As I logged on this evening, full prepared to write a post, I spotted a headline of the passing of a cheesy legend. Okay, maybe not quite a cheesy staple, but a man who starred in one of the best cheesy movies of the 1980s and made famous the classic line, "I have come here to chew bubble gum, and kick ass.... and I'm all out of bubble gum."
Yes, Cheesy Readers, the great Rowdy Roddy Piper has passed away of a heart attack at the age of 61.
The lovable hero of They Live (1988) who discovers that secret aliens have invaded and infiltrated our society from the lowliest guy to the highest offices of the government and private corporations and sets out with another kick-ass hero, played by the wonderfully versatile Keith David (Men at Work, Armageddon, the voice of Goliath in the television series Gargoyles).
Piper acted and stared in numerous films that went straight to video or cable, and while his film output never matched his wrestling output, he still managed to make his mark as a reliable character actor who specialized in science fiction films as someone not to be messed with. We cheesy 80s science fiction movie fans know ol' Roddy well. He acted right up until his death, and there are number of films he's contributed to that have yet to be released. So while he may be gone, we still have a handful of works to look forward to.
Mankind's hope of fighting off an alien invasion is now one soldier weaker. May he rest in peace.
Until Next Time,
Rowdily Yours,
Michael
First we had The Evil Dead, then we had Evil Dead 2, followed by Army of Darkness, all became cult classics, all were made without CGI. Those films served as launching points for the careers of writer/director/producer Sam Raimi and B-movie hero Bruce Campbell.
In 2013, The Evil Dead was remade with blessings from Raimi and Campbell. And beginning Oct. 31, 2015, via Starz, we will be given Ash vs. Evil Dead (The Series). Raimi directed and co-wrote the pilot along with Evil Dead veterans Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy. Original film series producer Rob Tapert is returning to co-produce along with Raimi and Campbell. Plus, Raimi and crew have brought in long-time friend and actress Lucy Lawless, who you may remember worked with Raimi and Tapert back in the Xena: Warrior Princess days. A regular family reunion --- it promises some great ghoulish fun and probably more than its fair share of gore and bizarreness.
The official series detail says: "Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity, and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons – personal and literal." According to additional reports, actress Jill Marie Jones will play the role of Michigan State Trooper Amanda Fisher, while Lawless will star as Ruby, a mysterious woman who's on a quest to stop the evil outbreak of Deadites within our realm and believes that Ash is the cause of it. Mimi Rogers stars as Suzy Maxwell and Dana DeLorenzo plays Kelly Maxwell. Apparently this first season of ten 30-minute episodes have been shot and will air weekly. Makes me wish I had Starz, or at least hope they make it available for next day streaming on Hulu or something.
Until Next Time...
Groovily Yours,
Michael
