youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

An unusual plotline, massacred by the condescending and uneven manner of writing.

[Spoiler Alert]

Boyne seems to have begun writing a children’s tale, and somewhere along the lines it became a grown ups’ tale, but with an irritatingly slow narrative pace that is usually typical of children’s bedtime stories.

Bruno, 9, all too often expresses an adult’s point of view, and then immediately regresses to a 4 year old’s point of view. Unusually dim witted, bad at communications – at least the listening part – and very very selfish, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, gets friendly with a Jew boy living in the Auswitch concentration camp. His sister, who again oscillates between a little girl with her dolls, and a teenager who flirts with another young Nazi officer (make up you mind, Boyne!) is repetitively called a Hopeless Case, for reasons never explained.

Boyne keeps repeating many many phrases throughout the book, perhaps in an attempt to be funny, but overdoes it, and ends up being merely boring, condescending and vastly irritating. With Jews dying or disappearing left, right and center, the reader cannot designate this as a children’s book. However, the pace and the extra extra extra details fail to hold an adult reader’s interest.

To get back to the plotline, the dim witted Bruno makes friends with Shmuel, talks to him daily from the other side of the fence, in a corner of the camp that is not under surveillance – presumably for the convenience of the plot. On the last day, Bruno crosses the fence and enters the camp through another convenience – a loose fence post at exactly the spot where the boys meet. Bruno is never heard from again.

The captured Jew doctor, and the suspect Nazi officer are mediocre sub plots, but narrated with a rare touch of subtlety.

Overall a good story, vitiated by a vastly irritating way of writing. A book this reader will never touch again, and an author this reader will perhaps never read again.

“Glee” is cyclical, and the stories of high school kids have to follow repetitive molds — back to school, holidays, class elections, prom, the school play, graduation, regionals, sectionals, nationals. It’s not new for “Glee” to cycle, but in a week where they repeat the plotline of a Britney Spears tribute as a means for cheering up their very own Brittany, there’s a lot on the line to make it stand out amid a see of patterns.

For “Glee“‘s second tribute to Spears (dubbed “Britney 2.0”), they change it up and shed light on a different side of the Britney story — the downfall. Our three protagonists this week — Britt, Rachel and Marley/Jake — are having a tough week, and Spears is the only way to convey that particular brand of pop misery. Some work better than others.

We start with Brittany, who is speaking her own voiceover, much to Blaine’s dismay. Transition to “Hold It Against Me” as a full-on Cheerios performance who, even without Santana, are still pretty sapphic. But Sue is unimpressed, and calls Britt to her office. She’s failing still and has to be kicked off the squad, with Kitty taking her place as head cheerleader. When Britt turns to Santana for comfort via Skype she’s understanding, but busy at college and has to run off leaving Britt lonely. It’s all too much for Britt, who begins her Britney-esque downward spiral. She wanders the halls self-narrating and wearing Crocs, prompting Emma to pamphlet her (So You Look Like Crap) and Schue to revive Britney Spears week to cheer her up. First up are Blaine and Artie, who do their best two-man boyband attempt to a mash-up of “Boys” with Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend.” It inspires Britt to re-embrace her Spears love.

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

Starring Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Frank Shannon, Beatrice Roberts, Donald Kerr, Richard Alexander, C. Montague Shaw. Directed by Ford Beebe, Robert F. Hill, and Frederick Stephani.Flash, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov return from their former space adventures only to find that their enemy, Ming the Merciless of planet Mongo, has a new weapon: a deadly ray that crosses space to wreak havoc on earth. Earth's only hope is for our heroes to take off again and stop the ray at its source on Mars, where they (and a stowaway) must battle Ming's ally, Queen Azura, who turns her enemies into lumpish clay people. Can they survive 15 chapters of deadly perils? Find out next week...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ2HUfD0QSw&feature=share&amp...

Universal, 15 Chapters, 1938. Starring Larry “Buster” Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Frank Shannon, Beatrice Roberts, Richard Alexander, Donald Kerr, C. Montague Shaw, Wheeler Oakman.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars picks up almost exactly where Flash Gordon left off, with our courageous trio of interplanetary adventurers–Flash Gordon (Larry “Buster” Crabbe), Dale Arden (Jean Rogers), and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon)–returning to Earth from the planet Mongo. They are greeted to a royal welcome, since their voyage has saved the Earth from being destroyed by the late Emperor Ming of Mongo. Zarkov, however, attempts to curb the Earthlings’ ebullience by cautioning them that the defeat and death of Ming does not mean that their planet is free from other threats of extraterrestrial invasion. As usual, Zarkov is correct; shortly after his warning speech, the Martian Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts) begins an operation designed to siphon off the “nitron” (aka nitrogen) in the Earth’s atmosphere. Azura’s primary goal is to create nitron-powered weapons with which to wage a war against her mortal foes, the Clay People of Mars. She’s indifferent to the devastating effect that it will have on the Earth, while her chief adviser and military consultant regards the destruction of Earth as the main attraction of the plan. That adviser is none other than Ming (Charles Middleton), still very much alive and longing for revenge on Flash and Zarkov for toppling him from his throne and driving him into exile on Mars.

