Ken's Alternate Universe!

Chuck Fest 2018

Lake Charles, LA

My original plans were to attend ArtsFest in Lake Charles over the weekend, but due to a few derailments, I ended up not being able to attend that event. Instead, I managed to make it out to Chuck Fest for a few hours on Saturday evening.

For those of you unaware, Chuck Fest is essentially a celebration of Lake Charles. A portion of the downtown area at the intersection of Ryan St. and Broad St. is blocked off and local and regional artists, craft breweries, food vendors, and others set up tables in the area. Local restaurants, stores, and clubs in the area open their doors to all as well, and the city basically has a gigantic street party.

The event lasted from noon until midnight and featured nearly forty bands at four official venues. I attended a few of the live shows but made sure to be at Stellar Beans at 7PM to see my friend, Brett Welch, jam for awhile. If you’ve ever been to Stellar Beans, a locally owned coffee shop, you know that the atmosphere is generally laid back most of the time. For Chuck Fest, though, patrons filed in and out of the coffee shop the entire time. Many of them purchased coffee and other beverages and even some of Stellar’s great short order food. A few brought in their own adult beverages. People randomly broke out into dances while Brett did his thing as well.

After Brett’s performance, I wandered out into the streets to check out everything going on at the festival. There were a ton of people at the event, and it was great to see Lake Charles so alive on a Saturday evening.

The weather wasn’t on its best behavior during the event. There was an almost constant misting going on and the wind kicked up quite a bit as the evening continued. A few vendors had problems with their canopies overturning due to the wind, but they always had a few helping hands around to set their canopies back up when needed.

I left the event late on Saturday and returned to the area the next morning. The streets were clean and Stellar Beans was back to its normal, quiet self. I had a medium roast coffee and caught up on the news of the day while myself and other patrons were serenaded by a local guitarist. It was the perfect way to top off a fun weekend.

Now I’m preparing for the upcoming weekend. My original plans have once again been disrupted by life thanks to my kids having early morning activities on Saturday, but I still have plans to have a little fun on Saturday afternoon and possibly on Sunday. I’ll be sure to let you all know what goes down if I do have a good weekend.

As always, thanks for reading. If you attended any cool festivals or events over the weekend, I’d love to hear about them in the comments section. I’ve got a little nerdy goodness planned for later this week, so be watching for my next post real soon.

Throwback Thursday: Comic Book Men (2012)

Red Bank, NJ

Today’s Throwback Thursday post is very special. Why? Because I’m pretty sure that this is the “youngest” Throwback that I’ve ever posted and because I just so happened to meet one of the stars of this particular series over the weekend (and completely forgot to mention meeting him in my previous post). So what are we traveling back in time for today? Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men (2012-2018).

Comic Book Men ran for seven seasons on AMC. Considering the fact that AMC often buried it behind The Walking Dead replays late on Sunday evening after the Talking Dead live show, it’s a wonder that the series lasted as long as it did. Many fans of the series, myself included, just couldn’t stay up late enough to watch an entire episode, especially if they had to work in the morning. I would always try to stay up to watch the original broadcasts, but often had to catch up through video on demand later in the week.

comic-book-men-adam-west-123117 — The staff of Jay And Silent Bob’s Secret Stash with Jason Mewes (L) and TV’s Batman, Adam West (R).

The show was funny, engaging, educational at times, and loaded with nostalgia. Each episode was based out of Jay And Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, Kevin Smith’s comic book store, with different adventures happening primarily in and around Red Bank, New Jersey. The first season consisted of six one-hour episodes that saw the main cast, Walt Flanagan, Mike Zapcic, Bryan Johnson (who wasn’t an actual employee of the store), and Ming Chen, appraise and make offers to buy and sell pop culture items such as comics, toys, and props from films. They also visited a local flea market, got tattoos, and made a commercial for the store among other things. The show would cut to the cast and Smith recording a podcast about the topics and events covered during the episode as well.

Ming-Chen-Comic-Book-Men-Stan-Lee — Walt Flanagan, Ming Chen, Michael Zapcic, Bryan Johnson and Stan Lee – Comic Book Men – Season 2, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: David E. Steele

Beginning with the second season and until its cancellation, the series was reduced to a half hour and ran for thirteen to sixteen episodes. Also with season two, the series began having more and more celebrity guests. Jason Mewes (Clerks, Dogma, Mallrats, etc.) appeared in the first season and in multiple episodes afterwards. Brian O’Halloran (Clerks) got the celebrity ball rolling in season two and other notable guests included Adam West, Burt Ward, Stan Lee, Dean Cain, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Peter Mayhew, George Perez, Jim Lee, and Kevin Eastman.

comic-book-men-602-post-1600x600 — The cast with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Some of my favorite episodes of the series involved Robert Bruce, a noted pop culturist who knows pretty much everything about anything toy, film, or comic book related. He was often brought in to appraise an item whenever it stumped Walt, Mike, or Ming. He was loaded with knowledge and was quick to note anything that might have been odd or off-putting about particular items.

I also enjoyed episodes where the gang went on small adventures to places like the JAWS Museum, another museum that featured an Action Comics #1 (first appearance of Superman), and when they visited the “Batcave” of a Batman superfan’s home. Not only was it great to see some of the items and books that were featured in these episodes, it was also fun to see the looks of pure joy spread across the faces of Walt, Bryan, Mike, and Ming. It was obvious that these men loved what they were doing in each episode.

comic-book-men-dean-cain — Dean Cain (*Lois & Clark*) drops by the Stash for Superman’s 75th Anniversary.

