Do you know it's hard to write stuff on a blog?
It is.
Especially when you think "OMGZ THIS'LL GO RIGHT ON MY BLOG!" when you're out somewhere thinking about this super great topic.. And then you get home.. and well.. you really don't feel like it anymore.
Procrastination ahoy!
That said, sorry for being lame over the no Halloween posts. Or Thankgiving. Or Christmas.
But I will make it up to you. I will tell you what I got for Christmas.
My big gift (besides lots of money) was an Amazon Kindle. Yes, the thing that you put books on. I'd kind of wanted a Barnes & Noble Nook, but due to Barnes & Noble not realizing that ZOMG people read a LOT and putting out a piece of electronics that is not only blatantly awesome but even more blatantly awesome than ever, it was sold out as soon as you could look at it.
And then sold out again. I know it's probably a supply and demand DREAM, but if you want people to buy your stuff... shouldn't you like.. have it to sell? None of this "preorder so we can send it to you sometime in February!" shit. If I want something, I want it now. I hate waiting.
So anyway. I've named my Kindle Giles. Yes. Giles. And yes, my electronics (mostly) have names. My PC is Deep Thought. And I think my iPod had a name, but it won't tell me.
Evil little bastard.
Anyway, I also got a boatload of Wii games: Super Mario Bros. (I played this for 30 minutes and had to put it down because otherwise I would have stayed up all night until I finished it), Punch-Out, Guitar Hero 5, Guitar Hero Smash Hits (which of course includes a song that is the BANE of my existance for reasons I will not put on this blog), and Rock Band 2.
I like my music.
I also received a pair of Grinch Pajamas, including a pair of Merry Grinchmas boxer shorts that will probably live to scare the daylights out of me repeatedly. There's something about Grinchy eyes, dude. Especially at 3am when you're in the bathroom, and as you go to pull up your boxers you realize that you've got 3 scary yellow eyes staring at you. (3 yellow eyes, yes. Apparently there's an overlap on the eyes in the escape flap that mens' boxers are so fond of. Being a girl, I have no use for this flap)
My father also gave me license to buy 6 books for my Kindle (yay!), and my mother and he presented me with a 50 dollar Barnes & Noble gift card, but were rather shocked to learn that I couldn't put anything I bought with the gift card on my precious Kindle. But, I assured them, not only is it impossible for EVERY SINGLE BOOK to be on Kindle, I like real books. It wouldn't go to waste (it didn't).
The money they gave me went to the purchase of 10 books, One Tree Hill season 6 (I seriously needed my Leyton fix. It made me very happy and I'm contemplating re-watching it), House seasons 4 & 5 (have I mentioned my love for older British men yet?), The Wizard of Oz on blu-ray (ooooh so pretty), Angel seasons 1 & 2 (I've never seen it.. I KNOW! I KNOW! It was also on sale 14.99 for 2 seasons together!), and some clothing from Old Navy (ho hum right?).
I just finished watching Julie & Julia, which probably explains why I've hopped onto my blog. And also why I made fettucine alfredo (well.. spaghetti with butter and half and half with parmesean cheese) afterwards. I want to do something, I want to set a goal.
I also want to write my goddamn novel, but that's harder that walking through dry concrete. My thoughts are all up there and zero drafts make no sense to me. Putting it all together means I'll have to re-read it. And when I re-read, I delete.
I was thinking, what if I wrote in the blog about my 2010 goal of 100 books? I did succeed reading 100 this year, but I'm not too sure if people here would really LIKE reading about books that I've read. It might be boring.
What about movies? 100 movies. Or 365 movies next year. One movie a day. Any movie. Even one I've seen before?
I don't know. I'm overreaching. Let me know what you think! I'm currently lurking over at Matt's X-E Christmas Fallout (as Cat the Vampire Slayer), but I'd love to hear what you have to say!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Yay!
So I'm on the Countdown to Halloween, so I promise that I'll.. countdown.
Also, I've acquired my costume! Thanks to Target for once again giving me the inspiration. Or, more like, giving Emily the inspiration for me to steal.
So to all you newcomers, HI! What would YOU like to see me talk about this Halloween?
Also, I've acquired my costume! Thanks to Target for once again giving me the inspiration. Or, more like, giving Emily the inspiration for me to steal.
So to all you newcomers, HI! What would YOU like to see me talk about this Halloween?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Halloween Post 1: Who Let the Mummies Out?
So, now it's October. I know this because, well.. my calendar told me.
And because the leaves are falling everywhere, that smell is in the air.. And I'm searching for a good costume to wear to work.
Also, because my pharmacy is now decked out with Halloween awesomeness. I'm already addicted to Bat Dots, and now, I've got things to decorate my car with.
Including, Caeser.
Now, let me tell you a little story.
It's a busy day at work (I'm a technician at a pharmacy chain that consists of 3 letters.). I'm kind of blah, and this girl comes up with something in her hands that she's named Gunther.
Gunther is the kitty cat you see up there. Now, I'd seen him sitting on the shelf at work with the other Halloween knick knacks. What I didn't know, and didn't realize, was that Gunther SINGS.
Yes, he sings. Of course he does. Halloween isn't Halloween without something singing at you.. You know, werewolves of london or thriller or something..
Now she tells me, Gunther sings, and he very much made her day with his singing. Why don't I try him out? He'll make my day.
Now I'm about to say no, but the look on her face tells me that I should indulge. So I press the little purple button on Gunther's leg. Immediately, Gunther springs to life.
Yes, he springs. He flails, and in a shrill voice he opens with:
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!? WHO!? WHO?! WHO!?
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT!? WHO!? WHO?! WHO!?
I immediately, out of shock, shut him off, and proceed to laugh. Gunther had made my night in being so ridiculous as to start singing something totally random as Who Let the Dogs Out.
