Looking for suggestions

I'm looking for suggestions as to how to spruce this place up a little bit. Is there anything you want to see from me? Any articles or posts that I don't do that you think might be interesting? I'm all for positive criticism, so let me know what I can do to spark your interest, and what do you know, it might even spark my creativity.

Also, if you'd like to review the blog at all, just leave it in a comment. I'd be happy to look at your criticism and attempt to make viewing this blog a lot more fun. Also, any suggestions on a new layout/ways to increase traffic would be much appreciated.

I love making you happy. You know who you are :-*

A walk through Eagle Mills' Craft Fair

It was a warm day in September when we headed off for the Eagle Mills Craft Fair, an annual event in Eagle Mills, New York. Normally, Eagle Mills is a quiet venue, but once fall rolls around, the craft fair starts up for two weekends and the cars pile in. Most of the time, the regular parking areas are filled, and cars have to begin parking on the side of the road.

Obviously, we parked on the street.

It's a long walk from the street to the actual fair, as the path winds pretty far back into the woods. But there's a lot to look at along the way. Eagle Mills makes their own apple cider using a water turbine, so a station is set up out front selling cider and other goodies. Plus, there's an iconic Eagle Mills water barrel to keep your eyes out for.

Finally, we got to the actual spot of interest: the craft fair. It's divided into two sections because of its size - one part is right at the front entrance to the fair, and houses two buildings devoted tofood, one a lunch-oriented station and one devoted solely to pastries and doughnuts. Naturally, we headed right for the bakery.

You can just make out the bakery in the far left corner.

It always smells delicious in the bakery, and it's hard making choices. They have apple cider doughnuts, all kinds of turnovers, strudels, brownies, fudge... You name it, they make it. I ended up getting a raspberry turnover, and then eating half of my mom's apple turnover. We also picked up a half-dozen apple cider doughnuts - fresh are the best!

I'm digging in.

Next, we headed over the bridge that separates the two halves of the fair. We wanted to get to the back first to make sure we didn't miss anything. The bridge holds a pretty view of both the stream that runs underneath it and the massive turbine waterfall.

Most of the time, I just like to look at the crafts instead of actually buying anything. I'm more of a window shopper. Depending on where you shop, there are some really cool Halloween items made by the crafters. Other items include homemade condiments like hot sauces and barbecue sauces, wooden decorations, Christmas decorations, keychains, food, soaps, and other knick-knacks that make good scenery in your home. I mostly look for the Halloween stuff, though.

I couldn't get many pictures because many crafters are paranoid of people stealing their work. I did get a few examples of some homemade crafts for Halloween, though.

Taken secretly; note its tilt

These are some cool grim reaper ceramics I saw. They are incense burners, and smoke comes out of their hooded faces.

Sometimes, you can even see crafters hard at work on their crafts, like this man making wooden pumpkins:


Unfortunately, I didn't buy anything. But the experience is definitely worth the trip. I urge you to check out any community fall activities like this, as it's a good way to support the community and gets you into that Halloween spirit. Plus, who can beat good fall pastries?

Thanks for reading; just a little taste of my own community.

Moon Minis - The Pianist

The Pianist

 
Holocaust picture starring Adrien Brody that hits all the right notes. The Pianist's violence is heightened by the film's slow tempo and director Roman Polanski's refusal to leave any of the grisly details out. The film is an uncomfortable, discordant and unsettling look into the life of Brody's character, who is forced to leave his family and struggles to survive by working for the Nazis. His plight is speckled with horror, as he finds himself caught up in all sorts of conflict that seems almost hopeless. Brody carries the film, remaining one of the last links to moralistic humanity that we can count on. His ability to portray his survival as luck, and not as a sort of Chosen One, gives grim reality to the situation.

Not a film for the faint of heart - The Pianist does not overlook the terrors of war or the murderous nature of the Nazi regime, and many times it will have you writhing in anger at the atrocities. Unfortunately, this time we cannot tell ourselves it is only a movie. A must-watch film, and though it does touch on some of the same themes as other Holocaust films, it does not lessen the impact, or the story.

The Pianist on Rotten Tomatoes

Trick 'r Treat comic/movie releases Oct. 6 on DVD

Just received a copy of the Trick 'r Treat comic adaptation in the mail today. Each chapter is drawn by difference artists, and the stories all seem to correspond with the others in some way. Very cool indeed, and really making me yearn for Halloween night, which is fast approaching.

***


In other Trick 'r Treat news, the DVD release of the film is almost here. On October 6, the film will be on store shelves, and no one is more excited than me. I've been monitoring the film ever since I've heard word of it, mostly because it embodies everything that attracts me to Halloween. While I haven't seen it, I've seen many pictures, including the book of stories that corresponds with it, and I've heard good things as well. I've already added it to my Netflix, so when it comes out I will have something to look forward to.

The film is being released by Warner and stars Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. Head on over to Amazon to preorder it.

remakes Remakes REMAKES

With the overwhelming amount of horror sequels and remakes coming out (yes, they are planning ANOTHER Children of the Corn remake), I thought I'd make things worse and take a look at some more planned remakes that are way out on the horizon.

Poltergeist
Scanners
Piranha (As if this was popular enough to need a remake)
It (although I can see why, as the original was only a made-for-TV movie)
They Live (no way, a cult classic!)
The Orphanage (are we seeing a trend of remaking films that just came out?)
Suspiria (another cult classic that can only end in an awful attempt to update the original)
Battle Royale
I Spit on Your Grave (going the route of Last House on the Left?)

The future is scary, folks. Just look through any horror site - there are more sequels/remakes slated than original ideas. Many of these films are just talk, most have barely even made it into pre-production, so let's hope they don't come to fruition. But if they do, these are some of the films we can look forward to...

Thanks to Upcoming Horror Movies and Horror-Movies.ca for their information.

NOES remake trailer surfaces, makes me long for the original

This Nightmare on Elm Street trailer has finally surfaced on the web after being tacked on to the Zombieland previews, and I must say that it looks pretty slick. You might see a familiar face or two in there; Katie Cassidy, who last starred in CBS' horror serial Harper's Island (reviews here, here, and here), plays Kris, and Jackie Earle Haley, fresh off of Watchmen, plays the clawed menace Freddy.

Unfortunately, this Elm Street looks a lot like the original in plot structure. I hope that director Samuel Bayer is working off of a loose adaptation of the first rather than a shot-for-shot remake, because then what's the point in watching the new film? It may look shinier but it'll be the same as before - I might as well just watch the old one. Which leads me to why we even need a remake, but that's another matter altogether. I already just want to watch the original and revel in the glory of Robert Englund.

Suffice to say, though, the trailer has me excited for that bad boy Freddy and his tricks. But trailers can be deceiving...

Any thoughts?

Neve Campbell to star in Scream 4

Kevin Williamson and co. are returning for a fourth Scream film. Shock Till You Drop is reporting that Scream 4 will be a part of a new trilogy based on the Ghostface killer - how they will do it after already exhausting themselves with a spree of copycat killers, only time will tell.