Watching the guys humiliate one another was also a great aspect of the series. Granted, most of the time the humiliation was placed on Ming, but he did get in a few shots of his own against the rest of the guys. One of the best things to happen on the show was the recreation of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s wedding. Mike dressed as Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and poor Ming dressed in drag as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman), complete with bright blue lipstick (that Sue never actually wore) and they rode off to their honeymoon in a car at the end of the episode.

maxresdefault — Kevin Smith’s daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, tries her hand at being a clerk.

Over the weekend, I had the chance to meet Ming Chen at Gulf Coast Fan Fest. I attended a couple of the panels that he hosted and got to briefly talk with him during the convention. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and he gave attendees some great advice on starting up their own podcast. I asked him if the guys on the show really did give him constant crap or if it was just for the series. He told me that it was actually worse whenever the cameras were off because there were some things that just couldn’t be shown on television.

Comic Book Men was cancelled earlier this year. It’s sad that the series came to an end, as I do believe that it gave nerds and geeks like myself a genuine look at ourselves. I know plenty of people that are exactly like many of the folks that showed up in the series. I have friends that collect everything from comics to toys and movie posters. I know guys and gals that can recall facts about some of the most obscure comics and television shows out there. I know people that have wept when they were forced to sell one of their beloved items due to needing money for school, healthcare, or other necessities.

In other words, Comic Book Men was me and everyone like me.

Be sure to check out the series on Amazon Prime if you didn’t get to see it during its original run on AMC. I also recommend meeting the cast of the show if you get a chance. I know that Ming, Mike, and Bryan attend many comic book conventions throughout the year. Jason Mewes does as well. Hopefully Walt will hit the con circuit soon, but I don’t believe that he attends many conventions.

I hope to visit Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash one day, and I also hope to meet more of the guys.

As always, thanks for reading. Comic Book Men might have only recently left us, but it leaves a giant void in geekdom in its wake. I’ll see all of you again real soon!

Gulf Coast Fan Fest 2018!

Biloxi, MS

The beautiful Mississippi Coast Convention Center was home to Gulf Coast Fan Fest over the past weekend in Biloxi, MS. I attended both days of the event and I had a really great time. I arrived in Biloxi on Friday afternoon and caught up with some good friends before heading out to the official Kick Off Party at the Crooked Letter Brewing Company in nearby Ocean Springs. At the party, Comic Book Men‘s very own Ming Chen was in attendance as were a few other guests and convention attendees. Former WCW/WWE superstar Honk Tonk Man performed his one man show as well.

43878260_10215437489343658_6933073515012685824_n — My blurry photo of Honky Tonk Man.

On Saturday I entered the convention ready to visit with friends that I hadn’t seen in a long time. I managed to catch up with quite a few of them and probably missed just as many as I wandered around the convention center. I was dressed as Doctor Zhukov from the Fortune and Glory RPG. Most people called me Doctor Horrible from Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

44106582_10215437489023650_3016033482448044032_n — Not Doctor Horrible!

After a couple of hours, I decided to go back to my hotel room at the Quality Inn next to the Coliseum, freshen up a bit, and change into some shorts and a t-shirt. I returned to the convention and sought out the two autographs that I wanted the most: Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor) and David Naughton (An American Werewolf In London). I succeeded in getting both of them.

Davison is my favorite Doctor. I was a tad star struck by him. He didn’t say a whole lot to me but thanked me for being a fan and thanked me for supporting his work. After getting his autograph, I moved along to David Naughton’s table. When I walked up to him, I told him my name and blurted out, “Among my werewolf freak friends, you are considered a god.” He laughed and said, “That’s funny,” and engaged me a little about werewolves. I told him that I’m a huge fan of the classic werewolf films including the Lon Chaney, Jr. movies and the classic Werewolf of London. He seemed a little surprised that I mentioned Werewolf of London and said that not many people bring up that film. I got an autograph and a photo with him. He was excellent.

The rest of my Saturday at the convention was spent strolling through the vendor area, catching up with artists like my good friend, Vo Nguyen, and visiting with the other conventions on hand promoting their own events. I also sat in on the Kevin Sorbo panel. Mediated by Ming Chen, the panel was great. Sorbo held nothing back when asked questions about his work, his faith, and his politics. It was one of the most interesting panels that I’ve ever attended. I especially enjoyed Sorbo’s stories about his work on Hercules and Xena.

After the convention closed for the day, I headed out to the beach across the street from the coliseum and took a long walk along the beach and on the pier heading out into the Gulf of Mexico. Biloxi has always been one of my favorite cities to visit, and this weekend was one of my best visits yet. The weather was perfect and the beach was simply gorgeous.

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Sunday morning I got up early and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel. Then I attended Mass at Our Lady Of Fatima parish. After that I checked out of my room and headed to the convention. I visited with a few more of my friends and purchased a print from Vo Nguyen. He sketched a photo of the Joker for me as well. I also walked through the numerous film artifacts in the Merrill Movie Museum. If you ever have a chance to check out this traveling museum, do it!

In the afternoon, myself and a few other representatives of Southern Geek (Rafe and Shannon White and Cave Moran) hosted a panel on The Walking Dead. We had a fairly decent crowd considering the fact that we were up against Peter Davison. I spent a little more time at the convention taking photos of cosplayers such as RedTop Cosplay and Iron Mwar. After saying good bye to a few good friends, I headed over to the beach for one last look and then headed home. I hope to return to GCFF next year. It was an excellent event.

44131133_10215437484663541_1465359862627041280_n — RedTop Cosplay

44052538_10215437491583714_8674245293941719040_n — Iron Mwar

As always, thanks for reading my post. October is stacked, so be sure to keep an eye on my page for more geeky goodness. I have plans to attend more conventions in the next few months, and I plan on blogging about all of them. I’ll have another Throwback Thursday tomorrow as well, so don’t forget to check my blog tomorrow!

