Flavours of the Month: December 2016...

Next-Gen gaming, high definition bustin', keyboard tappity-tapping, Fight Club 2, and all things festive: some of what's been setting the tone of my December 2016...

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The writing has begun...

Writing on my new book has begun. The title of it is: Murder at the Grindhouse. It's a coming-of-age murder mystery with a darkly comic tone set during the 1980s on New York's 42nd Street - aka "The Deuce" - between 7th and 8th Avenues (and the surrounding environs). This was movie paradise for cinema goers at the time who wanted unusual, outlandish fare to go along with their mainstream silver screen delights. It was a fascinating time and place to learn about as a movie fan and so I felt it was a great place to set a story.

Thus far I'm up to about 15,600 18,500 words deep* - no idea how long it'll all end up being as there's quite a way to go yet - but I'm off to a good start. It always takes a bit of getting going when you kick off a new writing project before you start feeling the groove, and this is quite a detailed project in many ways - detail oriented - hence the sheer volume of research and story prep that's gone into it.

This is going to be a fun little project...

*Updated on the 23rd.

Special Hug Edition: The Walking Dead 7x08 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

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Click to Enlarge: Playin' it smooth...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes **episode spoilers ahead**...

Father Burn Edition: The Walking Dead 7x07 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

Just the one this week, had a couple of other ideas but couldn't figure them out, so opted for this - my favourite line in the episode. Second favourite line? That one from Negan talking about Lucille.

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: Spencer should raid his medical supplies to soothe that burn...

Flavours of the Month: November 2016...

Deliciously dark techno-satire, an outback villain, and a fair bit of preparation - it's some of what's been setting the tone of my November 2016...

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Oceanside Edition: The Walking Dead 7x06 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

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Click to Enlarge: Already can't stand that character...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes **very minor episode spoilers ahead**...

Coral Edition: The Walking Dead 7x05 Memes...

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Click to Enlarge: Rick Grimes: Absolutely Savage...

Click "READ MORE" below to see the rest of this week's memes **very minor episode spoilers ahead**...

The Neon Demon - a quick review...

What's it about?
A delicate young girl enters the viper's nest of the Los Angeles modelling world where retirement often strikes just when you reach the legal drinking age, as sparkly dreams give way to DayGlo-coloured nightmares.
Who would I recognise in it?
Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, and others.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) seems to be striving to reach a 'post-narrative' world of his own. The plot to The Neon Demon could be written on the back of a postage stamp (surprising, then, that the screenplay was penned by three people), with the climax never really daring to push narrative boundaries. Here, style is king - and doesn't it look (and sound) good? However, strip that away and - much like your average model's lunch - there's little nourishment on offer...

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Man-Size Edition: The Walking Dead 7x04 Memes...

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Click to Enlarge: Roaming for bargains, swingin' Lucille...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this weeks memes - **very minor spoilers ahead**...

The Editor (Astron-6, 2014) DVD Review

Find more giallo reviews here.

“Don't worry, we'll catch the killer that killed her.” Canadian film-making collective Astron-6 (Father's Day) return with their own curious take on the Italian genre films of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly the giallo film, with The Editor. Harnessing the bold colour splashes of Mario Bava, the shock gore geysers of Lucio Fulci, and the twisted narrative mystery of gialli icons Dario Argento and Ernesto Gastaldi, Astron-6 have donned black leather gloves and some impressively luxuriant moustaches for their own eroticised killer thriller...

Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Easy Street Edition: The Walking Dead 7x03 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

Just the one this week ... kind of a tough episode for chuckles, wasn't it?

Click image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: We've all been there...

Shiva Edition: The Walking Dead 7x02 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

A tiger-tastic episode of TWD, and a welcome chance to catch a breath after last week's harrowing events in the zombie apocalypse.

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: When you thought TWD couldn't get crazier...

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Flavours of the Month: October 2016...

Sci-fi chuckles, murky grey areas, gruesome goings on, and jet black humour - just some of the things that have been setting the tone of my October 2016.

