I've decided I want to do something this year during the month of October movie-wise and blogging-wise. I am going to watch at least 31 movies of the horror genre, and hopefully in the process write a post regarding said film.
So, to get myself in the right frame of mind and in the Halloween spirit, I decided to make a list of potential films for this endeavor. Not everything I list will get watched, but I've got a nice selection between my personal collection and the offering of Netflix & Hulu. Plus, the public library is always accessible.
Most of the things I list are titles I have in one of two queues, or plan to get from the library within the next month. A few items will also be from my own collection.
Oh, and entry one is already pending. The Serpent & The Rainbow will kick all this off tomorrow, hopefully.
Without further adiu, here we go.
Library
Oculus (2014)
Hulu
The Prowler (1981)
The Beyond (1983)
Arcade (1994)
Intruder (1989)
Netflix Streaming
Grave Encounters (2011)
The Stuff (1985)
The Innkeepers (2011)
The Hole (2009)
ParaNorman (2012)
Dead Heat (1988)
Birth of the Living Dead (2013)
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
Personal Collection
Subspecies (1990)
The Monster Club (1980)
Deadly Eyes (1982)
Trilogy of Terror (1974)
The Descent (2005)
19 movies isn't a bad start. I didn't list anything from my Netflix queue since I still need to finish Season 2 of Hannibal before I get any movies in the mail.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
September in Review
To keep the blog active, and to continue to write (even when the desire is not there), I decided I would look at my movie stats at the end of each month, and compile a post regarding what I watched.
September had 14 movies watched, a bit low, but between Elizabeth & myself watching 4 seasons of Rizzoli & Isles and then me catching up with Season 2 of Hannibal, I'm happy with my viewing history.
A lot of good things were watched, starting off with a theatrical viewing of one of my all-time favorite films, Ghostbusters. I love this movie. Easily in my top 5 favorite films, and if asked on the right day, might even be my #1. I've loved this movie since childhood. When my parents bought me a DVD player for Christmas back in 1999, they included 4 movies. Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Jurassic Park, & The Lost World: Jurassic Park. They know me quite well.
Two great franchise documentaries were also watched in September. I finally made my way through both A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, so I was able to view Never Sleep Again and Crystal Lake Memories. I loved both of them, but I feel like Never Sleep Again was just a tad bit better. Probably due to it being the shorter of the two documentaries (4 hours compared to 6), and it flew by when I viewed it.
As I wrote in my last entry, I was able to introduce Elizabeth to the awesomeness of Bill & Ted over the weekend. Two more movies from my childhood, and and it had been a while since watching them. I'll probably be upgrading Excellent to Blu-Ray in the future, especially if I can find it at a decent price.
Of course, with the good comes the bad. But, bad doesn't always mean horrible. I am a huge fan of "so bad it's good" cinema, and more than one movie I watched in September fits that genre. Dave and I had a mini-marathon of movies earlier in the month, in which we introduced ourselves to a film entitled Samurai Cop. I can't even begin to describe the awesomeness/awfulness of this movie. In retaliation, I then introduced Dave to a little film entitled Ninja III: The Domination, which I had watched for the first time only a week prior. Both films are quite entertaining & fun to watch. Samurai Cop has a Kickstarter going for it's sequel, and Dave backed it, so sometime next year we will be experiencing that.
Finally, there is the ugly. Thankfully, I do not watch a lot of movies that fall into this category. Which means I won't always have an entry. But September does have a qualifier: Jason X. See, in preparation for Crystal Lake Memories, I sat through the whole franchise of Friday the 13th. And as much as I love Jason, Jason X was a tough film to get through. Mainly due to the acting, as the movie makers actually made the plot doable. I will admit this entry in the franchise does have one of my favorite kills, the cryogenic face smash. Watching the documentary did improve my thoughts regarding it, but it is still the worst movie I watched in September.
I didn't cover all 14 films, so if you are curious to see all that I watched, please check out my pinterest page. Hopefully I will make this a monthly feature to the blog, and get better at my writing in the process.
