Rambles

I haven't been updating as much as I would like, which is always the case, really.  I also haven't done much thrifting since my last update, which means it is time that I come up with new ideas in my blogging.

One feature I have been throwing around in my head is to blog about "Unseen Cinema": there are plenty of movies that I own, or have access to via Hulu, Netflix, and the local library, that I haven't seen.  I'm not talking about recent (the last 2 years) titles, but things like Bull Durham, Braveheart, and The Abyss.  Not an original idea, as I saw it on Twitter friends blog (http://www.mushniksflorist.blogspot.com/), but an idea that I really like, so I asked if I could do something similar.  Does that mean I will actually go through with the idea, well, that all depends if I am going to make time for watching films again.  I haven't done much outside of the normal theatrical visits, and it's a bit disappointing.


I'm also very behind on comic book reading.  I'm caught up on a few current titles, but for the most part, I'm 3+ issues behind.

Memorial Day Weekend finds, part 2 (Book Edition)

As I wrote in part one (which can be found here), my parents were in town for the holiday weekend, which ultimately means some amount of time will be spent in thrift stores.

Now, just to let you all know, I live in an area where thrift stores are prominent. On both sides of the water.  From where I am sitting as I type this up, within a 5-7 mile radius are 7 stores that I am aware of.  I literally live across the street from a Boys & Girls club thrift, where I can fill up a bag of books for $1.  Goodwill, DAV, Salvation Army,Village Thrift, Family Thrift. All have at least one location on each side of the water.

Hence, each trip out is a different experience.  I don't go to the other side of the water as much, so those can be a real treasure trove of finds.

With all that said, let's take a look at what books I ended up adding to my ever growing collection this weekend.

First up, the James Patterson additions.  Patterson is an author Elizabeth and I both read, so these are always good finds. Unlucky 13 and Hope to Die are both from last year, and are from two of his ongoing series.  This makes us up to date on the Alex Cross series of books, and just missing the 2015 book from Women's Murder Club (which I will probably be finding this time next year).  The Murder of King Tut is a non-fiction title from a few years back, and one I haven't seen in hardcover a lot, so snagged that as well.

 The small assortment of thriller novels that I found.  Red Dragon is the one book that I had heard of, and even though I'm pretty sure I have it, it was hard to pass up the cover.  Plus, I've been meaning to dig my copy out, as I've been wanting to read it again due to Hannibal.  The other two books just had interesting premises. I think Steel Ghosts is more horror than thriller, and that is fine by me.  Reaper is also signed by the author, so that's a cool bonus.

The random pile.  Let's just break this down by book, shall we.

1.  University - I'm a big fan of Bentley Little.  I find his horror easy and fun to read, and this was one I don't have yet.
2. Warriner's Handbook of English - Grabbed this as I was at a "fill a bag for a $1" store, and thought it looked cool.  Being an English major myself, thought it would be cool to have.  It is from 1951.
3. Wanted to Rent - Young Adult horror books are a weakness, so this was an easy pick-up.  Seems to be book #3 from a series I do not recall, Scream.
4. Owl Puke - This one speaks for itself,
5. Badass: The Birth of a Legend - I remember this series of books from when I worked at Borders.  It was quiet popular.  With chapters dedicated to Harry Callahan, B.A. Baracus, Skeletor, and Godzilla, it was a no-brainer for me to pick it up.
6. Too Good to be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends - This is my favorite of the book finds on this trip.  Found amongst a shelf of textbooks, this is almost 500 pages of urban legends. You name it, it is probably within the pages.

A solid assortment of The Far Side books.  Elizabeth and I are both big fans, but oddly enough this is one series of comic strips we don't own many volumes of.

