The Sinister Specter

Man On Wire

2009-04-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since I blogged much of anything. There really isn't an excuse for it, I just didn't see much point in it whilst I was living my life, building a home office and working on some other things (writing a screenplay, co-writing and improvising in a successful advertising campaign, etc.). It's been a fairly productive year, considering I also have a full time job to contend with. Still, I had a nagging feeling that I wasn't doing enough. Then I watched Man On Wire and understood why.

Man On Wire is a documentary about wire walker Philippe Petit's historic tightrope walk between the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. The film is one of the most inspirational pieces of cinema I've ever seen. It documents, through interviews and recreations, the journey Petit took to make his dream come true. The man wanted to walk on air, and he did it. What he did makes all my dreams, and the dreams of nearly everyone I've ever met, seem so small, so insignificant and most of all, so attainable.

So, here I am, with a fire under my ass, writing a short blog about a massive amount of inspiration that was bottled in 1 hour and 47 minutes. If you have dreams of your own, watch this film. I hope it helps you as immensely as it has me.

We let him guard the base...

2009-02-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Toy Fair has come and gone and now we get to see a slew of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy pics. Want to know who's in the movie? Well, just peruse the Transformers fan sites and you'll get an idea. That's what I did, and I came across a pic of Wheelie.
Yeah...Wheelie. You remember him from the cartoon, right?

No?

Here he is...

Remember now? He's annoying little Autobot that spoke in rhymes. Well, he's apparently in the new flick and he looks like this...

Wall-E anyone?

Camp Crystal Lake Reopens

2009-02-16T06:37:00.001-08:00

What was the best way to spend Valentine's Day Weekend? Why, watch the Friday The 13th remake, of course! Filled to the brim with gratuitous nudity, splashy gore and wooden acting; the movie is surprisingly better than it has any right to be.

Director Marcus Nispel and Producer Michael Bay decided to make this film closer to its inspiration than they did with their previous outing, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

While Massacre was a remake of one film, Friday is a re-imagining of a series. The film starts with a flashback to the end of the original Friday The 13th, quickly explaining where Jason comes from and why he has his Mother's head by the bathtub. There are nods to different films in the series (look closely for the wheel chair towards the end) and the characters have the same motivations as those in an other Friday The 13th movie. They're all horny teens who want to smoke grass and drink. the new Camp Crystal Lake is a familiar place from a misspent youth at the horror movies.

For all the similarities to the original series, there is one difference that sets this film apart from the others. Jason is no longer a carbon copy rip off of the Halloween series' Michael Myers. Jason runs and kills. There is an unexplained bit where he keeps a girl chained up in an abandoned mine shaft, but hey, this is the same series that gave us the following gems...

and

The film has some laughably bad dialogue ("Oh my fuck!" and "Fuck you, gun!"), lots of topless women (saving the most "spectacular" for last) and PLENTY of machetes in the face. All in all, I'd say it's a great way to forget about stimulus packages and plane crashes for an hour and a half.

Separated at Birth?

2009-02-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

Jason X, the futuristic Cyber Jason that's spawned a series of spin-off novels and comics.

Is he really the twin of...

COBRA COMMANDER?!?!?!?!?!?!

Oh me, oh my, this is hysterical!

I survived...

2009-02-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked the first day of the New York Comic Con. I spent most of the day hanging with some friends and talking smack on X-Men The Last Stand and Dalek porno. All in all, a fun time. I even scored some really cool swag...

Yes, that's right...a Micro Talking Dalek! Hearing this little garbage can robot scream "Exterminate the Doctor, the enemy of the DALEKS!" makes me happy. Very happy.

After the show, my friends and I wound up walking about 15 blocks (4 of which were avenues) to one of the best BBQ places I've been in a looooong time. Check out Rub BBQ when you get a chance. It's on 23rd between 7th and 8th I believe.

Now it's on to Day 2, wherein I attempt to find parking in Manhattan and try not to destroy myself after the Con.

25 things you probably didn't know about me

2009-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

I got tagged in one of those silly Facebook "things you didn't know about me" notes. So I figured I'd post it here.

Here you go...

