Escape from Tomorrow

Escape from Tomorrow ~ Beyond all the controversy of it being the ultimate example of guerrilla filmmaking, all about how it was secretly filmed in Walt Disney World and Disneyland without permission, it's actually not a bad idea. A story set in the theme parks is great atmosphere without even trying. The black and white is an intriguing thought, perhaps more so to get away with filming without permission than any real artistic choice.

The story itself is dark and surreal. A man on vacation in WDW gets a phone call from his boss that he's been laid off. Perhaps from worry and perhaps from drinking or 'cat flu,' he begins to hallucinate. As he crosses paths with other tourists he begins to think they know him or are in on some kind of conspiracy. As he begins to act on his paranoia, the hallucinations get progressively worse.

The film is so surreal, and so potentially anti-Disney both in concept and execution, I had to wonder if the third act was meant to be real or more delusion. If the latter, I would definitely say that writer/director Randy Moore has an axe to grind with Disney.

Escape from Tomorrow isn't all that bad, but it's not that good either. There are as many flaws as there are flashes of brilliance. It might have made a good half-hour "Twilight Zone" episode back in the day, or maybe a better "Outer Limits." For Disney fans however, it might be considered an attack or at best a conversation piece.

Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley

Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley ~ I know I must have seen her or heard her at some point, growing up in the late 1960s and 1970s, but the truth is I didn't really become aware of Moms Mabley until I was in college.

At the Community Center where the radio station was at Camden County College there was a very large but friendly security guard named Don. He was a good guy, but understand me, he did not need his uniform to intimidate someone. Don could have made an excellent living as a bodyguard or a professional wrestler. As far as the Center went, and the radio station, being a security guard, he came and went as he pleased.

I came in for a radio shift one night and found Don in the production studio laughing heartily at a record he was playing in there. He'd found it in the record library and had to hear it, rushing right in there to put it on the turntable. It was Moms Mabley, specifically Moms Mabley Live at Sing Sing, and Don told me as we listened for a bit that she was the funniest woman in the world.

I believed him. She was damned funny, and more than that, she was real - she was telling it like it is. As for Don, I had never heard a man laugh so hard and happily before, and rarely since. That was my introduction to Moms Mabley.

Now, some thirty years later I find this documentary on HBO Go called Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley. Whoopi, who for a time impersonated Moms in her act, puts together a nice biography of the lady. Meshing her life story with actual footage and interviews with contemporaries and those influenced by her, we're given a fair depiction of Jackie 'Moms' Mabley.

Despite (or some might say because of) her race, her age, and her sexuality, Moms Mabley made her way in a world against her, breaking down barriers that barred many in her time. She did it with humor and truth, a role model and inspiration for us all.

If I had any complaint about this doc, it's that it needed more footage and/or recordings of Moms. I'm going to go find some now, you should to, whether you see this terrific documentary or not. Recommended.

Copycat Kitchens

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When I look at the Food Network lately, I have to wonder about that. I'm a big fan of "Chopped," and I really can't get enough of it, but trust me, this isn't what I meant. It seems like almost every new show coming out of the Network lately is just another variation of the show.

"Chopped" has four chefs preparing three meals from three mystery baskets of ingredients. It’s a competition that eliminates one contestant every round until there is a winner of a cash prize. I love it, it’s challenging, it's creative, and most of all it's fun. And yes, I know that "Chopped" itself is sort of a derivation of "Iron Chef" and that it has spun off a Canadian version. Those are okay, it's the other shows I'm talking about.

The shows in question are "Cutthroat Kitchen," "Guy's Grocery Games," and "Kitchen Casino," just to name the main perpetrators. They are all essentially "Chopped," with slight derivations to the rules. "Cutthroat" adds obstacles to the contest, and is the most entertaining. Guy Fieri's "Grocery Games" adds a bit of "Supermarket Sweep" to the formula. And "Kitchen Casino" puts, what else, a casino into the equation. And "Rewrapped"? More "Chopped" than spin-off of "Unwrapped."

The thing is, while they are all entertaining to some extent, why not just make more "Chopped," rather than dilute the idea with substandard programming? None of them are as good or fun as "Chopped," so why not just do more "Chopped" instead?

Roof Oasis by Marie Gilbert

Marie Gilbert is a dear friend, and one of the most beloved members of the South Jersey Writers' Group. She has been instrumental in the birth and maintenance of the South Jersey Writers' Group Blog, as well as being one of the biggest boosters and sellers of the SJWG anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey, in which her craft is also featured.

You've also seen her work at Biff Bam Pop! every week. There the Steampunk Granny regularly reviews cool stuff like episode by episode recaps of "The Walking Dead," "Bates Motel," "True Blood," and "Orphan Black" among others.

Marie also writes for Go Jane News, her interviews and ghost investigations are top notch, and has aided me in several blog tours. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she is an inspiration to us all. Marie rocks, and we love her, but now we have an extra special reason to be proud of our Steampunk Granny - she's now a published novelist.

Let me tell you all about Roof Oasis. Marie Gilbert's first novel is the tale of twins Michael and Lucy caught in a world devastated by bio-warfare that has inadvertently created zombies. As the hordes of the seemingly undead close in, the twins find that their only salvation may lie within a Victorian mirror hidden in the attic of their family home. You can read more about the novel here.

Roof Oasis: An Apocalyptic Tale (Volume 1), by Marie Gilbert, is available as a paperback from Amazon here and also on Kindle. The cover design and illustration is by friend and fellow SJWG member Shelley Szajner. Details about the upcoming book release party in June can be found here. Check out this great new novel by this terrific author.

…And Ann B. Davis as Alice

As a child of the 1970s, I grew up with Alice Nelson as played by Ann B. Davis on "The Brady Bunch." Alice wasn't just the comic relief on the show, she was the heart of The Brady Bunch. We identified with the kids, and Carol and Mike were just like our parents, inaccessible adults who we really couldn't relate to - but Alice, Alice was the adult who could relate to the kids. She was part of their lives. She was the kids' and our link with the adults.

In the over the top 1995 movie based on the show, Alice was simply the comic relief, hysterical and absurd, but Ann B. Davis (not playing Alice this time in a guest role) was the heart, and more than the heart, the voice of reason in the end. For everyone who grew up on the show, and didn't laugh at the fashions because we were wearing them too, she was the best part.

Ann B. Davis got her acting chops on "The Bob Cummings Show" for which she won two Emmys. She worked in television, in commercials, and on the stage for years, but was known most for the role of Alice. She even cashed in on the fame with a Brady Bunch cookbook. Ann never married, and was a staunch Christian, so much so that she reputedly shut down a local stage production based on the Brady Bunch because it featured drag performers.

Personal life aside, she was a television icon, and she will be missed, but will live on in syndication for generations to come. She died this past weekend after a fall in her home. Ann B. Davis was 88.