Presque Isle State Park, Erie PA

Like a day at the beach.



Lake Erie is a natural wonder and a tremendous resource, although this piece focuses on the great lakes merits as a tourists destination. For mid-western beach lovers Presque Isle State Park is a must.




Empty beaches on weekdays


"DO NOT CLIMB BREAKERS"


I'm doing everyone "tiny" in these photos. In these photos the peninsula is facing the town of Erie, PA.





Canada was not so evident in the background while visiting the park, however these static photos reveal a friendly wave from our northern neighbor.

Presque Isle is a great beach fix and one more reason why Pennsylvania is the worlds best kept secret (after we get rid of Harrisburg)

There is no camping in the park, however there is Sarah's Campground just outside the park entrance (and next to a roller coaster and amusement park) and a KOA about fifteen minutes out, but for the money I would suggest looking into hotels in town.



With the range of activities available, from cycling to boating, to good ol' fashioned power-relaxing, Presque Isle belongs on the "to do" list.

Great VHS Box Art pt. 2 "Inframan"

Here is the cover to this Shaw Brothers classic.



This one almost didn't make the cut due to the original kanji script being so crudely replaced by cut and paste lettering. However, this classic promotional art features a dynamic rendering of everything great about the film, and all in glorious brush stroke. A favorable qoute by Roger Ebert isn't hurting the cause either. As kid, this would have leaped from the shelves at you.

Century III Mall makes the list

Century III Mall appears on Yahoo! Finance as a mall in danger of closing.

This has been a week full of pop cultural downers.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Wow.

One of my beefs with the internet age is the lack of a universal cultural touchstone. People today exist on virtual islands in a way that wasn't possible thirty (!) years ago. So, I've decided that a cultural phenomenon is a generally good thing, and that's what my generation witnessed with Michael Jackson. For your average thirty something, the death of Michael Jackson really hits home. He's our John Lennon, or Elvis, the famous guy that dies and takes a part of your childhood with him.

I was just getting into holding hands when Michael Jackson exploded with "Thriller," and, like billions of other people, I learned to Moonwalk. "Billie Jean" was the song to grab your girl for an intense, amateur hour style couples dance. I had clothing with too many zippers, watched too much MTV, and I understood that Michael's lone glove made him appear "enigmatic." Jackson's music still gets played in clubs. Pop music and the way we think about it changed because of this guy, no matter how "out there" he became.

I have to admit it, I secretly longed for the day when Michael would renounce his strange activities and record the best album any of us will ever hear in our lifetimes. Alas, it was not meant to be. It is small consolation that we are now permitted to openly appreciate and show our affection for the man who entertained two generations of the entire world.


August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

Under Construction

Typical Sunday evening Downtown in the summer

Microman to Diaclone

Here are some awesome commercials from 70's Japan. They're great marketing for even better toys, and lots of fun. This is a series of spots that illustrate how Microman/ Micronauts evolved into Diaclone/ Transformers in their country of origin. This is basically one product line that was marketed to appear as a new product after a sales slump. These toys will be familiar stateside as "Micronauts" and "Transformers"

Dig the metal background music.



Do you recognize this world wide favorite?



Check out the kids in this one...



What the hell is that kid saying?!

This one must have aired late at night. Please keep in mind Microman's original mission of getting kids interested in science when you watch this. It will help you understand why I nominate this next commercial for "Most Bad Ass Toy Commercial In the History of The World For All Time"



Here Microman starts to incorporate vinyl figures and a new theme song. It's a few years along for these toys and now Time Traveler is on his the way out.



As the 70's come to a close...



Here we see the beginnings of Diaclone, the final nail in the Microman's coffin.







Anime!



Actors!



and yet another world wide favorite...



Diaclone is a hit!



There are more of these, but you get the idea. I love how Takara segues one toy concept into the other as Microman's vehicle accessories gradually take on a life of there own as Diaclone. I don't think toy companies operate like that in the states. You just know that there were kids in Japan totally unaware of how this transpired. They probably just ignored Microman until all of sudden there was Diaclone. Despite briefly slumping sales, the fact that both these concepts were huge international successes is remarkable. Sadly, Diaclone devolved into Transformers, where it lingers in mediocrity to this day. I guess when you consider the mountain of products produced during the 70's it's not so bad. Westerners will never really know the extent of what was manufactured as Microman and Diaclone, but we can have fun trying.

Great VHS Box Art pt. 1 "Super Chick"

The VHS was a thing of it's time. We virtually ignored it's limitations while it lured us from the local Cinema with it's convenience and beautiful box art. From a marketing standpoint, the VHS tape is a high water mark for the home entertainment industry, second only to the vinyl LP.

Here is some great VHS box cover art from the movie "Super Chick", presumably of the original theatrical poster. VHS box art continued the fledgling home entertainment industry's tradition of featuring original marketing materials from a film's theatrical release. Often the synopsis were original copy as well. Now, in the era of Photoshop, entire marketing divisions are devoted solely to repackaging films for retail, and some aspect of quality and charm are lost in the process. I've got a few nice boxes to share, and I've chosen to start with the best of the bunch.


"She'll really move her tail for you!"

I love the box art for this mid 70's soft core cheapie. Filmed as a vehicle for sex advice columnist Joyce Jillson. Super Chick is the alter-ego of a timid stewardess, who has a beau in every port to assist in her various counter cultural dabblings. Despite a who's who of 70's exploitation stars, it's very pro-woman and actually quite vanilla. Nothing like the drunken tramp witnessed on the box cover.

The sleepy eyed, wanton gaze seals the deal even as the lustful lady sheds her attire for you. The action is well portrayed and subdued by the muted color palette. This box art is entirely functional and maintains a delicate balancing act between serving as product and pin up, and is way hotter than anything found in the film itself. "Super Chick" can be found on region 1 DVD, unfortunately the cover is a little more representative of the actual film.



At least it's not more Photoshop.

For whatever reason, great art work continues to be suppressed in favor of cheap production art churned out by the underpaid for each new DVD release. That's a shame, for although the format may be better viewing on your television, it is nothing to view on your shelf. I will continue to prove this in future installments of Great VHS Box Art.