The Baha Men must be so proud that their anthem is being belted by a black cat with bandages all over him.
Now, as soon as he belts this tune and I shut him off, I'd decided. I must have a Gunther of my own. And, to my shock, he's 25 percent off!
So I bought a Gunther, who I've dubbed Caeser, and brought him home to show my family.
Something I hadn't noticed previously that I was happy to find when I got home.. Not only does my Caeser sing and flail? His eyes glow red as he does it!
Talk about Halloween spirit!!
Caeser is going to sit in my rear window, taunting passersby with an unsung song as they see him. He will sit amongst some black and orange garland, and be my mascot for Halloween.
Then maybe I'll put a Santa hat on him....
Monday, July 13, 2009
Have You Seen My Childhood?
It's been a while since I last posted. I know. I fail. But also, the day I think of what to post next, something happens.
I will tell you a story.
I had a parakeet named Patrick. He died when I was about 9 years old. Around that time, 3rd grade, I was getting all those tests that every 3rd grader got, and finally graduating from speech therapy (I still don't see why I went. There was nothing wrong with my s's and z's..). One day, my parents and I have to go for a meeting.
Uh oh.
The meeting topic? I need to be in a gifted child program. I'm reading at a high school level. Almost college! So, what do my parents do? Reward me of course! I got to go to the pet store and get a new birdy. After all, it was just my dog in the house and she was oh-so-lonely, right? We'd had a cat but she refused to be litter trained, since she was raised a barn cat.. She had to go back..
So I got a bird. A pretty male parakeet. They were the most colorful, and they were supposedly able to maybe talk! I'd started listening to a new singer (new singer to me that is) and knew EXACTLY what to name our new edition.
Michael Jackson Bird. Yes. Not Mike, or just Michael. Michael Jackson Bird. I was 9, and in love with Michael Jackson.
I wanted to marry Michael Jackson. My best friend, she wanted to marry Michael too. She was also 9, and that's how we became friends. Our love of the gloved one.
I cried when he was put on trial for child molestation a couple of years later. Cried. Hard. I didn't believe it. (I still don't.) My idol couldn't do that.
Let's fastforward about 10 years later. 2003. I'm 20 years old. Just on the cusp of adulthood. Teen years are behind me. That October, my dog dies. My dog, the only dog I'd ever had. We got her when I was 5. She was my childhood, my adolescence. She died in her sleep while I was at a play, and we came home to find her flanked by two cats, who were protecting her.
I cried for 3 days.
A month later, maybe not even.. 3 weeks maybe.. I get a phone call. My first absolute obsessive teen crush, whom I fell in love with when I was 10 years old, and still held a candle for.. had killed himself. Imagine 3 girls, three 20-somethings on the phone together, sobbing because we find out a week later that an actor we all loved so dearly didn't realize how loved he truly was..
I'd thought I'd all but lost my childhood that year.
Fast forward 6 years. My poor little Michael Jackson Bird had died the previous summer (he broke a wing and was just in so much pain.. He'd seemingly lived forever! He used to dance when we played music for him.. He loved Jackson 5 best), and I'm at work, a slow day for once.
"Michael Jackson's been rushed to the hospital." Is the first sentence out of my coworker's mouth when she comes in. Not even half an hour later, I hear calls of "Michael Jackson died." echoing through the pharmacy as a group of coworkers stop in to relay the news.
I think that moment was the true end to my childhood. The moment where I found that the entertainer I thought would never fade away, was ripped away.
Now I'm not saying I still loved him the way I did when I was 9, but I thought him a fabulous entertainer. He was a part of my life, the life of an 80s child. An 80s geek.
Lady: 1988-2003
Jonathan Brandis: 1976-2003
Michael Jackson Bird: 1993-2008
Michael Jackson: 1958-2009
My childhood lays in ruins, a small list of birth and death dates that I wasn't prepared for. I try hard not to shut down the way I did in 2003, brought back only by a 3 hour crying jag that I thought would never stop.
I don't mean for this to be a sad blog post, but I need to say something, don't I? I need to be the pop culture junkie that I tote myself as. I need to admit that my heart broke when little Paris told everyone how much she loved her daddy, and how when I came home, I hugged my father as hard as I could.
I promise my next blogpost will be happier. And may contain pictures of myself dressed up for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Because that is what I need to cheer myself up.
I will tell you a story.
I had a parakeet named Patrick. He died when I was about 9 years old. Around that time, 3rd grade, I was getting all those tests that every 3rd grader got, and finally graduating from speech therapy (I still don't see why I went. There was nothing wrong with my s's and z's..). One day, my parents and I have to go for a meeting.
Uh oh.
The meeting topic? I need to be in a gifted child program. I'm reading at a high school level. Almost college! So, what do my parents do? Reward me of course! I got to go to the pet store and get a new birdy. After all, it was just my dog in the house and she was oh-so-lonely, right? We'd had a cat but she refused to be litter trained, since she was raised a barn cat.. She had to go back..
So I got a bird. A pretty male parakeet. They were the most colorful, and they were supposedly able to maybe talk! I'd started listening to a new singer (new singer to me that is) and knew EXACTLY what to name our new edition.
Michael Jackson Bird. Yes. Not Mike, or just Michael. Michael Jackson Bird. I was 9, and in love with Michael Jackson.
I wanted to marry Michael Jackson. My best friend, she wanted to marry Michael too. She was also 9, and that's how we became friends. Our love of the gloved one.
I cried when he was put on trial for child molestation a couple of years later. Cried. Hard. I didn't believe it. (I still don't.) My idol couldn't do that.
Let's fastforward about 10 years later. 2003. I'm 20 years old. Just on the cusp of adulthood. Teen years are behind me. That October, my dog dies. My dog, the only dog I'd ever had. We got her when I was 5. She was my childhood, my adolescence. She died in her sleep while I was at a play, and we came home to find her flanked by two cats, who were protecting her.
