[Video On Demand™ Classic] Chaka Khan - I Feel For You [Official Video]

I'm certain that I'm not the only one who's still sad about the passing of Prince. I wanted to post one of his videos, but I elected to go another route: the very fitting and fantastic hit cover of "I Feel For You" by his dear friend Chaka Khan, posted here with Prince Rogers Nelson firmly mind. Still so hard to believe he's gone.

Blade: Blood War I, starring Wesley Snipes, Rihanna and Nicholas Cage...coming soon?

Um, no. #LateAprilFool's #youvebeenpunked #sorry #hahaha

Despite being a big fan of Marvel's Blade films – the first two – (as mentioned here) I was never sure that I'd make an actual Blade piece for my Marvel Blaxploitation series. As inspiration would have it, though, a vague poster concept hit from out the blue yesterday afternoon, and this morning I have a finished piece that I like quite a bit.

Can't wait to see what it looks like on paper.

Oh, My Godzilla... The cross-cultural fashion sense of Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers in 1984

Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers, one of the stars of the 1984 cult hit Breakin', has never received the recognition he deserves for a great number of things, among them being credit for actually being the man who taught Michael Jackson to moonwalk.  

In addition to that fairly seismic slight, Chambers also never really got the credit he deserved for being a major style icon for kids across the planet in the 1980s. But his pop art Godzilla muscle shirt, Banzai headband, camouflage khakis, and white Nike high-tops set a trailblazing fashion trend for many others to follow. 

In addition to his mind-blowing dance moves on screen in Breakin', it was his very unique sense of style, coupled with serious skinny kid swag, that left a deep impression whose echoes still reverberate in the present. 

And if there's any justice in the world, somebody (me) will attempt to right at least one of the great wrongs of pop culture history, and post to their blog a retrospective tribute to the cross-cultural fashion sense in 1984 of the legendary Boogaloo Shrimp. 

Did this post get you hyped up for more? Well, click here to learn how Boogaloo Shrimp met and mentored MJ, the reasons why he has a ton of fans in Asia, and much more in a very revealing 2008 interview. 

'Godzilla vs. Pooter: A Tribute to American International Pictures' in G-Fan #110 (Nov 2015)

My Cooley High/blaxploitation-infused article "Godzilla vs. Pooter: A Tribute to American International Pictures" was featured in issue #110 of G-Fan magazine (which boasts a gorgeous cover painting by artist Bob Eggleton). If you're lucky, you may still be able to snag a minty fresh copy from your local comic book shop. If not, the ever reliable Oldies.com still has 'em in stock. Updated: You can also order your copy direct from the publisher who, amazingly, offers cheaper shipping rates than Oldies.com–even with it comin' from Canada.

[Be Kind, Rewind™] The Anchor Bay Godzilla Movie Collection (Anchor Bay Ent., 1997)

Historically speaking, the Toho Master Collection DVD series (blogged about here) wasn't the first time that the Godzilla films of Japan's Toho Studios were given the serious home video treatment in America. A decade earlier, a shelf stomping collection of six Godzilla films was unleashed upon an unsuspecting marketplace by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1997. 

It was in wide-reaching association with home video license holders StarMaker Video, R&G Video, Golden Books and New World Video that Anchor Bay released its very handsomely packaged Godzilla film collection on VHS cassette. The films included in the series were Son of Godzilla (1967), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (1964), Godzilla 1985 (aka The Return of Godzilla, 1984), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), and Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). 

At the tail end of the 1980s, several releases of the aforementioned films had already been made for the home video rental and retail markets by various distributors, including StarMaker. These regularly appeared on shelves at Blockbuster Video and in home entertainment specialty shops like Suncoast. But the presentment quality there often varied greatly. 

While some of the films came packaged in slipcases that were expertly designed using images lifted from the original Japanese promotional posters or production stills, others boasted amateurishly illustrated images that, while maybe having a kind of "shlock cinema" charm, only poured petrol on the pyre of associations made by people who equated Godzilla films with low quality Japanese movies made for children...and adults of dubious intellect.

The graphic treatment of Godzilla films in the Anchor Bay VHS releases, however, raised the bar to suggest that these imaginative and richly detailed sci-fi films made in Japan––yes, that featured actors in rubber suits, romping around on miniature landscapes––should be taken a bit more seriously. Perhaps to the point of simply seeing Godzilla films for what they were: an enduring global pop culture phenomenon and the longest running film franchise in history.

But there was a sizable profit incentive for Anchor Bay in making this series too. The release of this VHS tape collection hit the domestic marketplace the year before a new Godzilla film by New Line Cinema was scheduled for release in the summer of 1998. Anchor Bay's set was timed perfectly to coincide with the rekindled interest amongst old school Godzilla movie lovers, and the newly sparked interest in the next generation of "Big G" fans. 

