One of the best films to come out of the Cannon factory (which, in this rare case, is NOT damning with faint praise), RUNAWAY TRAIN has just been reissued on blu-ray with many extras, though this edition appears to be only available (so far) from the U.K.
Based on a script originally written by Akira Kurosawa, TRAIN is about two escaped convicts, played by Jon Voight and Eric Roberts, who have the bad luck to a), escape from a maximum security prison in a blinding snow storm and b), hitch a ride on a train just as the engineer keels from a heart attack. Various plot devices ensue that leave the train roaring down the tracks at high speed with no way to stop it.
In other hands this could have been another forgettable Cannon quickie, but director Andrei Konchalovsky makes everything he can out of the situation, and the result, as Jon Voight says in his commentary, is visual poetry. There are many striking sequences, some made even more astounding when some of the tricks are revealed. (Hint -- a big chunk of the movie was shot in a warehouse on Beverly Blvd. in Hollywood).
But the beating heart of this movie is Jon Voight, who delivers a riveting, over-the-top, compelling performance as Oscar "Manny" Mannheim, one of the escaped cons. When we first meet Manny, he's being ordered released from the solitary cell that evil Warden Rankin (John P. Ryan at his nastiest) had him welded into (!) years earlier. There's some nasty history between these two, and when Manny bids prison adieu, Rankin is determined to bring him back. Meanwhile, Manny has to deal with his "partner" Buck (Mr. Roberts) whose self-aggrandizing blabber would have had Mother Theresa reaching for a gun. One of the best scenes in the film, where Manny finally explodes on Buck for boasting about all the amazing stuff he's going to do once they're free, turns out to have been scribbled out by Voight the night before shooting. Which means I have to hate him, I guess, but it really is amazing stuff.
I've always loved this movie -- the look, the gritty dialogue (some by ex-con Eddie Bunker), the performances, the incredible stunt work and FX -- it's got it all. There are interviews with Konchalovsky, Roberts and supporting actor Kyle Heffner, but a lengthy piece from Jon Voight is especially interesting. Well worth hunting down!
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Jack Kirby's Least Used Best
This is a fun list of some of Jack Kirby's craziest (in the good sense) concepts, most of which I had forgotten or somehow missed. The planet that is so evil it has devil horns is especially audacious, but they're all pretty amazing.
http://comicsalliance.com/jack-kirby-ten-most-amazingly-underused-concepts/
http://comicsalliance.com/jack-kirby-ten-most-amazingly-underused-concepts/
Friday, August 23, 2013
The Silence: Feel Good Movie of Never!
THE SILENCE: Another entry in the Germanic/Norwegian noir category popularized by "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", but the "The Silence" is less thriller than it is a somber mediation on loneliness. It opens with two 30-ish guys coming up on a teenage girl... one of the men attacks, rapes and murders the girl while the other watches in mute horror/fascination. When it's done, the "accomplice" packs up his stuff and leaves his murderous friend, but does not call the police.
23 years later, another young girl is murdered in exactly the same way. In a slow build, we find the accomplice in an entirely different space, shocked that there's been another murder. The cop who investigated but never solved the old murder has just retired but wants to help with the investigation, and the mother of the first victim continues to grieve over her daughter. On top of that, another cop on the case is suffering a near nervous breakdown after the death of his wife from cancer five months earlier. Like my title line suggests, it's not exactly the Three Stooges...
How all these characters eventually come into one another's orbit is the slow genius of the movie. The why of the second murder becomes the signature question, and I'm pleased to say that there actually is an answer and it is simultaneously surprising, sad and compelling.
It's not exactly light viewing, but "The Silence" is beautifully shot and remains true to its subject matter... as in, there's no last act car chase. The blu-ray comes with two short films by the same director (I haven't seen them yet) and cast/crew commentary...
23 years later, another young girl is murdered in exactly the same way. In a slow build, we find the accomplice in an entirely different space, shocked that there's been another murder. The cop who investigated but never solved the old murder has just retired but wants to help with the investigation, and the mother of the first victim continues to grieve over her daughter. On top of that, another cop on the case is suffering a near nervous breakdown after the death of his wife from cancer five months earlier. Like my title line suggests, it's not exactly the Three Stooges...
How all these characters eventually come into one another's orbit is the slow genius of the movie. The why of the second murder becomes the signature question, and I'm pleased to say that there actually is an answer and it is simultaneously surprising, sad and compelling.
It's not exactly light viewing, but "The Silence" is beautifully shot and remains true to its subject matter... as in, there's no last act car chase. The blu-ray comes with two short films by the same director (I haven't seen them yet) and cast/crew commentary...
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Nilsson Alert!! As In Harry Nilsson...
So RCA's just released a 17 CD box-set collecting all 14 of Harry Nilsson's RCA albums + 3 discs of extras, all in cool cardboard "LP" sleeves. Having all of Nilsson's material in one handy little box is great news unto itself, but what makes this set "must have" are the three CDs of (mostly) unreleased demos, unreleased tracks and etc. If you're not familiar with Harry Nilsson -- well you should be! The album "Nilsson Schmilsson" is a flat out classic, one of those 100 albums you must hear before you die. Nilsson's songs range from rockers to tin-pan alley to spine-tingling ballads. Mostly, you need to hear this guy for his voice, which will send chills down your spine (in all the good ways).
Nilsson had his ups and downs -- sadly more downs as the 70's wound into the 80's. His story is well told in the excellent documentary "Who Is Harry Nilsson and Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?", but I'm focusing on the music here. Which is mostly great. I'm still plowing through the collection, but the solo piano demos for Nilsson Schmilsson (most of which were released in the U.K. a few years ago) are stunning and practically worth the $99-ish price for the set on their own. Good stuff worth supporting!
Nilsson had his ups and downs -- sadly more downs as the 70's wound into the 80's. His story is well told in the excellent documentary "Who Is Harry Nilsson and Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?", but I'm focusing on the music here. Which is mostly great. I'm still plowing through the collection, but the solo piano demos for Nilsson Schmilsson (most of which were released in the U.K. a few years ago) are stunning and practically worth the $99-ish price for the set on their own. Good stuff worth supporting!
New Stuff!
Been reinforcing the concrete slab under our house to handle the influx of "stuff." Among the latest arrivals:
BOY AND HIS DOG (blu-ray): Harlan Ellison's classic novella as adapted by non other than L.Q. Jones, perhaps best known for his scuzzy roles in various Sam Peckinpah movies (Tector in The Wild Bunch!) and... well, for this. In the year 2024 (only nine years away!) a nuclear war has scoured the Earth and the last rag-tag survivors run around scavenging old canned goods and being mean to one another. A very young Don Johnson plays Vic, a horny-as-hell kid who hangs on the periphery of all the bad stuff, desperate for sex. Vic has an edge on the rest of the survivors because he's developed a telepathic connection with his cute and very sardonic dog Blood, who protects Vic while insulting him in amusing ways. "Adventures ensue." This new master looks amazing -- and I always liked both the look of this movie (Mad Max four years before Mad Max) and the sardonic, cynical tone. The disc also comes with a cool recent interview/"conversation" between L.Q. Jones and Harlan Ellison that explores how the picture came together. Good stuff.
THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN (blu-ray): On the other hand... amusingly, both Boy and his Dog and Melting Man open with stock footage of fiery explosions. Nuclear bombs in Boy, sun flares in Incredible. However that's pretty much where the similarities end. 70's horror fans have an affection for Melting Man because of the grisly early make-up effects by Rick Baker, who was coming off the DeLaurentis King Kong at the time and who admits in one of the DVD extras that he wasn't sure this picture was a good career move. But he made what he considered an outrageous bid for the make-up job and to his surprise they agreed, so this incredible guy? He friggin' MELTS. And melts. And melts. There isn't much story here, an astronaut gets fried by solar radiation and when he gets back to Earth he starts to, well, you know. Evidently melting makes a guy real pissy and homicidal, and most of the movie features our titular character rampaging the low budget countryside killing people. Toward the end a character begs the cops not to shoot Meltie because "the more he melts, the stronger he gets!" But that scientific observation is eventually proven inaccurate. Besides the Rick Baker interview, the disc also features an interview with director/writer William Sachs, who claims the producers ruined his vision -- he wanted to make a black comedy and they wanted straight horror. What they wound up with was a very cheap, sadly boring movie with some gloppy make-up FX. My two favorite parts: the opening title is "The Incredible Melting Man," followed by "Starring Alex Rebar as The Incredible Melting Man." Poor dude (whose character name is actually "Steve") doesn't even get a name in the credits. And then there's the ending, which suggests the comedic tone that Mr. Sachs claimed to be aiming for. Otherwise, this is one of those "thank God for fast forward" curiosities...
BULLET IN THE HEAD (blu-ray): Walter Hill teams up with Sylvester Stallone for a 70's style guns and gangsters movie, but sadly this one's a misfire. Stallone plays an assassin who wants revenge on the really nasty guys (I'm looking at you, Jason Conan-guy Momoa) who killed his partner. Stallone winds up joining forces with a cop played by Korean actor Sung Kang. Stallone SMASH. Mayhem ensues, just not particularly interesting mayhem, and it's capped by one of my least favorite gangster movie tropes, the absurd "bad guy kills all his own guys" scene. Everyone involved has made WAY better movies so chalk this one up as "ehh" and hope for better next time...
BOY AND HIS DOG (blu-ray): Harlan Ellison's classic novella as adapted by non other than L.Q. Jones, perhaps best known for his scuzzy roles in various Sam Peckinpah movies (Tector in The Wild Bunch!) and... well, for this. In the year 2024 (only nine years away!) a nuclear war has scoured the Earth and the last rag-tag survivors run around scavenging old canned goods and being mean to one another. A very young Don Johnson plays Vic, a horny-as-hell kid who hangs on the periphery of all the bad stuff, desperate for sex. Vic has an edge on the rest of the survivors because he's developed a telepathic connection with his cute and very sardonic dog Blood, who protects Vic while insulting him in amusing ways. "Adventures ensue." This new master looks amazing -- and I always liked both the look of this movie (Mad Max four years before Mad Max) and the sardonic, cynical tone. The disc also comes with a cool recent interview/"conversation" between L.Q. Jones and Harlan Ellison that explores how the picture came together. Good stuff.
THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN (blu-ray): On the other hand... amusingly, both Boy and his Dog and Melting Man open with stock footage of fiery explosions. Nuclear bombs in Boy, sun flares in Incredible. However that's pretty much where the similarities end. 70's horror fans have an affection for Melting Man because of the grisly early make-up effects by Rick Baker, who was coming off the DeLaurentis King Kong at the time and who admits in one of the DVD extras that he wasn't sure this picture was a good career move. But he made what he considered an outrageous bid for the make-up job and to his surprise they agreed, so this incredible guy? He friggin' MELTS. And melts. And melts. There isn't much story here, an astronaut gets fried by solar radiation and when he gets back to Earth he starts to, well, you know. Evidently melting makes a guy real pissy and homicidal, and most of the movie features our titular character rampaging the low budget countryside killing people. Toward the end a character begs the cops not to shoot Meltie because "the more he melts, the stronger he gets!" But that scientific observation is eventually proven inaccurate. Besides the Rick Baker interview, the disc also features an interview with director/writer William Sachs, who claims the producers ruined his vision -- he wanted to make a black comedy and they wanted straight horror. What they wound up with was a very cheap, sadly boring movie with some gloppy make-up FX. My two favorite parts: the opening title is "The Incredible Melting Man," followed by "Starring Alex Rebar as The Incredible Melting Man." Poor dude (whose character name is actually "Steve") doesn't even get a name in the credits. And then there's the ending, which suggests the comedic tone that Mr. Sachs claimed to be aiming for. Otherwise, this is one of those "thank God for fast forward" curiosities...
BULLET IN THE HEAD (blu-ray): Walter Hill teams up with Sylvester Stallone for a 70's style guns and gangsters movie, but sadly this one's a misfire. Stallone plays an assassin who wants revenge on the really nasty guys (I'm looking at you, Jason Conan-guy Momoa) who killed his partner. Stallone winds up joining forces with a cop played by Korean actor Sung Kang. Stallone SMASH. Mayhem ensues, just not particularly interesting mayhem, and it's capped by one of my least favorite gangster movie tropes, the absurd "bad guy kills all his own guys" scene. Everyone involved has made WAY better movies so chalk this one up as "ehh" and hope for better next time...
Friday, August 02, 2013
Children Of Paranoia And Me!
So my next project has FINALLY been announced -- I'm adapting Trevor Shane's excellent "Children of Paranoia" for CBS Films, working with producer Akiva Goldsman. C of P is a thriller with awesome twists and turns, and a very emotional story at the chewy center. As happens in the world of show-biz it's taken 2 1/2 years of pursuing, pitching, deal-making and now, finally, writing to make this happen -- but it's worth it.
Since it ain't official until it appears in Nikke Finke, here's the piece:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-films-options-children-of-paranoia/
Since it ain't official until it appears in Nikke Finke, here's the piece:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/08/cbs-films-options-children-of-paranoia/
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
San Diego ComicCon Excitement
Always enjoy visiting San Diego, and this ComicCon was especially pleasant weather-wise... very cool and comfy. I did my usual investigation of various dealers, though for the first time in years I didn't buy any collectible comics. I did however buy several collections (Golden Age "Phantom Lady" anyone?) which may explain why my appetite for pricey old books has diminished. If I just want to read old comics, many are readily available in multiple forms.