Non-fiction assortment.  Killers is a collection of true crime, chronicling infamous killers of the past 50+ years, starting with Starkweather homicides up to Columbine.  The Truth Is Out There is an official guide to The X-Files (or at least the first three seasons, anyways.) I surprisingly don't already own this, and with the news of its return to TV in 2016, thought it would be a nice addition.  Law & Order: Crime Scenes is just a collection of photographs from popular episodes of the show, with commentary from Dick Wolf laced throughout.  Elizabeth is a fan of L&O, so this was a good find for her,

The free pile.  Yes, I said free.  See, the local Village Thrift has a shopping cart of books out front that are free, with no limit.  I don't know if it's because the books haven't sold, or what.  And normally I don't find this much in the cart.  But this trip yielded all of the above, plus one more.  I grabbed 3 of the original Executioner titles, and even if I do have them, they are in great condition and probably better than what I currently own.  The other 5 books are just random and seemed interesting, and it's kind of hard to pass up free.

Lastly, the media tie-in books.  Buckaroo Banzai was out of the free cart, as the red X on the cover detonates.  The non-fiction book that The French Connection was based off of (with movie tie-in cover art (a bit spoilery at that)), and a Dirty Harry novelization of The Enforcer, which was a pretty cool find for me.  Also grabbed a hardcover of The Legacy, which I hadn't heard of but know Scream Factory is releasing onto blu-ray this summer, and will add to my collection.

As I write this, I just realized Heat from the free pile should've been with this picture, as it's a novelization of the '86 Burt Reynolds film.  William Goldman as an author should've tipped me off.


That winds up this trip.  There is a grand re-opening of a DAV coming up in June, and I'm hoping to make a trip to the other side of the water soon as well, so there will probably be another post sooner than later.

Memorial Day Weekend finds, part 1

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, which gave my parents a 3-day weekend so they took the opportunity to come up and visit us.  As with most of their visits, we ended up spending some time in the local thrift stores.  let's take a look at what I was able to score (non-books) this holiday weekend.

We also visited a local flea market, but nothing was found there except disappointment.

First up was this sweet Taz coffee mug.  I have a great coffee mug collection and am always looking for new additions to it.  Taz is also Elizabeth's favorite Looney Tunes character, so this was a no brainer.

Once in a Lifetime

Elizabeth and I both graduated in 2000, and this was an item Elizabeth found.  A beanie baby knock-off of a graduate with a paper diploma and a coffee mug.  Worth it for the mug alone, I think.

I almost passed this up, as:

1) I didn't see the bin of CDs for sale in the store.

2) I thought it was the score to The Last Crusade, which I already own.

Thankfully, I took a second look at it and realized it is "The Story of".  I assume that this had some kind of book with it at some point.  The CD contains the main plot of the movie, and includes sound effects and musical cues.  A very interesting find for me.

Two additions to our every growing game collection.  The Disney Trivia 2 (The Sequel) game is brand new, just with some minor dings on the tin box that holds everything.  The cards are still in cellophane wrappers.  The murder mystery game is pretty much an updated version of those "host a murder" VHS games from the '80s, as this one has a DVD.  Being based around a Hawaiian luau, this was hard to pass up.  It too looks to be never played.

This was my favorite find of the weekend.  A Disney Aladdin Christmas ornament from Enesco.  The box is in great condition, and I'm pretty sure the ornament has never been taken out for use.  There is no hook attached to it, and the plastic that holds Genie is in great condition as well.  I don't know if it is an original price tag or from some other store, but there was a tag for $17.50 on the bottom.  I paid $1.25 at the Goodwill though.  Seems to be from a collection, as the back of the box has an ad featuring 2 other Aladdin ornaments and 3 from Beauty and the Beast.

COMING SOON: The books I found while out this weekend.

 

April Thrift Store finds

Time for some catching up.  I've been meaning to take the time to write up an entry, as I've done some thrifting recently and had the Library book sale a few weeks ago, but just have let it slide by.  That ends tonight!

First up, let's take a look at the finds I found last time I went thrifting.

First up, this awesome Batman Begins trapper keeper.  It's in great condition, and probably was never used.  A worthy find, and I've taken it to work to be used.

I'm a collector of the Men Adventure books, and though I'm trying to complete my Executioner and Mack Bolan series, some of the spin-off series have also been joining my collection.  One of the local thrifts had quite a collection of Able Team and SOBs.  I almost picked up SOBs as they had 32 of the 34 titles in the series, but Able Team was one I was already collecting and picking these up was a little less expensive.

