Friday 5 Questions with Mike Tyrkus, Editor-in-Chief of CinemaNerdz.com

This week, I’m stepping away from the typical author, musician, film director cadence I’ve been on recently, and featuring a fellow blogger. For today’s Friday 5, I welcome Mike Tyrkus of CinemaNerdz!

I’ve known Mike from my days of writing freelance for the VideoHound’s Movie Retriever. By the time that blog ended, I had written several reviews, feature stories, and participated in a 24 Hour Movie Marathon with Mike. My wife and I joined Team Movie Retriever to watch movies to benefit the Michigan Children’s Leukemia Foundation. So, when Mike let me know about the start of CinemaNerdz, I was on-board 100%.  In fact, if you want to see my recent features and reviews, check out my archive HERE. Enough about me though, it’s Mike’s time to shine.

1) What is it about movies that made you want to be a film critic, and as an extension, start CinemaNerdz.com?

The first film review I ever wrote was for my college paper, it was on The Silence of the Lambs. At that point I remember thinking that if you could somehow convince someone to pay you to watch movies and talk or write about them, you would have really achieved something. Well, I’m still waiting for someone to start paying me but the job has had its benefits nevertheless. I’ve always looked at the art of the cinema as sort of the coming together of most art disciplines. That point of view is what I think keeps me interested after all this time. There’s always something new to discover in film (even in a film you’ve seen dozens of times). Coming from a film criticism and academic background, I strive to keep my verbosity at bay (though some may say I fail miserably sometimes) and try to let people know simply whether they should spend their hard-earned money at the movies. That was kind of the impetus behind CinemaNerdz. Too often, criticism can become enamored with its own self-importance. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fine in the right context, but sometimes a reader just wants to know what will keep them entertained for 90 minutes.

I love CinemaNerdz!

2) Aside from the reviews, what is one thing you consider a key differentiator for CinemaNerdz that folks couldn’t find anywhere else?

That’s easy, the writers. Without their voice, CinemaNerdz would be just another movie web site regurgitating the news of the day. The variety of styles that all of the very talented writers that the site employs are what singles us out. We’ve got your typical film geeks, film scholars, housewives, a few everyman critics that just tell you whether you’ll enjoy the film or not, and we’ve even got our own resident child critic to give us the age-specific perspective on films that most critics would dismiss as garbage. In essence, it takes a lot of different Nerdz to make up CinemaNerdz.

3) What’s the most exciting thing that you’ve been exposed to as a result of movie reviews?

That’s a little harder to answer. There have been a lot of great experiences that have come my way because of this, as well as all of the great people I’ve had the opportunity to meet over the years. But, I’d have to say the most exciting thing has been being invited to join the Detroit Film Critics Society back in 2011. Being a member of that group as well as serving on the Leadership Committee has been a tremendous experience.

4) Since I’m all about dirt, what’s the worst movie you’ve ever reviewed?

Without a doubt, it would have to be The Happening. Watching it, I constantly felt as though I was watching something that the director really didn’t care if I was in on or not. M. Night Shyamalan has proven himself a gifted filmmaker with films like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but a couple missteps over the past few years (The Village, The Last Airbender, and The Lady in the Water) have caused my belief in him to waiver. The Happening did nothing to change that opinion. In fact, it makes me question whether the only thing that Shyamalan has had going for him was the so-called “trick ending” and that once that was taken away he may be just another average filmmaker producing tired, formulaic, and often boring movies. I can usually find something positive to say about most movies, but not The Happening.

Why was I in this movie?

5) What movie are you anticipating the most in 2013?

The film that immediately comes to mind is Star Trek: Into Darkness. I’m sure that at the end of the year there will have a few other movies I’ve seen that are more worthy of year-end praise, but the Star Trek fan in me is simply too excited to be silent.

Friday 5 Questions with It Came From Yesterday mastermind Jeff Waltrowski

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the creature feature flicks from the ’50s. Ever since I saw the giant ants in Them! I was hooked.

Part of that love is what intrigued me about the upcoming film, It Came From Yesterday. With a heavy dose of nostalgia, and some modern cinematic improvements, Jeff Waltrowski presents a love letter to a style of film that dates back to the golden age of cinema. With the film gearing up for release in 2013, coupled with my love for independent cinema, it seemed like the right time to bring Jeff onto the blog to talk about his film.

1)  It Came From Yesterday is clearly an homage to the old-time creature films.  What is it about that genre that motivated you to make your movie?

