I knew the first weekend in October was going to be delightfully busy, but I didn't think that rather than it being filled with spooks, spirits and haunted attractions it would be filled with sports outings.As you can tell, if you read my blog, I'm not exactly the most athletic or sports-worthy kind of fella. I'd much rather talk about things like collectible action figures, what's the better RPG, what video game should I get my hands on this fall or who's hotter, Eve Myles or Felicia Day? But, oddly enough, fate seemed to play a nice enough joke on me in the fact that I have unexpectedly scored tickets to both Saturday's Brewer playoff game and Sunday's Packer game up in Green Bay.
I've been to plenty of Brewer games, but never a playoff game! I've only been to two Packer games and that was way, way back when they'd play games in Milwaukee at the old County Stadium. So this weekend will be a real treat. I better get my dumb jock knowledge up to speed before the games. That Farve fellow doesn't pitch for the Brew Crew anymore, correct?
Oh crap. I'm sunk.
In other stuff.... My sister earned a bunch of money by running in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure last weekend. I'm very proud of her and helped sponsor her in the event. If you'd like to help in the fight against breast cancer be sure to click on the link for more information.
In a little crappy news, I found out that some greedy development company has gotten the go ahead from crooked local officials to build a big-assed monstrosity of a high rise/high rent apartment building just adjacent to my apartment building. Not only will it frell up traffic, it will also block the parking lot view of part of the lake and downtown area. Originally it was forbidden to build there as there is a historic mansion on the property. But, probably due to some money under the table dealings that a lot of these development companies gift unto the more skeezy city officials, they've been given the go ahead to attach the high rise to the mansion and wipe out the trees and parking lot that are there now. I fear it is only a matter of time that I will find myself living in a van somewhere due to the greed machine bulldozing my apartment building to make way for yet another yuppie nest. Dark times ahead, indeed.
Ok, on to more geeky schtick! Since I am celebrating the holiday of all holiday's this month, here are a few spooky movie reviews for you to ponder and rejoice in...
Monster Camp - Ok, this one isn't very spooky but MUST be seen by fellow geeks. This is a documentary on a LARPing group. A few times a year a group of imaginationally gifted people get together at a nature camp, dress up as fantasy characters and roll play the whole weekend through with nerf-type swords, spell bags and a pretty immersing, yet intricate game system. I found it inspiring and endearing! The only thing I didn't like about it was the yuppie couple who get interviewed after seeing the players and have to make snide comments about them. The guy is some sort of money management turd (AKA: Greedy cork-soaker) and the wife is a social worker (AKA: idealistic dink). They're quite dis likable. Thankfully, they're only in it for a few seconds. If you have a love for RPG's or LARPS or just the grand gift of the imagination, please rent, buy or see this film. (See Trailer HERE)
Ok, now on to the creepy stuff...
Day of the Dead - Not the best zombie movie, but still, a zombie movie! And that right there makes it a must see for us zombie movie fans. The story isn't that original, the effects aren't that good and some of the acting is just awful. But seeing Ving Rhames eat his own eyeball and crawl with severed legs through a ventilation shaft chasing after Mena Suvari is worth the price of admission right there! (see trailer HERE)
Catacombs - This movie really surprised the hell out of me. I thought I was getting a cheap-assed, straight to video, crapfest of a B-grade horror flick and what I got was a pretty decent and frightening thriller. The movie takes place in the infamous catacombs of Paris as one girl who attended a rave in the maze like halls gets separated from everybody and is left behind to survive on her own as a freakish inbred nut-ball stalks her. Trust me! This isn't your usual teen slasher type flick. It had a surprise ending that I found pretty morbidly cool! Definitely worth checking out. (View trailer HERE)
Stephen King's The Mist - Based on the short story by the renowned author, this thriller had me from the get-go and pulled me along through the whole ride.......up until the jarring ending. The short story doesn't have a real ending. So director/writer, Frank Darabont, decided the write one himself. I can't say the uber-depressing ending to the movie really matched the frightening thrill ride of the rest of the movie. I really found the Cthulhu Mythos inspired story quite... well..fun in an odd way. And to put that kind of an ending on it just didn't feel right at all. Perhaps if the whole movie was far more subtle and serious, it would have worked. But, this puppy had all sorts of creepy creatures coming out of the odd fog to do combat with a group of survivors trapped in a small local grocery market. The mind-frack of an ending just didn't match the cadence of the rest of the film for me. You leave the film not wanting more, but wanting to put a gun to your head. Id' say this film is a must see for the most part. But don't expect a happy ending after what all the characters go through. Just a notation: I loved the way Darabont had the artwork of Drew Struzan do a wonderful cameo, as well as King's epic character of Roland the Gunslinger! Very clever. For that one scene alone, Darabont get some serious Zangz Points. (View trailer HERE)
Rose Red - you gotta have a nice big dose of Stephan King for the Halloween season, don't you? King wrote and produced this made for TV miniseries that aired earlier this decade. It is the creepy story of a big haunted house that is very reminiscent to the old Winchester Mansion. A bunch of psychics spend the weekend there to try and reawaken the paranormal happenings that have been dormant for the last few years. They get a hell of a lot more than they ever bargained for. The back story to this house is pretty creepy, but the overall spooky stuff that takes place in the movie isn't that much more creepier than what we've all seen before in movies up there with The Haunting. I was hoping to be totally creeped out like I was for The Others or The Changling. Sadly, I was not. One thing that kind of jarred me out of the fear factor was the fact that rather than actors portraying the corpsey spooks, they used animatronic puppets that just looked a little too fake for my tastes. Don't get me totally wrong! I'd love to have one of those propped up againstmy apartment window as a Halloween prop. But, in a horror movie it no longer works that well. But, it still was a pretty darned good ghost / haunted house story and worth the rental. (view trailer HERE)
What am I listening to right now? Glad you asked. It's a band out of the UK called DragonForce. Their music is described as Powermetal. If you put Manowar, Slayer, Meatloaf and a touch of Journey into a big glass jar and shook the hell out of it, you'd open it up and pour out the bombastic goodness. Check them out if you want uplifting, loud and fast music!!!! (Check them out in a live jam right HERE)
Ok, that'll be it for now. Until next time... Stay Vertical and love the dead! Happy Halloween!!!!! Start enjoying the holiday RIGHT NOW!!!!
Zangz.
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