As the Earth begins to experience catastrophic floods and storms, due to the effects of Azura’s “Nitron Lamp,” Zarkov, Flash, and Dale launch another interplanetary trip to discover the cause of the catastrophes, which Zarkov has determined are due to a beam that emanates from outer space. They discover an unexpected stowaway aboard after takeoff–reporter “Happy” Hapgood (Donald Kerr), who had set out to track down Zarkov and get his opinion of the world-wide disasters. Not long after arriving on Mars, our quartet of Earth adventurers find themselves embroiled in the war between Azura and the Clay People. The latter are one-time rivals of the Queen, who have been transformed into living clay by Azura’s magical powers and banished to underground caverns from whence they carry on a guerilla war against Azura’s forces. The Clay People’s king enlists the aid of Flash and his party, as both of them want to stop Azura’s nitron-collecting plans, and, with additional aid from Prince Barin (Richard Alexander)–who arrives on Mars to try to convince the Martians to expel Ming–Flash and his party pit themselves against Azura’s magic, Ming’s machinations, Ming’s savage allies the Forest People, and many other hazards, in their quest to save the Earth.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is fully as good as the first Flash Gordon serial, although its strengths are in slightly different areas. While Trip to Mars doesn’t measure up to Flash Gordon when it comes to colorful characters and fantastic monsters, its focused plotline surpasses the episodic story of the earlier serial. In Flash Gordon, the protagonists merely responded to the perpetual perils that were hurled at them by Ming, King Vultan, and King Kala, while Ming’s own plans for destroying the Earth were largely abandoned after the first chapter in favor of his attempts to marry Dale and destroy Flash. In Trip to Mars, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov initiate events instead of just coping with them, and Ming’s new grand design drives the plot far more strongly than his earlier one, giving the good guys a clear-cut objective (the destruction of the Nitron Lamp) beyond simple escape from Mongo.

While Trip to Mars has no characters to rival Flash Gordon’s King Vultan and no bizarre beasts like the Orangopoid or the Fire Dragon, it still has excellent other-worldly atmosphere. The sets are not as varied and intricate as in the first serial, but still surpass the backdrops of almost any other chapterplay. Especially striking are Ming’s “powerhouse,” with its laboratory equipment and its disintegration room, Azura’s massive palace with its unique architectural design (particularly the futuristic pocket doors), the Clay People’s eerie caves, and the wonderfully-designed realm of the Forest People, with its twisted trees, climbing vines, hidden tunnels amid tree roots, and treehouse-like observation platforms.

In addition to the big sets, there are dozens of other major and minor props and special effects that make Trips to Mars memorably atmospheric; there’s the the Martians’ flying capes, the Martian televiewer screens (which are cleverly incorporated into the recap sequences at the beginning of each chapter), the Clay People’s vapor-healing chamber, and the bridge of light that connects Azura’s rocket tower to the rest of her palace and is powered by a simple switch like any Earthling lamp (the scene where Flash and Zarkov are first forced to cross the unsafe-looking thing is quite funny), to name but a few. I also appreciate the fact that Azura’s spaceship squadrons–her “stratosleds”–are designed differently than any of the ships in the first Flash Gordon serial; one would expect the aerial fleets of differing planets to differ in appearance. Another neat touch of internal consistency is the use of three completely different forms of salute by the three principal Martian races–Queen Azura’s subjects, the Clay People, and the Forest People.

The serial’s screenplay maintains good continuity with the previous Flash outing, despite being the work of a completely different team of writers–Ray Trampe, Norman S. Hall, Wyndham Gittens, and Herbert Dalmas. The new writing team avoids any of the clunky lines that occasionally crept into Flash Gordon’s dialogue exchanges; they also, despite having to resort to a few flashbacks to the first serial for padding purposes, manage to make their plot fit its fifteen-chapter length quite nicely. The major plot thread of the heroes’ attempts to destroy Ming and Azura’s Nitron Lamp is skillfully interwoven with several subplots–the Clay People’s efforts to regain their natural shape, the attempts by both Flash and Ming to get hold of the Black Sapphire of Kalu (a talisman that can neutralize Azura’s magic), and Ming’s plot to undermine Azura and seize the Martian throne.

Trip to Mars’ script wisely spreads its plot developments over the course of the serial, instead of introducing all its ideas in the first chapter and letting them tread water until the final one: the Clay People aren’t introduced till the second chapter or the Forest People until the sixth, while Prince Barin first arrives in Chapter Seven. The Nitron Lamp is destroyed in Chapter Nine and rebuilt over the course of the following chapters until it must be destroyed again at the climax, and one of the principal villains is killed off in Chapter Thirteen.

The cliffhangers aren’t quite as varied as in the first Flash serial, due to the lack of the various monsters that frequently attacked Flash for chapter-ending purposes in the earlier outing. However, writers still manage to avoid excessive repetition; for instance, while there are three chapter endings involving stratosled crashes, each one is set up differently–the first has Flash crashing a stratosled into another stratosled to stop it from bombing Dale and Happy, the second has a stratosled crashing on top of Flash and Zarkov, and the third has Flash and the pilots of a ’sled grapping for the controls as it soars towards yet another crash. There’s also an excellent cliffhanger in which Flash, Dale, Happy, and Zarkov are surrounded by an ever-narrowing ring of fire in the Forest People’s kingdom, and a memorably unusual one that has a hypnotized Dale stabbing an unsuspecting Flash in the back.

Though Trip to Mars has no swordfights or wrestling matches corresponding to those in Flash Gordon, it still features a nice variety of action scenes–including stratosled dogfights, fights among the vines and treetops of the Forest Kingdom, and chases through Azura’s big palace; the palace sequence in Chapter Five, which has the nimble Flash vaulting through windows to avoid the guards, is a particular standout. Directors Ford Beebe (a Universal serial veteran) and Robert Hill (a talented director who rarely escaped from low-budget independent serials and B-films) do a fine job of orchestrating these action scenes, assisted by stuntmen Eddie Parker (doubling Buster Crabbe), George DeNormand, Tom Steele, Bud Wolfe, and Jerry Frank. All of the aforementioned stuntmen, except Parker, also pop up in minor acting roles.

