Field Trip

I know I'm supposed to be posting only on Mondays and Fridays, but I'm on a field trip today. Don't tell Captain Alex or Byron,  but I've "borrowed" a Cosbolt and taken off for some fun and conversation with MPax over at Spacedock 19. A joyride of epic proportions to say the least. Yeah, I know that pic isn't exactly a Cosbolt, but you get the point.

Anyway, we're talking writing, werewolves and whole lot of good things. So come on over and  grab a drink, sit a spell and have some fun at the coolest bar in the 'Verse.

SPOILERS AHOY

I missed Monday so of course I have to do my Walking Dead round up today. What an episode!We finally got the Big Meet between Rick and the Gov. I was rather hoping that Rick would tear into the Governor or just shoot him, but as a friend rightly pointed out, the Gov is a great villain and without him what would happen to the rest of the season? Still, he is threat the Rick sould have no compunction about putting down. He did it to those guys in the bar last season. Of course, Andrea tried to take charge of this little meet cute, but they kicked her out on her ass. Like those two would ever listen to a thing she says.

I love that we got to see a different side of Milton. He really is just a science geek completely out of his element and not the twitchy psycho I thought he was. There was a terrific scene with Hershel when Milton asked to see his stump and Hershel told him that he couldn't because he didn't buy him a drink first.

And a great walker kill off between my badass Darryl and the Gov's guy, Martinez. Baseball bats and arrows...loved those kills. And yeah, Darryl probably will have to put him down, but he was actually cool this time. You got a glimpse into him after he talked about losing his wife and kids to the walkers.

Glenn and Maggie are back in accord. I know everyone stand and cheer. Young lovers on the outs are a real bitch to deal with. ;)

In spite of these little niceties, war is coming. The Gov is not going to stand for Team Prison to exist and he wants Michonne as his little pet to torture before he kills her slowly, piece by piece.

SPOILERS OVER

This weekend was very busy. I had brunch with the wonderful Michael Di Gesu.  We had so much fun and his bright spirit was just what I needed after this last week. I also went to an unexpected double feature with my nephew. We saw Jack the Giant Slayer and Snitch. Both were excellent and kept me right on the edge of my seat, Snitch in particular. Dwayne Johnson does a terrific job, playing a character that is really different from what he normally plays. He even gets his ass beat here and shows a lot of vulnerability. Loved Ewan MacGregor in Jack. He was so heroic and upstanding, not afraid to defend his kingdom to the last.

Sorry I did not post yesterday. The time change killed me and I have been off ever since. I got caught in a rain shower on the way to work. Missed my bus and had to walk to the train. All with no umbrella because I forgot it at home. I looked like a drowned dog when I got to work. Late, of course. Grrr...

So did everyone have a great weekend? Was it so so? Or did it suck out loud and sideways?

Monday Morning Blues

I always hate Monday mornings. I can never seem to get my act together without an IV of caffeine. Last night was exciting as the Oscars aired. I did a live blog during the ceremony with my awesome friend, Matt Vanacore from one of the finest film sites ever, FilmMattic. We bantered back and forth about the winners, the losers, the snubs and the surprises. It was tremendous fun and I can't thank Matt enough for the opportunity.

SPOILER AHOY!!!

Since I watched the Oscars that meant I had to DVR The Walking Dead and watch after the main broadcast. OMG!!! Andrea needs to get her shit together and take a stand. Is she going with Team Prison or is she sticking with Team Woodbury? She can't have it both ways. There is no negotiation in the Apocalypse for crying out loud. And holy guacamole did Carol come up with that cold-hearted plan to bang then stab the Governor? Hell yes, it was. Ol' Carol is turning badass and it is about time. Daryl is a killer influence it seems.

And I love how Carl stood up to Rick and told him that he needed a break from being the leader. Carl is the man and I agree with him. Rick is going crazy, seeing the dead Lori, so yeah  he needs to come off the Ricktatorship for a minute or ten. And besides poor Carl had to shoot his own mother. He's keeping it together so why can't his dad?

Then we have Tyrese and company. These poor people can't catch a break, caught between walkers and two crazy guys. Kicked off of Team Prison, they are now preparing to be second stringers on Team Woodbury. Should be interesting to see what happens.

SPOILER OVER!!

I also love to watch Talking Dead, the round-up show on immediately after WD. I learn alot about the inner workings of the show. Last night I learned that when the zombies come, make sure you have maxie pads, dental floss and condoms. Apparently maxie pads make absorbent dressings for wounds as well as thick shoe inserts. Floss can be used as fishing line and condoms can hold two gallons of water. Who knew? Something to file in the back of your brains for future use, my writer friends.

I also saw a couple of really good movies this weekend. Cedar Rapids was a really intriguing comedy with Ed Helms, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Heche, John C. Reilly, Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. and Alia Shawkat. Tim Lippe is a naive insurance agent going to his first conference and is he ever in over his head. This was hilarious from start to finish. The other movie I watched was the creepy, but kind of dull The Fourth Kind. It's a mockumentary sci fi chiller about a psychologist who uncovers alien abductions in Nome, Alaska. Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas and Will Patton star.

