Burning the Middle Ground by L Andrew Cooper A Battle for Control
Seven Psychopaths (2012): Six Not Seven
Guest Post from Author Tim Waggoner
The Final Rites aka Rites of Passage (2012) Monkey Shines
Come Out and Play (2012) Mexican Somnambulistic Scares
Jonah Hex (2010) Under-viewed, Under-Loved
Dead Room by Chris Mooney Marvellous McCormick
60,000 and Rising
Three Bad Men John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond by Scott Allen Nollen
Acting »
Outrage (2010) (10)
After a long absence from the Yakuza films that made his name, Beat Takeshi, aka Takeshi Kitano is back on form in this violent Yakuza film. Enjoy!
Action »
Predators 2010: Get to the Spaceship… (22)
Okay, so I decided to ring in the changes of the New Year by having a mini-movie-marathon. It all started with catching the still amazing Jurassic Park on television. That put me in the mood for movies I had not seen in a while. So I popped in Predators and the Blu-ray special edition of… Read More ›
Action Film »
Jonah Hex (2010) Under-viewed, Under-Loved (24)
I finally got to see this film last night and I will say upfront that, despite having “toe-thumb” and plastically enhanced Megan Fox in it, I kind of liked it. Of course there was a slim chance that I would as it has three of my favourite actors in it; Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, and… Read More ›
Actor Spotlight »
Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger: Sales Manual… (8)
I only bought this book because it was on sale at Tesco’s for eight pounds. To be honest, I was going to buy it at nine pounds, I only found out about the additional savings at the till. Co-written with author Peter Petre Total Recall is, at 624 pages (I do not include the index… Read More ›
Actors »
Three Bad Men John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond by Scott Allen Nollen (17)
Growing up all three of these men were an integral part of my childhood. Specifically John “Pappy” Ford in the cinemas and of course John Wayne ‘Duke’ and Ward Bond as well, but Mr Bond had the added distinction of being in my folks’ living rooms each week as Major Seth Adams, in Wagon Train…. Read More ›
Adventure Film »
Sands of the Kalahari (1965) Retro Review (3)
Directed and adapted from William Mulvihill‘s novel by Cy Enfield; produced by Joe Levine, Enfield and Stanley Baker, Sands of the Kalahari was released “hot on the heels” of Zulu. Baker’s and Enfield’s maiden voyage into the world of film together; Zulu was a massive hit and Levine (who controlled the purse strings) wanted another film… Read More ›
Adventure/Comedy Film »
X-Cross (2007): Good Time Horror Film (7)
While I was on the comedy horror train with my last review of Lobos de Arga (can you tell that I love that film) I thought of another rib tickling comedy J-horror. X-Cross. Now X-Cross or XX or (ekusu kurosu): makyô densetsu [original title] were all made in 2007, because they are the same film! Get… Read More ›
Apocalyptic »
Carriers (2009): The World Ends with a Cough (8)
As apocalyptic films go, this offering from the writing and directing duo of David and Alex Pastor is pretty damned good. In case you’re wondering why their names sound so familiar, it’s probably because they gave us the film Splinter as well as a few other gruesome films. I do mean gruesome in a “good”… Read More ›
Asian Cinema »
Dream Home (2010): Chinese Urban Horror (3)
This cross genre Chinese film about a girl seeking her “dream Home” is a must see. Here are my thoughts about the film. Enjoy.