Speaking of The Executioner books, a few newer titles of the series I didn't have.  Some day I will get around to reading these.

Another adventure series that I collect, Rogue Angel. Rarely see these out in the wild, so I snagged the ones I knew I needed.  Elizabeth reads this series as well, so a good find for both of us.

The random picture.  I'm torn as to what the real highlight of this picture is for me: the Nikita Koloff autobiography Wrestling With Sucess or Dinner & A Movie cookbook.  As much as I love finding wrestling biographies, I'm leaning towards the cookbook.  I remember watching Dinner & A Movie all the time on TBS, and this is a nice walk down memory lane.  Also thought the CSI: graphic novel was a nice find, as I rarely see them out.  I'm a sucker for '70s horror, so Outbreak was a cool find.  Not pictured in On Edge by Adam Copeland, as it was sans dust jacket.

My young adult horror finds.  The complete trilogy of 99 Fear Street: The House of Evil is easily my favorite thing out of this stack.  But also glad to find two Christoper Pike books I didn't have and a "True" ghost story collection.

Last but not least, my favorite stuff to find: media tie-ins!  I got a nice assortment with this trip.  The Demon Knight novelization is my favorite thing from this pic.  I'm not 100% sure what Mommy's Day, but I trust Max Allan Collins as a writer.

That is it for my thrift store finds.  Next up are the items I found at the annual Library book sale this year.  Not as much as previous years, but still came out of there with some nice gems.

The Hammett collection was a nice find, and I didn't have the Krakauer book.  I probably have at least one copy of The Firm, but I'm a sucker for movie tie-in cover art.  A Time To Kill is one of the 5,000 Wynwood Press editions.

  

The two Indiana Jones: Find Your Fate were fun finds, but it's a toss-up for favorite thing in this picture between The Official Nintendo Player's Guide and Tales from the Crypt volume 3.  I had all those TFTC kid volumes growing up, and this brought back a lot of memories.  But that Nintendo guide also holds a lot of nostalgia too!

A random assortment of titles.  Nothing too special, but I was unaware Christopher Pike had written some adult novels as well.

Lastly, the additions to my Stephen King collection!  I know I own Cycle of the Werewolf, but this copy is in much better condition than the one I own.  The anthology is a nice addition to my collection, as I have a few other titles the publisher has released.  Bare Bones is a collection of interviews and non-fiction released in the mid '80s, and something I was unaware of.  And my favorite thing here is the collection of King's early works, with the infamous scene from The Shining as cover art.

Well, this is one more entry for the year.  I will probably do some more thrifting soon, so hopefully I will have another entry sooner than later.

Thrift Store Finds (02/27/2015)

So, I know I haven't written in this as much as I would like.  But once again, I'm going to make the statement that I will try to update it semi-regularly.

With that out of the way, I spent some time today out and about in a few local thrift stores.  I didn't come home with a whole lot, but enough goodies were found that I thought it would be worth sharing.

 

First up, we have a Mysteries of the Unexplained book from Reader's Digest.  Unlike TimeLife, which has a multi-volume set (that I still would like to own some day), RD released this title in 1982.  More like a encyclopedia or Uncle John's Bathroom Reader with small tidbits and factoids relating to phenomenon, instead of in-depth articles, this is a great addition to my collection.  I love being able to turn to a random page and find something interesting to read.

 

 

Movie/TV novelizations are a weakness of mine.  I have quite a collection that seems to grow each time I'm go thrifting.  Today was no different, as I found the novelizations for Interstellar and Aliens.  I didn't even realize Interstellar had a movie novelization tie-in, so was kind of surprised when I stumbled across that.  Aliens is a hardcover book club edition, which is probably the first in my collection.  I know both are based off the screenplays, but I wonder if either of these differ any from the finished films.

 

 

 Next up: the first three TPBs of Brian K. Vaughn's Ex Machina.  I rarely find comic book trades when I am out, so whenever I do stumble across them (and they aren't outrageously priced) I will pick them up.  I've never read Ex Machina before, but for a $1 a book, it was a bargain that I couldn't pass up.  If anything, I can pass them along.