In light of this timing, the Anchor Bay Godzilla film collection wasn't planned to be anything in the way of a definitive or chronologically sequenced set. But what the collection offered was a thoughtful, although somewhat random sampler, showcasing six of the fourteen Godzilla films made in Japan over a twenty-year span. The period in question streched from 1964––the middle of the Showa era of Godzilla films, which began in 1954––to 1984, the beginning of the Heisei era. And the effort put into this set by Anchor Bay made for an appealing collection that grabbed both the eyes and the retail dollars of home video shoppers. 

The fronts of the slipcases in Anchor Bay's Godzilla film collection boasted across the top portions of each "Gojira's" Americanized name, rendered in a style suggestive of the beautiful forms of Japanese brush writing. In the background appeared a recurring motif, comprised of a faded composite of Godzilla's head and torso and snippets of a Tokyo skyline culled from The Return of Godzilla production stills. Superimposed over the composite image on two of the six slipcases were two different images of Godzilla in the foreground, one of which also included Minilla (aka Son of Godzilla) for the film in which this character appeared. And superimposed over the composite on the covers of the other four releases were images of rival monsters Ghidorah, Megalon, Gigan, and Mechagodzilla.

Another motif worth focusing on in the slipcase design was the possibly overlooked phalanx of orange and red flames coming from the open mouth of the Godzilla figure on the cover of the Godzilla 1985 release. The flames were cleverly made to extend outwardly in east and west directions, along the bottoms of all six boxes, binding them together graphically with yet one more unifying design element. Appearing in a white typewriter font at the bottom of each slipcase was the title of each film. 

As is standard in slipcase design, the left side of the box prominently featured the title of each respective film. But the right side of the slipcase was reserved for something special. The right side of each box featured a de facto puzzle piece that, when lined up front to back with the other VHS tapes in the series, combined to form an impressive Godzilla 1985 poster-related display. 

With the advances in home entertainment since the late 1990s, when the Anchor Bay Godzilla movie collection was made, these films have since been released again in DVD format, all variously issued by different film license holders. But only one of the films included in the Anchor Bay collection, Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, was also featured in Sony's 2008 Toho Master Collection DVD series. The overall absence of duplication by Sony benefited the owners the older Anchor Bay collection that may prefer still having at least some of their Godzilla flicks in analog format. Especially when, on the shelf to this day, they still make a rather smashing display.

'Area 88' anime character by Doctor Gorie – 12th Street Graffiti Hall of Fame, Chicago, IL (1987)

[Personal Shoplifter™] Astro Boy: The Complete Series DVD Collection (Sony Pictures, 2003)

In July of this year, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the 50-episode Astro Boy animated TV series (2003), amazingly priced at under $10 dollars! And although this blogger is an unabashed fan of the Japanese film and TV import releases of Mill Creek, he has decided against getting this particular Mill Creek release in favor of the now-super-duper-low-priced 2005 edition from Sony Pictures. Back when the Sony release first hit the marketplace, it carried an SRP (suggested retail price) of $39.99. But today, due to the atom smashing price on the Mill Creek set –– oh, and those pricing algorithms that internet vendors love to use –– the price has dropped big time! On Ebay, DVD-Closeouts has the Sony set for $10.75––with free shipping. In aggressive, algorithmic response, the price has dropped on it at Amazon, as of this writing, to $8.05!

Now, the main reason this blogger leans toward the Sony set is 'cuz he's a big, fat geek when it come to original releases. Not in all cases, but in some––like this one. And Mill Creek has been known to load all of the discs in a multi-disc set (4 in this one) on a single spindle inside one DVD keep case to keep costs down. And that's all fine and good when no comparable product exists. But the Sony set has 5 discs (ten episodes per) in separate slim cases with full-color cover inserts, and all housed together in a glossy black slipcase with embossed logo lettering on the face and spine.

With the holiday shopping season just around the corner (this is a great stocking stuffer for youngsters and the young-at-heart, by the way) whether you go with the Sony or the Mill Creek release, you're getting a steal of a deal™. But, for geekish collectors with other Sony releases like Tekkonkinkreet, Steamboy and Cowboy Bepop: The Movie on the anime shelf, the 2005 Astro Boy: The Complete Series has something of an edge. Well, at least while the price is still right.

'Cyborg 009' anime characters by Shiro at 5 Pointz, Queens, NY (2009)

Photo: courtesy of it's_tea via Flickr

Betcha' didn't know who voiced Dr. Tenma on the Astro Boy animated TV series...

