Staff 31 October 2009 Things We Like 708 views No Comment Print This Post  Email This Post

Every Saturday, the editorial staff of Monkey Goggles and its friends rummages though bookshelves, toy boxes, DVDs, music collections and stacks of assorted stuff to pick out a few choice items that will make your life better.

Vintage Ventriloquism Photos on Flickr

When it came time to find a link that represented the stark horror of Halloween, my thoughts immediately turned to ventriloquism. I can’t remember how I found this set of vintage pictures featuring ventriloquists and their wooden pals: I fell asleep in front of my computer and when I woke up it was on my screen. Each vent fig (the inside show business name for a dummy) is the star of a thousand nightmares, which means this set of pictures will inspire more than 200,000 sweat-filled night terrors. From evangelistic acts to a vent fig snuggled up next to a pretty lady in bed, you won’t be able to look away. Remember, first they tell jokes to distract you, then you find one under your covers holding a butcher’s knife while grinning maniacally and then he stabs you to death while making bad puns. – David Wahl

Scarecrow Video’s Movie of the Week: “Tank Girl” (2001), directed by Rachel Talalay

In a post-apocalyptic world where the water supply is controlled by big industry, Tank Girl, Jet Girl and a gang of genetically engineered mutant kangaroos called Rippers fight to save a kidnapped child from the clutches of Malcolm McDowell. Based on the surreal comic book of the same name, “Tank Girl” does its best to capture the anarchistic tone of the original work. Animated sequences and a plot that plays free and loose with little things like logic and continuity add originality to what could easily have been just another dull mid-1990s comic adaptation. Although it doesn’t make a heck of a lot of sense, “Tank Girl” has a spirit and energy that few other films can match. – Rhias Hall

Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion: The Genius of Paul Frees

Originally I was going to slip some tracks from Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion into my Halloween music roundup, but in looking for a link to the attraction’s soundtrack CD I discovered that it’s only available at Disney’s theme parks. It kinda bums me out that I can’t direct you to instant downloads of Gaylord Carter’s demented organ music, Eleanor Audley’s seance monologue (“Serpents, spiders, tail of a rat…”), and this wonderful set of outtakes from Paul Frees’ “Ghost Host” narration. It’s a worthwhile purchase just to hear the great Frees flubbing his lines. If you have time before the trick-or-treaters begin showing up, you should drive to the nearest Magic Kingdom and get this CD. – Geoff Carter