Halloween Classics

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

With a super busy weekend coming up for Halloween, I just wanted to give a little shout-out to some great movies that I love this time of year. See… I’ve mentioned it before, but Halloween is not one of my favorite times of year. Not for any particular reason either. It’s not like… I had a serious traumatic event that made me hate scary things… or it brings back repressed memories… and God knows that I love all the slutty and/or creative outfits out there. Sure I kinda think/know that it’s a materialistic holiday in a lot of ways & is really just a way to celebrate Pagan rituals and commercialism simultaneously… but you know Christmas is my favorite, so that’s not really it either. I guess when it boils down to it… I enjoy Halloween… but I’m not super pumped about it. For me, it’s just the time of year where pumpkin pops up in everything you can smell or taste… Reese’s PB Cups come in pumpkin & bat shapes… apple cider becomes prevalent once again… and the new awful horror sequels/rip-offs come out to make money on the opening weekend before everybody finds out it sucks but luckily it only cost like… $30 to produce. That’s about all it means for other than throwing together a costume in like 15 minutes before going to get drunk at a party or two.

 

This year though… it’s a little different. It’s Pumpkin Beer season… and we’ve got plenty of it. My ladyfriend and I are going with a new Halloween costume… but you’ll have to wait & see what it is… but I’m about 99.9999% sure that there won’t be anybody else at the party with these outfits… and even if so, we’ll just be hanging with the coolest mutha lovers alive. There’s not one, but TWO kickass keggers that we’re going to on this perfectly timed weekend. Yes, I’m a man in my thirties with a loving adult woman & I’m still excited about keggers. If you’re not excited about the idea of a kegger with good peeps… you’re pretty much dead inside. Also, we’ll be hosting our own little soirée Saturday morning for Learn to Homebrew Day… and all of which is pretty awesome… so yeah, good times.

 

This entry though, I just wanted to make like… a little list of the top dozen or so of my favorite movies to watch this time of year… and in no particular order other than maybe alphabetical. Great horror flicks that I think everybody should check out if they haven’t already… or if you have & liked it… check them out again. Always open for suggestions if you have any though…

 

·         “Aliens” (1986) – Yes the original is good for the scares & building suspense… but this one has space marines. I’ll also watch the “Predator” movies (and have earlier this week even) at the drop of a hat.

·         “Cabin in the Woods” (2012) – This fun new classic is just… absolutely amazing & an ode to just about all other horror movies in itself. If you haven’t seen this already, go check it out now.

·         “The Descent” (2005) – I thought this was a pretty f**king terrifying little movie… but if you’re squeamish and/or claustrophobic, I wouldn’t recommend it. If you can deal though, check it out. Beautifully shot & absolutely terrifying.

·         “The Frighteners” (1998) – We watched this one this past weekend… and I’m surprised that not more people love this movie like I do. Sure it’s kinda comedy-horror and has its super-campy moments… but it’s just such a good, weird, twisted story… and the special effects still hold up pretty well (thanks Peter Jackson) and if you haven’t seen it… it’s on Netflix, watch it now. You have no excuse.

·         “Ghostbusters” (1985) – Not really a scary flick per se… but I watch it anytime for any reason. Classic.

·         “Halloween” (1978) – I dig the “unstoppable force” kind of movies, especially when well done… so usually the original before it gets to a bunch of cheap cop-out sequels… but yeah, this movie is legend. Check it out. I even kinda liked the Rob Zombie remakes but… a lot of the characters in those were just retarded so I’d say check out the original.

·         “The Haunting” (1963) – Just a good classic horror flick… and I’ll watch just about anything with Vincent Price in it like “Last Man on Earth”, “House of Wax”, “House on Haunted Hill” or anything like that. All the remakes can suck it though… hard…

·         “Poltergeist” (1982) – This movie is one of those great little nuggets that’s a decent PG-13 scarefest that everybody should check out who likes to be scared but’s squeamish. I’d also recommend newer movies like “Insidious” or “The Conjuring” or “Silent House” if that’s your thing. Even though I really liked “Hostel”, I can definitely understand the lack of appeal to “torture porn” movies.

·         “Psycho” (1960) – Really anything Hitchcock is just f**king amazing in my humble opinion… I have probably only seen like… 10-20% of the stuff that the guy has made during his illustrious career, but the vast majority of it has been incredible to watch and covers a LOT of genres… but this one of course is probably his most masterful. If you don’t know the premise/story, then you have been living in a cave with your eyes closed & ears plugged for over a half century so you’re probably not reading this blog… but go watch it… and then watch it again. Honorable mention to a little known flick called “Peeping Tom” that ALMOST stole this movie’s title as The Original Slasher but… alas… it was an English movie… and nobody saw it until later. Oh well… check it out too. Also, newer one about psychos you might like… “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” 80’s indie flick starring Michael Rooker.