I always saw that time of the ’50s as the birth of sci-fi in cinema. Sure sci-fi had been around for a long time before that, even in film, but the ’50s is really when it came into its own. The serials were dying off and giving way to the features that were trying to support that young audience.  At the same time, filmmakers were beginning to take full advantage of the idea that sci-fi is best when it’s used as an allegory for the times.  Films like The Day the Earth Stood Still and even Teenagers from Outer Space, under the surface, were all about the Red Scare.  On television, Rod Serling was even using The Twilight Zone to discuss all aspects of the human condition.  Given all of that, the genre films of that period always had a sense of wonder about them.  There was an awe and a spectacle and even a message of hope.  When Klaatu went to warn the people of Earth about our destructive ways, deep in his heart he saw the good in people and that showed through in the film.

ICFY is not only trying to recapture that era and those themes, but also the era of the serials from the ’30s and ’40s.  As I mentioned earlier, there was a segue from the serials to the sci-fi films of the ’50s.  The serials were no longer financially successful in the early ’50s as television was on the rise.  I always saw that the death of the cliffhanger paved the way for the success of the B-movie.  Studios were trying to present that same sense of adventure to younger audiences, but now in a feature format.  ICFY comments on that transition.  The story takes place primarily in 1947 and there is a definite sense of change in the air.  The days of Buster Crabbe and the patriotic, bare knuckle swashbuckler are coming to close and suspicion and doubt are becoming more prominent as the world is threatened by more unexplained phenomena.  Everything from the villains that our hero faces to the way the government reacts to him are in a state of flux.  While this may not be the the main thrust of the story, it is characteristic of the world the story takes place in and it was the kernel that the idea sprang from.  In the end, my goal was to tell a story that was thrilling, comedic, and all the while had a sense of emotional resonance for our characters.  Shrouding it in the vernacular of old school sci-fi and adventure really made a lot of sense for me to tell a fun story and put in all the themes and concepts I wanted to discuss without being too literal about it.

It Came From Yesterday movie poster

2)  If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

This may be the hardest question that I have ever been asked.  I am gonna have to go with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  It may not be my favorite film (it is up there though), but I can’t remember a film that captivated me more and was more thrilling than TWOK.  I was just a little kid when it was released, but sitting in the theater and seeing that Ceti Eel crawl into Chekov’s ear is one of my earliest memories of the cinema.  That movie, that had a budget of $12 million dollars (which was still modest for that time), is more engaging and more dramatic than any $200 million dollar blockbuster that has ever been released.  I could watch it time and time again and still be moved by it.  Even if Chekov’s ear does look a little fake.

Still from It Came From Yesterday

3)  Even though It Came From Yesterday is a nod to the creature-features of yesteryear, you used VFX and green screen for the film. With the recent news about the VFX House snubs at the Oscars, and several house’s financial woes, I’m curious what your opinions are on the matter?

I didn’t get to see Bill Westenhofer’s speech get cut off, but I read about it the next day.  It was unfortunate that he didn’t get to say his peace, even though they cut him off after what seems like a short amount of time.  The academy has never given proper respect to the technicians nor to genre films in general.  Practically every advancement in film making can be attributed to a genre film and a lot of those advancements are in the field of special and visual effects.  But society sees the stars as what’s important about film and the academy wants to focus on that and they want to focus on the razzle dazzle of Hollywood. So of course they’re gonna cut off the guy who sits at a computer making CG fish fly into a canoe as he brings up something negative about an aspect of the industry that no one really understands.  It’s terrible, but that’s the way the industry works.

Now with VFX houses facing financial woes, do I have a solution?  No.  It’s becoming cheaper and cheaper to farm it out oversees than to deal with the big four houses here in the States.  Do those US artists deserve to get paid well?  Of course.  Do they get paid too much? Probably.  Are they going to be willing to be paid less in order to lower their costs?  Hell no.  Studios will  spare no expense for their star, but they will get everything else dirt cheap.  This is also terrible, but it’s also how it is.

4)  Now that the distribution is worked out, when can folks expect to see the movie?  What can they expect from It Came From Yesterday?