September had 14 movies watched, a bit low, but between Elizabeth & myself watching 4 seasons of Rizzoli & Isles and then me catching up with Season 2 of Hannibal, I'm happy with my viewing history.
A lot of good things were watched, starting off with a theatrical viewing of one of my all-time favorite films, Ghostbusters. I love this movie. Easily in my top 5 favorite films, and if asked on the right day, might even be my #1. I've loved this movie since childhood. When my parents bought me a DVD player for Christmas back in 1999, they included 4 movies. Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Jurassic Park, & The Lost World: Jurassic Park. They know me quite well.
Two great franchise documentaries were also watched in September. I finally made my way through both A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, so I was able to view Never Sleep Again and Crystal Lake Memories. I loved both of them, but I feel like Never Sleep Again was just a tad bit better. Probably due to it being the shorter of the two documentaries (4 hours compared to 6), and it flew by when I viewed it.
As I wrote in my last entry, I was able to introduce Elizabeth to the awesomeness of Bill & Ted over the weekend. Two more movies from my childhood, and and it had been a while since watching them. I'll probably be upgrading Excellent to Blu-Ray in the future, especially if I can find it at a decent price.
Of course, with the good comes the bad. But, bad doesn't always mean horrible. I am a huge fan of "so bad it's good" cinema, and more than one movie I watched in September fits that genre. Dave and I had a mini-marathon of movies earlier in the month, in which we introduced ourselves to a film entitled Samurai Cop. I can't even begin to describe the awesomeness/awfulness of this movie. In retaliation, I then introduced Dave to a little film entitled Ninja III: The Domination, which I had watched for the first time only a week prior. Both films are quite entertaining & fun to watch. Samurai Cop has a Kickstarter going for it's sequel, and Dave backed it, so sometime next year we will be experiencing that.
Finally, there is the ugly. Thankfully, I do not watch a lot of movies that fall into this category. Which means I won't always have an entry. But September does have a qualifier: Jason X. See, in preparation for Crystal Lake Memories, I sat through the whole franchise of Friday the 13th. And as much as I love Jason, Jason X was a tough film to get through. Mainly due to the acting, as the movie makers actually made the plot doable. I will admit this entry in the franchise does have one of my favorite kills, the cryogenic face smash. Watching the documentary did improve my thoughts regarding it, but it is still the worst movie I watched in September.
I didn't cover all 14 films, so if you are curious to see all that I watched, please check out my pinterest page. Hopefully I will make this a monthly feature to the blog, and get better at my writing in the process.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Happy 32nd Birthday
I had a great birthday this past weekend, spent with great friends and an amazing wife.
Yesterday after church, Elizabeth, Lindsey, Brian and myself spent the afternoon with pizza and homemade cookies (easily some of the best I've ever had) and watched Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Two films Elizabeth had never seen, and that are on my 40 Films before 40 list.
(For those that don't know, when Elizabeth and I made 40 Before 40 lists two years ago, one of the objectives on my personal list is a list of 40 movies Elizabeth has never seen with me. It is a wide range of movies, mostly favorites of mine that I want to experience with her,)
It was a great afternoon, and surprisingly, she liked Bogus more.
After Bri & Lindz left, we relaxed at home and I began playing Batman: Arkham City, one of my birthday gifts. I also took the time and called my parents and grandparents, as I had missed a call from them. And it is always nice to talk with family.
Dave came over later that evening, and we ate leftover pizza & cookies, and ended up watching The Serpent & The Rainbow, which he had just bought at MovieStop. (Movie will get its own post shortly, as I am considering it as Movie #1 in my 31 Days of Horror challenge). He also had his gift for me, which was Volumes 1 and 2 of Chew, Omnivore editions. A great gift, since I just got into Chew earlier this year.
One final gift I've yet to experience, but that is because it hasn't happened yet. Elizabeth, Dave, and I will be going to a hockey game next month, which should be lots of fun.
