard Kipling’s 1908 short story “The Mother Hive.”  This post and it’s reblogged version still get a decent number of reviews, I suspect because students are looking for summaries of the story online—ha!
• “Monday Morning Update, and Happy Belated Mother’s Day!” – A bit of an update post that also honored my Mom and her banana pudding abilities.

Happy Sunday—and Happy Mother’s Day!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

• Lazy Sunday – APR Pieces
• Lazy Sunday II – Lincoln Posts
• Lazy Sunday III – Historical Moments
• Lazy Sunday IV – Christianity
• Lazy Sunday V – Progressivism, Part I
• Lazy Sunday VI – Progressivism, Part II
• Lazy Sunday VII – Deep State
• Lazy Sunday VIII – Conservatism
• Lazy Sunday IX – Economics, Part I
• Lazy Sunday X – Economics, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XI – Walls
• Lazy Sunday XII – Space
• Lazy Sunday XIII – Immigration
• Lazy Sunday XIV – Gay Stuff
• Lazy Sunday XV – Work
• Lazy Sunday XVI – #MAGAWeek2018
• Lazy Sunday XVII – #MAGAWeek2019
• Lazy Sunday XVIII – SubscribeStar Posts
• Lazy Sunday XIX – Music
• Lazy Sunday XX – The Laziest Sunday
• Lazy Sunday XXI – Travel
• Lazy Sunday XXII – Reading
• Lazy Sunday XXIII – Richard Weaver
• Lazy Sunday XXIV – Education
• Lazy Sunday XXV – Techno-Weirdos
• Lazy Sunday XXVI – Small Town Living
• Lazy Sunday XXVII – Bric-a-Brac
• Lazy Sunday XXVIII – World History
• Lazy Sunday XXIX – The New Criterion
• Lazy Sunday XXX – Trump, Part I
• Lazy Sunday XXXI – Trump, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XXXII – Festivals
• Lazy Sunday XXXIII – Virtue Signalling
• Lazy Sunday XXXIV – The Desperate Search for Meaning Series
• Lazy Sunday XXXV – Corporate Grind
• Lazy Sunday XXXVI – Best of the Reblogs, Part I
• Lazy Sunday XXXVII – Best of the Reblogs, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XXXVIII – Best of the Reblogs, Part III
• Lazy Sunday XXXIX – A Very Dokken Christmas Series
• Lazy Sunday XL – Christmas Carols
• Lazy Sunday XLI – Food
• Lazy Sunday XLII – 2019’s Top Five Posts
• Lazy Sunday XLIII – Music, Part II: More Music
• Lazy Sunday XLIV – SubscribeStar Saturday Posts, Part II: The Search for More Money
• Lazy Sunday XLV – Techno-Weirdos II
• Lazy Sunday XLVI – Man Time
• Lazy Sunday XLVII – Winning
• Lazy Sunday XLVIII – Culture
• Lazy Sunday XLIX – Family
• Lazy Sunday L – The Best of Lazy Sunday
• Lazy Sunday LI – Just for Fun
• Lazy Sunday LII – Democratic Candidates, Part I
• Lazy Sunday LIII – Democratic Candidates, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LIV – Coronavirus
• Lazy Sunday LV – Animals
• Lazy Sunday LVI – Movies
• Lazy Sunday LVII – Christianity, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LVIII – Spring Break Short Story Recommendations Recap
• Lazy Sunday LIX – The God Pill Series
• Lazy Sunday LX – Music, Part II: Gigging
• Lazy Sunday LXI – The Tuck
• Lazy Sunday LXII – The South
• Lazy Sunday LXIII – Holidays
• Lazy Sunday LXIV – Grab Bag
• Lazy Sunday LXV – Rioting
• Lazy Sunday LXVI – Video Games
• Lazy Sunday LXVII – Phone it in Fridays, Part I
• Lazy Sunday LXVIII – Phone it in Fridays, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXIX – Phone it in Fridays, Part III
• Lazy Sunday LXX – Phone it in Friday, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday LXXI – Road Trips
• Lazy Sunday LXXII – Forgotten Posts, Volume I
• Lazy Sunday LXXIII – Forgotten Posts, Volume II
• Lazy Sunday LXXIV – Forgotten Posts, Volume III