Yesterday‘s day is coming very soon.  Currently Panorama Entertainment is submitting the film to the festival circuit.  Along with this, we’re formulating plans for a limited theatrical release followed by video and digital in the fall.  It’s been a long time coming for us and I couldn’t be happier that we ended up with Panorama.  This is a company that really believes in this property and their filmmakers in general.  And I cannot wait for ICFY to find its audience.  This is a film that I would want to watch just as a fan of sci-fi and as a fan of adventure.  On the surface, it’s high camp, but as you look closer, it’s go a strong story and characters with hearts of gold.  We’re not spoofing the genre.  This is a new and compelling story that uses the conventions of the silver era of sci-fi to engage the viewer.  To find out news on the release as it happens be sure to follow ICFY at www.facebook.com/itcamefromyesterday and on our website at www.itcamefromyesterday.com

5)  What’s next for you?

Along with promoting ICFY, I’m itching to get back behind and in front of the camera. And I’m excited about what ICFY will do once it’s out there in the world.  I have two features that I’m currently developing and both seem like dream projects for me.  My goal as a filmmaker is to make the film people tell me I can’t make.  Whether, it’s too complicated, too technical, too expensive, too this, too that.  I want to live in that space where I’m constantly challenging myself not only technically, but as a storyteller, as an actor, as a writer, as a director.  And I want to surprise audiences.  I think ICFY does that.  Just wait for what’s next.

• Posted in 5 Questions, movies
• Tagged 5 Questions, Bill Westenhofer, cinema, clear conscience pictures, creature features, danger-mation, film, firday 5, golden age of cinema, green screen, it came from yesterday, jeff waltrowski, movies, Oscar snub, panorama entertainment, professor jack, retro cinema, VFX
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Friday 5 Questions with Screenwriter Kris Simonian

Sticking with my recent theme of featuring independent spirits in the world of entertainment, this week I welcome an aspiring screenwriter by the name of Kris Simonian.  I had the pleasure of taking a few Writing classes with him in college and now he’s out in Los Angeles trying to live the dream.  While he understands the enormous amount of competition in the industry, he still pushes on.  He’s a tremendously talented writer and everything I’ve read of his, from short stories to scripts, have been top notch.  Don’t forget the name of Kris Simonian because I predict one day you’ll be saying, “I remember when…” when talking about one of the great new shows on television.

He’s currently working on a television pilot about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid called Hole in the Wall.  He, along with his director Ben Ross, are currently working with crowdfunding site Mobcaster to get the pilot funded.  If you care about independent film, then consider chipping in a few bucks (or at least spreading the word).

Kris Simonian

1) Be honest, what’s the life of an aspiring screenwriter living in LA really like?

The life of an aspiring screenwriter in Los Angeles is a lot like being a waiter…namely because to make ends meet, you’re going to spend most of your time waiting tables. Or being a valet. Or working as a janitor. Something to occupy your daylight hours because this is a competitive town and writing jobs are hard to come by. I’d say, of the six million or so people in LA, about five and a half are aspiring writers, actors, directors or producers. The remaining five hundred thousand settle into porn (San Fernando Valley represent!). Seriously, walk into any Starbucks downtown and you should be able to count it as experience in a writer’s room. Open laptops as far as the eye can see and everyone in there slurping lattes has a story to tell. It can be distressing – especially if your Barista has a better take on a story you’re currently developing.

In a short amount of time I’ve experienced both highs and lows this industry has to offer. I’ve sharpened my skills under the wing of an Emmy award winning writer. I’ve brought a script out to pitch to different production companies (note to all aspiring writers: take public speaking and learn to feel comfortable in a room. I am not and it makes everything so. Much. Harder.). I’ve both hired and subsequently fired a manger. It’s been difficult and maddening at times but I’ve loved nearly every minute of it.

Plus I’ve gotten really great at waiting tables.

2) To this date, what are you most proud of?

In regards to the scripts I’ve written, that’s a tricky question. As you know, every writer goes through cycles where they love their piece one minute and hate it the next. It’s dumb but I feel we all do it – comes with the territory. There are three scripts that I’ve written that I have managed to escape this cycle of love/hate: “Straw Poll”, “Turncoat” and, my most recent, “Preach”. I won’t bore everyone with the synopsizes (synopsi?) here but if they were so inclined, they can check out my website to read up on them…and also boost my visitor numbers some. (www.krissimonian.com)

If it’s what I’m most proud of in life, I’d say it’s my marriage. My wife has been both a supporting supporter and a harsh critic and helped me become a better writer and person. Also, she’ll probably read this, so I better give her a solid shout out…especially this close to Valentine’s Day.

3) Tell me a little about Ghouls and your new web series. What kind of freedom comes with working on a web series?

