BEST OF 2020: MAGAZINE SPECIALS

I usually include these with books that I have read since reading one of the many magazine specials highlights a piece of history that is worth a feature length book just in magazine format.  The reason why these are important is because several publishers produce these magazine specials every year on important subjects and surprisingly these magazines are more expensive than if they had just been put in book form. 

 

Most of the publishers are SPC (through History, Life Explores), TISP (through Time Special Editions, Life Books) and AMI (which does a host of varying subjects).  What I have learned over the last two years of reading these magazines is that they are very topical and of varying subjects to appeal to a multitude of interests and hobbies.

 

Because of the pandemic and quarantine, I had a lot of time to catch up on a lot of magazine specials that had been on my shelf.  I ended up getting through twenty-two of these specials and most of them kept to the theme of religions, presidents, and secrets & civilizations.

 

In terms of presidents, I read Andrew Jackson: An American Populist (TISP), The Day Kennedy Died: 50 Years Later Remembering the Man and the Moment (Time Inc. Specials), and The United States Presidents: The Best and Worst of All Time (Centennial Spotlight).  These were not all printed in the last year by the way but because 2020 was such a politically charged year I wanted to read what I had on hand about some of our nation’s presidents.  I learned more about our presidents reading these three magazines then I ever thought I wanted especially through the Best and Worst of All Time.  Our political and presidential climate has changed so much over the years.  Some of this bled into the America’s National Parks: Celebrating Our Land and Heritage (TISP) as well since the national parks are so connected to our government.

 

This interest then bled into my look into a lot of religious figures and religion.  It started off with the Bible through Amazing Places of the Bible: Travel Through Time to Sacred Sites That Shaped the World (Centennial Entertainment), Jesus: How His Lessons, Miracles and Devotion Changed the World (SPC), and Mysteries of the Bible: Uncovering Its Origins, Characters, and Miracles (SPC).  I have always had an interest in world religions and religious figures.  These lead to me reading Mary: Blessed Art Thou Among Women (SPC), Mother Teresa: The Life and Works of a Modern Saint (Time Inc. Specials), and Francis: The Pope’s Bold Message Comes to America.  The amazing thing about these last three is that they gave me a better understanding of the subject and the deep belief that people have. 

 

A huge selection of these magazines has to do with secret civilizations, secrets societies and mysteries that would normally only be read in tabloid magazines.  Some of the ones that I read during the lockdown were Ancient Civilizations: The Secrets of Lost Empires (SPC), Ghost Towns: The Places That Time Forgot (TISP), PBS Secrets of the Dead: Ancient Mysteries Unearthed (TISP), Secret Societies (SPC), and Mysteries of the Loch Ness Monster (AMI).  Surprisingly, these were not as interesting as some of the others, but they were informative.  I think since these were made more as like a catalogue of info instead of dedicated to a specific person, place, or thing, they were not nearly as effective a read.  They were a quick read which was a good thing.  They also had some pretty damn good photographs and artwork as well.

 

There were a few people that I was particularly interested in which is why I read the following Aladdin: The Origins and Journey of the World’s Most Magical Tale (TISP), Martin Luther King Jr.: His Life and Legacy: 50 Years Later (Time Inc. Specials), Mickey Mouse: Life Celebrates an American Icon (TISP), Mister Rogers: The Magical World of an American Icon (TISP). 

 

The publications were all of various different years.  After I started getting into these during the pandemic, I ended up buying more through eBay and discovered that there were tons of these specials out there and even more with overlapping subjects between different publishers.  It’s a good thing to keep in mind that these specials are a very valuable tool to get info out there to a larger audience (who would rather probably not pick up a book) but another important element is that they also seem to be more up to date with current info rather than out of date or older info (like you would find by reading an older book).  I am hoping that in 2021 I’ll be able to get through even more as there are plenty of specials still sitting on my shelf waiting to be read!

 

BEST OF 2020: LEGIT THEATER

I wish I could say that 2020 had been a profound year for live theater production but once the pandemic hit pretty much every theater closed its doors for the remainder of the year.  Most postponed an entire season of shows as a precautionary measure.  The only saving grace for most theater companies was government funding and if they were bigger theaters or venues, they were able to offer older shows that had been recorded at a fraction of the cost that it would have been if you had seen it live with full production.

 

This being said, I did manage to see two shows before the lights deemed on the world of live theater.  They were both the only shows that the Atlanta Opera completed for 2020 which were “Porgy & Bess” and “Salome.”  I will not say much of each of the individual shows because they were both amazing productions as brought to you by The Atlanta Opera.  There is nothing like seeing a live performance of an opera show.  Part of the enjoyment is the live orchestra and the singers as they bellow into the venue hall and the dancers as they make every inch of the stage their playground.

