'The Abominable Dr. Phibes' review

'The Abominable Dr. Phibes' - 1971

Story in Brief: In mid 1920s London, doctors are turning up dead, killed in strange ways. These particular dead doctors point towards one specific case and therefore one primary suspect. There is only one problem facing the police: he's dead. Isn't he?

Thoughts:

I've inherited a number of things from my father. My basic physical appearance, the sound of my voice, an interest in growing large sideburns, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, a bunch of things I can't recall at the moment, and this movie. As I was growing up, I remember my father waiting for this movie to show on television and catching it whenever he could. At the time, it seemed like it and the sequel played every month or so on local television. I remember the first time I saw part of it. We were at my grandparents house, it was near the end of the movie and the suspense was building. We had to leave before the movie ended. That hurt. Years later, it would be one of the first movies I would record upon getting a VCR. I like this movie and knew that going into purchasing the DVD.
This was also, as far as I can remember, my introduction to Vincent Price. It is not quite the typical Vincent Price performance where he smiles and his voice drips and purrs. For storyline reasons his expression is almost constantly blank and his voice is projected through a speaker. This leaves his eyes as the only true way he can express himself. He does. What little variability is left in his voice is used to its best effect, to express longing for his dead wife, to express bitterness at his situation, to curse his enemies.
Phibes' character is rather unusual for this type of movie. It would have been particularly easy to have him be deranged for the sake of being deranged and just killing a bunch of people. Phibes' has motivation for what he does. He may well be out of his mind but in his own mind his actions are totally justified and logical. His reasons for arranging the deaths of all this medical personnel are given to us bit by bit as the movie progresses making them easier to understand and accept. It also allows the viewer to empathize with him. He isn't a simple cold hearted killer that we want to see destroyed at the end of the film like, perhaps, Jason from the 'Friday the 13th' series. He's a sad crazy little man that needs to be stopped, but not necessarily destroyed.
The methods of killing are generally quite clever. When animals are part of the equation, the shots are fleeting so as to help preserve the illusion. There are a couple methods of execution that require a certain amount of disbelief suspension, but considering there is an influence from the 'Avengers' television programme amongst the creative staff and the general strangeness of that programme, this is perhaps not surprising.
The acting is top notch. Price, as noted, is more serious in this film than he's generally perceived to be. Joseph Cotton, as the head surgeon and therefore last target, displays his incredulity and then his concern well. Terry-Thomas is, well, Terry-Thomas, full of bluster and amusement with but one serious moment.
The movie is clever with a serious tone, but moments of humour arise to round out the film. For instance, the policemen assigned to the case are allowed to be serious characters but the people they interview are often quite strange. In addition, their boss is overbearing, loud and, well, seems to lack intelligence without being an idiot. Since most people have survived through a situation like this at their work, it makes the eyerolling the policemen get to do behind their superior's back very amusing and familiar.
The ending is a bit, well odd, and I've long had some issues with it but it doesn't wreck the film for me.
Very simply, I recommend the movie itself and encourage you to view it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Had the presentation of this film been substandard, I may have toned down that recommendation. It is not. The film looks beautiful with a minimum of nicks to distract the eye. The colours are bold and deep. The widescreen ratio looks correct and it's 16 by 9 enhanced. It looks grand.
The sound is good too. It is clear and crisp, and nothing appears to have been done to meddle with the original mono sound. Occasionally the 'processed' sound disappears from Phibes' voice, but every time I've seen the movie on television it has played that way. It is evidently a fault from the original voice-over recording.

This film is part of the 'MGM Midnite Movies' line and SRP is $14.95. It can often been found for $9.95 and is a deal at either price. The only extras are a few alternate languages and a trailer. I do not recommend watching the trailer first if you've never seen the movie before as the trailer gives too much away (but it does have some 'alternate' voice-over moments and should be watched).

Highest recommendation to get.

(Please note that I wrote this review some years ago already and the pricing information may possibly no longer be accurate. Beyond that, I still agree with the review.)

Me No Like

What I said about the digital tv conversion goes double for the election ads.

Makes me happy I ignore commercials on instinct. Double talking finks.

Hope I Wake Up Sometime Today

Some days you wake up bursting with energy, feeling great, ready to take on the world.

Some days you wake up tired, sore, fighting a headache.

Guess which day I'm having today.

Meh.

I don't get this at all

I thought it odd that, through all this economic turmoil, that the price of gas kept dropping. Odder yet that no one mentioned it. I figured I was just missing that conversation as I don't read that much business news and I don't watch any tv news on purpose. Yesterday, in a small tucked away article in the local rag, they noted that the price was dropping because demand for gas was down.

Huh?

I am anything but an economic expert. I enjoy math but consider accounting to be some sort of weird magic that allows you to spend your money while still keeping it. I wrote a term paper about the stock market in the 8th grade in an effort to understand it better and came away with the impression that it was some weird game because the value of a stock was what someone would pay for it.

In that, if nothing else, I was right. What I'm trying to build up to is my general lack of knowledge on the subject so, if I say something incredibly stupid next, you'll know why.

How is the demand for gas down? It must be on some grandiose level, like for long haul truckers or something because I don't see that people have stopped driving in large numbers. Is it some airplane related thing where more crude is available to make regular gas because airlines are cutting out flights? Most people still have to go to and from work everyday and are still fueling up regularly to do so. Yet, in the last month or so, the price of a gallon of gas has dropped about a dollar. I saw stations in Milwaukee listing $2.99 yesterday, which did fill me with a certain glee.

In my innocence, I'd think that lowered gas prices would help stimulate things a bit. You know, paid less for gas this month and can afford something else I wouldn't otherwise have bought. More items are shipped because gas prices are down and things are selling. Production increases because things are selling, etc.

As noted, I know nothing. When you see the price of gas climb for 12 hours at a gas station because a hurricane 'might' impact production and then returns to lower than the previous price because the damage wasn't as bad as expected, it becomes tricky to trust any reasonings provided.

Sooner DTV the better

I'll be happy once the digital TV conversion is over and done with mostly because I'm tired of the ads for it. I'm even more tired of the scrawls they use during the programmes, knowing that no one watches commercials if they can help it.

It's messing up my recordings of 'Batman'. Annoying.

Now that's done, what's next?

It feels good to call something complete and I did that yesterday with the story I previewed on the blog last year as 'Fresh Fiction for Friday'. It turned out being called 'Time for a Change'.

Which is funny, because I came up with that name before my position at work was eliminated and I got a change of my own. Odd how that worked out.

Still, the feeling of accomplishment is good. Now I just need to roll that momentum into some of my other projects. It's been working with finishing reading books, watching DVDs I've been buying, and now one story.

Hurray!

The Man Who No Longer Exists

I saw the Man Who No Longer Exists yesterday. I was watching a DVD with wrestling footage from the early 90's and there he was, working away. It was in front of a small crowd. His opponent played the face and remained almost silent through-out. He Who No Longer Exists was a heel, occasionally noisy, and worked at the crowd, showing signs of a personality he supposedly never had in the ring.

As I watched I was happy then sad then happy again. It could have been different. The disk was filled with other sadness with other performers lost to us for various reasons. One of the chief amongst them was Eddy Guerrero. He is saluted, commonly mourned amongst wrestling fans. While he had fought back his demons by the end of his life, what killed him was the long-term abuse to his body, not so much in the ring, but the substances he abused outside of it.

Those are easier to excuse somehow, the slow suicides from poisons and shortcuts. Had the Man Who No Longer Exists held himself to that, he would be chief amongst the mourned but something else happened there, others were in the mix as well and, now, He No Longer Exists.

In time, things might change. The situation may be considered a wake up call. Perhaps someday we'll understand the situations better, understand the reasons better. Until then, it's better this way, not speaking his name, as if he never existed.

Whoa, what? Cool!

Digging in the archive I just found four mini-statues from the 'Godzilla Origins' set that I never opened. No clue why and I'm going to try to find room to display them with the others that have been out for years now.

It's my stuff and I don't even know what I going to find. Fascinating...

Burgers and Baseball

Speaking of burgers, we had some really good ones before the playoff game we attended Saturday night. I purchased some quality items from a butcher shop we've had lots of success with over the years. They've got the bacon and cheddar cheese already mixed in with the meat. We combined seasonings in a slightly different quantity, cooked them on the grill and it was happy tummy time.

The Brewers won that night. They lost today and were eliminated from the playoffs. At least we had one night in the 'sun' of the playoffs and success and tailgating.

Til there's more baseball in Milwaukee. This year was awesome fun.

Thanks team! Even the guys I've booed this year deserve a thanks!

Wrestling for Burgers

Wrestling promotions are sorta like fast food restaurants, mostly the places you'd go for a burger.

WWE is McDonalds. It's everywhere, it's convenient to the point of being annoying, and after you have some, you don't really feel good about it afterwards.