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"A Sideline In Vengeance" update #6...

Quick update on "A Sideline In Vengeance", my conspiracy thriller screenplay: just the other day it made it through to the Quarter Finals (feature category) of the Shore Scripts 2016 competition ... which is nice (to use a random quote from The Fast Show).

The Quarter Finals represents the Top 6% of entries, and this year has seen the largest number of entries in the competition's history.

You can see the list here:
http://www.shorescripts.com/2016s-quarter-finalists/

Snot and Tears Edition: The Walking Dead 7x01 Memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

So the six-and-a-half-month wait is finally over. All said and done, and despite the cliffhanger annoying me at the time, it made the most sense to do it this way in hindsight. We've had the anticipation of the wait, but in terms of structuring the story it was the wisest choice. So ... we've got our answer ... and boy, that's a hell of a way to start a season. Talk about an emotional wringer...

Click each image for FULL SIZE.

Click to Enlarge: But still peeking through your fingers...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes **EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...

FREE eBooks for Halloween...

The season for spooky-doings and ghastly goings-on is upon us, and with that in mind how do you fancy a FREE horror eBook for some Halloween reading? How about two free horror eBooks to give your e-Reader a ghoulish glow?

Available worldwide via Amazon from October 27th 2016 through October 31st 2016, you can get yourself a FREE digital copy of "Dug Deep" as well as "How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker" (click each link to find out more about the stories).

Simply visit your local Amazon during the promotion period (October 27th through October 31st 2016) and download the book(s) to your Kindle or to your favourite digital device (phone, tablet, etc) or computer by using the (free to download) Kindle App.

Dug Deep - Amazon US - Amazon UK - and Worldwide!

How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker - Amazon US - Amazon UK - and Worldwide!

Matinee (Joe Dante, 1993) Blu-Ray/DVD Review

Find more Arrow Video reviews here.

“Mant! Half Man, Half Ant – All Terror!” Piranha, Gremlins, Innerspace, The 'Burbs, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Small Soldiers – chances are you've seen one or all of these Joe Dante films – but what about his 1993 ode to B-Movie showmanship Matinee? Picture the scene: the year is 1962, the location – Key West, Florida – and the Cuban Missile Crisis has struck fear into a nation. Paranoia is rife, if it's not reds under the bed then it's the shared nightmare of an invading bomber dropping Atomic destruction from the skies. This could be the last weekend of their lives – so there's nothing left to do other than hit the Saturday matinee showing of a brand new monster movie, in which atomic radiation and a bite from an ant turn a shoe salesman into a giant, rampaging … Mant!

Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

The Nice Guys - mini review...

What's it about?
Los Angeles, 1977. A goon for hire and a bumbling Private Investigator, both with questionable morals and a streak of bad luck trailing in their wake, find themselves thrown together as they investigate a case of corporate conspiracy that spirals outwards from the death of porno star 'Misty Mountains'.
Who would I recognise in it?
Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger, Keith David.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Shane Black brings his love of L.A. and crime fiction back to the silver screen with a hefty dose of humour ladled on top. If you dug the vibe of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang then you'll know what to expect here, but with an added 1970s groove and a rowing back from the sheer self-awareness that stood so proudly at the heart of Black's last foray into noir-tinged sleuthing in the City of Angels...

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Flavours of the Month: September 2016...

Gore, gaming, horror rock, and the boys from the little rouge one - what's been setting the tone of my September 2016?

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The Bloodstained Butterfly (Duccio Tessari, 1971) Blu-Ray/DVD Review

Find more giallo reviews here.

 

“I'm a smart killer, Inspector – a little smarter than all of you.” Consider the giallo genre – what springs to mind? Black-clad killers with razor knives, blood-splattering violence, and scintillating sexuality? Chances are that forensic examination of a crime scene and perspective-altering scenes of court room drama didn't crop up – but that's exactly what sets Duccio Tessari's The Bloodstained Butterfly apart from the crowd. Side-stepping many of gialli's visual clichés, nestling into a pace akin to the more thoughtful examples of the genre such as Aldo Lado's Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971), Tessari's film nonetheless paints a bleak and savage picture of inter-generational betrayal, lust, abuse, and shattered illusions...