Yesterday after church, Elizabeth, Lindsey, Brian and myself spent the afternoon with pizza and homemade cookies (easily some of the best I've ever had) and watched Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Two films Elizabeth had never seen, and that are on my 40 Films before 40 list.
(For those that don't know, when Elizabeth and I made 40 Before 40 lists two years ago, one of the objectives on my personal list is a list of 40 movies Elizabeth has never seen with me. It is a wide range of movies, mostly favorites of mine that I want to experience with her,)
It was a great afternoon, and surprisingly, she liked Bogus more.
After Bri & Lindz left, we relaxed at home and I began playing Batman: Arkham City, one of my birthday gifts. I also took the time and called my parents and grandparents, as I had missed a call from them. And it is always nice to talk with family.
Dave came over later that evening, and we ate leftover pizza & cookies, and ended up watching The Serpent & The Rainbow, which he had just bought at MovieStop. (Movie will get its own post shortly, as I am considering it as Movie #1 in my 31 Days of Horror challenge). He also had his gift for me, which was Volumes 1 and 2 of Chew, Omnivore editions. A great gift, since I just got into Chew earlier this year.
One final gift I've yet to experience, but that is because it hasn't happened yet. Elizabeth, Dave, and I will be going to a hockey game next month, which should be lots of fun.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Nightmare on Friday the 13th
Back in July, I decided to finally get around to watching Never Sleep Again, a documentary on the Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise. So, before sitting down and watching the documentary and getting the most out of it, I decided I would watch the NOES films. Elizabeth gave me the DVD collection a few years ago, and I had never watched all the films in order before, and actually there were a few of them I had never even seen. So, I embarked on this journey. 8 films featuring Robert Englund as Freddy (thankfully, I did not have to sit through the reboot from 2010. Wasn't a fan in theaters, and don't think my opinion of the film is going to change.)
8 films. Including Freddy VS. Jason. So of course, I decided to also watch all the Friday the 13th films in chronological order. Friday has 12 movies in the franchise, including the 2009 reboot (which I'm ok with. (see, Englund = Freddy. Jason has had multiple actors behind the hockey mask.))
I finally made it to FvJ last week. And then I watched Never Sleep Again, which is a 4-hour documentary that goes by very quickly. I loved it, and thought it was done very well. I was a bit disappointed that not everyone with the franchise participated, but also was expecting that.
And since I was going through the Friday franchise, I finally got around to purchasing the Crystal Lake Memories documentary. I have the book, and enjoy that very much. And I am currently watching it, and it is just as informative as the NOES one,
My reason for posting today is this: I enjoyed most of the movies out of both franchises. But after watching these two documentaries, even the ones that were not my favorite, I have a little bit more love for. Seeing the people involved talk about each film and reminisce about their time making it, you find a new appreciation for it.
And I think this is true for any film. That is one reason I am such a fan of the extras on DVDs, especially the retrospectives and interviews that Scream Factory puts on there stuff. There is something about seeing the love and heart that went into the making of a film.
Also, since I've gone ahead and talked about it here, here are my ranking for each of the franchises mentioned.
Nightmare on Elm Street
1) Nightmare on Elm Street
2) Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
3) Wes Craven's New Nightmare
4) Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
5) Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
6) Freddy Vs. Jason
7) Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
8) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Friday the 13th
1) Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Friday
2) Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
3) Friday the 13th Part 2
4) Friday the 13th Part 3
5) Friday the 13th
6) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
7) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
8) Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
9) Freddy Vs. Jason
10) Friday the 13th (2009)
11) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
12) Jason X
8 films. Including Freddy VS. Jason. So of course, I decided to also watch all the Friday the 13th films in chronological order. Friday has 12 movies in the franchise, including the 2009 reboot (which I'm ok with. (see, Englund = Freddy. Jason has had multiple actors behind the hockey mask.))
I finally made it to FvJ last week. And then I watched Never Sleep Again, which is a 4-hour documentary that goes by very quickly. I loved it, and thought it was done very well. I was a bit disappointed that not everyone with the franchise participated, but also was expecting that.