TNA is like Burger King. It's relatively easy to find, available, very similar to McDonalds in a lot of ways but different enough so that it can be considered preferable over McDonalds just for not being McDonalds. There's still a good chance you'll regret eating there.

ROH is at that Wendys/Sonic/Hardees level. If you're a fan of the place, you swear by it. If you're not, you probably don't know/don't care/don't have it near you/don't remember it exists.

Your local independant scene is your local greasy spoon hamburger joint. In the Milwaukee area I'll refer to Kopps but there are many others. It's the sort of place that puts out a really nice burger, different from the standard places but still mostly just a burger. For some reason you never go there as often as you like, despite the fact that you enjoy it. It's either not easy to get there, or is on the other side of town, or you just don't think of it until it's too late, which is a pity because you always enjoy the experience at some level different from the rest.

Don't ask me how Brian and I got on this topic last night but we did and it amused me so here it is!

Took me long enough

Finally got a haircut yesterday. Feel much better about that now. At least now, when I get motivated enough to seriously look for work, I can go into an interview without looking like a complete slob. That and I just feel better in general. It was thick. I was sweating in a bad way because of it, more in that 'this food is too spicy' way than 'I feel like I'm getting somewhere with this exercise' way.

Anyway, back to fiddling in the archive again. I have all these trading cards and collectible card game things I'm finding and I know there's going to be a pile of things to get rid off here. Not sure how to do it apart from eBay. I have too many cards.

So I bought more. Sigh.

Donruss has an 'Americana' line that I've been staring at of late and finally tested the other week. It's essentially American pop culture cards and they try to cover a little of everything. Since my interests tend to be a little of everything I'm unfortunately fascinated with these cards. Some of the pictures are very recent looking red carpet snaps which is a nice way to go 'So that's what Dwayne from What's Happening looks like now'. A few of the pictures aren't very flattering. There was one of Kelly Monaco that made me go 'cmon, she's prettier than that.' Some are older and are nice choices. There's a Bob Denver card and, instead of the easy 'Gilligan' card, the picture is of Maynard G. Krebs from the Dobie Gillis show. Neat!

There are special cards of course and they have these fabric sample cards taken from items worn by the stars, which is awesome and really creepy at the same time. I've gotten a Charlie Daniels ('Devil Went Down to Georgia') and an Erik Estrada fabric card.

I'm this much closer to Ponch now. Weird.

'Night of the Demons' review

A group of 'teens' have a Halloween party in a house that's possessed. Soon things get vaguely 'Evil Dead' and the mayhem begins.

Our buddy George was very keen to see this again, to the point that he was a bit disappointed that it wasn't already in my collection. For $6 I changed that and we watched it Saturday night. Some of the group dismissed it as 'cheesy' not long into the movie. While not necessarily disagreeing, I've been pondering the use of that term ever since. The early sections that they had issue with just seemed more of the time (late '80s) than cheesy to me. Perhaps, as I was still young at the time the movie was released and they were barely born, I have a concept of how life was at that time and it felt less cheesy because of such? Am I thinking too hard about this? Definitely. Moving on.

The problem is that there isn't much going on during the set-up portions of the movie. In theory, this is the section of the film where we establish the plot, the rules, and the characters. The rules take seconds to establish. There really isn't a plot apart from 'survive the party' so that doesn't take long. Since the characters are all stereotypes (goofy fat guy with sidekick, italian guy, virginal blonde, weird witch girl, etc), there's nothing to develop there. A couple of the young actors try to shade their characters with depth or at least relish the stereotype to a point where it becomes fun but, on the whole, not much happens for the first half of the movie. It's not creepy enough or funny enough or story filled enough to hold the interest. There's a little bit of trying from every side to keep things moving but it never completely comes together. Some of the acting is just not good. I thought one of the characters was annoying on purpose but after more time I realized the actress just couldn't bring it together.

On the plus side, when things get moving, they stay moving. The fx are good to excellent. I don't recall a really awkward 'yeah that's fake moment' in the bunch. The standout is a tube of lipstick going somewhere it shouldn't. We saluted it with a chorus of pained groans. Once the movie turns the corner to 'survival horror', there are a couple of 'oh, really?' moments but for the most part it holds together. The characters get separated right before the mayhem starts and I never lost track of who was where and what had last happened to them. The 'witch girl' also gives a dance that managed to be creepy and sexy at the same time. There is some attempt to subvert the stereotyping of these films at the end. Despite my complaints about the stereotypical characters, one of the female roles was played by an Asian and it was never mentioned as important in the film, as it should be.

In short, it was worth the $6 I paid for it. Recommended only to those who have an existing interest in '80s horror. I don't think this would interest anyone else. I mean, one of the guys that declared it 'cheesy' has such an interest so how would it appeal to someone without that interest? It's fun, has moments, but on the whole is nothing spectaular.

Mr. Newman

I'm keen to celebrate Paul Newman in some way but I don't think I've got any of his work on DVD. I might do and just can't think of what it would be. He wasn't an actor known for his classic horror roles or wacky comedy roles or science-fiction television roles, items that make up the bulk of my collection. This is not to say he didn't touch some of those genres; I'm just not sure where he and my collection intersect.

Thus concerns me only because I have a great deal of respect for the gentleman and it seems odd that he may not be represented in the archive. Here was a man that, by all accounts, had a positive but realistic view of himself, remained married to his wife of many decades, and did his best to give back to humanity. These are admirable qualities in anyone and are almost astounding for someone in the entertainment field.

So all respect to the gentleman that has left us. None of us is perfect and I'm sure he wasn't either but I'm of the feeling that there are lessons to be learned from his example, both on the screen and off.

Perhaps, if nothing else, I'll get some salad dressing. It's good you know.

Normal Service to Return Soon

Brewers made the playoffs! Brewers made the playoffs! Woo-hoo!

We had a group outing to a local sports bar in an attempt to watch the Packer game and the Brewer game at the same time, which only sorta worked out. The Packer game was mostly disappointing. In all fairness, the Brewer game was pretty slow until the end.

When the Brewers won, we all hopped up and down, gave high-fives, hugged, and just generally got excitable. About fifteen minutes later the Mets lost and we did it all over again, plus a round of shots.

The team hasn't been in a similar position since 1982. I was 8 then and near the peak of my interest in baseball. I still like baseball to some degree. It's easier to enjoy when your team finally, finally!, has some success.

Woo-hoo!

Discombobulation is sweeping the Nation

I'm all discombobulated this week. Nothing's happened when it's normally scheduled for me, extra stuff throwing my schedule further off, and lots and lots of baseball. I've been to the last two Brewer games and we're scheduled to go again tonight. It can take a lot of energy to be a fan. There's all the cheering, all the clapping, all the beer; it can be work. Sorta.

Anyway, the last few nights the Crew have come through and are showing a spark that they'd lost for most of September. Perhaps they'll still make the playoffs, perhaps not. It's been a fun ride eitherway. Most of the time.

Yesterday was a 'rest' day

The 'problem' with Super Mario Galaxy is that the levels are all short. It's like a book where all the chapters are four pages long. You read one and think 'That didn't take long and was interesting. I'll read another.' Before you know it five hours have passed.

The difference is that in five hours I'd have read the book. Unless it was a very, very long book.

Luckily I've stuff to do today so I shouldn't have time to play and can loosen myself from it before it becomes a habit.

Hopefully.

Why is there a 3AM? And why did I have to see it?

Took my brother, his wife and a couple of our friends to O'Hare this morning. When I say 'took' I really mean 'drove my brother's van back home for them' and by 'morning' I mean 'left at 3:15am'.

Ugh.

I took a decent nap before leaving and got another one in after coming home but I'm a bit worn out by driving an unfamiliar vehicle through Illinesian construction. I hate the thought of wasting a day, especially as tomorrow is scheduled to be action-packed with bowling, comics, and baseball. Maybe I'll just take any accomplishments for today as a bonus. Maybe that'll work.

Now then, where was I in 'Super Mario Galaxy', hmm?

Bit sad that

The Secret Policeman's Ball must have fallen on hard times if they had Jimmy Fallon as part of a recent one.

Just doesn't seem right.

'Balls of Fury' review

A disgraced former child prodigy Ping Pong player is called upon by the FBI to use his skills to infiltrate the headquarters of a possible criminal madman who has a thing for the game. It's like 'Enter the Dragon' but with Ping Pong.

I believe this was meant to be a comedy but there was so little comedic material that it's hard to tell. There are a number of sequences clearly meant to be funny that are anything but funny. Generally funny people (George Lopez, Diedrich Bader) are cast in the film and are rarely humorous. The film is played very straight, which would not necessarily be a problem, but becomes so during the film as nothing counterpoints the 'serious' to be funny. I think the logic was that they'd have everything be serious so that it would make Christopher Walken's wackiness that much more wacky. If so, it didn't work. When the funniest part of the movie is the outtakes during the end credits, there's a problem. It felt like a neutered version of a wacky movie where all the punchlines had been removed.

