2015 Reading Challenge Book 095 Heroes Saving Charlie

TITLE-Heroes:Saving Charlie
AUTHOR-Aury Wallington
FORMAT-Paperback
FIRST TIME READING-No
PRICE-$2

With Heroes recently making a comeback I dug out this novel. If you watched Heroes during it's original run you will remember a part were Hiro went back in time and met a red haired waitress named Charlie and he feel in love with her. On the show this all happened in one episode. But with the TV show being a huge hit that story was taken and fleshed out into this novel.

Since Hiro is from the future he knows Charlie's fate. And most of the novel is about him trying to decide if he should prevent her death or not. Aury did a great job capturing the feel of each of the characters from the show. And does his best avoiding any time paradox. Which is always something you have to watch out for when dealing with time travel in fiction.

Going back now,after finally seeing all 4 of the original seasons of Heroes,I gotta say this novel is better than seasons 2 thru 4. But not as good as the first season. If you are a Heroes fan and haven't read this book yet go get a copy. It shouldn't cost that much and is a neat piece of Heroes merchandise.

Heroes:Saving Charlie gets a B-.

2015 Reading Challenge Book 094 VideoHound's Horror Show

TITLE-VideoHound's Horror Show
AUTHOR-Mike Mayo
FORMAT-Trade Paperback
FIRST TIME READING-No
PRICE-$15

Not long after I bought VideoHound's Cult movie reference book I found this one. Which contains reviews of 999 horror films. Since buying it I have managed to see right at 800 of the films reviewed in the book.

As with the Cult movies book,the reviews are kind of short, But give enough info so you can figure out if you want to see the film.

I would love to see a updated version of this. But thanks to stuff like IMDB books like this are dead.

VideoHound's Horror Show gets a B+.

2015 Reading Challenge Book 093 VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks & Trash Pics

TITLE-VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks & Trash Pics
AUTHOR-Various
FORMAT-Trade Paperback
FIRST TIME READING-No
PRICE-$15

Sometime in the late 90s I found this book at Hastings. With my love of movie reference books and cult movies I had to grab it.And as you can tell the book has been read many many times.

With a reference book like this the best ones not only include the well known cult movies but lots of obscure ones. And this book does a great job of doing short reviews of some films that when the book came out were pretty obscure. Gotta remember this came out right when DVD was first hitting the market in North America.So it wasn't nearly as easy to find some movies.

Since getting the movie I have made it a point to try to see every film mentioned in the book. At last count I am right at 80% done with that.

VideoHound's Complete Guide to Cult Flicks & Trash Pics gets a B-.

2015 Reading Challenge Book 092 The Encyclopedia of Superheroes

TITLE-The Encyclopedia of Superheroes
AUTHOR-Jeff Rovin
FORMAT-Trade Paperback
FIRST TIME READING-Yes
PRICE-$3

When I got Rovin's Adventure Heroes reference book I also ordered this one about superheroes.Back in the pre-internet days books like this were very valuable reference tools. Of course now they are kind of outdated relics.

But I love reference books. I keep a stack of them in my bathroom. And they make perfect reading while you are taking the Browns to the Super Bowl.

So how through is this book? It came out in 1985.So I am assuming it was more than likely finished in late 84 or early 85. But even with my huge knowledge of superheroes there isn't one I can think of that isn't in this book. Hell there is so many in here I have never heard of. Each entry seems to be well researched and as far as I know accurate.

I love how in one of the appendixes we get a list of superhero teams. And another appendix for obscure Golden Age heroes.

The Encyclopedia of Superheroes gets a B+.

2015 Reading Challenge Book 091 Infinite Crisis

TITLE-Infinite Crisis
AUTHOR-Geoff Johns
FORMAT-Trade Paperback
FIRST TIME READING-No
PRICE-10 bucks

In 2005 DC started this series. Which is a sequel to the 80s classic Crisis on Infinite Earths. I would listen to the reviews of each issue on the Comic Geek Speak podcast. Then at a con found the trade for about $5 off cover. Grabbed it. But almost didn't,mostly cause I am not a big fan of Geoff Johns. In lots of ways his writing reminds me of Peter David. And I do not like Peter David's comic work. But since this was a sequel to one of my favorite big comic book events I felt like I needed to read it.

