Watching Mozart in the Jungle.

I've been curious about the series Mozart in the Jungle.  My interest mainly stemmed from the participation in the show by British actor Malcolm McDowell.  I've always been a huge fan of his work and he's been mentioning Mozart in the Jungle during his latest convention appearances.

Usually it doesn't take me long to check out McDowell's performance in anything I'm aware of.  But Mozart in the Jungle is a production of Amazon - available at this time only via streaming and I'm not much into (what I deem) new fangled viewing methods.  The show's second season premiered weeks ago and the recent Golden Globe Awards gave a victory to Mozart in the Jungle for best comedy or musical series.  With the win fueling interest, Amazon made Mozart in the Jungle available for free streaming over the weekend and I decided to indulge.  Each of the show's two seasons are comprised of ten episodes running at an average of about twenty five minutes.  I watched all but one segment of the show.  The result left me a bit bleary eyed (but not nearly as badly as McDowell from undergoing the ludvico treatment in A Clockwork Orange) and a huge fan of Mozart in the Jungle. 

Mozart in the Jungle revolves around the New York Orchestra.  The major players in the show's storyline include a young female bassoonist looking to make the grade to perform in the big time, the orchestra's unconventional new maestro who has arrived on the scene amid a whirlwind of fanatic attention and Thomas, the former conductor who attempts to accept the new situation as an agent of change even if he is not a hundred percent favorable to it.  The episodes are highly enjoyable as independent entities, but there are continuing story arcs which provide additional substance to the series large cast of characters.  My favorite supporting character is the aging percussionist who hasn't seemed willing to give up a single hippie trait.  Secret politics play out in the board rooms funding the orchestra while romances weave throughout the lives of the musicians.  I had sort of feared when approaching this show that it would be filled with young angst amid dating frenzies and adherents to the show biz saying of "Let's put on a show"!  Instead I was entranced by clever scripts concerning the life efforts of the musicians of various ages.  The new orchestra conductor's methods (such as breaking into an abandoned lot in the middle of a city block to get in touch with the city's soil and spirit) at first befuddles the orchestra.  But the orchestra warms up to his actions, as I did.     

Overall I would say Mozart in the Jungle is a charming series with a magnificently quirky attitude. 

For me, Malcolm McDowell is the highlight.  He plays Thomas, the orchestra's former leader.  Thomas is an eccentric.  You can never be sure of what he has in mind.  That makes for a lot of fun and McDowell acts with great gusto.  He played a similar highly esteemed eccentric of grand ideas most recently in Franklin and Bash, which ran for several seasons on TNT.  Here's hoping that Mozart in the Jungle runs for more outstanding seasons!

Myself & Mozart in the Jungle star Malcolm McDowell at Horrorfind.  

A Year of Conventions

I vividly recall Star Trek conventions from my youth.  What fans started as an effort to restore a classic science fiction series to the screen and learn the show's secrets from its production crew blossomed wildly.  The current convention phenomena embraces numerous TV shows as well as comics and other pop culture trends like steampunk.  Fans get to connect and share their special tastes in activities ranging from costume contests to panels. For fans of TV and films the midatlantic U. S. is a great spot for conventions that fit every enthusiast's taste.  I've found 2015 to be a fun year of conventions and thought I'd share some memories of the ones I was fortunate enough to attend.

March has several sensational area cons.  In Virginia, The Williamsburg Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating classic cowboy/western media with celebrity guests, movie screenings and a large, collectible filled vendor's room.  I attended the convention last year where I got to meet guests like Alex Cord and Robert Fuller.  Alas, attending this year was not in the cards.  However I did go to Cherry Hill New Jersey for Monstermania which commenced on March 13th and appropriately enough spotlighted the popular Friday the 13th film franchise over the weekend.  Although I only attended Saturday, that day did feel a bit like a Friday the 13th with overcast skies and cool drizzle as I made my way through the labyrinth like parking lot surrounding the hotel.  Monstermania's main focus is horror films. For me, the best part was chatting with the always amicable William Sanderson.  He's probably best known as Larry, the good hearted backwoodsman, from the series Newhart but has numerous sci-fi/horror credits including Blade Runner, Nightmares and True Blood.