Some of the humor is just ill conceived. Much of it falls into what I consider the 'Look see!' type of humor as in 'Look see! An oriental mansion in the middle of Central America. Isn't that funny?' In and of itself, no, not really. It's an amusing concept but, of itself, its not funny. There's the 'Look see he's blind!' jokes that are funny when James Wong works the material to the joke's advantage but more often than not I got the impression there was nothing to work with. There's also the 'look see they're gay!' jokes that never get funny and actually grow more and more annoying as they pile up.

Is it because it's a PG-13 film? Did the creators feel constrained by trying to hit a specific rating? I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like it but it's possible.

There are a few humorous moments in the film. It wasn't completely without amusement for me but, on the whole, it just wasn't funny. Not to me anyway.

Strong recommendation to avoid.

Yay bourbon!

Brewers are on a skid.

My back is all sore.

But bourbon still loves me.

H'ray booze!

Such a deal!

I'm on a number of 'hey buy me!' email listings from the different stores that I've done business with online and a few offline. The other day I got a 'hey we have new product' email from one and went to check out the new DVD and the associated pre-order sales. As it turned out, there were a number of different sales involved and another DVD that I didn't have and was interested in. Was there a deal for just the two DVDs I wanted? No, of course not. The only deal featuring both DVDs would also get be 4 CDs I already had as well as an autographed picture that I was neutral on.

Not needing the 4 CDs, I checked the normal price of the other DVD, considering that I could just order those items. The mega deal with the stuff I already had was still cheaper.

I bought the mega deal. Now I have 4 CDs I have to do something with. I've had tougher jobs. :)

Progress is what it is

I've hit a point in my cleaning where I need to dispose of some stuff in order to get the room to continue to clean efficiently. I'm not sure what the best route is for some of this stuff. Books and videos can always be taken to a second-hand store but trading cards?

Or how about broken electronic equipment? I need to find a recycler for that stuff.

It's getting more complicated. And I fouled up my one printer by trying to fix it. Haven't had the time to reopen it. I should have known I had too many screws left over...

Notebook update

Found that notebook I was looking for. I couldn't find it before because I'd put it away properly. Not used to that. Confused me.

'A King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters' review

Everyone wants to feel that they're good at something. For most of us, this is a limited scope sort of thing but it is enough for us to build some healthy self-respect. Perhaps we best understand the expense reporting application so that others in our department at work regularly come to us for assistance. Perhaps our baking skills are excellent so that we can please others with our desserts. Perhaps we're handy with our hands in a way that we can assist others. In the overall scheme of things, these are probably not ways that will gain us celebrity status but can make us happy.

Some have skills that more easily shine on a larger scale. Sports skills, musical skills, comedic skills, acting skills and other entertainment related skills are the sort of thing that can get people to gush over you. Despite your feelings or understanding of your skills, others may encourage you to go 'pro'; that you're good enough to compete at a high level and become a star.

If you're good at playing old video games for high scores, there's an arena to compete in at a high level as well.

'A King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters' is, at its heart, the story of two men competing for the world high score at Donkey Kong. Along the way, trusts are built and broken, shenanigans occur, blockades are built and beaten, there are failures and successes, laughter and tears.

The characters of both main competitors, Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe, are drawn well. While the concept of two grown men playing a decades old video game for the status of the high score may call to your mind William Shatner's 'Get a life!' expression from Saturday Night Live, the film makes it clear that both men do have a life outside playing this game. Both are married. Both have jobs. We regularly see the children of Mr. Wiebe. While seriously playing Donkey Kong may occasionally overwhelm their lives, it is not their lives. Some of the other individuals are less developed. As a result, many of them only get the opportunity to look a bit crazy.

Of course, film being film, things can be edited in order to make people look different than they are. Some of the extra footage addresses this concept. From the perspective of some of the main participants, they feel they were represented well. One of Billy's friends indicates that Billy is displeased with how he came across but also that he understands how some of the things he did cast him in a certain light.

Being a Big Geek, I found it easy to relate to these people. While I don't know any of them (I walked past Walter Day either in the year but that doesn't really count) I've know people like them. When people do some things that could be considered suspect, I can understand why they'd be defended. I'm not saying I would have done the same things but I understand.

I recommend this movie and the extras (I watched everything but the commentaries). If you're a Big Geek you REALLY need to watch this film. If not, I think it still has an interest due to the way that the story is told. If you're not a Geek, you may better under why we are like we are. At the very least, you might laugh and tell us to get a life. Which is fine.

And I need a haircut

I forgot what I was going to say. Oh, yes, that was it.

Once of the things I didn't like about iTunes but was no big deal was that I couldn't find an easy way to add an album cover to an album if iTunes didn't automatically have access to it. As far as I could tell you had to add the art track-by-track and that just wasn't going to happen on a regular basis. With the recently released iTunes 8, this problem has been largely resolved as in 'grid' mode I can add art to the entire album with one drag-and-drop. Nice!

Of course now I want to fix all the 'blank' areas and, well, I really don't need another project to play with. Stupid obsessive compulsive nature...

And where's my other notebook? Turns out I didn't type up some scenes I thought I typed up and I need the notebook before this one for that project. It's gotta be around here somewhere. That's the problem with cleaning up; I can never find anything afterwards...

Am a bad influence

I'm good at being a bad influence on people's wallets. It's not that I'm a good salesman or anything like that. I can't talk you into wanting something you don't want but I'm good at talking my friends into getting stuff they already want. Sometimes they're hesitating or delaying a purchase and I go 'see how cool this is?' They agree and are doomed.

To those most recently caught in this web, I must say to you the words spoke to me by the mighty Parker:

'You got more money than that.'

Eye of the Beholder or Belaugher I guess

So I'm watching Sesame Street yesterday and Jenny McCarthy makes a guest appearance. This boggles my mind briefly as I try to wrap my brain around the idea of a former Playmate on a children's programme.

Then her impressions of different insects just gets sillier and I just sigh. There may be little else I appreciate more than a pretty lady with a sense of humour and a willingness to look silly while expressing it.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one to think that way. I think that's how Tina Fey got so overrated. She's pretty and has a sense of humour but she's not funny. Not to me anyway. Not regularly anyway.

To each their own. Odd too because normally, from an appearance standpoint, I'd side with the brunette with the glasses over a bleach blonde. Beauty and funny are both in the eye of the beholder.

Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates - Wha?

I've seen the big budget Microsoft commercial a couple of times now. Bill Gates! Jerry Seinfeld! Woohoo?

It's dumb. I'm not a fan of either gentleman's product and this commercial does nothing to change that. It's silly but not in a funny sort of way. It feels contrived, sort of a 'hey, lets be wacky guys!' sort of way that doesn't feel natural to the players.

Most importantly, it doesn't change my opinion of Microsoft for the better. It doesn't show the product being useful. It doesn't have the brand rubbing up with a hip young entertainer that the young people might enjoy and pay attention to (it would be like Milton Berle doing commercials in the late 60's/early 70's, a decade after his tv success). It doesn't even really show Bill Gates in a good light either. 'Oh look, the billionaire buys cheap shoes, isn't he normal?' Whatever.

Just as importantly, I don't think it does anything for Seinfeld. I saw a recent article that noted an attempt to interest today's college students in his tv show. I didn't catch if they were successful or not. As an ad for the style of humor he used in that show I think it fails as well. Jerry showers full clothed? While he does the serious Jerry 'look I've thought this out' moment after that revelation, he comes across more crazy than anything. It's not a Jerry moment, it's a Kramer moment and doesn't feel right coming from him.

There is another Microsoft ad running around the channels now, one where they have unsuspecting people use the 'next Microsoft OS' and it turns out to be Vista the whole time. People saying 'once you see how to use it, its nice' does a lot more for the product than Jerry Seinfeld wondering if Microsoft will make computers edible.

At least that's what I think. But I didn't get paid millions of dollars to make a commercial for a company that really doesn't need to advertise. Once the money is in your account, what else matters?

'Silent Night, Deadly Night' Review

Billy just never had a chance. When he was about six, his parents were killed in front of him by a man dressed like Santa Claus. Strike One. Instead of becoming a superhero, he was sent to an orphanage (He could have still been Cyclops, but no...). The Mother Superior taught him that punishment is necessary, with beatings. Strike Two. As a young adult, he gets a job, starts to like a girl, but is forced to dress like Santa and his girl goes off with another guy at the Christmas party. Strike Three. Straight to crazed killing spree!

Now, having just watched most of 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space', we were expecting something more silly, more over the top as the other movie had been. This was not the case. 'Silent Night, Deadly Night' was grim by comparison. There are moments of humour in it but they are moments. They are not generally associated with the murders, not something started by the slasher. In other words, he's not a Freddy Kruger type character. This makes him that much creepier. He's a normal (almost) guy, no supernatural powers, that loses his mind and goes a-killing. You don't know what his limits are and that makes for some tension.

