more halloween
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
Scouts versus zombies
Last night I attended an advance screening of the Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. (and a big thanks to Ginger Rose and Creation 13 Photography for hooking me up wiht the tickets) It’s my second time seeing the film and I’m got to say, I still love this movie.
On my second viewing there were a few new things that stood out, one of them in particular was the look of the zombies. I mentioned this previously on my review over at the Kreepy Kastle, but it’s really significant. The ashen, veiny look works very well in full light and there’s a lot of weird lighting in this filmwhich highlights that. But where it really shines, is in isolated dark spaces. That skin looks grey, dead. The eyes are bottomless black holes, shadows casting long over the sockets with only an occasional glint of the red irises. It’s ghastly. It’s incredibly effective, and more than a little reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead.
The conceit of animals getting infected by the zombie virus is put to good use here. It’s not just a one off gag about hitting a zombie deer (or as one of the scouts so colourfully puts it; “hood @&$!ing Bambi”), not just something specific to make this movie stand it out. It comes back on us with even greater peril after we encounter the neighbourhood crazy cat lady.
The “lifeline “scene at the trampoline is still horrifying.I still cringe when things begin to…tear.
There is an Easter egg at one point that I hadn’t noticed the first time around. as they’re making their mid film escape, we see a road sign labeling their town and the neighbouring city. I guess I know what state this takes place in then… Really, I missed it the first time because I was distracted by the side of the Boy Scouts trying to calm a zombie down by coaxing it to sing a Britney Spears song with them.
Seriously, if that doesn’t get you excited for this movie I don’t know what will.
And that’s really the point of this post. You see, I’m only now beginning to notice commercials on TV for the movie, and I see only one billboard for this in the Cleveland area. It’s not that unusual, horror films frequently don’t get the kind of advertising budget they should. This film needs more buzz, it deserves it. This is exactly the sort of movie that could play endlessly on basic Cable because it’s one of those things where if you land on this why you’re flipping channels, you’re going to stay and watch the rest of the film. I know I will. Heck, not only that, I really want a Scouts versus zombies 2. But for that to happen, we need to get out and see this when it comes out this weekend! Clocking in at under 90 minutes there is no wasted space. There is never a time to be bored. It’s a good thing, this film knows exactly what it is, and now so do you.
Seriously, Head out and see the scouts guide to the zombie apocalypse this weekend on Halloween!
Halloween
Posting the best strips from the series, in order from the beginning.
Every Wednesday and Friday
My All American
I am not a fan of football, in fact while I can tolerate most other sports, there’s something about football that just pisses me right off. So when I got an invitation to review an advance screening of My All American, I nearly turned it down. Really I find myself with the same dilemma that I did last year with Ender’s Game. The thing is, that turned out pretty well didn’t it? So I bit the bullet and headed out.
The thing you have to understand about My All American is that this is a GOOD film. Because of that, the subject matter is irrelevant. My All American spent two hours making me forget that I hate football, and if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what you people want from me! My All American is the story of Freddie Steinmark, an underdog, a young man who is single-mindedly devoted to football period there is no other way he could possibly conceive living his life, despite the fact that he weighs in at 145lb, and stands less then 6 feet tall. It is the story of a person who is willing to put in the work, willing to earn every inch and who achieves every dream that he possibly can, while inspiring others along the way. That inspiration by the way, is what really struck me period through a lot of this film, I admit there were times like I felt I was watching Superman -and I embraced that. I know, what else would you expect, but honestly Finn Wittrock‘s Freddie feels so very much like Clark Kent in that he expects nothing, he has no entitlement, and no bitterness. He is an aspirational figure and an inspirational figure. He is always there for others, he is always willing to do the right thing for no other reason then it’s the right thing period and it almost makes me wonder what he’s doing playing football…
Aaron Eckhart is marvellous in this film playing Coach Royal. Previously I have only seen him in The Dark Knight, and that’s not really a great frame of reference. Eckhart manages to be hard yet and empathetic, and reminds us of what kind of figure both inspirational and supportive a coach is supposed to be.