 

 

Last, but not least, is the one DVD I picked up today.  Not only did I find something I've been wanting to add to my collection, I found it new.  Bubba Ho-Tep, sporting price stickers from Blockbuster Video, if I am not mistaken.  A fun flick, at least in my mind.  (It's a bit hard to see, but the price from the DAV is $2.98.  Guess they didn't want to remove the original price stickers, and felt that they couldn't charge more than the actual price on the cover. Either way, a bargain in my book!)

 

 

Hopefully I will continue this tradition, whenever I do venture out.

Ramblings

As January nears its end, I realized I haven't written in this much this month. I have no excuses, as I've had ample time. I guess I just haven't had any motivation, which as a writer is not a good thing.

I'm at 9 movies for the month, and with one week left to go, I am curious as to what my monthly end will be. If anything, I will probably write an entry at the beginning of each month logging the stats of my movie watching for the previous month.

I think I am going to aim for 15 movies a month, which seems doable. I've got quite a few movies I want to watch, so should be easy to make that goal. Of course, I am horrible at choosing a movie to watch, and then I decide to go to bed without watching anything, as I've wasted the time I could have watched something deciding on what to watch.

Maybe I will make a list of movies I will watch each month.  Let's say 5 titles.  Giving me a reason to blog, as well as help the selection process.

I am also way behind on comic book readings.  A few titles I have kept up with, but the "to read" pile is quite large as of this writing.  So I need to knock that down a bit.

Follow my Pinterest board here, and I am also on Letterboxd. 

2014: In Review (Movies)

As 2014 comes to a close, I'm going to take the time once again to give statistics for the movie watching I did this past year.

I set myself a goal to watch at least 175 movies in 2014, which I did not meet. Because of this, I am not setting a goal for 2015. I I'm not disappointed my not making the goal, I've just come to realize life happens, and I won't always be able to watch 10+ movies a month.

So what did I watch in 2014? Altogether, 154 movies. My 2014 Pinterest board can be found here for a complete listing of each film.

Out of the 154 films, 116 (75%) were first time viewings, leaving only 38 (25%) as films I had seen before. That is an average I am happy with.

Month by Month breakdowns

January - 8 (5%)
February - 14 (9%)
March - 16 (10%)
April - 26 (17%)
May - 15 (10%)
June - 7 (5%)
July - 17 (11%)
August - 14 (9%)
September - 14 (9%)
October - 10 (6%)
November - 3 (2%)
December - 10 (6%)

Comparing to last year, it doesn't look like I have steady viewing habits.  I look forward to seeing what 2015 has in store, for movies, as well as my personal viewing habits. I have a few shows I plan to start watching, so that may skew the numbers a bit. We shall see.

Looking back at 2014, I did a lot of franchise viewing. Theresa and I watched the first four Leprechaun movies while she was visiting, and then I tackled both Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series this summer.  I began Critters, Prom Night and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series, which I will probably continue in the new year. Elizabeth and I tackled the Ocean's Trilogy after our trip to Vegas, and then did the complete Hobbit experience in theaters earlier this month.

If you would like to follow my 2015 movie board on Pinterest, I've set it up already and it can be found here.

October in Review

October started with potential.  I even made a list of movies to watch throughout the month.  Sadly, I failed my mission, only raking in 10 movies altogether.  I could still meet my end of year goal, which I would like to do.  But with my next 2 weeks being on vacation, that will only leave the last 6 weeks of the year to watch 35 movies.

With all that said, let's take a look at the month of October.

Most of the month was spent watching horror.  I also took the time and finished season 2 of Hannibal, which was probably the best thing I watched for the month.  I did get a few good movies in, and all put one of the horror movies watched were new to me.

It's a hard choice for best view of the month, as I'm being torn between Dead Heat and Dark Night of the Scarecrow.  Both are really good films.  I was surprised I had never seen Dead Heat before.  It fits into all kinds of genres that I am a fan of, plus has Vincent Price.  Dark Night is a made-for-tv movie with some excellent atmosphere and great acting. It's too tough to call.

I also got around to taking Elizabeth to see Guardians of the Galaxy, which still holds up and is a fun movie.  Not sure what the last film I saw 3 times while it was in theaters was.