And since I was going through the Friday franchise, I finally got around to purchasing the Crystal Lake Memories documentary. I have the book, and enjoy that very much. And I am currently watching it, and it is just as informative as the NOES one,
My reason for posting today is this: I enjoyed most of the movies out of both franchises. But after watching these two documentaries, even the ones that were not my favorite, I have a little bit more love for. Seeing the people involved talk about each film and reminisce about their time making it, you find a new appreciation for it.
And I think this is true for any film. That is one reason I am such a fan of the extras on DVDs, especially the retrospectives and interviews that Scream Factory puts on there stuff. There is something about seeing the love and heart that went into the making of a film.
Also, since I've gone ahead and talked about it here, here are my ranking for each of the franchises mentioned.
Nightmare on Elm Street
1) Nightmare on Elm Street
2) Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
3) Wes Craven's New Nightmare
4) Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
5) Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
6) Freddy Vs. Jason
7) Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
8) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Friday the 13th
1) Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Friday
2) Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
3) Friday the 13th Part 2
4) Friday the 13th Part 3
5) Friday the 13th
6) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
7) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
8) Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
9) Freddy Vs. Jason
10) Friday the 13th (2009)
11) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
12) Jason X
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
WizardWorld Richmond 2014
Back in March, Dave & I went to Seattle to attend Emerald City Comic Con for his birthday. He turned 30 this year, so Elizabeth & I wanted to do something big and special for him, so the two of us went to a comic con, as I had never been and he had been wanting to go to another one (he had last gone to NYCC in 2009). It was lots of fun, and we had a great time. It was a wonderful first con experience, and it was cool to meet writers & artists personally, and it was during that weekend I got back into Twitter, which ultimately brought me back to the blog as well.
Fast forward to this past weekend, and Dave and I decided to would travel up to Richmond to attend the inaugural WizardWorld. We knew it would be a much smaller event than ECCC, but worth it for a 1-day ticket. Tom from Heroes & Villains would also be there on Saturday with his wife and a few other friends.
As we expected, it was a much smaller event, but it was still enjoyable. I didn't come away with as much stuff as I did in Seattle, but the few things I did get I really like. I bought 3 mini postcard sized prints of Jason from Friday the 13th, Skeletor, and a mash-up of Batgirl/Buttercup (from Powerpuff Girls). I also picked up this cool looking Creature from the Black Lagoon print, and a print of Predator with different pop culture items in the trophy room including a Batarang, Lion-O's sword, and the Rocketeer helmet.
The one piece of original art I left with it a small headshot of Plastic Man done by Tom Cook, an animator who has worked on so many different things. It was hard to choose what I was going to get, as my options included characters from Masters of the Universe, Scooby-Doo, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I also had him sign a few dvds that I own while I was at his booth.
I did pick up a Blu-Ray I have been wanting to get while I was there. I upgraded my Daimajin set. And from looking at it last night, well worth the upgrade. Will have to find the time soon to rewatch the movies.
Dave left the event with an original piece of art from Neal Adams featuring Invisible Woman. He also met Bruce Campbell and got his autobiography signed. Not sure of everything Tom left with, but I do know he left with an original Raphael done and signed by Kevin Eastman, as well as a few comics signed by Eastman.
I enjoyed the con, and will probably attend again. Dave and I made the joke after learning that it was the inaugural one, that we should attend every year and see how it improves, and then in 5-10 years, we could say we had been attending from the start.
We have the local Tidewater Comicon on October 18th to look forward to, and I think Elizabeth will be joining us for that experience.
Fast forward to this past weekend, and Dave and I decided to would travel up to Richmond to attend the inaugural WizardWorld. We knew it would be a much smaller event than ECCC, but worth it for a 1-day ticket. Tom from Heroes & Villains would also be there on Saturday with his wife and a few other friends.
As we expected, it was a much smaller event, but it was still enjoyable. I didn't come away with as much stuff as I did in Seattle, but the few things I did get I really like. I bought 3 mini postcard sized prints of Jason from Friday the 13th, Skeletor, and a mash-up of Batgirl/Buttercup (from Powerpuff Girls). I also picked up this cool looking Creature from the Black Lagoon print, and a print of Predator with different pop culture items in the trophy room including a Batarang, Lion-O's sword, and the Rocketeer helmet.
