Movie View: GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY and the PRISON OF BELIEF

GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY and the PRISON OF BELIEF.

Thank you HBO for broadcasting this film. I hope millions upon millions see it the world over to spread the lunacy, the idiocy, the slave labor, and all the cultish details that make up Scientology.

After you watch this documentary it's more like the prison of dis-belief.

GOING CLEAR doesn’t break a lot of new ground but it does pull a lot of information, from the beginning of it all to 2014, together in 2 hours. The point isn’t so much about new information, but about spreading the evil and misinformation that is Scientology. It’s all about control, ‘cuz they shore don’t care about their people (see the movie).

What does Scientology do exactly? When you see long time Scientologists, John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and others describe it, you come away with… what? “I feel better after an audit” (see the movie). You have to pay for the audit, and the prices get higher as with even longer audit sessions, with an “e-meter” no less ( see photo above). It’s no wonder that Travolta and Cruise can’t leave, they have so much personal information on them if they ever left, Scientology would ruin their reputations. Not excusing them, but it’s their life in these idiots hands now. Of course, they gave up all this information in decades of… “audits” that are written down and sealed away somewhere.

Why do you think Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, “escaped” from LA and showed up in New York with only herself and the kids in a big secretive move? See… you don’t get to “leave Scientology” baby. Well, SHE DID! Boo ya Katie!

The most telling moment in the film was when one of the interviewees said something like, "Ask a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim to explain the core tenants of their religion, and they can do it in under a minute. It takes 7-8 years to find out the core tenants of Scientology." Yes, because if you discovered that alien beings, called Theton's, were the end result of your tutelage you would have never entered into this crazy-ass mess. By the time people have devoted themselves to this they're so brainwashed that when they discover what's going on it's too late. They've already drunk the Kool-Aid (sorry Kool-Aid) and they're done. Hook, line, and sinker.

I’ve been following the cult activities of Scientology for at least thirty years now. I’ve had friends interviewed in malls… ever see these people with clipboards in the malls in the eighties? Those were usually Scientologists trying to get you to do a survey that eventually led to a session, in a back room, and even a free book of L. Ron Hubbard’s “Dianetics.” I had a friend who did this once. He told me that the “session” went on for at least an hour and he poured all this heartfelt emotion out to the point he even cried – to total strangers! How did they do that? Exactly. His father has passed not that long ago and he was an open book, and they found the buttons to push. They gave him a number and an address that he could visit in Atlanta if he wanted more help.

A best friend’s cousin from New Jersey, young guy out of college, gave up everything he had, sold his house, cash, etc. to live at the Scientologists campus (prison) in Clearwater. His family weren’t allowed to see him. Last I heard they had seen him twice in twenty years. They had to go to Clearwater to find him. Scientology said it was his choice. Right. By this point he was brainwashed just like all the others.

GOING CLEAR is a movie everyone should see, especially young people. These days it’s not as easy to pull the wool over one’s eyes with the advent of so much information at our fingertips. The film does offer up more in-depth details as some of Scientology’s once highest members have left and are now spilling the beans, admitting now that they’re embarrassed, and even ashamed, that they could have been so clueless. Brainwashed they were, but their involvement shed a lot more inner workings of Scientology, and made this film just that much more… clear.

Whether it’s Scientology, or some other outfit, GOING CLEAR is a good example to not be sucked in by these smiling cult figures. Everyone needs help sometime, but kids this ain’t it.



Oh, and my interviewed buddy? Would you believe they gave him “the” book when they were done?

Had that exploding volcano image on the cover. Spewing poison.

I Remember Being King

 

THE KINGS OF SUMMER is one of those joys you sometimes run across in film that reminds you of the passion of your own young summers. The video I've posted is not a trailer but a scene from the film that is one of my favorite moments. The exuberance of being young is what this scene is all about: letting it all hang out. Something we all remember and should never forget. 

Like STAND BY ME, and others like it, we follow a group of young men who are trying to find themselves and discover some independence in the world. These fellows, each for reasons of their own, find a place in the forest, build their "fort" from scavenging construction sites, and then begin a journey of living together off the fat of the land.Sort of.

There's also the fact that their parents are looking for them. Whoa boy.

If you watch THE KINGS OF SUMMER then this scene will mean much more as you discover the personality of these characters, especially the "dancer" Belagio. Hilarious odd young man who really makes this story. A wonderful, delightful story and a nice surprise.

High Tech, Low Life - A Review

"I used to be a nobody. Until I discovered the internet." - Zola

"We can't let news be one-sided." - Tiger Temple

For a US citizen, such as myself, I found this film incredibly insightful about the Chinese way of life, and often the brain washing they endure in their day-to-day life.

If you don't know it's brain washing then how do you know to wake up?

We often hear about how the Chinese government keeps their people down and this film gives you an idea how and what they do. 

I personally had to block all of China from accessing my bookstore sites because of the hacking problems we were experiencing. If the Chinese can hack my site, the young people in China are certainly going to find a way through and out of their own internet constrictions put on by the government. 

Facebook is not available to the Chinese. Lord knows there would be an uprising if the people could talk amongst themselves. It's a world I can't imagine living in.