Australian Cinema »
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975): Oblivion in the Outback (4)
Directed by Peter Weir (The Cars that Ate Paris) and adapted for the screen by Cliff Green from the book written by Joan Lindsay. The film has the “unofficial” title of being Australia’s most loved film and it was a critic’s favourite when it opened in 1975. It has since risen to a cult favourite…. Read More ›
Australian Horror »
Uninhabited (2010): No Love for this Film (5)
Every once in a while you find a film that for some reason has invited lots of vitriol to be heaped upon it. Uninhabited is one of those films. If you type the name into your Google search engine you’ll see what I mean. But, come on guys. Is it really that bad? I’ve reviewed… Read More ›
Autobiography »
Life After Almost Dying… (19)
I wanted a nice “eye-catching” title for my post today. After battling with myself for all of two minutes, I decided not to use the Life after Death title I wanted. Because, although I was technically “dead” while they operation on me for hours, I wasn’t really dead. At least, I don’t think so. I mean, I… Read More ›
Awards »
I’m Still a Versatile Blogger! (26)
I’ve got to thank Asian Cinema Blog for sending this award my way. When she told me I’d been nominated, she stated, “I see you already have one, so another couldn’t hurt.” How true. I’ve always wanted to refer to my site as an “award-winning site” and now I can, several times over. Due to the… Read More ›
Based on a True Story »
HAUNTED The Ghosts that Share Our World by John Pinkney (7)
HAUNTED is the type of ghostly chronicle that permeated my teen years. After experiencing several “events” that could not be satisfactorily explained, I became obsessed with reading every ghost tale I could get my hands on. I became a devout fan of the writings of Elliot O’Donnell, Ghost Hunter extraordinaire. Of course years later I… Read More ›
BBC news »
Boston Marathon Explosions the Boogeyman Strikes (14)
As I sat down to write a blog post last night, I saw a “push” come up on my Facebook wall. It was from an old colleague who stated that he hoped his family in Boston were okay. Curiosity piqued, I asked him what was going on and while waiting for a response I typed… Read More ›
Biography »
Louis L’Amour: A Biography by Anita Y Tsuchiya (8)
Another e-book of the “Reader’s Digest” variety that obviously is aimed at the “limited” reader. Limited as in not feeling like they have the time to peruse a “proper” book versus these watered down versions. As in the American Legend series I just reviewed on Duke Wayne, this book will not break the bank and… Read More ›
Black Comedy »
Jackpot (2011): Brilliant Black Comedy (0)
Written and directed by Magnus Martens and based on a story by Jo Nesbø, Jackpot is a hysterically funny film about the lack of honour among criminals and how one innocent man gets caught up in almost more than he can handle. The film opens with two men in a police interviewing room in the Ostfold Police Station…. Read More ›
Blockbuster Film »
Iron Man 3 Downey Rocks and Paltrow Pops (43)
I was supposed to go see Oblivion today. My daughter Meg insisted that it would be money well spent because Tom Cruise shines in the film. But when facing the fact that Iron Man 3 was showing as well, it was no contest. That and the fact that Max (Meg’s significant other) was super excited about… Read More ›
Blogging »
60,000 and Rising (16)
It was with great joy this morning as I squinted with sleep filled eyes at my stats page and saw I’d finally crossed the 60k mark. With one hand on my ubiquitous coffee mug and the other on my Macbook mousepad, I scrolled down and also saw that my following list had increased. All was… Read More ›
Book Review »
Burning the Middle Ground by L Andrew Cooper A Battle for Control (0)
Written by L Andrew Cooper and published by Blackwyrm Publishing, Burning Middle Ground is a supernatural cum horror cum occult novel. Featuring a religious zealot that will make you think immediately of that Westboro bunch, the book disturbs as much as it scares. The book’s prologue deals with the murder/suicide of and entire family sans one,… Read More ›
Brit TV »
The Inbetweeners to be Remade in US. Really?? (2)
The Inbetweeners is quintessentially English. Like never ending cups of tea and scones with cream and jam or cricket. It specialises in that brand of British humour that is not afraid to poke fun at the English way of life and have a good laugh while doing it. The show is another of those ‘young… Read More ›
Brit-Horror »
Sightseers (2012) British Black Comedy Caravan Style (28)
I watched this film after reading a brilliant review by Natasha on Films and Things. I’d not heard of the film, but, as it was directed by Ben Wheatley (creator of the brilliant film Kill List and Down Terrace) and I am an unabashed fanboy of this brilliant new film director, I decided to give… Read More ›
British Cinema »
Revolver (2005): Guy Richie’s Ode to Kabbalah (11)
