On Tuesday, the topic of my post was the mask of the Piedras Blancas monster. Coincidentally, I discovered on the SLO Tribune webpage that this fall the North Coast (where MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS was filmed) will be hosting the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.
The article following is a reprint from the paper that includes a story previously published in 2002, when the film was locally screened.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
BLOG -- Fan Expo Canada 2013
*Sniffle* I'm soooo sad... not just because I want Fan Expo to come back... but because I somehow lost all my blogging progress about Fan Expo... I woke up at 6 AM yesterday, determined to finish my blog. All I did was press "Enter" to create a new blank line... then I pressed "Backspace", and it erased my entire blog... I pressed the "undo" button as far as I could, but to no avail. I exited the page, hoping that it didn't automatically save, but it did... ... I only had Sunday left to cover and I would have been done!! Now I have to start over. You have no idea how much I want to cry right now... :(
Anyway... I had a lot of fun at Fan Expo this year. I attended some really neat and useful panels, and I saw some awesome cosplay and cool promotions (I think some companies are catching on that marketing creatively is key in conventions). I also had a "one-sided convention crush" (first time!), but I'll talk about that at the end of the blog, since it's more of a personal experience than anything.
Anyway... I had a lot of fun at Fan Expo this year. I attended some really neat and useful panels, and I saw some awesome cosplay and cool promotions (I think some companies are catching on that marketing creatively is key in conventions). I also had a "one-sided convention crush" (first time!), but I'll talk about that at the end of the blog, since it's more of a personal experience than anything.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
[Toys] Mezco's Super Cool 'The Creature From The Black Lagoon' Figure
Mezco's award-winning design team journeyed deep into the unexplored depths of the Amazon jungle searching for fossils instead they discovered "THE CREATURE"! Mezco Toyz brings to life "The Creature," from Universal's sci-fi, horror gem, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.
"This Creature" variant is cast in Translucent Green material.
"This Creature" variant is cast in Translucent Green material.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
William Castle in Duo-Vision! The Spirit is Willing and ZOTZ!
THIS POST IS PART OF THE WILLIAM CASTLE BLOGATHON, HOSTED BY AND GOREGIRL'S DUNGEON, RUNNING FROM JULY 29TH THROUGH AUGUST 2ND, 2013!ENJOY!
With all the horror and suspense in William Castle's filmography, we of thought it'd be neat to feature two of the gimmick-meister's comedy turns for the Blogathon--especially, as Vinnie so sagely pointed, out: "Mr. Sardonicus is probably already taken."
With all the horror and suspense in William Castle's filmography, we of thought it'd be neat to feature two of the gimmick-meister's comedy turns for the Blogathon--especially, as Vinnie so sagely pointed, out: "Mr. Sardonicus is probably already taken."
Monday, August 26, 2013
Matt's Week in Dork! (7/21/13-7/27/13)
A slow start, but a nice finish.Good week.
Red 2:Not quite as cute or charming as the first film, this sequel still dishes out morbid humor and silly action aplenty.Everyone seems to be having a good time, and they sure go to a lot of nice places.But the tension never quite ratchets up, and the plot feels a bit too meandering.Still, not a bad sequel and worth watching if you enjoyed the first film.
Red 2:Not quite as cute or charming as the first film, this sequel still dishes out morbid humor and silly action aplenty.Everyone seems to be having a good time, and they sure go to a lot of nice places.But the tension never quite ratchets up, and the plot feels a bit too meandering.Still, not a bad sequel and worth watching if you enjoyed the first film.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
When the West Was Dead Part 1: Dead West
Greeting boils and goils, creeps and creatures of the night, welcome to the first installment of a series I once had an idea for but never saw to fruition. When the West goes dead basically, the first installment comes complete with an interview with author and writer Rick Spears.
Welcome to Lazarus, a small blooming town in the Old West. Don't expect to live long if you visit it though, the town's under a curse. "In this town nothing stays dead for long..."
Welcome to Lazarus, a small blooming town in the Old West. Don't expect to live long if you visit it though, the town's under a curse. "In this town nothing stays dead for long..."
2013 Horrorfest Presents: The Man Who Laughs (1928, Leni)
The Man Who Laughs could almost be called "The Movie That Inspired The Joker." When Conrad Veidt put on the white makeup while sporting the ghoulish smile that was imposed upon him by a cruel king when poor Veidt's Gwynplaine was just a boy, I thought "Whoa. He does look like The Joker." This trivia nugget aside The Man Who Laughs is equal parts horror film, tragic drama, action and adventure movie. Gwynplaine is a monster, yet he is also rather sympathetic, a man who was abandoned and yet saved the life of the lovely Dea, who is blind and therefore cannot see his awful face. However despite his grotesque appearance, Gwynplaine is loved by Ursus, the man who took Dea and him when he was just a child and Dea was a baby. At the same time Ursus is responsible for featuring Gwynplaine in a traveling act, although he does indeed care for the young man and Dea, treating them as his children.