 

Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Rob Zombie's "Gore Whore" music video...

I'm a big fan of Rob Zombie's music, so naturally I was rather excited to see his new music video for "The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore"...



Not only does it mark the return of the 'Living Dead Girl' (Sheri Moon Zombie) and boast a gaggle of gnarly-looking undead ghouls, but it features Doyle (of Misfits fame) as a bubblegum-chewing tattooist Frankenstein's Monster. Great song, great video (especially so after the, I'll be honest, rather disappointing quick-fire video for "Medication for the Melancholy") ... so anyway, check it out.

The Trouble with Blockbuster Scores...

From the excellent YouTube channel Every Frame A Painting, here is a video that flags up a very real issue with many modern blockbusters - with particular attention paid to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Can you recall any pieces of music from the scores for the MCU flicks?

This is well worth a watch.



However, in the video Mad Max: Fury Road is referenced, and I would disagree on that point. I thought the soundtrack to that film really stood out and that particular track referenced in the video stood out most of all. I still recall it a year or so after seeing the movie for the first time. The rest of the examples? You cannot argue with them...

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Captain America: Civil War - Marvel Goes DC?

What's it about?
Following on from the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron, our gang of superheroes find themselves set against each other as 117 countries propose The Sokovia Accords to bring The Avengers under United Nations control as a result of civilian deaths and collateral damage in recent battles. Iron Man, riven with guilt, wants to sign up ... Captain America, suspicious of organised oversight in the wake of Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., wants to remain free to protect and serve. Which side will the rest of them choose?
Who would I recognise in it?
Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Daniel Bruhl, Paul Rudd, Emily Vancamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and more.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been hugely successful with critics and audiences alike, coining in the cash with gleeful abandon. They're bright, sparky, immensely fun, and the ever-widening world in which they take place is ripe with stories to tell. However, for all their successes, the Marvel movies have sometimes hewn close to pantomime villains and playing it safe with key characters. The third Captain America film, though, takes the moral greys and millennial murkiness of The Winter Soldier to new depths...

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Flavours of the Month: August 2016...

West Country slackers, brooding heroes, a coven of witches, and a Gonzo journalist - just some of what has been setting the tone of my August 2016...

Click "READ MORE" below for this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Batman v Superman: Critic's Whipping Boy...

First of all: I have not seen the theatrical cut of Zack Snyder's latest smash-em-up blockbusting extravaganza – my first exposure to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been in the 'Ultimate Edition' extended cut, which adds 30 minutes of footage not found in the original version seen in cinemas.

My first impression of the movie, however, was the stunning critical backlash it received. The sheer hatred it drew from film critics seemed to step beyond the parameters of reasonableness after a while. Indeed, the lambasting that Suicide Squad has received from critics feels like more of the same – a 'media narrative' with clickbait intentions. Considering the mess that was Green Lantern, and the excessive destruction of Man of Steel, some of the criticism aimed DC's way has been justifiably earned – but to this degree? It's ridiculous – but a sensible middle-ground opinion doesn't yell “DRAMA!” nor does it suck in curious surfers of the web. As much as we know that article titles featuring phrases like “and people can't handle it” or “what they look like now is unbelievable” are nothing short of completely asinine, the curious cat inside us all still itches and our index fingers click those links.

The truth of Batman v Superman, though, is that it absolutely does not deserve the blood-soaked drubbing it has received. The 'too long, didn't read' answer to “Was Batman v Superman unjustly savaged?” is YES. But that is not to say Snyder's heavyweight effort isn't flawed – because it most definitely is.

But let's not fart around any longer and get stuck in...

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Suicide Squad (David Ayer, 2016) - a level-headed review...

