Movies: Frankenhooker (1990)

I'm 'busy' prepping for christmas dinner, so while the pavlova is cooking...it's time for some sleazy horror, Frankenhooker. I know on title alone, how can it fail.
We open with a chap slicing into a brain, which has an eye attached, encouraging it to follow his hand. this is done on the kitchen table. There is some terrible over acting, so this is starting well.

Jeffrey likes operating on things, he's a part-time doctor, kinda. An automated mower, has just killed Jeffrey's fiance Elizabeth, 'reduced to a tossed human salad', although parts of her are missing! I think we suspect Jeffrey !! Mainly because he's been designing an electric circuit for a human, with Elizabeth's head at the top.
Jeffrey is concerned he's becoming amoral, his mother offers him a sandwich.
'To new beginnings...' to Elizabeth's head and various body parts. He's a hopeless romantic, and is awaiting a storm to make her a whole new her. Even the weatherman says the storm will be ideal for mad doctors out there. He's now drilling a hole in his own head, to get in the mood to abduct a hooker. But he wants 6-7 women, who he measures to create his perfect body - sadly the crack he'd made, which they took, makes people explode. With very cheap effects, brilliant.

Elizabeth, reanimated, reconstituted, appears to have the personality of a hooker. So she's off to town. Things don't go well. Ohhh evidence body parts can self-assemble. Elizabeth then saves Jeffrey.

Overall? Quality entertainment here.

Movies: Van Nuys Blvd

Van Nuys Blvd [1979]: We open in a sunny car based US city, funky music, cuts to woman getting ready, while a lad drives his van across vaguely rural countryside. Soundtrack is getting better and better.  She loses her clothes, and cracks him a beer. He doesn't seem very interested in shagging her. He watches a news article on Van Nuys Blvd, and expresses his displeasure at this small tin pot town, and takes off for VNB. In his van.
We're now enjoying a very extended sequence of people cruising up and down VNB. Thankfully the tune is good. Oh look a drive in restaurant.
"no-one calls chooch a creep" - stunning dialogue between guy the cop pulled over, and the cop (the cop is crooked, and called Zass).
Those kids, all that car racing. Crooked cops. All happening here.
It all appears to be an excuse for dance routines, drive in restaurants, and beach parties.  It's pretty damn bad, and although there's lots of sun and nipples, basically everyone seems to be whining at each other. But the kids do get one over the cop, or 'the man' as they adorably refer to him. In what may have been an amusing metaphor to the directors, a pig is released and runs around the beach. Yes. There are a number of vignettes of this type.


Here's the theme song. It's great.

And now, the full movie

Movies : Scorpion [1986]

Scorpion opens in a mexican/spanish? village. With a ferrari. We move into a bar, there's a lot of hairy angry looking men. They exchange meaningful glances, a fight breaks out. More tragically a beer is spilled, and they switch the jukebox off.
The credits are rolling with suitably epic synth led music, also we're in Spain. For some reason we're now in Amsterdam. We learn the president has allowed pre-emptive strikes. OMFG, coincidence or what, but there's been a sky-jacking! Our top man, Scorpion, is going on the plane (it's on the ground), the hijacker has the worlds worst German accent. Which isn't nearly as offensive as Scorpion's very short shorts.
Oh he won. He beat all the terrorists. Amazing.

Now he's on the hunt for the big bad terrorist. People keep getting shot, synthtastic.
Hospital scene had the classic soundtrack "Dr. Blair, Dr. Blair, Dr. J. Hamilton, Dr. J. Hamilton" - sadly the guitars didn't kick in. Our hero is sad now, his friend is dead. He's now passing through the stages, is on anger. But the bad guys are in the hospital now, our hero has sprung into action. As has a slowly pulsing bass synth.
This movie is not rocking along. Our German is trying to escape, slowly. More people are dead, and yet the plot hasn't moved. I know i'm expecting too much. But really, moody shots of a grumpy hero are wearing a little thin now.
Oh bollocks, I'm only an hour in, there's another 38mins !
I think we've reached the penultimate fight scene, it's dire.
For some reason we're on a boat now. Chasing someone. For some reason. Everything is moving so slowly, the editor needs a serious talking to. But anyway, we get more synth heavy tunes, so it's not all bad.
A solid 2/10.

Cabal Strikes Back : we hit SMWS

Half of the cabal reunited to drink whisky, solve world problems, and argue over flavours. We decided SMWS London was the location, and Saturday afternoon the time. It also gave us opportunities to swop xmas gifts, all booze based, and for me to collect my Bruichladdich MP5 (Port Charlotte) from Alec. Google Keep provided the note taking, and the open fire, the relaxing ambiance.

1.202 Delightfully delectable 22yo d. 23/9/93 53.8%, virgin oak hogshead
Nose - green grass, bourbon prickly, wood polish, lemons, malt loaf
Palate - sweet, honey, fruit salad - melons,
Finish - med long

Add water, brings out bourbon and makes it v prickly.
A very rare Glenfarclas from SWMS, really nice and would be great to have sitting in the cupboard.
8/10

35.168 Essence of BFG, 15yo d.17/5/2001 60.4% virgin toasted French oak butt
Nose - odd, sweet marshmallow, Parma violets, deep complex, old house, cherry, burnt sugar
Palate - warm, butter, tingly, salted toffee, caramel, liquorice at end of palette
Finish - long, tingly, salty caramel
8.5/10 this is quite odd, and quite lovely

With water, warmer and smoother on palate possibly with ginger.
Glen Moray? why yes, I will try some of that. We both really liked this, interesting and a lot happening in the whisky (contrary to someone else's review on the web). Definitely recommend.

36.111 Benrinnes
Nose - light manuka, medicinal, star anise, hay
Palate - sweet at finish, prickly, sherbet at start, bourbon, not quite ripe kiwifruit, hint of tea??!!
Finish - med
Could be more complex, but interesting 7/10

3.286 Islay Village Peat-Smoke Haze , 17yo, d.25/09/1998, 57.8%, refill ex-bourbon barrel
N - medicinal, big, smoke, hospital bandages,
P - throat clearing, bacon, salt, honey,
F - massive, salty
8.5/10 it ain't subtle but it is brilliant, more evidence Bowmore indie bottlings are better than their own.

Lovely wee tasting, with two standardouts (Bowmore and Glen Moray).