 

For this reason, my wife and I decided to forgo the Opera’s two tent shows and decided not to get the subscription to their old shows online.  Part of the great thing about live theater is the atmosphere and the opportunity to meet fellow annual subscription seat holders.  We have generally had the same people sitting on both sides of us for the last two years and even though we cannot always remember their names it was always a joy to see them at the show.  This is one of the experiences that watching a show at home just cannot replicate…ever.

 

Now, I bring this all up because as of now there is still no telling when live theaters will be back up to something even remotely calling normal.  The live theater experience is something extremely important to the communal identity that we have whether we know the people around us or not.  This is one of the reasons why people crave the live theater experience.

 

2021 is looking to be just as hard a year as 2020.  Most theaters are still closed and shall remain closed for the better part of the year if something big does not happen.  I am not anticipating much for this year and when I write this same article for 2021 there may not be much difference.  But I can still hope as should you all.

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - “Disney’s ALIEN Franchise Coming Soon!”

“Disney’s ALIEN Franchise Coming Soon!”

One of the most disturbing aspects of Disney’s acquisition of the 20^th Century Fox assets is that they will now control what happens to the ALIEN and PREDATOR franchises.  The family oriented company has in its control two of the best horror-sci-fi franchises ever made in these two iconic cinematic monsters and yet I can’t help fearing the worst.  My fears have just been realized when Disney announced new versions of both franchises and for the purpose of this article I will only take a look at the Alien franchise mostly because Predator, in my opinion, can work either as a PG-13 or R franchise.

 

The Alien films have all been pretty much individual film-maker endeavors from Ridley Scott (Alien, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant), David Fincher (Alien 3), James Cameron (Aliens), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Alien: Resurrection), Paul WS. Anderson (Alien Vs Predator), and The Brothers Strause (Alien Vs Predator: Requiem).   Despite the mixed audience and critical response between each of the films, they are a singular vision of the director with the exception of Scott who is the only one to do more than one film.

 

Disney, on the other hand, is a company that produces film by committee so that they can appeal to all audiences.  They want their films to be all inclusive and homogenized and to not offend anyone.  So, in reality they don’t want creative filmmakers, they want filmmakers who understand their brand and can continue that brand.  This is most evident in the franchises surrounding their MCU and Star Wars universes which are homogenized and indistinguishable from one another.   These are all PG-13 films that focus on action and adventure and not horror or gore.  The Alien Xenomorph is not like the kaiju from Pacific Rim; these monsters hide in darkness, have acid for blood, and kill everything – violently. 

 

In Anderson’s Alien Vs Predator the horror is toned down for the action and adventure aspects that he is best known for and even though the film was financially successful fans of the franchise felt a little let down, so with the sequel Requiem, The Brothers Strause decided to craft a slasher film with monsters.  Anderson’s film was Rated PG-13 while The Brothers Strause sequel was Rated R and thought to be a return to form but a slasher film is also what audiences didn’t expect from the franchise.  This film did not sit well with anyone.

 

I mention this because at this point 20^th Century Fox had no idea what to do with the franchise as they couldn’t craft a film for all audiences (Alien Vs Predator) nor a film for the fans (Alien Vs Predator: Requiem).  The franchise has been through many different creative hands so why not let the director who started it all come back!

 

Scott’s vision with the franchise was to craft a story that went back to the beginning and in 2012 after a five year gap Prometheus was released to a divided audience that  were disappointed by the film that lacked Xenomorphs and had logic problems.  Scott tried to rectify this with Alien: Covenant but by the time this sequel saw release audiences were no longer interested.  It’s hard to determine what general audiences want from an Alien film especially since the films have had such mixed results, which is not a problem the comic books from Dark Horse Comics have ever had.

 

Two years after Cameron’s Aliens became a Box Office sensation, Dark Horse Comics purchased the rights and created the first mini-series that would help put their company on the map (along with Predator, Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, etc. a lot of film franchises).  This original series was a direct sequel to the film and would bring back popular characters from the films (the character of Ripley would eventually return in the third series Earth War which would conclude the storyline of these film characters).  The most astounding thing about the comic book franchise is the fact that over the last 30+ years the franchise has been kept fresh and interesting and almost at a non-stop pace.  Subsequent series would see the Xenomorphs cross into the DC universe and battle Superman, Batman, and W.I.L.D. Cats as well as battle such iconic figures as Judge Dredd, Hellboy, and Vampirella, to name just a few.  Cross-overs with both the Predators and Prometheus franchises happened on a regular basis but within those thirty years the franchise has remained fresh because of the many different characters and stories that were possible.

 

Dark Horse never had a loss for ideas, so why have the films?