What's it about?
Following on from the events of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, the government approves a plan to weaponise a rogues gallery of villains and meta-humans to provide a counterstrike to powerful potential enemies. Kept in-line by explosive implants injected into their necks, the ragtag bunch of bad guys take on the badder bad guys in David Ayer's (Fury, End of Watch) riposte to Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel's propensity for goody-two-shoes.
Who would I recognise in it?
Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Ben Affleck, Cara Delevingne, Jai Coutney, Jay Hernandez, Viola Davis, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, and more.

Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Let's get something dealt with right off the bat, shall we? The backlash from professional critics (a loose term, so it seems, from a scan of Rotten Tomatoes) has been negative to the nth degree. Overblown would be one way to put it, asinine would be another, desperate for clicks and web traffic and attention would be yet another. Frankly, the whole charade - started with the film crit armageddon that faced Batman V Superman - draws film criticism into disrepute. Each snarky thumbs down seems to be trying to say something more preposterously over-the-top than what came before, rather than tackling the film in a fair and sensible manner. Some of the sheer and unbridled hatred that has been levelled at Suicide Squad is nothing short of downright silly, and completely clouds legitimate critiques (observations that might prove useful to Warner Bros, David Ayer, et al in the future) and makes the whole thing look like an utter farce...

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Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity (Ken Dixon, 1987) DVD Review

Find more exploitation reviews here.

“Big Movie. Big production. Big girls.” In space no-one can hear you scream … but there's plenty of hairspray! Let's be honest, can you ever live up to audience expectations with a title like that? Once slammed as “indecent” by a U.S. Senator, Ken (Zombiethon) Dixon's $90,000 VHS-era exploitationer isn't shy about coming forward. A cheap and cheerful sci-fi adventure flick, with a cast who spend most of the movie either in ragged bikinis or skimpy lingerie, Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity isn't aiming for P.C. Plaudits in the slightest – it just wants to give you a fun time. Think along the lines of Sorority House Massacre 2 – and set your expectations accordingly...

Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

Flavours of the Month: July 2016...

Biting political satire, self-hating comedians, bullet-time, zombies, and a hefty amount of research - just some of the looks, sounds, vibes & flavours of my July 2016...

Click "READ MORE" below for what's been setting the tone of my month...

The Walking Dead Season 7 Comic-Con Trailer Analysis

Find Walking Dead memes here.

Considering that infamous cliffhanger at the end of Season 6, it's hardly a surprise that this year's Comic-Con trailer for The Walking Dead is a bit on the short side. Opening with 80 seconds worth of mood-setting glimpses at each of the characters facing Negan's prized barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat Lucille (as the camera lovingly rises up the length of the weapon – ooh err, Mrs!), the remaining 100-ish seconds give us some scattered glimpses and teasing lines of dialogue to whet our whistles.

But what did we get to see in the trailer? Let's dive in, shall we?

Click “READ MORE” below to see some glimpses of The Walking Dead's seventh season...

Space Station 76 - mini review...

What's it about?
Domestic drama and workplace comedy meet ... in outer space. A refuelling station somewhere in the vicinity of Earth in 1976, to be exact. A closeted Captain pines for his lost love, a down-trodden maintenance man struggles with marital disharmony, a young girl has to come to terms with death and her Valium-addicted mother, and the new girl on the scene finds herself stuck in-between it all. Infidelity, gossip, rampant materialism, and visits to a two-foot-tall robotic head-shrinker ensue.
Who would I recognise in it?
Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, Matt Bomer, Jerry O'Connell, Keir Dullea.

Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Styled after the sci-fi greats of the 1960s and 1970s, from films like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Silent Running", to hand-crafted low-fi sci-fi TV shows like "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", we find ourselves in an alternative 1976 (or thereabouts, we must assume) with all the kitsch fashion, facial hair, and smoking around children to match...

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Hail, Caesar! - mini review...