But Neve Campbell has joined the cast of the film, along with David Arquette and Courtney Cox, who is just starting her role on ABC's Cougar Town. Rumors about a fourth movie have been circulating for years, but it seems that this time the rumor has become the truth.

Plot details surfaced a while ago, but the script seemed to be focusing on a re-imagining of the original film. The news that STYD is reporting, plus the fact that Neve Campbell has signed on, seems to indicate Scream 4 will be a new chapter in the series.

Scream 4 is set to release sometime in 2010. I have always loved the Scream films, even if they were hokey and cliched. They're fun horror, and I hope that the fourth film lives up to my expectations.

What about you? Are you interested?

Movie Review - Children of the Corn (2009)

Children of the Corn (2009)


First, I think it would be easiest to start off this review with a list of Children of the Corn's plot structure, and then explain from there.

1. 0:00 to around 30:00 - roadside accident between two main characters; subsequent arguing between main characters; driving to town to find a pay phone while arguing

2. 30:01 - 1:00:00 - exploration of abandoned Nebraska town (while arguing); fleeting glimpses of killer children in the backgrounds of shots, most of which is coupled with a sharp musical note (sometimes while arguing); seperation of woman from man and the resulting death

3. 1:00:01 - 2:00:00 - Nam man escapes from children in corn fields; children proceed to chase until dark; man attacked by corn monster that we don't see; finds a clearing with sacrifices, including wife; death of man

These three plot points are basically what make up most of this SyFy feature, with an emphasis on arguing. If it sounds like a poorly plotted, slightly boring and suspense-less film, then I've hit the nail on the head with my description.

From the start of the film, we come to find out that our protagonists' personalities are almost unbearable. Vicki (played by Kandyse McClure) is whiny, weak, and her emotions are practically heightened the amount where you'd think she would die of stress before any child with a scythe can put her out of her misery (and ours). Then again, Burt (David Anders) tries a little too hard to be a macho war veteran, constantly taking charge of situations and demeaning Vicki. It's no wonder that their marriage is failing; two annoying individuals put together does not make for a lovely relationship.

The whole film, too, is a lesson in ill-conceived emotions. Vicki freaks out from the get-go, and there's nowhere for her emotions to rise. She's already at the height of her fear; there's no climax to her character, only a constant state of panic that makes her the obvious victim. On the other hand, Burt is way too calm for most of the movie; even as his wife is killed, he laughs and challenges the children, which makes for probably one of the most unrealistic and humorous parts of the film.

As you can see above, the plot leaves much to be desired. It may work as a short story, but watching the characters bicker for a half an hour about what to do with a dead body becomes tiresome quickly. There's barely any suspense generated; much of what people might find "scary" is just created by kids walking behind cars or windows. None of the kids are ominous or intimidating - Burt shows this to be true when he can outsmart hundreds of them in the corn, or when he kills a few by easily ducking an ax and them battering them senseless. Even the leader of the group, Issac (Preston Bailey), is just a wimpy little kid with a good sense for speeches. Malachai (Daniel Newman) is a misguided redhead with a temper and a gravelly voice: big deal. The thrills of the film should come from the feeling that both protagonists are outmatched by a force much greater. But Burt is already a fearless leader, thanks in part to the juxtaposition of Vicki's weaknesses. One feels as though Burt could single-handedly thwart the children by laying low and then escaping from the corn.

Unfortunately, Children of the Corn becomes a tedious affair: watch Vicki and Burt argue, watch Vicki and Burt explore, watch Vicki and Burt argue, watch Burt run. There's no interest to invest; we're obviously just along for the ride, and the outcome leaves us pretty angry that we wasted so much time observing Burt narrowly avoid death.

SyFy is coming out with an Unrated cut of the film on DVD October 6th; don't buy into their hype. There's nothing in the film that could be considered enough to warrant an Unrated release. The violence is tame, the worst of which being some whispy strands protruding from the eyes. The film is better than your average SyFy Original, but there's still a reason why this is a made-for-TV movie.

Children of the Corn remake to premiere tonight on SyFy!

Yes, SyFy channel is remaking Stephen King's short story, and the subsequent movie adaptation, into a new era of corn children! The film will premiere tonight on SyFy channel (Sept. 26) at 9/8 central as part of the channel's SyFy Original Movies series.

The remake comes 25 years after the original film premiered in theaters, which starred Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton as a young couple being terrorized by children in a Nebraska town. The story's the same this time around, but the film stars David Anders and Kandyse McClure, of Heroes and Battlestar Galactica, respectively.

Stephen King has actually adapted his story for the television movie, so will we actually see a relatively good SyFy Original Movie? Tune in tonight to find out.

Book Review - Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King

Hearts in Atlantis


Stephen King tackling the past isn't necessarily a new thing; he tends to jump back and forth between then and now throughout most of his books, with the mindset seeming to be that we can never really get over the past. But in Hearts in Atlantis, King tackles the 60s and, more specifically, the Vietnam War, an era that, for most Americans who lived through it, holds intense feelings. Whether it be support of the war, contempt for it, or neutrality in the face of it, King tries to come at the topic from all points of view, something that makes the novel stronger and weaker at the same time.

King covers five different areas of the Vietnam War and the years that follow it - we start off before the war with a young boy named Bobby and his adventures with his mentor Ted, move into 1966 with a man in college, Pete, who finds his own stance on the Vietnam War as an oppositional one, jump in time to 1983 and a man who fought in the war who suffers from multiple personalities, in 1990 drop by an old friend who was in the war with his own set of horror stories and personal demons, and finally wrap the whole thing together with another visit to Bobby in 1990 revisiting his past. There's a lot to discuss and talk about - Hearts in Atlantis is a thick book with even thicker themes and messages, but there's not much time. I'll get to the gist of my discussion.

King provides rich detail for each of his characters, crafting suspenseful drama for each that crosses lines with the other narratives but never becomes the same. King's ability to take on different personae with ease isn't surprising, but it's still spectacular enough here to warrant rewarding. Every perspective brings something new to the novel; it's as though King is working through his own misgivings of the war. How do you think of something that hasn't really been given a sense of closure? King's novel attempts to do just that - by coming at it from different angles, will it make the whole thing clearer? The answer is not really, and that is purposefully done. There can be no right answer to a matter as big as the Vietnam War, only opinions. Masterfully crafted, King pits his characters against something bigger than they can handle, where they must wade without anchor towards their fate.

But though King's characters are complexly created with multiple facets, there's always that weakness that shows up when switching away from one character to the next - here, that flaw stems from the fact that some of King's characters are stronger and more relatable than others. Bobby's story seems like it could stand alone; the characters from Bobby's childhood all weave into the narratives of the other main characters, Bobby's encounters with Ted and the low men are more fleshed out, exciting, and intriguing than any of the other tales explored. Switching protagonists disrupted my excitement of the story arc - I almost didn't want to be taken down the road King was leading me, instead leaning more towards Bobby's later adventures with the low men. The point I'm trying to make here is that King's head-hopping may bother some readers because of the close associations they get with one character.