·         “Pumpkinhead” (1988) – I watched this & the first sequel with Izzy a few months ago… and yeah, sometimes you like to watch the really good bad movies… and you can basically throw about 95% of the horror flicks from the 1980’s into that batch… but this one at least had Lance Henriksen & a sorta alien-predator hybrid looking thing from Stan Winston (I like to think it was going to be the original AVP crossover that never came to be).

·         “Quarantine” (2008) – Everybody knows that “Blair Witch Project” started the whole found-footage horror genre but… let’s be honest, it wasn’t scary at all (and the sequel was absolutely sh*t). This movie is basically a found-footage zombie flick… and it was actually pretty good. Check it out. Also, as far as found-footage movies that are kinda badass, I highly recommend “Afflicted” and “V/H/S” as well. Maybe even the first few “Paranormal Activity” movies too. I feel like the first two might be okay.

·         “Troll 2” (1990) – As I was saying earlier, who doesn’t like a good bad movie? Well, it really doesn’t get more horribly bad yet awkwardly good than this movie. Check it out… and then maybe check out the documentary “The Best Worst Movie” and it’ll explain a LOT of what you just saw… except they didn’t mention the main evil witch lady in the documentary. I wonder what she’s been up to the past twenty years…

·         “Zombieland” (2009) – As you know, zombie flicks typically aren’t my favorite… but I love when there’s a good dash of humor mixed in with it. Yes, I know that everybody else out there loves “Shaun of the Dead” ten times more than this flick, but that’s their opinion… and this is MY blog. No offense to “Shaun” but I just enjoyed this movie more. I’d also recommend checking out “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” or… for a real zombie experience, maybe some of the classics like “Night of the Living Dead” or “Dawn of the Dead” (heck, even Zach Snyder’s version if okay… and there’s a number from Richard Cheese).

 

I know there’s a lot of other great horror flicks out there like “The Shining”, “The Exorcist”, “Rosemary’s Baby” and all those too… but this is my list… and though those are great… here are some others to check it out if you haven’t already. Enjoy! Happy Halloween everybody!!!

NO MORE JELLO FOR ME, MOM!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Last night, JL Clyde & I watched some movies again...and the first was "Poltergeist II" with Craig T. Nelson & Jobeth Williams. Okay, so we watched the first one a month or so ago...and the second one picks up a few weeks later. After their house was sucked up into an alternate dimension or something (sorry, spoiler for the first), the insurance company is giving them flack...because techinically their house is just missing...and they don't have alternate dimension insurance (talk to your local agent immediately). So they're living at grandma's house...but there's a family secret. While trying to get their lives back together, they have a visitor. Quite possibly the creepiest old man you've ever seen...and the ghosts come back after their little girl Carolanne (the girl sucked into the TV in the first one). Now, with the help of a "magical midget" and a Medicine Man (I smell a spin-off), Coach must save his family from an evil demon. It's a pretty good horror flick without all the gore. I mean, the creepy old man (Julian Beck) really is just about the creepiest thing that you can imagine. I also watched the E! True Hollywood Story about the "Poltergeist Curse" a few years back...and if you know that backstory, it can be a little creepy too. Here are some of the things that happened...

Four main actors died between the release of the first movie and the release of the third (about six years time):

• Dominique Dunne, 22-year-old actress who played the oldest sibling Dana in the first movie, died after being choked by a jealous boyfriend in 1982. The boyfriend John Thomas Sweeney was later convicted and sentenced to six years in prison, though initially he only served two and a half years.


• Julian Beck, 60-year-old actor who played Kane (creepy old guy) in Poltergeist II: The Other Side, died in 1985 of stomach cancer, with which he was diagnosed before he had accepted the role.


• Will Sampson, 53 years old, who played Taylor the Medicine Man in Poltergeist II, died of post-operative kidney failure and pre-operative malnutrition problems in 1987.


• Heather O'Rourke, actress who played Carol Anne in all three Poltergeist movies, died in 1988 at the age of 12 after what doctors initially described as an acute form of influenza but later changed to septic shock after bacterial toxins invaded her bloodstream. At the time, she had suffered acute bowel obstruction, initially diagnosed as Crohn's disease, which may have been the cause of death.
  
  
  

Here are a few other rumors/coincidences that were mentioned during the show:

• Actor Will Sampson, a Creek Indian and shaman, performed an exorcism on the set of Poltergeist II to rid it of "alien spirits". Why?


• The "prop" skeletons emerging from the muddy swimming pool towards the end of the first movie were in fact real corpses - the cast and crew found this out later


• During a scene when Robbie Freeling (Oliver Robins) was choked by a toy clown in his room, the mechanical prop malfunctioned and Robins was actually choked.


• During a photography session for Poltergeist III, it was discovered that one shot of co-star Zelda Rubenstein had shining light obstructing the view of her face. Rubenstein claims the photo was taken at the moment the actress's mother died.