With nothing better to do, I finally decided to bite the bullet and watch Revolver last night. The film was universally panned by almost every critic worldwide, except for Mark R Leeper who stated that the film would have a “narrow” audience. (Wikipedia) You can say that again. As the film finished on a black… Read More ›
Censorship »
Four Letter Word Misery (13)
I was just re-reading the last What Makes a Post Freshly Press-able: Bacon In a Toaster and at one point in the article the question of four letter words came up. I was surprised. I mean, we are all adults here right? Now unless the words are so socially unacceptable (let’s face it a few are), like… Read More ›
Children's Film »
Of Flying Monkeys and Ruby Slippers (2)
When I was about five or six, my parents let me stay up to watch the yearly Thanksgiving transmission of The Wizard of Oz. I was transfixed. Of course in those days my folks could not afford a colour television, so I had to wait a few years to see the glorious technicolor world of… Read More ›
Chinese Cinema »
Twins Effect (2003) AKA Vampire Effect: Pop Goes the Vampire (11)
Co-directed by Dante Lam, Donnie Yen, and starring Gillian Chung, Charlene Choi (from the Cantopop group Twins), Ekin Cheng, Edison Chen (The US Grudge 2) and Jackie Chan (in a brilliant cameo). The film was made to capitalise on the Twins popularity. The Twins Effect is an action/adventure/comedy. While the two girls were the main draw for the film, Donnie Yen asked Jackie… Read More ›
Classic Film »
Alice Sweet Alice aka Communion (1976): Bi-Centennial Bitchiness (2)
The American Bicentennial saw a lot of celebrations dealing with the USA‘s 200th birthday. It also saw the release of one of the best horror films ever made. Some may argue the point, but Alice Sweet Alice continually makes the top ten of any “Scary Movies” list. The film is remembered for being one of… Read More ›
Comedy »
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005): A Gay Buddy Film (34)
After being told by numerous people (well, two at least) that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was a dynamite film that showed implicitly that Shane Black was an awesome director before Iron Man 3, I decided to watch it. Especially after seeing a clip from the film that featured Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr and Evan Parke… Read More ›
Concerts »
Gangnam Style: South Korean Music and Humour is a Winning Combo (8)
I pretty much follow a routine with my blog. Before I even think of writing anything I read the blogs I follow (well skip read if truth be told, I follow a lot of blogs) and I always read the latest entries in the Freshly Pressed arena. I will admit a certain puzzlement as to why… Read More ›
Crime »
Lust, Money & Murder by Mike Wells (7)
I was introduced to this book by the author Mike Wells via Twitter. After presenting me with a link to a free reading of his first of a new series, I eagerly jumped at the chance to meet a new author and his work. I was not disappointed. The book’s prologue sets the pace of… Read More ›
Cult Film »
The Lords of Salem (2012): Subtle Zombie (10)
Heavy metal impresario Rob Zombie exploded on the movie scene with his first feature film House of a 1000 Corpses in 2003. Already a veteran behind the camera from directing his music videos, his first film (and his second) featured a lot of “heavy metal” montage shots and utilised an almost guerrilla style of film… Read More ›
Culture »
An English Village Highstreet – Old and New (3)
In 1990 I came back to England after a four and a half-year stint in Holland. My then wife and I were amazed at how quickly the country had changed in such a short time. She was a “local” girl and we’d moved to a section of country that wasn’t her hometown. Back then the… Read More ›
Death »
Ray Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) RIP (2)
I remember seeing Jason and the Argonauts on television when I was young. The stop motion monsters and effects scared the bejeezus out of me. Years later when I was older and (I thought) more sophisticated, Clash of the Titans didn’t scare me, but it impressed the hell out of me. It was after a… Read More ›
Documentary »
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (2011): A Feel Good Documentary (4)
Directed by Constance Marks Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey shows us the journey that puppeteer Kevin Clash undertook to ‘becoming’ Elmo, one of the most popular muppets ever created. That this is a ‘feel-good’ film is beyond question. I felt myself grinning like an idiot throughout the entire film and at the end felt such a sense of accomplishment for… Read More ›
Drama »
Argo (2012): A Truth Stranger Than Fiction (10)
Every once in awhile you hear about something that makes you breakout in gooseflesh at the audaciousness of the idea or story. Argo is that gooseflesh inducing item in question. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, the film is about a time period in the world that changed my path forever. In November 1979 Iranians stormed the US Embassy… Read More ›