I cried for 3 days.
A month later, maybe not even.. 3 weeks maybe.. I get a phone call. My first absolute obsessive teen crush, whom I fell in love with when I was 10 years old, and still held a candle for.. had killed himself. Imagine 3 girls, three 20-somethings on the phone together, sobbing because we find out a week later that an actor we all loved so dearly didn't realize how loved he truly was..
I'd thought I'd all but lost my childhood that year.
Fast forward 6 years. My poor little Michael Jackson Bird had died the previous summer (he broke a wing and was just in so much pain.. He'd seemingly lived forever! He used to dance when we played music for him.. He loved Jackson 5 best), and I'm at work, a slow day for once.
"Michael Jackson's been rushed to the hospital." Is the first sentence out of my coworker's mouth when she comes in. Not even half an hour later, I hear calls of "Michael Jackson died." echoing through the pharmacy as a group of coworkers stop in to relay the news.
I think that moment was the true end to my childhood. The moment where I found that the entertainer I thought would never fade away, was ripped away.
Now I'm not saying I still loved him the way I did when I was 9, but I thought him a fabulous entertainer. He was a part of my life, the life of an 80s child. An 80s geek.
Lady: 1988-2003
Jonathan Brandis: 1976-2003
Michael Jackson Bird: 1993-2008
Michael Jackson: 1958-2009
My childhood lays in ruins, a small list of birth and death dates that I wasn't prepared for. I try hard not to shut down the way I did in 2003, brought back only by a 3 hour crying jag that I thought would never stop.
I don't mean for this to be a sad blog post, but I need to say something, don't I? I need to be the pop culture junkie that I tote myself as. I need to admit that my heart broke when little Paris told everyone how much she loved her daddy, and how when I came home, I hugged my father as hard as I could.
I promise my next blogpost will be happier. And may contain pictures of myself dressed up for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Because that is what I need to cheer myself up.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
In which I love Jim Henson
This blog post is about a month or so coming, as I thought about it at the middle of April. What can I say? Laziness + My World Exploding = No blog posts. It happens, right?
Right?
So this post started from two places: First, I watched Mirrormask at a friend's house. Wow. That's all I really have to say. It was a mental mindfuck of the good variety, a great Alice in Wonderland-type Labyrinth-like adventure produced by the Jim Henson studio. And it really made me feel like Mr. Henson himself had a hand in it. It made me miss him.
The second is a birthday present I got from another friend. She and I both love the muppets, and she found this at a yard sale:
That's my cat, Molly, playing Vanna White to the present. It's a Kermit the Frog suncatcher! Guessing by the way it looks and just how cute it is, it seems handmade, which is so much cooler than anything I've ever seen.
I feel like I own something no one else has!
Anyway, my love for the Muppets began a million years ago, when I was little. I remember watching The Muppet Babies on tv all the time, and The Muppet Movie, as well.
I was afraid of Animal, though, especially that scene where he gets HUGE and threatens Doc Hopper? OMG huge Animal going to kill people!
I'm going to be honest and say I haven't seen the other original muppet movies, such as Muppets Take Manhattan or Great Muppet Caper. I fell in love with Muppet Christmas Carol (I love Christmas, and A Christmas Carol, though Mickey's will always be my favorite), and Muppet Treasure Island has Tim Curry in it! (You can't go wrong with Tim Curry, honestly.)
Another thing that made me love Jim Henson was Labyrinth. I didn't grow up with Labyrinth. My best friend in the entire world introduced it to me when I was 15. And I loved it.
I mean, David Bowie? Tight pants? What's not to love?
Seriously, it's such a fantastic movie, and I feel terrible for not having seen it sooner. Though this past summer I was able to see it on the big screen thanks to the nearby cinema's college movie nights.
Now THAT was amazing! (I got to see Back to the Future there too.. Gotta love that!)
You'll notice there's one Jim Henson movie I'm leaving out here. That would be The Dark Crystal.
Now I'm going to post a disclaimer: my feelings are not everyone's. If you don't feel the same way, that's fine. Don't condemn me, please?
I hated The Dark Crystal.
I can't ever watch The Dark Crystal.
Why? Well, my boyfriend at the time LOVED this movie, but alas, he didn't have it on DVD. Now I'm a good girlfriend, so I bought it for him! He, in turn, decided to introduce me to it..
Now I don't know how it happened, or what caused it, but for 3/4 of the movie, I was violently ill. I ended up with my head on his leg, bright green, trying my hardest not to throw up.
And I've seen some pretty gross horror movies..
This movie just... wrecked me. I was so sick to my stomach and so nauseated. And I can't tell you why. I don't get this sort of reaction to other movies, except for The Last Unicorn. I get a migraine from that one. (And I've tried to watch it about 4 times)
It makes me sad that I can't enjoy a movie by the great man, but I guess that's just one of my flaws.
So Jim Henson? We miss you. You need to come back as a zombie and bite some Disney reps for making Muppet Wizard of Oz and all.. Oh, and make them bring back Fraggle Rock.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The End. Of. Stuff.
Not the end of this blog. Don't worry. I keep thinking of things to write, I get distracted, I get lazy, and then I just forget.
I'm here, and will be for a while!
I'm talking about the end of tv shows. ER's series finale aired last Thursday, and the only thing it made me want is another season. They ended it so quietly, just casually shoving Rachel Greene (am I the only one who giggles and thinks of Jennifer Aniston?) into County General, and talking about Mark Greene a little bit. Showing a couple of old cast members and making it feel more like a reunion show than an ending.. I wasn't a fan.
Don't get me wrong. I hate endings. I hate that things have to end. Especially tv shows. I pouted for a week when Buffy ended. I still kind of am, though I wonder where they would have gone had they still been on tv.