This trade reprints issues 1 thru 7 of the Infinite Crisis mini series. And includes all the alternative covers. Some of which are from Jim Lee. I have always said Lee is a great artist for cover,posters and pinups. But that his storytelling skills are lacking. The cover you see above is from Jim and it looks damn good.

So what is the story? Well cause of a recent reveal ,that the JLA mindwiped some stuff from various villains and Batman's minds,Batman is now refusing to work with any other hero. To save the world Wonder Woman had to kill a man which was broadcast world wide. And something has attacked the JLA HQ and almost killed the Martian Manhunter.

SPOILERS BELOW YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

So what has happened is this. At the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths all the alternate Earths in the DC multiverse got merged into one. And so that meant no more 2 Supermans and various other things. The Superman of Earth 2,which is the one that appeared in Action Comics #1,along with Earth 2's Lois Lane,Alexander Luthor of Earth 3,a world where all the heroes are villains and vice versa,along with the Superboy of Earth Prime all are shuttled off to a pocket universe. Where they are suppose to live in peace for eternity.

What wasn't known was they could see what was happening on this new merged Earth. And after seeing how dark the heroes have gotten Superman and the others come to believe if they can bring their old world back it will correct this.

Now to me this entire series was Geoff Johns kind of crapping on all the bad ripoffs that happened after Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's Watchmen were such huge hits not long after Crisis on Infinite Earths ended.And I kind of agree with Johns on this. I don't mind so called dark or edgy heroes,hell one of my favorite comics of all time is Miracleman,but most of the ripoffs of DKR and Watchmen missed what made those two series so good. It wasn't that they were so dark and gritty. It was how each writer took the common superhero tropes and used them in new ways.

So how is this 7 issues collection? I enjoy it a bunch. I got it back in 2008 and since then usually read it once a year. The writing it pretty good for the most part. There is a few too many storylines that sadly do not get enough room to breathe.And the art is really good on most pages.And as a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths it works very well. Even if by the time I read this I knew all the big reveals and surprises.

Infinite Crisis gets a B.

Friday the 13th limited edition Ultimate Collection DVD review

Last month while in a local Dollar General I got the numbered Friday the 13th Ultimate Collection DVD set very cheap. Now sure I already owned all the films in this set,this only has the ones Paramount put out AKA the first 8,on DVD. But parts 6,7 and 8 were the old first DVD releases that had no extras. Plus as you will see this set came with some very nice extras.

That is the box. In the bottom right hand corner is a sticker telling you what number this set is. It is 38,283 out of 50,000.I like how the box is mostly blue with some trees on it.

Now lets open up the set.The first thing to come out is...

Yep a nice replica of Jason's infamous hockey mask that he first got in part 3 and wore in that film along with parts 4,6,7 and 8. It is a bit small for an adult sized head.But I bet it fits a kid's head perfectly. Currently I got this mask hanging up on my wall.

Up next is...

Yep two pairs of 3d glasses so you can watch part 3 in 3d. That is the front of them.

And that is the back. Now when the Deluxe DVD of Friday the 13th part 3 first came out I kept seeing online people bitching cause they claimed the 3d didn't work. It does work. But you gotta make sure you are in a completely dark room. Then set the brightness of your TV to the right level. It also helps to have a bigger TV. First time I watched the entire film in 3d on DVD was at my cousin's home. She has a 70 inch TV. And the 3d worked perfectly.I do like how they just didn't throw in some generic 3d glasses. Instead we get ones that on the front look a bit like Jason's hockey mask. And have the Friday part 3 logo and blood splatters on the back.

Then the final part of the set. The main event if you want to use wrestling terms.