That doesn't change the fact that Hearts in Atlantis is a stunning domino effect of the Vietnam War, one that leaves the reader feeling lost in a tidal wave of history. I did not live through the 60s; I have no experience of the Vietnam War other than my own knowledge of it through history classes. But I came to accept my participation in the past, an entwining of the reader and the protagonists into one being that King is so good at. Take this ride back in time, revisit horrible moments, find good times in them, remember the bad, but you'll come out okay. King lets us know that in the end, not all do come out alright. War takes us away, whether it be literal national conflicts or our own personal relationships.

"I can't remember hurting any more ever in my life than I did then. Hearts are tough, she said, most times hearts don't break, and I'm sure that's right... but what about then? What about who we were then? What about hearts in Atlantis?"

High Moon in my mailbox

I went down to my mailbox today at lunch time, expecting maybe a Netflix movie or Domino's flyer, if that. Instead, I found a green slip indicating I'd received a package. When these slips are in my mailbox, I get a sense of joy akin to that of Christmas; this feeling was heightened tenfold by the fact that I hadn't ordered anything!

I got the package, tore it open, and found High Moon, a werewolf western graphic novel from DC Comics and winner of the Zuda Comics' monthly online competition. The artwork looks fantastic, a mix of the dirty west along with wonderful character creations. I'm ready to dive right in.



DC Comics has proved themselves to be a fantastic company; their partnership with the LOTT D, and with this blog, is both respected and honored, and I'd just like to take the time to thank them for all of their participation with this blog.

***

I think you can expect a review of Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis tonight. I think.

I've been bitten and it feels so good!

Pax Romano over at the famous (or infamous) blog Billy Loves Stu has honored this blog with an award - the Hot Zombie Awards for Excellence in Horror Blogging!


Yes, Pax was indeed kind enough to "bite" me, proclaiming The Moon is a Dead World the "Best Blog By a Guy Named Ryne!" I concede that this is probably true... but alas, not too many people are named Ryne.

A big thank you to Pax - I'm not worthy! I'll cherish this spectacular award forever!

Movie Review - Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd


When I watch a film based on something from a different medium, I think it's important to ask myself what the movie is doing differently from the other. In Sweeney Todd's case, the medium has shifted from stage to film; it seems similar enough on first glance, but instantly recognizable is the ability for director Tim Burton to create a more ominous, forbidding atmosphere. Burton jumps on it. For a director who has made such films as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, films which turn simple children's stories into nightmarish but moralistic fantasy, Sweeney Todd is the perfect musical/horror hybrid.

In fact, Burton's brooding, angst-ridden Todd is perhaps Edward Scissorhands at his most depressive. This is in part due to Johnny Depp's portrayal of the man; his crazy demeanor is welcomed here, although at times I felt distanced from Todd. In the end, I came to the conclusion that this was on purpose; Sweeney Todd is, for the most part, a mystery who we rarely see in full genuine clarity.

Burton heightens this sense of mystery by adding his touch of surrealistic qualities to the film. Animated effects take the audience out of the world's reality. Deep, dark days drop off into even darker nights. The atmosphere is considerably heavy and dreary, something that builds the sense of dread throughout the film. It is this that gives the film version of Todd that difference from what one might see on stage, something that stuck out to me through much of the movie.

I'm not one for musicals, but the singing didn't bother me; Depp's voice is surprisingly good. The script was engaging enough, most of what kept me interested being the foreshadowing that we get throughout the film. The love story is also kept under raps - it doesn't get out of hand, actually becoming only a minute part of the plot.

But we can't talk about Sweeney Todd without discussing the violence. Are the bloodbaths necessary to the film's plot? Yes and no. On the one hand, they help to provide a gauge of just how mentally broken Todd is. We come to see the violence Todd enacts as the closest we can get to the true Benjamin Barker. On the other hand, the throat fountains are too numerous and similar. We got the point, please move on.

If my thoughts seem unclear, it's because they are. The above portion of the review has been me working through my thoughts of the film. I enjoyed it thoroughly, would watch it again, thought it was a good precursor to Halloween. But it's difficult to point to exactly what parts I like. It's like trying to dissect apple pie. But I know one thing that led to my satisfaction - the conclusion. The well-directed bloody end gets to the heart of the themes expressed in the film. Todd is driven by vengeance and blinded by blood (literally and figuratively speaking). His inability to recognize his own daughter, even referring to her as a man, and his murderous rampage which leads to his wife's death, give a poignant reminder that Todd forgot what his vengeance was for.

Sweeney Todd on Rotten Tomatoes

And the winner of the review contest is...

IN MY SKIN


with 4 votes!

This has been added to my Netflix queue and will be the next movie I review (after The Pianist, which is coming Thursday). Thanks for voting, everyone!

***

In a matter of hours, I will be posting a review of Sweeney Todd. I swear it. I will sit down and write this out. I have to psyche myself up for it with all the work I'm doing for classes. This is my psyche-up session. I also have to write up that craft fair post, and review Stephen King's novel Hearts in Atlantis. I will do this... I promise. Once that is over, reviews of Dark Entries, North 40, and The Werewolf's Guide to Life. Then I move on to a block of horror films for Halloween. You might catch some posts about my favorite Halloween television specials. And then it's on to Nostalgia November, which I still need guest posters for to make my life a little easier. Oh, it never ends I tell you.

Blah/Creative Writing

Review of Sweeney Todd forthcoming, when I feel like writing. For now, feast your eyes on some of my creative writing, currently untitled.

I: Jeff Ejects

It was Jeff’s Ejection time again, and he felt like shit. It seemed to always happen to him at the worst possible times. There was that instance when he had been on a date with Sondra from work and ended up Ejecting; losing control of his body had caused his head to fall forward into his soup bowl, splattering Sondra with clam chowder. Embarrassing enough was the fact that he had Ejected at the dinner table, but showering Sondra had been the worst part; it turns out Sondra just happens to be allergic to clams, and a large chunk had managed to find its way into Sondra’s mouth. While Jeff had been practically drowning in his soup, Sondra’s face had started swelling, and if it wasn’t for the waiter with the bright red vest that Jeff had previously joked about to Sondra, they both might have died. Oh, the joys of Ejection.

Today, Jeff found himself sprawled on the curb; his hand, a few inches from his mouth, held a hot dog that was now dripping bright yellow mustard onto the sidewalk. Jeff couldn’t help but think of his prone position as sexual. He imagined a kid in a rumpled leather jacket joking to his friends about the homo with the hot dog - He’s gonna take it deep!, the kid would say, and Jeff would hear everything. His face would remain stoic, his mouth staying in its half-opened state, but inside, he’d be burning with embarrassment, a red-hot torch that could not break the Ejection’s physical barrier.

The worst part of the Ejection wasn’t the loss of physical movement. The worst, the absolute fucked-up part of the predicament, was that Jeff did not lose his consciousness. No, no – Ejection was not sleep. Sleep included rest for the mind, something that Ejection was so unfortunately lacking.