There are a few moments that stretch believability a bit. One in particular that involved a deaf priest was so ridiculous that it made me laugh out loud. The uncut version of the movie that Anchor Bay offers comes with the apology that certain scenes come from a lower quality print. The change is obvious but the lower quality scenes aren't all that bad.

All in all, I was impressed by the film. I thought it was gritty and creepy. I called a joke and a few plot twists but was still concerned about some of the characters. Since the focus was on the killer and not the crew of young adults (aka the victims) it was trickier to determine who would survive. I'm sure the grim quality is part of the reason it was banned at the time of release.

Recommended for those that enjoy slasher films with crazed murderers, blood, and exposed breasts. I'm guessing no one else will be interested.

Odd night at the ol' ball game

While we tailgated, Moppy was also working on Sunday's game. He'd purchased a number of tickets some time ago for the group and had a number of people bail on him this week. His phone kept buzzing as he tried to line up people to fill the gaps on Sunday as he didn't want to waste the tickets or go through the hassle of trying to deal with them in other ways. As Friday night games tend to be just him and me, I spent a good deal of time not doing much.

The vehicle next to us had four young ladies in it and, after Moppy's third phone call, I was beckoned to join them as they took pity on me for being 'abandoned' by my buddy. I did hang out with them for a few minutes until Moppy 'saved' me from them and we ended up going inside not long after that. I was pleased that the most attractive one of the group (in my opinion anyway) was the one that called to me. I chit-chatted to the group rather politely. I still have the feeling that I was supposed to do something there, something much more whatever, but I didn't. I really have no 'game' in those circumstances and we didn't speak long enough for me to relax with their group so I probably looked like an idiot, which would be nothing new.

Once inside and comfortable, it doesn't take long for all that beer to seek escape. As I exited the little geek's room, I heard my name called rather enthusiastically. It was my former boss' boss' boss, the gentleman who had the unpleasant task of informing me that my position had been eliminated. As I'm not good remembering names and I was unaware that he had any long-term memories of me, I was impressed he recognized me. We chit-chatted for a moment, he wished me luck again, and we both were smiling when we departed. I just thought it odd that he was up in the cheap seats. I would have thought he could afford better. Maybe he got the tickets as a last second thing. It's really not important as what was important is that it was nice to see him.

The game went into extra innings. Three of the last four games I've been to have gone to extra innings. The important thing here is that the Brewers won, finally broke their losing streak, and made up a game in the standings.

If it was an odd night at the ol' ball game, at least it ended well.

Tinkering

I've been tinkering these past couple days with my computers. There's been the purchasing of some items and the installing of programmes, not to mention the opening of computers and the rearranging of hardware. It almost feels like I was at work again. So far everything's still working so that's a nice confidence booster.

'The Time Meddler' - Brief Review

I finished watching the Doctor Who story entitled 'The Time Meddler' yesterday. This story closed out the second series of the programme way back in 1965. I think I last saw it back in 1989 or 1990, whenever the local PBS stations last aired it.

It's 1066 and the TARDIS arrives in England. Viking raids are common on the Saxons living there and the Doctor quickly determines that the big blow-out between the two groups is yet to come. Once a wristwatch and a record player are found, the travelers know something is up. Can it be that there's another time traveler around?

It's not a great story but it's got some nice elements to it. While some efforts are made to individualize the Vikings and Saxons, for the most part they come across as a blob of people. A lot of the story revolves around the fact that the Doctor and his companions just keep missing each other. The second episode is rather slow, despite it having the big fight scene in it, as star William Hartnell is on vacation that week and the story doesn't really progress with him absent.

Given the context of the programme at the time, this story would have been more fascinating. While in the story previous the Daleks were shown to have a time machine as well, the time traveler in this story doesn't just have a time machine, he's got a TARDIS just like the Doctor. For the first time in the programme's history another traveler of the Doctor's kind appears, not counting Susan as she was with the Doctor. The name 'Time Lords' would not be spoken for another 4 years and the planet they live on would not be named 'Gallifrey' for another 4 years after that. This would have been a big deal at the time.

One thing that I really like was a relatively meaningless special effect. While the story was shot in the studio, there are times when the characters are standing on a cliff. Behind them in the sky, clouds move. I think that really made the set look nice, really added to the illusion that they were outside.

Thumbs moderately up. Not recommended for people who can't deal with television in black and white or with powerfully short attention spans. If you're not already keen on Doctor Who, this isn't the story that will change your mind about the show.

Ah-cho!

I don't think that I'm allergic to anything but the dustier corners of the archive are testing that theory. Sneezing for a minute straight will change your perspective on the situation.

Better out than in.

Thanks but I knew that part

I've been reminded of the fact that yesterday I was talking about my beer gut and there's a simple logical equation to be had there because of it. As I gave up soda some years back (apart from the occasional tipple), I see no reason to give up beer as well.

Where would be the fun in that?

Weight

I've been walking regularly during my period of non-employment. I've tried to get in at least a half-hour a day but have extended it to an hour on occasion. I've also increased my fiber intake and have felt some benefits from that. Overall, I'm feeling more fit.

I haven't dropped any weight however. I'd like to think that I've gained some muscle and that would impact my weight. I still feel like I've got a bit of a tire around my gut and that annoys me.

Not sure what I'm going to do about that just yet.

Feelings of Accomplishment Rising

Finished a draft of a story yesterday. I think it needs a little work yet but I believe that the text is generally complete. Am increasingly convinced that the script I've been working on is nearly done, at least for a first draft.

Considering the energy of Friday, this is really good timing. Onward and upward!

'The Filth and the Fury' review, as well as some ranting

It's not often that I buy a movie, get home, and immediately watch it but that's what ended up happening last night with 'The Filth and the Fury'. I'd seen parts of it before but never had the opportunity to watch it all the way through until last night.

Wow.

It's the story of the Sex Pistols, one of the more important early punk bands. The documentary covers the reasons why the band formed, how the band formed, and what happened after that until they disintegrate about two years later. All four surviving band members (as of 1999 when the documentary was recorded) were interviewed. They come across as honest about the time and their actions.

The power of the documentary is that everything is in their own words. There is no narrator to tell us the story, what we should think of things, where the 'truth' lies. The guys tell us what they did and why both in the 'current' time as well as clips from interviews from the 70's. Sid Vicious is represented by archival footage. None of the band is shown on screen in the 'current' time. If they do appear, it's in shadows, as if keeping their identities secret.

Two things in particular struck me as very powerful.

One was the build-up to the formation of the band. Most documentaries I've previously seen about the band or punk in England have a narrator explaining how things were really bad in England at the time, they show a couple crummy looking tower blocks, and then the bands start forming as a protest. This film shows riots, violence, trash piled high while the band explains how rough things were. The context of the time is more understandable this way.

The other is Johnny Rotten's relationship with Sid Vicious. They were long-time friends before the band's creation. Sid became a fan and was drafted in when the band dumps Glen Matlock. Throughout the film Johnny explains how Sid was his mate and he tried to protect him but Johnny just wasn't smart enough at that age to fully keep Sid from the drugs that would take his life. Near the end of the film, Johnny finally breaks down over it, as he'd mentioned he does earlier in the film, and bewails his lost friend, cursing the media that he feels contributed to the situation. While in the shadows, you 'see' Johnny Rotten cry. I didn't think he could as he comes across as so cool and cutting as his on-stage character. It was affecting.

If you already can't stand the Sex Pistols' music, there's nothing for you here. There's too much of it and it'll drive you up the wall. Otherwise this is a fascinating look at a specific band at a specific time in history. It works to separate the truth from the myth surrounding the Pistols.

Also included is another documentary, 'Un-defining Punk', which focuses more on the American scene, but not totally. Again, it's just people that were involved in the scene in the 70's and 80's talking about what they did and why and what they think about it. Not as interesting but still interesting.

For what it's worth, I feel that Punk is not a particular sound of music or style, but was a message, a style of creating, of empowerment. It says 'Go out and do. I am doing it and you can too.' At the time of it's creation, the easiest thing to go out and do was music, be in a band. They were Punks because they wanted to do things their way. When the establishment said 'You must do things this way', they said 'No, we're doing it this way'. Upstarts, rebels, how dare they express themselves in the manner they want!

Technology has allowed the world to become Punk. Heck, even this blog in it's way is Punk. In the 70's, if I had opinions I wanted to share, I'd probably need a typewriter, make copies in a 'zine, and find a place to sell them from. Now, I can just type on my computer that I already had for other purposes. The standard form is provided by others.

Big media is afraid. They see bands offering their albums for online download and realize they're becoming unnecessary. Newspapers fade in importance to online reporting, both in the old style and in bloggers who have a journalistic bent. TV is even disintegrating under the influence of YouTube and similar things that let someone with a camcorder and some editing programmes make entertainment for others.

The Punks are winning. It feels good. I've known this but it hasn't felt as immediate, as truthful to me as it does right now. It's incentive, it's motivation, and heaven help me if I lose it.

I have things that need doing.