• Lazy Sunday LXXV – Forgotten Posts, Volume IV
• Lazy Sunday LXXVI – Forgotten Posts, Volume V
• Lazy Sunday LXXVII – Rural America
• Lazy Sunday LXXVIII – Space, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIX – SCOTUS
• Lazy Sunday LXXX – Big Ideas
• Lazy Sunday LXXXI – Education, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXXXII – Universal Studios
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIII – The Mountains
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIV – Halloween Hijinks
• Lazy Sunday LXXXV – Elections
• Lazy Sunday LXXXVI – Questions, Part I
• Lazy Sunday LXXXVII – Questions, Part II
• Lazy Sunday LXXXVIII – Questions, Part III
• Lazy Sunday LXXXIX – 100 Week Review
• Lazy Sunday XC – Questions, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday XCI – Questions, Part V
• Lazy Sunday XCII – Christmas
• Lazy Sunday XCIII – 2020’s Top Five Posts
• Lazy Sunday XCIV – My Favorite Things
• Lazy Sunday XCV – The Best of Lazy Sunday
• Lazy Sunday XCVI – More Movies: Movie Reviews, Part I
• Lazy Sunday XCVII – More Movies II: Movie Reviews, Part II
• Lazy Sunday XCVIII – More Movies III: Movie Reviews, Part III
• Lazy Sunday XCIX – Romantic Music
• Lazy Sunday C – Valentine’s Day
• Lazy Sunday CI – Obituaries, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CII – Obituaries, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CIII – Begging
• Lazy Sunday CIV – Time
• Lazy Sunday CV – Grab Bag II
• Lazy Sunday CVI – Adventures
• Lazy Sunday CVII – Easter
• Lazy Sunday CVIII – Spring Break Short Story Recommendations 2021 Recap
• Lazy Sunday CIX – Pillow Talk
• Lazy Sunday CX – Inspector Gerard Reviews
• Lazy Sunday CXI – Bric-a-Brac II
• Lazy Sunday CXII – Responsibility
• Lazy Sunday CXIII – Short Stories
• Lazy Sunday CXIV – More Movies IV: Movie Reviews, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday CXV – Memorable Mondays
• Lazy Sunday CXVI – Delays
• Lazy Sunday CXVII – More Movies V – Movie Reviews, Part V
• Lazy Sunday CXVIII – More Movies VI – Movie Reviews, Part VI
• Lazy Sunday CXIX – Summer Camps
• Lazy Sunday CXX – Animals, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXXI – MAGAWeek2021 Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXXII – MAGAWeek2020 Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXXIII – Murphy
• Lazy Sunday CXXIV – Bible Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXXV – More Movies VII – Movie Reviews, Part VII
• Lazy Sunday CXXVI – Joy, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXXVII – Joy, Part II – Music
• Lazy Sunday CXXVIII – Civilization
• Lazy Sunday CXXIX – Friends, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXXX – Friends, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXXXI – Friends, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CXXXII – Milestones
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIII – Inspector Gerard
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIV – Friends, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday CXXXV – More Movies VIII – Movie Reviews, Part VIII
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVI – More Movies IX – Movie Reviews, Part IX
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVII – More Halloween Hijinks
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVIII – Friends, Part V
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIX – More Movies, Part X – Movie Reviews, Part X
• Lazy Sunday CXL – More Movies, Part XI – Movie Reviews, Part XI
