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.

Ah... Feels Good to Post Again...

YO! I'm back online and ready to start posting again. For those of you who don't know me, I run the Overlook Connection Bookstore and Press. Have been since 1987, and I've seen a lot of people come and go in this biz-o-books. A lot of people still around too I'm happy to say. Running a commercial concern can take up a lot of time, and if you have a family like me, there isn't a lot of time to post some days. But dammit I like to discuss and get out there with what's going on in the world, whether it's a movie, concert, book or whatever! I had a blog once on AOL, but they decided to shut down and I just didn't have time to work up another blog. So here I am big ol' world and I'm ready to sling some wordage and report on some happenings from time to time. I will talk about some of the happenings at the Overlook Connection Bookstore and Press, but mostly I'll just be giving my thoughts on this and that in entertainment. My niece, Lisa, calls me "Uncle Entertainment" just because I enjoy being entertained, and I like to spread it around to my friends and family.

So come on by and sit a spell sometime and I'll pass along what I find and let you know what I think. Oh, and crank up some Pink Floyd will ya? I'm feeling a bit 70's this evening.

Y'all keep on Shinin'

Dave

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.

The River Berger

I've always wanted to live by a river, or a creek, but this weeks downpour delivered it almost at our front door step. Well, that's a fish story. We're at the top of a hill, so we're in no danger of flooding (yes the books are safe!), but our main street to and from our home is flooded - I mean it has a current! An airboat was spotted going down our river...er street.. this morning. We've had rain for several days, but yesterdays deluge has caused six counties to close schools, including our county. We've taken pictures.

RECENT WEB SITES OF INTEREST

Ray Bradbury's 89th Birthday
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bradbury19-2009sep19,0,1580926.story

Tim Burtons Tricks & Treats Harpers Bazaar Oct. 09 Issue
http://www.thefashiontime.com/2009/09/tim-burtons-tricks-treats-malgosia-bela-evelina-mambetova-sophie-srej-in-harper%E2%80%99s-bazaar-october-2009/

Ah.. Fingerprints On The Sky.. continues to gather...

Tim Richmond, author of the FINGERPRINTS ON THE SKY: The Official Harlan Ellison Reader's Guide, (and being published by Overlook Connection Press) took time over the Labor Day weekend to visit with publisher Dave Hinchberger (yes, that would be me) to work on artwork placement within this massive tome.

FINGERPRINTS ON THE SKY began in 1998 when Mr. Richmond was introduced to me at the World Fantasy Con in Providence, Rhode Island. From that point forward we decided to embark on a journey that we had no idea would go this far, or this long. This volume has grown in so many ways, with the help of Harlan Ellison, his wife Susan, Andrea Richmond, and many others who have also been an immense help in sizing this tome into the book we'll be publishing in 2010. This volume was once going to be a much simpler version. Tim began to delve into more areas of the Ellison canon, discovering items and pieces even the man himself had not seen for decades. It almost seemed never ending, and certainly at times, overwhelming. I personally have spent hundreds of hours working on formatting, collecting images, you name it, I’ve had my hand in it. So much so, here we are twelve years later taking our Labor Day weekend to place images where Tim and I think they should go. This is the only book to ever look and reference every known and unknown work by Harlan Ellison. Thousands of entries, and hundreds of rare items being listed for the first time. After many drafts and changes, we are now down to adding the images and having the book typeset.

Once we’re down to final approval from the Ellison camp, then we’ll have a definite date in 2010 for publication. You can view the editions we’ll have available here at the Overlook website.

LABOR DAY SALE is now over and thank you for the big response! We gave away a lot of books with the new orders, so thanks again and we'll have more book-lover's deals soon!

Dave

Dave Hinchberger

Owner, Publisher, Overlook Connection Bookstore and Press.

RECENT WEBSITES OF INTEREST

UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King - Book Review from Library Journal is now up: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6694939.html?nid=2671&rid=#reg_visitor_id&source=title

www.Shelfari.com

I’ve discovered this website Shelfari.com that collects author’s and readers thoughts and comments on books they’re reading and even sharing photos of personal libraries. Author’s are also featured including one on Stephen King at Shelfari http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a418/Stephen-King/summary . Neil Gaiman has also sent in photos of his own library http://blog.shelfari.com/my_weblog/2009/09/neil.html

American Splendor Indeed

Harvey Pekar, in his own voice, says about lonliness that "sometimes laying in bed alone you feel the presence like an amputee feels a missing limb." Depressing, but an apt description that I think everyone can relate to at some point in our lives. Pekar, the cult comic-book writer and artist, is featured in AMERICAN SPLENDOR, a movie on his life. Part documentary with, part movie, animation, and the actors even watch a play within the movie (which I assume started the idea of doing this movie). I came to this film without much knowledge of Mr. Pekar and his work. I've seen it, but it's one area I didn't get around too yet. I found the film very entertaining, and Giamatti's portrayal of Pekar works very well. I was very impressed by his performance. You can judge for yourself as Pekar and his wife, Joyce, actually do appear in the film together. This isn't Seinfeld, where it's a comedy about everyday life about nothing... but it does give you the ups and downs that we all experience. A quirky guy that has written and drawn about his own life, had the comics published, and now here's a movie about his life. Pekar's friend, Toby Radloff, also made it onto MTV for bits about being a Cleveland nerd. I enjoyed it - both seeing the actors and the actual people they portrayed. This film came out in 2003, but seeing it again I wanted to pass along its an interesting look at creativity and banality, which always goes hand in hand. I don't care who you are.

At one point Pekar and his wife (the real versions :-) exhange words that gives us a peek at their lives:

Harvey: "That's me, gloom and doom."

Joyce: "That's funny, I thought I married a humorous man."

Harvey: "Well, I sure fooled you."

'Nuff said.

• TAKEN

I finally got a chance to look at TAKEN, the surprise hit film starring Liam Neeson. This film caught my attention because it was co-written (and produced ) by Luc Besson. You know, the Besson that brought us The Fifth Element, The Transporter, The Professional, La Femme Nikita, I mean the man knows how to take us on a ride. The film begins quietly enough and then when the Neeson-train-leaves-the-action-station this film flies like a bat outta hell. Neesons daughter, who he sees mostly at a distance from a divorce, is given permission to tour Europe with a girl friend. This is mostly against dads wishes, but with permission from the now well-to-do mother and stepfather. They get to Paris, they're targeted, and kidnapped. She and her friend are 17. Hello!?

Thus begins the part where you need to just have fun with the film and go with the no-holds-barred action that is non-stop until the films end. Neeson, apparantly an ex-CIA kind of character, has a bag of tricks to take out anyone dumb enough to mess with his daughter. Although a bit older, he's convincing enough to take out the baddies in practically every scene. Oh, yeah, he gets some scratches and dents, but the man is unstoppable.

And so is this movie.

If you're like me, and you like action films where you need to leave your brain at the ticket booth, (Strathems CRANK comes to mind too), before entering the theatre, then youre gonna have a great time with this film.

Dave Hinchberger