Archive work means dusty hands

I've been working on cleaning up the archive a lot these past couple weeks. It's my brain's way of getting out of working on my resume. Both need doing and as long as I'm accomplishing something, my brain can be happy about progress.

One of the problems with working in the archive is that I see the gaps more clearly. Most of the time I know where certain gaps in the collection are located but, since I'm not looking too closely, I can pretend that they're not there. When I'm storing away magazines and I'm in that box and I see what's missing, well, I tend to go looking online for the issues I'm missing.

...You can see where this is going can't you? Luckily I didn't find all THAT many gap fillers.

On the plus side, after I 'complained' about waiting yesterday, the truck came with my package, within fifteen minutes of the posting. I should have complained earlier I guess.

Waiting

According to the UPS tracking website, I've a package arriving today. It has yet to arrive.

There are things I'd like to be doing, such as taking my walk, but I know that if I leave for even a moment, that is when the truck will arrive and I'll miss my chance.

The website says something about them delivering between 7am and 5pm. In theory this means I could have another couple hours of waiting. At least I've enough to read.

I really must start carrying my notebook again

I keep coming up with things to say here when I'm walking around and then I forget what they are once I'm sitting in front of the keyboard.

Drat.

Vibes

As my subconscious is more clever than I'll ever be, I have learned to trust my gut reactions to situations, what one might call 'vibes'. It's not unlike playing a trivia based game: your first guess is probably the correct one and if you think about it too hard you'll just mess yourself up. My 'vibes' are like that. It's not that the first instinct is always correct, far from it, but they're more often than not accurate, or at least in the neighborhood of being accurate anyway.

I had a dream about William Hartnell's portrayal of the Doctor recently which has led me to wonder if that means more footage of him will soon be found. It could also mean that I was looking at the DVD of 'The Time Meddler' recently and that I should have bought it to watch. The details can be a bit vague at times.

I've also got a number of bad vibes regarding the health of the company that needed to part ways with me earlier this year. It's hard to trust these vibes because I can't be sure that there's no bitterness in them. It's not far to want them to fail just because they didn't want to 'play with me' anymore. It's hard to judge what I think in that regard.

Right now, it seems that I'm still better off outside than inside, just for my own sake and the sake of the writing I'm accomplishing. That I know is a good thing.

Olymp-yawn

Are the Olympics over yet? I'm getting tired of ignoring them.

In the interest of getting my interest, I recommend eliminating some of the gymnastic competitions where winning is subjective to someone's opinion anyway and adding paintball as an Olympic sport. Maybe playing at war every few years would help reduce the amount of actual war.

Or it might make better warriors, I dunno. These ideas do tend to back fire on me.

When Erics Collide!

I had a lunch appointment with one of my old co-workers today. After a certain amount of 'I don't wanna pick, you pick' via email, we settled on an establishment. I was to meet Eric at Noon.

Driving through the parking lot just before noon, I saw Eric and his family. Not the Eric I was there to meet, but another of the Erics I know. With a 'what are the odds' sort of amusement, I parked my car and laughed my way over to them. As I chit-chatted with them, the Eric I was there to meet pulled in and I dragged him into our brief conversation.

As we walked into the restaurant, Eric noted he was glad it happened to me. He noted that he would have second-guessed who he'd been emailing all this time.

I thought it was funny.

Working in the Archive

The archive is full of stuff.

Yesterday I found my CD soundtrack to 'Enter the Dragon', a newspaper clipping from 1987 regarding the live-action marriage of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson in Shea Stadium, the Don Martin solo magazines from 1994, and a comic I drew (poorly) while in middle school.

And other stuff. There's always other stuff.

Meta Stooge

So I'm watching the Three Stooges the other day and they play 'Crash Goes the Hash'. If I'm not muddling this title with the other shorts they played that night, Moe, Larry, and Curly get mistaken for hot-shot reporters and are sent in to get a story about a royal wedding, with a bonus promised for a picture. They arrive at the house in time to hear that a cook and two butlers are required and fill those roles. Naturally as they accept the employment, there's a certain amount of misunderstanding and slapping to be had.

All this causes the head butler (Bud Jamison) to laugh. He notes that the boys remind him of the Three Stooges. At this point, the boys get very offended and tell him off.

A meta reference. In a Stooge short. In the 40's.

Awesome.

Gong Show Revisited

If I am to continue to watch the new Gong Show (I'm up to twice now that I've seen it), I think I shall have to record it. That way I can bypass the commercial breaks and watch the programme in about 12 minutes. More or less.

It just feels like I would be more efficient that way.

Going for a Walk

I'm not fond of exercise for the sake of exercise. Keeping fit solely for the sake of it, in some twisted belief that this will forestall death is foolishness to me. There's also the individuals that become as addicted to exercise as some do chocolates, beer or cigarettes. It's still an addiction.

Exercise for a goal I have no problem with encouraging. Trying out for a team, rehabbing after an injury, too fat are all good goals, all good reasons to exercise.

I am a bit too fat. While I believe the averages medical personnel have determined to be a bit on the thin side, I know I'm over by a good twenty pounds or so. I've been walking. With the extra time I currently have on my hands, it's been easier to be regular at this and I take a half-hour to an hour walk most every day. I vary the path a bit to keep things interesting. I plug myself into my iPod and off I go.

And I think. Playing with my 'toys' I work on the items I'm writing, trying to work out how the next bit should go. Some days the characters give me something, some days they don't. Some days my mind wanders a bit, despite my efforts to work while I walk. Some days I come up with a totally different idea and, try as I might to not get distracted by the new idea, I do.

Yesterday was a new idea day. Figuring out what to do with it while not slowing down work on the things that are almost done is the next trick. Maybe on today's walk I can figure that out.

It's been awhile

I may have gone a little eBay mad today. It's easier to do that now than when I first started eBaying. That involved a lot more going out and getting money orders. PayPal makes it so much easier to spend a lot of money on eBay that you hope you don't regret in a week.

Time will tell.

Me am a Sucker

I'm a sucker for 'drive-in' type movies (the sort of movie made inexpensively with the expectation that most patrons wouldn't be watching much of the movie anyway). I'm also a sucker for programmes that have been restored and/or remastered. I'm also a sucker for low priced DVDs.

These interests collided with a purchase I made yesterday: 'Drive-In Cult Classics Volume 2'. This 4 double-sided DVD collection boasts 8 movies and for which I paid the princely sum of $10. 6 of the 8 movies boast that they have been remastered, either from high quality film prints or the original negative. 2 are in widescreen. One movie boasts Donald Pleasance and Peter Cushing!

So I bit.

I've scanned a couple of the movies to see what they look like. The transfer on 'Madman of Mandoras', the movie transferred from the negative, looks quite nice for the couple minutes I watched. There did appear to be a slight gatefloat type shudder to the transfer but I'm not sure if I was imagining it, if it was only for a reel or what. I'm going to try to talk myself into watching it soon and perhaps I'll figure it out then. The set also contains the extended for TV version of the film which bears the more colourful title 'They Saved Hitler's Brain'.

So far it looks like it was worth the $10. Hopefully more to follow on this one.

C'mon Brett

'I will always be a Packer.'

Really? You had to say that in your first press conference as a Jet? Really?

Dude, if you have a messy public breakup with one girl, you don't tell the next one that you'll always love that other girl. Even if it's true. I'm stupid and I know that much.

But you've always been honest, often stupidly so. I can relate to that.

Favrey and the Jets

I'll admit it; I've been far too wrapped up into the whole Favre soap opera during the last week. And why not? I've had the time available to it and I'm fascinated with the Packers and Mr. Favre so I might as well have been.

My short answer about the whole thing - It was a mess on both ends.

The downside to it was that I let it get to me a bit. It's like when friends fight and you're in the middle, understanding why everyone's upset but just wishing they'd all let it go so you can get back to watching the movie without all the tension.

Speaking of movies, I considered going to see 'The Dark Knight' during all this and then decided against it. It didn't seem fair to the movie. Either I'd go in extra grumpy and the movie would have no chance to succeed in my eyes or I'd go in extra grumpy and, in my need to be removed from that mindset, it would be the greatest thing ever. With the hype being as it is (although I am hearing more negative reviews of the movie now) I'm trying to be as neutral going into the movie as possible. Which isn't easy.

Now Brett Favre is a Jet. Good luck to him. I have my doubts as to how long he'll last but I hope he does well.

Not as well as the Packers though. Go Pack Go!

Where Did I Put Them?

Can't find my assessments for the past few years of my job. Basically they were 'this is what I did last year so that you should not only keep me employed but give me more money next year' documents. I thought I had them saved as files at home but maybe not. I might have paper copies of most of them, unless I tossed them out in a fit of 'will never need these again'. They'd come in handy in my attempts to generate a resume.

Even if I don't find them, it'll be okay. It was just a nice moment of panic when I went 'wait, where are they?' I don't remember last week very well, let alone two years ago, so they would be handy.

