Heart- "Heartless"

Horror movie favorites

It seems like I've been watching horror films forever. Obviously not literally forever but I have been on a steady diet of horror movies since I was a teenager. That's about forty years. I've never taken the time to write down my personal favorites in this movie genre...until now. Without further ado, my top twenty five horror movies, in no particular order:

• The Shining(1980)
• The Conjuring(2013)
• Insidious(2010)
• The Descent(2005)
• The Exorcist(1973)
• Friday The 13th(1980)
• The Haunting(1963)
• Pit And The Pendulum(1961)
• House Of Wax(1953)
• Horror Of Dracula(1958)
• The Curse Of Frankenstein(1957)
• The Howling(1981)
• Halloween(1978)
• Candyman(1992)
• The Evil Dead(1981)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974)
• The Entity(1982)
• Dog Soldiers(2002)
• Dawn Of The Dead(1978)
• Hellraiser(1987)
• A Nightmare On Elm Street(1984)
• The Omen(1976)
• Prophecy(1979)
• The Burning(1981)
• The Curse Of The Werewolf(1961)

Honorable mentions: The Fog(1980), Fright Night(1985), Day Of The Dead(1985), Hellbound-Hellraiser II(1988), Night Of The Living Dead(1968), The Babadook(2014) & Squirm(1976).

Getting schooled

Our federal government has spent millions of dollars on public schools over the years...and yet average test scores continue to decrease as does the percentage of students attending public schools who graduate. Maybe we could learn a thing(or two) from school systems in Japan!

Here's an article I came across that touches on the dysfunction in American high schools: High school in America-a complete disaster

An article about taxpayer funded federal dollars being wasted by schools across America: School funds wasted 

Hare today, gone tomorrow: NIGHT OF THE LEPUS(1972)

I was asked recently by a casual friend which "bad" movie I like the most. Good question. There are numerous low budget horror and sci-fi schlockers that I am still greatly fond of. One of my all time favorite sci-fi stinkers remains Allied Artists' Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster(1965). Another low budget film also comes to mind which I watch whenever it makes the rounds on Turner Classic Movies: NIGHT OF THE LEPUS(1972), directed by William Claxton.

In this movie an Arizona rancher(played by Rory Calhoun) suffering from a "mongrel" rabbit infestation on his land seeks out the help of a local college president(played by DeForrest Kelley). A scientist and professor from the local college(Stuart Whitman) decides to take care of the rancher's rabbit problem by using genetic modification, specifically hormonal injections to disrupt the breeding cycles of these critters. Predictably, one of the injected rabbits escapes and infects other rabbits. Result: a horde of ornery, buck toothed rabbits as big as cattle which attack anyone and anything that gets in their way. The movie concludes with a final showdown between the human cast, local Army National Guard and the marauding giant rabbits.

The special effects are often laughable but I like the sequences in which the giant rabbits stampede across the countryside, and through residences and businesses, like angry bulls. I'm sure most people wouldn't consider rabbits an ideal animal upon which to base a horror film but the giant critters in this movie are no joke and once on the march, they open up a serious can of whoop ass on their victims. There is little gore but a good bit of action violence, grisly deaths(mostly implied), plenty of bright colored fake blood and actors Rory Calhoun and Stuart Whitman blasting away at the giant rabbits with their shotguns and rifles.

A trailer:


This movie is available on DVD(-R) as an "on demand" DVD from Warner Brothers, the movie presented in a 1:77.1 widescreen aspect ratio. To see this "on demand" DVD for sale at Amazon click the link: NIGHT OF THE LEPUS Warner Archive on demand DVD-R

Tangled webs we weave: SILK(2015) - short horror film

As a horror movie fan I always get excited when I come across short horror films...and SILK, directed by Rob Himebaugh, is one of the best I've seen in a long, long time. If you're arachnophobic(have a genuine fear of spiders), then watch this fourteen(14) minute short horror movie at your own risk. Prepare to be creeped out!

Silk from Tristan Borys on Vimeo.