Entertainment »
Seven Psychopaths (2012): Six Not Seven (21)
Written and directed by Martin McDonagh Seven Psychopaths has a pretty hefty cast list; a wandering storyline and has six, not seven psycho’s in it. I only mention it because a third of the way through the film, it is somewhat obliquely mentioned. The Cast: Michael Pitt … Larry Michael Stuhlbarg … Tommy Sam Rockwell … Billy Colin… Read More ›
Entertainment Business »
Once Bitten, Twice Shy: Coming Back (19)
Natasha Harmer is making an independent short film, I think we all know that by now; especially if you’ve been reading my blog. The film is called Once Bitten, Twice Shy and I have the lead role. This event has excited me beyond all measure. The profession I had turned my back on not once,… Read More ›
Family Film »
Wreck-It Ralph (2013): 3Delightful Destruction (9)
After much deliberation this afternoon, it was decided that my daughter, her boyfriend and I would watch Walt Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph (the 3D version) at the cinema. It was close though, I was holding out for A Good Day to Die Hard but after a little discussion about how Ralph was really a film for gamers, which… Read More ›
Fantasy Film »
Repeaters (2010): Groundhog Day Hell (12)
What would you do if you had a chance to relive just one day over and over? Try to change your destiny? Change the world? Change your life? In a 24 hour rewind you wouldn’t think that there would be a huge opportunity to change very much. Three “twenty-somethings” find out just how life changing a… Read More ›
Feel Good Film »
The Artist (2011): Nouvea Old (9)
I will freely admit that I am not completely up on recent ‘silent films‘ or even silent films that are also in “Black and White.” The last modern silent film that I watched was Mel Brooks‘ 1976 Silent Movie. Now Mel didn’t opt to film his silent comedy in back and white (he’d done that… Read More ›
Film making »
BAPartists Interview AKA Lydelle Jackson & Cezil Reed & The Taking (6)
On the 9th of March I did a review on the soon-to-be-released Indie “Art-House” Horror Film The Taking (just click on the link if you missed it) and the creators of the film (BAPart Films) graciously accepted my request for an interview. BAPart Films is a partnership of Cezil Reed and Lydelle Jackson who both formed… Read More ›
Film News »
The Taking (2013) BAPartists Update (0)
Since I posted my review of BAPartists first feature length film The Taking and interviewed the extremely talented duo of Lydelle Jackson and Cezil Reed I’ve gotten an update from Lydelle about how their Sidney World Premiere of the movie went. The Taking premiered on the 13th of April at the A Night of Horror International Film Festival… Read More ›
Film Noir »
The Detective (2007): Pang Bros Noir (5)
I am continually amazed and impressed by the Pang Brothers. Just when I think I’ve seen everything they’ve ever made, another gem and another genre of film pops up out of nowhere. Directed by Oxide Pang and produced/written by both the Pang Brothers, The Detective is film noir at it’s finest. Set in the back… Read More ›
Film Reviews »
The Final Rites aka Rites of Passage (2012) Monkey Shines (6)
Looking at the cast list, which was helpfully posted across the top of the video case, I decided to give this one a go. Sure the list says, with Christian Slater and Stephen Dorff which generally means that neither of them, as a rule, will get much screen time. But, au contraire! Christian Slater, while not on screen… Read More ›
Films »
Open Graves (2009): Sizzling Dushku (4)
Directed by Álvaro de Armiñán and written by the Father/son duo of Roderick and Bruce A. Taylor Open Graves is like Jumanji on PCP or alternatively for grown-ups. There’s nothing new here on offer. An old board game that “magically’ comes alive to inflict horrible deaths on the losers and maybe give the winner their ultimate wish. Sort… Read More ›
Funny »
Door to Door Spam (4)
On the days that I am not ‘returning to work’ I usually write or research articles (mainly Wikipedia) or read other blogs. This is on top of performing the many mundane tasks which face a single man who lives with his daughter. The list of mundane tasks include the daily maintenance required to keep your… Read More ›
Gaming »
Silent Hill Revelation 3D (2012): by Michael Smith (16)
I missed the 3D version of this film when it came out at the cinema. Which is a shame, as I think it would have looked even better than the 2D that I had to download via iTunes. Despite the lack of the 3D it was a surprisingly good sequel. Written and directed by Michael… Read More ›
Genre Bender »
The Crossings by Jack Ketchum: A Genre Blending Western (6)
If the name Jack Ketchum sounds familiar, you might have seen one of the three films adapted from his books – Red, The Girl Next Door or The Woman. The award-winning Ketchum (real name Dallas Mayr) has been praised by no less than Stephen King who ranks the man very highly in the world of horror literature…. Read More ›
