NOTE:
For those that missed this, most of the below will be repeated at a later date (film repeat on request otherwise the Stingray (not that one) feature-length pilot will take its place for the week).
A new year brings with it some changes – a film dropped, a series or two added – a Port Landia’d, a Rubicon cross’d, a Death Bore’d along with a Buckaroo Banzai’d!
17:45 – Space Ghost Season 1 Episode 9 – “Lokar – King of the Killer Locusts”, “The Bird Riders”, “Space Sargasso”
Lokar! King of the Killer Locusts! Lokar! LOKAR!
18:10 – The Adventures of Aquaman Episodes 11 & 12 – “Vassa, Queen of the Mermen” and “The Microscopic Monsters”
An evil sea queen attacks Atlantis with sperm whale-shaped submarines, while in the second half Aquaman has invented an enlarging ray, but the device is stolen by Black Manta. Typical. I knew someone who drove an Opel Manta once, I think that was black too, but he’d got rid of it by the time I met him. Pity.
18:25 – Ultraman Episode 8 – The Monster Anarchy Zone
Ultraman and team have to deal with Anarchy. Not so much in the N.H.K., nor was it broadcast on NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai) either, but it’ll have to do.
18:50 – Pee-wee’s Playhouse Season 1 Episode 9 – Monster In The Playhouse
Monster, monster! A giant one-eyed monster is on the loose and appears in the Playhouse, scaring everyone! But after Pee-wee makes the monster a snack and Jambi grants Pee-wee’s wish to understand the monster, the whole gang has a new friend! They even play a game of golf.
19:20 – Cry Wolfe Season 1 Episode 11 – Trust Thy Neighbor
Brian plays Santa today – “All my client wants for Christmas is new wiring… but when I find out who’s naughty and nice, we’ll all get a lot more than we bargained for.”
19:35 – Portlandia Season 1 Episode 1 – Farm
Portlandia is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon (pronounced “Brighton, England” in the British English dialect), and spoofing the city’s reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters.
Today, Peter and Nance go to great lengths to make sure that their restaurant order (from Aliki’s farm, played by Jason Sudeikis) is ethical and humane. A customer (played by Steve Buscemi) experiences the restroom policy of the feminist bookstore (based on In Other Words bookstore.)
20:00 – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
Starring Peter Weller in the title role, with Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, and Christopher Lloyd. The supporting cast includes Lewis Smith, Rosalind Cash, Clancy Brown, Pepe Serna, Robert Ito (Sam!), Vincent Schiavelli, Dan Hedaya, Jonathan Banks, John Ashton, Carl Lumbly (M.A.N.T.I.T.S.!) and Ronald Lacey.
21:45 – Rubicon Episode 1 – Gone in the Teeth
Rubicon is an American conspiracy thriller television series created by Jason Horwitch and produced by Henry Bromell that was broadcast on the AMC television network in 2010, and was them summarily axed to make way for The Wanking Dead. Which did actually have a good episode: 99% of the very first one. Anyway…
Intelligence analyst Will Travers (James Badge Dale) suffers a shocking tragedy when his father-in law and mentor, David Hadas, is killed in a train accident. Will believes that Hadas was murdered which leads him to clues in a mysterious conspiracy. While investigating, he gets promoted to team leader – the position previously held by David. Katherine Rhumor (Miranda Richardson) questions the unexpected suicide of her billionaire husband, Tom, who killed himself after finding a four-leaf clover in his daily newspaper.
The cast includes David Rasche (Sledge Hammer!), Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket, Tequila Sunrise, Plain Clothes) and Michael Cristofer (screenplay The Bonfire of the Vanities, The Witches of Eastwick, cast member Mr Robot) amongst others.
22:40 – Duckman: Private Duck/Family Man Season 1 Episode 1 – I, Duckman
Feeling underappreciated by his family, Duckman hunts down the man mailing him bombs thinking he’s the only one who cares.
This episode was dedicated to Frank Zappa, who died three months before this episode’s airing.
23:00 – The Venture Bros. Season 3 Episode 1 – Shadowman 9 In the Cradle of Destiny
Answers never spoken to questions never asked! All will be revealed! Or will it? The Monarch and Dr Mrs The Monarch (née Girlfriend) are an newly married couple, but as you might imagine, married life within The Guild of Calamitous Intent is far from blissful.
23:25 – Space Ghost Coast to Coast Season 1 Episode 10 – The Mask
Featuring Jim Carrey. It’s okay, it’s a half-length episode this time.
23:30 – He And She Episode 9 – Vote Yes Or No
Dick and Paula are at odds when he and his boss campaign against an increase in pay for firemen, causing Paula to picket his offices.
23:55 – Bored to Death (2009) – Season 1 Episode 1 – Stockholm Syndrome
A well-meaning but struggling writer decides to lead a sort of double life. To stimulate his imagination, he publishes an ad on Craigslist claiming that he is an unlicensed private investigator. Created by Jonathan Ames and starring Jason Schwartzman, Zack Galifianakis (look, I never manage to get his surname wrong, so at least let me misspell his forename this once!) and Ted Danson,
00:25 – The Ray Bradbury Theater Season 2 Episode 1 – The Town Where No One Got Off
This second Jeff Goldblum-featuring piece tonight concerns a man (Goldblum) trying to get off where no one else gets off.
00:55 – Getting On with James Urbaniak, Ep. 10 – “The Dead Thing on the Shoulder” by Bill Braine
From getting off (or not) to Getting On… A drive upstate gets weird.
01:10 – Police Stop! 6
Continuing our late-night dive in to the bucket of 90s traffic footage.
02:00 – end