“Ghouls” is a six part web-series about five classic movie monsters who have decided to mount a film comeback but find that modern horror movies and fans have passed them by. They struggle to find relevancy in a changing world. We had a blast filming it – we shot everything in three long days at limited locations – and worked with some top notch actors and crew members. It was a special experience.

Like most great ideas, Ghouls came to life when myself and co-creator Ben Ross were killing time. We were driving to Comic-Con in San Diego and happened to pass a sign that read “Batiquitos Lagoon” and one of us started riffing about how funny it’d be if The Creature from the Black Lagoon ran this classy resort at Batiquitos Lagoon and was constantly crowing about his resort’s safety record when compared to any other tourist destination. We cracked ourselves up for the remainder of the trip and when we got home we started writing up the series. In the true spirit of making anything on a low budget, we actually couldn’t afford to include The Creature from the Black Lagoon in the series but, like all monsters, he’s still close to our hearts. If anyone wants to check them out (gratuitous plug alert) you can watch them at:
http://blip.tv/ghouls

Web-series are strange beasts. They are easy to make – just Google “web-series” and wade through page after page of results – but very few are actually good. I’m not saying we reached the pinnacle of the medium or anything, but I think “Ghouls” is a cut above most web-series I’ve seen. With anything creative results may vary from person to person, but if nothing else I know the look and sound of “Ghouls” is more professional than most shows.

As for the freedom of the medium, the web is great because you can literally do anything, throw it online and hope it finds an audience and I think that’s great. But there is a difference between taking the cinnamon challenge and creating an engaging show with a story to tell. I will say this though, as great as the web is and as fun as web-series can be, I think most people working on one would much rather be doing TV or film instead. In my opinion, the web is an incredible stepping stone where you can really hone your craft but I don’t know if it’s an ultimate end game for most people. I’m glad I did it and I would do it again but my attention for now is pushing into television.

Which dovetails perfectly into my new project. Ben and I are working on an independent TV pilot entitled “Hole-in-the-Wall: The Legend of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid”. We were approached by Mobcaster, a crowd-sourcing webpage that specializes in independent TV. They had seen “Ghouls”, liked it, and asked if we had any potential ideas for a TV pilot. Naturally we did and jumped at the chance to do it. It was kind of amazing because trying to get someone in the TV business to say “yes” to anything is like trying to get Republicans and Democrats to see eye to eye on anything. It’s just not going to happen. In the traditional TV world, executives climb the company ladder by not going out on a limb for potential new shows – it’s why you always see cop, lawyer, and doctor shows continually on the air. If it worked in the past, it’ll work again.

But the Mobcaster guys were really cool with everything. We said, “We wanna do a western about two infamous outlaws” and all they said was, “Sounds great. We’ll help make that happen” and left us to our own devices. It’s refreshing. But this is crowd-sourcing, so we need help from the public to make this thing happen. It’s an “all or nothing” deal – we raise the cash or we don’t get to make it. So (another gratuitous plug alert), if you want to see a western staring two classic outlaws, visit our site and drop a buck or two:
http://mobcaster.com/fundraise/hole-in-the-wall/pilot

4) If you could choose any director to direct one of your scripts, who would it be and why?

I’ve actually been working on this. Deep in my underground lab, I have slowly been cobbling together spare parts from various machines to build the perfect robot director. They’ll have the perfectionist zeal of Kubrick, the slick styling of Spielberg and the eyebrows of Martin Scorsese and we’ll make hit after hit until either I die or its batteries die out. Seriously though, any one of those guys (even the corpse of Stanley Kubrick), David Fincher, the Coen Brothers and/or Paul Thomas Anderson. The why is as simple as I love their work. Whenever they release a new movie, it instantly becomes a must see for me. Even if they do miss on a film, it’ll never be boring or ugly. Plus, if they’re making a movie of mine, I can assume things are looking up for me professionally and that’s not too shabby.

5) What’s next for you?

I’m constantly writing. I just finished a one hour spec pilot entitled “Preach” about a family of “prosperity preachers” – guys like Oral Roberts and Benny Hinn – and I’ve been bombing every management and production company with query letters in the hopes I get a bite. Ben and I are also plugging away on the script for “Hole-in-theWall” and will finish it up by the end of the month. Also, I just picked up a few other shifts at TGIFriday’s, so that’s a boom too.