The one piece of original art I left with it a small headshot of Plastic Man done by Tom Cook, an animator who has worked on so many different things. It was hard to choose what I was going to get, as my options included characters from Masters of the Universe, Scooby-Doo, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I also had him sign a few dvds that I own while I was at his booth.
I did pick up a Blu-Ray I have been wanting to get while I was there. I upgraded my Daimajin set. And from looking at it last night, well worth the upgrade. Will have to find the time soon to rewatch the movies.
Dave left the event with an original piece of art from Neal Adams featuring Invisible Woman. He also met Bruce Campbell and got his autobiography signed. Not sure of everything Tom left with, but I do know he left with an original Raphael done and signed by Kevin Eastman, as well as a few comics signed by Eastman.
I enjoyed the con, and will probably attend again. Dave and I made the joke after learning that it was the inaugural one, that we should attend every year and see how it improves, and then in 5-10 years, we could say we had been attending from the start.
We have the local Tidewater Comicon on October 18th to look forward to, and I think Elizabeth will be joining us for that experience.
Friday, September 05, 2014
50 Random Things
I'm in a writing mood, and according to the stats Blogger shows me, this is going to be my 50th entry for this blog. So, why not make it an entry of 50 randoms things. Probably going to me more facts about me, or observations I have had. We shall see. Not that anyone actually will end up reading this though.
50. I've been married for 5 years to my best friend, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
49. Out of the 4 steady jobs I've had in my life, 2 of the businesses I worked for no longer exist (Blockbuster Video & Borders bookstore)
48. I love my current job at LifeWay, but know I will never have another job experience like Borders 682. The right people at the right time, and the friendships that came out of that place will be life-long.
47. I need to learn some basic HTML if I'm going to be writing in this blog regularly again.
46. For those that don't know, I read comics. I tend to stick to DC mostly, but after attending my first con back in March, I've actually stepped out of my comfort zone. I read a couple Marvel titles at the moment (I think 2 of them are ending by the end of the year), and I've really gotten into Image and the creator owned books they put out. One of my new favorites in Nailbiter by Joshua Williamson.
45. Man, why did I choose this as my entry? Already 5 points in and losing steam. But not giving up!
44. I just pulled up "Cascade Mountain Stream" on Netflix for background noise as I write. If anything, all it is going to do is make me need to pee.
43. Have been watching Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises in chronological order, as I've been wanting to watch Never Sleep Again and Crystal Lake Memories, but wanted to watch each film before getting to the documentaries. I prefer Jason over Freddy. My favorite Elm Street was 3 (Dream Warriors), and Friday was 6 (Jason Lives).
42. As my previous post shows, I enjoy thrift store shopping. I mostly purchase books while I'm out, but I also find the occasional board game and/or movie. And every once in a blue moon, some really cool stuff, like the Batman and Robin glasses from the '70s Brian found when we last went out together.
Speaking of which, the two of us need to go back out sometime soon.
41. Monkeys are my favorite animal.
40. I love Batman. I probably own at least 25 Batman-themed shirts, not including JLA appearances. I really should catalog them. That could be an interesting blog post.
39. I keep track of what movies I've watched by posting on a pinterest board. Recently, I've been trying to use obscure or foreign posters as my update on it. Makes it a bit more interesting.
38. I really should get back into writing. Be it this blog, or trying to get a book out of my system.
37. Personal dream of mine: getting a book published. Hence, the desire to write. Just not good at time management.
36. I've got an upcoming vacation that I am looking forward to. If anything, will be visiting Las Vegas for sure.
35. A few movies I've never seen (as of this writing): Braveheart, Fight Club, & Chinatown. Or any of The Godfather movies.
34. Took a break and napped for a bit. While napping, news broke that Joan Rivers had died.
33. '80s & '90s tv shows have some of the best theme music ever. I have so many favorites from that period.