• During the making of Poltergeist III, a movie set of a parking garage was destroyed by fire during shooting of a fire scene, injuring all but one of the crew.


• Heather O'Rourke once starred in a Rainbow Brite commercial with Judith Barsi. Judith died at age 10, five months and 24 days after Heather died. She was murdered along with her mother by her father.
  

Anyway, just a little extra controversy to throw in there. Even if you didn't know all of that stuff...it's a creepy PG movie. I liked it...though at times you'll catch yourself even laughing a bit. I'm sure it was intentional. After that, we decided to watch a movie that I can't believe I had never seen before. It's a movie about time travel, going from the 80's to the 60's, so the music is awesome, and starring the dynamic trio of Nicolas Cage, Kathleen Turner AND Jim Carrey. That movie is "Peggy Sue Got Married" which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola...so little Sofia starred in it too as Peggy Sue's little sister...and Helen Hunt as Peggy Sue's daughter which was a pleasant surprise. Anyway, it's about a woman (Turner) on the verge of divorce from her husband of 25 years (Cage) who, while at her 25th high school reunion, passes out...and wakes up in 1960, back in high school donating blood. After a few minutes of trying to convince herself that she's not crazy, she decides to use the opportunity to see what might have been if she had made different decisions...like going out with the mysterious poet badboy (Kevin O'Connor) instead of her high school sweetheart/future husband. It's actually a pretty good flick with lots of comedy...and not just because Nic Cage uses quite possibly the worst weasely kind of voice ever (I'm sure purposely) throughout the movie...but then sings like a lark, all while donning a blonde pompadour. Plenty of fun and enteratining stuff in this one. I say check it out...and don't worry, though it seems like Sofia Coppola pops up entirely too much in a few early scenes, you don't have to see her the rest of the movie after that. Also, Peggy Sue mentions a few times through the movie that she has two kids Beth (Helen Hunt) and Scott (officially listed as Randy Bourne), you never get to see her son. Just thought that was a little weird. Here's some "news" from yesterday...


Clay Aiken's Secret - Singer Clay Aiken has told People Magazine and shocked all of his Claymates by admitting that he is gay. In other news, salt tastes salty. In the most unnewsworthy news report since "Keith Richards Admits Drug Use", the 29-year old will be on the cover of People's latest issue holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken, conceived by in-vitro fertilization with friend and producer Jaymes Foster. The headline: "Yes, I'm Gay." I hate to say it...but I agree with "American Idol" judge & producer Simon Cowell when he said (sarcastically of course): "Wow. That's a shock. It's like being told Santa Claus isn't real. Unbelievable."


Lindsay Update - In yet another gasper of a story, friend of the blog Lindsay Lohan has confirmed what the world has guessed: She's been dating Samantha Ronson "a very long time." The 22-year-old actress casually told the co-host of the syndicated radio program "Loveline" on Monday that she's been dating the 31-year-old DJ. The pair have appeared in public and been photographed together but have never publicly commented about the extent of their relationship. "You guys, you and Samantha, have been going out for how long now?" DJ Ted Stryker asked. "Like two years, one year, five months, two months?" "For a very long time," Lohan said after laughing. This isn't surprising...because over a year ago when Lindsay & I were talking to each other (before her first few stints in rehab) she would often mention her curiosity in the field of what she called "hot girly sex" and being a caring person, amateur psychologist, and generic pervert, I would ask her to describe these urges, thoughts, fantasies, and the like...but I'm happy for them. I hope that Sam helps her get her life back in order...because I hate to see friends go down a path of self-destruction. Again, not really news...but here you go...and the Easter Bunny doesn't make sense...and the sun rose yet again...and I just farted. Thus concludes today's news program.


Today's going to be more packing (though I still have heard nothing from Denver...or Vegas for the past few months for that matter) and then I pick up my new suits today. Perhaps I'll take some pictures to show you how nice they all are...but we'll see. That seems awfully ambitious of me right now. Here are a few things that I was via email that I thought was quite hilarious. The first is I'm sure that you have all seen before...but it's simply titled the BEST BEER COMMERCIAL EVER and I would have to agree...though I'm also a big fan of the "I Love You, Man!" commercials from my childhood...





Then there's this place in Chandler, Arizona called Heart Attack Grill which has these...simply amazingly indulgent hamburgers that I wouldn't even DARE to try to process in one sitting...but the staff seems very friendly...with a flare for the kinky, which I can always enjoy during a lengthy sitdown. Jewels, I may come to visit you yet. Enjoy the pictures...

Can't quite make out that menu...

Ah, much better!!!

This girl looks a lot like a girl I dated a few times...

except she was a vegetarian or vegan or something.

It wasn't meant to be.

Hmm, surprisingly cold near the grill I see...

The ingredients

That should do it for today. Have a great day everybody!!! Bubbles, I hope that you start feeling better so that you can have an awesome weekend.