Jeff had thought about it on many occasions, most of them like the one he found himself in
now. Most people he talked to actually enjoyed their Ejection periods; they said it gave them time to think. Or they had people to care for them when they dropped into their soups. Some even had the great fortune to Eject when they were sleeping, as if they weren’t Ejecting at all! Very rarely did Jeff even come across someone who had Ejected on the sidewalk as he was now.

So Jeff felt like shit.

II: Jeff Finds a Friend (Almost)

Jeff tried to nap, but the bustle of the sidewalk made it almost impossible. Every time he’d just about nod off, someone would step on his foot or kick his head. It would make sense for some kind soul to come along and move him out of the middle of the walkway, position him so that he wouldn’t be jostled by the pedestrians. But no kind soul ever came, only busy shoppers too focused on the neon street signs to be bothered with Jeff. He was just another obstacle, like a street sign, wooden bench, or fire hydrant.

After an hour or so (it was hard for Jeff to tell time, but the foot traffic had steadily picked up to suggest the five o’clock rush), someone stopped to have a look at Jeff. First, Jeff noticed the guy’s feet; his eyes were pretty much level with the ground. The man was shoeless, his bare feet marred by bruises and cuts that seemed to have been repeatedly healed and reopened. It looked like he had some sort of infection on his left pinky toe; it was swollen and raw, and reminded Jeff of the hot dog he had been looking forward to eating before he Ejected.

As Infection Man neared, Jeff could see that the guy’s pants were all ripped up, his bony right knee poking through the fabric. The pants were unbuttoned, and now that the man was even closer – almost right beside Jeff, it was kind of creeping him out because of that infected toe – he could see that there was no button on the pants, only a primitive attempt a stitching that had probably immediately fallen out.

Jesus Christ, he thought. We’re just giving the kid with the leather jacket fodder for his jokes. The hobo and the homo with the hot dog.

It was obvious to Jeff that the Infection Man was not going to just pass by like the rest of the pedestrians. Of course not; Jeff attracted all of the weird shit. It was a fact of his life. He should have it written down, highlighted, italicized, and underlined, and then stuck onto his fridge.

“Hot dog,” the hobo said in a high falsetto voice. “Hot dog mustard.” He bent over and – oh God, the hobo’s infection blanched. It was like his toe had become a giant leech that had overeaten.
Infection Man tried to grab the hot dog from Jeff’s hands, but they were too rigidly clasped around the bun. The hobo settled for the mustard that had almost dried onto the sidewalk. He stuck out one hairy finger, quickly scraped up what he could of the condiment, and stuck the finger into his mouth. “Good yeah mustard. Take for money off you go.”

Jeff yearned for someone to come and bump into the hobo. Before, he had wished someone would notice him lying prostrate on the sidewalk; now, he just wanted everyone to go away. All the weird shit happened to him.

“Off you go. Take you with me. Money gold.” The hobo swiped another bit of mustard off of the sidewalk. “Many quin.”

Infection Man straightened up, and someone bumped him. The infected toe was inches from Jeff’s open mouth. The hobo started yelling at the person. Unfortunately for Jeff and the hobo, someone was right behind Infection Man. The hobo’s foot was too far extended into the path of the person; a shoe came down right onto Infection Man’s infected foot.

A goopy stream of pus broke through the infection and shot out, right into Jeff’s face. He could feel the bloody green offal slide down his nose, lips, collecting in his unshaven moustache. The hobo was howling, but Jeff paid him no mind.

“Off we go! Off we go!” Infection Man screamed. He gripped Jeff’s arms and started dragging him down the path. “Many quin!”

Jeff felt like shit; Ejection didn’t allow Jeff to vomit.

Moon Minis - WALL·E

WALL·E


Cutesy little robot doing clean-up jobs on an abandoned Earth in the future meets a new robot named EVE, travels to a luxury ship where all the humans went, and attempts to get the humans to re-inhabit the earth. Everything you've heard about this film is true - it's a fantastic trip for both child and adult, complete with themes that will get to the heart of either age group. Disney and Pixar know how to make cute; that much is apparent from the first bleeps and bloops out of WALL·E's mouth. But they also have crafted a truly enjoyable experience, touching on a lot of our world's problems. What will happen when technology gets out of hand? When we fill our landfills? When Earth is no longer inhabitable? Unfortunately, we'll have no cuddly WALL·E or EVE. We just have enormous problems we don't know how to deal with, and that is always lurking in the background of WALL·E's kid-friendly plot.

Don't discount WALL·E because of its cartoon-y facade. The themes present here, along with its incredible characterization of two robots without voices, is deserving of your time just as a live-action flick would be. In fact, WALL·E's probably smarter, and would do you and our society more good. Think of it as a wake-up call, and all coming from a film designed to make kids laugh and forget the troubles that they will soon be left with.

WALL·E on Rotten Tomatoes

Sigh

Whoooo, it's been very busy around here. I went home for the weekend, so between making the trip and hanging out with my family, there hasn't been much time for any blogging. I'll be back to it soon (maybe even tonight if I'm feeling ambitious), with a Moon Mini of Wall-E and a special writeup on my visit to my local craft fair! If you've never been to a craft fair, it's a country-ish tradition where one goes to pick apples, celebrate fall, and look at crafts that others have made - and some are even Halloween decorations.

You can check all that out soon.

RANKED 12!?

I just want to call attention to the fact that The Moon is a Dead World has been ranked #12 on Horrorblips, a site that collects horror blogger's stories and works sort of like Digg or StumbleUpon for horror.

With a lot of really, really great horror blogs out on the Internet, I find it amazing that this here blog could break the 100s, let alone the top 20. Don't think I'll stay in this position - I'm not sure how the stats are calculated, but I'm sure some better blogger will overtake me soon. But I'm just basking in the accomplishment for right now.

Thanks to everyone who reads and votes my stories up on Horrorblips!

Cliver Barker's Book of Blood coming out Sept. 22 on DVD

Slow news day today. But I've been reading up on Book of Blood, a direct-to-DVD film based on Clive Barker's story of the same name, and the clips I've seen online look pretty slick.

Here's clip 1:

Clive Barker's Book of Blood - Exclusive Clip - Diner
by dreadcentral

And clip 2:

Book of Blood - Clip 2 - Highways
by dreadcentral

Finally, clip 3:



All of the clips seem pretty stripped down, effectively using darkness and little music to create a creepy atmosphere. I really like Clive Barker's whole series from which this story comes from, so I hope it can get at least a four-star treatment here.

Book of Blood has already been out in the UK but it hits DVD in the US on September 22, and you can catch its premiere on the SyFy channel (recent name change a letdown for me) on September 20.

Voters needed

I'm still looking for the deciding factor on a horror movie to review. So far we have:

4 votes In My Skin
3 votes Castle Freak
2 votes Brutal Massacre
1 vote Blood Diner
1 vote Header


What do you want to see reviewed? Let me know! Voting ends September 20. If I don't have a clear-cut winner, I'll decide which one out of the two that are tied.

Meet the Horror Bloggers: The Moon is a Dead World

This post was written for a series done by Zombos Closet and the LOTT D, which worked to show the more personal side of the bloggers, one that talks more about the blogger than the news that they bring you with each post. Feel free to read others at Zombos Closet or the LOTT D website.