What's it about?
Written & Directed by the Coen Brothers, "Hail, Caesar!" is a comedy set during Hollywood's 'Golden Age' - 1951 to be precise - and follows the trials and tribulations of Eddie Manix - head of production and studio fixer for Capitol Pictures. When the lead in one of the studio's biggest productions is kidnapped by a group calling themselves 'The Future', the curious personalities and practicalities of Hollywood ricochet off one another.
Who would I recognise in it?
Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Erenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, and more.

Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The Coen Brothers march to the beat of their own drum, so it's with no surprise that "Hail, Caesar!" is the sort of film that will require more than one viewing to peel back the intricate layers of wry humour that are laced throughout. Skirting away from some of the strictures of traditional screenwriting structure, the film moves with a loose feel. We see glimpses of disparate productions - all of them elaborately realised - from a stunt-filled cheese-ball western and a synchronised swimming spectacular, to a stuffy melodrama and a tap-dance-tastic sailors-on-leave picture. Indeed, the Coen's love for Hollywood's golden years celebrates with rose-tinted glasses on, while simultaneously playing up the more farcical elements of the time (Francis McDormand's scene as a chain-smoking editor, locked away in a darkened room, proves to be both loving and laugh-inducing)...

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Batman v Superman's Extended Version: More Movie Rating Madness...

The sales people will no doubt be out there nudging various superhero movie fans in the side - winking up a storm and mumbling a range of suggestive sounds - at the thought of an 'R-Rated' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ... but, as director Zack Snyder has stated several times, unlike Deadpool, there will be no geysers or gore and flashes of flesh. And with word of just a standard issue single 'F-word', it leads to an interesting issue of America's rating system - doled out by the not-so-user-friendly Motion Picture Association of America (check out "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" for more on that).

BvS is getting an extended 'ultimate edition' director's cut - much like Watchmen did - which likewise pushes the running time over three hours. The theatrical version was rated PG-13 in America (for "intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality") - and 12A here in the United Kingdom by the now far more open British Board of Film Classification. However, the extended version nabbed itself an R-Rating from the MPAA (no-one under 17) - simply due to added 'intensity' from some extended violence which 'tips the scale', according to Snyder.

Want to know what the extended director's cut was rated in the UK? Does a jump from PG-13 to R in America mean a leap from 12A to 15, or even 18, in Blighty?

Click "READ MORE" below to find out...

The Revenant - quick review: film vs book...

What's it about?
Based on the real-life story of Hugh Glass, a tracker for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1820s America, who was savagely attacked by a bear and left for dead by his fellow men. But when he survives, he vows to navigate the hostile landscape and get his revenge.
Who would I recognise in it?
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Scooping up three Oscars - Cinematography, Director, and Actor (a long-in-the-wait golden baldie statue for Leo) - The Revenant was nonetheless pipped at the podium by Spotlight for Best Film. Much has been said about the glorious photography - meticulously shot during 'the magic hour' to make the most of that beautiful natural light that descends for an hour each day - and the struggle of the production (harsh temperatures, chowing down on raw Bison liver, and so on, all drawn out over months of production), but it's interesting to note - as mentioned in the credits - that the film is only 'based in part' on Michael Punke's book...

Click "READ MORE" below to see how the film differs from the book **SPOILERS AHEAD**...

Flavours of the Month: June 2016...

Silent comedy, bumbling Private Eyes, vexed Vice Presidents, mouthy Mercs, and flippin' fast cars - just some of what's been setting the tone of my June 2016...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

"Blood Simple" - original 'fake trailer' emerges, influenced by "The Evil Dead"...

The Coen Brother's first film - "Blood Simple" - took a some initial inspiration from Sam Raimi and "The Evil Dead", so it seems, from a recently unearthed 'fake trailer' that was used to sell the film to investors....

Click "READ MORE" below to continue, and to see the trailer...

"Deadpool" in (belated) review - will Hollywood learn the right lesson?