The performances in Trip to Mars are all first-rate; the returning actors from the first serial are all just as good as they were in Flash Gordon, while the new major players fit in smoothly. Buster Crabbe’s Flash is just as tough, chipper, athletic, and likable as in the first serial–and a good deal more wise and resourceful than before, improvising strategy and coming up with plans in tough situations instead of just trying to batter his way out. Frank Shannon’s Zarkov, as consequence of Flash’s new-found intelligence, has a reduced part, not guiding the good guys’ actions as he did in the first serial; he still functions as the scientific brains of the group, though, and is still as intense, serious, and sincere as before.

Jean Rogers, with her long blonde hair bobbed and dyed brown to better match the comic-strip version of Dale Arden (she’s also dressed in less arresting fashion), isn’t as stunning as in Flash Gordon, but is still a warm, welcome, and lovely presence. Her part here is smaller than in the first serial, though, since Ming is not romantically interested in her this time out (Ming, though no gentleman, evidently prefers blondes). Richard Alexander’s Prince Barin is a lot more self-assured when it comes to delivering dialogue this time around (helped, no doubt, by the absence of any overly high-flown lines), while his convincingly royal bearing and his commanding size are as effective as before.

Charles Middleton’s Ming is even more entertainingly sinister here than he was in Flash Gordon, getting a good deal more screen time and given a more devilish appearance by a notably forked beard. Though still given opportunities to break into tyrannical and bloodthirsty rages (particularly in his insane rant in the final chapter), Middleton spends much of the serial displaying duplicity and sly subtlety instead, since his Ming must pretend to friendship with Azura even while plotting against her. Middleton carries off this slightly more multi-faceted version of Ming masterfully, winning a few laughs with his crafty cynicism while remaining thoroughly sinister and hateful.

Beatrice Roberts does a fine job as Queen Azura, eschewing the sneering, aggressive demeanor of other serial villainesses for a regal, dignified manner (with a wryly humorous undercurrent) that contrasts interestingly with her often cruel behavior. Her Azura comes off as selfish and ruthless, but not an abusive tyrant like Ming. Donald Kerr as reporter Happy Hapgood, the other principal new character, is as controversial among fans as most other serial comedy-relief characters are. Speaking for myself, though, I found him quite likable and entertaining; he provides an amusingly commonplace point-of-view towards the fantastic world of Mars and is never obtrusive, gratingly stupid, or obnoxious. Additionally, his character is allowed to be quite heroic and helpful when the chips are down, a far cry from one-dimensional cowardly “comic” pests like Sonny Ray in Perils of Pauline or Lee Ford in SOS Coast Guard.

Wheeler Oakman is very good as Tarnak, Ming’s wily lab assistant and co-conspirator against Azura. C. Montague Shaw, concealed under heavy makeup for most of the serial, conveys an impressive air of ruined dignity as the King of the Clay People and manages to seem both sinister and sympathetic at different times. Usual hero Kane Richmond brings appropriate depth of characterization to his key role as a Martian pilot, who proves instrumental in helping Flash overthrow Ming in the later chapters. Anthony Warde has a small part as Toran, king of the Forest People, but extracts as much snarling nastiness as possible from the role. Future director Thomas Carr is his second-in-command, Kenne Duncan is the officer in charge of Azura’s airdrome, Lane Chandler and Jack Mulhall both appear as pilots of her Death Squadron, and Warner Richmond has a small role as one of Ming’s palace cohorts.

Hooper Atchley and James Blaine pop up as self-important Earth scientists, propounding ingenious and inaccurate theories as to the causes of the damage brought about by the Nitron Lamp, while Edwin Stanley is the general presiding over a council comprised of these two and additional savants. Louis Merrill (a radio actor who played character roles in several feature films) has a brief but memorable turn as the blunt and slightly uncouth Dr. Metz, who alone among the scientists has the humility to admit that Zarkov is the only one capable of unravelling the riddle of the disasters. Merrill’s characterization is so vivid that one wishes the actor had taken a larger part in this chapterplay or in other serials.

Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is a nearly ideal sequel, in that it manages to preserve the basic strengths of its predecessor while deviating from it in some areas and improving on it in others. It’s also a nearly ideal serial, independent of its relation to the earlier Flash Gordon; it balances good acting, atmosphere, action, and plotting in such fine style that it would still be a notable achievement if it were the sole entry in the Flash Gordon series.

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson's vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm. Silver Dollar City's operating season runs from mid-March until late December, with the park closed during the months of January and February. Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or partners in 25 properties in 10 states and includes the nearby water park, White Water; water excursion and theatre, the Showboat Branson Belle; water and land tour attraction Ride the Ducks. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park. 7/23/16

Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson's vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm. Silver Dollar City's operating season runs from mid-March until late December, with the park closed during the months of January and February. Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or partners in 25 properties in 10 states and includes the nearby water park, White Water; water excursion and theatre, the Showboat Branson Belle; water and land tour attraction Ride the Ducks. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park. 7/23/16

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

On this day in history in 1997 – the film Men in Black opens in movie theatres around the United States.

The film, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, grossed more than $250 million in America alone and helped establish the former sitcom star Will Smith as one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Men in Black was based on an early 1990s comic book by Lowell Cunningham called The Men in Black. Smith and Jones reprised their roles as Agent J and Agent K, two secret agents who must protect the Earth from aliens, in a hit 2002 sequel, Men in Black II. This was followed by Men in Black 3 in 2012. Smith, who began his entertainment career as a rapper, performed on both Men in Black soundtracks.