You know when you’re lying in bed, looking at the shadows that a particular object is throwing off on your ceiling, and thinking up different ideas of what the shapes look like? Trying to decide what looks most similar? Attempting to define the experience that really hooked me to the horror genre is kind of like that.

There are hundreds of tiny snippets of memories that I get when I try to pinpoint an exact frame of reference: filling my bathtub with Goosebumps books and attempting to read them all; playing with my first Ouija board at my aunt’s house; building the Blair Witch symbol out of sticks and hanging it in a tree; reading my first Stephen King book while on a camping trip. But none of these really stick out as the defining experience for my fascination with horror.

I’ve previously written about my dad’s involvement in my horror findings, and I think it’s true that being with him built the foundation for me to build off of. It’s time to take a walk through memory lane, and I’ll try to give it to you as best as possible, because this memory stands highlighted as IMPORTANT on my journey.

When I was younger, my dad owned a video store, aptly titled The Movie Place. The bus would drop me off there after school, where my father would watch me until he got off of work. Think of yourself as a six or seven year old, bombarded with images on the front of VHS tapes. It’s fascinating stuff, right? There was no way I could have been bored there.

The far right side of the store housed all of the horror films on a black wire rack. I would wander over there to peruse the boxes; one such film that really stood out was the cover of Return of the Living Dead Part 2, the one where the toxic mist is gathering in the sky to form a cloud with a zombie face. At six, you tend to notice how creepy some of this artwork is.

My dad found my fascination with the boxes interesting, partly because he was fond of horror as well. A little while after I started looking at the covers, my dad put on Tales from the Darkside: The Movie after I came home from school. I don’t remember much of it at all; I used to pretend I was a tough guy when it came to anything scary, but I was secretly quite afraid of all of it. I just know that I was scared shitless by a prison cell scene.

This type of experimentation continued; I tried the Darkside series, where a Christmas monster came and took the evil parents away; I begged my father to let me watch Pumpkinhead II until he brought it home one day, where I refused to watch it.

But at some point, my revulsion to the horror was overcome by fascination – I asked questions of myself like why do I like this stuff, why am I drawn to it? I couldn’t, and still can’t, answer them. I just let my interest carry me along. In sixth grade, I was forced to write stories for my English class. We could write about anything, as long as we stuck to the original prompt. So I turned all of the good-natured prompts into awful ones, writing about sharks tearing off a teenager’s leg or a group of friends making a horror film who die off one by one. It was taboo stuff for a sixth grader, really, but my teacher thought it was fantastic, urging me on as long as I kept up my writing.

And over the course of a few years, I was hooked not just on reading and watching horror, but writing it as well. I’ve written things before, all of which have gone unfinished – there’s a story about a Spring Fling dance gone terribly wrong, starring all of my friends, and even a few teachers, a mind-numbingly confusing tale about a monster, and a few others – but writing about horror media has kept me going as a writer and critiquer. It’s hard work, sometimes even unenjoyable (I have films like Sorority House Vampires From Hell to thank for that), but it’s one thing I can’t live without.

Will I ever have a bestselling horror novel, or a wicked, maniacal script for a film you might watch some day? Maybe not – my hopes of being a teacher are stronger now than they are for writing. But I have no plans of giving up on writing about horror. A lesson for all of those reading – stick with what you love, and all of those memories throwing shapes on your ceiling. They mean something to you, so make something of them.

Thanks for reading – I hope to catch you at the end of a scream.

Saw VI: "He helped me"

IGN has posted a new poster for Saw VI, set to release October 23, once again right in time for Halloween. It follows the same routine as the others in the series, with mechanical contraptions that look mysterious and threatening enough to get your creative juices flowing. The minimalism here is definitely a positive, though, because of that chilling line right in the middle: "He helped me." It's not a new premise, of course, but it still gives me shivers.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories/Silent Hill 2

I can't say I'm too impressed with the logo...

An onslaught of Silent Hill news has been coming out recently, one of which includes a new game for the Playstation 2, PSP, and Wii. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is essentially a reboot of the original game with new AI, scarier graphics, and different gameplay mechanics.

Konami explains the game's plot:

The story follows Harry Mason, who wakes up after a car accident to find that his daughter Cheryl is missing. Harry will wander the snowy streets of Silent Hill searching for answers of her disappearance, but when the world freezes over, he will need to escape the lumbering demons that haunt his steps. Harry will need to navigate both worlds to discover the truth; not just about his missing daughter, but also the type of person he actually is.

And the trailer:

The graphics look nice enough, and the monsters are a little creepy, but I'm wondering if there any more creatures besides those pale, Gollum-like beings. Also, the game is having its debut on the Wii, and while the flashlight mechanics look nice in the trailer, I don't exactly trust survival horror games on the console after my atrocious Alone in the Dark experience.

Whatever happens, you can grab the game off of video game retailers' shelves November 3. And yes, Konami, I would like to review it!

***


To continue the SH news, the Hollywood Reporter gave some news on the greenlight for a sequel to 2006's Silent Hill. Samuel Hadida is working on the new film, with Roger Avary on script-writing duties. Both are reprising their work from the original film. No plot details have been confirmed at this time. Look for the film sometime in 2010 if the rumors hold true.

Wicked homework strain

Must... stay... awake...

Moon Minis - The Darjeeling Limited

The Darjeeling Limited


Standard Wes Anderson fare that relies on three men (Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, and Jason Shwartzman) to carry the story of estranged brothers setting out on a spiritual journey in India. Practical familial tensions set in as the brothers travel with each other, which is Anderson at his best but also his most comfortable and tried.

Darjeeling may have all the requisite parts of an Andersonian film, but it lacks the bite, wit, and humor that his other films carry. Instead, think of the film as a slower, plodding Royal Tenenbaums, but without the bits of satire and crisp cuts that make that film such a pleasure to watch.

There are strengths to the film, such as a tense scene where the brothers attempt to rescue Indian kids from a capsized raft; emotional and surprising, it has a kick that the rest of the movie hasn't received, making the majority of the film stand out more because of its lack of the aforementioned quality.

Darjeeling is artsy, its camerawork inspired and savvy, but it resembles wading through a marsh, or in this case, running after a train like in the metaphor-heavy ending sequence of the film: one can see the train, can attempt to get closer to it, but ultimately it lies just out of reach. Nice to look back on, but not as entertaining to watch as to explore the themes Anderson presents.

The Darjeeling Limited on Rotten Tomatoes

Halloween Horror Nights looks for new horror shorts via vote

Universal Studios' annual Halloween Horror Nights and the Chiller television channel are holding a new vote to decide the winner of their film contest, the Scary Good Film Competition. Judges, including the director of Saw VI, a rep for SyFy Channel, and John Murdy of Universal Studios Hollywood, have chosen 10 finalists who have a shot at winning the $1,000 prize and a trip to the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. The films will be shown on Chiller TV, but you can also catch the shorts at the contest's website.