Ghost Story »
Southern Haunts: Spirits That Walk Among Us Down South Spooks (2)
Edited by Alexander S. Brown and J. L. Mulvihill; illustrated by Robert K and published by Seventh Star Press, this anthology of 16 ghostly tales range from Missouri to Louisiana and use real life locations to start each story off. While some of the stories are not as entertaining as others, the introduction to new authors… Read More ›
Health »
Healthy Heart: Rehab and Diet (4)
Today was my first rehabilitation session with the Cardio group. I think that I was the youngest, but there was one other chap (a foreigner like me) who may have been a year or two younger. Either way, he and I were the “youngsters” of the group. Having to wait for over seven and a… Read More ›
History »
Kronks – The Native American Cannibals of Texas (4)
I am reading Mike Cox‘s brilliant recounting of the Texas Rangers in his Wearing the Cinco Peso 1821 -1900 The Texas Rangers and I found, early on in the book, a mention of the Karankawa Indian tribe. This tribe, was said to be a cannibal tribe of Indians that were greatly feared by everyone. They lived… Read More ›
Horror »
Macabre (2010): Indonesian Slasher Gore Fest (4)
Written and directed by Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto aka “the Mo Brothers” Macabre has the dubious distinction of being the first Indonesian film to be banned in Malaysia because of its overabundance of gore and violence. Despite this mark against it, the film nonetheless won quite a few awards and the lead actress Shareefa Daanish… Read More ›
Horror Film »
The Wrong House aka House Hunting (2013): Disjointed Thriller (1)
Written and directed by Eric Hurt, House Hunting (The Wrong House in the UK) is Hurt’s first feature length film. On IMDb the film has received a score of 4.5 which, I think, is a bit harsh. Starring Marc Singer (who I haven’t seen since his V mini-series days in the 1980′s) and Art Lafleur,… Read More ›
Humour »
54 Year-old Man Dies from Over-Active Imagination, News at Ten… (9)
I will hold my hand up and say that the one thing that has never changed about me is my highly over-active imagination. I was born with it, and despite my most valiant attempts to get it to “grow up” it steadfastly refuses to change. The other night, for example, I was just drifting off… Read More ›
Independent Film »
Devils of War (2013): Get Ze Cliche (10)
Written and directed by Eli Dorsey, Devils of War is his first feature film. One can only hope that he has learned his lesson with this film and either changes his career choice or makes a better feature film next time. Starring Sunt Coordinator/stuntman Jerry L Buxbaum as the “legendary” leader of a four man… Read More ›
Internet »
Chatroom (2010): The World Weird Web (6)
Made in 2010 and directed by Hideo Nakata (the directorial genius who brought us Ringu, The Ring 2 and Dark Water just to mention a few) Chatroom is a small budgeted British thriller set in the virtual chat rooms that still fill the internet. Aaron Johnson (having just finished working on Kick Ass) and Imogen Poots (28… Read More ›
Italian cinema »
Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977): A Cacophony of Sound and Colour (5)
I have been banging on about this film for years. Well, not just the film, but Dario Argento as well. Unless you’re not a fan of horror films or at least horror films made way back in the 1970′s you will have heard of Argento and his high standing in the horror film community. Since Suspiria is… Read More ›
ITN news »
And in the News Today, Everything’s Gone a Little Weird (0)
So I get up this morning and as usual I start skimming the web. I am looking for news that I find interesting, funny, exciting, irritating or just strange. This morning I found a wealth of headlines that made my eyebrows shoot up towards my almost non-existent hairline. Entire firework display explodes – this was a… Read More ›
J-Horror »
Uzumaki (2000): The Spirals in the town go round, round, round (3)
Uzumaki originally began life as a three-volume horror manga by Junji Ito. The theme (according to Wikipedia) is as follows: The story concerns the inhabitants of the small Japanese town of Kurôzu-cho that seems to be cursed by supernatural events surrounding spirals. Many people become obsessed or paranoid about spiral shapes, which starts resulting in several gruesome… Read More ›
Japanese Cinema »
Sukiyaki Western DJANGO (2007): Takashi Mike & Tarantino Ride… (8)
When Tarantino’s Django Unchained opened last December the first thing I thought of was his appearance in the 2007 film Sukiyaki Western DJANGO. This is a film that I had mixed feelings about when I first watched it so I popped it back in my laptop to revisit the film and see if my opinions… Read More ›
Korean Cinema »
Tale of Two Sisters (12)
Another “old” video review of Kim Jee-Woon’s brilliant film. Here’s a link to the trailer -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anF5XiN8QY8 Enjoy!