What's it about?
The saucy-tongued, fourth-wall-breaking, pain-in-the-arse to the goody two shoes of the Marvel universe - finally - comes to the screen in a faithful adaptation. Wade Wilson is a goon for hire - the 'Merc with the Mouth' - but his world all goes a bit wobbly once he finds love, only to have his bright future torn away by a terminal cancer diagnosis. Undergoing procedures to bring forth mutant DNA in his blood in order to cure his cancer, he's gifted extraordinary healing powers but becomes horribly scarred in the process. Now he's sworn revenge against his maker.
Who would I recognise in it?
Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
There's little to say about the quality of the film that hasn't already been said. Deadpool is a big slab of blood-spewing, bullet-spraying, sword-slicing, tongue-lashing awesomeness. Sure, the revenge plot is straight-forward and not what you'd consider remarkable (Ajax, the villain, sufficiently detestable as he is, rarely feels close to out-right besting Deadpool), but it does provide the structure on which to hang the real draw here - Ryan Reynolds as the snarky, goofy, and ever-so-violent Deadpool. Considering it was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who were behind Zombieland, you can hazard a guess at what delights are in store.

The film's key strengths, riding roughshod over its few weaknesses, are its sense of fun and franchise anarchy. Deadpool is a razor sharp pin prick into the increasingly bloated and serious-minded superhero movie mindset...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue the review...

"For Want of a Nail" - a bit of news...

Just a quick post to say that "For Want of a Nail" - which started out as a short story, but which I then adapted into a short screenplay - has made the shortlist for a script competition. Lovely stuff!

For more information on the story itself go HERE and scroll down.

The Hateful Eight - a quick review...

What's it about?
Quentin Tarantino's eighth film (second western) in which a disparate array of ne'er do wells find themselves trapped together in a lonesome cabin in the middle of a blizzard. Someone isn't who they say they are, and with thousands of dollars worth of bounty at stake, tensions soon run high.
Who would I recognise in it?
Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Zoe Bell, Channing Tatum.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Taking a few cues from John Carpenter's seminal 1982 film "The Thing", QT's western is at times, more like a horror movie. Utilising deftly-chosen cuts from Ennio Morricone's score for that film, numerous scenes are afforded an unrelenting sense of tension and menace. As QT said himself, it is as if the blizzard is the monster swirling around outside, trapping the characters together inside. Indeed, Morricone provides QT's first custom-fit score - a sumptuous aural feast - while the tone of Carpenter's film bubbles under the surface. Both films feature a strong cast of characters, whose egos and suspicions clash ferociously. Here, each character is afforded much to work with, everyone standing out in their own regard. That said, Jackson, Russell, Goggins, and Leigh shine out in particular - the latter of whom sinks her teeth into the role with such relish that you can't help but be reminded of John Travolta's savouring of Pulp Fiction. Hopefully we'll see a grand revival for Jennifer Jason Leigh worthy of her impressive showing here...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue the review...

Flavours of the Month: May 2016...

Thrones, walkers, F1 glamour, and future war are some of what's been setting the tone for my May 2016...

Click "READ MORE" below to see this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

"A Sideline In Vengeance" update #5...

So, here we are, the best part of two months since the last update post on "A Sideline In Vengeance" - and the script is complete! It clocks in at 100 pages (ooh, what a lovely round number).

These last few weeks I have been going back and forth, skimming around the script tweaking specific scenes or characters, or elements of the plotting and overall story, as well as going through it from the first to last page seeking out little changes and improvements to make...

Click "READ MORE" below to continue reading...

Claycat's DOOM...

Do you like Doom? Do you like Lee Hardcastle's gleefully gory style of claymation? Then sink your chompers into this like cracker!

Flavours of the Month: April 2016...

Giallo gems, cliffhangers, alcoholic spies, horror rock, assassination, and - of course - a fair bit of writing (including a word or two on O.C.D. and Intrusive Thoughts), are just some of the things that have been setting the tone for my April 2016...

Click "READ MORE" below for this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

Death Walks At Midnight (Luciano Ercoli, 1972) Blu-Ray/DVD Review

Find more giallo reviews here.