This film is about 2 bloggers, Tiger Temple who is in his 50's, and Zola who is in his 20's, and it's enlightening to see what power they can wield with their blog and even their twitter accounts - from their phones. There are a lot of scenes that are obviously done undercover, especially the scene where they took Tiger Temple away in the middle of the night and kept him away from his home for ten days. Disturbing but these bloggers are making a difference and getting the word out. Zola reported that over a half million sites were blocked from China one year. China boasts over 40,000 internet police alone.

I hate to tell 'em... but that's not enough.


Actually I'm surprised the film was made given what the bloggers have to go through. A lot of intimidation is used, but no real violence is initiated from what they showed us. Is it possible that the Chinese government knows they can't truly control the information? That if they did indeed begin to take action that it would be condemned world wide?

I think they are intimidated by this. 

With the internet so many people can have a voice. Now with the current phone technology you practically don't need a computer (although my big fingers certainly aren't good in the texting department).

An amazing film by Stephen Maing and his crew. I applaud them for what they've accomplished here by getting the word, and pictures, out to us.

We're all lemmings to some degree, but as US Citizens we have a whole lot more opportunities to make a difference in our way of life within the confines of our country. We truly do have a lot of choices. A lot to be thankful for.

There are so many in China, it's not easy to live, much less have an individual voice.

Zola and Tiger Temple have found ways to keep reporting on what they see in their country. To help the common people who don't have a voice, and bring change to areas and individuals that are in dire need.

This film reminds me of how fortunate I am, we are, to have so many freedoms. I know I take them for granted. How can I not? It's been my whole way of life. 

Seeing HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE, truly opens my eyes once again to appreciate this.

Now where's my cat?

Dave

Movie Madness Part 4

Ah... so many movies, so little time. These days there is so much available for us to watch it's impossible to keep up with it all. However I'm going to keep the Movie Madness going by giving you a few more of what I think are worth watching.

If you'd like to share some good flicks you've seen recently, by all means let us know here, I'd love to read about it. This post is a bit diverse with documentaries, action, and comedy. Grab a coke and a smile and read on. YO! Dave Hinchberger



THE LAST LOVECRAFT: RELIC OF CTHULHU

This movie is great fun, adventurous, comedic, nerdy, and if you're an H.P. Lovecraft / Cthulhu fan then it's a shoo-in that you'll get a kick out of this. I'm not a big Cthulhu fan, (I do enjoy horror though) however the writers and filmmakers of this film made this a lot of fun to watch whether you are or not. Between the acting and the good makeup job, and of course the writing, it was time well spent. WATCH THIS!

See The Last Lovecraft Trailer Here





GEORGE STEVENS: A FILMMAKER'S JOURNEY

The director of one of my favorite films , GIANT, still resounds with me today. This documentary narrated by his son George Stevens, Jr. features clips and interviews from so many stars and luminaries in the movie business that want to talk about Stevens, especially Katherine Hepbern, that you're thoroughly entertained and informed.

He began taking pictures at the age of 10 with a box brownie camera his mother gave him and at 17 began working with the Hal Roach Studios. Because of this camera man at Hal Roach a little known Englishman was given a chance to be one of the most famous duo's in comedy history. Stan Laurel, yes, of Laurel and Hardy, had very pale blue eyes and they didn't show up on film! George Stevens went to Chicago to get some special film that was able to take care of this problem, thus Laurel's career was saved. And we were given some of the best slapstick comedy of all time.

He joined the war effort and filmed some of the only known color footage of WWII that is shown here for the first time. This footage is truly an amazing piece of history showing what we've seen in films, but here it is in real life.. and death. He even filmed bodies at Dachau. An amazing feat in a horrible situation on many levels. Hopefully this footage is available to history museums.
What must it be like to go back to filming "fiction" after seeing the horrors of war. His first film after the ware he decided to visit his youth in San Francisco with "I Remember Mama" with Irene Dunne.

Besides bringing wonderful films like GIANT, A PLACE IN THE SUN, and SHANE, he gave us THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. For this film he actually visited with Otto Frank at the room at the top of the stairs where these people stayed for two years in hiding from the Nazi's. He wanted to get at the heart of the story, and walking in that room helped him feel what it must have been like, to bring that essence, into the room.

George Stevens was, is, a man that brought the human face and emotion to film. His way was one of many thought provoking moments that he brought forward in each film. Many scenes that are emblazoned in our minds and cinematic history. They certainly are in mine. I would dare say that directors today like Steven Spielberg, and especially Frank Darabont, are in the same vein of Stevens story and emotional style.

Look, I gotta go, I just added the rest of Steven's films to my Netflix que and I'm gonna be busy for awhile. Y'all keep on keepin' on and let me know if you've seen something good recently. I'm always looking for the good stuff :-)


FORGIVING MENGELE

This documentary is focused on Eva (last name please) who, as a child, along with her twin, was part of the Dr. Mengele experiments that he performed on twins. Eva, who came to live in the United States, began giving talks to schools and organizations here and around the world discussing the horror and tragedy of her experience. One day someone put the question to her: "have you ever thought of forgiving Dr. Mengele ?" And ya know what? She did. Not just the doctor, but all Nazi's in general. This caused major discussions and controversial discussions as obviously a lot of survivors cannot come to this level of forgiveness, especially when there has been no apology, nor will there ever be since most have passed. Eva is an extraordinary person, and her education of the Holocaust is important and necessary. She created C.A.N.D.L.E.S, a Holocaust museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, even though naysayers didn't think people would come, the first year had over 15,000 visitors! Even after a hate act burned down the center( in the honor of Timothy McVeigh - idiots), they rebuilt it.