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Throwback Thursday: Halloween (1978)

Forty Years Ago

It’s hard to believe that it has been forty years since John Carpenter’s Halloween was released. While it wasn’t the first slasher film (many argue that 1912’s The Lunatics deserves that title), it was definitely the film that blazed the trail for future slasher franchises such as Friday The 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Sleepaway Camp, Silent Night, Deadly Night and Child’s Play. I Know What You Did Last Summer and Urban Legend came later, but they benefited from Halloween‘s success as well.

The film unintentionally established a set of rules for slasher films to follow. Those rules, best described in Wes Craven’s Scream franchise, included such items as virgins survive, never assume that the killer is dead, and never saying, “I’ll be right back,” among others.

Halloween also introduced us to Jamie Lee Curtis, one of the most popular and successful scream queens in all of cinematic history. Not only has she appeared in a number of Halloween sequels, she’s become a star in other film genres as well. Just a few of her most popular films include Trading Places (1983), Freaky Friday (2003), True Lies (1994), and My Girl (1991). It gave Donald Pleasence one of his most famous roles as Dr. Loomis, the man hot on the trail of the evil Michael Myers. P.J. Soles, already a veteran of the horror scene thanks to her performance in Carrie (1976), would go on to feature in other horror films and the cult hit Rock N’ Roll High School (1979) and have solid supporting roles in Stripes (1981) and Private Benjamin (1980).

The film’s simple piano score was composed and performed by Carpenter. Despite its simplicity, it ranks with the Star Wars theme and the Jaws theme as one of the most recognizable film themes in history.

The film is one of the most successful independent films of all time. It’s also one of the most influential horror films. It was made on a budget of $300,000 dollars and much of the cast wore their own clothes for the film. The legendary Michael Myers mask is actually a modified Captain Kirk mask that production designer Tommy Lee Wallace purchased for less than two dollars at a costume shop.

The film was followed by seven sequels and a remake by Rob Zombie in 2007 which had its own sequel as well. Later this month a new sequel to the original film will be released featuring Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode. The film will completely ignore all of the previous sequels and the remake, technically making it the first sequel to the original film.

I recommend watching the first film and the Rob Zombie remake. All of the sequels are hit and miss, but there’s no questioning their influence on horror films. I hope to watch the new sequel later this year. I hope it lives up to all of the hype.

Thanks for reading. I’m headed to Gulf Coast Fan Fest this weekend, so look out for my review of the convention early next week. I might post a photo or two from the convention on my blog over the weekend, so keep an eye out for that as well.

The Walking Dead Season Nine Premiere!

The Calm Before The Storm?

Sunday night saw the beginning of the ninth season of AMC’s highly successful The Walking Dead. Despite sagging ratings in recent years, it’s still one of the most watched shows on television. The new season brings with it a few changes in front of and behind the camera that have given the series an entirely new tone. Scott Gimple is out as showrunner, with Angela Kang, a long time writer for the series, now in charge of the gang. Gimple’s tenure ceased with the end of the “All Out War” that saw the Hilltop, the Kingdom, Alexandria, and Oceanside come together to stop Negan’s tyrannical rule over their communities. The Scavengers were obliterated by Simon, leaving only their leader, Jadis, alive. Carl dies from a walker bite while helping Siddiq and Morgan has hit the trail once again. Maggie shows signs of breaking away from Rick’s vision for the future of all of their communities.

Prior to the premiere, information was released stating that the ninth season would see the exit of Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). The loss of both of them means that the series will take a major detour from the comics yet again. This brings up a ton of questions such as who will take Rick’s leadership role in Alexandria? Who will replace Maggie? Will they die or will they leave like Morgan? What happens to Judith? We won’t know for at least a few more episodes.

the-walking-dead-season-9-episode-1-andrew-lincoln-danai-gurira — Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Chloe Garcia as Judith – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

Mild Spoilers Ahead!

Season nine opened with Rick, Michonne (Danai Gurira), and young Judith (Chloe Garcia) having a nice little family moment and all of the communities settled into a mildly pleasant atmosphere. As the show continues, though, we see that some communities aren’t quite as idyllic as they appear. Many of the survivors at the Sanctuary, which is now under the guidance of Daryl (Norman Reedus), are beginning to grumble about not having enough food. They also appear to dislike Daryl and prefer Rick, treating him like a nicer version of Negan (but signs, literal signs, are everywhere showing that the community still respects Negan). Maggie has set up a sound little democracy on the Hilltop, but has to deal with dissenters such as the persistently devilish Gregory (Xander Berkeley) on a daily basis.

gallery-1525429412-the-walking-dead-season-9-gabriel-jadis — Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) and the Scavenger formerly known as Jadis, Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh) set out on a supply run.

While on a joint community supply run, Ezekiel (Khary Payton) is almost killed by walkers. When he is rescued, he and Carol (Melissa McBride) share a kiss. He eventually proposes to Carol on their return from the supply run, but she denies him. The group is then forced to take an alternate route back to their communities as a bridge has collapsed under the weight of a walker herd. When one of the wagons gets stuck in the mud, the group’s struggle to free it attracts walkers and one of the Hilltop’s younger citizens, Ken (A.J. Achinger), is killed while attempting to free the horses.

Once Maggie returns to the Hilltop, she notifies Ken’s parents of his death. Brett Butler is nearly unrecognizable as Ken’s mother, but she does an excellent job as a mother spiraling into severe depression after learning of her son’s death. Gregory sees Ken’s death as a chance to make a play for power in the community, and he manipulates Ken’s father (John Finn) into assisting him.

the-walking-dead-season-9-maggie-cohan-daryl-reedus-935-early-release-featured — Ezekiel (Khary Payton), Carol (Melissa McBride), Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) on a supply run in Washington, D.C.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! STOP NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE PREMIERE!!!

