Barbarella Gives a Physical-According to AI

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By Gary Meyer and his AI bestie  (April 15, 2025)

When I read that (not my) POTUS was getting his physical from a Dr. Barbabella I misread it as the French satirical science fiction comic strip heroine created by Jean-Claude Forest and subsequent popular movie starring Jane Fonda, “Barbarella.”  I wondered what ChatGBT could do with that. You will note in the comic strip balloons there are misspelled words and the bottom panels are partially cut off sometimes. ChatGBT  wants to be sassy and hip in its responses.

I asked for : “BARBARELLA as a doctor treating Donald Trump.”

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SECRET HORRORS OF THE CASTRO THEATRE: A True Story

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by Julie Lindow

(Updated October 30,2022)

One would never expect such real-life horror to happen at the gorgeous, historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco. That fateful night, I was slinging candy and popcorn. The air was thick with that hot buttery scent as I salted the last bag of popcorn and patrons scurried into the theater. The manager clunked the heavy double doors closed. The calm after the storm. It was also the calm before the storm of Hallows’ Eve that was a few nights off.

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GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE- A brief history of Spooky Stage Shows and a Personal Encounter

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by Gary Meyer

Magic and “live” ghosts, goblins and other creatures of the night go back a long way. What we refer to as “augmented reality” today is hundreds of years old.  In 1584 Reginald Scot wrote in his study to debunk beliefs in witchcraft, magic and other superstitions, The Discoverie of Witchcraft, that people dressed in sheets had fooled believers certain they had seen ghosts.

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Interpretation of Robertson’s Fantasmagorie from F. Marion’s L’Optique (1867)

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MORE SCARIEST MOMENTS

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by Gary Meyer. (Updated October 29,2022)

We got so many terrific responses to our inquires about scariest experiences both with art and real life that we decided to break them onto two pieces so readers will not be overwhelmed in one sitting. as you meet the daughters of horror masters Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and William Castle and Lon Chaney Jr.’s grandson. The Czar of Noir  Eddie Muller (Noir City), directors Roger Corman and John Waters, author Daniel Handler, drag queen and haunted attractions impresario Peaches Christ, and Creature Features producer Tom Wyrsch offer surprises. Continue reading →

More Loudly Anticipating the San Francisco Silent Film Festival

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Part Two- What I Will Be Seeing

By Meredith Brody

May 4, 2022

I learned my lesson early with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival: GO TO EVERYTHING.

The first year I attended, I cherry-picked only the movies I hadn’t seen before.  The ones I went to were such a revelation – both in the presentation and the group experience – that my heart hurt as I walked away.  What a MAROON I was. Even a movie I thought I knew well would be a fresh experience, featuring as it did not only live music, but one of the world’s great audiences. There’s a kind of euphoria that sets in when you commit to seeing everything on offer. Continue reading →

SHOW BIZ and JUST PLAIN WEIRD VALENTINE’S DAY CARDS

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We did a random “Vintage Hollywood Valentines” Google search and came up with a treasure trove of images.  And if you click on any given image it enlarges with several new images to the right.

Can you name the stars?

But we have gone further. If it is true that the way to a lover’s heart is through the stomach, check out some vintage food cards. Why stop there. We cover growing up, comics and animation and the really bizarre “Vinegar Valentines.”

Plus several renditions of the classic song, “My Funny Valentine” by Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak. Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and more.

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The Camera Is Escher’s Eye

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“I think it’s in my basement…Let me go upstairs and check.”

― M.C. Escher

By Steve Segal

Maurits Cornelis Escher commonly known as M.C. Escher was an artist who has inspired millions with his unique vision. This is made abundantly clear in the film M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity, a hugely entertaining and informative documentary.

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