In the meantime, there's always more script to write.

Or

Or there's talk that Favre will be traded to the Vikings. So, rather than have his number retired on opening night of the season, Favre's starting streak could continue... for the Packers opponent that night?

That would pretty much suck.

Hooray?

And now it looks like Brett is back, possibly even returning to the Pack.

Weird. Not unpleasant at all! Just...weird after everything.

Curse Remains Intact

Why is there all this trouble between the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre?

'Cause Brett's on the cover of this year's edition of the Madden video game.

Simple when you think about it.

Brief Lament

Sometimes all you can do is be there for the people left behind.

Hope we helped in this troubled time my friend.

Tidy Time

As I have some extra time available to me at the moment (especially so seeing as how I've been very lazy about looking for new employment), I've been cleaning. The first thought when I start a big clean is generally 'Man I got a lot of stuff.' The second thought is then 'Oh, forgot I had that.'

As I've been going, I've tried to be reasonable about things, scraping off a layer of items that perhaps I could live without and turn into gifts or money or something. I don't currently need to turn items into money; what I need to turn them into is more space.

Another nice thing about this is that I can change the piles a little. It's little how a store changes their layout on occasion in order for you to see different items. I rearranged my decreasingly sized pile of 'stuff to read' yesterday in an attempt to make some items that have been in the pile for awhile more obvious so that they'll get read. Once read, most of them move to the library room for longer term storage.

I can barely get in that room right now. Cleaning that out will be ... interesting.

Never fails

Went to Best Buy earlier in the week and spent money I by in large shouldn't have really spent. The next day I get my Reward Zone gift certificate in the mail.

Sigh.

Perhaps worse...

Perhaps worse than a sudden shock of bad news is knowing that the bad news is coming, that each ring of the phone may be the one that communicates sadness. While you never wish it to arrive, at least once it does you can stop being afraid of the phone ringing.

Just a Thought

Beauty is fleeting; stupidity is forever.

Wii breaks my back

I've been trying to not start getting involved with video games now that I have a little extra time on my hands. As much as I enjoy them, I know what kind of time they can demand of me. A really good one is like a good book; they become impossible to put down. Even with the extra mobility that playing my Nintendo Wii offers, it still feels like I'm sitting on the couch playing games all day rather than getting something done.

A few months ago, I bough Metroid Prime 3 on sale. I left it in the wrapper until it was time to play it. Friday I broke down and started playing it. Excellent game so far. The point and shoot interface worked better than I expected and quickly became second nature. I had to kinda prop my arm up in order to keep it pointed at the TV but that seemed like a minor detail.

Minor detail at least until my back started to flare up on Saturday. I'm really trying to not play today and give my back a little rest but it's not easy. I want to know what's next!

Allergic to Hype

"How can you say that?!?" Pete exploded. Pete explodes in surprise on a pretty regular basis but this particular explosion was about a month ago after I had declared my belief that the upcoming 'The Dark Knight' movie would suck.

His explosion was not unsurprising and was not the first time I'd received a reaction of shock or surprise to my declaration that I disbelieved in the positive quality of this film. It's not the first time I've said this sort of thing about a film nor do I expect it to be the last. You see, I'm allergic to hype.

I learned as a child to fight the urge to get too excited over things. My imagination is such that I can generally imagine something more exciting than the reality. If I spend too much time pondering how awesome something is to be, chances are that the version I've 'seen' in my head will be better than anything on screen and I'll be disappointed. The lower I set my expectations and the less I think about it, the more likely I am to enjoy myself. If I don't end up enjoying myself, I know something is wrong. Heck, I set my expectations so low for 'Electra' that I managed to enjoy myself. Not by much, but I think my point is made.

Now, being a comic book geek, I've been hearing about how 'awesome' this 'The Dark Knight' movie is for about six months straight now, apart from a few weeks when we enjoyed 'Iron Man' and 'Hulk'. There is no way I can build my expectations that high for that long and have it pay off with anything but disappointment. Even if it is a great film, as many of my friends have already said it is, and I go in expecting a great film, then it'll be hard to be excited. I got what I expected. If I expect crap and get great film, I'll be happy.

Yes, 'The Dark Knight' sucks and I'll continue to believe that until I see it. After that, I can have a real opinion.

Watched the new Gong Show last night

I have memories of the original Gong Show, more I think from its recycled syndicated life than its original run. This new Gong Show felt very much the same in general: weird acts doing weird things in front of a panel of 'D' list (no offense meant to them) celebrities. I did laugh rather enthusiastically a couple times, oddly with the proceedings rather than at them, so the show succeeded in that regard.

I also came to the conclusion that Andy Dick is this generation's Charles Nelson Reilly, insomuch that, in thirty years when they replay these shows, the young people of that day will be more familiar with his game show work than anything else. And they both have a weird vibe to them. Andy Dick is just more of a ... well more of a dick about it I suppose.

Sorry Chuck.

A Moment of Silly

So then I told Billy 'If you continue to do that, there's a good chance that your arm will fall off.' He continued to do it and his arm fell off.

Zombies shouldn't do jumping jacks.

Torn

Part of me is fascinated by history, is interested in baseball, and, therefore, wishes to protect baseball history such as Yankee Stadium.

Part of me wants to help destroy the place, with a bazooka preferably. I don't care for New York in general.

Wanna drop someone's IQ by 90%?

Put a steering wheel in front of them. Geez!

'Darkness' - The Vampire Edition review

Before seeing the DVD in the store, I don't recall having heard of 'Darkness' before. I'm sure I must have read about it in some passing article at some point as the movie is from 1992 and I read a LOT about 'fantastic' films, but no information about it flared in my memory. That the case identified it as a 'cult classic' and that it had been restored for this release became enough for me to become curious.

Not so curious that I'd watch it immediately mind. I reviewed some of the extra features, saw how the restoration had improved the visuals and waited for the moment when I could watch it without interruption. As it turned out, that was a couple days ago.

It's small town America. A vampire kills our hero's family, altering them into vampires. The morning's sunlight ends their unholy existence. With nothing left to him, he begins hunting the creature, looking for revenge. A group of young people return to their town after a concert to find much of the town has been turned, most of their families included. Our hero tries to help them survive to daybreak.

It's an interesting movie and even now, a couple days later. I'm not complete sure if I enjoyed it or not. Some of the movie is let down by the do-it-yourself nature of its making as many of the night time scenes are very dark, some of the acting can be awkward (moreso in the 'normal' scenes than the horror scenes oddly enough), and some of the sound recording is a bit poor. I also didn't care for some of the editing choices. Some scenes are apparently edited for some artistic effect and I felt it more annoying than anything else. The characters are not introduced in a traditional manner and I found it difficult to keep track of character names or know who they were.

It's that lack of traditional manner that I also really enjoy about the movie. Often in movies characters get a chance to identify themselves, almost standing up in front of the audience, saying their name and stating their cliche ('Hi, I'm Beth and I'll be the stuck up rich girl for this movie.'). 'Darkness' feels very much like a documentary in this regard, with events being captured by a camera for posterity. Long time friends don't say things to each other that they already know in order to explain themselves to the audience.

The way that the vampires are treated is also very interesting. Movie vampires are generally sexy characters that hypnotize their prey into wanting the kiss of the vampire. In this movie, the turned are almost beasts, hunting in packs for those they can bite. Of the few (if not only) actual bite scenes in the movie is not a calm moment as victim sighs and vampire bites, it is a fight with the stronger vampire winning out, wounding its prey until others can join it and truly bring down the blood feast.

The gore effects, of which there are many, are also quite good, very impressive considering the no doubt low budget of the film. Lots of blood spurting and flesh melting and things like these.

All in all, as I noted, an interesting film but I'm not sure if I enjoyed it. Or perhaps how much I enjoyed it. From some of the special features, it appears this was the first in a trilogy. Part of me is keen to see the other two, part not so much.

Mildly recommended for those interested in low budget horror or gore films. I doubt anyone else would very this interesting at all.

Survey says!

I've got all these forms and things to fill out so that the outplacement group can get to know me better and, at least in theory, be in a better position to help me find something interesting to do. One section of the survey would list four jobs at a time and I'd rate my first and second choice of the four. The results came back that I have a high interest in the literary field.

All I could do was laugh and feel confident I'd filled it out correctly.

Announcement Type Thing

I don't talk about my day job much online. There's a good reason for that. I've been near to a situation where individuals have gotten dismissed from their job for complaining about it online. Admittedly, this was slightly above normal complaining but it was still a reminder: be careful what you type.

Since I have this mindset, why am I bringing up my day job? Simple, I currently don't have one. My employer of multiple years went through an employee reduction recently and I was part of it. My last day was July 3rd. It was a sad day for all.

The upside is that the company is being very nice about it. I've got outplacement classes to assist me with getting myself back in the job searching mode as well as a severance package that I consider generous. In the short term, I'll be good. Long term, this might be a good thing or really good thing. If I have to be in this position, at least I'm excited about it. A little nervous but excited.