Mystery un-loched? New 'Loch Ness Monster' photo draws interest

New 'Loch Ness Monster' photo draws interest

Like the "Bigfoot" phenomenom I've always been on the proverbial fence as to whether a prehistoric, aquatic dinosaur exists in Loch Ness, a body of water in Scotland(UK) twenty three miles along and in some places eight hundred feet deep. Loch Ness, millions of years ago, was connected to the Atlantic Ocean so there are those who believe "plesiosaurs" or "elasmosaurs"(long necked marine dinos with oblate shaped bodies and flippers for water transit) may have been trapped in Loch Ness as the waters receded over time and consequently survived. Skeptics point out the obvious: there has been no hard evidence(carcasses for example of the dead creature or creatures). Sightings of the alleged creature have occurred for hundreds of years. Click the above link and check out the latest story about the Loch Ness "monster" for yourself or click on the below video.

Godzilla appointed Tokyo resident and tourism ambassador - CBS46 News

Godzilla appointed Tokyo resident and tourism ambassador - CBS46 News



It's about time Godzilla gained permanent residency in Tokyo, Japan!

A buzz in the air: THE SWARM(1978)

I admit to being a sucker for disaster movies and among those in my Blu Ray collection are: The Poseidon Adventure(1972) , The Towering Inferno(1974) and Earthquake(1974). I also own several disaster films on DVD including Gorath(1962)(a Toho produced film in which a celestial body is on a collision course with Earth), Crack In The World(1965) and When Worlds Collide(1951). 

One disaster film I watched last month is The Swarm, a 1978 film directed by Irwin Allen. It's gets a low rating at IMDB and at "Rotten Tomatoes" and while I think the movie itself takes itself a little too seriously at times I also find it quite entertaining. The Swarm is "nature gone amok" fare: in the movie "Africanized" bees are on the move and transit into the southwestern United States including Texas where the movie's primary action takes place. The bees are aggressive and attack anyone who disturbs them and also those who don't. The marauding bees in The Swarm have an unusually toxic sting which rivals the bite of a cobra so the body count from the bee attacks is of course very high.

While I wouldn't rate the special effects overall as grand they are suitable and the slow motion shots of the bees swarming and attacking their human victims is well rendered. The all star cast includes Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Bradford Dillman, Slim Pickens and Henry Fonda.

This is a long movie and the film itself drags a bit for me. Fans of action and disaster movies should check this film out on Netflix. It may be hit or miss as a DVD buy. I own the 2002 Warner Home Video DVD of The Swarm(1978)

A trailer:

To see the '02 Warner Home Video DVD on sale at Amazon click the link: THE SWARM DVD

Frankenstein Created Bikers - 35mm film project

Birthday musings

As I acknowledged my 53rd birthday yesterday(Saturday-March 20th) I began to think about all the things I can't do anymore now that I was able to do when I was a lot younger. I'm sure many people my age contemplate this and other things associated with aging as they enter their forties and fifties. I began to wonder to myself: when did I actually feel  like I was getting older? I don't think I'll ever be able to pin that down to a specific day, month or even year. I do think there are things all of us older folks can identify with as we get older. I have penned this "you know you're getting old"  list specifically for everyone like myself: you're not old but the candles on your birthday cake are now well over fifty in number.

                 You know you're getting old when:

