Marc Platt's "Dis Time It's Poisonal"

Marc Platt is an artist you should be listening to if you’re a fan of first-rate rock and roll music. The talented former frontman for the well-regarded power poppers The Real Impossibles has been issuing some impressive discs recently, including the marvelous 2020 EP Beat On The Street, and the excellent full-length album Colors Of The Universe this past January. Now he’s back with another not to be missed record, Dis Time It’s Poisonal, which has just been released by Rum Bar Records. The album is a splendid collection of songs, a few of which have previously been released, and a number of other tunes which were newly recorded for this project. All of the tracks on the album mesh together perfectly to create a memorable listening experience.

Dis Time It’s Poisonal opens with the electric “Dig The New Scene,” which sets the stage for the rest of the album via its power pop meets alternative vibe, energized by Platt’s excellent guitar work and effervescent vocals. That’s followed by the terrific “Tryin To Survive,” which feels like a garage rock number mashed up with a Lou Reed tune. Those are just two of the high points on an album which is filled with outstanding songs. Platt moves effortlessly between the confessional tone of tracks like the jazzy “I’m Searchin” and the edgy “High Road” to the rough-hewn, bluesy feel of the hard-rocking “Woman of the World.”

Other highlights of this extraordinary record include a luminous, heartfelt cover of the Flamin’ Groovies classic “I Can’t Hide” and “She Tastes Like Candy,” co-written by Platt with the late John Ferriter of The Tearaways. “She Tastes Like Candy” is a song that’s gloriously infused with the DNA of 1960s pop in sound, style and production, which sounds like it time-warped to the present from an AM station's playlist in 1965. It's one of my favorites on the album. There’s also the acoustic leaning, folk-tinged “What’s A Man” and the Dylan-esque “Don’t Kick a Man When He’s Down” on which Platt sounds like he’s channeling a bit of Warren Zevon in the vocals. I also really dig the 1980s rock-flavored “Guilty As Charged,” and the modern rock mood of “Sweetest Sound” (originally recorded just after the breakup of The Real Impossibles) which has echoes of classic REM and U2.

Dis Time It’s Poisonal is an emotionally resonant, superbly crafted disc, and it’s clear from the results that Platt cares deeply about his music. He’s able to celebrate his rock and roll influences while creating brilliant songs that celebrate his unique and superlative talents as a singer, songwriter and producer. If you like rock, folk, punk and power pop, then you need to check out this wonderful record. Dis Time It’s Poisonal is available from Rum Bar Records, https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com, and you can order the album and listen to song samples by following this direct link to the page for Dis Time It’s Poisonal: https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dis-time-its-poisonal-the-nice-price. Here's a link to the video for the first single from the album, “I Can’t Hide.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JXP_06b02k.

The B Movie "Creatures" of Sam Katzman

Sam Katzman was one of the most prolific (and successful) producers in Hollywood. He sheperded hundreds of films into production and onto movie screens from the 1930s thru the 1970s. Katzman produced westerns, comedies, thrillers and rock and roll musicals. His "B" movies often filled out the bottom half of double bills, but he also produced serials, action movies and even a pair of Elvis Presley films. Like Roger Corman, his movies were often made on a minuscule budget, but were always very profitable for their studios. Katzman is probably best remembered by fans of classic science-fiction cinema for producing a pair of early films by special effects master Ray Harryhausen, It Came From Beneath The Sea and Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers.

Some of Katzman's other sci-fi and horror movies aren't quite as revered as those two Harryhausen epics, but they're much beloved by devotees of old school sci-fi, horror and fantasy. Theses other films, like The Night The World Exploded, may not be classics, but they're a whole lot of fun. Arrow Video has just released Cold War Creatures: Four Films By Sam Katzman, a wonderful limited edition box set of four of Katzman's creature features. The movies included in the set are Creature with the Atom Brain, The Werewolf, Zombies of Mora Tau, and The Giant Claw. Older fans will probably recognize these titles, and if you didn't see them on the big screen, you probably caught them, as I did, on shows like Chiller Theatre or Creature Features, which featured showings of horror, science-fiction and fantasy films on local stations in the pre-cable, pre-streaming days. Here's a brief synopsis of each of the four films featured in Cold War Creatures: Four Films By Sam Katzman:

1. Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) – A gangster unleashes remote-controlled corpses, aka atomic age zombies, as instruments of revenge upon the men who got him deported. There are some effectively scary moments in this gangster flick mashed up with a mad scientist thriller, directed by Edward L. Cahn. Note for rock and roll fans; this is the film upon which psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson (of The 13th Floor Elevators) based his same named song. Here's a look at the trailer for the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L82jN6Z6qUE.

2. The Werewolf (1956) – This science-fiction infused variation on werewolf tales features an amnesiac man who transforms into a monster and terrorizes a small town. But how did he become a werewolf, and can he be captured before he wreaks more havoc? This offbeat and eerie film is well-directed by Fred F. Sears, and features a couple of genuine scares. Here's the trailer for the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI4pMEpCkAI.

3. Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) – This horror tale features treasure hunters who get more than they bargained for when they run afoul of the walking dead while searching for diamonds on a sunken ship. This is kind of a film noir (complete with a femme fatale) cross-wired with a zombie flick. Edward L. Cahn is back behind the camera for this one. Here's the trailer for this underwater (?) zombie thriller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3kpfVH1bT8.