Literature »
Hunger by Michael Grant: A ‘Filling’ Read (1)
Hunger is book number two in Michael Grant‘s continuing story of the survivors of Perdido Beach California. Perdido Beach has been re-christened the FAYZ and it is a dangerous place to live. Still trapped under the bubble, they don’t know if there is a world outside or not. Gone finished with an apocalyptic battle between… Read More ›
Low Budget Film »
Hell Ride (2008): Biker Film Homage (0)
Written and directed by Larry Bishop (son of Joey) Hell Ride is an apparent homage to the Roger Corman Biker films of the 60′s and 70′s. The “original” biker films were cheap, loud and full of bad acting and great moments. *who can forget a mortally wounded Bruce Dern in The Wild Angels asking as he… Read More ›
Modern Western »
Serenity (2005): Firefly Rides Off Into the Sunset (0)
In 2005 fans of the television series of Firefly were finally able to get some closure. Joss Whedon’s western space show, Firefly had been cut off at the knees before it could really take off. Fox network (who I think should win the ‘We Hate Joss Award’) axed the new series almost, it seems, out… Read More ›
Mystery »
Cargo (2009): This Swiss Science Fiction Ain’t Cheesy (2)
When you’re a film nut (or geek, or buff, or lover, or add descriptive word of choice here______), you will take a chance on a film you’ve never heard of. Often this unknown film is incredibly cheap, which can indicate that it is laughably bad and worth the paltry purchase price just to watch it… Read More ›
Mystery Film »
Black Death (2010): Could be Called Bleak Death (4)
Written by Dario Poloni (the man who penned the brilliant film Wilderness) and directed by Christopher Smith (Severance, Triangle, Creep) and staring Sean Bean (Black Death,The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Eddie Redmayne (The Good Shepard, My Week with Marilyn), Carice van Houten (Repo Men, Intruders), John Lynch (The Secret Garden, Sliding Doors), and Tim McInnerny (Severance, Notting Hill). With a pedigree this… Read More ›
Nominations »
Another Versatile Blogger Nomination?? (7)
Just when I thought it was safe to start blogging again, I got nominated by a person I nominated! So I owe a double thank you to Christopher, a self proclaimed blogging noob, over at TRUEMISTERSIX. I also have a small confession to make, I am also a noob when it comes to WordPress! I’ve been… Read More ›
Occult »
Author Michael West Interview – 4 April 2013 (4)
Michael West is a member of the Horror Writers Association and Indiana Horror Writers, where he serves as President. A graduate of Indiana University, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, and since that time, he has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He… Read More ›
paranormal »
Cinema of Shadows by Michael West (6)
When I joined Goodreads.com about a year ago I started receiving recommendations from folks fairly quickly. One of the first few titles that struck a chord with me was Cinema of Shadows by Michael West. Considering that I have a considerable weakness for well written horror, it sounded like it might be worth a look…. Read More ›
Personal »
America the Troubled (19)
It’s been a very violent and bloody week for this country. First a bloody ending to a national runners event that marred the day by killing and injuring innocent people taking part in the Boston Marathon and Patriot day. That all occurred on the 15th of April this year. Two days later, a fertiliser plant… Read More ›
Philosophical »
Happy One Year Anniversary to My WordPress Blog! (52)
It has taken me all day to decide on what to write after WordPress told me of my one year anniversary this morning. I will admit a certain amount of astonishment. I thought I’d been with WordPress much longer than a year. But after looking at my old posts and remembering that a goodly number… Read More ›
Political »
The President’s New Gun Control Bill or Sandy Hook Re-visited (2)
So the President has submitted for our consideration a new gun control bill. Just looking at the bare essentials being presented via the internet I don’t really see why the NRA has taken the automatic (pun intended) stance of deriding the Presidents bill. In case you’ve missed it the bill sets up banning automatic weapons,… Read More ›
Psychological Thriller »
The Skin I Live In (2011): Revenge Eaten Cold (10)
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar this 2011 film is an adaptation of Thierry Jonquet‘s novel Mygale (published as Tarantula in English) *information courtesy of Wikipedia* and is about tragic death, madness and revenge. Almodóvar first read the book ten years before the film was made and he was impressed by ”the magnitude of Doctor Ledgard’s vendetta” *information… Read More ›
Reality Television »
I Love Kelly Cutrone… (0)
I will sheepishly put my hand up and say that I liked The City; that spin-off of The Hills (that I watched, but did not like as much) that followed wannabe fashionista Whitney Port in her journey to be an image coordinator for Diane Von Furstenburg. After a poor first half season, the show underwent… Read More ›
Reflective »
50,000 Plus! Thanks Guys! (36)