The ending of the film is heartbreaking, and perhaps just a bit telegraphed. Still you willingly fall into the emotions because the film has done such a great job of investing you in the characters. if you’re looking for the next great football film, this may be it. If you have no interest in football at all, find someone who does have that interest and go with them that because this is a film everyone should see.
My All American opens in theaters November 13th
Favorite ads
I always like to see as running on the demo machine in the front and usually will create some basic stuff that also ends up on the company blog site. Here are a few of my favorites….
Cleveland Comic Con 2015
I’ve never heard anything good about Cleveland Comic Con. It seems to have been plagued with problems and it’s at a time of year that I’m far to busy to even thing about adding another con.
However, I’ve been running into the promoter at events all year and he’s been constantly inviting me to come check it out. Finally, my attitude had been one of wait and see. If I was available I might go. It turns out that the day of the con, I was free in the morning and mid afternoon, but would have to leave before the costume contest. I was still on the fence, thinking it might be best to relax during the day seeing as I was going to be working as a makeup artist for a zombie themed event with the Boy Scouts that night, but it seemed like tons of my friends were going and they finally convinced me to head out to the Berea Fairgrounds.
I think Cleveland Comic Con has it’s heart in the right place, but they think bigger than what their show actually is. The con takes up two small buildings at the fairgrounds (while the local haunted house takes up several more behind it) dividing the show between the artist’s alley/event room and the dealer’s room/cosplay stage. I was genuinely surprised at how small that dealers room was. If you’re coming out to shop, you’re going to be a bit dissapointed. I think Lake Effect has a similar number of vendors, possibly a few more in a far more enclosed space. I certainly was able to find better deals at Lake effect anyhow. No quarter bins, not even true fifty cent bins- one table advertising half off the dollar bins (and I missed them the first three times I went around).
But if you’re not here for shopping, then what else is there? The promoter here is a regular at Cinema Wasteland and obviously knows the importance of programming. There’s at least two if not three things going on at all times. There’s some good panels here too, see for yourself;
The problem is that this is all happening in one building (all but the cosplay). It’s an open space that they have separated with dividers and curtains. This does nothing to hinder sound. While I was attending Knightmage’s panel I couldn’t hear half of the time because of the muddled sounds coming from the other event areas in the building. This is a serious problem for a con that want’s to showcase it’s programming.
The kids costume contest was well run and fun, though I was surprised that there weren’t more children there. Cleveland Comic Con is a BIG cosplay event, boasting far more than the average cosplayer attendance (I notice Frankenberry put in a last minuet appearance with his dragon rider). Considering the wider spaces there (even in the smaller buildings) it’s a good place for it. Walking around in my Mr. Freeze costume, I never once felt crowded or like I was about to bump into someone.
With all the adults surrounding us in costume it seemed a little strange to me that there weren’t more kids. On the other hand, we saw more than a few running around and I noticed Baconpool running to take photos with every little Deadpool he saw, declaring “I can’t afford any more child support!”
In the end, I found this to be a fairly average con. It’s not the nightmare it’s been reported to be in the past, but still experiencing some growing pains and bumps in the road. At three years, the logistical problems should have been ironed out by now and I think a show this size would still be better served in a hotel rather than the fairgrounds. Wait to grow a bit guys.
Not sure if I’ll be back next year or not. I’m trying to reduce my number of convention appearances and this one might not make the cut – then again, if I do some crazy big costume, this just might be the ideal venue to premier it. We’ll see.
You just know this isn’t going to end well. 
I love the gender bent Cap and Winter soldier. Cap especially really knows how to work that costume – this was a great idea.
A marvelous Wonder Woman costume and one of our cosplay judges.
The shield in particular fascinated me. I’ve never played with worbola myself, but I like the muted colors and really need to do a black wash like this on some of my armors.
Supernatural fans, take note. THIS is how you gender bend a Winchester.
You know Supergirl is vulnerable to magic right?