Not a horribly bad movie, but Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III gets my vote for worst of the month.  It just really didn't do much for the franchise, plus after watching the short making of feature on the dvd and seeing how the studio cut the movie prior to release and didn't allow the full vision of the director, it could've actually been a better movie.

I will be on hiatus until mid-November, as I am about to leave for 2 weeks in Hawaii and Vegas.  Probably will write an update upon my return, but I don't plan on spending a lot of time online while on vacation.

Tidewater Comicon 2014

Last weekend, Elizabeth, Dave & I visited the local comicon down in Virginia Beach.  It was Dave & Is third con this year, and Elizabeth's first.

It was easily my second best con, especially for it being in its first year.  Both of us thought it was better than the Richmond Wizard World we attended back in August.  (We also attended what was my first con back in March, going out to Seattle, Washington to attend Emerald City Comic-Con.  We attended all 3 days for that one.)

I was able to get a couple of comics signed.  The Monsters variant of Justice League United that Kelley Jones did, and a random issue of Masters of the Universe that Pop Mahn was the artist on.

For being such a small con, I was impressed with the amount of artists and talent that was there.  I was able to come away with a lot of cool art (both original and prints), which I will share now.  (I apologize for the glare on some of these.)

First up are two prints Elizabeth picked up from Pop Mahn's table.  The left, Skeletor looking pretty awesome upon a throne of skulls.  On the right, we have Batman & Martian Manhunter duking it out with a White Martian.

Next up, just a cool looking print from Angela McKendrick.  Not sure if she is a local (local being Virginia) artist or not, as Dave and I also saw her up in Richmond and I picked up a few mini-prints from her there.  You can find her on DeviantArt here.

 Last print belongs to Elizabeth, one she picked up from artist Matt Slay.  Leonardo is her turtle, and she really liked this print.  Slay was super cool and personable.  Dave and I both got commissions from him, and Dave also picked up a few prints, including a pretty awesome looking Raphael that he had done for a signing with Sean Astin.  You can check out his DeviantArt page here.

This was the commission I had done by Matt Slay.  While talking with him, he mentioned he was doing a variant cover for the upcoming IDW cross-over The Real Ghostbusters/TMNT.  So when it came around for me to decide on a character to get done, I went with Egon Spengler.  Love how it turned out.  Dave had a Casey Jones done, which was also very impressive.

These are all mini original pieces of art both Elizabeth & I picked up from the talented Lee Lacy.  He had a lot of movie/tv characters to choose from, and I will admit it was hard to choose.  I was going to try and stick with a horror character theme by choosing The Cryptkeeper and The Tall Man (from Phantasm), but found it hard to pass up one of my movie mentors, Mr. Miyagi.  Elizabeth ended up picking up the trio of bumbling burglars Fester, Marcus, & Hammer from 3 Ninjas, one of her movies.  Lee was actually surprised someone knew the trio, and was happy to see his choice appreciated.  I will most definitely keep an eye out for him at future cons.

Lastly is the pre-con commission I had done by the talented Eryk Donavan.  Dave had a Judge Dredd done by him when we were at Wizard World, which turned out awesome.  I learned he was a local talent, so I contacted him if he was going to be at Tidewater, and then asked for Michael Myers from Halloween.  I love how it turned, and I'm already planning for future horror icon commissions from him at any future cons I see him at.  Check out his work by going to his website here.

Tidewater Comicon is already planning a Spring 2015 show.  It will be a 2-day event, May 16-17.  I am already looking forward to it, and to seeing the local show continue to grow.

8) Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)

Directed by Jeff Burr

Starring Kate Hodge, Ken Foree, Viggo Mortensen

Letherface has found a new group of outcasts to call family, and a couple driving cross-country find themselves down the wrong road at night.


This one has been sitting in my draft folder for a few days, as I'm still not sure what I feel regarding it.  Storywise, it seems to be a continuation of the first film, while ignoring the second.  But it also includes some elements of TCM2, most noticeably the famous "The Saw is family" line, this time emblazoned across Leatherfaces new tool.