This documentary isn't graphic, but it's interesting to see the emotional response from children Eva speaks to in school presentations. Eva makes it real for them, and for anyone watching this documentary.

I've seen a lot of documentaries on WWII and especially the Nazi camps, however this one was different. It's about a woman who doesn't take the world for granted, and shows how you can survive and make others understand. Watching these films, at least for me, I have to be in the right mood to focus and understand. It's not always my first choice to watch stories about the devastation of another person, but I do like to know about the human condition. How people can do this to another person, and how these people survive. I think it's good for everyone to know and be informed. It's the investigative part of me that "wants to know." In this case, this Pandora's Box is a tragedy that I can learn from, and try to understand. In the end how can anyone understand how this cruelty and murder came to be.

The world is an ignorant place and with films about the history of mankind I hope that we can all learn and become aware of how to make this a better world. Even if it's just with our neighbors. Yep, my glass is half full people. Always will be.



FAST FIVE

Great action, didn't want to leave the room, so visit the facilities before you sit down to watch this. Pop some corn, with butter, and maybe even grab a candy bar or two. 'nuff said :-).





MARGIN CALL

When young analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) uncovers information that could destroy the firm, he brings it to their attention. When upper management is alerted to the precarious position of their risky investments, an emergency meeting is held to decide if they should alert clients or abscond with the profits.

The idea here is "greed is good" no matter what you have to do even when you've screwed the numbers up.. . Who knew you could take a marginal idea, (yes, pun intended people), and turn it into a thriller?
Character's you like and mostly despise, and it moves well.

Ehhh, What's up Doc?

"I have adult thoughts in my head - experiences - but I'm never gonna talk about them. Why is my needle stuck in childhood? I dunno. I guess that's where my heart is."
-- Maurice Sendak, Author of Where the Wild Things Are and 100 more children's books.

Documentaries - love 'em. My poor darling wife, after watching a doc or two I'll begin to tell her about the current one I've just seen. "You and your documentaries" she says, and just chuckles. She doesn't mind them, just that I like to watch a lot of them. Of course I have to tell her about 'em. Of course. Okay honey, now today I saw...

TELL THEM ANYTHING YOU WANT: A PORTRAIT OF MAURICE SENDAK

Which brings me to to a recent viewing of "Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak" by Lance Bangs and Spike Jonez. Maurice Sendak, author of many, many books, is probably most know for his award-winning and delightful romp "Where the Wild Things Are." My mother gave this to me when I was a wee boy, and on the 25th Anniversary of the book, I gave her a copy in return, to say thank you for giving me a great start in books (just the reading part, who knew I would go on to open a bookstore and publish?). Sendak has received a lot of attention recently with the Spike Jonez helmed film of the book. The film is actually pretty good, and especially considering how do you make a film out of that "little" story book? Watch it and see.

Bangs and Jonez (yes, "Wild" director), was able to bring us some insight to the usually very private Sendak, thus the very appropriate title. The history of the stories and how he applied them to his work was intriguing. He is quite the artist in many respects, and you get to see a lot of his work in paintings, drawings, and of course the books. I was visiting the Stephen King office one day in 2003 and I remember seeing this doll dressed in red up on the shelf, close to the electric chair Frank Darabont had made for Steve during the filming of his novel "The Green Mile." I asked his assistant about the doll and she said that "Maurice Sendak made that up just for Steve as a gift." Gift from the artistically gifted. A Renaissance man? Pretty damn close I would say. If you like his work, then you'll thoroughly enjoy the film like I did. Funny, insightful, sad, and illuminating. Watch This!

WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)

Wow! I only use this words on reviews where I have immensely enjoyed the work. Director John Scheinfeld did his homework on this amazing songwriter and singer. At almost 2 hours long it moved along at a good pace. Nilsson, who may be best known by the masses for singing this Grammy award winning song, "Everybody's Talkin,'" (from the film Midnight Cowboy), wrote many hits, and sang with a unique voice. My wife wasn't sure who he was, until she started hearing one song right after the other going "I know this one. Yep, I know that one too." Which leads me to believe that, although Mr. music man here (that would be me) knows Harry's work well, the title to this film apparently hits the mark. Most people know the songs, but the man? Well this film will tell you the whole story, from friends, producers, family, and so on. Including Ringo Starr, John Lennon, producer Richard Perry, Mickey Dolenz, Eric Idle, and too many to name here. It's insightful, entertaining, and heart felt. I learned quite a bit, and I knew most of the songs, and discovered even more about the man and his music. My highest recommendation for you music lovers out there to put this on your Watch This! list. I guarantee you'll be buying a greatest hits CD afterword.


CROPSEY

Directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio explore an urban legend that always disturbed them while growing up in Staten Island, N.Y. -- a rash of child abductions that struck the area in the 1970s and 80s -- in their gripping documentary. A handyman and drifter named "Cropsey" abducted numerous young kids, setting off myriad motive theories, frightening residents in the community and tripping up the legal system. If this is their first film, then they've done a bang up job. Staten Island's bridge was up and running in the mid 60's and that's when the population started to move in. Before that though, there was one of the largest mental institutions in the US there, and that story, along with "Cropsey," made this a gripping watch to the very end. WATCH THIS!