My greatest find was a page of original art from the 1960's "Herbie" comic -- specifically the last page of "Egyptian Conniption" from Herbie #19 (1966), where Herbie brings a bloated Cleopatra to present day to please his father, only to figure out that Dad was actually lusting over the much prettier Elizabeth Taylor version. A Herbie website notes that this particular page features possibly the most optimistic father-son moment in the entire Herbie catalog -- Herbie's straight-laced Dad gives the son he usually calls "a fat little nothing" a wink after Herbie makes Cleo disappear before Mom comes home. If you've never had a chance to check out Herbie, trust me, it's one of the most bizarre and somewhat subversive comics to ever come out. And the entire 60's run is available in glorious hardback reprint from Dark Horse...
My only complaint about the convention this year would be my multiple run-ins with overzealous security. Arriving to participate in a (fun!) Battlestar Galactica panel, I was told that panelists are not allowed to enter through the front door (!). When I asked which door was permitted, there was no answer. When Richard Hatch and the rest of the panel went through the forbidden front door I just bulldozed along with them, but really? Later I grew increasingly more grumpy with long lines of autograph seekers blocking entire central aisles with security approval. I can't count the number of times I was told to detour and/or "keep moving" while wandering the crush of the con. I suppose it's heresy to even suggest this, but maybe those sessions need to be moved off the main convention floor...?
Oh, okay, one more complaint, but this is totally outside convention control: the price gouging by local hotels. I could buy a very nice room in a high end Hawaiian resort for what it cost to stay in S.D. this year, and while I love San Diego, trust me, I love the Kona Coast even more. But oh well. I doubt I'd find too many Herbie pages on the big island...
My greatest find was a page of original art from the 1960's "Herbie" comic -- specifically the last page of "Egyptian Conniption" from Herbie #19 (1966), where Herbie brings a bloated Cleopatra to present day to please his father, only to figure out that Dad was actually lusting over the much prettier Elizabeth Taylor version. A Herbie website notes that this particular page features possibly the most optimistic father-son moment in the entire Herbie catalog -- Herbie's straight-laced Dad gives the son he usually calls "a fat little nothing" a wink after Herbie makes Cleo disappear before Mom comes home. If you've never had a chance to check out Herbie, trust me, it's one of the most bizarre and somewhat subversive comics to ever come out. And the entire 60's run is available in glorious hardback reprint from Dark Horse...
My only complaint about the convention this year would be my multiple run-ins with overzealous security. Arriving to participate in a (fun!) Battlestar Galactica panel, I was told that panelists are not allowed to enter through the front door (!). When I asked which door was permitted, there was no answer. When Richard Hatch and the rest of the panel went through the forbidden front door I just bulldozed along with them, but really? Later I grew increasingly more grumpy with long lines of autograph seekers blocking entire central aisles with security approval. I can't count the number of times I was told to detour and/or "keep moving" while wandering the crush of the con. I suppose it's heresy to even suggest this, but maybe those sessions need to be moved off the main convention floor...?
Oh, okay, one more complaint, but this is totally outside convention control: the price gouging by local hotels. I could buy a very nice room in a high end Hawaiian resort for what it cost to stay in S.D. this year, and while I love San Diego, trust me, I love the Kona Coast even more. But oh well. I doubt I'd find too many Herbie pages on the big island...
Friday, July 12, 2013
Catching up...
Now that the frenzy of Sharknado has abated and the big San Diego ComicCon looms, time to FOCUS.
NEWS! I'll be on the Battlestar Galactica panel at SDCC on Thursday, 7/18, at 10:30AM. I understand there may be other surprise guests including a possible "hello" from the Admiral himself. Since security wouldn't let me in last year (the room was full) I figured the best way to SEE the panel was to ask to be on it, and moderator Richard Hatch was kind enough to tender an invitation. Anyhow, BSG is always fun to blab about...
NEWS! Some very cool developments work-wise, but I have been asked to hold off any revelations until all can be coordinated. I'm told an announcement of one of the projects will surface any day now (keep your eyes on Deadline Hollywood!). Suffice to say my lazy Summer has suddenly become a Worknado of writing madness...
NEWS! I actually did watch Sharknado. First, I think it's cool that Anthony Ferrante, former editor of Fangoria, is now directing movies. Second, well... I think it's cool that Anthony Ferrante, former editor of Fangoria, is directing movies. Okay, that's a little snarky. Actually, I'm kind of impressed by the sheer amount of bad CGI and "action" given what I assume must have been a *ahem* modest budget. Plus it was set in Santa Monica, my almost home-base here in Los Angeles. And John Heard was eaten by a shark. Okay, that's enough on Sharknado...
* UPDATE 7/14: After much thought, I'm not sure Mr. Ferrante was actually the editor of Fangoria, but he did write for them...
NEWS! I'll be on the Battlestar Galactica panel at SDCC on Thursday, 7/18, at 10:30AM. I understand there may be other surprise guests including a possible "hello" from the Admiral himself. Since security wouldn't let me in last year (the room was full) I figured the best way to SEE the panel was to ask to be on it, and moderator Richard Hatch was kind enough to tender an invitation. Anyhow, BSG is always fun to blab about...
NEWS! Some very cool developments work-wise, but I have been asked to hold off any revelations until all can be coordinated. I'm told an announcement of one of the projects will surface any day now (keep your eyes on Deadline Hollywood!). Suffice to say my lazy Summer has suddenly become a Worknado of writing madness...
NEWS! I actually did watch Sharknado. First, I think it's cool that Anthony Ferrante, former editor of Fangoria, is now directing movies. Second, well... I think it's cool that Anthony Ferrante, former editor of Fangoria, is directing movies. Okay, that's a little snarky. Actually, I'm kind of impressed by the sheer amount of bad CGI and "action" given what I assume must have been a *ahem* modest budget. Plus it was set in Santa Monica, my almost home-base here in Los Angeles. And John Heard was eaten by a shark. Okay, that's enough on Sharknado...
* UPDATE 7/14: After much thought, I'm not sure Mr. Ferrante was actually the editor of Fangoria, but he did write for them...
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Lazy Tuesday Mulling... Original Comic Art Edition
I've been picking up the odd piece of original comic book art from time to time. I have quite a few examples from my own books, but also a number of pieces by my fave/most intriguing artists and books. I doubt there are too many other collectors dying for a page of Tony Tallarico art from the Dell 60's "Werewolf" series, but at $30 a page, I'm there!
One thing I don't particularly like are pages that don't have the lettering actually on the artwork. Almost all current comics are lettered with computer programs and overlays, a process which put a lot of fine hand-letterers out of business (*sigh*) but which makes editing, corrections and (*sigh* again) rewrites infinitely easier. So I get the practicality of it all. But original art still looks naked without the balloons and captions... meaning the vast majority of my original art collection is pre whenever the computer age of lettering kicked in. Happily, most of my comics were done when the lettering was still being inserted by hand. I just... like that.
