Need a Super Hero Fix?

Well, "Green Hornet" fell to numero dos at the box office. "No Strings Attached" edged it out of the top position. I guess more dudes probably wanted to see Natalie Portman in her panties than Seth Rogen in a mask.

"Green Hornet" is the first super movie of the year. "Green Lantern," "Thor" and "Captain America" are still to come.

If you need a super fix, then turn on the TV. NBC has "The Cape," which is getting decent press, but HBO and Showtime have some classic old school super hero movies.

My favorite of the bunch is Dino De Laurentis' "Flash Gordon" on HBO Family! I can't say enough about this classic. I originally saw this in a packed two-screener in Corpus Christi, Texas and was thoroughly blown away. Some of the effects are rough, but the costumes and backgrounds are very trippy. The cast kicks ass. Max Von Sydow is excellent as Ming the Merciless. Also look for a pre-Bond Timothy Dalton (T-Dalt!) as Prince Barin. Sam J. Jones is not a master thespian, but he pulls off the title role. Queen's soundtrack rocks..."Flash! AH AH!! Savior of the universe!" This underrated gem runs throughout February. Check listings.

FLASH GORDON: Movie Trailer. Watch more top selected videos about: Timothy Dalton, Mike Hodges

Like "The Green Hornet?" Meet his great uncle, the Lone Ranger. Although this tidbit is not mentioned in the movie, the Lone Ranger is the great uncle of the Green Hornet. Anyways, Showtime is airing "Legend of the Lone Ranger" this month. Look for it On Demand. This film was a bomb when it was released. I liked it! In the 1980s, a kid had to appreciate ANY comic book/super hero flick that was released.



Also on Showtime is 1987's "Masters of the Universe." This is another forgotten film of the 80s. It did decent box office business, and a sequel was planned. Due to licensing squabbles with toy manufacturer Mattel, it was scrapped. You can see the costumes that were to be used in the Jean Claude Van-Damme dud "Cyborg."

Five Underrated Blaxploitation Scores

I came across this article on the blog Way Black When -- "25 Reasons We Love Blaxploitation Films." I wholeheartedly agree with point number 4 - the best soundtracks.

Too often, however, everyone celebrates the same old songs: Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft," Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" and Bobby Womack's "Across 110th St." Don't get me wrong. All of these are indredibly cool songs, but let's give credit to some vastly underrated tracks:

1) James Brown: "Black Caesar"
The Black Caesar soundtrack is mind blowing. In addition to solid tracks from Soul Brother #1, Lyn Collins contributes the the killer "Mama Feel Good."

The lead-in song "Down and Out in New York City" sets the pace for this morality tale. Brown's vocals steal the show on this one:



My favorite track, however, is this funker "The Boss." The song is perfect for the movie and remains an anthem for players everywhere.



2) Roy Ayers: "Coffy"
Vibesmaster Roy Ayers delivers a very groovy score to a very raw movie. This great song, "Coffy is the Color," opens the movie...as does an exploding skull scene.



And this song needs to be played when any pimp enters the room.



3) Willie Hutch: "The Mack"
Any would-be pimp or player needs to check out "The Mack." Story-wise it's very similar to "Black Caesar." Willie Hutch who penned Jackson 5 classic "I'll Be There" (and the "Foxy Brown" score) contributes some fine songs to this morality tale including this upbeat number.



4)Billy Preston: "Slaughter"
"Slaughter" is one of my favorite movies from the blaxploitation genre. James Brown did songs for the sequel, "Slaughter's Big Rip Off." Billy Preston, however, is in very fine form with this title track. The lyrics are badass, and the music is fantastic. What else could you expect from a guy who jammed with the Beatles and the Stones?? This song also made a comeback as part of the "Inglorious Basterds" soundtrack.



5) Marvin Gaye: "Trouble Man"
The crown prince of soul got in on the "blaxploitation" game. His "Trouble Man" soundtrack is vastly underrated and underplayed. Here's a live cut from the man himself.


Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man (Theme)

Green Hornet Marathon on SyFy!!!!

The big screeen version of "The Green Hornet" hits theaters on Friday, Jan. 14. Fanboys already are fuming about the casting of Seth Rogen as the titular hero, but the Weekend Drive-In has hopes for this movie.

If you're unfamiliar with the character or need a Hornet fix, tune to SyFy on Jan. 11 for a marathon of the original TV 1966 TV series. Set your DVRs because this show is rarely on TV. It offers an early look at Bruce Lee, who made a splash as Kato. In Hong Kong, the show was reportedly retitled "The Kato Show."

The show was not my introduction to Bruce Lee, but I recall going to a drive-in double feature in the early 1980s. The first film had some generic title like "Revenge of the Dragon starring Bruce Lee" or something like that. When me and Drive-In Mike Sr. showed up, we were treated to four back-to-back episodes of "The Green Hornet"!! It was awesome!

The show was made by William Dozier, the guy behind the classic "Batman" series. He also serves as the announcer for both of these shows. "The Green Hornet," however, was not as campy as the caped crusader's show and didn't feature super villains. Instead, mob types were the main foes. The two heroes did meet in a two-part "Batman" episode.

But enough of my ramblings, set the DVR or program TiVo for SyFy on Jan. 11!

Demonic Cars Make Great Playthings

Long before James Brolin became Mr. Barbara Streisand, he battled a demonic sedan in "The Car."

This nutty 1977 horror movie has been showing up on cable lately. As a kid, I really wanted to see it at the movies. Ultimately, I had to settle for watching it as an NBC primtime movie. Loved it!

I had no idea that there was actually a kid's game based on this movie! Thanks to ultra-cool retro toy blog Plaid Stallions for digging up this awesome ad! I have to wonder who greenlit a kid's game based on this twisted movie...and am somewhat saddened that I am only NOW seeing this cool toy.

Action Pitchmen!!

A few days ago, I blogged about Chuck Norris' T-Mobile commercials in the Czech Republic. That post got me thinking about other action stars who hawked products.

Among these ads was a Mountain Dew campaign using ponytailed ass-kicker Steven Seagal:



Back in the 1980s, one of the Weekend Drvie-In's favorite movie stars Fred "The Hammer" Williamson appeared in several ads for King Cobra malt liquor. This particular ad also features "Karate Kid" villain Martin Kove.



On the topic of malt liquor, few can forget Billy "Lando Calrissian" Dee Williams' ads for Colt 45. This particular commercial is awesome. Only Billy Dee can make drinking beer at home look so classy.



Who are some other action movie stars who have plugged products...when not plugging holes in bad guys??

Happy Birthday Dracula!

Today, Frank Langella turns 73. Most people these days know Frank from recent performances in "The Box" and his Oscar nominated turn in "Frost/Nixon." In the 1970s, however, Frank played Count Dracula. 1979's "Dracula" paired Langella with some heavy hitters -- Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence.

I also have to give Frank some props for introducing 70s era kids to Zorro in 1974's "The Mark of Zorro" (opposite Ricardo "Khan" Montalban). And 1980s kids will remember him as Skeletor in "Masters of the Universe." He also played Superman's boss Perry White in 2006's super lame "Superman Returns."

Happy birthday, Frank!