When the Chief shows Zanthar some "tough love," Don and Jonny have to get their shiny nemesis to the hospital before it's too late. On the way, they run into an all new threat. Although Geronimo and Ritz may be super cops, we realize they still have a lot to learn about Earth.
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The Chief follows Geronimo and Ritz into the field to make sure they're playing by the book, but when they encounter a mysterious space punk, everything goes to hell in a handbasket!
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In 1979, one show changed television forever. In 2017, it changes the internet! The first season of Space Cops is ready to be shared with a whole new generation and I wanted to take a moment to break down how all this is going to work.
Starting this week, we will release an episode every Sunday night at 8pm Eastern (the show's original air time for the bulk of the series). One episode every week for 11 weeks and a BONUS episode on Week 3! A few of you may have seen Episodes 1-3 a few years ago, but we're going to start from the beginning for anyone who is new to the party. Plus, further restoration has been done to those episodes, they are cleaner than ever, and include a few minor adjustments. Subscribe right now to the new Space Cops YouTube Channel and you won't miss an episode.
Space Cops' final episode, "Play That 'Ol Squeezebox," aired May 6, 1984. And, thanks to politics and business dealings that are far too complex for me to understand, it was the last time the show would ever be seen on broadcast television. Despite having produced over a hundred episodes, the series was locked away and never re-ran in syndication. Executive Producer Stan Shallets tried to broker a deal for the Space Cops Christmas Special to be aired annually, but to no avail. The tales of Don, Jonny, and the Chief would only continue through a handful of Space Cops: The Animated Series episodes in 1985.
Space Cops proper sat dormant on 110 reels of Type C one-inch video tape in a San Diego County salt mine for 30 years. That's where we come in. Walk Softly Films acquired the rights to all episodes and materials of the series in 2011. We immediately released three episodes, but started to realize the amount of work it would take to get the entire series restored to a condition that we felt was worthy of the show's genius. So here we are. Years later, the first batch is ready to be watched, ready to be shared, ready to be loved all over again. We really hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we have, whether it's the first time you've seen them or the first time since you were a kid.
Well that show had a little bit of everything didn't it? If you haven't heard Episode 34, here's your link. From Guardians of the Galaxy, to movie and TV props, SNL, ancient technology, and of course Dolph Lundgren not being the greatest house guest... let's dig a little deeper and get Beyond the Show.
We learned Todd Sheene and Dad Sheene still use a Video Cassette Recorder! To record things!! On the television!!! He also informed us that VCRs are no longer being built. Apparently, the last VCR ever made rolled off the assembly line at Funai Electric in July of last year. Funai started making VCRs in 1983 and at one point was selling 15,000,000 of those buggers a year! In 2016 they sold 750,000 units which is still kind of amazing when you think about it.
What we didn't know is whether or not anyone was still making VHS tapes, but now I have an answer for you and that answer is NO. In fact, the last VHS tape was reportedly produced in 2008! So whatever stock is leftover on warehouse shelves somewhere - that's it. If Todd's Dad wants to keep his machine in use, he better snag some tapes while he can. There are a handful to be found on Amazon, but as you can see... the end is nigh.
We talked about Sony Walkman prices spiking on eBay thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy. Apparently lots of people would like to get their hands on the same model Star Lord totes around the cosmos. While I was finding the going rate on eBay, Todd and Allen took guesses at the original price for a TPS-L2. Allen guessed $30, Todd guessed $50, and it turns out they were way off the mark. A brand new Sony TPS-L2 retailed for $150 on July 1, 1979! (Which supposedly equates to 500 bucks in today's dollars with inflation.) If you you're hooked on Walkman history, you can read more about it here. Hey, remember when Sony made quality products? (If you're under the age of 30, the answer is no.)
We also discussed the ScreenBid website where you can buy props from several TV shows and movies. I asked if 1) they would want a prop from their favorite show and 2) how much they were willing to pay for it. Here are our chosen props:
Todd and I maxed out at $1000 on how much we were willing to pay for a screen-used prop. Allen, on the other hand, said he'd spend "divorce worthy" money - somewhere above $5,000 but below 10.
So, how about you? What's the prop you would pay to have and how much would you fork over? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook. Also, don't forget to do us a huge favor: give us a rating and review on iTunes. If you'd like us to keep making the show, that's how you can make it happen.