They need you to vote, so get out your clicker and start watching the videos. Pick the scariest, pick the funniest, PICK YOUR FAVORITE; any way you want to vote, you're helping someone's directorial career and could be a deciding factor in winning the director 1 G. Click here to get voting!

Halloween Horror Nights starts October 2nd at Universal Studios Hollywood. I wish I could go! And make sure you check out the site's gallery as they have some great drawings from films like My Bloody Valentine 3-D.

Votes/links/guest posters

All still needed:

Votes for the upcoming movie review! So far we have a tie, so I need some more votes to decide a winner!

Links for the sidebar! If anyone wants to share a link, or if you were featured in my links before the accidental wipeage, let me know via comment and I'll throw you up there.

Guest posters for Nostalgia November. Anything you want to write about (particularly horror-related) that had a big effect on you in your childhood is welcome here. Let me know and I'll schedule you for a date.

Chickenhawk zombie music video now up!

This should have been posted a while ago, but it has been so busy around here that I haven't had time to.

The Chickenhawk music video that I had written about a week or so ago has just come out. "I Hate This, Do You Like It?" features a ton of zombies running rampant through the town as the band tries to stay alive. Instead, they all become zombies and finish out their performance of the song in a gruesome get-up. The special effects look great and the video tells a pretty good story, so check it out!



Remember to pick up Chickenhawk's new EP, A. Or Not?, at Brew Records.

Moon Minis - Gran Torino

Gran Torino


Clint Eastwood plays a racist old man living in a neighborhood full of Asians. He yells at his neighbors, spits at the black and Asian gangs, and generally acts as a cantankerous badass. But Gran Torino becomes a lot more than just Eastwood enacting revenge on the Asian gang that assaults his new friends next door - it's an exploration of racial conflicts, the failures of violence as an end-all-be-all, and the violent society that we are forced to live with and around on a daily basis.

Emotions run rampant, and though Eastwood's actions and reactions are funny, they are also equally saddening as his character finds that the family that he has appreciates him less than his neighbors do. The acting is phenomenal, the script penned with both heavy and light hands, and the direction spot on. There are no lulls, just a consistency of pairing the more tense parts with lighter fare until the intelligent and fulfilling conclusion. This is not a film one can explain through words alone; it must be experienced for the thrill.

Gran Torino on Rotten Tomatoes

Some review items!

I've just gotten back to my college and unpacked, so I visited my mailbox and just received three exciting new items for review!


One is The Werewolf's Guide to Life by Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers. This is a humorous "reality" book akin to the zombie apocalypse books you can find on book shelves. It looks fun and informative, with a good amount of comedy.


Next are three issues of North 40, a DC comic series by Aaron Williams and Fiona Staples. All sorts of monsters are featured on the covers and the art looks really great. I can't wait to dive in.


Also from DC comics comes Ian Rankin's graphic novel Dark Entries, a mystery about a reality television show that starts attacking its contestants. It sounds awesome and also features some fantastic art.

I'll be working on them soon!

Slowing down

Things may be slow the next couple of days; I'm moving back into college tomorrow, so my days are going to be filled with unpacking and getting used to college life again. I'll try to make time to post random news and such, but postings will be off and on for a while while I re-situate my life again.

Still looking for link-sharers

Yes, my blog list is still empty. I need people who want to fill it up; if you were there before, let me know and I will put you back up. If you're new but want to share links, that's fine too.

I'm still also looking for guest posters for Nostalgia November; no rigid rules here, you post what you want. Just let me know and I'll try to schedule you for a day.

And we're still voting on a film for September 20; so far In My Skin and Brutal Massacre are tied with only 2 votes. 2 votes?! That's nothing. Click here to vote.

Book Review - Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

Finger Lickin' Fifteen


Sometimes it's hard being a reviewer - I feel a constant nagging from myself to find something wrong with the item I'm reviewing. With Janet Evanovich's book Finger Lickin' Fifteen, there's not much to critique, which is both a good and bad thing for me. It's a good thing because I enjoyed reading the novel, loved its use of fantastical realism, and felt like it was just long enough and to the point. But it's a bad thing because here I am, typing this review, with nothing to say.

Fifteen is the 15th book in the Stephanie Plum series, and while you don't need to read the others to get the gist of this novel, it might help. I sometimes found myself lost in meeting the characters without the help of background knowledge, but Evanovitch explains most of the confusion away. Plum works for a bail bond agency, tracking down those who haven't shown up for their court date, but she is also occasionally called in to help a very close, handsome man named Ranger for his security company. In Fifteen, Ranger is having problems with his clients because someone keeps breaking into their houses and stealing their things, making his company look bad in the process. But Plum is also busy working on a few criminals of her own for the bail bond company, plus her friend Lula witnessed the murder of a famous chef and is now being targeted by two murderous (and crazy) men. Plum is dragged into each scenario, and, of course, must find a way to solve all of them.

The characters are zany but likable, the novel's very fast-paced because of all of the action, and the total lack of luck that Plum has generates a lot of comedy. There's not much to criticize with Evanovitch's work here; she has a sense of direction from the start of the novel and she pursues it throughout, throwing in more subplots to achieve that fantastical realism I was talking about before. Every event has some sort of surrealism to it; Lula fires guns off in public areas without anyone caring, three cars associated with Plum are totaled, and people act as if their id, ego, and superego are not in check. But this is a good thing for Evanovitch's novel; instead of seeming out of place, it fits Plum's personality and her wacky lifestyle.

The conclusion is a bit too wrapped up, presented with a nice glittery bow and sparkles, and summed up so easily that it feels as though Plum wasn't needed at all to solve the case. But I guess that mingles with the other bits of surrealism; things are crazy and unexpected, so the ending should be similarly so. I still was a bit disappointed with how everything was boxed up so nicely, a closure that didn't feel earned. Otherwise, though, Evanovitch gives the reader a quick, easy, and pleasurable read that's easy to pick up without much baggage left after the reader has finished. Case(s) closed.

Like I said, not much to say except, "I liked it, good job Evanovitch."

Did some rearranging and lost everyone's links

That's what I get for attempting to change what's not broken. But I have lost everyone's links in My Blog List section, and I would like to get them back, AND MORE.

Whoever was in my links section, or whoever wants to be, just leave me a comment and I'll be sure to add you to the list. You can even reciprocate, if you'd like. I'd love to build this list up again.

Thanks! Let me know if you want in.

"If you don't lose your head..."

THE most sinister Leslie Nielsen EVARRRRRR. I love how calm he is as he starts to shoot the zombies, as if this happens every day. That is until he runs out of bullets, and then he threatens to chuck that shit at them.

I bought a... vampire motorcycle?

Arrow in the Head pointed me to this film from their recent DVD Buzzsaw, but they didn't go into the film in much detail. I have to admit, the title had me curious. Vampires? Motorcycles? Together? Sickest film ever made? Director named Dirk? What the hell is this all about?

I did some research and found the film on IMDB here. They state the plot as such:

When a motorbike gang kills an occultist, the evil spirit he was summoning inhabits a damaged bike. The bike is then bought and restored, but reveals its true nature when it tries to exact vengance on the gang, and anyone else who gets in its way.

