Underrated Treasures Blogfest!

Hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanagh, this blogfest is sure to entertain you for days to come.

Everyone has a favorite movie or band that no one else has ever heard about. For whatever reason, they remain undiscovered and underrated. Now is our chance to tell the world about these obscure treasures!

Today’s the day I post about my favorite unknown:  MOVIE, BAND/ARTIST, TV SHOW, or BOOK. I can post about one or all four – my choice.

So here I go.

Movie– MirrorMask

I like the movie MirrorMask. I’m not saying that it’s my favorite movie or even my favorite obscure movie, but I do think it’s worth mentioning and here’s why: Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, and Jim Henson.

There aren’t many around today who aren’t at least socially aware of the creative talent of Neil Gaiman. Whether or not people like his work or have even experienced it personally, most people in western civilization, at least, know who he is. I like Gaiman’s work. His influence and voice are clearly evident throughout this film.

Apparently Dave McKean wears many hats, including: Illustrator, photographer, writer, filmmaker, and musician. That’s all well and good, but I mainly know him from, Batman: Arkham Asylum, but have recently viewed some of this other work and am pleased with it. McKean’s signature artistic style shines in this film.

Then there’s Jim Henson. No need to talk this guy and his production company up. If people don’t know who he is, they can Google him. The Henson influence in this film isn’t huge, but it is significant. The Henson influence also isn’t its typically bright, high-spirited, more popular influence; it’s more along the lines of Dark Crystal and Labyrinth…which of course, is right up my alley.

When it comes to describing this movie there are three words that come to mind: weird, trippy, and complex. This isn’t a film that leaves you completely satisfied upon completing it, but that’s why I like it. It’s keeps you wondering, second guessing, and tilting your head. It’s a visual anomaly, having many clever and striking graphics, but there are also some that you’re just not quite sure are supposed to appear the way they do. This isn’t a comfortable film to watch, but for me, that challenge is part of the magic that makes this movie worth experiencing…And despite what critics say, the story is wonderful. It’s not completely coherent in places, but it’s unique and original, and that in itself is an accomplishment.

See the trailer here:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swrcKRVgeGI&w=320&h=240]

Song– Bohemian Rhapsody cover by The Braids (altering the category of BAND/ARTIST)

There’s nothing better than the original Bohemian Rhapsody by the band Queen. This is one of those times when you’ll really have to hear me out before you decide to hang me. There’s a very specific and important reason I want to feature this particular cover of this song, but first I need to explain why I chose it for this list.

Plain and simple, I chose this song because not many people know it exists. Being from the High School High soundtrack, I can’t blame them. I’ve never even seen this movie, but I’m pretty sure I don’t need to. I originally heard the song on the radio back in high school, which brings me to why I’m featuring this song now.

I think most people take it for granted that everyone kind of shares their options about certain things without taking into consideration cultural difference. One great Cultural Revolution I like at the moment is the mixture of musical genres. Now I do love my classics and can be a bit of a traditionalist, but I like that people are expanding their musical horizons.

There was a time, and in some places this is still the case, when music was strictly regional. Black urban youths had no idea who groups like Queen and The Ramones were. I’m sure there were other regions where groups like Digable Planets and Digital Underground didn’t exist either.

When I heard The Braids cover of this song, I was excited to finally have a way to talk about a song and band I liked with my peers by sharing and comparing this song to the original version. This isn’t a great cover, but it’s not a bad one either. It’s definitely different from the original, but that’s why it’s so special. I have several friends now who’ve experienced many different musical genres all because I found a way to reach them, initially, with this simple cover song.

Finding a sample of this song was more than hard. Unfortunately the only one I could find was from a You Tube video where the person who posted it, included a picture of the group Fugees. I’m not sure why this person did that, but this song is definitely not by the Fugees; it’s by The Braids.

Listen to (don’t watch) this song here:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_dKmVya-Y&w=320&h=240]

TV show– Out of This World

Every time I try to bring this show up in a conversation, people look at me like I’ve smashed together the languages of French and Stark Trek’s Klingon. I was actually amazed by how easy it was to find this with a Google search, but I guess it was because I knew what I was looking for. I know I can’t be the only sci-fi/fantasy fan who remembers this show from their childhood.

I distinctly remember the classic song, Swinging a Star popularized by Bing Crosby, being the theme song for the show, though it wasn’t his version that was used. As a kid, this show was right up there with Small Wonder, Alf, and Greatest American Hero (another underrated classic). If you don’t know these either, head to the Google machine.

This show had everything a young female sci-fi fan could ask for. It told the story of a girl who was half alien and had special alien powers. It was traditional silly, after school sit-con material, though it could also fit in well with Saturday morning shows like Saved By the Bell. I don’t think this show was ever in danger of winning an Emmy, but I liked it.

See the trailer here:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2UkZzdyD0A&w=320&h=240]

Well that’s it. It’s more than I meant to share, but hey, I was on a roll. I couldn’t think of a book to add, so you lucked out there. Be sure to drop by and visit other stops on this hop. Whether you liked what I posted or not, someone else is bound to have something just for you.

Click here to see the Linky list.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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