"Goodities And Niceties"

Getting away from books for a little while (and making the list is, in part, a way to more easily mark time while more creative posting is sapped by loss of energy due to the incredible heat and the cuckoo clock in the brain caused by having the kids around all day in the summer), here are a few items I got just this past month.

First, the Pufnstuf movie; I had this somewhere on tape recorded off of Showtime, but it was either lost somewhere due to bad labeling or possibly recorded over. Anyway, it's nice to have it on DVD, although it is rather bare bones: no commentary or anything extra, just the theatrical trailer. The movie is great in that we get our only look at Jimmy's life before he came to Living Island: apparently his father had been transferred from England to the U. S. and he was having a little trouble fitting in, when suddenly his flute starts speaking to him and he goes on a talking boat ride. We also get to see Witchiepoo's position in the greater witch community, whose members engage in constant rounds of jealousy, gossip, one-up-manship, and dirty dealing. This is exemplified by Witchiepoo's best "friend" Witch Hazel (Mama Cass, who does a great song), and Boss Witch, played by Martha Ray with great bored contempt. A strange element of the movie is that some of the voices are different than the TV show; the sets are only slightly superior, or perhaps it's just the way they are shot at a wider angle that gives a greater feeling of space. All ends happily, despite the fact that Jimmy is still stuck on the island. There has been some talk lately of making a new Pufnstuf movie in the wake of The Land Of The Lost, but it's hard to imagine a more difficult or pointless endeavor. Pufnstuf was of a time; it is what it is, and does not need a "re-imagining."

With Clobberella and Amy I now have all the parts to assemble the Santabot. Mad-Eye Moody is part of the new releases for Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, which include Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, and Harry himself. But where's McGonagall? The Cryptozoological Playset figures are all PVC, and come in a cool package with a background of a black forest, red sky, and full moon. I sent off for the Chamberlain months ago and had almost forgotten him when he suddenly arrived in the mail. Now we need a Mystic, and possibly an UrSkek.