What I hate even worse are non-endings. When tv shows just get lopped off at the knees. Pushing Daisies, I'm looking at you. You did nothing wrong, and were made of awesome.
The same can be said to your older siblings Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. What did they ever do but be quirky?
I don't like to see the characters I love so much go away. I had to deal with my first tragedy of show ending when NBC just decided that seaQuest didn't deserve to be around anymore. It's a harsh lesson to learn at 13 when you find out your teenage lustings are gone.
Okay, I lied, the first series finale I remember seeing was Wonder Years. But that didn't feel like an end to me. I was like.. 7? And all I knew is that Kevin Arnold wasn't on tv anymore, so maybe that meant he'd show up at my house and ask me to marry him. Guess I was wrong.
I don't put much stock into tv shows anymore. After being burned by Pushing Daisies running away on me, I don't want to start loving another show only to have it taken away. Perhaps that's why I haven't watched any of Dollhouse, or caught more than an episode of Castle. Yes, yes, I know ratings are what makes the shows come back, but I'm torn. I've gotten my heart broken.
I'll just wait for DVD.
I'm here, and will be for a while!
I'm talking about the end of tv shows. ER's series finale aired last Thursday, and the only thing it made me want is another season. They ended it so quietly, just casually shoving Rachel Greene (am I the only one who giggles and thinks of Jennifer Aniston?) into County General, and talking about Mark Greene a little bit. Showing a couple of old cast members and making it feel more like a reunion show than an ending.. I wasn't a fan.
Don't get me wrong. I hate endings. I hate that things have to end. Especially tv shows. I pouted for a week when Buffy ended. I still kind of am, though I wonder where they would have gone had they still been on tv.
What I hate even worse are non-endings. When tv shows just get lopped off at the knees. Pushing Daisies, I'm looking at you. You did nothing wrong, and were made of awesome.
The same can be said to your older siblings Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. What did they ever do but be quirky?
I don't like to see the characters I love so much go away. I had to deal with my first tragedy of show ending when NBC just decided that seaQuest didn't deserve to be around anymore. It's a harsh lesson to learn at 13 when you find out your teenage lustings are gone.
Okay, I lied, the first series finale I remember seeing was Wonder Years. But that didn't feel like an end to me. I was like.. 7? And all I knew is that Kevin Arnold wasn't on tv anymore, so maybe that meant he'd show up at my house and ask me to marry him. Guess I was wrong.
I don't put much stock into tv shows anymore. After being burned by Pushing Daisies running away on me, I don't want to start loving another show only to have it taken away. Perhaps that's why I haven't watched any of Dollhouse, or caught more than an episode of Castle. Yes, yes, I know ratings are what makes the shows come back, but I'm torn. I've gotten my heart broken.
I'll just wait for DVD.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
NEWS! GREAT NEWS!
It seems that they've finally cast a Freddy for the Nightmare remake!
And the winner?
Jackie Earle Haley!!
I'm thrilled. I don't care if he's only an inch taller than me. I know he's going to be awesome.
I have 3 links that confirm it too... AND it starts filming on my birthday!!
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=12851
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b107779_rorschach_moves_onto_elm_street_new.html?utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=imdb_topstories
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00023277.html
Enjoy!
And the winner?
Jackie Earle Haley!!
I'm thrilled. I don't care if he's only an inch taller than me. I know he's going to be awesome.
I have 3 links that confirm it too... AND it starts filming on my birthday!!
http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=12851
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b107779_rorschach_moves_onto_elm_street_new.html?utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=imdb_topstories
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00023277.html
Enjoy!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Some Things Can Still Scare the Piss Out of You..
Yeah, yeah, I know. I suck. I haven't posted in a bit. I've been toying with what to post next. First, I was thinking Rainbow Brite episodes, but I'm just lazy.
Then I was thinking other movies, but again, lazy.
So I'm just going to babble again, and you'll just have to deal with it! Or, you know, close the window. Whatever.
Today, I want to talk about being afraid. Now, I'm not talking about end of the world, zombie apocolypse fear.
I'm talking child fear. Child fear that may still apply today. When you're little, things can be pretty goddamn scary. That slightly open closet can hold a helluva lot of monsters.
But me? I was special.
1. E.T.
Fucking E.T. Stupid turd-shaped monster of DOOM. As you all know, I'm a child of the 80's (1983 to be exact), and E.T. came out in 1982 in the theatre. Now, I think I was about.... 3.. when the VHS came out. My parents were ape for this; apparently we pre-ordered the tape from Major Video, and they had a choice of whether or not to get a plush E.T. with it. They opted not to.
Good choice.
We had a huge console television. I'm not certain they make those anymore, but for those of you that have no idea what they are, look here. This is pretty much EXACTLY what it looked like. Now, it had STEREO sound!!! So, we all popped in the tape to watch the grand children's movie, E.T., as loud as possible, to get the movie theatre effect.
And then E.T. screamed. And I lost my shit.
I remember FLIPPING out when E.T. screamed. Like, seriously having a spastic fit of grand proportions. I dont' remember much else of it, though it was probably just my parents turning off the movie or something. After that, the next time I saw E.T., I was 13. And it still creeped me out.
I was even afraid of the Amblin Logo. Because, well.. it was E.T. and he was damn scary.
2. Gremlins
I don't have an epic story to go with this one, unfortunately. I don't remember having a headfit watching this movie, but I always just remember being afraid of the gremlins. Even Gizmo! I never had a Gizmo doll, or anything close (though when I was older I did get Furbies, of course, because who didn't?), except for a book on record (HEAR the story, SEE the.. whatever.) I think it was mostly the little logo that really did it for me though. See it there? At the bottom? A little gremlin coming out of a box? Forget it, I didn't want that shit.