So how was your weekend? Watch any good movies? Watch the Oscars?

It's Hump Day

It's Wednesday, aka Hump Day, the middle of the week and almost Friday. I know it's been a while and I want to thank you all for not hunting me down like angry torch-bearing villagers. If you did leave a comment on my Crow post, I did respond, very late and I am sorry about that. Craziness and I have a rotten summer cold.

So I got to see The Dark Knight Rises this past Saturday night and whoa! I had a blast and can't wait to see it again. You can check my review at The Movie411. I got to see it at Ikon, which is this really swank theater in downtown Chicago that has VIP seating. We get to sit in recliner-like seats with call buttons for waitstaff that will bring you goodies and alcohol. What an experience! No 3-D, but I'll take recliners and booze.

In book news, the incredibly talented M. Pax from Wistful Nebulae has a brand new story out, Stopover At The Backworlds Edge. Here is a little bit about this brilliant new tale.

The Backworlds Book 2 is Out!

The sequel to The Backworlds is now available. Craze and his friends continue their adventures in Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge. See what role chocolate plays in the galaxy this time.

The interstellar portal opens, bringing in a ship that should no longer exist. A battleship spoiling for a fight, yet the war with Earth ended two generations ago. The vessel drops off a Water-breather, a type of Backworlder thought to be extinct. She claims one of Craze’s friends is a traitor who summoned the enemy to Pardeep Station. A betrayal worse than his father’s, if Craze lives to worry about it.

Available for all ereaders from:

Amazon / Amazon UK / B&N / Smashwords

iTunes and Kobo will be available shortly.

If you haven’t read The Backworlds yet, it’s available as a free read from many outlets. See HERE for links. [http://mpaxauthor.com/the-backworlds-series/backworlds-the/]

And in other awesome sauce news,  I have received an award from one of the coolest horror bloggers out there,  Kaijinu at Sticky Red: A Body Count Compendium has tapped me with the Liebster Award. Yay! I will be doing a full on acceptance post shortly. Thank you so so much, Kaijinu!

So what did you all think of The Dark Knight Rises? Have you seen it? Do you want to? Anything cool and exciting you want to share?

The Crow

"People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."

Today I want to share my thoughts on a film that resonates with me on every level.  I fell in love with The Crow from the first moment I saw it. It's a glorious, almost Shakespearean, tale of revenge, lost love and justice that spoke to directly to me. Compound that with the tragedy surrounding the production and source material and well, needless to say it seared itself into my writer's soul. This is sacred cinema to me, an untouchable film whose mark must surely be set in stone.

The Crow defined a cultural tide which birthed grunge rock and gave rise to a disaffected Gen X, who had survived the saccharine sugar coma of the 80's, Reagan Republicanism and hair metal. More over, it is the opus of a young actor whose life was cut tragically short. When I heard that a remake was planned, not sequel, prequel, but an actual remake, I was seized with horror. Yes, I bitched about the Evil Dead reboot and snark blasted the upcoming Dirty Dancing retelling, but none of those left me as disturbed as the remake of The Crow.

It is a project that has been in the making for at least four years. I believe that it has been plagued with problems and constant cast changes because no one wants to really touch this mythic tale. And yet, the studio persists. I have heard the cast choices to portray the titular vengeful rocker and ultimate badass, Eric Draven. Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg and Channing Tatum...No, no and no. I cannot wrap my mind around any of them, let alone picturing a single one donning the iconic black and white makeup. They've had various directors attached to the project as well, who have all left for a multitude of reasons. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is the latest and  most likely to stay. While I like him and he would surely do a decent job, I'm still violently opposed.

The Crow is a legendary picture in which all the stars aligned  and an epic was born. First, there is the source material. Created from the ashes of James O'Barr's eight year labor of grief to try and overcome the death of his fiancee, The Crow is the ultimate story of the power of love. David Show and John Shirley took this incredible series and turned it into an unforgettable screenplay. Eric Draven, the young rocker murdered along with his fiancee, crosses back to the world of the living on the wings of a crow to take revenge on the thugs who killed them. Brandon Lee, a rising young star was chosen to play Draven and gave the performance of his career. It was sadly to be his last as an on set accident took his life with just eight days left to shoot. Director Alex Proyas, with the blessing of Lee's mother and fiancee, finished the film and it became a dedication to Brandon's life. The rest of the cast, which includes some stellar character actors like Michael Wincott, Tony Todd and Ernie Hudson, is an assemblage of perfection. Each one of them became their characters.

A film  like this required a soundtrack that was second to none and Graeme Revell delivered in spades. The haunting music captured the essence of Eric's post-industrial, hard scrabble world and included bands who literally defined that period of time: Stone Temple Pilots, The Cure, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Pantera to name but a few. I can't imagine another soundtrack other than this one. Who would they get now? Danny Elfman? Black Keys? Not.

To add even more storied history to this film, after Lee's death, Paramount Pictures pulled out, leaving the cast and crew high and dry. Miramax then stepped in and ponied up a further eight million dollars to complete the picture. Indeed, The Crow is more than a film, it is both epic and epitaph, a movie that should never, ever be remade.

Brandon Lee is forever Eric Draven.