Here are a handful of entertaining behind-the-scenes horror film stories: -The cast and crew of Frankenstein are gathering to drive to location. It's the day they film the (in)famous scene where the monster encounters little Maria, and the crew are nervous. Boris Karloff is in full makeup and costume, and 7-year old Marilyn Harris has … Continue reading Fun Horror Movie Anecdotes
Movies
Reviews: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
There are some curious superlative exceptions in the history of cinema. The great epic of the American screen – Gone With the Wind – was made by someone other than Cecil B. DeMille. Humphrey Bogart’s greatest romantic role was opposite someone other than Lauren Bacall. And, in my opinion, the best and most frightening horror … Continue reading Reviews: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
Kaiju Appreciations; Death Ghidorah
Got another Kaiju Appreciation up over the weekend, this one for Mothra Leo's first opponent, Death Ghidorah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0dWe48OyNw&t=84s So, Death Ghidorah heralds from the first of the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, which spun off Mothra in a whole different direction. The twin fairies are now an older and younger sister duo, with a third, evil … Continue reading Kaiju Appreciations; Death Ghidorah
Match-Up: Smog vs. Thing
A fun thought experiment to follow up yesterday's review: (For our purposes, we'll posit a human-scale Hedorah) This match-up struck me about the time I was working on my 'Hedorah Appreciation' update. Two viral, nigh-indestructible aliens whose original forms are all-but unimaginable, pose an existential threat to all life on Earth, and can regenerate from … Continue reading Match-Up: Smog vs. Thing
Review: ‘The Thing’
It’s October, moving toward the Halloween season, and you know what that means: time for horror movies! And kicking off the season for me is a film I’ve been meaning to get around to seeing for years: John Carpenter’s The Thing, the 1982 remake of Howard Hawks’s 1951 classic, The Thing From Another World, both … Continue reading Review: ‘The Thing’
Friday Flotsam: Minnesota and Mario
1. Spent most of the week in Minneapolis getting training for my new job. It went fine for the most part, but travel is always tiring, especially travel for work. Looking forward to the weekend. 2. I always hate air travel; crammed alongside strangers for an hour or more while the pressurized air grinds against … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Minnesota and Mario
Clay vs. Sand
Another matchup I'd love to see: My favorite Batman rogue vs. my favorite Spider-Man rogue This is a tricky one to call, since they're both absurdly powerful and nigh-invulnerable. But on consideration, I think I'd peg Sand-Man to win. The deciding factor is just that he's more used to dealing with other super-powered beings like … Continue reading Clay vs. Sand
Friday Flotsam: Vita Nuova, Psych Matters, Rule of Life, and Killer Shrews
1. So incipit vita nuova. Of course it hasn't really begun; I don't start until Monday. But one phase is definitely over. 2. Today was mostly spent finishing up the transfer of files from my old computer to the new one. I'm trying to clear as many old projects or 'things that need to be … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Vita Nuova, Psych Matters, Rule of Life, and Killer Shrews
Sharing a Vid: ‘Walt vs. Disney’
Got put onto this video the other day and heartily recommend it. The narrator compares the films of Walt Disney with those of the renaissance and modern Disney corporation (well, 2017 modern) to show how artistically superior Uncle Walt's films were, in the process calling attention to just what a great filmmaker the man was. … Continue reading Sharing a Vid: ‘Walt vs. Disney’
Friday Flotsam: Some History, Headspace, and More
1. Most of my reading this week was more stuff on colonial and early American history, which I don’t want to talk about right now because I’m a little tired of controversies on the subject. That’s kind of a pattern with a lot of these Flotsams and, heck, life in general; most of the stuff … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Some History, Headspace, and More
Serpent's Den 