That's right, you super cool otaku, you––actor Dorian Harewood! You probably also knew that this longtime presence on the American stage and screen has used his velvety voice to breath life into a variety of characters in other animated film and TV productions over the decades. Included amongst this notable list are: Spectacular Spider-Man (2008), The Land Before Time (2007), Static Shock (2000), Godzilla: The Series (1998), Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) and many, many more.

[Press-N-Play®] Ice Box Baby – HUTOCCHO MAMA

Judging the CD by its old school influenced cover, the last thing a listener might ever expect to hear mixed into this 10-track album of retro and internationally seasoned pop music from Ice Box Baby (a mid-1990s here-today-and-gone-the-day-after J-Pop group) is a head bobbin' hip-hop track. But the listener's ears are tossed a dizzying curve ball with "Hutoccho Mama," track five on the group's immensely enjoyable 二人の夏曜日(1995). Paying homage to uptempo rap jams like JJ Fad's "Supersonic" and Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," "Hutoccho Mama" features Ice Box Baby kickin' the back and forth rhyme ballistics over a booming 808 bass line, and doing it like true school queens of rap. Yours truly has absolutely no idea how much play "Hutoccho Mama" got when it was released as a single back in the day, but he hopes that it somehow saw its fair share of pretend 'hootchie mamas' up in the club, moving their lil' rump shakers on the dance floor, and rapping right along with every well placed word.

[Archives] Manga Mania #38, September 1996

Guys love dolled up hunnies with big'uns, right? And maybe even more so when they're fake––Whoa, whoa, wait-a-minute. I'm talkin' about big guns that are fake. What did you think this blameless blogger was taking about? Oh, no, no. For shame!!  Anywhoo, the September '96 issue of the dearly defunct magazine Manga Mania boasted an über cool, cover and an anime-inspired fashion spread inside that featured two sexily dressed hotties...with big'uns.

 The powerful looking peashooters featured in the photo shoot were courtesy of the Weird & Wonderful division of Elstree Film Studios. The clothes and styling of the spread's "video vixens" Ning and Nong was handed by Ad Hoc of London. Suzuki Quattro handled the photography, and the "Japanimation" screenshots inserted into the spread as backdrops were taken from Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Cyber City Oedo 808.

 That sultry expression says it all: size does matter. 

[Personal Shoplifter™] Speaking of Cyber City Oedo 808 (US Manga Corps, 2005)

Just so'z you know, Amazon has the classic 3-episode OVA (original video anime) Cyber City: The Final Collection listed at the low, low price of $4.99––but sometimes even lower! For instance, it was listed at $3.81 when this blogger unhesitatingly snagged a copy of this DVD on Black Friday back in 2012. At that time, he hadn't even heard of Cyber City: Oedo 808. But there wasn't much to lose, getting the title for that price. And the reviews on it were enticing. What's more, the buy seemed like a super safe bet when considering that the folks behind Cyber City were director Yohiaku Kawajiri and Madhouse, the makers of the cult-classic anime Ninja Scroll. If you're also a fan of cyberpunk-themed anime productions of the late '80s and early '90s like Bubblegum Crisis and Ghost in the Shell, then this "exciting and well-crafted" (DestroyAllMonsters) OVA is a highly recommended steal of a deal™.

Cho kawaii!! – Crystal Kay interviews Alicia Keys

Acknowledgement is the first step: Confessions of Prince Planet cartoon junkie

The black and white kid's show Prince Planet (aka Planet Boy Papi), for countless numbers of snot-nosed kids living in and around "Chicagoland" in the mid-1970s, was an innocent-looking cartoon gateway drug that lead an untold many into lifelong spiral patterns of addiction for the animated films and TV shows of Japan. 

This blogger/failed addict in recovery was an impressionable 4 year-old when Prince Planet was aired at 3:00 in the afternoon on WSNS Channel 44, a station situated on the ultrahigh frequency or UHF dial of antique analog TVs. 

On weekday afternoons, after being awakened from my midday nap, I would scramble like a little lunatic to the television in the living room, 'jonesing' like a junkie for my quick fix, my daily dose of that half-hour high called Prince Planet.   

It's nearly indescribable, the hold that this cartoon had on myself and also many others who, I would learn later as an adult, were similarly effected by its habit-forming charms. It was an appeal that grabbed at us all from multiple levels; from the catchy, kid-voiced theme song and the show's brave kid hero, to the crazy cast of equally brave supporting characters, wicked villains, and planet-spanning adventures. 

Prince Planet was like no other cartoon show on TV. Unless, of course, you'd been a kid in during in the 1960s –– which I hadn't –– and had the pleasure of seeing episodes of the exciting Astro Boy or Gigantor (which I didn't), two other black and white imports from Japan that also featured pint-sized heroes.   