3. The end of movies.
I'm not talking like, the endings or whatever. I mean the physical end of the actual tape. I don't know why. Maybe it was the snow at the end, or the FBI Warning!!!.. or maybe the logos scared the crap out of me. But when I was little, I was convinced something was going to get me if I watched the credits. (I think maybe Gremlins had laughing evils at the end, which could have done it). Even now I get a little antsy if I stay during the credits..
4. Movie Logos
Over at Nostalgia Junkie, there was a whole post about scary logos and theme songs and stuff. The one that really frightened me was the F.H.E logo (with its synthesizer of EVIL), the United Artists one, and Thames (usually found on Danger Mouse or Count Duckula). Thames was enough to make me want to run out of the room. Oh, and of course, the Amblin Logo, cuz it was E.T.
There was also a few different movies that had freaky music that scared the pee out of me. Poltergeist's theme, the ending music of E.T (where you see the rainbow... I guess I just really have a problem with that movie all together haha), and the part where the arm comes up in Carrie and grabs Sue. The music just sticks with me and freaks me out..
What scares me now? Japanese Horror movies (The Ring, The Grudge.. that stupid fucking noise that that stupid grudge creature makes..), and The Exorcist. I can only watch that movie like.... once every few years. I can't look at any pictures of Linda Blair in that makeup (and I've met her twice!).. I just.. no. Can't do it. Freaks me out. I'm freaked out just thinking about it.
Oddly enough though? I've fallen asleep to both Carrie AND Hellraiser. By choice. And there were numerous times where I've passed out during a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon.
But I never claimed to be normal.
Then I was thinking other movies, but again, lazy.
So I'm just going to babble again, and you'll just have to deal with it! Or, you know, close the window. Whatever.
Today, I want to talk about being afraid. Now, I'm not talking about end of the world, zombie apocolypse fear.
I'm talking child fear. Child fear that may still apply today. When you're little, things can be pretty goddamn scary. That slightly open closet can hold a helluva lot of monsters.
But me? I was special.
1. E.T.
Fucking E.T. Stupid turd-shaped monster of DOOM. As you all know, I'm a child of the 80's (1983 to be exact), and E.T. came out in 1982 in the theatre. Now, I think I was about.... 3.. when the VHS came out. My parents were ape for this; apparently we pre-ordered the tape from Major Video, and they had a choice of whether or not to get a plush E.T. with it. They opted not to.
Good choice.
We had a huge console television. I'm not certain they make those anymore, but for those of you that have no idea what they are, look here. This is pretty much EXACTLY what it looked like. Now, it had STEREO sound!!! So, we all popped in the tape to watch the grand children's movie, E.T., as loud as possible, to get the movie theatre effect.
And then E.T. screamed. And I lost my shit.
I remember FLIPPING out when E.T. screamed. Like, seriously having a spastic fit of grand proportions. I dont' remember much else of it, though it was probably just my parents turning off the movie or something. After that, the next time I saw E.T., I was 13. And it still creeped me out.
I was even afraid of the Amblin Logo. Because, well.. it was E.T. and he was damn scary.
2. Gremlins
I don't have an epic story to go with this one, unfortunately. I don't remember having a headfit watching this movie, but I always just remember being afraid of the gremlins. Even Gizmo! I never had a Gizmo doll, or anything close (though when I was older I did get Furbies, of course, because who didn't?), except for a book on record (HEAR the story, SEE the.. whatever.) I think it was mostly the little logo that really did it for me though. See it there? At the bottom? A little gremlin coming out of a box? Forget it, I didn't want that shit.
3. The end of movies.
I'm not talking like, the endings or whatever. I mean the physical end of the actual tape. I don't know why. Maybe it was the snow at the end, or the FBI Warning!!!.. or maybe the logos scared the crap out of me. But when I was little, I was convinced something was going to get me if I watched the credits. (I think maybe Gremlins had laughing evils at the end, which could have done it). Even now I get a little antsy if I stay during the credits..
4. Movie Logos
Over at Nostalgia Junkie, there was a whole post about scary logos and theme songs and stuff. The one that really frightened me was the F.H.E logo (with its synthesizer of EVIL), the United Artists one, and Thames (usually found on Danger Mouse or Count Duckula). Thames was enough to make me want to run out of the room. Oh, and of course, the Amblin Logo, cuz it was E.T.
There was also a few different movies that had freaky music that scared the pee out of me. Poltergeist's theme, the ending music of E.T (where you see the rainbow... I guess I just really have a problem with that movie all together haha), and the part where the arm comes up in Carrie and grabs Sue. The music just sticks with me and freaks me out..
What scares me now? Japanese Horror movies (The Ring, The Grudge.. that stupid fucking noise that that stupid grudge creature makes..), and The Exorcist. I can only watch that movie like.... once every few years. I can't look at any pictures of Linda Blair in that makeup (and I've met her twice!).. I just.. no. Can't do it. Freaks me out. I'm freaked out just thinking about it.
Oddly enough though? I've fallen asleep to both Carrie AND Hellraiser. By choice. And there were numerous times where I've passed out during a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon.
But I never claimed to be normal.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Once You Watch This Movie, You'll Die..
So I had an idea of writing a blog post all about 80's cartoons, as I fell asleep today watching Rainbow Brite ("Horse of a Different Color" for those of you that want to know which one!).. But I found something more amusing for today!
CHEESEY HORROR MOVIE TRAILERS!
I was searching through Netflix for horror movies, and after dropping Poultrygeist onto my queue (don't ask), I found a listing for something called "Cheezy Horror Movie Trailers, Vol.1".
My first thought: There's more than one volume?
My second thought: I CAN WATCH THIS INSTANTLY!
It's only an hour long, but it's kind of amusing. Unfortunately 3 of the trailers are repeated, and a couple of actual classic horror movies are listed here. (Friday the 13th, House on Haunted Hill, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane..) But otherwise, oh goodness.