The man responsible for the creation of Gwynplaine as a human freak, the sinister and evil Barkilphedro, discovers that the so called "Laughing Man" is still alive and is also the heir to his late father's estate. The beautiful yet cruel Josiana, who admires and then mocks Gwynplaine, realizes too late that she must marry him to keep his father's holdings. The horror elements here are rather strong: Gwynplaine inspires both pity and disgust, and can be considered an early inspiration for the Universal Monsters creatures such as Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, and the Creature From The Black Lagoon.
The man responsible for the creation of Gwynplaine as a human freak, the sinister and evil Barkilphedro, discovers that the so called "Laughing Man" is still alive and is also the heir to his late father's estate. The beautiful yet cruel Josiana, who admires and then mocks Gwynplaine, realizes too late that she must marry him to keep his father's holdings. The horror elements here are rather strong: Gwynplaine inspires both pity and disgust, and can be considered an early inspiration for the Universal Monsters creatures such as Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, and the Creature From The Black Lagoon.
Friday, August 23, 2013
2006: Welcome to the Next Level
Serdar Yegulalp, a tech journalist by day, is also the Site Guide for . He also runs his own science-fiction-and-fantasy imprint, , where he blogs about SF, movies, creativity, the complexities of self-publishing, the Sun Ra and Skinny Puppy back catalogs, and most everything else that catches his attention. He also occasionally sticks his neck out on Twitter (@).Back when I started curating , one of the first feature articles I put together was a four-parter which involved a number of anime at different "course levels." An anime that required no understanding of Japanese culture or Japan to begin with was a "100-level" anime. Another that was still easy to get into but would be best appreciated with a little foreknowledge was a "200-level" anime. A show pitched mainly for Japanese audiences, or which one wasn't likely to find accessible unless you were already steeped in the tropes and quirks of anime generally was a "300-level" anime. (I later refined the categories a little, but the basic concept remains intact.)
I now wonder if listing BLACK LAGOON as a 100-level anime was such a good idea.
I now wonder if listing BLACK LAGOON as a 100-level anime was such a good idea.
So some site on the interwebs decided to make the Top 20 anime of 2010s
I couldn't contain myself, I'm on f*cking vacation and I see this . Besides the point that we have not completed the decade some websitedecided that it should ask viewers what the best (or best to represent depending on translation) 20 anime of the decade has been. And to put it bluntly the list is absolute shit and here it is...
1. K-ON!!- Boring as hell
2. A Certain Scientific Railgun- A fun series but not a top twenty
1. K-ON!!- Boring as hell
2. A Certain Scientific Railgun- A fun series but not a top twenty
Otakon 2013 Photoblog
CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO SEE MORE
It's slightly ironic that I go to an anime convention this year, as I haven't really been watching anime at all over the last few months.
It's slightly ironic that I go to an anime convention this year, as I haven't really been watching anime at all over the last few months.
BLOG -- Pre-Fan Expo Canada 2013 Excitement
Since Fan Expo is coming up this week, I thought I'd blog about the things I'm hoping to see and do while there. Normally, I'd set some sort of an itinerary the first day of the convention when I see the schedule, but the schedule is actually already available:
, I was all about the comic panels, Gillian Anderson, and William B. Davis (X-Files!) -- this year I'm all about vocaloids and (the Japanese voice actor for Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh, and Luka Megurine Vocaloid). And due to this focus, there were several panels I had to pass up on.
, I was all about the comic panels, Gillian Anderson, and William B. Davis (X-Files!) -- this year I'm all about vocaloids and (the Japanese voice actor for Sakaki from Azumanga Daioh, and Luka Megurine Vocaloid). And due to this focus, there were several panels I had to pass up on.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Up until now, I'd avoided this series. Initially, it seemed like something that I wouldn't like to watch, for no reason in particular. Recently, though, a certain reviewer came up with a review of this series, and I, lacking any series to watch, decided to give it a shot. As such, I'd like to start off this review by stating that Gurren Lagann is an amazing anime. It offered three of the most important things I look for in an anime -- emotion, action and raw entertainment. If you haven't seen it already, I suggest you watch it immediately after reading this review.
Gurren Lagann is a story told on a grand scale, large to the extent that it's nearly unfathomable. For years, humanity has been hounded underground by the Spiral King, oppressed underneath the surface of the Earth by monstrous Gunmen, which are essentially mecha, piloted by the cruel Beastman race. Simon, a digger in one of the underground villages, finds one of the Gunmen buried deep underground. With the help of Kamina, his friend and inspiration, and the company of Yoko, a girl with a rifle, Simon is forced to help free the human race from the iron hand of the Spiral King, armed only with Gurren Lagann, the Gunmen produced by combining his and Kamina's mecha. That's only half of the plot, until the series undergoes a time skip after the aforementioned king's defeat. In the end, though, the story that's told is worthy of being considered an epic, spanning decades over the course of twenty seven episodes. As the characters progress in both their attempts to overthrow their enemies and their lives, new cast members are introduced and taken away. All in all, this leaves for a captivating plotline that I can't describe very efficiently. The best way to understand the grandness of Gurren Lagann's story is to watch the show yourself, which I highly recommend you do.