The goggles start to get a little sore sometimes. I think it may actually look better with them pushed up like this…
Someone had to explain this was a creature from Five Nights at Freddy’s. I think I saw one at Tricon too, but didn’t realize what it was.
I’m honestly wondering if this is the same Q that I used to see at Star Trek cons back in the 90’s…. 
Really is one of my favorite Doctors. maybe I should have taken the helmet off for this picture? 
I was really stoked to see this Gambit. For some reason, this character can really work with a gender bend. I love the take on the top, the patterns in the blue and the quilted look of the pink.
The shiny Americian Dream costume really stood out no matter where this group went. 
The look on Robin’s face just SCREAMS “I am in SO much trouble.”. 
Condensation. Cool day, but I kept getting a little warm…. 
Chill…. 
Brent Spiner
I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever gotten anyone from Star Trek the Next Generation through the mail before. I’ve gotten original series cast that way…they are getting harder to find on the convention circuit, but the TNG cast used to always be accessible.
I was really pleased to get this one though the mail, I especially wanted a Night Court pic here because one of my favorite things was discovering Data on my favorite sitcom. Thanks so much Brent!
In Defense of Genesis
I’m so glad we hit horror so hard this year. I was surprised last year when this column was mostly Sci-Fi. Still, I think it’s time for something different.
We’ve never done a music review before, but this one is fitting. You see, I have two all time favorite bands. One is the Christian Rock band Petra that spanned over thirty years and still occasionally does reunions and such. The other one is Genesis.
Genesis has NEVER been popular. Even among the classic rock crowd or the prog rockers, Genesis has a reputation for being…I don’t know….vanilla. I always chalk that up to exposure. There are some folks who insist that they were fine until Peter Gabriel left the band. I usually hear cries about how they sold out and got too mainstream after Gabriel left the original line up. I don’t really buy it. Gabriel got a lot more mainstream after he left Genesis as well. Songs like “Shock the Monkey”, “Shaking the Tree”, “Kiss that Frog”, and “Mercy Street” all got plenty of radio airplay. It was more assign of the shifts in music than of selling out. I truly believe that too much of the issue is that too many people have only ever heard “Invisible Touch” on the radio, but never gotten the album and flipped it over to the other side and listened to “Domino”.
“Blood on the windows
Millions of ordinary people are there
They gaze at the scenery
They act as if it is perfectly clear
Take a look at the mountains
Take a look at the beautiful river of blood.
The liquid surrounds me
I fight to rise from this river of hell
I stare round about me
Children are swimming and playing with boats
Their features are changing
Their bodies dissolve and I am alone.”
That’s what I’m talking about. For a teenage me who was sick of love songs and wanted some meat to his music, this was great stuff. I’m just as big a fan of the Phil 
Collins era as I am of the Gabriel era. In fact my favorite point is that really brief period where Gabriel was gone but before Steve Hackett left…
So what happened? Why did the band implode with the release of “Callign All Stations”? was it really that bad without Phil Collins? A lot of people like to point fingers at the failure of that album with glee, but it’s honestly not a bad record. Ray Wilson is a good replacement for Collins on vocals and the new direction works. It feels like Genesis…but a new chapter.
Mike Ruthford and Tony Banks have both gone on record as saying they relate to each other though Phil. He was kind of the filter for their ideas, but I think it’s more than that. When Collins took over the lead vocals, some one else had to take over the drums (trust me. I’ve tried doing lead vocals while keeping time behind a drum set -it’s devilishly hard to do and nearly impossible to do WELL). That was Chester 
Thompson. When Hackett left, They hired Daryl Sturmer for the lead guitar. Rutherford has actually pointed out that Sturmer is faster than him on the frets, but Sturmer always pointed out that Rutherford was the creative drive behind the riffs.
Thompson and Sturmer were very much a part of the band, even though they were basically employees and didn’t own a piece of the band. They were there for every tour for twenty years.
But they also worked for Phil.
When Collins left, Sturmer and Thompson had their prior commitments to him leaving Banks and Rutherford alone. You see, it wasn’t one member of a trio leaving, it was three members of the band…the majority of them. That’s a lot to replace and rebuild.
