Interesting stuff my kids draw - The Thing

I know. I know. Everyone loves their kids and thinks that everything they do is the cat's meow.

However, trutch be told, there are, in fact, a lot of things my kids do that downright pisses me off.

But, once in a while (okay more than once in a while), they say something or do something that puts a great big smile on my face and makes me proudly say, "Yep, them's my kids."

Case in point was something that happened a couple days ago. I showed both of my kids (my 3-old son and 4-old daughter) the 50 monsters cartoon, which I posted last week prior to Halloween.

They were mesmerized. My daughter more so than my son. She was particularly taken by this image:

"What's that?" she asked.

"Oh, that's from the movie The Thing," I said.

"What is it?"

"It's a creature that takes the form of other creatures and, sort of, morphs into them via some crazy biology."

I don't think she really understood my answer. However, that was about the extent of the conversation.

I looked at her face and she was still transfixed. I was proud that she liked my stuff.

Yesterday, when I picked my daughter from school, she approached me with a proud smile on her face and handed me the following picture:



"What's this," I asked already knowing the answer.

"The Thing," she said with a beeming beautiful smile.

Not sure about you, but it does look like the creature Kurt Rusell confronted in the final scene.

50 Movies. 50 Horrors. 50 Murderers

So, this is what I was talking about a couple weeks ago:

Guess all the movies...WIN my respect.

Stumped? Check out the Cheat Sheet below.

(click image to enlarge)

I know. I know. I missed: The Terminator, Basket Case, Gremlins, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Little Shop of Horrors, Medusa, Jeepers Creepers, Re-Animator, Pumpkinhead, The Hills Have Eyes, Puppet Master and The Phantom of the Opera.

Any others?

However, as space dictates, I can only draw five more (to officially be poster size). Give me your best five in the comments and I'll draw them, toss them in the poster. Then start selling officially signed prints.

Oh, and by the way, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

CHEAT SHEET

TOP ROW

Carrie - Friday the 13th - Mummy - Dracula - Misery - Troll - Alien - The Blob - A Clockwork Orange - I Know What You Did Last Summer

SECOND ROW FROM TOP

Frankenstein - Silence of the Lambs - Hellraiser - The Wolfman - Bride of Frankenstein - The Invisible Man - Jack Frost - Saw - The Thing - Cujo

MIDDLE ROW

Creature from the Black Lagoon - Poltergeist - 2001 A Space Odyssey - Halloween - Night of the Living Dead - Child's Play - The Exorcist - American Psycho - Predator - Tremors

FOURTH ROW FROM TOP

Killer Klowns from Outer Space - Pan's Labyrinth - Candyman - Critters - Sleepy Hollow - It -Scream - A Nightmare on Elm Street - Jaws - Changeling

BOTTOM ROW

The Shining - The Omen - Psycho - The Ring - Leprechaun - Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Fly - Phantasm - The Descent - Village of the Damned

Del Toro is finally 'At The Mountains of Madness'

Today, visionary director Guillermo Del Toro announced he will finally direct one of his passion projects...At The Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft.

Check out the /Film story right here.

This is big news for horror and movie film geeks. For all of those unaware, Lovecraft was like the Stephen King of his time. Creating moody, psychotic worlds filled with eerie creatures, demons and demi-gods hell bent on taking their anger out on the world.

In my opinion, Del Toro (who was attached to direct the The Hobbit for producer Peter Jackson before bowing out) hasn't created a bad movie yet. Some of my favorite works from Del Toro include Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy and Blade 2. If you havent seen any of these films check 'em out espeically Backbone and Labyrinth.

For many older horror movie directors, Lovecraft's work has served as inspiration for many of their visions including John Carpenter (who filmed In The Mouth of Madness), Stuart Gordon (who filmed Dagon), Del Toro among others.

After reading about the announcement - and never reading this particular story - I was intrigued enough to search for it online.

Well, what do you know...I found it! Courtesy of Dusty Library:

Click here to read At The Mountains of Madness

Oh yeah, another plus (or negative, whichever way you view it) visionary James Cameron (Terminator, Aliens, Avatar, Titantic) is set to produce - which means we'll get some very meaty visuals courtesy of Digital Domain, which was founded by the Oscar-winning Director.

Eimer's 141 All-Time Favorite Films (so far)

Trying to figure out your favorite 141 movies is a very vexing experience.

First off, you have to rationalize why? Secondly, you are almost forced to knock out contenders who deservingly belong in the top 141 – but don't belong for reasons only to you.