This is one of them: The Sinful Dwarf.
I'm not going to kill your computers by embedding a whole video on this blog, and also, I'm not quite sure how to do it here. (Oops.) The gist I got out of it was that this midget (who looks like a shrunken Dan Goodman, according to a friend of mine) lives with his mom, and his mom goes out and kidnaps girls for him to violate.
Now if that ain't a horror classic... thank god!
Next up is: The Equinox.
Now I'm not even sure what the hell this movie's about, but the trailer had me almost on the floor laughing. I mean, TERRIBLE. You see a skeleton and then OH MY GOD OLD MAN! It's like in the middle of the filming, the director's grandfather pops up to be like "what are you up to, sonny?". Grandpa, get out of the frame! You're ruining the film--- eh whatever, stay there. You're kind of weird looking.. Oh and the 'scary' sudden horse too..
One that wasn't on the dvd that I know is a classic amongst bad horror is Manos: The Hands of Fate. Unfortunately I can't find a trailer anywhere on YouTube for this, but there's tons of REMAKE info. A bunch of fan made stuff. You can also watch pieces of this godforsaken movie there, but I don't recommend it unless it's part of MST3K. Otherwise you may gouge your own eyes out.
Well there you have it, just a few of the 800 different really bad movies that are out there. I realize that I only put 3 down, and they're all from the 60s or 70s, but think about it this way: If I sat here and put out all the cheesy trailers, we'd be here forever!
Back then, there was no such thing as straight to video. People actually went and paid to see this stuff in the theatre. And sometimes, we still go and pay for crappy movies -coughWhiteNoisecough-.
I promise I'm not all horror movies and stuff. 80s Cartoons ARE on the way. Whenever I get off my butt. If you really want to get me off my butt, buy me a copy of The Magic of Herself the Elf.
Then I'll worship you and write a blogpost all about the awesomeness of you. Just sayin'.
CHEESEY HORROR MOVIE TRAILERS!
I was searching through Netflix for horror movies, and after dropping Poultrygeist onto my queue (don't ask), I found a listing for something called "Cheezy Horror Movie Trailers, Vol.1".
My first thought: There's more than one volume?
My second thought: I CAN WATCH THIS INSTANTLY!
It's only an hour long, but it's kind of amusing. Unfortunately 3 of the trailers are repeated, and a couple of actual classic horror movies are listed here. (Friday the 13th, House on Haunted Hill, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane..) But otherwise, oh goodness.
This is one of them: The Sinful Dwarf.
I'm not going to kill your computers by embedding a whole video on this blog, and also, I'm not quite sure how to do it here. (Oops.) The gist I got out of it was that this midget (who looks like a shrunken Dan Goodman, according to a friend of mine) lives with his mom, and his mom goes out and kidnaps girls for him to violate.
Now if that ain't a horror classic... thank god!
Next up is: The Equinox.
Now I'm not even sure what the hell this movie's about, but the trailer had me almost on the floor laughing. I mean, TERRIBLE. You see a skeleton and then OH MY GOD OLD MAN! It's like in the middle of the filming, the director's grandfather pops up to be like "what are you up to, sonny?". Grandpa, get out of the frame! You're ruining the film--- eh whatever, stay there. You're kind of weird looking.. Oh and the 'scary' sudden horse too..
One that wasn't on the dvd that I know is a classic amongst bad horror is Manos: The Hands of Fate. Unfortunately I can't find a trailer anywhere on YouTube for this, but there's tons of REMAKE info. A bunch of fan made stuff. You can also watch pieces of this godforsaken movie there, but I don't recommend it unless it's part of MST3K. Otherwise you may gouge your own eyes out.
Well there you have it, just a few of the 800 different really bad movies that are out there. I realize that I only put 3 down, and they're all from the 60s or 70s, but think about it this way: If I sat here and put out all the cheesy trailers, we'd be here forever!
Back then, there was no such thing as straight to video. People actually went and paid to see this stuff in the theatre. And sometimes, we still go and pay for crappy movies -coughWhiteNoisecough-.
I promise I'm not all horror movies and stuff. 80s Cartoons ARE on the way. Whenever I get off my butt. If you really want to get me off my butt, buy me a copy of The Magic of Herself the Elf.
Then I'll worship you and write a blogpost all about the awesomeness of you. Just sayin'.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Mark it Up.
So I don't know if anyone other than the few friends I've linked this to are reading, but here's a good question:
Who do YOU think would make a good Freddy Krueger?
Now we all know that New Line/Platinum Dunes (I think they've got a hand in it) is making a "reimagining" of our favorite horror movie. It's going to be comparable to what Rob Zombie did to Halloween.
I haven't seen the new Halloween, so I have no comment on it. But I heard it was pretty good. And hey, I actually liked the new Friday the 13th better than the originals. The original first one made me laugh. This one was actually cringeworthy, in an OMG JASON'S BEHIND YOU kind of way. (and in a "please stop texting on your phone kid in front of me" way. Dude, why do you pay 10 dollars to see a movie when you're going to TEXT the entire time? You can do that at home for free. Yes, I am an old geezer. Get off my lawn kids.)
So I did a little scouring around the internet to see what some people think. I've heard such people as Cillian Murphy, James Marsters (Spike as Freddy? Weird. But he's playing Piccolo in Dragonball..), Ben Foster (whaaat) and Jackie Earle Haley, who is actually talking about it.
And someone said Anthony Stewart Head, but I don't know if I could deal there. Giles can go from librarian to killer repo man. Not from librarian to child molester/killer.
I personally think Jackie Earle Haley could do it, just on looks alone. He's got a pretty dark, menacing look to him. Though his eyes are pretty gorgeous. (I have a thing for blue eyes.)
So, I open the floor to you, the 2 people that read this. What do YOU think?