1. It took me 3 viewings to realize I hate The Phantom Menace.

2. At the tender age of 12, I outwitted a man in a brown van. He was following my friend and I as we were coming back from the comic store. He drove slowly at first, following us up the street. We turned to take a short cut and he followed, gradually increasing his speed. We both saw the creep edge forward. We were approaching the cemetery near my house. We both had the same idea. We banked a hard left. We ran through a yard then hopped a fence and ran through the cemetery, no doubt disturbing the quiet dead beneath our pounding Nikes.

3. This is the first year where I actually have to pay to get into NY Comic Con.

4. At the age of 29, I learned I was willing to kill another human being in a life or death situation.

5. My favorite potato chip of all time is Utz’s Crab Chip.

6. I have an extensive collection of Silver Age Legion of Super Heroes comics.

7. I still own most of my original Star Wars toys.

8. I’ve never seen Buffy The Vampire Slayer

9. I once saw Sarah Jessica Parker HOUSE a Gray’s Papaya hot dog.

10. For an avid reader, I actually read pretty slow. I don’t have an attention deficit disorder, nor am I dyslexic. I’ve always been slightly annoyed by this trait.

11. The number 11 is always seems to pop up in my life.

12. I almost skipped my grammar school graduation so I could see Jurassic Park. Man oh man did I hate that place.

13. One of my best friends and I used to hang out at the same comic store and movie theater and shows when we were kids, but we only wound up becoming friends in our early twenties.

14. I think it would be awesome if Dinosaurs wore saddles, but that's scientifically impossible.

15. I corrected the title of this note 'cause it was grammatically incorrect.

16. I think Titanic is a laugh riot because it's so awful.

17. I have a black hole where my heart is supposed to be.

18. I once tried to build an entire wardrobe around the character of Dr. Who, complete with a sonic screwdriver.

19. I'd probably eat a bacon-wrapped scallop out of the garbage.

20. This list is tedious.

21. I think Rob Blagojevich is one of the most fascinating people ever covered on the news.

22. I'd rather be a European sewer adventurer than an office jerk.

23. I hate Anne Rice for emasculating the vampire.

24. I think Josie And The Pussycats is one of the funniest movies ever made.

25. I probably tagged more that 25 people on this. Whatever.

Funny Email

2009-01-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Monster sent out its monthly newsletter today. The title was "What are the signs of a bad job?". I tried laughing, but I wound up crying on the inside. Yay. I wish I got this e-mail 8 years ago.

Holy welfare state, Batman!

2009-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Saw this quote from the old Batman series and thought it apropos.

Batman: "Nobody wants war."
Robin: "Gee, Batman. Belgravia's such a small country. We'd beat them in a few hours."
Batman: "Yes, and then we'd have to support them for years."

Here comes tomorrow...

2009-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Well, we have a new President. Let's hope he does better than the last guy.

Haven't blogged in some time...

2009-01-19T09:48:00.001-08:00

Sorry about that. I've been busy working on figuring the great mystery of life out. I have 2 unfinished blogs on Star Trek and my favorite movies of 2008, but I got lazy. Again, sorry about that to the 2 of you that actually read this thing.

That said, I recently read a blog that made me laugh and remember why I wanted to blog to begin with.

You can read it here. It's damn hysterical.

OK, I'm on my lunch break and I gotta read up on the Praxis.

Be seeing you,
Ian

Butter and Allah Give Man Strength of 260 Horses...

2008-12-03T07:44:00.000-08:00

Honestly, this is the most amazing thing I've seen all year.

In the following video, you will see a man with a life so amazing, you'll swear it must be a hoax. But I say thee nay! His heart is so faithful, he married 28 times. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Egyptian Hulk...

Battlestar Decepticon

2008-11-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

So, Rich Johnston over at Lying In The Gutters reported a rumor the following...

"I understand that one of the main Decepticons in Transformers 2 is a 'hot blonde girl with a giant tongue.'"

So, they're going straight for the Pretenders now, huh?

Pretenders, for those of you who don't remember, were a group of Transformers that disguised themselves with humanoid shells.

Here's Jazz...

Here's Starscream...

And here's Skullgrin...

OK, so maybe Skullgrin doesn't look human, but Transformers stopped making sense after a giant planet turned Megatron crazy.

The other, more probable possibility, is that Michael Bay saw Battlestar Galactica and thought, "oh, hot robots are awesome!"

The Curse of a Time Lord

2008-10-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

According the the AP, David Tennant will be leaving Doctor Who in the 2010, meaning that Steven Moffat and company will start their series with a brand spanking new Doctor.