Filming began in March 1996. Many last-minute changes endured during production. First, James Edwards chasing a disguised alien was to occur at the Lincoln Center. But once the New York Philharmonic decided to charge the filmmakers for using their buildings, Sonnenfeld and Welch went for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Then, five months into the shoot, Sonnenfeld decided that the original ending, with a humorous existential debate between Agent J and the Bug, was unexciting and lacking the action that the rest of the film had. The revised ending action sequence cost an extra $4.5 million to the filmmakers.

Further changes were made during post-production to simplify the plotline involving the possession of the tiny galaxy. The Arquillians would hand over the galaxy to the Baltians, ending a long war. The Bugs need to feed on the casualties and steal the galaxy in order to continue the war. Through changing of subtitles, the images on M.I.B.'s main computer and Frank the Pug's dialogue, the Baltians were eliminated from the plot. Earth goes from being potentially destroyed in the crossfire between the two races into being possibly destroyed by the Arquillians themselves to prevent the Bugs from getting the galaxy. These changes to the plot were carried out when only two weeks remained in the film's post-production, however, the film's novel still contains the Baltians.

The film was released by Columbia Pictures and grossed $589,390,539 worldwide against a $90 million budget.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 693. Photo: Ufa. Willy Fritsch in Saison in Kairo/Cairo Season (Reinhold Schünzel, 1933). Collection: Geoffrey Donaldson Institute.

From the mid-1920s on, charming Willy Fritsch (1901-1973) replaced Bruno Kastner and Harry Liedtke as the darling of female cinemagoers in Germany. Fritsch became the immensely popular ‘Sunny Boy’ of the Ufa operettas of the 1930s and 1940s, and with his frequent co-star Lilian Harvey he formed the 'dream team of the German cinema'.

Willy (sometimes credited as Willi) Fritsch was born Wilhelm Egon Fritz Fritsch in Kattowitz in German Silesia (now Katowice, Poland) in 1901. He was the son of Lothar Fritsch, a farmer and machine manufacturer, and his wife Anni (née Bauckmann). In 1912 he moved with his family to Berlin, where he planned to become a mechanic. In 1919 he took up acting lessons from the actor Gustav Sczimek. Fritsch debuted with a small role at Max Reinhardt's famous Deutsches Theater. There and at the affiliated Kammerspiele (Chamber theatre) he was cast in smaller stage roles and played young lovers and comic parts. In 1922, he joined the Max Reinhardt Ensemble on its tour through Scandinavia. From 1921 on, Fritsch began to appear as a supporting player in films, like the sound experiment Miss Venus (Ludwig Czerny, 1921). In 1923, he auditioned for the leading role of a blind artist in the melodrama Seine Frau, die Unbekannte/His Mysterious Adventure (Benjamin Christensen, 1923), which was then re-written to fit his rather sunny nature.

Willy Fritsch convincingly played the would-be son of an aristocrat in Der Farmer aus Texas/The Farmer from Texas (Joe May, 1925), which made him the new star of the production company Ufa. Next, he starred as the dashing Lieutenant Niki in Ein Walzertraum/A Waltz Dream (Ludwig Berger, 1925), which turned out to be a significant success in the USA. At AllMovie, Janiss Garza writes: "This UFA silent, based on an old operetta, is far more light-hearted and spirited than the moody, heavy-handed fare that generally came out of Germany." Ufa intervened when United Artists offered Fritsch a contract. His next films, Der Prinz und die Tänzerin/The Prince and the Dancer (Richard Eichberg, 1926) and Der letzte Walzer/The Last Waltz (Arthur Robison, 1927) followed the formula of Ein Walzertraum. Fritsch only occasionally altered his now well-established film image in Spione/Spies (1928) and Frau im Mond/Woman in the Moon (1929), directed by Fritz Lang. Hal Erickson notes at AllMovie: "Spies (Spione) was the first independent production of German 'thriller' director Fritz Lang. The years-ahead-of-its-time plotline involves Russian espionage activity in London. Mastermind is Haghi (Rudolph Klein-Rogge), a supposedly respectable carnival sideshow entertainer. Heading the good guys is Agent 326 (Willy Fritsch), with the help of defecting Russian spy Sonya (Gerda Maurus). The film moves swiftly to several potential climaxes, each more exciting than its predecessor. Haghi's ultimate demise is a superbly staged Pirandellian vignette. Anticipating Citizen Kane by a dozen years, director Lang dispenses with all transitional dissolves and fade-outs, flat-cutting territory from one scene to another."

Willy Fritsch took singing lessons to prepare himself for the sound film Melodie des Herzens/Melody of the Heart (Hanns Schwarz, 1929) with Dita Parlo. His breakthrough came after being paired with Lilian Harvey in Liebeswalzer/The Love Waltz (Wilhelm Thiele, 1930) and the two were also engaged privately. Liebeswalzer established Harvey and Fritsch as the popular 'dream team of the German cinema'. Their next films such as Hokuspokus/Hocuspokus (Gustav Ucicky, 1930), the historical romance Der Kongress tanzt/Congress Dances (Erik Charell, 1931), Ein blonder Traum/A Blonde's Dream (Paul Martin, 1932) - co-written by Billy Wilder, and especially Die Drei von der Tankstelle/Three Good Friends (Wilhelm Thiele, 1930), were huge international box-office hits. Fritsch and Harvey appeared together in twelve films. Each of these films featured several songs, which became popular hits and were also released on records, further adding to the popularity of the two stars. Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "If a poll had ever been conducted amongst fans of international musical-comedy star Lillian Harvey, the actress's most popular vehicle would probably have been Die Drei von Der Tankstelle (Three From the Gas Station) - with Congress Dances running a very close second. The story opens as three debt-ridden young men pool what is left of their savings to open a roadside service station. Their most frequent customer is the wealthy, winsome Ms. Harvey, who frequently shows up fetchingly clad in hiking shorts. Each young man falls in love with the girl, unbeknownst to the other two. Which one will she choose? Most likely, the one who sings the best - and that would be Lillian Harvey's frequent screen vis-a-vis Willy Fritsch."