With hints here and there about unease in the communities, specifically the Hilltop and the Sanctuary, the leaders make moves to remedy the situation. Daryl tells Rick that he doesn’t want to lead the Sanctuary anymore and shows signs of siding more with Maggie than Rick. Carol offers to take over as the leader of the Sanctuary (a pretty solid move in my opinion, as she has consistently proven that she can handle herself quite well in bad situations). Maggie’s moves are a bit more vicious.

twd_901_jld_0509_5468_rt — Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee, Xander Berkeley as Gregory – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

Rick approaches Maggie, whose community is thriving, about providing more assistance for the other communities, specifically the Sanctuary. She agrees, but only at a large price, making demands that Rick agrees to, but with some obvious reservations. The tension is getting quite thick between these two. Maggie is then attacked by Ken’s father, who has been convinced by Gregory to murder her.

It is at this point that Maggie makes her own power play. Instead of imprisoning Gregory, she has him hanged in the community in full view of many of the citizens. Daryl apparently supports her decision, but Rick doesn’t appear to agree with her. Michonne notices children watching the hanging and attempts to stop it, but is too late. Maggie, not phased one bit, tells the people to get their kids back in bed. Gregory dies begging for his life. It’s a brutal end for the character, but not necessarily undeserved.

Summary

This episode was full of new things. From the growing divide between Maggie and Rick to the revelation that the communities are growing not only food, but corn for use as fuel in vehicles. Governments appear to slowly be developing in the communities as well. Carol once again seems to have her head on straight and while she doesn’t want to marry Ezekiel right now, she appears to be open to a romantic relationship with him. Enid is in a wheelchair thanks to Ken’s father, but that’s probably just a temporary thing. Characters that have taken a backseat in recent seasons are now moving to the front of the story. Heck, even the title sequence has been freshened up for the new season.

The only thing really missing from the episode was Jeffery Dean Morgan as Negan. No doubt that he’ll be taking on a bigger role in later episodes, but for now, showrunner Angela Kang has him on the backburner.

The episode was very good. It wasn’t the best season opener (Season Two’s opener is still my favorite), but it was definitely a nice change of pace. I was never really that upset with any of Scott Gimple’s choices in the series except for the death of Carl, but the tone of the series has definitely changed under Kang’s guidance and that was immediately evident in the first episode. Hopefully the season will only get better.

On a sad note, I hated hearing that Scott Wilson, who portrayed Hershel on The Walking Dead, passed away over the weekend due to complications from leukemia. The series paid tribute to him at the end of the episode. Wilson was an excellent actor and his portrayal of Hershel was one of the best things about The Walking Dead while he was on the series. He’s one of the cast members that I always wanted to meet but never had the chance to see in person. Rest in peace, Mr. Wilson.

Gulf Coast Fan Fest is this weekend. I’ll be there and so will three cast members of The Walking Dead. Seth Gilliam, Denise Crosby, and Joshua Mikel will all be at the event and I hope to meet all of them. I’ve had opportunities to meet Denise Crosby before, but time and/or expenses always prevented me from approaching her. Seth Gilliam was supposed to be at an event I attended last year, but he had to cancel and I didn’t get to see him. This will be the first opportunity for me to meet Joshua Mikel, and I really want to tell him just how much I loved to hate his character, Jared.

As always, thanks for reading. Keep an eye open for my Throwback Thursday post and a full report on Gulf Coast Fan Fest after this weekend!

7th Annual Lake Charles Film Festival

Southwest Louisiana

On Friday, October 5th, at the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur, LA, the 7th Annual Lake Charles Film Festival kicked off with a series of short films and music videos and a screening of Tarzan of the Apes in celebration of the silent film’s 100th anniversary. Kelsey Swire was the emcee for the evening and she introduced each short and music video as well as the anniversary presentation of Tarzan of the Apes. She also introduced the guest of honor, Jay Underwood, best known for his work in projects such as The Boy Who Could Fly, Not Quite Human, and the unreleased (but much loved thanks to bootleg copies) The Fantastic Four (1994). Festival director Patrick Bennett presented Mr. Underwood with the official festival cake and asked him to cut the cake with a celebratory sword.

43372315_10215370499948965_7057969914144882688_n — Jay Underwood and his wife, Julie, cut the festival cake. Entirely too dark photo taken by me, Ken Fontenot.

After the screening of Tarzan of the Apes, the event moved to Rikenjak’s Brewing Company for a festival kickoff party where attendees, guests, and presenters got a chance to mingle with one another and talk about film and all sorts of other things. Rikenjak’s did an excellent job of serving the party, making sure that everyone received their food and drinks in a timely manner. There was also live music at the venue.

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I arrived early on Saturday morning to assist with the setup of some of the rooms for the festival. I was then asked to help out in one of the viewing rooms. Luckily for me it was the very room that Mr. Underwood would be showcasing Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four in later that day. I presented Jim DeVault’s Azteq Vs The Prowler, an independent horror flick that mixed luchadores and a deformed killer and Brandon Katcher’s Circular Resonance, a documentary about Noah Frisch, a Didgeridoo maker, and his world travels.

43348568_10215378210821732_4371548822040477696_n — Photo taken by Patrick Bennett.

After those films, Mr. Underwood presented Doomed! and provided excellent commentary during and after the presentation. It was especially fun to hear about the rat-infested studio where the film was shot and how the cast and crew spent a lot of their own time and money to get the project finished. After the presentation and Q&A, Mr. Underwood signed autographs, took photos, and had copies of the Doomed! documentary for sale. I received an autographed photo from him on which he thanked me for showing his film. That was pretty cool.