I suppose it makes sense. After all, it's a new creative team, may as well have a new Doctor that they can shape and mold. Especially since outgoing show runner Russel T Davies is wrapping up his dangling plot threads in the upcoming holiday specials.

It still makes me a little sad though. I'm going to miss the wiry, smarmy bastard.

Kill Your Boyfriend

2008-10-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I missed this thrill killing gem, but I did (until today).

Grant Morrison, Philip Bond and company deliver a slam bang taste of anarchy, the hypocrisy of artists & suburbia and young lovers on the run.

The art and writing are so full of manic energy you can't help but get sucked into this lovely condemnation of consumer society.

It's my favorite comic of the week, and it's 14 years old.

I'm going to punch someone in the face...

2008-09-12T13:52:00.001-07:00

So, I got a call from a restricted phone number today. I picked up (I know, bad move), and was greeted by a recording from an outfit called Family Radio.
They're a listener funded radio station, like NPR or WFMU, only CRAZY!

The voice on the other end informed me that the Rapture will happen in October of 2011 and all those left behind will face God's fiery wrath. The voice then encouraged me to listen so I can prepare to let my soul be saved.

OK, first off, the Rapture ISN'T IN THE BIBLE!

Secondly, according to the book they thump, Jesus himself says no one save God the Father knows the date of the end times.
So, what the hell are these whackos babbling about?!

Now, I want to know who signed me up for that shit, 'cause I'm on that nifty do not call list.
Anyone? Anyone?

Ugh!

Withdrawal

2008-08-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Doctor Who Series 4 is over and I'm experiencing a bit of withdrawal. Thankfully, io9 just posted some great classic Doctor Who stories. So, I'll have to catch up on them.

Also, I picked up Paul Cornell's novelization of his Scream of the Shalka and I got my grubby little mitts on the Blood of the Daleks audio play. They're both pretty damn impressive and they're a fun substitute for the show.

'til Christmas,
Ian

A Storm Of Creativity

2008-08-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

OK, so I haven't been blogging anywhere near as much as I should. So, to all 5 or 6 of you that read this thing, I apologize.

I've been focusing my writing chops on a comic book pitch. It's an idea that's been floating around in my head for the past year and half or so and I felt it's about damn time I actually start developing the damn thing on paper.

So, The Sinister Specter's suffered a bit. Instead of writing about comics, I've decided to write my own.

That said, I've made a lot of headway on the pitch. I should be done with the lion's share of the work by this weekend, so I'll probably post more frequently. Who knows, it may even coincide with when I see The Clone Wars. Like everyone else in the geek blogosphere, I'm sure to have an opinion on that!

Be seeing you,
Ian

Jerk of the Week: Andrew Klavan

2008-07-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

I read a rather infuriating op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal that compared Batman, as portrayed in The Dark Knight, to President George W. Bush. Andrew Klavan is the grossly misguided author.

Mr. Klavan writes, "[t]here seems to me no question that the Batman film...is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war."

Did we watch the same movie?

Yes, Batman does display a lot of "conservative values," but if memory serves, he NEVER breaks his one rule. George W. Bush and his administration wiretapped American citizens without warrants. Not to mention Mr. Bush practically abandoned a war with a country that had a hand in attacking the United States so he could commit the US Armed Forces to what was basically a personal vendetta. That doesn't sound very much like the Batman movie I saw, Mr. Klavan.

Mr. Bush, like so many politicians, has taken a set of values along with some bumbling Orwellian rhetoric and used them to divide the country. If I was going to compare George W. Bush and his administration to any characters in a Summer Blockbuster, it would probably be Emperor Palpatine and the Empire. Now that's an article that needs some writing!

Twilight of the Heroes

2008-07-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

I heard a story about an aging movie star that’s outlived his body double by over 5 years and his co-star by over 24 years. He’s living a life most retirees dream of. He paints, plays the piano, takes the occasional run to the drive-thru for a hamburger and he watches movies on a nice, comfy sofa. He’s even writing a book! This Palm Springs resident certainly sounds like he’s living the life, doesn’t he?

Cheeta’s his name, and he’s a chimpanzee. Cheeta was the star of 12 classic Tarzan movie serials. He’s the oldest known living chimp, though his actual age is up for debate. Regardless of his age, he’s still living better than most human beings his age. He certainly has it better than my Grandfather did.