I think it still could have worked if they had spent a couple of years touring smaller venues and released one more album with Walston. Quality was really never the issue as much as manpower. Still, Banks and Rutherford made the call, at their age, they were ready to call it a day. I can’t blame them. I was thrilled when they reunited for the “Turn it on Again” tour in 2007. This was the band I knew. There’s always been talk of a Gabriel reunion or some classic lien up, but this, this really is my era’s 
Genesis and I’m good with it. This band has earned it’s place.
Look, forget about the tripe the radio plays. Grab yourself a copy of the self titled “Genesis” album, or the “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” or even “We Can’t Dance” with brilliant songs like “Dreaming While You Sleep” and “Driving the Last Spike”. Check out all the stuff that isn’t on the radio because with this band there’s far more than meets the eye.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and 12 hours of Terror
12 Hours of Terror was a blast this weekend, just as always.Got a late afternoon nap, got my coffee and my superman blanket and headed out to the Capitol theater in Cleveland with The monster mash blaring full blast out of my car speakers. Parking was nuts. Got in late and the place was packed. And I mean PACKED. I got the last seat in the last row and as the first film of the night went on, I saw people sitting on the floor. I figured I’d be stuck in the back until people start to bail – only a handful of folks last the entire night. First film up was night of the living dead…had a commentary running on Amy’s iPod. I mean no disrespect, it’s just, I’ve seen this now like FIVE times in the theater in the last three years. I’m a little burned out.
Still it’s amazing what a high quality print on a huge screen with a receptive audience can do for the movie. It still passes the watch test and remain a fascinating character piece. the fact that I’ve met most of the cast doesn’t hurt any either.
Turns out I wasn’t stuck in the back the rest of the night either, one of my friends found me and brought me down to the middle of the theater with a few of her buddies she had brought along. On to the next film of the evening. Man, I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I saw creepshow! I didn’t know Ed Harris or Tom Atkins was in it….
Tom Atkins without his mustache is the real monster here.
We’ll talk about the surprise screening in the middle a little later. I was actually looking forward to seeing the Descent on the big screen, but that mid-marathon fatigue hit and I managed to doze a little during the very beginning. Let’s face it, the first fifteen minutes are a lifetime movie….
The descent really loses a lot of its ability to scare on repeat viewings. This was my third time seeing it, though the audience was reacting very strongly. I suspect a lot of them had never seen it before. One nice thing about the big screen look, you can see a lot more detail on the crawlers.
While I was standing in line for coffee . They had the Vincent price episode of the muppets playing during the intermission. That was a new twist – indie movies and short features during the breaks between films. I like it but I also missed the old movie trailers they’ve done in years past.
Pumpkinhead surprisingly doesn’t get any better or worse on the big screen. No noticeable improvement in quality, this is a film made for direct to video. I’d also question the wisdom of playing Madman next to last in the marathon. Madman is NOT a good film. There’s no story, it’s just a set up for random kills and the single most awkward love scene in all of 80’s and 70’s cinema. Sleepyness was in full force here, and I suspect a better film would have kept my attention better. By the way, would you believe they are actually doing a reunion for this movie at The Chiller Theatre convention this year?
I’m not even sure if Cinema Wasteland would bother with that one….
American Werewolf in London was as good as it always has been. One thing that always strikes me about it though, I didn’t see this untill I was an adult, but I was very familiar with the creatures in the dream sequence from having “Fright Flicks” trading cards as a kid. It’s always weird to me to see those masks on screen and it always bothers me how they aren’t articulated at all…I always imagined they would be. Sadly I had to leave a little; the films were running behind and I had to be on the other side of Cleveland at 9:30. But that’s alright, the Capitol has actually screened this in the past (one of the reasons I was surprised to see it in the mix here)
Anyhow, lets get to the secret film;
It turns out that the surprise movie at 12 Hours of Terror this year was an advance screening of Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse! The full review is up on the Kreepy Kastle!
http://kreepykastle.com/scouts-guide-to-the-zombie-apocalypse/
Selfie!