Well ain't that a kick in the doodah? What's not explained here is who bought this cursed motorbike, who's cruising it around looking for those damned bikers, and how the motorcycle can be a vampire in general. Does it guzzle blood for gas?

The film stars no one you know or remember, released in 1990 with an equally terrible cover (complete with a man holding up a cross to the bike in sheer terror. Grab the holy water!), except that cover doesn't make it look like a motocross movie like the one above.

At least this film was released before the whole Twilight craze. Can you imagine if two of those vampire motorcycles fell in love? It'd be a smash hit!

I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle hits store shelves October 27th, but don't strain yourself running out to get it; I'm sure it will be there for eternity.

Come November, we're gonna be taking a trip down memory lane

That's right, folks, I'm already planning something for November. I'd like to call it Nostalgia November, where I take a trip back to my childhood for some books and films that influenced my love of horror and writing.

Things you can expect - hopefully, every day I will review, or at least take a look at, a Goosebumps or young adult horror book from my childhood. In my immediate collection, I have:

Deadtime Stories #10: Grandpa's Monster Movies
R. L. Stine's Nightmare Hour
Goosebumps #51: Beware, the Snowman
Goosebumps #31: Night of the Living Dummy II
Goosebumps #19: Deep Trouble
Goosebumps #20: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight
Goosebumps #53: Chicken Chicken
Goosebumps #6: Let's Get Invisible
Goosebumps #24: Phantom of the Auditorium
Goosebumps #58: Deep Trouble II
Goosebumps #40: Night of the Living Dummy III
Goosebumps #7: Night of the Living Dummy
Goosebumps #52: How I Learned to Fly

I am looking for guest posters on anything nostalgic that they'd love to talk about, or even if you want to cover a Goosebumps book. And if anyone is interested in lending a book to me for review, feel free to email me or comment here and I'll surely get back to you about it.

The festivities commence November 1 and run all month long, hopefully every day. Yes - I hope to read one Goosebumps book a day AND review one per day AND do all of my schoolwork besides. It's gonna be one busy November, so I need help. Anyone interested? Let me know.

You pick the film, I'll review it

Not my DVD stack.

I'm looking for some ideas on what people want to see reviewed here. Please only leave a comment if you are suggesting a HORROR movie. That's what this site is mainly about, although I drift here and there.

Anything goes since I have Netflix, so I'll take suggestions and whatever turns out to be the most wins! Get voting!


2 votes In My Skin
2 votes Brutal Massacre
1 vote Blood Diner
1 vote Castle Freak
1 vote Header

Thanks to those that have voted so far!

Movie Review - Mulberry Street

Mulberry Street


There's a giant rat problem throughout all of New York City, and when I say giant, I'm not just exaggerating the multitude of rats. The bite of an infected rat results in human infection, slowly but surely turning the host into a human-rat hybrid that feeds on flesh and blood to survive. The infected also has an increased sensibility to light, a pronounced snout, and an apparent weakness to a mustachioed ex-boxer running around the streets at night, giving roundhouse kicks and one-two punches to the cannibals.

This is, of course, our main character, Clutch (Nick Damici, who also wrote the script), a tenant in a slummy apartment building that's always falling down. He's got a few things in life that keep him going: shadowboxing and workouts, a nice blonde woman from downstairs (Bo Corre) and her kid, an older man who he takes care of, and a daughter that has just recently decided to come home and see him. This is a pretty unfortunate coincidence for his daughter, Casey (Kim Blair), though, because on the same night that SHE CAME HOME (little Halloween pun for you there), the outbreak of rat infestations begin, and the whole city is thrown into utter chaos... or at least more than it was before.

The film's fun for what it is, a creature feature that acts as a zombie flick, but it's not nearly as experimental as it wants to be. Most of the movie is brought to us in cuts of different people; Clutch and his boxing, the blonde woman and her bartending, Casey's ride home and her brooding, and so on. It's a nice glimpse of each character, almost mimicking the apartment lifestyle that Clutch lives in, but it cuts away too much and too fast for me to make any sort of connection with the character. Along with that is the fact that the cuts only give us minimal detail as to why we're supposed to care about what we're watching. I think a more effective move would have been to use less cuts, and maybe only center on Clutch and Casey's ride home to create more tension in that respect.

There's a loss of direction, too, that had me asking questions. Casey is coming home when the rat infection breaks out, but Clutch focuses on his lover at her job at the bar. He runs out the door with his gloves on, flying fists whirling at the rat zombies (we'll talk about this soon), but instead of thinking once about his poor daughter riding her bike through the streets that are overrun with the creatures, he instead runs over to the bar to save a woman he barely knows. Clutch seems like an alright father; he bakes a cake for her and throws a welcoming party, so it seems as though his slip-up of forgetting Casey is a little out of character.

The transformations are actually fairly well-done, although we don't see much. I have to say that the rat snouts looked more like pigs to me, but I was alright with it. The premise was already pretty hokey, and made even more so when Clutch started fighting the rat humans off with his fists. That's right, folks - Clutch is a boxer through and through, so no need to take a weapon. He's got his fists to knock out anything that comes in his way. The only problem with this premise, other than it being more hilarious than terrifying, is that the virus is spread from blood and saliva. So if Clutch makes contact with more than just skin, he's got that blood and saliva on his skin, and if he touches his eyes... well, you know the drill. If it were me, I'd be wearing a contamination suit just like the government, but Clutch opts for a piece of cloth and his knuckles. What disturbed me most was that Clutch could fend off these rats with his hands, but a big bouncer dude could not kill anything with a wooden bat. Go figure!

All this adds up to an entertaining, but entirely un-scary, gorefest. The rats go for the intestines like zombies, tearing through anything in their way. It also seems like they're obsessed with killing things for the hell of it. There are a few tense moments (two men stuck in a room where all the rats are prowling), but what's missing here is a sense of helplessness. In that scenario, the guys are pretty damn screwed; they're both old, frail, and feeble. But when you're with a guy like Clutch, who can beat off the creatures with his bare hands, or Casey, who can ride through an infested road and not get eaten, you've got yourself some hope. I think use of the original rats, who could infect humans, along with the zombies, would have been interesting. If you have both threats looming over you, the odds are more against your survival.

A well-done, if ambling, film, Mulberry Street isn't as horrifying as the name 8 Films to Die For would have you believe. Instead, it's actually more of a horror comedy, grotesque in design but kind-hearted in nature. It's a melding of the giant creature/zombie genres, done with an obvious pleasure of both but with its share of rat traps.

Mulberry Street on Rotten Tomatoes

Halloween 2009 Horror Part II - Jennifer's Body

Let's take a peek at Jennifer's Body, shall we? The film is slated for a September 18 release date, a week after Sorority Row hits theaters.

The film is described as a horror comedy starring Megan Fox as Jennifer, notable for her recent performance in Transformers 2, and co-stars Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody. This is a veritable list of young actors and actresses to please the teenage audience. But with an R rating, will Jennifer's Body pull in many teens?