For instance, some people will scream in outrage that I did not include Godfather 2 in my selection process. I liked Godfather 2 a lot but it didn’t move me enough to warrant a top 141 pick. For some reason Marlon Brando with an orange peel in his mouth having a heart attack moved me more. Same thing goes for the other two Lord of the Rings flicks.

I'm going to revisit this list often. But one thing strikes me as odd, out of the top 141 flicks - nine of them were made in 1982. In fact, a number of my favorite flicks were made in the 80's (53, I believe). Not sure why. Maybe, perhaps, I was between the ages of 7 and 18. Which are, as all teachers can attest, very formative years of one's life. Wouldn't you say?

So goes the top 141 list. It’s all subjective. However, if you want to get to know me better, take a look at my selections. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Oh yeah, besides Raiders of the Lost Ark - the rest of the list is in no particular order.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
2. Creepshow (1982)
3. The Goonies (1985)
4. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
5. The Warriors (1979)
6. Time Bandits (1981)
7. Aliens (1986)
8. First Blood (1982)
9. The Thing (1982)
10. Pulp Fiction (1994)

11. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
12. A Place In the Sun (1951)
13. Paths of Glory (1957)
14. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
15. High Noon (1952)
16. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)
17. The Godfather (1972)
18. Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
19. The Fisher King (1991)
20. Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984)

21. On Golden Pond (1981)
22. The Graduate (1967)
23. Heathers (1988)
24. Highlander (1986)
25. The History of the World Part 1 (1981)
26. Jurassic Park (1993)
27. The Karate Kid (1984)
28. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
29. The Natural (1984)
30. Psycho (1960)

31. Road to Perdition (2002)
32. Requiem For a Dream (2000)
33. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
34. Risky Business (1983)
35. Unbreakable (2000)
36. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
37. The Terminator (1984)
38. The Truman Show (1998)
39. Unfaithful (2002)
40. The Untouchables (1987)

41. War of the Worlds (2005)
42. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
43. Say Anything (1989)
44. Bowling For Columbine (2002)
45. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
46. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
47. The Dark Crystal (1982)
48. Dead Poets Society (1989)
49. The Deer Hunter (1978)
50. There’s Something About Mary (1998)

51. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
52. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
53. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
54. Unforgiven (1992)
55. Searching for Bobby Fisher (1993)
56. Watership Down (1978)
57. 12 Monkeys (1995)
58. Blade Runner (1982)
59. Mississippi Burning (1988)
60. National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)

61. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
62. The Mist (2007)
63. The Descent (2005)
64. A.I. (2001)
65. Adaptation (2002)
66. Amelie (2001)
67. American Beauty (1999)
68. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
69. Amores Perros (2000)
70. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

71. Black Hawk Down (2001)
72. Blazing Saddles (1974)
73. Braveheart (1995)
74. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
75. Citizens Kane (1941)
76. Closer (2004)
77. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
78. The Killing (1956)
79. Crumb (1994)
80. The Departed (2006)

81. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
82. Do The Right Thing (1989)
83. E.T. (1982)
84. Ed Wood (1994)
85. Election (1999)
86. The Exorcist (1973)
87. Fargo (1996)
88. Fight Club (1999)
89. Finding Nemo (2003)
90. The Fly (1986)

91. Fright Night (1985)
92. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
93. Se7en (1995)
94. Ghostbusters (1984)
95. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
96. Goodfellas (1990)
97. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
98. Hoosiers (1986)
99. The Hustler (1961)
100. Into the Wild (2007)

101. Jaws (1975)
102. Lethal Weapon (1987)
103. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
104. The Naked Gun (1988)
105. The Matrix (1999)
106. Pee-Wees Big Adventure (1985)
107. Platoon (1986)
108. Predator (1987)
109. The Princess Bride (1987)
110. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

111. A River Runs Through It (1992)
112. Bottle Rocket (1996)
113. Schindler’s List (1993)
114. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
115. Sideways (2004)
116. The Shining (1980)
117. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
118. Stand By Me (1986)
119. Star Wars (1977)
120. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

121. There Will Be Blood (2007)
122. True Romance (1993)
123. Wall-E (2008)
124. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
125. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
126. The World According to Garp (1982)
127. Apocalypse Now (1979)
128. Back to the Future (1985)
129. Blue Velvet (1986)
130. The Lady and the Tramp (1955)

131. A Few Good Men (1992)
132. Trainspotting (1996)
133. Crimes & Misdemeanors (1989)
134. Weird Science (1985)
135. The General (1926)
136. Defending Your Life (1991)
137. Funny Farm (1988)
138. Oldboy (2003)
139. Halloween (1978)
140. Boogie Nights (1997)

141. Hustle and Flow (2005)
142. TBD

So what do you think? Did I move you with my choices? Were they better than Yahoo's?

