Neko’s Jukebox – October 2017

Nope… not abducted by aliens… not being held against my will in a dirty shipping container somewhere in Gdansk… not languishing in a medically induced coma to overcome my perimenopause. I’ve just been taking some time off… well OK… maybe a WHOLE LOTTA time off. But now I’m back. With the afternoon off I’m bopping around the apartment doing a few chores and listening to music videos on Youtube while singing along. Sure… Ting-ting thinks mommy’s gone nutty, but then she’s known that since she arrived here at this wee lady’s apartment. 😉

Anywhoo… just encountered this particularly adorable cover of Shakira’s theme to the Disney hit “Zootopia” by Japanese pop starlet Ami Nakashima. What can I say? Sooooo darn cute! I’m thinkin’ this wee Catgirl’s got herself a new “lip-sync” for Halloween! Carolyn will just love this one, I’m thinking. Maybe if I can nail the Japanese lyrics, I can even get her to practice the English ones and we can do a duet together! Fun, fun, fun!!

Yep. I’m finally starting to feel a bit like my goofy fun loving self again, so now that I’m dipping my toes back here into the Litterbox, expect some more activity soon. Time to blow away the dust and shoo away the crickets and get things back to normal here at the ol’ Litterbox again. Till next time, “Meow, meow for now!”

“Wonder Woman” (2017) – American Superheroine Fantasy

Well… since I’ve been “on Sabbatical” it’s been a miserably chilly damp last month here at “La Casa de Neko”, but finally it seems we’re going to get some well deserved warm weather for a change. Yay for that! 😉 Along with that burst of warmth, my sweetie and I have started getting out more for walks and the like as part of Carolyn’s plans to drive away those nasty “blaaahhhs” I’ve been saddled with lately. So it was no surprise that she decided we needed a proper trip to the movies for a change of pace. What to watch? Well, this time out it was my turn to learn one of my dear Carolyn’s childhood secrets… You see, way back in the day all the while lil’ Miyuki was busy playing “Jungle Explorer” or “Kung Fu Princess” she, on the other hand, was secretly smitten with Linda Carter and her own girlish dreams of being a certain Butt-kicking Amazon Princess. 😉

Oh yes… you’d never guess it, seeing her now, but it seems my adorably well grounded, very straight-laced, very sensible and no-nonsense Carolyn apparently had a few of her own silly girlish fantasies waaay back in the day. Unlike goofy lil’ me, she usually kept all that really quiet around most people, but one thing that grabbed her imagination and wouldn’t let go was the old TV series, “The Adventures of Wonder Woman”. According to Carolyn when she was 5 or 6 she spent several Halloween’s dressed up in her very own red, yellow, and blue costume complete with a long black wig, little tiara, and “magical” golden lasso (actually a length of bright neon yellow plastic clothesline she swiped from a neighbor’s backyard…) collecting her candy and dreaming of deflecting bullets with her bracelets and soundly whomping the living snot out of Nazi thugs and the like. OMG!! How I soooooo wish she’d saved some pictures of from back then!!

Given that, even if Superheroes really aren’t usually my thing, there really was no question of choice when we decided upon a nice Saturday afternoon matinée together. Afterall… this lil’ Catgirl is all about Female Empowerment and indulging in a little nostalgic game of “remember when” with my special angel is just the icing on the cake. 😉

So… how was it? Did it bring back and fond memories for my loving wife, maybe reawaken her desires to be an Amazon warrior all over again? Guess you’ll have to “Read On” and find out, now won’t you? 😉

Anniversary Time Again!

Sigh…  Yep. It’s been loooong loooong time since I posted here at the ol’ Litterbox. I gotta say, of late, my ambition has been lots like those water wells out in the desert in those oldie-timey Western movies. Reeeeaally dry and nearly empty. Well…. OK…. maybe there’s some gunky mud at the bottom, but that’s about it. Kinda sad and depressing.

Much of that is due no doubt to my ongoing battle with the spectre of approaching menopause. (At times I almost swear I can hear my lil’ ovaries shriveling up…. 😉 )

But, I’d also blame our continued crappy  weather for some of my seasonal blues. By now, it should be all warm and sunny and green hereabouts. But nooooooo. We still are cold and miserably wet, and as a result I’m not even feeling my usual burst of manic seasonal energy that gives me insomnia as I feel that wonderful change of seasons. It used to drive me crazy when it happened. Now I definitely miss it.