• Lazy Sunday CXLI – Thanksgiving Stuff(ing)
• Lazy Sunday CXLII – More Movies, Part XII – Movie Reviews, Part XII
• Lazy Sunday CXLIII – More Movies, Part XIII – Movie Reviews, Part XIII
• Lazy Sunday CXLIV – More Christmas Carols
• Lazy Sunday CXLV – Christmas Cheer
• Lazy Sunday CXLVI – 2021’s Top Five Posts
• Lazy Sunday CXLVII – More Movies, Part XIV – Movie Reviews, Part XIV
• Lazy Sunday CXLVIII – The Gemini Sonnets #1 and #2
• Lazy Sunday CXLIX – The Gemini Sonnets #3 and #4
• Lazy Sunday CL – The Gemini Sonnets #5 and #6
• Lazy Sunday CLI – More Movies, Part XV – Movies Reviews, Part XV
• Lazy Sunday CLII – Romance
• Lazy Sunday CLIII – Behind the Songs, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLIV – Behind the Songs, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLV – Péchés d’âge moyen Posts
• Lazy Sunday CLVI – More Son of Sonnet
• Lazy Sunday CLVII – Ponty’s Posts, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLVIII – Ponty’s Posts, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLIX – Scrambie Eggs
• Lazy Sunday CLX: Fine Arts Festival
• Lazy Sunday CLXI: Easter II
• Lazy Sunday CLXII: Spring Break Short Story Recommendations Recap 2022
• Lazy Sunday CLXIII: Friends, Part VI
• Lazy Sunday CLXIV: Friends, Part VII
• Lazy Sunday CLXV: Friends, Part VIII
• Lazy Sunday CLXVI: Friends, Part IX
• Lazy Sunday CLXVII: Friends, Part X
• Lazy Sunday CLXVIII: More Movies, Part XVI: Movie Reviews, Part XVI
• Lazy Sunday CLXIX: More Movies, Part XVII: Movie Reviews, Part XVII
• Lazy Sunday CL: More Movies, Part XVIII: Movie Reviews, Part XVIII
• Lazy Sunday CLI: Frederick Ingram, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLII: Frederick Ingram, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLIII: MAGAWeek2022
• Lazy Sunday CLIV: More Movies, Part XIX: Movie Reviews, Part XIX
• Lazy Sunday CLV: More Movies, Part XX: Movie Reviews, Part XX
• Lazy Sunday CLVI: More Movies, Part XXI: Movie Reviews, Part XXI
• Lazy Sunday CLVII: School, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLVIII: School, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLIX: More Movies, Part XXII: Ponty’s Worst Films, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLX: More Movies, Part XXIII: Portly’s Worst Films, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLXI: More Movies, Part XXIV: Ponty’s Worst Films, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLXII: More Movies, Part XXV: Portly’s Worst Films, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLXIII: More Movies, Part XXVII: Ponty’s Worst Films, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CLXIV: More Movies, Part XXVIII: Portly’s Worst Films, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CLXV: More Movies, Part XXIX: Ponty and Portly’s #1 Worst Films
• Lazy Sunday CLXVI: More Movies, Part XXX: Midweek Myers Movie Reviews, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLXVII: More Movies, Part XXXI: Midweek Myers Movie Reviews, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLXVIII: Video Games II: Ponty’s Picks
• Lazy Sunday CLXIX: Even More Halloween Hijinks: The Musical
• Lazy Sunday CLXX: Cozy Time
• Lazy Sunday CLXXI: Veterans Day Posts
• Lazy Sunday CLXXII: Myersvision, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLXXIII: Thanksgiving Week Posts
• Lazy Sunday CLXXIV: Solo Cover EP, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLXXV: Solo Cover EP, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLXXVI: 2022’s Top Three