“I'm telling you the truth – believe it or not!” Utilising much of the same cast and crew as he had done with his previous two forays into the giallo genre, Director Luciano Ercoli's third – and final – giallo film is less interested in murder and mayhem at the hands of a black-clad killer and much more taken with its leading lady. Having been portrayed in The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970) as a free-love nympho, Nieves Navarro (who would go on to spend the rest of her life with Ercoli as husband and wife) advanced up the ladder of gialli's roster of ladies in peril. In Death Walks On High Heels (1971), Navarro is portrayed with love as a far more rounded, yet still sexual being, whose forthright attitude enthrals or confounds the men in her life. However, in what was to become one of her strongest roles, Navarro (aka Susan Scott) kept her clothes on and her fists at the ready for Death Walks At Midnight, which could arguably be considered the 'girl power beacon' of the entire genre...

Click “READ MORE” below to continue the review and see more screenshots…

The Green Inferno: a quick review...

What's it about?
Hashtag protesters, e-petition fans, virtue signallers, self-righteous imperialists of opinion, and slacktivists alike - prepare to be offended, and then eaten! A group of student activists rush off to Peru in order to stop the bulldozing of a section of the Amazon rain forest, but when their plane crash lands they find themselves held captive by the native tribe they were attempting to help...
Who would I recognise in it?
Lorenzo Izzo, Daryl Sabara, Richard Burgi, Ignacia Allamand.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Delayed after the original distributor suffered financial woes, Eli Roth's return to feature films - a love letter to Ruggero Deodato's "Cannibal Holocaust" (Roth's favourite flick) - had a lot of expectation chasing it. Journeying deeper into the rain forest than any other filmmakers thus far, TGI has a sense of adventure that is impressive, no doubt inspired by Roth's admiration for all those Italian directors who braved the wilds of the jungle to conjure up increasingly twisted cannibal movies in the 1970s and 80s.

Taking aim at the social media driven culture of 'hashtag protesting' and general 'slacktivism' (publicly showing how much you care about any trending socio-political issue, while investing the least amount of time, energy, or even consideration into the cause), Roth's film certainly doesn't lack bite...

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It Follows: Mini Review...

What's it about?
Creep-inducing horror tale about a sexually transmitted demon that stalks its victims in sequence - from most recently infected down the line, killing one-by-one unless the victim can keep one step ahead. A young woman becomes the latest to inherit the deadly curse and it's up to her and her friends to figure out a way to stop it ... whatever "it" is...

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Pervert! (Jonathan Yudis, 2006) DVD Review...

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“I'm like a French bread – the longer I'm around, the harder I get.” In his heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, Russ Meyer was the king of the American sexploitation film. Voluptuous women bouncing and bonking around the desert, crazy characters chewing the scenery, and a scatter gun editing style that pre-dated music videos by many-a-year provided a heady mix for audiences. However, in the age of super fast broadband, such softcore silliness is positively tame – but Director Jonathan Yudis and Writer Mike Davis buck reality to combine their Meyer nostalgia, and fondness of the female form, for Pervert! – a whacked-out 'n saucy dose of jiggly boobs, dutch angles, and heat-driven madness...

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Death Walks On High Heels (Luciano Ercoli, 1971) Blu-Ray/DVD Review

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“With this razor you won't feel the pain right away, but it will leave your body covered with horrible scars.” Luciano Ercoli teamed up again with his Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970) stars Nieves Navarro (aka Susan Scott) and Simon Andreu, and giallo screenwriter extraordinaire Ernesto Gastaldi, for Death Walks On High Heels – a deeply fetishistic thriller. A strip tease artist flees Paris with a Doctor, but soon finds the quaint English countryside is nowhere near as safe as she had hoped...

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Cut to Black Edition: The Walking Dead 6x16 Memes...

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Well, that was tense! Now it's a looooong old wait until October!


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Click to Enlarge: Pride before the fall, Rick...

Click "READ MORE" below to see the rest of this week's memes **EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...

"Snuffles III" eBook FREE April 4th - 8th (2016)...