More films were shown throughout the day. I managed to see a few of them in their entirety and a couple of them for just a few brief moments, but I enjoyed every one of them. Doomed! was a real treat and Little Eden by the Lockhearts was my favorite music video. My personal favorite of all of the documentaries and films that I was able to see in their entirety, though, was Last Beer at the Pig’s Ear. It told the story of the final days at the Pig’s Ear, a 152 year old pub in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada and focused on some of the people that made the place so special. I fell in love with the people and the place, and by the end of the film, I was almost moved to tears. It is a great documentary and I highly recommend that you check out the website here or visit and like their Facebook page.

42666846_2013465112042975_77394095198175232_n — Taken from the LCFF Facebook page.

The festival was topped off with an awards ceremony at my favorite watering hole, MacFarlane’s Celtic Pub. I enjoyed my usual, fish and chips with delicious colcannon on the side, and I sipped on some mead as well. Despite mosquitoes and lovely Louisiana humidity, the event was great.

Here are the winners:

Home Grown:

1000 Year Flood
Cover Me
Into The Green

Feature Narrative:

The Maestro
Evol
One Nation Under God

Short Narrative:

The Hollow Earth
Dependents
Little Pictures

Documentary Feature:

1000 Year Flood
Poured In Pennsylvania
Up To Snuff

Documentary Short:

The School of Honk
Western Jubilee
Bee-Sharp Honeybee

Feature Script:

The Lady Pirates
A Self Made Man
Life In The Country

Short Script:

Sombra City
Life With Bill: “Waiting On Cahill”
Abandon All Hope

48 Hour Film Sprint:

The Writer
Tin City
Tooth

Animation:

The Modern Lives
The Story of God
Ego

Student Film:

L.A. Fadeaway
Into The Green
A Hard Gamble

Music Video:

Mice or Men
We’re All Mad Here
Private Eye

Web Series:

Bail Out: I Am Lorenzo Lamas
So SOHA Season Two
The Strategy of Water

Foreign Film

By Blood
Balloon
Ainhoa

Scallywag Award:

Presented to Jay Underwood for his thirty plus years of work in film and television.

Be sure to come out to the Lake Charles Film Festival next year. This event has steadily grown in size and the film selection gets increasingly better as well. It’s a great way for filmmakers, writers, actors, and film fanatics to get together and talk about their favorite subject.

Special thanks go out to all of those that made this event happen, especially Patrick, Kelsey, Thom Trahan, and the Brimstone Museum.

As always, thanks for reading. I’m heading to Gulf Coast Fan Fest this weekend and I’ll be posting about it in the very near future. I’ve also got a special treat for Throwback Thursday this week. Tomorrow I’ll be blogging about last night’s Season Nine premiere of The Walking Dead. Featured in the episode is another great performance from Xander Berkeley who portrays Gregory on the show. He was also featured in The Maestro, which took top honors in the Feature Narrative category at the Lake Charles Film Festival. See you all again real soon!

Throwback Thursday : The Fantastic Four (1994)

Something Fantastic!

Early in my college years, I would often shrink away from people for a few hours and walk over to the local K&B Drugstore (sadly, long gone) and look through their selection of magazines and comics. Once in awhile I would read an article about rumors surrounding a potential X-Men film or other superhero flicks. One of the movies I remember reading about was the supposedly complete Fantastic Four film. I searched like crazy to find out when the film would be released and if and when a VHS copy would be made available but I kept on hitting dead ends. I eventually gave up hope and quickly forgot about the film, content with watching other superhero films such as Blade (1998) and the first X-Men film in 2000.

2005 found me extremely excited to finally see a Fantastic Four film on the big screen. It was by no means perfect, but I really enjoyed seeing four of my favorite heroes doing there thing against Doctor Doom. The film starred the very capable Ioann Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic, a young Chris Evans as Human Torch, the gritty Michael Chiklis as the Thing, the delightfully dastard Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom, and Jessica Alba going through the motions as Invisible Woman. The film was followed up in 2007 with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and featured all of the first film’s main cast reprising their roles. I enjoyed this film even more than the first one, but the critics and most audience members disliked it, resulting in the atrocious 2015 reboot.

With the release of the film in 2005, I was reminded of the 1994 film and began to seek it out once more. I eventually found a bootleg copy of the film online and watched it. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed the film. Much like the 2005 flick and its sequel, this film was far from perfect, but it was fun. The film featured a very solid lineup of actors that did very good jobs with the script that they were given.

Alex Hyde-White played Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in a very believable manner. He was intelligent and cared deeply for his friends. Speaking of friends, Michael Bailey Smith played Ben Grimm while Carl Ciarfalio played Ben as the Thing. The Thing is actually probably the best part of the film, as he legitimately looks like the Thing from the comics. Animatronics were used to move Thing’s eyebrows and mouth and despite a film budget of just one million bucks, he looked great.

Rebecca Staab portrayed Sue Storm/Invisible Woman. She was a little too “damsel in distress” at moments, but she was still solid in the movie. Her brother, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, was played with youthful flair by Jay Underwood, best known for his work in the Not Quite Human television films and in supporting roles in films like Uncle Buck and television series like Star Trek: Voyager.

211full-the-fantastic-four----------------------------------(1994)-photo

Joseph Culp chewed up the scenery as Victor Von Doom. In his pre-accident form, he’s Reed’s college pal (albeit jealous of Reed’s intelligence). Once he is severely injured in a lab accident in the film (Reed thought he was dead), he is brought home to Latveria where he makes plans to destroy New York with a giant laser. Thankfully the Fantastic Four get their powers just in time to try and thwart Doom’s plans.

carlff — The cast in a more recent photo. L to R: Jay Underwood, Joseph Culp, Michael Bailey Smith, Rebecca Staab, Alex Hyde-White, and Carl Ciarfalio.