I know from the making of feature on the DVD that this film had to battle with the MPAA and the studio, so that hurt the film in the end.  A lot of '80s and '90s horror had that problem it seems.  I watched the unrated version, which given modern horror, pales in comparison.

The story is ok, but I found the ending to be a little weak, especially with the reappearance of a thought to be dead character.  I feel overall that the director didn't actually get to tell the story he wanted to, but made due with what he had.  The acting is actually pretty decent, with each new member of the Sawyer clan bringing their own bit of creepiness to the table.

Overall, a bit muddled, but there are some elements that work.  5/10

7) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2 (1986)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

Starring Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Jim Siedow

Set 14 years after the original, TCM2 finds the family still up to no good.  A late night DJ, Stretch (Williams), records an "accident" from a caller.  Former Texas Ranger "Lefty" Enright (Hopper) has been investigating at least for the past year any and all leads of the cannibal family that he believes killed his niece and nephew (the original film).  Stretch takes the tape to Lefty, who asks her to play it on the air to draw the family out.  In doing so, the family sets its sights on her.  Lefty is seeking vengeance, using Stretch at the bait.  Chop-Top & Leatherface go to the radio station, and then lead Lefty back to their home.  Who will be left standing this time around?

TCM2 has a much different tone and look then its predecessor.  The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is frightening, realistic, and very atmospheric.  Part 2 has almost a parody approach to it, with a lot more humor and gore.  Case in point, the poster that I included being a parody of The Breakfast Club poster.

The score is what makes the movie for me, as it adds a creepiness that I wouldn't find without it.  The case is alright, with Hopper bringing a level of crazy to the movie, especially in the latter half.  Dueling chainsaws, crazy cannibals, and some top-notch SFX make the second half worth seeing.

TCM is a franchise I've just gotten into recently, and one that I know gets progressively worse, according to the internet.  I still plan on watching each movie, or at least attempting to.  6/10

6) Dark Night of the Scarecrow

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

Directed by Frank De Felitta

Starring Charles Durning, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake

Bubba Ritter (Drake), who is mentally challenged, is falsely accused of murdering his young friend Marylee (Crowe). Local postman Otis Hazelrigg (Durning) gathers a few of his friends and together they go on the hunt for some mob "justice" .  Bubba is found hiding in a scarecrow, and Hazelrigg and Co. execute poor Bubba, only to find out seconds late Bubba had actually saved Marylee's life, not taken it.  They cover up their murder, but soon a scarecrow begins to stalk them one by one.  Does someone know what they have done, or is Bubba back from the grave?

First things first, this movie was made for TV and aired in October of 1981.  This is easily one of the best horror films I've seen that was made for TV.  I will be adding this to my collection, as it is quite terrifying at times.

The acting is great throughout the whole film.  Larry Drake does a phenomenal job portraying the mentally challenged Bubba, and the emotion in his eyes when he is found as the scarecrow is one of the best scenes in the movie.  Durning does a great job playing the despicable Hazelrigg, who might just be losing his mind.  As the film progresses, he crosses more than one line.  His mob of friends are portrayed by some great actors, including the late Lane Smith (of The Mighty Ducks and Lois & Clark), Claude Earl Jones, and Robert Lyons.  Jocelyn Brando brings out the cast as Bubba's mom Mrs. Ritter.

The suspense is great, and there is a lot of build-up in each scene.  Harless Hocker (Smith) is the first to see the scarecrow on his property, which at first he thinks is a prank from his cohorts.  But it is not, and after investigating some sounds late at night in his barn (bad idea, Harless), an untimely fate is met.  This sets off the other three, and Otis visits Mrs. Ritter, whom he thinks is behind all that is going on.  An eye for an eye, and all that jazz.

I really don't want to divulge too much more of the plot, as it is worth seeing.  The score is haunting, and helps with the tension and suspense that last throughout the film.  This is a very effective movie, with no gore (given the made for TV aspect), but that does not detract any.  If anything, it helps it, as it proves you do not need blood & gore to make a great horror film.