Midnight Meat Train Trailer

I found the trailer for Midnight Meat Train, the movie adaptation of the Clive Barker novella that I talked about a while back and one of my must-see movie of 2008.

Check it out below:



Don't know about you, but my first opinion was that it looks and feels like a poor-man's Se7en.

Also brings to mind, Hitchcock's Rear Window on a subway. (Or, for our younger generation, Disturbia on a subway.)

I'm not going to give away the ending. But, if you've ever read the novella from The Books of Blood series, you find out exactly why he's committing these brutal murders.

To be honest, I'm glad the trailer didn't go too in-depth about the ending either. It's pretty shocking and disgusting to say the least.

It may not be a There Will Be Blood, Old Country for Old Men or even Se7en for that matter.

But, it does look like a new, refereshing horror film to entertain the screaming masses.

Consider me intrigued.

What do you think?

Is THE STRANGERS basically THEM with masks?

Just came across this trailer for the upcoming film, The Strangers, starring Liv Tyler about a young suburban couple who are enjoying the peace and quiet of their secluded family vacation home until masked home invaders rattle their complacent cage.

Check out the trailer right here:



Not sure about you, but this flick (minus the masks) reminds me of the foreign film Them, a thriller made in 2006 concerning a couple who encounter strange events, prank calls and odd noises at their remote country home.

Check out the trailer right here:



Having seen Them a couple weeks ago, courtesy of Netflix, I think Ignorance Is Bliss when watching this movie. Had I known all the details, I wouldn't have dug it so much. That said, I thought the cinematography and direction were phenomenal. The tension created throughout the film had me looking behind me back wondering if the 'hoodies' were in my home.

Like I said, you should check THEM out with a blank slate in your head. And don't read any spoilers. You'll be pleasantly suprised. Plus, the shocking ending is reminiscient of recent films THE DESCENT and THE MIST, which I highly recommend.

So what do you think? Do both movies look the same or am I totally missing the mark? Or are both films blatantly ripping off Sam Peckinpah's home invasion thriller Straw Dogs starring Dustin Hoffman?

Dream Review #4 - Zombie Picnic

I was a big-time director filming the final scene of this movie I wrote called Zombie Picnic, which took place at Bath Nature Preserve in Bath, Ohio.

It was a five-minute, unedited pan of the zombie picnic.

Basically, the zombies won and took over the town of Bath. To celebrate, they were, unintentionally, having a picnic and feasting on all of the humans at the nature preserve.

Picture this: Body parts being ripped apart. Blood flying everywhere. Zombies fighting over scraps of human brains. Humans screaming in agony.

Not tooting my own horn, but - with the sunset coming through the lens followed by the colorful flowers, picnic tables, soccer fields and the playground mixed in with the macabre imagery - it was a beautiful shot.

But something always went wrong. Some zombie extra would sneeze. A key actor would accidentally look at the camera. The boom mic would get into the camera shot.

We must have gone through the shot 10 times. And I was staring to get pissed.

In any event, we had one more shot before the sun finally set. I grabbed a megaphone from my assistant and yelled to the cast and crew.

"This is the final fucking shot,"I screamed. "Everyone better be on their A-game on this one or your all fucking fired!"

"YOU UNDERSTAND ME MOTHER FUCKERS!!!" I walked over to the cinematographer and grabbed the camera. "I'm shooting this one."

"ACTION!"

We filmed the five-minute shot to perfection. Every actor hit their cues. The blood spurted at the exact moment I wanted to. Zombies dug their teeth into the mayor's brain on cue. In short, the shot turned out beautifully.

"Cut," I yelled. "Good job everyone. That's a wrap. Go home." Everyone let out a cheer and started to leave the set.

Suddenly, my producer came running over to me.

"We didn't get the shot," he said patting me back. "Sorry."

"What," I screamed. "Why not?"

He pointed down to the camera I had in my hand. But it wasn't a camera at all. It was a severed head with a worm squirting out of one of the eye sockets.

I was filming the final scene with a zombie head.

"Fuck," I said. "Isn't there someway we can hook up wire to its brain so we can get the imagery?"

"I don't think so, sir" My producer siad. "Nothiing like that has been invented yet?"

"Goddammit," I screamed as I threw the severed head into the woods walked over to my trailer and did two lines of coke.

Then I woke up.


Links to my other Dream Reviews:

• Dream Review #1
• Dream Review #2
• Dream Review #3