Willy Fritsch had a long-term contract with Ufa and was paid a monthly salary of 20,000 Reichsmark per month, which was doubled during the 1930s. Eschewing his trademark sunny boy persona, Fritsch proved his range as a character actor in films like Ich bei Tag und Du bei Nacht/I by Day, You by Night (Ludwig Berger, 1932) co-starring Käthe von Nagy, Walzerkrieg/The Battle of the Walzes (Ludwig Berger, 1933) opposite Renate Müller, and the satirical romp Amphitryon/Amphitryon - Happiness from the Clouds (Reinhold Schünzel, 1935) with Paul Kemp. Fritsch managed to survive the Hitler era without any loss of prestige. After the end of the war, he relocated to Hamburg. He spoofed his image as the romantic lover in Film ohne Titel/Film Without a Title (Rudolf Jugert, 1947), and excelled as the comical conférencier in Herrliche Zeiten/Fun Times (Erik Ode, Günter Neumann, 1949). Although still in high demand, Fritsch didn't find satisfying roles in West Germany's post-war cinema. He continued to appear on stage and in films until the early 1960s. He remained a popular figure, partly due to his work as the host of nostalgic radio shows. Since 1937, he was married to dancer and actress Dinah Grace until she died in 1963. They had two sons, Michael and Thomas. After his wife's death, he decided to retire. With his son Thomas Fritsch he starred in his final film, Das hab ich von Papa gelernt/I Learned It from Daddy (Axel von Ambesser, 1964). In 1963 he published his memoir … das kommt nicht wieder/That will never come back, and in 1965 he was honoured with the Filmband in Gold, for his long and important work for the German film. Willy Fritsch died of heart failure in 1973 in Hamburg, Germany. He was 72.

Sources: Filmportal.de, Stephanie D'heil (Steffi-line - German), Thomas Staedeli (Cyranos), Hal Erickson (AllMovie), IMDb and Wikipedia.

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

You have to watch your step. The bodies that

so many had become are gummy bits

and pieces all across the stone. They splat-

tered easily as mucus forms. From its

formation in the north of England, our

wholehearted column – mostly volunteers

that swelled the ranks of regulars – by far

was capable of breaking down the gears

of tyranny's machine with one long march,

to strike the tool of misery where it

encamped in our Hibernia. The arch-

usurper could not stand against us. Shit.

It all was shit. Like Jacobites, we came

to love a cause to blindness. We're to blame.

I still recall the rhetoric. And if

I let my heart be so disposed, why sure –

I'd resurrect the way it felt – the cliff

we toppled off, unseen in such a pur-

ity of passion. Stupid pure, is what

I'd call it now. You know the way it works –

this universe. We started out in guts-

and-glory Eighteenth-Century: the dirks

and flintlocks; cockades on our bonnets; plaid

clan kilts; those mass attack formations in

a column, tight and disciplined to mad-

ly die for duty. Human bowling pins.

That's what we were, and glad of it. The long

trek north would change us... as it all went wrong...

What were we thinking? Going north? You know

how time and dream and space get fuddled up

the father north you go! The column's slow

progression left us open – like a cup

you drink from unaware of who had sipped

from it – and it was Typhoid Mary. We

would start to change – one here, one there. We slipped

so slowly from an army, by degree,

that – muddled up in dream – we failed to see

what we'd become. It all seemed natural...

the tentacles... the life forms made of brie

with eyes like caviar... We drank in-full...

I've wondered, since, what agent lured us in

to our own choice of ruin just to win...

At last we reached the stretch of coast, beyond

which were the enemy encampments. We

were just as passionate as when we'd donned

these uniforms and arms. Between the sea

and coastal crags, a narrow strip of stone

allows a man or two to step across

the scree and clinging life that's somehow grown

in salt-spray – stubborn, hardy, bits of moss

that even manages to cling to life

despite the scouring of storm-waves. Just

a few survive, wedged deep in cracks a knife-

blade hardly fits. A knife-blade, though, will rust.

This narrow strip of stone became, for those

of us who passed, the act come to its close.

Our train, by now, was straggling in groups

of twos and threes, around a core command

of fifty. What was once ten-thousand troops

now numbered in the hundreds – who could stand

on human legs, I mean. The column teemed

with things like jellyfish that rode on carts

and ponies – ectoplasma shapes undreamed

in Jacobean Scotland – trailing parts

that rose in greeting to a longtime friend,

perhaps, for those with any brain left, and

a memory of what they were. Append-

ages were plentiful, though none could stand.

To us this all seemed natural, the way

it always had been. Normal. Everyday...

It happened I was first to reach the ledge

of shelving on the cliff-face dropping to

the sea. It stretched a quarter-mile – the edge

precipitous. But still, we'd manage through

the tumbled rock, and moss that made it hard

to keep your footing. Others had arrived

as I had stopped to check my gear, and start-

ed easing out along the ledge. I tried

to hurry, but had been a soldier long

enough to know to be prepared for what

might just be waiting for us. Quite a throng,

by now, had formed, my window clearly shut.