32. I may be a bit impartial, but Batman has the greatest rogues gallery. Mr. Freeze is my favorite, but The Ventriloquist & Scarface are a close second.
31. I ain't afraid of no ghost.
30. I drink coffee, as well as collect coffee cups. I've got about 5-6 that I use regularly, and tend to pick them up as souvenirs for myself. And shockingly, I do not have a Batman one as of this writing.
29. I just sent a small electrical shock through my body trying to plug something in. Super weird and a bit startling.
28. I'm tempted to start my Netflix (DVDs in the mail) account back up again, but already have so much to watch with my own collection, streaming, hulu, and the library.
27. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot as I was growing up. I was born in New Mexico, then moved to Japan. Back to New Mexico, followed by Arizona, North Carolina, Missouri, and the Virginia, which is where he retired. My parents moved to North Carolina 10(?) years ago. I've lived in Virginia the longest I've lived anywhere, 16 years. Which is also half of my life-span.
26. The age I was when Elizabeth & I married.
25. This list is taking me longer than I expected to compile. Finally at the half-way point.
23. For background sound, I now have Winter Wonderland playing on the TV. Piano Christmas music playing while snowy background scenes are shown on the screen.
22. Elizabeth has never seen the theatrical cuts of Lord of the Rings, but has seen the extended cuts.
21. 867-5309
20. I can say the alphabet backwards at a surprisingly fast rate.
19. I own over 1000 DVDs & Blu-Rays. A good portion of my collection came from my Blockbuster Video years. I also own a lot of movies I've never seen.
18. I bought The Real Ghostbusters complete animated series collection on DVD because of a late-night infomercial.
17. I've been trying to read Stephen King's books in order that he wrote them (excluding The Dark Tower saga. That is a task of it's own.) I'm currently stuck on Pet Sematary.
16. I've flown more in just the 9 months than I have the past decade.
15. I broke my wrist when I was in the 6th grade roller skating. After getting the cast put on, my dad took me to my moms place of work. She thought we were trying to pull one over on her.
14. I had a blonde beagle as a pet when I was younger. Her name was Daisy. I miss her.
13. My favorite number.
12. I remember seeing City Slickers in the theater when it came out (I was 8).
11. Journey is one of my favorite bands. Separate Ways is my favorite song by them, and one of the greatest music videos ever.
10. It took forever to get this far. I really thought this entry would be easier to write.
9. I recently signed up for LootCrate.
8. I read more books this summer than I have over the last 5 years. I need to get back into the habit and read more.
7. Unthemed lists are dumb. Better luck next time.
6. I'm tired, but promised myself I would get this entry done & posted before bed.
5. Halloween III is actually my favorite of the sequels.
4. I collect media tie-in books. Movie novelizations are my favorite.
3. I get distracted easily. Especially online, when I open links in other windows.
2. .yllanoisacco sdrowkcab epyt ot ekil I
1. FINALLY. Thanks for reading.
50. I've been married for 5 years to my best friend, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
49. Out of the 4 steady jobs I've had in my life, 2 of the businesses I worked for no longer exist (Blockbuster Video & Borders bookstore)
48. I love my current job at LifeWay, but know I will never have another job experience like Borders 682. The right people at the right time, and the friendships that came out of that place will be life-long.
47. I need to learn some basic HTML if I'm going to be writing in this blog regularly again.
46. For those that don't know, I read comics. I tend to stick to DC mostly, but after attending my first con back in March, I've actually stepped out of my comfort zone. I read a couple Marvel titles at the moment (I think 2 of them are ending by the end of the year), and I've really gotten into Image and the creator owned books they put out. One of my new favorites in Nailbiter by Joshua Williamson.
45. Man, why did I choose this as my entry? Already 5 points in and losing steam. But not giving up!
44. I just pulled up "Cascade Mountain Stream" on Netflix for background noise as I write. If anything, all it is going to do is make me need to pee.