• Lazy Sunday CLXXVII: Review[s] of A Christmas Carol (1951)
• Lazy Sunday CLXXVIII: The Worst of 2022
• Lazy Sunday CLXXIX: More Movies XXXII: Portly’s Best Films, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLXXX: More Movies XXXIII: Ponty’s Best Films, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CLXXXI: More Movies XXXIV: Portly’s Best Films, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLXXXII: More Movies XXXV: Ponty’s Best Films, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CLXXXIII: P​é​ch​é​s d​’​â​ge moyen Picks
• Lazy Sunday CLXXXIX: Arizonan Sojourn, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXC: Portly’s Best Films, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CXCI: Ponty’s Best Films, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CXCII: The Beach
• Lazy Sunday CXCIII: Walks
• Lazy Sunday CXCIV: Paintings
• Lazy Sunday CXCV: Arizonan Sojourn, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXCVI: Hono[u]rable Mentions
• Lazy Sunday CXCVII: Easter III
• Lazy Sunday CXCVIII: Spring Break Short Story Recommendations 2023
• Lazy Sunday CXCIX: Ponty and Portly’s #1 Picks
• Lazy Sunday CC: Myersvision, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CCI: Myersvision, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CCII: Myersvision, Part IV
• Lazy Sunday CCIII: Myersvision, Part V
• Lazy Sunday CCIV: Myersvision, Part VI
• Lazy Sunday CCV: Myersvision, Part VII
• Lazy Sunday CCVI: Intergalactic Nonsense
• Lazy Sunday CCVII: Stories
• Lazy Sunday CCVIII: Original Music, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CCIX: Original Music, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CCX: MAGAWeek2023 Posts
• Lazy Sunday CCXI: Greatest Hits Recap
• Lazy Sunday CCXII: Ponty Week 2023
• Lazy Sunday CCXIII: D.C., Part I
• Lazy Sunday CCXIV: D.C., Part II
• Lazy Sunday CCXV: TJC Deep Cuts
• Lazy Sunday CCXVI: Weird Piano Music
• Lazy Sunday CCXVII: Cinema
• Lazy Sunday CCXVIII: Monarchy
• Lazy Sunday CXIX: Sandwiches
• Lazy Sunday CXX: Skeletons
• Lazy Sunday CXXI: Myersvision, Part VIII
• Lazy Sunday CXXII: Myersvision, Part IX
• Lazy Sunday CXXIII: Festivals II
• Lazy Sunday CXXIV: Two Cryptid Tunes
• Lazy Sunday CXXV: Ghostly Doings
• Lazy Sunday CXXVI: Veterans Day Posts II
• Lazy Sunday CXXVII: Indie Musician Rants
• Lazy Sunday CXXVIII: 2023 Releases
• Lazy Sunday CXXIX: Civilization Series
• Lazy Sunday CXXX: Chapel Lessons, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXXXI: Chapel Lessons, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXXXII: Christmas Concert Reviews
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIII: The Best of 2023
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIV: Best Ponty Posts of 2023
• Lazy Sunday CXXXV: Best Myersvision Posts of 2023
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVI: YouTube Roundup Roundup I
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVII: YouTube Roundup Roundup II
• Lazy Sunday CXXXVIII: Firefly Dance Tracks, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXXXIX: Firefly Dance Tracks, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXL: Firefly Dance Tracks, Part III
• Lazy Sunday CXLI: Days Off
• Lazy Sunday CXLII: Murphy Vids, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXLIII: Food II
• Lazy Sunday CXLIV: Four Mages, Part I
• Lazy Sunday CXLV: Murphy Vids, Part II
• Lazy Sunday CXLVI: Ultra Laziness