Who do YOU think would make a good Freddy Krueger?
Now we all know that New Line/Platinum Dunes (I think they've got a hand in it) is making a "reimagining" of our favorite horror movie. It's going to be comparable to what Rob Zombie did to Halloween.
I haven't seen the new Halloween, so I have no comment on it. But I heard it was pretty good. And hey, I actually liked the new Friday the 13th better than the originals. The original first one made me laugh. This one was actually cringeworthy, in an OMG JASON'S BEHIND YOU kind of way. (and in a "please stop texting on your phone kid in front of me" way. Dude, why do you pay 10 dollars to see a movie when you're going to TEXT the entire time? You can do that at home for free. Yes, I am an old geezer. Get off my lawn kids.)
So I did a little scouring around the internet to see what some people think. I've heard such people as Cillian Murphy, James Marsters (Spike as Freddy? Weird. But he's playing Piccolo in Dragonball..), Ben Foster (whaaat) and Jackie Earle Haley, who is actually talking about it.
And someone said Anthony Stewart Head, but I don't know if I could deal there. Giles can go from librarian to killer repo man. Not from librarian to child molester/killer.
I personally think Jackie Earle Haley could do it, just on looks alone. He's got a pretty dark, menacing look to him. Though his eyes are pretty gorgeous. (I have a thing for blue eyes.)
So, I open the floor to you, the 2 people that read this. What do YOU think?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sucks You Blood.
So okay, I love vampires. Vampires vampires. Yum.
And no. It's not because of Twilight.
Or Interview with the Vampire.
Actually, I have The Vampire Diaries to thank for it. See, when I was younger, the young adult section mainly consisted of about 4 shelves in the little Waldenbooks that existed in the mall that was considered "cool" back then. (It's since become a shell of a mall with a Target attached and some outside stores. Needless to say, the indoor part of the mall is half one of those "college" training facilities where you can pay 13,000 dollars to be a pharmacy tech, and the other half is empty enough for old people to sprint around)
The main young adult writers then were RL Stine and Christopher Pike. I was HOOKED on RL Stine. I spent my allowance every week (5 dollars, and the books, with tax, were 4.27. I only remember this because that's my birthday haha) on a new book, then devoured it 2 hours later.
It probably would have been cheaper for me to go to the library, but I had a habit of forgetting I had the books, thus creating library fines that cost far more than that book itself.
One day, I noticed a new series called The Vampire Diaries. It was about a girl named Elena who falls in love with a vampire named Stefan. Remember, this was 1993, and this idea was new. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was only a movie, and I didn't see it until after reading this series. (I watched the movie endlessly, by the way, and shunned the series until falling in love with Seth Green)
Needless to say, I was hooked. I scoured 3 more bookstores for the next one (which I found for 1.99!), and then the next one. A fourth one came out while I was reading the third, completing the series.
L.J. Smith and her series (I read most of them: Dark Visions, Secret Circle, Night World) were mostly unknown to everyone else but myself and my close friend Catelyn at the time. And she only knew it because I lent her my books.
It took almost 5 more years before I found another person as into the series as I did, but by then the books were largely out of print. You can imagine my shock when Twilight came out, a book I didn't read for a year before finally picking it up (which was still a year before the hoopla on it began), and how it reminded me of this long lost series.
And now? It's back. Thanks to Twilight (yes, I am thanking Twilight), LJ Smith's books were reprinted, and she's put out a fifth, which I am in the process of reading.
Oh but it gets better, my friends.
Twilight was rushed into being created as a haphazard, kind of okay movie that I only saw on a school day matinee so I could avoid the fan girls. (Though I have no problem going to midnight showings of Harry Potter. Go figure. Maybe because Harry Potter fans won't go up to Daniel Radcliffe and ask him to bite them. And also? Edward was Cedric first. Hah.)
And now? The Vampire Diaries is being turned into a tv pilot by the CW. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm happy, certainly, because hopefully it will make people read the books. But at the same time, I'm terrified. Gossip Girl was torn apart from the start, turning into something I don't even recognize from the books itself, and already they're talking about casting a character in Vampire Diaries that didn't exist in the books.
I guess we'll see what happens, right? And you know I'll keep you posted.
And no. It's not because of Twilight.
Or Interview with the Vampire.
Actually, I have The Vampire Diaries to thank for it. See, when I was younger, the young adult section mainly consisted of about 4 shelves in the little Waldenbooks that existed in the mall that was considered "cool" back then. (It's since become a shell of a mall with a Target attached and some outside stores. Needless to say, the indoor part of the mall is half one of those "college" training facilities where you can pay 13,000 dollars to be a pharmacy tech, and the other half is empty enough for old people to sprint around)
The main young adult writers then were RL Stine and Christopher Pike. I was HOOKED on RL Stine. I spent my allowance every week (5 dollars, and the books, with tax, were 4.27. I only remember this because that's my birthday haha) on a new book, then devoured it 2 hours later.
It probably would have been cheaper for me to go to the library, but I had a habit of forgetting I had the books, thus creating library fines that cost far more than that book itself.
One day, I noticed a new series called The Vampire Diaries. It was about a girl named Elena who falls in love with a vampire named Stefan. Remember, this was 1993, and this idea was new. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was only a movie, and I didn't see it until after reading this series. (I watched the movie endlessly, by the way, and shunned the series until falling in love with Seth Green)
Needless to say, I was hooked. I scoured 3 more bookstores for the next one (which I found for 1.99!), and then the next one. A fourth one came out while I was reading the third, completing the series.
L.J. Smith and her series (I read most of them: Dark Visions, Secret Circle, Night World) were mostly unknown to everyone else but myself and my close friend Catelyn at the time. And she only knew it because I lent her my books.