In fact, I am inordinately pleased that I started my comics career way back when (some) books were still being published on newsprint-ish paper, with (mostly) hand-lettered cover copy and less than optimum color separations. Because that's "comics" to me. Everyone's eye adjusts to their own age of comics, so I'm sure most modern comics fans find older books unbearably primitive. But for me, the anti-slickness is most of the attraction. I love the hand-made, seat-of-your-pants look that came from hand-lettered cover copy and logos, from a time when lettering Gods like Artie Simek or Sam Rosen or Ben Oda or Bill Spicer could make or break artwork with their truly remarkable styles.
This isn't some Luddite repudiation of computer lettering or better printing. I know artists from the old days were endlessly frustrated with bad printing and the loss of detail that resulted. And there are some modern artists who do their own lettering on the page (hello, Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Robert Crumb) because the letters are a design element just as important as the artwork itself. I guess I'm mostly thinking that slick for slick's sake isn't always a plus. Anymore than crude for crude's sake always works. I don't like those Tony Tallarico pages THAT much...
One thing I don't particularly like are pages that don't have the lettering actually on the artwork. Almost all current comics are lettered with computer programs and overlays, a process which put a lot of fine hand-letterers out of business (*sigh*) but which makes editing, corrections and (*sigh* again) rewrites infinitely easier. So I get the practicality of it all. But original art still looks naked without the balloons and captions... meaning the vast majority of my original art collection is pre whenever the computer age of lettering kicked in. Happily, most of my comics were done when the lettering was still being inserted by hand. I just... like that.
In fact, I am inordinately pleased that I started my comics career way back when (some) books were still being published on newsprint-ish paper, with (mostly) hand-lettered cover copy and less than optimum color separations. Because that's "comics" to me. Everyone's eye adjusts to their own age of comics, so I'm sure most modern comics fans find older books unbearably primitive. But for me, the anti-slickness is most of the attraction. I love the hand-made, seat-of-your-pants look that came from hand-lettered cover copy and logos, from a time when lettering Gods like Artie Simek or Sam Rosen or Ben Oda or Bill Spicer could make or break artwork with their truly remarkable styles.
This isn't some Luddite repudiation of computer lettering or better printing. I know artists from the old days were endlessly frustrated with bad printing and the loss of detail that resulted. And there are some modern artists who do their own lettering on the page (hello, Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Robert Crumb) because the letters are a design element just as important as the artwork itself. I guess I'm mostly thinking that slick for slick's sake isn't always a plus. Anymore than crude for crude's sake always works. I don't like those Tony Tallarico pages THAT much...
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Lifeforce and British Security!
Tobe Hooper's amazing and insane Lifeforce has just come out on blu-ray, and it is as nuts as I remember from seeing it in the theater many moons ago. Based on the Colin Wilson book "Space Vampires", Lifeforce is probably most remembered for the lengthy and impressive nude scenes performed by Mathilda May, who gamely walks around London in the buff because space vampires don't need no clothes. Yes, London, because this is a fanciful world where England is in the space race. In fact the biggest leap in the film is the idea that the U.S. and England would actually cough up the cash for a joint space mission, and the U.S. would allow the HQ to be in London!
What impressed me most on this re-view of the movie is how casually our stalwart and mostly British scientists (including Frank Finley and Patrick Stewart) take the greatest discovery in human history. Texas-drawling astronaut Steve Railsback and his shuttle crew find a space-craft hidden in Haley's comet. Cue some cool John Dykstra special FX as our spacemen float into the ship and come across three naked humanoid forms inside crystal cubes, including the aforementioned (and did I mention impressive?) Ms. May. Just looking at Mathilda provokes a lot of eye-acting from Railsback and the other astronauts -- her beauty is seductive, ya see. Stuff happens and the aliens are eventually brought back to Earth for study.
But the discovery of alien life seems about as exciting to these scientists as deciding between beef or fish for dinner. They schedule the dissection of the seemingly dead female alien in the middle of the night, and send one schmucko with a scalpel into the dissection room to do the deed. No one else is even watching -- guess they have better things to do than be there when someone CUTS OPEN THE FIRST ALIEN LIFEFORM EVER DISCOVERED. Upstairs in his office, the lead scientist dozes off (!) in front a video array while scalpel boy gets busy -- only to have the female alien snap awake. Schmucko is getting his soul-essence sucked when the sleep-deprived head scientist finally snaps out of his stupor and calls "security". The naked alien lass strolls around the lab while a crack force of three oblivious Bobbies -- one of whom offers the naked female space vampire a sandwich to settle her down -- basically watch her walk off into the night.
I will say that you really don't know where the hell this movie is going, which is a plus -- there is a lot of whacked out shit going on in this thing. And the blu-ray transfer is pretty spectacular. But otherwise, there's a reason this hasn't risen higher in the pantheon of classic sci-fi...
What impressed me most on this re-view of the movie is how casually our stalwart and mostly British scientists (including Frank Finley and Patrick Stewart) take the greatest discovery in human history. Texas-drawling astronaut Steve Railsback and his shuttle crew find a space-craft hidden in Haley's comet. Cue some cool John Dykstra special FX as our spacemen float into the ship and come across three naked humanoid forms inside crystal cubes, including the aforementioned (and did I mention impressive?) Ms. May. Just looking at Mathilda provokes a lot of eye-acting from Railsback and the other astronauts -- her beauty is seductive, ya see. Stuff happens and the aliens are eventually brought back to Earth for study.
But the discovery of alien life seems about as exciting to these scientists as deciding between beef or fish for dinner. They schedule the dissection of the seemingly dead female alien in the middle of the night, and send one schmucko with a scalpel into the dissection room to do the deed. No one else is even watching -- guess they have better things to do than be there when someone CUTS OPEN THE FIRST ALIEN LIFEFORM EVER DISCOVERED. Upstairs in his office, the lead scientist dozes off (!) in front a video array while scalpel boy gets busy -- only to have the female alien snap awake. Schmucko is getting his soul-essence sucked when the sleep-deprived head scientist finally snaps out of his stupor and calls "security". The naked alien lass strolls around the lab while a crack force of three oblivious Bobbies -- one of whom offers the naked female space vampire a sandwich to settle her down -- basically watch her walk off into the night.
I will say that you really don't know where the hell this movie is going, which is a plus -- there is a lot of whacked out shit going on in this thing. And the blu-ray transfer is pretty spectacular. But otherwise, there's a reason this hasn't risen higher in the pantheon of classic sci-fi...
So Many Demos, So Little Time!
I'm back! With reviews!