And then, quite unexpectedly, I turned on the TV one day to find that Prince Planet was gone, replaced in the 3:00 time slot by another show called Speed Racer. 

Unlike the monochromatic cartoon that I had come to adore, Speed Racer had been produced in color––apparently the kind of thing that was more attractive to advertisers, whose dollars paid for the commercial airtime that sustained TV stations like WSNS. 

I, of course, being a lil' kid, had no idea about the very shady business side of the TV racket. It took a while to get over the sense of loss that was felt, but soon enough I warmed up to Speed Racer. 

Despite my age, I was still astute enough then to realize that, like Prince Planet, Speed Racer characters had similarly large eyes. And though I was still too young to understand the connection, I was satisfied just thinking that there was one, and that the large-eyed look suggested something in the way of uniqueness. 

[Press-N-Play®] Finger 5 – I Want You Back (Jackson 5 cover)

Yes, The download link on the old Finger 5 post on YKFS has been broken for a while, so... "I Want You Back" is being made available again here for a limited time. (Meaning for as long as the free downloads last.) You're welcome.

Martial Arts Movie Stars Bruce Lee And Jim Kelly Wore Onitsuka Tiger Sneakers

Hey there.

Thanks for visiting.

The pulse-pounding post you're probably here looking for has been remixed and remastered with updated history and new pix. You can find it by clicking here.

[Press-N-Play®] Fu-Shnickens – Movie Scene

"My chopstick will drop kick, my chow mein's plain,  I do the tiger, the snake, the Big Daddy Crane!!"– Poc Fu, 'Movie Scene'

Schwarzenegger 'sez: "Build more muscle in just 7 weeks with the Joe Weider Musclebuilding Book!"

Hey, kids... Come 'n' get your Kung Fu Spex!™

 

Have you ever wondered what it might have felt like if Bruce Lee had roundhouse kicked you in the head? Well, wonder no more! That super-dizzying sensation can be yours every time you put on a pair of Kung Fu Spex™! A blinding blast from the not-so-distant past, Kung Fu Spex™ were made using the same once-top secret technology developed by scientists in the 1970s to assist CIA agents in nefarious interrogations conducted by the spy agency during the Vietnam War. Who needs LSD, acid, heroin, ecstasy, or any other drug for that matter? Just put on a pair of Kung Fu Spex™ and you'll be down on the floor, drooling like an infant and soaking in your own excrement in no time! Talk about an altered state! To order a pair of your own psychedelic sensation-inducing Kung Fu Spex™ send $9.99 (cash only) to Kung Fu Spex c/o Your Kung Fu Sucks, 4321 Sesame Street, Chicago, IL 60666. (Recommended for adults age 18 years old and up!) 

 

Note: Kung Fu Spex™ should not be worn while operating heavy machinery, driving, cooking, walking, or during sexual intercourse. Extreme dizziness, vertigo, vomiting, loss of muscle control and temporary memory loss will occur. Guaranteed or your money back! 

Kung Fu Spex™ © 2015 South Side Superflat

[Flashback] Marvel Comics X Bathing Ape Limited Edition Sneakers!*

*Originally published on the KFG Myspace blog, circa 2005  

No matter how old you get, there will always be something that can bring out the kid in you. For example, right now the Japan-based clothing brand Bathing Ape has got me feeling like a Spider-Man Underoos-wearing 10 year old. Winter of 2005 will bring the staggered release of "Bape's" new limited-edition sneakers line Bape X Marvel, inspired by the characters that we all know-n-love from the pulse-pounding pages of Marvel comic books.

The shoes in the Bape X Marvel line are coordinated in the bright, primary color palate of our favorite characters: the patriotic red, white and blue of Captain America, the red and gold of Iron Man, and the green and purple of the Hulk, to name a few, with the Bape shooting star logo variously integrated on the side. On the right heel of each sneaker appears one of the old Marvel logos, and featured on the left heel is the classic "floating head" motif––a design staple found on the covers and inside the pages of Marvel books in the late 1960s and early '70s.

As if producing such a cool shoe line wasn't already a big enough coup, for an added measure of design genius, the sneakers from the Bape X Marvel line will come packaged on carded blister packs––the packaging type used on action figures since the days of Mego toys. The card itself is also gorgeously embellished with vintage images drawn by artists from the old school Marvel Comics bullpen like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Byrne, and many other legends.

In line with the adage that sez' that the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys, the prices on the Bape X Marvel sneakers will run in the usual $100-$300 range that Bape's limited-edition sneakers usually inhabit. But if you've been really good at being bad, then go ahead and spoil yourself with a pair of these super cool kicks. Just like the comic books that inspired them, the shoes in the Bape X Marvel line are destined to go up in value, sentimental and otherwise.