That is the front cover to the book like case that houses all 8 films. I really like that picture of Jason. So lets open up the book and see how the inside looks.

Each film gets not only a nice synopsis of the film. But also a listing of the special features.Some Friday facts about each film. And my favorite parts a body count and list of how many weapons are used in each film.Then below all that you get some film credits and a few pictures from the film.

The first film  has a fun commentary with Sean Cunningham and some of the cast and crew. A few short featurettes. And the first part of the brand new Lost Tales of Camp Blood. Which sadly is kind of crap.

The second film has no commentary,BOOOOOO. But has a feature named "Inside Crystal Lake Memories".A feature on horror conventions,Lost Tales of Camp Blood part 2,something called Jason Forever. And finally a theatrical trailer.

Now part 3 gets only one extra.Which is the theatrical trailer. I guess Paramount thought putting it out in 3d was good enough. I would like to have a commentary on this film.

Part 4 gets a buttload of extras. We get two commentaries. One with the director,screenwriter and editor. Then another with huge Friday the 13th fans Adam Green and Joe Lynch.We also get Lost Tales of Camp Blood part 4,no clue what happened to part 3.Some deleted scenes.The lost ending.A feature titled "The Crystal Lake Massacres revisited part 1". Another feature all about Crispen Glover's amazing dance moves. And the original theatrical trailer.

With part 5,which is one of my favorites of the series,we get a commentary from the director.Lost Tales from Camp Blood part 5.Part 2 of the Crystal Lake Massacres Revisited.A making of Friday the 13th part 5 and the original theatrical trailer.

Then part 6 gets a commentary with the director.Lost Tales of Camp Blood part 6.The third part of the Crystal Lake Massacres Revisted. A making of Friday part 6.A feature named Meeting Mr Voorhees.Some deleted scenes and of course the original theatrical trailer.

On to part 7,my least favorite of the series.The commentary this time not only has the director,but also Lar Park Lincoln and Kane Hodder. A making of part 7.A feature on telekinesis.A feature on the make up work in the film.And some deleted scenes.

And now the last of the Paramount Friday the 13th films,Part 8 Jason Takes Manhattan.The commentary this time has Kane Hodder,lead actress Jensen Daggett and Scott Reeves.Then there is a making of Friday part 8.Some deleted scenes. And a gag reel.

There is the back cover of the DVD case. I love the red tint. And how Jason is almost hidden by all the fog.

So since I figure most people reading this have seen either all of or at least most of the films in this set I will not bother reviewing the films. Instead I will review the extras. I love how parts 1,4,5,6,7 and 8 all have really good commentaries. It would be nice if part 2 and 3 had commentaries. The Lost Tales of Camp Blood are all crap. But all the making ofs are good. And it is nice to get to see some of the deleted scenes. The other extras are pretty good also.And you gotta love the mini replica of Jason's hockey mask.

Friday the 13th Ultimate Collection DVD set gets a B-.

31 Days of Horror 2015 Day 31 Scream Factory All Night Horror Marathon DVD review

Scream Factory 4 film All Night Horror Marathon

Yeah instead of one film doing 4. Got this set right after it came out what 2 years ago.Had seen the Vagrant once and that was it. So took a chance.

What's the matter with Helen?
From 1971 this movie was boring as fuck. Normally when watching a film for one of my 31 Days of Horror reviews I shut my laptop off and give the film my total attention. After an hour I was so bored with this movie I ended up opening up my laptop and while watching the movie working on a few video projects. Set in the 30s in Hollywood this film feels like a made for TV movie. Shelly Winters is decent. But the pacing and story are so slow I just got bored. So this isn't a good start for this pack. This movie gets a D-.

The Godsend
From 1981,this turned out to be a decent killer/evil kid film. A stranger has her kid at these people's house. Then she disappears. The family is kind of forced into keeping the baby.Who when she gets older starts acting weird. And when the other kids start dying this oddball kid is the number 1 suspect. The Godsend gets a C+.