12 Days of Movies Christmas – cinemanerdz.com – AKA My Top 12 Alternate Christmas Movies

Aside from this blog, one of the places you can find a majority of my writing is cinemanerdz.com.  Just this week, I posted a list of 12 Alternate Christmas movies to watch when you get sick of the same old standards.  Here’s a little excerpt of that article.  I invite you to click on the cinemanerdz.com logo and finish the article.  Hell, feel free to throw it up on reddit if you want to.  I just want to make sure everyone gets the chance to read and realize that movies like Lethal Weapon and Trading Places should be considered Christmas classics.

Enjoy my article and…

Merry Christmas!

“Like most people, I love Christmas movies. In fact, I’ve already watchedElf multiple times this season and I’m also eagerly anticipating the 24-Hour A Christmas Story movie marathon on Christmas Eve. I also need to figure out a way to fit in Home Alone and Christmas Vacation. But, no matter how much I love watching some of the more traditional Christmas movies, by this time of year, I start to get a little burned out on the regular fare. That’s when I start looking to watch a different breed of Christmas movie. Some of these you may have trouble defining as Christmas movies, but if you’re looking for a crop of movies to dust the cobwebs off the old holiday standards, these should do the trick. Without further ado, I give you the Twelve Days of Movies Christmas.”

Click the logo to read the rest of the article

ATTENTION Authors, Publicists, Agents, Literary Types, and Entertainers!

My name is Dane Jackson and I want to help promote your books, music, movies, video games, apps, podcasts, businesses, etc.

I like the idea of the long-standing Friday Five series that appears on blogs across the web, but I think it’s cooler to ask you Five Questions.  That way, my readers know that every Friday, I’ll be featuring a really cool person on my blog talking about something they care about.

Most of my readers know me from my days in the book world as well as my more recent stints writing about music and movies (in October, they know me for my awesome posts about Halloween).

If you’re in the entertainment industry, I can help promote you.

Here are a few examples of past Friday 5 Questions features…

Joseph Williams, author of The Hunt

Jay Bonansinga, co-author of The Walking Dead novels

Michael Spradlin, author of countless children’s books and new horror/steampunk/urban fantasy novel Blood Riders

Alma Katsu, author of The Taker trilogy

Chuck Wendig, author of countless horror and urban fantasy novels, RPGs, writing advise, and penmonkey at terribleminds.com

David Moody, author of the Autumn series and Hater trilogy

If you’re interested in being featured in my Friday Five – “5 Questions With…” series, please leave a note in the comment section below or fill out the form below.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

31 Days of Lessons Learned: There’s a Fine Line Between Classic and Dated

31 Days of Lessons Learned:  Day Twenty Three

There’s a Fine Line Between Classic and Dated

From now until Halloween, my wife and I are watching horror movies every night to get in the spooky mood.  I love horror movies, so this is definitely my favorite time of year.  Tonight, we watched the original Carrie movie from 1976 starring Sissy Spacek, John Travolta, and the dude from Greatest American Hero (among others).

I’ve seen it on more than one occasion and I still like watching it, but this time around, I noticed a few things that just don’t jive these days.  For starters, the opening girl’s changing room scene feels like a scene out of Porky’s.  If you think about it, the actresses in that scene are all playing high school kids.  Do you think a movie filmed these days would have a scene depicting a room full of naked high school kids?  I don’t.

The clothing and the music also make this classic horror film feel pretty dated.  So much so that all the scares and mayhem feel completely telegraphed with all the music cues.

The whole time I watched the movie, I just kept swaying between thinking Carrie was a classic or just another dated flick.

What I learned is that it’s just too close to call.  I guess it’s a dated classic…

I guess that conflict is one of the reasons they’re remaking the movie…well, that and for another payday.

I just hope some of the other horror flicks I plan on watching in the next week don’t conflict me this much.

31 Days of Lessons Learned: Find a Fun Way to Donate to Charity

31 Days of Lessons Learned:  Day Thirteen

Find a Fun Way to Donate to Charity

 

While I’m getting healthier and more active every day, I’m not always keen on all the charity walks and runs.  It’s not that I don’t support the charities (I do, and I do the charity walks for causes I care most about); I just think some charities overuse the charity walk.  That’s why I also try to find charities that do more innovative and unique charity fundraisers.  I’ve found one with the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.  In fact, I just got back from participating in one of their events today (which is why my posts this weekend have been a bit off in terms of time…that, and the MLB playoffs).  I’m happy to say that with the group I went with, we raised almost $1000.  That’s amazing!