Let's see what's next, hmm?

Tomorrow is my Independence Day...

...but i'm not looking forward to it like I am Friday.

In brief

'Time for a Change' is coming...

...in more ways than one.

I'll Explain Later...

You know, I wanted some more time off but this is ridiculous...

I have new comics again!

Got my hair cut today during my 'tired and want to sleep more but can't so I can stay up and sleep tonight to go back to work tomorrow after having been on 3rd shift' period. Since my barber shop is next to my comic shop, I picked up three weeks worth of books today. Best yet, I can go back tomorrow and get more!

The 'Secret Invasion' just keeps getting deeper and deeper...

-Steve

Brief note on the previous post

The story of El Muerte Rojo is one I’ve wanted to tell for some time. It is a sad story really, one of loss and pain, a story of lashing out, a fall from grace and things like these. The story arc is all there in my head, waiting for use as it has been since I came up with it in the waning days of the EEW. The question has been how to use the story. Text is an awkward medium with which to deliver this particular tale due to the style of the story but it’s currently my only way to deliver it. If I can find a way to keep it interesting in a text format, perhaps by telling it in a unique manner, then it’ll happen. Probably here.

The Mask of the Red Death

I died in that ring. In moments I will live in it again.

My enemies conspired against me as they sought my destruction. My person was stolen from me. My face, my being, was ripped away from me. This is what remains: pain, suffering, anger.

I will show all these things. I will vent my anger on my opponents to make them suffer. My pain will be transferred to them. They have no understanding of what they’ve unleashed. They will know that which I have lost: fear.

I am El Muerte Rojo. I am destruction and doom. I am the devastator of hope.

My music hits. It is finally time for all to see what I have become.

I don't miss this often when I'm sick

For various reasons, I haven't been to the comic book store since May 21st. I have not gotten new comics in three weeks.

I don't miss it like I thought I would. Weird.

Just a thought

You're only as good as your last failure. In a pinch, your successes will be hard for others to recall but your failures will spring readily to mind.

'Cloverfield' thoughts

I saw 'Cloverfield' last weekend. It's the American Monster movie from the first person perspective of the humans running in fear of the creature destroying the city. It's not bad but it didn't quite click either. I found it increasingly difficult to believe that the people we were following would continue to bother with the camera. Part of the problem may have been my recent re-watching of 'Diary of the Dead', George A. Romero's latest zombie movie, which uses a similar story telling style. The characters in that movie start out in a position where this sort of activity would seem natural and discussion over this becomes part of the story. In 'Cloverfield' there's just too much running to make lugging a camera around seem reasonable. The movie barely runs 80min which suggests that the filmmakers found it difficult to keep the story interesting from this perspective. While I applaud their apparent lack of desire to fill out the movie to a minimum of 90 mins, it does make it feel more like an experiment that never completely gelled.

I don't care for the design of the creature but am willing to note that's a personal preference. You get a good look at it over the course of the movie but it's not in the movie much. Given the way the story progresses, this makes sense but it is still a little disappointing. That's probably due to my previous experience with watching giant monster movies and having the expectation that the creature will be on screen for a good, oh, half the film.

Due to the story telling style, we rightfully learn little about the creature itself (not unlike the ghouls in 'Night of the Living Dead' to return to that reference point). It's not important what the creature is or where it came from, the important point is that it is here. This lack of information got my buddy George all sorts of curious and we watched one of the few extras on the disc as it claimed to discuss the creature in more length. This is where I got annoyed.

The idea for the movie came from a trip to Japan and seeing all the Godzilla toys (good start). America hasn't really had a creature movie since King Kong (starting to go downhill, the idea that they were apparently trying to project was that American movies haven't had an identifiable giant monster creature character since Kong but the way the statement is made, one would be left thinking that there hasn't been a American Monster movie since 1933 which is very untrue) and they decided it was time. They then give us no concrete information regarding the creature but provide insights as to the sort of things they were thinking might be true about the creature as it destroys New York. The designer gets very enthusiastic about the idea that the creature could be a lost infant crying out for its parents. At this point I grew annoyed because, from his manner, he seemed to think this was a new concept. "In the sixties," I noted to our group, "the British called that movie Gorgo." On the way home I also recalled the Japanese 'Gappa' which used the same idea. By their phrasing they showed either a lack of knowledge on the subject (which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it might prevent them from falling into the same cliches as the earlier kaiju films) or a deliberate attempt to restate history (which made me question how much of a misphrasing that the earlier line was about Kong).

It's worth seeing but that's about it. I think I'm also annoyed because it's the sort of thing I would have liked to do but, obviously, didn't.

Call me Oscar...

...cause I've sure been a grouch of late. Not that some people haven't deserved a little wrath. Some of the people that have found themselves targets would always deserve it. They're just getting hit a little harder than normal.

I'm not sure what the reason is. I've been tired of late and it might be the spring weather. Might have something to do with the tension in my back getting to me and disrupting my sleep last week. Might be a lot of little things rolled up into one.

What it is, is annoying.

Stabbing Westward makes me think, curse it

I believe that 'I Won't Become the Thing I Hate' except for the fact that I'm no longer sure what I hate. That's a bit disconcerting. There are plenty of things that I'm not that I don't hate but what must I avoid to remain myself?

Am confused.

Make room! Make room!

The hard drive where I was slowly collecting all my music filled up last week. It was the first external drive I bought for this computer. I got it once I realized the 80GB that came with the Mac probably wouldn't be enough to support the DVD work I wanted to do as well as store my music. The 160GB drive was a good place to store the DVD work. Then it became a good place to store my iTunes folder, especially once I got the 500GB drive last fall to store all my video stuff on. At least until it filled up. I would have moved it to the 500GB drive but it didn't have room for it.

Yesterday I bought a 1TB external drive. Hopefully that'll keep me for awhile. $240, not bad. I think that's what I paid for the 160GB drive years ago.

Progress is good

Last night's read through went well. I got to see the flow of the story, identified some gaps in the story telling as well as came up with ideas to resolve some of them. Also found a scene or two that needed to be swapped around in the order. Typos, lots of typos, especially of the 'what word was that supposed to be?' variety.

So, there's still some stuff to throw into the story and maybe some stuff that needs to come out yet, not necessarily entire scenes but the occasional sentence or paragraph, mostly stuff that's filling a purpose now but might be redundant when the entire thing is pieced together.

I wanted this done a couple months ago already but it wasn't ready and saw no reason to rush it for my own self-imposed deadline. I think I've a much better handle on it now than I did a couple months ago. I just need to keep at it...along with everything else I'm doing.

Into the edits...

Getting close now

I very definitely feel that I'm in the home stretch of one of my writing projects. I hate this part of the process.

Don't get me wrong, the feeling that I'm close to completion is a sweet one. The home stretch is more work than the rest of the creative process, to me anyway. I've already edited and hacked at this story more than I normally would. I'm reading through the edit, digging for all the awkward phrases and mistyped words and gaps in the story and it's work. Thinking up scenes is fun, the mind is free to imagine what it may and once a few scenes are in place, the rest can come like a waterfall, rushing into place. This part is less free, more crack filling.

It's also the part of the process where I turn on my work. It's all horrible and I can't see why I'm bothering to finish this fool thing when it's so horrible. No one's paying attention anyway.

In the end, all will be well. For the moment, it's all a pain in the kester.

Reminder as we head for the summer

The larger the crowd is, the smaller their cumulative IQ will be. If you get a really big crowd, the decisions get worse and worse.

Probably explains the results of some elections.

Isn't it always the way?

Thought I had something to say. Sat down, brought up the page, can't remember what it was.

Bother.

The sound of the voice in my head

For the past few days I've been watching a show from the sixties called 'Fractured Flickers'. The basic premise is that they took silent movie footage, re-edited it, and add their own voices to it. Since it was a Jay Ward Production and I've enjoyed the other Jay Ward Productions I've seen in the past, I figured this would be pretty funny and I was right. Found the entire series on sale at Amazon. Good deal.

The show is hosted by Hans Conreid and the sound of my thoughts has been changing to his voice a lot since I started watching. It's not a bad thing. I just wish I could talk like him, even a little. It's a rich sounding voice and fun at the same time. Hooray for Hans!

Just curious

Do you know anybody that regularly watches any of the Networks' Nightly News shows?

Me neither.

For that matter, I barely watch any of the Local News shows. Seems like such a lot of time to spend to learn so little.

Commercial Weakness

I'm not normally a sucker for commercial spokespeople but I must admit that I'm keen to get the AT&T U-verse stuff because Stephen Root does a commercial for them. I love that guy.

Of course, I did also see a retro-commercial today for A-1 sauce that featured Boris Karloff that made be want A-1 sauce so maybe I'm just in a suggestive sort of place today.