The Vagrant
From 92,this was the only film on the set I had seen before. I remember it getting a decent review in Fango so I rented it.Bill Paxton moves into a new home and has trouble with a homeless man. Who keeps doing stranger and stranger things. To me the pack is worth owning just for this film. But I have seen that now Scream Factory is releasing lots of the films off their old four packs as double feature Blu rays. So it might be a good idea to just grab the Blu ray with The Vagrant.For how much fun I had with the movie it gets a B+.

The Outing AKA The Lamp
From 82 and the only 4x3 film on the set. This is one I hadn't heard of before. A group of white trash rob this old lady's home. And release a genie from his lamp.The get killed by the genie and the lamp gets sent to a museum to be studied. The daughter of the curator of the place gets possessed by the genie and all hell breaks loose. What a fun film. Sure it is kind of cheap and cheesy.But it is never boring. The Outing gets a B.

I think I paid $15 for this set when I got it. And with 3 of the 4 films being worth watching that isn't a bad price.

31 Days of Horror 2015 030 MGM Midnite movies quadruple feature

Yep 4 films in one day. Last year around October I found 13 or so of these MGM Midnite Movie double feature DVD sets for cheap. $3 new IIRC. The plan was to watch some of them for last years 31 days of Horror. But that didn't happen.

Konga
Source-MGM Midnite Movie DVD

From 1961,this giant ape movie was a low budget ripoff of King Kong. And honestly this movie sucks ass. Bad acting and FX work.

Really the only good thing to come out of this was Charlton's Konga comic series.A series that has some very nice Steve Dikto artwork.

Konga gets a D-.

Yongary
Source-MGM Midnite Movies DVD

Made in South Korea this mid 60s giant monster on the loose film was sent straight to TV by AIP. And while it is much much better than Konga. It still isn't good.

Well that means this double feature DVD is now worth the $3 I dropped. Oh well,win some lose some.

Yongary gets a C.

Mephisto Waltz
Source-MGM Midnite Movies DVD

This turned out to be a interesting Satanic horror film from 1971. Alan Alda is a failed musician who know is a music journalist. And after interviewing a reclusive pianist,Alda becomes possessed by the pianist's spirit.

There is plenty of Satanic horror films from the 70s,and this one is pretty damn good. I never see anyone talking about it. Which makes me wonder how many people have actually seen it.

The cast is nice,besides Alan Alda you also got  Jacqueline Bissett. 

Mephisto Waltz gets a B.

The House on Skull Mountain
Source-MGM Midnite Movies DVD

This is one the earliest 70s Blaxploitation horror films. A woman is dying and sends for 4 family members. They all show up to her home,which of course is on Skull  Mountain. And find out all kinds of crazy stuff. While being chased by a hooded skull monster.

The only cast I knew was the guy that played Lamont on the Jeffersons. And Michael Landon's best friend on Little House on the Prairie. But the other members I didn't know did a good job.

Seeing the film was rated PG I was expecting something kind of tame and boring. I was wrong. If this had come out in the 80s it would easy get a PG 13.

The House on Skull Mountain gets a B+.

31 Days of Horror 2015 Day 29 Double Feature The Green Inferno/Forbidden Transmission Halloween episode

The Green Inferno
Source-VOD

Been hearing about this film since 2012. And really wanted to see it. I have seen pretty much all of the well known Italian made cannibal films. And wanted to see what a life long horror fan like Eli Roth would do with the concept.

A group of college kids go down to Peru to protest the destruction of the rain forest. They are on their way home when the tiny plane they are in crashes. And they end up captives of the local cannibal tribe.

If you have seen stuff like Cannibal Ferox or Cannibal Holocaust,imagine a version of that with a much bigger budget. Better acting and Roth's trademark moments of comedy to relieve the tension.

The FX work is damn good,well besides the CGI ants looking a bit wonky. The acting was much better than I expected. And the camera work is great. I was shocked at how colorful the film is.