Spring officially arrived by the last weekend of March, but Maryland was in for a dusting of snow.  I travelled through the white stuff without the aid of a TARDIS for the Baltimore based Regeneration Con.  If you're a proponent of TARDIS travel, then you're probably a fan of Dr. Who.  Regeneration Con is a Whovian delight featuring actors and writers who worked on the long running British Sci-Fi series that still makes its presence known Saturday nights via BBCAmerica, currently with Peter Capaldi as the title character.  Doctor Who - an alien Time Lord - has been portrayed by 13 different actors on television and one exclusively for two cinematic offerings.  Two of the actors who had played Doctor Who were present to sign autographs and reminisce about their memories on the show during Q&As.  In addition to the interview sessions with actors and writers, the event boasted numerous panels of interest to fans of the time travelling doctor.  There promises to be more time travelling fun at Regeneration Con 2016.


 

The first con of April transported the focus from all things Whovian to Trek.  The Great Philadelphia

Clive Revill and I at The Great Philadelphia Comic Con.

Comic Con assembled three actors (Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig and George Takei) from the original Star Trek series to greet fans, do photo ops and sign autographs.  Other TV shows represented by guests included The Power Rangers and Buffy.  The Star Wars legacy was represented by several guests, including Clive Revill who voiced the Emporer in the original saga.  It was delightful hearing him discuss his career.  I eagerly talked to him about his work on stage in The Marat/Sade, on the silver screen in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and in TV shows such as Remington Steele.

  

Gates McFadden speaks at Steel City Con.

Pittsburgh's Steel City Comic Con is a cornucopia of vendors and celebrities.  April's edition featured guests Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) and Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation).  The event had numerous panels and boasted a few classic TV  reunions.  Tom Wopat and John Schneider of The Dukes of Hazzard obviously maintained their chemistry from the series as they joked together about their time on the show and shared touching memories of cast mates.  Three's Company stars Richard Kline, Joyce DeWitt and Priscilla Barnes shared the stage to comment on favorite episodes like the one where confusion reigned when both Jack and Terri's date thought the other was a mental patient.


Amazing Con took place outside of Philadelphia and celebrated an eclectic mix of interests.  Guests  included artists and cosplayers as well as celebrities such as Bond girl Lana Wood and Parker Stevenson.  I couldn't help chatting with Stevenson about 80's TV miniseries as he appeared in the epic production of Civil War intrigue North and South.  It seems we are both fans of Masada. 

April ended with Chiller in New Jersey - certainly one of the area's largest assembly of celebrities.  I got to meet a Monkee (Michael Nesmith) and several film favorites including veteran actor Rip Torn.

My final Spring con was Awesome Con in Washington DC.  I got to hear a fascinating Q&A from both William Shatner and stars of The Lord of the Rings films - John Rhys Davies and Sean Astin.

Summer certainly had some hot fun!  The August offering of Monstermania in Cherry Hill had a great mix of guests including one of my favorite actors - Malcolm McDowell whose Q&A kept the packed audience amused and fascinated with anecdotes of his long career.  It seems McDowell met with disdain at his costar Roy Scheider's idea that the two claim they did their own flying in the film Blue Thunder.  Apparently McDowell loathes flying.  Sid Haig was extremely friendly to his long line of fans eager to get an autograph or picture taken with him.  Haig has an extensive career ranging from TV (the original Star Trek & Buck Rodgers) to films (Diamonds Are Forever).  As Haig signed a pic of him with 007 Sean Connery from Diamonds Are Forever for me, I couldn't help mentioning that I'd met Bond girl Lana Wood at a con earlier in the year.  His one line reply was great - "I threw her out a window once!"

Myself & Michael McConnohie at Retro Con.

September's two cons tugged at the heart strings of my youthful memories.  Near Philadelphia, Retro Con is a great event mostly celebrating 80's animated shows and pop culture.   There you'll likely walk past your favorite comic or Star Wars character.  In fact I especially felt nostalgic when I saw a group clad in the red costumes of the aliens from the original version of V.  V aired when I went to my first cons and those uniforms were awfully popular attire!  Retro Con's guest list included various voice actors of cartoons that I fondly discovered on TV in the afternoons or mornings of my youth, such as G.I. Joe, Mask and Robotech.  It was interesting to see the animation's real life counterparts.  Michael McConnohie was a voice for Robotech and has recently put his talent to use in reading audio adaptions of the adventures of Doc Savage.  I told him I was a fan of the character and it turns out we are both fans of the little known George Pal produced film - Doc Savage: Man of Bronze.  I've never tired since childhood of watching that film!

The Visitors surround C3PO & R2D2 at Retro Con.