So, what is this unique event I did?  A 24 Hour Movie Marathon.  At this event, you’re given complete access to a movie theatre for 24 hours.  Add the unlimited popcorn and caffeinated soft drinks, along with raffles, lunch, dinner, midnight snacks, and breakfast and you’ve got yourself a memorable event!  It was absolutely fun and I’m proud to say I didn’t fall asleep at all during any of the movies (I can’t say the same for the others in my group).

All in all, we made it through eight movies.  We saw Taken 2, Frankenweenie, Sinister, Argo, 7 Psychopaths, Looper, Here Comes the Boom, and End of Watch.  It was a great line-up of flicks.

Donating and participating with charities is a great thing to do.  I recommend you find a charity you care about and just find a way to help.  It’s the right thing to do, and it may just brighten up somebody’s day.  If charity walks are your thing good, but I also like to mix it up with some more unorthodox fundraising too.

My name is Dane Jackson and I am Watching Movies in Support of Children’s Leukemia Research

When I first heard about the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan (CLF), I thought it would be a great organization to work with.  I was always reminded of the girl in my third grade class and the hardships she had from her battle with Leukemia.  Kids are so innocent, that when I see sick kids or kids in need, it really gets to me, so I’ve always gravitated towards children’s charities.  Anything that can help a kid be a kid again is alright in my book, and the CLF does wonders for these kids.
I’m not in the best of shape (yet), so the walks and runs and such aren’t up to my speed, so the annual Fall fundraiser the CLF hosts is perfect.  They work with the Emagine Movie Theatre in Novi to put on a 24-Hour Movie Marathon.

Hollywood Nights Movie Marathon

That’s right.  To help raise money for the CLF, I’m going to watch 24 hours of cinema.  I’m not doing it alone either.  Joining me on my journey is my wife, my daughter’s Godfather, and his wife.  This will be the second time I’ve done this charity event since I heard about it in 2010 (I had to skip 2011 unfortunately).  Because I had to skip 2011, my donation goal is pretty aggressive.  I want to raise $500 for this charity.  I’m currently almost half-way there, but with less than four weeks to go, I’m starting to get nervous that I won’t reach my goal.  With all the folks who visit my blog on a regular basis, and all the folks who subscribe to it, I’m hoping you can help me with my goal.  Share my blog on Facebook; tweet my link on Twitter; +1 it on Google+; take a retro picture and tag it on instagram; share it on your Linkedin newsfeed.  Or, if you have some extra cash, you can always donate too.
Even though watching movies for 24 hours sounds like a walk in the park, let me tell you from experience that it’s a test of endurance and a constant battle to convince your mind to stay awake for one full day.  Sure, watching movies is a pretty fun way to pass the day (I am a freelance movie critic after all), but the highlight of the day was getting a tote bag with a hand-written note from one of the kids that I helped by being there.  It was a very emotional moment that my wife and I still talk about two years later.

The event is Friday, October 12th and once I recover from it that weekend, I’ll write an entire recap of the event on my blog.

Thanks much for all the help in spreading the word.  I appreciate it.  And most importantly, the kids and families in Michigan who are fighting Leukemia appreciate it.
If you’re interested in finding out more information about the event, or what your donation will go to, please click on the banner below.  Also, if you’re in Michigan, why not sign up to participate as well?  See you at the movies!

Click the banner to get to my donation page and to find out more information about the CLF

31 Days of Halloween Hijinks: a little poll

Day Twenty:  a little poll

Well, we’re a bit past the halfway point of my 31 Day blog challenge.  I’ve had a lot of fun so far and I still have lots I want to talk about, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time to do it all.  That’s where you come in!

Below, I’m going to list some of my topic categories.  Whatever gets the most votes, gets the most attention.  No votes?  Well, then I’m going to do what I want!

Category One:  Monsters:  Blogs about Freddy Krueger, zombies, and other scary creatures

Category Two:  DIY Halloween:  Blogs about costumes, treats, decorations and the like

Category Three:  Movies, Books, and more:  Blogs about what to watch, read, and enjoy to make this a creepy Halloween season

Category Four:  Halloween Lore:  Blogs about the history of Halloween and the like.

Category Five:  Misc:  Blogs with topics that don’t really fit the molds of the other four categories

Voting will be open until the end of the weekend (Sunday 11:59 pm EST).  I’ll use your responses to shape the rest of this challenge.