There it is. An image of the greatest rake fight in cinematic history. If you've already listened to Talk Hard 33 or you're a huge Hobgoblins fan, you're already well aware. If not, pop on over and listen to the full breakdown of Rick Sloane's critter genre masterpiece. I've included the MST3K highlights, but you can watch the whole movie on YouTube if your heart so desires.
Of course the topic that had everyone buzzing from this episode was our big announcement: Space Cops is back. After more than 30 years on a shelf in a San Diego County salt mine, the entire series has found its way into the hands of Walk Softly Films. The first twelve episodes have been lovingly restored and the re-release begins this month! You'll probably want to join the rest of the country and make the countdown your homepage. Have at it friends. This is a celebration and we're happy you're along for the ride.
Your filmmaking lesson for the day comes courtesy of the fine folks at The Royal Ocean Film Society. (And they have to be massive Wes Anderson marks with a name like that, right?) Anyway... we can never have too many reminders of the importance of sound in film. In fact every legendary filmmaker I've ever seen weigh in on the subject agrees that, if they have to choose, audio is more important than visuals; that an audience can acclimate to weird or sub-standard cinematography, but never bad audio.
UPDATE: The Ragnarok trailer broke Disney's record for most views by raking in 136 million in 24 hours. That's across all brands including Marvel, LucasFilm, and Pixar. The previous record holder was Beauty and the Beast. Marvel's previous high was 94 million for Captain America: Civil War.
On Talk Hard 31 we discussed James Gunn's reaction to the Thor: Ragnarok trailer and wondered if he was just spouting hyperbole as he is prone to do. If you missed it, he said Ragnarok had the best Marvel trailer ever. Now, granted, its only competition are the two trailers for his own Guardians movies but, nonetheless, I think he's right. I love this thing and I think it's at least equal with the first Guardians trailer. So let me give you a quick list of my biggest takeaways...
Todd alerted us to a new trailer today (for a movie that must have the longest title ever) and, in turn, I'm alerting you. I'm warning you right up front though, the language is EXTREME. Apart from that, Three Billboards looks potentially fantastic. But, to judge how high you should set your hopes, let's talk about the Writer/Director for a moment...
Martin McDonagh is an indie film prince. He's written three feature films and directed two of those. I've seen the the other two: In Bruges and Seven Psycopaths. Each is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, but personally I came away underwhelmed by both. Like Three Billboards, Seven Psycopaths had a fantastic ensemble cast. In fact, I liked the cast so much, the film's failure to maximize their talents made my disappointment more pronounced. If you have Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken in the same film, your script better drop them in some deep comedic waters and also give them a little room to thrash around. Thus far, McDonagh's humor hasn't connected with me despite the fact that I wanted it to. So, now I wonder: will this movie (which seems like such a great vehicle for Frances McDormand), see McDonagh finally and completely live up to the status he's garnered as a critical darling? Is there a chance that Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri could be his Magnum Opus? Judge for yourself and try to keep your expectations in check.
If you haven't heard the 28th episode of the Talk Hard movie podcast, do your ears a favor. Now, the rest of you know we really covered the gamut; from raising the roof, to fishy snacks, to laser tag, the NBA, and the NFL. So, allow me to add some color to a few of the topics that were discussed.
Todd revealed he has never eaten a kipper snack, which begged the question: What is a kipper snack?? As always, Wikipedia is there to illuminate us:
A kipper is a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split into a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold-smoked over smouldering woodchips (typically oak).
In the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, Japan, and a minority of North American regions, they are often eaten for breakfast. In Great Britain, kippers, along with other preserved smoked or salted fish such as the bloater and buckling, were also once commonly enjoyed as a high tea or supper treat, most popularly with inland and urban working-class populations before World War II.
Yum?
As a nod to the Super Bowl, each of us delivered our most controversial sports opinion (that we truly believe).
So which one is the most controversial/dumb?
We gave our honest sports opinions on #TalkHard. Which one is most controversial/dumb?
— The WSF Guys (@WalkSoftlyFilms) February 20, 2017
And since we save the best for last, here is the incredible montage of Eric Freeman's eyebrow work that Todd mentioned. Again, this is just the smallest taste. In the history of cinema, you'll never experience its kind again.
Have you heard the new podcast? Out of everything we talked about, this is what we need to show you. A Kentucky boy burning 30 Rockefeller Center to the ground.
Dude. Sturgill just murdered Bro Country on live television. Let's hope it stays dead.