Terrorists Beware!

Long before 9/11 and the War on Terror, Chuck Norris was kicking terrorist ass on the silver screen. Today, you can see his greatest pro-USA movie "The Delta Force" on IFC (4:15 p.m. CST). It's pretty cheesy, but Chuck is at his best. Plus, he's under the command of an even bigger badass Lee Marvin. While Chuck can take out an anti-American thug with a swift kick to the skull, Marvin's scowl is probably even more devastating. Adding to the mayhem is 1970s-style "all star" cast (George Kennedy, Joey Bishop, Martin Balsam, Lainie Kazan). And, Robert Forster plays a pretty good extremist. The opening hijacking scene is actually pretty creepy...considering it predates 9/11 by 15 years. Still, this is a great Reagan-era "All-American" action epic. So, fire up the grill, cook up those Freedom Fries and forget about those boneheads trying to raise the debt ceiling. "Delta Force" is a blast from USA's glorious and nutty past.

When Captain America Throws His Mighty Shield...

"Captain America: First Avenger" finally hits theaters this weekend. Almost as cool is the fact that the awesome programmers at SyFy have planned a triple feature of movies featuring the shield-wielding super dude. The fireworks begin tomorrow, July 21

First up, Reb Brown kicks ass as the 1970s-era Captain in "Captain America" (1979)at 4 p.m. (CST). The costume is all wrong, and the shield is clear plastic. This was still an awesome pilot for a TV show that never happened. Reb was a pretty decent 1970s hero...cool hair, he drove a killer van and was a Marine who moonlit as a painter.



Next, Reb returns in "Captain America II: Death Too Soon" (1979) at 6 p.m.. This time, he wears a costume that looks more like the one that appears in comics and battles a terrorist (Christopher Lee) who wants to wage chemical warfare. This was Reb's last appearance as the star-spangled stud. CBS didn't pick up "Captain America" as a series.



Matt Salinger (son of J.D.) was the next actor to wear the red, white and blue in "Captain America" (1990) - 8 p.m. (CST). This was intended as a theatrical release. I even remember seeing the poster at a theater. It wound up being a stinker, so it went straight to video. It's pretty slow, and Salinger barely appears in full Cap garb. It's more faithful to the comics than the TV movies, and the Red Skull (Scott Paulin) makes his screen debut. Still, Salinger's not a very good actor, and neither is this movie. Check it out though and let me know what you think.

"Scared to Death" on Elvira's Movie Macabre

Leave it to the Mistress of the Dark to deliver classic weekend scarefests. Not sure what's playing in other markets, but on THIS TV, Elvira's Movie Macabre presents Bela Lugosi classic "Scared to Death." Apparently, this is one of only three color movies Lugosi ever made. This 1947 shocker follows the story of a woman who was literally...scared to death. Set the DVR or stay up late. If your cable system carries THIS, you have two chances to see Bela in action: 4 a.m. (CST) Sunday, July 17 and midnight, July 18.

Like Elvira?? Check out her revamped website.

Who Remembers 'Bloody Birthday'???

I watched plenty of early splatter shockers in the 1980s but don't remember 1981's "Bloody Birthday." The plot focuses on some kids (sharing the same birthday) who go nuts during a lunar eclipse. What a birthday! They terrorize their parents and local teenagers. If this sounds like a good movie for your weekend watching party, you're in luck! Turner Classic Movies (of all channels) is showing this slashfest tonight...or tomorrow morning (1 a.m. CST). Bake a cake and stay up for this one. Or, set the DVR and enjoy with your morning paper.

24-Hour Troma Movies!!!!

According to the Lloyd Kaufman himself, Comcast subscribers soon will have 24-access to Troma movies! Very good news indeed. If you like schlockfests like the "Toxic Avenger" series, "Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD," "Class of Nuke'em High," "Tromeo and Juliet" and others, start celebrating!

Now Read This: "The Age of TV Heroes"

It's been a super summer in theaters..."Green Hornet," "Thor," "X-Men: First Class," "Green Lantern" and soon, "Captain America." It's great to see so many classic characters on the big screen. Waaaay back in the day, however, comic movies were hard to come by. That's where TV came in. Comic characters have usually had an easier time getting on the small screen.

"The Age of TV Super Heroes" by Jason Hofius and George Khoury does a pretty good job of documenting small screen super series. Of course, the biggest shows are given expert treatment: "The Adventures of Superman," "Batman," "The Incredible Hulk." Short-lived shows and pilots also are given plenty of attention: "Shazam!," "Doctor Strange," "Captain America." Non-comic shows like "The Greatest American Hero" also are covered with excellent detail. I did notice, however, that FOX's "MANTIS" was MIA from this book.



The authors do a very good job of getting the backstories behind these shows, even ill-fated ones like 1978's excellent "Dr. Strange" (which didn't have a chance as it aired opposite blockbuster miniseries "Roots"). They also provide answers to questions that have haunted old school fanboys: "Why was the first season Captain Marvel replaced by an older, dumpier actor?" "Why was the setting of 'Wonder Woman' changed from WWII to the 1970s?"

This book is especially awesome for TV geezers like me, who grew up in the 1970s. For a brief period, all kinds of comic-based shows were popping up: "Wonder Woman," "The Incredible Hulk," "Spider-Man," "Captain America," "Dr. Strange." Sadly, even good ratings didn't save many of these shows/pilots. Hofius and Khoury revisit the super 70s and explore the rise and demise of these series.



Best of all, everything is packaged in a beautiful hardcover package...with an AWESOME Alex Ross cover.

Like super heroes? You'll dig this book.