Highly recommend this one.  9/10

5) Q, The Winged Serpent

Q, The Winged Serpent (1982)

Directed by Larry Cohen

Starring Michael Moriarty, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree

Detective Shepard (Carradine) and Sgt. Powell (Roundtree) are investigating a series of brutal ritualistic murders.  Career criminal Jimmy Quinn (Moirarty) stumbles into an ancient creature's lair after a jewelry heist goes awry.  Does the creatures presence tie into the case Shepard and Powell are working on?  After being caught for the heist, Quinn decides to try and exhort the city for some money and exoneration for information leading to the lair of the beast.

This is a new acquisition from Scream Factory that I recently found online for a low price.  I had seen the movie before and have been wanting to add it to my collection.  It's a decent '80s horror, which is worth seeing for the monster alone.  I didn't recall a whole lot of the movie from my first viewing, so I really wasn't sure what to expect.

The acting is ok, and you can tell the movie was low budget, but that doesn't really hurt the film any.  Q (short for the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl) is done in stop motion, and is worth seeing the film for.  Moriarty gives the best performance.  The film does tend to drag at parts, and I found myself on the computer more than usual while watching, but overall I still enjoyed the movie.

6/10, with a little extra for Q.

4) Dead Heat (1988)

Dead Heat (1988)

Directed by Mark Goldblatt

Starring Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Lindsay Frost

I'm not going to write a plot synopsis for this one, as I don't even know where to start.   Basically, there are detectives Roger Mortis (Williams) and his partner Doug (Piscopo) stumble into a case where resurrected criminals (being resurrected makes you indestructable) are used.  Chaos ensues, Roger ends up dead, and then he is resurrected and tries to solve the case before his body breaks down.

I had to ask myself while watching this how was it I had never seen it before.  I loved this movie!  I don't even know where to begin.  Besides Treat Williams (who also starts in another favorite film of mine, Deep Rising), this movie also has Keye Luke, Professor Tanaka, Robert Picardo, Darren McGavin, and VINCENT PRICE in supporting roles.  Price is one of my all-time favorites, and somehow this movie slipped passed my radar.

I went into this movie blind, and I'm glad I did, as it made my movie experience that much better, I believe.  Besides the crazy plot, the make-up and effects in this movie are great!  There is a sequence where Roger & Doug are at a Chinese restaurant and the animals are resurrected.  They battle chickens, a pig, and finally a headless cow from the freezer.  Roger progresses nicely throughout the film, as he starts to get closer to his end, as well as the damage inflicted upon him.  There is also a great scene involving the decomposition of a person.

I enjoyed Dead Heat a lot more than I expected, for knowing next to nothing about it.  I highly recommend it.  It is a great blend of horror, action, and comedy.  10/10

3) Mountaintop Motel Massacre

Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1986)

Directed by Jim McCullough Sr.

Starring Anna Chappell, Bill Thurman, and Will Mitchell

After a stint in the local asylum, Evelyn (Chappell) is released and returns to her Mountaintop Motel.  During a psychotic relapse, Evelyn kills her daughter.  Lying to the police about what happens, she is allowed to return to her motel.  A rainstorm brings her a bevy of new customers, and during the storm Evelyn starts hearing the voice of her dead daughter. This leads her to start killing her tenants, using an underground tunnel system that links each cabin.

Made in 1983, Mountaintop Motel Massacre sat on the shelf for 3 years until distribution was found.  I actually found the movie to be surprisingly decent and enjoyable.  Having no knowledge of anyone in the movie or associated with the making of, I was expecting a mess.  What I got instead was a simple slasher made on a budget, but done well.

The score is eerily haunting, and the sets used are atmospheric, especially down in the tunnels.   The kills are pretty straight-forward, with nothing original.  Evelyn's weapon of choice is a sickle.  There are a few scenes where she lets loose rats and roaches into a tenants room, and that got to me more than anything else.  Not a big fan of creepy crawlies.

The movie does a decent job of introducing each character, and making them likable or dislikable, as in the case of Al (Mitchell).  Crenshaw was easily my favorite of the tenants.

Even thought it doesn't add anything new to the horror genre, and there are probably better films similar to this one, I would still recommend checking Mountaintop Motel Massacre out.