Literally the day after I posted about my 1 year anniversary on WordPress, I passed the 50 thousand mark. To add to the excitement of that landmark, I also got 673 views yesterday which obviously helped to move my view totals up. While still surfing this wave of excitement, I thought I’d do a short… Read More ›
Religion »
Snake Oil Salesmen (9)
After my post about the evangelical posers and pretenders I was watching some of the uploaded shopping channels on YouTube from television. I suddenly realized that the ‘sales staff’ for the shopping channels could be the first cousins to the evangelical ‘sales staff’ especially in their method of delivery and the attitude of, ‘I know… Read More ›
Retro Film Reviews »
Jägarna aka The Hunters (1996) Swedish Straw Dogs (8)
Directed and co-written by Kjell Sundvall, The Hunters proves that Thomas Wolfe was right; you can’t go home again. Or at least you probably shouldn’t as the main protagonist Erik Backstrom finds when he returns to his hometown of Norrbotten. Erik is a detective from Stockholm where he gained the status of hero after catching… Read More ›
Satire »
The Cabin in the Woods (2011): Wolfram and Hart go Big-Time (6)
It may just be me, but the whole film kind of felt like a huge Angel episode. One where Angel and co have already been defeated by ‘Wolf, Ram and Hart’ and are now running the entire world to their own set of skewed rules. It felt like the ‘bad guys’ had won the battle,… Read More ›
Satirical Film »
Trollhunter (2010): Trolls aren’t Just on the Internet (5)
Written and directed by André Øvredal, Troll Hunter is a cracking good film and it is André Øvredal’s second feature length film. Made on a budget of 3.5 million dollars, it made just over that on it’s theatrical release. The film is a brilliant blend of Norwegian fairy tales and social satire. Considering the small budget the computer generated effects are… Read More ›
Science »
Today Mars, Tomorrow the Universe (1)
Monday was a real red letter day for NASA (You see what I did there?). Their nuclear powered discovery vehicle, the aptly named ‘Curiosity‘ has not only managed to land on Mars but it has sent it’s first pictures back. Pretty exciting stuff and it’s guaranteed to pique the interest of every ‘wanna-be’ astronaut and space… Read More ›
Science Fiction »
Light: A Gone Novel by Michael Grant – Endgame (4)
I waited impatiently for Amazon to deliver my copy of Light. It took them ages after first telling me that the marketplace seller had no more copies and that I’d have to order another one. It finally came on Saturday and I’ve now finished the last Gone novel. It is bittersweet this final book. Not just in… Read More ›
Science Fiction Film »
Avatar (2009): The Best Space Western Since 1977′s Star Wars (13)
After a jokey morning with my daughter where she informed me that she and a mate had decided that I was battle-scarred enough to be Colonel Quaritch in Avatar, a viewpoint I laughingly agreed with, I started thinking about the film itself. We went to see Avatar at the cinema. In all its 3D glory… Read More ›
Slasher »
My Soul to Take (2010): The Film Critics Love to Hate? (15)
Written and directed by “tongue-in-cheek” horror master Wes Craven, My Soul to Take opened to almost universal pans. No-one, it appears, liked the film and critics united in an effort to slam this film. As a huge Wes Craven (and fan of all the Screams) I am amazed at the amount of “Craven-bashing” that took place when this film… Read More ›
Social »
The 87th Precinct Stories by Ed McBain: A Master by Any Name (2)
Author Ed McBain wrote under many “nom de plumes” He wrote as Evan Hunter (Matthew Hope series), Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, and Richard Marsten for his crime fiction as well as Ed McBain for the 87th Precinct books and S.A. Lombino, Evan Hunter, Richard Marsten, D.A. Addams and Ted Taine when he wrote science fiction. Whichever name… Read More ›
South Korean Horror »
Thirst (2009): It’s In the Blood (0)
There are a lot of people who watched this film simply because it’s by the iconic, cult favourite, South Korean director/auteur - Chan-wook Park. Chan-wook, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Seo-Gyeong Jeon which is based on the book Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, has not disappointed us with his version of a vampire tale. This is completely unlike any… Read More ›
Spaghetti Western »
Django Unchained – A Western Tarantino Style (1)
I got quite excited when I heard that Quentin Tarantino had written and directed a new film. I got even more excited when I found out it was going to be a western (my favourite type of film). Add to the mix that it is a ‘homage’ to the spaghetti western and its multiple Django… Read More ›
Spanish Horror »
Sleep Tight (2011): Scary Spanish Thriller (5)
Directed by Jaume Balagueró who is the man behind REC, REC 2 , Fragile, and Darkness; so his bona fides in the horror/thriller genre are beyond question. He has not disappointed with his latest entry into the genre with Sleep Tight. Even with such an impressive pedigree of horror films under his belt, Wikipedia states that this is the… Read More ›
Sport »
2012 Olympics…Nero and His Fiddle (0)