Before seeing it I had read lots of non spoiler reviews that hated the film. And really hated the mid credits scene. I do not see why people hate this movie. After 4 films people should know that going into an Eli Roth film what to expect. He has a formula and it is used in this film. As for the mid credits scene,well to me it makes sense and sets up a sequel.



The Green Inferno gets a B.

Forbidden Transmission Halloween episode
Source-Digital files sent to me by the creator of the show

Forbidden Transmission was a two season public access tv show. Created by the Skeleton Farm group.Who are known for creating some of the best video mixtapes.

I had found 2 or 3 episodes almost 10 years ago. And loved them. Then met the creator of the show on a horror forum. Asked him if I could buy both seasons off him. "Hey how about I just make a torrent of every episode?" Which was fine with me. So I have had them sitting on a flash drive for a few years now.

Well after Green Inferno I wanted something short to watch. Saw there was an Halloween episode. And like all the others I have seen this was a blast. We get a few music videos. Clips from various Public Domain horror films. And even the short animated film that inspired the modern Halloween classic Trick R Treat.

Forbidden Transmission Halloween episode gets a B+.

31 Days of Horror 2015 Day 28 Double Feature Howling IV/Wolf Cop

Howling IV the Original Nightmare
Source-Echo Bridge Midnight Horror Collection DVD

Back in the early 90s I saw this late at night on Showtime. Enjoyed it. Then kind of forgot about it. 2 or so years ago I found one of those Echo Bridge released Midnight Horror Collection sets for $5. It was 8 movies and had Howling IV on it. I took a chance since I remembered liking Howling IV. This set is also the one where I got Vampegeddon.Which until recently was the worst pro-shot horror film I had ever seen.

Marie has been having lots of issues lately. So her and her husband go off to this tiny town for a nice relaxing vacation. But Marie keeps on seeing strange stuff. Like a nun that keeps appearing at odd times.

Of course this being part of the long running Howling franchise we know the town is full of werewolves. And slowly over the course of the film people keep disappearing. The local cops cover it up. But we know they got ate by werewolves.

I have only ever seen the first 5 Howling films. And this is the second best  of the ones I have watched. Been told it follows the book the  original film is based on. And is a much more faithful adaptation.

When I saw it as a teen the lead. Romy Windsor and the slutty shopkeeper Lamya Derval were what kept me watching. But now going back and watching it again most of the actors and actresses do a good job. The FX work is decent for what I assume is a low budget film.

Howling IV The Original Nightmare gets a C.

Wolf Cop
Source-Image Entertainment Blu Ray

Last year in early October got told by a good friend "You gotta see Wolfcop.I am sure you would love it." I checked and it hadn't been released yet. I threw the film on a flash drive planning on one night that month watching it. Then I just forgot about it.

Fast forward to February of this year. Was over at my lady's place.There was nothing on TV. And we wanted something to watch. I had a bottle of flash drives with me. So we picked one at random. And she saw the title "Wolf Cop" and said we had to watch it. Holy hell was it great. So as soon as it got a legit release I got the blu ray and have watched it at least 10 times since then. One cute tangent. I got a bit over a year old toy poodle named Maggie. Normally she pays no attention to anything on TV. But if I am watching Wolfcop and he howls she starts trying to howl. Of course her being a 5 1/2 lb lapdog means her howls sound more cute than terrifying.

The movie is about a cop in a small town.He becomes a werewolf and fights crime as Wolf Cop. Going as far as converting his police car into the Wolf Cop Mobile.

And yeah there is much more to the story besides the above. But this is one you really have to see. It walks the line perfectly between being a serious horror film and being  a comedy. The transformation FX are really really good. And look to be entirely practical FX work. The acting was 10 times better than I expected. And it seems to have been a huge hit. Sometime this previous spring it got added to Netflix streaming. And since that at least once every few weeks I get someone telling me how I must see the movie.

Wolf Cop gets a A.