43. Have been watching Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises in chronological order, as I've been wanting to watch Never Sleep Again and Crystal Lake Memories, but wanted to watch each film before getting to the documentaries. I prefer Jason over Freddy. My favorite Elm Street was 3 (Dream Warriors), and Friday was 6 (Jason Lives).
42. As my previous post shows, I enjoy thrift store shopping. I mostly purchase books while I'm out, but I also find the occasional board game and/or movie. And every once in a blue moon, some really cool stuff, like the Batman and Robin glasses from the '70s Brian found when we last went out together.
Speaking of which, the two of us need to go back out sometime soon.41. Monkeys are my favorite animal.
40. I love Batman. I probably own at least 25 Batman-themed shirts, not including JLA appearances. I really should catalog them. That could be an interesting blog post.
39. I keep track of what movies I've watched by posting on a pinterest board. Recently, I've been trying to use obscure or foreign posters as my update on it. Makes it a bit more interesting.
38. I really should get back into writing. Be it this blog, or trying to get a book out of my system.
37. Personal dream of mine: getting a book published. Hence, the desire to write. Just not good at time management.
36. I've got an upcoming vacation that I am looking forward to. If anything, will be visiting Las Vegas for sure.
35. A few movies I've never seen (as of this writing): Braveheart, Fight Club, & Chinatown. Or any of The Godfather movies.
34. Took a break and napped for a bit. While napping, news broke that Joan Rivers had died.
33. '80s & '90s tv shows have some of the best theme music ever. I have so many favorites from that period.
32. I may be a bit impartial, but Batman has the greatest rogues gallery. Mr. Freeze is my favorite, but The Ventriloquist & Scarface are a close second.
31. I ain't afraid of no ghost.
30. I drink coffee, as well as collect coffee cups. I've got about 5-6 that I use regularly, and tend to pick them up as souvenirs for myself. And shockingly, I do not have a Batman one as of this writing.
29. I just sent a small electrical shock through my body trying to plug something in. Super weird and a bit startling.
28. I'm tempted to start my Netflix (DVDs in the mail) account back up again, but already have so much to watch with my own collection, streaming, hulu, and the library.
27. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot as I was growing up. I was born in New Mexico, then moved to Japan. Back to New Mexico, followed by Arizona, North Carolina, Missouri, and the Virginia, which is where he retired. My parents moved to North Carolina 10(?) years ago. I've lived in Virginia the longest I've lived anywhere, 16 years. Which is also half of my life-span.
26. The age I was when Elizabeth & I married.
25. This list is taking me longer than I expected to compile. Finally at the half-way point.
23. For background sound, I now have Winter Wonderland playing on the TV. Piano Christmas music playing while snowy background scenes are shown on the screen.
22. Elizabeth has never seen the theatrical cuts of Lord of the Rings, but has seen the extended cuts.
21. 867-5309
20. I can say the alphabet backwards at a surprisingly fast rate.
19. I own over 1000 DVDs & Blu-Rays. A good portion of my collection came from my Blockbuster Video years. I also own a lot of movies I've never seen.
18. I bought The Real Ghostbusters complete animated series collection on DVD because of a late-night infomercial.
17. I've been trying to read Stephen King's books in order that he wrote them (excluding The Dark Tower saga. That is a task of it's own.) I'm currently stuck on Pet Sematary.
16. I've flown more in just the 9 months than I have the past decade.
15. I broke my wrist when I was in the 6th grade roller skating. After getting the cast put on, my dad took me to my moms place of work. She thought we were trying to pull one over on her.
14. I had a blonde beagle as a pet when I was younger. Her name was Daisy. I miss her.
13. My favorite number.
12. I remember seeing City Slickers in the theater when it came out (I was 8).
11. Journey is one of my favorite bands. Separate Ways is my favorite song by them, and one of the greatest music videos ever.