Messed Up Spidey

In the mid 90’s, Marvel Comics decided that Spider-Man needed some help. The sales were down, the stories had become routine and they already regretted marrying Spidey to his long time flame Mary-Jane Watson (in 1987). Referencing a tale from the 70’s, the believed dead clone of Peter Parker returned, calling himself Ben Reilly after his aunt and uncle. This individual was later indentified as the true Peter Parker and that the married Peter, the one we’d followed for 20 years was the clone.

This attempt to revitalize the Spider-Man books is considered one of, if not the, lowest points in the history of Spider-Man comics, if not comics altogether. Due to turmoil behind the scenes at the publishing house, a possibly intriguing story became increasingly convoluted and complicated. Fan reaction was increasingly poor and sales became affected. It was soon explained that the test showing who was a clone was a trick, Peter had always been Peter and Ben had always been a clone. Long believed dead Norman Osborn (aka the Green Goblin) revealed himself as the mastermind behind this and other assorted recent traumas in Peter’s life. By the end of the final battle, Norman was once again the Green Goblin, Peter Parker was once again Spider-Man and the clone was dead.

Time passed. The stories improved. I believe sales slowly rose. Spidey remained married to Mary-Jane (she would disappear for periods of time but they remained married).

Leadership at Marvel changed. Once again it was determined that Spidey lacked … something. Tinkering was made to his abilities, most of which were largely forgotten about as soon as they were granted. The marriage to Mary-Jane was once again considered a problem. Spider-Man revealed his secret identity to the world. Things grew complicated.

But! There was a plan. We were told not to worry, all would be fixed in ‘Brand New Day’.

First, all the bad things had to come to a head in ‘One More Day’.

As part of Peter’s revealing of his secret identity, his family became a target. His Aunt May, a character who had been depicted as old and feeble since the comic was launched in the 60’s, is accidently shot by an agent of one of Spidey’s villains. The wound is fatal and she barely clung to life. Peter’s life is based on guilt and this additional guilt becomes too much to bear. Losing his mind, he does whatever he can to fix this, do whatever to have her healed, despite the fact that multiple individuals, including Doctors (such as Strange and Richards), note her age and that it might just be her time. Only one individual offers him a ray of hope. “I can heal her,” the demon Mephisto says, “make it like it never happened. But I want something in return: your marriage. I fix this for you and you will have never been married to your wife.”

They will never remember the marriage, nor their deal with the ‘devil, but everything will be fixed. Mary-Jane whispers something in Mephisto’s ear, the offer is taken and, magically, history is altered. Aunt May was never shot because now no one remembers who revealed themselves to be Spider-Man, Mary-Jane is off somewhere and long-dead Harry Osborn is returned to life.

The stories after have been good. Perhaps sales are returning. But ‘One More Day’? Worse than the Clone Saga.

While the premise of the Clone Saga was a reboot, it used the history of the Spider-Man comic to provide the ‘out’ for the reboot. While many felt at the time that this would have made 20 years of stories ‘worthless’ since they were the adventures of a ‘fake’ Spidey, it is not a complicated premise to understand. The stories all happened, even if it was to a ‘fake’ Spidey.

With the change to history caused by ‘One More Day’, it is unclear what has been affected. How is Harry now alive? How are thousands of other stories affected by this change? If this doesn’t alter ‘everything’, what has it all changed? It’s complicated. And annoying. They found a way to make things worse in their attempt to make them better.

(Post 175)

Current projects

- Getting my A+ Certification - Completed 5/2
- Pulling files from my backup DVDs and arranging them on my 500GB HD - closing in on done
- Finishing the 'complete' story from last year's 'Fresh Fiction for Friday' start - almost done, I can taste it...
- Spring cleaning - barely started
And probably some stuff I'm doing that I don't remember...

On an unrelated note, 'Iron Man' was beyond excellent, perhaps the best comic to film translation to date. Can't wait for more...

Anger fades

Bought some used wrestling DVDs last week and started skimming them to verify that they'd playback okay, weren't all scratched to smeg, ya know, worth the bargain I got them for. Since they were all WWE DVDs from the past five years or so, I couldn't avoid seeing glimpses of Chris Benoit.

I found it interesting that I didn't get mad. Sad yes, but not mad. I even smiled once, remembering what it felt like to be a fan before the ... unpleasantness.

My first instinct was to wince in pain though. Still, I found it an interesting change in my reaction. Dunno what it means exactly for the long term.

Just a thought

I don't believe it's a secret that the major networks (that which was just called TV when I was young) are dying. Cable/Satellite channels and the Internet have eroded their power. The recent writer strike did them no favours either. How different are the big four from most pay tv? Apart from the FCC, nothing really.

My feeling is that the next step will be the rats abandoning the sinking ship. Within the next year, perhaps two, a network show that is still popular will come up for renewal. Rather than just accepting the renewal from it's current home, the show will shop around for a better deal and get it.

I'm kinda hoping it's 'The Simpsons' because I think that would be interesting. It's animated so it has a bit more flexibility to continue (even at this age) than a live-action programme, it has a large following (revived by the success of the movie) and its creator has already had very public problems with Fox. If Cartoon Network wanted to split Adult Swim off into its own channel, don't you think they'd want something like brand-new episodes of the Simpsons to lead the charge?

Just a thought.

It worked!

Remembered! Had feedback to leave on eBay.

I feel better now.

Blast it all

Ever get the feeling you should be doing something but can't remember what? I have that now. I've the feeling I should be doing something or saying something here but can't remember what.

Oh well. Maybe I'll remember once I hit post.

A late though about a late performer

Won't a zombie Charlton Heston fight for your right to bear arms against him?

Kept alive on sugary sweets

I'm in class this week instead of work, getting educated towards a certification to prove that I have a clue about what I do at work. While there have been a number of interesting points and I've been learning (or re-learning in a lot of cases) things, there's been a lot to cover and a lot of review. I left yesterday with my head feeling stuffed.

Luckily the place I'm at for class believes in feeding us (apart from lunch) so there's been free coffee, Rice Krispes treats, donuts, etc. It's hard to behave when I've got a basket of candy within arms reach. I know I probably should since I've been sitting all day for this class and I want to get closer to my 'fighting' weight again, especially if George gets that 'bouncy house' for Amy's graduation party and we wrestle one more time.

One more piece should be okay. Right?

And another of my favorite performers retires in March 2008

If I was stranded on a desert island with only one DVD worth of wrestling, I would hope it was packed with Ric Flair matches and promos so watch it all night and then watch it a little longer. Woooo! Space Mountain! Woooo! Four Horsemen!

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

As I am not a kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin', limousine ridin', jet flyin' son of a gun (Woooo!) but Ric Flair always will be:

Thank you sir.

Not much

Getting better but still recovering from being sick. Things started to loosen up nicely yesterday but I'm still a bit congested and wheezy. Still, getting better.

Wish I had something more interesting to stay but, at the moment, I don't.

A Tale from 'Video Games Live'

With a quiet ‘ah!’ I located the graphic novel section of the Borders media store we were in. The pre-concert activities for ‘Video Games Live’ were not as extensive as we believed they would be. Since Borders was across the street and open, we wandered around the store for a bit as a distraction.

Mark and I were in the science fiction section. Knowing his past connections with comics, I had been keeping an eye open for that section in order to make a few recommendations. It wasn’t so much that I expected him to buy anything that day but I just wanted to give him some things to keep in mind when he saw the right price for them.

As we approached the wall, I realized that the two shelves we were nearest was made up of collections of Japanese works. Gesturing towards the expanse before us, I noted “Welcome to the world of manga.”

“Is there something you were looking for?” creaked a voice to my left. Believing this to be a store employee, I mentally prepared my standard polite ‘Just looking’ response. It was not an employee.

The individual was an incredibly slender young man of Asian descent. Were it not for the long black trenchcoat he wore, I’m not sure we would have seen him from the side view. As I observed him, he was carefully returning a book to the shelf, using hand gestures so elaborate that they would have made Bela Lugosi proud. Had he been older and more wizened, I would have expected him to offer me a Gremlin. My creeped-out meter quickly pegged out at full. I returned to the books before me.

A few minutes later, after being a bad influence on Mark’s wallet (not at that specific time, none of us bought anything that night), we crossed his path again. As he flipped through some book, he started burbling aloud about the attempt at censorship in the panel before him. He was alone but speaking at full volume. Did he know we were behind him and was hoping to start a conversation? I’ve no clue. Mark and I exchanged a glance. He expressed an interest in looking at the soundtrack CDs and off we went.

I consider myself to be a bit odd or weird, but in a friendly way. I’ve been to many conventions and often been around those less socially capable than myself. Sometimes these events collect the truly unusual. This guy was one of the ‘best’.

I’ve nothing against him or any of the other awesomely strange ones. This guy just creeped me out.

When telling the story, Mark does way too good a job imitating him. I’m not quite sure what that means…

Sick again

Throat's all sore. The upside is that I sound more like Dick the Bruiser when I talk that I do normally. It would be more fun if it didn't hurt.