THE COVE

Daring animal activists arrive with surveillance equipment at a scenic cove in Taijii, Japan, to capture footage of a secretive and heavily guarded operation run by the world's largest supplier of dolphins. Yes I repeat, the world's largest supplier of "dolphins!"As the group sets out to expose the horrifying truths behind the capture of dolphins for the lucrative tourist industry, they also uncover an environmental catastrophe. Louie Psihoyos directs this riveting, Oscar-winning documentary. And you'll be amazed and horrified at what you see here. WATCH THIS!

WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT

GOLGOTHAM: Nancy Collins, author of the Sonya Blue and the VAMP novels (and many, many more), has a new website up - GolGotham- and I suggest you pop on over and take a look. It's gorgeous and informative.
Nancy Collins Golgotham is now online - See It Here!

BOOK: A UNIQUE DEVICE - Check out this explanation of this new device called.. BOOK.. it will change your life

Movie Madness Part 2: Views & Reviews

REPO MEN: Unrated Version: Starring Jude Law, Forrest Whitaker and Liev Shrieber. Alright, they brought us star power. They gave us some nice CGI, and plenty of action. Ah and it's set in the near future, I'm a sucker for science fiction, especially if it's mixed with a horror bent, like "Repo Men." Two long time friends, and old war buddies, end up in the job of taking back organs that once saved your life, but now you can't afford the payments on that organ replacement anymore. At $600,000 a pop for some of these, who could?

But what happens if the tables are turned on one of the Repo Men? And he starts sympathizing with the repo-ees (?) because now he's one himself? And his gung-ho partner, who's always enjoyed his "job," is now out to take care of him? Does this story line sound familiar?

I remember a little ditty by William Nolan and George Clayton Johnson in the 70's called "Logan's Run." Anyone remember that one? Sure ya do. When you turn 30 in this future world, your time is up, and you have the chance to win a lottery of sorts to be reborn. Problem is, some people, "Runners," would rather run than take their chances with the lottery. Now a "Sandman" hunts you down to take your life. In this case Logan, a Sandman, is also friends with another Sandman. They've been through thick and thin together, but what if one of these Sandmen have now become a runner? Eh Logan? And your buddy, the other Sandman, starts to hunt you down. It's his job ya know. Dammit. Ain't life a bitch?

Okay, so the scenarios are very similar to say the least, I do realize there are very few original stories out there. Repo Men, although it had the right elements, didn't really pull it off. And that's what I expect. Give me something that has some meat in the story. Something I can grab on to and sink my mental teeth into. Entice me. This one just didn't cut it. Sorry, but the ride for this flick was just "so-so." Watch it if you will, again it's not a bad movie, just not much there I haven't seen before. It needed more story. I should have cared more about these characters "on the run.".

Onto another film mah friends. I was looking around to find out more about an odd flick (weird would be too simple a term for this cinematic entity) I saw recently, BAD BIOLOGY, and the people behind it. I found my answer at BestHorrorMovies.com , with a very apt and studious review by James Lasome. I couldn't have written it better myself. As to the film itself, I couldn't help but think when I began this movie I thought I had entered "Edward Lee Filmland" ala The Bighead, etc. It's that kinda horror-freaky-weird. Although I found the movie to be fairly basic, the lead, played by Charlee Danielson, did a good job. This is not a role just anyone can play. Or that anyone would play. I'll definitely give her credit for that. I'm sure some editing had to cut out break out laughter from her at times during filming. With that said, this is only for the horror fans with the freak at heart. Not for the overly sensitive or squeamish. And ONLY for mature audiences. I am not recommending this for everyone. Check out Lasome's review here, his review hits the mark.
BAD BIOLOGY FILM REVIEW


And check out the Best Horror Movies web site. These fans are dedicated to the genre and have plenty of reviews and discussions. I learned quite a bit in the short time I was there. One more bookmark for Dave.

Best Horror Movies.com

Sun Ain't Gonna Shine: The Walking Dead - Premiere Trailer

As some of you might know, Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead" was filmed primarily here in the Atlanta area over the summer. The series is helmed by writer and director Frank Darabont, and produced by Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator, Abyss). I spent one day on the set down by Grant Park as they filmed in and around a house. I should say one "hot" day as it was a record setting day for heat that day! The AMC crew tried to make us all as comfortable as possible. Who knew it was going to be the hottest July on record! Anyway.... just imagine the zombie actors caked in makeup when they made this bad boy. Whew!

The premiere trailer is now up and it's very enticing. I've just read that it has now been picked up for a second season. Talk about some major support from AMC two months before it even airs! Now that's what I call faith people.

You'll notice that they've inserted The Walker Brother's 1965 hit "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" which is just hilarious.. it fits. Kudos to whoever added this, it gives the trailer a little brevity in all the death muck that comes with this zombie tale.

Check it out... let me know what 'cha think. Dave

You Blow Me Awaaaayyyy!

Always enjoyed the Monty Python troupe. In high school I saw The Holy Grail and it was all downhill from there ;-). Actually that was just the beginning for me. As a music nut I discovered they had some comedy albums, and I snatched those up from my local used record store as fast as I could earn the pennies to buy them. Oh, and can you believe my son asked me why I called a song a "record" on the radio the other day? Man.. times have changed... I did say, well it's still a record-ing, but yes I bring my past with me, part of the Dave package :-).