Still, with tomorrow being Carolyn’s and my wedding anniversary yet again, I felt the need this afternoon to break my silence and do a proper Diary post for those of my Special Visitors still peeking in now and again. If there are any of you still out there. 🙂

“Train To Busan” aka “부산행:” (2016) – Korean Zombie Apocalypse Horror/ Action – “Zombies On The Rampage!!” – February/ March 2017 Zombie Film Festival

Sigh…. I know. Our “Zombies On The Rampage!!” Film Festival got a wee bit… errr… ummmm… “derailed”… if you will, first by my recent illness, then by work, and then just when I thought I had a grip on things plain ol’ laziness and winter doldrums snuck up and whacked me on the back of the head and took me prisoner. But… I’m struggling to get “back on track” and so here we go with our look at 2016’s South Korean Blockbuster Horror/ Disaster mashup. (Pardon all the “train” puns… This wee lady’s feeling a bit goofy today… 😉 )

Our synopsis? OK… here goes: “When a countrywide zombie-viral outbreak flares up in South Korea, a group of terrified passengers try to fight off the infected hordes while desperately trying to make their way to safety, all trapped aboard a suspicion-filled, blood-drenched bullet train ride to Busan, a southern resort city that has managed to hold off the ravenous crazed zombie hordes – or so everyone hopes.”

Hehehe… we get a real “two-for-one” with this film. An old-school disaster epic on a runaway train and a grisly Zombie Apocalypse story at the same time. How can it go wrong? One way to find out and that’s to come along for the ride… 🙂

“Please Stand By” – “Zombies On The Rampage!!” – February 2017 Zombie Film Festival

“***BZZZZZZZ***!!!CRAAAAKLE***!!!CRRRIITZZ!!!!***… as we enter the third week since the pandemic began, initial Quarantine Zones have been consolidated by order of the currently acting Governor to better facilitate Military interdiction. Reports indicate that the New Haven Safe Zone perimeter, under heavy assault by waves of the Resurrected Dead since Sunday, has been compromised and emergency evacuation of remaining refugees suspended over concerns that spread of the contagion cannot be guaranteed with certainty. Entrance to all remaining Sanctuary Zones is now prohibited until further notice and Civil Defense Authorities have announced that as all Metro sectors of the Tri-State region are under Martial Law, anyone attempting to violate the order will be summarily shot by Military troops as an unavoidable necessity…. No F**king way… ***BZZZZZZZ***!!!CRAAAAKLE***!!!CRRRIITZZ!!!!*** … they sh**ting us? They’re really killing uninfected civilians now? My dear God… it’s freaking over… It’s really freaking over… ***BZZZZZZZ***!!!CRAAAAKLE***!!!CRRRIITZZ!!!!***<<TRANSMISSION LOST>>”

Yep… the Zombie Apocalypse is still shambling along here at the Litterbox, although yours truly has had her own bout with a nasty viral pandemic that sidelined me for the last couple weeks. Sorry ’bout that. I’m all better now and so it’s time to get back to things once more. No “ifs, ands. or buts”… 🙂

Wanna know what’s coming up? Then by all means, just crawl under that barbed wire, stand really still while we check you for bite marks, and then welcome to our cozy lil’ haven amid the chaos…

“The Girl With All The Gifts” (2016) – British Zombie Apocalypse Horror/ Action – “Zombies On The Rampage!!” – February 2017 Zombie Film Festival

It’s Valentines Day and what better time to kick off the first of Febuary’s Zombie festival Reviews with a look at the Zombie Apocalypse from the British viewpoint with director Colm McCarthy’s take on the novel by M.R. Carey, “The Girl With All The Gifts”. And… as an added bit of fun, it seems justly appropriate to invite our fellow blogging friend Stephen from Gweilo Ramblings along to share the British perspective on all the zombie hijinks to be had. 😉

Thanks for having me again Miyuki, it’s been way way too long since we have had a crossover, and whilst this might not fit my usually review M.O., I can’t help but think it was a pretty perfect choice.

Our synopsis goes like this: “In the near future, a strange fungus infection has transformed nearly everyone into a thoughtless, flesh-eating monsters called “hungries”. 10 years after the infestation ran amok and nearly destroyed the world, an obsessed scientist, a dedicated teacher, and a military base full of nervous soldiers conduct experiments on a strange group of dangerous children seemingly immune to the worst effects of fungus. But then the base is overrun by the hungry hordes and they are all forced to undertake a journey to seek shelter and possibly save humanity from complete extinction”

Zombie kiddies? Hmmmm? Definitely haven’t seen that very often, eh? It’s always nice to see somebody trying to use our old friends, the zombies, and take them in a new direction. Shake up the preconceptions and find some new ideas, maybe find a way to weave an important message into an otherwise well-worn genre. Neko’s all for that, as long as they don’t neglect all the crazy flesh-eating zombie action we all know and love. Gotta have your priorities… 😉

“Uruvan” (2016) – Tamil/ South Indian Zombie Short Film

Time for the first of our lil’ Zombie goodies here at the Litterbox as part of our February 2017 “Zombies On The Rampage!!” Festival. This time out? How about a nifty lil’ South Indian Tamil film… complete and uncut and with perfect English subtitles… the full Zombie Apocalypse short film thriller “Uruvan”.