Selfie project for Maddie, but just decorating her phone pic wasn’t enough, she had to draw a self portrait too!
Tim Burton
I know. I’ve said some unkind things about Tim Burton on this blog (and I ment every word). Fortunately he doesn’t read any of this, otherwise he might not have sent me an autograph.
Despite my criticism, you can’t discount batman or beetlejuice or Nightmare before Christmas! I found a great photo to send him and off it went to his North Americian addrss.
It came back from England.
Seriously, that’s cool. I love getting international mail. Not only did he sign it, he enclosed a short faq/letter! It’s a form letter to be sure, but I love how the bit about not sending out autographs has been crossed out….I love this. What a great success!
Bollywood Thriller
Seriously, how did this escape my notice until now? Big thanks to Christopher Gulley for discovering it first and sharing it!
And check out the Kreepy Kastle blog while you’re at it. Today we’re talking horror hosts in comics, and later this week we’ll be discussing a classic film screening from last weekend!
Pop Meeting 108
Let’s face it- you guys already know I really like villians. This weeks it’s all about the bad guys.
Join us tonight at the Parma Heights Library at 6:30! (Death ray optional)
Star Crash : Italian Star Wars
Like last month’s this film gets a little unfairly branded as the “Italian Star Wars” though premiering just one year behind Star Wars they are obviously trying to cash in on the imagery and look of it as we can see in the poster.
A pair of space smugglers pick up a castaway who turns out to be the only survivor from a secret mission to destroy a mysterious superweapon designed by the evil Count Zartham. The smugglers are soon recruited by the Emperor to complete the mission, as well as to rescue the Emperor’s missing son…
This is good in it’s own right, particularly since we get an early David hasslehoff appearance and the always delightful Caroline Munro. It’s easy to find. there’s even a MST3K if you’re interested.
Last week
Doctor Who started the season slow. The Muppets is a disaster Gotham is disappointing.
Thank God for the Flash.
I can not say this enough. Thank God for the Flash or I might be done with TV again. Seriously, it’s the only show that makes me feel even remotely the way Doctor Who does; glued to the TV in wonder.
This season opener was shockingly strong. What’s amazing is that they came in so strong despite basically everything on the show having changed. Characters gone, roles changed, new jobs, new threats. That the show has held up so well, not only held up, but indeed managed to thrive is remarkable.
We were left on a bit of a cliffhanger last year and the premier took a risky approach, resolving it bit by bit using flashbacks spread over the first half hour of the episode. It shouldn’t have worked as well as it did but it kept me engrossed the entire time. We get set up very well for this season with Jay Garrek showing up in the final minuets (this is in the commercials, so I don’t consider it a spoiler) as wel as FINALLY seeing that circle behind the lightning bolt go from red to white! My single biggest complaint on that costume and it’s gone!
Seriously, considering my resistance to this show, I can’t believe it’s become one of my favorites. But it has a perfect balance of superheroics, humor, and drama. Indeed I wish the DC cinematic universe would pay more attention to it.
iZombie returned last night as well, not quite as great as the Flash, but you know what, it’s maintained it’s quality. It’s just as good this year as it was last year, and I’ve got no complaints.
I kind of dropped off the series last year after the Flash ended it’s season. It wasn’t intentional, I just forget to sit down to watch TV sometimes. Flash is a super strong lead in for iZombie and I think i kind of need it to keep up. I’m still going to have to go back and catch up, because I’ve obviously missed some major plot points, but still I didn’t feel too lost. There’s a very episodic feel to the show and you can almost ignore the story arcs here if you need to. I’m glad it’s back and look forward to watching it again this season.