Excuse me, I digress... Python's song "Sit on My Face and Tell Me That You Love Me" is one of my all time teenage favorites (see how I try and throw that back to my "teenage" years... hoping that my peeps will think I am more mature these days. Hey! I heard that back in the peanut gallery!). Along with the skits like Dead Parrot, Cheese Shop, and the Bookstore that was a front for secret agents, all the shows, and the fil-ems. And of course I've followed most of their solo careers as well. Thanks to Kelly and Matt, they took us to see Spam-O-Lot last year - what a riot! I wondered how they could pull this off on stage. But Eric Idle (and I believe Neil Innes?) wrote some great new songs for this show. They revisited The Holy Grail, and gave us new and entertaining bits as well. Heh, heh, I said "bits."

I bring up the Python's because I finally got a chance to see their wonderful 2009 documentary, "Monty Python: Almost the Truth." It's six episodes, running about 5 hours in length, that take you down memory lane and then some. With the back story of so much of this troupe's career, and the where and why of so much that was just happenstance creation (hey, really, isn't most of it all just happenstance?). It really was great fun with to visit with them in new interviews with the Python's (except for Graham Chapman of course, who passed away) along with many guests and regulars from the show who share their often hilarious moments.

I did learn in this show that Terry Jones, one of the Python's, actually "saved" all the episodes we see today. The BBC, instead of keeping a lot of the shows they taped, they would save the 90 pounds per tape and "re-use" them! What you say?! You read that right. There is a lot of material that was not saved, especially from the 60's, that is not available because they "taped over" these original shows. Terry Jones told them he would buy each tape from them to keep the shows history. Ironically, it was the BBC who came to him years later and asked if they could borrow the tapes to play the shows! If you remember in our country, it was actor/creator Jackie Gleason who had his shows taped for future presentations. Of course at the time the studios couldn't foresee these would be seen again. And that was in the 50's. So thank you Terry Jones, and Jackie Glesason, for insuring that we all got to see your shows, again, and again, and again.

So a big WATCH THIS goes out to Monty Python: Almost the Truth. It's perfect for us fans, and if you've never seen the Python's, this is a good introduction to this kooky, wacky troupe.

Science Fiction: Text or Celluloid?

I have to tell ya, I love science fiction on the tube, the big screen, I'll take it wherever I can get it. Ironically, I'm not a big fan of Science Fiction in text form. If there's a story in there, then okay, I can read it. Too technical and I don't want to keep up. I know this is why horror fiction always pulled me in. It was the story of what the characters had to go through, to make it, to LIVE! Sure, it's fiction, and sure, it's a story that you most likely would never let yourself get into (unless you joined the local sacrificial cult, then yer askin' for it bubba), but you can probably relate to most situations in a horror tale. Science fiction, again there are the exceptions, never really pulled me in like horror has.

This brings me to Invasion: Earth, a six episode BBC series from 1998. Yes, that's right, I've just seen it 12 years later (thank you NetFlix!). This one does have a story, and I began to get involved with the characters, I was hooked. So this is where it gets interesting, the aliens are infiltrating (I won't tell you how or why) our system, our world as it were. And of course they're coming to take over the UK first! Better call up Manchester to come and kick some arse (that and a few pints of Guinness at their side). As we go along in the story, you have to wrap your head around the fact that this story is dealing with some weird avenues of "science" fiction. Which they continue throughout the whole series. They didn't just plop a little science fiction down in the first episode and then start kicking the alien ass. No, there is science all over this bad boy. But again, they kept a story going, with characters you like (and dislike) that makes you want to continue to tune in for the next episode. So if you have a chance, watch this, it's not your SGC or Star Trek, but I dare say it's a thinking mans story. Not that I have any idea about some of the science in this, ( certainly, mostly fiction ) but it was very interesting. As I'm watching the credits, (yes, I'm one of those), I see one of the names under "Story" is none other than Stephen Baxter. Yes "that" Stephen Baxter. The science fiction writer, who is known for "heavy in the science" department of his fiction. Which brought me back to yes, this is a science fiction story. Truly.

On science fiction in text, as well as film, that I've really found informative is The British Science Fiction Society for a lot of up-to-date happenings, interviews, and the like. Those British have a lot going on, (thankfully!) and of course a lot of their work gets published over here in the US as well. Some very specialized releases are coming from PS Publishing in the UK these days, in signed and limited releases from science fiction and horror writers.

You can get a great idea of PS Publishing in one of their Postscripts anthologies. The Michael Marshall Smith issue is particularly good and if features many authors like Chris Fowler, Rick Hautala, Connie Willis, Tim Lebbon, Joe Hill, Mark Morris, Stephen King (you've heard of him ;-), and a lot more.
You can see more about POSTSCRIPTS 10 at the Overlook Connection Bookstore.

Visit the British Science Fiction Association home page HERE!

Movie Madness Part 1: Netflix is My NEW Cyber Buddy

If you don't know me by now, then let me explain: I'm a movie junkie, and I'm always on the prowl. Yes, I'm a bookseller and sometimes I even publish a tome or two, but when the lights go down after the day is done, the kid's in bed, I turn on the telly and see what mischief I can watch tonight.