And as I'd feared, the firing began –

our soldiers fed to it as though by plan.

As more recruits arrived, and tried to reach

the fighting, each would trail the one before

with hardly any shoving. Yet, as each

impelled the other forward – many more

than possibly could fit on one slim ledge –

of course men fell. The jellies made it worse.

Abandoned carts too wide for us to wedge

onto the narrow shelf were interspersed

with milling masses – not all men. The ec-

toplasma one-time soldiers -- those with some

mean structure to their flaccid jelly – trekked

their way to war, like those they were among.

The press of troops... combined with slimy goo

the jellies trailed... then add an ambush, too...

We never had a chance. But we were deep

in latitude conditioning, way down

among the trees. What’s more, we climbed to steep-

er latitudes. Who doesn’t run aground

on nightmare sometimes when in transit? We

sure did! Thank God the latitude set in

as quickly as it did. As clarity

began to reassert – the muddle, thin –

I stood in horror at the thought of all

we’d done. An attribute this latitude

has (once again, thank God) is prime recall

of universal law – and that there was no feud!

I had to stop the fighting. Only I

could see the forest. No one else need die!

As scientists, we thought our knowledge made

us different – exempting us from how

a change of latitude affects you. Trade

had lured us south. But nothing could endow

us with immunity to changing. Those

of us who tried forgot ourselves. And of

those, many lost their form as well. Who knows

what they’ve become! My mind now rose above

the dream-world chaos. Human still, my luck

had served me well. And I had further need

of it. In time, I got to where the duck

shoot was – or more like sickles do to weeds...

The “enemy” were men like me. They soon

could see I didn’t mean them harm. Yeah... soon...

It wasn’t soon enough. I’d shouted “Hold

your fire! Stop this now!” to no avail.

They didn’t aim at me, but still they bowled

our nine-pins down until, at last, the scale

of our attack became a trickle. Scat-

tered on the slaughterground were corpses cut

to bits by automatic weapons. That

was what our flintlocks faced. They listened but,

to all my anguished whys, explained that though

they understood – that these were men condemned

by latitude conditioning and showed

the signs of transit change, we chose our end...

They couldn’t take the risk we’d overrun

them. Yes, I saw the sense in what they’d done.

I understood the reasoning for all

the slaughter. What would be the use of minds

returned too late to clarity... and sprawl-

ing all around them, evidence reminds

those men of acts committed prior to

awakening? So men were killed the same

as jellies – those already lost. Would you

do any different? It’s luck their aim

was poor before they realized that I’d

regained my reasoning. I pick my way

among the corpses, do my best to guide

a lucky few to base who’d gone astray...

I wonder if the mucus forms, once men,

recalled their names before they died..? And when..?

© Keith Ward 2007

Hit Head On

Click here for more about this image and series, SF Sonnets.

"Jacobites" is a sequence of eleven verses, each in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. Unlike other sonnets I've written, I allowed myself to break words into syllables between lines.

The story is based on a dream I had on Monday, January 1, 2007 - yesterday, in fact, although it seems so long ago, for some reason... The basic scene sequence, images and plotline are from the dream. The logical explanation for it all, and the single defined character who narrates the story, were added for the poem.

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Seen at Evan Records, a well-known independent record store within COEX Mall: the promo poster for the Original Soundtrack Album for Mamma Mia! The Movie.

I had seen the musical in London in 2003, and shortly before coming to Seoul, watched the movie in Los Angeles in summer 2008. Autumn 2008 was the movie's South Korean release. I loved both the musical and the movie - especially the movie changing the plotline, to make one of the three prospective fathers gay!

Evan is very well-regarded, and often hosts meet-and-greets for major recording artists from both within South Korea and abroad. None took place within my residency, but Mariah Carey would show up here a year later.

Seriously, you guys. I just watched this, this glory, this beautiful valentine to men in latex longjohns pummeling other men in rubber monster suits. This is superhero action in its purest form, a lollipop-bright crystal of a film about the nature of bravery and the usefulness of hitting things until they break. It’s full of close calls and heart swelling moments, and if you don’t feel like cheering when a little kid overcomes his fears and charges toward where a 20-story tall monster is destroying the city to save his dog, you aren’t even human.

And let me tell you, after watching this? SUPERMAN RETURNS was total bullshit. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, too. I thought they were underwhelming films at the time, but now I see that they weren’t trying nearly hard enough.

ULTRAMAN MOEBIUS AND ULTRAMAN BROTHERS was made in the same year, begins with four superheroes fighting a monster on the moon and climaxes with seven superheroes battling a villain of such scale that it dwarfs our heroes, who happen to be 150ft tall. This is including the standard “superhero loses faith in himself only to regain it by the final reel”plotline, discussion of the emotional consequences of giant monster battles and nods to a 40-year continuity.

Seriously. This, and the DARK KNIGHT are my new standard for superhero movies. Anything less is not worth it.

youtu.be/lmBsGmAVM3A Part 1

youtu.be/pKAxRxW3l9U Part 2

Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Nigel Stock, Neil McCallum, Ben Carruthers, Victor Maddern, and Norman Eshley. Directed by Michael Carreras, and Leslie Norman.