Angelo Mai was a first generation American. Named after a 19th Century ancestor (who also happened to be the chief keeper of the Vatican Library), he was the youngest of 11 children. He grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey where he eventually joined the city’s Fire Department. He married a nurse and they had 3 children. He was a stern man by all accounts. He strongly believed in God, country and family. The man was a grumpy force of nature.

“He was a strong man,” my mother said. “When he hugged me as a child, I was enveloped in these huge muscles. It felt so safe.” I suppose he had to be in great shape. After all, Hoboken was full of multi story apartment buildings and brownstones. It was like a gauntlet for firefighters.

When my mother was a child, Grandpa rose to the rank of Captain. He worked a city fireman's schedule and never took advantage of his rank. Once, when my mother and father were on a date at what's now known as the Malibu Diner. A building across the street was ablaze and who showed up and ran right in? That's right...Grandpa.

“I looked up, and somehow he got all the way to the roof fast,” she said. “Your father and I just sat in our booth and watched him. There he was, in full gear, on the roof of a burning building! He was smoking a cigarette, directing the firemen.”

After retirement, when he was in his mid 60s, Grandpa chopped his own firewood, mowed his lawn and tinkered all over the house. This was when I knew him.

When Grandpa found out I liked comics, he gave me a bunch of Evangelical Christian mini comics. The comics were black, white and light blue. The first one was innocuous enough, as it was about Jonah and the Whale. But the second one he gave me was the one that stuck out the most. It was about Armageddon. The thing that so vividly sticks out in my mind is a picture of a police motorcycle with a guillotine on the back. Apparently, the police would be the agents of the Antichrist and they’d use the bikes to behead the Faithful. He also gave me loose change in empty pill bottles.

He did all the work around the house until his early 70s. Then he was diagnosed with emphysema. He moved in with my Uncle for a while, but soon, the emphysema grew stronger than Grandpa and he had to move to a nursing home.

Grandpa spent his twilight years sharing a room with an invalid, and then with a man even more cantankerous than he ever was. The Nursing Home was clean and the staff was friendly. It was modest a modest place, but Grandpa would be happy with a crate to sit on, his Bible and a Mets game on the radio.

Grandpa was a stubborn man, which I suppose is why he was such a damn good fireman. At his wake, several of his fellow firefighters came up to my Mother, my Aunt and my Uncle and told them about how they would have followed Grandpa anywhere. They reminisced about the crazy things he'd do to make sure they got home to their families that night. I swear, it was like they were talking about a super hero. This man, who gave me pennies and dimes covered with who knows what kind of pharmaceutical residue inspired these men more than any British nobleman in a loincloth and a chimpanzee ever could.

Biff! Boff! POW!

2008-07-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

So, the blogosphere is filled with folks commenting on Christian Bale’s alleged assault on his mother and sister. It’s on Celebrity Gossip, The Huffington Post, Perez Hilton…all the usual suspects.

Like all developing celeb scandals, these jerks have very little to report. Mr. Bale’s family accused him of assault and the police arrested him…end of story. Yet they all feel the need to sink their venomous teeth into this developing story.

The ONLY thing this story will do now is breed speculation. And you don’t need to be Bear Stearns to know how unhealthy idle speculation can be.

Escape From Little Sea World

2008-07-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

John Carpenter and Kurt Russel really need to get back together and make a movie again. Those guys have a 3 out of 4 record, so I trust them enough with a fifth movie.

In fact, I'll even throw them a bone for a plot...

It's the far flung future of 1998. Snake Plisken and his deadbeat Uncle Jack Burton get together for a tailgate party at the burnt-out Newark Bears stadium. Somewhere along the way, they find out Lo Pan and Brain are looking for the "Fripper with green eyes" and all hell breaks loose.

We'll call it Escape From Little Sea World.

Sounds awesome, right?

Three things I'm looking forward to in 2008...

2008-07-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog-It's a free Internet musical written by Joss Whedon and starring Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris. It's online for a week. How can one go wrong?

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed-I've read the Wired article, the AP article and even the Vanity Fair article about this game. Let me say this...I can't wait to use the Force to CRUSH Tie-Fighters and toss Stormtroopers down ventilation shafts!

Voting-We're in one of the most important Presidential elections in years. Who gets to clean up the neocon fascist mess George W Bush and company left? Educate yourselves and answer this November!

