Flavours of the Month: October 2014...

Gangsters, jokesters, rockers, zombies, and celebrities ... just some of the flavours of my October 2014.

Click "READ MORE" below for the full run-down...

Machete Edition: The Walking Dead 5x03 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: Maggie don't dig spoilerifics...

Three episodes deep and all of this week's memes are spoilers for the episode, so take mind of Maggie's warning before you step forth for four brand new TWD memes. It's surprising just how tricksy the editors of the TWD Comic-Con trailers are ... they're masters of misdirection.

Click "READ MORE" below for stuff and thangs **EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...

Double Bill Mini Musings: Super Soldier Punch-ups and Fruit-based Technology...

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning:
What's it about?
Fourth film in the official Universal Soldier franchise. A man wakes from a coma to avenge the death of his family, leading him towards an underground group of former government soldiers: clones who may or may not be brainwashed.
Who would I recognise in it?
Scott Adkins, Jean-Claude Van-Damme, Dolph Lundgren.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The link to past movies is fairly loose at best, and Van-Damme and Lundgren are both barely in the movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the third film (also directed by John Hyams), which reignited the franchise with gusto. With Luke Deveraux reborn as a dangerous - perhaps even murderous - Colonel Kurtz-a-like, it takes a little getting into, but with a focus on the revenge-driven motives of Adkins' grieving widower/father, Day of Reckoning hooks you in. The direction and photography are impressive, the budget can't have been particularly big, but they get a lot of bang for their buck. The blood-soaked explosions of detailed choreography are all-the-more impressive in wide shots that are, for action movies, held for quite a long time. Adkins' and the army of stunt performers are afforded ample screen time to show off their bone-crushing credentials in battles that are oftentimes as wince-inducing as they are effectively brutal. Climaxing with a gory, bullet-riddled, punch/kick/stab/shoot 'em up that clearly takes thematic and stylistic inspiration from Apocalypse Now, we're again reminded of just how tenuous the links are to origins of Universal Soldier. The story and plotting could have used some work, but the stunning action and razor sharp directing successfully paper over any narrative cracks. It's time for the franchise to now cut ties with Van-Damme and Lundgren, reaffirm the UniSol back story, and move forward with Adkins as the new carrier of the franchise - that certainly seems to be the intention. Good.

Click "READ MORE" below for the Apple man's biopic...

Gags & Grossness Edition: The Walking Dead 5x02 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

We're only on the second episode of season 5 and things have already taken a turn for the grisly and gross. Read on for seven brand new memes plus two bonus memes for last week's episode.

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: Daryl is not amused...

Click "READ MORE" below for many more memes from this week's episode **MAJOR EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**

Quadruple Bill Mini Musings: Big Hair, Old Boys, Frat Parties, and the Apocalypse...

American Hustle:
What's it about?
Based on (some) truths, this comic drama about a con man, his partner/mistress, and their FBI handler is a crazed caper situated at the arse-end of the coked-out 1970s. When one con too many brings the pair down they decide to join forces with the FBI to catch bigger fish and ensure their freedom - but things soon get out of hand.
Who would I recognise in it?
Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., Jack Huston, Michael Pena, Shea Whigham.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Not quite deserving of all the hype and attention at various awards shows, it's nonetheless a thoroughly entertaining crime comedy with high-strung drama, loud clothes, and the most outrageous hairstyles this side of 70s science fiction movies. Opening with the world's most preposterously convoluted comb over, the tone is set from the get-go, and rarely slacks off when it comes to wild-eyed chaos. It's as subtle as it's time period and just as fun. Not to be taken too seriously, it boasts game performances and a whacked-out sense of grandeur. Good.

Click "READ MORE" below for hammers, bongs, and asteroids...

Tastes Like Chicken Edition: The Walking Dead 5x01 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

Season 5 is here and things kicked off in explosive, gore-drenched fashion. Here's 10 brand new memes to celebrate the occasion.

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: Officier Friendly loves a chuckle...

Click "READ MORE" below for 9 more memes **WARNING: EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...

Piecing together your story's jigsaw...

I'm diving into the planning process of my second book - Celebrityville - and so I thought this would be an opportune time to talk a little bit about initial ideas and linking up the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that will become your story.

The events of Celebrityville will take place before those of my first novel - Sleb - and will stand as the first part in a continuing series set in that absurd universe with those curious stars, obsessives, haters, and all-round warped individuals.

Click "READ MORE" below to continue...