The Lost Continent is a crazy-quilt of a film, with chunks of several unrelated plotlines sewn together willy nilly. Eric Porter plays Lansen, the captain of a tramp steamer who has agreed to deliver contraband dynamite for a hefty price. His passengers are a polyglot of the good, the bad and the worse. Shipwrecked on an mysterious isle in the Sargasso Sea, Lansen and party find themselves prisoners of a bizarre inbred colony still governed by the long-abandoned edicts of the Spanish Inquisition. The film is no more coherent than the original Dennis Wheatley novel Uncharted Seas, but that doesn't detract from its endearing wackiness. To their credit, the cast members of Lost Continent play the script straight, which merely adds to the kinky fun.

review

It would be exaggerating to call The Lost Continenht a very good film, but it's a strangely appealing one. This is especially true for those who are fans of science fiction films, especially of the "lost world" sub-genre. Aficionados may argue that Continent doesn't actually belong in that "lost world" category as, despite its title, the voyagers don't really discover a long-lost continent so much as encounter a strange civilization existing in the Sargasso Sea -- but that's splitting hairs. Continent has giant sea creatures, man-eating seaweed, people walking on snowshoes while being held aloft by balloons, and a group who still thinks the Spanish Inquisition is going on -- more than enough to satisfy any fan. Granted, it's totally ridiculous and immensely silly, and granted that the melodrama is piled on with a sledgehammer; yet that somehow adds to Continent's appeal. (For young male viewers, it also doesn't hurt that Continent features some very attractive women among its cast members.) The filmmakers have so much fun setting up this strange world and the exploring it that it's rather contagious -- so much so that most viewers won't mind the crudity of some of the special effects. Continent is a good picture to approach on a rainy day when the viewer has just popped some corn and feels like something that will make him feel like a wide-eyed 10-year-old again.

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Honestly, I'm writing this at 1:58 AM on the 27th, though I did take this photo on the 25th. But both the Friday and Saturday sort of blended together in a depressive, melancholy, procrastinate-y sort of way, so much so that I'm not sure each day deserves its own entry. I suppose I should muddle through as best I can.

This day was strange. I've been falling asleep later and later, and have returned unhappily to a fairly nocturnal cycle: 5:30am to bed, and then fitfully up somewhere between noon and 3. Not the most productive days and nights. Such was the case on this Friday, where I spent the better part of my brainpower on designing the aforementioned "Just Sex" logo (see January 24th) until Mary, Sarah and Lisa came by for dinner. The photo above is just an early draft.

By 10:30pm, when they all left, I was starting to feel exhausted, similar to jetlag... so of course I stayed up until 5:30 trying to read my script and again watching bad television. At the very tail end, I was feeling so morose, and so full of self-pity, that I picked up the copy of Jumper (by Steven Gould) that I'd ordered from Amazon, and started reading.

Quick aside: I'd heard of it years ago on boingboing.net and actually thought about trying to find out who owned the option because it seemed like a perfect film adaptation, and something I'd love to direct. It's a "teen novel" and so I thought it would be a light, fun plotline, but I never got around to reading it. Another 6 or 8 months later, I saw an article in Variety about Jumper in preproduction, directed by Doug Liman. As down as I was about it, I thought, at least the director was a good fit for the story. Then I learned Hayden Christensen was it in. Hmmm. About three weeks ago, seeing that Jumper was finally coming out in theaters, I wanted to read it before Darth Vader got his hacky acting chops all over it and his interpretation got stuck in my brain. Don't get me wrong, I hope he does a stellar job and I'm rooting for him... I just don't have that much confidence. But maybe it was George's fault. Maybe.

Anyway, after about 15 pages, I actually felt better. Either my mood was lifting, or the book was the perfect escape. I went to bed.

Teleportation.

Instantly jumps me to the

Young Adult section.

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Working on a television show can be much like being an agent or a spy — all information is on a need to know basis, and you have to be extremely good at keeping secrets. So when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences brought together a group of primetime crime fighters, we took the opportunity to gather some information about upcoming plotlines and character development.

Criminal Minds' Thomas Gibson teased the November 10 episode, guest starring Prison Break's Robert Knepper. "Rob plays the son of a movie actress from the '50s, and the poor kid is pretty twisted," he says. "He kidnaps these girls and dresses them up like '50s movie stars and then kills them. It's fantastic!" Gibson also talked about the arrival of guest star Rachel Nichols, who plays an FBI cadet starting in late November. "I don't want to give too much away, but she has a particular perspective that the team will find invaluable in a specific case." Though Gibson's stingy with the details, he will say that Nichols was not hired to replace former Minds' cast member A.J. Cook. "I don't think that anybody is intending for anyone to be her replacement. There's no replacing the character, and there's no replacing the actress," he says. "I think one of the things that we did in some of the subsequent episodes of her leaving was to play that it was hard to fill her shoes."

Boris Kodjoe from NBC's spydrama Undercovers was surprised to hear that Lost's Alan Dale had been cast as the new big boss on the show. But since Dale's arrival, Kodjoe has finally found out little hints about his own character's past. "A lot of secrets are going to be revealed in the next few episodes, stuff that I read and was like, 'Whoa,'" he says. "It's quite shocking. Now we'll find out more about who we are and our purpose in this whole thing. I was thinking we came back [to the agency] because we wanted to save a friend, which is not the case."

Matt Bomer promises answers on the January episodes of White Collar, which picks up a few weeks after Mozzie (Willie Garson) took a bullet to the chest in the summer season finale. "The last seven episodes are really heavy," he says. "Pretty much all the questions that we've asked for the first couple of seasons come to a head and get answered." And yes, that includes the mystery surrounding that much sought after music box.

The nail biter on CSI is whether or not original cast member Marg Helgenberger will really leave at the end of the season, as she announced earlier this year. "You know what, anything's possible. But I wouldn't consider a full season," she tells us. Her change of heart may have something to do with Catherine's recently improved private life. "It's funny, I've said I want a love interest on the show since Season 2, and my last season I finally get one. There's something going on there," she laughs. "They've given me some more interesting things to do this season, so we'll see where they're going to take the character in the next few months. Like I said, anything's possible."