Tuesday nights seems kind of crowed actually. It’s the night for the Muppets as well. Of course there’s just 
one little problem there, the Muppets still hasn’t really gotten better. It’s just to dark and cynical for me. This episode revolves around Fozzie writing a bad script for the show. Kermit moans about how terrible it is and misleads him about it. The setup is actually very muppets, but the mean-spiritedness is not. The Kermit I know would have arrived at the conclusion to help Fozzie with his script far earlier, or would have just put it in the show anyhow because he’s a good guy. Kermit is love. But not so much on this show.
For the last three episodes, I’ve actually found the “B” storylines far more interesting and funny. This one has two of them. The first is Miss Piggy trying to get back at Christina Applegate for showing an embarrassing video of her on her show. And we’re back to mean-spirited. Piggy’s egotistical and kind of selfish, but her rage is usually expressed in a karate chop, I don’t know. Something just feels off here. The Gonzo storyline with him computer dating using a profile picture of Liam Hemsworth is much funnier. In fact the bits with Gonzo, Rizzo and Pepe have been the most consistently funny things in the show.
Overall it’s not working for me. It’s kind of like the Star Trek reboot. It’s not bad, it’s fun sometimes evern, but 
it’s lost whatever made these characters special. It’s lost it’s soul. I more than half expect this show to get cancelled early. Mid-season at best.
I’ve said it already. Gotham this season is disappointing. It’s stayed firmly over the top, with out new Joker character firmly in the forefront. Here’s the problem:
Last year it felt like a cop drama set in the edges of the Batman universe. This year it feels like a Batman show, but without the Batman. You see where I’m going here? The more we focus on Jerome and Bruce, the more we really kind of miss Batman and the Joker. I didn’t miss them last year because it wasn’t about them. This year however, the series feels compelled to remind us “It’s a Batman show!”. Yeah. Okay. But there’s no Batman. There’s not going to BE any Batman. Not for a while anyhow – five, six years at least. And more importantly, that’s not what I signed on for. I signed on for a cop show, a crime show, I signed on for Law and Order : Gotham. And I doubted you. I thought “There’s no possible way they can maintain this for a full season…” and you proved me wrong!
But that was last year. This year, it’s a diffrent show, and I’m not really sure I like it as much. Jerome….it’s a half measure. It’s a network exec saying “We can’t have Batman without the Joker!” and they’re right. You can’t have Batman without the Joker. But the thing is….you don’t have Batman either. And all you do is remind us that you don’t have Batman and you don’t exactly have the Joker….this direction seems ill convinced.
It’s not just the Joker focus, it’s the reduced focus on the Penguin – who was arguable the break-out character of last year. People LOVED Robin Lord Taylor, and it was a popularity that grew organically (As opposed to the very forced feel I get with Jerome). And seeing Nygma descend into madness… it’s no fun. I’d argue it’s not even accurate. The thing about the Riddler is that he’s super-smart, not that he’s a madman.
I guess it all comes back to my original thesis. This year, Gotham is just…disappointing.
I mentioned earlier that Doctor Who was starting slow. I stand by that staement. There were some stand out moments in the first story, but by the time we got to the back half of that two parter it had gotten awfully talky and convoluted. There’s a good idea in there, but it seems like they were more in love with discussing the idea than actually telling some kind of story.
This week’s ghost story was an improvement, but it still felt extremely average – not the sort of riveting, can’t-take-my eyes-off-the-screen storytelling I’m a bit more used to. Still, the thing about Doctor Who is, even when it’s average, it’s still so much better than most of the other things on TV. I like Capauldi and I REALLY prefer him in that hoodie. Good thing 
too, it seems like he wears that far more than that white button down shirt.
More Doctor Who coming up on Saturday (Can you believe we’re already at the FOURTH episode this season? We’re a quarter of the way through!) and Walking Dead returns Sunday night. See you all there.
Nomad
Nomad is really kind of a guilty pleasure. He’s quintessentially 90’s with the long hair, the gun and sometimes-trenchcoat. Paste this persona on a pre-existing character with ties to Cap so he has some history and volia! We have a winner!
There isn’t much more to this than what it appears. Biker hero with a gun and stun discs who spends half the run taking care of a baby (nice twist). If you ever watched the syndicated TV show “Renegade” around the same time, you get the picture.