Netflix! Oh you wonderful idea of a company YOU! I remember when Netflix first began, my first thought was, hell yeah! This is a "no brainer" (yeah, why didn't I think of this?). My actual first thought was, "okay, wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight. Yer tellin' me that I can sit home, pick out my movies on the 'puter, and 3 will arrive immediately (based on your subscription - you get what you pay for - more funds, more movies, less funds, etc.)? Then wait, wait, let me make sure I understand this second part, there are NO LATE CHARGES? I remember when I told my local Blockbuster this a few years ago, they said "oh, but you don't have the ease of this, that and the other." They had to be kidding. Of course they were boasting the no late charges "anymore" too. Yeah, right, they still charged after a certain time frame. Not Netflix! In fact, I discovered that all those indie movies, those special sets, documentaries, all those odd, weird and cool films that I had been looking to see for years, was now a day or two away. Add to your Que and voila! there it was.. waiting in the wings for it to get to my door.

And then, just when I thought I had it all... they go and do something just plain GREAT! I can watch thousands of movies, TV shows, you name it, on my computer. Instantly! Better than that, I can now plug up my DVD player (on my network) and play "any" of those shows on my TV!! Now how great is that! I'm gonna put a refrigerator and a special commode (don't ever here that word anymore do ya?) right in front of the TV. Better yet, why don't I just.... wait.. wait.. my lovely wife is telling me.. if I want to keep a marriage that I will stop my Monty Pythonesque ranting right here. Right.. on with the show... (sorry honey).

RECENT VIEWINGS I MUST... TELL.. YOU... ABOUT... I .. MUST!

THE KILLING KIND: This film starring an effective Andrew Howard and directed by Paul Sarossy, was nothing that I could have foreseen. This is a thriller, killer, psychological mind screw that is predictable one second, and then turns left when you think it's gonna jog right. Jon is dedicated to his job. A job of killing, but a job he has perfected, from start to clean up finish. Although obviously controlled much like a puppet in a Punch and Judy show, he does his job well, and he's effective. Thorough. His boss makes sure he is taken care of, just as long as Jon is doing his dirty work for him. When a chance encounter with an old mate begins to bring him back to humanity, this is when the ball of this tightly wound yarn of a man begins to unravel. Where it goes from there is just funked up. Yes, a very violent flick, you should know this up front, but it has it's down moments as well. Well.. maybe one or two.
I must mention Geraldine O'Rawe whose kind hand and gorgeous face, was perfect for this role. If you have any clue how this film is going to turn out, then I want you to read my palm - you're a miracle worker! I liked to be surprised in a story (although at my age, surprise isn't what I get much anymore :-). I'm not sure surprise is the word I would use here for this film, but like many others before it, I just waited to see where we would go next. Glad I saw it. Not sure how to recommend it, but recommend I do. I think writers will get a kick out of it. Now it's your turn.

GHOST MACHINE: Another one that I enjoyed. A nice surprise actually. Some weekend warriors decide to borrow some high-tech computers, set up some gadgets all over an old prison, and begin playing in cyber space. But with a twist: the gadgets, again placed all over the building, put the cyber gamers within the walls of this prison. As they shoot the "bad guys" coming after them, and around every corner, they fail to see that they're not alone... well... at first. It seems There is now a "Ghost" in their machine, and it is very angry, with deadly intentions. And for good reason it seems. As you're led down the path of the inevitable destruction, some with a really big chain and hook at one end (no Pin Head here), you get caught up in the "what's around the corner" thrills and chills of this ghostly mayhem. There's more going on here than meets the proverbial "eye" and the story is played out well. The actors, mostly unknowns, are a good cast that work well together. A cyber thriller with a nice splash (splashes?) of horror within. A lot of fun and definitely worth watching. All the way to the end. Clink, clink.

Up Next: The Runaways! (with Dakota Fanning? I dunno... I'll let 'cha know next time).

PCB, Grown Ups, Zombies and We Have Trees Down

Excuse me while I wipe the blog cobwebs off here. Been a few weeks since I've stopped in to say hello and muse on thangs. Time to catch up and pass along the latest.

NO OIL! Had a ten day vacation with the family down in Panama City Beach and took a load off for a few days. Lots of seafood, especially raw oysters and beer! One thing we love to do is go down and have have a mess load of shrimp and crab legs steamed in Old Bay and/or lemon pepper seasonings. MMmm Mmm good people. No oil on the beach! They did have people checking in the mornings combing the beach up and down, but nada.. nothin' clean as a... well you get my meaning. Water was almost sauna warm at times. If you're ever down that way you should visit some local favorites like "Dusty's" on Front Beach road. This place is always busy, even in the off season, because it's a favorite with the locals. They shuck oysters right there in the bar and Scotty O' has been the world shucker champion 3 times! I believe he had to go to Ireland for that one. He's been there for at least 15 years or more. Another fave of ours is "Hunt's" in downtown Panama City. Their cajun baked oysters and fried seafood platter are the best (no honey, I SWEAR I didn't eat no fried food.. ;-).

We always save some of the summer movies to see while we're down there in PCB and TOY STORY 3 is just fantastic. Do yourself and your family a favor and make a night of it - fun dinner, see the movie, maybe a double scoop afterwards (we had Dippin' Dots - man they're making a fortune offa that). It's a wonderful film and yeah that had ten years to make this and tweak that, but the proof's in the pudding. And the writing in this film is just plain good. I've been catching every Pixar film when it's released (The Incredibles being a real fave of mine) and if you've been watching the Toy Story series, this is a nice coda to it all. I was surprised at the emotion that I, and my family, felt during this story. That's a big pat on the back to Pixar, Woody and Buzz.