From what I've seen in the movie theaters of late, I'd say an emphatic YES. And with Diablo Cody writing the script (works also include Juno, the HBO dark comedy The United States of Tara, and a column in Entertainment Weekly), it looks like Jennifer's Body has its work cut out for it. Expect quirky dialogue and a lot of blackly humorous scenes, with hopefully a lot of violence in between.

Taken from IMDB, here's the plot:

A newly possessed cheerleader turns into a killer who specializes in offing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?

I don't know. I guess I'll have to see the movie. Unfortunately, this plot summary is short and sweet with just a little bit of ambiguity. But it sounds alright; it's not something I'm overly excited about, but Juno was good, right?

Megan Fox definitely has the persona and the looks to pull off her sexy character, but what I'm really interested in is how the film carries out its plot. This could go either way, either excelling at its simplistic story or devolving into a mindless hack n' slash flick.

The only way to find out for sure how Jennifer's Body turns out is to hit the theaters September 18. There's not too much else playing in the way of horror, so get a full viewing of Jennifer's Body and see if you enjoy.



Jennifer's Body Trailer - Funny videos are here

Book Review - Black Hills by Nora Roberts

Black Hills


I should probably preface this review by saying I'm not a fan of romance; never have, and probably never will be. I tend to find them all exactly the same. Girl or guy falls for the opposite sex and then proceed to chase after them for most of the book, perhaps going on dates that don't work out or having obstacles to avoid but finally roping the hottie in. And most of the time, these events are less than average circumstances.

With that in mind, let's explore Nora Robert's Black Hills. Roberts takes us to South Dakota, namely the Black Hills of course, where our protagonists Lil and Coop meet for the first time one summer in their youth. Coop's a rich kid from the city, Lil's a country gal through and through interested in cougar and other cats, but they both seem to hit it off after awkward beginnings. Coop leaves and over the years comes back, where he and Lil carry out their relationship in more intimate terms. But they're both going to college, and Lil wants to open her own wildlife refuge, so their lives are broken apart by time. Years later, Coop comes back for good because of a spill his grandfather took at the farm, and he and Lil are stuck piecing their relationship back together.

But that's not all - love is hard, but killers are tougher. There's a guy in the woods behind Lil's wildlife refuge killing animals and attempting to lure Lil away for a hunt. Coop was a private detective before he came back to the Black Hills, so he helps Lil track him down, and they find that this man may be related to the death of a woman they found in the Black Hills when they were children. When the man takes Lil's mother away, it's her job to track him down like a wild animal and take him out, but he has a hunt in mind himself.

Roberts writes well; she perfectly proclaims the positive aspects of nature, so much so that it made me want to go out and get my hands dirty (and I do lawn work for a living). Her characters are fleshed out, especially Coop, who has more of a dirty past than Lil does that makes him more identifiable. And even the secondary characters are pronounced, like Farley and Tansy. They don't serve a major purpose in the novel, but Roberts spends an awful lot of time explaining their budding romance.

There's more to like than just fine characters. Roberts' knowledge of the cat species is showcased well here, opting to not only inform us about cougars but other large cats through Lil. It's interesting but a bit long, as it's only a type of filler that sets us up for the big finale.

There are two things that weigh the book down though, and they're both interconnected. First off, Lil and Coop's on-and-off romance is really (and I mean really) long-winded and mostly unnecessary. When Coop comes back, I can understand harsh feelings between both halves of the couple. But as Coop shows his affection for Lil time and time again, and Lil gets close and then pushes away every time, it becomes very tiring to read and re-read the same fights with different dialogue over and over. In fact, Lil comes off as a very unforgiving person for most of the novel; even as Coop is trying to make up for the fact that he had to leave her, for a very selfless reason at that, Lil is writing Coop off as making excuses, and they're left to make up again. This is what I was talking about earlier with romance; these parts get in the way of the more important plot line, making the book much longer and drawn out than it needed to be. If you take away the fights between Lil and Coop, and similarly the fights between Farley and Tansy about their love with each other, you're left with a short but concise fight for survival in a small country town, which I enjoyed thoroughly.

If there could be a revised edition of the book, I'd suggest reading it - take out some of the love mumbo-jumbo that isn't needed, and you've got yourself a nice suspenseful read. Black Hills is good if you can wade through the romance; it slows it down, but it doesn't totally stop the plot either. Enjoy Roberts' scenery though, because she gives a fantastic and envious depiction of the country. Makes you want to go hiking, doesn't it?

Coming up:

Sometime tomorrow, there should be a review of Black Hills by Nora Roberts posted. I've been on a posting brouhaha, if you haven't noticed, which has allowed me to serve up some horror mayhem.

Also, just signed on to do a couple of reviews - one for The Werewolf's Guide to Life by Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers, which will hit bookstores on September 15. Check it out here and order your own!

Also, I'm receiving some horror comics from DC, most notably North 40 and Dark Entries. Look for reviews of those sometime soon.

I'm also attempting to put part 2 of upcoming Halloween-slated flicks together, and this time I'm hoping to take a look at Jennifer's Body.

Thanks to Corey of Evil on Two Legs for pointing out that my comments section of the blog wasn't working. That is all fixed and ready for your thoughts, so hit it up!

Television Review - Harper's Island Episodes 6 - 13

Harper's Island



It started out slow but steady, seeming as though the characters were generic and two-dimensional with all of the stereotypes common to horror films. The first couple of episodes were rather bland; it was like being at a party where you didn't know anyone, except at this party, everyone you don't know is being killed off violently.

And then, a miraculous change happened. Right in the middle of the show, Harper's Island amped up the tension and emotion, fleshing out the main and supporting characters so much that I felt pangs of guilt leaving them to die. Part of why that is comes from these last episodes - their dedication to love and partnerships between friends make it all the more saddening to know that their deaths are inevitable on this doomed island.

With that said, Harper's Island is pretty ruthless. I thought the show might go easy on the remaining characters because of their involvement with the plot and their "realness," but the killer took them out one by one just like their friends. This was heartless, yes - seeing a fiance killed off to protect you after he just proposed to you is probably not the nicest way to go - but I admire the fact that the show didn't skimp on an emotional level, and feeling that pit in my chest after they were killed told me I was far beyond the intellectual level of watching the show and that I had placed myself in it, considered these people my "friends."

There were some awkward moments in the show - these last episodes mainly devolved into a running-away montage and being the sacrifice for your friends, or disobeying orders to stay where you are and running off on your own in a wild frenzy - but to me, they didn't distract from the surprises the show had in store for us. I did not see the conclusion coming; it really surprised me based on how goddamn likable the character was. When Trish died (come on people, if you haven't seen it now, are you ever going to? and her death is inevitable), I couldn't help but stifle and OMG! - there's something both rewarding and horrifying about the death of who I thought might be a survivor.

The final episode ends with a montage of all the dead giving speeches on camera to the engaged couple for their wedding, and it acts as a fantastic concluding end. We once knew these people; we've come to like them a lot; and now we say goodbye, both in their fictional deaths and in reality on-screen. A touching memory.