These aren’t bad stories. I pick them up when ever I see them in a dump bin. It’s fun reading from an era I remember fondly, but don’t go into it expecting any depth.
Cinema Wasteland Fall 2015
You know, I completely missed the window to talk about Horrorhound this year. I went, it was okay, but 
didn’t make enough of an impression on me to really work at getting that post out. I might still do it after Con season’s over…there’s some great pics.
But that’s the big differance between HorrorHound and Wasteland. HH is a show. A con. Wasteland is family.
I spent more of my weekend hanging out with friends than anything else. It’s exactly the kind of party I want to be a part of – hanging out, watching movies, talking to the people who made them. TCM 3 is a strange choice for a reunion, but I can’t knock it, this was a great time.
Huge fun meeting William Butler. He comes off as a wet blanket in the film, but in person he’s bubbly, happy and funny. We chatted about his time on Dusk Till Dawn (he was in charge of vampire goo….) and his co star in TCM. He dominated the TCM panel and for me was the most fun to hear from. I was
also thrilled to get to meet another Leatherface – R.A. Mihailoff is admittedly a veteran of the convention circuit, but he shows genuine affection for his fans. Just don’t ask him what “R.A.” stands for. “There’s women out there that I’ve been intimate with that still don’t know, so I guarantee YOU’RE not finding out!” he replies with a devilish grin. Also, the only way to get him to do karaoke is to play “Ring of Fire”. It’s probably just as well if you don’t ask me how I know this.
This weekend also served as part two of the Day of the Dead reunion. The spring reunion was massive and the place was packed for it, but there were still a few guests that they couldn’t get. Bringing in DP Michal Gornick along with some of the feature zombies we got to visit that film just a bit more, though really, for both Gornick and Mike Trcic they’ve got such huge bodies of work that it the panel really ended up focused on all those other films. Fascinating to listen to Trcic talk about the differences in working for Spielberg as a opposed to Cameron. He has a great story about controlling the eyes on the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. “The best place is to stand behind the director, that way you get a clear view of the monitor and the camera and can figure out where everything is supposed to be pointing. Well, I got there one day and this guy is standing there and I told him ‘Excuse me, I have to be here’. He turned to me and it was STEVE MARTIN! I was mortified, and then he asked me ‘ Who are you?’ I repled that I was the spleen (of the movie). “. He also described how Cameron would yell and insult people if they wern’t doing a job exactly the way he wanted them to ( except Arnold. He could never get away with that on Arnold). At one point, someone on set started keeping a list, then had all those insults printed on t-shirts and handed out to the people that had been verbally abused.
One of my favorite moments of the weekend though, was heading over to Gunga Jim’s for his film…except the presentation hadn’t burned correctly so he passed out fortune cookies and had the 
audience vote on what movie to watch. “Legend of the Blood Monster” is possibly the most MST3K ready film I’ve ever seen, and Gunga’s quips were perfect in it.
Let’s face it, movie screenings are a huge part of why I love Wasteland. I got to see Damnation Alley – a film I’ve NEVER experienced before by my favorite author. Then there was “I Married a Monster From Outer Space.” Can someone explain to me how “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a classic and this isn’t? It’s almost the same premise but with better effects and just as much atmosphere. Perhaps it’s the name, I’ll admit that’s just terrible. But what a great film. Then there’s “Blood Sucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh”. A remarkably fun piece of trash, and most definately something I’d never have thought to seek out on my own. Then there’s TCM 3. I own a copy of this, but nevertheless, I haven’t watched it in ages…I’d completely forgotten Viggo Mortensen was in this. In fact, it’s been long enough…perhaps I never actually knew. I may not have screened this since before LOTR. Hmmmm.
Grease!
The very last play I ever did before I got married and gave up the theatre. They wouldn’t let us film this from the back of the theatre so the stage manager and I set up cameras in the wings and shot it ourselves!
and of course it wouldn’t be compelte with a quick behind the scenes featurette!
Argo City Comics 