Our synopsis? “Ordinary guy Vikram finds his routine everyday life torn to shreds when the explosion of a chemical plant lands him smack dab in the middle of the Zombie Apocalypse. Can one lone man overcome both his fear and his asthma to rise above the chaos and survive the horror? Does he have the will to fight all odds just to see another day?”

Guess we’ll find out… cause Neko’s not gonna spoil the fun till you get the chance to see it yourself. Then we’ll compare notes in the comments, o’ Gentle Visitors… 😉 Enjoy!! 🙂

“Zombies On The Rampage!!” – February 2017 Zombie Film Festival

***CRAAAAKLE***!!!CRRRIITZZ!!!!***”…enters for Disease Control in cooperation with local Civil Defense Authorities assure us the Emergency is very real. We repeat: This is not a drill and not a hoax. As reported earlier, unbelievable as it may sound, the bodies of the recently dead have indeed begun to reanimate in growing numbers across wide swaths of the tri-state area. These reanimated corpses are confirmed to be a deadly menace with an unexplained hunger for living flesh and should be avoided at all costs. Repeat… avoided at all costs…*** CRAAAAKLE! CRRRIIITZ!!!*** Stay in your homes… avoid contact with any of the infected and wait for further instructions as they are broadcast. Please stand by. This has been an official Emergency Alert anounc….”  ***CRAAAAKLE***!!!CRRRIITZZ!!!!***BUUUZZZZ!!! <<<TRANSMISSION LOST>>>

February is upon us, o’ Gentle Visitors and recent events in the US political situation have convinced me that, yes… believe it or not… pigs can fly. Oh yes… if ever there was a sure sign that “The End Of Days” is soon gonna be upon us, then our recent Presidential election was about the most blatant warning that something terrible is getting ready to happen. Economic collapse… societal implosion… terminal chigger infestation, you just name it… it’s gonna happen. And sooner than later… My personal bet? Well this lil’ lady is absolutely certain that pretty darn soon hungry Zombies will be eager to start nibbling on our noggins in search of tasty brains… 😉

And that can only mean one thing…. It’s time for another Zombie Film Festival Extravaganza here at the ol’ Litterbox so we can all celebrate our mutual descent into the imminent Doomsday in style. We’ll have movie reviews, a shared review with our blogging friend Stephen from “Gweilo Ramblings”, a few short films to share, and plenty of Apocalyptic Catgirl Fun while we await the devastation to come.

Hurry!! Sound the siren!! They’re coming!! 

“Chudail Story” (2016) – Hindi Witchraft/ Horror

Another year rolls around and so does another Review. First up for 2017 is a peek at a minor little Hindi horror film I recently found, 2016’s Bollywood tale of erotic witchcraft and horror, “Chudail Story”. Hehehe…. a creepy witch up to no good. Sounds like my sort of story. 😉

Our synopsis goes like this: “Five friends, namely, Chandu, Goldie, Robby, Riya and Devika set out to take a break from their life and decide to go on an adventurous trip together. But before they reach their destination, their car breaks down in a remote rural area and in a bid to seek help, they take shelter in the bungalow owned by Shashi. While the mesmerizing beauty of this pretty lady attracts the men’s attention, there is an eeriness of sorts behind the mysterious Shashi. Rumors claim her bungalow is the lair of a cannibal witch who lures men to their deaths… can the lovely Shashi truly be this witch? But before the gang of five set out to uncover the secrets of this bungalow, some unforeseen incidents lead them into a trap and then escape isn’t an option for them anymore.”

Doesn’t sound like we’ll stray too far from some pretty standard horror movie tropes this time out, but hey, this wee lady is never scared away by a tried and true old school plot. Still… this one didn’t get a very positive review back in its country of origin, so it’s with a measure of caution that I approached it. (Who am I kidding? An Indian horror movie a with sexy cannibal witch hiding away in a haunted house? Of course I’m gonna watch it… Neko’s just such a lil’ dweeb!! ;))

“Under The Shadow” (2016) – Iranian/ Jordanian Ghost/ Horror

Well… the Christmas Holiday has come and gone but I’ve still a wee bit of free time this week so I thought I might end our month long “dry spell” here at the ol’ Litterbox with a fresh new Review before 2016 disappears into the rear view mirror. This time out? How about an Iranian/Jordanian Ghost story? Yep… betcha’ you haven’t seen too darn many of those, have you o’ Gentle Visitors? 😉

Our synopsis goes like this: “After Shideh’s building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.”

Yep… it looks like those evil jinn are up to no good again. Sneakin’ about… corrupting souls… working their wicked schemes and generally wreaking havoc. Luckily a certain lil’ Catgirl is all up to speed on those critters thanks to all those Turkish horror goodies I’ve watched. So… I guess the real question is… are they scarier in Iran? Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?