Baltimore Maryland's Midatlantic Nostalgia Convention (known as MANC) is a treat for fans of early films and television shows.  This year's edition featured a trio of lethal lovelies from Hammer's horror films and a Bionic reunion with cast members from both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.  The vendor's room with classic toys, books, movies and other historic mementos can easily transport one to an earlier era.


The scenery of scarlet and golden trees on the drive to Chiller's October edition really put me in the mood for Fall.  Police officers were on duty as usual guiding vehicles into the spacious parking lots across the street from the huge hotel that housed the convention.  Perhaps due to my selection of Sunday to attend, I was able to park closer then usual for my arrival in conjunction with the opening of the event and enjoyed a brisk walk in the autumn air.  The registration area was thankfully efficiently manned this year.  Once inside there was a large crowd milling through the vendors' rooms and the various celebrity signing areas.  Some of my favorite stars were signing at this con - like genre actress extraordinaire Sybil Danning whose credits include the original V TV series, Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars, Rob Zombie's version of Halloween and The Howling 2 - Your Sister Is A Werewolf.  It was a pic from that film that I got her to autograph and she sweetly asked my preference for signature color!  Other celebrities included her Battle Beyond the Stars leading man, Richard Thomas AKA John boy of The Waltons and Chyna, the wrestler.
I really enjoyed chatting with a couple cult favorite actresses.  Brenda Strong said she and British actor David Warner had such chemistry as their characters in Twin Peaks that their time in the bizarre TV town was extended for additional episodes.  Being a season two player, she never got to work with its co-creator David Lynch but was directed by the show's other regular directors.  Misty Rowe played Maid Marion in the 70's Robin Hood TV spoof from Mel Brooks called When Things Were Rotten.  I remember the series as being hilarious - far funnier then Brooks film attempt at infusing the Robin Hood legend with comedy called Men in Tights.  "The show was ahead of its time," Rowe mused.  "It was cancelled because with so many sets it was too expensive."

Leroy and Star Trek's Walter Koenig.

I got to celebrate my birthday in Pittsburgh at Steel City Con's December edition.  I went with my friend Marie and her service dog, Leroy - who was a real star of the show!  Children were eager to pet him and he certainly charmed the celebrities so much so that he was called over by Star Trek's Walter Koenig and Paul Sorvino.  Leroy was happy to grant free photo ops! Leroy really liked William Katt, who he favored with some licks.  I've met Katt at several cons and he's always very friendly.  Katt starred in the '80's classic fantasy TV series The Greatest American Hero as well as numerous films.  Katt autographed for me a dvd cover of the movie Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend which he starred in opposite one of my favorite actors - Patrick McGoohan.  When I asked him about working with McGoohan he spoke of the actor with respect in his voice - especially at the way McGoohan departed the set regularly when free to return to be with his ailing wife.  All in all 'twas an excellent time and great end to the con year.

Believe it or not - the two Williams.  Myself and Katt at Steel City Con.

Many of these cons have more offerings then what I managed to briefly detail, such as musical offerings and costume contests.  There are themes for every taste in cons, ranging from faerie festivals to comic cons.  The common denominator is the fun. 

Halloween Treats

As Halloween approaches there are numerous treats associated with the season - colorful leaves, parties with lavish offerings of candy, and scary tales.  The movies are a great medium for terrifying tales dating back to its inception. 

Some of the most spellbinding horror films I've ever seen are silent era offerings from the German expressionist cinema.  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a captivatingly filmed production utilizing bizarre angles to nightmarish effect as it ensnares its viewers in a sinister tale of a sleep walker causing havoc in a small village.  There's a twist at the end which I've read is a result of  1920's
German censorship.  In 1922  F. W. Murnau treated audiences to another frightening silent Greman classic - Noserfatu.  The film counts as the first adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula (although the name Dracula was not used in hope of avoiding payment to the Stoker estate).  The movie is as spooky as possible with magnificent imagery that has passed into the vault of horror history.

Many horror films have followed, some adaptions of literary classics like the series of films from Roger Corman starring Vincent Price based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe.  The black and white films from Universal in the 30's introduced audiences to Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster.  In the late 50's and 60's British based horror films from Hammer Studios often teamed Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee for full color horror classics with an erotic edge.  Italian horror films intensified their imagery of horror for chilling films like the atmospherically frightening Suspiria by director Dario Argento.  In the 80's American audiences became mesmerized by films with villainous protagonists with supernatural abilities like Pinhead from the Hellraiser series & Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

W. P. Rigler with Malcolm McDowell of the newest Halloween.

And of course there is the movie which draws its name from the holiday - Halloween.  The original Halloween by director John Carpenter is a thrill ride of carefully orchestrated scary moments starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence dealing with a seemingly supernatural madman that strikes upon Halloween.  The recent remake from director Rob Zombie starring Malcolm McDowell boasted a bigger budget, bloodier effects and an all star supporting cast.  