A Sinister Six

2008-07-12T05:22:00.001-07:00

This is the first of a (hopefully) weekly series of short comic book reviews.

Action Comics # 867-Geoff Johns and Gary Frank dive headfirst into the second part of their "Braniac" arc. It's a great issue that adds to Braniac's history while incorporating all or most of what's come before. It's Geoff Johns' specialty. Want to know why all Braniac's interpretations were slightly incongruent? Look here for the beginnings of an explanation. Also, it's nice to see someone use Supergirl well for a change since her reboot/resurrection.

The only thing that creeps me out about this run is Gary Frank's obvious use of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as references for Superman and Lois Lane. That said, his Steve Lombard and Cat Grant are spot on, and it's great to see them at the Daily Planet again!

Detective Comics# 846-The Heart of Hush begins, and it's a Batman: RIP crossover...well, it's sort of an RIP crossover. Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen finally give us a worthy sequel to Jeph Loeb's and Jim Lee's seminal Hush arc. There's no reference to the neutered Prometheus or the retconned Killing Joke or the Hobgoblin-ish Hush. Hush is Tommy Elliot and he still wants revenge on Bruce Wayne.

Dini adds to Hush's story by expanding on what's already there. He plays with the Aristotle quotes, Tommy's career as a surgeon and just why he's obsessed with bandages. It's a great first issue and I'm sure it'll be a fun story. As for the RIP bits, Catwoman mentions Jezebel Jet and Hush mentions The Black Glove, so don't feel the need to know everything that's going on in RIP.

Final Crisis: Requiem-Disappointed in Martian Manhunter's unceremonious send-off in Final Crisis # 1? So's the rest of the Justice League. This one-shot features the J'onn J'onzz's final moments as he fights Libra and company with the last of his powers and sends one final gift to his longtime friends. The issue celebrates the Manhunter From Mars' rich history and conveys Superman's, Batman's and the rest of the DCU's grief. This issue brings closure to the little green man's life. That said, the heroes will still pray for a resurrection.

Indiana Jones & The Tomb of the Gods # 1-Do you miss our favorite two-fisted archaeologist at the top of his game? Rob Williams and Steve Scott do to. It's the 1930's and Indiana Jones is called to investigate a secret older than history!

While the issue is predominantly set-up, there's a great confrontation with Nazi occultists and a chase through the Empire State Building's new frame. This issue has everything save the girl (though I'm sure we'll see one in the next issue or so). Also, it reads great with Hellboy or the BPRD.

BPRD: The Warning # 1-It's been a while since Were-Jaguar Daimio tore through the BPRD's new Colorado base, but Abe Sapien's on his trail! Also, the ghost of a certain 1930's adventurer isn't done helping our favorite paranormal investigators stop the Fu-Manchu looking ghost from Liz's dreams (and The Iron Prometheus). Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis deliver another intriguing chapter in the Bureau's world. Oh, and there isn't a single damn frog in the issue. Whew!

Invincible Iron Man # 3-The Five Nightmares continue as Tony Stark follows the clues to Ezekiel Stane and his cannibalized Iron Man upgrade. The thing I like about this series is its accessibility. A reader doesn't have to know the whole intricate history of the character in order to enjoy the story. In fact, everything a reader needs to know is in the Iron Man movie. It's great marketing that's also great storytelling. Who thought the two concepts could meet in the middle of the road?

R'leyh The Message

2008-07-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

"Call of Cthulhu" is arguably the best known story written by master of horror, H.P. Lovecraft. It's a story about cults, ancient gods, dreams and strange coincidences. The story is told through a series of flashbacks within flashbacks. It's a difficult narrative technique to write, let alone film. So it's no wonder that so many filmmakers have declared the story unfilmable. Then came the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society.

With a haunting soundtrack, stark visuals and dream sequences reminiscent of Salvador Dahli, the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's Call of Cthulhu film is a rare treat for fans of horror and Golden Age cinema.

One of the reasons that this film so smart is because the filmmakers filmed it as if it was produced in 1926. It's a silent movie! While the visuals are stunning, the film also uses an old silent movie conceit; title cards. The filmmakers do a fine job conveying the story and it looks fantastic.

The DVD is available through the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's website. The movie runs at 47 minutes and there are some nifty extras. It's definitely worth a horror fan's skrill.

Great Wiki....

2008-07-09T13:17:00.001-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug_chasers

I'm just saving it here so I can read it later.