As mentioned before, the film only had a budget of one million dollars and was executive produced by B-film legend Roger Corman, so I wasn’t expecting much in the way of special effects. With that being said, the film’s effects weren’t that terrible. The Thing looked great as I’ve already said. His facial expressions reminded me of the turtles in the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) film. His movements were fairly fluid and I really liked the fact that Ciarfalio’s eyes could be seen through the mask. Doctor Doom’s costume crinkled….a lot…and I believe that Joseph Culp intentionally wrung his hands throughout the film just because he could. It’s a rather funny part of the film in my opinion.

The Invisible Woman’s vanishing act looked as good as any other vanishing act on screen at the time, and her force field powers looked pretty good as well. Johnny’s powers were held back until late in the film. For the most part, Jay Underwood would strike a pose and flames would “shoot out” of his hands. Later in the film, though, his character finally goes into “flame on” mode and that effect was handled with traditional animation similar to the animation of Kirk Alyn’s Superman in 1948 whenever he took to the sky. The GIF below is from the film.

Poor Reed Richards got the short end of the stick when it came to his special effects. Wonky arm extensions and an even goofier tripping scene made Mr. Fantastic not so fantastic. Still, Hyde-White’s performance was one of the best in the film, so I’ll give him a pass.

The film is available on Dailymotion as of this writing and I’m sure it’s available in other places as well. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It’s a fun movie that people of a certain age will definitely appreciate. Let your kids watch it as well, if for no other reason than to be thankful for modern special effects.

Also, if you’re in the Lake Charles or Sulphur, LA area this weekend, you have the opportunity to meet the Human Torch himself, Jay Underwood, at the Lake Charles Film Festival. Be sure to check out their webpage for times and locations for all of their planned activities.

As always, thanks for reading. I’ll have a full report on the film festival (and hopefully a photo or two with Mr. Underwood) early next week.

It’s October, Ghoulies!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Last year I tried and failed to watch and review thirty-one horror films in thirty-one days in celebration of Halloween. This year I’m very happy to have an excuse to not do that this year. Why? Because I’m going to be busy having way too much fun. I have something planned for every weekend this month (in some cases, more than one event) and will have plenty of things to cover up to and including Halloween itself.

Here’s a brief rundown of some of the many things that I’ll be doing over the course of this month. I’m also including a few events that I won’t be able to make but want to include because they’ll be just as awesome as the things I will be able to attend.

This weekend I will be attending the Lake Charles Film Festival. The festivities kickoff on Friday evening at 5:30 at the Brimstone Museum in Sulphur, LA with a screening of Tarzan of the Apes, the first Tarzan film which happened to be shot on location in Morgan City, LA. The festival will then spread out over the Lake Charles and Sulphur areas with different films, panels, and music. Jay Underwood is the guest of honor this year. You’ll recognize him from The Boy Who Could Fly, Star Trek: Voyager, and the Not Quite Human television films. He was also in the Roger Corman Fantastic Four film which was never released. Doomed!, a documentary about the film and its demise, will be shown at the festival and Mr. Underwood will be available to give attendees firsthand knowledge of what went down with the film.

More information about the festival, including all of the scheduled films, panels, and other events and their locations, is available at the festival homepage with additional information at the festival’s Facebook page. I’ll be there Friday night and all day on Saturday, so look for me if you happen to be in attendance! This is a free event, so come out if you are able!

Also happening this weekend is Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette, LA. I’ve attended this event in the past and have had a really good time. This year looks to be just as fun as previous years. Some of the guests include Kathy Najimy (Hocus Pocus, Sister Act), Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy), and Josh Herdman (the Harry Potter films). The event will also feature cosplayers, fan groups, panels, and lots of other activities. There’s a very slim chance that I might ride over there on Sunday, but I can’t say anything with confidence. If you are around the Lafayette area, be sure to attend this event! Go to their website for more information.

Next weekend (October 13, 14), I’ll be in beautiful Biloxi, MS for the Gulf Coast Fan Fest at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center. This event will be packed with panels, cosplayers, artists, film and television stars and more! I will be part of a The Walking Dead on Sunday afternoon, so please come and see me if you are at the convention. I will also be there on Saturday and hope to attend the kickoff party on Friday evening.

I’m most excited to meet the fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, as well as Seth Gilliam, Denise Crosby, and Joshua Mikel from The Walking Dead. Werewolf fans will definitely want to meet David Naughton of An American Werewolf In London, and there will be plenty of other celebrities from pop culture on hand as well. Get tickets and more information at their webpage. If you order your VIP pass or three weekend pass before midnight tonight, you’ll also get a free Yoda print by Derec Donovan that he and the voice of Yoda, Tom Kane, will sign for free at the convention.

Something else that is near and dear to my heart will be happening that weekend as well, but it will be in Beaumont, TX. Hurricane Pro will be taking over the Beaumont Civic Center once again with an event that I’m truly sad to be missing. The current and first ever Hurricane Pro women’s champion, Miranda Alize, will be defending her title in a fatal four way match against Shimmer, WWE, and Ring of Honor stars Britt Baker, Santana Garrett, and Rachael Ellering. I was there to witness Miranda win the belt the first time and it was a crazy match. I’m sure that this title defense will be just as awesome.

Other matches that have been announced include Rey Fury vs. Kody Lane vs. Billy Wayne III (with the devious Divinity) in a Triple Threat match, the Pump Patrol vs, Make Your Own Path and a mystery guest for the tag titles, Brysin Scott vs. P.J. Hawx, and heavyweight champion Jordan Jensen defending his belt against Andy Dalton.