Halloween itself has been showcased by Hollywood in a multitude of styles, ranging from childhood's simple appreciation of it in Meet Me In Saint Louis to 1951's The Man With A Cloak starring Joseph Cotton as a historic writer trying to solve a diabolical mystery.

I couldn't help sharing my appreciation of such Halloween/horror icons as the vampire and the zombie in my new book titled Midnight Writings.  The book consists of my newest scary stories and articles concerning hauntings, horror films and more.  Do check it out at  www.lulu.com/spotlight/wrigler and order it for yourself as a Halloween treat!

Jack The Ripper Strikes Again!

November 9th marks the date that the mutilated body of Mary Kelly was found in her Whitechapel lodgings in 1888. This horrid crime is the last officially attributed to the murderous fiend referred to as Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper has become a legend due to his diabolical work, but everything about him remains a mystery – from his motivation to his identity. Suspects considered have ranged from Kosminski, a mentally unbalanced immigrant living in poverty in Whitechapel, to Great Britain’s royal family. Even the number of Ripper victims varies. Five female prostitutes are generally attributed to the Ripper’s reign of terror – but there are unsolved murders before and after the five crimes generally accepted to have been done by Jack which some experts blame the Ripper for. At any rate, Mary Kelly’s was the last officially labeled a ‘Ripper’ murder. Unlike the Ripper’s other victims who were found in the street, Mary Kelly was murdered in her lodgings, which allowed Jack the Ripper a better opportunity to mutilate his victim and he took full advantage of this opportunity.
I've long been fascinated by the legend of Jack the Ripper.  I've watched films, documentaries and more on the subject as well as read a few books concerning the Ripper.  In fact, I was even moved to write a fictional book of my own involving Jack the Ripper and my interest in vampires.  The book is called TERROR'S TASTE.  Jack the Ripper also appeared in a short story of mine of a more realistic nature called THE WHITECHAPEL WAGERS which appears in my collection of fiction and poetry called SUMMONED SECRETS.  I'm not alone in a little creative speculation on the subject. 
Filmmakers have had a field day on the subject of Jack the Ripper. In fact they’ve recruited such iconic British figures as Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells to face off against the mad murderer. In MURDER BY DECREE,  Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Dr. Watson (James Mason) pursued the wicked murderer to the highest level of the monarchy. In  TIME AFTER TIME, Jack the Ripper steals the time machine crafted by H.G. Wells to flee from the authorities into the furture of 1979. David Warner is chilling as Jack the Ripper, who looks favorably upon society’s changes, and Malcom McDowell portrays Wells as a charming adventurer adrift in a strange new era in pursuit of the fiend he has unwittingly unleashed on it.
A more realistic view of the Ripper crimes can be found in FROM HELL starring Johnny Depp as the inspector matched against the vile Ripper. The film develops a jarringly realistic view of life in Whitechapel for its inhabitants. The film does indulge in a bit of fictional fantasy regarding the character of Inspector Abberline, who in Depp’s perormance is prone to visions and whose fate is different from real life history.
TV has had its own interests in the Ripper crimes. In 1988 to mark the 100th anniversary of the crime, a CBS mini-series simply called JACK THE RIPPER starred Michael Caine as Inspector Abberline. His hunt for the Ripper also found its way to Britain’s royal bloodline and its corridors of power.  More recent TV undertakings have been more interested with the Ripper’s legacy. RIPPER STREET deals with the policemen patroling Whitechapel immediately after the Ripper murders and WHITECHAPEL deals with policeman in current day Whitechapel.
The 1980’s comic book series BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT maintained much of the facts of the case while introducing Dracula for a gothic match up of evil.


                                 Below: Myself & Malcolm McDowell of Time After Time.

Below: Terror's Taste book cover.