Thanks for helping out folks!

31 Days of Halloween Hijinks: Detroit Macabre author Joseph Williams shares his top five horror flicks

Day Seventeen:  Detroit Macabre author Joseph Williams shares his top five horror flicks

I plan on offering up a few movie recommendations on my own later this week (or early next week), but before I did I wanted to hand the blog off to a local horror author and share his picks first.

Joseph Williams is the author of a new short story collection called Detroit Macabre (out now from independent publisher Post Mortem Press).  The collection is filled with stories that will fill all your horror needs from straight gore to stories that would make Poe and Lovecraft proud.  Some of the stories in the collection, I still think of to this day (and I read it about a month ago).  The stories are creepy, fun, and probably some of the best short stories I’ve read since Don Ray Pollock’s Knockemstiff.

Detroit Macabre – for your reading pleasure

So, without further delay, here are Joseph William’s picks for best horror flicks to watch this Halloween season!

It’s that time of year.

Whether you are a diehard fan of horror films or someone who only watches them around Halloween, now is the time when everyone wants to be scared. The trouble is that if you don’t like the Freddy or Jason films (or Freddy vs. Jason, for that matter) and are sick of all the other cliché teen slasher flicks, you might think there isn’t anything to watch to get a good scare. You might be sick of seeing the same films on TV every year or haven’t gotten around to seeing some of the classics that don’t get as much airplay as the fifth installment in the Halloween franchise. Want to try something new, eh?

Well, this year, you’re in luck.

Here are five of my favorite horror films to watch around Halloween:

Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls (1962, Herk Harvey) Carnival of Souls is a surprisingly bold and terrifying classic with amateur actors and a miniscule budget, yet the strangeness and the outstanding performance by Candace Hilligoss are what make this one truly memorable. Even today in the era of special effects and over-the-top grotesquerie, this one will still manage to give you nightmares.

Book of Blood

Book of Blood (2009, John Harrison) The framing story that began Clive Barker’s astounding Books of Blood series of short fiction is brought to life in all of its unsettling glory. At times gruesome, terrifying, and remorselessly dark, this is one of the best Barker adaptations in a new wave of outstanding Barker adaptations (see Dread and The Midnight Meat Train). You can’t go wrong with any of them…or really anything written by Barker.

The Cell

The Cell (2000, Tarsem Singh) Singh hit a home run in his major directorial debut starring Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn. This is truly the most compelling visual masterpiece of any horror movie I’ve seen. The sets are both beautiful and revolting and never seem out of place. Singh was able to translate the intangible visions of the human mind onto film so well that no one before or since has come close to replicating it. Part detective thriller and part psychological-terror romp, this is one of the most underrated films of the last fifteen years.

The Thing

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter) Carpenter’s films are hit and miss, but The Thing may well be my favorite movie. Kurt Russell gives an outstanding performance as an American helicopter pilot stationed in the Arctic with a handful of other researchers/workers. After a couple of crazed Norwegians fly over their camp trying to shoot down a mysterious dog, all hell breaks loose. A shape-shifting alien has infiltrated the crew through the dog with the ability to exactly mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of the bodies it absorbs. Russell has to figure out who among the crew is the alien and destroy it before it escapes into civilization as one of them, while at the same time proving to the other men that it hasn’t taken over his body.

Session 9

Session 9 (2001, Brad Anderson) Session 9 was released in 2001 without much fanfare and has continued to receive mixed reviews from critics. Don’t listen to them. Anderson was able to make a truly disturbing film without needing gore, rape, or boogeymen to do it. The setting of the abandoned psychiatric hospital (Danvers) is enough to put you on edge, but the enigmatic figure Simon–an alternate personality of one of the hospital’s former patients (and more)–will have you looking over your shoulder at every turn. Definitely worth a second viewing to appreciate the subtleties.

While these films aren’t necessarily mainstream classics (with the exception of The Thing, which has a prequel of the same title being released this October) that you’ll see on TCM or AMC or even featured at your local video store (if you still visit one), they are worth the time and attention of even the casual fan of horror movies. So this year, rather than watching a marathon of every ridiculous Michael Myers sequel or the cartoonish Nightmare on Elm Street films from the late ’80s and ’90s (which isn’t to say that I dislike them), pick out something new and remember what it’s like to be truly terrified, surprised, disturbed, and vulnerable again.

Happy Halloween and happy viewing.

Joseph Williams

Joseph Williams at a book signing