A TREE DOWN: A couple of days back and recouping from vacation (funny how that happens) and had a wind storm that was almost a tornado. Might as well have been.. it took down our 80 yr-old Oak tree in the backyard, which took down another huge Maple tree. Thankfully it went backwards and not forwards - which would have been our house. These trees covered our wonderful courtyard and pavillion and we are truly in mourning here at the Hinchberger hacienda. We have to be thankful that we're all okay, and the house is in one piece. Everything has been cleared away now, and I haven't seen this much sun in our backyard - ever. I am making some good out of the bad though... the Oak tree, which was ten feet in radius!, was cut very high, and we're going to build a gazebo around it! No joke! It's going to make a great bar and a new addition to our back area. And we still get to enjoy the ol' red Oak we've loved for all these years. But this time we'll just be sharing a Tecate (with lime) on it. I'll work on putting some pics up for all to see.

My son and I went to see GROWN UPS the new Adam Sandler flick with Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, and David Spade. A lot of fun, and what my wife calls a "boys movie" and she's probably right in this case. However, as with a lot of recent Sandler films, he's been working on more family friendly films, this is one you can enjoy. Certainly there is suggestive material, but it's not flagrant. Being that I'm around the same age as Sandler, I always enjoy his music picks from the 70's and 80's - let's me go back... time to make another CD collection ;-).

Brian Keene's THE LAST ZOMBIE first issue arrived! The long-awaited original story (with more story arcs to come as I understand) has begun. The artwork, by Fred Perry, is good, effective. I do wish it was a little lighter in their faces, but it's a personal preference and doesn't change the fact that I am already intrigued and looking forward to issue no. 2.

You may have noticed the the front page to The Overlook Connection Bookstore website has been updated. We've worked on making it a little more uniform and easier to see what we have in stock, and what's coming up. Let me know what you think. In fact I'm open to any suggestions and ideas you might have to make it easier to visit our store.

Hey, that's it this time out, but I should be back soon with a lot more

The Green Room

I enjoy comedy. And when the comedy boon began in the 80's on cable and then grew across America with comedy clubs in the 90's I was in heaven. It seemed that HBO and cable was giving every other comic an hour stand up show. I think what intrigues me the most about comics is the writing and the relevant topics that they tackle. George Carlin's stand up wasn't just hilarious, but he was poignant and showed the world just how ridiculous humanity can be. Bill Mahr's Politically Incorrect (and now just the Bill Mahr Show) gives us this same kind of humor, at the same time addressing real topics. It's summer, and they always give us comedy on cable in the summer. There's a new show out now from Showtime "The Green Room with Paul Provenza" which is a round table of comedians that just has me rolling. Having people like Sandra Bernhard (met her once.. she didn't speak, to anyone she met backstage... I guess I wasn't Madonna. Insert rim shot here.), Roseanne Barr, and Bob Sagat in a recent show, man, no subject is off limits, and they feed off each other. Funny stuff. If you can see it, watch it. Not sure how long it will last but it's a lot of fun to watch them banter and build. Catch it if you can.
The Green Room at Showtime

Grade "A Team"

Take yerself, yer wife and kids (uh, teens on up what with the violence and some language and all gang), rush on down to the local theater. Buy your tickets, sneak a peek in the bathroom (ya don't wanna get up during this action fest), grab yer drink and popcorn and get settled in. The "A-Team" is one smash hit for this summer and a definite popcorn movie. I LOVE popcorn movies, cuz you just leave your brain at the door and enjoy the ride. This is gang busters from start to finish. And I do mean finish - stay after the credits - it's fun. I wait thru credits sometimes to see if there's going to be a surprise. With the history of the TV series, I figgered there would be one here. The comaraderie between the actor/characters is tangible and the audience and I laughed quite a bit at the antics. Especially Mr. T's whining about flying all the time. Hey, it's the A-Team so you know it's full of crash-boom-bang with movie flair. The actors pull it off well and the writers and film makers know what they're doing. Doesn't hurt that Ridley and Tony Scott have also produced this one. If they sell stock for the sequel, I'd buy it, because this is the beginning of a successful franchise. Watch this and have fun. Boom.

The Orphan - On the Edge of my Seat Baby!

In a word, WOW! I actually ordered this from NetFlix and it was on the way to me yesterday when The Orphan popped up on HBO late last night. I was working late on my piece for The Walking Dead set visit and still a bit tired from the sweltering the day before on set, but... The Orphan had just started and I've been looking forward to seeing it. So I stayed up. Much to my body's chagrin, but here I was, slowly being swept up into the slow, but climbing tension filled story of The Orphan.

The pace of the film is almost hypnotic as you become involved with the characters one by one. A family of four decides to adopt after the couple has lost a child during pregnancy. Visiting a local orphanage, they find Esther (or did she find them?), a 9/10 yr, old and bring her home. Esther's true colors begin to show fairly quickly, and step mom picks up on the manipulation. But mom can't quite put her finger on what is happening to her home and family. Esther, is obviously young, but shows many elements of being "beyond her years" and this is what keeps mom, and us, on the edge. If you think you know what's going on, fugghet about it, just watch and be entertained.

And speaking of being on edge, this film kept me there throughout most of it's 2 hours. David Johnson's writing is very good in this film. Everything about this production is good from the directing, editing, and acting. This is one of those films that I'm sure didn't receive a lot of screens when it was released, but as a DVD will survive and grow with word-of-mouth (as of today, Netflix had 144,000 ratings! Impressive). So here's my vote of "watch this" and be sure to grab a drink and pop the popcorn first. You want to stay in your seat, well, at least on the edge of it, for this suspenseful and disturbing tale. I won't be adopting anytime soon.