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VIP passes are currently available and are twenty-five dollars each. They include a meet-and-greet and photo-ops with the wrestlers prior to the event. Individual seats are ten bucks each and a family four pack can be purchased for thirty dollars. Tickets and more information can be found at Hurricane Pro’s webpage. This is a family friendly event and I’ve taken my kids many times now. Hurrican Pro has become a monthly experience for myself and my kids, and I’m really going to miss it this month.

On Saturday, October 20th, I have quite the decision to make. The Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA will be hosting ArtsFest at the Lake Charles Civic Center and I might end up going to the Texas Renaissance Festival. I haven’t decided yet as to which event I will be going to, but I will be attending one of them on this weekend. ArtsFest has always been a fun local event to attend, with the theme changing year to year. This year the theme is “Outer Space” and will feature mediums such as pottery, painting, drawing, and craftwork. This is a free event for the children of Lake Charles, and I hope to bring my kids there on Saturday.

If the kids decide that they don’t want to attend ArtsFest, I’ll be heading to the Texas Renaissance Festival for their Pirate Weekend! This is my favorite festival and I love to go each year. Unfortunately I missed last year’s festivities, but I’ll definitely make it on at least one weekend this year. The sights, sounds, and smells of this event keep me coming back. If and when I do return to TRF, I’ll be sure to give a full report.

My final planned event to attend will take place on Saturday, October 27th, near the Arnaudville, LA area. Atelier de la Nature will be hosting the family friendly Halloween Art & Nature Festival and it will have all sorts of wonderful Halloween themed events and crafts. The festival will feature local artists, live music, crafts, trick or treating, a haunted hayride, zombie gardening, and lots of other activities. I’ve never been to this event before and I’m not sure if this is the first year. In any case, I’ll have a full report here on my blog after I attend.

I also hope to attend the Living History Cemetery Tour on Friday, October 26th. This event will feature actors in period specific clothing telling the stories of important people in the history of the Lake Charles and southwest Louisiana. My plans for this event are up in the air right now, as my job may prevent me from checking this out, but I do hope that any local friends and readers will check this event out if they are able.

As always, thanks for reading. I have a very busy month ahead with full weekends and traveling for my real job. I’ll keep you all updated on any and everything that I attend or will be attending.

Throwback Thursday: The Goonies (1985)

They Are Good Enough

1985 will go down in history as one of my favorite years. The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) was test marketed in the United States, eventually leading to a countrywide roll out early in 1986. Artists such as Duran Duran, Madonna, The Cure, and Bruce Springsteen had huge hits on pop radio. Transformers and G.I. Joe dominated my toy box. Some of my all time favorite films were released as well. A few of them that were released in 1985 were Back To The Future, Ladyhawke, Enemy Mine, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, and Fright Night.

There was also a little film called The Goonies that was released just a few days before my birthday. With names like Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, and Richard Donner tied to it, you pretty much knew that it was probably going to be a great film. In hindsight, the film’s screenwriter, a guy by the name of Chris Columbus, was also a pretty important part of the puzzle, as he was fresh off of writing Gremlins (1984) and would go on to direct some of the most popular films in history including Home Alone, the first two Harry Potter films, and Mrs. Doubtfire.

The film centered on a small group of kids who set out to find a legendary pirate’s treasure, hoping to save their families’ homes from foreclosure. If the families fail to make payments, the group of kids would be split up as they would all have to move away from the “Goon Docks” of Astoria, Oregon.

The group bites off more than they can chew as they find themselves being chased by a family of outlaws known as the Fratellis. The criminals hope to cash in on the pirate treasure as well, and will stop at nothing to get their hands on the prize. The kids risk their lives as they take on multiple booby traps set by One-Eyed Willy, the pirate that hid the treasure along the Oregon coast, and try to stay away from the Fratellis as well.

The film featured a stellar young cast, most of whom would go on to bigger and better things. This was the feature film debut for the movie’s star, Sean Astin, who played Mikey Walsh, the unofficial leader and lone optimist of the Goonies. Astin would go on to have a long and steady career that is still going strong. He has had starring and supporting roles in films like Rudy (1993), Toy Soldiers (1991), The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), and Memphis Belle (1990) and television roles in shows such as Stranger Things (2017) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012-2017). Josh Brolin portrayed Mikey’s older brother, Brandon. Like Astin, Brolin has had a solid career that continues to this day. Some of his work includes roles in The Young Riders (1989-1992), W. (2008), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Jonah Hex (2010).

Corey Feldman was already a veteran of television and film, having had roles in Gremlins, Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), and multiple appearances in commercials and supporting roles on television including episodes of Cheers and Mork & Mindy. His star would continue to shine in films such as Stand By Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), and a number of highly successful films with Corey Haim including Dream A Little Dream (1989). Feldman’s career would quickly spiral out of control due to alleged sexual abuse he suffered as a child actor and drug abuse. Feldman eventually cleaned up and has managed to gain a number of roles in film and television (including a reality series with Haim) and has written a memoir and also released multiple albums. Feldman also became an extremely vocal advocate for child actors.

Martha Plimpton, who played Stef, started her career as a model prior to appearing in The Goonies and went on to have a very steady and successful career in film in television. She has had multiple film roles over the years including work in Parenthood (1989), Running On Empty (1988), and I Shot Andy Warhol (1996). She has also starred in television shows such as Raising Hope (2010-2014) and The Real O’Neals (2016-2017).

Jonathan Ke Quan was fresh from his role as Short Round in 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when he took on the role of Data in The Goonies. He would go on to star in final season of the television series Head of the Class (1991) and had a few more roles in both film and television. Quan would also find work as a stunt rigger and coordinator.