It took almost 5 more years before I found another person as into the series as I did, but by then the books were largely out of print. You can imagine my shock when Twilight came out, a book I didn't read for a year before finally picking it up (which was still a year before the hoopla on it began), and how it reminded me of this long lost series.
And now? It's back. Thanks to Twilight (yes, I am thanking Twilight), LJ Smith's books were reprinted, and she's put out a fifth, which I am in the process of reading.
Oh but it gets better, my friends.
Twilight was rushed into being created as a haphazard, kind of okay movie that I only saw on a school day matinee so I could avoid the fan girls. (Though I have no problem going to midnight showings of Harry Potter. Go figure. Maybe because Harry Potter fans won't go up to Daniel Radcliffe and ask him to bite them. And also? Edward was Cedric first. Hah.)
And now? The Vampire Diaries is being turned into a tv pilot by the CW. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm happy, certainly, because hopefully it will make people read the books. But at the same time, I'm terrified. Gossip Girl was torn apart from the start, turning into something I don't even recognize from the books itself, and already they're talking about casting a character in Vampire Diaries that didn't exist in the books.
I guess we'll see what happens, right? And you know I'll keep you posted.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Repossession I deliver
So there is... way too much snow outside. (They said we were going to get 9-14? I'm not going out there with a ruler).
That said, I've been getting my wording confused. When I say reviews, I mean articles. Sort of similar to this: http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0774/index.html
Yes, you'll notice I link to Matt's X-Entertainment stuff a lot. Mainly because he's awesome and the reason I got the idea to start the blog in the first place.
So today I'm going to do what I promised: I'm going to post a REVIEW of Repo! The Genetic Opera. You will get a full fledged article when my brain isn't all over the place. (And when I learn how to make pretty pictures out of what I'm watching. This is a new computer after all)
Repo! The Genetic Opera was a little known musical written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrence Zdunich. It takes place in a post-apocolyptic world of ours. Well, that's probably a good thing considering what's going on in it.
Basically the premise is this: Organ failure is running rampant these days, and people just... apparently want surgery on other organs too! But, how to pay for this? Never fear! Geneco is here! They will help finance you so you can get that pretty new spleen, liver, spine, or whatever it is you're needing.
But it comes with a price.
If you can't pay, GeneCo, like most businesses, will send out a Repo Man to collect what belongs to them. And, well, it's not pleasant to have your financed heart ripped from your chest.
The movie focuses on the man that does these reposessions, Nathan Wallace. This man is the reason I wanted to see this movie. It's Anthony Stewart Head, guys! Who wouldn't want to see Giles be all badass and rip out lungs?! He had the potential for it!
Sarah Brightman was also in this, and as usual, she's oddly gorgeous and has the prettiest voice ever. But honestly, I have to tell you, this movie made me like Paris Hilton.
Yep, you heard me right. Paris Hilton.
Nevermind the fact that she had the script to the movie smuggled into her when she was in jail, or the fact that she auditioned even though they didn't want her anywhere near the movie, she does a GOOD job. I love her character, Amber Sweet, the head of GeneCo's daughter who's addicted to the knife.
And she wants to be in a sequel, if they make one.
Also made of awesome was the Graverobber, played by Terrence Zdunich. My dad compared him to Jack Skellington, and I can't say I don't agree, when I can see where he's coming from. Graverobber is the narrator, and he's kind of hot in a not hot way. He's also the one that gives everyone what they want: a drug called Zydrate.
Now this is turning more into an article than a review, so I'll try to trim. I liked the movie, then came back and loved the movie. It stays with you. The more you think about it, the more you like it.
Which is more than I can say for some movies, where the more you think about it, the more you hate it.
It's produced by the guys who did Saw, but that's not a reason to see it. That's like those people that went to see Sweeney Todd because it was gory. It's a musical, guys. Guys? They all sing.
And in this one, that's ALL they do. It IS an opera after all.
You can buy it at Target for like 14.99, and I do say it's worth the money.
Now, after that, I need food, Diet Coke, and to find a way to tunnel out of this damned snow.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Like Marty McFly, I am apparently a slacker.
Yes, I promised a review last night. But I got home around midnight and was super tired, so.. no review. I suck.
BUT, I'm getting ready to put Repo in right now, so hopefully between tonight and tomorrow, you'll get what I promised. After all, it's not like I'm going anywhere. Outside is a winter..uh..March..uh.. wonderland of.. snow.
Snow.
Snow.
Yuck.
BUT, I'm getting ready to put Repo in right now, so hopefully between tonight and tomorrow, you'll get what I promised. After all, it's not like I'm going anywhere. Outside is a winter..uh..March..uh.. wonderland of.. snow.
Snow.
Snow.
Yuck.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
First post EVER! OMG!
Hi everyone, and welcome to Hooked on Hypnocil. I've had the idea of starting a blog for a really long time, thanks to www.x-entertainment.com and www.i-mockery.com (you should very much check those out to see how the pros do it!).
In this blog I will be talking about... pretty much anything and everything. Movies, tv, books, music.. You know. The normal stuff.
A little about me. I'm an 80's child that loves horror movies and musicals. Yes. Both. (Yay to Repo! The Genetic Opera for doing both, which I will review later)
Coming up for this blogs: Reviews for the Dead Like Me movie, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Nightmare on Elm Street (the remake's coming next year, guys), and the new Back to the Future dvd.
If you have something you want to see, let me know. I'll try to comply!
In this blog I will be talking about... pretty much anything and everything. Movies, tv, books, music.. You know. The normal stuff.
A little about me. I'm an 80's child that loves horror movies and musicals. Yes. Both. (Yay to Repo! The Genetic Opera for doing both, which I will review later)
Coming up for this blogs: Reviews for the Dead Like Me movie, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Nightmare on Elm Street (the remake's coming next year, guys), and the new Back to the Future dvd.
If you have something you want to see, let me know. I'll try to comply!
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