As the start date of the 2012 Olympics draws near, I cannot help but look at the money that was spent and is being spent by the government and shudder. The state of the English economy is appalling. Along with every other country in the world England is struggling to meet it’s financial obligations. Daily… Read More ›
Super Hero Film »
The Amazing Spider-Man Returns…Again (6)
With the 2002 release of Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst as ‘Spidey‘ and his love interest, I felt that Sam Raimi had done justice to Stan “The Man” Lee’s comic creation. Two more films quickly followed and a fourth was rumoured to be in the works. Then, nothing. The scuttlebutt was that differences of opinion between Maguire… Read More ›
Supernatural »
Paranormal Activity 4 (2012): Flogging a Dead Horse (21)
After watching this fourth trip to the Paranormal “well” several metaphors sprang immediately to mind. The first one became part of the title; Flogging a dead horse, the second was hinted at in my first sentence; going to the well once too often and the third was, appropriately enough, trying to get milk when the… Read More ›
Technology »
I’ll Have the McTest-Tube Burger With Cheese… (2)
So, they are working on a test-tube hamburger are they? Well that’s what CNN say’s anyway. I had a quick look at their article and found out that a couple of scientists are both ‘racing’ to develop their own brand of ‘man-made’ meat. Scientist Gabor Forgacs from the University of Missouri (otherwise known as the ‘Show Me’… Read More ›
Teen Horror »
Ghostquake: Haunted High (2012) TV Movie Rubbish (10)
One of the “advantages” of living overseas is the ability to watch made for TV movies that are disguised as normal feature films. It is probably my own fault. I have a list of things I watch for: favourite directors, favourite actors, and whether the film is a horror film or not. I am a… Read More ›
Television »
Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette… (4)
Meg and I have been watching the first season DVD collection of Boardwalk Empire. A superior bit of television drama produced by HBO and starring Steve Buscemi, Kelly MacDonald and Michael Shannon. It is set in the 1920′s; that era of flappers, Eddie Cantor, the Charleston, Prohibition and “oh you kid.” It was also a… Read More ›
Thinking Out Loud »
Identity (or Something Like it) (4)
All our lives we as a race or as a people search for our place in this world. Some folks would call this a search for their identity or their purpose in life. Since people can be broken down into individual compartments of personality traits, emotions, wants, needs and aspirations it is easy to see… Read More ›
Thriller »
The Ruins by Scott Smith: Death by Mayan’s (4)
I first heard of this book “through the backdoor” as it were. I’d seen the film first. I can somewhat hazily remember liking it. It wasn’t anything to write home about, as far as I can remember, but the film did strike a chord with me. I discovered that it had been made from Scott… Read More ›
Uncategorized »
Alan O’Day Dead at 72 (0)
Alan O’Day Dead at 72
Urban Exploration »
Urban Exploration and Industrial Estates: The New Ghost Towns? (10)
My daughter has had a fascination with old dilapidated buildings since college. I remember taking her out on photo shoots of the many Industrial Estates around the area that had lost a lot of business to a continuing economic downturn. Considering that I used to patrol a lot of these estates when I worked in… Read More ›
Western »
Westworld (1973) The Original Terminator (0)
Written and directed by Michael Crichton and starring Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Dick Van Patten and Majel Barrett in a cameo as the Brothel owning Miss Carrie, Westworld was a breath of fresh air in the Science Fiction genre. Released in 1973 the film has admittedly not aged as well as it could have. Despite having… Read More ›
World Cinema »
The Raid (2011): Insane Indonesian Action Thriller (22)
I picked up this high-octane insane Indonesian action thriller for the unbelievably low price of 6 pounds stirling (that’s about 9 US dollars) Looking at the DVD art and reading the “preview” of the film on the back of the DVD, it looked and sounded like it could be a sort of distant cousin to… Read More ›
World News »
Russian Meteorite Explosion Could Shame Spielberg (24)
This video compilation of the Russian Meteorite explosion is brilliant. Pieced together from private footage and CCTV and traffic camera footage it give a great montage of the event. It can be found on RT Question More and it is almost stunning. Looking like a series of scenes from a science fiction film, it almost… Read More ›
Writing »
Moths (16)
*This short story is a work in progress, please feel free to tell me what you think of it. Thanks.* The sold sign (subject to contract) in front of the “two bedroom terraced starter home with garage” was being taken down. The estate agent trundled the sign to his van and deposited it in the… Read More ›
Young adult »
Gone By Michael Grant – But Not Over (0)
Written by Michael Grant and first published in 2008, Gone is a brilliant start to a series about the youthful survivors of a shattered California town. Set in the fictional seaside town of Perdida Beach. The book starts with the literal disappearance of a teacher in front of her class full of young students. There… Read More ›