Gurren Lagann is a story told on a grand scale, large to the extent that it's nearly unfathomable. For years, humanity has been hounded underground by the Spiral King, oppressed underneath the surface of the Earth by monstrous Gunmen, which are essentially mecha, piloted by the cruel Beastman race. Simon, a digger in one of the underground villages, finds one of the Gunmen buried deep underground. With the help of Kamina, his friend and inspiration, and the company of Yoko, a girl with a rifle, Simon is forced to help free the human race from the iron hand of the Spiral King, armed only with Gurren Lagann, the Gunmen produced by combining his and Kamina's mecha. That's only half of the plot, until the series undergoes a time skip after the aforementioned king's defeat. In the end, though, the story that's told is worthy of being considered an epic, spanning decades over the course of twenty seven episodes. As the characters progress in both their attempts to overthrow their enemies and their lives, new cast members are introduced and taken away. All in all, this leaves for a captivating plotline that I can't describe very efficiently. The best way to understand the grandness of Gurren Lagann's story is to watch the show yourself, which I highly recommend you do.
Something for Every Fanboy and Fangirl
FANGIRL IS NOT A TERM I WOULD TYPICALLY USE TO DESCRIBE MYSELF. THE LAST TIME I SAW A STAR WARS FILM IT WAS ON VHS. I HAVEN'T SEEN OVER HALF OF THE SUPERHERO FILMS THAT HAVE BEEN HITTING THEATERS IN THE LAST 40 YEARS. I'VE NEVER GOTTEN INTO STAR TREK, I'VE SEEN LESS THAN A FULL SEASON OF DOCTOR WHO (THOUGH I STILL GET THE JOKES AND LOVE THE DALEKS), AND THE ONLY CONVENTIONS I ATTEND ARE USUALLY HORROR RELATED. SO WHY WOULD I, A PERSON WHO ISN'T INTO GEEK CULTURE, BE INTERVIEWING A PERSON WHOSE ARTWORK COVERS ALL OF THESE BASES? BECAUSE AMAZING ART IS AMAZING ART.
LAST YEAR I ATTENDED MONSTER MANIA AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE VENDORS WAS THERE. HE SELLS SMALL MOVIE POSTERS FOR FILMS OF ALL SORTS. WHETHER YOU LIKE POPULAR HORROR OR SOMETHING MORE LESSER KNOWN, THIS GUY HAS IT. THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM VENDING I WENT HOME WITH FOUR AWESOME PRINTS. THEY ARE POP ART PRINTS OF PINHEAD, FREDDY KRUEGER, MICHAEL MYERS, AND ELVIRA. I KEEP THEM IN MY CRAFT ROOM AND EVERYTIME I SEE THEM I CAN'T HELP BUT SMILE. THE JOY THAT THESE BRING ME IS SWEET AND TWISTED, BUT IS JOY NONETHELESSLOOKING AT THE PRINTS BARRY OF BARRY SACHS BARRY GOODS REMINDS ME OF THE JOY AND EXCITEMENT I WHEN I NOT ONLY FOUND MY HORROR POP ARTBUT WHEN I BROUGHT THEM HOME. MY HOPE WITH THIS POST IS TO NOT ONLY EXPOSE MY READERS TO AN AMAZING ARTIST, BUT TO HELP YOU FEEL HAPPY, GEEK OUT, AND MAYBE EVEN FIND SOMETHING FOR YOUR OWN HOMES AS WELL. SO SIT BACK, RELAX, AND MEET BARRY SACHS!
LAST YEAR I ATTENDED MONSTER MANIA AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE VENDORS WAS THERE. HE SELLS SMALL MOVIE POSTERS FOR FILMS OF ALL SORTS. WHETHER YOU LIKE POPULAR HORROR OR SOMETHING MORE LESSER KNOWN, THIS GUY HAS IT. THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM VENDING I WENT HOME WITH FOUR AWESOME PRINTS. THEY ARE POP ART PRINTS OF PINHEAD, FREDDY KRUEGER, MICHAEL MYERS, AND ELVIRA. I KEEP THEM IN MY CRAFT ROOM AND EVERYTIME I SEE THEM I CAN'T HELP BUT SMILE. THE JOY THAT THESE BRING ME IS SWEET AND TWISTED, BUT IS JOY NONETHELESSLOOKING AT THE PRINTS BARRY OF BARRY SACHS BARRY GOODS REMINDS ME OF THE JOY AND EXCITEMENT I WHEN I NOT ONLY FOUND MY HORROR POP ARTBUT WHEN I BROUGHT THEM HOME. MY HOPE WITH THIS POST IS TO NOT ONLY EXPOSE MY READERS TO AN AMAZING ARTIST, BUT TO HELP YOU FEEL HAPPY, GEEK OUT, AND MAYBE EVEN FIND SOMETHING FOR YOUR OWN HOMES AS WELL. SO SIT BACK, RELAX, AND MEET BARRY SACHS!
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