6/10

motivation?

Ugh.

I have the desire to write, but don't know what.  And I don't have the desire to watch anything, that would lead to a review to write.  Which is very abnormal of me, as I always have something on in the background.

I feel if I hadn't taken on the 31 movies this month task, I wouldn't be having this problem.

Take a deep breath, relax, and just do whatever.

2) House (1986)

House (1986)

Directed by Steve Miner

Starring William Katt, George Wendt, and Richard Moll

Roger Cobb's marriage fell apart after the disappearance of his child.  A former Vietnam vet and now horror novelist, Cobb (Katt) decides to move into his recently deceased aunt's house for some solitude.  The house also happens to be where his son disappeared from.  Working on a new book detailing his time in 'Nam, Cobb starts seeing things (including his dead aunt) in the house.  With the aid of his new neighbor (and biggest fan) Harold (Wendt), Roger begins to investigate the presence of something sinister within his new home.  The evil makes him face his past, leading to conflict with a ghost he last saw in the jungle.

First things first: I am surprised I have never seen this film before today.  Besides the cast (The Greatest American Hero, Norm from Cheers, and Bull from Night Court) and Steve Miner in the directing chair, it also has Sean Cunningham as a producer and a story from the mind of Fred Dekker.  With those credentials, this is a movie that should totally be in my wheelhouse.

With that said, this movie is a great combination of horror and comedy.  The make-up and creature work are great throughout the film and I really like the monster woman who shows up about midway through.  Big Ben in the finale is very well done as well.  Plot-wise, I'm not 100% sure if they knew what they were wanting, as sometimes it does get a bit cheesy.  There is this weird and out of place plot device where Roger babysits a kid, which has some cool effects in, but didn't really do anything to move the plot forward.

I do remember seeing the VHS box at the rental store when I was younger, and finding it to be creepy.  I may of even seen it back in the day, as the lady monster seemed a bit familiar to me.  Might not be an award-winning film, but I really enjoyed it.

8/10

While looking for the movie poster, I also came across the following Thai poster for it.  Totally worth sharing, as it includes some artist renditions of the monsters from the film.

1) The Serpent & The Rainbow

Original Movie Poster

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Directed by Wes Craven

Starring Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, and Zakes Mokae

Loosely based off the book by the same name, The Serpent and the Rainbow is about anthropologist Dennis Alan (Pullman) whom is sent down to Haiti by a pharmaceutical company after rumors of a black magic "zombie" drug.  The drug in question paralyzes the user, whom is then declared dead and buried while they are still conscious.  While in Haiti, Alan is assisted by Doctor Marielle Duchamp (Tyson), and his investigation takes him to a witch doctor, but also brings the attention of the local authorities,lead by Captain Peytraud (Mokae).  Is there really a "zombie" drug or is something more sinister in play?


One of Craven's better films, The Serpent and the Rainbow is just as much a psychological thriller as it is horror.  It's a film that can easily get under your skin, and isn't one that is easy to forget.  The "true story" nature of it makes it all that more eerie, even if liberties were taken for film purposes.  And the realism of voodoo Craven portrays on film is probably some of the most realistic ever, especially since filming was actually done in Haiti.

I found the acting to be decent, with Mokae having the best performance as the villainous Captain.  I was also impressed with Brent Jennings portrayal of witch doctor Louis Mozart.  The movie also has a few smaller roles, including a pre-Alfred Michael Gough as Schoonbacher and Paul Guilfoyle (Captain Jim Brass on CSI:) as Andrew Cassedy, the men who sends Alan down to Haiti.

Psychological horror always tends to get to me more than slasher, and this movie has a few scenes that stick out.  The being buried alive scenes are really well done, and the one Alan dreams is particularly mind-bending.  Also, if you hav arachnophobia or ophidiophobia, be warned; there will be a scene or two that makes your skin crawl.

I found the movie a little hard to get into at first, but once the main plot takes hold, it really is an entertaining and well done film.  I did find the ending to be a little weak, but overall I'm glad I found the time to give the film a watch.

7/10

List of Potential October movies

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.

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.