10. It took forever to get this far. I really thought this entry would be easier to write.
9. I recently signed up for LootCrate.
8. I read more books this summer than I have over the last 5 years. I need to get back into the habit and read more.
7. Unthemed lists are dumb. Better luck next time.
6. I'm tired, but promised myself I would get this entry done & posted before bed.
5. Halloween III is actually my favorite of the sequels.
4. I collect media tie-in books. Movie novelizations are my favorite.
3. I get distracted easily. Especially online, when I open links in other windows.
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1. FINALLY. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Thrifting over Labor Day Weekend 2014
I'm feeling refreshed & renewed, and once again I'm back to this blog. Can't promise I'm going to stay with it for long, but we shall see. The writing bug has struck, and I'm just going to let it do it's thing for now.
So, my parents visited over the holiday weekend, and we did the thing we normally do when they visit, which is hit the local thrift stores. We stuck to our side of the water, and for not having anything particular to look for on this trip, I came away happy with my haul.
So, my parents visited over the holiday weekend, and we did the thing we normally do when they visit, which is hit the local thrift stores. We stuck to our side of the water, and for not having anything particular to look for on this trip, I came away happy with my haul.
A nice assortment of items
As you can tell from the above picture, I mainly purchase books when thrifting. I read a wide assortment of genres and authors. So, let's break this picture down a bit.
Sorry for the bit of blurriness
First off, that pile of books in the background? My collection of wresting biographies. Hence, the Ted Dibiase book in the front. I don't currently watch wrestling, but I do enjoy reading the biographies of the people in the business. I still consider Mick Foley's Have A Nice Day! one of the best books I've ever read. I actually own two Dibiase bios: the one pictured (published by WWE in 2007) and another one he wrote in 1997. Also pictured: a Hawaiian style collection of Mother Goose rhymes that my dad found for us, and Inside Delta Force, a book I was interested in from my Borders days, as I was a fan of the TV Show The Unit.
Filling in some gaps
I've recently started trying to fill in the holes of my R.L. Stine collection (mainly the Fear Street and YA books from my childhood), and this weekend garnered 3 new additions. The super chiller pictured is one of my favorite finds this weekend, as I now have the complete Cheerleaders Fear Street saga, easily my favorite story-line from the Fear Street line. I was unaware that the Babysitter series went up to IV, and I picked up The Babysitter 2 mainly because I was unsure if I had it or not, and liked the re-release cover. Also found How To Solve A Murder, which I thought was a cool book and might come in handy for if and when I do get back to writing a novel. It will be a good resource.
New Fiction & my favorite find
Out of the genres I read, I think mystery/thriller is my favorite. Horror is a close second. When the two combine in one book, it's a guarantee that I will love it. The Relic is one of my favorite books, and I found an ARC of it. For those not in the know, ARC stands for "Advance Readers Copy", and publishers send them out before a books release. At first, I thought this was a just a paperback copy, but I decided to look at it anyways as it was in really good condition.
Also purchased this weekend, a Rizzoli & Isles book that I'm pretty sure we don't own, and a Greg Rucka novel I don't own. Elizabeth & I have been catching up on Rizzoli & Isles on DVD, as I got the DVDs for her as part her anniversary gift, and we both have been compelled to read (or re-read, in Elizabeth's case) the books. And Rucka is one of my favorite comic book authors, and the fiction I've read of his has been great. So I am always happy to add new fiction by him to my collection.
MTIs & True Crime
Seriously, how could I pass up a book on the making of Space Jam, the greatest movie of all-time starring an NBA star and an animated rabbit? Another thing I collect are Movie tie-ins, and you can see the two newest additions to that collection above. Terminator 2 came with an added bonus, as the next picture will show. I also picked up a true crime book that sounds interesting, and have a tie-in cover to the HBO movie. I think my recent binge on Criminal Minds is one reason I decided to pick it up.
Added Bonus
Alright, so it's not too exciting, but come on! An original 1991 receipt from WaldenBooks found within the pages of Terminator 2. I asked a friend who was able to decipher that this book was purchased from the Greenbriar mall location.
Well, this was fun. I'm hoping to actually try and do some stuff like this more often, but we shall see. At lease I will try to keep this blog alive, for now. Or, this could be the last update for the next few months. Who knows.
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