• all the TV shows and cartoons you enjoyed as a kid are sold on DVD or DVD-R at Amazon and eBay as "collectibles"
• things you previously bought at pharmacies like batteries, sun tan lotion, portable radios and bug repellent have now been replaced by items such as aspirin, Bengay lotion, reading glasses, ibuprofen and knee braces
• teenagers start referring to you as an "old man" or "old woman"
• the artificial teeth inside your mouth outnumber your natural teeth
• you have a collection of hair pieces and/or wigs in your closet
• the insomnia you experience now results primarily from more numerous overnight hours trips to the commode
• the medium width shoes you used to be able to wear no longer fit and you now can only wear wide widths
• co workers and others you work around begin telling you to "take it easy, don't hurt yourself" more often
• you continue to wear bell bottom pants in public and listen to music on your Sony Walk Man portable audio device
• you think disco never really died
• trips to the eye doctor to have your eyes checked no longer occur every three to four years but now occur annually
• when a younger person says the word "evangelion" you think it refers to one of the following: a plant, a weed or a book in the bible
• you still watch a 13" black and white tube television in the living room of your residence
• "TV Land" is your favorite cable channel
• you spend more time sleeping in your recliner than you do your bed
• you refer to all convenience stores as "Seven Elevens"
• you still have your collection of Wacky Packages trading cards
• you still listen to your reel to reel and 8 track players you haven't bought your first DVD yet
• the hair brush or comb you used to use frequently in front of the bathroom mirror now sits on the sink unused and gathering dust 
• you visit an antique shop, look around at the store's merchandise and realize it was all things you used on a regular basis in your teen years and twenty something years
•  your body makes a cracking noise whenever you turn your neck left or right, get up out of a chair or when getting out of bed
•  previous visits to the doctor that consisted of nothing more physically invasive than a tongue depressor inside your mouth now have been replaced by tubes stuck down your throat or up your rectum
•  friends and relatives begin asking you if you've started using Rogaine yet
•  the medicine cabinet in your bathroom is so packed with over the counter medicinals and other products that every time you open it most of the contents of the cabinet spill out into your bathroom sink
•  you feel compelled to check out prices for wigs or toupees at Amazon and other online merchandise vendors
•  trips to the doctor no longer conclude with free lollipops or candy but instead now with complimentary packs of Advil, Aleve or Imodium
• you have your personal physician on speed dial with your home phone and cell phone
•  you laminate your AARP card out of fear it'll wear out from all the times you take it out and put it back in your purse or wallet
•  you begin being offered senior citizen discounts at fast food restaurants before the age of 60
•  you avoid eating peanut brittle, corn on the cob and other chewy, tough foods out of fear your dentures will break or get yanked out of your mouth during chewing
•  you always park your vehicle as close as possible to any retail store because even a medium length walk inside the store from your car or truck can leave you out of breath
•  your weekly expense for the purchase of Efferdent and or denture cleaning and adhesive products exceeds the amount of money you spend weekly on gas for your vehicle
• while cleaning out your attic and/or basement you come across what you initially believe to be children's clothing only to realize a short while later that they are in fact clothes you previously wore four or five years ago
•  an exciting evening for you now is managing to stay awake long enough to watch your favorite TV shows or a single movie on television
• you still don't know the difference between AA and AAA batteries
• you think the word "blog" is a type of farmer produced slop used as pig or hog feed
• you continue to try and access the internet using your Commodore 64 computer
• you frequently sleep overnight in your recliner or on your living room sofa because the pain in your knees prohibits you from walking to your bedroom
• you think YouTube is the biggest tech advancement in history since the invention of the television
• your entire CD collection is comprised of releases with "Golden Oldies" as part or all of the CD titles
• you still own a Betamax player and have a note attached to it threatening bodily harm to anyone who tries hocking it at a pawn shop or selling it at a yard sale
• the part in your hair is now several inches wide
• you feel compelled to tell friends and family members you're planning plastic surgery in the near future despite the fact you're not planning on having any work done
• friends and family members tell you "you really do look okay with those glasses on" with more regularity
• you feel compelled to hide your actual age when registering for the first time at internet message boards
• the movements of your own body make more creaking noises than the house you live in
• you expect to see a barber pole outside every hair salon you patronize
•  you describe a movie you watched on TV recently to a friend as black and white and your friend tells you the film was actually in color
• while watching a film on TV in its widescreen aspect ratio, you assume the black areas above and below the movie are a result of your television malfunctioning and you consequently haul your TV to an electronics repair shop
•  you make bank deposits into your bank account with pennies
• your first car which you used in high school and college now sits in your front yard and neighbors passing by it draw animal faces in the dust on its windshield and windows
•  friends and family tell you to stop squinting when you aren't, squinting that is  
• you still believe that buying U.S. savings bonds is a good investment  
• you continue to hoard money under your bedroom mattress
• movie studios constantly contact you wanting to use your furniture for period films they are producing  
• you receive a steady stream of promo materials in the mail from convalescent homes and other senior assisted living facilities as well as free samples of Aleve and other OTC painkillers
•  you develop a sudden interest in shuffleboard and checkers
•  you refuse to have the outhouse in your back yard demolished because you believe it will significantly reduce your monthly water bill
• you begin storing your Aleve and aspirin in spare Tic Tac(breath mint)containers to conceal the fact you're popping these painkillers all the time
•  the most common way you get inebriated these days is after you've worn your whiskey or vodka soaked dentures for more than two hours
•  those grays hairs on your head are now white
•  you think the term "hashtag" refers to a bladder or gastro-intestinal disorder