 

 

 

Malcolm McDowell = Fantastic Films

Today, June 13th, is the birthday of actor Malcolm McDowell.  I've been a huge fan of his for years.  I first saw him in Time After Time, a film which wonderfully mixed sci-fi, humor and adventure.  McDowell played science fiction novelist H. G. Wells, whose time machine was stolen by Jack the Ripper (David Warner) in an attempt to avoid the authorities by escaping to the future.  Jack finds himself in an environment he happily calls home, while Wells in depressed by humanity's lack of progress.  Even a trip to McDonald's failed to lift the time traveller's spirits!

Malcolm McDowell also happens to star in my favorite film, O Lucky Man! which combines dark satire and whimsy in a plot about a coffee bean salesman inspired by McDowell's own youthful experience.  Alan Price, of Animals fame, provides a fantastically memorable soundtrack.  The film was directed by Lindsay Anderson.  Anderson was the director who brought McDowell to fame with the starring role of Michael Travis in the film if.....  McDowell returned to play the character twice more for Anderson in O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital.

The role which probably casts the greatest shadow across McDowell's career is that of Alex in A Clockwork Orange.  His appearence of a single false black eye lash and bowler hat accenting his tight white garb is iconic in the annals of cinema.  Director Stanley Kubrick's film offered abundant violence and nudity, but allowed Alex's unsavory actions an amount of appeal thanks to stylized scenes and McDowell's charisma.  It's shocked audiences and critics upon its release and still manages to do so.

Diverse is the best descripion applied to McDowell's work of the past 35 years.  He's portrayed villains with copious zeal in sci-fi pics like Star Trek Generations and Tank Girl.  He's been the lead in historic films with a tendacy toward drama like the World War I story of pilots - Aces High, as well as romps like director Richard Lester's Royal Flash.  Cat People presented McDowell as an odd indivdiual, desperate and cursed by a bizarre pedigree in an erotic reworking of the classic B&W horror film.  Along with other established actors like Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren, he took a chance to appear in the sexually graphic Caligula.  Whether in the past or future, as hero or villain, McDowell is always fascinating to watch.

Most recently McDowell has starred on the TNT series Franklin and Bash as the eccentric head of the law firm which employs the title characters.

I've been fortunate to see Malcolm McDowell in person at several conventions.   His Q&A's concerning his career are always entertaining.           

Malcolm McDowell & David Bowie - 2 Greats!

Reality forges links in mysterious ways.

As a teenager I became a huge fan of Malcolm McDowell, first for his work in Time After Time.  McDowell played the great science fiction writer H. G. Wells, but in the film Wells did more then write science fiction - he lived it.  Wells created a time machine, but bad luck had a friend (played by David Warner) turn out to be the infamous Jack the Ripper and the killer escaped into time via the machine.

Time After Time led me to seek out other McDowell films.  I was repeatedly transfixed by his performances in such productions as A Clockwork Orange, if.., and O Lucky Man!.  The later is my favorite film, a heady mix of first rate acting and  music provided by Alan Price of The Animals.  The film has a surreal flair as it follows coffee salesman Mick Travis (McDowell) on a series of adventures throughout England of the late 60's early 70's era.  Travis encounters everything from nefarious businessmen to mad scientists but always looks for tomorrow's oppurtunities.  Interestingly, McDowell himself worked as a coffee bean salesman.  His character in this film, Mick Travis, was the central character in if.., and would return in Britannia Hospital.

Malcolm McDowell managed to introduce me to two musical greats.  It was McDowell's role as offscreen narrator that led me to view The Compleat Beatles.  His voice added a lot to the story of The Beatles start, growth and eventual breakup.  The film is well researched with ample facts and happily does not delve too deeply into gossip or unfounded scandals. 

Malcolm McDowell introduced me to David Bowie's work with Cat People.  The 1982 film was a remake of a black and white Val Lewton film from forty years earlier.  The remake had more blood and a stronger interpetation of the story's central theme of sexuality.  And it had a killer tune by Bowie. 

Cat People (putting out fire) has mysterious and passionate lyrics that somehow maintain an immortal flaire.  Bowie's voice seems to me at it fullest here, able to utilize its deep richness to convey listeners to an eerie plane of existance where the supernatural rules. I found myself recognizing that voice elsewhere, a TV movie called The Annhilator used Ashes to Ashes.  And I couldn't help myself from seeking out his work in albums and film.
 

  
    Myself and Malcolm McDowell at Horrorfind Convention in September of 2012. (Above)

It was a great pleasure to get to meet Malcolm McDowell at serval local conventions.  And recently its been a great pleasure to write for davidbowienews.com - go there to find more of my musings concerning the great David Bowie.