I Found The Lost Room. So Should You.

Thanks to the DVD release I finally got a chance to take a gander at the original Sci-Fi series, The Lost Room, starring Peter Krause, Kevin Pollack, Julianna Margulies, and in a surprise return, actor Dennis Christopher who's always given us that creepy edge he brings to roles.

Directed by Craig R. Baxley who has previously brought several Stephen King yarns to the screen such as Storm of the Century, Rose Red, and the Stephen King Presents Kingdom Hospital series. The suspense that Baxley gave us in Storm of the Century he shows us again in The Lost Room. I had to watch every episode on this 2 disc set, no waiting, no taking time out for lunch, I wanted to see what was going to happen next!

Krause's character ends up with a unique motel room key, which can be used with any door, that always opens to the same motel room in a desert. Unknown to him, his daughter begins experimenting with the key and she eventually becomes part of The Lost Room. Thus begins his quest to find his daughter, and along the way he meets some very interesting characters to say the least. This eventually leads us into a much bigger story that goes back to the event, which began the origin of The Lost Room. And then the ball really gets rolling.

The series, although only one short season, is good storytelling with some adept acting by all involved. Krause's style of acting is not one I'm very fond of. However he did a fine job in this roll. I would say his acting chops certainly lent itself to making this series what it is. Obviously this series could have continued if they had found a large enough audience and I would have enjoyed seeing it go a little further. However they did bring it pretty much full-circle, if a little hastily, it was still an enjoyable few hours and I highly recommend it.

So get lost in The Lost Room, and be sure to have some popcorn at the ready.

Savagery is Just Around The Bend

I was fortunate to see the cinematic version (cinematic - that other word for "movie" ;-) of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winning novel THE ROAD this week. Had my brother Chris over and our bookstore shipper Gene stayed for the event. I'm a big fan of keeping myself focused when we watch a "new" film, no talking, etc. It's okay if there's a comment here and there, as long as it's during down times and it's not disrupting the experience of the story. For this showing we were glued to the screen with noticeable tension from the body language in the room. From every-body. Not a lot you'd want to say during this film. For the most part you're just trying to take it all in, and for me, at times, it was imagining what would this be like if it really happened to us. And I mean me and my family. That's just how personal it felt at times. Because that's the thing you see: savagery is just around the corner. We all take it for granted the good life we have in this world. At least here in the US, if you work you can have a good life. You don't have to be rich to enjoy your life (although a few more bucks here and there sure would help :-), but if you work, you can own a home, buy a car, raise a family (might have to have mom and dad working these days), etc. To have the right to be able to do those things is an amazing thing. There a many places in the world where survival is a daily event, forget about the long-term, they're just trying to live day-to-day. All we have to do is get our paycheck, go down to the grocery store and pick up the milk, eggs, and all the other things we desire. If you think about it, t takes a lot of people and operations to get those things into our home. It's hard not to take these things for granted, it's just part of our way of life.

Now imagine your world, as in THE ROAD, is gone, and money, electricity, plumbing... that's all gone. Due to the wars, or whatever caused this apocalyptic event, the weather is colder and the sky seems to be a permanent gray. Growing crops doesn't seem to be much of an option, and people are disappearing. No food, no hospitals, no infrastructure. Damn, what a horrible place to live and actor Viggo Mortenson, in the title role, along with his son (played effectively by Kodi Smit-McPhee) show us just what a struggle it is. Trying to stay clear of the cannibalistic marauders, who rove in packs, or hole up in mansions with their own version of a "fridge" to hold their "meat" is very disturbing. The son asks several times during their moving around, "we're the good guys, right?" He was born after the "event" so he has no real idea of the world his father left behind. The scene with an un-opened can of Coke, discovered hidden away, that the son got to enjoy was a simple and very poignant moment.

Hard to imagine, but this story is very close to home. Not that we live it, but someday, we could. Savagery is just around the corner. I say we leave it on that corner and walk the other way. The alternative is just to horrible to imagine. The movie is good, but one viewing will hold me a lifetime.

THE TIES THAT BIND - DVD REVIEW

THE TIES THAT BIND - DVD REVIEW.

Story by Brian Keene.

Directed by Jeff Heimbuch.

I Finally had a chance to sit down last night and pop in Brian Keene's first cinematic production of THE TIES THAT BIND, and watch it on our big screen. Brian Keene has gained a lot of popularity in the last decade, much of that due to his diligence to keep writing and getting his work published. It's worked, because he's gained a faithful audience the world over., and his audience is ever-growing. This DVD will help bring a new audience to the mix.

As Keene's video introduction discusses, he's had Hollywood options before, but this is the first film to actually be produced. Based on Keene's short story of the same name, this was a good tale to film. This is obviously a low-budget production, but with high standards: Heimbuch took a lot of care in this production and his passion shows. From the actors to the details of editing and sound. If I can be so bold as to compare this short film to an episode of Tales from The Darkside, the television horror series, it's qualities are close to that production.

Mention actors, especially husband.

All the extras are fun and informative and Brian Keene shows up with a reading titled Have a drink ... definitely worth watching.

This is a straight-to-DVD production that is also limited to 300 signed and numbered copies by Keene and director Jeff Heimbuch.