"How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker" is FREE to download Monday April 4th 2016 through Friday April 8th 2016!

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

It's available worldwide through Amazon for Kindle or the free Kindle App (all computers, tablets, and smart devices).

Find more information on "How Mr Snuffles III and Others Met Their Maker" HERE.

Flavours of the Month: March 2016...

Chainsaw-wielding maniacs, spooky goings-on, and a certain chap stranded on Mars...

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Intimate Edition: The Walking Dead 6x15 memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

The penultimate episode of the season - and boy, with a cliffhanger like that, this is gonna be a long week's wait for the (extended length) finale!

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Click to Enlarge: But will an apple a day keep Negan away?

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Stage 2 Edition: The Walking Dead 6x14 memes...

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Click to Enlarge: They're all in there somewhere, keep grinding...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes **EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...

RoboCop (2014) - a quick review...

What's it about?
Remake of Paul Verhoeven's 1987 sci-fi action classic, remoulding the tale of Alex Murphy - a Detroit policeman who, after a vicious attack and on death's door, is transformed by a robotics corporation into a man/machine crime fighting hybrid.
Who would I recognise in it?
Joel Kinnaman, Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael K. Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, Jay Baruchel, and more.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
When will Hollywood realise that remaking beloved and iconic classics is never going to work? It's a fool's errand that is only going to generate angry fans of the existing film/franchise, and an inferior product. At worst you'll end up with a bomb that is creatively bankrupt and tarnishes the good name of the original. At best - in the rarest of cases - you might actually come up with something worthwhile which still doesn't match (let alone surpass) what came before. This unasked-for remake of RoboCop (so beloved that the citizens of Detroit petitioned for - and won - a statue of Peter Weller's original RoboCop for their city), sits somewhere in-between...

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Cool as Carol Edition: The Walking Dead 6x13 memes...

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Click to Enlarge: Cool as Ice Carol...

Click "READ MORE" below to see the rest of this week's memes **EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...

This Cat is NED...

Do you like puppets? Do you like cats? Do you like puppet cats with a sense of humour in the general vibe of people like Will Forte? Then how about the web show This Cat is NED?

This isn't a sponsored post, I just happened to stumble across this recently and it tickled my fancy - so I figured I'd share it. They seem to do episodes every two weeks, 1 to 3 minutes per episode, and at the time of posting they've got 33 episodes. Dig in and enjoy - I certainly am.

Cookies and Kisses Edition: The Walking Dead 6x12 memes...

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Click to Enlarge: Back from the dead for tasty treats...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes **EPISODE SPOILER AHEAD**...

"A Sideline In Vengeance" - update #4...

It's been a while since the last update (which was at the arse end of January), but here we are: another draft was completed towards the end of February, and now I'm cracking on with the next draft.

Just a few changes ... *ahem* ...

At this point it's all about small tweaks, nitty gritty details, and generally an awful lot of fettling and fiddling about. I love this point in the journey of writing - you've got a solid script a few drafts in and finally you can focus on all the small details that add extra layers and provide little details that flesh out the story, characters, and scenes even further...

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First Impressions Edition: The Walking Dead 6x11 memes...

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Click to Enlarge: Oh, Rick...

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Flavours of the Month: February 2016...

Flashlights in the dark, classic European frights and thrills, the return of the walkers, and more are some of the things that have been guiding the feel of my February 2016...

Click "READ MORE" below for this month's looks, sounds, vibes & flavours...

"Dug Deep" - eBook FREE this week!

"Dug Deep" - my new supernatural horror thriller eBook - is FREE this week: Monday 22nd February through Friday 26th February 2016.

AMAZON (UK)

AMAZON (US)

It's available worldwide through Amazon for Kindle or the free Kindle App (all computers, tablets, and smart devices). Check it out, why don't you?

Ooh-La-La Edition: The Walking Dead 6x10 memes...

Find more Walking Dead memes here.

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Click to Enlarge: Sneaky boys...

Click "READ MORE" below for the rest of this week's memes **EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD**...