Kerri Green (Andy) starred in the hit film Lucas (1986) just one year removed from The Goonies but would not star in another hit film. She had a few more starring roles and minor roles in film and television, but would eventually take a break from acting in order to attend college. She now appears occasionally on screen in small roles and has a production company.

The man who gave us the Truffle Shuffle, Jeff Cohen (Chunk), had just a few roles outside of The Goonies. He had roles on Family Ties, She’s The Sheriff, Amazing Stories, and a few others, but would turn his attention to college and eventually become a respected entertainment lawyer. He eventually opened his own firm in Beverly Hills.

I could go on about this film and how much I love it, but I would rather you go out and watch it for yourself. The film was very successful and has become a favorite among folks around my age. From Sloth’s signature “Hey, you guys!” to Data talking about his “slick shoes,” The Goonies is one of those films that stuck with pretty much everyone from my generation.

Honestly, who didn’t love this film growing up in the 1980’s? Who didn’t have a crush on Kerri Green or Josh Brolin? Myself, I had quite the crush on Martha Plimpton. Still do. I wanted to go on adventures like these kids and find pirate treasure. The Goonies was the perfect film for 1985, and it’s still perfect today.

Thanks for reading. If you loved this film, let me know in the comments. Also, feel free to share this post with anybody that you know who loved this film as well.

Paranoia? Faith? Witches?

New England, the 1630’s

Horror films come in all shapes and sizes. You have your standard slasher films, haunted house flicks, monster movies, and suspense thrillers. You also have those trendy found footage films, Japanese ghost stories and comedy horror as well. Religion is often at the center of many horror films, and 2015’s The Witch uses religion to give us a not-so-traditional tale that’s more thought provoking than thrilling.

Based on the stories and folktales that he grew up with, writer and director Robert Eggers’ film introduces us to a family that is banished from their Puritan community after the patriarch, William, refuses to change his stance on the New Testament of the Bible. The devout family heads out on their own and settles in a large clearing deep in the woods.

Minor Spoilers Ahead

Katherine, the family’s matriarch, gives birth to Samuel at their new home. Not long after that, he is apparently stolen by a witch that lives in the forest while being cared for by his sister, Thomasin, the eldest child in the family. Katherine turns to God, praying for the safe return of her infant son. William believes that a wolf carried the child away. The oldest son, Caleb, begins to take notice of his older sister and while he makes no advances on her, it’s very obvious that he is at the age where young boys start becoming attracted to women (this comes into play later in the film). The youngest living siblings, the twins called Mercy and Jonas, are seen throughout the film talking to Black Phillip, one of the family’s goats. They chase him and sing songs about him.

Soon enough, another tragedy strikes the family and paranoia begins to settle into the mind of Katherine. She becomes convinced that Thomasin is a witch and that she has written her name in the book of the Devil. William tries to defend Thomasin at first, but even he begins to question not only his daughter, but his faith as well. Thomasin blames the twins, claiming that they are in league with Black Phillip, whom she believes is a familiar of Satan.

More tragedy soon follows, and the family spirals out of control. Begging God for mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, the entire family becomes convinced that a witch is at work against them. Whether or not that is true, we never really know. Watch the film and decide for yourself if it’s a witch, bad luck, or mental breakdowns that break the family apart.

This film has no true jump at you scares in it. Other than a couple of grotesque images and a little gore, there’s not much that will make you queasy. The real horror in this film comes from the way the family breaks under the pressure of either their faith (or lack thereof), paranoia, isolation from other people, or actual witches. Eggers never shows us the man behind the curtain in this film, so we are left wondering about who actually does all of the damage to the family.

The film is extremely bleak. Almost all of the scenes feature very little light. After cruising the web for a bit, I learned that Eggers intentionally used natural light and candle light to add to the film’s dark tone. The music is minimal as well but works perfectly when it is utilized.

The only things that aren’t minimalized in the film are the performances of the cast. Ralph Ineson (Game of Thrones, the Harry Potter films) plays William. Katherine is portrayed by Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones). Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson play Caleb, Mercy, and Jonas, respectively. All of these actors do a brilliant job with their respective roles. Ineson shines while showing a father torn between the love of his family, his staunch faith, and trying to rationalize the tragedy around him. Dickie goes completely over the edge as Katherine. Scrimshaw does fine work as a young man who is beginning to have certain feelings and urges about women. The twins are brutally annoying but quickly transition into young children that are terrified of someone or something that’s destroying their family.

The brightest star in the film is Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin. In a film that lacks a lot of action and relies heavily on dialogue and emotion to get itself across, Taylor-Joy does a fine job of telegraphing her feelings of terror onto the viewer.

Some have called this film boring for its lack of traditional scares. Others have said that it’s a slow burner that never really takes off. I see it as a film that simply tells us a story about life in New England in the 1630’s where an isolated family succumbs to their own fears or possibly an actual witch. Again, Eggers never reveals what’s really going on with the family. On the surface (especially at the film’s conclusion), it looks like a witch really is tormenting these people, but there’s just enough hysteria thrown into the mix to leave the audience wondering.

As always, thanks for reading my post. Let me know in the comments if you’ve seen this film and if you enjoyed it (or were bored out of your brains). It’s certainly an unconventional horror film and it’s not for everyone. Still, I think that it deserves a look.

Lake Charles, LA

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Red Bank, NJ

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Biloxi, MS

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Forty Years Ago

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The Calm Before The Storm?

Mild Spoilers Ahead!

Summary

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Southwest Louisiana

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Something Fantastic!

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Busy, Busy, Busy!

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They Are Good Enough

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New England, the 1630’s

Minor Spoilers Ahead

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