SubscribeStar Saturday: Universal Studios 2024

Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

Last weekend my family made one of our iconic pilgrimages to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  I took a couple of personal days earlier this week (burning through the rest of them for the soon-to-end school year) and we enjoyed an extended visit.  It was the first time since August that all of us were there—my parents, both of my brothers, my sister-in-law, my niece, and two nephews.  Nine people in Universal Studios is fun and logistically difficult at the same time—ha!

As I’ve written on this blog before (and in my highly unsuccessful book Arizonan Sojourn, South Carolinian Dreams: And Other Stories), Universal Studios is the proverbial “happy place” for yours portly.  I don’t require much excitement, but there is something comforting about strolling through Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, even in painfully hot Florida weather.  It’s also the one place yours portly truly cuts loose financially, where I allow myself some budgetary leeway and enjoy the fruits of my considerable labors.

This trip we tried something a bit different.  My younger brother, the family’s “cruise director,” as I call him, has hit upon a unique strategy for getting the most out of Universal Studios in a limited amount of time via gaming the on-site hotel perks.  It made it feasible for a large group of people during a busy weekend to experience most of both parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) in two full days.

To read the rest of this post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.

Quick Friday Update; Constitutional Carry

Yours portly is still playing catch-up from a combination of end-of-the-school-year-busyness and post-vacation-readjustment.  I know the blog has been short on substantive content lately; unfortunately, I simply lack the time and energy to put more into it at the moment.

I have a busy weekend of non-blog writing ahead (mostly stuff for the Town of Lamar), and precious  little time today to work.

Last night (Thursday, 9 May 2024) the Town’s Police Department hosted an event with SC SLED (basically, the “FBI” for South Carolina) to discuss the implications of our new constitutional carry bill.  There is a great deal of handwringing over the idea of hot-headed eighteen-year olds blowing each other way now that they can carry openly, but when I asked the SLED agent if any of the other thirty-four States with constitutional carry had experienced an uptick in these emotional bouts of lethal violence, he waffled, saying that “it varies from State to State.”  My entire impression is that this law enforcement officer didn’t really know what he was talking about.

I love the police, but like engineers, they tend to look at an issue from only one angle, usually that of safety.  Safety isn’t necessarily the enemy of liberty, but it frequently is.  Eighteen-year olds are still going to blow each other away in the heat of the moment; now we can just see the ones stupid enough to display their $500 handgun on their hips.  There’s a lot of hysteria over the new law, but not much thoughtful reflection.

Let a thousand handguns bloom.

TBT^4: Egged Off

In a better, vanished era, eggs were cheap.  At one point, you could get eighteen eggs here in South Carolina for around $0.89-$1.19.  I’m not talking about the 1980s; this was four or five years ago.

Fortunately, it looks like chickens might soon be legal in my town, thanks in part to the efforts of yours portly, but mostly because everyone is feeling squeamish about cracking down (no pun intended) on “illegal” fowl in the city limits.  Hopefully I’ll have a full report next week.

Let a thousand eggs scramble, I say.  People need relief.  Cheap eggs and abundant fertilizer can only help.

With that, here is 4 May 2023’s “TBT^2: Egged Off“:

HOME!… and Back to Work

Yours portly has returned from his vacation, dear friends.  I apologize for all of the super-short posts lately, but things should be returning to normal soon (hopefully by tomorrow).

Thanks for your patience and support!

—TPP

Open Mic Adventures LXXIX: “Pink Princess”

Today’s track is from my seventeenth album, Four Mages.  It is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.

Here are some platforms where you can listen:

• Amazon Music:  https://amzn.to/3WHmt9h (Amazon Affiliate link; I get a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no cost to you)
• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/four-mages/1734702792
• Bandcamp: https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/four-mages
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nujl75apVRTixddPAfSWgtKqmjKHmmbA0&si=eWuLqof6gNhGMsdQ

I really enjoy this album, and I hope you will, too.  It’s about fourteen minutes in length, so it’s perfect listening for quick errands.

Vacation!

Yours portly is living the sweet life, taking a couple of days off of work to enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the smells of Universal Studios.

See y’all soon.

—TPP

Sunday Abroad

Yours portly is on a family vacation, so my posts will be quite short for a few days.

That said, please check out my seventeenth album, Four Mages.  It is a collection of ten electronic tracks, all but one of which (“The Blind Prophet“) is color-coded. Each piece explores some facet of fantasy archetypes, weaving and casting a musical spell upon listeners.

Here are some platforms where you can listen:

• Amazon Music:  https://amzn.to/3WHmt9h (Amazon Affiliate link; I get a portion of any purchases made through that link, at no cost to you)
• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/four-mages/1734702792
• Bandcamp: https://tjcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/four-mages
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nujl75apVRTixddPAfSWgtKqmjKHmmbA0&si=eWuLqof6gNhGMsdQ

I really enjoy this album, and I hope you will, too.  It’s about fourteen minutes in length, so it’s perfect listening for quick errands.

Here’s a full playlist (for free):

Happy Listening!

—TPP