4. The Giant Claw (1957) – This vintage monster movie is famous (or is that infamous?) for featuring one of the silliest looking monsters ever put on film, in the story of a giant bird terrorizing the world. You have to see this one to believe it. It's a fairly standard and decently made 1950s monster film, until the not so terrifying title menace shows up. Fred F. Sears returns to direct this one. Here's the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOj0nXpRqX8.

There are a lot of familiar faces among the casts in these films, including Allison Hayes (who starred as the title "creature" in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) in Zombies of Mora Tau, Don Megowan in The Werewolf, and Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth) and Mara Corday (Tarantula) in The Giant Claw. I have an unabashed love for these type of movies, and the ones selected for this set are prime examples of the kind of films Hollywood doesn't make anymore. No one is ever going to call these movies A-list classics, but they're very entertaining, and in the case of The Werewolf, you might just discover a well-crafted and under-appreciated B-movie gem. As a big fan of Allison Hayes, I also like Zombies of Mora Tau quite a bit, but Creature with the Atom Brain and The Giant Claw are also enjoyable.

All four of the films in this set look great, and the hi-definition remasters are well done. This beautifully put together collection is jam packed with extras, including an introduction for each film by noted author and critic Kim Newman, audio commentaries from various experts, featurettes on the themes and subtexts of Katzman's movies, and a biography/presentation on Katzman's career by writer Stephen R. Bissette. Also included are lobby card reproductions, two double-sided posters, and two booklets which include articles and analysis on each of the films, as well as a wealth of photos. This lovingly crafted set is a wonderful tribute to the movies of Sam Katzman, and it's truly a gift for "Monster Kids" and classic B movie fans everywhere. Here's a video from Arrow Video that shows you the lavish extras included in the set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBVTPZcuizg.

Retro TV Movie: Satan's Triangle

Regular readers of this blog have probably noted my fondness for the eerie made for TV movies of the 1970s, such as The Night Stalker, Gargoyles and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Some of these films are well-made chillers which are now regarded as classics, while others fall into the categories of guilty pleasures, such as the enjoyably off-kilter The Horror at 37,000 Feet and Satan's School For Girls. I recently came across another entry in the latter category when I rediscovered Satan's Triangle, which originally aired on ABC in 1975. This eerie chiller is set in the Bermuda Triangle, that legendary area in the North Atlantic where a number of ships and planes have reportedly disappeared without a trace over the years. The mysterious "Devil's Triangle" was the subject of a lot of books and TV shows in the 1970s, including In Search Of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy.

The film opens with a rescue chopper sent out to answer an SOS from a small craft stranded at sea in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle. When the chopper arrives at the scene, co-pilot Lt. Haig is lowered to the craft via winch. What he finds there are three dead bodies and a frightened woman named Eva. When an attempt to pull up Haig and Eva to the chopper fails because the line snaps, weather conditions and low fuel require the pilot to return to base to refuel. Lt. Haig and Eva are left on the ship, and she tells Haig the story of how everyone on the vessel died, attributing their mysterious and violent deaths to supernatural causes.

Eva says that all of the odd events began when their schooner picked up a priest named Father Martin, who apparently survived a disaster at sea. Several men, including Eva's husband Hal, die mysteriously after he comes aboard, leaving Eva as the lone survivor. A skeptical Haig tells Eva he can explain all of these deaths, including Hal, who seems to be floating in mid-air, and Martin, who's hanging from the ship's mast, as the result of accidents and natural circumstances. Eva remains unconvinced, but the two grow closer as they wait for the rescue chopper to pick them up.

(Take note; spoilers ahead) Haig and Eva are eventually transferred to the returning helicopter from a rescue vessel which has arrived in the area. After the chopper takes off. the rescue ship radios the pilot and says that it's not a man that's hanging from the mast, as reported by Haig, but a woman! He turns to Eva, who laughs maniacally and transforms into the priest, then shoves the surprised Haig out the door into the ocean. The devil (?!) then goes after the pilot, threatening to take his soul, but he crashes the copter into the ocean. The last shot of the film is of Haig, who's now floating in the sea, boasting an evil grin, and waving at the approaching rescue ship.

The cast is chock full of familiar faces. Doug McClure, a familiar face to both TV and cinema audiences of the 1960s and 70s, who was featured in sci-fi movies such as The Land That Time Forgot and At The Earth's Core, stars as Haig. Movie legend Kim Novak, of Vertigo and Picnic fame, portrays Eva. The supporting cast includes Alejandro Rey of The Flying Nun, Jim Davis from Dallas and Michael Conrad of Hill Street Blues. The film was helmed by Sutton Roley, a veteran of movies and television who directed a ton of TV movies and series, including episodes of Hawaii Five-O, Kojak and Starsky and Hutch. The teleplay is by William Read Woodfield, who co-wrote and produced many episodes of the original Mission: Impossible TV series, and was also well-known as a photographer who shot pictures of stars like Marilyn Monroe.

Satan's Triangle is enjoyably goofy, spooky fun. This is one of those TV movies that, after its initial airing on ABC, showed up constantly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s on local stations as part of their afternoon movie showcases. Remember The 4:30 Movie in the New York area? It's not a classic like Trilogy of Terror or The Night Stalker, but if you dig the 1970s made for TV chiller genre, you'll have a good time watching this one. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime. And remember, don't pick up any strange survivors if you're in Satan's Triangle!