 

One of my fears with Disney is that they will take the franchise and craft something more in line with their MCU and Star Wars franchises.  As the Dark Horse Comics have proven, there is a way to integrate all the different franchises into a “shared” universe (which will make Disney happy) but it couldn’t happen unless you could find a way to make it darker and Rated R (to make the fans happy).  Borrowing from the Dark Horse huge history of storylines would be the best way but since I’m sure Disney will yank their license with the characters (like they did with Star Wars) is soon coming if it already hasn’t happened (I’ve heard that Marvel is now doing a series which I’ll have to see how that all comes about).  It’s not too far off to see the Xenomorphs show up in a MCU television series since they already know aliens of all types exist (so why not just add the Xenomorphs?).

 

I can’t really see Disney making an R Rated film that will be in line with the original franchise.  What I do see is a remake or reboot to fit the Disney mandate which is not something I’d be interested in.  I’ve been a huge fan of the films and comic books since the Cameron film so I’m not looking forward to seeing anything Disney has planned either for the films or comic books.  I can only see it as a complete disaster, but then again I can’t say that all the films in the current franchise have been all that successful but at least they had a vision from their respective directors.

 

Only time will tell what will become of the Xenomorphs under the guidance of the Disney machine and unfortunately if I want to see another film come to fruition that is the only version I’ll be able to see.

Film Review: SPOOKERS (2017)

There is a lot to be said for the people that run haunted houses and those that subject themselves to the terror every year.  That is at the heart of the documentary film Spookers (2017) which takes a personal look at the people that work at the New Zealand based haunt house Spookers.  Spookers now resides in a former mental hospital which adds to the spook factor of the facility but it is the haunters in which the heart of the place resides.

 

Through behind the scenes footage and interviews audiences get a candid look into the people who operate the facility and the haunters who have become a family of diverse people from all types of backgrounds.  You get the sense that everyone and anyone is welcomed into the Spookers family as they do more than just reside at the spook house but they interact with the community.

 

The film contains many personal stories of people finding a place where they aren’t judged and that they can be themselves or virtually anyone they want to be in a place that is completely accepting of everyone.

 

The film doesn’t really reveal much that hasn’t been showcased before in other similarly themed films about the people that run spook houses but this one presents some unique and personal stories as well as is one of the few that is located in a formed mental hospital.  This is a candid look at the world of spook house that does an amazing job presenting a complex and accepting community of diverse people.

Film Review: YUMMY (2019)

From Belgium comes the extreme zombie comedy Yummy (2019) and the way you look at plastic surgery will never be the same.  Alison (Maaike Neuville) and her mother are headed to an Eastern European hospital known for cheap plastic surgery.  Her boyfriend Michael (Bart Hollanders) is along for the ride to make sure of her safety.  It seems that Alison wants a breast reduction since she’s very self-conscious of her bosom and hates the look and stares that people have given her, her entire life.  Her mother, on the other hand is just going to have yet another little something fixed on her.

 

Immediately when the three reach the hospital, Michael is uneasy due to the shabbiness of the facility and the lack of professionalism and cleanliness as he dropped out of medical school but still knows what “should” happen.  While Alison is being prepped for surgery, Michael and a hospital worker just looking for a place to smoke up discover a secret lab where a patient is tied up.  Michael thinks the woman needs help and releases her but not before discovering that her entire mouth is missing.  

 

Unbeknownst to Michael, he has released a patient that had some secret skin grafting down to her that made her one of the undead.  As Michael tries to find Alison and get her to safety, the hospital is soon overrun by the undead.  Now Alison and Michael must find a way out of the hospital with a small group of other patients and doctors before the undead escape.

 

So, if you enjoy Peter Jackson’s Braindead or Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 then this film is definitely for you.  It is an extreme gore filled comedy horror film with heart yet entertains and is anchored by two strong lead actors but also a huge supporting cast of “characters” that make a lot of the shenanigans seem fresh and original (even when sometimes they are not).  This is a great addition to the zombie films that came before it and I hope more people get to see this film as Belgium has a lot to offer the horror genre.

Film Review: BLOOD VESSEL (2019)

A group of survivors on a lifeboat think that they’ve found salvation on the open sea when a large ship comes into view at the beginning of Blood Vessel (2019).  The lifeboat is filled with a mixture of characters including the Captain Malone (Robert Taylor) who managed to help save as many as he could from his ship’s disaster.  When they come across a German boat they think it is salvation despite the fear that the Germans may kill them instead of holding them as prisoners of war during WWII.  But when they get on the deck of the ship they realize that ship is a ghost ship and there is no one around.