PETE HAM/Keyhole Street: Demos 1966-67:
A great 2 CD compilation of unreleased demos by Pete Ham, the tragic lead singer who went from The Iveys to the amazing Badfinger. (AKA the guys who gave us "No Matter What" and "Without You.") Given there are already two CDs of Ham demo-type stuff available, it's impressive that there's still so much left to be unleashed. This project was created and crowd-funded by Ham's son, and it's a classy package. Dozens of demos (mostly Ham on guitar, over-dubbing his own vocals), in excellent quality. Ham was a power-poppy guy from the very start, and so unlike some demo compilations, these are very fun and listenable. The crowd-funding part of the project is over, but you can still buy the CD set by going to http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/peteham .
DEL-LORDS/Right For Jerry Vol. 1 and Vol. 2:
The fantastic Del-Lords have come back with a vengeance, first with a new album ("Elvis Club" -- buy it!), and now for super-fans this two CD set of demos from their earlier era. Some of the tracks appeared on their studio albums, some not, but either way you get two new albums of prime Del-Lords. Check out some sample tracks and order from http://del-lords.com/music/
PETE HAM/Keyhole Street: Demos 1966-67:
A great 2 CD compilation of unreleased demos by Pete Ham, the tragic lead singer who went from The Iveys to the amazing Badfinger. (AKA the guys who gave us "No Matter What" and "Without You.") Given there are already two CDs of Ham demo-type stuff available, it's impressive that there's still so much left to be unleashed. This project was created and crowd-funded by Ham's son, and it's a classy package. Dozens of demos (mostly Ham on guitar, over-dubbing his own vocals), in excellent quality. Ham was a power-poppy guy from the very start, and so unlike some demo compilations, these are very fun and listenable. The crowd-funding part of the project is over, but you can still buy the CD set by going to http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/peteham .
DEL-LORDS/Right For Jerry Vol. 1 and Vol. 2:
The fantastic Del-Lords have come back with a vengeance, first with a new album ("Elvis Club" -- buy it!), and now for super-fans this two CD set of demos from their earlier era. Some of the tracks appeared on their studio albums, some not, but either way you get two new albums of prime Del-Lords. Check out some sample tracks and order from http://del-lords.com/music/
Friday, May 24, 2013
Parker's Last Stand
More thoughts as I play movie catch-up --
PARKER: Jason Statham IS "Parker", Donald Westlake's thief with a heart o'gold (ish). When Parker's criminal crew turns on him post-State Fair heist and leave him for dead, it's more or less obvious where this story is headed: bloody revenge! Bloody, I tell you! Unfortunately for the real bad guys (led by Michael Chiklis), Parker shrugs off multiple bullet wounds like paper-cuts and, well, mayhem ensues. I like Statham in just about everything he's done, but I can't say I always like the movies (I'm looking at you, "Blitz"!). This one falls somewhere in the mid-range... nicely done, but a story involving Jennifer Lopez as a down-on-her-luck real estate agent insinuating herself into Parker's life really slows things down. Also, I'm as game as anyone for stories about thieves, but the moral world presented here is pretty damn murky. "Civilian" characters aid and embrace Parker without a second thought. This guy may give carnival dolls to cute little kids, but he's also a multiple murderer, and sheltering him from the police is not only stupid, it's a felony. And the ending, which I believe was meant to be heart-warming, is frankly pretty bizarre... unless your only idea of happiness is a big stack of cash, regardless of how many people died to get it. Oh well. I still kind of enjoyed it!
THE LAST STAND: This was Arnold Schwarznegger's first starring role post-Governor-ship, and it was sort of a curious choice. He's actually fine in it, playing a older small town Sheriff forced to confront a bunch of heroin cartel murderers, but the rest of the movie just asks for a few too many "gimmes." I'll buy that a billionaire Mexican cartel guy can hire enough goons to break him out of custody in Las Vegas. I'll buy that said goons can arrange an impossibly complex escape plan. What I can not buy is that after doing all this, the cartel guy's next move is to drive a really fast car from Vegas to the Arizona border and then into Mexico. And I really can't buy that the entire Federal Government, who are following said speedy car most of the way by helicopter, can't stop him. No, that job falls to Arnold and his small town misfits, who use the local gun-collector's artillery to wage World War III on the cartel forces. The tone of this movie is quite bizarre, going from deadly serious to goofier than hell in the blink of an eye. Johnny Knoxville plays the eccentric gun collector in a performance that makes Jerry Lewis look subdued. But in the end I come back to the fact that Schwarznegger is fun to watch...
PARKER: Jason Statham IS "Parker", Donald Westlake's thief with a heart o'gold (ish). When Parker's criminal crew turns on him post-State Fair heist and leave him for dead, it's more or less obvious where this story is headed: bloody revenge! Bloody, I tell you! Unfortunately for the real bad guys (led by Michael Chiklis), Parker shrugs off multiple bullet wounds like paper-cuts and, well, mayhem ensues. I like Statham in just about everything he's done, but I can't say I always like the movies (I'm looking at you, "Blitz"!). This one falls somewhere in the mid-range... nicely done, but a story involving Jennifer Lopez as a down-on-her-luck real estate agent insinuating herself into Parker's life really slows things down. Also, I'm as game as anyone for stories about thieves, but the moral world presented here is pretty damn murky. "Civilian" characters aid and embrace Parker without a second thought. This guy may give carnival dolls to cute little kids, but he's also a multiple murderer, and sheltering him from the police is not only stupid, it's a felony. And the ending, which I believe was meant to be heart-warming, is frankly pretty bizarre... unless your only idea of happiness is a big stack of cash, regardless of how many people died to get it. Oh well. I still kind of enjoyed it!
THE LAST STAND: This was Arnold Schwarznegger's first starring role post-Governor-ship, and it was sort of a curious choice. He's actually fine in it, playing a older small town Sheriff forced to confront a bunch of heroin cartel murderers, but the rest of the movie just asks for a few too many "gimmes." I'll buy that a billionaire Mexican cartel guy can hire enough goons to break him out of custody in Las Vegas. I'll buy that said goons can arrange an impossibly complex escape plan. What I can not buy is that after doing all this, the cartel guy's next move is to drive a really fast car from Vegas to the Arizona border and then into Mexico. And I really can't buy that the entire Federal Government, who are following said speedy car most of the way by helicopter, can't stop him. No, that job falls to Arnold and his small town misfits, who use the local gun-collector's artillery to wage World War III on the cartel forces. The tone of this movie is quite bizarre, going from deadly serious to goofier than hell in the blink of an eye. Johnny Knoxville plays the eccentric gun collector in a performance that makes Jerry Lewis look subdued. But in the end I come back to the fact that Schwarznegger is fun to watch...
Friday, May 17, 2013
The Fury Of The Evil Dead Texas Chainsaw...
Been catching up on my uber-gory movies recently -- pretty much spoiler free for those who care!
TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D: The original Chainsaw was one of those eye-opening horror movie events for yours truly. I can't remember where I put my cell phone last night, but I can still remember sitting in the nearly empty Village theater in Beaverton Oregon on the Friday the original Chainsaw opened back in 1970-something. It was quite an experience. During the famous scene where Leatherface plops a pretty young thing on a meat hook, an older woman in the almost nonexistent crowd stood up, shouted "I thought this was going to be a detective movie!" and stormed out. Me, I stuck it out to the bitter end, and to this day I can't think of another movie that's beat the original Chainsaw's trifecta of extreme mood, freaky characters and unsettling bravura horror scenes. Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel and crew spun some seriously messed up movie magic with their crazy little movie...
I've also managed to catch most of the sequels/prequels/remakes. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, also directed by Hooper, was pretty widely dismissed when it first came out, but it's a minor masterpiece. Completely different from the first movie, pretty much a black comedy, but any movies that pits Dennis Hopper (!) against Leatherface in a chainsaw battle is a winner. After that, things get a bit soggier. There was a Chainsaw 3 with future Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen as a freaky family member. An off-shoot-ish remake featuring a pre-stardom Matthew McConaughy and Renee Zellweger. Then the two Platinum Dune efforts, which were closer to the tone of the original but were still beating the original formula -- kids arrive at spooky house, cross creepy family, mayhem ensues -- to death.
So I was pleasantly surprised that the latest Chainsaw effort tried something new. Essentially beginning twenty minutes after the end of the original 1972 movie, TC3D (which I saw flat on blu-ray) is about rejiggering the franchise in a different direction. Yes, a pretty girl brings her pals to a creepy house and mayhem ensues, but then there's a turn about halfway through the movie that I found fun. I will say that some of what follows asks the viewer and requires a couple characters to more or less forget that our friend Leatherface is a brutal mass murderer, but okay. Bottom line, Chainsaw movies certainly aren't for everyone, but if you are predisposed toward this sort of entertainment, then this is a pretty good one.
EVIL DEAD (2013): I can also remember where I was to see the first Evil Dead -- the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, a packed midnight Festival show before the official release. I believe I was sitting behind Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and I'm sure there were other like-minded celebs in house, because E.D. had amassed quite a rep among horror fans. Suffice to say the crowd went nuts. Who would have guessed that many years later I would adapt and expand the original Evil Dead movie in graphic novel form (from Dark Horse, buy it!) and actually get to work with creators Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell on multiple projects.
The new Evil Dead is essentially a remake, but glossier and WAAAAY bloodier. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Director Fede Alvarez clearly loves the original but isn't slavish to the story, offering some intriguing change ups. I caught this at the end of its theatrical run -- I was the only guy in the entire theater at my local multiplex -- so I can't offer any reports on audience feedback. Look, I will always prefer the Evil Dead world where Bruce Campbell's Ash is taking it on the chin, but as an adjunct, this one rocks right along. However, nothing in the new movie beats the excruciating moment in the original when a demon jams a pencil into a character's ankle. That STILL gets a wince...
THE FURY (1978): Recently issued on limited edition blu-ray, this Brian Palma movie is rarely mentioned when discussing Mr. D's filmic contributions. I remembered kind of liking it back in the day, but seeing it again elicited one of those "what wuz I thinkin'?" moments. John Cassavettes at his creepiest plays a CIA type guy who is collecting kids with telekinetic abilities. Kirk Douglas is another spy, and father of a gifted son (VERY creepy Andrew Stevens). For some reason, the Cassavettes character stages a bloody massacre involving multiple terrorists to separate Douglas from his son -- there must have been an easier way! -- but Kirk survives and spends the movie trying to track his wayward son down. Meanwhile, pretty Amy Irving is also a telekinetic who is roped into Cassavettes' organization and discovers she can make mean girls bleed when they piss her off.
The tone of this movie is bizarre. Douglas (who must have been pushing 60 and does multiple scenes shirtless) is trying to track down the guy who kidnapped his son and arranged a massacre. But he's downright jovial while doing it. He breaks into an apartment during a chase to lay low, ties up a bickering couple and makes friends with the dingy mother-in-law (!) in a scene of low comedy. Douglas spends what feels like hours coloring his hair white, putting a pillow under his shirt and otherwise altering his appearance -- only to be identified by the bad guys as soon as he walks out the apartment door. He then kidnaps a couple of off-duty cops at gun point, including a VERY young Dennis Franz, who is terrified that the ensuing car chase will put a dent in his brand new Caddy. This scene goes on for-evah and, hold on to your sides, the car doesn't make it.
The Fury is most famous for its bloody climax, where the uneasy combination of spy movie and science fiction thriller finally collide and heads (well, bodies) literally explode. Those scenes are kind of fun. But the fate of the Douglas character is one of the more anti-climatic moments in film history. I have a great affection for nutty 70's movies, but this one is just kind of not-great...
TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D: The original Chainsaw was one of those eye-opening horror movie events for yours truly. I can't remember where I put my cell phone last night, but I can still remember sitting in the nearly empty Village theater in Beaverton Oregon on the Friday the original Chainsaw opened back in 1970-something. It was quite an experience. During the famous scene where Leatherface plops a pretty young thing on a meat hook, an older woman in the almost nonexistent crowd stood up, shouted "I thought this was going to be a detective movie!" and stormed out. Me, I stuck it out to the bitter end, and to this day I can't think of another movie that's beat the original Chainsaw's trifecta of extreme mood, freaky characters and unsettling bravura horror scenes. Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel and crew spun some seriously messed up movie magic with their crazy little movie...
I've also managed to catch most of the sequels/prequels/remakes. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, also directed by Hooper, was pretty widely dismissed when it first came out, but it's a minor masterpiece. Completely different from the first movie, pretty much a black comedy, but any movies that pits Dennis Hopper (!) against Leatherface in a chainsaw battle is a winner. After that, things get a bit soggier. There was a Chainsaw 3 with future Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen as a freaky family member. An off-shoot-ish remake featuring a pre-stardom Matthew McConaughy and Renee Zellweger. Then the two Platinum Dune efforts, which were closer to the tone of the original but were still beating the original formula -- kids arrive at spooky house, cross creepy family, mayhem ensues -- to death.
So I was pleasantly surprised that the latest Chainsaw effort tried something new. Essentially beginning twenty minutes after the end of the original 1972 movie, TC3D (which I saw flat on blu-ray) is about rejiggering the franchise in a different direction. Yes, a pretty girl brings her pals to a creepy house and mayhem ensues, but then there's a turn about halfway through the movie that I found fun. I will say that some of what follows asks the viewer and requires a couple characters to more or less forget that our friend Leatherface is a brutal mass murderer, but okay. Bottom line, Chainsaw movies certainly aren't for everyone, but if you are predisposed toward this sort of entertainment, then this is a pretty good one.