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Copyright © Karin Elizabeth. All rights reserved. This photo is public only so you ("the public") may view it; it is not to be used as free stock. Use without written consent by the author (that would be me) is illegal and punishable by law; I will take action. So, contact me beforehand if you are interested in using this image or any of my others (non-)commercially.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Shadow of the Wind

Penguin

487 pages

Book borrowed from Wil

Cover design by Paul Buckley.

At age 11, seven years since his mother’s passing, Daniel is introduced by his father to a secret place: The Cemetery of Books, where he finds the novel “The Shadow of the Wind” by Julian Carax.

The book has a profound impact on Daniel, so much that he wishes to learn more about the author and his other work, only to quickly discover that someone out there has been burning all of Carax’s work. Daniel, however, refuses to let it go; he is determined to understand the man who has moved him so through his writing.

In a post-WWII Barcelona, Daniel comes of age while unraveling a mystery so dangerously well hidden, a secret so well kept, the search leaves serious consequences for Daniel and everyone else involved.

Two parallel stories – that of Daniel and that of Julian – are told so colourfully next to eachother, it’s hard not to admire the storytelling abilities of the author. His diverse and well developed characters each in their own way add to the plotline – even the warmly described city of Barcelona plays her part in the background.

All in all, the book has certainly been an interesting and innovative read with memorable characters; however, due to predictability not suitable for a mystery novel as well as the almost quick resolve to the story, the book receives a 4/5 rating from me, even though it seemed promising enough for a 5/5.

Whereas Carax’s “The Shadow of the Wind” enraptured and shook Daniel incredibly, Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind did not move me the way I’d hoped; it seemed all it could do for me was provide me with entertainment.

But... successfully so.

4/5.

February 1st 2008.

No group images/invites wanted. They will be deleted.

R&R series with photos and text © 2008 Karin Elizabeth.

Please contact me if you'd like to use this review.

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Silver Dollar City is a theme park in the state of Missouri. Opened on May 1, 1960, the park is located between Branson and Branson West off of Missouri Route 76 on the Indian Point peninsula of Table Rock Lake. The park is an 1880s-themed experience that fits Branson's vision as a family-friendly vacation destination with down-home charm. Silver Dollar City's operating season runs from mid-March until late December, with the park closed during the months of January and February. Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family Entertainment, which owns, operates or partners in 25 properties in 10 states and includes the nearby water park, White Water; water excursion and theatre, the Showboat Branson Belle; water and land tour attraction Ride the Ducks. The park gained much public notice when the Clampett family of CBS-TV's The Beverly Hillbillies decided to pay a visit to Silver Dollar City (treated as an actual town, rather than a theme park) to start off the 1969-1970 season. The plotline involved Granny (Irene Ryan) attempting to find a husband for Elly May (Donna Douglas) back in the hills, while Jed (Buddy Ebsen) socialized with hotel clerk Shorty Kellems (Shug Fisher). They visited the blacksmith Shad Heller, soapmaker Granny Ethel Huffman, and woodcarver Peter Engler, and Miss Hathaway (Nancy Kulp) was seen in the Ozark woods. The Hillbillies were from the area surrounding Silver Dollar City and Branson, and references to Jim Owens and his White River float trip business and some Missouri mountain locations were made throughout the show's nine-year run. Five episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies were eventually shot in the park. 7/23/16

With the dress ruined, Lady/Baryshnya Nelidova had to retire early, red in the face and with water in the eyes. Varvara Vasilievna von Engelhardt who was nearby dancing was heard sneering at the young lady, coincidence? We think not.

Read more on "Royal Treatment" plotline: docs.google.com/presentation/d/11w07wRtM64aT-slNCqxzs_0p8...

SLUrl: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Embers/159/124/3313

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

Some really crazy stuff goes on in my dreams.

The old castle was once many years ago home to the one of the great king Leonardo`s ancestors, but since the kingdom has progressed the castle was forgotten and taken over by the rebels in secrecy as their base.

The rebels were greatly struggling to overthrow the higher powers and with the aid of a new found technology of mechanics, the leader of the rebels (the Cyclops mage) along with the blue warrior put forth the idea of a secret weapon of such. The rebels began construction of this on their castle and after several months of work, the creation was finished, although nothing much changed to the naked eye.

Luckily underneath the castle there were large veins of coal and oil, which was greatly needed to power 'The Mechanolith' as they called it. All they needed now was a pilot for controlling it. My sig fig was chosen to pilot it via a mental connection with the machinery, it was now ready to take action.

Some weeks after it`s dispatchal the villagers living nearby the castle noticed suspicious activity going on around the castle when some villagers occasionally walk by. Eventually the town folk thought it was a good idea to check out what was going on, having no idea of what would confront them.

What did you guys think of the backstory? It`s the first time i`ve actually created a story for one of my MOCs so i hope it was alright, i do plan to make a whole plotline with my fantasy and medeival MOCs starteing from Darkwood lighthouse.

I`m not sure where i got my inspiration from for this MOC from, i guess it was a combination of steam-punk, pacific rim, and my dreams, it seams most of my MOC ideas come from nowhere.

The construction of this was from the mech base up and then the legs, until i had the idea of making a base for it so it could camouflage into it`s surroundings.

Hope you liked this, more MOCs coming soon. Brick OUT!

*Eltin humming to herself obliviously while pouring more wine*

This was a silly little photo story we played out on Siama's visit. Not much of a plotline or character development. LOL