 

It’s not long before they discover a young girl hiding and a German soldier who would rather shoot the girl first and ask questions later.  The language barrios between everyone is also a problem and when some of their group are suddenly killed by the German who wants to kill the girl, the group discovers that there are more secrets to behold on the ship and that they have no idea what they have stepped into.

 

Soon, the group discovers too late that the German ship’s precision cargo were coffins containing sleeping vampires and that the girl is just one of their biggest problems.  Now the group must find a way off the ship before they all become victims of one of the greatest dangers they’ve ever faced separate from Hitler’s army.

 

Written by Jordan Prosser and Justin Dix (who also directors) the film borrows a lot from Death Ship (1980) and John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) while has the atmosphere of Virus (1999) and Ghost Ship (2002).  There are also some nods to Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the plight of the crew on the Demeter ship.  The film is extremely well made but borrows so much from other films that it’s hard to see if it has any original ideas of its own.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as it is quite entertaining and the horror aspects and gore are very effective so the film never comes off as boring.

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - "Why I Love SHUDDER!"

“Why I Love SHUDDER!”

I’ve been reading a whole lot about people wanting to know whether or not the streaming service for horror fans Shudder is worth the monthly service fees.  There are those in the horror community that say Yes and those that say No, so for this “Rants & Ravings About Horror” I wanted to give everyone my opinion on the controversy.

 

I am the first to admit that there are too many streaming services out there and I only have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime because there are just too many of them out there.  Then COVID-19 and the quarantine happened and every streaming service was offering discounts and free months.  Shudder was cheap and didn’t have commercials (or multiple tears) and since I’m a horror fan I decided to go with that one.  I could’ve done Criteria Collection (which is the only other one that interest me) or Disney+ (the number one that didn’t interest me at all) or HBO Max, Hulu, Full Moon, etc. There are just too many streaming services to keep track nor even care about.

 

Shudder is geared towards horror fans!  Now in March when I first signed up there was a complete mixture of old school horror films verses lower end fare with a small selection of indie darlings.  They also had several podcasts and series.  One of the main reasons I wanted to sign up was the fact that they had the Wolf Creek series from Australia which was hard to find.  One of the real reasons I decided to go ahead with Shudder is the fact that they had several Lucio Fulci films especially the “Gates of Hells” trilogy which is not something you’re going to find on Hulu or Netflix.  If you look closer to their catalog they also had Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox to name a few of the more hardcore cult horror films, so even if they didn’t have a strong selection of recent Hollywood horror they knew what their main audience was craving for.

 

What I especially enjoyed in those first couple months were the podcasts as they had a nice curated selection which includes – Horror Noire Uncut, Video Palace, and The Narrow Caves, to name a few.  I was actually quite surprised at the quality.  Over the next few months during the lock-down, I got reacquainted with some old classics but also got to watch a lot of international and old classics that I had heard about but never had access to see like Boar , Darling, Hands of the Ripper, Deadly Games, Vampire Circus, and Blood Rage, to name a few.

 

Now catching up with old school and international horror films has its place especially since it allows Shudder to advertise when they acquire new and interesting little seen, cult, and international films, but soon I noticed that there were more films being added every month that were “Shudder Exclusives” which meant that they were now acquiring plenty of films that you couldn’t find anywhere else.  This is particularly important as it justifies continuing my subscription of the service.  Some of these films include Host, The Marshes, The Ranger, Bliss, Found Footage 3D, and Housewife, to name a few.

 

One of the next big draws to the service is their original series Creepshow (based on the original Stephen King and George A. Romero films) which they have thus far produced a first season in addition to two holiday specials.  An amazing show that I can’t wait for Season 2 to be unleashed!

 

Now, all of this is well and good but why should horror fans care?  There are so many other streaming services out there but what sets this one apart from the others?  The thing that I love about Shudder is the fact that it caters to the horror connoisseur.  That person that enjoys all types of horror films of all sub genres.  There are films for fans of the slasher to the giallo to the psychological thriller in addition to the fans of the extreme gory variety to those in which there is almost no gore at all.  If you like films from other countries you’re sure to find some gems - Italian, French, Danish, Canadian, Korean, and even Japanese, to name a few.  Shudder is a treasure trove of hard to find gems and over the last year since the lock down they’ve acquired an even more diverse slate of films while adding even more cult and infamous films.

 

If there is something I believe they need more of, it would be more animated films and more great podcasts (since no new ones has been added since I joined).  There are some great animated films that could be added such as Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000, Lady Death, or any of the Dead Space and Resident Evil films.  More podcasts would be an excellent addition to their current list.  Shudder may not be the best horror streaming service out there (as it is the only one I’ve bothered to try out) but is grown a lot in the year since I’ve had it and the selection and diversity of programing just gets better and better.  It is definitely a service I would recommend to any horror fan.