EVIL DEAD (2013): I can also remember where I was to see the first Evil Dead -- the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, a packed midnight Festival show before the official release. I believe I was sitting behind Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and I'm sure there were other like-minded celebs in house, because E.D. had amassed quite a rep among horror fans. Suffice to say the crowd went nuts. Who would have guessed that many years later I would adapt and expand the original Evil Dead movie in graphic novel form (from Dark Horse, buy it!) and actually get to work with creators Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell on multiple projects.
The new Evil Dead is essentially a remake, but glossier and WAAAAY bloodier. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Director Fede Alvarez clearly loves the original but isn't slavish to the story, offering some intriguing change ups. I caught this at the end of its theatrical run -- I was the only guy in the entire theater at my local multiplex -- so I can't offer any reports on audience feedback. Look, I will always prefer the Evil Dead world where Bruce Campbell's Ash is taking it on the chin, but as an adjunct, this one rocks right along. However, nothing in the new movie beats the excruciating moment in the original when a demon jams a pencil into a character's ankle. That STILL gets a wince...
THE FURY (1978): Recently issued on limited edition blu-ray, this Brian Palma movie is rarely mentioned when discussing Mr. D's filmic contributions. I remembered kind of liking it back in the day, but seeing it again elicited one of those "what wuz I thinkin'?" moments. John Cassavettes at his creepiest plays a CIA type guy who is collecting kids with telekinetic abilities. Kirk Douglas is another spy, and father of a gifted son (VERY creepy Andrew Stevens). For some reason, the Cassavettes character stages a bloody massacre involving multiple terrorists to separate Douglas from his son -- there must have been an easier way! -- but Kirk survives and spends the movie trying to track his wayward son down. Meanwhile, pretty Amy Irving is also a telekinetic who is roped into Cassavettes' organization and discovers she can make mean girls bleed when they piss her off.
The tone of this movie is bizarre. Douglas (who must have been pushing 60 and does multiple scenes shirtless) is trying to track down the guy who kidnapped his son and arranged a massacre. But he's downright jovial while doing it. He breaks into an apartment during a chase to lay low, ties up a bickering couple and makes friends with the dingy mother-in-law (!) in a scene of low comedy. Douglas spends what feels like hours coloring his hair white, putting a pillow under his shirt and otherwise altering his appearance -- only to be identified by the bad guys as soon as he walks out the apartment door. He then kidnaps a couple of off-duty cops at gun point, including a VERY young Dennis Franz, who is terrified that the ensuing car chase will put a dent in his brand new Caddy. This scene goes on for-evah and, hold on to your sides, the car doesn't make it.
The Fury is most famous for its bloody climax, where the uneasy combination of spy movie and science fiction thriller finally collide and heads (well, bodies) literally explode. Those scenes are kind of fun. But the fate of the Douglas character is one of the more anti-climatic moments in film history. I have a great affection for nutty 70's movies, but this one is just kind of not-great...
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Me And The Great American Pitch Fest
I've never done one of these events before, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Barring some unforeseen disaster, I'll be visiting the Great American Pitch-Fest in Burbank on June 1. I am part of the "free" side of the show, so anyone who wants to come by is welcome and it won't cost you a dime. I will be available to discuss my work on Hemlock Grove, Falling Skies, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes... you name it, and if I can remember the details, I'll try to offer what may pass for advice.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Hemlock Grove Is ALIVE. It's ALIVE...
Okay, holy crap, how did I go over a month without a real post? Well, it's simple: it's been a little busy around Casa Verheiden, AKA "the bedroom office."
Hopefully by now folks know that Hemlock Grove, the show that occupied much of my 2012, has debuted via streaming on Netflix. 13 episodes, and every stinkin' one of them can be watched, devoured, analyzed, rewatched and rewatched again. (Are you picking up a theme?) The reaction has been fascinating. I learned long ago not to take criticism personally, so the drinking of the last week has been celebratory, not reactionary. (Well, most of it.) Still, I'm not sure I've ever been involved in a show that polarized opinion quite as much Hemlock.
That said, I am amazed and heartened by the reaction to the show on twitter, the audience reviews on Netflix and IMDB (by actual viewers!) and the fact that poor lil' Hemlock actually reached more viewers the first weekend than (the excellent!) Netflix series House Of Cards. We knew we were making something a bit off the wall and different, and it's fun to see that there are a lot of folks out there that get that.
It's also been fun to get feedback from people who has seen all 13 episodes, as opposed to the first three that were sent to reviewers. When we told folks that the show was a 13 hour movie, we kind of meant it. Fashioning a critique based on the first three episodes is a little like watching the first 15 minutes of a feature film and banging out a review based just on that. To be fair, not everyone falls in love (ahem) even after watching all thirteen. But that's okay. The show's not for everyone, and there are plenty of other viewing options available.
The twitter feed (#hemlockgrove) has been especially hypnotic. I'm no math whiz, but there must be hundreds of thousands of comments by now, and I'd say a good 85% seem positive. I first started with twitter on Falling Skies, and I have to admit, I've gone from a skeptic (140 characters? What can you say in that?) to an addict.
There has been no decision re: a Hemlock Grove season two at this writing, so we shall see. But for those who yet to have a taste our wares and haven't joined Netflix, you can get a free one month trial subscription and give it a shot. Meanwhile, I'll be back with more news soon...
Hopefully by now folks know that Hemlock Grove, the show that occupied much of my 2012, has debuted via streaming on Netflix. 13 episodes, and every stinkin' one of them can be watched, devoured, analyzed, rewatched and rewatched again. (Are you picking up a theme?) The reaction has been fascinating. I learned long ago not to take criticism personally, so the drinking of the last week has been celebratory, not reactionary. (Well, most of it.) Still, I'm not sure I've ever been involved in a show that polarized opinion quite as much Hemlock.
That said, I am amazed and heartened by the reaction to the show on twitter, the audience reviews on Netflix and IMDB (by actual viewers!) and the fact that poor lil' Hemlock actually reached more viewers the first weekend than (the excellent!) Netflix series House Of Cards. We knew we were making something a bit off the wall and different, and it's fun to see that there are a lot of folks out there that get that.
It's also been fun to get feedback from people who has seen all 13 episodes, as opposed to the first three that were sent to reviewers. When we told folks that the show was a 13 hour movie, we kind of meant it. Fashioning a critique based on the first three episodes is a little like watching the first 15 minutes of a feature film and banging out a review based just on that. To be fair, not everyone falls in love (ahem) even after watching all thirteen. But that's okay. The show's not for everyone, and there are plenty of other viewing options available.
The twitter feed (#hemlockgrove) has been especially hypnotic. I'm no math whiz, but there must be hundreds of thousands of comments by now, and I'd say a good 85% seem positive. I first started with twitter on Falling Skies, and I have to admit, I've gone from a skeptic (140 characters? What can you say in that?) to an addict.
There has been no decision re: a Hemlock Grove season two at this writing, so we shall see. But for those who yet to have a taste our wares and haven't joined Netflix, you can get a free one month trial subscription and give it a shot. Meanwhile, I'll be back with more news soon...
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
So What's New In Tennessee?
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/tenn-lawmaker-allegedly-drove-90-mph-while-masturbating?ref=fpb
My favorite part of this story? "Recalling dozens of complaints in recent years, Terry Christian, a Kingsport detective, told WJHL that Blakely's behavior has gone on "for so long an (sic) nobody's addressed it." I guess his insanity was Grandfathered in...
My favorite part of this story? "Recalling dozens of complaints in recent years, Terry Christian, a Kingsport detective, told WJHL that Blakely's behavior has gone on "for so long an (sic) nobody's addressed it." I guess his insanity was Grandfathered in...
Friday, March 22, 2013
Hemlock Grove: The Trailerpalooza!
A handy compilation of trailers put together by Aaron Douglas, who plays Sheriff Sworn on Hemlock and the legendary Chief on Battlestar Galactica...
Hemlock Grove, April 19, only on Netflix.
First Trailer -- HEMLOCK GROVE -- A Netflix Original Series [HD]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlZUsPcChgI
Hemlock Grove: UK Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwN1Sx7PNVU
Hemlock Grove: IGN Exclusive Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwTw03j5_Tc
Hemlock Grove Trailer - "Gypsy" - A Netflix Original Series (HD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIL0u2RUR9M
Hemlock Grove Trailer - "Blood Angel" - A Netflix Original Series (HD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW_QF7SIJ_s
Hemlock Grove Trailer - "Suspects" - A Netflix Original Series (HD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HjbcEfqLws
Hemlock Grove Trailer - "Grisly" - Netflix (HD)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WweCmgr7fyA
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tri-Corner Hats
So some really severe elderly folks at CPAC are outraged that Rob Portman has endorsed same sex rights after discovering his son is gay. That's to be expected. But when did cosplay become a thing among the conservative crowd?
http://deadstate.org/cpac-attendees-condemn-sen-rob-portmans-endorsement-of-marriage-equality-video/
http://deadstate.org/cpac-attendees-condemn-sen-rob-portmans-endorsement-of-marriage-equality-video/
On Vinyl...
A veteran record (as in vinyl records) collector finally gives up the ghost...
http://www.avclub.com/articles/has-the-vinyl-revival-gone-too-far,93610/
I dumped most of my vinyl collection -- at least 2 or 3 thousand discs -- five or six years ago. Lack of space X convenience of CDs + cost of storage room to house all that stuff = bye bye. I did keep most of my singles and a few of my fave platters, but otherwise my collection is hopefully entertaining the swingin' hipsters who found them in Amoeba L.A.'s used-vinyl area...
Where I would disagree with the writer is his comment about not finding much difference between an MP3 and a vinyl record. After too many concerts and lengthy drives with the car system cranked to 11, my hearing ain't what it used to be, but I can still tell the difference between a thin, tinny MP3 and, well, non-MP3 playbacks. What worries me (and worries audiophiles way more) is that an entire generation has grown up with the thin MP3 sound and have become culturally adjusted to that sound quality. The fat bass and richer horns and deeper vocals that come from a fully realized recording may actually be negatives for those folks...
BTW, I still buy a (very few) vinyl records, but less for the record than the graphics. One thing we have lost in our i-tunes/spotify/whatever else age are the amazing covers and liner notes that graced many seminal LPs. Strictly as art, there are some mighty impressive pieces out there. As music, I'm happy with the CD or lossless version...
http://www.avclub.com/articles/has-the-vinyl-revival-gone-too-far,93610/
I dumped most of my vinyl collection -- at least 2 or 3 thousand discs -- five or six years ago. Lack of space X convenience of CDs + cost of storage room to house all that stuff = bye bye. I did keep most of my singles and a few of my fave platters, but otherwise my collection is hopefully entertaining the swingin' hipsters who found them in Amoeba L.A.'s used-vinyl area...
Where I would disagree with the writer is his comment about not finding much difference between an MP3 and a vinyl record. After too many concerts and lengthy drives with the car system cranked to 11, my hearing ain't what it used to be, but I can still tell the difference between a thin, tinny MP3 and, well, non-MP3 playbacks. What worries me (and worries audiophiles way more) is that an entire generation has grown up with the thin MP3 sound and have become culturally adjusted to that sound quality. The fat bass and richer horns and deeper vocals that come from a fully realized recording may actually be negatives for those folks...
BTW, I still buy a (very few) vinyl records, but less for the record than the graphics. One thing we have lost in our i-tunes/spotify/whatever else age are the amazing covers and liner notes that graced many seminal LPs. Strictly as art, there are some mighty impressive pieces out there. As music, I'm happy with the CD or lossless version...
Monday, March 18, 2013
Me, Hemlock Grove, WonderCon
Just announced, there will be a Hemlock Grove panel at WonderCon this year, 6:30PM on Friday March 29. Here's the official blurb:
6:30pm - Netflix's "Hemlock Grove" - Room 300DE
From executive producer Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and based on Brian McGreevy's novel of the same name, Netflix's Hemlock Grove is a riveting one-hour murder mystery series that revolves around the residents of a former Pennsylvania steel town. When 17-year-old Brooke Bluebell is brutally murdered, any of Hemlock's peculiar inhabitants-or killer creatures-could be suspects. Through the investigation, the town's seamier side is exposed, revealing nothing is what it seems. Beautiful, terrifying, and graphic, Hemlock Grove is unlike anything else in its genre. Appearing are executive producers Roth, McGreevy, and Lee Shipman and cast members Famke Janssen (X-Men), Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II), Bill Skarsgård (Anna Karenina), Landon Liboiron (Terra Nova), Penelope Mitchell, Freya Tingley, Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica), and Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica).
And other executive producer me. Come on down!
6:30pm - Netflix's "Hemlock Grove" - Room 300DE
From executive producer Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and based on Brian McGreevy's novel of the same name, Netflix's Hemlock Grove is a riveting one-hour murder mystery series that revolves around the residents of a former Pennsylvania steel town. When 17-year-old Brooke Bluebell is brutally murdered, any of Hemlock's peculiar inhabitants-or killer creatures-could be suspects. Through the investigation, the town's seamier side is exposed, revealing nothing is what it seems. Beautiful, terrifying, and graphic, Hemlock Grove is unlike anything else in its genre. Appearing are executive producers Roth, McGreevy, and Lee Shipman and cast members Famke Janssen (X-Men), Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible II), Bill Skarsgård (Anna Karenina), Landon Liboiron (Terra Nova), Penelope Mitchell, Freya Tingley, Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica), and Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica).
And other executive producer me. Come on down!
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